February 2026 Portland Linux Kernel Meetup will be Thu Feb 19 from 6-9pm at Lucky Labrador🐶 Beer Hall, 1945 NW Quimby St, Portland, Oregon 97209. Look for a table with a Linux Tux penguin🐧 plushie.
event page: https://ikluft.github.io/pdx-lkmu/february-2026-portland-linux-kernel-meetup.html
iCal import/subscribe: https://ikluft.github.io/pdx-lkmu/calendar.ics
Calagator entry: https://calagator.org/events/1250482472
organizers: @pdp7 @jstultz @KO6YQ
#PDXLKMU #PDX #Portland #Oregon #Linux #Kernel #OpenSource #software #engineering #tech #PNW

#pdx

RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:3qqoasoyamvrk7azqz6hesyu/post/3mem2mgvwtp26

While "don't panic, organize!" is a catchy phrase, what does organizing mean and how does it help us succeed?

As I hopefully answer that question in this post, we need to keep a few things in mind:

1. none of this works without an intersectional politic; we must have solidarity, trust and a willingness to engage with difficult topics
2. there are many ways to do this work; but make sure to also use proven methods for successful organizing
3. organizing is for everyone; accessibility, inclusivity, and thinking beyond our own circles are paramount for the movement
4. it's going to require effort; building resilient structures of friends, partners, and community members takes work!
5. sometimes it feels like everything sucks but do not be discouraged for very long; acknowledge moral injury and grief, know your support systems, and rejoin the fight when you're ready

Inspired from my previous posts on organizing and unions 101, I created this short and condensed guide of my understanding of organizing and how to do it!

Organizing is about connecting people to effectively make change and/or cultivate community and resources for the community.

I'm using organizing in a much broader context than some people do.

Not constrained to labor unions, organizing is how we can: build trust in our communities; wield power as the working class; form our found-families; forge a sense of solidarity and an educated squeaky-wheel confidence; and actively participate in creating the world we wanna see.

The work of organizing can seem overwhelming, but it's really just a bunch of small steps:

1. one on one conversations with people: listen to their concerns and help them get plugged into areas that matter to them
2. start with small asks to show up at community events, sign petitions, etc. We need to interact with the systems in front of us in order to have wins. Complaining about the existence of capitalism is ofc something we do all the time, but it can't be the main focus. Make people your focus.
3. use Signal group chats which allows people to mobilize fast, keep up-to-date on current happenings, and allows for asynchronous conversations. Start new chats and invite people to them. Get your inner circle into a chat.
4. educate ourselves and others with reading books, articles, attending talks and keynotes, and sharing your knowledge
5. always be organizing: know your bandwidth, prioritize based off your assessments and reflections, and keep chipping away at it

What we are aiming to be

Qualities of a good organizer from labor notes

• Effective organizers are good at their jobs and respected by the people theywork with
• They have the trust of their co-workers. Their opinions carry weight. When theyoffer advice, people listen.
• The best organizers are motivated by a strong sense of justice and clear principles.
• They’re responsible, honest, and compassionate.
• They’re confident, even courageous.
• Organizers must be good listeners. They know you don’t have to be the most vocal tohave the biggest impact.
• They bring people together, welcoming new co-workers on the job and looking forways to involve every member.
• Organizers move people to collective action. They don’t just solve problemsalone—they equip their co-workers to solve problems together.
• They put the interests of the group first, ahead of their individual concerns.
• They don’t operate as lone rangers. They respect group decisions.
• Good organizers are knowledgeable about their contract, but not afraid toadmit when they don’t know the answer.
• They can stay cool under pressure and handle stress and conflict.
• They’re willing to stand up to management—and they can inspire others to standup for themselves as well.

Don't freak out if you don't have all of these right now (I still have work to do on many of these).

This is our "platonic form" of an organizer: if we want to organize people, we need to aim to become these people.

Even if we are far away from this right now or feel overwhelmed, that's okay; start where you are!

"but Raven, im not a leader!" or "there is no way i could be those things" are phrases one could say, but lemme tell you something,,,,

the secret to organizing is that we all have these abilities inside of us.

We are all potential leaders.

No one is coming to save us.

We save us.

if you wanna change the world, this is how we do it.

organizing as a heuristic and guiding principle

our friends, partners, polycules, and queer spaces can be places we create trusted circles.

I want deep systems of care and community to be at the forefront of our thinking with this; we can make incredible connections, change, and life-long relationships with folks that inspire us, empower us, help us, and with people who love us.

socialize to mobilize

be an active voice in chats, ask people to hang out, and create new groups based on interests.

