#anonmedics

Homeopathy has managed to insinuate itself into modern drugstores and discourse, and for many users of homeopathic treatments, there appears to be a simple lack of information about the mechanisms involved. In certain circumstances, homeopathy has managed to find its way into street medic circles. Now that homeopathic treatments are being recommended to treat immediate trauma caused by police violence (#OccupyLA arrestees suffering nerve damage from overtightened handcuffs were recently recommended homeopathic treatment, for instance), we must intervene.

For those unfamiliar with the way in which homeopathic medicine is said to work, allow us to explain: homeopathic medicines are manufactured using the homeopathic "Principle of Minimum Dose", which states that "extreme dilution enhances the curative properties of a substance."  What does this mean, exactly?

Homeopathic remedies are prepared by serial dilution with shaking, or by forceful striking on a hard or elastic body (the 18th-century inventor of homeopathic treatment, Samuel Hahnemann, used a bible) which homeopaths term succussion, dynamization, or potentization. Each dilution followed by succussion is assumed to increase the effectiveness. Dilution usually continues until no detectable trace of the original substance remains.

For an example, let us present a popular, heavily-marketed homeopathic "vaccination":  Influenzinum 30C.  It is manufactured by Washington Homeopathic Products, of Berkeley Springs, West Virginia. The company's Web site states that the product is made from the actual vaccine, 2005 strain, which is repeatedly diluted 1:10 or 1:100 with distilled water and/or alcohol so that the final solution reaches a "30C" concentration that is incorporated into "pills" (sugar tabs that dissolve in the mouth).

A 30C dilution means that the original vaccine sample has been diluted 1060 times. In long form, this means it has been diluted 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 times, long past the point where a single molecule of the original solution can be present. In other words, the real ingredient in the pills is the inert substance was used to make them—usually sugar—and taking them is the same as taking a sugar pill. 

The perceived efficacy of homeopathic remedies is in the incredible powers of the mind: if you are a believer in the efficacy of a sugar pill, it can and will work wonders.  But homeopathic remedies do not actually contain any of their own "active ingredients". Those ingredients have been diluted out, through the process of succussion.

Homeopaths (most of whom are charging significant sums of money for these treatments) will also claim that water possesses a borderline-mystical "resonance" property, allowing it to retain the benefits of compounds introduced to it for an indefinite period of time. In addition to being prima facie absurd, this is a phenomenon which has never, despite extensive investigation, been verified (let alone observed) in a scientific setting. Numerous logical arguments involving toilets and the history of the average water molecule have also been put forward to illustrate the level of nonsense on which this claim operates, but theyneed not be restated here.

Let this be underlined in no uncertain terms: IF YOU HAVE BEEN SOLD OR TAKEN A HOMEOPATHIC REMEDY, YOU HAVE PAID A PREMIUM FOR PLAIN WATER. EFFECTS EXPERIENCED AS A RESULT OF THIS ARE ENTIRELY DUE TO THE POWER OF THE PLACEBO EFFECT. The placebo effect is and always has been an extremely powerful, verifiable phenomenon. Its presence is accounted for in every scientific medical study, and it is indisputable that it is capable of producing physiological effects. This fact, however, does not in any way mean that homeopathy should be considered to be a valid treatment method. To imply homeopathic treatment is at all comparable to actual medicine, let alone to collect money for it, is an act so irresponsible and unethical it borders on criminal.

To consume so much as a single molecule of the original substance at a 30C dilution (the standard for homeopathic treatment), a patient would need to consume 1041 pills (a billion times the mass of the Earth), or 1034 gallons of liquid remedy (10 billion times the volume of the Earth). If you are at any time offered a homeopathic treatment in a protest situation, do not forego actual, scientific medicine in its favor. You run the risk of putting yourself in grave danger if you choose to take this treatment route over a legitimate medical option.

http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/science-and-technology-committee/inquiries/homeopathy-/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12492603

http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Homeopathy/Pages/Issues.aspx

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17285788

While we have long avoided setting up any official website--mostly due to the necessity of registering domains using traceable information--Tumblr provides a good compromise between security, centrality, and ease of use. 

