#Reform or Revolution

[puppypalice]

Rosa Luxemburg might be my favorite communists theorists because like half of her works feel like they could be modern day ml tumblr posts. Reform or Revolution, that’s just every argument between a social democrat and a “tankie”. Marxist theory and the proletariat, basically all non Marxist sociology is either A, a really poor criticism of marx b, dialectics but bad c, absolutely incoherent. And that’s just to give a few examples. Tbh I think if I could talk to her today she’s probably just be like “has the landscape of politics not changed at all” and I’d be like, well instead of blamquist we have Maoists and instead of Bernstein we have Bernie sanders so honstly no. However the Lenin was right virtually all the time so theirs that. Also I think she’s be chill with transgender puppy girls.

[lilithism1848]

[pinsforfingerz]

Finally finished Reform or Revolution by Rosa Luxemburg

[comradeupdog]

Hey, Queer people! Police are not your goddamn friends!  Who the fuck do you think our elders were throwing bricks at during the Stonewall Uprising?

And if you’re gay and become a cop, I don’t want to see you in my fucking spaces. Not because I don’t like cops (I don’t but that’s not the point) but because if a cop is in a place with Queer people its no longer a safe space for Queer people! This is not some purity theory argument, we are heading in the direction of Queerness being illegal in the US. Who the fuck do you think will enforce anti-trans bathroom bans or take trans children away from supportive parents? THE COPS! If you are gay and a cop I don’t want to hear see you talking about Queerness, you have stabbed Queer people in the back when you put on the same badge that was flashed to justify gay bashing for generations.

This is not even to talk about how you are stabbing our BIPOC comrades in the back by participating in a system which is actively keeping radicalized slavery intact. If you are a gay cop or a gay person who supports the police you are everything our elders were fighting against YOU ARE THE PROBLEM and you are never going to change the system from within.

[theshatterednotes]

Rosa Luxemburg

[itslianotlea]

remember kids

the moment a demsoc or socdem calls you a factionalist, you are on the right track

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

"C.C.F. BAN ON 'REDS'," Vancouver Sun. May 29, 1934. Page 1 & 2. --- By Canadian Press VICTORIA, May 29. - Taking a cue from what has happened in the East, Rev. Robert Connell, leader of the C. C. F. opposition in the Legislature, read Communists out of the Co-operative Commonwealth movement in British Columbia, Monday evening, in a clear-cut address before Victoria clubs of the organization. Speaking to an audience in the Maccabees Hall, the Parliamentary leader of the C. C. F. in this Province made himself unmistakably clear on the point.

Agitation, strikes, and advocacy of the overthrow of the state by force were no part of the machinery, thought or aims of the C. C. F. party, he said. Neither, he continued, were dictatorships, fascism, nor other forms of militarized states.

The Co-operative Commonwealth was Socialism, and its federation proposed the assumption of power in Canada by constitutional means solely. On this basis only would the C. C. F. appeal for public support, Rev. Mr. Connell said.

Talk of violence, from the moderate forms of direct action to the extremes of street fighting, was not only folly, but was doing active damage to the C. C. F. movement, he declared.

CONSTITUTIONAL MEANS The parliamentary group of the party in the House, and the Provincial Executive of the movement, were convinced that a change in the economic system could be brought about only by constitutional means, and that after winning the support of a majority of the people.

Steady strides had been made, he said, in winning the confidence and support of British Columbia voters, evidence to him on his recent tour of thirty centres in northern parts of the Province, and this work should be continued.

It should be explained at the outset that the C. C. F. stood for Socialism, and its application by constitutional methods.

The leader of the opposition gave an interesting description of his tour through northern ridings, in company with Ernest Bakewell, C. C. F. member for Mackenzie.

SURPRISE FOR LIBERALS An election in the north today would furnish the Liberal administration with a vast surprise, he declared. After an address of an hour and a half, Rev. Mr. Connell responded to questions from the floor.

