Collective Liberation When The World Is On Fire
How we care for each other now and in the future
The crises and devastation of the world can feel overwhelming to even the strongest of us at times. And this is, for many, one of those overwhelming times. But even in the midst of so much pain and so many emergencies, we have it in us to get through and help get each other through.
We are the living testaments of multiple generations of collective struggle and collective care. We would not exist without the efforts of present and past generations, in times often even darker than the ones we face now.
Throughout history, we have loved each other in so many beautiful ways, and because we have loved each other, we exist.
So, in the darkest times, let us remember that we are each other’s light.
If you need help finding a little order in chaos, below is a handy framework to approach collective liberation in times of crisis. There is even a handy, downloadable pdf version here, for your future use:
And although this little guide more general, it can be used when trying to figure out how to help people during and after the horrific fires currently burning in Los Angeles, especially when combined with this list of Los Angeles Disaster Support Resources.
A Guide to Collective Liberation When the World is on Fire
Do Now:
Mutual Aid: Government safety nets for disaster are notoriously slow to reach people, and even when they do, they almost never effectively help those most impacted by disaster - especially when those most impacted are from BIPOC, immigrant, and disabled communities. Mutual aid is vital in times of crisis. It is how we get help to people most impacted as quickly as possible. Give to mutual aid funds, whether they are small community funds or individual fundraisers. Donate asked-for items to community groups on the ground. Skip the larger, national orgs and get help directly to people now, while they need it most.
Spread Awareness of Resources: Stay plugged in to local organizations and journalists who are on the scene documenting what is happening. Share links to where people can give to mutual aid, and where people can receive mutual aid. Share news on what is happening on the ground (please try to vet info with at least one trusted source first). Share requests for assistance.
Protect People and Animals: Keep an eye on how the most marginalized communities are faring during crisis. How are disabled people, people experiencing homelessness, incarcerated people, elderly people, BIPOC people being treated and cared for during crisis? Are they being targeted by police or immigration officials? Is there a protection effort you can support or join? Are marginalized people being evacuated from danger in a timely and safe manner? Are people getting the special transportation or medical equipment they need? Who is taking in pets and animals or helping with the protection and safe passage of wildlife? Plug in to local activist and community groups in order to find out where your time or resources are needed.
Invest In Helpers: Do not reinvent the wheel. If effective ground-level aid already exists for the communities you are trying to support, invest in them or support them however you can. Creating a new aid channel (especially if you are not already plugged into the community impacted and its needs) will always be less effective than supporting the aid channels that communities have already created for themselves.
Document What is Happening: What is happening right now? Who is being helped? Who isn’t being helped? What organizations or government entities are taking advantage of crisis to harm marginalized people? What safety nets are failing? Which ones are working? How is media helping or hurting those most vulnerable in times of disaster? It is especially important to document all abuses that occur during these times. People, organizations and state entities take advantage of chaos to target immigrant, BIPOC, and disabled populations, as well as those experiencing homelessness for theft, violence, discrimination, and incarceration. They hope that in the chaos, their abuses won’t be documented and they won’t be held responsible for harm they caused.
Do Next:
Begin to Document the Long-Term Impacts and Potential Need: Disaster recovery is not just about immediate survival. There are long-term financial, physical, and emotional impacts to disaster that we must prepare for as soon as possible. Estimate potential long-term need, and estimate it generously.
Push for Larger Aid: Do not believe any government claims that there are not enough resources to fully support those impacted by disaster. Our government sends billions of our tax dollars every year to support war and genocide. The funds to help people exist, our government has just decided that it is more important to hurt people instead. Demand truly adequate funding to not only help people survive disaster, but help them and their communities rebuild.
Protect Homes and Communities: Property developers and unethical landlords often take advantage of disaster to push small businesses, poor and working class people, BIPOC and renters out of their homes. Push for emergency legislation to block developers and real-estate investors from buying up land in vulnerable communities after disaster, as well as emergency legislation that blocks evictions in times of crisis. Join or support community action groups that are working to protect communities and people’s right to return to their communities. Reject any efforts to sell outside property or business buying as an “investment” in impacted communities.
