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Progressive Survival Guide: Getting People Out (The Basics) [1]

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Date: 2022-07-27

One of the most crucial things we can do is getting important people working on the front lines of the movement for democracy out of harm's way. Anyone who works as a civil rights attorney, who works as part of an NGO that focuses on the struggle for democracy, or who is a well-known activist is at risk, particularly if they reside in certain states where they are already being targeted with death threats on a regular basis. A contingency plan is necessary to get these people to a safe location at a moment's notice.

The first thing we need is at least one volunteer in each state to act as a records keeper and early warning system. They would keep a list of vulnerable targets that an authoritarian state government might come after. Ideally, they would have a local network to keep any lists as decentralized as possible. This volunteer would also be asked to help develop a plan for getting these vulnerable people out of state. The plan would include what transport to use, what routes to take, if there are backup routes and where, etc. This plan should be committed to memory in case writing it down is not an option or in case writing it down proves to be too dangerous. As we are already seeing some state government attempt to arrest innocent people for trying to get vulnerable people like pregnant women to safety, we would personally advise against writing too much down.

State volunteers should also have either physical police scanners or scanner apps on their phones. This would allow them to monitor law enforcement activity in case this can give them an early warning as to VIPs being arrested. This monitoring will need to be paired with activity from an internet research team that can cover laws in each state, particularly each red state. When a draconian law passes, for example a law making it illegal to send an email asking about abortion providers, the research team should do whatever they can to find the associated code and, with the help of the state volunteer, find out how police refer to the code when calling it in. This way when officers are on their way to make an arrest we may be able to give early warning to activists and direct them to a safety route. In addition, even if one cannot prevent an arrest, it can be brought to the attention of social media and surrounding people.

This is one thing that will need to be started early because it requires detailed instructions, micro-targeting, and training. If we think of this network as a modern Underground Railroad, we will need detailed preparation work. State volunteers will need to reach out to contacts and properly vet them before adding them in as stops along the way out of the state or out of the country. Routes will need to be memorized in case law enforcement tracks GPS or in case there isn't service along the route. There will need to be a "getting off point" where the VIPs are handed over to a person or entity that can take them to safety. There are a lot of details that will need to be worked out. We will go into more detail as we continue this guide, but we encourage people in red states to begin the process of figuring this out on their own. This way, the evacuation systems developed are not centralized and law enforcement can't identify all of them by successfully identifying and closing one of them.

So, what would a basic organizational structure look like?

-State organizer. This should be someone with either access to or connections with VIPs in the pro-democracy movement, so ideally someone already installed into the political or advocacy world. They will need to be able to contact VIPs as soon as possible when needed.

-Route captains. Each state will need a different number of route captains. Each route captain will need to be responsible for their certain leg of the trip and really own it. This doesn't just mean knowing how to drive. This means knowing what the traffic patterns are before they happen, knowing what roads are most likely to flood in a storm, knowing where the logging roads go and how to get out of state the fastest way. They will need to coordinate with each other route captain and practice hand-offs. For the most realistic training, get a mannequin to serve as the VIP (remember that in all likelihood the VIP will be in shock and may need assistance, so a mannequin is not a bad practice tool). Strap them in, try out different routes, and take notes on paper so you'll know what works best. See how long a hand-off would realistically take. Ideally, the VIP can go from house to house, but practice a scenario in which that can't happen. Where are the backup meetup points? What needs to be done?

-Volunteers for supplies. The three things needed the most are food, water, and gas. Don't consider stopping at a gas station an option and plan for the worst-case scenario. That way, you're always prepared. From a practical standpoint, it's cheaper to buy food and water ahead of time. Gas can be stored in containers, but not for very long and only in the very worst case would it be practical. Volunteers might be needed to drop off food and water as well as emergency roadside supplies. This way, one or two people aren't paying for and buying everything as that's quite a bit to expect one or two people to do.

We can't stress enough the importance of this network being created immediately. The history of authoritarian regimes suggests that once an anti-democratic faction comes to power they will move quickly and we will need to outrun them in our response to protect key people in the pro-democracy movement.

Working on this system is important now. If you live in a state where this will become necessary, which could be any state in the union at this point, please consider volunteering your time to this effort. For assistance and support we can be reached at [email protected].

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/7/27/2113028/-Progressive-Survival-Guide-Getting-People-Out-The-Basics

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