[creed-of-cats]

"If voting changed anything they wouldn't let people do it-" grabs your face THEY DIDN'T JUST "LET" PEOPLE DO IT, MOST PEOPLE COULDN'T VOTE FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS. PEOPLE OF COLOR ONLY GOT THE FULL RIGHT TO VOTE 50 YEARS AGO IN THE US, THATS BARELY A GENERATION.

IF IT DIDNT MATTER AT ALL WHY WOULD THEY SPEND SO MUCH TIME GERRYMANDERING THE SHIT OUT OF EVERYWHERE?? WHY CAN'T FELONS VOTE?? WHY CANT PUERTO RICO VOTE? WHY DO THEY KEEP SWITCHING DATES AND LAWS AND TIMES AND WHATEVER THEY POSSIBLY CAN TO STOP PEOPLE FROM VOTING?? WHY DO THEY MAKE EFFORT AT ALL??

BEING DISILLUSIONED IS A REASONABLE RESPONSE. BUT PEOPLE FOUGHT AND DIED AND ARE STILL FUCKING DYING FOR THAT RIGHT, DONT SPIT IN THEIR FACE.

[1982brucespringsteen]

some good news!! the spanish state's ministry of equality has finally passed one of the most progressive trans laws on the planet, shielded free and universal access to abortion and banned conversion therapy and genital surgery for intersex babies, among a lot of other feminist policies. the minister of equality irene montero gave a speech thanking spain's lgtb and trans associations for helping her draft these legislations. couldn't be more proud!!

[eelhound]

"The idea of reforming Omelas is a pleasant idea, to be sure, but it is one that Le Guin herself specifically tells us is not an option. No reform of Omelas is possible — at least, not without destroying Omelas itself:

If the child were brought up into the sunlight out of that vile place, if it were cleaned and fed and comforted, that would be a good thing, indeed; but if it were done, in that day and hour all the prosperity and beauty and delight of Omelas would wither and be destroyed. Those are the terms.

'Those are the terms', indeed. Le Guin’s original story is careful to cast the underlying evil of Omelas as un-addressable — not, as some have suggested, to 'cheat' or create a false dilemma, but as an intentionally insurmountable challenge to the reader. The premise of Omelas feels unfair because it is meant to be unfair. Instead of racing to find a clever solution ('Free the child! Replace it with a robot! Have everyone suffer a little bit instead of one person all at once!'), the reader is forced to consider how they might cope with moral injustice that is so foundational to their very way of life that it cannot be undone. Confronted with the choice to give up your entire way of life or allow someone else to suffer, what do you do? Do you stay and enjoy the fruits of their pain? Or do you reject this devil’s compromise at your own expense, even knowing that it may not even help? And through implication, we are then forced to consider whether we are — at this very moment! — already in exactly this situation. At what cost does our happiness come? And, even more significantly, at whose expense? And what, in fact, can be done? Can anything?

This is the essential and agonizing question that Le Guin poses, and we avoid it at our peril. It’s easy, but thoroughly besides the point, to say — as the narrator of 'The Ones Who Don’t Walk Away' does — that you would simply keep the nice things about Omelas, and work to address the bad. You might as well say that you would solve the trolley problem by putting rockets on the trolley and having it jump over the people tied to the tracks. Le Guin’s challenge is one that can only be resolved by introspection, because the challenge is one levied against the discomforting awareness of our own complicity; to 'reject the premise' is to reject this (all too real) discomfort in favor of empty wish fulfillment. A happy fairytale about the nobility of our imagined efforts against a hypothetical evil profits no one but ourselves (and I would argue that in the long run it robs us as well).

But in addition to being morally evasive, treating Omelas as a puzzle to be solved (or as a piece of straightforward didactic moralism) also flattens the depth of the original story. We are not really meant to understand Le Guin’s 'walking away' as a literal abandonment of a problem, nor as a self-satisfied 'Sounds bad, but I’m outta here', the way Vivier’s response piece or others of its ilk do; rather, it is framed as a rejection of complacency. This is why those who leave are shown not as triumphant heroes, but as harried and desperate fools; hopeless, troubled souls setting forth on a journey that may well be doomed from the start — because isn’t that the fate of most people who set out to fight the injustices they see, and that they cannot help but see once they have been made aware of it? The story is a metaphor, not a math problem, and 'walking away' might just as easily encompass any form of sincere and fully committed struggle against injustice: a lonely, often thankless journey, yet one which is no less essential for its difficulty."

