Hey all, Missy here. I know that this doesn’t qualify as a blog in the least. HOWEVER, I’m treating it as a landing pad for external media: podcast appearances, articles, and other outside links.
I had the honor of appearing on Rosebuds and Resilience, “a storytelling series from Portland, OR about people focused on ecological repair and healthier communities.” Host Becca wanted to talk about tear gas and other chemical weapons.
You’ll probably be happy to hear that while our conversation touched on about a hundred topics spanning four decades, Becca skillfully edited the podcast down to a cool 26 minutes. (But honestly, y’all — there’s a 12-hour podcast just waiting to be made here about U.S. chemical weapons use against protesters, the history and current approaches to treatment in the streets, and steps that civilians can take to minimize harm when exposed to chemical weapons. Not to mention a whole follow-up series about environmental consequences, long-term public health issues, human rights topics, and more. But I digress.)
Anyways, give it a listen! It’s not so herbally-focused, but rather centers on the Portland Action Medics (a network of trained street medics who have agreed to particular points of unity) and the Rosehip Medic Collective (a small group of street medics who birthed the broader network).
If you’d rather read an article on herbal aftercare for tear gas and pepper spray exposure, it’s right here. Thanks to the Institute for Anarchist Studies for asking me to write it and giving it a home on the internet!