Please consider http://anonmedics.tumblr.com the official site of AnonMedics [edit: AnonMedics US, that is. AnonMedics Germany is run by different individuals.] from now on.

Note: no other websites using our name, logo, or claiming to be affiliated with AnonMedics should be trusted as primary source material, nor material that has been approved or vetted by us in any way. 

ANON STREET MEDIC PRIMER - Version 4

Note: THIS GUIDE IS NOT A REPLACEMENT FOR FIRST AID AND STREET MEDIC TRAINING. Use it as a reference, but do not mistake it as a substitute for hands-on experience. Seek out first aid and street medic training prior to engaging in protest action. Street medics are not a new concept. Originally seen during the African-American Civil Rights Movement and the protests against the Vietnam War, street medics are volunteer activists who attend political actions equipped with the knowledge and inventory necessary to give medical aid to protesters and civilians in need. As social movements gain momentum and attract attention, they become increasingly likely to come up against those who would do serious violence to maintain the status quo, rather than allow meaningful change. Metropolitan police represent the most immediate physical threat to those who attempt to change the system, even via peaceful means.  A demand as simple as “please stop shooting unarmed citizens on public transit platforms” can and will be met with violent resistance from the state and its police force. Into this volatile situation, where there exists a real threat of violence perpetrated against protest movements, come street medics. This guide hopes to serve as both a basic primer for those hoping to take a medical role in situations of civil unrest. 1. Training The amount of training one seeks out before becoming a street medic varies, depending on the duties one intends to perform during political action. Don’t mislead other activists about your level of medical training or competency--be upfront with them about your supplies and abilities.  It is better that they call for outside medical assistance immediately, rather than wait to find you, only to hear that you cannot treat them.  That said, one need not do more than carry water for other protesters, or bandages, or sunscreen, to make a difference.  Even this minor effort can mean the difference between activists staying in the street, or having to go home for water, food, or medical treatment. When a potential medic decides to start offering protest support, they should consider taking a professional first aid/CPR course. Learning proper treatment techniques for cuts, bruises, and other injuries is important, as inexperienced attempts at administering aid can potentially worsen an injury and leave the wounded worse off than they would have been without your intervention.  This is another reason it’s extremely important to be honest with yourself and your fellow protesters about your level of medical ability. Further study can include training as an Emergency Medical Technician, Wilderness First Responder, or Paramedic. These require increasing levels of time and financial investment, so use your own judgment about how much time and money you can expend. Potential medics employed by institutions that may take issue with their involvement in political action (such as ambulance crews, government organizations, and so on) would do well to disguise themselves as fully as possible before being seen and photographed taking part in any activism.

Disclaimer:Recently, the street medic community has seen a large influx of medics practicing herbalism, eastern medicine, and other "alternative therapies". Ultimately it is an individual decision to use these techniques or not, but the Anonymous Street Medics are strongly in favor of scientifically proven medicine and as such cannot condone alternative medicine under active protest circumstances. Consult rigorous peer-reviewed scientific research before assembling your medical kit. 2. Equipment Street medicine is an inherently defensive action, as it is a direct response to offensive violence by the police. Medics should equip themselves accordingly. Inventory should be dictated by potential opposition, which can vary widely when confronting a heavily-armed, paramilitary police force. Equipping oneself on the side of caution is advisable, as one well-protected medic can do far more good than three medics who fell to tear gas. Below is a guideline inventory list for a well-equipped medic. Add or remove from this list as personal weight limit, resources, expected challenges, and range of motion dictates.

Clothing that covers as much skin as possible, without being overly hot or restrictive.  Remember: you may have to run. Most street medics will clearly mark themselves with red crosses, to aid in quick identification in crowds. Nylon will dissipate heat and sweat easily, as well as protect the skin (to some degree) against chemical agents. DO NOT WEAR CONTACT LENSES TO A PROTEST.  Tear gas or pepper spray can become trapped between the contact lenses, and your eyes.  Cargo pants or BDUs with accessible pockets can come in handy, as can hip bags, utility belts or tackle vests.

Gas mask or industrial particulate respirator and sealed goggles. Respirators should have a NIOSH rating of N95 or higher, to ensure proper filtering of police chemicals.

Unbroken CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear) gas mask filter, should you carry a gas mask.

