Support and Collective Healing for US Political Prisoner Herman Bell

Update!:  Herman Bell is now in general population! He was told that the charges will be dropped! Visit Free Herman Bell for more information on how to best support him.

From Herman (written earlier) with many thanks for all of our efforts:

September 27, 2017

My dear brothers and sisters,

Thank you for the outpouring of cards, letters, healing-love and energy that you sent me in response to the unprovoked brutal assault on me by NYS prison guards at Comstock, NY – a vicious slap aside the head from behind and shoved to the ground. I protected myself as best as I could. I sustained multiple kicks, punches to the face and eyes, repeated head slams into concrete, and 2 cracked ribs. They tried to bury me with raining blows, not knowing that I am a seed. But the burning pepper spray sprayed into my eyes and mouth is what did me in – and yet, here I am.

Now I know why visitors bring flowers and candy to the hospital. I was immediately sent, however, not to a hospital but to the Box for “assault on staff,” so the cards and letters and love you sent me were my flowers and candy. You did great!

I was astonished, not by the outpouring of your support, but by the enormity of it.

People are coming together and are standing up. They are finding that they are not entitled to the rights and freedoms they think they have as americans. Instead of the consideration americans – many of them voters – deserve, they are ignored by authoritarian and elected officials.

They lack healthcare, suffer from unrestrained police violence, mass incarceration, lack a living wage, experience poverty and homelessness, and suffer from a toxic environment. People are standing up against these injustices, insisting that their demands be respected and addressed.

The social injustice, jackboot repression, racist attacks, discrimination, wealth disparities, unemployment, lack of affordable housing (the list doesn’t just end there), creates waves of fierce discontent which ls gaining steady momentum, becoming a full-blown cleansing tsunami, the force of which is irresistible.

And that force is you, the People, coming together and taking a stand. My flowers and candy is your outpouring of support for me, our political prisoners, the mass incarcerated and the voiceless.

To write each of you (I’ve literally received hundreds of letters) a personal “thank you” at this time would be impossible. So, I send this “thank you!” instead.

Thank you! I thank you deeply one and all for the empathy, outrage, love and support you’ve expressed in the face of the assault on me. May our resolve to produce social change remain unshakeable.

Herman Bell
79C0262
​Shawangunk Correctional Facility
P.O. Box 700
Wallkill, New York 12589
(most updated addresses for U.S. Political Prisoners, with birthdays, posted here)


Some of you may know Herman Bell, who is a US Political Prisoner, former Black Panther, movement elder, Victory Gardens Project co-founder, Certain Days: Freedom for Political Prisoners Calendar co-creator, father, grandfather, husband, and mentor to many both on the inside and the outside.  How is Herman connected with herbs and herbal justice?  In the 15 years since I was a volunteer at the Victory Gardens Project, near my hometown in Maine, Herman and I have corresponded.  He is a friend and mentor to me.  The Radherb Collective, which I was a part of for many years, took inspiration from the Victory Gardens Project.  Over the years, though our letters and face-to-face visits, Herman has helped shape who I am as an herbalist, how I make remedies, and my understanding of the the way herbs and social justice are completely entwined.  

Herman is 69 years old, has been incarcerated for 43 years and has been denied parole 7 times.  On Sept 5th Herman was assaulted by a group of officers at Great Meadow Correctional Facility.  He was singled out, brought to an area away from all the other inmates to where there is no video surveillance, and guards began beating him.  The account is personally really difficult for me to read, and the thought that he could have died in the attack is beyond upsetting.  He did survive the attack.  He was then taken to the infirmary where he waited for hours and did not receive adequate medical care for the beating he had just endured.  He had the medical staff note that there were no abrasions on his hands or any other indication that he assaulted a guard.  He was transferred to another facility hours away where he has been held in solitary, continues to be denied medical care for the head trauma and other injuries inflicted on him by the guards, and he is also facing the serious charge of assaulting an officer.  He continues to experience headaches, his vision is affected from being maced at close range, and two ribs were broken in the attack.

Anyone who knows Herman knows he did not assault an officer.  Herman is an elder who has not had an infraction for over 20 years (when he participated in a strike over inmate conditions), he was only days away from finally having a family visit (which he'd been denied without justification for over two and half years), and he has been preparing for his next parole hearing in early 2018.

Immediate action is needed

1.  We need to flood the Commissioner with messages of support demanding that Herman receive medical attention, be removed from solitary, have the charges against him dropped, have access to family visits, and that the officers who attacked him be fired.  You can simply cut and past the sample letter here, or add your own personal message.  Here is a pdf of the letter that you can print out, sign/address/date, and send.  If you are able, please print out extra copies for friends and family to also sign and send in.  Also, if you are able, please send this same letter to: Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of New York State, NYS State Capitol Building, Albany, NY 12224.

2.  Please take a few minutes to send an email to the Commissioner and Governor.  (Sample email below)

3.  People are also encouraged to write to Herman to show support.  (Address below)

4.  Please spread the word!!!  If you have other organizations that you are connected with, please share this message with them and encourage friends and family to send letters as well.  This information can be found online here.

Here is a sample email that you can simply cut and paste:

_________________________________________________

Anthony Annucci

Commissioner

Department of Corrections and Community Supervision

anthony.annucci@doccs.ny.gov

(518) 457-8134

Cc: Governor Andrew Cuomo

https://www.governor.ny.gov/content/governor-contact-form

(212) 257-6405

Dear Commissioner Annucci (Governor Cuomo):

I am writing in concern and outrage over the unprovoked beating by Great Meadow C.F. correctional officers of Herman Bell, #79C0262.

