Towards a Protest Playbook III – Adapting Rhizomatic Resistance
From Hong Kong to the Heartland
Legal & Ethical Disclaimer
This document is provided solely as a theoretical and historical analysis of resistance strategies. It is not a practical guide for activism, and any real-world actions should be approached only after consulting qualified legal counsel. The strategies, metaphors, and examples presented here are intended to provoke critical thinking about governance, legitimacy, and resistance within the bounds of the law, as protected by the First Amendment’s guarantees of free expression. Radical Federalism rejects violence, sabotage, and terror. Our doctrine is rooted in lawful defiance, democratic resilience, and the architecture of decentralized governance. Always consult qualified legal counsel before engaging in any confrontational or jurisdictional strategy.
Part I: The Five Pillars of Rhizomatic Resistance
These are not prescriptive commands but rather conceptual frameworks—ideas drawn from historical examples of resistance in Hong Kong, Myanmar, and Thailand. They serve as analytical tools rather than direct instructions. They form the ethical and tactical backbone of rhizomatic resistance.
Each node may branch in its own direction, but the rhizome thrives only when these five principles remain embedded beneath the surface.
1. Decentralization is Defense
Power must never bottleneck. Rhizomatic resistance thrives on lateral connectivity, not vertical command. In Hong Kong, this meant protest maps were shared via Telegram—not dictated by leaders. In Myanmar, youth organized flash-mob protests in rotating squads. In Thailand, students formed clusters that could dissolve and re-emerge. The lesson: Resilience comes from diffusion.
Implication: Every node—be it a church group, an art collective, or a strike kitchen—should operate semi-autonomously while remaining loosely connected. Coordination replaces command.
2. Anonymity is Protection, Visibility is Power
In Asia, protesters adopted masks not only to shield from tear gas, but to blur the surveillance state’s vision. At the same time, they painted sprawling cityscapes with messages, memes, and murals. Rhizomatic resistance uses opacity and spectacle in tandem: to be seen without being identified.
Implication: Practice tactical illegibility—rotate roles, accounts, names. But never forfeit the power of narrative. Let each node become a beacon that reveals truth, even as its operators remain cloaked.
3. Mutual Aid is the Backbone of Revolt
Across every Asian uprising, support networks preceded confrontation. In Hong Kong, “frontliners” stood because “medics,” “firewatchers,” “gear runners,” and “signalers” stood behind them. In Myanmar, entire apartment blocks became care hubs for injured or fleeing protestors. In Thailand, students cooked, organized, and documented even as the streets were cleared.
Implication: Care work is not auxiliary—it is resistance. Feed, house, heal, and protect. Rhizomatic resistance cannot survive without infrastructure rooted in mutual dependence.
4. Cultural Expression is Strategic Terrain
In Asia, protest was not just about marching—it was choreography, cosplay, meme warfare, and street opera. Protesters invoked national myths, pop culture, and religious imagery to undermine authoritarian legitimacy and galvanize support. The terrain of meaning is a battlefield.
Implication: Art, language, symbolism, and ritual are not decoration. They are doctrine in disguise. Use them to tell stories that unify, provoke, and transcend ideology. Resistance should feel like a living culture, not just a list of demands.
5. Iteration is Survival
Rhizomatic movements evolve. Hong Kong’s tactics mutated overnight. Myanmar's protesters learned to adapt when the internet was cut. Thailand’s student leaders dissolved hierarchy to prevent arrests from ending momentum. The central pattern: rigid movements die, adaptive ones propagate.
Implication: Every plan is a draft. Every strategy should be forkable. Learn fast. Archive lessons. Expect failure and embed feedback. The playbook must be rewritten by every node, again and again, without end.
█ These Five Pillars are not doctrine in stone. They are the roots under every adaptable, distributed, resilient resistance that thrives in hostile conditions. They require no permission, no hierarchy, no hero.
Part II: Resistance as a Living Network
In Hong Kong, protestors discovered that real power isn’t seized by mass marches or a single charismatic leader—it grows underground, spreading laterally like roots. This is the essence of rhizomatic resistance: a decentralized, adaptive, self‑regenerating network that does not rely on one leader or one tactic. In the United States—a nation with a proud legacy of the Freedom Riders, sit‑ins during the Civil Rights Movement, red-state teacher walkouts, disability-justice blockades by ADAPT, Indigenous-led North Dakota Access Pipeline resistance at Standing Rock, and grassroots mutual aid from the Great Depression to the COVID‑19 pandemic—we must harness these lessons and tailor them to our diverse, technologically advanced, and geographically sprawling society.1 This playbook is an exercise in constructing a resilient alternative infrastructure for governance that builds on our American heritage while embracing modern tools and local ingenuity.
