For decades, universities have been important spaces for political education, civic engagement, and activism. Today, student voices are increasingly being suppressed, especially when they challenge the interests of the institutions themselves. Learn more about threats to campus free speech.
🤝🏾 Combating retaliation.
If any organizers are singled out for discipline, organize students, faculty, and other community members to support them. Connect with local organizations for additional support.
Document all responses from the administration before, during, and after the protest.
Always use discretion when posting photos and videos from the protest on social media to avoid exposing other protestors’ identities and potentially putting them at risk.
📸 You have the right to record.
You’re free to record protests in public spaces as long as you’re not interfering with law enforcement’s work.
What constitutes a public space varies by state, but typically includes areas like lobbies, waiting areas, and parking lots.
If an officer asks you for ID, and you refuse to provide it, they may take you to the precinct to verify your identity. We suggest providing a valid, unexpired ID containing minimal personal information, like a school ID.
✊🏾 Know your rights.
Do not speak to law enforcement or give them consent them to search you or your belongings.
You can say: “I’m using my right to remain silent”and “I do not consent to a search.”
Write a legal aid number on your arm in case you’re separated from your phone or protest buddy.
If people are detained, research your local jail’s booking process and organize jail support to make sure everyone gets home safely.
⚖️ Legal support.
Have contact information for a trusted lawyer or legal support network you can contact if you need assistance during or after a protest, especially if civil disobedience is involved.
If you plan on bringing your phone to a protest, use a strong password, enable lockdown mode if possible, turn off all biometrics such as fingerprint and face ID, and put your phone in airplane mode before you head out.
📵 Leave your phone at home.
It’s always best to leave your phone at home. If you bring your phone to a protest, it could be confiscated or monitored by law enforcement.
Use discretion when sharing sensitive information or organizing protests. Communicate in-person or over a secure messaging app like Signal to avoid online monitoring.
👁️ Surveillance and monitoring.
All institutional email accounts may be monitored by school administration. Similarly, campus wi-fi networks and school-issued laptops may not be secure or private.
Familiarize yourself with your university's disciplinary process, as well as any policies related to internet use, free expression, event coordination, and bias/harassment, as you engage in protest activity.
🗣️ Students’ speech and privacy rights vary based on whether your university is public or private.
While public universities are generally bound by the First Amendment, private universities may discipline students for speech that violates student conduct rules or other established guidelines.
Know Your Rights: Safety tips for students protesting on campus
Protest is powerful. Knowing your rights makes our movements stronger 💪🏾📣
Here are tips to protect yourself and others while protesting on campus.
⚖️ You have the right to a lawyer if detained.
You deserve equal treatment under the law—speak your rights clearly and demand them. If arrested, say: “I want a lawyer. I am staying silent.”
Do not sign anything without a lawyer present. If you’re under 18, your parent or guardian must be contacted.
✋🏾 You have the right to say no to a search.
There are two ways law enforcement can conduct a lawful search: with a valid judicial warrant and with your consent. Do not give federal agents or police officers consent to search you or your belongings.
You can say: “I do not consent to a search.”
📸 You have the right to record.
You can film police or federal agents in public spaces or during encounters. Stand at a safe distance and don’t interfere with their work. They cannot take your phone or delete your videos without a warrant.
If you do speak to an agent or officer, do not give them false information or lie. Law enforcement is allowed to and frequently does lie, but it is illegal for you to lie to them.
If you’re a non-citizen and an immigration officer asks you for proof of your lawful status, you are legally required to provide it. Copies are okay.
If you choose not to remain silent, you can invoke your right to remain silent at any point, even if you already started speaking to law enforcement.
🤐 You have the right to remain silent.
You do not have to answer any questions including about your immigration status or who else is present in the space.
You can say: “I decline to speak to you without a lawyer present.”
Know Your Rights: Safety tips for students encountering law enforcement on campus.
🚨 No warrant, no entry.
Here’s what to do when encountering federal agents and other law enforcement on your university’s campus.
Last/ This is not a drill. It's a full attack on our right to vote and we cannot normalize this. Protect state and local election authority. Organize, speak out, and be ready to challenge this in the courts and in the streets. Keep watching.
Pro-Trump administration activists are circulating a draft executive order that would declare a national emergency over U.S. elections and give the president extraordinary control over how Americans vote. It’s being framed as “election security,”
wapo.st/400tpi8
Join @advancementproject.org today and learn about the incredible work across time and place to fight back against state power grabs. In the meantime, download a copy here: advancementproject.org/resource/fro...
“From the Roots” zine cover on a blue background. Text reads: “Artist Talk, Instagram Live, Thursday, February 26, 1 pm ET / 10 am PT. Join us on Instagram live with illustrator Cori Lin for the release of our new zine and a discussion on art and liberation.”
📣 Instagram Live 📣
Join Advancement Project senior staff attorney Denise Ghartey and @onibaba-studio.bsky.social to learn how our new zine “From the Roots” was made with a discussion on art, liberation, and more!
Tune in Thursday, February 26 at 1 pm ET.
The Pittsburgh Public School Board is attempting to permanently close 9 schools and displace thousands of students, again. Not on our watch.
We're supporting @412justice.org to shed light on the secretive procedural tactics of the Board and stop school closures.
"ICE is being funded more rapidly than education now. We’re going to continue to fight. Something adults should’ve been doing all along."
We stand with the young people who are bravely exercising their First Amendment right to protest state violence and fight for real safety at their schools.
"From the Roots" zine cover on a green background. Text reads: New zine! The racist history of preemption and the fight for self determination.
Two illustrated figures on a yellow background. The text reads: Download "From the Roots" above a QR code.
This zine is a political education tool for organizers, students and community members who want to understand how preemption has been used to undermine the self-determination of Black people and other communities of color.
We encourage you to download, print copies at home, and distribute widely.
New Zine! 📖✊🏾🔥 Across the country, state legislatures are using abusive preemption as a tool to circumvent and disrupt progressive advances and the ability of communities of color to build power.
From The Roots tells the story of stolen power and of the people who keep fighting to take it back.
