#community action

[switchscene]

A punk house is a magical place. Like, no really it is. The one I spend time at, it's down in Florida and it's one of the only music venues in the city that's not centered around sex or drinking. It's run by local queer punks, there's a "dorm" where you can sleep if you're having a a bad time at home, there's space for traveling bands to spend the night after a show, there's a community garden and a pop up shop and once it's autumn there's a bonfire most nights. We see so many shows there, and hang out and do art together, and recently we had a big fundraiser to keep it there another year. It was my band's biggest show we've ever played and it was the best time ever <3

Here's us closing our set with To Risk To Live by Days N Daze, follow us (Twig and Leaf) on Instagram and if you're ever in South Georgia or North Florida, hit us up and we can jam together.

[destroyingangelneveragod]

Long-term Reparations for a Black Family

The below write-up is from a previous post I made for Courtney but I copy and pasted it as I'm fatigued and it's still relevant.

For those of you who know my blog, you know my friend Courtney needs support. The reality is it is unlikely that that will change soon given that she is a disabled single mom providing for 3 kids with a low-wage job. I love her dearly and she genuinely struggles every day. I want to make the world better for her. I talk often about the power of community care. Courtney needs this consistently. If you are a non-Black person who is financially secure, please consider giving her reparations every month or biweekly. I will put her paylinks below. To work towards and as an accomplice of Black liberation, you need to be committed.

This part is not copy pasted but new.

Currently, her family is struggling with food, getting their water on, and saving for next month's rent. They don't have water at the moment and her son has no clean underwear left. They really need the water back on. The sooner the better. They need 136 more to get the water. If you see this, please send a dollar if possible, or even 50 cents. Small donations add up. Give reparations consistently and commit, but if you can't do it consistently still help out when you can.

Cash.me/browni3mom

Venmo @courtney-reece-85

[solarpunkshoppe]

https://x.com/Esqueer_/status/1785492559252365490

Remember, the machine will never care about hypocrisy. They only care about profit. Keep the pressure on.

[katcurio]

A tiny activism zine. Free digital download available on my ko-fi!

[luulapants]

Btw for those of us in deep blue states, sanctuary states and cities, cities that are gonna be taking refugees in the coming years...

We gotta figure out our housing. We need to start working on making space for people. NOW. Property buying collectives to get real estate out of corporate hands, community housing, co-ops, breaking down single family zoning laws. I truly believe this is step one for us.

Get ready to build up and invest in depopulated post-industrial cities that have space to take people and make sure the housing there is liveable, affordable, and available. We can't just cram everyone into NYC and Chicago and LA. Time to start thinking about transit options to expand access to underdeveloped regions. Branching satellite operations of community services from huge metros to smaller ones.

Don't just get ready for the next election. Get ready for the next census.

[greenhorizonblog]

The Free People's Café

I have an idea for a café (could start as a stall or pop up outside) where people can get a ready made hot meal for free. And I want to emphasise it'll be a cafe, not a soup kitchen.

I've seen more and more that lot of middle class people, across the whole political spectrum actually, really do want to help the homeless and other local people in need but at the same time they are very afraid of them.

They are afraid because they don't know how they will act. People in need in most cases are technically desperate, and desperate people can often act unpredictably, and there are few things more scary than the unpredictable and uncertain. Many of the people who most want to help are women, and we ourselves are vulnerable in many ways in society. Many have kids that need them and therefore don't want to put themselves in potential harm's way. But many of them like to and are good at making lovely home cooked meals. That's why I thought of this

The food would be home cooked and donated by anyone who wants to, so long as they bring ID so we can track it to them, and their name (along with the date the food was prepared, which should be the day before donation) would be put on the container for the food donated, to deter bad actors. Ready meals within their due date would also be accepted. Donors would come by and pick up their tray again when they can.

It will be indistinguishable from any other cute cafe. People struggling deserve the dignity of eating in nice surroundings too.

By making it free for all, people will not as easily be able to tell who is struggling and who isn't, so people who are struggling would feel less shame about getting free food. The main statement in the cafe would be that food is a human right, which should also help people overcome feelings of unworthiness a little.

When some people tout the whole 'food should be earned' shtick, I ask; do the trees need to prove themselves worthy of sunlight? do squirrels have to prove themselves worthy of the acorns from the trees? Even predatory animals don't have to go through some prior long convoluted abstract test of worthiness (our concept of 'work') before they are allowed to catch prey, they just do it and if all is well in the eco system, it's not hard for them. Humans are the only animal that insists on holding their food for ransom from each other, among many other bullshit behaviours. In short, we have lost plot as a species

We would ensure though that the one's most in need, like homeless people get to eat first, like an hour before official opening time. They can also just come by, pick up a meal and eat it elsewhere if they wish

There would of course be a fridge, freezer on site, as well as an airfryer and microwave to heat the food and to make sure it's properly cooked through. And all food handlers would of course be trained so that all food safety standards of hygiene would be upheld

This wouldn't be allergen friendly since it's just people's home cooking (maybe with exception of the sealed ready meals) but then again most other cafes and restaurants can't really guarantee being allergen free either. This would also be clearly signed and labelled in the cafe so there is no confusion.

