De-escalation should always be our first line of defense. Violence is not the answer and should only be used as a last resort. In this episode, Michael (Mike) Esmailzadeh and Melisa Spence of the Suigetsukan Dojo and Girl Army, a collective dedicated to peer taught, affordable, physical and psychological self-defense for women and trans folks in Oakland, CA, share lessons in de-escalating potentially violent situations. Members of the California branch of the Initiative were lucky to receive some of this training while providing occasional neutral security for the Occupy camps in Oakland and San Francisco.