Author: MSayles

Decoding Municipalism

Sketchnote for the Decoding Municipalism session in the Municipalism Learning Series. Shows an aerial view of a community with a city hall, community gardens and an outdoor gathering place. Reads: “Municipalism is about reinventing governance, confronting institutions and democratizing them. It is an experiment in transformation, local radical democracy, and self-governance, rooted in interdependence. Who are the Municipalists: SNCC People’s Assemblies; Barcelona en Comu; Los Angeles for All; Global Networks; and North American roots in Black and Indigenous self-governance. What municipalists do: Direct democracy, dual power, civic platforms, and movement work (includes supporting mutual aid, tenants unions, degrowth, permaculture, and solidarity economy projects). Dilemmas: What kind of political system does a post-capitalist future call for? What do we call ourselves? Are we revolutionary or reformist? How should our political system relate to the economy? Democracy: Is this idea inclusive or alientating? How do we ensure social justice within direct democracy?

In September, the Municipalism Learning Series launched their cohort fellowship program with a group of 27 organizers from across the US, Canada, and Puerto Rico. During the first meeting of the cohort, fellows were introduced to this vision of local radical democracy in a session on Decoding Municipalism, Visit the Municipalism Learning Series website to explore readings on the fundamentals of radical municipalist politics.

Municipalism.org

Apartheid-Free Palestine

Painted banner that shows five people standing side by side, each wearing a mask that features a different social cause. The masks feature the Palestinian flag, the Progress Pride flag, Land Back, Black Lives Matter, and one reads Shalom. In the sky, doves fly with a banner strung between them that reads "One Struggle".

Vermonters for Justice in Palestine have launched Apartheid Free Burlington, a campaign to oppose Israeli occupation and the human rights abuses facing the Palestinian people. Voters in the City of Burlington can sign VTJP’s petition to help put Palestinian solidarity on the ballot for Town Meeting Day in March 2024. This local effort was inspired by the nationwide Apartheid Free Communities movement started by the American Friends Service Committee.

Learn more on the campaign website:

Apartheid Free Burlington
Palestinian solidarity activists march in Montpelier, VT.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators march in Montpelier, VT as part of the 2023 Independence Day rally. Supporters gathered from Central VT Jews for Palestinian Liberation; Party for Socialism and Liberation; Champlain Valley Amnesty International; Education Justice Coalition; and Free Her.

To learn more about what’s happening in Palestine, check out these conversations on the political economy of health under occupation; and how Palestinian struggles relate to the Stop Cop City movement. Check out the Rethinking Palestine podcast to dive into what self-determination might look like. Or read the beautiful comics of Naji al-Ali featuring Handala, a witness to the horrors of occupation.

Political cartoon showing a seed shaped like Palestine, sprouting and taking root in dry Earth. A key decorates the sky, and Handala's foot is visible. Reads "Tending the Roots to Free Palestine" and Apartheid-Free Community.

Rx: Beyond 988

Zine Version – Available to print and share.

Recommended Resources

Warmlines.org

IntentionalPeerSupport.org

WildflowerAlliance.org

CallBlackline.com (by and for BIPOC communities)

TransLifeline.org (by and for trans people)

References & Further Reading

Chung, Daniel Thomas et al. “Suicide Rates After Discharge From Psychiatric Facilities: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.” JAMA psychiatry vol. 74,7 (2017): 694-702. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2017.1044

Lee, Gi, and David Cohen. “Incidences of Involuntary Psychiatric Detentions in 25 U.S. States.” Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.) vol. 72,1 (2021): 61-68. doi:10.1176/appi.ps.201900477.

Zeira, Anna. “Mental Health Challenges Related to Neoliberal Capitalism in the United States.” Community mental health journal vol. 58,2 (2022): 205-212. doi:10.1007/s10597-021-00840-7

United Nations (General Assembly). “Report of the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.” Human Rights Council, 35th session, A/HRC/35/21, Mar. 2017.

#StopCopCity

You can help #StopCopCity:

Quick recap: What is Cop City? If you haven’t heard the news about the fight over this 85+ acre urban police training facility in Atlanta, Georgia, let’s get you caught up.

In August 2021, Atlanta City Council voted to approve a proposed $90 million law enforcement training facility planned for the South River Forest (aka Weelaunee Forest) right next to the city. There is little public input on the project.

This development would be located next to a Hollywood film studio project which would impact an additional 40 acres of nearby forest. (Side note: Ryan Millsap, who was involved with this movie studio project, is also creating an action/war film production studio on 1,500 acres of land just 40 miles east of Atlanta: where they will fly “Blackhawk helicopters and drive Humvees at speed”.)

A movement to fight these projects has emerged through groups like Stop Cop City and Defend the Atlanta Forest. Community associations, racial justice groups, and environmental justice activists have formed a front of resistance, with activists occupying the forest to prevent construction over the last two years.

This winter, SWAT teams escalated their attempts to extract these forest defenders. In January, they swarmed the encampment, killing one forest defender, Tortuguita, in the operation. Over the course of two months, 19 others were slapped with felonies under a Domestic Terrorism Law.

In the wake of Tortuguita’s death, Atlanta’s community has put out a call for support, and offered many ways to take action. Stop Cop City Solidarity is a great starting point for learning how to pressure the network of investors and contractors behind Cop City.

Get mad. Make art:

AXA XL is the insurance provider behind Cop City and a primary target for solidarity actions in this campaign. They host an annual “AXA Art Prize” student art competition, with submissions due by March 2nd: https://www.axaartprize.com/.

Join me in submitting art (drawings, political cartoons, memes) to the AXA Art Prize to remind them of their environmental commitments to climate action, sustainability, and achieving net zero. And make sure you Tweet your submissions to #AXAArtPrize.

The Stop Cop City Solidarity Week of Action starts today (Feb 19-26), with another Mass Mobilization planned in Atlanta from March 4-11.

Find out how to get involved here.

Resources

Share this flyer to spread the word about the Art Call.

Download these graphics for use in your posters, graphics, or website:

Black and white drawing that shows a scene from the campaign to defend the Atlanta forest from Cop City. Reads "Dear AXA XL, Don't insure Cop City! xoxo The Ghost of your DEI and Sustainability Commitments". An owl flies overhead holding a banner that reads "RIP" with a turtle on it. Behind, forest defenders are shown in the trees by a banner that reads "No forest. No peace".

Solidarity Links