Protect Workers: Workers are often harmed and exploited in times of crisis. It is vital that we support union efforts during crisis, and that larger companies care for workers impacted during crisis, even if they cannot work. It is important to protect workers from exploitation during crisis as well, and push back against employers who want to place workers in dangerous situations in times of crisis simply for profit. It is important to demand that workers who are recovering from disaster be allowed to do so without risking losing their job or medical benefits.
Hold Insurance Companies Accountable: Many insurance companies try to avoid their obligations to policy holders in times of crisis. Whether it’s property insurance, health insurance, life insurance, or short and long-term care insurance, it is important that we support efforts to document insurance company abuses and hold those companies accountable to make sure that they pay policy holders what they are owed.
Build Long-Term Support Networks: Build the networks that will sustain impacted communities after the disaster is no longer making headlines. How will people stay connected? How will people who have a long road to recovery stay housed and get the care they need? How will people track long-term goals? How will we hold systems accountable in the months and years to come as communities work to recover?
Push for Long-Term Aid Plans and Commitments: What does it look like to rebuild a community? What do our systems (that we pour so many tax dollars into) owe communities to ensure that nobody is left behind in rebuild efforts? How can we secure commitments from our government toward the long-term care of impacted communities, and how can we ensure that this money doesn’t support the displacement, incarceration, or marginalization of vulnerable people in our communities?
Do After That And Always:
Document and Analyze What Happened: What happened during this disaster? What led up to it? What could have prevented it? Who are the responsible parties? How did people and systems respond? Where did aid efforts help, where did they hurt? Who was effectively helped, who was not? How were people impacted? What were their immediate and long-term needs? Clearly define systemic causes and contributing factors. This information is not only important to how we respond to the current disaster, but how we respond to - or even prevent - similar disasters in the future.
Investigate Where Your Tax Dollars Go: Think about what government resources went to preventing and/or addressing this disaster. Now, look at how many government resources go towards creating similar disasters around the globe. Think about how much money is spent on incarcerating or deporting people, instead of helping people. Do not let people tell you that these issues are not connected. They are. What our government prioritizes in the US and overseas will show not in their words, but in resources. Don’t demand that money come “from somewhere” in order to help communities impacted by disaster domestically. Demand instead the reallocation of funds that are used to cause harm to our vulnerable communities and overseas. Demand that our government stop investing creating disaster around the world, and start investing in building up our communities.
Help The Helpers: Often funds flood into aid groups in a time of crisis, but those funds quickly fade the moment disaster is less immediate. But it is year-round, long-term funding that is needed for those who are coming through for our communities in times of crisis to ensure that they can help with long-term community care and rebuilding, and to ensure that they can act as quickly and effectively as possible the next time they are needed.
Develop and Support Long-Term Community Care: Community care is not just about recovering from disaster, it’s about building up the strength and resources to weather a future that will likely see hard times ahead. With the economic, political, and environmental realities we face, strong community networks are vital to our survival. Don’t let the connections built in times of crisis fade the moment that situations are less urgent. Stay connected, stay in support networks, continue to communicate about what is happening in your community and what your community needs to stay strong and vibrant.
Push for Policy Change Around Failures: As we document what happened and why, as well as aid efforts that succeeded or failed, it is important that we push for long-term policy change around systemic failures or harm. If we don’t push for long-term, measurable change on a systemic issue, we will not only see similar and (and worse) disasters in the future, we will also see similar (and worse) devastating impacts on our most vulnerable communities. And each disaster will have a compounding effect on our communities and our ability to recover.
Build Political Coalition Around Change: Impacted and concerned communities need to come together to not only share information and resources in times of crisis, but also to build coalition for long-term political action. Government agencies and political sectors love to separate people in times of crisis and play impacted communities against each other. Strong coalitions that recognize shared goals and shared oppressors can build power for shared liberation. Make commitments to work together and support community-specific efforts, as well as broader, more wide-reaching political efforts for change.
REMEMBER:
Everyone is deserving of care.
Everyone is deserving of safety and shelter.
Cops do not keep us safe.
Punishment Culture will not move us forward.
No person or group is more worthy of life and liberty than others.
We do not sacrifice the wellbeing of others for our own sense of comfort.
Community care is a relationship, not a transaction.
Embracing joy, even in the toughest times, is also community care.