So, you’ve decided you want to get arrested at a protest. You want your arrest to make a political statement, but would also like to face as little physical harm as possible during the course of your arrest.

Bill Newman, director of the Western Regional Office of the Massachusetts American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), told The Advocate anyone involved in a protest should first undergo non-violent direct action training, which would teach them about understanding their civil rights and how to engage in civil disobedience in a way that creates impact.

“It’s important for people to know how to respond should there be an agent provocateur in their midst. It’s important to know how to respond and how not to respond if some police officer acts in a way that other officers would consider unprofessional or [who] is unduly aggressive,” he said.

In Massachusetts, police officers are only allowed to use pepper spray or mace during circumstances in which they are confronted with bodily harm, Newman said.

“Most people at most demonstrations should not be subject to that kind of police use of force. I’m not saying it doesn’t happen; I’m saying it shouldn’t happen,” he said.

The ACLU also provides a guide for protesters to know what their rights are, which includes topics such as whether police officers are allowed to search protesters (they’re not), and if protesters have the right to videotape or photograph law enforcement officials (in public spaces, yes,), according to the organization’s website.

One of the things protesters should be mindful of is the difference between passive resistance and active resistance, Northampton Police Capt. John Cartledge said. If a protester is refusing an order to move off the ground during the course of their arrest, that would be an instance of passive resistance. The officer would then physically pick them up to make the arrest.

An example of active resistance is when someone physically resists the arrest by latching onto an object such as a light post or stop sign, Cartledge. In that case, officers might respond with increased force.

If a protester is arrested they might face a charge of trespassing if they are protesting on private property, disturbing the peace, or obstruction of a passageway based on the circumstances of the protest, he said. Obstructing a passageway is not an arrestable offence, but if a protestor were blocking a roadway they might also be charged with disturbing the peace, which is an arrestable offence.

Amherst Police Chief Scott Livingstone said his department doesn’t carry rubber bullets or tear gas, but officers do utilize pepper spray and batons when necessary.

Protests are a regular occurrence in Amherst, Livingstone said. One of the department’s top goals before a protest takes place is communicating with activists organizing the rally.

“We like to set guidelines. We like to know what their intentions are. There are many times where their intentions are to be arrested and we will facilitate that in the best and safest way we can do that … If their intent is to block roadways then there will be arrests made, but we also want to be able to communicate that to the protestors.”

James Frank, a 22-year-old senior at UMass Amherst studying social justice, has been arrested twice during protests – once for the Dakota Access Pipeline protest at the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in South Dakota and another at UMass Amherst in which he and other students staged a sit-in to challenge the university to divest from fossil fuels.

He said he believes getting arrested as a statement can be somewhat “glamorized,” but the people behind the scenes — those with legal or medical expertise are just as much a part of the political statement.

“Who’s bringing food? Who’s doing the phone banking and petition signing and these things that don’t receive so much attention? I definitely know that younger activists like myself get drawn into it because it’s cool and I can say, ‘Fuck you,’ to the state … I think what’s harder to do is that sustained effort of bringing people in and doing educational outreach.”

Frank said he’s been tear gassed while at the Standing Rock protest.

“Tear gas is a really insidiously evilly crafted tool. It [makes] you lose control of your body and they were just firing off rounds and laughing. There’s so much dehumanization that goes into that.”

Pro Tip: He said the best remedy to relieve the painful effects of pepper spray or tear gas is to use diluted Milk of Magnesia to flush out the eyes.

To view the ACLU’s complete guide visit http://bit.ly/2nwFtDf.

You can contact Chris Goudreau at cgoudreau@valleyadvocate.com.