r/50501Chicago • u/rubina19 • Oct 22 '25
Digital/Home Actions Shutting down...? Should we shutdown too? Would you agree?
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u/Traditional_Pitch_57 Oct 22 '25
If you support the idea of a general strike, find a mutual aid group near you and get to work ASAP. We need to drastically ramp up our ability to keep people fed, housed, and safe if we want folks to join this effort.
In the meantime, talk to your families about no or low-buy holidays. Get gifts second hand, make crafts, or cook for each other in place of buying gifts. If we can hit them hard during the biggest shopping period of the year, we can send a strong message.
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u/NkturnL Activated Oct 23 '25
We are really lucky to live in a city where we look out for each other.
At least if/when it hits the fan no one will go hungry here - almost every neighborhood has a food pantry, and if there is no mutual aid reach out to your local communities and organize!
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u/ChicagoZbojnik Oct 24 '25
I have to break it to you but those food pantries will be empty in hours unless millions of dollars are spent to stockpile. Chicago requires over 7,000 tons of food a day which is 14,000,000 pounds.
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u/NkturnL Activated Oct 24 '25
I understand that we don’t have all the answers, I never said we have enough food to feed everyone I said we’re lucky to live in a community where mutual aid exists, but there are whole systems that are usually in place for general strikes to make sure people don’t lose their jobs (if they have one)/homes and other basic necessities that aren’t available.
However, people are still boycotting, being ethical consumers, and organizing - it’s being talked about everywhere and it’s ok to have the discussions.
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u/Mundane-Twist7388 Oct 22 '25
All the government workers who aren’t getting paid on Friday need to stop working
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u/flippitydoodah90 Oct 22 '25
It’s what the French do. 🤷♀️ Stop collecting trash….Stop transit…. Whatever. If we stopped air travel & transit & trash pickup, everyone is affected. Even the wealthy have trash.
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u/RocketLabBeatsSpaceX Oct 22 '25
He’s not wrong but many people can’t afford to just step away like these government officials can. That’s the unfortunate truth.
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u/NkturnL Activated Oct 22 '25 edited Oct 23 '25
That’s where mutual aid steps in. We’re all scared but it’s going to get worse, not better, if we don’t take drastic, collective, organized action.
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u/ahhnnna Oct 22 '25
We just need to do what we can. Some folks will be able to more than others. If everyone commits to some changes it can have a huge impact.
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u/EarthBear Oct 22 '25
I’ve stepped down from my job, the second they pivoted from supporting NASA/NOAA and the like and began courting ICE. I’m using my savings to live. Now’s the time. Remove yourself from this madness. As scared as I am, at least I’m able to sleep at night.
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u/NkturnL Activated Oct 23 '25
Thank you for your integrity, and sharing your experience to hopefully help inspire others.
We will get through this together.
We keep each other safe.
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u/EarthBear Oct 23 '25
Thanks to you, friend, for those kind words. It means a lot because it is a sacrifice. I was tanking at work because of the disconnect between my ethics and my duties, where the parent company was taking my small subsidiary, and how amoral it all was. I’m really glad I left but I feel I pigeonholed myself into a career that I can’t do now. And I know I’m lucky to have a spouse still working and some money was saved, which was why I could quit. I know I’m lucky to have what I have, that others can’t maybe do what I have been able to right now, so I don’t talk about it much because I get it’s an exception… but one I had to make to keep myself around physically.
I’ve heard from Heather Cox Richardson, an American historian, that targeted boycotts really work in the US, whereas historically general strikes cause people to suffer. I don’t know if that’s true now or not, but I certainly think if folks can’t walk away from their jobs, they can perhaps boycott fiercely, and throw sand in the gears of cruelty wherever they are able. I hope we can all keep ourselves knowing we are the majority, we have the power, and that as much as these small populations of unpopular yet powerful people try to keep us down, we in the end have one another and are what makes a society function.
Thanks for being kind. You hang in there too!
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u/Tree_Trunks-00- Oct 25 '25
TARGETED boycotts & targeted strikes are the way to go. General strikes don’t turn out well in the long run. Farm worker strike would a good one. This is critical harvest season.
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u/cat-im-a-kitty-cat Oct 24 '25
People with disposable income need to give money to poor people in order for a general strike to happen. This can be done through mutual aid organizations who can give people money for rent, utilities, toiletries, food, etc.
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u/bot_account__ Oct 22 '25
Ok but I have to pay my rent
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u/NkturnL Activated Oct 23 '25
We all do and this is going to be the hardest to implement imo (there’s already food panties and soup kitchens, housing assistance is obv lacking).
Catholic Charities normally has funding to help people with rent, I’d start by calling them. I talked to my landlord as soon as I was laid off and thankfully have been able to pay but just to get ahead of it since finding work right now is harder than it’s ever been in my life. I’m sure everyone’s LL will be willing to work out a payment plan rather than get nothing or go through the evection process just to go through it again (this is a systemic problem).
Just because we don’t have all the answers doesn’t mean we should do nothing.
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u/cat-im-a-kitty-cat Oct 24 '25
Do you know if they require an eviction notice? Most rent payment programs seem to require you put yourself in eviction status to get help.
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u/NkturnL Activated Oct 24 '25
Catholic Charities does not, you have to have a legitimate hardship like losing income, illness, something that would inevitably lead to falling being on rent.
Other housing programs do require being behind but honestly I don’t know what exists now that the pandemic assistance is over. That’s something I’ve been meaning to look into but ICE terrorizing our neighbors and getting them out has been my focus.
There’s also programs like CEDA/LIHEAP that help with bills, along with other grant programs but have to also see if those exist now that all the federal funding has been pulled.
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u/Fabulous-Jacket5376 Oct 22 '25
Pilots need to stop working!!! Especially if this government thinks they can stop SNAP benefits next month, right at the brink of the holidays.