People would be most encouraged to bring savoury main meals, like a big tray of lasagna or big pot of curry/stew etc for example, but are also welcome to donate deserts, non alcoholic drinks, and snacks as well as pantry items, that can be given out food, bank style.

The donors who want to can leave their social media handle as well, so if people like the food they can write a thanks to them, or tag them in a post of the meal :) to give some social incentive and reward for people to keep donating. Could also be a sticky note board with similar notes of appreciation.

I'm in the UK, and from what I have gathered this should be possible, even with the hassle of the necessary registration, insurance, training etc. You could also do this unofficially in your local community and start things like a free fridge/pantry. This is just an idea I have been entertaining lately, if it's already being done that's awesome, I just haven't personally seen it done anywhere yet, so I thought I'd share the idea.

If you can, please feel free to use it and make it happen. Society is safer, healthier, happier and much more peaceful and level headed when people's next meal is guaranteed

[shipperwolf1]

Trashing Their Rights: Alabama town uses ‘debtors’ prison’ for people in arrears on garbage bills

The SPLC and EJI collaborate to take on Alabama's debtor prison system

[butch-reidentified]

well my wife & I had literally just arrived downtown, were still walking down the sidewalk to the bar, when we run into this guy on the corner interacting aggressively with a very anxious-looking woman trying to lock a shop door and two young boys. my wife instantly steps in and firmly asks the man to step back a bit while I check in with the woman. he's obviously drunk and belligerent, and starts shouting at us. "I'm just talking to my son, I'm not allowed to talk to my son?"

she explains very straightforwardly that this is her restaurant she owns, and he's her abusive ex who's always hanging around her restaurant and trying to manipulate the kids by talking shit about her and giving her diabetic son candy. she tells us that the local police and "everyone" knows about this situation, that's she's tried twice to get a restraining order, he's stolen from her and her restaurant multiple times, etc.

he asks my wife and me with disgust if we're "girlfriends or something," to which I respond that it's absolutely none of his business. he asks us why we're in his business, then. She tells us he slapped her a few minutes prior, because of what she was wearing. He says it isn't fair that he "never got to see her like that" while they were dating because he "was always working in her restaurant." I ask him who the fuck told him seeing her ~like that~ was his right.

we ask her if she wants us to walk her to her car/home, and she says she lives a couple blocks away and that would be really good. as we walk away, he tells her "spirits" are going to come and get her tonight. so we walk with her and the kids, let her vent about him and everything she's tried to do to stop this without anything changing, how the police don't care and how they believed him that HER home and restaurant were his because he's a white man and she's a black woman, and they interrogated her while asking him nothing.

On the walk, he walks up behind us to a bit ahead of us to where the older boy is on his bicycle, and starts talking to the older boy again, but not before shouting to us that "men should be with women." She refuses to engage, and we follow her lead. I ask her some questions to get a feel for what she might have or need. We give her our phone numbers and a short spiel about available community resources and the importance of women looking out for other women. I tell her I can connect her with those resources and am happy to arrange help for her to complete the restraining order process, as the barriers preventing her previously have been things like being unable to arrange for childcare so she can go to court. She asks if she can give us hugs, and we say of course.

We stay while she and her piece of shit ex verbally battle for control of the older son. She's asking him to come up to their apartment. We can't hear what he's saying to the kid, but he keeps shifting position to block her from making eye contact with her son. She tells us he is teaching the kid to view and treat women like he does. She tells us the kid needs counseling and is struggling with depression.

We stay until the older son gets his father's permission to go upstairs with her. He approaches us on the corner as we wait to be able to cross, and asks us again about our relationship to each other. We tell him again it isn't his business. He asks why we get to ask for all of his information, then. My wife points out that we didn't even ask his name.

for several long and irritating minutes, he stands a foot away from us running his mouth while we wait to be able to cross. at a couple points, he borders on threatening, but never crosses the line. I keep my hand on my gun in my pocket regardless. I tell him I heard what he said about "spirits" and if anything happens to her tonight (or at all), we'll know who did it. he tells me I'm funny. my wife has already made a phone call, and we have three people on the way from our friend's bar (which is 1 store over from her restaurant). he hears her phone call and tells us that's a bad idea. I ask him if that's a threat. he stays silent as the light finally turns and we begin to cross.

he doesn't follow.

on the way home, we pass three separate police cars, and my blood is boiling hotter each time.

I really hope she's safe tonight. I really hope she reaches out and lets us help.

tonight was a stark reminder that all of our communities are rife with abusive men and abused women, all the time, and nobody is looking out for these women. know your community's needs and resources. any day or night could be the time you stumble across one of these situations. you'll be grateful you have that knowledge to share when you do.

