Outline:

S: This is Sprout

C: and this is Charyan, and we are the hosts of Molotov Now!, on The Channel Zero Podcast Network, thank you for joining us on this episode of the podcast.

S: if you like what we do here and want to support it, you can do that by going to linktr.ee/al1312 and clicking donate, or scrolling to the bottom for Patreon.

C: Today on the podcast we are joined by a member of PDX Jail Support to discuss their efforts creating a culture of mutual aid based around the idea of widespread community jail support.

S: They have spent the last four years building a network of volunteers to stand outside local jails and connect with people coming out of jail. This is done with all arrestees, not simply when there is a need for increased jail support following a protest event.

C: We will also be debuting the audiozine we collaborated on with them detailing how to build a jail support network where you live.

S: We hope you find this episode as inspiring as we did. It really lit a fire in us to get something similar going here where we live. The potential for radicalization is immense in these highly vulnerable and personal connections.

C: When we return, join us for our monthly radical news roundup coming up next, but first enjoy this message from our sponsor.

Jingle:

Hello and welcome to The Child and Its Enemies, a podcast about queer and neurodivergent kids living out anarchy and youth liberation.

Here at The Child and Its Enemies, we believe that youth autonomy is not only crucial to queer and trans liberation, but to anarchy itself. Governance is inherently based on projecting linear narratives of time and development and gender onto our necessarily asynchronous and atemporal queer lives. And youth and teens are at the center of this form of oppression.

Our goal with the podcast is to create a space by and for youth that challenges all forms of control. And inspires us to create queer, feral, ageless networks of care. I’m your host, MK Zario, I’m 15 years old, and I’m the youth correspondent at The Anarchist Review of Books, author of Debate Me Bro, and organizer of some all ages queer spaces in my city and online. If you want to learn more or join us on Discord and Signal, our website is thechildanditsenemies.noblogs.org

Monthly Radical News Roundup:

Upcoming Events:

Interview with Andromeda about Disco! at the Moral Panic:

Sprout: Alright, today for our news section, we have a special guest, Andromeda, from the Temporary Collective formed around organizing the Disco at the Moral Panic, planned for April 13th. That’s tomorrow, people, at noon. In Olympia, Washington. Sounds like a pretty great experience. Can you introduce yourself and talk about the event and what inspired it?

Andromeda: Hey, I’m Andromeda. A few weeks ago I was panicking about stuff in the news. Trans people being murdered. I mean, like just all kinds of stuff, you know, like there’s the, the, the bills and the taking away hormones. Like that’s one of Trump’s platforms. Like it’s, yeah, it’s. So I was, I was panicking about this and then a friend brought this other event to my attention, the hate rally put on by her voice movement, which has connections to, so the person, people, organization, whatever, funding this, this rally.

It’s just like a crazy character, just has connections to this like huge mega church pastor who has said like just openly violent things about trans people. And you know, on all of their, their websites, there’s, you know, the, the website for this rally, there’s the website for the organization putting it on and all these things, there’s always like a donate link in the, in the, it’s just, yeah.

Sprout: Yeah. Yeah, they’re always well funded. Yeah.

Andromeda: Yeah.

Sprout: So what are you guys going to be doing the day of?

Andromeda: So in the face of all this hate, we just thought, you know, we should let people know that trans people are just vibing. We’re just, we’re just trying to like live and be ourselves. So we’ve set up this celebration of trans life and identity.

It’s called Disco at the Moral Panic, and it’s just a celebration of trans life and identity. And we’re just really trying to show people that trans people are just people. These folks, these grifters, you know, painting their stuff as Christian. They’re really, they’re freaking out. They’re causing a whole scene over like, just like our existence, just us vibing.

And so we’re just trying to really demonstrate that, you know, so we’ve invited press and, you know, it’s going to be family friendly and it’s just art. Really. So, so far we have. See, we got a marching band. We have drag performers. We have open mic. We have some musical artists. Helen Back. Don’t know if you know who that is.

And we’re also looking for more acts. If really, if you have any art to offer, even like words. Just, you know, say something relevant about your queer experience. That’s, that’s really encouraged. There will be a time to do that and have a few people signing up for it. And then, oh yeah. There’s going to be a sketch comedy as well.

Sprout: Awesome. That sounds great. Yeah. I’m looking at the flyer now and I really love the art on there and I love the framing of it as a celebration because it does say against trans hate bills national nationwide. But it leaves with queer futures and celebration of trans and queer life, and I really like that.

Andromeda: Yeah, me too. I’ve been organizing around a lot of different issues you know, environmental stuff or, you know, national liberation, that sort of thing. And I don’t know, I’m kind of sick of all the chants and the speeches and the hate. Absolutely. I’m just tired of it. I’m just tired of it. Figured I’d do something new.

Sprout: Alright, so where are people meeting if they wanted to go to the event? Where and when?

Andromeda: So, we’re meeting at, so it’s called Tivoli, Tivoli something, Fountain. And it’s, so, you know, if you’ve ever been to the state capitol, there’s, there’s that, buildings that, you know, surround that sort of oval area. And then right outside of that, there’s a park sort of thing.

