I'm fucking proud of my little bro in Minneapolis.

And ALSO if there is a reason you can't be "on the front lines" (for example, being elderly or disabled & unable to put your body on the line), there is plenty you can do.

I'm not saying there isn't work you can't be doing now. There is. There is plenty of work to be done.

But if you feel guilty because you aren't "on the front lines," your chance will come. It's tyranny, you will be given reason & opportunity. Build up your community, care for your people, & do what you can to support other communities in the ways that you can.

You are not lesser because you aren't physically in the fight. We need you too. We all have a responsibility to stand up & help each other, but medical care, food, spreading the word, encouraging & caring for the people on the front lines, & so, so many more things are valid actions in the fight. You are one of us if you choose to be, & we need you.

I'm just saying, look around & offer what you have to give.

I am willing to get on the streets if ICE is in my neighborhood, but my brother, tall & in good physical shape, is probably going to be more effective on the physical action end of things than I am.

I'm pretty sure the best use of my skills is in communication, propaganda, recruiting, & encouragement. So that's where I'm focused. But I'm still keeping my eyes open & not ruling out the possibility that something else may be asked of me.

But for now, I'm doing the things I excel at.

I'm fucking proud of my little bro in Minneapolis. He's getting connected with people in his neighborhood, he's 3D printing whistles to hand out, he's volunteering to do shifts protecting potential ICE targets, he's sharing information about what's happening in his city.

This is what I mean when I say "when the opportunity comes to be of use, take it." The opportunity will come. Prepare yourself, connect with others, & be ready. And if you're called up, actually fucking get out there & try.

I'm fucking proud of my little bro in Minneapolis. He's getting connected with people in his neighborhood, he's 3D printing whistles to hand out, he's volunteering to do shifts protecting potential ICE targets, he's sharing information about what's happening in his city.

This is what I mean when I say "when the opportunity comes to be of use, take it." The opportunity will come. Prepare yourself, connect with others, & be ready. And if you're called up, actually fucking get out there & try.

It's a two-sided thing: you should use your abilities (and your *privilege*) to help. You should be willing to take personal risks for the sake of others.

But we all have different abilities & we are all are in different circumstances.

For instance, if you've got kids at home or elderly or disabled folks who depend on you, your risk calculus is significantly different than mine.

Basically, don't be a fucking coward & shirk your responsibility to others, but that looks different for all of us.

You have valuable work to do. You have contributions to make.

Sometimes that's being on the streets right in the face of the Feds.

Sometimes that's taking care of the people you have responsibilities towards.

Sometimes that's fucking surviving for another day.

You are here. You are part of this. We need you, we appreciate you, we love you. You are not useless. You are not alone.

@artemis

That's a bro worth taking pride in.

Credit to your momma. I am sure it's not an accident she raised two kids right.

I'm not saying there isn't work you can't be doing now. There is. There is plenty of work to be done.

But if you feel guilty because you aren't "on the front lines," your chance will come. It's tyranny, you will be given reason & opportunity. Build up your community, care for your people, & do what you can to support other communities in the ways that you can.

@artemis thank you for this for a bunch of reasons I have stepped back from Frontline work

One of them is disability and I feel like even that isn't a very good excuse right now to do nothing

But reading through this thread reminded me of The stuff in the back of my head that I tend to ignore, that I rarely open my mouth to another person outside of my apartment without spreading some sort of anti-fascist message, I'm always looking for and trying to find ways to build community and be supportive I'm not saying this as a bragging thing I'm just saying not getting out on the streets for me right now is making me feel bad and your thread help me feel better by reminding me of the other stuff

@chu
You are right. It's not a mistake. We learned from her to care about truth & stand up for it & for others. She's a real one.

@artemis

Since becoming a momma, I have learnt to appreciate what it takes to raise kids right.

If she just had one, it could be a fluke. Two though, that's credit to her for sure.

Tell her she's seen. Mommas don't hear that enough.

I'm fucking proud of my little bro in Minneapolis. He's getting connected with people in his neighborhood, he's 3D printing whistles to hand out, he's volunteering to do shifts protecting potential ICE targets, he's sharing information about what's happening in his city.

This is what I mean when I say "when the opportunity comes to be of use, take it." The opportunity will come. Prepare yourself, connect with others, & be ready. And if you're called up, actually fucking get out there & try.

I'm fucking proud of my little bro in Minneapolis. He's getting connected with people in his neighborhood, he's 3D printing whistles to hand out, he's volunteering to do shifts protecting potential ICE targets, he's sharing information about what's happening in his city.

This is what I mean when I say "when the opportunity comes to be of use, take it." The opportunity will come. Prepare yourself, connect with others, & be ready. And if you're called up, actually fucking get out there & try.