Documentation As Resistance

Documentation as Resistance

A skill for compiling what power wants hidden into undeniable records that resist erasure and enable accountability.

When to Use

• When authorities deny or minimize harm
• When victims are being reduced to statistics
• When official records are incomplete, inaccessible, or falsified
• When erasure and forgetting are tools of oppression

Inputs

1. What is being hidden: Deaths, abuses, corruption, negligence
2. Who wants it hidden: The authority or institution benefiting from silence
3. Available sources: Witnesses, documents, physical evidence, digital traces
4. Resources: Time, people, storage, security needs

Workflow

Step 1: Define what you're documenting:

• Names of victims (not just numbers)
• Dates, locations, circumstances
• Responsible parties
• Sources and how verified
• What the official record says (or doesn't)

Step 2: Create categories and standards before you begin.

Step 3: Build the record through multiple channels:

• First-person testimonies (recorded, transcribed, verified)
• Physical evidence (photographs, documents, objects)
• Official records (FOIA requests, court documents, leaked materials)
• Media coverage (local news, social media, international attention)
• Expert analysis (forensic, legal, technical)

Output Format

A documentation project plan including:

1. What is being documented and why
2. Sources and verification methods
3. Data structure and categories
4. Preservation strategy
5. Transformation into experiential form
6. Publication and confrontation strategy

Constraints

• Verify everything - false entries discredit the whole record
• Protect sources who face retaliation
• Consider privacy of victims and families
• Secure sensitive data appropriately
• Plan for your own potential incapacity or arrest

Outputs

Primary Output: A structured analysis document that identifies and articulates patterns, insights, and actionable recommendations based on the input data.

Format:

## Analysis: [Topic]

### Key Findings
- [Finding 1]
- [Finding 2]
- [Finding 3]

### Recommendations
1. [Action 1]
2. [Action 2]
3. [Action 3]

Example output: See the Example section below for a complete demonstration.

Additional Notes

Best practices:

• Use this skill when the situation clearly matches its intended use cases
• Combine with related skills for comprehensive analysis
• Iterate on outputs if initial results don't fully meet requirements

Common variations:

• Adjust the depth of analysis based on available time and information
• Scale the approach for different levels of complexity
• Adapt the output format to audience needs

When to skip this skill:

• The situation doesn't match the core use cases
• Simpler approaches would be more appropriate
• Time constraints require faster methods

Example

Input: Document police violence during protests that authorities are minimizing

Output: "Create database: Each incident gets entry with date, time, location, victim name (with consent), injury type, video/photo evidence, witness contacts, official response. Verification: Require two independent sources or video evidence. Preservation: Database replicated on three continents, backed up to IPFS, printed archives with legal observers. Transformation: Interactive map showing incident density, video compilation, read-aloud of victim statements. Confrontation: Submit to UN human rights body, provide to civil rights lawyers, publish weekly reports with new verified incidents."

Integration

Works with:

• memorial-design: Transform documentation into commemorative form
• evidence-authentication: Verify documentary evidence for credibility
• internal-channel-audit: Document attempts to use official channels before going public