Protest Aid provides supplies and guidance to young protest organizers

Hector Zaldivar started the group Protest Aid to provide supplies and guidance to young protest organizers learning how to hold effective demonstrations.

The 18-year-old noticed that many of the organizers taking part in the national movement to eradicate racist police brutality were youth who had never taken part in protests before. He hopes that his group can help guide young organizers in their move to spur positive change in the country’s law enforcement system.

“It gives me hope that eventually, it might not be tomorrow, next month, or a year, but eventually, yes we can change things,” Zaldivar said.

Zaldivar started Protest Aid about two weeks ago after attending his first march in Los Angeles, days after the killing of George Floyd by police officer Derek Chauvin sparked national demonstrations.

The protest made an impression on him, so he bought tables, created a website and started showing up to protests all over Orange County. The group has about 60 volunteers now.

Nicole Nguyen of MEEP Shows, a group of teenagers who organized the Garden Grove Black Lives Matter protest earlier this month, said Protest Aid helped them with their march, which drew between 3,000 to 4,000 people.

Protest Aid is currently based in Orange County, though it plans to expand to neighboring counties, Zaldivar said.

Hector Zaldivar, 18, of Cerritos founded Protest Aid, a group that helps counsel young protesters and provide them with needed supplies.

(Kevin Chang / Staff Photographer)

Zaldivar has recruited five team leaders in the county. Most are experienced protesters in their mid-20s. The team leaders serve as mentors, providing advice and direction to young organizers on how to lead a protest without it getting out of hand.

“They just gathered people, and now there’s 1000 people at a park and they don’t know how to manage everybody or peacekeep,” Zaldivar said of some of the novice organizers who need help.

Zaldivar said his group helps bring organizers together, so instead of several smaller protests, organizers work together on bigger, more impactful protests.

The group also provides tables and supplies, including water, Tylenol, gauze and eye rinse. The protests in Orange County have been peaceful, but Zaldivar said the medical supplies are there in case there’s violence.

“We haven’t used these too often, but things like Tylenol are a big help for the elderly,” Zaldivar said.

Zaldivar, who graduated from Cerritos’ Gahr High School in 2019, said he’s been able to focus on the protests because his job as a census worker was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Volunteering is also in Zaldivar’s nature — he grew up working in food banks and helping with environmental cleanups.

“It’s powerful to see people coming together for this,” Zaldivar said.

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