Repost of valuable post by u/ZootSuitRiot33801
A Guide for Communal Empowerment and Survival Solidarity
Here's an organized amalgam of some things I saved from different conversations, just to give some ideas to possibily spread (both online and offline) and try out in the real world. All credit goes to the originators of the following information:
Organize if you can
The US is much larger than any place that full mask off fascism has been done before, and it will already be very very hard for them to stretch the budget to do the things they want. That's why they had to choose between sending the military to Chicago or Memphis, they don't actually have the money or man power to do everything they want, and the more we can wrench the machine the more they will fall apart, so if you're here it's easier
They will constantly try to pass new rules, and if we can make it as expensive and difficult as possible for those to work, it will hurt them.
If you're in another country with the same current problem of things going to shit, making it expensive still works.
Of course, they will try to print money to get around that. That will cause runaway inflation, which will cause shortages.
Make contacts with anyone who sees what is going on and sees that this isn't politics as usual.
Don't rely on people who still trust this system to fix our problems, they can help with food drives but they will turn you in. Don't trust any establishment politician, the eager ones are often abusive narcissists trying to use their ideas for personal power gain.
It's fine if you still choose to go out and vote for whatever reason, but don't expect anything of real substance that'll benefit common folk to be tackled should your side win an election. We're in this situation in the first place because the system is working as the status quo intended, so work on an alternative infrastructure, even if it's just a backup for when those in power don't meet our needs
Take any basic first aid/CPR classes that are available, which are usually held by the Red Cross, local fire departments, hospitals etc. It would be preferable if you take any free courses in-person near you, so you could ask questions for any immediate clarification and practice lifesaving techniques first-hand. If you want something a little more intensive than basic first aid, you can look for anyone offering free TCCC (Tactical Combat Casualty Care) courses. If you're searching for classes willing to exercise discretion, you could ask your nearest gun club that prioritizes inclusivity. If need be, you can take free online courses in lieu of classes being held physically in your area.
Work on food networks NOW so you are prepared. Community gardens. Teach people to do canning. Teach people to cook simple meals that are cheap and easily shared. Work on learning to make safe homeless ovens and things like that, stuff that people can use when it gets bad but they won't die from using.
If you have the room start composting, because things like commercial fertilizer may get hard to come by. I do layered compost, 2 inches green, two inches brown, repeat. You never mix it, you never mess with it, you do water it. The stuff I'm putting down now will be usable next year, but ideal in two.
Learn to grow mushrooms, you can do that anywhere, and if you get good at it there's a lot of kinds you can grow, some of which make good money, or just help with building solidarity in bad times. And if shit goes down real hard, you can grow them in literal shit, while pretty much everything else needs fertilizer and soil and a bunch of other stuff.
I also strongly encourage looking into subjects such as medicinal gardening, perennial food forests, vertical gardening, and aquaponics; preferably, systems that can function off-grid. Speaking of off-grid, whether the source is environmental (e.g. solar, wind, etc...) or mechanical, (e.g. alternator attached to a bike,) acquiring or learning how to develop something to readily produce power, without any reliance on a source outside of your local community, can help keep vital necessities functional within your area. If there aren't any classes or experts available in your area for any of these, there are people that post relevant videos, articles, and threads on such subjects in further detail.
Help the people around you. Hold routinely scheduled drives that can distribute anything - like food, blankets, and even books - for the community to use. If you can't do it that way, you can instead have such things available inside cabinets you could maybe set up on easements. If you have the aptitude learn the basics of how cars work, the basics of electricity and electrician work, renewable energy production, knitting, sewing and other forms of clothing alteration, the basics of plumbing and repair. Or just pick one. You don't have to do everything, but the more you prepare to be able to help people when they need it the more those people will realize that while they can't depend on the system they can rely on you and others.
You can try and start with those closest to you who you already trust, but you HAVE to be able to connect with people offline and not on reddit, or fb messenger, or Twitter, etc. Exchange phone numbers, addresses. Not IN your phone but in a notebook, written with pen and paper.
Try to have social meetups with people. Not everything should be focused on activism, you need solidarity with people, you need comfort, you need trust outside of radical action. Find people, get to know them, and help each other survive the mental aspects of things going to shit. Movie night where everyone brings a dish is cheap, easy, not too hard on budget, and allows time for people to mesh together. It's easier to rely of friends than it is to rely on strangers. Having local connections and groups who in turn have have people who are connected to othe groups and so on is how we will be able to attain a network.
We should really be creating alternative communication and video-sharing networks, opposed to these pseudo "impartial" public forums. Work on "unplugging" ourselves from these things along with our reliance on the establishment in general.
For starters, for the more accessible forms of coms, try decentalised, end-to-end encrypted messengers like Session, (available for Linux through the Software Store,) which you don't have to give any data about yourself. For those who want to develop your own applications with end-to-end encrypted capabilities, there's OpenMLS and Cwtch you can look into.
Consider switching to open-source systems like Linux, since well-known systems like Microsoft and Apple seem to be going all in siding with fascism. https://distrochooser.de/ is a great starting point for anyone entering the Linux world. (The phone version of this questionnaire is quite buggy, so it is recommended to use the Desktop Version.) The questionnaire is well-designed, easy to understand, and gives newcomers a clear direction without requiring technical knowledge. It shouldn’t be treated as absolute truth however, because the algorithm bases its suggestions solely on your responses, without factoring in subjective aspects like community quality, documentation in your language, or real-world ease of use. There are different ways to acquire different Distros, whether for free or for a price, pre-installed on a computer or replacing a pre-existing OS on your PC, there are members of the Linux communities who will gladly guide you through the steps.
