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#solidarity – @dystopiance on Tumblr
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fiction or fascism

@dystopiance / dystopiance.tumblr.com

in the sea we make our home revolution is not a metaphor.
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dystopiance

SUPPORT CHELLA'S ATTENDANCE AT CREATING CHANGE LGBTQ CONFERENCE 2016

“Hi, my name is Chella Coleman and I am an organizer, activist and artist who organizes around issues that face the trans* community, specifically trans women of color who live on skid row, such as myself. I have had the opportunity to develop and grow in my leadership over the past few years, becoming a fierce black trans woman leader in Los Angeles! I have co-facilitated and lead workshops with Gender Justice LA’s Theatre of the Oppressed program, became a community advisory board member for Liberation Arts and Community Engagement Center (LACE), as well as became a key volunteer with the Stop LAPD Spying campaign. I recently completed a part time internship with the Los Angeles Community Action Network (LACAN), which helps people living in skid row who are dealing with poverty to create & discover new opportunities while having their voice heard. I feel very greatfull and blessed to have had these opportunities and know that without my resilience, love and community, this would not have been possible.

Now I’m looking to take the next step in my activism, and to do that I am hoping to attend the national LGBTQ conference Creating Change!!! Attending a national conference will allow me to make important connections with other folks across the nation engaged in intersectional social justice work. I’ll be bringing a unique perspective to the conference – how often are trans women of color who live and work in places like Skid Row represented at conferences like these? ”

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SUPPORT CHELLA'S ATTENDANCE AT CREATING CHANGE LGBTQ CONFERENCE 2016

“Hi, my name is Chella Coleman and I am an organizer, activist and artist who organizes around issues that face the trans* community, specifically trans women of color who live on skid row, such as myself. I have had the opportunity to develop and grow in my leadership over the past few years, becoming a fierce black trans woman leader in Los Angeles! I have co-facilitated and lead workshops with Gender Justice LA’s Theatre of the Oppressed program, became a community advisory board member for Liberation Arts and Community Engagement Center (LACE), as well as became a key volunteer with the Stop LAPD Spying campaign. I recently completed a part time internship with the Los Angeles Community Action Network (LACAN), which helps people living in skid row who are dealing with poverty to create & discover new opportunities while having their voice heard. I feel very greatfull and blessed to have had these opportunities and know that without my resilience, love and community, this would not have been possible.

Now I’m looking to take the next step in my activism, and to do that I am hoping to attend the national LGBTQ conference Creating Change!!! Attending a national conference will allow me to make important connections with other folks across the nation engaged in intersectional social justice work. I’ll be bringing a unique perspective to the conference – how often are trans women of color who live and work in places like Skid Row represented at conferences like these? ”

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“The violence of the American state takes the lives of so many people  consistently, Its heartbreaking. Whether it's from a bullet to the  body, a bomb dropped over seas, the lack of care or the wrongful  conviction of innocent people, we have a system that needs to be  overturned. It does not respect the inherent dignity and sanity of  life. When I was 13, I believe, my cousin Junie was sentenced to life  in prison. I remember the night he came to my home afraid of what he  knew was coming, I remember the dark hall way/entrance he stood in as  I was told to take my little brothers, sister and cousin upstairs into  our room. That was that last time I remember seeing my older cousin  Junie. Evidence, just recently, has now surface that he was wrongly  convicted. He, Junie has spent the last 14 years of his life on earth  in prison, human cage for a crime he did not commit! It shakes me at  my core knowing I live in a country the cares so little about Human  life, my life. His son. Junie wasn't able to be in his sons life. My  father's sister, my aunt is raising money for his legal fund. please  support if you can. Either way my family, seven generation back and  seven generation forward shall be free physically mentally,  emotionally and spiritually. I believe in my prayer and in the hope  for a better world.“ PLEASE REBLOG. FOREVER. PLEASE SUPPORT. We can’t say how many people are incarcerated for fraudulent evidence, racist individuals, kkorupt kops and criminal injustice poverty trap systems... but we do have the opportunity to help this person and their family!