- Kurt Schiller, from "Omelas, Je T'aime." Blood Knife, 8 July 2022.

[pratchettquotes]

People on the side of The People always ended up disappointed, in any case. They found that The People tended not to be grateful or appreciative or forward-thinking or obedient. The People tended to be small-minded and conservative and not very clever and were even distrustful of cleverness. And so, the children of the revolution were faced with the age-old problem: it wasn't that you had the wrong kind of government, which was obvious, but that you had the wrong kind of people.

As soon as you saw people as things to be measured, they didn't measure up.

Terry Pratchett, Night Watch

[empirearchives]

Paris Fire Brigade — The fire department of the city of Paris

The Paris Fire Brigade was created by Napoleon on 18 September 1811 after a devastating fire in Paris in 1810. The brigade remains the same firefighting service of Paris to this day.

Illustrations created by Aaron Martinet between 1807 and 1814. Top: Imperial Guard, Engineer Sapper. Bottom: Imperial Guard, Officer of Engineer Sappers. These were the military positions which were transitioned into the fire department.

The deadly fire at the Austrian embassy ball in July 1810, during the festivities for his marriage to Marie Louise, reminded the Emperor of the importance of a well-functioning fire service in the capital.

Despite the courage and dedication of the gardes pompes [firefighters of the old organization], who are sometimes falsely accused of numerous shortcomings, the firefighting service revealed its weaknesses: delays, insufficient and unreliable equipment, poorly trained personnel and incompetent managers. The staff present at the embassy on the day of the tragedy were cleared of all suspicion by an investigation led by the Count of Montalivet. On the other hand, the leaders of the old organization were dismissed, and the corps des gardes pompes was abolished.

After this catastrophe, the Emperor reorganized this public service by creating the first military corps of firefighters, made up of the engineers from the Imperial Guard who were dedicated to defending the imperial chateaux against fire.

At the behest of Emperor Napoleon I, the creation of the Paris fire department [bataillon de sapeurs pompiers de Paris] by imperial decree on 18 September 1811 was an original and innovative step, marking the transition from a civil and municipal organization to a military body. The choice of such an atypical status for a public service echoes the creation, eleven years earlier, of the Paris Police Prefecture, an equally singular legal administrative body.

From its creation, this military corps was placed under the authority of the Paris Police Prefecture, who was responsible for the security of the capital. After a long process, this military status and subordination to a prefect became the logical consequence of the spirit of the decree of 12 messidor year 8.

When the battalion was formed in 1811, the Paris fire department took on a new mission: fighting fires, the importance and development of which they were still unaware of.

Four companies were then created to respond to fires. Relying on a typically military functional triptych (extensive training of men, systematic technological research and implementation of efficient operational procedures), the battalion quickly made its new environment its own, and by the end of the second half of the 19th century, had become a model for the organization of public fire-fighting services and a national, even international reference.

Several fire chiefs succeeded one another until 1814. At that date, command was entrusted to battalion commander Plazanet. He provided the battalion with an instruction manual, made it compulsory for sappers to be stationed in barracks, and introduced gymnastics to train efficient and daring rescuers.

Source: Brigade de sapeurs-pompiers de Paris — Le Bataillon

Picture source: Napoleon's Army: 1807-1814 as Depicted in the Prints of Aaron Martinet, By Guy C. Dempsey, Jr., (Section: Support Troops)

[divorcedwife]

i feel like the default period for historical AUs is the regency era, but personally i always want to drop people in 1780s france, for maximum drama

[anotherhumaninthisworld]

There is another measure to be taken. There exists in Paris a class of individuals who, despite the weakness of their sex, do a lot of harm to the Republic. They corrupt your young men; and instead of making them vigorous and worthy of the ancient Spartans, they only make them into Sibarites incapable of serving liberty: I am talking about these immodest women who make a shameful trafficking of their charms. It is a plague on society, and any good government should banish it from its midst. I ask that the Committee of Public Safety examine whether it would not be useful to stifle this germ of counter-revolution, by deporting these women of bad habits beyond the seas (applauds).

