EDITOR’S NOTE: This content is courtesy of our friends at United Nassau Florida. Aaron Bean is a sitting US Conggressman representing Florida District 4, which includes parts nof Nassau and Duval counties, inclduing the neighborhoods of Riverside, Avondale, and Murray Hill.
What Comes After Protesting–by Katie Chorbak
I think it’s time we have a real, serious conversation about what happens after protesting–about what comes next. Too often, people say things like, “Oh, you’re just throwing a block party,” or “These protests don’t do anything.” But that misses the point entirely.
Protests do matter. They are a form of recruitment. They are how people first recognize that there’s a problem and realize they’re not alone. Mass demonstrations create safety in numbers, which helps those with anxiety or fear for their safety show up. Once they do, they meet organizations that share their values, and that’s how involvement begins. Coalitions form locally, statewide, regionally, and nationally among all kinds of groups, including veterans. After Protesting: Building Power That Lasts
After protesting, the next steps are mass demonstrations, boycotts, and strikes. But here’s the thing: we can’t realistically boycott or strike unless we have a way to support people through it. We can’t call for economic disruption if we don’t have alternative material sources for the goods and services we are boycotting. If we ever reach the point of a general strike, we will have to be self-sustaining, feeding ourselves, housing ourselves, and supporting one another. Every major movement throughout history that truly worked and sustained itself had one thing in common: a foundation of community defense and mutual support. That’s food for thought. Learning from History
Every strong movement in history has had its dual sides, a Martin and a Malcolm. Anyone who ignores that isn’t recognizing history for what it really is. You need both. The larger movement depends on both nonviolence and defense. We don’t perpetrate violence; we defend against it. Some people think community defense means violence or anarchy, but it’s not that at all. It’s about building resilience, taking care of one another, and being ready when systems fail. It’s going back to how early America once functioned, when people bartered, helped one another, and survived together. What Community Defense Really Means
Community defense isn’t aggression; it’s preparation. It’s making sure your community can stand together when it matters most. It means that if your neighbor is taken, you know who to call. It means helping them get a lawyer, checking on the elderly down the road to make sure they have groceries and companionship. That’s community defense. And here’s something that confuses me: we say “ACAB” all day, but we haven’t built viable alternatives for community safety. We call out the system’s failures, but we’re not prepared to take over those responsibilities ourselves. Radical mutual aid means that if the system fails, we can still feed, clothe, and protect our own. Building Local Resilience
Take where I live, Florida. Disaster preparedness here isn’t great. If a massive hurricane hits and the federal government fails us, it’s on us to pick up the pieces, rebuild, and make sure no one is left hungry, cold, or without shelter. That’s community defense in action, creating local systems that can handle those crises at the neighborhood level and then scale outward. You start small, your block, your area, your town. Like in Jacksonville: Mandarin, Riverside, the Beaches. Each of those communities connects to the next, and together they can respond to larger problems. If a hurricane hits, we figure out which side of town was hit hardest, and we move. We allocate resources and get people what they need. That’s organized community resilience. Facing Reality
Too many people still believe the midterms or the next election will fix things. I wish that were true, but even if elections happen, and who says they will, they won’t change the trajectory we’re on. The Constitution promises elections, freedom of the press, accountability, yet the Department of Defense removed the entire press corps and prohibited military members from talking to Congress. That’s a violation of U.S. law. So if you still think everything will go back to normal, I’m glad you have hope. But I’m preparing for the worst, and I hope my preparation turns out to be unnecessary. That’s not paranoia. That’s realism. It’s experience. It’s being a veteran and having been trained to survive. Values and Call to Action
I was taught from a young age that we take care of our own. If you know me, you know that loyalty means a lot to me, not blind loyalty, but loyalty rooted in values. The Army values — loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage — are how I try to live. I fall short, because I’m human, but I keep trying. So no, I’m not an alarmist. I’m a realist. And even if we never need these systems, at least they’ll exist if we do. That’s the point. Right now, we’re underprepared as veterans, as neighbors, and as communities. It’s time to organize, prepare, and move forward. It’s time to build the networks and systems that can protect and sustain us when the institutions we’ve relied on fail. Because the truth is simple: no one is coming to save us. We keep us safe. And One Last Thing
Given the new executive order about the “ideology of anti-fascism” and “American values,” I’m sure this post, and probably a few others, have put me on a watchlist. And that’s fine. I’m not anti-American. I love this country. And that’s exactly why I’m getting prepared to rebuild it after it falls. ———-
Katie Chorbak is the President of 50501 Veterans, a Jacksonville native, Bishop Kenny graduate and a retired U.S. Army Staff Sergeant (74 D). A fifth-generation combat veteran, she now works in the construction industry, with projects including Ribault High School. For over a decade, she has led veteran advocacy efforts, helping drive a 2021 federal policy change protecting sexual assault survivors in the military. Katie has received multiple awards for her work, most proudly being named a Woman Veteran Trailblazer by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Jacksonville Protests for Police Accountability and Racial Justice Thousands of neighbors and friends filled the little neighborhood park in the San Marco area of Jax to demand systemic change and to call for justice for George Floyd and all victims of police violence. Jacksonville, Florida, 6-3-2020. Thousands of our neighbors and friends have been turning out daily to peacefully call for police accountability and racial justice after the killing of George Floyd. These have been the largest, most diverse civil rights marches in Jax history. In the most recent of the daily protests on June 6, over 8000 came out, with crowds stretching for over a mile in the streets surrounding the Duval County Courthouse.
Lights for Liberty JaxThe Jax community turned out to fill the Avondale UMC at the Jax Lights for Liberty vigil, one of hundreds of events held around the US and the world. Over two hundred neighbors and friends joined in the call for justice and the closure of detention camps like the one in Homestead, Florida—this despite heavy rains in Jax and a resulting last-minute change in venue. Some speakers shared their experiences with asylum seekers hoping for fair and humane treatment, while others bore witness to the abuses taking place in the camps themselves.
March for the Children EventsProtest Family Separation This WeekendThis is a busy weekend of protest against Trump’s ongoing family separation and imprisonment policies with no less than four actions taking place. Despite last week’s Executive Order, kids are still separated, families who have not committed a crime are being imprisoned indefinitely, and parents are being a given a choice of being deported immediately (back to whatever dangerous situation they were fleeing) without a hearing on their asylum claims OR potentially losing their children forever. Indivisible Jax Riverside, Women’s March Jax and a diverse coalition of many other community groups and individuals are joining nationwide protests to demand change. Come out if you can to add your voice against these cruel and illegal actions being done in our name.
Families Belong Together Protest at ICE Detention — June 30, 10am-12am at the Baker County Detention Center in MacClenny. This event will be attended by Central Florida and Jacksonville Women’s March, as well as other organizations. We are attempting to gather a large crowd to keep the heat turned up on I.C.E. until more is done to reunify children and families. Check out this link for details. Families Belong Together Protest — June 30, 3pm-5pm in front of Jacksonville City Hall. Join this protest to bring more awareness locally. Check out this link for details. act.moveon.org/event/families-belong-together/20212 Vigilia por las Familias Unidas (Vigil for United Families) — Saturday, June 30 at 7pm at Drew Park. This vigil is being led by members of the Hispanic community. www.facebook.com/events/1950401148337247/ Families Belong Together Interfaith Vigil and Call to ActionSolidarity Vigil for CharlottesvilleA day after neo-Nazis and white supremacists marched violently on an American city, people in Jax of all colors, faiths, genders and backgrounds stood together with the people of Charlottesville against the hate. Candles were lit and a moment of silence was observed in remembrance of those who were killed or injured while defending love and equality.
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