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Please Assist

Hello All!

I need to ask for funding helpz. I need to change jobs and also not let other people down in rent requirementz; i already have some part time work lined up but with additional car repairs (approx $360) am really really broke and need an extra couple of hundred for rent this month (and possibly next month :/) to help with the shift. i also got another parking ticket which added to my stress :/ which is an extra $70

i know that working less will mean more stress for rent, but right now i’m still broke and stressed and working too much (and too early) for my health right now. Ideally i’m looking to get hired as a personal assistant, or at a temp agency so that i have more control over time/ energy/ schedule. but honestly, it’s been really hard for me to hold down a job. i have trouble concentrating and daily feel bad about it and want to quit/ then talk myself down and out of it. I can’t bring myself to imagine any kind of monetary stability outside of constant debt and brokeness. I don’t know how to save money, because sharing resources is so important and basic needs such as bills, food, transp for collective projectx is so expensive (when your always broke).

i really hope to get the courage to quit this week or next week. I am going to shift back towards an old job at a theatre working front of house (even though the boss there is meh annoying/intrusive too) and work on that temp agency. meanwhile i have weekly collective projects that sustain my resolve, resistance and community... but will also suffer during this shift as well. but there is some hope and plans for those!!!

Please share and help if you can! Email me or paypal me or wepay me at [email protected]

kind words are also appreciated forever :D and reblogs and shares. and long distance hugs. sorry for asking <3

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Refusing kettles/taking police lines preparedness Medic training Shield training Anti surveillance Counter intelligence research and development Dispersed action during mass unrest Autonomous zones Anti cop zones Practicing direct confrontation Direct intervention or response to the state Direct intervention or response communally Reflection and check ins Self and communal care repetitive trauma Preparedness Supporting different roles Changing rotating your roles

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reblogged

Its Time For Black Liberation, Not Liberalism

White Supremacy & Anti-Blackness is about power, it is about domination, and it is instilled into every factor of the world we know. It is so infectious that even for someone with black skin it takes more conscious effort to not replicate it than it does to perpetuate it. It is because of this that it is important that we understand our own internalized anti-blackness and white supremacy, and begin to question and deconstruct what that looks like.

This is important so that we do not continue to perpetuate those things onto each other. We see that happening a lot now with rhetoric from liberal blacks who when talking about white on black murder say, “we should be fair, more black people are killed from black on black crime.” Apologism for this white supremacist police state is not helping our community, neither is the constant attempt to dilute the black in this resistance. We have seen #BlackLivesMatter turn into #AllLivesMatter (this is reference to what most presume to be just a hashtag stating that their lives matter, and not related to the organization). We’ve also seen, specifically here in Los Angeles, too many white people taking a lead role in organizing protest. There is this idea, that we can not do this alone, that police violence is everyones problem, so everyone should be working on this. This approach, ignores the systemic larger issue at play, that these black lives are not just being murdered because we have trigger happy police, but it is because we live in a white supremacist society that devalues black lives.

Black autonomy is key, our rebellion must be ours and ours alone. Yes, there are allies who also have a vested interest in changing the current power structure, the success of their struggle does not necessarily mean the success of ours. Anti-blackness is the foundation of this country. All other races either benefit or are punished for it depending how close they are perceived to be to blackness. White supremacy is not something exclusive to just the European race, but that white supremacy is perpetuated also in other non-black cultures as well. We see anti-darkness amongst other communities of color as well. I make a distinction from anti-darkness and anti-blackness, because you can still be of dark skin and still perpetuate anti-blackness. This is why the quick reaction to unify under all colors, and as just humans is lacking the critical understanding necessary to achieve anything more than a band aid to a gushing wound.

