no me toques

For the last few days, I’ve been in the streets of Old San Juan to protest against our governor in Puerto Rico. There’s been a lot of misinformation that the American media has been feeding the public so I decided to share my experiences and knowledge with Tumblr, as well as photos and video from the last few days.

Also, my inbox is open if anyone has a question.

it’s unfathomable to me that someone would see we have actual nazi death camps in our country, and think the solution is writing to the politicians who allowed it to happen.

i have yet to see a post on any social media that has meaningfully helpful suggestions for how to get involved, so:

this article offers a number of suggestions including getting involved with your local chapter of Sanctuary Not Deportation, which connects faith groups to offer sanctuary to immigrants fleeing ICE. it also has a comprehensive list of immigrant-lead organizations to get involved with or donate to, as well as a link to crowdfund for detainee’s phone bills, which allows them to contact their families, legal counsel, and inform the outside world of the realities they are facing in detention.

here is a link for finding detention centers near you. there are many rallies directly outside of these camps you can participate in, and physically going to them is crucial in liberation efforts.

posting bond for detained immigrants is still one of the best ways to get people out of the death camps, even though ICE is increasingly unwilling to participate. the linked article has a list of both federal and state-by-state bail funds/organizations.

host a refugee if you have the room. Room For Refugees is still trying to build a network in the US. keeping people out of ICE’s grip and preventing detention in the first place is the best thing we can do because these camps are becoming more and more impenetrable.

help the legal organizations helping immigrants near you; if you’re anywhere close to NYC the New Sanctuary Coalition needs volunteers/donations, and if you’re on the border get involved with Texas Civil Rights Project.

on top of free legal aid, the NSC specifically also organizes rapid responses to ICE raids, which is one of the most important things you can do – there are many local networks already in place, but here is how to organize a rapid response network if your city doesn’t have one.

one of the easiest things we can all do is learn the rights of immigrants in this country, and how to react to ICE raids. spread this information to everyone you know and keep the toolkit in easy access on your phone.

the only government policy that can make an immediate and tangible impact is municipal policy; push your local politicians to support or build sanctuary city initiatives – here is a toolkit for local political action.

finally, get involved with local antifa and leftist orgs! follow their social media to get updates on calls to action and protests happening near you. i cannot stress enough how important it is to be aware of efforts in your own city. antifa international’s tumblr is one page you can follow, but please research the orgs specifically in your area that are fighting the rise of fascism. the torch network has a list of chapters in several cities around the US, but again this is just a place to start.

i encourage everyone to find at least ONE thing from this list you can do, beyond donating. i know we are all stressed and have our time/energy zapped by capitalism, but if we do nothing, nothing will change. and please share these links wherever you can – copy and paste this post or at least share the first article i linked.

This past Saturday, June 29th our stylist Autumn was attacked by 4-6 white/Latinx security guards and an additional accomplice at Ladyfag’s Ladyland event that took place at the venue Brooklyn Mirage, owned by Avant Gardner.

We have yet to see footage, and it is still unclear what the catalyst was, but we are told Autumn was restrained because there were no in’s and out’s at the venue; however she was just making a phone call, and we were outside with Ladyfag less than an hour before the incident took place, and were let back in.

Autumn managed to call our head designer Pierre where she saw Autumn on the ground being pinned by the group of men. Pierre immediately rushed to Autumn’s defense and punched one of the men twice in the face out of fear, and was pinned by the group of men who then started to put their knees in her back and applied full force as a result.

Autumn was then restrained and put in an ambulance where she was antagonized by an EMT, handcuffed, and strapped down and sent to a psych ward. Because of her clean record, Pierre was set to be released but instead was arrested and taken the 90th Brooklyn Precinct because the man who was punched pressed charges. The police told the only known witnesses to leave. Both have visible marks and bruises, and are still in pain.

During the altercation, both lost their phones and were unable to contact anyone they know. Thankfully Pierre still had her purse and was able to hail down a cab; and a good Samaritan saw Autumn and drove her to the location where we were staying.

