In September 2020, a flyer began circulating online for a political rally in West Philadelphia’s Clark Park, one allegedly being organized by the far right group The Proud Boys. But when the day arrived, counterprotestors flooded the park — only for their own vigilance to get the best of them.

No far right groups ever showed up. Yet, a few people who filmed the scenes on the periphery of the park were accused of spying on the counter-protesters. A confrontation ensued. Someone in the crowd smashed a car window. By that evening, a video of the property damage was making the rounds on Fox News.

It’s one example of how keeping the peace can go wrong: the inability to distinguish between a rumor and a real threat. That’s why Eileen Flanagan, a Quaker author and activist, trains peacekeepers to assess a threat before acting, especially in heightened political environments.

“Be mindful of the difference between rumors and tips,” Flanagan said, kicking off a de-escalation training last week hosted by The Philadelphia Citizen and Changing the Conversation Together, a deep canvassing organization based in Philadelphia.

The focus of the training was to impart tools and knowledge that citizens might utilize to fight against voter intimidation (and other inevitable issues) on Election Day. For example, if FBI Director Kash Patel follows through on his threats to station government agents at polling places. Or, if ICE agents suddenly appear in your neighborhood to dissuade certain populations from voting. Or, what if the Proud Boys do show up?

“Think of this like a fire drill,” Flanagan said. “You want to practice these scenarios, but hopefully they won’t happen.”

Among other helpful tips from the training, here are three takeaways for protecting the vote — and your neighbors — next week:

1. Remember your abcs

Flanagan borrowed an acronym from Beautiful Trouble in order to teach the basics of de-escalation: ABCD — Assess, Breathe, Choose, and De-escalate.

According to Flanagan, these reminders can help election observers avoid a repeat of what took place at Clark Park in 2020. First, assessing the threat with accuracy, before jumping to conclusions. Then, breathing — or simply being mindful of how your body reacts to stress, so that your impulses don’t take over. The next step is choosing how to react or whether to react at all. And lastly, de-escalating by turning down the temperature in some fashion.

Follow this order of operations to minimize confusion and know when to intervene.

2. Know tactics for de-escalation

Don’t make the mistake of trying to be a hero or acting alone. Flanagan made clear that the most effective peacekeepers on Election Day are those with clarity on their roles. It’s not up to you to decide what meets the legal definition of voter intimidation. Leave that to the lawyers. Instead, take clear notes or photos — so that the information gets into the right hands.

Flanagan offered some additional pointers:

• Delegate issues: Assuming you’re not alone, it’s best to assign one member of your group as the person to call the authorities, rather than bombard them with multiple calls. Just as important is who you delegate to: Flanagan recommends approaching local police only if there’s a threat of violence. Instead, call a lawyer or the Judge of Elections.

• Document intimidation: If you see people asking voters for IDs prior to the polls or taking license plate numbers around a polling place, there’s a good chance the activity is illegal. However, don’t post this to social media. Keep it as evidence to give to lawyers on call throughout the day.

• Marshall voters away: Helping voters feel safe and empowered to exercise their constitutional right to vote should be your top priority. Acting as a shield from intimidators, or simply as a friendly face, can go a long way.

As Flanagan said, “We have a responsibility to make the people who are at risk of not voting feel great about showing up.”

3. Understand what you’re up against

Creative and clever solutions to voter intimidation are possible, but only if you’re armed with enough knowledge and awareness.

For example, ICE is the federal agency that people are most worried about on Election Day, but hardly the only one to look out for. In the recent mayoral primary in Washington, D.C., members of the National Guard were deployed to “monitor” the polls. According to Flanagan, it caused a bottleneck at some polling locations. Fearing that it could be a potential deterrent, volunteers began escorting voters through a back entrance which the National Guard had ignored.

Ultimately, our elections are controlled by local authorities. The hope is that federal intimidation can only be taken so far if ordinary people know what to watch out for.

If you see anything suspicious or outright nefarious happening near your polling place, call the City Commissioners office at (215) 686-1591 if you’re in Philly. If you’re outside of the city, call your county election board or the PA voter hotline at (877) VOTESPA, or (877) 868-3772.

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