Mutual Aid

The book called Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity During This Crisis (and the Next) is an excellent introductory text to what mutual aid is and how it’s practiced. I see mutual aid as a criticism of capitalism (things like food shouldn’t be treated as a commodity or an asset) and of the state (we can take care of people much better than the state can). Here’s a short video about mutual aid as well.

I try to practice it as much as I can in my day-to-day life:

• Raising money for hurricane victims and unhoused people.
• Volunteer at Food Not Bombs where we give free food to anyone.
• Giving out free masks and COVID tests and harm reduction kits.
• Participating in the Really Really Free Market.
• Give rides to people who need them.
• Provide jail support for actions.
• Offer pet sitting or house sitting.
• Give out old electronics to people instead of throwing it out.