For that, and many other reasons, white people should NEVER lead or organize resistance of any sort. Especially not black resistance in which they are the benefactors of both white supremacy and anti-blackness. Allowing white people to organize black resistance makes as much sense as allowing the police to dictate how you protest against police brutality. There is an enormous amount of entitlement, and again white supremacy for a white person to even think they should be organizing around black struggle. There is also a certain amount of internalized white supremacy where we believe white people should be allowed to be included to organize amongst our spaces.

Do not allow your oppressors to organize you, they will have you running around in circles, making sure your tactics hold no true threat. Because black liberation comes at a cost to their privileges.

You can’t have a conversation about unity and coming together when some still have chains on their feet. It is the structure of white supremacy and the institutionalization of white supremacy that has allowed for the lives of black people to be murdered by police every 28 hours, and that has allowed it to become a normalized occurrence in this country for years.

While the two cops who were allegedly murdered by one black man allow for war to be publicly declared on the black community. For the mayor to state that the whole city will be in mourning. Where were the cities mourning when their city’s police officers killed Eric Garner? Were the cities mourning when their justice system failed Esaw Garner? You cannot take the issue of race out of this struggle, when the reason why we struggle is because of our race.

THIS IS A HELLA IMPORTANT READ.

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IN CASE OF AN ARREST: LOS ANGELES

If you can, write the number of a land line on your arm to call and communicate your needs from jail. Local cell numbers (depending on which jail you are in) might go through but outside area codes require an account with the jail phone system.

 HOW TO SUPPORT PEOPLE ARRESTED:

I’m sorry your friend/ loved one/ comrade or peer was arrested by the police.

 1. It will take approx. 2+ hours for the persyn to be booked and processed. This means having their information taken, fingerprints, photographs and sitting in a holding cell.

 2. For Los Angeles call 213-473-6080 to speak with an operator, or visit the LASD website here: http://app4.lasd.org/iic/ajis_search.cfm You will need the first and last name of the person you are searching for. Date of birth would help too.

 3. Once you find the person write down their booking number. Bail amount should be listed on the website. The site will list the type of charge (misdemeanor or felony) but not what charge so calling in is the best way to find out the charges. Note: The (Visitor: N) does not mean no visitors.

 Things to ask the operator:

 a)     What are the charges?

b)    Where are they being held and will they be transferred?

c)     Will they be released on OR or when will they be going to court?

d)    What are the visiting hours for the jail where they are held?

 Note: The state can legally hold you for 72 hours before you can see a judge. Weekends and holidays do not count. Also, the police do not follow the law they have been known to release people without paperwork or info on their court date.

 4. Once you know where they are being held you can begin to call the jail directly. Be aware that the police do lie which means the information they are giving you is not reliable. Call every few hours, or during major shift changes, to make sure the information is consistent and see whether the status has changed.

 5. If you are receiving calls from someone who had been arrested, know that the jail phones are extremely unreliable and likely to disconnect. Most cellular phones only receive 1 collect call and then require you to set up an account with the jail phone system. Collect calls to a land line work best. It is 25$ to set up an account for your cell phone and best to set up a pin with the account so you can access it again.

 6. For visitation: leave any questionable items at home or in your car. A “valid” ID is required for visitation. If possible document and report back any injuries the arrestee developed from the police or in custody. Note: If you have any recent previous arrests they could refuse to allow you visitation.  If you have pending warrants it could be unsafe for you to try to visit.

Things to ask your friend (over the phone or during visitation):

Are you okay? Are you hurt? What do you need from me? Is there anyone you need me to contact for you? (to cancel appointments, notify employment, school, parents, roommates etc..) Do you want to be bailed out (fundraising usually required)?

Note: all calls are monitored and recorded. Do not talk about the case, who did what, or anything you would not want to hear in court. Also advise your friend not to talk about the specifics of the case to people inside with them. The police have been known to arrest undercover cops with people to get info while in jail. The police have also been known to manipulate cell mates into testifying against people. Don’t be paranoid but be safe.