I. Principles of Rhizomatic Resistance
Decentralization Over Hierarchy:
Like a rhizome with no single head, our strength lies in having multiple, autonomous nodes that interconnect. If one node is disrupted, others continue to grow.
Note: All references to noncooperation and disruption are for theoretical and lawful consideration only. Readers must assess all actions within their local legal context.
Redundancy and Resilience:
Every function—from communication and logistics to mutual aid and legal defense—must be duplicated or distributed so that no single point of failure can collapse the system. Recent movements, such as the Amazon union drives, teacher strike networks, and community defense pods, illustrate how overlapping structures prevent collapse when one node faces pressure.
Adaptability and Fluidity:
As Hong Kong pioneered by embracing Bruce Lee’s “be water” philosophy, our tactics must shift as quickly as the regime’s strategies change. We see parallels in movements such as the digital sabotage of the Tulsa 2020 rally ticket registrations and spontaneously organized mutual-aid hubs during natural disasters.
Mutual Aid as Infrastructure:
Protest is not solely about challenging authority—it is also about caring for our communities. Feeding, healing, sheltering, and protecting are as vital as any direct action. Our mutual aid efforts draw on a rich American tradition.
In Detroit during the 2010s, community groups rapidly established local food distribution centers that not only fed thousands but also modeled self-reliance, inspiring similar initiatives in other cities.
II. Core Roles and Functions: Adapting HK19 Tactics for the U.S.
There is no single blueprint for rhizomatic resistance. There is only what works—locally, lawfully, and under pressure.
The following roles are not a doctrine. They are a pappus—a cloud of seeds, floating outward, waiting to take root.2 They draw from past experience—in Hong Kong, Myanmar, and here at home—and reflect the kinds of responsibilities decentralized networks have used to organize, defend, and endure.
Call it an artistic exercise in imagination. Drawing on the HK19 Myanmar playbook (worth a read, and a download), we imagine how one might assign roles to ensure every node of resistance is self‑sufficient and tailored to the American context. In addition to the essential tactical roles outlined below, you might envision specialized functions developed locally to meet unique regional needs. This is purely illustrative—the true success of the HK tactics were that they were iterated, evolved, mutated, and underwent “survival of the fittest”—with all the horrors which that antiseptic phrase sterilizes.
A. Essential Tactical Roles
Front‑Liners & Protective Units:
These protestors take the front lines—wearing masks, goggles, and using improvised shields—to absorb the initial wave of repression, buying time for others to mobilize or retreat.
Note: All references to physical resistance are for theoretical and lawful consideration only. No unlawful behavior is encouraged or condoned.
Scouts and Mappers:
Every citizen can serve as a “watcher.” Organized groups use encrypted channels—such as Signal, Telegram, and secure Twitter streams—to report police movements and create real‑time digital maps. For example, local groups in New York and Chicago have effectively used custom mapping apps to alert citizens about police cordons.
Note: All references to surveillance and digital communication are provided for theoretical and lawful consideration only.
Medical and First‑Aid Teams:
Inspired by HK19’s roles, teams trained in both basic and advanced care provide immediate support and establish mobile clinics. Cities from Detroit to Portland have seen similar tactics—embedded medics during protests, community health initiatives during crises and in neighborhoods affected by natural disasters.
Digital Security and Communication Cells:
In a country dominated by platforms like Twitter, Reddit, and Facebook, groups must integrate cutting‑edge digital tools with traditional methods. Utilizing burner phones, rotating accounts, and stripping metadata creates a “digital fog” that hampers state tracking. Civic tech communities such as Code for America illustrate how local innovation can bolster these measures.
Mutual Aid Coordinators:
Every protest event should serve as an act of care. Coordinators manage community kitchens, safe houses, and resource networks drawing on centuries of American grassroots and underground legacy.
Organizational Hubs and Federative Nodes:
Each local group should draft a charter of noncompliance and establish communication protocols. These blueprints for a “state‑in‑waiting” draw inspiration from the decentralized organizing methods of the Civil Rights Movement and the networks formed by Freedom Riders.
