If there are folks who would like to design a couple of "FUND OUR LOCAL PUBLIC LIBRARIES" posters, holler at me at [email protected] and please tell me your rate for this. Poster size would be 11 by 17 landscape size. I need to print some posters for a forthcoming event.

One week away! Register for what will be a very powerful event celebrating a decade of Survived & Punished, a national coalition of prison abolitionists organizing defense campaigns for people criminalized for surviving domestic or sexual violence.

Part two of my conversation with @tanuja.bsky.social is now live. We talk about conflict resolution, why some common approaches leave people feeling let down, how to make better apologies, how to receive feedback, and the relational skills our communities need to survive these times.

My latest is a reflection on the cycle of dread, disaster, and temporary reprieves we’re all navigating, what that cycle is doing to us, and how we can avoid losing ourselves to it. This edition also includes a roundup of must-read pieces that have helped me think about this moment.

“In late February 2025 and again in late March, Illinois Answers Project and Sun-Times reporters sent questions to the police department about the gun and its disappearance. Days later, the police reopened the internal investigation.”

Jail staff restrained Travis Braden, 39, to a chair in 2022 after he expressed suicidal ideation and swallowed a piece of metal. He filed a complaint and settled in January for $27,500. “To me, it wasn’t enough,” Braden said. ”And the sad part of it is, there’s no accountability behind it.”

Iran closes all diplomatic and indirect channels of communication with the U.S., suspending the exchange of messages, following Trump’s threat to kill Iran's "whole civilization." -Reuters

If you are already involved in justice work, but are struggling to hold this moment, my friends and I wrote a book for you, too. www.akpress.org/read-this-wh...

I was going to write today, but until we know more, I don't have any new words for this moment. What I will say is that if you are reeling, and you know you want to be part of making things better, Mariame Kaba and I wrote a book for you. I hope it helps.

this would be an amazing way for It to happen

i, for one, love bedtime

Stephen Miller urged Department of Homeland Security agents to “force confrontations” with protesters in Minneapolis.

Supt. Snelling just told the CCPSA that CPD established a perimeter to "control traffic" outside of a South Loop ICE facility in June. The TRUST Act prohibits police from "any collateral assistance such as ... establishing a security or traffic perimeter surrounding such operations"

@tanuja.bsky.social: "What if we embraced our differences of opinion and got curious about where that opinion comes from?" truthout.org/audio/ruptur...

This two-episode arc was created by popular demand. Y'all told me you wanted more discussion on conflict resolution, so my bestie and I, who co-facilitate an emotional and spiritual support group for activists, are talking about it. ❤️

Today, I talk with @tanuja.bsky.social about rupture and repair in our movements. This is the first of two episodes about conflict, how we process it, and how we can keep our relationships and organizations strong.

Fund the public libraries. Just do it.

"[T]he pope ... criticiz[ed] anyone who would invoke Jesus Christ to justify a war."

BELOW: How Chicago feels about kings.

Ah, you think No Kings is going to accomplish anything? It's nothing compared to my approach of never being around other people for any reason

Walking thru the “Ultra Normie” No Kings rally in my extremely rural, white town and there are Patagonia wearing moms carrying signs that say “DEAD PEDOPHILES DONT REOFFEND” and “ICE GETS THE WALL” and I hi fived an old guy with a sign that said MY DADDY FOUGHT NAZIS AND SO WILL I” this is wild

amazing

Thank you @mskellymhayes.bsky.social for once again finding the words.

My latest. "The only place I know how to begin is here: We are at war, and I want it to stop."

So recently I got this device called the Instruo Pocket Scion. It takes electrical signals from plants and passes them through a sound engine. I hooked it up to this calla lily in my garden and here's what happened:

When I was growing up in the 80s, I was told that the Soviet Union was the “evil empire”. It’s us.

No words.

Isaac Newton discovers Pink Floyd's Dark Sude of the Moon (1660s)

Donald Trump is the reason you are waiting for 6 hours on line at the airport. I hope that helps.

If you spot ICE agents at an airport in the coming days, I want to hear from you. Reach me via Signal at marisakabas.04

I have seen the flying squirrels of Uptown! Here's a 50% speed video of them in action tonight.

I’m thrilled to be joining the @illinoisanswers.bsky.social as the State Investigations Editor, where I get to lead a fantastic team of talented investigative journalists who are shining a light across Illinois. This role is a dream come true, and I can’t wait to see what we’ll achieve together!

In my latest, I talk with my friend Joselyn about the federal charges against her that were dropped yesterday, today’s guilty verdict for multiple Prairieland defendants, and what’s at stake when the definition of conspiracy is stretched and distorted to ensnare activists.

Today’s print edition is my last with @southsideweekly.bsky.social, as I’m starting a new job next week. I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to lead the Weekly’s investigations hub, which produced dozens of investigative reports and offered FOIA trainings. I’m excited for the next chapter!

Corli Jay, The TRiiBE’s community investment reporter was terminated by TRiiBE leadership on March 9 alleging that she had broken nonexistent company ethics rules.

The TRiiBE’s nascent union needs our support now more than ever—if you haven’t signed their petition, now is the time!

Random question to help settle a friendly debate: what is the best hip hop album of all time and what are your criteria?

Talked recently with someone who has some shitty neighbors, and was daunted by the idea of reaching out to those people for hyperlocal organizing. I asked if there were people with anti-ICE or other good window signage who lived nearby. They said yes. I suggested they try to meet those people first.

On Thursday I’ll be on a panel at #NICAR26 to talk about how I used FOIA to obtain records from municipal agencies that shed light on federal immigration raids, as well as the collaboration of Chicago journos that used OSINT to investigate feds’ use of tear gas. (Stories in thread)

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH

What the genocide in Gaza reinforced is that there are no "civilians" when it comes to Israel and the United States. The rest of the world learned the same lesson and the consequences are going to be felt across the world.

It’s not lost on me that this is happening during Ramadan and during fasting hrs.

I talked with @ziibiing.com about Stand With Minnesota, keeping neighbors housed during ICE escalation, and directing generosity where it’s actually needed.

This week’s print edition honors the life of Rev. Jesse Jackson in English and Spanish. The issue also includes information on voting in the March primary, and stories on Valentine’s in Cook County Jail, landlord heat violations, youth sports access, theater and book reviews, and more!

The brilliant and hardworking editorial staff of The TRiiBE have unionized, and are asking supporters to sign letters in solidarity with their request to be recognized:

The floor plan for the planned ICE concentration camp in Social Circle, Georgia:

You, an individual, cannot "fix" the whole world. You can act at the scale of your life. You should act at the scale of your life.

After months of relentless rapid response in Minneapolis, members of Defend the 612 had a moment to breathe and reflect on the lessons they’ve learned, the grief they carry, and the citywide fellowship they hope will endure. The crisis is not over, and I’m grateful they made time to speak with me.