Jean-Bon-Saint-André at the Convention, September 5 1793

Banishing someone from their home country for being too much of a slut? Yeah that sounds about right…

[fuckyeahmarxismleninism]

The revolution never gets old!

Joint statement of revolutionary organizations in Russia:

Capitalism has literally showered us with the most disgusting vices of bourgeois society and also drawn us into an endless series of conflicts and bloody wars on national grounds, the largest of which, the current war with the Nazi regime in Ukraine (and that regime arose only thanks to capitalism), is unfolding before our eyes.

The longer this goes on, the more obvious it becomes that the only way out for the workers is to achieve a new socialist path of development, to break the bourgeois system. No reforms or elections will change anything here. And so our eyes are turned to the example of the Great October.

[thrashkink-coven]

A core aspect of Luciferianism is educating oneself on how systemic issues contribute to oppression. Here’s an essay I wrote for my local grassroots police abolitionist collective (@WallsDownCollective , @Stopthestackyyc on Instagram) about how the legal system uses psychological warfare to control and oppress its citizens:

The Canadian Legal System Acts as a Form of Psychological Warfare Against Society's Most Vulnerable Undesirables

By Thrashkink_art , Thrashkink_coven

The Canadian legal system mirrors psychological warfare tactics in its treatment of marginalized populations, particularly the unhoused, Indigenous peoples, and racialized communities. Psychological warfare is defined as the strategic use of fear, intimidation, and disinformation to manipulate and control behavior, breaking down the mental defenses of targeted groups. In many ways, the Canadian legal system engages in similar practices, creating a constant state of fear, confusion, and helplessness for society's most vulnerable undesirables, which aligns with the psychological aspects of torture as defined under Canadian law and international frameworks like the UN Convention Against Torture (UNCAT).

According to Section 269.1 of the Criminal Code of Canada, torture is defined as:

> Any act or omission by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for purposes such as obtaining information or confession, punishing them for an act they or someone else has committed, or intimidating or coercing them.

This definition aligns with the United Nations Convention against Torture (UNCAT), which Canada ratified in 1987. Under UNCAT, torture is described as:

> Any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for purposes such as obtaining information, a confession, punishment, intimidation, or for reasons based on discrimination, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or with the consent of a public official.

The mental suffering aspect of torture is significant in Canadian law, given that psychological harm can be as debilitating as physical harm. Psychological torture can include methods such as:

- Restriction from basic necessities or functions like food or sleep

- Threats of violence against the person or their family

- Isolation or solitary confinement

- Humiliation or degradation

- Sensory deprivation or sensory overload

Psychological warfare (PsyOps), while more associated with military operations, involves using tactics deliberately designed to manipulate emotions, motives, and behavior of enemy governments, groups, or populations through fear, intimidation, or misinformation. Psychological warfare aims to demoralize the enemy, break their will to fight or resist, or influence public perception for the purpose of domination.

These tactics can include:

- Disinformation and propaganda campaigns

- Fear-inducing threats or displays of power

- Misinformation to undermine morale

- Intimidation tactics aimed at creating confusion or dissent

By its own definitions, the Canadian government has repeatedly used psychological warfare against Indigenous peoples, other nations, and its own citizens. Here are just a few notable examples:

Forced Assimilation of Indigenous Peoples through Residential Schools and “adoption” programs

The “Indian Residential School System” and “The Sixties Scoop” separated Indigenous children from their families, erasing their languages, cultures, and identities. This systemic abuse aimed to replace Indigenous identity with Euro-Canadian values, leaving a lasting legacy of trauma and cultural loss.

