We'll make a proper announcement soon but yesterday this happened: the delivery of 1,649 copies of the newest 144 page book that Half Letter Press has published. The delivery guy and I had a great conversation and I gave him the first book. I inscribed it to him, by request. www.halfletterpress.com

Something I've thought about for ICE watching: Is anyone using binoculars? I've thought about starting to wear a pair, along with my whistle for spotting cars/plates/drivers in the distance as they approach, or after they pass.

"How to Explain ICE to Children." Does this book exist yet? If not, there must be authors, illustrators, and children's book publishers who could strike the right tone and make this happen. It seems urgently needed - something that occurred to me while doing ICE watch around a school near my house.

Another Century of Chemical Warfare Since the moment I found the WWI era photos in this booklet in a digital archive and figured out how I would use them to write about what is happening in Chicago now, and what ICE is doing with chemical warfare, this booklet felt like it made itself.

If you’re still in line, STAY IN LINE

Has Chick-fil-A lowered their flags to half staff for Dick Cheney yet?

I think I've seen Yob live four times and I have a couple of their albums but I did not have "Catharsis" until now. I'm sure I'll listen to side B at some point but today I keep repeating side A over and over again. What a massive record. youtu.be/E8C0B8FSS6o

Today, the day after my birthday, I'm doing a bonkers thing I do sometimes where I make a new zine, start to finish, in one day. The text is someone else's nearly 6,500 word Facebook post that a group quickly deleted. It will be a 28 page booklet. Almost finished with the design and then I'll print.

I hope that romance novels will be written about people who meet each other on neighborhood ICE monitoring patrols. They will see each other regularly on the streets, be drawn to each other by the visible whistles around their necks, get to know one another, fall in love, and end fascism.

We are mitigating the damage, as much as we can. Every neighborhood has chats and alerts, and rushes out to meet them before they snatch and flee. But make no mistake- they are here to hurt the city, and they are doing damage.

Earth playing their entire album Hex last night at Sleeping Village was about as perfect as live music gets. They sounded so incredible I almost cried a few times.

I’m choosing to believe that the trick or treaters that weren’t in costume last night were dressed as rapid responders.

Happy Halloween

This morning I joined a group of volunteers that monitors the elementary school by my house. There are over 25 people in this group who take turns watching for ICE at the start and end of each school day. I started in the morning and then returned for a bit at the close of school to give kids candy.

This Orcutt Shelley Miller set on KEXP just rips—as expected, and it's expertly recorded, also as expected. youtu.be/c3b5ZOZ0WfI

Almost every day my Chicago neighborhood seems to have some kind of anti-ICE, pro-immigrant event. I took my mom (visiting from Philly) to one last night that was packed with people putting together ICE alert whistle kits. Neighbors are pulling together like I've never seen. It's very encouraging.

Lately I’m finding it harder to avoid going off on friends of friends that think ICE is justified in doing what they are doing. This only happens on Facebook and I need to not be doing that–not because these people aren’t wrong as fuck, but because I can feel it spiking my blood pressure.

Keep an eye on this situation. He's expected in court at 10 AM this morning. Let's see what happens if he doesn't show up. Are CPD going to find him and arrest him, or just find him and buy him coffee?

This morning I learned that a person I've met who was arrested by ICE on Saturday in Chicago has been released and is doing okay. This is an enormous relief. Now free everyone else.

#Halloween in the USA 👻

Squirrel scene report: Lil friend working hard to crack some kinda nut, while also eyeing my dog at the base of the tree (who isn't super interested in the squirrel but would probably also like a nut).

What in the name of fucking "Marathon Man" Nazi dentist do we have here? It is not safe. "Unaccompanied migrant children seeking asylum status in the United States are often forced to undergo dental radiographs, or x-rays, to verify that they are younger than 18 years."

My dog Rusty in his super happy place, on the couch, mushed against my thigh. It should stay like this forever.

A big thing I'm starting to think about is: What will ICE do in the winter in Chicago, when it's cold and fewer people are out on the streets for them to kidnap? How much harder might they try to enter businesses, schools, libraries, and homes? We need to be planning for them to shift gears.

