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Once again a reminder that the past is not as far off as people think and that Ruby Bridges is younger than my mom.

Ultimately, these are the discussions that keep me #onhere

My most woke opinion is that we need more and more enthusiastic support for rest. Not relaxation; Not leisure; (although we do need more of both of those things) but straight up rest for your body and mind with no explanations, apologies, or rationale other than living in a body.

When you're a teenager you have a surprisingly good sense of what's ok and what's not but you're still looking to adults to say "hey that's wrong" or "trust your discomfort." Because there's plenty of unacceptable things that seem like people are ok with it and you think "hmm well that's something?"

Aaron Goggans and I talk about what happens when movements start running on empty—how trauma, burnout, and dysregulation can shape our organizing, and what it takes to sustain ourselves and each other in a moment of crisis and emergency. I found this conversation so helpful, and I hope you will too.

You know how I hit you up for donations to the National Immigrant Justice Center from time to time? This is the work those donations support.

NYT: “.. Through that structure, Mr. Bessent avoided paying roughly $910,000 in Medicare taxes on money he made running his hedge fund in 2021, 2022 and 2023 ..” @nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/u...

chicago! how can faculty make sense of the rapidly shifting economic and epistemic conditions for learning? how should faculty exercise governance and exert expertise over expensive partnerships between universities and technology companies? join us for Theory At The Bargaining Table Dec 4!

One important addition is that the Safe Schools for All Act amended the Illinois School Code in August to prohibit immigration agents from entering K-12 schools without a judicial warrant. www.ilga.gov/Legislation/...

Today, @brianstraw.bsky.social and five others will be arraigned at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse. The government is trying to suppress our collective courage to stand up for our neighbors and democracy itself. Please consider joining me in supporting his legal defense.

If I cannot move you with reason, perhaps meme-based fiscal FOMO will thaw your hearts

If we had a publicly funded publicly accountable independent budget office in Chicago, I wonder how budget conversations would be different...I wonder if there would be different options on the table or different priorities when it comes to how public dollars get spent.

The NYC IBO has $$ & responsibilities connected to mayoral control of schools so it's not 🍎 2 🍎 s BUT 10-12% of the revenue for the Mayor's budget office goes to the IBO. In Chicago that would be ~$3.8m...slightly more than the cost of this report. WE COULD HAVE AN OFFICE FOR WHAT WE JUST PAID

The Ernst & Young report cost $3.2m to commission and I don't think it did (or could within its scope) provide the guidance that the budget office, council, and the public need to really dig into the city's financial outlook. CHICAGO NEEDS AN INDEPENDENT BUDGET OFFICE

The A is for Act bc it is a law and colloquially it's short for "Actually you do have to do it, friendo."

I love posting about taxes but I haven't posted about this one yet! It demonstrates how people who disagree with each other can all be right. I would love to explore that in greater depth to show how municipal public finance rocks. Also I got locked out of my house so I have to deal with that.

FWIW I think HSAs are getting a lot of love from this administration because they help rich people and if qualified medical expenses include weird grifty stuff, then the govt is also effectively subsidizing a bunch of wellness products in lieu of making care affordable and accessible.

Excellent piece from @mirandayaver.bsky.social “In practice, HSAs tend to benefit people w/ higher incomes… Furthermore, researchers…find that HSAs do not significantly benefit those who struggle with health care costs, and…they exacerbate the racial disparities the ACA has effectively reduced.”

District Councilors like @dionmcgill.bsky.social are using their oversight authority as their power as elected public safety officials to draw attention to the ways that the civilian experience of what's happening right now is very different from the official line from institutions.

Love this quote. It is not hyperbole to speak on the terror communities like Cicero have experienced.

This is what happens when people who want to dismantle the government get put in charge of the government. Lee Zeldin ran for governor of New York in 2022 and one of the things he said in his campaign is that he would roll back NYs ban on fracking. That guy runs the EPA now.

One of my favorite things is that your average Head Start parent knows more about how kids learn and develop than your average wealthy rando. One of my least favorite things is that people who think money entitles them to power are exactly the jackwagons who always want to mess with Head Start.

Wow, a Long Island jury awarded $112 Million to 674 immigrants who were unlawfully held by county police so they could be handed over to ICE

Would love to connect anyone in Atlanta who wants to talk about this with Chicago people who can speak to the lasting devastation of school closures and how their legacy has held the door open for additional austerity and divestment.

Just moments ago, detainees transported from ICE’s Broadview facility this morning were loaded onto an Avelo Airlines plane in Gary, Indiana.

