I. MAIN FORMATION

Protecting our Demonstrators (Water)

This formation is to be regarded as our first priority when we have a consolidated protest around public speakers, a massed peaceful protest centered around a non-disruptive demonstration, or a march with many demonstrators together as one. - "Here, We Stand, United"

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Our intent during our demonstrations is to allow the maximum amount of time possible for our demonstrators to make their voices heard, whether verbally or non-verbally. To this end, each of us has a role to fill. While roles will be covered with greater specificity in later units and personal briefs, it is important for us to recognize our objective, and actively work in a unified way to achieve it. To this end, our first manner of protest is a massed formation.

In a massed formation, our best visual aids are clouds (in a focal point based demonstration) or a river (in a march based demonstration). As each is a consolidated mass of water molecules, able to be shifted but consistently grouped, so shall our formation be.

To this end, each of us is a molecule of water, and our actions will mimic that of a mass of those molecules.

To this end, we will form our cloud with the focal point being either our speakers (in regards to a public forum based protest) or our peaceful demonstrators (in regards to a "die in" or "sit in"). We will form our river as a consistently shifting mass, maintaining close enough proximity to remain safely together, but separate enough to allow us to safely navigate around any rocks in our path.

Our initial grouping will occur in consolidated layers, emanating outward from our focal point. So long as no aggressive action is taken towards our demonstration, the group will remain fluid, shifting on a personal basis as anyone sees fit, so long as the demonstrator(s) are not interfered with. We prefer to enter each circumstance under the hopes that this remains so.

After the demonstration concludes, we disperse. To carry the analogy forward, a cloud allows itself to become rain, to eventually be recollected in another cloud for the cycle to repeat itself again.

If outside agitation becomes evident, we become as ice. The individuals in the outermost portions of the formation will tighten up to each other, linking arms if necessary, in order to prevent anyone from penetrating to our demonstrators.

We will protect our speakers, we will protect our sitters, and we will protect each other. Only once the agitation passes will we allow ourselves to melt back into our base state, and carry on in peace.