Thank you for supporting victims and standing with survivors, your participation in this petition has been paramount to bringing this situation to light. Thanks to the overwhelming response to the petition and to your support, we have decided to follow through with our next step which is a physical peaceful protest outside ALL LOCATIONS of The Well Restaurant and Bar. It is encouraged that you wear bright colours accompanied by affirming signage, as this is an intervention, not a fight. We are gathering because we love our community and the best way to keep it safe is by exposing the insidious nature of predatory culture in our community. Activism is ultimately an act of love.

This protest is being organized by a small team of well-trusted advocates and community leaders, and largely made successful by your presence.

The time for the protest has been slotted for February 22, 2025 from 8:30PM to 10:30PM which lands us at their opening business hours.

**MASKS ARE HEAVILY ENCOURAGED**

It is essential to our community that we protest mindfully and safely, and we will be providing N95 Respirators for those who need one.

Included with this email is a printable version of the graphic which includes a link to the petition.

*Protest Tips and Etiquette*

**1. Make signs. Yes, plural (signs), if you can:** fellow sign-less protesters will appreciate your extras. Ideally, you’ll have a unified voice through the signs, which will allow onlookers to know what you’re demonstrating. Check with organizers to see if there are any phrases, themes, or statements they’re hoping for. Or speak what you feel. Foam board and magnum sharpies are a great combo, but work with what you have, just aim for big, bold, legible letters. 

**2. Drink lots of water.** The day before, and throughout the day of. Prepping with a lot of hydration will help you keep your voice, and keep your energy up. 

**3. Plan your exit.** If you’re driving, park at least several blocks away from the protest. If you’re getting picked up, plan your ride beforehand (and make it at least several blocks away from the action). 

**4. Tell a friend who isn’t going.** Let them know you’ll check in with them after (specify a check-in time), and give them an emergency contact number to reach out to if they don’t hear from you (a local civil rights lawyer is great, or a family member who you know will do everything they need to do to find you). 

**5. Write an emergency contact number on your body.** If you’re arrested, this is the number you’re going to call. If you think, “I’m not doing anything illegal. I won’t be arrested,” I’d encourage you to do this anyhow. I’ve seen plenty of peaceful, lawful protestors get arrested. I generally write the number on my leg with a sharpie, and the number I choose is a friend who knows I’m at the protest, and whom I’ve given follow-up steps to (e.g., to call a certain lawyer, and to make a public statement on my social media profiles).

**6. Charge your cell phone, and be prepared for it not to work anyhow.** If you have one, make sure the battery is 100% (or as close as possible) before you head out the door. Depending on the size of the demonstration, cell service might be spotty (more on this in “action”), which will drain your battery faster than usual. Or it might be down completely (with huge groups), so plan to not need your phone.

**7. Know the local laws regarding protest.** Or, at least, know them well enough to know if the planned action is fully lawful, iffy, or downright illegal. Google is good for this, so is the ACLU. This might require you to reach out to the organizers to ask them what the plan is, which isn’t always possible (a lot of “organized” resistance is more resistant and less organized). The number one benefit of this, in my experience, is confirming your intuitive “that’s wrong” sense when you see law enforcement doing heinous things. 

 **8. Go with a friend (or make a friend there).** Make sure you can contact this person’s fam or friends if they’re hurt, arrested, or disappear. And ditto for them to you. Keep an eye on one another, and watch one another’s backs. Look out for police officers who are pulling people from the crowd (it’s a bummer), or for onlookers who are throwing things at the crowd (surprise beer bottles to the head hurt… a lot).

 **9. Bring an external phone battery.** If you have one (or several), bring it along. See #6 above. This is especially important if you’re planning on filming/streaming the protest with your mobile (see #13 below). If you have both lightning (Apple) and micro USB (Android) cables, it’d be nice to bring those, too (in case someone else is in need).

 **10. Wear comfy shoes**. If you’ll be standing or walking, shirk fashion and go with comfort. Ditto for the rest of your apparel.

**11. Bring/wear a mask** (read: something to cover your face, not a halloween costume, unless that’s your thing). A bandana is my go-to. Scarves are great. A lot of people on the sidelines and in the march itself may be filming, and both law enforcement _and _opposition groups may use that footage to identify and dox protestors. If you cover half your face, you should be okay. Bonus: a bandana will also come in handy in the event of tear gas or pepper spray (see #14). 

**12. If you film/stream, try not to catch fellow protestors’ faces.** You can also blur faces in photos/video after (if you have the digital editing chops). This isn’t always possible, and is a bit of a contentious topic in activist circles I’m in (one side: we should stream and film to signal boost, and make the demonstration available to those who couldn’t attend; other side: we should not stream or film, because doing so helps cops/opposition identify and dox protestors).