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Tuesday, March 13, 2018

To the March for Our Lives protesters

I, along with millions of other adults, could not be more proud of you. You stood up when many would have caved under the pressure.

Link to advice from the professionals:
Advice from the ACLU

My personal advice,

1- know your rights and responsibilities before protesting. Be prepared to accept consequences for breaking rules/laws.
2- You will want to “cuss people out” and there are many who certainly deserve it. However, in order to most effectively protest and engage officials, resist the temptation. I suggest taking Michelle Obama’s advice: when they go low, you go high. Keep it civil. Do not resort to name calling. Do not say anything that could be reasonably construed as a threat to a specific person or persons.
3:Realize that no matter how thoughtfully or respectfully you couch your message, the haters will hate.  It is not your job to stop them. Your job is to broadcast the message and leave them no room to righteously malign you or your message. They will attempt to divide you by attacking the way you dress, your gender identity, your color, your perceived social status, etc. Call them out for such behavior but do not respond in kind. Don’t own their fear, anger, and hatred. Stick to your message.
4: Say what is wrong with the current situation but devote most of your commentary to offering/demanding thoughtful solutions. Don’t be afraid to say, “I do not know all the answers”. It can be enough to know what is wrong and say so.
5: If you are of legal age or will be at the next election cycle, Let the elected leaders know you intend to vote for candidates who have displayed by their actions that they consider your lives and safety more valuable than the abstract concept of second amendment rights. If you are not yet of age, make it a personal mission to vote in every single election, local or national, when you are able. It really is the least a person can do for the incredible good fortune of being a citizen of this country.
6: Make it clear that “thoughts and prayers”, are accepted but they are not enough. Thoughtful policy based on evidence is the key to changing the world for the better.
7: Own your dignity, your fears, your anger, and your power but remember to accept help from adults who are subject matter experts and have more experience.

Remember, those who own almost everything and control almost everything don’t fear us individually. Not you or me or anyone you know. However, they instinctively understand the math. There are few of them and many of us. You can be certain they will lie awake at night thinking about millions unified- especially if they have a reasonable expectation of those millions voting.

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