On September 5th, with no provocation, five or six correctional officers assaulted this widely respected elder. These guards punched and kicked Mr. Bell all over his body while he was on the ground. He was kneed in the chest and stomach, breaking two of his ribs. One guard then grabbed his head and slammed it into the ground three times, at which point Mr. Bell thought his life would be ending. He was excessively maced at close range all over his face and eyes, causing temporarily blindness and inability to breathe.

Mr. Bell is accused of assaulting one of the officers. This charge is absurd. The assault on Herman Bell is part of an epidemic of violence by NYS prison guards against the incarcerated population--an epidemic documented by the New York Times and other journalists, as well as by criminal justice agencies.

The idea that this 69-year-old man would have hit an officer is ludicrous, as he was about to have a family visit (the first in two and a half years) and was beginning preparations for an appearance at the Board of Parole this coming February. Mr. Bell was looking forward to the family visit with great anticipation, and he is optimistic about his chances at the Board, given recent changes in parole regulations and the appointment of new commissioners. There is absolutely no doubt that he did not commit any infraction on September 5th; he also has not had a ticket in the past 20 years. Mr. Bell has been imprisoned in the NY State system for over 38 years and has never been accused of assaulting staff.

This brutal assault by Great Meadow guards constitutes not only staff abuse but also elder abuse. Mr. Bell will be 70 years of age in four months. He was badly injured in the beating. Mr. Bell requires both a CT scan of his head and an ophthalmology examination.

I write to demand that you take these actions:

That Herman Bell be immediately given adequate medical screening and attention at an outside hospital;

That CO J. Saunders and the other officers responsible for the beating be fired;

That the ridiculous charges brought against Herman Bell be dropped immediately and that he be returned at least to general population (he 

had been on the Honor Block at Great Meadow and despite his request was never given a reason for being moved to general population);

That Mr. Bell’s family visits be reinstated;

That Mr. Bell be moved to a facility where his family visiting can take place and be rescheduled at the earliest possible date.

Sincerely,

NAME/ADDRESS

_________________________________________________

More info about the assault and a longer sample letter (which points out that the attack is a form of elder abuse) to print out and send to the Commissioner available here.

_________________________________________________

Herman's new address:::

Herman Bell
79C0262
​Shawangunk Correctional Facility
P.O. Box 700
Wallkill, New York 12589

(most updated addresses for U.S. Political Prisoners, with birthdays, posted here)

_________________________________________________

For anyone reading this during the weekend of Sept 23-24, feel free to join us in the Collective Healing for Herman Bell from wherever you are.  People are gathering together from across Turtle Island/the US, Lebanon, Ireland, and possibly beyond to send Herman healing energy to heal and strengthen his body and spirit. Emails and letters to the Commissioner and Governor are vital.  Sending Herman our love in this collective way is another that we can manifest our support and solidarity.

For those in Central Vermont, there will be a Letter Writing Event to Support Herman Bell on Sunday Oct 29, 2017 from 2-4pm at the Christ Episcopal Church, 64 State St, Montpelier, VT.  More info to come.

at the park sitting with the oak trees to draw strength to send to herman. 

with protective and healing herbs. yarrow, calendula, & plantain. and healing waters.

For more information and updates:

FreeHermanBell.org website

Weeks After Guards Attacked Him, Political Prisoner Herman Bell Is Being 

Denied Family Visits: Bell’s daughter-in-law, kihana miraya ross, reflects on how vital visits are for both Bell and their family

The Scourge of Racial Bias in New York State’s Prisons: A New York Times investigation draws on nearly 60,000 disciplinary cases from state prisons and interviews with inmates to explore the system’s inequities and the ripple effect they can have. 

Certain Days: Freedom for Political Prisoners Calendar Facebook page

Video of Herman and his family here

Release Aging People in Prison: RAPP Campaign

Jericho Movement working for the freedom of all political prisoners

The Freedom Archives 12,000 hours of audio and video recordings and thousands of documents about social justice movements locally, nationally, and internationally from the 1960s to the present. The Archives features speeches of movement leaders and community activists, protests and demonstrations, cultural currents of rebellion and resistance.

Video of Herman and his family here

Roses petal medicine

ROSES!!!    🌹🌸🌹🌸🌹🌸🌹

Sorry for yelling.  But ROSES!!!!

A friend asked me today what can be done with roses that are in full bloom right now and I thought let's make a collective list!   What are your favorite rose recipes and potions??

*ROSE TIME ~ First of all, I highly encourage sharing time with roses.  Stop to smell the roses, sit with them, listen to them.  Last week I did this on the summer solstice and the deep pink rosa rugosa bush felt *very* different than the white one.  Totally different energy.  You can also draw it, photograph it, noticing who's gathering its pollen and who's growing nearby.  Notice the soft, gentle petals and the strong, fierce thorns and feel free to reflect on opening and protection and how this plant embodies both.  And so can we.

*ROSE BATH SALTS ~ Layer rose petals in a jar with sea salt to make lovely bath salts.  Simply pour in some salt, then scatter a very thin layer of rose petals {fresh or left for a few hours or overnight to wilt and dry a bit}, more salt, and on and on. i like to use plastic or glass lids, as metal ones can corrode from the salt.   Add these salts to your (foot)bath water for a special treat.

*ROSE OIL ~ Wilt or dry the rose petals and infuse them in oil.  You can use this as a soothing massage oil or create a salve or balm with it.  Instructions on making herb-infused oils, balms, and salves here::: (Im)migration and Lip Balms for Social Justice?!

