Releasing large banners over highly trafficked public spaces
Banner dropping is a tactic that can be used to post a large canvas (think of it as your own billboard) in a public space for everyone to see. Banners can be hung from the sides of large corporate offices, tall traffic light posts, trees, bridges, freeway overpasses, or anywhere else with some sort of support system. Banner drops are a way of reclaiming open spaces, drawing attention to your message, and brightening up an unsuspecting viewer's day.
There are different types of banner drops, but some are more useful than others, based on ease of erecting/taking down, and traffic around the sign. Freeway overpass and bridge banner drops are the easiest because it involves only a little climbing or walking to put a banner up, but likewise it's much easier for someone to take the banner down that if it was elsewhere. Freeways can be less effective since traffic moves too fast to see the banner well. Office roof banner drops can be highly affective if the office building is in an area with a lot of foot and car traffic. There are different levels of security involved in this type of action- banners have to be erected when it’s light out, but the worst charges you could get would be trespassing for entering the building. If you have repelling skills, it would provide a super fast exist, but that’s hardly necessary unless it’s a high-profile building with lots of security.
One simple type of drop is on from a traffic light post. In less than 3 minutes (the time the traffic might allow you to use the cross walk) with a team of 5-10 people, a banner can be erected that only a cherry picker can take down (increasing the chances of the banner remaining there for hours). Since it’s so versatile and amazing, attached is an instruction guide by my friend Andrew from Columbus, OH. There's some nitty gritty details on what types of fabrics to use and whatnot, but it's all simple enough that anyone could do it at almost no cost.