“How outrageous they indicted my friend Michael Rabbitt” is how I felt too. As well as SO many people on the NW Side. He’s been working for his neighbors for close to a decade now. His work matters a lot to a lot of people. This indictment makes things harder and that’s the point.

Michael Rabbit is my friend and the Cook County Dems Committeeperson for Chicago’s 45th ward blockclubchicago.org/2024/05/30/m... That the Feds are after him is outrageous. Support Michael’s legal defense fund. GoFundMe here: gofund.me/bfceefa9d

Indivisible Chicago is organizing a rapid response rally at Federal Plaza on Wednesday at 12:30 as @katmabu.bsky.social @catsharpforcook.bsky.social @michaelrabbitt.bsky.social and others are being arraigned at 1:30 pm. Signup not required. Show up and be loud. www.mobilize.us/indivisiblec...

Tonight was a great night out with the crew from SACRED ACTS. We work hard to build a strong multiracial, multi faith multigenerational coalition of pro democracy South Asian American and allied voices to fight hate and extremism in IL.

For every assault they’ve faced, El Centro agents have used force over 3.6 times, according to the data. Across the Border Patrol, use of force incidents outpace assaults on agents by just over a 2-to-1 ratio. www.pogo.org/investigatio...

I love the way that @veromartinezart.bsky.social uses illustration to tell stories and shift the context of how we consume them. Details of correctional or institutional spaces in photos can bias perception but Veronica's drawings focus you on the person & the story.

Had a great convo with an artist I know who’s looking for a way to help out. We talked about how there are images photogs often won’t share right now to avoid incriminating folks & talked about the possibility of trusted artists creating illustrations that don’t reveal people’s real world features.

In 2014 Scott County Indiana experienced an HIV outbreak. Then Gov Mike Pence ignored evidence-based guidance and delayed the use of his emergency powers, which allowed infections to spread. This is a look back published last month.

From @vanessalop.bsky.social: He worked hard to give me a home. ICE took his: How I lost my father to deportation chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2...

Me (to the tune of "Who Are You?" By The Who) WHOOOOOO OWNS YOU? WHOO WHOO WHOO WHOO

'as usual i'm not really going anywhere with this' is a supremely underrated sentence + thought

I finished this last night. It was incredible and it made me miss all the good teachers who would have helped me slow down and really sit with the depth and nuance of it. I don't even know what to say about it other than the urge to bring it back to the library ASAP so someone else can read it.

I took a few lit classes in college and it was mind-blowing. I wasn't very good at it but I loved the idea that homework was reading (or translating) a thing and then you go to class and the professor would just blow your mind with context and insight.

Over the last few weeks I've been talking to a lot of people about secondary trauma. It's real! This morning I'm wondering about the emerging trend of centering a "relatable, normal" main character as the narrator of the terrible things happening. I think these two things are related.

look I know being an engaged citizen IS the work of democracy but it is also the work of elected officials not to create situations where everyone has to be mobilized all the time to prevent them from allowing some kind of Dickensian horror on a Sunday night while you're in between loads of laundry

CUNY's new rapid response legal resource is now available for current students and employees who have been impacted by immigration policy changes, are facing issues traveling in and out of the country or have been detained by law enforcement. For more information, visit cuny.edu/CIAP.

This is not even a little bit how this works. "the anonymous [federal] representative told a group of faith leaders and activists that “There is no more prayer in front of building or inside the building because this is the state and it’s not [of a] religious background.”

This is your friendly reminder that Obamacare isn’t just the exchanges! It’s a set of laws that force insurance companies to actually. You know, insure people!! You can read my full graphic explainer here: aubreyhirsch.substack.com/p/it-could-b...

The fact that Amit Shah, the second in command to PM Modi of India was able to effectively get away with orchestrating the assassination of a Canadian citizen and an attempted assassination of an American citizen last year and this is barely news is very telling of this moment.

🧵 I haven’t paid close attn as I’ve gotten older, but LPHS was a magical hodgepodge of a large variety of creative arts + hyper-competitive academic programs that pulled kids from all over the city. I cringe a bit when it comes up in conversation bc I imagine the assumptions are hilariously wrong.

OutKast is inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: “We started in a little room. Great things start in little rooms”

For a while my banner image at the old place said CHICAGO NEEDS A DEMOGRAPHER. Most of what I do in my work is rigorous descriptive analysis because I think it really focuses and elevates what people can talk about and how and what they can do about it. Anyway if it was a job I would totally do it.

Amazing bc I trust everything that @unlawfulentries.bsky.social says about cooking and also I have 2 separate recipes from The Kitchn prepping right now.