This Ain’t Protest—It’s Pressure: A Blueprint for the American Strike

When the government stops pretending to serve us, we stop "pretending" to need it. We never needed it.

Fuck patriotism—solidarity feeds us. Red, white, and blue never did.

So what did your protest really do?

Did it stop ICE agents from kidnapping people?
Did it stop children from being separated from their families?
Did it show the government that we can operate autonomously, without them?

No.
And that last one—that’s the goal.

Because the only way to make the government fear the people… is to make them obsolete. To build systems so self-sustaining and unified that the state becomes irrelevant. That is where the pressure lives. That is where the threat begins.

Radical Ideologies Beg for Radical Solutions

So let’s talk about

Michael Zeitgeist

article, because it hits that nerve. He lays out the Dutch model—practical, resilient, built on common sense. And yeah, it’s beautiful. But here’s where we pause:

Revolution in America looks harder.
Because we’re arrogant as hell. We want our change served up with red-white-and-blue seasoning. And more importantly, because we’re not the Netherlands. We’re a fractured empire on the brink, ruled by corporate vampires and fascist meat puppets.

But here’s what we do have:
Examples from within our own soil—revolutionaries who built real systems under even worse odds.

We don’t need to reinvent the wheel. We need to remember who the fuck built it.

We’ve already seen local resilience in action:

• We’ve seen parallel institutions created from scratch.

• We’ve seen liberation movements fight back with almost nothing.

• We’ve seen the Rainbow Coalition do exactly what we now think is “impossible.”

And yes, we might be headed for a divorce—or collapse. But whether it’s a break, a fracture, or a full-on economic freefall, we prepare the same way:

Build local.
Create networks.
Redistribute resources.
Practice financial noncompliance.
Shrink the state by refusing to feed it.

That’s how we create the financial crisis we control—the one that humbles the corporations whose stock portfolios count more than our votes.

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Now—watch my video. The post script of back-patting whiteness post #NoKings gatherings.

Then watch this one. The truth of who cares.

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Next, we resurrect/correct a history lesson that’s been actively erased/villainized…

Fred Hampton, seated on the left at the table, and José “Cha Cha” Jiménez, second from the right at the table, were leaders of the first Rainbow Coalition. Credit: ST-17112848-0006, Chicago Sun-Times collection, Chicago History Museum

We, as Americans, have been fed a poisoned version of history when it comes to the Black Panther Party and its mission. If you still need convincing as to why it's worth learning the truth, here’s all I have: they assassinated the leader—Fred Hampton—when he was just 21 years old. The government admitted it.

And if you’re on the left, you already know: the state only pulls that trigger when someone is a real threat to its power. Fred Hampton. Martin Luther King Jr. Both assassinated for the same reason—they were uniting people. They were building something tangible: solidarity across race, class, and struggle. That kind of connection? The government cannot allow it. Just like they can’t allow an educated, empowered working class.

So instead, we get dumbed down, overworked, drowning in debt we never escape—while being force-fed bullshit culture, sold back to us as “freedom.” It’s all bait. Hook, line, and sinker. They want our backs bent so theirs can stand taller.

The Rainbow Coalition showed another way. That’s the heart of this article. .That’s where its soul lives—in the work the Black Panther Party sparked, and in the waves that spread across every race and community in this country. There were satellite organizations. There was real momentum.

The original Rainbow Coalition was massive. So yeah—something drastic had to be done to kill it.

But here’s the thing:
We can revive it.
We need to revive it.

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✊ Accountability Check

Let’s be clear—this is the work *we* white people need to do.

Don’t let the focus on the Rainbow Coalition fool you into thinking you get to demand labor from Black folks. They’re still recovering. Still under siege.

Racism and white supremacy are for white people to dismantle—period.

The only real revolution this country’s ever seen was led by Black organizers. And they were gracious enough to leave the blueprint behind.

So now it’s on us to build the house they designed. One that includes *everyone.* One that protects *everyone.* No masters. No exceptions.

**With that said—

A bit of background:

The Rainbow Coalition:

Black Panther Party, the Young Lords, the Young Patriots Organization, and Rising Up Angry (RUA). These groups organized direct action campaigns and created aid programs to combat common class-based issues like discriminatory housing, inadequate healthcare, education and civil rights violations, often specific to their respective communities.

