Got an idling 3D printer? Want to do something in the fight against ICE, but don't know how to get involved? You can 3D print whistles for folks in communities that may be targeted by ICE!
Why whistles?
- Instant alert system
- Faster and harder to sensor than social media
- Simple, cheap, effective
- Noise = visibility
- Turns silence into community action
- The sound gathers a crowd whenever and wherever ICE shows up
- Already being used to great effect in cities like LA and Chicago
Once you 3D print some whistles, you can either drop them off with us, or we can send someone to pick them up from you. You don't even have to leave your home to contribute!
No 3D printer? Still lots of ways to help out: Assemble whistle kits, contribute money, translate materials, spread the word, etc.
MORE INFO including STL files to print: https://linktr.ee/wa.whistles
And you don't need to join anything to get started. Just download and print!
FAQ
Q: Why not just buy whistles?
A: We do that too, but 3D printed ones are cheaper. (And can be made on demand, customized easily, etc.)
Q: When is ICE coming to Seattle?
A: They're already here and kidnapping people daily.
Is it really that cheap to 3D print constructs? I would think ordering bulk whistles from China or something would be much cheaper.
It's distributed and completely untraceable. No delivery records, no customs seizures, nothing.
Also, you have a much greater degree of customization with a 3d printer, and the cost of material is negligible.
Okay, but they literally said it was cheaper and listed that as the main reason to 3d print them.
Cost of material for a 3d printer (especially if we're talking what would require a custom mold in the photo) would be orders of magnitude cheaper unless these were ordered at scale. Like thousands or tens of thousands of units scale.
Plus, this allows for citizens to print them in their private homes with their existing tools - not everyone has to order for their communities.
Why are you including the cost of the 3d printers/custom molds? People had 3d printers long before this, they don't have to buy them now (which is kind of the entire point of the idea). Just like companies already had molds for mass-producing plastic whistles.
I worded it poorly, I meant using an existing 3d printer vs. ordering a factory produced copy
Depending on the whistle style, 3D printed ones range from 2 to 7 cents per whistle (not counting the up-front cost of the printer). Bulk ordering of commercial whistles ranges from 12 to 35 cents, and may or may not include customization options like putting an ICE reporting number on the whistle.
You scale this up to thousands or tens of thousands of whistles, and now we're talking about getting whistles into the hands of many more community members for the same cost.
It's not just about the money though. 3D printing whistles gives more people a way to get involved in the resistance. And in order for any resistance movement to be successful, it needs broad-based public support and engagement.
Well that's just the thing though. If you get to scale up to tens of thousands: Injection molding.