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You didn't see any orgs because the Feb 5th protests were basically a front. They weren't organized, it was just anonymous accounts on Reddit. So what you saw were random redditors.
Follow your local PSL branch and go to the events they organize and sponsor.
That tracks with the popcorn gallery feel.
I will look into that
Ya I went to a January 20th one (inauguration day) protest organized by PSL and a bunch of other groups. I got handed literature like three times, saw various groups with tables recruiting, various speakers from different activist groups stand up and talk. I meant to write them down so I could find places to organize with afterwards lol (especially the immigrant group and the trans activist group), but the point is, they seem to maintain some good connections with various organizations despite being relatively small themselves. At least in my local area.
Did your protest have actual demands? Would there be organized consequences if those demands weren't met?
If no then there's your problem with the protest.
Today was a lesson for sure. Don’t know what I don’t know about protests
A productive protest needs real leverage behind it. A bunch of people going "we oppose this thing" isn't any threat to the people doing the thing, it's just a pressure release valve allowed by them to make protesters feel good
On social democracy grounds, if there is a movement attached to some part of the government (like a party with representatives in office), organized protests can help put pressure on the house/senate to pass something that the people want, but only by coordinating presence on both parts, masses and government. I've seen some movements like this get results, good and bad.
the thing with local activism is that if it's any actual threat to the state you'll get the full boot on the back of your neck
so yea be careful i guess
If you haven't already, join a leftist org and get involved with what they're doing locally
This is why my phone was in airplane mode with offline maps to get me there, then was turned off for the entire time in the area.
Plus face mask and all that jazz. Usually pretty cautious about privacy type things but figured the exposure, with precautions, was worth it.
Holes are also evidence. Be careful. ;)
That’s a good point.
Browsing the article you linked and I’d rather leave the phone at home because the best option being a lazy option is a win in my book. The upside in this case is knowing how to get there now so wouldn’t need it anyway.
Sharpie a hotline to a non profit local legal aid line on your arm and you're good as golden. Stay safe.
I always leave my phone on, charging at home in these sorts of situations
I need to work on that myself. Went to my last protest without a mask and my phone on and in my pocket. Got paranoid once I got there and saw all the people filming us.
SW Washington is close to Olympia and Portland, both of which have active socialist organizations. I recommend dipping your toes into an organization to help you get the local lay of the land, as you are likely also beginning a political education journey at the same time and you'll want to have some flexibility in where you end up. Some indicators of a good org are that they will be Marxist, not Trotskyist, will have active local campaigns strategically embedded in communities, will find balance between political education and praxis, and are not weirdly controlling of your life. Many orgs can have bad national takes but good local organizing or dramatic variation between chapters, so it is difficult to reliably recommend just one partu or org. Maybe check out FRSO or PSL. Or even DSA, keeping in mind that the org, overall, is pretty liberal so you will need to be patient with naive chauvinists and protect yourself from adopting their silly ideas.
Dollars to dimes the "best" org for your area will be something homegrown that I don't know about. It's okay if it is the third or fourth org you join rather than the first. It's better to join a worse org and develop and embed than to hold out for the perfect fit. Just don't let any org stymy your development. Don't be surprised when an org doesn't read or reads from a restricted and counter-productive canon. Just don't copy them! Keep reading and do your best to reject only reading summaries and editorialized takes on, e.g., Marx. There is currently a reading group going through Capital here. You can catch up!
This is very helpful thank you, gives me somewhere to start looking around here
Like my post touched on I’m pretty new to being involved, but current developments compel me to do something, you know?
Exactly! That's a great spirit to have. Wanting to do something about injustice is the core motivation shared by all good socialist organizers!
If you pair that with a good theoretical and local understanding, you will then get a handle on what to do, if that makes sensr. One neighborhood might be best reached through mutual aid and political education while another might respond most to direct action against a prison while another might respond most to a (principled) socialist electoralist campaign like public housing or immigrant initiatives. All of these can be threatened by liberal cooption but that's just the job, you know?
Please feel free to ask any and all questions you might have! And I'm glad you'll be joining us on the streets and the meeting rooms!