CubitOom

“If You or a Friend Got Shot”: The Trauma Gear You Actually Need

Why does the stock market keep going up when the economy feels so bad? It’s the question we probably get the most and, quite frankly, it’s not a bad one. The primary reason equities seem invincible is because of the dramatic increase in the money supply over the past four decades. That explains the supply side of the equation at least. But a lot had to happen behind the scenes to allow for the money supply to be absorbed into the financial system and ultimately benefit a fraction of the population.

Flock Can Share Driver-Surveillance Data Even When Police Departments Opt Out, And Other Flock Developments

I've modified this Original Reddit Post a bit. Let me know your thoughts and criticisms, if there is anything I should add, or correct.

Also, fuck Reddit and Spez of course. However we should be pragmatic. There is a vast amount of information on reddit and a lot more people use it for now. I'm manually moving things I feel are important on to the Fediverse for archival and general use purposes. And sharing sources for full disclosure.

Protests and events

• Political Revolution events
• The Big List of Protests
• indivisible - Find a Local Event
• Crowd-sourced map of ICE activity

Guides

• eyes on ice wiki

Know your rights at protests

• ACLU “Protesters’ Rights”
• National Lawyers Guild (NLG) Know Your Rights booklet (protest + police encounters)

Basic Tech Security Practices

• Make your phones/devices use passwords to unlock and disable biometrics
• Use Free and open-source software (FOSS) whenever possible, do not trust large companies, many of whom have aligned themselves with the regime.
• Use fully encrypted communication systems when ever possible (Do not trust WhatsApp)
  • Signal
  • SimpleX
  • encrypted radio
    • note that encrypted radio is probably illegal to use in you area.
• Set up an always on VPN such as Mullvad or ProtonVPN
• Use encrypted DNS without Logging or Privacy (Surveillance) Policy
• for more recommendations, checkout privacyguides.org

Practical protest prep

• Go with a buddy, set a check-in time, write an emergency contact on paper.
• Bring water, needed medications, earplugs, weather gear.
• Don’t bring a cell phone, unless it is free of personal data and hard to trace back to you.
• Consider disabling FaceID/biometrics and using a passcode on your primary cell phone.
• Decide in advance what your risk tolerance is; leave early if things escalate.
• Bring a first aid kit if you know how to use it.
• Wear protective clothing
  • Eye Protection
  • Ear Protection
  • Gas mask
• have an escape route
• don’t let yourself be kettled or corralled
• be aware of your surroundings

How to deal with Chemical Irritants (Pepper Spray and CS Gas) in eyes

What to do after exposure to pepper spray

• Move into an area with fresh air, if possible.
• Flush the affected area to wash away the contaminants.
• Avoid using soap around the eyes as it is an irritant.
• Remove clothing that may have come into contact with the spray to decontaminate and prevent re-contamination. Cutting off clothing rather than pulling it over the head helps avoid further irritation to the eyes and skin.
• Avoid touching the affected area, as it is easy to spread the oil-based solution to other areas of the body by doing so.
• Blink the eyes rapidly to help flush out the chemical.

In most cases, pepper spray symptoms resolve within 10 to 30 minutes and do not require medical care.

• Popular strategies for removing pepper spray include baby shampoo, milk, antacids, and lidocaine. However, an older 2008 study comparing these strategies found no evidence that they were more effective than water.
• A 2018 randomized controlled trial also reported no difference between baby shampoo and water alone in relieving the effects of tear gas and pepper spray.

Treatment Methods

• Sterile saline solution [safest method]
• Distilled water (safe and cheap if a lot is needed)
• liquid antacid solution (Many claim to prefer but does introduce some risks)
  • Understanding and Dealing with Pepper Spray - Street Medics [video]
  • how to make
    • 50% liquid antacid (Magnesium Hydroxide or Aluminum Hydroxide)
      • Max alcohol of 0.20%
      • No mint/citrus flavor
    • 50% distilled water
    • If keeping as a backup in a kit, add water preserver and store in opaque HDPE containers
  • possible risks
    • not sterile
    • might introduce harmful chemicals if the wrong ingredients are used, if bottles are cleaned incorrectly
    • might introduce allergen
    • might be contaminated from improper preparation

How to deal with carcinogenic hexachloroethane (HC) gas

Minneapolis, MN: notoriously carcinogenic hexachloroethane (HC) smoke deployed on residential streets HC gas might be colored green

• Move into an area with fresh air, if possible.
• Remove clothing that may have come into contact with the spray to decontaminate and prevent re-contamination. Cutting off clothing rather than pulling it over the head helps avoid further irritation to the eyes and skin.
• Treat eyes with as with other chemical irritants above
• Wash skin with soap immediately
• Get tested to see if you have been exposed
  • tests aren't available at most doctors' offices, but can be done at special laboratories that have the right equipment
  • useful only if you were exposed with in 24-48

Ways to support without being on the front line

• Volunteer/donate to nonprofit legal services
• Support rapid response networks and local immigrant-led organizations.
• indivisible - take action now
• Archive proof of crimes being carried out
  • https://crimesofice.org/
• donate to local food and clothing banks if possible
  • Money donations often go the furthest

I've modified this Original Reddit Post a bit. Let me know your thoughts and criticisms, if there is anything I should add, or correct.