Protective shoes that will still allow quick movement.  No open toed, strappy, or high-heeled shoes.  You may need to run, and your toes will be stepped on in crowds.

Ace (or equivalent) bandages for strains and splinting.

Gauze wraps

Gauze pads

Nonstick pads or xeroform/adaptic pads

Triangle bandage

Wound closure strips

Tape (paper or plastic, not electrical)

Examination gloves (vinyl or nitrile, to avoid latex allergies)

Stick-on bandages (various size and type)

Saline solution (contact lens solution is fine, there is no need to buy a more expensive special formula)

Antibiotic ointment

Antihemorrhagic agent (Most of these are only available to military or law enforcement, but QuikClot has a "sport" version that will do the trick)

Sunblock with UVA and UVB protection (water or alcohol-based, as oil-based sunblock can trap teargas or pepper spray against your skin and compound their effects)

Bandage shears (blunt tip can be important, as a sharp tip can more easily be deliberately misinterpreted as a weapon by the police, and used to charge you with crimes)

Tweezers

Protein bars

Clean bandanas, and/or bandanas soaked in water, for handing out to other protesters as tear gas masking. These should be carried in ziplock bags until needed, to avoid evaporation.

Instant ice packs

Messenger bag or MOLLE pouches that can be easily accessed without the medic having to stop and take them off.  Backpacks can be difficult to access while you’re walking, running, or otherwise trying to keep up with your fellow activists, who may be marching, or running from danger.

Glucose tablets, honey packets, cake icing, or other emergency sugar supply, to treat diabetes-related hypoglycemia.

LAW mixture (see below)

Rehydration mixture (see below)

Ear plugs for yourself and others in case of sound-based police weapons.

CPR mask or bag valve mask

What is LAW mixture? Liquid Antacid and Water. A 50/50 mixture of water and an antacid containing either Magnesium Hydroxide or Aluminium Hydroxide. Used on eyes and skin in the event of a tear gas or pepper spray attack. A small amount applied directly to the affected area should be sufficient to reduce pain once the afflicted person has been moved to a safe location. Application of LAW mixture (especially under the eyelids) can be difficult, and it is advisable for a medic to attend training sessions by established street medic groups. If LAW mixture is not available, milk can be used as a stopgap in the event of a tear gas or pepper spray attack. Other alkaline solutions, such as water and sodium bicarbonate, can also be used to combat lachrymatory agents. LAW is preferred by street medic groups as a result of both scientific testing and ease of manufacture.  What is Rehydration Mixture? Hydration in a high-energy environment is extremely important, and often overlooked. A medic's most important job will often be to make sure participants in civil action do not wear themselves out early. Side effects of heat exhaustion can include euphoria, rage, “wooziness”, irritability, panting, red flushing of the skin, and “spaciness”.  These symptoms can also lead to poor decision making, violence, and an inability to judge danger or to retreat from dangerous areas. Untreated heat exhaustion can turn into the more serious condition of heat stroke.  A 50/50 mixture of water and a sport drink (or fruit juice) will be sufficient. A small pinch of salt should be added to the mixture, to replace sodium lost through sweat. Fill and label several small bottles with this mixture to pass out to those in need. If using sport drink for your mixture, avoid sport drinks with Red 5 food dye, as there is research to suggest that it can trigger manic episodes in people with certain conditions such as ADHD or Bipolar Disorder.  The number of bottles carried should vary, depending on the medic’s weight limit.  See more on the treatment of heat exhaustion below.

3. How to Treat Various Common Protest Injuries Please note that this section, for the most part, does not cover injuries and treatment methods typically covered in most first aid courses. This section is specifically for injuries and ailments more specifically sustained during protest action.

Tear Gas The most important thing to note about tear gas is that it is a tool to create fear, more than a weapon to cause damage. The loud sound of exploding canisters and the sight of a rolling cloud of gas serves to cause panic before the chemical effects even have a chance to take hold, and it is on this panic that the police rely. The most important thing to do in the event of a tear gas attack is to keep a level head. As a medic, it will be your duty to get others away from the gas, then treat them to the best of your abilities. Though banned from military use by the Chemical Weapons Convention, tear gas is legal for domestic use despite a long list of documented harmful or deadly effects.

