Know Your Rights
Download Know Your Rights pamphlets on what to do when the FBI knocks on your door and what to do during demonstrations in Washington, D.C.
When the FBI Knocks On Your Door
The FBI has a long history of targeting, disrupting and criminalizing progressive social movements and oppressed communities. With any upsurge in social justice organizing in the U.S. there will be a corollary upsurge of FBI intervention against activists and organizers.
If the FBI comes to your door, you may feel scared, anxious, or pressured to answer their questions about your activities or those of your friends or neighbors. Download this short, quick reference guide to responding in that situation.
At Washington, D.C. Protests
Federal Employees
In the District of Columbia, the First Amendment Assemblies Act of 2004 (FAAA) governs D.C. police conduct in the context of demonstrations.
This Know Your Rights pamphlet is applicable to the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and operations taking place on land under the jurisdiction of D.C. Other police agencies, including federal law enforcement on federal land in D.C., operate under their own laws and regulations.
Federal employees in the United States have the right to engage in certain forms of protest, but your actions are subject to specific restrictions due to your role as a government worker. Balancing your rights as a citizen with your responsibilities as a public servant is key to safely engaging in protest action.
Federal employees have the right to protest, march in the streets, attend a protest rally, demonstration, or meeting.
