Beyond Survival

We must practice community safety as we would practice an instrument or a sport.

One of the major challenges of the movements of the 1960s and 1970s was their inability to fully hold and implement an intersectional analysis. We need to make sure that our bold experiments center the experiences of Black people, Indigenous people, people of color, disabled people, trans people, poor people, low-income people, migrants, and all marginalized people. Starting small gives us the opportunity to collectively imagine community safety responses without telling anyone to wait their turn.

While I don’t believe that we can separate ourselves from our privileges, we can leverage them toward justice

For many people, particularly women, trans, and non-binary people, the act of engaging with strangers can open us up to harassment and even violence

Additionally, we must also be cognizant of the way that class, educational privilege, and gentrification can impact relationship building

If and when violence occurs, the people who live closest are most likely to help us, and vice versa.

What is the world that we want?
How will we define safety?
How do we build the skills to address harm and violence?
How do we create the trust needed for communities to rely on each other for mutual support?

The work of transformative justice can happen in a variety of ways. Some groups support survivors by helping them identify their needs and boundaries while ensuring their attackers agree to these boundaries and atone for the harm they caused. Other groups create safe spaces and sanctuaries to support people escaping from violence. There are also community campaigns that educate community members on the specific dynamics of violence, how to prevent it, and what community-based programs are available.

The work of transformative justice can happen in a variety of ways. Some groups support survivors by helping them identify their needs and boundaries while ensuring their attackers agree to these boundaries and atone for the harm they caused. Other groups create safe spaces and sanctuaries to support people escaping from violence. There are also community campaigns that educate community members on the specific dynamics of violence, how to prevent it, and what community-based programs are available

Just as the use of state violence against Black communities is not new, neither are the ideas of transformative justice or community accountability