A homework assignment...

Give yourself no more than 2 weeks to do this.

So you want to go out and participate in revolutionary, or at the very least radical, actions. But there are good ways to do this, and bad ways. Seeing as how revolution is illegal for the most part, you may want to take precautions.

One of the most brilliant precautions developed so far is the black bloc. This is where everybody dresses up the exact same and participates in an action: no leaders, no followers. If you have a leader, they will be targeted, and your movement will die. However, if you have no leader, and everybody works together, then you can't be stopped until everybody is stopped, and that won't be easy.

If you want more detail, ask for it in a comment.

Here's what you'll need:
1) Something to keep the tear gas, etc., from searing your lungs. Optimally, you would want a military gas mask with a tube that attaches to a canteen so you can still drink and breathe safely. If you can't get one, seeing as how they are expensive and all, then you can do this... Get a bandanna (preferrably a black one) and a small bottle of apple-cider vinegar or lime juice. If you fear a gas attack, then (hopefully you already had it on...) put your juice of choice on the bandanna and breathe through it. This will save you a lot of pain.

2) A black hoodie. A simple, solid, blacker than the night, unmarked hoodie. This gives you the ability to cover most of your head and all of you hair. This is important to make sure that they can't give a description, can't easily distinguish your gender (if you are a well-endowed woman... well, at least they can't describe your hair style or facial features! That, and what if you're a guy with long hair!! :P ), and it will protect you from some of the harsh chemicals they tend to douse you with...

3) Black jeans. I'd tell you to go out and get black military fatigues made out of canvas, but I don't know how easy that would be, and everybody would need the same ones! Jeans are easier, and still provide some protection from the elements and chemicals.

4) Boots. www.budkww.com has some good military combat boots for twenty-five bucks. Any black boots will suffice, but I really recommend those (or some military boots that are similar). They are made for wading through the elements. Doc Martin has some good boots. Try to make sure they are similar though, still! The reason the budk boots are good is their soles. Those things lasted me two years with heavy wear. They have a small piece of steel to give them some semblance of support (called a "shank". Look it up.), the soles are semi-hard rubber that doesn't let much through, the nylon is pretty sturdy (the army has some now with more leather, and if you can get solid-leather ones that are waterproof, those are ideal, especially since they look similar to other military boots!), and they'll serve you well.

And for the love of GOD, no flip-flops or sandals please!?

4)A really good backpack. If you can obtain them, the best you can get is called and A.L.I.C.E. They were once the bags of choice used by the military, and you may have seen a homeless person with one. The acronym stands for: Aluminum Lightweight Infantry Carrying Equipment. It has an aluminum frame that spares your back, and a strap that goes behind your waist that spares your shoulders and lower back quite a bit of strife. It has a waterproof main pouch, and places to attach your own gear. Attachments you can obtain include: a first-aid kit, a canteen, a sleeping-bag, a rifle-cleaning kit (though why would you want a rifle?), and a mess-kit (a little thing that is and contains a pot/pan or more, bowls, spoons, forks, and cups, all compacted together). If everybody could get this, a group could effectively go out for weeks in the wilderness. It will house your supplies. Otherwise, get yourself a good backpack. If worst comes to worst, you'll be ditching it anyways.

5) The aformentioned First-aid kit. Make sure it's something you know how to use. The ones for A.L.I.C.E. packs are awesome and strap right onto the bag!

6) A change of clothes that will fit over your black bloc clothing without looking too conspicuous. That means you might want to make sure your gear was thin (ghetto-bagging probably isn't the best idea). You want to make sure it will fit in your bag, too.

7) A comfortable sized piece of Lexan with a comfortable and impact friendly handle. This is what will save you. Preferably rig a way to get the shields to lock together too, and you can have a shield wall or shield charge. Lexan is kinda heavy, but I'm pretty sure it's stronger than the crap riot-pigs use and it is clear. Lexan is 50 times stronger than steel.

8) Goggles. If your gas mask has it, great. If it doesn't, you will need some. Chemical weapons are nasty. If you get ANY chemical substance on you, don't touch anything, anybody, and get to a cold shower (NOT hot: it'll just open your pores...) to get it off of you, wash your clothes several times... Be careful.



These are just a few things for a nearly-all-riot-situation type kit. If you're planning something special, make sure everybody is outfitted and you know how to work together as a unified whole.

Hopefully in the future, I'll be able to give you some tips and tricks for training yourself. Until then, may you confront danger and return unscathed so we can meet your beautiful face under the stars once more.