APRIL 2023
Haga clic aquí para ver El Despacho de abril en español.
Click here to view The April Dispatch in Spanish.
ON GROUNDING IN MUTUAL AID PRACTICE
We say it often: mutual aid is about support and solidarity, not help and charity. This can be a tough distinction to make in this capitalist system. We’re used to hierarchical structures where deep listening, learning, and grounding—key tools to effective mutual aid—are likely not present, and may even be discouraged.
It’s these three components that seem to be missing in Inside Safe, Los Angeles’ poorly executed plan to address houselessness. The city’s unwillingness to listen deeply paired with the lack of grounding in a long-term vision (and, of course, intentional cruelty) all contribute to making Inside Safe, thus far, an unnecessarily chaotic disaster.
Inside Safe is promoted as a “housing-first” program, but what we’ve actually seen is anything but. The city displaces our unhoused neighbors—often far from their connections, communities and jobs—and plops them into hotels without any support. Sometimes they don’t even have adequate food and water!
One of the many frustrating aspects of organizing around houselessness is that our policy-makers don’t listen to the experts. Those who have become unhoused under this capitalist death machine are the ones who know best what is needed. But no one listens.
The main goal of Inside Safe appears to be removing unhoused people from public view. So it would seem the program is not grounded in a long term vision of housing for everyone–which explains the program’s inability to adequately meet participants’ needs thus far.
Where does that leave those of us practicing mutual aid? The good news is that we don’t have to reinvent the wheel every time we build and strengthen support systems. We have each other to learn from—especially elders and those most directly affected—when we ground our mutual aid praxis not only in survival work but also in the long term goal of revolutionary change. If we commit to radical honesty, deep listening, and intentional grounding, we can realize our vision—the dismantling of the oppressive systems under which we live—and build a world in which we are all free.
Written by Erin who organizes with MALAN and Palms Unhoused Mutual Aid
FEATURED EFFORT: COYOTL + MACEHUALLI
Imagine this: It’s a warm September day in Ascot Hills Park in El Sereno. In a natural dye workshop, participants practice dyeing with cochineal, black walnut and indigo. Elsewhere, visitors play a Tongva dice game with local Tongva, Chumash and Yoeme culture bearers. Still others make art via cyanotype - blue photographic prints that can be achieved without a camera. And everyone celebrates the black walnut tree, a native species that is threatened by development. People adopt trees. People plant trees. People feast, talk, and laugh in community together. It is Takaape’ Waashut Northeast Los Angeles’ Black Walnut Day 2022, and the collective that brought the community together on this day is called Coyotl + Macehualli.
The name Coyotl + Macehualli is the combination of two words in the Indigenous Nahuatl language. The word coyotl means “coyote” and macehualli means “Indigenous person”. Combining these two words is a clue to Coyotl + Macehualli’s mission: to help people recognize their connection to animals, plants and the land, and to care for and defend their community’s natural environment. Sometimes, this means propagating, collecting the seeds of, and sharing native plants like the black walnut tree so that folks in neighborhoods like El Sereno (‘Ochuunga, or “Land of the Wild Rose” in Tongva) can enjoy restored natural areas and denser tree canopy. Other times, it means caring for depleted soils and planting more native species. Still other times it means holding local governments accountable and fighting against development and gentrification. It always means working horizontally with neighbors to find ways to care for plant and animal relatives.
In this spirit, Coyotl + Macehualli hosts regular events, workshops, and hikes in which participants learn from one another. Coyotl + Macehualli cultivates collective knowledge and invites community members to share their experiences and expertise to enrich the lives of all their neighbors. In addition to the Black Walnut Day celebration, Coyotl + Macehualli has hosted night hikes, moonlit gardening, youth art workshops, and consultations from area experts on native-friendly landscaping. These events create space for people to practice being in community. They gain ancestral knowledge that strengthens their bond with the land. And they can share their own wealth of knowledge, too.