Things for you to know:

Is it possible they will be cited and released?

If your friend is detained, and not yet arrested, they might be written a ticket and released if they agree to go to court at a later date. 

What does it mean to be released on OR?

If the charge is minor it is possible they will arrest the person, book them, and “cite and release” them on OR without going through the OR office. OR stands for on your “own recognizance” which means you are taking responsibility for yourself and promise to come up court at a later date (not in custody). Sometimes the person arrested has to request release on OR and directions can be found on back of your jail receipt. Someone from the OR office will call someone on the outside to verify information the arrested person had provided to them, to show they are unlikely to flee if released from custody. This information includes previous employment records and former/present addresses. OR can also depend on what kind of charge, and again, is up to the discretion of law enforcement. 

What happens if the person has a warrant?

It depends on the county – if the warrant is from a different county it might not come up in the system. However, they CAN transfer you to that county and court and you may be in jail longer.   It also depends on the charge - if it’s a not paid metro ticket they could keep you a bit longer but you might get “time served” and your ticket will be resolved.  If it’s something they consider more serious, they could make you go to court for your current charge and your past one, sometimes separately which will mean more time in custody.

What happens if the person is undocumented?

 Contact the Immigrant Youth Coalition IYChttps://www.facebook.com/Immigrant.Youth.Coalition

Connect them to Immigrant Youth Coalitions Deportation Defense Coordination. Contact person is [email protected] . If they were released on OR then the risk is significantly decreased plus they fall under trust act and LA city no longer has an ICE hold policy. LAPD no longer runs ICE holds unless there is a judicial warrant. If there are any violations, please let the NLG know.

All of this information has been crowdsourced from experience. It is helpful to provide group support and communal care during court and even while people are being released from jail. Please make sure to eat, rest and check in with yourself. It may be helpful to create debrief and healing spaces for those who have been arrested or witnessed/experienced police brutality. Please know that physical wounds may heal and leave scars, but the emotional trauma of brutality can lurk and also leave scars that are less visible but just as important to care for. SOLIDARITY AND LOVE. 

(id like to follow this up with notes on court support and jail solidarity, as well as more personal accounts of what it is like to be arrested)

Avatar

In Case of an Arrest: Los Angeles

WHAT TO DO IN CASE OF ARRESTS:

If you can, write the number of a land line on your arm to call and communicate your needs from jail. Cellular numbers require an account with the jail phone system.

 HOW TO SUPPORT PEOPLE ARRESTED:

I'm sorry your friend/ loved one/ comrade or peer was arrested by the police.

 1. It will take approx. 2+ hours for the persyn to be booked and processed. This means having their information taken, fingerprints, photographs and sitting in a holding cell.

 2. For Los Angeles call 213-473-6080 to speak with an operator, or visit the LASD website here: http://app4.lasd.org/iic/ajis_search.cfm You will need the first and last name of the person you are searching for. Date of birth would help too.

 3. Once you find the person write down their booking number. Bail amount should be listed on the website. The site will list the type of charge (misdemeanor or felony) but not what charge so calling in is the best way to find out the charges. Note: The (Visitor: N) does not mean no visitors.

 Things to ask the operator:

 a)     What are the charges?

b)    Where are they being held and will they be transferred?

c)     Will they be released on OR or when will they be going to court?

d)    What are the visiting hours for the jail where they are held?

 Note: The state can legally hold you for 72 hours before you can see a judge. Weekends and holidays do not count. Also, the police do not follow the law they have been known to release people without paperwork or info on their court date.

 4. Once you know where they are being held you can begin to call the jail directly. Be aware that the police do lie which means the information they are giving you is not reliable. Call every few hours, or during major shift changes, to make sure the information is consistent and see whether the status has changed.