Tear gas is often propelled by special fitted charges which, when detonated, can sound extremely similar to gunfire. Don’t panic.  Look up to try to spot the arc of white smoke, and attempt to warn any protesters within the anticipated blast radius. Tear gas canisters, once detonated, become extremely hot and are not safe to handle without protective gloves. This is one reason that it is important to bring or wear protective gloves to protests.  Police officers using tear gas will be outfitted to protect against its effects, so throwing or kicking an active canister back into police lines should not be considered a violent or harmful action, merely a defensive one. Spotting police in these outfits can also serve as advance warning of an impending tear gas attack, allowing you to warn your fellow protesters before the canisters have actually been fired.  

The initial effects of tear gas, which if left untreated will persist for up to half an hour after exposure, usually include pain in the eyes, nose, mouth and skin, profuse watering of the eyes and nose, blindness, difficulty breathing, disorientation, and panic. Again, tear gas is not intended as a weapon so much as an agent to disperse protesters and create fear among them, making it possible for an affected party to remain within the cloud so long as they maintain a clear head. Once removed from the area of the gas, the symptoms will subside on their own within approximately thirty minutes, but it is still important to act quickly to ensure the well-being of the afflicted party, if you wish them to be able to continue normally.

NOTE: Tear gas and pepper spray can have potentially fatal effects on people with respiratory issues such as asthma. In cases of high exposure it can cause seizures, neurological issues, or miscarriage. It is by no means a “safe” weapon, and should be treated with the appropriate gravity. For further information: http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2011/11/21/about-pepper-spray/

Though it is called a gas, tear gas is actually an aerosolized acidic powder. Designed to cause fear and pain, its acidic nature makes it relatively easy to counter with the use of a mild alkaline solution, and the powder form is easy to wash off. The easiest method in this circumstance is to use the LAW mixture, noted above. After removing the affected party to a safe location outside the field of effect, a squirt of liquid on the skin and in the eyes should serve to both neutralize the acid and wash the dust itself away completely. A mouthful of solution, swirled and spat, will serve to quickly clear the mouth. Care should be taken not to swallow, as tear gas introduced into the digestive system could have potentially harmful effects. To clear the nose, strong exhalation should be enough. The LAW mixture is not a cure-all, and will not instantaneously remove harmful effects. Remember: Tear gas is a compound specifically designed for this purpose, and countering it will always be a challenge.

To further compound matters, once a person has been coated with tear gas their clothing is contaminated until it can be washed. It will continue to be harmful to wear or handle, and should be removed and quarantined as quickly as possible to avoid causing more damage. A mild castille soap (like Dr. Bronner’s), which contains fewer chemicals to potentially interact with the acid, will be enough to clean the contaminated clothing and make it suitable for future use. Instruct all affected parties to avoid touching their face or eyes until they have had a meticulous shower.

The effects of tear gas can be avoided to some extent by covering the mouth with a wet bandana. Many anecdotal reports indicate that soaking a bandana with vinegar has a degree of effectiveness, though there is little concrete research to support these claims. The wet bandana method is useful only for purposes of escape, and a medic should not attempt to enter a tear gas cloud without wearing proper safety gear unless absolutely necessary.

2.  Pepper Spray

Pepper spray, like tear gas, is a lachrymatory agent--a compound designed, usually for riot control or self defense, to cause extreme pain, blindness, and disorientation. Pepper spray is often deployed at protests in areas where the police cannot risk the use of tear gas, such as heavily populated areas. It is usually contained in handheld canisters, though a mode of deployment known as the “pepperball” has become increasingly common in recent years. The pepperball consists of a load of capsaicin (the active ingredient in pepper spray) combined with a powder dye, packed into a small hard ball which is fired from a weapon not unlike a paintball gun. The ball breaks and explodes on contact, causing both the immediate pain of being shot with a projectile with the debilitating effects of pepper spray. This allows the police to use pepper spray from much longer distances, as well as mark individuals (via the powder dye) for later arrest.

Though not as common, another documented method for deploying pepper spray is a thick pepper foam, deployed from a device like a fire extinguisher. It is currently unknown how widespread these devices are. Further deployment methods include backpack dispensers, explosive aerosol canisters, and helicopter drops.

