Upcoming Trainings in St. Louis

Chicago Action Medical is proud to be working with St. Louis local street medics to provide trainings ahead of expected protests in St. Louis and Ferguson if the grand jury investigating officer Darren Wilson returns without an indictment for the murder of Mike Brown. We have three trainings planned, two shorter 2-hour trainings this coming weekend and a longer 8-hour training planned for Sunday the 9th. See below for more information on the planned trainings, and e-mail chicagoactionmedical@riseup.net with any questions or to request any additional trainings. *Check back for updates, and trainings will probably not happen if the grand jury returns first.

Health and Safety In the Streets

This short protest safety workshop covers steps you can take to help stay safe on the streets, police weapons and tactics, eye flushes for pepper spray and teargas exposure, and other topics. It will be part lecture, part practice, and free. For a more comprehensive training with more first aid skills see the info below on the Affinity Group Medic Training.

TWO TIMES TO CHOOSE FROM!
When:
Sat, Nov 1 from 1 to 3 pm
When:
Sun, Nov 2 from 1 to 3 pm

Christ the King UCC Church
11370 Old Halls Ferry Road
Florissant, MO 63033

9.1 and 9.2 H&S Flyer

Affinity Group Medic Training

This full day course covers basic first aid knowledge for taking care of yourself and your friends at protests. Going more in depth to the information covered in the shorter Health and Safety training, this training will also cover basic first aid for injuries common or catastrophic at protests, including hypothermia, breathing emergencies, head trauma, car accidents, and gun shot wounds. Note that this is not a CPR course, any official certification, or the full 20-hour Street Medic Training designed to train people to run as marked medics providing care for an entire crowd of protestors. Sliding scale $0-30, lunch provided, participants will receive a first aid kit.

Registration optional, but highly encouraged: http://goo.gl/forms/euJq3qZTDd

When: Sunday, Nov 9th, 10am-6pm

Where: First Congregational Church, 6501 Wydown Blvd (Btwn Big Bend and Skinker), near Metrolink U City / Big Bend station or Metrobus #2 Red Line

AG training flyer

ANNOUNCING: our brand-new trainings page

Do you find yourself wishing that you knew how to support yourself and your friends in difficult situations? How about responding to life-threatening emergencies? Or maybe you want to learn what to do about that pesky pepperspray.

Chicago Action Medical is excited to announce a new page on our website where you can find out about these trainings and more!

If you, your friends, or your community organization is interested in hosting a training, take a look at our trainings page to see what we offer and then get in touch with us.

See you in a training,

Chicago Action Medical

Reportback: Whittier Elementary School

This is a reportback on Chicago Action Medical’s coverage of actions surrounding the demolition of La Casita, the Whittier Elementary School fieldhouse, in Pilsen (23rd and Damen), the weekend of 16-18 August 2013.

LA CASITA DEMOLITION

On the evening of Friday 16 August, the instructor of an Aztec dance class arrived to teach at La Casita and was surprised to find a construction fence set up, the door had been kicked in, cops and contractors were removing the books in boxes under the cover of night, and a demolition crew was there. An emergency call went out and parents, teachers, students, and community came out to sleep there and prevent the demolition. Two medics from CAM stayed late into the night of the 16th, when 3 people were arrested. Four medics were there on Saturday the 17th.

The La Casita struggle began four years ago when CPS cut Whittier’s library budget, closing its school library. Parents occupied the field house on school grounds for well over a month and won the right to use it. Books were donated from across the country. Half of the field house was established as the new Whittier school library, under management of the parents. The other half of the field house became a community-run youth safe space, with after-school programming, ESL classes, and community-based arts programming.

Cristo del Rey is a private Jesuit high school that is adjacent to Whittier, a public elementary school. Cristo del Rey wants astroturf athletic fields where the Whittier field house was located, and the city is eager to transfer the property to private lands. Last year, the city threatened demolition of La Casita, and the parents commissioned an architect to both verify the safety of the structure, and to design a green building to replace it. The city backed down, and Alderman Danny Solis promised money for a new school library.

