I am being hunted for sport by my very own government because of the melanin in my skin. And then to have the audacity to tell me I am the problem for using my civil rights to speak up for myself and my community. I promise you, I am not the problem.

A new photo essay on my Substack @adrianokalin Topic: Language is the first weapon used by this administration, and it shapes the communities it affects.

Chicago has been at the forefront of advocating for civil rights, ensuring that everyone is entitled to due process. It breaks my heart. All people deserve constitutional rights, regardless of their status in the country. It’s something guaranteed by the Constitution. Broadview, IL October 17, 2025

I'll never take for granted the access I get as a community member, showing the world that is being affected. I always try to show empathy first in my photographs. I stand with you in solidarity against authoritarianism. Chicago, October 18, 2025 ❌👑

You don’t get to oppress me and then tell me my response for standing up for my civil rights is terrorism.

@adriano-kalin.bsky.social is doing the work of documenting, with photography and words, what's going on in Chicago with the protests and the ICE invasion. I'm proud to support his Substack and this critical work: adrianokalin.substack.com Please consider doing the same.

Adriano Kalin is doing incredible work documenting what's been going on here in Chicago.

It’s official: AIPAC is trying to buy my election to keep me out of Congress. Apparently, I’m a “dangerous detractor”... by believing Palestinians (like myself and my family) deserve basic human rights. But we’re not going to let AIPAC win.

Want to know what happened in Broadview, IL (a Chicago suburb), when ICE attacked protestors outside their facility? Here is my firsthand account of what happened during the 48 hours of hell. #immigrants #ice #press #photojournalism #chicago #photogrphy #independentjournalist

This was shot on September 19, 2025, and you can see from the silhouette of the person I photographed the chemical agent residue that is airborne, which was affecting the breathing capacity, skin, and eyes of every peaceful protester while they are in full military grade gear.

My hope is that more voices rise up now, because silence only deepens the harm. A community is only as strong as the way it treats its most vulnerable, and right now this country is failing that test. #ice #chicago #socialjustice #immigration #photography

Outside the ICE detention center in Broadview, IL, ICE is harassing and targeting protesters, media, and activists who speak up for civil rights. Sept 19, 2025 Thank you for standing up against injustice, Rachel! @theangrymathprof.bsky.social Here is the article: open.substack.com/pub/adrianok...

New article is up. Please read. It's very important. Content Warning: This article contains explicit material, including a historical photograph of a lynching from the 1930s. The image is central to the subject matter, but it may be disturbing.

If you don’t think he will use ICE at polling places to do voter intimidation, you need to really wake up. He is doing everything in his “power” to obliterate the Constitution, and people’s blind racism is enabling it.

Trump threatening members of Congress not to sign the Epstein files discharge petition saying it would be a “hostile act” against him is definitely something an innocent person would do. And scheduling a military flyover in the middle of the survivor press conference is also totally normal behavior.

Finding peace in the time of chaos by Adriano Kalin.

Trump is building a 200-million-dollar ballroom at the White House while we are financially struggling to make ends meet for our basic needs. I am so tired of this.

A conversation that is not talked about enough is that being disabled and constantly being hounded by medical companies and debt collectors simply because you're trying to survive in a system that does not value you. I desperately want universal healthcare.

“Come here legally,” says the descendant of someone who showed up during Manifest Destiny, committed genocide, and called it progress.

"Your mind races, wondering if you’ll make it home safely or if today will be the day when I am met with my biggest fear, to be abducted and never heard from again."

How having a TBI affects my photography.

I think as AI keeps becoming more annoying in our current timeline, we’re going to crave human interaction and authentic art.

I literally can't think of one department Trump implemented to benefit anyone who is not in the top 1%. I am not trying to be funny, I literally can't think of one thing he has done to benefit any of us.

9 unelected officials shouldn't have so much power, especially when some of them are actively going against the will of the people and representing corporations and religious entities instead.

Photography as Resistance in America. As an immigrant. As a brown man in America. I am tired but I refuse to be silent. Photography is one of the best assets on showing our humanity.

My first YouTube video is a personal introduction to my work as a social justice photographer caught in the crosshairs of Trump’s racist policies targeting immigrants like me.

One reason I love black-and-white photography is that I can't use color as a distraction. I simply have to respond to the chaos in front of me and use compositions to translate an emotion through shadows and highlights.

If my photos bring even a moment of tenderness to your timeline, then I’ve done my job. I try to photograph the empathy that holds us all together. Na vida, tem que jogar bonito.

This book is riveting and so, so infuriating. It follows 5 families in Atlanta who are struggling to remain housed and paints deeply compassionate portraits of each unit. It reads almost like a novel but is outstanding journalism

Take the photograph, it may not be for everyone, and that is okay.

"I am the least racist person in the room." - Trump, 2020 Presidential Debate. These photographs will be relics of history, showing what life was like in our neighborhoods before we were sanctioned to detention centers. Albany, NY 2025.

Funny how the ones labeled “radical” are the only ones actually defending the Constitution and their fellow neighbors. The people who praise 'Don't Tread on Me' motto are the ones standing with authoritarianism. The irony is not lost on us.

Photo Essay: The Constitution Doesn’t Work Unless It’s For All of Us. If you want to see Chicago beyond the mass media lens, I’d love to share my work. As an adopted immigrant from Brazil, I document life as I live it and I will always stand against ICE and authoritarianism.

The Constitution was created to prevent tyranny. Resisting fascism is our duty. If you think we’re being dramatic, you’ll wish someone stood up for you when it’s too late. 🧊

If you're still silent about oppression in America, just know the cross they're burning won't spare your lawn either. Silence is complicity: pick a side.

Traveling at night across state lines shouldn’t feel like running. But when you’re an immigrant in America, survival starts looking a lot like strategy.

The honest truth is that racism, oppression, and authoritarianism only exist when your voice is silenced and you’re afraid to speak up. Silence is an echo chamber of guilt and fear. Oh, the irony, the land of the free for me, not for thee.

Is the new American dream to leave?

I officially renamed my Substack The People's Aperture. It’s all about photography, social justice, disability, human rights, raw stories told through my BIPOC lens. Please help support artists fighting for justice. Link in bio.

Living in the United States is like living in the Matrix and it's absolutely relentless and exhausting.

That is the most explicit expression of white privilege, when your identity is always seen as neutral, and ours is treated as a threat. New article posted!

Machiavelli warned us: take their money, lose their loyalty. Trump may find out the hard way as tariffs clash with the American people and incinerate our civil rights. #handsoff #protests #chicago

"Moving Should Come With Paid Time Off. Period." Because when you’re disabled, it’s not just exhausting, it’s dangerous. Let’s talk about the actual cost of moving.

Nothing like watching the FOTUS throw a tantrum by revoking civil rights to remind us that age and maturity are not the same thing.

I just posted a new article on Substack about moving to Rogers Park in Chicago and photographing in 16:9 ratio.

Writing lets the mind create. Photography lets the soul breathe.

As an independent social justice photographer, the threat of ICE detention looms more prominent by the day. But in the face of rising authoritarianism, Chicago stands its ground.

Just posted my latest article on Substack.

Heading to a protest to support all of you, fight for our rights, and defend Mahmoud Khalil. We will not be silent. First, it’s a stranger, next, it’s your neighbor, and then it’s you. This affects all of us, and we must stand in solidarity. Our rights are being violated. ✊🏾

When we invest in our neighborhoods, it’s not just about money—it’s about showing up, showing respect, and lifting each other up. In a time when DEI and basic empathy are on the chopping block, it’s vital to use our skills as photographers to show up for the community. This is Chicago.