A sleeping dragon is a maneuver used by

protester A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration or remonstrance) is a public expression of objection, disapproval or dissent towards an idea or action, typically a political one. Protests can be thought of as acts of coopera ...

s to hinder their removal from a protest site. A series of protesters are

handcuffed ''Handcuffed'' is a 1929 American silent mystery film directed by Duke Worne and starring Virginia Brown Faire, Wheeler Oakman and Dean Jagger.Munden p.322 Synopsis Gerald Morely's father is ruined in a stock fraud and commits suicide. When sho ...

together through

PVC pipe Plastic pipe is a tubular section, or hollow cylinder, made of plastic. It is usually, but not necessarily, of circular cross-section, used mainly to convey substances which can flow—liquids and gases (fluids), slurries, powders and masses of sm ...

, which prevents

police The police are a Law enforcement organization, constituted body of Law enforcement officer, persons empowered by a State (polity), state, with the aim to law enforcement, enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citize ...

from simply using

bolt cutters A bolt cutter, sometimes called bolt cropper, is a tool used for cutting bolts, chains, padlocks, rebar and wire mesh. It typically has long handles and short blades, with compound hinges to maximize leverage and cutting force. A typical bolt c ...

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 Tar is a dark brown or black viscous liquid of hydrocarbons and free carbon, obtained from a wide variety of organic materials through destructive distillation. Tar can be produced from coal, wood, petroleum, or peat. "a dark brown or black bi ...

, and

duct tape Duct tape (also called duck tape, from the cotton duck cloth it was originally made of) is cloth- or scrim-backed pressure-sensitive tape, often coated with polyethylene. There are a variety of constructions using different backings and adhesi ...

. Another variation is filling a barrel with

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wid ...

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

carabiner A carabiner or karabiner () is a specialized type of shackle, a metal loop with a spring-loaded gate used to quickly and reversibly connect components, most notably in safety-critical systems. The word is a shortened form of ''Karabinerhaken'' ...

s tied to their wrists so that the protestors can easily unlock themselves, though they cannot be unlocked by outsiders.

Removal methods

It is sometimes impossible for officers to know what is inside the sleeping dragon without cutting into it. Officers may cut into the pipe with such tools as an

angle grinder An angle grinder, also known as a side grinder or disc grinder, is a handheld power tool used for grinding (abrasive cutting) and polishing. Although developed originally as tools for rigid abrasive discs, the availability of an interchangeable ...

rotary saw A rotary saw, spiral cut saw, RotoZip or cut out tool is a type of mechanically powered saw used for making accurate cuts without the need for a pilot hole in wallboard, plywood, or another thin, solid material. The Rotozip Tool Corp was a compa ...

, or

whizzer saw Whizzer may refer to: __NOTOC__ Fictional characters *Whizzer (comics), several characters in Marvel Comics publications: **Speed Demon (comics), formerly known as the Whizzer **Whizzer (Robert Frank), a superhero **Whizzer (Stanley Stewart), a memb ...

, followed by a pry bar and pliers; or in the case of concrete,

chipping hammer Chipping may refer to: Places England Chipping is a prefix used in a number of place names in England, probably derived from , an Old English word meaning 'market', although the meaning may alternatively derive from (or via) the Medieval English wo ...

s, hammer drills, and breakers. Abrasive saws, a

band saw A bandsaw (also written band saw) is a power saw with a long, sharp blade consisting of a continuous band of toothed metal stretched between two or more wheels to cut material. They are used principally in woodworking, metalworking, and l ...

, and an angle grinder may be used on steel pipes. Officers may put fire retardant hoods and earmuffs on the protesters to protect them from sparks and noise as tools are used to cut through the sleeping dragon. Once an inspection hole has been made, it may be possible to reach in with bolt cutters and cut the handcuff chain. In 2018, Seattle police established an Apparatus Removal Team (ART) in response to sleeping dragon protests, its officers being trained and equipped to cut through plastic and metal without injuring protesters. Their approach involves cutting into tubing and placing a brightly-colored piece of plastic against the protester's skin, so that the blade will produce visible plastic shavings before it can cause any injury.

References

{{reflist

External links

*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

Unknown News. Sept. 28, 2003. Protest tactics

Removal methods

See also

References

External links