Toot While You Doot
🔊 Whistles in Chicago
Across Chicago, neighbors are carrying plastic whistles to keep each other safe. When immigration agents appear, the signal goes out: three short blasts if agents are nearby, one long note if someone is being detained. The sound brings people out of their homes. Phones come up. Witnesses gather. What once happened quietly now happens in public, with eyes and voices around it.
It’s working. Agents move faster and linger less. People get early warnings and time to act. The whistles turn fear into action, and isolation into connection.
🔥 Join the Toot Brigade
The signal is already here. Three short, one long. Learn it, carry it, use it. When you hear it, don’t freeze. Step outside if it’s safe, look, record, call others, and make sure no one is alone.
It doesn’t take much to be part of the toot brigade. A $2 whistle, a few deep breaths, and the decision to care out loud. Chicago showed it works. We can too.
Can’t toot but still want to doot?
Not everyone can be on the street or hold the whistle, but the signal spreads in other ways too.
You can print flyers or stickers that explain the pattern. You can drop a handful of whistles in a community fridge or free library. You can share the signals online, add them to neighborhood chats, or talk them through at gatherings. You can tell a friend who tells a friend.
Every echo helps. Every reminder makes the network stronger. Even if you can’t toot, you can still help others doot.
Want to make and share some whistle packets of your own?
Or host a zine-folding party with some friends? Download the whistle packet to get printable instructions, zines, and sharing materials.
Doing something with my hands gives me a break from thinking about everything – recent zine folding party patron
Start small. Print a few. Leave them where people will find them. That’s how the signal spreads.
or heck, have a zine-folding party and have some fun while you’re at it.
