ALT Cover of the sweep defense zine, "Sweeps Are Violence." The appears in a stencil-like font in the upper left corner, superimposed on a black-and-white photo of a cop standing below a highway overpass that has been graffitied with "stop the sweeps." The subtitle in the lower right corner reads "notes on encampment defense."

ALT Text of the land acknowledgement: This text was written in Lenapehoking, land stolen from Lenape peoples & still occupied by the government of the so-called United States. As a settler-colonial state, the U.S. requires the constant threat of displacement to perpetuate itself. As we fight evictions in the streets, we do so with the knowledge that the struggle against displacement is incomplete without justice for Lenape and other Indigenous peoples. Rather than only an acknowledgment, we offer a commitment to aiding & abetting Indigenous comrades in the fight for a better world.

ALT Page 1 text: What Is a Sweep? A sweep is an eviction of unhoused people, often targeting encampments. Sweeps are carried out by the NYPD, the Dept. of Homeless Services (DHS), and the Dept. of Sanitation. Thousands of people refuse to go to the horrific shelter system. Sanitation trashes residents' belongings, including tents, documents, medications, and keepsakes, all enforced by NYPD. Sweeps are violent and dehumanizing; they aim to coerce people into the violent, for-profit shelter system. What Is a Sweep Defense? In general, community defense enables us to care for each other without turning to the state, which doesn’t care about us. The needs of encampment residents aren't uniform, so neither are the needs for defenses. The most important thing is centering the wishes of your unhoused neighbors.

ALT page 3 text: Why Defend Encampments? New Yorkers, both housed and homeless, are facing the same predatory housing market. The crises of skyrocketing rent, gentrification, and homelessness are all the same fight. If you can barely afford rent, then you have common cause with your neighbors in the shelters and streets. As homeless neighbors are violently pushed around, the government and real estate would prefer if people just looked the other way. Through organizing against encampment sweeps, we build solidarity and protect each other. Fighting sweeps is also part of the fight against evictions and extortionate rent.