2. The “Indian Act" and Ongoing Control of Indigenous Peoples (1876-Present)

The Indian Act is a longstanding policy used to control nearly every aspect of Indigenous life in Canada. This paternalistic system restricts land, governance, and identity, causing generations of psychological harm. By undermining self-determination and imposing Western legal structures, it fosters dependency and marginalization in Indigenous communities.

3. The Oka Crisis (1990) and Ongoing Environmental and Resource Development Conflicts with Indigenous Communities

The Canadian government and military used psychological tactics to intimidate Mohawk protesters defending sacred land. Media portrayed them as violent and unreasonable, isolating them from public support and fueling fear around Indigenous sovereignty movements.

The Canadian government and corporations still use psychological tactics to portray Indigenous protesters as threats to economic stability. Through legal actions, disinformation, and surveillance, they aim to divide communities and undermine resistance through fear and intimidation.

4. Internment of Japanese Canadians During WWII

After the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, the Canadian government interned thousands of Japanese Canadians, seizing their property without consent. This fostered fear, suspicion, and isolation, creating a lasting sense of powerlessness.

5. Cold War Surveillance and Propaganda (1950s-1980s)

Canada spread fear of communist infiltration through propaganda and covert operations. Working with U.S. agencies, the government used media, speeches, and surveillance to manipulate public opinion, target left-wing socialist groups, and foster loyalty to the state.

6. “Anti-Terrorism” Policies Post-9/11

Canada enacted anti-terrorism laws that increased airport surveillance and profiling of Muslim Canadians and immigrants, fostering fear and suspicion. The wrongful arrest and torture of Maher Arar exposed the profound psychological harm these policies inflicted on individuals and entire communities.

7. Project MKULTRA: Canadian Collaboration with CIA (1950s-1960s)

Canada, through the Allan Memorial Institute in Montreal under Dr. Ewen Cameron, participated in MKULTRA, a CIA mind control program (yeah, seriously). Patients were subjected to brutal experiments like sensory deprivation and drug-induced comas, causing lasting psychological trauma and personality disorders.

If the Government has been capable of committing such atrocities in the past, there is no reason to assume they could not repeat these actions in the present. Despite the pretense that such tactics are behind and beneath them, the Canadian Government continues its use of psychological warfare today—and it’s being used against all of us.

Canada's legal framework is rooted in the imperialist systems of English and French colonization. The adoption of British common law and French civil law created a legal environment that prioritized colonial interests over those of Indigenous nations, reinforcing a hierarchy that placed European settlers at the top. This system continues to prioritize the protection of capital over the well-being of the people, law enforcement serves the interests of the privileged few rather than the broader community.

A lack of affordable housing and support services means that individuals have nowhere to turn when they face financial hardship, forcing many into criminalized survival tactics like squatting. The legal system's criminalization of homelessness through bylaws that punish basic survival activities like sleeping in public, loitering, or panhandling mimics psychological warfare tactics by using constant threat and intimidation to control behavior. These laws lead to fines, arrests, and further entanglement within the legal system, making it nearly impossible for individuals ticketed for minor infractions to escape the cycle of homelessness. For someone experiencing homelessness, even a minor fine can be life ruining. Failure to pay these fines can lead to additional legal penalties, including warrants, increased fines, wage garnishments, loss of driving privileges, or even incarceration, contributing to systemic marginalization. Law enforcement is often concentrated in areas with high populations of marginalized individuals, leading to increased surveillance and policing of homeless people and those struggling with addiction.

Canada has historically underfunded mental health services and addiction treatment, leaving many without necessary support. As a result, individuals turn to substances as a coping mechanism. This is systematic entrapment. By arresting individuals for drug use or possession rather than providing treatment, the legal system fails to recognize addiction as a complex health issue that requires compassion, understanding, and comprehensive support rather than punishment.