That’s where the fountain is. So it’s just on this, this grassy area across from the Capitol building. Basically it’s still on the Capitol campus and yeah, it’s it’s a 12 PM. The hate rally that this is partly in response to takes a place from from one to three and we plan on packing up before before they’re done.

Sprout: Okay, and just reading off the flyer again, it says, be advised, hate group leaders have been known to escalate violently, make death threats, and dox community members. We are our own community defense. Please use safety measures such as wearing a KN 95 mask and consider setting up a buddy system. We keep each other safe.

I love the nod to security there. That’s important.

Andromeda: So, as well as keeping each other safe we will have experienced security organization also keeping us safe. That is a huge priority.

Sprout: Yeah, definitely. That’s appreciated.

Andromeda: I just want to reiterate that, like, you can come and bring art. Like bring it, bring your art, bring your, your vibes.

Sprout: Yeah. And is there going to be any space for making art while there?

Andromeda: Yeah, totally. We’re going to have face painting. I think there will be like regular painting. Oh bubbles. Lots of bubbles.

Sprout: That’s great. Yeah. If you’re listening to this on the release date, then you have time to go tomorrow to the Capitol at noon.

And I hope you do to support this. Amazing cause and just have fun and enjoy the experience. Maybe we can get a report back when you’re done.

Andromeda: Yeah, definitely. That sounds great.

Sprout: Awesome. Well, thanks for coming on the podcast today.

Andromeda: Thanks. Yeah. Thanks for having me.

Sprout: Yeah, of course. Anytime.

So that kicks off our upcoming events with Olympia. Go out and attend the Disco at the Moral Panic tomorrow, April 13th at noon, meeting at Tivoli Fountain. Also in Olympia, celebrate May Day, aka International Workers Day, hosted by the Thurston Lewis Mason County Central Labor Council. There’s going to be a Labor Tenant Picket, supporting local worker tenants movements. 530 p. m., Bridge at State Street and 4th, in Olympia. There will be a Solidarity Night, sharing the history of May Day and holding a vigil for the Haymarket Martyrs of 1886, 630 at Traditions Cafe in Olympia. And then May 5th, there will be a Working People’s Picnic, food and fun with your local union siblings, family, friends, and all ages welcome, 11 a.m. to 3 p. m. at Thurston County Fairgrounds. Questions? Contact Treasurer at tlmlabor. org.

In Seattle, save the date. Monday afternoon, April 15th. Join Seattle’s economic blockade for a free Palestine. Check back Monday for details on how to join this action. Be ready with your signs and banners. No business as usual during a genocide. In each city, we will identify and blockade major choke points in the economy, focusing on points of production and circulation with the aim of causing the most economic impact, as did the port shutdowns in recent months in Oakland, California, and Melbourne, Australia, as just a few examples. There is a sense in the streets In this recent and unprecedented movement for Palestine, that escalation has become necessary. There is a need to shift from symbolic actions to those that cause pain to the economy. As Yemen is bombed to secure global trade, and billions of dollars are sent to the Zionist war machine, we must recognize that the global economy is complicit in genocide, and together, we will coordinate to disrupt and blockade economic logistical hubs and the flow of capital. Learn more at a15action.com

In Bremerton, on Sunday, May 19th, Escape from the Zoo will be playing with the Palmer Squares and Guillotine Gambit. Doors open at 6 p. m. Get tickets for 15 at escapeatthechuck.eventbrite.com

And now for our mutual aid requests. From Aberdeen, 200 to help save Kaz’s life. A comrade and dear friend is in need of funds for an emergency vet bill to save a precious cat named Cass. Any amount helps. This cat belongs to a young child who would be devastated to lose their companion. Please share or donate if you can. It is Venmo at crmutualaidnet, Cash App, crmutualaidnet. Or paypal, crmutualaidnet@riseup. net. Thank you in advance.

And we have a black disabled trans mask in need of stable housing. The mutual aid request reads, I’m losing my housing at the end of this month and I’m having top surgery early June. I’m desperately in need of stable housing. If you’re able to donate to help towards rent at a place of my own, I’d appreciate that. You can donate through Cash App. Thank you. At $ironicshrimp, or Venmo, @ironic_shrimp96, and PayPal @arrow96.

Our next mutual aid request comes from a disabled indigenous trans mother, who left her job for safety and security after receiving harassments and complaints from a disgruntled transphobic customer. They have not been able to work since. They have been trying hard for the last two months and have avoided asking for help, but the bills have piled up. Says they are in danger of losing access to healthcare, and have been made, and have been released from their recording program due to not having means to pay. They are mentally and financially exhausted. If you have security and are willing to help, please know that they would be grateful for anything you can spare. You can Venmo them at Nataanii Cornelius, that’s N A T A A N I I C O R N E L I U S.

