Most of the “keep up the work after the protests have ended!”-type posts I’ve seen are mostly focused on like, reading Black authors and listening to Black voices and unlearning racism, and obviously all of that is absolutely vital - but no amount of individual self-reflection will be able to dismantle institutional systems of oppression. So I wanted to put together some resources for continuing to build a culture of noncompliance and resistance to the police and prison system even after things have calmed down
But first, be aware that the protests aren’t over. It’s June 29th and there are still events and actions being planned regularly across the nation, and they still need your participation and support. If you’re able, please keep your focus there; this list is for what can be done long-term outside of the protests
- Know your rights. Giving the police any more information than you absolutely have to will never and can never benefit you or anyone else - positive evidence given to the police is regularly thrown out in court, whereas negative evidence will be used against you. Know what to say and what you have the right to refuse. You don’t have to answer any questions without a lawyer present, you don’t have to give the police access to your house or car unless they have a current warrant signed by a judge. They will try to intimidate you - learn your rights and don’t let up, don’t ever cooperate with the police
- Don’t snitch. If you see someone breaking the law in a way that doesn’t hurt anybody, keep your mouth shut. If cops knock on your door asking you questions about your neighbors or anyone you know, don’t answer
- Don’t call the cops. If you can solve the problem in a different way, do it. Cops have on multiple occasions murdered the people they were called to help (or bystanders) without provocation. Don’t be complicit in that. Learn how to handle situations as a community or with the help of qualified experts
- When you see an interaction with the police happening, stop and observe. If necessary, film the interaction. Organize and work with groups such as Copwatch to observe the police and hold them accountable
- Use proper opsec, especially if you’re involved with anything that might make you a target for the cops. Downloading Signal is a great simple place to start
- Learn about jury nullification, and spread the word. When serving in a jury, you have the right to vote not guilty on a defendant that you believe did commit the crime but doesn’t deserve punishment for it. Don’t be complicit in unjust punishment
- Refuse to do work for the police or prison system. Workers keep the world running and the state relies on our compliance to keep our neighbors under their thumb. We can shut it down
- Continue to support bail funds, even for non-protesters. Cash bail is unjust, and people shouldn’t be in jail just because they can’t pay
- Continue to support legal defense funds as well, such as that of the National Lawyers Guild
- Write to prisoners, either by yourself or with groups such as the Anarchist Black Cross or Black And Pink, and organize/support books to prisons programs, commissary funds, reentry programs, and other forms of prisoner support
- Organize and support community-run crisis response organizations like the CAHOOTS program in Eugene, Oregon or the Birmingham Peacemakers in my hometown
Here are some other organizations to join that are doing good work in this area:
- Black Lives Matter is obviously a huge voice in racial justice right now. The list of “official” chapters on their website is very incomplete, though, so you may have better luck doing a web search for “[your area] black lives matter” (beware of fakes though)
- Showing Up for Racial Justice is another very active and widespread racial justice network
- Critical Resistance is a grassroots prison abolitionist organization founded by Angela Davis
- The Revolutionary Abolitionist Movement is another active prison abolitionist organization
- The IWW’s Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee works with prisoners to organize strikes, phone zaps, and other actions combating injustice in prisons
- Again, the Anarchist Black Cross does great work supporting political prisoners through letter-writing and more. The link I’ve been including is to an unofficial federation of ABC groups, though - there may be a group in your area that’s not part of that federation, so a web search for “[your area] black cross” may be better
- Black And Pink is a prison abolitionist organization focused on queer people and people living with HIV/AIDS
- Antifascism is of course an important aspect of racial justice and community safety. See @antifainternational‘s guide to getting connected to your local antifascists - though, again, beware of fakes (the “antifa checker” accounts on fedbook and twitter can help)
The police state and prison industrial complex rely on the complicity and cooperation of all of us to function and be effective. By building a culture of noncompliance and active resistance, we can drastically reduce the state’s ability to oppress communities of color. Don’t let the struggle be forgotten with the changing of the news cycle - keep up the struggle until all are free!
Boosts and additional resources are very much appreciated!
- NLG’s legal observer program is riskier than it has been, but if you are a person who likes observing and taking notes it is a great program. You need to be able to be outside and possibly moving for an extended period of time, and you need to be able to witness distressing situations that you may not be able to react to. Your local NLG chapter will have more information.
- Many local protests need supplies, drivers, and babysitters. Reaching out to local protest organizers (such as the person organizing the event on Facebook) is the best way to find out what needs are in your area.
- Stay Woke needs graphic designers, policy wonks, data entry and research nerds, and the like to get data on killer cops, research candidates for office, and advocate for changes to the law.
- Food Not Bombs distributes free food to unhoused and food insecure people and protestors, and members tend to be deeply connected to the local anarchist and antifascist scene.
- Really Really Free Markets are a great way to connect with local antifascists, anarchists, and antiracist organizers. If your community isn’t organizing them due to COVID, find past events and look into the organizations that were affiliated with the event.
- Support, follow, and visit your local Black cultural center and/or museum. The bulletin board and front desk will have great local information on antiracist efforts.
- Local Quaker (Society of Friends) meetings usually have good information on prison visitation and prisoners’ rights efforts, and they don’t care what your religious disposition is. Be careful - there are some branches of Quakers that are not dedicated to social justice. Meetings associated with FCNL are usually good.
- I want to give a heads up that, depending on the judge and jurisdiction, jury nullification can get you fined or jailed. You should research your court before deciding to pursue jury nullification so you are well informed about whether potential consequences will cause you unacceptable harm.
July 5 and the protests are still going
Don’t stop now, don’t stop ever
