Mutual Aid NYC Newsletter: Get Active in Your Community!

Vol. 5, Issue 2, 2025

Oct 29, 2025

red and white coca cola signage — Photo by John Cameron on Unsplash

CHANGE ROOTS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

It’s times like these I have to remind myself that I can only do one thing at a time. Just as important, is to start on is what’s right in front of me right where I am. Once we’ve tended to our own personal work or taken care of our home, what’s right in front of us are our neighbors and our neighborhood.

People are communal by nature; cooperative organization is what enabled our survival and evolution,1 so it makes sense to look to each other in a crisis. It’s also not surprising that when neighbors communicate, organize and show up together, the violent lawbreakers back off.2

The term mutual aid comes from a Russian man, but the practice is from every culture. It belongs to everyone and is our natural state of relating to each other. In other words, it doesn’t matter how you do it as long as you connect and build relationships with equity in mind.

Do you know your neighbors? Are you working together? If no or you’re not, no problem! We’re putting together a comprehensive guide to walk you through as much of the process as possible, so stay tuned while we synthesize...

In the meantime, however, there are lots of ways to connect with your neighbors and build community. You can check out a local Open Streets to see who’s doing what in your area- a lot are very community oriented, and some are just parties- but all are great ways to get to know each other.

If you like that idea, do the same thing on your street with a block party. If you have a good cause to support, make it a benefit and feature a free store. Once you start to connect people, all kinds of things are possible.

Even if you don’t know what you want to do or how you want to do it, don’t let the perfect be the enemy of getting people together- just start the conversation:

Make up an email address
Put it on a flyer asking if there are any neighbors who want to connect
Stuff your neighbors’ mailboxes or post them on poles with pull off tabs
Communicate with whoever responds.
Develop as a group.

And no matter what kind of action you end up on, rest assured that you don’t ever have to reinvent the wheel. Somewhere someone already did it and probably wrote a Substack about it.

For example, say you want to protect your neighbors from getting their right to due process trampled by masked thugs. In that case, you may want to develop a rapid response team: Blockwatch does that. Want to accompany neighbors as they go to court to do things the right way? Sanctuary Services can train and support you.

Once you start, keep going and grow your community: talk to businesses, schools and any other organizations that are around or in line with your collective vision,

“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”

-Buckminster Fuller

We all agree on at least one thing- probably a few things at least. If we don’t prioritize these commonalities among us and grow together, we will forever be reacting to THEIR vision of the world which, we can plainly see, is horrific.

Real power and true change are always bottom up. The way we work with each other in our neighborhoods guarantees eventual change in the city, state and country. If we GET TOGETHER right where we are, we can be the roots of a better world for everyone

(Are you already organized? Register your group or your resource with us so we can support and amplify your work).

Google Map of NYC with resources pinned — Find our resources on Google Maps

RESOURCES WE RECOMMEND

Community and Connection:

Sustainable Economies Law Center - mutual aid legal toolkit
- Sustainable Economies Law Center cultivates a new legal landscape that supports community resilience and grassroots economic empowerment. They provide essential legal tools such as education, research, advice, and advocacy, allowing communities everywhere to develop their own sustainable sources of food, housing, energy, jobs, and other vital aspects of a thriving community. Their Mutual Aid Legal Toolkit includes information on entity formation, established charitable organizations, liability, governance and decision making, managing funds, sharing goods and services (bartering), and data security. It also includes appendices with sample forms, case studies, and other resources.
New York Peace Institute - free mediation services for Brooklyn and Manhattan
- New York Peace Institute offers free services that help ease tensions and effectively address conflict. NYPI supports individuals, families and communities to break the cycle of conflict and stress and find their own creative solutions to conflict. They are now offering all of their services remotely via phone or video-conference. Interested parties should contact NYPI for assistance. New York Peace Institute also offers free in-person mediation for people in Brooklyn and Manhattan, along with conflict coaching and restorative processes to help resolve conflict.
Pact Collective - fiscal hosting for Mutual Aid Groups in New York City
- Pact Collective is a NYC-based community impact network that supports neighborhood-led projects in care, education, nourishment, and healing. They provide fiscal hosting, operational tools, and connective support for grassroots collectives building safer, freer futures. Pact Donation Collective Inc. is the 501c3 nonprofit fiscal host for mutual aid groups Bushwick Ayuda Mutua, Red Hook Mutual Aid, SunnySide-Woodside Mutual Aid, Gowanus Mutual Aid and We The People (Bed Stuy & Harlem). NYC Mutual Aid Groups looking for a fiscal sponsor can get in touch at pactbk@gmail.com. A fiscal sponsor is an entity that holds money on behalf of a collective, and takes care of accounting, taxes, and invoices.
St. Louis Mutual Aid - how to set up a mutual aid fund
- St. Louis Mutual Aid is a network of organizers, healers, artists, community leaders, and every day people coming together to deliver food and supplies, provide financial solidarity, offer emotional support, and connect people to their neighbors in St. Louis. In September 2020, they crafted an essay on how the STL Mutual Aid Fund was set up, with tips for other mutual aid organizers.
No Associated Group - Mutual Aid 101 Toolkit #WeGotOurBlock
- This toolkit includes step by step instructions for how you can build your own mutual aid network. Created in 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 crisis, but contains useful information for other contexts.