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National Chalk the Police State 2015: Are You Ready?

Kelly Patterson, founder of NVCopblock.org and Editor of CopBlock.org, has been the driving force behind the “National Chalk the Police State” for the past few years. He recently wrote a great post highlighting the history, tactics and legalities regarding chalking – I highly suggest checking it out here. This post will focus more on connecting folks with chalking events in their area, how to start one and tips to stay safe while chalking.

At the end of this post you’ll find all the current Chalk the Police Events we know about (we’ll continually update this post until July 18th) but if you don’t see an event near you, start one. Starting an event is easy. All you have to do is choose a police station near you, create an event (via Facebook, meetup or otherwise) and invite others to join you. Remember to contact us so we can add it to this post and hopefully help you get more chalkers to attend your event.

Tips to stay safe while Chalking the Police

Document the Event: Do NOT chalk without a camera. You not only want to document your chalkings but you also want to protect yourself from police aggression. If you have a camera you’ll increase your chances of being left alone by police while chalking.
Bring Friends: A camera is a must but going with a group of friends is a close second. Chalking the police alone could be dangerous and there’s obvious strength in numbers. This will also allow you the ability to get some action shots of your event.
Double Check Supplies: Forgetting something can be a drag so make sure to double check your supplies. Here are a few suggestions I’ve learned about the hard way.
- Charge all gear or bring backups
- Bring more chalk than needed. Many times others near by will join you if you have additional chalk.
- Bring water, not only for drinking but in case you mess up some artwork, water makes it easy to correct.
- If your groups is large enough some poster board or signage could really help to take your event to the next level.
- Sidewalks are usually safe to chalk on but vertical structures can lead to police aggression, so know your line and how far you’d like to push the issue.
LiveStream: Be prepared to live stream (see Bambuser) any police interactions. If you’re willing to go to jail over chalking the police then you’ll want to get that video in front of people ASAP. Livestreaming is the best way to do this and could be the key into getting your charges dropped or you out of a cage.
Have FUN: It should be this way unless the police show up. Live, laugh and learn from one another.

Scheduled Chalk the Police State Events:

National Chalk the Police State Event created by Kelly on behalf of the CopBlock Network: This event is to share the concept of Chalk the Police State, allow people to join in solidarity and be a hub for suggestions/ideas regarding yours and others events.