If you have seen the horrific video of Renee Good getting murdered by ICE agents and don’t know what to do, this post is for you.
You do not need to do all of these things immediately, and maybe you’re already doing some of them. You can pick one item from this list to start with, build it into your routine, and add from there.
Similar to boycotting, the best actions aren’t something you can do once – its what you can do consistently.
Why this matters: Europeans have been calling out Americans for not doing a general strike, but the pushback amongst Americans has been – we can’t. We need healthcare, we need jobs to keep our housing and put food on the table and survive. We don’t have the social safety net Europeans do. When 1 in 4 American adults are functionally unemployed, healthcare costs have skyrocketed in the last month, and grocery bills have been rising year after year since 2020, it’s easy to understand that people are struggling and on edge.
But – that’s where community comes in. Not just in food banks and organizations that help people, but in building your own personal relationships with the people you live nearby. It’s having a neighbor to take care of your pet when you’re out of town, or having a neighbor’s place to hang out while you’re locked out of your apartment. It’s helping an elderly neighbor with their tasks whether it’s something around the house or taking them to the grocery store. When we have people in our lives that we can trust and rely on, we can do more.
How to build community: The People’s Paper Substack has a fantastic 8-part series (parts 1-5 out now) on how to build community. Part 2 goes over what a “pod” or group of 3-8 people who can help out when you need it looks like, and Part 3 discusses how to actually go about building your pod without making it weird.
Connecting more deeply with your community
Hosting events: This could be a weekly/monthly dinner, which you host directly or rotate amongst participants. Really any kind of event where people can socialize and talk to each other works well for this.
Local volunteering: When you volunteer you not only give back to your community but also have the opportunity to meet people from all walks of life. Meeting and getting to know people across your community can help build a wider network of support and connection. I recommend finding a volunteer opportunity you can do consistently to build relationships.
Why this matters: Another way to secure and improve housing and jobs is to pool our power into a union. You can not only unionize your workplace, but create a tenant union to fight back against bad landlords. The Tenant Union Federation (TUF) is organizing nationwide to fight back against Capital Realty Group, which owns more than 18,000 units of federally subsidized housing across 28 states. We’re stronger together!
Where to start:
For your workplace: You can find union organizing resources like how to start through WorkerOrganizing.org, and you can contact them to speak with an experienced workplace organizer.
For your housing: The Philadelphia Tenants Union has a detailed organizing guide to get started. Tenants Together, a California-focused organization has a similar guide for How to Form a Tenant’s Union, regardless of what state you’re in. If you are in California, they also have helpful local resources and tenant defense information if you’re facing eviction. You can reach out to the Tenant Union Federation or the Autonomous Tenants Union Network (across the US and Canada) if you’re in an existing tenant union for resources & support.
Why this matters: Even if it feels like we’ve been protesting and there’s not a ton of change, it still matters. When people mobilize quickly across the country like they did in response to Renee Good’s murder by ICE, it shows that there ARE lots of us that don’t want this and won’t stand for it. It’s a physical showcase of our solidarity.
Organizing: I recommend joining your local branch of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). I’ve been a DSA member for a few years now, but I got more involved last summer through canvassing for Zohran Mamdani and leading comms for a NYS Special Session campaign. It can be a lot of work depending on what level you’re involved at, but being able to actually *DO* something, even if it’s just helping out with taking pictures or writing an email makes you feel so much more connected to making progressive policies happen. They need volunteers with all sorts of skills! DSA also has Know Your Rights trainings to help with potential ICE interactions.
The Working Families Party is a political party that backs and supports progressive candidates, which then run as Democrat or Independent in larger elections. They helped elect candidates like Adelita Grijalva, Zohran Mamdani, Katie Wilson, & Shenise Turner-Sloss in 2025. You can volunteer with their current candidates’ campaigns or become a member.
Ways to stay informed on protests & more: Follow the national and your relevant local account for 50501, May Day Strong, DSA to ensure you are in the loop on any quick mobilizations or calls to action. Follow Working Families Party for progressive candidates you can potentially support and other actions.
How to help if you can’t attend protests in-person: You can reach out to organizers to see how you can support. There’s a lot of backend work that goes into these movements!
Why this matters: Sometimes it feels like you’re screaming into the void when reaching out to politicians, but we can’t let the pressure up now. We need to be demanding for the abolishment of ICE, not just a scale-back, and never let up.
Keep your elected officials’ information handy across local, state, and federal positions so you can have their contact info ready to go. 5Calls is a helpful app that makes this process easier. Not sure who represents you? Check out Congress.gov where you can enter your address to find your House & Senate representatives. For local & state representatives, you can either search for state-based tools or use USA.gov’s tool to find local government information by state. If you’re in NYC specifically, I find this tool helpful to see all of your representatives including city council members.
Why this matters: We need more progressive candidates to change the culture not just of Washington but at every level of government, from local school board to federal. If you don’t want to run for office (that’s okay!), get involved in progressive candidates’ campaigns through canvassing or other support.
Where to start: Contact Run For Something to get support on all levels, Leaders We Deserve for state & federal. The School Board Integrity Project can help you with your local school board race.
Tomorrow I will be following up with a specific post on companies supporting ICE that we can boycott and alternatives.
The DOJ has only released less than 1% of the Epstein files so far, which puts them in violation of the Epstein FIles Transparency Act as they were supposed to share all material by December 19th. Trump is mentioned several times in what’s been released so far, but we need to get the full trove of documents to fully understand their relationship, as well as Epstein’s ties to other political figures.
Take care of yourself too. If you need a moment or a few days to process what’s going on, take the time. We’re in this for the long haul, and we need to keep our bodies healthy, our minds clear, and our hearts ever-loving.
Love my work? Consider a paid monthly subscription through Substack or Buy Me a Coffee.
Follow me on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, or BlueSky for recap videos, and subscribe for the latest & greatest every Friday. Thanks for reading <3
