Half a mil to put their thumbs up their asses instead of just literally giving that money directly as reparations

Edit: I want to clarify, I fully support reparations, I'm just extremely frustrated knowing that, under liberal/bourgeoisie democracy, these types of efforts tend to get bogged down with means testing, and sometimes outright turn into thinly-veiled handouts to private corporations. All while the police budget is still increasing YOY.

That said, Evanston (city on Chicago's northern border) did actually manage to distribute "...$25,000 in no-strings-attached direct cash payments for those eligible. Black residents who lived in Evanston during a 50-year period of discriminatory zoning laws and their direct descendants receive priority for eligibility." So I don't want to encourage further reactionary criticisms such as mine towards this specific subcommittee if they are able to achieve at least some form of direct payments similar to Evanston's program.

TL;DW: aluminum foil hidden in protest signs is probably the easiest and stealthiest defense, just be careful where you're potentially reflecting those waves. Soaking rags in water is another option (could throw water on your mask in a pinch) if you didn't expect to face one of these things.

A steel sheet would work even better, but I think that's a bad idea due to the sharp edges plus the extra attention I'm sure that'd instantly draw on anyone holding a big reflective surface at one of these things. Maybe if you can paint it to look like cardboard and curl or round off the edges.

Not sure if these weapons have actually been deployed yet in the US, but they sure have tried.