WHAT CAN I DO?

Practice for action. If you practice creating plans instead of practicing being stuck in overwhelm, it can help prepare you for moments in your own life.

Confront denial. Acknowledge what is happening without minimizing the situation.

Create a risk assessment and safety plan. Assess the level of threat. Create a plan with contingencies to navigate an inherently volatile situation.

De-escalate the aggressor. What words could you say to create a shift? What body language might be helpful?

Support the person targeted. Check in, if possible, about what they need; even sitting beside the person target can help them feel supported.

Mobilize others. Are there others that could act to help also?

Providing them with clear direction can help activate them.

Create a distraction. This could release the pressure in an intense situation, allowing some amount of de-escalation to happen naturally, or for the person targeted to get away.

Aftercare for the person targeted or others. Oftentimes forgotten in these situations, caring for someone’s emotional or physical needs after an attack is just as important as intervention. In a situation involving more than one bystander, people take on different roles. All roles are important.

Support accountability. People who act aggressively oftentimes attempt to avoid responsibility for their actions. Supporting accountability could be retelling what you witnessed to other community members, or helping maintain their presence in the area while others arrive.