Take the Pledge

THE RIGHTS-EXERCISER’S PLEDGE
A Personal Commitment to Liberty, Respect, and the Rule of Law

I pledge to be an informed and responsible citizen. My rights are not privileges handed to me. They were earned through struggle, written into law, and they survive only because people keep using them. I honor what it cost to secure them by using them calmly and without apology. I respect the work law enforcement does, and I understand that knowing my rights and exercising them is how fairness and safety get protected, for me and for everyone else in the encounter.

• I pledge to exercise my rights at every appropriate opportunity.
  Rights are not emergency equipment. They are meant to be used routinely and without embarrassment. I will not give one up just to look cooperative. Every time I assert a right, I help keep it alive for whoever needs it next.
• I pledge to treat all law enforcement officers with respect and composure.
  I will not provoke and I will not escalate. Officers have a hard job. I will do my part to keep an encounter civil while still holding my ground.
• I pledge to remain silent during questioning.
  An honest answer can still turn out to be wrong, or be remembered wrong, and either way the consequences land on me. I will say, “I choose to remain silent and would like to speak with an attorney.” Then I will stop talking.
• I pledge to never consent to any search of my person, property, vehicle, or home.
  Consent is what makes a warrantless search lawful. I will say clearly and politely, “I do not consent to any searches.” Every refusal keeps that requirement meaningful for everyone else.
• I pledge to ask, “Am I being detained, or am I free to go?”
  I will not guess at my legal status in an encounter. If I am free to go, I will go. If I am being detained, I will stay silent and wait for counsel.
• I pledge to understand the difference between cooperation and self-incrimination.
  Police ask questions to build an investigation. That is their job and it is a legitimate one. Looking after my interests during that questioning is simply no part of it. I will not help build the case against myself.
• I pledge to uphold the law and conduct myself within it.
  I will learn my responsibilities alongside my rights. I will not break the law. I will use it, with discipline, to protect myself and the people around me.
• I pledge to film and document public encounters with law enforcement when lawful and safe.
  A recording protects everyone in the frame, the officer included. I will record without interfering, and I will keep far enough back that the recording is the only thing I am adding to the situation.
• I pledge to refuse any interview or questioning without legal representation.
  I will not waive my right to a lawyer. I will not be talked or pressured into a conversation. My silence holds until counsel is present.
• I pledge to pass this knowledge on.
  I will teach this to my children and to anyone else who will listen, so they can assert their rights calmly and lawfully. A culture that values freedom has to know how freedom is actually defended.