1. Young Patriots Organization (YPO)¹

• Locale: Urban centers in the U.S., especially Chicago

• Description: A leftist political group of working-class white Appalachian migrants Focused on poverty, housing, and welfare issues. Known for cross-racial solidarity and working with the Black Panther Party.

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2. Jobs or Income Now (JOIN) Community Union

• Locale: Chicago, Illinois

• Description: A grassroots economic justice group that organized poor and working-class communities around employment and income issues. Precursor to YPO activism.

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3. Congress of Racial Equality (CORE)

• Locale: National, founded in Chicago; active primarily in the U.S. South and North

• Description: A civil rights organization committed to racial equality through nonviolent protest. Played a major role in the Freedom Rides and voter registration drives during the Civil Rights Movement.

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4. Black Panther Party (BPP)

• Locale: National, originally founded in Oakland, California

• Description: A revolutionary Black socialist organization focused on racial justice, community programs (like free breakfast and health clinics), and armed self-defense against police brutality.

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5. Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)

• Locale: National, with strong roots in the U.S. South

• Description: A youth-led civil rights organization known for sit-ins, Freedom Rides, and grassroots organizing, especially in rural Black communities. Advocated nonviolent direct action and later, Black Power.

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Here’s a list of the programs that BPP and the RC put in place:

Bpp Rc Programs List

107KB ∙ PDF file

Download

Download

So what the fuck happened?

The Rainbow Coalition was powerful. It wasn’t just optics—it was operations. Mutual aid. Education. Protection. Real shit. The Black Panthers fed people. The Young Lords organized hospitals. The Patriots pushed back against housing exploitation. Rising Up Angry helped connect working-class youth to street-level resistance.

These weren’t just protests for cameras. These were systems that threatened the state—not with violence, but with independence.

And that’s the whole point. When people realize they don’t need the government, the government panics. When we build autonomous networks, we expose their biggest fear:
We can survive without them. We can govern ourselves.

So yeah, if you’re wondering whether your protest did anything—ask yourself this:

• Did ICE stop kidnapping people?

• Did the cops stop murdering with impunity?

• Did capitalism stop wringing you out like a dishrag for rent you can’t afford?

• Did we scare them into thinking we could build a world without them?

No? Then the work’s not done. Below is the full list of ideas to build from. Give it a click.

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All of this starts by you talking to your neighbors and finding out what their needs are and their skills are as well as your own.. And you're welcome to change this list up as you need for your neighborhood. This list is not exhaustive nor is it complete. Merely intended to break radical revolution down into bite sizes instead of the huge ass meal it ultimately is.

Let me cherry pick a few projects that are easy and low/no effort & for all ability levels. I even made a printable/downloadable flyer.

Mutual Aid Survival Flyer

106KB ∙ PDF file

Download

Download

🔊🔊Drop your city or state—

let’s see where we’re organizing from.

"Survival Program"–style

List in the tradition of the Black Panther Party and Rainbow Coalition: focused on immediate, low-barrier, high-impact, accessible actions that anyone—regardless of physical ability, skill level, income, or time—can begin right now. This is the “No excuses” list. See how easy it can be to get a revolution started.

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✊🏽 Mutual Aid Survival Program: Immediate Actions for All Ability Levels

“Serve the people — body and soul.”

This list is designed for ease, impact, and inclusivity. Every item here can be done with little to no money, and without needing professional skills or extensive planning. This is community defense in practice. This is solidarity, not charity.

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🍽️ Food & Basic Needs (Immediate Support)

• Restock a Free Fridge with fruit, water, or leftovers from your kitchen

• Donate $5–$50 to a local mutual aid fund (small amounts still matter)

• Drop off shelf-stable food or hygiene items at a free table, community center, or fridge

• Make a simple meal or baked goods and offer it to houseless neighbors or organizers

• Start or join a local “Food Not Bombs” chapter — no cooking skills required, just show up

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🧶 Support With What You Have

• Knit, crochet, or sew scarves/hats for distribution during cold seasons

• Offer rides, grocery runs, or errands for disabled or immunocompromised neighbors

• Drop off diapers, pads, or soap at a community aid location

• Help stock or restock a Little Free Pantry or Free Store near you

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🧠 Mental/Emotional/Spiritual Care

• Set up a Listening Booth or Host “Tea & Talk” time in your yard or a park

• Offer a phone line or open DMs once a week just to listen, without judgment

• Write letters to the elderly through Love For Our Elders

• Check in on one trans, disabled, or BIPOC friend and ask what they need this week

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📢 Info Sharing & Community Bulletin

• Print flyers with local mutual aid info or QR codes and leave them at laundromats, cafés, or bus stops

• Post neighborhood updates on Nextdoor or local Facebook groups (especially aid requests or events)

• Start or support a low-fi neighborhood bulletin (a dry-erase board, cork board, or taped flyers)

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✍️ Creative & Advocacy Work from Home

• Make and distribute zines or pamphlets (online or at libraries/laundromats)

• Share educational posts or local requests on social media — amplify others, don’t center yourself

• Donate your writing, art, or design skills to organizers for free

• Email or call your local rep about prison, housing, or healthcare policy — 5 minutes makes ripples

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🛡️ Low-Risk, High-Solidarity Protest Alternatives

• Courtwatch virtually or in person (watching = accountability)

• Film police interactions (Copwatch) if it’s safe, or share footage from trusted groups

• Signal boost prisoner support & strike info (you can do this from your phone)

• Prepare supplies (snacks, signs, water) for others going to actions, even if you can’t attend

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💸 Micro-Funding & Redistribution

• Commit to a monthly $5–$10 redistribution habit to mutual aid or individuals in need

• Share your Venmo/PayPal/Zelle on social to amplify someone else's request

• Help others fill out aid applications or mutual aid forms

• Buy groceries, meds, or transit cards for one person when possible

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🪴 Create Sustainable Micro-Infrastructure

• Start a seed library with donated packets

• Plant an herb garden on your stoop or windowsill to share

• Help build or water a community garden (even just once a month)

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Reminder:

You don’t need to be an organizer.
You don’t need a master plan.
You need consistency, humility, and community.
That’s what survival work has always looked like.

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This list isn’t here to inspire you in the feel-good bullshit kind of way.
This list is here to dare you. To build. To lead. To organize.

Start with your neighbors.
Find out what they need. What they can do. What you can do.
Pick a project—hell, pick five. Adapt them for your block, your town, your people.

This isn’t a one-size-fits-all revolution. This is buffet-style insurgency.
Make it fit. Make it yours. Just fucking make something.

You don’t need permission.
You don’t need approval.
You sure as hell don’t need another politician’s empty-ass promise.

All you need is a spark. This? This is yours.

Fuck trickle-down. We rise upstream.

Looping it back to Prof. Z’s article,

This is how a General American Strike would work.

Not with hashtags.
Not with petitions.
Not with permission.

But with people. Us.
Linking arms across communities. Building the shit we need. Refusing to fuel the machine that feeds on our pain.

The Rainbow Coalition didn’t ask for power. It built it—through mutual aid, community defense, food programs, and organizing that scared the living hell out of the state. It wasn't just about protest—it was about replacement. That’s why they crushed it.

Now imagine that same spirit, amplified across the country.
The General American Strike is the modern expression of that power.

It’s you quitting your complicity.
It’s you refusing to play their rigged game.
It’s tenants not paying rent.
It’s workers walking off.
It’s parents pulling their kids from broken schools and teaching them truth.
It’s neighborhoods feeding themselves.
It’s people shutting it all down until the system blinks first.

This isn’t chaos. It’s control.
Our control.

We’ve already got the fuel—rage, exhaustion, clarity.
Now we organize the fire: intentionally, collectively, strategically.

This is how a General American Strike works:

You build local.

You starve the system.

You care for your people.

You show the world that we don’t need the government or the corporations to survive.

And when they realize that?
They panic.
They always panic when we realize we don’t need them.

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Final note? This isn’t theory anymore. This is logistics.
The Rainbow gave us the proof. GAS gives us the plan.

So the only real question left is:
When do we start?

Liberté, Égalité, Solidarité

~~☘️ Ginge ☘️

Buy me a drink. I need it this week 😂

1. https://yporc.org/ypointro/