The LA Uprising

As of this writing, it's been one week of protests and riots against ICE in Los Angeles. A lot of why this matters is transparent: it's a moment of unity across many divides in a diverse community; it's a moment of resistance–with a diversity of tactics–against an openly fascist police force; it's a moment in which both the federal government's response and the community's response are potential indicators of our future; and it's a moment that has seen the people not just stand up, but get back up, as adversity mounts. We could be looking at a bellwether for how the nation goes, as protests in solidarity and protests against local ICE incursions propagate across the country. It will happen after this writing and before publication, but we're also looking at mass protests against a truly singular moment in US history: Trump's fucking military birthday parade extravaganza.

There's a lot that's less evident about the LA Uprising, though. We're seeing evolving tactics on the ground–tactics that we've talked about many a time here; Trump unilaterally ordered the deployment of California's National Guard against the will of CA Governor Newsom, which is, and this is true, a Constitution-shredding moment we've all just glossed over–and that's been topped off by a deployment of Marines; none of the Guard or Marines are happy about this; and, though we know it already, this powerful moment began as an act of community defense.

We're Finally Learning How to Protest

It's taken us a long time–a really long time, if you want to be technical–but folks on the ground in LA have demonstrated that they have absorbed protest and riot tactics from around the world, and used them to great effect. Efficient counters to tear gas are everywhere in footage of the uprising, people are splitting up to fray police response, they're controlling territory and slowing opposition, and they're moving (sometimes) with swiftness. Let's break down some of these techniques so you might watch how they're done, and maybe implement them yourselves soon.

Tear Gas

1. Returning to sender is a classic, but if the police are using tear gas, they're kitted up to virtual immunity. It's not a useless tactic, as it will still obscure the field, and it's great if you don't have any other gear on you–just remember tear gas canisters are exceedingly hot, so if you're going to heave one back at the cops, you need gloves. Related to this is the leaf-blower technique, which disperses and redirects.
2. Dousing is best for your comrades. A new way I've seen this done is by dropping the canister in a waterproof, water-filled bag, and agitating until the water has infiltrated. What you've probably seen before is using a traffic cone to cover the canister and pouring water into the hole. Both work, both control the spread of gas quickly.

Move Like Water

1. Begin by splitting your number. Five or ten protest locations divides the occupiers and hampers their logistics. Ranking police officers are a finite resource, and if you divide across enough locations, eventually the people you're up against have no leadership and few resources for direction.
2. Meeting a militaristic force as though you are a militaristic force is not the best use of our bodies–instead, take advantage of the weight and inertia of the police by dispersing quickly. Communicate the lay of the land and coordinate how and where to evacuate when police form up so that all of their positioning and infrastructure is wasted. Being a thousand people against a hundred has its time and place, but it's not every time nor every place.
3. Make use of the tools you have. The best example of this, maybe in history, comes from these protests, in which people, pissed that the automated car service Waymo was sharing footage from their vehicles with police, began calling cars where they wished to erect a barricade, and setting them on fire.
4. Where we've seen failure is in poor choice of terrain. Taken from It Could Happen Here's episode on the uprising, taking and holding a bridge or overpass is an inescapable situation and therefore not one to be entertained. It looks great, but it's too easy to be surrounded. Avoid this and similarly inescapable situations (sounds easy when you just write it). Be thinking always about how the cops might trap you, and how your environment assists or hinders that entrapment. Likewise, think critically about when the police are using you–see vehicles left out as a distraction for protestors to destroy. It's not that you can't do this; it's that you need to think about when you should.

Masking Up

1. I've seen a lot of appropriate attire on the front lines. Full-on gas masks, very little exposed skin, goggles, helmet and pads, the works. This is how you show up when you expect to be face to face with cops. You're difficult to identify, you're almost impervious to tear gas and pepper spray, and you can get scuffed up a bit without serious injury.
2. Actual body armor is an investment and perhaps a waste in these situations, but perhaps not–think about what threats you might encounter and how best to defang them. Note that a protester during No Kings in SLC was shot and killed by protest security during an otherwise peaceful day.

"We're Not Even Supposed to Be Here Today" ~ The National Guard, Probably

So, this is potentially the thing that everyone said Trump was waiting for, right? A big lefty incursion that goes beyond the ability of local law enforcement (and the feds, since ICE was already there) to handle, and Trump invokes the Insurrection Act. Except he didn't do that. Instead, he kinda just tore up Posse Comitatus, which limits the use of federal military personnel for domestic law enforcement. This both is and isn't a big deal. It's big in its breach of trust and policy, but it's not big in that this is Trump we're talking about, and of course he did this sort of thing. That he didn't invoke the Insurrection Act to do it is really just one hoop he didn't jump through to land in the same place. He instead used a more obscure loophole, which again, doesn't really matter. Boots are on the ground. And I don't really mean to make light of this–because it is serious stuff. Kristi Noem has basically said they're taking California from the state leadership and had a senator thrown out of her press conference. It should also be stated that cop rhetoric surrounding this and similar protests is getting far more violent: a sheriff in Florida said they will kill you if you throw a brick, and there is a ubiquity to lethal firearms being at the ready in these environments that is not to be underestimated.

It's critical to note, though, that the aforementioned military boots are already tired, and sleep-deprived, and not getting paid yet (as of this writing). They are described as feeling like pawns, having been seen sleeping on concrete, with no funds for food or water. I don't want to seem optimistic, but it's a bad idea for Trump to wage war with his own country on an empty stomach. This is broadly understood as a misuse of the military by the military–and if Trump wants to control the country the way we know he does, he needs them.

This is Community Defense

I want to close out by reminding you that this uprising began as an act of community defense. People saw ICE attempting to kidnap their friends, family members, and neighbors, and stood up against them. That's what community defense is, and it works. It has happened elsewhere already (Minneapolis, I'm looking at you), but the potential is really exemplified by Los Angeles.

Take advantage of this moment. Galvanize your people. If you see someone in need, help them. If you see fascists, resist them. If you see a phalanx of cops coming your way, [redacted].

See this moment for what it is: a tear gas cloud with a silver lining. LA has demonstrated that the government is not in control of us–which is a good thing. But in their attempts to gain control, the feds could get extremely violent very quickly.