Music: 

Segment one:

Sprout: Welcome back to Molotov Now. Today on the podcast, we’re joined by Clover, an organizer with PDX Jail Support, here to talk with us about their work down in Portland, helping the community in times of need and crisis as they get released from jail. Could you go ahead and introduce yourself to our listeners and talk about any relevant projects that you’ve been involved in?

Clover: Yeah, so I’m Clover. My pronouns are he and they. And I’ve been involved with community jail support since the summer of 2020. And I, before that, I was very in and out of different mutual aid groups and kind of you know, dropping it at a Food Not Bombs event and stuff like that, but I hadn’t actually re engaged myself fully in something quite like this.

So yeah, the community support started. In that summer, through the years, it went from a massive like, collective network down to just a couple of people going out when they could, but all through it, it’s, it’s really been an incredible experience. Yeah, it definitely sounds like something that would face a lot of intense burnout.

Sprout: Have you guys developed any hard practices around how to address burnout when it happens or prevent it from happening in the first place?

Clover: Yeah, at first, we absolutely did not. And it was something we talked about a lot, because you know, when a lot of people were coming by and doing it, then it was a lot easier to, you know, just do, you know, 8 hours here and there, but when, when participation really dropped down, especially in that first winter we still felt that same need of, like, to show up in the same way.

And so there were some people that just would be sitting out in the cold day or night for 12 hours at a time. And I think that it definitely contributed to, you know, the last year or so of just, like. Along with a lot of police meddling led to us really having to rethink about how, you know, we kind of started reengaging with it.

And so at this point, we’re trying to take a really grounded approach of like, what can we both monetarily afford and what how often can we go down? And turning it into, from when people ask, you know, oh, how can I help you? It really encouraging them to be like, well, you know, this is just it’s a thing that anyone can do.

And if you want to do it, you can just pick a day. And like, you know, we, we try to offer ourselves as like, you know, like introducing people to it and especially with like resources and stuff like that. But I think honestly, the, the best way that we’ve kind of. Trying to avoid burnout this time around is turning that energy into trying to get other people engaged and in a way that they take ownership of, rather than, you know, the, the growing network turning into more work for a low number of people.

Sprout: Yeah, I love to see those heat of the moment passion projects, get some structure and organization behind them and really turn an eye towards sustainability. I know here with the mutual aid work that we do, our driving goal since we started has been recruitment because if you’re just relying on the people who are in the network now, then you’re going to get everyone burnt out and then you’re going to have no one left.

Can you maybe talk a little bit more about that police meddling that you mentioned?

Clover: Yeah, so it turns out when a bunch of anarchists sit outside of a jail, the cops don’t like it very much. We At the beginning, especially since it, you know, community jail support came about in the rise of daily protests in Portland that a lot of the people engaging with it were also protesters.

And so there was a lot more, there was a lot of exchange where, you know, people would be flipping off cops as they drove by and yell and quit your job. And and, and. Part of it is we were very clear from the beginning that, like, this community jail support is coming from the perspective of police and prison abolition.

And so we’re not trying to, you know, help fix jails. We’re there because we don’t think they should exist. And so initially there was definitely some effort from, like, individual officers would come up and try to strike up a chat. And then it, you know, it, you know, Turned into anything ranging from, you know, people being followed home by police to, you know, people, people getting arrested just because, you know, the police found a reason to, to say, but basically because they, they got them too personally angry.

So, yeah, it, the police being right outside of a jail definitely makes how you present yourself very important for whether you have that energy to have like. A really, you know, engaging relationship with the police, and, and also the bigger it got, the more upset they got, because that meant that more people were being supported, and the attitude in the jails was shifting because people were telling each other, like, hey, when you get out, someone will be there, and so, yeah, it’s, it’s very close contact with police, and, you know, depending on how you present yourself, and how outward you are of, you know, You know, fuck the police and and abolishing prisons and how you talk about it.

They can get a lot of scrutiny on you. And at one point, you know, they’ll do sweeps. Although they’ll try to just, you know, take take your stuff. And so, yeah, there’s a lot of different ways. Yeah, I kind of like that aspect of, you know, having a solid jail support makes it a little bit easier to for.

Protesters to commit to that action that might get them arrested, knowing that people are going to be there on the outside to have their back when they need it. Could you talk about some of those other ways and the history of how the jail support movement has been built in Portland? Yeah. So at, at the beginning there was not quite 24 seven presence, but you know, a lot, a lot of overnight.

Consistent presence and mostly people that would like, come in, be there for, for, you know, 6 hours, 8 hours, however long and then leave. And and it was kind of, you know, that model where most of the communication was just for like, when can you be there? Do you have extra supplies and stuff like that?

And after the, the first, the winter of 2020 to 2021, a, like throughout, 2020, really, but it really grew. After that, there was a homeless encampment that was in the park across the street from the jail. And they, and you know, the people that, that lived there came because they said, I want to do jail support.

And so at one point, and this is when the, the police were most invasive with their harassment was like eight, there was a camp that was like a massive hub for, For everyone in the city who came by and that’s, that’s part of the, the other important, you know, philosophy of, of jail support is that, you know, if you don’t have to have just come out of jail to, to, you know, engage and receive support because we’re, you know, we are all policed and the, the, the more that we get support.