B. Additional Specialized Roles
Advanced Mapping Teams:
Employ local digital tools and civic tech apps to provide granular, real‑time updates. For instance, a mapping initiative in Los Angeles coordinated protest logistics using custom software, enabling rapid response and route optimization.Gear Distribution Networks:
Inspired by HK19’s “gear vendors,” these networks manage the procurement, repair, and distribution of protest supplies—from protective masks to portable first‑aid kits. A Chicago case study demonstrated how local groups successfully organized supply caches ahead of major demonstrations.Community Media and Cultural Coordinators:
Channeling modern hip‑hop activism—like the the protest songs of the 1960s—these roles focus on producing and disseminating art, zines, and digital content that galvanize both local and national support.Local Historical Role Models:
Highlight figures such as the Freedom Riders or organizers at Standing Rock to provide cultural touchstones and motivational frameworks that connect modern tactics to American protest heritage.
A Word on Rural & Small-Town Adaptation:
Resistance in rural America looks different than it does in cities—and that’s exactly the point. In small towns and scattered counties, it may center on school board meetings, local papers, churches, or shared spaces where trust is built informally but deeply. Mutual aid might look like a freezer share, a church-based fund, or a pickup truck convoy. A symbolic single road blockade, a courthouse vigil, or even a classified ad can carry more narrative weight in a town of 800 than a march of thousands in a capital.
Further Variations
In Appalachian hollers, the bonds of family and faith traditions can be as potent as any digital network.
Elsewhere, it might be local municipalities exploring libertarian nullification to fight State tyranny.
In none of these cases is it easy to resist. Off the grid communes embody a lived refusal to conform to mainstream expectations—and carry with them an American tradition of crackdowns which go too far when these communes have run afoul of the federal government. Amidst that dark history, what does intentional resistance look like today?
█ You know your communities best. That’s not a disclaimer—it’s a doctrine.
III. Tactical Illegibility: How to Become Unreadable
In an era of pervasive surveillance and digital control, our resistance must be as elusive as it is effective. We must remain active while hiding in plain sight. What does that look like?
Signal Disruption:
Organize actions on encrypted platforms or through alternative communication channels. Pre-load countermaps and utilize decentralized digital networks to confuse tracking algorithms. Remember that encrypted communications may still be legally compromised in certain jurisdictions.
Digital Quiet:
Rotate accounts frequently, strip metadata from images and documents, and avoid predictable digital behaviors to safeguard identities and thwart centralized tracking.
Temporal Decentralization:
Rather than mass rallies at fixed times, schedule staggered, short‑duration actions—flash mobs, pop‑up events, and spontaneous gatherings that vanish before authorities can mobilize.
Logistical Redundancy:
Establish multiple, independent backups for every critical function—communication, transport, and mutual aid networks—to ensure continuity even if one channel is compromised.
Note: All references to digital disruption and tactical illegibility are for theoretical and lawful consideration only. Readers must assess all actions within their local legal context.
IV. Federated Protest: Linking Nodes Without Central Command
Our power lies not in a single leader but in the interconnection of autonomous groups. To build a truly federated protest movement in the U.S., we emphasize:
Charters of Noncooperation:
Each group drafts and publicly shares its principles of resistance (anonymously, untraceably—or not at all). These charters—continuously updated3 and widely circulated—serve as modern manifestos of grassroots democracy.
Distributed Memory:
Establish open‑source archives, community zines, and digital libraries to document events. Preserving our history is an act of resistance that ensures the truth endures.
Shared Timelines and Coordination:
Develop protest calendars and real‑time communication channels that synchronize decentralized actions. For example, local community radio stations and neighborhood newspapers can disseminate these messages, ensuring that both urban and rural areas remain connected.
Resilience Compacts:
Form mutual aid agreements between nodes. These compacts guarantee that if one group faces repression, others provide immediate support—reinforcing our collective, unbreakable force.
Integration Without Centralization:
Federated resistance is not a loose alliance—it is a promise. One town’s blackout pantry may run on the same principles as another state’s legal aid pod, even if they never meet. One node might practice Christian pacifism, another left-labor disruption, another municipal nullification—each shaped by local realities. What binds us is not a command structure but a shared protocol of resilience. Like open-source code, each node modifies, forks, or reinvents as needed—so long as it runs on the same fundamental ethic: lawful resistance, moral clarity, and networked support.
