So you've decided you're gonna change the world by
organizing an animal rights demo at your local rodeo! You say you've
just finished reading your PETA Animal Times and feel really pumped up
to get out there and engage in a little show of force! That's great! But
take it from me and a few veteran animal rights demonstrators, there is
a right way and a wrong way to conduct yourself at an animal-rights
demonstration. Done right, you can be a powerful voice for the animals.
Done wrong, you can make us all look like the animal-rights nuts that
people say we are. Here is a step-by-step procedure for getting the word
out.
If you are the one organizing the demonstration, be sure
you have all your ducks in a row. After you've enlisted the commitments
of a few good friends and fellow activists, (the bigger your numbers,
the better, but realistically you only need a few); call your local
police department and tell them about your plans. Be sure you call them
well in advance of the event just in case your town or county requires
permits. Permits are not always necessary, and after a while you will
know which locations require them and which ones don't. If a permit is
needed, follow the instructions on securing one. Usually, you can have a
basic form faxed or mailed to you, or you can pick one up, fill it out,
and send it back. It is very basic. It usually asks the date and time of
the event, the location, the "cause" and the name of the organizer. It
may look something like this:
* Name of Group: Animal Rights People United
* Contact: Mr. Miso Sincere
* Date of event: 28 November 99
* Location: The sidewalk in front of Saks Fifth Avenue on Worth Avenue
in Palm Beach, Palm Beach County, Florida
* Purpose of event: To participate in a national effort on Fur Free
Friday to bring awareness to the cruelty inherent in the fur trade.
* Times of Event: *12:00 noon to 2:00 pm
Demos customarily last about two hours. If it is a
rodeo, circus or other timed event, plan to get there one hour prior to
the showtime in order to allow the people coming to the event to see
you. Phone number of contact: Be sure to leave all numbers where you can
be reached.
In the event your town or county doesn't require a
permit, you should still call the police and tell them about the demo.
This is a courtesy. You are exercising a right that cannot be taken
away, but to let the police know in advance will alleviate any
unnecessary problems. Most police departments will be very cordial to
you and will work with you. I have never had anything but good luck with
police departments when I let them know ahead of time. They will usually
ask you to agree to certain guidelines. Please do so as much as
possible. These guidelines may include:
* Do not impede traffic or pedestrians trying to get
into an event or store
* Do not hold signs that are posted on wooden sticks
(sticks make cops very nervous, many towns allow placards that are
hand-held, but no sticks)
* Do not engage in profanity or "chaining oneself to a
fence or other structure"
Some, but not all, municipalities will not allow
"leafleting". That is, going from car to car at a stoplight and handing
out fliers. If you can do so legally, go for it. If not, don't try it.
This is a dangerous undertaking anyway.
During the demonstration, follow the lead of the police
officers. Believe it or not, they are there to protect you. If they ask
you to stay off the road, or stay away from the cars, please do so. You
may risk arrest if you don't.
A word about arrests. PETA and some of the other big
organizations make a point of having at least one arrest during each
demonstration. This insures a lot of media attention. The other
rationale behind this is so that the "story" stays in the media long
after the demo. Each time the arrestee attends a hearing or goes to
court, it makes the papers, necessitating another telling of the event.
This is noble and brave on their part, but the smaller groups would do
wise to stay out of this activity. Criminal records can follow you for
the rest of your life, and ARO neither condones or encourages arrests
for animal rights demonstrators. My personal feeling is that if you get
arrested, we then have to focus our collective energy on letter-writing
campaigns, etc. for justice for YOU and that leaves the animals without
that energy for a while. Best not to get into that scene.
Sometimes, wearing costumes or engaging in skits (one
activist dressed as a bunny, another in a lab coat with a cardboard
syringe) will get a lot of attention.
During the demonstrations, try not to make eye contact
with drivers or pedestrians. Hold up your signs, be relatively quiet,
and speak amongst yourselves. It is okay chant something very common,
like "What do we want?, Animal Rights, When do we Want them? Now!", but
again, profanity and insults are taboo. Also, it would be great if the
demonstrators can refrain from having anything with them or on them that
would leave them open to ridicule. Eating hamburgers or even having a
drink cup with the McDonalds or similar logo will open you up to
criticism. Wearing leather shoes and belts will also have that effect.
Of course, many of your activists don't wear leather anymore, but some
will still have leather shoes, belts or handbags. This will invite a
whole new conversation, which is solely intended to impeach you as an
activist and take the focus off the actual case. The best way to handle
these confrontations is to simply say "We are going to stick to the
issue here, we are not talking about leather today" and leave it at
that.
A word about media. Be sure to send out press releases
about a week in advance, and then again the day before, and again within
five hours of your demonstration. In the press release, tell the media
that your demo will start one half hour AFTER it actually does, to allow
all your people to be in place. Appoint one spokesperson for the media
to interview, and have prepared "media packets" for them. The packets
should contain your contact information, any recent news articles,
quotes from important sources and any factsheets, (such as the PeTA
factsheets), that tell about your particular cause. A lot of writers
will use the information in the press packets for their "stories".
Have fun, good luck, make friends and do it for the
animals.
Go on to Just the
Facts, Please
Return to 9 December 1999 Issue
Return to Newsletters
** Fair Use Notice**
This document may contain copyrighted material, use of which has not been
specifically authorized by the copyright owners. I believe that this
not-for-profit, educational use on the Web constitutes a fair use of the
copyrighted material (as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright
Law). If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your
own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright
owner.