sam n’s Reviews > Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity in This Crisis > Status Update

everyone deserves dignity, belonging, and safety just because we are alive
cultivate a desire to be beautifully, exquisitely ordinary. practice being nobody special.
"rather than a fantasy of being rich and famous, which capitalism tells us is the goal of our lives, we cultivate a fantasy of everyone having what they need and being able to creatively express the beauty of their lives"

making consensus decision-making efficient/effective
1. create teams
2. create decision-making chart
3. practice proposal-making
4. practice meeting facilitation
5. welcoming new ppl

charity 2/2: unawareness/lack of strategy of transforming conditions that cause the injustice, paternalism/rescue fantasy/saviorism, majority rules by board, depoliticized to retain gov legitimacy, assess work based on elites' opinions, members=donors, meet grant deliverables, maintain good reputation

charity 1/2: service work staffed by pros, grant $ for supplies/philanthropic control, gov regulatns, single issue work, impose eligib crite for srvcs that / ppl into deserving/un recip, set conditions for rcvg help (sober, family status, immig status, no warrants, etc), looking for job/career, pay/decision-making hierarchy,

MUT AID: de-professionalized survival work done by vols, beg/borrow/steal supplies, ppl power to resist government regulations, survival work rooted in anti capitalism, anti imperialism, racial/gender/disabil justice, open meetings/consensus, support ppl facing most dire conditions, giving things away w/o expectations, particip due to passion, efforts to flatten hierarchy, self-determination, radicaliztn

Qs to ask within mutaid grps:
-who controls our project?
-who makes decisions ab what we do?
-does any rcvd funding limit who/how we help?
-do our guidelines ab who can participate cut out primaries/vulnerable ppl?
-what's our relationship to law enforcement?
-how do we introduce new ppl in our group to our relationship to law enforcement,

solidarity ≠ charity
charity is usually sexist and racist bc it chooses who deserves their $

ppl involved in narrower mutual aid groups often find it expanding due to differing situations that led to the same undesired outcome. for example, racism, transphobia, colonialism, immigration enforcement, ableism, police violence, foster/healthcare system are all causes of homeless or harm to homeless people

most famous example in US was Black Panther Party's survival programs in 60-70s: free breakfast (still runs td!), medical clinics/ambulances, transportation for elderly, school aimed at liberation curriculum for children. meets basic survival needs to EMPOWER not blame impoverished people and broke stigma/isolation
FBI recognized as threat & police urinated on church's food in chicago to neutralize/destroy BPP

forced to rely on hostile systems like healthcare systems designed around profit not keeping people healthy. or food/transporttn systems that pollute the earth & poison ppl.
many ppl report that they have no one to confide in so they don't get help with drug use/mental health/family violence/abuse until law enforcement gets involved, which tends to escalate (not resolve) the harm :(
mutual aid is a radical act!