V. Direct Action & Cultural Protest Tactics
In a small Kentucky town in 2023, six protestors organized a “popcorn strike.” Every Friday night, they handed out free popcorn outside the town's only movie theater—to protest price gouging and union busting by its national owner. No signs, no chants—just free snacks and conversation. Within weeks, attendance dropped. Within a month, the company pulled out. The building became a worker-owned cooperative. What started as a snack became a story of quiet refusal and local reinvention.
Creative direct action is essential to energize the movement and reshape public narratives.
Guerrilla Street Theater and Public Art:
Take inspiration from the vibrant protest art of the 1960s. Organize spontaneous street theater, murals, or public installations that disrupt normalcy and evoke historical memories of American resistance. Imagine a flash mural in downtown Los Angeles channeling the iconography of the Freedom Rides, or a guerrilla theater performance in a Midwestern town reimagining sit‑ins as communal storytelling.
Modern Protest Songs and Cultural Expression:
Music and art have long catalyzed social change. From Bob Dylan’s anthems to contemporary hip‑hop tracks, creative expression rallies communities and reinforces identity. Organize “protest sing‑alongs” or open mic nights that blend classic civil rights ballads with modern beats, turning art into a tool of direct action.
Nonviolent Civil Disobedience:
Embrace time‑tested tactics such as sit‑ins, boycotts, and human chains. These methods—refined from the 1960s to Occupy Wall Street—remain potent for demonstrating resolve while remaining within legal boundaries.
Advanced Countermeasure Awareness:
State actors employ advanced surveillance, sophisticated digital mapping, and targeted infiltration techniques. Vigilance is not paranoia; it is discipline. Signs of possible infiltration might include:
Unusual digital activity: Abrupt shifts in communication style, unexplained account changes, or persistent attempts to access sensitive or unrelated information.
Repeated unsolicited contacts: Individuals who appear suddenly and insistently seek entry into private groups, often pushing for meetings or decisions without proper vetting.
Encouragement of unlawful tactics: People advocating or pressing others toward illegal, unethical, or overly confrontational actions contrary to the group’s established principles.
█ Regular security briefings are essential. Clearly communicate your group’s ethical and operational standards, reinforce digital hygiene, and empower members to confidentially report suspicious activities. Operational security isn’t merely protective—it’s foundational to disciplined, lawful resistance.
Ethical Decision-Making Framework:
Integrate an “ethical decision tree” that prompts organizers to assess the legality, proportionality, and community impact of any proposed action. For instance, before initiating a blockade, groups should ask:
Is the action strictly nonviolent?
Will it endanger innocent bystanders?
How will it affect long‑term community cohesion?
These questions serve as a mini decision tree to maintain moral clarity and operational discipline.
Common Legal Boundaries in Protest Scenarios:
While laws vary by state, the following actions often fall into legally gray or high-risk areas:
Blocking traffic or entrances may result in charges like obstruction or unlawful assembly—especially under expanded protest enforcement policies seen in recent years.
Trespassing on private or government property can escalate quickly to misdemeanor or felony, depending on location.
Failure to disperse when ordered by police often leads to arrest—even at otherwise peaceful gatherings. A common tactic from police responses, notably seen during the 2020 BLM protests, is kettling, combined with impossible-to-follow dispersal commands. Anticipate this tactic. Always maintain clear exit routes, familiarize yourself with local geography in advance, and avoid dense clusters that can be easily surrounded or trapped.
Vandalism or perceived property damage (even chalking a sidewalk) is often criminalized, regardless of intent.
█ Whenever possible, consult legal observers or civil rights attorneys before engaging in high-risk actions. At a minimum, familiarize yourself with local and state laws relevant to protests. For organized events, prepare bail funds and establish jail support channels in advance. In more spontaneous or smaller-scale actions, ensure participants are aware of their rights, have emergency contacts ready, and have planned basic mutual support.
VI. Conclusion: Building a Republic from the Underground
This is not merely an imagining of a new kind of protest manual—it is a vision for how one might conjure a grassroots becoming: a resilient, decentralized republic that outlasts authoritarian overreach. By integrating lessons from Hong Kong and Myanmar with the rich traditions of American protest, we forge a path where every act of resistance lays a brick in the foundation of revitalized, distributed governance.
Every mutual aid drop. Every courthouse vigil. Every dataset preserved in a local archive. Every coordinated lawsuit, every flash mob that appears and vanishes. Every act of feeding a neighbor or documenting abuse.
Each is a building block for a new life for the State.4 In the gaps where the regime cannot see, our network will thrive. In the chaos where imposed order collapses, alternative systems will emerge.