Example time. You could host a weekly queer movie night and invite a few folks over, maybe cook for them or maybe it's potluck style; and you automatically have a social event and an organizing event:

• people in the room talk and make connections
• various larger political and philosophical conversations can be had
• bonding and social cohesion can occur

as time goes on and relationships deepen, you now have an active group of folks who you are socially involved with---your friends and comrades---who can then: support each other with mutual aid, discuss or share information with each other, and build something full of joy, care, and compassion with each other.

you might be thinking: what? this is organizing?

yes!

Not all actions have to be big and flashy nor do they have to involve direct political action on the streets.

Getting involved in protest and direct action is only one facet of organizing and I hope you feel encouraged that you can start organizing community and structures of care right now.

However, I want to caution against complacency here and say that being plugged into larger structures like DSA is imperative at the same time.

The small group is the linchpin, the large group is the wheel, and the vehicle itself is the global leftist/progressive/socialist etc. movement

Things you can do to be a more well-rounded organizer

• if you are in the US, consider joining and attending DSA meetings
• read "Secrets of a Successful Organizer" from labornotes
• have basic medical training in first aid, CPR, AED, and tourniquet use: this gives you valuable skills, practice, connections, and communication specific things like closed-loop communication and SBAR
• find a picket line and stand out there with them to show our solidarity with each other, and best of all, make a friend!
• watch Deviant's talk on preparedness and building resilient systems
• start a book club focusing on books that talk about community, communication, relationships, labor, bias, political philosophy, etc.
• workout - don't underestimate the power of exercise (perhaps do this with a comrade!)
• watch politics streams or clips from leftists
• get on or start posting more to social media (fedi has cool ppl, come join us!) - creativity is important for this work
• take a break when u need it
• see a therapist
• work on creating better habits and don't forget about pesky time-management!
• acknowledge and understand moral injury
• learn basic mindfulness techniques
• practice your solutions with your team (ie do a mock drill of someone in an emergency and how you can show up for them)
• if you have a union, get involved with it!
• wear a respirator mask when in indoor crowded spaces

Questions I have received related or semi-related

This whole post was born out a signal group chat where there was a lot of discussion on how we do this work. Here are some questions from that group and my answers to them.

"how to do we fight misinformation, disinformation, and LLM's on public forums while maintaining privacy?"

If this is your passion, I highly recommend reading and particpating with groups like eff.org, wikipedia.org, and fightforthefuture.org.

Also, moving the people in your life largely off mainstream social media for things like Mastodon and Signal. Notice I didn't say entirely off of mainstream media, as a lot of groups still unfortunately organize on Instagram, so we should have a type of presence on those platforms, but they can be secondary or checked occasionally instead of driving societal behavior.

This should go without saying, but don't use ai chat bots and create a culture of calling-in people on their use.

how do you find communities that engage in real political change?

Look at what is successful.

Does the community or org have a good history of effecting political change? What is happening in your city or state that you can do? What are things that interest you and how can you use that interest to organize? Does the org or community you're apart of make you feel included and welcome? A lot of research is needed to find this. Personally, I recommend and like the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and my chapter in #pdx has done amazing things. But really, we have to do research, lurking, showing up to events to see if these spaces will work for us.

"how does solidarity lead to change? why would the elite do anything different, regardless if we're holding hands or not?"

people alone weak. people together strong.

history is full of examples of amazing people, banding together to fix or improve their job environments, their cities, their countries, and the world.

selfish people like the "elites" have no power to enact their will if we stand together.

"how does gathering all my friends in a signal chat fight the elite?"

on it's own, it doesn't.

the people in the chat fight the elite

Signal is a really good tool for our movement, but it does not replace the work of building relationships.

"when does the effective action start? who makes that choice? how bad does it got to be before people make that choice?"

effective actions are actions that are objectively effective after the event

we can use debriefing to establish what went well and what could go better in the future

we make that choice, hopefully in a democratic or even consensus-based fashion

people are making these choices everyday

"How do we connect people to these decentralized spaces BESIDES going in person and meeting someone?"

for accessibility, there are lots of orgs that do hybrid meetings, but we def need to prioritize this more across the board

#union #organizing #labor #leftist #dsa

Bummer — sad to see that Sheridan is closing, last day is tomorrow (Feb 13th).

https://www.opb.org/article/2026/02/12/sheridan-fruit-company-closing-100-years-portland/

#Portland #PDX

T-Girl Mafia #pdx #graffiti

Well this sucks

#pdx

https://www.koin.com/news/portland/a-landmark-sheridan-fruit-company-set-to-close-after-110-years-in-business/

www.icemap.dev/

It is what it says in the tin. Repost don't boost.

#ICE #PDX #ChingaLaMigra #ICEout

#OSMupdates for all you #history nerds and #freemason enthusiasts...