Treatment methods for pepper spray exposure are largely the same as those for tear gas, and the LAW mixture will serve you approximately as well as anything else. However, because of its concentration and the way it directly attacks nerve endings, pepper spray can continue to have an effect for up to two hours after initial exposure, even with treatment. Some research indicates that simply washing with saline solution will act as a more effective treatment for eye exposure, though at time of writing this is unconfirmed.

3. Environmental Illness

Environmental factors are always a serious consideration when one intends to undergo hours of strenuous outdoor activity. Hypothermia, frostbite, exhaustion, and heat stroke are all possibilities depending on the weather, and a medic should take care to amend their equipment accordingly. Keeping an eye on one’s fellow protesters for signs of illness should usually be enough, and gentle suggestions to take some water, or to temporarily remove themselves to more agreeable climates, will usually be appreciated.

3a. Signs of Heat Illness

Heat illness (a general term encompassing a variety of heat-related ailments) is an extremely common problem in civil action, due to the long periods of exertion protesters put themselves through with little to no hydration. Body fluids are lost through sweat and respiration, and if they are not replaced, the core body temperature can rise dangerously. Frequent rest and rehydration are usually enough to prevent symptoms, but be on the lookout in the event that they are not:       

Heavy sweating

Rapid breathing or “panting”

Faintness

Dizziness

Numbness, tingling

Muscle cramping or spasms

Dry skin

Skin irritation, “flushing”, or rash

Irritability

Disassociation

Poor judgement

Prevention

Heat illness is not difficult to prevent, provided one pays sufficient attention to the body’s needs. It will often be a medic’s job to pay attention on behalf of other protesters, as they will likely be preoccupied. The United States Occupational Safety and Health administration provides the following guidelines for preventing heat stress:  

Know the signs and symptoms of heat illness

Block out direct sun and other heat sources

Rest regularly, use cooling systems

Drink sufficient water

Wear lightweight, loose-fitting clothes in light colors

Avoid alcohol, caffeinated drinks, or heavy meals.

3b. Hypothermia

In colder environments, it will be your job to keep watch over your fellow protesters to ensure their safety against the elements. Hypothermia, much like heat exhaustion, is relatively easy to combat: Minor preventative actions can be taken to avoid it, but after it has taken hold the afflicted party can simply be moved to a more agreeable climate and given easy remedies. In this circumstance, the remedy can be as simple as a warm blanket. Medics should take care to look for the following symptoms, ordered according to increasing severity:      

Shivering

Hypertension

Heightened heart rate

Confusion

Lack of coordination

Paleness

Blue tinge to the extremities

Difficulty breathing

Amnesia

Hallucinations

Further lack of coordination

“Terminal burrowing” (though it is extremely unlikely any protester will ever get to this level of hypothermia, final-stage sufferers exhibit a tendency to “burrow” behind or under objects or into soft ground)

Anyone displaying symptoms past "shivering" should be removed to warmer environments immediately, with increasing urgency as more symptoms appear. Given time and warmth (blankets and warm liquids help) they should make a full recovery.

4. Basic Bandaging

Bandaging and wound treatment are taught in first aid courses. The following is extremely basic, common-sense advice but does not replace first aid training in any way.  If you wish to offer serious flesh wound treatment to your fellow activists, please attend a first aid course before considering yourself capable of dressing wounds beyond a band-aid level.  

Sterile bandages are ideal for this task, but in an emergency, any type of clean cloth will work. A variety of types of dressings and bandages are necessary to address injuries of different size and location, making a properly stocked first aid kit a priority for any medic.        

Clean the wound, if it is not still bleeding, with saline solution. If bleeding, apply pressure with a gauze pad or other fabric until it stops. Do not cut off circulation.

Cover the entire wound using a suitably-sized dressing, such as a gauze pad or nonstick pad.

Depending on the size of the dressing required, secure it using either tape or a bandage

Tie or tape off the bandage if one is required

Do not over-tighten the dressing or bandage, as this can cause additional swelling

This method should be sufficient for most simple scrapes and scratches.  More serious flesh wounds should be cleaned out with alcohol and wrapped to protect and stabilize them to the best of your ability, while you are getting the injured person to help and safety in the meantime.  Wounds that look like they could require stitches (deep, gaping, or large wounds; wounds that don’t stop bleeding on their own within a couple minutes, and so on) should be disinfected and covered to the best of your ability, after you have ensured emergency services have been called.