*ROSEWATER (aka hydrosol).  Instructions here::: Do-It-Yourself Hydrosols - Making and Using Flower Waters for Community Health and Self-Care

*ROSE ELIXIR ~ Infuse fresh rose petals in brandy or vodka to capture fresh rose petal heart-medicine for all year round.   I like to add local honey or maple syrup to this.  If using honey, I pour it over the rose petals and stir it so that the petals begin to release their moisture and medicine right away into the honey.  This also helps incorporate all the ingredients, so they don't separate out {as much}.  Then I pour brandy in, stir or shake it up, and let it all infuse for an entire mo(o)nth cycle. {proportions-wise, probably add about 1-1.5 cups of honey to a quart jar that's half-full or full  - but not packed tight - with rose petals and then fill it to the top with brandy.  You just want to keep the total alcohol content about 20-25%}  If i'm adding maple syrup, I infuse the rose petals in the brandy or vodka for a month, and then add the maple syrup when I'm pouring it up into individual bottles.  This remedy can be taken by the drop or dropper full when needing some heart-support, such as grieving a loss, opening your heart, mending a broken heart, or exploring personal or ancestral trauma.

*DRYING ROSES ~  Having a jar of dried rose petals is amazing medicine, just looking at it, opening the jar and smelling it.   You can add these dried petals to tea blends, baths, as edible decoration for fancy cakes or to freeze into ice cubes, and for craft projects like adding to collages and dioramas or placing in tiny vials to wear as jewelry {just know that they will fade with time}.   Dried roses can also be added to local honey {with cinnamon or other herbs} to stir into tea or spread onto treats, or added to bath fizzies. instructions for making bath fizzies here: The People's Spa: Reclaiming Relaxation and Cultivating Collective-Care!

*HARVESTING ~  If you're gathering roses to make remedies for internal use, harvest them away from roads, railroad tracks, and other areas that can be sprayed with chemicals.   If there is a special rose bush you want to gather from that is right on the road, you can use those to place on your altar, to add to a footbath, etc. ///   I like to gather roses by gently plucking their petals, leaving the centers to grow and ripen into rosehips come autumn.

*OTHER IDEAS? ~  Please feel free to add your recipes, comments, and questions below...

And if you love ROSES feel free to visit my online Dandelioness Herbals shop and check out the ROSY REMEDIES there such as *Love It Up! breast and chest massage balm, LionHearted, Heart Elixir, Calm the Rage, Crampease, Restorative Moons, I Kant Slep, Replenish, Thorn Essence, Protective Ocean Essence, Heart Centering Blend (aromatherapy roll-on), Global Citizen herbal salve, Relaxation Rose Bath Fizzies (in the Self-Care Kit: for emotional first aid), and Calendula Violet Eye Serum*

Please click here for the Rose petal medicine slideshow or press play in image below:

                    

*St. John's wort Harvest and Remedy Making* with Dandelioness Herbals + Wake Robin Botanicals

Presenting the first of hopefully many video collaborations between Dana of Dandelioness Herbals and Atalanta of Wake Robin Botanicals!!! For those of us living in places where spring has been slow coming, we thought we'd share this video that we made at the height of summer on a super sunny day. 

In the video we harvest St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum) flowers and buds and make blood-red herbal infused oil.  This oil can be used as a massage oil or transformed into a first aid salve, lip balm, sore muscle rub, salve for nerve damage and burns (including sunburn), sunscreen, and more.  Because it has not only physically soothing and healing properties, but also energetically protective ones, I commonly include it in remedies that I send to No More Deaths/No Más Muertes (en Español here) and other humanitarian aid organizations supporting those crossing the desert from Mexico into the U.S. 

For more information about making infused oils, salves, and lip balms are posted here:::
(Im)migration and Lip Balms for Social Justice?!

If you'd like some remedies that capture summer vitality in a bottle, check out DH + WRH remedies with Lemon Balm, St. Johns wort, Rose, and other medicinal herbs. We have tinctures, elixirs, salves, balms, and more...

Lemon Balm Elixir, Fabulousness In A Bottle, Milky Oat Elixir, Protective Ocean Essence, Love It Up! Breast and Chest Massage Balm, and more from Dandelioness Herbals here.

St. Johns Wort oil, Lemon Balm glycerite, Sacred Basil elixir, Luscious Lemon Cream, Rose Elixir, Don't Bug Me Spray, Teatime tea, and A Pause in the Day tea, and more from Wake Robin Botanicals here.

And you can help reunite Atalanta's family by donating and/or sharing here.

Here's the video:::

St. Johns wort lip balms and sore muscle rub
for No More Deaths/No Más Muertes

Dandelioness Herbals on Moccasin Tracks radio program with Linda Black Elk

In late May I joined Deb Reger as co-host on her radio program Moccasin Tracks on WRUV/University of Vermont to discuss plants, healing, and justice with Linda Black Elk.

Linda Black Elk was coordinator of the Oceti Sakowin Prayer Camps' Medic and Healers Council at Standing Rock. She is an ethno-botanist, healer, herbalist, teacher, mother, Water Protector and so much more. During our conversation she talks about the ongoing Water Protector Camps and support that has been building for the Mni Wiconi Clinic which will be a free wholistic clinic at Standing Rock. She also shares about restoration ecology work being organized for the area of the former camps in N. Dakota.

Later during the program, I speak with Deb about my recent visit to the Arizona/Sonora border, doing humanitarian aid work supporting those crossing the desert with No More Deaths/No Más Muertes, People Helping People, and Kino Border Initiative/Iniciative Kino para la Frontera,  We also talk about ancestry, herbs for emotional support, mutual aid, rural organizing, and give a shout out to Migrant Justice/Justicia Migrante and their Milk With Dignity campaign.

