Rapid Response Choir - Hyattsville/College Park chapter

Why a Rapid Response Choir?

The Trump administration’s mass deportation efforts must be slowed, stopped or reversed.

1. We need to generate mass public disapproval through non-violent spectacle and performance
2. We need to be loud to give heart to those uncertain what to do, prompting them to take action themselves
3. We need to lend strength and show love to those targeted by ICE. We are your neighbors, and if people try to harm you, we will make noise (hopefully lovely, inspiring noise).

If you have any questions, please submit them to this form.

Please do not share this on social media – only person-to-person please

• This is not about safety or security. It’s more about marketing and managing growth. I don’t want to raise any expectations about RRC until we’ve demonstrated it works, and is sustainable. Feel free to email or text friends you know.

Sign-up Form (may not work on mobile)

What would this look like?

The RRC should be ready to assemble on short notice at a school, church, or place of business, and be ready to sing 5-10 minutes, preferably from memory, and repeat the repertoire as often as necessary.

We need roles filled

• Marshalls

• Monitor local support groups for when an ICE action may be taking place
• Issue the call for a Flash Concert

• Notify the group with the location

• On site: Work with telling us where to stand, or where to move to

• Conductors - Lead the choir
• Media Liaisons - Shoot video, provide narration and then disperse video to outlets or social media

• It would also be good to have flyers to distribute during our rehearsals

• Community Liaisons - gaining pre-clearance from school, businesses etc.
• Everyone else: Performers - ready to sing, dance, clap and project love and strength

We are self-organizing, so ideas are welcome!

How will we organize?

1. Let’s get volunteers signed up to perform and take on other roles
2. Assemble music: Ideal attributes

1. Spanish/English lyrics, and/or other languages
2. Songs of hope and resistance
3. Mostly religious – recognizing the communities target are more religious than not, also plays well to middle America
4. Good harmonies, or call and response, or otherwise suited for a capella
5. Easy to memorize

3. Identify “venues” and work for pre-approval to perform
4. In-person practice

1. In addition to music, we’ll want to cover logistics and de-escalation tactics

5. Dry runs

1. We’ll start with known timeblocks and known locations.

1. E.g. On Tueday afternoon, be ready for a Flash Concert alert to assemble at BestWay

2. We’ll move to known timeblocks, unknown location

1. E.g.: On Saturday morning, by ready for a Flash Concert alert to assemble at one of five locations

3. Full dress rehearsal: location and time unannounced ahead of time

6. Ready to perform

Anticipated questions

1. Is this legal?

1. Probably: 1st amendment. We would NOT interfere with any law enforcement activity.

2. Is this risky?

1. It’s hard to say. I want everyone to have preprinted safety vests with “Rapid Response Choir” so it’s clear we are bystanders protected by the right to peaceably assemble and our free speech rights. How those rights are respected are another question.

3. Do we need to be secretive?

1. We should all be protective of each others’ identities. But I’d like to see this effort replicated elsewhere, and hopefully get positive media attention during, so our existence should be ballyhooed

4. Will I need to learn a new iPhone or other technology?

1. Probably Signal, not so much for privacy, but because managing groups is easier there than in plain old text threads.

5. Why no social media?

1. This is not about safety or security. It’s more about marketing and managing growth. I don’t want to raise any expectations about RRC until we’ve demonstrated it works, and is sustainable.