Help Ourselves Mutual Aid

What We Believe

1. We believe whether you are unhoused, suffering from food insecurity, have financial stress, and so forth, you are working class and oppressed by capitalism.

2. We believe chauvinism is a tendency which destroys healthy relationships and alienates communities. It is when an individual or organization exhibits paternalistic and patronizing tendencies towards groups. We must also combat this tendency within our organization.

3. We believe the police and other state agents work to oppress people in poverty, drug users, the queer community, and colonized peoples.

4. We believe solidarity is the foundation of a healthy and understanding community. It is also how people can come together, share experiences, exchange knowledge, find resources, and more.

5. We believe the mass line keeps people organizations in line with the wants and needs of participants.

6. We believe there is no such thing as a liberator, the people liberate themselves. A people's movement must be led by the people and their integration in organizing is a necessity for the revolution.

7. We believe building dual-power is the best way to put programs in the people's control. Organizing institutions that belong to the people is a requirement if we want a truly democratic environment accountable to the people.

8. We want to survive and build solidarity today so we can struggle tomorrow for revolutionary change. We cannot expect people to have the time or resources to change society if so many are living check-to-check, dealing with food insecurity, struggling with housing, and so on. Empowering the people to survive or have an easier time obtaining resources better enables them to be empowered enough to fight for these changes in the community. We are in this struggle together and will end this struggle together.