All Eyes on the Frontlines: Coronavirus Mutual Aid

As the coronavirus spreads across North America, communities are coming together in mutual-aid to support those most vulnerable to COVID-19. Communities on the frontlines of capitalism’s violence, including low-income workers, communities of color, people with disabilities, the houseless, and those who are incarcerated, are among those who will be disproportionately affected by COVID-19 and efforts to contain the coronavirus. We need all eyes on the frontlines.

In response to the coronavirus, community-based mutual aid groups are forming to support each other by sharing resources, running errands, providing financial support, and emotional care to each other. Today, over 30 groups have emerged to provide community-based mutual-aid in response to the coronavirus.

To find one in your community, follow these links and scroll down for a list of COVID-19 Mutual Aid Groups.

While the Trump Administration and global elite botch the coronavirus response, set plans to push through an oil and gas bailout, and leave communities scrambling on their own, we must keep organizing for all forms of social, economic, and environmental justice. The only way to stop Trump’s plans to exacerbate one crisis with another, is acting up now.

Here are a few things you can do this week:

Ensure Safe Housing For All:

In this time of global pandemic, ensuring housing for all is more important than ever. This winter, Oakland moms took on one of the nation’s most notorious landlords and won. Yesterday, Mom’s in Los Angeles followed suit and seized their own house to try to stay safe during the pandemic.

Learn about their campaign and join a webinar from Moms4Housing Oakland and Bargaining for the Common Good network partner, Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE) about the successful campaign in Oakland that brought the issue of affordable housing and investor speculation to national attention. Register at this link!

Act in Solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en:

As we all take measures to address the coronavirus in our own communities, Rising Tide North America is continuing to act in solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs and their fight to stop the Coastal GasLink Pipeline. Our organizing cannot stop. This is when they’ll try to take everything. All eyes on the frontlines. All eyes on Wet’suwet’en.

KKR is in the process of buying 65% of Coastal GasLink. If we can stop the sale, we can help stop the pipeline from being built. While you’re home this week, take 5 minutes to tweet, email, or call KKR and tell them to divest from the Coastal GasLink Pipeline. Don’t forget to sign the #ShutDownKKR petition. It has 125,000 signatures and growing!

Sample Tweets:

  • We cannot stop organizing. This is when they’ll try to take everything. All eyes on the frontlines. All eyes on Wet’suwet’en. #ShutDownKKR: http://bit.ly/stop_kkr
  • After laying off more than 33K Toys R Us employees, @KKR_co is now coming after the Wet’suwet’en land with the Coastal GasLink pipeline construction. Rise up with the #WetsuwetenStrong! Tell KKR to divest from the Coastal GasLink pipeline: http://bit.ly/stop_kkr

Read the #ShutDownKKR: Get Your Hands Off Wet’suwet’en Lands! Toolkit for more information on how you can take action.

Advocate and Act for a Just Response to Coronavirus

For more ideas on how you can take action for a just response to the coronavirus, visit and read:

City/town-based coronavirus mutual aid efforts

Alabama

Birmingham Mutual Aid

 

Alaska

Arizona

Arkansas

Dickson Food Bank Volunteer Sign-Up Sheet, Fayetteville

Mutual Aid Northwest Arkansas

 

California

Bay Area

Berkeley Mutual Aid Network

East Bay Disability Ally Form

East Bay Disabled Folks COVID19 Support Request Form

San Francisco Unified School District Mutual Aid

SF Bay Mutual Aid Form

South Bay Mutual Aid Volunteer and Request Support

West Oakland Punks with Lunch

People’s Breakfast Oakland Twitter and Website

Sacramento

Sacramento COVID-19 Mutual Aid 2020

Los Angeles

COVID-19 Mutual Aid Resources Links (Los Angeles)

Mutual Aid Action Los Angeles Fundraiser

ASC Los Angeles Mutual Aid Fund

San Diego

San Diego (county-wide) COVID-19 Mutual Aid Volunteer Sign-Up and Facebook Group

LSC of DSA-San Diego COVID-19 Mutual Aid Grocery Shopping

 

Colorado

Front Range Mutual Aid

Northern Colorado Mutual Aid and Defense request supplies and food, donate food and supplies

 

Connecticut

Mutual Aid Waterbury, Bridgeport, New Haven

 