The theme of the program and our time together was reciprocity and relationship.  May we continue to cultivate relationships with each other and create reciprocity with the plants that nourish us and our movements for justice.


Our conversation with Linda Black Elk here:::





My conversation with Deb Reger here:::

The conversation felt like a tea party, the station felt like an electric garden!  I brought along  Restorative Moons at the station.  This remedy is burnout prevention/repair in a bottle, with rose, milky oats,  a collaboration by Dandelioness Herbals and Wake Robin Botanicals. 

Thanksgiving, Day of Mourning, Ferguson, Black Friday, and supporting ourselves through these times

I've been thinking ahead to next week and the events taking place.  This time of harvest, feasts, and grief.  Here in Vermont, US the leaves have turned their fiery autumn colors and fallen.  Now it's the snow's turn to fall.  Halloween, Samhain, and Dia de los Muertos have passed and though we may have taken down our personal and community altars, we may be holding our ancestors and other loved ones who have passed a little closer to us than at other times of the year. 

Like in years past, next Thursday many families will be gathering from near and far to feast together on local/traditional foods.  Many will be observing this day as the National Day of Mourning, organized by the United American Indians of New England, there at the event in Plymouth, MA, and attending the potluck after, or in spirit from wherever we may be.  The next day, only one day after giving thanks for all that we have and/or for mourning the generations of racism and genocide that have poisoned this land,  hordes will push and shove and grab (but hopefully this year not trample to death and added to the lives lost from the mayhem of previous Black Friday) to buy stuff.  Stuff probably made in sweatshops and sold at stores owned by corporations that refuse to pay their workers a living wage, while making gazillions of dollars and not paying a cent in taxes.  Others will be gathering in front of said stores celebrating Buy Nothing Day, in support of said workers and protesting said corporations  and the vicious cycle of capitalism (devaluing workers, buying elections, destroying the environment, etc).

This year, Ferguson and communities all over the US also await the verdict to see if the police will finally be held accountable, or if yet another white officer walks free after murdering a person of color.  Events are planned all over the country.   In Mexico, our compaNer@s continue the search for their loved ones in Guerrero.  Elsewhere, and all over the world, people are organizing for justice too.  

There's so much to celebrate and so much to grieve.  And it's so important to come together in these times to support and feed one another.  Figuratively and literally.

However we pass this coming week, may it at least in part be a time to remember the foundation of the US - genocide, racism, stolen land, slavery, exploited labor - and to recommit ourselves to working for justice, in solidarity across lines of color, gender, nationality, ability, age, class, etc.  And for those of us born into privilege, may we reflect on how these dynamics still play out and how we contribute to them.  (This time of year is one of retrospection about my ancestry, being a descendant of two who came over on the Mayflower and enslaved the indigenous peoples upon arrival, setting up a precedence for violent racism, land theft, and (Northern!) slavery that white people still benefit from today.  Being at the Day of Mourning at the site of their arrival felt like it was part of healing some ancestral wounds.)  May we take the lead from the communities most impacted by injustice, and recommit ourselves to unlearning the racism, white supremacy, and other forms of oppression that seek to divide us.  May we speak up both during mainstream Thanksgiving white-washing of history and in our daily lives in general when indigenous people are ignored, made silent, made fun of, disrespected, depicted in degrading/cartoonish/dehumanizing ways, and invaded - both literally on their land, like at Black Mesa, and also their sacred cultural practices ~ plant medicine traditions, healing practices, and sacred ceremonial objects.

As we wait, feast, grieve, protest, and organize, may we call on the plants and the ancestors to support us in these times.  Here are some ways that we can practice self-care and collective-care, in solitude or in community.  For clarity: these are not shoulds!  These are suggestions intended to be supportive.  These are notes to myself too, for when I forget.

Take time to make tea with nourishing and relaxing herbs like Milky Oat Tops, Chamomile, Lemon Balm, Tulsi (Holy Basil), Skullcap, and a pinch of Rose petals and Lavender flowers.  Many of these herbs not only calm the body, they also help heal the heart, support digestion, and lift our spirits.   You can get boxed tea, but if possible make your own tea blend where you can see the leaves and flowers and roots.  This is part of the medicine.  Add some honey if you need some sweetness.

Prepare an herbal bath or foot bath ~ sometimes a messy herbal/floral bath is just what we're needing, where every part of our beautiful bodies is bathed with bits of flower petals, leaves, and evergreen needles.  Directions here for an herbal bath in a tub or shower.  Also, a foot bath draws stress and zingy energy that can keep us from sleeping well, and sends it away with the bathwater.  Giving myself a mini-foot massage with cream as I begin and end my day always makes me feel both relaxed and grounded.

Eat nourishing foods as a form of medicine what makes your body feel good, both when you're eating and afterwards.  For me it's chicken and rice noodles and sweet potatoes and greens and baked apples.  My body just says yes! when I eat these.  What does your body say yes too?  What has your body been craving lately?  Also, taking bitters supports our livers which work so dang hard, and help us to digest and absorb the nutrients from all that good, nourishing food.

Massage our bodies with oils to ground and relax us  with olive, grapeseed, coconut, sunflower, sesame oils.  See what kind feels good on your skin.  And there's no need to go buy some expensive body oil.  If you have these unrefined oils in your home for cooking, use 'em on your skin!  Remember, our skin is our largest organ and it's best not to put on our skin anything we wouldn't put in our bodies.  You can add a few drops of essential oils, or infuse your oils with herbs if you like, but just plain oil can feel sooo good too!  My favorite is a blend of coconut and sesame (untoasted, and infused with chamomile flowers!) oils.