Encampment raids intentionally prey on homeless individuals, many of whom are dealing with addiction and mental health issues as a psychological manipulation tactic—disrupting the only semblance of community or safety that unhoused people may have, leaving them more isolated, vulnerable, and afraid with nowhere to go. The destruction of shelters and personal belongings during these raids serves not only to enforce legal compliance but also to demoralize individuals and instill trauma, contributing to mental suffering and despair and enforcing the idea that there is no safe place for them to reside. The unpredictability of these raids creates a state of constant fear and sleep deprivation, pushing people to hide in more dangerous locations and stripping them of their autonomy. Rather than offering support, law enforcement criminalizes their circumstances, effectively using fear and violence to maintain control—methods reminiscent of psychological warfare. This increases vulnerability to violence and exploitation, while framing unhoused people as criminals rather than victims of systemic failure. This stigma prevents public empathy and keeps the cycle of isolation and marginalization intact.

For racialized communities, particularly Black and Indigenous people, the legal system becomes a tool of surveillance, over-policing, and wrongful criminalization. The criminalization of drug offenses disproportionately impacts these communities, with predatory laws and wrongful convictions fueling cycles of poverty, unemployment, and legal entanglement.

The legal process itself becomes a form of psychological warfare, especially for individuals unfamiliar with legal jargon or unable to afford proper representation. Individuals with mental health issues often struggle with conditions that make it difficult to manage daily responsibilities, including remembering court dates or understanding legal proceedings. This lack of support can lead to missed appearances, resulting in additional charges or penalties. Unhoused people often lack access to basic resources such as stable housing, transportation, and reliable communication. Without a permanent address or means of transportation, getting to court on time becomes a significant obstacle. Without access to phones or mail, receiving important notifications about court dates is not possible. Entrapment is a large part of the process of psychological warfare.

Even with Legal Aid and payment plans, the imposition of fines and legal penalties can create a financial burden that may take years or even decades to pay off. This leads to a cycle of accumulating debt, where unpaid fines incur additional interest, late fees, or legal costs, compounding financial burden over time. This debt can become a source of significant stress and anxiety, further impacting mental health, stability, and the ability to navigate complex legal battles with sound mind.

Encounters with police can lead to criminal records that hinder future opportunities. Securing stable employment is significantly harder for those with criminal records, forcing them into lower-paying, unstable jobs that make it hard to keep up with financial obligations. The prolonged burden of fines can divert essential resources away from basic needs like housing, food, and healthcare. Individuals find themselves prioritizing debt repayment over their well-being, leading to detrimental effects on their health and stability. With a significant portion of income directed toward paying off fines, it becomes nearly impossible to save for future goals, such as education, home ownership, or starting a business. This stagnation in economic mobility perpetuates cycles of poverty, further entrenching individuals in financial hardship. The effects of prolonged debt from fines extends beyond the individual. Families also bear the burden of financial instability, leading to decreased opportunities for children and perpetuating cycles of disadvantage across generations. Those facing homelessness also run the risk of losing custody of their children, further exasperating mental distress. Vulnerable people may withdraw from personal relationships out of fear that their legal troubles will negatively affect those around them, leading to further isolation. The stress associated with long-term debt and legal obligations contributes to mental health issues like anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation.

If you’re sick, cold, hungry, and scared all the time, do you really have the ability to make informed decisions about complex legal situations?

The prolonged nature of extended court proceedings, fines, and legal entanglements leave vulnerable people in a constant state of anxiety and uncertainty, leading to chronic stress, affecting mental health and destabilizing morale. The psychological toll of enduring long court proceedings accumulates over time. As individuals face repeated delays, continuances, and rescheduled hearings, the emotional weight of their situation can become overwhelming. Legal delays are used as psychological tactics to wear down individuals, making them more likely to accept plea deals or coerced confessions just to escape the process. This method of mental exhaustion mirrors classic psychological torture tactics, where prolonged stress and uncertainty break down an individual's resistance . The pressure to resolve a case quickly, even at the expense of a fair outcome, leads vulnerable people to make decisions they wouldn’t have otherwise considered. While some strong people can attempt to build resilience in the face of these challenges, the overwhelming repeated stress of prolonged court proceedings over multiple years can wear down even the most resilient individuals, leading to burnout and submission.

