Planning an Inclusive Car March 

This guide will help you plan a caravan roll through local communities as a safe and accessible way to organize a protest for everyone, including people who aren’t able to or don’t feel safe joining marches or protests on foot.

Goals

1.  To have an age-inclusive, accessible, safe, and COVID-conscious way to support the movement for equality and justice

2.  To spread awareness with a caravan of cars decorated to show solidarity with protestors around the country

Planning

Plan your route carefully.

Who are you trying to reach with your message? What kind of emotional reaction are you wanting them to have when they see your march? Depending on your answers, you may find yourself wanting to drive by parks, brunch spots, and other areas where folks gather outside. And your answers will help inform the kind of messages on your signs and what kind of literal noise you want to make (ie If your goal is to “wake up” a sleepy City Council or Mayor you may want to go by their offices, places of business or residence and play clock alarm sounds and have signs that read, “Time to Wake Up to What’s Happening!”

• In advance of the Car March, decide where you want to honk/ not honk, play music, roll windows down to wave/raise fists. (Here’s a sample playlist.)
• Prepare a turn sheet with step-by-step driving directions and notes for where to honk, play music, stay silent. (Here’s an example of what this might look like)
• Pick a safe & large enough initial meet-up spot.
• Identify areas where you can pull over to regroup if you get separated along the route.
• Pick driver for a lead, a middle, and end car to help keep everyone together. Share the cell numbers of those main contacts just in case folks need help or get separated.
• Have 1 or 2 back up plans that the “driver leads” all know about just in case.

Plan how you will center the voices of underrepresented people

Determine what barriers may prevent people from participating and try to eliminate them. I.e. If someone isn’t able to or doesn’t feel comfortable driving, encourage a companion or assign a volunteer to drive. If someone is non-verbal, prominently display their own words visually. 

Decide if you want the event to be public or private

Share the details accordingly. Regardless of which one you pick, make sure ALL participants are willing and committed to following the leadership of the event

Meet at a designated time and place to get organized and line up.

You can also gather, while socially distancing, to decorate cars together. Give yourselves at least 30-45 minutes for this.

Decorate your car with signs to show solidarity with protestors.

You can also use window markers to write on your car windows to expand your message. Try not to put posters on vehicle windows, as that can be cause for a moving violation. 

Invite participants 

Invite friends and community members of all ages, including people with disabilities others who may be hesitant to participate in solidarity actions because of COVID-19, accessibility issues, or because they have children or grandchildren

Encourage particpants to come prepared

Make sure everyone arrives with a full tank of gas, water, snacks, and a face mask.

DO’s and DON’Ts of a Car March

DO arrive at the meetup spot on time

DO bring materials to decorate

DO bring water and snacks

DO print posters

DO play music

DO turn your lights on

DO honk at designated intersections, but only once or twice, depending on the goals of the event

DO encourage viewers to honk, shout, show support as you drive by

DON’T cover windows – write on windows and put posters and poster paper on the sides of doors

DON’T honk excessively

DON’T worry if your group gets split up with other cars on the road. They will move along eventually.

DO center the voices of people who aren’t heard in traditional protests

DO follow all traffic laws (stop for pedestrians, stop at red/yellow lights, etc.)

DO try to stay together