The People's Forum: Greg Abbott's new laws and protest suppression
Issue #10: Greg Abbott's public safety legislations, TPLF's fifth Free Food distribution, donating to your community and upcoming events. Read it here.
Hey y’all, sorry we missed you last week—this Sunday we return with action items to share with your friends and family. Donate, make a call, sign a form. Let’s get to work.
Community Updates
The People's Liberation Front has successfully completed our fifth mutual aid distribution through our Free Food Program, distributing free food and essential supplies to Houston's houseless community! Straight from our handbook:
"We do not act as a charity but as an organizing body serving the people. We see the use of mutual aid organizing as a tool rather than an end in and of itself, as part of a broader organizing effort to build connections and community across the masses. Homelessness is not a "crisis" but rather a necessary bi-product of the capitalist mode of production, and unhoused folks represent one of the most vulnerable groups in society - capitalism's discarded humanity. We reject any notion that puts individual blame on those experiencing homelessness, as well as the prejudice that comes with it.
The FFP operates on a weekly basis and is fully donor funded and volunteer run. We give people what we would want to eat, and provide them with what they need. Serving one community for a consistent period of time, we're able to slowly build trust and create a space where folks feel supported and deeply cared for."
If you're interested in getting involved, please donate to our GoFundMe to keep our operation going OR sign up to volunteer here OR help us purchase supplies directly here! Every dollar goes right back into purchasing valuable resources. Help us help our neighbors and comrades.
[Image description: A photo of care packages split into reusable grocery and paper brown bags (left to right, respectfully). The care packages are multi-colored and contain face masks, sanitizer, a meal to eat, and more. At the top of the photo there appears to people placing face masks inside each bag.]
The International Day of Action on AFRICOM just passed on Oct. 1. Its aim is to raise the public's awareness about the U.S. military's existence in Africa, and how the presence of U.S. forces exacerbates violence and instability throughout the continent. The Black Alliance for Peace (BAP) has taken up the task of educating the public on AFRICOM and the extensive basing networks in Africa and throughout the world. Our campaign on AFRICOM is an integral element of our general opposition to U.S. global militarization, with its offensive command structures, approximately 800 to 1,000 overseas bases, and the United States' status as the number one arms merchant on the planet.
We invite our friends and allies around the world to join us in calling for the United States to respect the wishes of African people to de-militarize the African continent, so Africa can begin to be a “zone of peace.” We say the brutality, violence and systematic degradation of Black life in the colonized zones of the United States against Black people by the domestic police is replicated in Africa by the U.S. global police represented by the Pentagon and U.S. intelligence agencies.
Over $150 billion of the people’s resources are being spent on U.S. bases in Africa and around the world to police people on behalf of the U.S. corporate and financial elite. The African peoples who find themselves on the receiving end of the violence—because of corrupted African leadership in alignment with the U.S.—are saying to the people in the United States to demand U.S. troops and U.S. money is withdrawn. It is clear the introduction of AFRICOM has resulted in less security, less democracy and diminished human rights for African peoples who are in conflict with their own neo-colonial governments. BAP supports that call and adds the people’s resources that are being squandered to support imperialist adventures must be seized by the people and used to address the human rights needs of African/Black people and other oppressed and exploited peoples for housing, healthcare, education, food and clean water, instead of on war on behalf of the capitalist dictatorship.
End the War on Africa and African People in the U.S. and Abroad! Stand with the People – Oppose War and Militarism in Every Part of the World! Close All U.S. and NATO Bases! Click here if you haven’t already signed to endorse the International Day of Action on AFRICOM.
Happening today: A yard sale event hosted by local Houstonians to raise funds for various mutual aid and crowdfunding efforts listed below. Support Black Hustlers Mutual Aid, Immigrant Workers Safety Fund, the Lilith Fund for Reproductive Equity and the Emergency Release fund by purchasing today!
[Image description: Top image is a graphic with electric pink hearts floating at the top above flames swooping upwards, highlighting donated items such as a dark forest green hoodie and a checkered mini dress, with text that reads: DONATE WHAT YOU CAN YARD SALE, Northwood and Temple 77009. Bottom image is four jars sitting on a bed of fluffy greenery, with labels of each mutual aid effort that is being supported by the yard sale (listed above).]
