Pickets and Protests

• Select your site early and secure all the necessary permits ahead of time.
  
  
• Contact campus or local police for guidelines regarding legal protests and alert them of your activities ahead of time.

• Make as many posters ahead of time as possible. Be creative with your slogans. Consider throwing a poster-making pizza party or other fun event to encourage Leadership Alliance members to attend.
  
  
• Write messages on both the front and back of picket and protest signs; use lots of color and vary your message.
  

• Thoroughly advertise this event and secure press coverage. The more people, the better.
  
  
• Decide on a meeting time, a starting time, and an ending time. Stick to the time schedule as closely as possible and keep it short! It is better to have a shorter but strong picket or protest, than one that fizzles out.
  
  
• Take pictures during your event for your own archives and follow-up press coverage.
  
  
• Bring extra markers, poster board and tape, and have several clipboards for sign-in.
  
  
• Rent or borrow a few megaphones for the event. Assign "chant leaders" who are in charge of leading the chants at various points throughout your picket or march line.

ALWAYS KEEP MOVING! Picketing, marching, and protesting are legal activities, but only if you are constantly moving. You cannot block any exits or entrances.

Remember: Do not use sticks on your signs, as they might be construed as potential weapons.

Tip: Brainstorm your chants ahead of time and create a chant sheet to be distributed to everyone at the event.