Civil Disobedience · Safe Protest Toolkit - Make America Think Again

Civil Disobedience · Safe Protest Toolkit · Civic Responsibility Education

Our civic responsibility education partners: SDG Campus and the RIL

Protest safety + verified resources (one page)

This is a practical field guide for nonviolent civic action: what to do in 5 minutes, how to stay safer at protests, where to get reliable rights guidance, and how to verify claims before you share them.

Start in 5 minutes Know your rights Go prepared Verify & track

If you share one link this week, share this page. Keep it simple. Keep it grounded. Keep it safe.

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1) Start here (5 minutes)

Pick one action you can actually complete today. The goal is real pressure without chaos.

Call with a script

5 Calls — tells you who to call + what to say: https://5calls.org/
USA.gov — find elected officials (official directory entry points): https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials

Message reps in 2 minutes

Resistbot — text-to-letter tool: https://resist.bot/
Tip: Resistbot commonly supports texting “RESIST” to 50409 (confirm on-site for current instructions).
Town Hall Project — find public events with elected officials: https://townhallproject.com/

Make it count: one topic, one ask, one deadline. Calm voice. Clear request. Repeat daily this week.

2) Know your rights

This is not legal advice. This is a reminder of civic responsibility. A government for you, by you, needs you. It’s a starter kit so you’re not walking in blind. Read these before you go.

ACLU — Protesters’ Rights: https://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights/protesters-rights
National Lawyers Guild — Know Your Rights: https://www.nlg.org/know-your-rights/
ACLU — Quick protest KYR PDF: https://www.aclu.org/sites/default/files/field_document/kyr_protests.pdf

Do this tonight: write down an emergency contact, memorize it, and set a strong phone passcode. If you attend protests, consider disabling biometric unlock.

Civil Disobedience doesn’t mean your’e careless. It means you care.

3) Protest Safely through readiness (before / during / after)

The safest protest is the one that is organized, disciplined, and has a clear plan for arrival and exit.

Before you go

Go with a buddy. Pick a meetup point if separated.
Bring water, weather gear, necessary meds, and minimal valuables.
Plan transport: how you arrive, how you leave, plus a backup route.
Know your comfort line: when you will leave if conditions escalate.

During & after

Stay aware of exits and crowd movement. Don’t get pinned.
De-escalate. Don’t engage counter-protesters. Don’t feed chaos.
After: check in with your people, hydrate, rest, and write a short debrief.

Ground rule: No doxxing. No harassment. No “target lists.” Safety and credibility are the point.

4) Digital safety (before you show up)

Good organizing protects people. Don’t hand anyone a free map of your network.

EFF — Surveillance Self-Defense: https://ssd.eff.org/
EFF — Attending a Protest: https://ssd.eff.org/module/attending-protest

Low-effort wins: disable lockscreen previews, use a strong passcode, turn off biometric unlock, and reduce app permissions you don’t need.

5) Organize this week (strike + protests)

Choose a lane. Make participation easier for someone else. That’s how movements scale.

Pick one lane

Show up: attend an event, bring water/snacks, help someone get home safe.
Host a 45-minute teach-in: rights + digital safety + local pressure targets (official channels only).
Call storm: 10 friends make 1 call/day via 5 Calls for 5 days.
Support local journalism: subscribe/donate to outlets that issue corrections and cite sources.

Find civic events

Town Hall Project (find events, ask questions publicly): https://townhallproject.com/
Action Network (petitions, events, email lists): https://actionnetwork.org/

Reach-preserving approach: lead with shared values (freedom, dignity, fairness), then point to actions. Stay factual. Stay calm. Stay consistent.

6) Mutual aid + community care

Movements survive on logistics, not vibes. If you can’t march, you can still make the march possible.

Build a “care pod”: rides, childcare swaps, meal train, water drops, check-ins.
Share rights + digital safety resources with your group before the event.
After-action care: medical check-ins, stress decompression, rest.

Rights Digital safety Verify claims

7) Training that actually helps

Nonviolent discipline is strategy, not softness. Learn what works and how to sustain it.

ICNC — Online Courses: https://www.nonviolent-conflict.org/online-courses/
Nonviolence International: https://nonviolenceinternational.net/
Meta Peace Team: https://www.metapeaceteam.org/
Momentum Community: https://www.momentumcommunity.org/
Beautiful Trouble Toolbox: https://beautifultrouble.org/toolbox · Burnout resource: Burn brightly, but don’t burn out

Fast skill upgrade: learn de-escalation phrases and practice them out loud. Calm is contagious.

8) Verify & track (don’t get played)

Confusion is a tactic. Your defense is receipts: primary sources, reputable reporting, and official records.

Track legislation (primary sources)

Congress.gov: https://www.congress.gov/
GovTrack: https://www.govtrack.us/

Sort information quality

Ad Fontes Media Bias Chart (use as a reliability compass, not a weapon): https://adfontesmedia.com/
FactCheck.org: https://www.factcheck.org/

Simple filter: if a claim makes you furious in 10 seconds, pause for 60 seconds and verify with a primary source.

9) Voting + official election steps

Protest and organizing matter. So does the boring infrastructure of democracy. Verify registration on official sites.

Vote.gov (official portal): https://vote.gov/
Register: https://vote.gov/register
Arizona starting points (if relevant): Vote.gov Arizona · AZ Secretary of State

Reminder: Viral posts don’t register voters. Official portals do.

Civil Disobedience Trusted sources (baseline)

We prioritize outlets and institutions that publish corrections, cite documents, and show their work.

AP · Reuters · PBS NewsHour · NPR · ProPublica · Pew Research · SPJ Code of Ethics

Official civic references: USA.gov · Congress.gov · Vote.gov