Burn candles, herbs, and incense or spray floral waters to shift the energy of our physical space

Participate/Don't  If joining up with others for a Day of Mourning or anti-racism/police violence event will feed your spirit, do it!  If you're feeling a bit (or a lot) burnt out and need some rest and relaxation, do it!  We can't be everywhere all the time and events aren't just about having a body count.  If we're going to be drained from attending, maybe our time would be better passed doing some of the nurturing things on this list.  Or hunting or finger painting or whatever you feel like.  It's about being in it for the long haul, not pushing ourselves to physically be at every event.  That said, it can be really encouraging and inspiring to share space with others who are passionate about social justice, and just feel all the range of emotions we're feeling, with collective witness to the pain of injustice.  You make the call and just know that you made a conscious, self-care-y decision. 

Fill out your In Case of (emotional) Emergency Form a self-care/community-care form to fill out when you’re feeling grounded, supported, calm, inspired, etc. To read when you’re not.  You can find it here.

Unplug while I'm a big fan of the people's media and keeping informed, it's also easy to get overstimulated and overwhelmed in a way that depletes, rather than feeds and inspires, us.  Check in with yourself, are you present in your body and choosing what you let into your space or are you going on auto-pilot and getting bombarded with information and images?  Take some time to unplug.  Turn off the phone, computer, radio, whatever gadget is demanding your attention.  And do some of the practices listed above, if they sound good to you.

sweet, vanilla-like Chamomile tea

Dandelioness Herbals also creates remedies to offer physical and emotional support within a culture of self-care and collective-care.  While you can enjoy these remedies at home, they are also convenient for bringing with you to rallies, gatherings, potlucks, when traveling, and wherever else you may go, when you may not be able to make tea, prepare a footbath, and do other self-care practices .  Relaxation in a Bottle,  Calm the Rage, Heart Elixir,  Relaxing Bitters,  Stay Ready,  Mercury's In Retrograde, Again?!, Yarrow Flower Essence for clear and strong boundaries, and others.  I'm happy to make a custom blend that is especially for you, where you're at, and what you're dealing with and focusing on.

May we transform next week and this season into an opportunity for healing and growth and renewed solidarity.

_______________________________________________________________
Photos by Dana L Woodruff/Dandelioness Herbals, from the top:  a wee bowl of Chamomile; Chamomile and Lavender harvest; basket of Lemon Balm; Milky Oat harvest;  Evergreen-Rose foot bath for the People's Spa; Make-it-as-we-go-along personalized Relaxation in a Bottle tincture and flower-infused oils for self-massage before bed/bathing from the Community Self-Care: Nourishing our Nervous Systems for the Long Haul workshop series; bee coming in for a Tulsi/Holy Basil landing; gathering Rose pollen; Yarrow for strong boundaries; and Chamomile tea.

Arnica Drops and Lavender Spray: Creating Herbal/Emotional Support at Marches and Demonstrations

Yesterday I participated in the Not One More Deportation march and rally, where Migrant Justice/Justicia Migrante, DREAMers MOMS USA, Massachusetts Jobs with Justice!, and other grassroots organizations shut down ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and 19 protesters who participated in civil disobedience were arrested.  My photos, with captions, are posted here.  More here.  More information here and with links to the press here.  Here's a bit of what the day was like:

More videos here and here.

This event was really inspiring for me.  Children, babies, youth, adults, and elders joined together for hours outside the Suffolk County detention center in Boston in the forceful wind in solidarity with organizations and families all over the US and beyond.  President Obama has deported over 2 million people during his presidency, and he continues to deport 1,100 people every single day.  These unjust policies and practices are separating families and communities.  Millions of people - many of whom do the work that makes this nation function - are living in the shadows, forced to live in fear.  Children are afraid that their parent(s) won't be there when they come home from school because they may have been pulled over on their way home from work in a routine traffic stop that leads to them being detained. Partners are afraid that their families will be split apart if one is detained and deported.  Victims, witnesses, and family members are afraid to call the police in domestic violence situations and other emergencies for fear of being arrested and deported.

I heard about this protest many weeks before, but didn't know that allies/accomplices were welcome alongside undocumented activists until just days before.  My first thought: food!  The second: herbal first aid kit!

With little time between work shifts, I pulled out my street medic kit to take stock.  I wish I had time to make a patch that said "Remedies/Remedios" (remedies in Spanish) with a green leaf.  But alas, I ended up bringing my pack with a red cross and 'Street Medic' sign on it.  I contacted an event organizer, to be sure that it was okay to bring some first aid supplies and herbal remedies, and to see if there was going to be a planned street medic/health care presence that I could connect with.  There wasn't, but she gave me the green light to offer remedies to folks, so I started gathering the bits and pieces for my kit.  I was a bit nervous that folks would see the street medic sign and red cross and think I was an EMT or had other such medical training beyond my scope (I'm a community herbalist with some street medic training - see Mountainsong Expedition's classes).  It felt important, though, to bring along some remedies for people's emotional health.

Rallies can be intense.  Just having a large group of people together for any reason can create a lot of energy that can be overwhelming, especially to those of us who are sensitive to the energies of people and places.  A large group coming together specifically to speak out and take action against injustices can bring up a lot of different emotions.  Gathering in front of a detention center, especially with heavy police presence, can be triggering for many, even for those who themselves have not been detained or who don't have loved ones who have been or who currently are locked up.  Bearing witness to the personal stories of the daily wearing stress of the ever-constant threat of deportation many families face can be painful.  Listening to how deportations tear families apart is heartbreaking.  Acknowledging this and supporting each other to feel and express these emotions (if they want or can) can help create a caring, supportive culture at events. 