[boymanmaletheshequel]

Reminder to my fellow American witches and pagans, as the Trump administration begins to dismantle our economy and prices begin to rise, especially corporate prices, try to shop at local small businesses as much as you can! They are going to struggle more than anyone, and need your support and finance much more than any greedy price gouging corporation. That’s all. 💙🏛️💚

[destroyingangelneveragod]

Help Walaa and her family evacuate from Gaza

This fundraiser was shared with me via @palipunk , please circulate it the best you can so they can evacuate.

[allthecanadianpolitics]

A pop-up thrift store drew in a crowd bright and early Saturday because there was something appealing about it – no price tags.

Over 100 people attended the pay-what-you-can event held by volunteers with the Dartmouth community fridge on the grounds of Christ Church near downtown. 

"You pay, you don't," said Elizabeth O'Hanley, one of the organizers. "You pay a lot, you pay a little. It's up to you to make the decision."

O'Hanley regularly volunteers at the Dartmouth community fridge, which offers free food and hygiene products to hundreds of people per week. She said the need is only growing as the cost of living in Nova Scotia continues to rise [...]

Continue Reading.

Tagging: @newsfromstolenland

[nando161mando]

[local-lesbrarian]

Yesterday, the board of trustees for the library I work at voted unanimously against banning This Book Is Gay by Juno Dawson! This was a huge relief for me (and my fellow staff), and I just wanted to share a few takeaways from this experience.

For context, a library patron had submitted a formal request to have the book removed after seeing it displayed alongside other recent additions to our YA section. He took issue with, of course, the chapter on sex ed and provided pages of out-of-context quotes and straight-up lies to make the book appear "dangerous." Lots of the homophobia and puritanism you'd expect. Per our policies, we formed a committee to address his request, and the committee decided the book was fine where it was. Again per policy, he had the option to appeal to the board of trustees, which he took.

We found out he was doing this 5 days before the next board meeting. And even with that short warning, we had over 150 people show up to a small-town library board meeting that often has few or no public attendees! We couldn't fit everyone in our biggest room! Look at us all!!

Public comments are limited to 3 minutes or less, and that still lasted for more than an hour. People spoke who were parents, teachers, nurses, therapists, voting activists, workers at other libraries, and of course, many queer people. They talked about censorship, freedom of expression, freedom to read, the positive impacts of this book and books like it on youth, their own experiences as queer kids and teens or parents or such, and more--too many perspectives to list here. Every single speaker opposed the book ban. Every. One.

The patron who initiated this challenge was present, but left before public comment was over, without speaking.

So, those takeaways:

This is further evidence that campaigns of censorship and queer erasure are perpetuated by individuals and small groups, and don't represent the common view. You can check out stats on ala.org to back this up, but most people, including most parents, oppose book bans.

This turnout was gathered mainly through texts, email, chats (like Discord), phone calls, and word of mouth. Every town and city has people willing to fight and support those fighting the tides of fascism--keep in touch with your community and your allies, your local friends and trusted acquaintances, and when the time comes for action, they will show up.

Pushback, especially public, visible pushback, demoralizes bad actors. These are often people with little to do except organize and promote their hatred, often people with few material problems demanding their attention. (In this case, a retired eye doctor.) Give them a fight, and they often back down. If they don't back down, see #2 and beat them with numbers and passion.

Even after a victory, stay alert. We're prepping for litigation (not that we think he has a case, but he does have a reputation). We're also keeping a close eye on the smaller libraries in nearby towns and townships. Even if someone like this backs down once, they might try their luck somewhere easier. Keep those contact networks from #2 ready to go.

None of this is comprehensive, and your particular situation may well require different tactics. I'm not an expert, just a chronically online trans woman and librarian who's gotten unexpectedly attached to her current town. It was incredibly heartwarming to see so many people stand up for queer teens where I live, when it usually feels like nobody cares about what's happening to queers in the States. This post has already gone on longer than I expected, I'm just still quite emotional and wanted to talk about it. (Also still mentally drained from the past few days of stress...)

Huge shoutout to everyone who helped make this community action happen. Many of them were more eloquent or piercing in their comments, but here's my 3-minute spiel. It was delivered with none of the eye contact or dramatic reading I'd rehearsed because, holy shit, there were a lot of people there!

[yo-aloe-vera]

BeLoved Asheville Searching for Space for Free Store Open To Those Affected by Helene

BeLoved Asheville, a grassroots organization that has spearheaded a great deal of the hurricane relief efforts around Asheville, NC, is trying to find space to open a free store where those affected by Helene can come and choose what they need. They write:

"We’re embarking on a mission to create a FREE Store—a place where anyone affected by the hurricane can come and find clothing and other essentials at no cost. We want this to be a space of hope and community, where neighbors help neighbors. Now, we need your help to find the perfect location!

We’re searching for a place to rent or buy in Asheville, Swannanoa, Black Mountain, Waynesville, or Barnardsville. If you know of any available spots or have a space to offer, please reach out! Together, we can build a stronger, more resilient community.

Let’s spread the word and make sure no one is left without the help they need!"