For more info and intel drops, visit ravegoat.com/updates
🧠 Before You Go
- ✅ Bring: Water, first aid kit, cash, emergency contact info written on your arm, and a legal hotline number.
- ❌ Avoid: Items that could be construed as weapons, illegal substances, or anything you wouldn’t want searched.
- 📱 Phone: Enable airplane mode, disable biometric unlock, and use encrypted messaging apps like Signal or Element (Matrix).
- 👕 Clothing: Wear neutral attire without logos, cover tattoos, and consider sunglasses and masks to reduce surveillance exposure.
🔊 While Protesting
✊ Your Rights:
- Freedom of Speech and Assembly: Protected under the First Amendment and Article I, Section 7 of the Iowa Constitution.
- Public Spaces: You can protest on sidewalks, parks, and public streets, provided you don’t obstruct traffic or access.
- Recording: You have the right to photograph or record anything in plain view, including police officers performing their duties.
🧷 Responsibilities:
- Stay Peaceful: Avoid engaging in or inciting violence.
- Be Aware: Watch for provocateurs or infiltrators attempting to escalate tensions.
- Surveillance: Be mindful of surveillance devices like drones, license plate readers, and phone tower spoofers.
👮 If Confronted by Police
- Remain Calm: Do not run or physically resist.
- Clarify: Ask, “Am I being detained?” If not, calmly walk away.
- Silence: You have the right to remain silent. Clearly state, “I am exercising my right to remain silent.”
- Searches: You can refuse consent to searches of yourself or your belongings. However, police may pat down your clothing if they suspect a weapon.
🚨 If Arrested
- Charges: Ask what the charges are.
- Legal Representation: State, “I want to speak to a lawyer.”
- Do Not Consent: Do not sign or say anything without legal counsel.
- Documentation: Write down everything you remember, including officers’ badge numbers and patrol car numbers.
🧩 Iowa-Specific Laws and Considerations
🛑 Stop and Identify:
- No Requirement: Iowa does not have a “stop and identify” statute. You are not legally required to provide your name unless you’re operating a vehicle.
🚫 Failure to Disperse:
- Definition: Under Iowa Code § 723.3, if a peace officer orders participants in a riot or unlawful assembly to disperse, anyone within hearing distance who refuses to obey commits a simple misdemeanor.
⚖️ Recent Legislative Changes:
- Enhanced Penalties: In 2021, Iowa passed a law increasing penalties for protest-related offenses, including making it illegal to not stop for an unmarked police car and expanding qualified immunity for police officers.
📞 Legal Support
- National Lawyers Guild (NLG) Iowa: Contact Sally Frank at sally.frank@drake.edu or 515-271-3909.
- Bail Funds:
- Prairielands Freedom Fund: 319-535-2209
- Des Moines Mutual Aid Bail Fund: 515-218-1994
💬 Communication and Security
- Secure Messaging: Use encrypted apps like Signal or Element (Matrix) for communication.
- Be Cautious: Be wary of individuals pushing for violence or requesting personal information.
🧠 Final Words
Power concedes nothing without a demand. Know your rights. Protect each other. Document everything.
Join the Herd. Stay loud. Stay safe.
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