Even if a protester has been seriously injured, it is entirely possible (and precedented) for the police to refuse emergency teams access past their lines into “unsecured areas”. Though street medics have been known to act as liaisons between protesters and police and negotiate passage for ambulances or injured persons, the possibility that advanced medical help could be denied to an injured party is always there.

Note on Directed-Energy Weapons: With the advent of massively inflated Homeland Security budgets, many police departments around the country have seen fit to invest in questionably legal crowd-dispersal equipment. This equipment is most often presented in one of two forms: the Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD), and the Active Denial System (ADS). Both are truck- or tripod-mounted directed energy weapons, using acoustic and microwave energy, respectively. Both are specifically designed to cause pain, panic, and incapacitation when used against biological targets.

While a street medic cannot be reasonably expected to deal with superior firepower along these lines, they can remember to be on the lookout for them, and be prepared to direct protesters away from their field of influence. For more information and pictures of what to look out for, consult your local Internet.

4. Street Medic Philosophy Street medics are not trauma surgeons, nor are they a viable replacement for fully-equipped emergency services personnel, regardless of their level of experience. The job of a street medic is not to perform battlefield surgery, but to provide what care they can within the context of a chaotic situation, or (in the case of major injuries) to attempt to comfort, protect, and/or stabilize an injured party until they can be moved into professional care. To waste valuable time trying to "fix" an injury that needs an ambulance does no more good than no care at all, which makes it extremely important to recognize when an injury is beyond your abilities. Street Medics vary in expertise and experience from rank amateurs with basic first aid kits, to Wilderness Rescuers, EMTs, and military medical professionals.  At the beginning of each event, we announce and publicize the supplies and abilities we will bring to that particular protest.  We also remind activists of things they can do to take care of themselves:

bring water

bring a snack

if anticipating arrest, bring three days’ supply of any prescription medication you may be on, in the original prescription bottle, with a doctor’s note. If there is potential for an allergic reaction, activists should carry their own supply of epinephrine.

Street Medics are important not only because of the physical services they provide, but because of the moral and psychological boost that the presence of support personnel imbues in a group.  It is important that the other protesters feel they can rely on you, even if it’s just for backup and encouragement. Help people as much as possible, but never get in over your head.  Keep your mobile phone handy in case you need to call emergency services--sometimes just being there with someone, able to calmly relay information about their location and condition to a dispatcher, is a service no one else can render.

WARNING:Street medics are often specifically targeted by police.  The police “disperse a crowd” via fear, injury, incapacitation, and arrest, and medics provide the means for protesters to get back up, and keep marching, even after tear gas or pepper spray attacks.  This can make medics priority targets to police.  During the April 2001 protest of the Free Trade Area of the Americas agreement in Quebec City, police shot chemical-weapons canisters directly at the medics themselves after they realized the medics were re-commissioning activists who’d been taken out with tear gas.  Additionally, police departments make a point of publishing the names and photos of arrested protesters for reasons of shaming them, and discouraging new activists from joining future protests.

A note on arrest: Being arrested in furtherance of a cause or for solidarity with one’s fellow protesters is, generally, a noble act. That being said, a medic who intentionally subjects themselves to arrest to prove a point only prematurely removes themselves from action, and deprives comrades of future treatment, should they become injured. In the event of your arrest, it is generally advisable to remain completely silent until you have the opportunity to request and speak with a lawyer. Writing the phone number for your organization of choice on your arm with a marker is also a sound course of action, as it is unlikely the police will facilitate your forgetfulness once you are in their custody, and strip searches and appropriation of clothing/personal items is common during arrests. Police are known for capriciously adding as many additional charges as they can for protesters who cause them trouble (that is to say, all of them), making struggling, threats, or false names ill-advised. Barring extenuating circumstances or punitive caprice, one can expect to be cited out of jail within a matter of hours after their arrest.

