No Kings Mass Protest – Indivisible Santa Barbara

Indivisible Santa Barbara invites the community to take part in the “No Kings!” national day of protest and to join the ‘Hands Along Cabrillo’ event. Stand up to protect democracy and to show that we don’t support kings in the USA.

On Saturday, June 14, at 10:30 am, join us on Cabrillo Boulevard on the beachside of the sidewalk across from Chase Palm Park. We’ll gather at 10:30 am to create a human chain of joined hands stretching along Cabrillo. At 11 am we’ll take photos to capture the event. Bring your best signs, or wear signs on clothing/hats.

To All Those Planning to Join Us at the Indivisible Santa Barbara “NO KINGS” Proteston Saturday, June 14th, starting at 10:30am, along Cabrillo Blvd.:

ISB is sending this message to all attendees in response to questions we have received about the organization of the event and to provide you with further information about how to participate.

Commitment to Nonviolence

A core principle behind all NO KINGS events is a commitment to nonviolence.  Important suggestions about how to prepare for being at a demonstration follows after the practical information below.

Assembling

First, it is important to understand that there is no single assembly point for joining this event.  We will not be gathering in one location and there will not be any speeches or formal presentations.  Instead, we will be expressing our solidarity by creating a human chain along Cabrillo Blvd, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with our signs and chants to protest the ongoing threats to our democracy and civil rights.

You can join the event by coming at 10:30am to the ocean side of Cabrillo Blvd, anywhere between Castillo St. (on the western edge) to Calle Cesar Chavez (on the eastern edge).   We are asking that you stay on this one side of the street to make a bigger visual impact.  There will be monitors standing along the route wearing yellow vests and holding “No Kings” signs to direct you to where to go.

One thing to note is that we will need to allow breaks in our line at intersections and the entrances to parking lots so we don’t block access for cars.  Additionally, no matter how many activists show up, we need to allow space on the street side of the sidewalk so that pedestrians can still walk freely.

We expect to be fully lined up by 11:00am and will stand together for the public demonstration for about 30 minutes — during this time, a video of the entire length of our rally will be taken, so hold your signs up!  Around 11:30am, anyone who would like to attend the Juneteenth celebration at Del Mar Park can walk with us together toward Castillo St.

There is parking available along Cabrillo Blvd., at Stearns Wharf, in the Funk Zone on Anapamu and Helena Streets, and at East Beach.  Please don’t jaywalk when you are crossing Cabrillo Blvd. to join the demonstration; we need everyone to arrive safely by using crosswalks!

Accessibility and Bathrooms

Because we are assembling on a public sidewalk, there are multiple places for access to the event by wheelchair.  Wheelchairs and strollers will be readily accommodated.

Public bathrooms are available at multiple sites along our route and will be easily visible, so make a note of where the one closest to you is located.

What to Bring

The most important thing to bring to this event is yourself!  But we also encourage creative political signs and colorful clothing.  We are hoping it will not be excessively hot in the late morning, but we suggest wearing a hat and sunscreen, and bringing water to drink.  The event will not last a long time, but there will be no seating provided, so if you feel you might need to sit down during part of the demonstration, we encourage you to bring a lightweight chair with you.

What NOT to Bring

Please do not bring anything illegal to the action.  Leave anything that could be considered to be a weapon at home.

Security Considerations

Given the developments in Los Angeles this past week, security is on the minds of organizers of NO KINGS events across the country.  Although we are providing information about how people who attend our action in Santa Barbara can prepare responsibly, it is important to note that no event can be made completely secure because we are out in public, where we could be dealing with people who may not share our values.  However, there are standard ways that organizers prepare for an action that we want to share with you:

Commitment to Nonviolence

We’re going to say it again.  A core principle behind all of our ISB events, including the NO KINGS demonstration on Saturday, is a commitment to nonviolence.

This doesn’t just mean that we don’t physically attack the folks that we disagree with.  It also means that we take care in the ways we speak and behave with others, so that we don’t use harsh language or tone of voice.  When dealing with a tense situation, we are always looking for a way to de-escalate, to turn down the anger.

If for some reason you are not in a place where you can commit to nonviolence, we’d like to ask that you don’t join us on Saturday — there will be plenty of opportunities in the future to protest with us, when you’re in a better place.

IF AN INCIDENT OCCURS

While activist events in Santa Barbara have historically been calm, we recognize that people who hold opposing views may not be happy that our events have been growing in size in the past few months — and they may wish to confront us.  Similarly, some people may be upset and angry at the news from LA, if they believe that activists like us have been disrespectful to authority.

The best way to handle confrontation from people we don’t know is to ignore them. 

That’s because they are usually looking to get into it with someone, and we can’t give them that opening.  This can be really difficult because our first instinct is often to say something dismissive or to yell back — but that only escalates the situation, which places all of us at risk.

However, the most important thing is always personal safety.  If you don’t feel safe, do not stay and definitely do not try to stand your ground politically — just get out of there and help others to leave, too.

General Principles for Escalating Situations:

In the unlikely event that someone acts aggressively towards us, here are some ways you can handle the situation, in order to not engage and to de-escalate.  This is not a comprehensive guide, but will give you ideas for how to reduce stress to prevent a situation from getting worse.

• When an incident starts, have someone alert one of the monitors in a yellow vest to the situation, who will be stationed all along the Cabrillo Blvd demonstration. ·
• Always act from a place of de-escalation and non-engagement with folks you don’t know.·
• Ignore anyone who is hassling us as much as possible.  ·
• Don’t make eye contact with the difficult person.  Don’t try to reason with them or tell them go away.  Do not touch them, ever.  (Don’t ever touch a law enforcement officer, either.)·
• Encourage others who are being targeted to not engage and to ignore the difficult person.·
• Chant a little louder (but not directly at the difficult person) and hold up your signs·
• If a fellow activist is behaving unstably or yelling at those in opposition, remind them that this is a nonviolent demonstration and that it’s best to ignore people on the other side politically so as not to create a risky situation for the rest of us.  Consider calmly suggesting that you two talk just a bit away from the event, where you can listen and empathize (and remove them from the event).·
• If someone is acting in a threatening manner or has escalated to physical engagement, step back, pull out your phone, call 911 and report an escalating situation at the demonstration.  (The SB police have asked us to do this.)
• You or a fellow activist may want to record an escalating incident on your phone from a safe distance, but make sure someone also alerts the monitors in the yellow vests about the situation.·
• If appropriate, move all activists who are near an escalating incident back a few feet.  If the difficult person harasses people physically, encourage everyone to walk away together as a group.  (Leaving as individuals is more risky).·
• If anyone has been injured, attend to their medical needs as best you can and help them leave.

Thanks for reading all the way to the end — we appreciate your dedication to preparedness!

Looking forward to seeing you at the event on Saturday as we all proclaim:  NO KINGS!!

Sign up at

https://www.mobilize.us/nokings/event/788033/

www.indivisiblesb.org

@indivisiblesantabarbara

@sbactivism