Delaware

 

Florida

Taking Care of Each Other: Tampa COVID-19 Mutual Aid Volunteer Sign Up

 

Georgia

Atlanta COVID-19 Solidarity & Mutual Aid Master Resource Document

Food 4 Life Atlanta Donate and Volunteer Program Sign Up

 

Hawaii

Idaho

Illinois

Bloomington Mutual Aid for COVID-19

Central Illinois Mutual Aid Meta Guide

Champaign County COVID-19 Food Distribution Volunteer Sign-up

Champaign-Urbana COVID-19 Mutual Aid

Chicago COVID-19 Mutual Aid Volunteer Sign-up

COVID-19 Mutual Aid Rockford: Volunteer and Request Support

 

Indiana

Bloomington No Space for Hate COVID 19 Mutual Aid

 

Iowa

 

Kansas

Kansas City Mutual Aid

 

Kentucky

Mutual Aid Lexington

Mutual Aid Louisville

AS:UU/CCC COVID-19 Kentucky Mutual Aid

 

Louisiana

New Orleans COVID-19 Mutual Aid Group

 

Maine

Maine Coronavirus Community Assistance

 

Maryland

Baltimore Mutual Aid

Baltimore Mutual Aid and Emergency Relief Fund

 

Massachusetts

Boston Solidarity Supply Distro

Charles River Mutual Aid

Mutual Jamaica Plain & Roxbury

Mutual Aid Medford and Somerville

Smith Student Mutual Aid Network

 

Michigan

Grand Rapids Area Mutual Aid

Huron Valley COVID-19 Mutual Aid Form

Kalamazoo COVID-19 Mutual Aid List

Lansing Mutual Aid

Mutual Aid Network of Ypsilanti

Washtenaw County Mutual Aid Network

 

Minnesota

Minneapolis & St. Paul COVID-19 Mutual Aid

South Minneapolis Mutual Aid — COVID 19

Twin Cities DSA Solidarity Fund

Twin Cities Queer and Trans Mutual Aid

 

Mississippi

 

Missouri

Kansas City Mutual Aid

St. Louis Community Mutual Aid

 

Montana

Bozeman Solidarity and COVID-2019

Missoula COVID-19 Mutual Aid Community

 

Nebraska

Covid Mutual Aid Lincoln/Omaha

 

Nevada

Las Vegas DSA COVID-19 Mutual Aid Form

Reno/Sparks Mutual Aid

 

New Hampshire

Manchester Mutual Aid Spreadsheet

Sea Coast Mutual Aid Spreadsheet

 

New Jersey

Central New Jersey DSA COVID Mutual Aid Request Sign-Up

North New Jersey COVID-19 Mutual Aid Form

 

New Mexico

Albuquerque Mutual Aid

 

New York

NYC United Against Coronavirus – Resources and Information (includes links to neighborhood mutual aid groups)

NYC Mutual Aid Network

Brooklyn Coronavirus Resources Aggregate List

Kensington, Brooklyn Group for Mutual Aid (coronavirus)

Westcott Mutual Aid

 

North Carolina

Ashville Survival Program

Chapel Hill Food Not Bombs

Mutual Aid Carrboro

 

North Dakota

 

Ohio

Cleveland Pandemic Response Facebook and Sign Up Form

Cincinnati/ SW Ohio Mutual Aid

Mutual Aid Central Ohio

Mutual Aid Dayton/Miami Valley

Mutual Aid Southeast Ohio

CWRU Mutual Aid Spreadsheet

 

Oklahoma

 

Oregon

Bend Mutual Aid – Pandemic Partners

Benton County Family Response Team

Klamath Siskiyou Mutual Aid Network

Lane County Mutual Aid Network

Piedmont Mutual Aid

Portland-area COVID-19 Offer Support Volunteer Form and Request Support Form

 

Pennsylvania

Care Web for Philadelphia’s Disability Community During COVID-19

Neighbors helping Neighbors: Request For Aid – Philly Mutual Aid for Folks affected by COVID-19

Pitt Mutual Aid

 

Rhode Island

Providence Community Mutual Aid Intake Form and Offer Form

 

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee

Knoxville First Aid Collective

Knoxville Mutual Aid for COVID-19

Nashville Anarchist Black Cross

Rebuild North Nashville

 