The worst part of this entire situation is that you don’t have to break the law to find yourself within it. This can happen to you at any time. People who are falsely accused of crimes have no choice but to navigate the complexities of the legal system. The burden of proof rests heavily on the accused to demonstrate their innocence. This process can be lengthy and exhausting, consuming significant time, money, and emotional energy, even if they are ultimately exonerated. Many must engage with law enforcement, endure court appearances, and deal with the repercussions of being labeled a criminal, often without any compensation for the emotional, psychological, and financial toll of their ordeal, leaving individuals struggling with debt, job loss, and PTSD.

This is particularly devastating, for marginalized and racialized communities. Systemic racism within the legal system results in wrongful arrests and disproportionate punishment of Black and Indigenous individuals, targeting those already struggling under oppressive societal structures. Black and Chinese men were disproportionately targeted by Canada's anti-drug policies, which framed them as immoral degenerates and societal threats. 80% of cannabis-related criminal offenses in Canada were for possession. Since legalization, fewer than 400 Canadians have been pardoned for past possession charges (as of 2021), despite an estimated 10,000 eligible for relief. Cannabis laws disproportionately targeted racialized and Indigenous communities and those with lower incomes. This situation effectively subjects them to a form of legal slavery, while the Canadian government now profits from a multi-billion-dollar industry. Systemic racism within the legal system contributes to the over-policing of these communities, increasing the likelihood of wrongful charges.

The appeal process is slow, complex, and broken. Individuals seeking to overturn wrongful convictions must navigate a convoluted system that prioritizes procedural technicalities over justice. Delays can stretch for years, leaving innocent people in limbo while their lives are effectively put on hold. Likewise, those who have been victimized often avoid seeking justice out of fear of having to repeatedly relive their trauma through years long, expensive, legal interactions with their abuser.

If you are victimized by a law enforcement officer, seeking justice through the legal system can be life threatening. Police violence, harassment, and gang stalking (where individuals are constantly monitored and harassed by members of police) create an environment of paranoia, leading to mental health issues like PTSD and depression. People avoid participating in protests or speaking out against police misconduct if they believe that police will respond with violence or heavy-handed charges. When laws are used to target dissenters, people are forced to weigh the risks of speaking up against potential legal repercussions, physical violence, or death by execution via police. People are led to believe that reporting is futile or too dangerous. Experiences with law enforcement and the criminal justice system are often traumatic, vulnerable people who have faced arrest often develop PTSD and other trauma-related conditions and injuries as a direct result. This psychological toll suppresses dissent, making it nearly impossible for grassroots organizations to mobilize and advocate for themselves. This undermines their right to free expression and assembly and dissuades individuals from exercising their rights or making any attempt to challenge the legal system or its abuses, perpetuating a cycle of silence and oppression that leaves vulnerable communities even more isolated.

The Canadian legal system enforces a system of punishment and control that mirrors the psychological tactics used in military operations. This deliberate use of psychological pressure ensures that the most vulnerable remain trapped within the system, unable to escape or challenge the structures that oppress them. It systematically uses fear, confusion, abuse, and intimidation to control vulnerable groups, suppress dissent, and maintain societal hierarchies. The system perpetuates cycles of isolation, poverty, and trauma whilst providing no alternatives or escape. The purpose of this form of psychological warfare is to push vulnerable people into greater compromising situations until the inevitable result incarceration or death, either by police violence, prolonged health complications, or suicide. This system is not only predatory, but inherently dangerous.

Mutual aid and collective support is the only way to effectively reduce our reliance on this predatory system. By the simple act of taking care of eachother, communities can develop self-sufficient, resilient networks that provide essential services without relying on exploitative government mechanisms. When individuals know they can rely on their community for assistance—whether through direct support or shared resources—it cultivates a sense of belonging and collective responsibility. This resilience is crucial in times of crisis. When communities are united, they can challenge oppressive systems more effectively, creating a collective voice that demands accountability and ensures that no one is left behind.

Thank you for reading.