And, you know, just community whenever we need it, the less likely that you’ll be exposed to police violence. So, especially at that point, you know, if someone like there would be a camp that was swept and people would like, would we put out a call online and people would be bringing by tents and massive packs of water and stuff like that.

So, and that was when there was, yeah, very intense surveillance. They, they would, they cleared out the park at one point to put up cameras in the trees, just so they could see us from every angle. But, but surprisingly, there were a lot of, a lot of, you know, things that I’m sure they could have, you know, engaged within the moment, but they mostly tried to bother people when they were just a couple people, or when they were coming to or from.

So there was definitely a hesitancy to really challenge the, the body of jail support because it had started to become part of the city. And so really what they often were doing was trying to hit pressure points. And, you know, if noticing when someone was in a vulnerable position and trying to either through, again, Surveillance and harassment in their cars to driving dangerous situations towards us and encouraging them just to make jail support, you know, more dangerous, more needing more support and things like that.

That’s a very scary escalation on behalf of the police. What connections do you see that having with the attempts to outlaw jail support in places like Georgia with the attempts to fight the protests against cop city? Yeah, you know, I think it’s, it’s all part of when police feel challenged, or particularly when, you know, communities say, we don’t need you, we don’t want you.

Consistently, they retaliate, and. The purpose of jail and the purpose of prison is to be cruel and anything that lessens that, you know, it’s, it’s ruining their system. It’s, it’s, it’s whether, whether they’re, you know, the, the few and far between police officer that thinks that they’re doing a good thing, or just your everyday cop that wants to, you know, You know, power or to punish people.

The idea of community coming together and challenging that is, is a threat to them. And so whether it’s, it’s for, you know, supporting protesters against a specific. Project or it’s just saying like, Hey, I’m sorry that you just experienced that you know, random member of my community and helping them you know, get home safe and, or just not, you know, feel quite so alone or get that cigarette that they’ve been waiting for.

It sometimes just makes them really mad and they want to do something about it. And the unfortunate thing about police is when they’re mad. They can arrest people and, and do raids and, you know, make, make up whatever justification they want to retroactively. And so I think over and over again, whenever we see retaliation against any, you know, mutual aid programs, you know, people getting ticketed for feeding people, it’s all this different ways that the police lash out against the things that like challenge the foundation of.

Sprout: Can you go into a little bit more detail on the actual process that y’all undertake when you’re engaging in this work? What does it look like for you as a volunteer to show up and. Sit outside the jail and what actually do you do? Also, what does it look like from the other side as someone who’s getting out of jail?

How do you access this service? How do you find out about it? Is it just something that you are physically present there and so they’re going to run into you once they come out? What does that look like on their end?

Clover: Yeah, so doing jail support, it, it can either be as little as, like, you know, you have a pack of cigarettes and some water, or if, you know, if we have enough resources, we love to have, you know, like, a full spread of, like, replacement, like, hats and gloves and hand warmers And, you know, things like anything that, you know, someone might need and not have on them when they, when they walk out.

And if you’re in a big city, then you’re probably are getting 24 hour releases. And so people are getting processed and released at all hours. And so 1 thing that. If you’re able to, overnight jail support is, is one of the most important times to have it. Just because people, you know, walk out and there’s no buses running and it’s cold and they might not have their phone or their wallet.

And so usually on a jail support shift, which like, you know, I, I always cringe away from saying like shifts and volunteers, but it’s, it’s a succinct way to put it. We, you know, we just set up our stuff and we. Thankfully at Portland, outside the doors, they have some benches and stuff so we can sit but otherwise you got to bring chairs.

And, you know, every once in a while, someone will walk out. We usually look for if someone has, you know, a collection of papers in their hand or a. Possessions bag, which is like a plastic bag with all their stuff in it. That usually means that they just got out and we, you know, we, we wave them down.

I’ll, I’ll usually ask like, Hey, you want any snacks, water, or a cigarette? Cause usually someone will want one of those three things. And so, and you know, some people will just like ignore us or say no and walk by, but that’s really just, you know, to like get someone’s attention. And show that, you know, you’re, you’re wanting to talk with them.

And then it’s, it’s pretty much seeing whatever that person needs. And sometimes it’s just like, I need a phone call so I can call my cousin so that they can pick me up. Or directions home. And, and sometimes they, you know, they want to sit and smoke a cigarette and talk about all of the, the Terrible experiences they just had.

And cause sometimes people just got released after a couple hours and sometimes they’ve been in there for a while. And so, yeah, it’s really showing up in whatever kind way you can for whatever they need in that moment. And for, for the people, for the people coming out, okay. Like I, once upon a time when, when jail support was had a lot more people participating, it was pretty much like we were most of the time there.

