PiMP My Activism: activism role-playing seminar

[Lloyd Danforth]

I had a lot of fun but will continue to feel each situation out act as pleasant as I can and try to drive away. Most of the time I get stopped in in Mass, anyway.

I don't see how being pleasant, in order to drive away ... and Mass stops, don't fit with the seminar. Some people will want to practice those sorts of situations.

Get a grip!  I didn't tell you to stop!

[Kat Kanning]

He's got a nice grip! 

[Kat Kanning]

People who attended:  Could you sum up how you felt about the seminar?  Was it useful?  Do you think it will help you in future interactions with the thugs?  Did you have fun?

Thanks for the comments, Lloyd and Russell.  Anyone else care to add something?

[Free libertarian]

 Thanks Mike. Sandwiches were thoughtful.  I would have been a better cop if you'd have had a chocolate cruller there, but I made do with egg salad.        

Knowing what you hope to accomplish is a good thing. For instance maybe you simply want the interaction to end asap or there may be times when you will be more assertive with your rights or trying to prove a point. In  cases that you  envision yourself as a freedom fighter, the cop may simply see you as a royal pain in the ass and may act accordingly. Not every situation has the same elements therefore some of our "answers" are more like guidelines and you have to decide which ones to use depending on the variables. There are no pat answers.    

It would be helpful to me to know what "legal triggers" the cop can invoke to claim probable cause or to detain the driver.  A better general understanding of "the law" would help me to ask or answer questions from a cop.  For instance how can we "legally" walk away or end an interaction? Which laws require us to answer questions or provide I.D. etc.   Some of us may see things from a moral standpoint, yet we will be judged from a "legal" standpoint. Knowing the law wouldn't hurt and might come in handy if you are inclined to use their system against them.  Knowing the law isn't the same as agreeing with the law.      

Also it should be pointed out how cops phrase questions to gain your "consent".  Body language and voice inflection are methods used to intimidate / coerce you.
This classic cop question catches alot of fish... "You don't have anything illegal in the car DO YOU? No? Then you DON'T MIND if I look in the back do you?"   I'm curious which answer(s) to use here.            


 



     


 

[Daien]

Damn, you're so pushy, Kat!!  I was going to wait until I got back from my walk, but here goes.

I thought it was very informative, and very helpful to observe the differences in responses. Free Libertarian was scary as a cop because he was so realistic. Tackle the World, and Facilitator to the Icon were also great as cops. Really, everyone who participated was just awesome. Geez, you'd almost think we'd all had real experience with this kind of thing. The critiquing was perfect as it allowed different viewpoints and suggestions to be discussed. Also, getting at the core, deciding what one's true intent in the situation was, made a difference is how each person handled their scene.

I really benefited from the question/answer portion that we engaged in with those that have gone to jail. Having at least some foreknowledge about the various situations I might find myself in some day took the edge off the fear of the unknown. Also, everyone's honesty about what they felt, fear, despair, etc., was very inspiring.

I think this was well worth the time and effort that everyone put in, and would appreciate doing it again. Kudos to Mike for putting this together, and mahalo for providing lunch for everyone as well.

[Kat Kanning]

Thanks for the replies   I like that sense of completion from finishing a project, so was eager to get the article done now that I'm through procrastinating 

[Mike Barskey]

Kat posted a link to the New England Nonviolent Trainers Network. There is a lot to read there, but I have found a lot of it to be helpful and thought-provoking.

A number of you might be especially interested in a section talking about nonviolent activists' experiences in jails (their site does not give an easy way to link directly to the article, so click the "Legal Issues" link on the left and then click the "Serving Time in Jail" link near the top of the page on the right).

I will also be posting a video soon of the questions and answers about jail experiences that occurred during PiMP.

[jaqeboy]

Thanks Mike. Sandwiches were thoughtful.  I would have been a better cop if you'd have had a chocolate cruller there, but I made do with egg salad.        

Knowing what you hope to accomplish is a good thing. For instance maybe you simply want the interaction to end asap or there may be times when you will be more assertive with your rights or trying to prove a point. In  cases that you  envision yourself as a freedom fighter, the cop may simply see you as a royal pain in the ass and may act accordingly. Not every situation has the same elements therefore some of our "answers" are more like guidelines and you have to decide which ones to use depending on the variables. There are no pat answers.    

It would be helpful to me to know what "legal triggers" the cop can invoke to claim probable cause or to detain the driver.  A better general understanding of "the law" would help me to ask or answer questions from a cop.  For instance how can we "legally" walk away or end an interaction? Which laws require us to answer questions or provide I.D. etc.   Some of us may see things from a moral standpoint, yet we will be judged from a "legal" standpoint. Knowing the law wouldn't hurt and might come in handy if you are inclined to use their system against them.  Knowing the law isn't the same as agreeing with the law.      

Also it should be pointed out how cops phrase questions to gain your "consent".  Body language and voice inflection are methods used to intimidate / coerce you.
This classic cop question catches alot of fish... "You don't have anything illegal in the car DO YOU? No? Then you DON'T MIND if I look in the back do you?"   I'm curious which answer(s) to use here.

I've always thought that the best answers to all of these questions were a variation of this:
"Let's see, I've got my lawyer's business card here - let me just call him and present the questions to him and I'll proceed according to his advice."

Then if you do call his office and there's no answer, just say, "gee, I can't really answer any questions until I speak to him. He really doesn't like it if I start on some legal thing without consulting him first, sorry."

Evan Nappen has a bright orange plastic wallet card with a "What to do if you're arrested" step-by-step basic advice guide on the back. I know you can pick those up at his office in Concord, 280 Pleasant Street, whether he's there or not. They'll give you a few, so you can distribute them to others.

[Jim Johnson]

Thanks to Kat and Russell for hosting.
Thanks to Mike for sandwiches.
Thanks to everyone else for participating.
I had a good time that was very instructive.  

[Sam A. Robrin]

The real trick here is to be armed with as much knowledge of the law as possible, to be able to invoke it where needed, and then to develop an acute ability to "think on your feet."  That last probably has more possible moves than a chess game, but there must be a way to teach the basics of it.

[jaqeboy]

Kat posted a link to the New England Nonviolent Trainers Network. There is a lot to read there, but I have found a lot of it to be helpful and thought-provoking.

A number of you might be especially interested in a section talking about nonviolent activists' experiences in jails (their site does not give an easy way to link directly to the article, so click the "Legal Issues" link on the left and then click the "Serving Time in Jail" link near the top of the page on the right).

I will also be posting a video soon of the questions and answers about jail experiences that occurred during PiMP.

BTW, you can show video at AltExpo - we'll have a dedicated computer for presentations, with a projector and screen. May have a setup for videos in a second room, too. Just email Dan@AltExpo.org to let him know what your needs are.

We thought about a segment at AltExpo that we'd call "Jail Tales" just so people could hear what it's like to be inside, in case that helps allay peoples' fears.

[Ryan McGuire]

Practicing was really helpful, and everyone's comments even more so. I've been rehearsing in my brain ever since, but it's not quite the same. I need to keep practicing in real life and out loud, and so I look forward to the next PiMP seminar.

When it's warmer, I'd like to rehearse a real car scene. I'll play a cop next time, although it will be difficult because I hate to be a mean guy.

[Lloyd Danforth]

I don't think you could practice what you did out loud.

[Ryan McGuire]

I don't think you could practice what you did out loud.

Well, I wasn't completely silent, but I already mentioned that I took your guys' critiques under advisement. Next time I will practice articulating why I won't divulge information to the cop.

[Lloyd Danforth]