Since then, we’ve gone to the venue three times to retrieve their phones after being given the runaround in person and over email by multiple staff members and the head of security.

Autumn was able to file a police report in order to start the process of pressing charges against her attackers who are still hard to identify, but Pierre is unable to since there is now an assault charge against her. She is set to come back to NY on July 31st to appear in court. We were told we’d be contacted by the police in two days, but have yet to hear back.

Our team reached out to Ladyfag directly in an effort to receive support and solidarity and to hold the venue accountable for their security guards. But she apparently has been “advised” by whomever to remain silent, and expressed that it is in “the polices hands now”. 

She is clearly taking advantage of for personal gain, and has chosen to remain silent when this could be a great opportunity to help alleviate our situation by simply expressing solidarity and publicly condemning Brooklyn Mirage and their security guards. So we are reaching out to our community and allies to help support us in anyway possible. 

We do not know how much everything will cost, but we are aiming to raise $25k to help cover the cost of lawyer fees, travel to and from NY, lodging, trauma counseling, medical fees, and the additional costs accrued by having to stay in NY longer than planned. 

We appreciate any and everything you can do, including getting the word out. 

Venmo: @nosessola

CashApp: @nosesso​

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Love,

Never forget that this bloody extermination was strategically made with the intention of “cleansing” Europe of its ethnic Muslims, and is an act that modern day xenophobia & islamophobia still echoes.

Never forget that this genocide was part of a greater atrocious and vicious ethnic cleansing campaign that lasted, largely ignored & unrestricted, from 1992-1995. It included unlawful confinement, murder, rape, sexual assault, torture, beating, robbery, and inhumane treatment of civilians. It not only targeted political leaders but also intellectuals & professionals. There were unlawful deportations, unchecked shelling of civilians, unlawful appropriation of real and personal property by the government, the destruction of homes and businesses, and the destruction of places of worship.

DIRECTORY OF CRIMINAL SYSTEM BAIL FUNDS

National organizations funding bail across the U.S.

National Bail Out

The American Bar Association

Queer Detainee Empowerment Project

Freedom for Immigrants

Local organizations funding bail for immigrants

Arizona Tucson Second Chance Bail Fund Colorado Colorado Freedom Fund California Bay Area Immigration Bond Fund Immigrant Families Defense Fund The Orange County Justice Fund Connecticut Connecticut Bail Fund Immigrant Bail Fund Florida LGBTQ Freedom Fund Hawaii Hawaii Community Bail Fund Illinois Champaign County Bailout Coalition Chicago Community Bond Fund Iowa Eastern Iowa Community Bond Project Kentucky Louisville Community Bail Fund Louisiana New Orleans Safety & Freedom Fund YWCA Greater Baton Rouge Community Bail Fund Massachusetts Massachusetts Bail Fund Minnesota Minnesota Freedom Fund Nebraska Omaha Freedom Fund Nevada Vegas Freedom Fund New York City Bronx Freedom Fund Brooklyn Community Bail Fund Lorena Borjas Community Fund WSLS Bail Fund New York State Columbia County Bail Fund EOC of Suffolk Inc. Charitable Bail Fund OAR of Tompkins County Bail Fund Syracuse Jail Ministry North Carolina Southern Coalition for Social Justice Bail Fund Alamance County Community Bail Fund North Carolina Community Bail Fund of Durham Oregon Portland Freedom Fund Pennsylvania Dauphin County Bail Fund Philadelphia Community Bail Fund Philadelphia Bail Fund Tennessee Hamilton County Community Bail Fund Memphis Community Bail Fund Nashville Community Bail Fund Texas Detained Migrant Solidarity Committee Fianza Fund Community Bail Fund of North Texas Virginia Richmond Community Bail Fund Roanoke Community Bail Fund Charlottesville Community Resilience Fund Washington Northwest Community Bail Fund Wisconsin Free the 350 Bail Fund

DIRECTORY OF IMMIGRATION BOND FUNDS National organizations across the U.S.

Freedom for Immigrants National Bond Fund

Haitian Immigrant Bond Assistance Project

LGBTQ Freedom Fund

RAICES Bond Fund