This weekend’s sudden and unannounced nighttime demolition caught everyone off guard, and was very emotional. After Friday night’s overwhelming community response, Ald. Danny Solis said he’d meet with the community Saturday morning. Instead the contractor did a tactical demolition, beginning with bulldozing the fence and crashing a cat bulldozer into the building at high speed, followed by 11 arrests (cuffed with zipties); then a backhoe crossed the picket-line and quickly took down the building.

Medics used a lot of white flower oil for grounding amidst the high emotions. Parents and community members were screaming and crying with grief. The medics held a few of the protesters and let them cry on our shoulders. A member of Solis’ machine antagonized the protesters but was moved back by the police.

Halfway through the rapid demolition, the community marched to Benito Juarez Community Academy where alderman Solis was holding a “Back-to-School” event. The children educated the families standing in line for free backpacks and the Deejay shut down so the protesters could speak to the crowd. We learned that Solis had changed his phone number and left the city. The community marched back to the La Casita site, joined hands in prayer, decided on demands, and let two of the children speak, then many went to the 10th district station to do jail support. Two medics went with them.

One of the families involved in La Casita escaped Pinochet’s Chile after fighting similar “reforms” there and being tortured. This community will not give up easily.

The community provided plenty of bottled water and food (make your own tacos) throughout the action. Those who stayed overnight did not sleep very well. The weather was amenable. Therefore our care was all in the realm of emotional and jail support. This was a very difficult thing to watch: emotional support is not over, and some of us could use some, too.

You can view some pictures from the day of the demolition here.

Know Your Rights! For Queer & Trans People

Check out a legal guide and a resource list for queer and trans people from the National Lawyers Guild – designed specifically for this weekend’s actions!

Know Your Rights legal guide

Contacts resource list

Check out our Wellness Center May 14-21

We are organizing first aid and wellness support for the thousands of protesters expected to take part in actions against the NATO summit May 14-21. Our Wellness Center, located on the third floor of GracePlace (637 S. Dearborn), will provide advanced first aid and holistic care. For questions about the Wellness Center call Chicago Action Medical at 872-216-6226.

We expect the hours will be:

Monday May 14 – 10am-6pm
Tuesday May 15- 10am-10pm
Wednesday May 16- 10am-10pm
Thursday May 17 – 10am-10pm
Friday May 18- 9am-10pm
Saturday May 19- 9am-10pm
Sunday May 20- 9am-10pm
Monday May 21-10am- 10pm

If you are interested in volunteering, please write to natowellnesscenter@gmail.com stating when you can come, as well as what your medical or holistic care background is. We ask that volunteers sign up for at least 2 hours at a time. Orientation and ongoing training will be provided during your shift(s).

NATO summit

Actions around the NATO summit will be happening May 14-21, 2012, with the largest days on the 19-21.  Chicago Action Medical is excited to be a part of supporting these actions, and hosting out of town medics.  If you are planning on attending these actions send an e-mail to chicagong8medical@lists.riseup.net to get placed on our NATO medic listserve.

Upcoming Trainings

A number of trainings are coming up as part of the Spreading the Health conference. (If you need or can provide housing for the conference, check out our housing board.)

May 4-6 Street Medic Training (register here)

May 12 Bridge Training for Medical Professionals (register here)

May 13 Affinity Group Medic Training

Lots of shorter workshops (register here for the entire conference)

Registration open for May 12 Bridge Training

Register below for the one-day “bridge training” that will be offered on May 12 as part of the Spreading the Health conference. Shorter than the normal 20-hour street medic training, it’s designed specifically for medical professionals who would like to become street medics.

Registration open for May 4-6 Street Medic Training

Fill out this form to register for our May 4-6 street medic training, offered as part of the Spreading the Health conference.

Spreading the Health

The first Spreading the Health Conference will be held in Chicago, May 4-13. The conference will bring together many healthcare workers and volunteers interested in providing healthcare that supports direct action for social change.Visit the website for more info: spreadingthehealth.org. Looking for housing during that time? Check out the conference housing board!