What do I need to know as a participant?
How far should I stay from officers standing on a police
line?
We recommend that participants stay approximately 6 feet back from a police line unless directed to do otherwise by officers. They need space and
time to correctly perceive, evaluate and react to potential
threats. Officers need space for their safety. This space
gives officers time to make better use of force decisions.
Advancing on officers only reduces the time an officer will have to
make those decisions. If you don't encroach on their safety
zone, they are not likely to feel you are a threat and won't need
to order you to move back. If you fail to follow warnings or if an
officer feels you pose a threat to their safety, you may be pushed
away from the police line with a hand, arm or baton.
Why don't the officers on the police line respond to my
questions?
Officers will not engage in conversations with the crowd.
Officers on a police line are watching for threats and are watching
the whole crowd, not just the people directly in front of
them. Their safety helmet also makes it harder to hear and be
heard. Engaging in conversations encourages people to come
closer to the line to hear and be heard. As discussed, being
close to the police line impacts officer and protester
safety. If you need to communicate with an officer, go to the
end of the police line (away from the center of the crowd) and ask
to speak to a supervisor or call the non-emergency number (510)
981-5900. If staffing allows, an officer will be sent to
contact people requesting police assistance.
What would cause the police to issue a dispersal
order?
The police may issue a dispersal order if members of the crowd
pose a clear and present danger to the public. This may
include looting, assaults, lighting fires, or throwing objects at
people (including officers).
What if I am not part of the protest? Do I have to
leave the area?
Yes. After a dispersal order is issued, anyone within
earshot of the order is required by law to leave the area to comply
with the order. You are no longer allowed to remain together as a
group. The order also applies to those present who are not members
of the group protesting, are just curious bystanders, or did not
participate in any of the activity that led to the issuance of the
dispersal order.
What will happen if I don't disperse?
The police may make arrests for failure to disperse per
California Penal Code section 409. Depending on the
circumstances, you may be cited or booked into jail and charged
with a crime. If necessary, the police may use reasonable
physical force to disperse the crowd. This may include the
use of police batons, less than lethal foam baton rounds, and CS
gas (tear gas). These uses of force can cause physical
discomfort, significant pain and potential injury.
Should I try to stop people who are looting, lighting
fires, causing damage or fighting?
We do not recommend physically confronting these elements in a
crowd. This can be extremely dangerous. Crowding around
looters only slows police response. We
recommend peaceful protesters back away and call the police.
Be a good witness, use your camera phones and, when possible get
good pictures or videos of the suspects. This is only helpful
if you share the video with the police department or make it
available online.
BPD wants you to have safe protests. This may mean violent
elements need to be arrested and removed from the crowd.
Violations of laws may result in detentions, citations, or arrests.
Do not interfere with officers trying to detain people or make
arrests. No matter how chaotic the scene surrounding an
arrest may appear, please keep your distance and allow the officers
to safely place someone in custody. While in public, it is
your Constitutional right to film or photograph officers taking
action.
Why do the police want to keep protests off of the
freeway and train tracks?
Entering a freeway or railroad right of way can be extremely
dangerous. Entering the freeway could lead to collisions
between motorists and protesters and also between motorists trying
to stop abruptly. At speed, these collisions could cause
serious damage, injury or prove fatal. Trains are large and
may appear slow but can move deceptively fast. Trains can take over
a mile to stop once the engineer sees a problem on the track and
applies the brakes. However, when arriving in Berkeley,
engineers may not have a mile long line of sight. For these
reasons, entering the freeway or train tracks can be extremely
dangerous and is not advised.