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By the way, if you’re new to protesting and nervous because you don’t know what to expect, or because you’re thinking of the news from the summer of 2020, some things you should know:

- It’s OK to show up when you can and leave when you need there. You don’t need a clever sign. Bringing yourself is the most important thing.

- What •do• you need? Dress for the weather. •Overdress• for the weather.

- You •will• feel better for having gone. Getting out the door is the hardest part. You’ll thank yourself.

- These protests are unlikely to be dangerous. Unlike the ones making the news in 2020:

(1) They’re large. Counterintuitively, larger protests tend to be safer: the crowd keeps itself in line. When you see a big crowd full of kids and grandparents, you know people are keeping each other safe.

(2) They’re not confronting the police. Police turn protests violent when they feel personally threatened and provoked. These protests are against politicians, and the police get to stand there and feel like they’re in charge. (They’re not, but they get to feel like it, and that generally keeps them from flying off the handle.)