Street Medics, Action Medics, and Protests
Groups Prepare for Tear Gas, Pepper Spray, with LAW
Apr 10, 2009
During the 1999 WTO protests in Seattle, there was a group of doctors, nurses, and other medical personnel, as well as non-medical people possessing the ability to stay calm in emergency situations. These people, called action medics, or street medics, train to deal with medical issues specifically related to protest situations.
1999 WTO Seattle Protests with Medics for Tear Gas and Pepper Spray
One medic organization is the Black Cross Health Collective, with some members being street, or action, medics during the 1999 WTO protests. After encountering the police response of tear gas, pepper spray, and batons, the group formed in order to offer services at other protests, and to conduct trainings to prepare people to serve as street medics.
The Black Cross conducted pepper spray trials to scientifically assess an effective remedy. A solution called LAW is often used. An acronym for “Liquid Antiacid and Water,” LAW is equal parts antiacid and water, mixed and carried in a squirt bottle, ready for washing out the eyes of a victim of tear gas or pepper spray. Care is taken to use American antiacid, without alcohol in it, as alcohol will burn eyes.
Wilderness First Responder Training
Wilderness First Responders (WFR) typically help out with wilderness emergencies, defined as being more than one hour from a hospital or medical care. Usually these trainings prepare for victims who have been skiing, hiking, mountain climbing, or river rafting.
However, during unstable protest situations, some street medics found that transporting a victim to the hospital from a city center surrounded by police and protesters was taking longer than an hour. For this reason, street medics typically encourage WFR training.
Basic Health and Preparation for Protests
Street medic trainings often stress the importance of being “grounded” before taking part in a protest action. Grounding requires a good night’s sleep and a nutritious meal before the protest, plus ample hydration through plain water.
Activities to avoid before, during, or after a protest action include ingesting alcohol or drugs. Street medics discourage sugared or fried foods. They advise against excessive caffeine in the form of coffee or sodas.
Anti-Authoritarian Structure, Anarchism in Action and Street Medic Organizations
A key element of the street medic organizing style is to avoid hierarchy. Many of the street medics are anti-authoritarian or anarchist. This philosophy is apparent during trainings, when the trainers are introduced only by their first names, without titles such as “Doctor” or “Registered Nurse.” Street medics avoid titles, and would rather have a non-medical person who is cool under stressful protest conditions, rather than a brain surgeon falling apart under police volleys of tear gas and pepper spray.
The only distinction appears to be “water carriers,” people who want to help, but have no medical skills at all. They simply do the grunt work and keep the skilled medics free to help victims.
Healthcare After Protesting
Besides offering help during protests, street or action medics often provide what they term “aftercare,” to help people deal with post-protest problems of physical and mental fatigue and trauma. They often use herbs, including “Rescue Remedy” and other alternative health cares.
Action Medics, Street Medics Discuss Protocol
An important quality that all action and street medics share is their willingness to disagree. Medic lists abound with heated disucssions about the use of LAW, the newly-developed police weapons suchs as tasers, and medic protocol. The discussions are linked to other medics world-wide.
The network of action and street medics appears to show no signs of lessening. With protests around the globe, a growing number of people are seeking training to be action or street medics.
References
First Aid for Radicals and Activists, Black Cross Health Collective.
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