And so it. It was like, it was something that people that if they were, you know, arrested and came in and out of jail frequently, they would just know about, and they’d tell other people about. And we also, we tried to kind of balance, you know, a social media presence of being a place where like people could reach out for any specific, if, if someone had a specific person they were wanting to wait for and wanted to see if we could help out, then we, we try to show up as much as we could.

And so it’s, it’s really like. Sometimes it almost feels hard to explain because it’s really just simple, you know, it’s, it’s the, someone, someone said the first time that they did jail support, it’s because they saw a tweet that, you know, had gone out and like, you know, saying we need folks down at community jail support.

We need people with kind faces. And like, I feel like that really gets down to like the bottom line of it. Is, is you show up at, like, with kindness to people that have just gone through trauma. And so you can have a lot of stuff, you can have a little stuff. I, I find a sign is very helpful because it’s, you know, an easier invitation.

And it’s easy to see if people’s eyes linger on it. Then it’s like, okay, then, you know, easier to, to bring people in. But yeah, and then, you know, people, people walk by who you know, we have hats, we have hand warmers. If someone walks by and it looks like they. need something, we always offer it to them.

And so it’s, it’s kind of a, we always do it as a very loose structure where we have, you know, a couple of like, we have a zine that has a summary of it, but we’re really there to show up in whatever way that, that people need. And, you know, and Learning the, the boundaries around that of like, what can I offer and what can I not offer?

Sprout: Yeah, I really appreciate that adaptability. It’s really special the work you do because you’re connecting with people at such a traumatic point in their life that like really even like just a smile can, can change their day or their week. Speaking of trauma, one thing that we’ve learned a lot about in our work here in Aberdeen has been trauma informed care. And the idea that you don’t want to needlessly re traumatize people who’ve just been through or have experienced traumatic situations. Is this something that you all are familiar with down in Portland, jail support? And how do you practice it in your work?

Clover: Absolutely. And we were pretty lucky that some of the people that were involved really early had some, Really incredible experience with, with trauma informed care and care work and yeah, I think it’s, it’s kind of the, the most like fundamental part because if you’re, if you’re not showing up for that person and, and seeing what, what it is that they need in that time.

Then you’re probably just going to make things worse and so, so coming, coming from a very like, like, you know, judgment free position of where you, you can put boundaries on, you know, what people say and be like, Hey, I’m not, I’m not cool with that language or actually like, don’t talk to me that way. But, you know, when, when you’re the way that you’re engaging with them is really just about, you know, like.

You’re, you’re not coming to them as, as, you know, someone who, who you’re judging on, however they got there. And a lot of times people want to talk about that. And so like, that’s what we do is like, we talk, but like, yeah, like this, this is a point where even, even if you had the, the best case scenario for, for being arrested and going through jail, you, you’ve had your autonomy stripped away from you.

You’ve been, been taken out of. Society for that period of time. And really the, the, the reason why we, we focused our energies on that point when someone gets out is because like during periods of trauma, but your ability to connect and process that afterwards, it. Leads is a major component of where that person’s, like, goes in the future and, and not from a perspective of we’re, like, we’re not trying to get them to do anything different.

It doesn’t matter, you know, even if they did something that I, that I consider wrong my goal is not to get them to not do that. My goal is to, is to, you know, communicate to them that they’re still a part of a community. Because as, you know, people who go through prison and jail, when they get out, they’re, they’re ostracized and all of their options are limited.

And so really, a lot of times people are not grounded in reality or are, you know, going through withdrawals or and like people walking by and who might be in any state of mind. And so being able to, you know, understand What they’re, what they’re trying to come to the conversation with. And so sometimes I’ll, I’ll be listening to, to half for half an hour of someone who I, I don’t totally understand, you know, what they’re, what they’re trying to say or what story it is that they’re telling.

But even though, you know, I’ll only answer with, huh. And, you know, like showing engagement they’ll thank me afterwards just for listening. And so. I think that coming to the approach of understanding that people are always in a very vulnerable position when they’re released and so showing up, you know, with compassion and understanding and, you know, basing your reaction based off of whatever part of their story they want to tell you.

And again, it doesn’t really matter if they go off to to try to avoid jail. Or if they end up making that court appointment, you spent 45 minutes trying to help them figure out the point is, is that someone was there for them in that moment and, and offered compassion is, is really the, the bottom line.

Sprout: Yeah, I was curious how y’all as abolitionists and anarchists handle the sometimes real harm that people might have done when they’re coming out. And it sounds like you guys kind of just put that to the side and are just showing up to help people regardless. Would you say that there’s any special consideration given to this aspect of the work?

Clover: Yeah, it’s something that we, we kind of informally talked about as, as things were going of, you know, like, when, when you look at the, the roster to see, you know, who might be released, you see some, some pretty horrific allegations. Because, again, if, just because they were arrested doesn’t mean they did it.

But, you know, like, And people would come out with white supremacist tattoos. And, and in that moment, we kind of said, like, as, as long as there’s nothing where it’s like, I personally feel unsafe, or they’re saying unacceptable things to me in this moment. It’s really not about what I think of them. Or, you know, it helps to have the abolitionist, you know, and an anarchist framework of, you know, like, understanding why people, people do things and the, the, the forces that, that lead people to different decisions and, and having different outlooks on life.