“Since we started, many folks have joined in to learn how to identify local native plant species and understand their importance and role they play,” Brenda, a co-founder of Coyotl + Macehualli, said “Whether it is through a scheduled event, an informal community gardening day or a planning meeting, we are all sharing our collective knowledge and learning from each other and the land as we navigate through our work.”
Accessibility is one of Coyotl + Macehualli’s core values. Members work hard to remove barriers that might prevent people from joining in on the fellowship and learning. While some workshops have a suggested sliding scale donation during fundraising efforts, no one is turned away due to lack of funds, and there is no charge for attending events, adopting plants, or for food. The organization also works to choose meetup locations that meet ADA guidelines and are convenient to public transit stops. And they provide shuttles for hikes to ameliorate mobility-related barriers. In the future, they even hope to provide free childcare.
Does Coyotl + Macehualli’s work speak to you? Would you like to support them as they strengthen their community by building up stores of collective knowledge, caring for the land, and defending plant and animal relatives? They can use your help. Read on to find out how you can give of your time, funds, and presence to this work.
How YOU can contribute…
- FOLLOW Coyotl + Macehualli @coyotl.macehualli on Instagram. Their page is updated regularly with information about events and workshops and calls to action for supporting defense of land and species.
- SHARE and DONATE to Coyotl + Macehualli at GiveLively or on Venmo @coyotl_macehualli. Part of the funds will be used to appeal the Moffatt St Extension project, which would demolish an undeveloped hillside with protected species on the border South Pasadena and El Sereno.
- SHOW UP to upcoming events! The next event is a two-part series called Broadcasting Seeds of Resistencia. Facilitated by local urban farmer and artist Jess Gudiel, with special guest artist Sandra de la Loza, this series will include seed swapping, planting, and art! Sliding scale donations will be accepted to support Coyotl + Macehualli’s current fundraising efforts, and registration is required. Check their Instagram for more information.
Written by Katie who organizes with Mutual Aid LA Network
DO YOU HAVE TIME, ITEMS*, OR MONEY TO CONTRIBUTE?
DO YOU NEED ITEMS, SERVICES, OR FOOD?
*PLEASE clean, sort & fold all items you are donating. Items should be new or gently used. Socks, underwear and hygiene items should always be unused.
WHO: The People’s Coalition
YOU HAVE: TIME ITEMS
YOU NEED: ITEMS FOOD
We are an abolitionist organization committed to building sustainable decolonization programs rooted in Disability Justice, Transformative Justice, and Healing Justice. We provide weekly hot meals, harm reduction supplies, free groceries, and other street relief to our community members throughout North Orange County. We have an ongoing need for support running our weekly street relief distros on Sundays from 11am-3pm in Anaheim, Garden Grove, and Santa Ana, but we also have locations that offer more time flexibility. We also need drivers to help deliver food on Mondays and Thursdays—pick up time is at 11:30am from Hollywood and the drop off location is in Santa Ana. We are also collecting new or gently used shelter supplies to replace items destroyed after sweeps. DM us on IG to coordinate a drop-off in Anaheim.
WHEN: Mondays, Thursdays, and Sundays
WHERE: Anaheim, Garden Grove, Hollywood, and Santa Ana
$$$: Donate on Venmo, Cash App, Patreon, or Amazon here
WHO: SWOPLA
YOU HAVE: TIME ITEMS
YOU NEED: ITEMS SERVICES
SWOPLA is a sex worker for sex worker peer support and mutual aid organization. We provide resources for sex workers, including a virtual bi-weekly sex worker support group, monthly street-based outreach, and regular community building events. On the 3rd Thursday of every month from 6pm-8pm, we meet online to discuss our ongoing work, new projects, and how volunteers can plug in. We usually need more (new & unexpired) condoms, lube, fentanyl testing strips, and narcan and good quality beauty or hygiene products—either sample boxes or new/unused/unexpired full sized items. Reach out to losangelesswop@gmail.com to organize a pickup or dropoff.
WHEN: 3rd Thursday every month from 6pm-8pm
WHERE: All over
$$$: Donate via our website.