I just finished extensively documenting the Palestine Lodge, Masonic Lodge no. 141 on OpenStreetMap with details from the Portland, Oregon Historic Resource Inventory, the #NationalRegisterofHistoricPlaces, and my own on the ground recon. I've gathered enuff data and resources that I will probably end up editing #Wikipedia later with more information.

I had peviously published updates here, but they were all to do with the occupant of the building, Worksource Oregon.

#Brewport #PDX #openstreetmap #OpenStreetMapper

RE: https://pnw.zone/@meshoregon/116052703911591563

Hey #PDX, if you missed this #Meshtastic meetup. Its tomorrow.

Portland's move to zone for more affordable housing riles neighbors who feel neglected by the city

A spot in the Centennial neighborhood has long dealt with unsheltered #homelessness. It's now the site of a new shelter and the prospect of future low-income housing.
Feb. 11, 2026
#Portland #PDX #English

https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/the-story/portland-affordable-housing-new-zoning-map-homeless-development/283-3701b871-b94e-4228-b687-913b0df3df33

#TidySearch Bot2 (1237-206194)
Visit http://search.mpaq.org for more.

Ten Black Portland Innovators and Changemakers You Should Know

These people are helping change the very fabric of the Rose City. by Donovan Scribes (fka Donovan Smith) [What follows is one of the many articles in the Mercury's Black Innovators & Changemakers issue. Find a print copy here, subscribe to get a copy mailed to you here, and if you're feeling generous and want to keep these types of articles coming, support us here.-eds.]. Black History Month is equally about reaching into the stories of our past, as well as carving our futures with possibilities. It's not simply a time to post nice quotes from the same historical figures. It presents us with an opportunity to recognize that history is, in fact, being made in the present day.. That history finds a strong heartbeat in the Northwest jewel that is Portland, Oregon. Across the board-from arts, sports, comedy, and activism-Black Portlanders continue to reshape the very fabric of the Rose City. Here are 10 Black innovators and changemakers in Portland (in no particular order) that you should
Feb. 12, 2026
#Portland #PDX #Oregon #PortlandOregon #English

https://www.portlandmercury.com/black-innovation-2026/2026/02/12/48305030/ten-black-portland-innovators-and-changemakers-you-should-know

#TidySearch Bot2 (1233-206111)
Visit http://search.mpaq.org for more.

Good job with the names, everyone. I'm going to keep an eye out for Pink Pony Plow myself.

#pdx

https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/ORPORTLAND_ENT/bulletins/406ab75

Hollywood MultCo Public Library is looking good. It is still closed for the reno, but I cannae imagine they'll keep it shut up much longer.

#Brewport #pdx

#OSMupdates

- The NE Albina location of MultCo Public Library has had it's exterior extensively mapped... wheelchair access, bike parking, benches, stairs, EV parking, handicap parking, building entrances, and more.
- Izakaya Kichinto has now had wheelchair access info, toilets, takeout, and other characteristics updated.
- I've been making a lot of headway in fixing some bad OSM data that has allowed some mapping apps to route traffic where they shouldn't. I'll announce it when it is complete.
- Updated Paddy's Irish Pub with the information I collected during my last pass a week ago.
- Also, updated the NE Russell & MLK Jr. intersection to reflect the small segment of bikelane for those heading east on Russell

#PDX #Brewport #openstreetmap #OpenStreetMapper #pdxbikes #biketooter

I hope this kid has a good defense attorney, and that the attorney hires a solid investigator

might be a great opportunity to spare this kid prison time & embarrass the crybaby Gestapo ratfucks at DHS for constantly overplaying their hand

#ice #Gestapo #fascism #dhs #CBP #fps #uspol #maga #oregon #pdx #stHelens #saintHelens

If you think public education and child care should be the bare minimum that all children receive, please sign this petition. The worst people in Oregon want to kill Preschool For All and we must defend it at all costs.

https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/fully-fund-preschool-for-all

The goal of the petition is to show County Commissioners the love that County residents have for our young families, preschool teachers, community and the free, universal Preschool for All program we voted for 2 to 1 in 2020!

County commissioners need to know that we expect them to keep our preschool program rolling out to all families in the County who want it! They hear far too much from conservative business interests trying to slash this program before it’s available to everyone. Let’s show them how their constituents and stakeholders really feel about PFA.

sign here: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/fully-fund-preschool-for-all

find out more, get involved:
https://friendsofpfa.org/

#PreschoolforAll #LetsGrowMultnomahCounty #FullyFundPreschoolforAll
#PDX

Portland, Oregon. 3rd February, 2026.

#pdx

Gotta catch 'em all. #pdx

RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:iwl3yxbegpmgysqrk2hwncgl/post/3mdmcsnea422i