But really, yeah, we just, like, it’s not about all that. What it’s about is that someone in our community just got messed up and just got screwed over. And. They don’t deserve that, and, and if we think that, then, you know, we’re not, I’m not engaging with, with people because I want to be their friends, particularly, even though I have made some great friends, it’s, it’s simply just about the fact that what the police are doing is wrong and is a part of Of the, like, cycle of systemic violence that we find ourselves in, and so, if we want to challenge their role in our society, then we have to challenge what they’re doing to people.

And so, and you know, again, like, I, I always draw firm boundaries of like, hey, you can’t say that around me, go do it somewhere else, and most of the time they do, you know? Because they, even if they have completely different views on, on what. Makes a good or bad person or what people should do like in that moment we’re just two community members that are paths have crossed and I Recognize that they deserve better than that treatment and also the police are just making everything worse And even that recognition of yeah, whatever situation you were in What you just went through was not how that should have been handled.

And, you know, like, my only real hope with how they leave that interaction is, again, being, knowing that there are people that don’t think That what’s happening to them is, is deserved. And, yeah, like, you deserve better. And, and that helps strip away a lot of the, the, whatever I get from that, you know, two minute interaction and the judgments I make on them.

Is, again, like, alright, well, it’s not about that. It’s about this moment. And, and, hopefully, you know, that, that can offer a seed of transformation in their life, but it’s not because I want them to do different things. It’s that I want them to be a member of my community. And, and that’s really the goal.

Sprout: Yeah, that’s really powerful. So it sounds like you guys have short term jail support on lock. Is there anything in the way of long term jail support that you guys have going or are planning?

Clover: Oh, man, that’s, that’s the dream. I there’s, there’s a lot of, you know, like nonprofits and, you know, agencies that, that collaborate with prisons and jails that That do a lot of that.

And a lot of that is, is just our capacity and being able to continue contact with people and be sure that we can actually, you know, Live up to what we are intending to offer, but yeah, I, I think that the idea of, yeah, like networks of people that are able to check in with people, listen to them, you know, a week later when they’re processing their arrest again, or trying to figure out child care for their court dates and things like that.

I think that would be like, Similarly to, you know, showing up in the moment, really a way to, to transform the way that our communities can respond to police violence. Because a lot of times, if you’re not there in the moment, then you can’t really do anything about how much, like, the police mess someone up and mess up their lives.

So yeah, I, it’s not something that we’ve been, that we’ve taken a step into yet, but I, I think that, If, if sitting outside of a jail is not your thing, then I think long term jail support absolutely might be, and I think it’d be really amazing to see.

Sprout: Yeah, because then you start getting into court support.

And like you said, child care, and you just come back around full circle to like harm prevention and harm reduction and mutual aid, because a lot of these so called crimes that people are being accused of are needs based. And so if you could get in contact with them before the next time that they hit that crisis point, that could very well prevent another arrest.

Charyan: And for those facing very long sentences, it would be nice to see how these networks could take the extra mile to start working on inter prison organizing, and it’d be nice to see how these networks could spawn new projects on the inside of the prisons, such as groups that have come up in the past, such as the George Jackson Brigade, or the Anarchist Black Dragon, or a handful of other different prison groups that have popped up over the years.

Clover: Yeah, absolutely. I, I think there’s, there’s a lot of yet unseen potential, even just from, you know, growing jail support in Portland. There, one, one of the major things is, you know, that we don’t have that consistent communication and, you know, we don’t, we don’t really have a system for, for communicating with people both like during or after their experience.

And yeah, I think that. It would, there’s no surprise in Portland, Multnomah County Detention Center a lot of messed up stuff happens, and a lot of people come out and share, share their stories, and it’s, you know, I’m glad that they, that they’re, that they’re being heard at least by, you know, whoever’s there, but I think there’s, yeah, I think.

It could majorly transform both the experiences that people have in jail and also just the, the before and after. So, yeah, it’s something to look, look forward to and to start engaging with. And I think that, yeah, anyone who, who has any sort of jail or prison support. In any form in their city, makes it or town like sets a strong foundation for, for the other forms to spring up and really those separate kind of entities to, to really start collaborating and talking to each other.

Sprout: Awesome. So if someone wanted to get involved with Portland jail support, how would they do that? Yeah, so right now, since we’re, since we’re only out a couple times a week, at least the, you know, the network that, that I communicate with, we do have 2 social media methods of getting in touch.

Clover: Our, our Twitter is pdxjail_support, and then our Instagram is pdx_jailsupport. And if you, yeah, if you’re in Portland and you want to get involved, then drop us a line and we can figure out a time where we can come out with you to give you a taste or even just give you advice and help getting started on your own, which would also be really cool.

Yeah, if you are in a city or a town that doesn’t have it also feel free to, to drop us a line because it’s, it’s really easy to get started. It almost feels too easy. You know, when we got started, we, we almost like, you know, we had gotten set up before we even really realized like, Oh, we’re doing community.

