Six Nineteen: Defend Black Lives Protest

Signup:

To make this a successful event and in order to help organize and streamline events, we are now using Sign Up Genius (SUG) for events. Please know, you do NOT have to provide personal details (for name, you can enter whatever you want, all other fields are optional) to sign up on SUG, this is one of the primary reasons for choosing this platform. Please go to the link below to sign up for what day you can be there to protest. Thanks!

Six Nineteen: Defend Black Lives Protest

Details on the event itself can be found here.

Positions:

You can select multiple positions on SUG. For example, please be sure to select Protester and Fliers if you plan on doing both. Thanks!

• Protesters
• Communications POC - last weekend, I continually forgot to update our position and left messages hanging due to trying to do too much. I would greatly appreciate if someone each day would post to the Reddit live chat current group location and be a POC via reddit messages in case anyone has any issues.
• Fliers - I will be working on a flier for this event. If you can print a few pages, please indicate on the SUG volunteering.

I have reached out to the M4BL organization to see about a variety of positions and needs, including medics, which I know a lot of people have already volunteered for. I will update the SUG with positions when/if they become available and post an update here so you are all in the know.

Signs:

Themes: #VETS4BLM, Continue To Serve, Remember Your Oath, the BLM movement, police reform is needed, demilitarize our police forces,

If you're looking for ideas for signs, check out several of the photos on this sub with examples. Keep in mind, we're looking to unite, inform, and not incite hatred or anger. Focus on ways to make signs effective and perhaps use humor to get your point across.

I will post the flier on a Google doc for anyone to access. That should be done by Monday of next week.

Rally Point:

Meet up location for all three days will be at McPherson Square, intersection of I St, 15th St, & Vermont Ave NW. (This is the same location as our last meet up).

For specific details on location: https://goo.gl/maps/aFxYDR5dc7YXJA3u8

Dates and Times:

This is a multi-day event, so if we can, let's get representation out there all three days. I know we all have busy lives, so I'm not asking for you to be there every day, but sign up for whatever you can do.

Friday, June 19th at 3 pm

Saturday, June 20th at 12 pm

Sunday, June 21st at 12 pm

Attire (suggestions):

We'll be wearing military t-shirts, though if you have any unit affiliation or identifying markings, it might be best to cover that up, as we do not want to single out any one unit. We suggest backpacks to cover our unit markings on the backs of our shirts. We also do not recommend wearing uniforms. All that being said, you can wear whatever you feel is appropriate.

The NEX at Navy Yard and Bethesda are open regular hours. I did not call the MCX, but it will most likely be open if the NEX is. The MCX can be found at Fort Meyer in Arlington.

If you're coming late:

Check the Live chat on r/ContinueToServe or once a comms POC is established for each day, I will update that here with their usernames.

Otherwise, if you cannot make it by the times listed above, and are not hearing back from the comms POC, send a message to u/ContinueToServe and I will give you updates on where we are located.

Weather:

Still way too earlier to know with accuracy, but as of right now:

Friday, June 19th - High of 84, 40% chance of rain

Saturday, June 20th - High of 88, mostly sunny

Sunday, June 21st - High of 90, partly cloudy

Transport:

• Driving Road closures still unknown. Will update when details are available.
• Metro Details: Friday, trains run every 20 mins, Sat/Sun every 30 mins. https://www.wmata.com/service/covid19/covid-operating-status.cfm Station Closures: https://www.wmata.com/service/status/details/covid-station-closures.cfm

Gear List:

Last week there were plenty of organizations providing refreshments and snacks. I would expect that to continue during this event. Don't worry about overloading on gear, but bring enough for yourself to manage throughout the day.

• COVID-19 is still here. Masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer are good ideas.
• Water or electrolyte-replenishing drinks
• Snacks
• First aid kit
• Goggles; sunglasses
• Sunscreen
• A head covering of some kind (especially if you're bald like me!)
• Battery charger for electronics and don't forget the cables!
• If you are in the medical field and have med gear to bring, please feel free to bring it, but again, don't feel like you need to haul an entire pelican case of gear. Honestly, the protests have been staying relatively peaceful all week during the day, minus that incident with the photo op. It is our hope that it stays that way.

Safety Brief:

• As all military operations go, safety is paramount. If, at any time, the protest begins to get aggressive or violent, we will immediately exit the area as safely as possible. If it is already escalated, we will reschedule to a future date. I will be there early to scout it out and send messages if there is any change.
• It should go without saying, but we are not there to incite any violence of any kind. Flagrant or disrespectful behavior will not be tolerated.
• Do not wear contacts.
• Memorize a couple of phone numbers in case of emergency or your phone gets damaged or is dead
• Remember that you can contact us through the subreddit and direct messages if you get separated, lost, or have any issues.
• If needing to temporarily leave the protest location, consider using a battle buddy for any movements to ensure safety.
• If you would like a battle buddy to leave the protest and get to a less crowded area, we will absolutely provide escort.
• Many of us have been in very shitty situations while mobilized overseas. Hearken those good ole gut instincts and keep your heads on a swivel. Again, these protests have been safe overall, but it only takes one negative action and things can change very quickly.
• If immediate evac is necessary, stick together, move as a unit, DO NOT IMMEDIATELY follow the crowd. Quickly survey the area, determine the threats, find the quickest exits, which many times, are not in the direction of where the people are running.

Final notes:

• For details on the sponsors for this event, the Six Nineteen event is organized by M4BL (Movement for Black Lives), which is fiscally sponsored by Alliance for Global Justice.
• If we have missed anything, please comment below! Thanks!