Texas

Austin Mutual Aid

Laredo Mutual Aid

San Antonio Mutual Aid

 

Utah

Salt Lake Valley COVID19 Mutual Aid

 

Vermont

Vermont Mutual Aid and Other Resources Related to Covid-19 (includes links to local mutual aid groups)

Montpelier-Area COVID-19 Mutual Aid Volunteer Sign-up

Northern NEK VT (Newport Region) – Mutual Aid Contact information

Southern NEK Covid-19 Mutual Aid Volunteer Form

 

Virginia

Shenandoah Mutual Aid: https://www.facebook.com/shenandoahmutualaid

 

Washington State

Common Stash Mutual Aid in So Called Olympia

Olympia Mutual Aid for COVID-19 Offer Form and Facebook Group

Seattle Area COVID-19 Request Support Form and Donate

Tacoma Mutual Aid Collective

 

Washington DC

COVID-19 Response/Serve Your Neighbor

East of the River Mutual Aid Fund

Takoma, DC

West Virginia

Wisconsin

COVID-19 Madison Mutual Aid

Dane County Neighbors Helping Neighbors

Madison General Defense Committee Mutual Aid

Milwaukee, WI: Community Care and Mutual Aid Sign-Up

Wyoming

Canada

Toronto/Trankto

Another tree-sit up in fight against Mountain Valley Pipeline

cross-posted from Appalachians Against Pipelines

photo via Appalachians Against Pipelines

An update from the Yellow Finch tree sits on DAY 553 blockading the path of the Mountain Valley Pipeline:

“After several weeks, MVP security has FINALLY noticed our newest addition to the Yellow Finch blockade … so we are proud to publicly announce our third tree sit! Come on down and check it out!

“MVP was here, using this fine spring weather to work on their sad excuse for erosion control, but so far, no progress on getting us out of here. ?

 

Charleston, WV: Water Protectors Shut Down TC Energy (TransCanada) Building

cross-posted from Appalachians Against Pipelines

Photo Credit: Appalachians Against Pipelines

Today, over 70 of water protectors shut down the TC Energy (TransCanada) building in Charleston, WV in solidarity with Unist’ot’en! 4 people locked down together as part of the blockade, and a warrior flag symbolizing Indigenous power was raised, replacing the US flag outside of the building. Banners on site included, “SOLIDARITY WITH WET’SUWET’EN,” and “JUSTICE FOR MMIW [MISSING AND MURDERED INDIGENOUS WOMEN].”

Despite the peaceful nature of the action, DOZENS of cops (primarily from the City of Charleston) responded in force, screaming and violently shoving protesters out of the lobby. They dragged the people whose necks were locked together outside, piling people on top of one another. Folks were repeatedly pushed around and roughed up, but luckily no one was seriously injured. After cops cut the locks around the necks of those locked down, the group dispersed. No arrests were made.

Today’s action was a response to Unist’ot’en Camp’s call for solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en struggle to defend their unceded territory in so-called British Columbia, Canada, from TC Energy’s Coastal GasLink pipeline and the Canadian government. Indigenous people, Appalachian people, and all land defenders stand in solidarity to say WET’SUWET’EN STRONG. SHUT DOWN CANADA. SHUT DOWN TC ENERGY.

Mama Julz, Oglala Lakota and founder of the Mothers Against Meth Alliance, explained her decision to take action, saying, “My territory is experiencing a meth epidemic, and many missing and murdered relatives. All the drugs and sex trafficking come from man camps that TransCanada has brought to my territory. Wet’suwet’en has been experiencing that same violence for years. They have the Highway of Tears, where their missing and murdered relatives are stolen from. It all comes from the pipelines. It’s important to be in solidarity because we face violence from the same industry. Our ancestors traveled and always kept us connected with our indigenous relatives to the North. The waters connect us.”

Photo Credit: Appalachians Against Pipelines

One Dine activist, who traveled from the Four Corners area to participate in the action, said, “I am here to be in solidarity with Wet’suwet’en folks, and to be in support of the sisters who are raising awareness about missing and murdered Indigenous women. In Indigenous ways of life there are no borders, so anything that happens here on Turtle Island is happening to all our relatives. Just like the Wet’suwet’en are fighting man camps in so-called Canada, the reservation where I’m from faced fracking, and there were man camps there too. New Mexico has one of the highest rates of missing and murdered Indigenous women. This is what extracting, mining, drilling, and everything associated with those industries lead to.”