 5. If you are receiving calls from someone who had been arrested, know that the jail phones are extremely unreliable and likely to disconnect. Most cellular phones only receive 1 collect call and then require you to set up an account with the jail phone system. Collect calls to a land line work best. It is 25$ to set up an account for your cell phone and best to set up a pin with the account so you can access it again.

 6. For visitation: leave any questionable items at home or in your car. A “valid” ID is required for visitation. If possible document and report back any injuries the arrestee developed from the police or in custody. Note: If you have any recent previous arrests they could refuse to allow you visitation.  If you have pending warrants it could be unsafe for you to try to visit.

Things to ask your friend (over the phone or during visitation):

Are you okay? Are you hurt? What do you need from me? Is there anyone you need me to contact for you? (to cancel appointments, notify employment, school, parents, roommates etc..) Do you want to be bailed out (fundraising usually required)?

Note: all calls are monitored and recorded. Do not talk about the case, who did what, or anything you would not want to hear in court. Also advise your friend not to talk about the specifics of the case to people inside with them. The police have been known to arrest undercover cops with people to get info while in jail. The police have also been known to manipulate cell mates into testifying against people. Don't be paranoid but be safe.

  Things for you to know:

Is it possible they will be cited and released?

If your friend is detained, and not yet arrested, they might be written a ticket and released if they agree to go to court at a later date. 

What does it mean to be released on OR?

If the charge is minor it is possible they will arrest the person, book them, and "cite and release" them on OR without going through the OR office. OR stands for on your "own recognizance" which means you are taking responsibility for yourself and promise to come up court at a later date (not in custody). Sometimes the person arrested has to request release on OR and directions can be found on back of your jail receipt. Someone from the OR office will call someone on the outside to verify information the arrested person had provided to them, to show they are unlikely to flee if released from custody. This information includes previous employment records and former/present addresses. OR can also depend on what kind of charge, and again, is up to the discretion of law enforcement. 

What happens if the person has a warrant?

 It depends on the county – if the warrant is from a different county it might not come up in the system. However, they CAN transfer you to that county and court and you may be in jail longer.   It also depends on the charge - if it’s a not paid metro ticket they could keep you a bit longer but you might get “time served” and your ticket will be resolved.  If it’s something they consider more serious, they could make you go to court for your current charge and your past one, sometimes separately which will mean more time in custody.

 What happens if the person is undocumented?

 Contact the Immigrant Youth Coalition IYC https://www.facebook.com/Immigrant.Youth.Coalition

Connect them to Immigrant Youth Coalitions Deportation Defense Coordination. Contact person is [email protected] . If they were released on OR then the risk is significantly decreased plus they fall under trust act and LA city no longer has an ICE hold policy. LAPD no longer runs ICE holds unless there is a judicial warrant. If there are any violations, please let the NLG know.

All of this information has been crowdsourced from experience. It is helpful to provide group support and communal care during court and even while people are being released from jail. Please make sure to eat, rest and check in with yourself. It may be helpful to create debrief and healing spaces for those who have been arrested or witnessed/experienced police brutality. Please know that physical wounds may heal and leave scars, but the emotional trauma of brutality can lurk and also leave scars that are less visible but just as important to care for. SOLIDARITY AND LOVE. 

(id like to follow this up with notes on court support and jail solidarity, as well as more personal accounts of what it is like to be arrested)

Avatar
reblogged

To my Asian community and family-

The people I love and cherish taught me that if you are not actively unlearning your racism, specifically anti-black racism, you’re perpetuating a vicious cycle of violence against black and brown bodies. When I was younger, there were implicit messages about black people and this underlying fear or black folks within the Chinese community. I didn’t even have to hear it—I SAW IT. I perpetuated myths about black and brown bodies through my silence and seemingly casual conversations with my friends and family members.  I remember having specific words to describe black and brown people. There were many comments I heard within my own family, with my friends about black and brown folks, and I participated in these conversations. These messages implicitly and explicitly told me there was something scary about black people, and that the injustices against black people were their own faults, because, as a family member had once said to me when I was 17, “If Asian people can pull themselves up from oppression, racism, and be successful, why can’t black and brown people do it as well?” These messages are quiet, insidious, and sometimes blatantly loud, but the truth of the matter is, they wreak havoc on our lives and divide us.

Later on in college, as discussions of race, identity, and privilege became much more prominent in my life (which wouldn’t have entered my stream of consciousness if it weren’t for my Black professors and mentors) I recall feeling a lot of guilt and feeling unsure of how to move forward in unlearning anti-black racism. Kevin Washington, my mentor at SF State reminded me that there were incredible times when Asian Americans stood in solidarity with the Black Power Movement. He gave me tools—the language to talk about race, and how to unpack and undo internalized racism and horizontal racism that plagues communities of color. As I began to realize how racism is perpetuated by my own community, I still felt paralyzed. Where do I start? Who do I talk to? What can I do, as an Asian American, what can I do to undo and unlearn anti-black racism and educate my community?

This process did not happen overnight, and it will continue as long as I live. During a meeting with my mentor at the time, the late Aaronette White at UCSC (Rest in Power), I remember telling her how guilty I felt and. I am so grateful for her constructive support—she checked me right then and there, and told me: guilt is not a productive emotion. It’s paralyzing, and you don’t move. She encouraged me to read more texts from Black women, scholars, activists, community members, and she set me on a path to really unpack my own assumptions, biases, and internalized racism. Thank you both, for waking me up and encouraging to move forward in solidarity.

This work is still being undone, and right now, I feel it’s so important and crucial that as an Asian American, I STAND IN SOLIDARITY WITH FERGUSON. I stand in solidarity with #BlackLivesMatter.

Black. Lives. Matter.

I am not going to side with my oppressors and pretend that we’re okay with watching other communities suffer. We are not a model minority, and I’m NOT siding with white supremacy in acting like racism is over, because it isn’t. I am so hesitant as I write this, because I’m almost hearing my family’s voices in the back of my head screaming at me, “You’re airing our dirty laundry! Why are you making a fuss? WHY ARE YOU SO SENSITIVE” but you know what? Fuck it. One of the reasons I’m going to sit with this discomfort and coming out to say this now is some of the most important people in my life are speaking up about these injustices and making space for these conversations to happen. When others make space for these conversations, change happens. It’s a process. An ongoing process. These things have been on my mind for so long and can I just say, it is so incredibly empowering and inspiring to be around folks who support the discomfort, the constant growth, and the messiness that comes with waking up, coming to terms with the reality of the world, and moving forward in solidarity with all communities of color.

We have different struggles and experiences, but that does not mean we can’t stand in solidarity with other communities facing oppression by the Nation and State. Conversations NEED to happen within our own community, and space for these conversations are incredibly necessary. So today, I’m speaking out. I support Black Lives Matter.

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reblogged

Each Summer Brings Fire

Maybe you can blame the heat, the fact that most youth are on school break, mixed with the lack of jobs. Why every summer we seem to see some sort of youth lead rebellion —lets clarify, that’s black and brown youth lead rebellions. Not the here’s-your-tent-dropped-off-by-LAPD-while-you-enjoy-your-vegan-pasta-Occupy-rebellion.

No this is the quick glimmer of hope that IT’s actually happening, that revolution is here and will not be controlled. At least not at first, but it’s only a matter of time your spontaneous response to violence will get co-opted by respectable politics and all the respectable orgs. Who believe they are the vanguard and you are merely just the spark they’ve been waiting to control. But you my beautiful youth are fire. No matter how hard they try, even with all the hose they use to shoot at you, you cant be contained. And with every reblog, and every retweet we breath life back into you, so that your flame does not go out. With every amber that falls we grab and bring it back to our home hoping the light will carry, even if its only an unpermitted march.

This is the movement, we are in the struggle, and together we will create wildfires so strong that not even the invoking of MLK’s ghost can blow it out.

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