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Now that the fascism is growing in scope an visibility beyond “normally” criminalized communities, I try and remind myself of several things I have learned over the past few years. First, this shit’s scary&traumatic and anyone who minimizes or acts blasé is at least an enabler
Being in the streets while riot cops and unidentified military personnel rush at you is an experience that will not leave you quickly. You might experience trauma responses around sirens and loud bangs
No matter what your politics, seeing cops beat your comrades in the streets will change your understanding of how you relate to the world. If you experience politics mostly discursively, antagonisms that may have previously seemed abstract will feel viscerally concrete.
Facing down militarized cops is something that should make you feel scared - if you don’t feel scared about it, you might be dissociating and you should be careful that you don’t put yourself or others at risk without full consent and strategic forethought.
You should never go into the streets alone. Someone who’s not with you should always know where you are. If you’re detained, DO NOT TALK TO your captors, except to invoke your rights or attempt to get basic information, like why they’re detaining you and if you’re under arrest
Go into the streets with people you trust and who have your emergency information. Learn how to build trust with other pods or affinity groups and to negotiate risk and escalation with people you’ve just met.
Look for NLG Legal Observers (green hats) and medics and proactively figure out under what circumstances you might need them and make sure you know how to hail them. Write the NLG legal support number on your body with sharpie in multiple locations.
Notice when you feel excitement and when you feel elevated levels of fear. Taking care of yourself and making sure you’re able to sustain your presence for the foreseeable future means building affect tolerance and not burning too much gas on any single day, if avoidable.
Find joy in the streets. Encourage creative chants, instruments (riot bards!), and jokes and games with friends. Dress comfortably and expressively! Unless silence or heightened situational awareness is required, stay engaged with participation and conversation.
Recognize and name your own bravery and that of your comrades. You are a badass antifascist standing up against state violence amidst a time of global crisis. If you’re doing support work, your contribution is vital and brave and strategically necessary!
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, that’s ok. Talk with your friends, community, + therapist. Unless you’re in immediate danger, do not hold your feelings in or push them away or pretend they’re not there. That shit will haint you, make you less effective. Care for yourself + ur ppl
This should not be any more of a burden than it has to be. We’re building the worlds we want to live in while tearing down shit that oppresses us. It’s heavy/difficult/ scary in a way that makes it tempting to lash out, but we need to treat ourselves and each other with care.
Don’t be a martyr. Don’t take on more than you can handle without actively looking to coordinate with others. When people burn out, it can lead to temporary and sometimes lasting hits to community infrastructure. Be aware of your own burnout tendencies (+ those of your people).
These are all things that I didn’t know before I started doing direct action and sometimes have a hard time remembering, to my own detriment. I share them to encourage others and to hold myself accountable.
