what to do – Melt Oregon

If you’ve ever wondered what it would look like if fascism gained power again, you’re looking at it. If you’ve ever wondered what you would do, you’re doing it. No one is coming to save us and just waiting it out is not an option. The time to act is now.

There are as many ways to take action as there are people willing to do so. If you’ve never engaged in anything like this before, it’s okay to start small! It’s okay to start out in your comfort zone, just make sure you’re not stuck there. The goal is to disrupt, to be a nuisance, to be a thorn in the side of any collaborator. Use your imagination and experiment to see what works.

To get you started, we’ve put together a list of some ways you can pressure collaborators to stop working with ICE. No matter your level of experience or risk tolerance, there is a role for everyone. This list is presented in order from easier/lower risk to more difficult/higher risk. Below that, you will find links to even more resources to inspire you and your action buddies.

We strongly suggest visiting our resources page on safety & security first, before planning any actions: stay safe

PHONE ZAP

Organize with your friends to pick a day where you repeatedly call a collaborator’s business phone nonstop, demanding they stop working with ICE. This will get your message across while also tying up their phone lines (and the humans who answer them). This tactic works especially well with large groups of people, so consider starting or joining an online campaign to maximize the impact. Don’t forget to use *67 before dialing to block your number from being seen on Caller ID!

ART PROJECTS

Collaborators often keep their work for ICE quiet to avoid accountability from the public, and art projects are a great way to make sure your community is fully aware of their complicity. Flyering the streets, coffee shops, etc. around a collaborating business is quick, easy and effective. We’ve made ready-to-print black and white flyers for some of the collaborators in Oregon, which you can find here.

If you want to go bigger than flyers, consider making a banner using paint and a cheap canvas drop cloth. For maximum impact, deploy your banner over a busy road near the collaborating business during high-traffic times.

Finally, don’t feel like you need to limit your art projects to targeting the business itself. Businesses are made up of people, and as we know “I’m just doing my job” is not an excuse. The owners and key employees of collaborating businesses may be able to deal with people protesting at their workplace, but taking it to their neighborhood and forcing them to face accountability from their neighbors ratchets up the pressure to a whole new level. You can find flyers for the key people at the collaborating Oregon businesses here.

OFFICE/NOISE DEMO

Want to make an even louder statement that collaborators are not welcome in your community? Organize (or join) a protest outside of the business. Bring signs and megaphones, and be loud! Even a small group of protesters can have a big impact this way, and it works even better if you can turn it into a recurring protest versus a one-off event.
You can take this a step further to truly disrupt the business by bringing the protest inside their business, where you and all your friends can speak your minds directly to the collaborators themselves.

HOME DEMO

Just as flyering can happen at the homes of owners and employees, so can protests. Home demos are a tried and true way to bring accountability to people who are doing harm. Getting together with signs and megaphones outside of someone’s home is impossible for their neighborhood to ignore, and works well even with a small group of people. While home demos are generally legal, make sure you are aware of the local regulations regarding noise levels and where you can/cannot legally stand if you’re concerned about being arrested.

For more ideas, please visit:

We take inspiration from the organizers who came before us and learn from their victories as well as their setbacks. We think an excellent example to learn from can be found in The Animal People (2019), a documentary about a powerfully successful animal rights campaign led by SHAC in the early 2000s. SHAC’s mission to cut off a cruel and inhumane operation from its collaborators is deeply relevant and resonant today. We hope the short clip below inspires you and moves you to action.