[1] storytime with a moral, plus advice about how to support demonstrations from home or elsewhere: (thread)

i was a squatter in amsterdam for a bit, fifteen years ago. we used large crowds to break into abandoned buildings and turn them into homes. it was glorious.

[2] one day, the cops arrived before we got into the building. i tended not to be front lines because i was a foreigner and also frankly because i’m a bit of a coward. the cops grabbed my friend to try to pull him out of the crowd and arrest him.

[3] the people near him grabbed him, held on for dear life. the cops started hitting his support people, trying to arrest them. the rest of the crowd, including me, held the support people. the cops made no arrests. we got the building open and people were able to move in.

[4] support is multilayered. support people need support themselves. no matter who you are or what you think of your own capacity, there is a place you can be useful. there is someone you can help. and there are people who can help you.

[5] think about your own capacity and your own skillsets and how you can apply them to this situation.
-if you have friends who are going to the streets, support them financially, emotionally, logistically, legally.

[6]-if you have a regular income, donate to larger structural groups like bail funds and legal support

[7] - if you have friends, family, or coworkers who don’t support these demos, talk to them about why you do. for better or worse, most political opinions are socially informed. we listen to each other more than we think we do.

[8] whatever you are good at, think about how to apply it at your own level of comfort. build a mobile sound system. do childcare. organize food delivery to demonstrators or overworked supporters. write posts like this. make memes (political ideas are socially informed).

[9] - make art, make music. fix your neighbor’s sink while she’s in jail, and walk her dog. offer therapy or medical advice. steal shit from your work and give it to street medics. tattoo people to raise funds. offer tech support for demonstrators or stay-at-home helpers.

[10] - hold space for people to cry. give massages. translate texts. copyedit communiques. monitor counterrevolutionaries online and inform protestors of their plans.

[11] whatever it is you do, this moment can use you. it’s okay to be front lines and it’s okay to be backup and its okay to support the supporters of the supporters.

[12/12] just remember that guidance and direction need to come from the frontlines and the parties most affected by police violence.