"Mostly, I shovel my walk because I am a safe streets advocate, and I view shoveling snow as a small, but radical, act of community care that I have the time, ability, and privilege to do. But lately, I do it as an act of resistance, too. Progressives love to talk about the power of mutual aid in times of government failure or outright government attack on our civil liberties."
"Right now, sidewalks in communities across America are so clogged with ice that they're functionally impassable. For countless people who can't drive - and especially those who can't physically clamber over snowdrifts - that isn't just an inconvenience; it's the thing that stops them from attending school, earning a paycheck, reaching the doctor, or evacuating a home that's lost power to reach a local warming center. For seniors and people with disabilities, especially, it can mean the difference between safety and danger, survival and death."
An individual shovels sidewalks after snowstorms as a deliberate act of community care, safe-streets advocacy, and conscious privilege, often clearing paths for neighbors, seniors, and people with disabilities. Icy, clogged sidewalks frequently block access to school, work, medical care, and emergency services, forcing people into dangerous traffic or preventing evacuation to warming centers. Mutual aid often fills gaps left by government failure, providing food, supplies, and funds for medical bills. Shoveling sidewalks functions as practical assistance and symbolic resistance, reducing immediate hazards and emphasizing the need to treat cleared sidewalks as essential public safety infrastructure.
Read at Streetsblog
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