Category Archives: Mutual Aid

Colonial Pipeline Shutdown

One of the main threads through my life has been trying to protect Mother Earth and all of us from the consequences of extracting, transport and burning fossil fuels. Refusing to have a car. Organizing as an Action Lead in … Continue reading

Posted in #NDAPL, civil disobedience, climate change, Dakota Access Pipeline, Des Moines Mutual Aid, Keystone Pledge of Resistance, Keystone XL pipeline (KXL), Mutual Aid, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Spiritual Warriors

There are so many powerful, destructive forces at work today. We don’t know the exact timing and sequence of events. But we know they are coming, some already here. Life as we know it is being thrown into chaos. Existential … Continue reading

Posted in abolition, capitalism, climate change, Des Moines Mutual Aid, Indigenous, Mutual Aid, peace, police, spiritual seekers, Spiritual Warrior, Uncategorized | 7 Comments

Ghastly Future

Even though I’ve been led by a concern for our environment since my teenage years, which has taken many forms, I have often found what we are facing to be nearly overwhelming. Despite seeing the perilous path we are on, … Continue reading

Posted in climate change, climate refugees, immigration, Mutual Aid, revolution, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Multisystem Failure

By far the largest system failing is our environment. The Biden administration announced the goal of greenhouse gas reduction of 50% from 2005 levels by 2030. It is an outrage that legislative proposals consistently fail to even begin to address … Continue reading

Posted in capitalism, Des Moines Mutual Aid, Mutual Aid, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Concentration camps versus abolition

This is some follow-up related to yesterday’s post, Today Where I try to answer yesterday’s question, “what will you do?” I had forgotten to mention my reaction to writing the Des Moines Mutual Aid Bail Fund phone number on my … Continue reading

Posted in abolition, Black Lives, Des Moines Black Lives Matter, Des Moines Mutual Aid, Mutual Aid, police, Quaker, Quaker Meetings, race, Uncategorized, white supremacy | Leave a comment

Making New Worlds

This week the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) has been offering a series of online events related to “Making New Worlds – Pursuing Peace with Justice.” What does it mean to dismantle systems to create justice? What is the Quaker … Continue reading

Posted in abolition, American Friends Service Committee, Black Lives, capitalism, Des Moines Mutual Aid, Mutual Aid, Quaker, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Des Moines, Police and Protest

I hadn’t known much about police and protests in Iowa before becoming engaged with Des Moines Mutual Aid (DMMA), which is closely connected to the Des Moines Black Liberation Movement (DesMoinesBLM). The trial right now of former Minneapolis police officer, … Continue reading

Posted in abolition, Black Lives, Des Moines Black Lives Matter, Des Moines Mutual Aid, Mutual Aid, police, race, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Abolition of police and prisons

I’ve been participating in Zoom discussions of the Quaker Abolition Network, initiated by Mackenzie Barton-Rowledge and Jed Walsh. The following is from an article they wrote for Western Friend. Mackenzie: Let’s start with: What does being a police and prison … Continue reading

Posted in abolition, Black Lives, civil disobedience, Des Moines Black Lives Matter, Des Moines Mutual Aid, Mutual Aid, police, prison, race, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

#NoDAPL IOWA 7 years

I am grateful for the video at the end of this that my friend Christine Nobiss and the Great Plains Action Society created about the work of so many to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). A decision is expected … Continue reading

Posted in #NDAPL, abolition, American Friends Service Committee, Black Lives, capitalism, Dakota Access Pipeline, decolonize, Des Moines Black Lives Matter, Des Moines Mutual Aid, Great Plains Action Society, Indigenous, Mutual Aid, Native Americans, police, Quaker, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Decolonizing, Soul Repair and Mutual Aid

One of the concepts Vanesse Julye spoke about during Quaker meetings last weekend was that in order for healing among groups to occur, there needs to be acknowledgement of the common history among those involved in the trauma. Between those … Continue reading

Posted in decolonize, enslavement, Indigenous, moral injury, Mutual Aid, Quaker, race, soul repair, Uncategorized | 2 Comments