The story of STORM-NYC (The Star of Resistance Medics) begins in the summer of 2004 on the Lower East Side, somewhere between Bluestockings, ABC NO RIO, and Festival, a restaurant where you can get three guac-loaded veggie tacos with a plate full of rice and beans, all for $6.50.

STORM is just one of three known activist-medical collectives in New York City. MANY(The Medical Activists of New York) has been around since '01, and another coalition congealed to coordinate the medical coverage for the protests of the Republican National Convention.

Currently, we offer 2-hr Health and Safety trainings--click on the banner at the top of the page, or email us, for more information. In the future, we hope to offer other trainings--we are working to develop both content and concept.

Please go to the "Documents" section of this website to see what we have written thus far. We will write more interesting things, all in good time. Until then, email us by clicking on Contact, below, and invite us to dinner.

But wait. What's a Street Medic?
"Street medic" is the general term for anybody who practices what we call "action medicine." Action medicine comes in many shapes and forms. It includes disseminating preventive health and safety information to people before and during protests. It includes acting as a health resource for radical communities and groups. During protests, organizing coalitions--made up of nurses, EMTs, herbalists, doctors, homeopaths, practicioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine, actupuncturists, medically trained laypeople, and more--provide reactive health care to the protesting population. This effort includes establishing Wellness Centers, where people can get treatment for trauma, medical, and psychological/emotional issues; doing jail support to provide care for people getting released from jail; decontamination areas for people to be cleansed of chemical weaponry; dozens of teams of street medics who walk with crowds and provide initial treatment for a diversity of injuries, including those resulting from police violence; and organizing a communications network to coordinate the whole effort.

Wow! That sounds neat! Can I help?
Yes. Get in touch with with the people organizing medical for a major protest. Ask about any upcoming trainings. If you are medically qualified, it may be beneficial to take a "bridge training," to become acquainted with some specific street-medic protocols and the manners in which street medics approach issues of power and oppression.

Click here to see a STORM member in action, August 29 2004 during the RNC in NYC, working with the rest of a medical affinity group. Photo credit Joey Kotfica.