Remember:Lock your cell phone, don’t consent to searches, ask for a lawyer (look up the National Lawyer’s Guild number for your area), do not talk to the police. The police are legally allowed to lie to you in furtherance of an investigation, and you are better off avoiding the risk entirely. You are not legally required to speak to the police without a lawyer present.

5. Join the Anon Medics

Anonymous is evolving. 

Originally a nebulous collective dedicated to waging electronic warfare against disparate groups, Anonymous moved its actions into the real world with the advent of Operation Clambake, an anti-Church of Scientology information and protest movement in 2008. The Chanology protests simultaneously assembled thousands of Anons all over the world to voice our objections to the corrupt and exploitative practices of Scientology.

Now, following the rise of the Occupation protests, Anonymous is expanding again. It now stands in direct opposition to armed government institutions such as the NYPD, SFPD, and other police departments around the country and world. Confronting a paramilitary force--which has repeatedly shown itself to be both erratic and violent in response to imagined threats--means that Anonymous itself must change to meet the challenges of street-level activism. Every army has its medical corps, and we are the Anonymous Street Medics.

Like other branches of Anonymous, we have no hierarchy. There exist no central figures to report to, no council to approve your actions or review your application to join. The guidelines here represent what we, as founders, would have this branch become, but ultimately it will be the will of the collective that decides what is or is not acceptable conduct from an anon medic.

Anonymous has a relatively poor reputation in the eyes of the general public, due to the tendency for independent cells to attribute their actions to the group as a whole, so the existence of a purely defensive, put-together, well-spoken faction could be important for large-scale perception of the group as a whole. It is our sincere hope that those identifying as Anon Medics would hold themselves to a higher standard of civil conduct and intelligent discourse.

Just as street medics themselves are not a viable replacement for emergency services, this guide in no way approaches a replacement for actual first aid and street medic training. It exists to serve as a basic introduction to both the idea of street medics, and to the Anon Medic branch specifically. For further information on street medic training in your area, contact the following groups:

PORTLAND, OR Rosehip Medic Collective - http://www.rosehipmedics.org/ Black Cross Collective (Currently inactive) - http://www.blackcrosscollective.org/  

SEATTLE, WA Seattle Street Medical Collective - http://seattlemedics.org/  

OLYMPIA, WA Olympia Street Medic Collective - http://blog.olysmc.org/

SAN FRANCISCO, CA Bay Area Radical Health Collective - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/barhc/

DENVER, CO Denver Streetmedics - http://streetmedic.wordpress.com/

EAST COAST, US Mutual Aid Street Medics - [email protected]

CHICAGO, IL Chicago Action Medics

BLOOMINGTON, IN Heartland Action Medical Resistance

MINNEAPOLIS, MN North Star Health Collective - http://northstarhealth.wordpress.com/

BOSTON, MA Boston Area Liberation Medic Squad - http://www.bostoncoop.net/balm/

WASHINGTON, DC District Action Medical Network - http://damn.mahost.org/

NEW YORK, NY Medical Activists of New York - http://www.takethestreets.org/ Star of Resistance Medics - http://www.freewebs.com/stormnyc/

PITTSBURGH, PA Three Rivers Action Medics

PHOENIX, AZ Phoenix Urban Health Collective - http://puhc.wordpress.com/

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA Activist Medics Network

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA NSW StreetMedics

LUDWIGSBERG, GERMANY Demosaniteter.de - http://www.demosanitaeter.de/

BERLIN, GERMANY Strassenmedizin - http://www.nadir.org/nadir/initiativ/sanis/index.htm

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND UK Action Medics - http://www.actionmedics.org.uk/

CHANGELOG 8/27 v1 - Initial Release

9/27 v2 - Many small changes to grammar and phrasing. Expanded on equipment section. Expanded LAW mixture section. Reorganized section order. Removed some nonworking links

10/17 v3 - Minor revisions to phrasing and alternative equipment. Relocated section on Anonymous to the end. Added a stern disclaimer. Replaced isopropyl alcohol in the equipment list and "basic bandaging" with saline solution, which is less abrasive. Added xeroform/adaptic pads to equipment list. Rewrote hypothermia section to be more clear. Added sections on Directed Energy Weapons. Included a note on essential oil allergies and scientific medicine.