Posted on October 31, 2016

Postering Advice for Alt-Right Guerrilla Activists

Kyle Bristow, Foundation for the Marketplace of Ideas, October 30, 2016

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As a veteran of trolling leftists for an entire decade (the SPLC whines I have “been playing * * * [this] same kind of game for many years” and that I am “one of the Alt-Right’s most vicious attack dogs”; the student newspaper of Michigan State University noted in 2006 that my group planned to “have more events such as chalking * * * [and] poster-hanging[s]”; Michigan State University’s President Lou Anna Simon releases a statement in 2007 which pertinently states “In recent weeks, there have been incidents on campus that once again compel us to look at the issues of free speech and how we as a campus community engage with one another in ways that respect the views of multiple groups and individuals. * * * There are individuals who speak at campus events whose rhetoric and ideas I find reprehensible[.]”), I have personal experience with postering campaigns, and as an attorney, I know exactly where the line is that cannot be crossed. Here are suggestions to Alt-Right activists who are interested in hanging up posters:

  1. Do not get caught. Targets for postering should be explored in advance of distribution so as to make sure that there are no security cameras in the vicinity. (Do not wear similar clothing when the venue is explored as is worn at the time of the postering in case cameras are present.) Use teams of at least three–one person hangs up posters and two people watch for interlopers. The best time to poster is between 10:00 p.m. and midnight — any earlier, and one is likely to run into Normies, and any later, one will attract unwanted attention. Tape is best to use for postering and the tape should be used along all four edges of the posters so as to prevent them from being ripped down; tacks can easily be removed to take down posters and glue should not be used because glue is too messy and time-consuming. Hanging up posters in university buildings that contain only classrooms at night is better than dormitories because one is less likely to run into people who may tear down the posters.
  2. Only hang up posters at public–not private–universities and on public bulletin boards. Public universities must comply with the U.S. Constitution–and the First and Fourteenth Amendments prohibit government actors from discriminating against viewpoint or the content of speech. Only hang up posters on public bulletin boards since an argument can be made if one is caught that this is either a public forum or limited public forum. If one hangs up a poster on a wall of a building or on a non-public bulletin board, diversity-mongers who are offended by the posters may allege that criminal vandalism or criminal trespass occurred.
  3. Do not voluntarily disclose information if caught. If someone who is not a police officer demands one’s identification, one is under no obligation to provide it. If a police officer demands one’s identification, only the identifiers on a driver’s license and identifiers that are not incriminating should be provided (name, address, phone number, birth date, etc). One should not say anything else to the police other than “I respectfully invoke my right to remain silent, I respectfully invoke my right to have an attorney present, and am I being detained?” Such language invokes rights that are outside the scope of this brief article, but anyone who has ever watched an episode of Cops would know that statements made by a criminal suspect can be used against that person in court and lying to the police during an investigation is a crime in and of itself. If one’s state is a one-party consent state for recording purposes, one should secretly record any and all interactions with law enforcement. One should immediately consult with a licensed attorney in their state who is experienced with criminal defense or civil litigation if police become involved due to one hanging up posters.
  4. Do not publish posters that target individual people. This could result in harassment-related criminal charges, a civil lawsuit, or a personal protection order being pursued by the victim. Posters that are merely generically inflammatory but which do not direct the viewers to “imminent lawless action” are constitutionally permissible. Brandenburg v. Ohio, 395 U.S. 444 (1969).

Now go out and cause Acute Triggering Syndrome.