People locked up inside the detention center hold up "Ni 1 +" 

~ Ni Una Mas, Not One More (Deportation) ~ 

signs, showing solidarity through the bars.

I wanted to bring remedies that would help create emotional support for those participating in the day's events - whether they were participating in the civil disobedience, joining in the march, or showing support from the sidelines.  I packed up some basic first aid supplies - bandaids, gauze bandage, a cool pack, gloves (to protect myself and others in case there were open wounds, blood, or other body substances present-very important to remember!), samples of organic pads and tampons (to stanch bleeding and apply pressure to wounds, or in case someone has their period), sunscreen, benadryl and ibuprofen.  (Sometimes people feel sheepish when telling herbalists that they want some Advil or need to take antibiotics.  Yes, herbs are incredibly powerful and healing, but this does not mean that mainstream/allopathic medicine doesn't have its place.  No judgement - there's space for all kinds of remedies and all kinds of healing modalities.  It's both/and, not either/or!)

I brought some Ginger chews to settle the stomach if someone is feeling nauseous or car-sick.  I also included pouches of Yarrow leaf and flower (to chew and apply to open wound to stop bleeding), Plantain leaf (Plantago, not the banana-like fruit - to chew up and apply to skin to draw out splinters, stingers, even poison!), Goldenseal root powder (cultivated - not wildcrafted, as this plant is at risk - I have rarely used this, but it's helpful if someone has intense diarrhea and becoming dehydrated) and Slippery Elm bark powder (to add to water to soothe irritation in the throat or digestive tract, please use cultivated as it's at-risk, or you can use Marshmallow root instead).  I brought a few capsules of Activated Charcoal for food poisoning or chemical exposure.   Chamomile is such a fabulous herb and familiar to many people - I brought it in tea bags for easy use.  As a tea it's anti-spasmodic for muscle or menstrual cramps, calming to the nervous system, and soothing to the digestive system.  When it's in a tea bag it can also be moistened to apply to irritated eyes or irritated/inflamed skin.  We didn't have hot water at the march for tea, but many fast food restaurants and gas stations have hot water you can use.

I brought remedies that I make such as:  Global Citizen herbal first aid salve and Tigress Balm warming muscle rub, Speak Truth! Throat Spray dedicated to whistleblowers and truth-tellers,  Crampease blend for menstrual cramps, Calm the Rage to cool hot emotions, Elderberry Ginger Elixir for immune support, and Heart Elixir for emotional support.  I often carry Yarrow flower essence with me and include it in many of my remedies for immune support, relaxation, and emotional support, as it creates clear, strong boundaries and energetic protection.  Many of these remedies are available at my Dandelioness Herbals online Etsy shop and the listings contain information about the ingredients.  I'd be happy to co-create an herbal remedy kit if you'd like.  If you would like to make your own remedies, there is a resource list at the bottom of this post with links to various pages on herbal medicine-making.  

The tinctures, elixirs, and throat spray I brought were all alcohol-based and for internal use.  They're convenient for travel and demonstration-situations as they are ready to take, not requiring hot water or other such supplies/preparation, but not everyone may feel comfortable taking them.  They may be on medications that may interact negatively with certain herbs, they may not want any alcohol, or they may not want to ingest something (especially if given to them from a stranger).  If folks would prefer a non-alcohol remedy, you can make or buy herbal extracts that are made with glycerine, vinegar, or a vinegar/honey blend (this is called an oxymel).  

In case folks didn't want to take a remedy internally, I wanted to create some external remedies to bring as well.  I made a relaxing, grounding spray with homemade Rose and Lavender flower water (hydrosol, instructions here), Lavender and Chamomile essential oils, and homemade Corn and Yarrow flower essences.  I wanted a mist that could be sprayed around or on people who wanted to shift the energy of the event a bit, center, to create a bit of calm if need be.  I love that Rose, Lavender, and Chamomile are all flowers that are familiar to many peoples and cultures.  I added the Corn flower essence to help stay grounded, especially in an urban environment, and the Yarrow flower essences to help create an energetic shield/clear boundaries.  I chose Chamomile (Manzanilla) and Corn (Maiz) flower essences as I knew a lot of the people attending the rally are from Latin American countries/cultures where these are common plants that are not only used as food and remedies, but also have spiritual significance.  If there are plants with ancestral ties ~ from your own ancestry and/or from those who are receiving the remedies ~ that you can incorporate into your first aid kit, the medicine will be all the stronger for it. 

 Chamomile and Lavender harvest     

Someone asked me to take a photo of her and her friend with a sign, in front of the detention center.  She gave me her camera to take the photo and told me the reason she wanted a photo here was because her husband had been detained in this very facility.  He was deported and now she is alone raising their four children.  I asked if she wanted some relaxing spray and she said yes.  A small gesture, but hopefully a comforting one.  I also showed the kids the spray and they wanted me to mist it on them and they liked it.  (Just make sure to check in with their grownups and tell folks to close their eyes and mouth before misting!)

With children in mind, I wanted to bring something fun for the long drive and the rally.  I figured Legos would be a nightmare and my board games were too big.  So I made some aromatherapy bubbles by adding a few drops of pure Sweet Orange essential oil and Yarrow flower essence to the bubble container, and put a rainbow sticker on it for fun.  They were a pretty big hit.  (Just try to guide young kids from inadvertently blowing bubble-soap into their siblings eyes when blowing really hard!)  I brought an extra bottle of bubbles in case I wanted to send it home with a kid (or grownup!) who was having a hard time and needed some cheering up.  The kids I went with also brought some little matchbox cars which they shared with other kids there.  

