I'm curious about the contact lens thing. I would be hugely vulnerable if I wore my glasses as it would just take someone removing and treading on them to leave me unable to function. No one can see if I have my lenses in, why would that be a less safe position for me? I'm in UK, so theoretical q.
The canisters full of chemical ‘crowd dispersants’ (many of which would be illegal to use on enemy combatants in war) that our police use are particularly damaging to the eyes. Contacts trap those chemicals against your eyeballs.
If you must wear them get impact + chemical exposure rated goggles.
If your eyesight bad enough that you couldn't get home, it might be pretty risky to attend a protest (beyond the inherent risks). You could maybe go with someone you trust to look out for you, but if they were to be arrested or injured and you lost your glasses, you'd be in a sticky situation.
I know you’re in the UK, but I’m going to answer this for anyone here who has the same issue:
You can get goggles which are sealed enough to keep the chemicals away from you eyes, and I’d recommend even people who don’t wear corrective lenses get them. Tear gas/pepper spray is not fun for anyone.
The key is to make sure they are also impact rated, because police regularly shoot the canisters, as well as ‘less lethal’ and beanbag rounds directly at faces. If you are wearing anything that could shatter into your eyes, it puts you in even more danger. You want something up to military standards
At the same time, there’s plenty you can do to help protests out without being there. Help make signs, be a ‘home base’ for your friends to check in with if they end up separated, help relay information about police movements back and forth, contact attorneys for people who are arrested, etc.,
What? No knives? No Guns? No Bear Spray?
Holy shit ...the Nazis will kill you!
(in case nobody told you...the day of "nonviolent protest" is over) You are dealing with Nazi inspired Right Wing Militias and they have just been told it is ok to shoot protesters on sight.
SCOTUS says have a good time.
Leave your phone at home, turning it off doesn't stop anyone from tracking you. Also, bring a gun. Cops and counter-protesters pose an active threat to you and you need to treat them as such. Conceal, try to diffuse the situation, but always have the option.
And jewelry includes piercings, including the ones covered by clothes. Cops WILL grab for nipple piercings and try to tear them. Body cams often can’t see right up close and they can plausibly deny they were trying.
Cell phone confused me since I figured you'd want to get as much footage of police misconduct as happened, until I remembered how easy it is to steal data from them.
There are of course other small devices that can record video, like GoPros etc. I'm not sure what the received wisdom on the risk vs benefit is there: does recording police misconduct offer more value than potentially revealing identifiable info about protestors?
Comments
If you must wear them get impact + chemical exposure rated goggles.
You can get goggles which are sealed enough to keep the chemicals away from you eyes, and I’d recommend even people who don’t wear corrective lenses get them. Tear gas/pepper spray is not fun for anyone.
Holy shit ...the Nazis will kill you!
(in case nobody told you...the day of "nonviolent protest" is over) You are dealing with Nazi inspired Right Wing Militias and they have just been told it is ok to shoot protesters on sight.
SCOTUS says have a good time.
Phones can also be used to track you and prove you were there, if anything should transpire in a court later.