Learn about making mesh networks, learn about pirate radio. FM modulators are pretty easy to build, and AI services like Gemini are more than happy to help you learn how electronics work, answer your questions, teach you the math. They're usually fine doing math, however they at times can even get simple math wrong, so use at your own risk and keep in mind the real-world damage with each usage of these AI services. If you don't trust AI, there are instructions you can find on the web and in books, and there are people like tutors who can help teach you too. If you have the time and inclination, building secondary communications platforms is going to be a must.
Don't get caught. I think it's legal to build FM broadcasters that cover up to 200 feet, which is why you can buy them in Amazon, but if you make them right you just have a knob that lets you turn it up to "my whole city gets covered" but you can make them small and legal so you understand them with no risk. MAKE SURE YOU LEARN HOW LOW PASS FILTERS WORK SO YOU AREN'T FUCKING UP EMERGENCY SERVICES RADIOS
Ideally, you mesh network files to your broadcaster, you hide it with a solar cell someplace else so you never have to go back to it. Mesh networks are slow, but you can upload a 6 hour audio loop over them in an hour or so.
Ham radio can be good too. Learning to use one is manageable with some studying and practice, and a license is relatively easy to get, as it's necessary to make sure that radio bands don't become unusable due to unregulated, high-powered transmissions. Having such an asset will be a rock solid local, independent, decentralized comms, as well as a means to communicate globally without the need of internet or cell towers.
See if goodwill has cassette tapes. They're kind of making a comeback, make mix tapes for people and have them available with stuff that isn't pointless. They are also another good way to distribute something like a podcast via sneaker-net for those unwilling or unable to use an online hosting service for them. The reason fundamentalists always have the Christian station on its that it reinforces ideas and social identity, and a lot of people listen to punk, post punk, radical folk etc for the same thing. Spreading music around is a small act, but it's meaningful. If someone builds the self identity of a radical they're less likely to throw up their hands and give up when things get bad.
Learn how things work and why. Learn about propaganda, learn about marketing, learn about the bullshit out there. At some point people will need messaging, and the more you know about how the others are doing it the more effectively you can fight back. News and other valuable information straight from the public to inform the wider public
Figure out where to hide. Figure out where to hide others. Make sure other people know you're working on this so they know they can rely on you
To ensure further privacy of you and your community, look into tech that can counter unwanted surveillance in the area. Activist hackers and civil liberty-focused technology organizations, like EFF, are usually good educational sources for such subjects. Devices like OUI-SPY, utilizes a cheap Arduino compatible chip called an ESP-32 that runs "Flock You," to detect things like AI surveillance cameras and drones. There's also the battery-powered IMSI catcher detector, which you can use to detect eavesdropping by agencies via cell-site simulators (or CSS aka IMSI catcher) Plus, there are websites where you can report different intrusions of privacy, like https://deflock.org
If you want to have the security of being able to use a cam setup, just host it yourself. A good example would be to use an open source locally hosted product like Frigate, buy your own wifi/PoE cams like Reolink and if possible put them on their own VLAN that has zero internet access. You can get remote access many ways that exclude anyone but you from accessing.
As for video-sharing websites, try looking into these:
PeerTube https://peertube.tv/videos/local?s=1
NewPipe* https://newpipe.net/
GrayJay https://grayjay.app/
FreeTube* https://freetubeapp.io/
Means https://means.tv/
Nebula https://nebula.tv/
Glomble https://glomble.com/
*NewPipe and FreeTube are not necessarily video-sharing websites, and are clients to YouTube, but I understand that they're still good.
Then there is VoxTube which, unlike FreeTube, is an enhanced browser layer built directly on top of YouTube. If you're a developer interested in contributing, you're welcome to help improve VoxTube: https://git.disroot.org/E.P.L.S/VoxTube
Also look into Fediverse and you may also want to join the following subreddits (temporarily at least) if you're looking for more info or suggestions:
r/privacy
r/degoogle
r/Permaculture
r/meshtastic
r/ATAK
r/preppers
r/prepperintel
r/canning
r/collapseprep
r/gardening
r/homesteading
r/offgrid
Common Organizing Traps to Avoid
(ALWAYS keep in mind the following as basics to avoid burnout and total collapse.)
1.) Waiting for the "Right Moment"
Instead: Start as soon as possible, but start within your abilities and with what is readily concrete and attainable.
2.) Taking on too much too fast
Instead: Pick one thing, do it well, and grow from there.
3.) Stalling progress due to getting lost in the details and setbacks
Remember: It's okay if everything doesn't go perfect. Doing things imperfectly is better than not doing anything, due to failures and disagreements on what is minor in comparison. Focus on reaching your group's common goal as top priority, analyze and learn from what went wrong, get back on track.
4.) One member takes over all planning
Instead: Allow a wide variety of members to take on important duties. The same person shouldn't be leading every single project, facilitating weeks on end. Give new members opportunities to step up and become effective organizers in their own right.
5.) No space in your group for joy
Remember: It's suggested that there should be at least one-third of group time dedicated to having fun and building bonds amongst members.
6.) Not taking time to rest after your group reaches a project's main goal
Remember: Upon the successful completion of a weeks-long/months-long project goal, don't let your period of rest exceed past a month. The creep of complacency is a real threat, as it can take hold and easily transform into apathy.
