Solo Protesting

Standing your ground — alone

by Caroline Ailanthus

“We should all be out in the streets, protesting!”

Do you remember? In the first weeks of the new Trump Administration (it feels so long ago now), lots of people were saying this, but nobody seemed to be doing it. Nothing was planned. The streets seemed normal. Was I supposed to just walk out my front door and hope other protesters joined me? I live in a small, quiet neighborhood on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, and most of my neighbors are Trump supporters anyway. Should I go out and protest by myself?

Maybe, yes.

Since then, the resistance has gotten a lot more organized. There are regular protests large and small, happening all over, and I've been to several. I'm also contacting my Congresspeople several times per week, writing blog posts, passing along information, and providing encouragement to others. But I'm still very much off the beaten path, so most protests are happening far from me. I can only drive three hours to go protest every few weeks, not every day as I'd like.

So why can't I protest right here, by myself? Turns out I can. And so can you.

Look, I'm not saying that a solo protest is as effective as going out in a group. It probably isn’t. Protests work both by pulling people together for mutual encouragement and networking and by drawing attention to issues. A solo protest does neither very well. But a single protester, especially when magnified by social media, can draw attention, and can even inspire others. Greta Thunberg's solo protest inspired a mass protest movement. It can happen.

Solo-protesting is not something to do instead of group or mass protest. It's something to do in addition, when other events aren't accessible to you. Protesting alone might seem lonely, but by documenting your protest with photos and posting them online, your reach can be extended — worldwide. And if a lot of people start doing the same, the Internet will fill up with solo-protest selfies, creating a distributed mass protest. Isolated rural people of the world, unite!

Things to remember:

• Your risk of being assaulted is not zero, but is probably pretty small. If your community already knows your political orientation and you haven't been threatened before, you probably won't be now. But have a plan in case of trouble.

• In most states, you don't need a permit to protest unless you're going to be blocking traffic. Wherever you can stand or walk normally, you can do so while holding a sign. Be sure you're not on private property, though.

• Don't forget to photograph and post! If you're not on social media yourself, get a friend to post your picture.

I had been wanting to solo-protest well before the election, but I'm not the most organized person in the world, and anyway I was kinda scared. What if somebody thought I was weird?

Silly question. I am weird, everybody knows it, and at this point in my life I should really stop worrying about it. Nevertheless. . .

But the election and subsequent mayhem gave me new motivation. So a few weeks ago, I got up off my butt and bought two sheets of white construction paper. I made my first sign. RESIST, it read in large, friendly letters (bonus points if you get that reference). I figured the simple message would always be relevant no matter what the Emergency of the Week might be. Plus it was easy to read from a moving car.

My other signs are usually a lot more complicated and good for taking to organized protests with other people. Or if a buddy joins me on the side of the road, I can give them the second sign. OK, time to go solo protest!

I was still scared. The election gave me new motivation but also new fears. Never mind that someone might think I'm weird, someone might yell at me—or shoot me! Or try to run me over! You hear about things like that, and I do live in a very MAGA area.

My mother advised me to make sure I had an escape route. Friends, also afraid, refused to either join me or do their own solo protests. I thought we were all probably exaggerating the risk, but that didn't make me feel much better.

But finally, I did it. I was probably out there for only ten minutes. I didn't bring my phone or other time-piece, and I was still very frightened. So although nothing at all threatening happened, it wasn't long before my courage failed and I skedaddled. But a few days later I did it again. This time, I brought my phone, and stayed out twenty minutes. I plan to go again tomorrow, when I might do an hour. Join me, wherever you are!