URGENT: DONATE TO HELP A PALESTINIAN FAMILY SURVIVE GENOCIDE

URGENT: DONATE TO HELP A PALESTINIAN FAMILY SURVIVE GENOCIDE

Ahmed has sent me more pictures of the place he, his wife Maram, and their three small children have been staying. After being displaced for an 8th time, they have taken shelter in an abandoned, insect-infested house. The zionist occupation has forced abysmal conditions onto this young family, with their infant son Mohammed having to crawl on the dirty ground and Ahmed having to place nylon over the windows so his children could play safely without falling from dangerous heights. Maram has to use leaves to cook, as they have no access to gas. They are in danger every day, having fled their previous camp when the IOF shelled their previous camp.

Ahmed does not wish to share to his own accounts right now, so he has entrusted people like me and us to share he and his wife's story and spread their campaign as much as possible. Most importantly, he and his family rely on donations. They are desperately trying to raise enough money to evacuate Gaza when the Rafah crossing re-opens.

Please, please don't hesitate to donate to their fundraiser if you see this post. His fundraiser has been going very slowly over the past 2 months, only raising €2,615/€30,000 so far. Their family has a short term goal of €3,000, of which they only need €345 to complete.

gofundme.com

Donate to Help my children and family from the Gaza war !!, organized by Maram Ahmed

‏Hi, my name is Maram. I am 28 years old. I am a Palestinian from Gaza Ci… Maram Ahmed needs your support for Help my children and family fr

I am donating €35 to his campaign today. I would like to start a match chain to build momentum, but even €5 from many donors could make a difference.

Many, many individual reports are coming in of how violent this night has been.

okay

Let's talk police interaction and Deafness and protests

PT: Let's talk police interaction and Deafness and protests

Generally it's good advice for disabled people to never discuss medical conditions or disabilities with the cops. ... unfortunately this does not hold true with Deafness.

While discussing your Deafness with a police offer does put you at risk it's far safer than not hearing an instruction, being perceived as willfully disobeying, and ending up with charges for it, injuries, or dead.

Know your rights!

PT: Know your rights!

‼️ You are legally entitled to an interpreter beginning at arrest. ‼️

.... unfortunately prior to arrest you are not entitled to an interpreter. In these situations police officers are still legally obligated to communicate via notepad and pen. (Which rarely happens, but, like, it is required)

How I manage

PT: How I manage

Keep in mind I have residual hearing, some of this advice will be specific to people with residual hearing because that's my own experience.

I always go with a hearing buddy. The buddy system is important for all people at all protests but it's especially important with Deafness. I make sure that whoever I'm with is A. aware of my Deafness and B. aware of how to respond to a cop trying to interact with me. I usually prefer going with someone who can interpret in a pinch but have not always done that. I give whoever I'm with a script to follow in the event a cop tries to speak with me. This is the script I personally give to people, I'm not sure of its legal soundness but I wanted to share it anyways: "He is Deaf. He can't hear your instructions and is not resisting. If you want to communicate with him you will need to find another means such as writing your instructions down. [and, if applicable] I am able to facilitate communication if needed" I also make sure that whoever I'm with informs me of any important announcements. Even if I choose to stay in a situation where I am risking arrest I like to know I am risking arrest. Having a hearing person say you are Deaf is important beyond facilitating communication. I am personally able to state I am Deaf but cops often don't believe me. I am more likely to be believed if I have someone else tell them that I am Deaf.

I do not rely on residual hearing. Even if you have significant residual hearing it is important that you accurately understand directions. Use the most effective modality for you, not the one most convenient for the officer.

I do not sign around police. Police are known to murder Deaf people for signing because they view our signs as threats. It's also always important not to talk to the cops, whether hearing or Deaf. Even if they don't kill you they will translate your signs and use them against you. Once the cops show up my hands stop moving.

I do not speak once cops are around. Cops have rocks for brains and think that speaking = hearing. They might deny you an interpreter if they hear you speak. This is illegal but will not stop them.

I do not nod my head or otherwise show agreeability. The Deaf nod serves us well in regular conversation but this is not regular conversation. Nodding when you don't fully hear something to seem agreeable can turn into a confession of guilt in the court of law. Do. Not. Nod.

I make sure protest organizers are aware of my presence. I like to let organizers know that I'm Deaf and exactly what I need during the protest. Speaking as someone who has organized protests, we are there to help you. I let organizers know exactly what I need, which for me looks like: making announcements repeating anything said to the crowd by cops, repeating information multiple times so I have multiple opportunities to hear it, and announcements when cops show up--this will look different for everyone based on preference and the specific protest. It's something you get a feel for with practice. Additionally, having more people who know you are Deaf means more people to back you up if the cops don't believe you. I also like to let organizers know that my FM system is not recording- this just makes people feel less paranoid about it.

I sometimes let street medics know I am Deaf. This is just in case I get injured or otherwise need help. Street medics quite disproportionately know sign language, this makes them very cool. They usually want to know how to communicate with you in the event you need help, this is really up for you to figure out. My personal advice is to not rely on anything visual in case you get a chemical weapon in your eyes. I really only do this if I'm planning on being around if/when it becomes a shit show. While there's always a chance of getting caught up in something unexpected, if you're planning on booking it when riot cops show up this is less necessary. (If it's a low risk protest I also usually identify myself as Deaf in other ways, see point #9)

I film everything. The minute I see cops the camera comes out and it's all on video tape. This is generally good protest advice even for hearing people but especially if you encounter a cop refusing to accommodate you then you will need evidence to protect yourself. Deaf people end up with unjust resisting arrest charges all the time and you do not want to be one of them.

I sometimes wear clothing identifying me as Deaf. I have a pin I wear on my mask that says I'm Deaf. This is a tough one to balance because it makes me identifiable. It is sometimes worth it and sometimes not. Weigh the risks with this.

This is all coming from personal experience and may not be the absolute best way but I haven't ever seen advice for Deaf people protesting before so I wanted to put something out there. Just like, go into this with the consideration that I'm some guy with protest experience but by no means am I an expert.

Additions/discussion welcome but only if you're knowledgeable about this. No guesses please, experience-tested tactics only 😁

STRIKE ON MAY 10TH! STRIKE NOW! ALL EYES ON RAFAH!

Hi ik not everyone has Netflix (like me lmao) and still want to watch the new Rise movie so here's a link <3

Edit: Link broke. I fixed it