TC Energy is the same company that operates the Columbia Gas pipeline and storage facility here in Appalachia. Indigenous people — including Monocan, Moneton, and Cherokee people — inhabited the hills and hollers of this region for thousands of years before white settlers arrived, bringing with them genocide and forced relocation. The fossil fuel industry and TC Energy in Appalachia today are a continuation of the legacy of colonization.

Photo Credit: Appalachians Against Pipelines

Additional statements from folks who locked down today:

“I am here in solidarity with every missing Indigenous woman, with all of the earth and its peoples who have been pillaged and destroyed by the vicious and relentless systems of capitalist extraction and colonialism. I’m here because there is everything to lose — our means of survival and that of all other life on the planet, and because there has been so much loss. Because there is hope in the tiny rebellions. Unending solidarity with the Unist’ot’en fight, and the Wet’suwet’en people, now and forever.”

“The enclosure of land and extraction of its resources is an age old arm of settler colonial violence. I am here because colonialism is ongoing, because our lives and the lives of generations to come depend upon the liberation of the earth and all of its inhabitants. I am here because indigenous women are being disappeared, and that too is an arm of settler colonialism — the one that assaults the bodies of women, queer people, the vulnerable. We all need to fight together to win.”

To learn more about Unist’ot’en visit: https://www.facebook.com/unistoten/
To donate visit: http://unistoten.camp/support-us/donate/

 

Line 3 Protest at logging site in Cass County, MN

pic via Northfield Against Line 3

cross-posted from Northfield Against Line 3

WATER PROTECTORS PROTEST TAR SANDS LINE 3 PIPELINE

A peaceful rally held in Northern Minnesota promoted Indigenous sovereignty and climate justice

CASS COUNTY, MN —  20 water protectors held a rally today at a logging site where workers had been patch clear cutting trees along the proposed route of Line 3, the proposed tar sands pipeline expansion owned by Canadian company Enbridge Energy. At 1PM, water protectors from across Minnesota, including organizers with Northfield Against Line 3, rallied for over an hour among large logging equipment and felled trees, chanting “Honor the Treaties!” and “Stop Line 3” before they left the site.

“We are here to send the message loud and clear: Line 3 will not be built! All pipelines spill, and Enbridge has deliberately misled the public. We need real climate solutions, and they must be rooted in honoring Indigenous sovereignty,” said Elizabeth (a pseudonym), one of the water protectors involved in the rally.

This afternoon’s acts of civilian oversight build off of a decade of growing opposition to the proposed Line 3 pipeline, which would transport 760,000 barrels of tar sands oil per day from Alberta, Canada to the western shore of Lake Superior. Despite facing significant delays in court, the company has allowed to begin what it calls “pre-construction,” making today’s intervention a necessary step in enforcing transparency along the proposed corridor. Line 3’s proposed route puts sensitive ecosystems at risk, including 15 watersheds and 215 lakes, and its associated carbon emissions would further destabilize the global climate. Enbridge is still waiting for the verdict on their 401 water quality permit, a crucial oversight from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.

pic via Northfield Against Line 3

Today’s action highlights acts of patch clear cutting in a ecologically vulnerable area that directly abuts the proposed Line 3 expansion route. This logging of birch and pine trees is part of a legacy of abuse upon the land and the land’s original inhabitants by logging companies and the state government who bought the land cheaply, making way for decades of violent extraction. While the profits from rotating timber permits are supposed to support township services, the logging occurred in 1855 Treaty Territory, violating the rights of the Anishinaabe people to fish, hunt and gather, and make free, prior and informed decisions regarding any project.

“We must end the perpetuation of settler colonialism and cycle of mindless extraction. We’re here fighting for a livable future for all, because another world is not only necessary, but possible,” said Emerson (a pseudonym), another water protector involved in the action.

Buoyed by the actions of several groups opposing Line 3 in so-called Minnesota and beyond, today’s successful rally will no doubt continue to galvanize the wider movement to stop all fossil fuel projects, especially tar sands extraction, and demand climate justice. Activists came to observe and protest nearby logging to raise awareness of the devastating possibilities of business as usual.