Pitfalls & Lessons Learned:
One must beware of overreliance on a single digital platform, inadequate vetting of participants, or insufficient logistical planning. Historical experiences—from the challenges of 1960s protests to recent mutual aid coordination—remind us to build redundancy, remain vigilant against infiltration, and adapt strategies to local conditions.
Adapt:
Adapt these tactics to your local context and build the version that works for your node. Whether it’s the Freedom Riders, Standing Rock water protectors, sit‑ins, mutual aid networks, street medics, rhizomes, or water magicians—take what has worked, and reforge it with modern digital tools and local ingenuity. When the regime cuts off one strand, remember: the underground network grows sideways. Our future is constructed beneath the surface, by every person who dares to act.
█ The battle for freedom begins not with a single protest but with an unbreakable network of resistance.
Let it begin.
Final Caveat
The ideas in this piece are presented as part of an evolving imagining of democratic resistance. They are frameworks—drawn from historical lessons, theory, and firsthand protest experience—intended for academic and theoretical discussion only. Nothing herein should be interpreted as a call to illegal activity. We advocate nonviolent, constitutional strategies. Readers bear full responsibility for understanding and complying with applicable laws in their jurisdiction.
█ Radical Federalism is not chaos. It is discipline, resilience, and structure.
Postscript. Expand This Document: An Invitation to Open‑Source
Rhizomatic resistance is never static—it mutates, forks, and grows with every new node. This document is just a seed. To fully blossom, add your local knowledge, your fresh tactics, and your creative expansions.
There is a significant amount not covered here. But that isn’t the point—this piece maps the continuity between the rhizome and American protest to open the door for those conversant in one but not yet fluent in the other. It gets some things wrong. It paints a simplified picture of complex realities. It must—because it was produced by one single node of the rhizome.
So improve it. Here are some ideas we didn’t get to:
Open‑Source Contributions
Leftovers
Did we miss important aspects of the HK19 approach?Local Insertions
America is vast—too vast to more than gesture at a few caricatures of its reality. What does adaptation to your locality look like?Further Topics
De-escalation training, risk reduction, and group solidarity as protection.
Case Studies & Lessons Learned
In civil disobedience, direct action, mutual aid, and all forms of resistance to come—what works, and what doesn’t?Tools & Tech Modules
Any single source that attempts to centralize advice on digital safety and tools will be outdated fast—and hasten its own obsolescence. We’ve pointed in some directions, and many others have listed more. From the ACLU to The Intercept to the EFF and beyond, there are resources. Find what works, and stay up to date with what doesn’t.Legal & Ethical Updates
Laws change. So do ethical debates. Common legal boundaries, infiltration tactics, and decision‑making frameworks will evolve over time.
Decentralized Archives
Just as we create distributed memory in our networks, we can create distributed versions of this playbook. Consider hosting it on multiple platforms—mirrors, Git repositories, offline zines. Each copy can contain local addendums or footnotes, so the playbook evolves like sedimentary layers over time, each region or group leaving its imprint.
Maintaining Security & Trust
When adding or remixing content, remember:
Metadata Minimization: Strip identifying info, watch for digital fingerprints, and use caution with file formats.
Verification Over Centralization: Instead of a single “official” version, rely on community trust. Nodes can cross‑verify expansions for accuracy.
Iterate, Fork, Recombine
There is no single blueprint; there are many. The essence of rhizomatic resistance is that we keep evolving. Post new sections to your local mutual‑aid server, use a hidden service, or pass it around in a printed zine—the method doesn’t matter. The message does.
By collectively building and refining this playbook, we ensure it remains living knowledge—sprouting wherever oppression creates fertile ground for transformation.
█ Your node is an essential piece of this living network. If we keep sharing, adjusting, and seeding new ideas, we strengthen the rhizome for everyone. There is no official version. No center, no command, no hero. Only what works. Only what spreads.
There’s nothing more American than a melting pot—or perhaps a stew, depending on your culinary politics. The rhizome, too, thrives on variety. Let every node season resistance to taste.
Dandelion seeds. Blowing dandelions, we make a wish as the seeds disperse.
Beware: continuous digital updates leave a pattern and a footprint, while color printers print materials carrying yellow dots (digital fingerprints, which might be removeable, and may be visible via blue leds). In a hypothetical authoritarian regime, your first priority is survival.
Not a new regime—but a fabric of lawful governance that refuses to collapse into either submission or secession.