Which reminds me - snacks and water!!!  When I was caring for the kids on the sidelines at the beginning of the rally, I noticed a little girl in a stroller that looked upset.  She started to cry.  Her mom was near, but caring for her little brother and so my 3 and 5 year old friends and I helped cheer her up.  We stood near her in a line to shield her from the wind, in case she was crying because she was cold.  A passing protester gave us a bag of chips (it was unopened and I checked in with the parent) and the kids all opened their mouths to be fed!  I wasn't sure if they wanted to keep their fingers warm in their coat pockets on this wicked windy day, or if they were feeling like baby birds.  I was happy to feed the baby-bird-protesters.  My friend then shared her gorp (good old raisin and peanuts - with m&m's) with them.  Then the 5 year old started rolling his little car on top of the little girl's head.  By then she had stopped crying and they were playing together.

After that, I found someone to watch the kids so I could get closer to the civil disobedience and document it.  After I captured the scene with some photos, my friend who was participating in the action motioned to me for water.  Of course!  They're out in the elements, singing and chanting and shouting, surrounded by armed law enforcement officers.  And if they're taken into custody, who knows if they'll have any access to food or water.  They definitely needed some water.  Luckily I had in my pack a sports bottle so that folks could squeeze water into their mouth without spreading germs.  It got passed around.  Then my friend shared the rest of her gorp with the protesters.  Note to self:  always bring more water and snacks - for kids, protesters, folks who may get low blood sugar, anyone really!  (I did bring plenty of food and fluids for myself, knowing that I cannot be a calm, supporting presence for others if I'm hungry and ungrounded.  Next time I'll bring more easy-to-share snacks.)

After those participating in the civil disobedience were arrested, many officers in full riot gear appeared, facing us with batons drawn.  There was a fence behind us and though I felt the safety of numbers and a supportive collective of people, literally having your back up against a fence with police threatening violence (despite our entirely peaceful presence) can be very triggering for many reasons.  My first thought was for the children, elders, and folks with disabilities who may not be able to disperse quickly if need be.  Fortunately they were just trying to intimidate us and didn't charge.  But it's good to keep in mind at and before such events that this situation may come up and how it can affect people (ourselves included) so that we can take care of each other.

We marched to the back side of the detention center to let those detained out of view of the demonstration know that we were there, and that they are not forgotten.  We stood on a bridge beside traffic and held signs, sang, and chanted.  Community members locked up on the inside gathered at the windows and held up signs.  We held up signs facing them as well as towards the road behind us so that those passing by knew why we were there.  We received many waves, honks, and smiles from drivers and passengers.  I like taking this role at events - being on the fringes and interacting with people passing by, even if the people are in moving vehicles.  Sometimes people are interested in knowing what's going on, but may feel shy or intimidated by a large group.  In these situations, I feel aware of my privilege and a good way to use it strategically seems to be to reach out to people by making a sign visible, greeting them, and engaging them in conversation if they seem interested.  Being an English-speaking, white cisgender woman with US citizenship, I feel like I can use this privilege to be a bridge to other people with privilege who may not understand how their/our liberation is connected with the liberation of communities of color, queer, transgender and gender variant folks, youth, and other groups most impacted by systematic oppression. 

As we left the bridge, I realized my throat was sore from hours of singing and chanting.  We had raised our voices strong and loud.  For many hours.  I pulled out my Speak Truth! Throat Spray and the soothing herb and honey blend was just what my raspy throat needed.  I brought the remedy to those with bullhorns (as well as others), imagining that their throats may have been even more sore than mine.  Many accepted and appreciated the remedy.

Someone needed a bandaid.  Someone else needed some herbal first aid salve for skin irritation.  No major medical situations.  Still, bringing that herbal first aid kit and checking in with folks that looked stressed or cold or thirsty helped contribute to a culture of self-care and community-care.

As we march by the detention center, Dandelion stays rooted 

beside us, embodying persistence and resistance, sending forth
its seeds across borders and prison walls.

When I got home that night, like many others, I called the jails to call for the release of our friends who'd been arrested for participating in the civil disobedience.  I was glad to hear, just before I crawled into bed exhausted from the day, that they had all just been released and in were in good spirits.  

The next morning I heard from a friend who the arresting officers had put in too-tight zip tie police cuffs.  Aye!  Why hadn't I thought of that?!  Whether folks resist arrest or not, this is a common occurrence.  I wish I had left my Arnica drops with someone who was greeting the activists upon their release from jail. I made the drops by infusing the fresh flowers from my garden in brandy and then homeopathically diluting it, to be used both internally and externally.  Be sure not to take Arnica tea/tincture internally at full strength!  Just one drop of the diluted tincture in water is plenty.  Or you can buy homeopathic Arnica at a Coop or natural food store - usually in little blue tubes.  Get 5 Arnica tablets into the cap and, without touching them, place them under your tongue to dissolve.  Wait a few minutes before drinking water or eating.  Arnica drops can also be massaged into bruises, strained muscles or ligaments, and injured/inflamed hands or feet (just not on open wounds).  Arnica is also available as cream, gel, or salve/ointment.  I wanted to give my friend fresh St.Johnswort oil in case the too-tight zip ties had caused any damage to the nerves when they cut off circulation.  St. Johnswort is great for nerve damage (sciatica, post-surgery wound healing), and also helps with inflammation response.  It can be used both externally, and internally in homeopathic form under its botanical name, Hypericum perforatum.  (The tincture taken internally can interact in a negative way with certain medications, so homeopathic pills or external remedies are best for demonstration situations where you may not know folks' health history)  Calming/grounding/protective spray and Heart Elixir would be great emotional after-care.  I hadn't thought before of making an herbal first aid kit/care package to be there when people were released to help heal the physical and emotional trauma that is common during arrest and while locked up.  I am excited about the idea and look forward to putting such a kit together for next time.

