Right the Record, Exposing Police Violence in Cleveland, had conversations with various activists in the community in Spring 2025. We posed the question of how to balance the power of visuals of community events (especially showing protesters’ faces) with the concern of safety of individuals from police surveillance. One of the suggestions was to support the activist community by educating participants at protests regarding choices they have in the protest.
Thus, we would like to suggest that an opening speaker at a protest broadcast the following points:
- Be aware your photo will be taken. If you are concerned about your identity being revealed, wear a mask, sunglasses, generic clothing
- Photographers, including those using smart phones, are encouraged to request consent from people, especially marginalized people, before putting photos on social media
- Before taking pictures of protesters’ faces, photographers should carefully consider the balance between empowering protesters and protecting their safety
The above points could be added to an email/social media post announcing a protest.
They could also be distributed as handouts at a protest.