Sleeping dragon (manoeuver)
A sleeping dragon is a maneuver used by protesters to cause disruption. It involves handcuffs and PVC pipe: a series of protesters are handcuffed together through the PVC pipe, which precludes police from simply using bolt cutters to break the handcuffs. Advanced variations include covering the PVC pipe with elements which might make it more difficult to break. Examples include chicken wire, tar, and duct tape. Another variation is filling a barrel with concrete and putting the PVC pipe through the barrel such that it cannot be accessed without first destroying all of the concrete. Often the protesters will chain, lock, or otherwise secure themselves to immovable objects, resulting in a difficult-to-remove human obstacle. This is typically accomplished best with carabiners tied to their wrists so that the protestors can easily unlock themselves, though they cannot be unlocked by outsiders.
References
- Kersten, Katherine. "Are Twin Cities ready for 'sleeping dragon'? Dream on". Star Tribune. July 22, 2008.
- Levine, Marty. Breaking Down Defense Mechanisms. Pittsburgh City Newspaper. March 8, 2007.
- Christopher N. Osher. Denver police propose law to take pipes, chains out of protesters' hands. Denver Post. July 15, 2008.
- Patrick Young. The Next Page: Hot trends in protest technology as Tools of the Trade. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. March 18, 2007.
- Helen & Harry Highwater. Miami considers nullifying First Amendment. Unknown News. Sept. 28, 2003.