282: Mutual Aid Against ICE
Nov 06, 2025•1 hr 4 min
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Summary
The hosts discuss the resurgence of mutual aid in response to federal cuts in SNAP benefits and the aggressive tactics of ICE, exemplified by Portland's community food initiatives and citizen resistance. They delve into the historical roots of mutual aid, contrasting it with social Darwinism and critiquing government's role in undermining communal support. The episode concludes by examining a socialist political campaign's use of mutual aid principles and its stand against Islamophobic attacks.Episode description
When restaurants and cafes in Portland and elsewhere link into networks of food pantries and soup kitchens, will mutual aid feel real in the US? When regular folks come out of their houses to shame and chase ICE thugs out of the neighborhood, will that feeling of power from below catch on? Will it create some craving for a different way of doing things and understanding authority and order?
Derek looks at Portland, Julian looks at street resistance, and Matthew unpacks the old anarchist idea of mutual aid, and whether and how it intersects with our time and what’s left of our institutions.
Show Notes
Kat Abughazaleh in Mother Jones
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