Feminist Vigilante March

Calling Women, Queers, Gender Rebels & Allies

TO THE STREETS
Now is the time to form affinities in Oakland, the East Bay and beyond to respond collectively to harassment, assault, transphobic murders, homophobic bashing and patriarchal bullshit of all kinds in our homes, workplaces, organizing spaces and everywhere else. Now is the time to march in the streets of Oakland in feminist and queer solidarity.

Here are some ideas we wanted to share with y'all to begin discussions around these and other issues we face in our communities:

Form an affinity group:
Get together with a couple friends you can trust and talk about what you want to be about, start working on low risk projects together and bring in new friends one or two at a time to develop a strong, trusting relationship.

Always roll with your crew:
Stay crewed up. Show up to events and actions together. Get a prepaid phone and give the number to women, queers and gender outlaws in the community so they can call when they need support. Create a visible feminist queer space for folx everywhere you go.

Train to fight together:
Learn how to fight as a team and work together to fuck up those who would fuck you up first. Don't just carry pepper spray, acquire self defense weapons and learn how to use them so they aren't used against you.

Develop solidarity networks:
Make friends with other crews, work together, back each other up.

Start a graffiti campaign:
Share your message everywhere, make sure every boi and grrrl who walks down the street knows there is solidarity all around them. Wheatpaste posters and communiques everywhere. Use public space to publicly identify rapists, intimate abusers and other thugs who mess with women and queers.

Patrol the streets:
Intervene when someone is being harassed, catcalled, threatened or assaulted. Be around to walk folx home. Develop a community bond with other gender outlaws. You can use whistles or baseball bats, just be aware of the risks you take and commit to them.

Don't take no shit:
When someone in your community is being hurt, stand up for them. Response can range from physical confrontation to public humiliation to information campaigns to marches- be creative! Develop support networks and real accountability processes. There will always be a backlash, but prioritize relationships with other women, queers and gender outlaws. Feminist solidarity is number one.

Amplify voices:
Is your friend or comrade experiencing gendered violence? Have them write a letter so your crew can show up at the home or work of the aggressor in a group and use the human mic to tell them to back the fuck off.

Queer shit up:
Challenge heteronormativity in every space!

Childcare:
Childcare is more than crayons and old flyers in the hallway outside the meeting. It means that affinity members are collectively responsible for caring for the children. That means engaging them, sharing skills, being emotionally available, responding to their needs and not simply trying to distract them as if this work isn't meaningful to them.

Strengthen your analysis:
Read, write, discuss, watch films, never stop learning and analyzing. Feminism means analyses on gender, race, class, and ability. Don't be afraid to incorporate new ideas or debate respectfully with a comrade with a different perspective. We can disagree and still stick together.