Also, fuck Reddit and Spez of course. However we should be pragmatic. There is a vast amount of information on reddit and a lot more people use it for now. I'm manually moving things I feel are important on to the Fediverse for archival and general use purposes. And sharing sources for full disclosure.

Important: Scams spike during crackdowns. Only use trusted directories to find legal help. Don’t send money to strangers:

• National Immigration Legal Services Directory (state-by-state nonprofit listing)

Guides

eyes on ice wiki

If someone is detained: what to do:

• Use ICE’s Online Detainee Locator System (ODLS) to search by name/DOB/country of birth or A-number.
• ICE also provides official info on locating people in detention.
• USA.gov has a plain-language explainer for families.

Know Your Rights

• aclu - immigrants rights
• ilrc - know your rights
• immigrant justice - ice encounter

Printable “Know Your Rights” cards

• NILC wallet card
• ILRC “Red Card”

If ICE comes to your door

• Keep the door closed. Don’t consent to entry. Ask for a warrant signed by a judge.
• Do not open the door. Speak through the door. Ask who they are and what they want.
• Ask them to slide the warrant under the door or hold it up to a window so you can read it.
• Administrative ICE “warrants” (ICE/DHS forms) are not the same as a judicial warrant signed by a judge and generally do not authorize entry into a home without consent.
• You can use/print a Know Your Rights card and slide it under the door or show it in the window.

If enforcement shows up at a workplace

• Employers/workplaces have rights too; don’t consent to entry beyond public areas, and ask for proper legal paperwork.
• NILC has an employer response guide.
• ACLU also summarizes workplace encounters

Family preparedness

1. Be aware of your surroundings
   • Crowd-sourced map of ICE activity
2. Write a disaster plan on paper for if the unthinkable happens at your work, home, school, or any other place you spend a lot of time
   • Emergency contacts (paper, phone, radio frequencies)
   • meeting points
   • who will pick up kids/pets
   • who has keys
   • who can translate (if needed)
   • secret passphrases which can be used to quickly communicate while under duress or to prove who you are
3. Document readiness
   • Keep copies of key documents (ID, lease, medication list, insurance, school info, pet records) in a “grab folder,” plus a secure digital backup. Search for “fireproof document bag” if you want extra security.
   • If you’re a U.S. citizen and anxious: a Real ID / passport card can reduce friction in many situations, but you still have the right to remain silent and to ask for counsel if questioned.
4. Communication and Energy Backup
   • Memorize important phone numbers, radio frequencies, addresses, etc.
   • A paper copy of important phone numbers, radio frequencies, addresses, etc.
   • Portable Battery bank
   • Spare Charging Cable
   • An “anchor contact” that friends know to check in with.
5. Transit plan (especially if you don’t have a car)
   • Map your nearest: friend’s place, a library, fire station, community center (warming/cooling), and safe daytime places you can wait if needed.
   • Keep a small “walk-out kit”: water, snacks, transit card, phone power, medications, and pet essentials.
6. De-escalation + safety habits
   • Don’t open the door to unknown knocks.
   • Use a peephole / door camera if it helps you avoid opening the door
   • Buddy system with neighbors: “If you hear anything weird, text me first; if I don’t reply in X minutes, call.”

Helpful Readiness guides

• ready.gov
• Red Cross - how to prepare for emergencies
• ILRC’s Step-by-Step Family Preparedness Plan is the best all-in-one toolkit I’ve found for immigration-related emergencies.
• How to Build a Tiered Readiness Plan for SHTF [video]

Other related reddit posts:

• Glass doors - how important do you think it is to swap for a more solid door these days?
• Minnesotan Mother to a Young Child. I can’t believe I’m writing this, but here we are.
• Automations for safety and notifications
• Prepping for your pets, not in the usual way we talk about
• Prepping for quick protest action
• Explaining local ICE raids to my kids
• What should people who are at risk of ice keep on their person?
• So what are we stocking up on with these ICE raids?
• ICE Watch Programs Can Protect Immigrants in Your Neighborhood — Here’s What to Know

Is Donald Trump unstoppable? He has defied laws and norms, thumbed his nose at Congress and foreign allies alike. He has displayed open hostility toward immigrants and American citizens, threatened extreme force against protestors, recently going so far as to mention the Insurrection Act. His ICE thugs roam the streets and are committing atrocities with impunity. We kidnapped the leader of a sovereign nation and are positioning troops for a potential invasion of an allied nation and NATO member. Donald Trump has been one step ahead of the law at every turn and with the courts and Congress in his pocket, many are beginning to wonder if he truly intends to suspend upcoming elections and destroy our democracy once and for all. So let’s talk about it.

Source

Photo by Pierre Lavie. Yes this is me. And I threw my Leica. It landed on the bass plate with hardly a scratch. Another photographer grabbed it along with my phone and I was able to track him later. I was held face down tear gas deployed right in front of me and pepper sprayed directly into the eye.

-- John Abernathy