We’re doing a thing now. So yeah, it’s, there’s more information on those social medias for both. Regularly updated of both for Portland and for other folks, just the easy little tips and things we learned the hard way for doing community jail support. And then if you also want to get involved with us, you can do that there.

Sprout: Great. Yeah, we should collaborate on putting together some sort of article or zine about how to start this sort of project in your own town because that’s a big passion of mine is recording these models and passing them around to as many people getting in the hands of as many people as possible.

So we talked about how people might get involved in supporting arrestees. Is there any way that people could get involved in supporting it? The jail supporters you guys who are out there every day doing this work Is there anything that you you all need or is there any donation links or anything like that that people can participate in?

Clover: So, one of the biggest things is, we do have a cash app for donations, it’s Stay on the Lawn, and that’s great, also if you can drop, if you can come by and drop off supplies, a lot of times transporting that stuff is what stops a lot of people, and so, yeah, I think telling more people about it. Is one easy way, but yeah, if you wanted to directly support the folks that are doing it right now, there’s the cash app that’s on our social media as well.

And we, we always love supply drop offs, you know, all right. Was there anything else that you wanted to discuss? I think the only thing is that we, we kind of, we got lucky in a way in that we decided mostly for simplicity’s sake that like, we weren’t going to do like an organization. We didn’t want to have like, we had group chats for people that wanted to, you know, figure out good times to do it, but we didn’t try to make it like we are a group that does jail support.

Because we really think of it as, you know, just like any other, like, like, doing Homeless encampment support or doing free markets, you know, it’s, it’s a thing that you do and someone mentioned how they didn’t have to explain to their, their mother what community jail support was because she, she remembered when people were doing it back during the Vietnam War.

And when people and there was, you know, an instance that grew there. And so I think just, it, it becomes a lot more accessible when it’s, you know, it really is just something that you and a group of friends can decide to do on an afternoon. And if it’s not for you, you don’t have to do it anymore, but yeah, it’s one of the more accessible ways to do a lot of, to have a huge effect.

And like if, if, 56 people in a city did six hours of jail support for a week. You could have two people at the jail 24 seven. And that would be, you know, need every single person that released would have someone out there to give resources or to listen. So yeah, I think that’s probably one of the biggest sources of growth and engagement in my community that, that I’ve ever done.

And so I think everyone should do it.

Sprout: Oh, yeah. Let’s spread it around. Well, thank you for joining us on the podcast today. It was a very interesting conversation and we hope that y’all take care out there and practice some collective care so you don’t get burnt out and hopefully more people will get in touch with you as a result of this interview.

Clover: Absolutely. Yeah. Thank you so much. And thanks everyone for listening.

Music:

Segment two:

Welcome back to Molotov Now!

And now please enjoy this audiozine from PDX Jail Support and Sabot Media:

Seven Steps to starting your own Jail Support Network where you live:

1. Get a lay of the land: find out where the jail(s) in your area are. Where are people processed after arrest? Is there a good spot to wait near the entrance, or across the street? Where are people’s possessions sent to when they’re detained? What is the phone number or website to find out about someone’s status? Learning about de-escalation skills and trauma-informed care is important when supporting people who have just experienced carceral violence.

2. Find some people to do it with. We recommend having at least one buddy when you’re doing jail support, in case multiple people get released in succession or an unsafe situation develops. However many people you have, decide your capacity for the amount of time you’re out and supplies you can offer. Even if you can only spend time at the jail a couple hours a week, that time is for incredibly valuable for anyone who happens to get released at that time.

3. Actually get started. Pick a day and time and prepare for the weather.  Figure out how you’re getting your supplies to the jail. Having multiple shifts in a row can allow people with less mobility to show up without having to transport supplies. You can either set up a display with a sign or have things contained in a backpack if you want to be less conspicuous. When people walk out of the jail, get their attention by asking how they’re doing or offering something you have. Be friendly and open minded as you get to know your community.

4. Managing your discomfort: The people you meet being released from jail have just experienced unjust treatment and social isolation. Some people aren’t grounded in reality or will act in socially discouraged ways. It’s fine to feel uncomfortable during your interactions, and it’s good to expand your comfort zone with people who might say something crass, shocking, or from your perspective, unreal. However, if someone says something harmful or targeted at you, draw a boundary and tell them it won’t be accepted in the jail support space – just like you would with any member of your community. This is when trauma-informed care and de-escalation are critical. Regardless of appearance, give everyone the chance to get their needs met and transition out of jail.

5. Dealing with cops: police will likely try to talk to you and establish a rapport. As abolitionists, we encourage people to make it clear that we are not attempting to improve or make kinder the process of getting arrested – we believe the best thing cops can do is to quit their jobs instead of arresting people in the first place. You can spend your time by the jail trying to make their job more unpleasant, or simply ignore their presence, which has its own satisfaction. Keep in mind that the more hostile your interactions with police, the more retaliation you’re likely to receive. Make an intentional decision with those involved for how you want to engage, or not, with police. Remember that everything you’re doing is being recorded by police cameras.

