It may seem quiet sometimes, but remember, you are not alone.
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- Contributing Author
I will not dwell long on the fear that is enveloping the so-called united states. As of this writing (2/3/2025) it is well documented that the fascists in power are trying to erase queer folks and label blackness and browness illegal. We don’t need to speculate on what this means: the state has been doing it for hundreds of years. 1838, the Trail of Tears- 1941, the Japanese internment - 1978 to present, and mass incarceration are simply examples of the mechanisms employed to perpetrate erasure.
So what do we do to stop them? The 2020 George Floyd uprising was the largest movement since the Civil Rights Movement in the 60s and it didn’t even move the needle. Liberal gatekeepers took us on a march to nowhere. Co-opted messaging to “defund the police” became the death nail in the coffin blasted on MSNBC. No departments were defunded, but instead police budgets went up to instill more training for racist cops. I am not saying “do not throw up signs” or “yelling on megaphones at cops is a waste of time”—keeping them busy is definitely a tactic, and we need a diverse range of tactics to succeed. But even though yelling at cops is fun, it's not necessarily for everybody. And in the age of AI enabled facial recognition, cell phone tracking, and increasing repression, we need to be more careful than ever.
Start with strong communities that exist in-person, NOT only online. Get out and start helping people. Mutual Aid distributions are great ways to start because the people doing it always need a break. Just search: “[Your town] mutual aid group”. Help feed and provide housing for people, help fix cars and bikes. Joining, or even starting, an educational reading group discussing political philosophy is a great way to introduce liberals and leftists to more radical ways of thinking. Join a local PRIDE organization and help them plan their next parade. Loosely connecting disaggregated groups to achieving many different goals—that often have overlapping needs—keeps the oppressors very busy.
Welcome to the SRA. We are not a militia. We take firearms, their role in our society, and their lethal implications very seriously. With that we want to use these tools to protect ourselves, loved ones, and communities as afforded to us by natural laws of self defense. Let’s learn and grow together. Remember, the revolution starts in your mind, spreads into your home, and fills communities with hope and joy.
I want to leave you with a better written reference than I could ever produce that echoes the joy within despair we live everyday. While we are not all anarchists here and we appreciate all forms of socialist theory, this may be helpful right now:
Crimethinc- To Change Anything, Start Everywhere. To Change Everything, Start Anywhere.
Sincerely,
A Member, at Large
