If You See Something, Say Nothing

First, a small manifesto, as someone who was well into adulthood during the 45th administration:

In the face of what feels like just too much fucking chaos, always remember that it is possible to care about more than one thing at a time, and also that you cannot care about everything all at once. It is possible to recognize every injustice as both an individual crisis and part of a larger, oppressive system.

TikTok is not a distraction. The inauguration’s shifting, temporary amorphousness is not a distraction. This is it. This is the main event. The truth is big, but it is simple: all of this is connected. There are no distractions. This is how it is going to be. During the first run of this blighted administration, they weren’t “distracting” us by pitting smaller horrors against larger ones, they were just doing that many horrific things at once.

The key to resisting, to a resistance, is not for one person to do and know and be everything; that’s what we’re fighting against. The key to a resistance is knowing where you - I’m literally talking to you - can make an impact. A difference. Pay attention to what you can. Help where you’re able. Let go of the things you must. No one person can, or should, carry it all. Diversity in all things: your news, your skills, your focus. Each and every person should find their specialties and own them.

You wanna talk about understanding the assignment? Its knowing your areas of expertise and caring about them as much as you can, learning what you can and being willing to share that. It also means trusting in others to do the same. Don’t waste your fucking energy for people who seem to be focused on what you might think is a distraction: they’re carrying a different weight, a weight that can be lighter for you because someone else is invested in it. Solidarity is picking up the slack where others cannot, not chastising them for not picking up all the slack all at once.

That is how we manage resistance: together, strategically, and with purpose. Not with superiority and division. That’s their game, and it’s shit. You will burn yourself out trying to care about everything, and you will burn whatever you have left by fanning the flames of anger against the people you need to be in solidarity with. Don’t make their job easier than it already fucking is.

Below I’ve put together some resources for those refugees, immigrants, and undocumented people currently living in the US. Many of these are PA- or even Pittsburgh-centric, as that’s where I’m from and that’s what I’m familiar with. If you would like to add to this list, you can do so in the Mutual Aid Submission Form: Now with More Form (that’s not true actually; it’s the same form).

Before I get into the list itself, though, I’d really recommend everyone go follow TheLeftistLawyer on Threads and/or BlueSky. She is An Actual Lawyer (I’m not even a pretend lawyer, to be clear) and has been posting great advice across her feeds. I’ll share one of the more salient posts here:

Speaking of lawyers, if you find yourself in need of civil representation but you are not blessed with vast stores of wealth, Neighborhood Legal Services is your friend.

Heading to the website and providing your location will also get you more local services as well: as a Pennsylvanian, NLSA immediately offers to direct me to PALawHelp.org.

Immigrant Legal Resource Center is a, “national nonprofit resource center that provides immigration legal trainings, technical assistance, and educational materials, and engages in advocacy and immigrant civic engagement to advance immigrant rights.”

As above, they don't directly represent clients but they provide a ton of community resources on their website and have a search tool that can help direct you to legal help in your community.

If you’re in PA, there’s PIC, the Pennsylvania Immigrant Coalition, which helps immigrants, migrants, and refugees across the state.

Now, some tasty tips for dealing with ICE:

Below are Know Your Rights cards in English and Spanish. You can print them off and keep them with you. These ones have Pennsylvania-specific addresses on them, but the information otherwise applies to everyone, regardless of status. In fact, a lot of these are just good reminders for dealing with any kind of cop.

The link below will take you to a series of resources you can use to print or even design your own know your rights red cards, with instructions in English and Spanish.

This page from the Immigrant Defense Project will teach you all about your rights with ICE in many languages. It also contains an ICE detainer FAQ.

This link will take you to fact sheets about ICE straight from the horse’s mouth. There’s even one about enforcement and removal operations that we all should read.

The Immigrant Defense Project also has an entire Immigration Preparedness Toolkit.

At the risk of overwhelm, I’ll stop here, but once again, please feel free to submit any other resources you’d like to see featured here.

And now for the aid funds.

From @magicbymarybeth: “I have a fundraiser for the Alden family in Nuseirat Gaza Strip. I work directly with @diab_aldin3171997. All funds are converted to cryptocurrency and are directly withdrawn into Diab’s wallet. I can provide receipts for legitimacy and Diab can also confirm. Diab’s family was screwed over by their GFM facilitator, a man named Majed, and lost over £70,000 that was supposed to rebuild their lives and GFM refuses to help.”

And from @hawkiiarts: “I have a fundraiser or two for the Al-Haik family, who are a Palestinian family in Gaza. I've been talking to the grandfather, who is a sweet person who cares a lot for his family. I really hope him and his family can get to safety and get aid, if at all possible.”

Crumpet Corner: