LOCAL FEATURE “SOLIDARITY, NOT CHARITY” MUTUAL AID OF DENVER BY PAULA BARD “We see [the unhoused] as human beings who deserve respect and dignity, and we want to give them that.” — Alex JO JO DELIVERS GALLONS AND GALLONS, and more gallons of water to more than half a dozen water and hand-washing stations sprinkled throughout the homeless encampments north of downtown Denver. Several times a week he hauls water on his bicycle. A bright-eyed and fit young man in his early 30s, Jo Jo grew CREDIT: PAULA BARD up in Denver. As Jo Jo explained, “I remember going to Food Not Bombs when I was 16 to help out, and there was a dude that was serving. He really influenced me. You do this work because it is what you do. It just feels right.” From there, Jo Jo was led to a bicycle collective called Derailer. He also discovered the punk world, and he hopped a few freight trains along the way. Eventually, he spent a decade in the music scene, traveling and “playing shows.” “So, when I was introduced to Mutual Aid work, it just It feels meaningful; it’s easy work helping made sense. people,” Jo Jo said. “I’ve often seen charity work as something that you do for recognition; the opposite of that would be you do something for solidarity because it’s the right thing to do. Solidarity, not charity,” he added. CREDIT: PAULA BARD MUTUAL AID OF DENVER The seeds of Mutual Aid of Denver (MAD) were planted when a few friends got together last fall to look at what they could do to meet the needs of their community. As the pandemic rolled through Denver during the spring, and the homeless encampments swelled, the needs of the unhoused became paramount. During the pandemic, there was no sanitation for thousands living on the streets. And then, in the sizzling heat of summer — no water. Denver was simply not providing basic necessities for those vulnerable citizens losing jobs and housing, those forced out on the streets. MAD jumped in and helped set up port-a-potties. Then they hand-built and welded hand-washing and water stations throughout the encampments. Water is a literal lifesaver for the residents carving a precarious existence on the streets where temperatures regularly reach into the 100s. They are currently working on a very clever, inexpensive, hand-built, shower setup ($25, without the shower curtain). As Alex, a member of MAD, explained, “We believe that you need to directly talk to the people who you’re trying to give aid to. Ask them what they need or want, rather than assume for them. “None of the folks in MAD have been unhoused, but we go directly to the encampments and don’t like, force anyone to talk to us, you know? We just ask people how they are and if they could use anything. We ask them if there is anything CREDIT: PAULA BARD CREDIT: PAULA BARD CREDIT: PAULA BARD they need. Or, what would make their life, living in an encampment, safer or more comfortable? And then, we provide these things for them. “I think for a perspective on charity, it’s one of assuming that you know what’s best for the people you’re trying to give aid to, and not asking what they need or want. We don’t agree with that,” she added. MAD assistance comes with no strings attached. According to Alex, “We try not to project our ideals on to anyone. Of course, we hope folks recognize that it’s separate from the state and, therefore, more alternative types of, I guess community engagement, then what is socially normal. But we don’t project any religion on anyone or anything like that. Whereas, a lot of the charities do, and the shelters do too.” A WELL-WORN PATH Mutual aid organizations have historically distinguished themselves from charities. Other than churches, mutual aid networks were the most popular associations in the U.S. 8 DENVER VOICE September 2020
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