Because my intention was to deal with a particular topic and I did not want it hijacked for any reason by someone wanting to pontificate on their pet topic, or by hoping to start some sort of shouting war, I planned by informational picket so that I would not be violating any rules about picketing at a federal building or improperly using a city sidewalk, both which could lead to a distraction in the form of arrest, or argument. I decided I would sit on a chair behind a folding two panel sign with the words “Mr. Trump, GLBT people will not be erased” on one panel and a cartoon of a man wearing a rainbow shirt being erased by an orange hand holding a pencil on the other. I had a Pride flag on a stick flying above me, and rather than argue with people, I had printed a flier of the four issues that concerned me, deciding I would discuss no others, and I would not even discuss those until whoever approached me had read it first. I was going to be reading a book, and if anyone decided to join me, they were to also sit quietly reading a book, and there would be no yelling, no chanting, or engaging with the “enemy” until they had read my hand out.
If people yelled anything negative about my issue, or even me personally, I had decided I would not dignify it with a response. Only two people called me an F-ing faggot as they drove by at 30 mph in the three days that I as at my post three hours per day. If anyone were to join me, they would have to abide by that same rule.
Although their decision and design may be obviously different from mine, organizers of any rallies, demonstrations, and events concerning other topics would in all likelihood do preplanning as I had done so things would go smoothly with no distractions or usurpation of message.
If you are not a member of a sponsoring organization, but are in attendance, you are an ally, and have no authority, unless asked, to speak for or represent the event, or give directions as to how the event is to go.
So Rule One: Don’t introduce you own issue, or cause a distraction from the one for which you are present.
The federal building in my city sits on the corner of two major streets. It does not sit squarely in its lot, but, rather than its sides being parallel to the sidewalks, it sits at an angle, kitty corner to the meeting of the sidewalks, so that there is a triangular space in front of it with two sides being the city sidewalks. Obviously this creates two sets of rules at that corner, the city ordinances related to sidewalk use and federal law that applies within that triangle.
As we were a City group without a permit to have a demonstration as it was not needed, we were lawful on the sidewalk, but not within the triangle. Arguing with the federal building security guard who is required to do his job about where we could stand could have usurped the purpose of our demonstration and complicated things as attention would have gone to an unnecessary confrontation.
We were there to show our support for immigrants, and confrontation on ancillary issues would not only have clouded the message, but would have caused a visual that would be a misrepresentation of those who gathered and would have given perceived fuel to opponents.
But there was one person, an ally, who, instead of simply taking two steps to her right so as not to have the security guard take an action his words showed he would prefer to avoid, she decided to accuse the security guard of limiting freedom of speech while he was actually giving information in a friendly way, something that was extremely helpful as it was only to be assumed that among the immigrants at the event there was bound to be at least one who was undocumented.
By the time the immigrant group showed up at the appointed time we had managed to get the first amendment warrior to acknowledge reality and that we were not here for an unnecessary Freedom of Speech debate, but for immigrant support.
The organizers had no problem with the indicated permissible area as some were indeed undocumented and, while protected on the city sidewalk, they certainly were not so on federal property.
We were there for immigrant safety, so when someone, another ally, chose to address the group without asking, just beginning her speech, and told the history of the abolitionist movement in 19th Century New Bedford, she unnecessarily delayed the demonstrations start, and caused some mild confusion as freeing slaves was not relevant to the gathering.
There was also her females’ version of man-splaining when she segued from abolition to telling the immigrants what it was like to be an immigrant. She also seemed to me, anyway, to display a bit of white privilege unconscious racism by unilaterally appointing herself as the leader of the event and, without checking with the actual organizers, in very authoritarian tones began giving directions on what to chant, when to start walking, and where to walk to, even as this obviously went against the plan, judging from group movement and facial expressions. She even muffled an important moment by issuing her directions over a young woman being interviewed by a member of the media. She seemed to be working on the assumption that the immigrant group had not planned ahead and had no idea how their event would proceed. Thankfully the leaders ignored her no matter how persistent she became, and proceeded according to their own plan.
Rule Two: Don’t ever take someone’s sign without asking, or without the sign being made available to you.
In preparation for rallies, marches, and demonstrations most participants make their own signs that range from crude to very well executed, and from a simple message to something more profound. But regardless where on the spectrum the signs are, the people who created them are proud of their work
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Over my many years of experience I have used my cartooning talent to draw political cartoons with a message so that people are first drawn to the cartoon and then the actual message, sometimes getting involved in educational discussion of the topic. My signs have ranged from simple poster size to more elaborate bed sheet size ones. But no matter the size, I make my signs works of art, and consider them as such.
We were standing in front of city hall when I leaned my sign against my leg as I entered someone’s phone number onto my phone. Someone passed by me swiftly grabbing the sign and running to the top of the city hall steps waving my sign and yelling some chant. As my signs have cartoons on them, and as I, therefore, consider them works of art, I sign them, so besides the cartoon and message, my name was also being waved. Again, on the sidewalk there was no problem with our gathering without a permit, standing on the steps of city hall without one could have caused a complication, and my signature gave anyone looking for one, a name.
Rule Three: Follow the directions of the organizer and don’t expect them to follow your idea no matter how inspired you think it is.
As the May 1st immigration actions were nationwide, and the people who organized this event were part of a national immigration group, they had obviously planned to recite the same chants as their immigrant brothers and sisters would be. This was obvious from the list of chants the organizers had on papers that they were holding.
It was a subtle form of national solidarity.
It was also obvious from the native language of many of those in attendance that their planned chants were in that language, and that in that language their voices would be strong. So introducing complicated chants, one of which was incorrect and another a confused combination of two others, reduced the clarity of voices to an unsure mumbling which did not project the strength that was needed.
Rule Four: do not usurp authority, or act as if it is your event for you to control.
The event was to begin at a certain time, which it did, and end in time to allow participants to get in their cars and drive up to Boston for the major rally on Boston Common that evening. So when the group finished its second walk for visibility around the block on which City Hall is located and began to break up to get to their cars, an ally assuming their schedule was the one in her mind, began to forcefully suggest, rather demand, they go around the block one more time.
This caused an unnecessary delay in the schedule as the person making the suggestion, rather demand, held up progress as the plan had to be explained to her while dealing with her many unnecessary questions and insistence on her better idea.
The rally was a success in spite of all the patronizing that was going on by allies, and this we-know-better-than-you-do mentality was rather offensive. While supposedly supporting the immigrant group, there was an underlying expression that they were nice people, but they needed to guidance of other as they were incapable of success without being led by other.
If you are an ally and not an organizer, know you role and do not try to improve the plans of which you are not aware, as if the organizers cannot succeed without your unsolicited input.
In this instance, even though they were outwardly supportive, the allies acted as if nothing would have succeeded without their input, and the unconsciously sent the message that the group was incapable of success from within itself.
They were, in fact, the very people, they claimed they opposed.
If you attend a march, a rally, or a demonstration participate, don’t pontificate.
And don’t assume it couldn’t happen without you.