With the speed of the internet and social media, civil unrest may materialize in a matter of hours after an incident occurs. There are several steps you can take to be prepared for it. Preparation encompasses traditional planning such as having food and water, staying informed, and having a bugout bag. There are additional ways you can prepare.
By maintaining situational awareness and removing yourself from the equation, you can avoid most of the risks of civil unrest. Involving outsiders (like yourself) is not the primary goal in civil unrest situations. We’ll show you several approaches you can take to lower your chances of being a target and how to reduce your risks should violence come.
Be Aware
Situational awareness is crucial in cases of civil unrest. Ideally, you’ll be in a location where the unrest won’t affect you. Downtown locations are prime targets for rapidly escalating demonstrations. It’s not always possible to just move to the country, though.
Protests can rapidly devolve into civil unrest or riots. This most often happens after dark. Avoiding downtown or areas prone to unrest becomes crucial after sunset.
Stay Informed During Civil Unrest & Riots
- Stay connected with neighbors.
- Check social media.
- Listen to your local police scanner.
- Watch live streams or breaking news coverage.
Stay in contact with friends that live around you. Do they see a crowd heading your way? They can let you know.
Download a police scanner app and listen to police traffic. Listening to live police scanner activity can give you real-time insight into any crowds or situations you need to be aware of.
Watch for live streams. It’s easier than ever to see news unfold in real-time. Chances are, someone is live-streaming a large riot if you live in a city where one is happening. Facebook, Twitch, YouTube, and Twitter are popular locations to stream social demonstrations, protests, and riots.
Be on the lookout for pre-staged items as well. Do you see a new stack of bricks hidden under a bush? Does something look off? “See something, say something” applies. Alert the authorities of anything that looks suspicious if you can do it safely.
Ready.gov has good information on risk assessment and risk mitigation. Ultimately, if you are caught up in civil unrest, you’ll want to know your potential hazards and ways to reduce the effects should it happen.
Do Not Get Involved
The best way to stay safe during civil unrest is to not be part of demonstrations. Leave the area immediately if you notice a commotion and can do so safely. Try to leave the crowd as naturally as possible without acting frantically or shouting disapprovingly at them. If someone catches you attempting to leave, you may be pulled from the crowd and asked if you identify with the cause.
When protest devolves into civil unrest and riots, rationalization disappears. As much as you may want to film incidents of protest, looting, or rioting, pointing a camera can make you an instant target. Be safe and stay away!
Protect Your Home
Civilian homes are not the typical targets of unrest or riots. Rioters tend to target symbolic locations and stores. That being said, as police try to clear a location, they may force crowds down residential streets.
Make sure you have working smoke detectors and fire extinguishers. Bring in lawn chairs, trashcans, grills, or other items that may be pushed over or thrown.
Motion-activated lights, security cameras, and motion-activated doorbell cameras can allow you to monitor the situation as it occurs outside your home.
Property Isn’t Worth the Life of You or a Family Member
Sometimes taking a stand for a cause is worth the effort. The time to stand isn’t during civil unrest. Your family’s safety should be your top priority during trouble. Things are replaceable, loved ones aren’t.
Back-Up Important Information
Protect your important documents by saving them on your phone, the cloud, or on a thumb drive you’ll carry with you. Include a copy of tax papers, photos, bank statements, and other items you’d need if you were to lose your home.
Stock Up
You should already have a couple weeks’ worth of food at home for your severe weather preparations. Make sure you also include first-aid items.
First Aid
Now is a good time to double-check your first-aid supplies. You need a trauma component in your first-aid supply kit. Gauze, bandages, and a tourniquet are necessary for controlling bleeding. You may end up needing to treat gunshot wounds, lacerations from broken glass, and injuries from tear gas if a protest happens on your street or your house becomes included in a target area. You should be prepared for any of these situations.
Treating Riot Control Agents
Exposure to tear gas and other riot control agents can be painful and disorienting. That’s why they’re used. You can take steps to negate the effects of them.
Do not touch your eyes. Makeup and contact lenses will retain the agents, so avoid them if exposure is likely.
A gas mask and a full layer of clothes are the most effective. Layering clothes and using eye protection (goggles are preferred) can be a practical step to take. You can still pick up the chemicals from clothing days after they were exposed, so remove and handle them carefully.
Popular Science recommends using a baking soda and water solution composed of three teaspoons of powder for every 8.5 ounces of liquid on exposed areas. When in doubt, flush with copious amounts of cold water or saline.
Milk and dish soap can help soothe the skin.
A cold shower can also wash away many chemicals. Avoid warm water as it can open your skin pores and allow the agents to penetrate deeper.
Avoiding contact with these agents is, of course, the best-case scenario.
Have an Exit Plan During Civil Unrest
An exit plan is your strategy to get out of a deteriorating situation. You will need an exit plan for your home and your workplace. With demonstrations frequently blocking traffic, it helps to run what-if scenarios on your commute as well. How will you get out if you turn onto a street packed with violent protesters?
Run, Hide, Fight
Bug Out Bag!
Fill a backpack with supplies to get out of town! Have it prepared before you need it. Food, water, first aid, and medication need to be easy to grab if you sense danger coming your way. Make sure your gas tank stays topped off and your vehicle is ready to go while you are at it.
Safe Room
Identify a safe area in your home. A room that has locking doors and no exterior windows is the best location. Have supplies there to stay comfortable and defend yourself if it becomes necessary. Just keep in mind you may become trapped have a way to defend yourself!
Tip: Every wall is a door if you kick it hard enough.
Defense
Despite your best efforts, defending yourself may become necessary. Having a weapon, or other means of protection such as pepper spray, may give you the upper hand in an individual battle.
You have picked a side once you use your defense item, and it was not with the protesters. Initially, a gunshot may cause people to jump back. If the crowd is large or bold enough, you may become the target of their aggression after firing though. Explore other options before turning to an action that could make you a target.
Keep in mind, any weapon you use might end up used against you if taken from you.
Conclusion
Discussion and debate are great for society. Having those discussions during civil unrest is not a good idea. Emotions and adrenaline are high and people make irrational decisions.
You can’t ration with a rioter. You can however make rational decisions during a riot.
-Red Sky Ready
The best thing you can do is avoid the situation. The next best thing is to have the means to leave the area safely. When dealing with an irrational crowd, it is to your advantage to plan ahead, keep calm, and make logical decisions.
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