The San Francisco Chronicle reports that yesterday’s 5-years-in-Iraq protest was well-orchestrated, in part thanks to frequent updates delivered to participants via text messages. C.W. Nevius reports:

I was told to simply text message the “DASW [Direct Action to Stop the War] text mob” to get up-to-the-minute messages describing the latest action sent to my cell phone. At 3:08:29 p.m., for example, I received a message that said, “DASW current estimate - 150 arrests - thanks for taking to the streets and joining in.”

This is the first time I’ve heard of a small, local activist group (Bay Area DASW) employing SMS to help keep their participants in the loop. It’s a great idea, and could shift the dynamic of other direct actions in the future. Protests can be intense and a little scary when you see hordes of activists running up against walls of police — “What’s going on down there?” “Is everyone okay?” Panic breaks out when individuals can’t see over the crowd to get the bigger picture. “Are we safe here?” “Should we keep marching, or turn back?” A centralized organizing committee, armed with binoculars and mobiles, can now monitor the protest status among themselves, sending only pertinent information about the big picture to participants, such as number of arrests, or “look out, tear gas deployed, head SW on Market.”