I’ve been very quiet these last few days – as a white British person, it seemed more important to keep quiet, listen and put the work in offline to make sure I’m part of the solution and not part of the problem, than to performatively demonstrate that I care. (If I had an audience, it would be different, but let’s be honest – I don’t.) There are a great many petitions and donation links circulating at the moment – if your Tumblr dash and Twitter feed look anything like mine, you’ve seen them twenty times already today, and these are proof that there’s a lot we can all do from behind our computer screens.
However, most of these links are, understandably, US-focused, so for those of us in the UK it can be difficult to know the best way to help. One thing many of us might not have been aware of is the fact that the UK sells tear gas and rubber bullets to the US. There has rightfully been a lot of discussion about how the UK is far from innocent when it comes to racism and police brutality, but our goverment’s direct role in supporting and exacerbating the violence currently occurring in the US is often overlooked.
Like many people, I was ignorant of the danger posed by rubber bullets – the name is disingenuous for something that can be profoundly disabling if not fatal. A photojournalist lost her left eye a few days ago and is now partially blind (she’s already working again and being extremely badass about the whole thing). Tear gas is evil at the best of times, but during a pandemic that affects the respiratory system, it is unfathomable. To continue to sell these weapons to the US makes our country complicit in the lives lost and injury caused.
There’s been a call for these sales to be suspended (see article linked above), which would send a clear message that the UK does not condone this brutality. It’s only a drop in the ocean when it comes to putting a stop to the harm caused by the UK arms trade more generally, but it’s a drop that would help.
So please, if you’re in the UK, write to your MP in support of suspending these sales. While you’re there, ask them to condemn Trump’s response, and demand that the government release the delayed report about BAME Covid-19 deaths. It’s easy to feel helpless adding your name to dozens of change.org petitions, but there are concrete issues you can approach your elected representatives about, and these are some of them. None of us can fix the world, but we can help.
You can write to your MP very easily using WriteToThem.com. You don’t need to be registered to vote, you just need to live in their constituency. If you have a home and term-time address (e.g. you’re a university student), you have two MPs. You don’t need to know their name, because WriteToThem will find them for you. You don’t need to send a long, thought-out email (although that’s great!), you just need to make it clear to them that this is an issue their constituents care about.
The world is awful right now. Let’s do what we can to make it a tiny bit less awful. <3
hi i’m seeing no one talk about this cover??? this is HAUNTING, it’s dedicated it to everyone who’s died from the coronavirus so far especially healthcare staff i just,,,
I don't even post or make stuff for the steven universe fandom but su future has become way too much for me to the point I can't even watch it anymore everything is so hopeless with where its going and I can't stand the corruption theory at all why are people drawing steven with a tail (no offence to their actual art) and why is his body swelling up it makes me feel so icky and I feel bad for the rest of the day I'm sorry for making this but I needed to rant
help me not move back in with my abusive parents lol
remaking this post because i think people tend to see the notes on bigger donation posts and assume that struggling folks don’t need anymore help.
i need to make a payment in 2 weeks (february 15) of $200 to my college in order to register for classes. i need to make an additional payment of $200 every month following that until june, for a balance of $1445. i need this paid off before june. i also need $110+ for my passport application fee, and i need this also within the next 2 weeks. i have a job, it doesn’t pay enough, i’m chronically ill so i can’t work long hours/a second job (i am also a full-time student), and if i can’t raise the money i will have to drop out of school and move back in with my parents who will force me to detransition. i have $1 to my name right now. i’ve exhausted pretty much every avenue through the school and socially, please, i don’t know what else to do.
i have commissions open for art/tarot readings, i can draw you something or read your fortune it’s pay what you can.
so uh. my internship at my old job ended in december, i got my last check on the first friday of jan 2020, and i’ve been job hunting like mad. i’m disabled and i use a cane, i have two cats, and nowhere is hiring me and i’ve ended up hemorrhaging money into transportation for basically no good.
i need at least $200 for rent plus $25 dollars for my phone bill and potentially money for transportation if the places near my apartment decide to not hire me by february 2020.
i don’t want to be homeless again i just got this apartment in august, please help me if you can.
reblogs help too, if you can’t spare any money PLEASE reblog this
my paypal is [email protected], i’ll be posting updates as this goes on