TimeOut recently named Avondale the 5th coolest neighborhood in the world. That is ridiculous but anyway, now we are the 7th neighborhood to be tear gassed in Chicago.

Everything matters and yes this does too.

Tear gas being deployed blocks from my home this morning.

All morning was spent chasing ICE out of my neighborhood in Chicago (Avondale) and meeting other neighbors who were out patrolling on foot, on bikes, and in cars. A caravan of ICE SUVs got within a half block of my house. I finally had to use my whistle. It works. It drew others out to the street.

I kind of want to take the day off and make pumpkin tamales. I’m sure they would be delicious. I have made them with sweet potatoes but never with pumpkin.

Exchange with my mom about my upcoming booklet Another Century of Chemical Warfare: Mom: I’m sure that it was very difficult for you to write. Me: The difficult part was not the writing—I knew what I wanted to say and how I wanted to say it—but the anger and emotion that made the writing necessary.

What hardcore songs have been written about ICE? Some kind of punk response to ICE should exist by now. Please tell me that punk turned in its homework a long time ago and I just haven't heard it.

ICE Detains Leaves as They Turn Brown: tinyurl.com/37euaejk

Protesters have blocked the westbound side of Canal. They are chanting "ICE out of New York now!" and "Liberation, not deportation!"

Now available: Johnnie Anderson's Botany & Zoology Drawings. A revised/expanded version of this Public Collectors booklet sharing drawings from 1931, made by the father of my spouse's late uncle when he was a college student. A great gift for a friend that draws! halfletterpress.com/johnnie-ande...

If you’re looking for a way to support Chicago, this fund helps us take care of my neighbors who are suffering the most under the federal occupation. Donations go to meet people’s basic needs: clothing, food, healthcare, assistance with bills, etc. apcommunityfund.betterworld.org/donate

There is a person in my neighborhood in Chicago that writes these flyers by hand. There must be at least 10 copies that I've seen. This is self-publishing without a printer. Publishing under fascism may begin to look like this for some people.

I love when I see one of these flyers that I did not print. I've been chill about the fact that I wrote and designed and printed them originally, but I only printed this one in purple ink so someone else printed this from my files or reprinted it in red from another copy.

You do not need to be a member of the press with a badge to have valuable observations, insights and stories. You need to BECOME the press so people learn from you NOW. If you write or take photos and print and make it public in some way, people will photograph what you do and spread it further.

People should absolutely be writing about how ICE's occupation of their cities is transforming life in these places, and they should be publishing it in print on paper - not just social media posts. There needs to be a record of this. Things are changing in measurable ways for the worse every day.

Someone in my neighborhood went full Robert Gober for their Halloween decorations.

In a day or two the 107th Public Collectors publication will go to the printer. The title is Another Century of Chemical Warfare. It presents World War I era archive materials about chemical weapons protection alongside an essay on the use of chemical weapons by ICE in Chicago. Here's the cover.

Having the clarity of mind to create new things under fascism is a weird thing. It seems to happen in bursts and I go from being too angry to do much of anything on some days, to generating a new small publication in under a week at other times. It has been an ultra productive year for me.

My spouse planted sorghum thinking we’d eat it but instead it’s a kinetic smorgasbord for sparrows and finches and we are fine with that.

Good to see Chucky shares my values.

This is tonight!

The first Millions of Dead Cops album remains one of the most angry things I've ever heard. It has served me well since I first encountered it nearly four decades ago. They've never been able to go harder than this in anything I've heard since. youtu.be/dy99NFBrVi0

When it comes to Halloween decorations in Chicago, you will find out quickly that my neighborhood (Avondale) does not fuck around. This situation is my favorite so far.

A fine potential use of the next 3 1/2 minutes of your life. youtu.be/Xdfl7E2Pzco

With ICE continuing to waste everyone’s time with their bullshit in Chicago, it seemed worthwhile to print more of these flyers. If you order something from www.halfletterpress.com you will get at least one variation of these with your order, if not multiple flyers.