Note: Don't forget that cacao/chocolate and coffee are medicinal!  When you have long rides home after big events, make sure the driver has energy.  Having some form of caffeine can help fuel the trip home so everyone arrives back safely.  Luckily I happened to have some fair-trade chocolate this time and will be sure to bring some next time, too!  Chocolate is also medicinal and grounding.


Herbal First Aid Kit list and considerations:
-Connect with organizers out of courtesy and to receive consent.  If you're welcome to be part of the event in the role of community herbalist, street medic, etc, connect with others who may have a similar role at the event to collaborate in a good way.  If you're someone with privilege (white, US citizen, cisgender, etc), be clear about your role as an ally /accomplice and respect and follow the leadership of the communities most impacted by detention, deportation, transphobia, police violence, etc.  

-Choose what to bring based on the community attending, what form of remedy is easiest to distribute in the particular setting Do you have access to hot water to make teas?  Will you be in the streets or in an indoor community space?  What form is easiest to transport, carry, distribute?  Does the community wish there to be no alcohol?  What herbs are people familiar with?  If folks aren't as familiar with herbs, how can you be a bridge and introduce herbs in an empowering and good-tasting way?  What will the weather be like - lots of sun (extra water, sun protection), cold (extra layers, warming remedies)?

-Label things well with all ingredients listed (folks may have allergies to particular plants, bee products, nuts, etc) and directions as to when, how, and how much to take.  Some folks have sensitivities to scents, so be sure to check in before using scented items, like a spray.  Or just leave essential oils out of your blends.  Label if a remedy is only for external use.

-Arrive at event as present as you can be.  If possible: try to get a good night's sleep, eat nourishing food, hydrate yourself, breathe/pray/meditate/burn a candle or herbs, whatever you do to ground yourself so that you can be present for others and yourself.  If you're feeling overwhelmed or out of your body at the event, take some time if possible to re-ground, re-group.  Breathe deep, check in with a friend.  You can use this In Case of (emotional) Emergency: self-care form to fill out beforehand to help remember how to center yourself.

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What To Bring
-Basic First Aid supplies such as bandaids, gauze bandage, a cool pack, gloves, pads and tampons, sunscreen, benadryl and ibuprofen. 

Dried herbs/capsules

-Ginger chews to settle the stomach if someone is feeling nauseous or car-sick
-Yarrow leaf and flower to chew and apply to open wounds to stop bleeding 
-Plantain leaf -Plantago- to chew up and apply to skin to draw out splinters, stingers, poison
-Goldenseal root powder cultivated, if someone has intense diarrhea and is becoming dehydrated
-Slippery Elm bark powder cultivated, to add to water to soothe irritation in the throat or digestive tract. Or Marshmallow root powder as an alternative 
-Activated Charcoal for food poisoning or chemical exposure  
-Chamomile tea bags to make a tea (if there's access to hot water) for muscle or menstrual cramps, calm to the nervous system, soothe the digestive system, or to moisten and apply to irritated eyes or irritated/inflamed skin.

Tinctures
-Throat Spray and/or Immune Support tincture
-Relaxation remedy to support the nervous system, calm, and ground
-Anti-spasmodic remedy for menstrual cramps/muscle tension (Skullcap - Scutellaria lateriflora- is nice and calming and people don't tend to be stimulated/agitated by it like some are with Valerian root)
-Heart Elixir for emotional support

For External Use
-Herbal Salve for minor skin irritations 
-Sore Muscle rub/Salve for Pain and Nerve Damage ie Arnica and St. Johnswort (oil can be used, but salves are less spill-y if you're on the go)

-Spray to Relax and Ground to mist on the body or in an area

-Aromatherapy Bubbles or something fun for kids

-Homeopathic Arnica for strains, sprains, physical trauma, police violence, pain from being hand-cuffed.  Tablets for internal use or diluted Arnica drops (homeopathic dosage, preserved in brandy) for internal or external use. 

-Water preferably in a squeeze-bottle, and back-up jugs for refills   

-Snacks for protein, sugar (in case someone's feeling low-blood sugar), avoid common allergens like nuts and dairy if possible.  Chocolate for grounding, Chocolate or Coffee for energy/caffeine in case of needing to stay awake and drive after the event

What would you pack in your herbal first aid kit?  Your just-released-from-jail after-care kit?  Please share suggestions in the comments below or by emailing dandelion778 (at)  yahoo (dot)  com

Also see:
-Herbal Crisis/Trauma Kit by Berenice Dimas of Cantos de la Tierra
-Caring for Ourselves as Political Warfare by Adrienne Maree Brown
-In Case of (emotional) Emergency: self-care form to fill out

Herbal medicine-making posts:
-(Im)migration and Lip Balms for Social Justice?!  with directions for making infused oils and salves
-Heart Elixir: to open, heal, and protect the heart with directions for making tinctures and elixirs
-Elderberry (and other) Syrup Recipes
-Do-It-Yourself Hydrosols - Making and Using Flower Waters for Community Health and Self-Care
-Winter Immune Health: Tonic Not Toxic and Idea and Remedies for When You're Home Sick... and Ginger Lovers Unite!: Medicinal and Culinary Uses of Ginger Root with immune-supporting recipes/practices

(more info added to blog post on 4/24/14 * 12/17/14 * 4/18/17)