WHO: Koreatown Community Response
YOU HAVE: TIME MONEY
YOU NEED: SERVICES
We are a community-led crisis response hotline based in Koreatown, part of the Community Alternatives to 911 (CAT-911) network. Our number is (888) 260-1169. We offer de-escalation, safety planning, and conflict resolution to keep our neighborhood safe without involving police. We respond to interpersonal conflicts, domestic violence, mental health crises, and other emergencies, and encourage any activists to call us and share our number with anyone who might need it. We are looking for hotline operators and responders (we provide extensive training to hotline volunteers), as well as people who can offer rides, help with admin work, and conduct community outreach.
WHEN: Our hotline is live 24/7, so volunteer time commitment is flexible
WHERE: In-person response in Koreatown, phone response all over
$$$: Donate via the CAT-911 website to help cover the cost of our hotline platform, buying materials for outreach (printing, stickers, food, etc), and offering hotel rooms, rides, and other necessities to people in crisis.
WHO: Our Story Is
YOU HAVE: ITEMS MONEY
YOU NEED: FOOD
We will host a free farmers market serving all individuals experiencing hardship, including working class individuals who are in survival mode before hitting poverty. We provide the highest quality fresh and/or organic produce, healthy food, entertainment, as well as 90% biodegradable/eco-friendly products. We are in need of new or gently used white 10x10 tents, white outdoor umbrellas with the base, and 6ft wood or plastic folding tables. DM us on Instagram or email us to coordinate a drop-off or pick-up in Canoga Park.
WHERE: San Fernando Valley
$$$: Donate via our website to help us purchase pallets of fresh/organic produce from local farms.
WHO: West Adams Mutual Aid
YOU HAVE: TIME ITEMS
YOU NEED: SERVICES
We offer outreach & support for West Adams unhoused neighbors, including meals, hygiene, service connects, and friendship! We collect clothing, tents, sleeping bags, tarps, and hygiene items at 3754 Chesapeake Ave. DM us on Instagram to learn more.
WHEN: 12p-2p Sunday Outreach
WHERE: West Adams
WHO: Home-y Made Meals
YOU HAVE: TIME MONEY
YOU NEED: FOOD
Home-y Made Meals is an effort that gets homemade meals to unhoused folks by connecting volunteer at-home chefs and/or delivery drivers. The pantry is located in West Adams, volunteers are from all over, and outreach partners are based in the San Fernando Valley, Metro LA, West LA, South LA, East LA, South Bay, and Orange County. We're looking for volunteers to cook meals and/or drive to pick-up/drop-off throughout the week.
WHEN: Shifts are scheduled according to your availability.
WHERE: West Adams, all over
$$$: Donate here to help sustain our free pantry for volunteers to access everything they need to make a complete meal as well as other overhead costs like labor and technology.
WHO: Mutual Aid LA Network (MALAN)
YOU HAVE: TIME ITEMS
YOU NEED: ITEMS FOOD
Produce in the Park, MALAN’s free Thursday produce distribution (which everyone is welcome to help at and/or get food from) consistently needs clean, thick plastic or reusable bags. If you have 10+ bags to contribute, visit here to coordinate a handoff. We also need Resource Responders, or folks to help gather these bags via pick-ups or by volunteering their porch for the occasional bag drop-off. More info can be found in this sign-up form. And if you’d like to drive, sort, or stock a fridge w/ Produce in the Park, sign-up here. Lastly, we’re collecting unopened hygiene supplies for our upcoming Hygiene Hello! Kit build for unhoused folks.
WHEN: Ongoing & at your convenience | Produce in the Park is on Thursdays at 12pm
WHERE: Bag collection is across LA County | PitP is at Saint James Park (near USC)
$$$: All funds contributed to MALAN’s GoFundMe go toward our projects like Produce in the Park, go toward purchasing supplies, warm clothing and blankets for unhoused folks or are redistributed to mutual aid groups across LA and to individuals seeking help.
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