Florida-based nonprofit shares tips on how to de-escalate interactions during protests
A nonprofit based in the state of Florida held a webinar on Friday, January 9, aimed at helping those who are planning to demonstrate how to do so safely and how to de-escalate any rising tensions.
The webinar, hosted by the Voices of Florida Fund, began by outlining a team of sorts that participants in a group could form to stay safe, including:
- Medics, who would be on the scene and trained in stopping any bleeding, trained in CPR or general first aid training
- Legal Observers and Witnesses, who would be available to give a legal perspective or legal witness perspective if anything were to happen
- Research Team, who research places where protests would be going on
- De-Escalation Team, who would be in charge of de-escalating tense moments between opposing viewpoints
- Safety Team, who would be in charge of keeping everyone safe and secure
- Police Liaison, who would be someone to speak to the police if there were to be a problem
One focus of the webinar was surrounding the main topic of de-escalation. Several tips were shared in some slides presented during the webinar on how to stay calm in a tense situation during a demonstration or protest.
Tips shared in the slides included:
- Ignoring any individual intentionally trying to upset the crowd or cause an incident
- Controlling breathing, or practicing breathing exercises
- Looking "beyond" the moment that is frustrating or heightening emotions
- Do not "circle" around anyone, which could be perceived negatively
- Remind yourself that the moment will be over soon
- Check in with anything that might "trigger a reaction" from yourself
A person on the de-escalation team of a group attending a protest can do one of two things, according to the webinar. This could either be to defuse or resolve a situation.
For example, in a situation where two people are upset at an unintentional physical altercation, a de-escalator could resolve the conflict by taking an impartial and non-biased stance to find a mutual solution.
Alternatively, a de-escalator could defuse a heated situation using humor, distracting or creating physical space to reduce tension without completely resolving the situation.
Ultimately, the main focus of the webinar was to stress the importance of keeping tension at a minimum during protests and to practice de-escalation to prevent any situations from becoming more intense incidents.
Additionally, it was noted during the webinar that in the event of a physical threat, safety teams should work together to develop an emergency plan that would include potential exits and hazards along with how to safely move away from the threat.
In Warren, on Sunday, January 11, a demonstration is planned at Courthouse Square, located at 161 High Street Northwest, to "stand in solidarity with Minneapolis" and honor the memory of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman who was fatally shot on Wednesday, January 7.
