McCain in Ottawa next Friday. Suggestions for protesting?

[tomaO2]

I was thinking about trying to go over and do some Ron Paul protesting.

Never done anything like that before and I'm not sure I can. I still don't know what time it is (I assume around noon) or how long I'd be there or if I can get the time off work.

I suppose I'd need a sign too. Something like "Free Trade not Managed Trade" on one side and "Ron Paul Revolution" on the other?

Could a more veteran protester please explain how to go about this if I can manage it? Thanks. Would anyone else be around the Ottawa area for that? Maybe I should check to see if there is a local meetup or something.

Thoughts are appreciated. Thanks.

EDIT: Wait. What? He's quitting? I thought he was in the race until the convention. Now we can't even vote for him when it comes along. Is there a point now to bother protesting?

[asgardshill]

Make yourself stand out. If I were there, I would probably shave my head or wear a bald wig, apply white pancake makeup or clown white to my face, and shove a golf ball inside my left cheek. And I'd have a sign with this printed on one side:

MCCAIN IS LIKE MIKEY

... and this on the other side.

HE HATES EVERYTHING

Humor and distinctive visual cues - the key to getting noticed at a protest.

[SnappleLlama]

Make yourself stand out. If I were there, I would probably shave my head or wear a bald wig, apply white pancake makeup or clown white to my face, and shove a golf ball inside my left cheek. And I'd have a sign with this printed on one side:

MCCAIN IS LIKE MIKEY

... and this on the other side.

HE HATES EVERYTHING

Humor and distinctive visual cues - the key to getting noticed at a protest.

I ROFL'd. Hard.

[phixion]

Blood shed.

Pete

[SnappleLlama]

Honestly, you could peacefully protest with a giant sign and pro-Freedom and pro-Ron Paul buttons, etc. If you're going with some friends, get a large banner and put pro-Ron Paul messages on it.

[asgardshill]

Several dos and donts that have stood me in good stead over the years:

1. Use cardboard tubing, not wood or metal, to hold up signage. This takes away the excuse that you are using "dangerous weapons" for your protest signs and will get you off the hook if somebody ends up bashed over the head with a wooden sign pole at your protest.

2. Check the local rules and regulations before bringing anything. If noisemakers or portable amplification equipment are prohibited in your burg, then don't bring them. Again, don't give the other side or the local federales any ammo to complain.

3. Make sure that somebody who's not going to the protest knows that you are going to the protest. That way, they can bail you out if the balloon goes up.

4. Designate one of your number as the official videographer and have them videotape EVERYTHING that goes on near you, from a vantage point as high as possible. Its the cheapest get-out-of-jail-free card you can have.

5. Take nothing with you that you can't afford to lose or abandon or have stolen.

6. Don't fall for the agents provocateur, who come out in force at protests. If a small group of people try to cause trouble, assault people, or break stuff, get well away from them and don't let them knock you off-message.

7. If you're driving to the protest, park as far away as you can. Vehicles are often the first victims of protesters or agents provocateur, so don't leave yours where it can be an easy target.

8. Make reservations beforehand at a good restaurant near the protest site for after the protest. You're going to be so pumped that you'll want to celebrate, and you won't have to wait 4 hours for a table if you make a reservation in advance because everybody else protesting is probably going to want to eat there too.