d
We Protect Each OtheR Fostering Albuquerque Community Safety
When I set out to create
Kindra
All African People’s Revolutionary Party
“it’s important
Miriam
Albuquerque Mutual Aid
Sradha
ABQ Cop Watch
“I’ve been a part of a tenants organizing collective, in a quickly gentrifying neighborhood, note: I am the face of the gentrifier. In NYC gentrification is some of the biggest violence Black people and POC face; landlords are ruthless. Our building didn’t have enough people to show up to meetings regularly, but we (me and my partner) were able to help a couple neighbors out by using our whiteness to complain and get dangerous things in their apartments fixed, that landlords had until then ignored. It was difficult doing any organizing in NY because we’re all just grinding so hard all the time, exhaustion is a key component in racial capitalism. A couple things I’ve learned- use my whiteness for all its worth because a person in power is more likely to listen to me. And Impact is greater than Intent, so when we’re doing community work as white people, we need to check our white saviorism as well. We do mutual aid work because we’re fighting fascism, its not charity. And we need to always keep that in mind. In ABQ I’ve been lucky to find community super fast, and have time to be help organize with some kitchen anarchists through Fashopposite 505 (do the opposite of what a fascist would do today- and frequently that means feeding people). In ABQ, just as in NYC our government denies housing to a regular part of the population, and so feeding people, community sourcing food, clothes, masks etc. is super helpful, but also feels sometimes like putting a bandaid on a gushing wound. We know that there are more than enough empty houses and apartments to go around, and at this point I think enough of us are on the same page to know that the system that crushes won’t dismantle itself. Liberating empty buildings to those who need them is looking more and more necessary. What gives me hope are our current movements, people on the streets fighting for Black Lives Matter and LandBack. All of our community problems are rooted in settler colonialism that has fueled racial capitalism protected by fascism (military and cops)- in other words the United States is a violent institution that has no right to exist. I have hope from anyone actively fighting it. I don’t know too much about social work, except that it can be wonderful or terrible. Rooting from racist creation and working with the city can mean more violence when people don’t critique the structure their working in (which is just as true for doctors and teachers) which means decolonizing or unsettling their practice is necessary. So if the city is willing to abolish prisons, police, ICE, the medical industrial complex etc. and have housing for all, food security, etc. then I sort of think you get to a point where social workers can really work wonders. Social workers can be super helpful and necessary, but it also feels like there is so much systemic hurt that goes on outside of what they can do.
Mutual aid, general strikes, burn the prisons, and disruption of capital are the ways to foster community and wellbeing. Abolition of this nation state means Indigenous land sovereignty and the creation of something better in return. Meaning we all help each other while putting sand in the cogs of the machine. We all find our place in how we can help, and become a closer, healthier community. When ABQ is on the streets like Rochester and Portland I’m there, and for now my place is community sourcing and cooking. One thing that I think is incredible about the internet age is the access to resources, to people who know people who know people, as well as information- being able to see how our struggles are connected and how we can work together. Through social media we’ve been able to source hundreds of clothes, as well as see how others are uprising across the country to be able to better prepare ourselves locally. So I think when people ask how they can help their own community they just need to ask their community what it needs, and see what works best for them all, and also ask for help! Interdependence is key; as humans we need each other, and no one can do everything themselves. When we’re doing our meal distribution, people ask if we have backpacks, so we find them backpacks, we don’t stay stagnant. When we as organizers need help we also ask for it. Its challenging when we internalize traits of capitalism, whether its condemning destruction of property or not asking for help because we’ve been trained not too. And I think its super necessary to break these cycles in ourselves while we’re working with our communities, because those things will only prevent us from doing the work we’ve set out to do. I would like to see more cop watch, more help for those getting evicted, more housing, more destruction of capitalist property, more fascists and abusers getting deplatformed, more liberals understanding that their government doesn’t give a shit about them, and all the prisoners getting free. I think people working and organizing in and for communities need to understand that their efforts are not too small, and that they’re in it for the long run. While we’re trying to create a new world, I’m setting goals to happen in my lifetime, so I know that I’m working towards them everyday.”
Anonymous
Fash Opposite 505