Notes on Mutual Aid

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Organizing doesn’t happen in a vacuum. New mutual aid projects may fly under the radar in their starting stages, but no project  can evade the eyes of the watchful neighborhoods surrounding them indefinitely. Establishing a presence can attract new participants and allies, but not everyone will  appreciate the work.

This zine is the second in a series that explores and critiques the budding movement of mutual aid groups around the Pacific Northwest. Our own experiences, observations, and research are synthesized with accounts gained from networking with other groups near and far.

Inside this volume we examine the social web of politicians and police, churches and chambers of commerce, and other pillars of
present society. How do we navigate or subvert them as we strive for new forms of living?

Comments, complaints, and requests for updates on future volumes are welcome: email mutualaidnotes [at] riseup [dot] net

We also welcome emails from folks near occupied Dxʷdəwʔabš (aka Seattle) who would like stacks of hard copies to distribute to groups, events, venues, free libraries etc.

Download Print-Imposed Version

Download Digital-Reading Version

Today we find ourselves trying to influence our communities in the context of gentrification, continuous war, and environmental catastrophe, but also amid revolt from below across the globe.

The present wave of mutual aid work is at a crossroads. A solid foundation for future work has been established, but it is vital that groups avoid stagnant patterns, non-profit and electoral co-option, or settling into a wholly reactive pattern of responding only when attacks intensify.

This zine is the first in a series that will explore and critique the budding movement of mutual aid groups around the Pacific Northwest. Our own experiences, observations, and research are synthesized with accounts gained from networking with other groups near and far.

After examining the ideas behind mutual aid, this first volume explores the history and local context of survival and struggle on the streets. From potlatch to panther survival programs, needle exchanges to city-hall campouts, today’s mutual aid projects have a wealth of inspiration and warning from which to draw.

Comments, complaints, and requests for updates on future volumes are welcome: email mutualaidnotes [at] riseup [dot] net

We also welcome emails from folks near occupied Dxʷdəwʔabš (aka Seattle) who would like stacks of hard copies to distribute to groups, events, venues, free libraries etc.