"Next to Renee Good's memorial sat flowers, candles, and a crumbling cardboard tray with the label "Whistles (take one)." Dozens of multicolored whistles-teal-and-pink, yellow-and-blue, and many other combinations-sat on the tray in a pile. The whistles had come from Bree Bridges, a romance author based in McCalla, Alabama. In her spare time, she has been 3D printing thousands of whistles, which she sends to any location in the country that is occupied by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which, increasingly, really could be anywhere."
"In Minneapolis, where Good was killed, whistles have become a cheap and accessible community-defense system against federal agents. Local businesses are giving them away for free. Community members are buying them in bulk off Amazon and eBay. And across the country, organizers like Bridges are mass-producing them for cheap at home. The result is a decentralized movement of people distributing hundreds of thousands of whistles."
"The idea behind the whistle is simple: If you see ICE agents, you let out three short tweets to alert people in the area of the presence of federal agents. If you see ICE agents detaining someone, you let out three prolonged tweets to call witnesses to the scene. Witnesses are legally permitted to document arrests; this evidence can be used later in court or to find detainees after arrest."
"People in Chicago started making whistles this fall in response to ICE's Operation Midway Blitz. Now the DIY whistle effort has gone national: Bridges is part of a loose network of some 40 printers (they don't have a formal name but can be found on Linktree) that ship community-protection whistles for free. Bridges' job is to connect printers with people who want to implement or strengthen whistle systems in their communities.She had initially invested in a 3D printer, which can cost about $20"
Next to Renee Good's memorial sat flowers, candles, and a crumbling cardboard tray labeled "Whistles (take one)," filled with multicolored whistles from Bree Bridges. Bridges, a romance author in McCalla, Alabama, 3D-prints thousands of whistles and ships them to locations occupied by Immigration and Customs Enforcement nationwide. In Minneapolis, whistles have become an affordable community-defense tool; businesses distribute them for free and residents buy in bulk. The whistle protocol uses three short tweets to signal agent presence and three prolonged tweets to summon witnesses during detentions. Witnesses can legally document arrests, producing evidence for court or to locate detainees. A loose network of about 40 printers coordinates free shipments and community implementation. Bridges connects printers with communities and invested in a 3D printer that can cost about $20.
Read at Slate Magazine
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]