Guerrilla Etiquette

Click here to download a PDF of the Guerrilla Etiquette & Postering Techniques

WHAT WE WANT (abbreviated version): 

1. Mass distribution of our message: The most direct form of unmediated expression available—cheap—to underfolks like us.
2. Counter-infotainment: A surprise for people on their way to work in the morning. Critical ideas where people least expect them. To tickle the general public into thinking along with us about issues we think are important to the health of American democracy, the Constitution, our First Amendment rights, and the future of Hip-Hop Nation.
3. Empowerment: To take direct cooperative action on an issue that concerns us. For the general public who feel they have no avenues of resistance to the dominant power structure, no community support system, no ability to change their situation. To change apathy and cynicism to optimism.

WHAT WE DON’T WANT:

1. Don’t Get Arrested (for no good reason). The non-violence in Non-violent Civil Disobedience—even our minor form of mischief— is NOT something you don’t do: It’s a principle. 

PLEASE BE POLITE TO EVERYONE on the streets at night. Especially the police! Going to jail could ruin your evening. If you’re hassling with the cops, you’re not distributing our message. The Po-Po are just doing their job out there. The Guerrilla etiquette definition of conversation with the police is: They talk, we listen. Do what they tell you. Get off their beat. Go to another neighborhood. They’ll ask you what you’re doing. Tell them it’s an ART PROJECT. Nothing else. If they want you to stop, take the posters down, whatever—just say OK, do it and leave quietly. Then go to another part of town (easy in LA, it’s a big town) and continue your good work!

PS- This goes for “Rent a Cops” as well. They’ll lose their jobs if posters are found on property they’re guarding—jobs are scarce; postering sites are plentiful.
2. Don’t alienate our Audience. This includes merchants, private property owners and people on the streets. Don’t poster on store windows, walls, surfaces. Don’t poster on city property (though the posters were originally scaled to the size of LA traffic light switching boxes—hint hint), church property or federal property (mailboxes). Discuss the poster and the issues with pedestrians if they ask, but don’t talk too long and don’t argue. If people want a poster give them one. If they want ten—give them one. If cars roll up and drivers or passengers want a poster, give them one. They’re our audience—our people. Treat ‘em right! [anecdotal evidence; “Lenny Lambchop” was getting up on telephone boxes in NYC lower east side around 2 am; the bars were letting out. Two beautiful working girls wobbled over to him and asked if they could have posters. “What are you gonna do with ’em?,” he asked. One of the ladies, wearing a too short spandex something, replied, “I’m gonna put “MEN WITH NO LIPS” up in my room.” Concerned, L.L. said, “But we want lots of people to see them.” The other woman winked, “Oh they will, honey, at least twenty people a night!” Good enough.]

NOW HERE’S THE HARD LINE:

Some of your more daring guerrillas will want to do more damage—there’s really no way to stop them (you know what happens when you give your favorite neo-punkettes, grunge-puppies and club-slime a list of what NOT to do). The danger isn’t so great, if they keep their heads when approached byda Po-Po. Rookie Po-Po—Po-Po Pups—are difficult ‘cause they’re zealously protecting PRIVATE property. “Rent-a Cops even moreso, but we don’t want these folks ta lose their precious jobs over a lil twist-up wid us, so be compassionate—there’s plenty ‘o’ places for us to perpetrate. Move on or time their rounds, so’s they don’t see you doin da deed. They won’t like the fact that there’s no name & address of the responsible organization on the poster (and they won’t like it if there is, either). So, the most important rule is to be

1. Calm

2. Quick

and….(most of all)….

3. POLITE!

THE SPIRIT OF THE ENTERPRISE: Be generous with the posters. Offer them to your teams as souvenirs and let them give ‘em away on the streets—sometimes sympathetic merchants will put them up in their shops—like your favorite bookstore, coffee house or local watering hole—good for morale! Good luck with all of this. Enjoy yourselves. Your whole time on the streets should take you no more than an hour and a half. You’re doing good work. We’ll surprise a lot of people into thinking about something very important!