Ok. New Chicago chat is here. https://t.me/joinchat/QcyqAkdyu3j_M8i4C0PQMA

Prototype shield cart.

Everyone should take 5 minutes to watch this: https://vimeo.com/422664003

Some rough guidelines for speaking to one another in an organizing space with no hierarchy:
• Always ask. Instead of saying “do this,” or “I need this,” ask “can you do this?” or “does anyone have this?”
• Welcome newcomers openly, and treat them as equals immediately. It’s helpful for a group to have a protocol (that is subject to change) for getting new folks caught up on the basics
o This can be hard when trusted bonds have formed. Work to shut down your own in-group/out-group dynamic within the group. Work to shut down any and all egoism within yourself. Lean on people who are honest with you
o At the same time, the new person shouldn’t join your affinity group necessarily. Trust there is sacred. But welcome them into the larger collective with open arms, and help catch them up.
• Assume the best. If someone is admitted into a trusted space, assume the folks admitting them (who you trust) are making a reasonable decision. The state wants us scared and not trustful. Trusting our friends and comrades, while still taking necessary precautions, is vital to victory.
• Have a transformative justice procedure if trust is violated, or even if disrespect crops up too much. Don’t look to punish, but instead to help one another grow. We’re all we got in this struggle.

Portland shields evolving

Don’t wait for a leader. We all must lead now. We all also must listen, and follow one another, and move together. But we all also just take the initiative, organize, and act. Don’t wait for someone to lead you.

For those involved in police abolition on college campuses, prominent scholar of abolition are hosting a teach-in on strategies to remove cops from campuses, livestreamed today from 4-6 EST: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/antiblackness-the-university-and-policing-a-cops-off-campus-teachin-registration-122116241967?aff=eemailordconf&utm_campaign=order_confirm&ref=eemailordconf&utm_medium=email&utm_source=eventbrite&utm_term=viewevent

😬 https://twitter.com/herosnvrdie69/status/1311809717849722880?s=21

Do you run a local channel/chat or want to start one? We'd love to talk! @BLMProtestsBot

Figure y'all likely know this but just in case

"To maintain privacy, you need to clear all of the metadata connected to your photos. This is known as "Exchangeable Image File Format," or EXIF."

'When taking a digital photo, your phone not only captures an image of what it sees through its lenses, but also records information about your location (right down to the GPS coordinates), the date and time, your shutter settings and device, and even the type of software you used to edit. All of this information is known as metadata, and it makes it far easier for authorities to track protesters and nail down their identities.'

https://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/security/a32767037/protect-phone-privacy-security-protest/

(Other cities can do this too!)

NYC: print these flyers out and distribute them on the ground (and to your friends and comrades)! Remember to share Telegram security practices with them too: anonymize your profiles, treat chats like a public space, etc. Let's get this movement on Telegram!