A paid BLM or Anti-ICE or USAID protestor, hired with the title of “intern.” “Activist” jobs exist. The twenty-something was looking for his next job, as he hiked the Smoky Mountain “Klingsman’s Dome Trail” with friends, discussing his paid protester job. True story.
One such “intern placement” company is “Crowds on Demand.” Its founder and CEO Adam Swart said the protesters it hires “mostly provide” fake crowds for new start-ups and product launches.
Separately, my friend, we’ll call him “Scott,” hired a bunch of University Sorority Girls for the grand opening of his Yogurt Shoppe – to make sure the store looked busy and attractive. It happens.
“Thousands March in DC,” is straight from the Saul Alinsky Playbook. Start with paid interns (or Sorority Girls) – and see if you can prime the pump, gain Critical Mass, create a Tipping Point, where “real” people will join from peer pressure or coolness-factor.
Swart’s description of the job he was offering to young unemployed or bored folks was, “Your presence at events will be pivotal in adding an undeniable intimidation factor, bringing a ‘giant to the gate’ of organizations accused of wrongdoing, and helping to ensure our protests are taken seriously and can achieve their intended impact.”
https://lnkd.in/e8gGREZh
https://lnkd.in/eCBxqR6r
Typical pay rates for paid protesters-sometimes referred to as interns, demonstrators, crowd participants, or “field staff for activism” generally fall in the following ranges, based on available job postings and agency disclosures:
Hourly Rate: $10-$40 per hour is common, depending on the location, required commitment, visibility, and organizing agency.
Some gigs offer a flat rate per event, typically $25-$100+ for a few hours of participation. Higher-profile or specialized roles (such as those needing unique physical traits or skills, such as “very large” bodies) may pay more.
Full-day assignments occasionally offer rates like $100-$250 per day, especially for roles involving travel or extended work. Watch for the buses unloading prior to a “demonstration.“
These jobs are usually coordinated by agencies specializing in event staffing or demonstration services (like “Crowds on Demand”), not generally affiliated directly with grassroots activist organizations or major protest movements. Hired Crowds. On Demand.
Since the average pay rate for construction workers and manufacturing workers is in the $35 per hour range, this “activist” bit is not a bad gig, to “twist and shout” or glue yourself to the street during rush hour traffic. Yes, some people are “real” activists, but “take a hike” in the Smoky Mountains if you think what you see on the news clips is thoroughly legit. And contact Crowds on Demand or any of 15 other of its competitors if you want to make some cash and have some fun.
