Noise every night @ 8 PM

Every night at 8 PM, we call on all DC residents to stop what you are doing, go outside, and bang pots and pans for five minutes. We call on everyone to do this every night for as long as the escalated federal forces and this occupation are in place.

The history of cacerolazos

From France to Latin America to Puerto Rico and now to DC, cacerolazos — hitting pots and pans as a form of protest — has been a powerful symbol of resistance, particularly against fascism. The first documented protests of this style occurred in France in the 1830s, when protesters used of noise to express disapproval, and beat saucepans to make noise against government politicians. This way of showing discontent became popular in 1832, taking place mainly at night and sometimes with the participation of thousands of people.

More than a century later, in 1961, "the nights of the pots" were held in Algeria, in the framework of the Algerian War of Independence. They were thunderous displays of noise in cities of the territory, carried out with homemade pots, whistles, horns and the cry of "French Algeria".

In 2019, Cacerola Girl became a national hero in Puerto Rico as part of the effort to oust Governor Rosselló. In a video gone viral, the young, unidentified woman furiously hits a cacerola while screaming at policemen. When confronted by the officers, Cacerola Girl continues to hit her pot and chants: “Me tienen miedo será. Porque es un mamao. Es un mamao.”

Free DC calls for this continued peaceful protest, until oppression desists.