Incarcerated folks are eligible for receiving a stimulus check. Follow the instructions below to help people in prison access this valuable resource.
[Image description: A tweet by user @noname that reads: “here is a pdf that anyone can print and send out to incarcerated homies to help them get their $1200 stimulus check. please share… the government is not promoting this for obvious reasons and the deadline is october 15th. this money can do so much for folks on the inside.”]
News Around the Nation
On Thursday, Sept. 24, Greg Abbott announced new laws meant to suppress protestors [Texas Tribune].
The announcement comes in response to a new wave of protesting in response to the killing of Breonna Taylor. The proposed legislation will increase the punishment of various crimes around protesting under the guise of prosecuting "rioters". Of note among the new proposed laws is "striking a law inforcement officer", which, according to Abbott, would include throwing bottles at cops, and "Aiding and abetting riots." The idea of aiding riots being illegal is especially nebulous and could easily be exploited to criminalize any dissent. Something as innocuous as a bail fund could become a crime that could see the organizer locked up- and the funds likely seized. It's important, however, to not let this announcement intimidate you. This announcement is a clear move to try to scare protestors into falling in line, and doing so plays into their hand. In the mean time, this proposal can't be passed until 2021, so this should simply act to embolden and anger us further.
[Image description: The graphic has an eggshell background with navy blue text that lists the six legislative proposals by Gregg Abbott. It reads as follows: “1. Causing injury or destroying property in a riot: Felony offense and mandatory jail time. 2. Striking a law enforcement officer during a riot: Felony offense and mandatory jail sentence of at least 6 months. 3. Using lasers to target law enforcement officers: Felony offense and mandatory jail time. 4. Blocking hospital entrances and exits by protestors or rioters: Felony offense and mandatory jail time. 5. Using fireworks at protests and riots: Criminal offense and mandatory jail time. 6. Aiding and abetting riots with funds or organizational assistance: Felony offense and mandatory jail time. This will also give the Office of the Attorney General Power to pursue civil penalties against people and organizations.”
Open Your Purse
Help Venus continue her college education by donating here.
“Venus is a junior at Rice University studying computer science. Last month, her father passed away unexpectedly, prompting her to move back to Dallas to support her family and grieve together. In order to pay for the funeral expenses, Venus’s family pulled from all of the sources they could, including many generous donations to her previous fundraiser. Once she updated Rice about her new living situation, the Office of Financial Aid notified her that they were rescinding $5000 worth of financial aid for the semester because she was no longer living in Houston. She received this news two days before her father’s burial. When Venus explained that the money was used to help her mother pay for funeral expenses, the office told her that they could not make any exceptions unless this were an “academic emergency.” The office did not provide any resources to help Venus navigate her situation. Instead, they only provided her with the contact information of the Wellbeing Center. No amount of emotional support will pay for the money that Rice demands from her. Venus is an irreplaceable member of our Rice community, and we cannot let a technicality take away her educational opportunities. Help Venus reach her fundraising goal so that she can enroll for classes in the spring semester!”
Donate to help free a Black trans sex worker from prison and read about her story by clicking here.
“Tsunami is an Afrolatinx transgender woman currently incarcerated in Washington D.C. for defending herself against her r*pist. We are currently raising funds to help get her out of prison and pay for legal fees, her commissary while she is still incarcerated, and to give her start-up money after she is released.”
Help Josie raise money for their transition and recovery fund by donating here.
“After years of dealing with homelessness and housing insecurity I'm moving into a house with my own room for the first time in years, but part of this process included a lot of repairs and rebuilding a lot of the house so i probably will have to throw in money while helping to do these things. The other main thing this fundraiser for is that im finally deciding im ready to start the first steps of my physical transition…”
Revolutionary Recs
Diet Culture's Racist Roots with Sabrina Strings, Sociologist and Author of Fearing the Black Body. Listen to this enlightening podcast about the “history of how “race science” led to the development of diet culture; the many problems with using weight as a measure of health; how culture influences science; and so much more!”