By JR
As ICE deepens its oppression at home, they continue to build upon a modern menu of riot control tools and techniques to suppress dissent. Many of these policing tactics, including use of chemical weapons like tear gas, and the use of indiscriminate force against nonviolent civilians, would violate international humanitarian law if used by an occupying army in a time of war. For those courageous enough to intentionally risk injury to speak out for freedom of ourselves and others, as well as for those of us unlucky enough to be targeted by ICE (for who we are, where we are, or what we look like) this brief guide is intended to introduce several ways to reduce risk to yourself and those around you.
Chemical Weapons:
Chemical weapons are banned for use in combat by the Geneva Protocol of 1925. Although tear gas and pepper spray are increasingly normalized in domestic riot control, it’s important to remember that these are weapons-grade chemical, with poorly studied long-term effects and risk of ongoing physical and psychological harm.
Pepper Spray is an aerosolized spray of capsaicin, the chemical that makes chili peppers spicy. This same chemical is often used as tear gas, but it can also be used at closer range or in a more directed context. It often (but not always) has an orange hue. In addition to being sprayed, it can also be deployed via paintballs-like balls shot from special guns, which bruise on impact and splash capsaicin resin over skin or sink it into clothes. Methods of prevention and response are otherwise similar to tear gas, discussed below.
Tear Gas is an umbrella term that can refer to any of a number of chemical “lachrymating” agents that cause immediate crying, mucus output, intense pain, and difficulty breathing. Most tear gas is actually aerosolized powder or smoke, that behaves like a gas but will stick to skin and contaminate clothes. Several forms of tear gas were deployed by French, German, and British forces in World War I trenches – it’s not just some technicality that makes this violate international law. Rather, these specific chemical formulas and effects were what the Geneva convention had in mind when making chemical weapons illegal. Common components include CS, CN, and Capsaicin.
Tear gas canisters can be more dangerous than the chemicals they release. Canisters are designed to be fired into a neutral area, never at people, but police forces commonly violate this protocol. Many protesters, have been killed, disabled, or permanently injured by being directly hit with tear gas canisters (including past slingshot contributor Tristen Anderson who was blinded in one eye by a tear gas canister in the West Bank in the 90s). If teargas canisters are being fired, try to take cover or protect your eyes and face from being hit by the canister.
To prepare yourself for potential tear gas or pepper spray exposure, wear close toed shoes, and multiple layers of clothing that cover as much of your skin as possible., and which you are willing to shed and leave without if they become contaminated with tear gas or pepper spray. Don’t wear make up or lotion, which can trap the painful particles to your skin, and do not wear contact lenses.
These chemical weapons are used tactically by police forces to move and disperse crowds. If you wish to avoid being moved or dispersed, make sure you are well protected – severe or repeat exposure can be much more dangerous and medically damagin than passing contact. To protect your face, eyes, and lungs from tear gas, you need a well fitting respirator with full face shield – N95 masks and medical masks are much better than nothing, but not enough to really protect you from state chemical warfare. Make sure that any eye protection you are wearing is shatter-proof, to prevent injury if directly hit by a canister. Eye protection must seal to your face to protect against tear gas and pepper spray. An appropriate respirator will have a “P100” rating, or a canister marked “CN/CS”.
Protecting others from tear gas canisters is possible, but can be dangerous and should only be carried out by those with proper protective equipment. As tear gas comes from canisters, protecting others from exposure usually centers around preventing gas from leaving the canister in a place where others can be harmed. The traditional approach is to throw the tear gas canister back away from protesters. Tennis rackets have been used for this extensively in the middle east, and lacrosse and hockey sticks may be well designed for this task too.
Tear gas canisters can also be disabled by quenching them with water. This can be done either by placing a traffic cone over the canister and then pouring in water until extinguished, or by placing the canister in a bucket or large, wide mouthed container of water. Don’t seal the container completely, to prevent a pressure based explosion.
Tear gas canisters can be hot enough to start fires or seriously burn you, so avoid touching them directly and wear heat proof gloves. Also, be sure that what you’re about to handle is in fact a tear gas canister – handling unexploded stun grenades, in particular, can be extremely dangerous and cause permanent injury if they explode in your hand or near your face.
If you have been exposed to tear gas or pepper spray, do your best to remain calm while seeking first aid. Try to remember that these chemicals are chosen and used specifically for the ability to induce fear and panic, and what you’re feeling is expected and temporary, but you need to get help in a safe place. If you are confused or in serious pain, do your best to get away from the gas, to a place where you can remove contaminated clothing and others can help flush chemicals out of your eyes and off of your skin.
Before helping yourself or others, make sure to wash your hands well and remove contaminated clothing that might touch their skin, to avoid exposing them to additional chemicals.
For flushing from eyes, use saline solution if possible, otherwise use any uncontaminated water, ideally for 10-15 minutes.
There are first hand accounts that milk, water mixed with baby shampoo, or water mixed with baking soda may be more effective than water alone, but there’s not substantial evidence that any of these are better than water alone. In particular, milk’s fat and acidity may aggravate pain.
Acoustic Weapons:
International humanitarian law requires that the use of force in conflict be proportional and targeted. The entire doctrine of riot control inherently violates this principle, by applying force to an entire mass of people. While kettling, indiscriminate beating with batons, and mass arrests all violate these principles, it’s worth focusing on a few more tools that are inherently indiscriminate. While not explicitly banned for use in war by international treaty like tear gas and pepper spray are, acoustic weapons warrant some specific scrutiny. Both LRADs and Stun Grenades are included here, as both have the potential to permanently damage your hearing, are inherently indiscriminate when used against a large group, and can create fear and panic
“Long Range Acoustic Device” (LRAD) devices are truck mounted “Sound Cannons” that produce extremely loud and directed sound. They are sometimes used to communicate messages, and other times used to project sirens or other painful and disorienting sounds. In either mode, these devices can cause permanent hearing damage and have caused several documented cases of hearing loss.
Flash Bang Grenades (or Stun Grenades) are explosives designed to produce large amounts of light and sound when detonated. They have also been responsible for permanent hearing loss.
In both of these cases, earplugs might offer some protection, but you should avoid putting earplugs in your ears if tear gas is being used. Ear muffs can also offer some protection, although it’s been reported that against LRAD devices ear protection feels like it does little, and holding up solid objects like trash can lids, convex riot shields, or even glossy cardboard can help mitigate the intensity of the sound.
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It is my sincere hope that you and those you love are never exposed to any of the weapons, tools, or techniques used above. But I also hope that the mere threat, or existence of these weapons in the hands of the erstwhile war criminals willing to use them, does not deter you from expressing your rights to protest against injustice. And when you do, hopefully something you remember from this guide will help you be just a little bit safer, a little less scared, or a little more able to help those around you. And I hope that when you see others being attacked with these weapons, at a distance or through the news, you remember that these aren’t normal riot control tools, but weapons of war that would violate international human rights law if used this way. Though the atrocities become more common, let them never feel common place.