RESOURCES
It’s never been more important to come together and take care of each other. Climate catastrophe has arrived, and it will get much worse. If we are to survive and thrive, it will require us to have strong community ties to help us through the tough times.
Community Care Resources
​
Over the last ten years, the concept of community care has become more widely discussed as an alternative to practices, structures, and institutions that sustain injustice. We see it as key to surviving the climate crisis and related crises of care. But what do we mean by community care?
We see community care as a set of proactive and responsive practices that help strengthen relationships within a community. The goal of community care is to create strong, interconnected communities where members know and care for one another. By creating an interdependent ecosystem, we can do things like share resources, reduce waste, share and teach skills, and receive support when we need it.
​
When we are a part of strong, thriving communities, we can feed each other; keep each other safe when climate crisis comes to our door; share resources to deal with evictions and housing instability; build community resilience; and much more. These are uncertain times. But we keep each other safe.
​
Housing Justice Resources
​
In 2024, the Beacon City Council unanimously passed Good Cause Eviction, which will help protect tenants from exorbitant rent hikes and unfair evictions. We were able to convince the council to tailor the law to cover the maximum possible amount of people. Read more about about Housing Justice at the links below.
​
Direct Action Support & Safety Resources
​​
Adapted from The Ruckus Society’s “Action Safety and Community Care in Times of Rapid Response” Training Guide and the experience of BCAN members.
​
There are many past movements of resistance we can learn from as we continue to fight for a better future! Many organizations have also created tools that we can use to center community safety and justice as we fight for what we believe in.
​
Best Practices for Movement Safety
​
-
Use encrypted apps for communication, like Signal (texting, voice calls) and Zello (Walkie-Talkie).
-
Set up disappearing messages on Signal.
-
If you are meeting to talk about sensitive information, turn off all phones.
​
Going to an Action?
-
Make a plan with someone who is not present at the protest to be your contact in case you are arrested. Write their phone number in sharpie on a place of your body you can easily access (like your forearm).
-
Pack the following:
-
Water: To stay hydrated and to use as an eye flush.
-
Identification: “Not having legal identification at the time of arrest can complicate your booking process and ultimately make it take longer for your identity to be verified and for you to be released. There are many reasons for not carrying identification and this should be discussed with your group in advance of taking action.”
-
Money: It is a common practice for police to release arrested protestors in the middle of the night. Having money on you will allow you to get transportation back from jail, especially if your phone has died.
-
Medication: If you have a prescription medication that you might require over the next 24 hours, bring it in the original container with your name on it.
-
Snack
-
Sharpie
-
PPE Gear (Mask & Sanitizer)
-
Layers
-
Wellness Kit (first aid, herbs for emotional support, spiritual items)
-
-
​Don’t talk to the police! The police have no legal obligation to tell you the truth or protect you. “If it feels like you are being detained, ask: Am I being detained? If they say no, carefully and slowly leave. If you are being detained, memorize these magic words and only use these ‘I am going to remain silent. I would like to see a lawyer.’” (The Ruckus Society)
-
Protect each other!
-
Do not point out specific people to the police. If they ask, “Who is in charge?” or “Who is the police liaison?” you can point in a random direction and say, “They are over there.”
-
Be mindful of what you share on social media.​
-
​​