6. Spread the word: Talk to passerby who look curious and let other networks know what jail support is and that it’s happening in your city/town. Let them know how they can support you, and invite them to tag along to try it out themselves. Use social media where appropriate, flyer the area in and around the jails, and even consider making cold calls and stopping by local businesses and grocers. Many people in the working class experience or know someone who has experienced the carceral system, and would generally be motivated to support you and your work.

7. Growing and maintaining jail support: As you spend time at your local jail, you’ll get an idea of swells and lulls of processing, corresponding to the rate of  people released. If you have limited time, you might concentrate your presence at these times. Late-night and early-morning jail support, for those who can sustainably do it, is particularly important. Some people prefer groups that are more formally structured and can coordinate schedules in a more consistent way, while others keep a looser framework of communication between organic relationships that share what they have and show up when they can. If people disagree there’s nothing stopping you from supporting each other while you work your own way. In fact, having diverse groups can help jail support be more resilient overall. However you organize yourself, flexibility is a critical part of keeping jail support going. Whatever the issue, commit early on to conflict resolution processes in order to maintain the work and build a safer, more resilient community. 

Conclusion:

So we would like to take this opportunity to thank our listeners for sitting through all these discussions we have hosted over the last 18 episodes. We hope that you have been inspired and even that you have taken action towards making the world you want to see a reality in the here and now. We think that projects like PDX Jail Support are critical to building counterpower to the State. They demonstrate the inherent power of community action, solidarity, and mutual aid. They shake the State to its core because when people meet and support each other in times of crisis and vulnerability, magical things can happen.

It has been our hope that through this podcast we could reach a wider audience with our small rural stories and connect with big city organizers about their projects, their organizing methods, and the differences between that and the experiences we have here in rural Aberdeen. Everything we do here at Sabot Media is intended to bring about a new world within the ashes of the old. The comrades and friends we have made along the way is extraordinarily moving. We hope that you listening realize that it is precisely you that we wish to connect with and speak to. Whatever project you are undertaking is exactly what we’re looking for to highlight and promote on this podcast, so please get in touch with us at sabot_media@riseup.net

Outro:

Thanks for tuning in to this episode of Molotov Now! We hope you found it informative and inspiring. Our goal with the podcast is to reach out beyond our boundaries and connect the happenings in our small town with the struggles going on in major urban centers. We want to talk to you if your a big city organizer, we think we have a lot you can learn from, and we know you have much to teach us. If you would like to come on the show please email us at sabot_media@riseup.net with the header “Molotov Now!” and we will be in touch about setting up an interview and crafting an episode to feature you.

We want to give a shout out to our friends at:

• C: Sabotage Noise Productions for putting on awesome benefit shows, including one for The Blackflower Collective, and for being all around awesome people who help us with the upcoming events section of this podcast.
• S: The South Florida Anti-Repression Committee who have launched a solidarity campaign for two individuals facing 12 years for an alleged graffiti attack on a fake Christian anti-choice clinic that does not provide any reproductive care. This Federal overreach and use of the FACE Act, an act meant to protect people visiting reproductive clinics from harassment, is unprecedented. To support this solidarity campaign please visit bit.ly/freeourfighters
• C: We want to thank The Blackflower Collective for their continued support and wish them luck in their fundraising efforts. To support them or learn more their website is blackflowercollective.noblogs.org.
• S: Kolektiva, the anarchist mastodon server, is growing faster than ever thanks to Elon Musk’s stupidity as many activists close their accounts for bluer skies as can be seen in the fluctuation of followers over on IGD’s socials, join at kolektiva.social and follow us and other online activists on decentralized federated internet.
• C: Chehalis River Mutual Aid Network is holding a fundraiser for their weekly meals with Food Not Bombs. To donate visit linktr.ee/crmutualaidnet
• S: The Communique is looking for artist and upcoming event submissions, please write to sabot_media@riseup.net to submit your entry.
• C: Thank you to Pixel Passionate for producing our soundtrack, please check out their website at www.radicalpraxisclothing.com and check out their portfolio in our show notes
• S: and Thank you to the Channel Zero Anarchist Podcast Network. We are proud to be members of a network that creates and shares leading critical analysis, news, and actions from an anarchist perspective.

Remember to check out sabot media’s new website for new episodes, articles, comics, and columns. We have new content all the time. Make sure you follow, like, and subscribe on your favorite corporate data mining platform of choice and go ahead and make the switch to federated social media on the kolektiva mastodon server today @AberdeenLocal1312 for updates on Sabot Media projects such as The Harbor Rat Report, The Saboteurs, The Communique, our podcast Molotov Now! and many other upcoming projects.

That’s all for tonight. Please remember to spay and neuter your cats and don’t forget to cast your votes at those who deserve them.
Solidarity Comrades,
This is Molotov Now! Signing off

Music this Episode:

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