Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Ariel Méndez

Joshua Reed Eakle 🗽 @joshuaeakle.com · 16h

In Chicago, four vehicles descended and eight ICE agents moved in to kidnap a child.

She screams, “I’m 15,” as ICE yanks her from the car and kneels on her neck.

This is not about immigration enforcement.

It's about terrorizing Americans.

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Ariel Méndez @amendez.bsky.social · 12h

"But nobody personally owns slaves today, so..."

Josh Fischman @jfischman.bsky.social · Aug 24

Think slavery doesn't matter today? Wrong. Current Congress members whose families owned 16+ enslaved people now have 4 million $ more than members who did not own slaves. Slave owning = 2024 money and influence 🧪 journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...

Slaveholder ancestry and current net worth of members of the United States Congress

Background Whether and how much past slavery affects contemporary social and economic conditions in the United States is an area of active debate. Newly available data on which members of the United S...

journals.plos.org

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Ariel Méndez @amendez.bsky.social · 12h

As the city continues its discussion of electrification, I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on
1) Frequency of power outages
2) Their duration
3) What you hope to power with a portable generator (space heat? just lights and fridge?)

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Ariel Méndez @amendez.bsky.social · 15h

54 Days now.

Ariel Méndez @amendez.bsky.social · 1d

Bend is 55 days away from a full twelve months with zero fatalities on our public roadways. That's down from a high of 7 fatalities in 2023.

Here are 8 strategies to help Bend continue on the right track.

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Ariel Méndez @amendez.bsky.social · 15h

Inspired and inspiring. Thank you for leading and being a champion, Zohran.

Zohran Kwame Mamdani @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social · 22h

UNTIL IT’S DONE, Ep. 4: Sylvia Rivera

In the 1970s, queer New Yorkers had been pushed to the margins of NYC. Our trans neighbors faced immense cruelty. But in Sylvia Rivera, they found a champion.

As we combat Trump’s politics of darkness, her legacy can light the path forward.

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Ariel Méndez @amendez.bsky.social · 1d

Some of your dad’s coolness definitely rubbed off on you. Thanks for sharing.

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Ariel Méndez @amendez.bsky.social · 1d

Ooohh that’s a good point

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Ariel Méndez @amendez.bsky.social · 1d

Thank you, Andrea!! Means a lot coming from you. I just spent the last hour adding to this thread to try and show what a credible alternative to adding lanes looks like here in Bend. Anything to help people see an alternative future is really possible!

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Ariel Méndez @amendez.bsky.social · 1d

8) Invest in safer walking and biking. More short walking and biking trips means less traffic and more parking for everyone who drives. And safer walking and biking means safer driving!

Bend is starting its bike and pedestrian master plans, but they need funding to have an impact.

Franklin St at the Wall Street intersection in Bend, OR. A woman with a child on a bike and two kids on bikes are the center of the photo. A parked car and several vehicles driving are visible. Trees and an overexposed sky are visible.

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Ariel Méndez @amendez.bsky.social · 1d

7) Say no to projects that undermine progress. Adding lanes and widening roundabouts increases crashes and will be full of traffic in the long-run. What used to be Bend's widest roundabouts are now already being widened further. The cycle never ends!

The "it might work for us meme" from Arrested Development. The text reads, "LOTS OF CITIES ADD LANES TO FIGHT CONGESTION. WELL DID IT WORK FOR THOSE CITIES? NO, IT NEVER DOES, I MEAN, THESE CITIES SOMEHOW DELUDE THEMSELVES INTO THINKING IT MIGHT, BUT... ...BUT IT MIGHT WORK FOR US."

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Ariel Méndez @amendez.bsky.social · 1d

6) Work with the school district to make walking and biking safe and convenient. Two thirds of our local students drive to and from school. That's a lot of trips but progress is possible! bsky.app/profile/amen...

Ariel Méndez @amendez.bsky.social · 24d

City Council heard from a crossing guard at Bear Creek Elementary that in 2020 he saw an 15 kids on avg walking or biking to school.

Today they are up to 75 and talking about needing a bigger bike rack. Every one of those kids arrives more ready to learn.

This is what progress looks like!

A path leads to a covered bike rack with students visible in the distance. A grassy area is on the left with trees. A tan building is on the right. A boy walks next to a bike. Cars in a parking lot are visible on the left side.

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Ariel Méndez @amendez.bsky.social · 1d

5) Stanford's success largely relied on:
A) Charge $ to park
B) Use the $ to improve alternatives to driving
C) Pay people $ to not drive alone

A city like Bend can give residents a parking discount while charging visitors a fair rate.

A multi-use path at Stanford University shows a stenciled bicyclist on the left side and a stenciled pedestrian on the right. Palm trees and greenery are visible on either side. The right side is dry dirt with leaves on the surface.

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Ariel Méndez @amendez.bsky.social · 1d

4) Transportation Demand Management (TDM): This is often employer-based incentives to not drive alone. Stanford University grew over 30% without adding car traffic. The share of commuters driving alone fell from 67% in 2003 to under 36% in 2022 while the university saved millions.

A line chart shows "Drive Alone Commuters" with a purple downard-sloping line showing the percentage of people driving alone on the Y-axis ranging from about 70% in 2003 to about 40% in 2022. The X-axis is years ranging from 2003 to 2022.

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Ariel Méndez @amendez.bsky.social · 1d

3) Better land use to put amenities close to where people live and vice-versa. Walkable neighborhoods with gentle density make commercial amenities viable. Grocery stores are the hardest, but there's a lot more we can do for convenience. Bend's Growth Plan will be essential to supporting this.

A photo shows a family biking in front of a store called "Midtown Market" (now it is known as "Bruno's." The building is tan with a brown shingled roof. Trees and power lines are visible with an overexposed or cloudy sky.

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Ariel Méndez @amendez.bsky.social · 1d

2) Better transit. With more funding and focused oversight, we can get to 15-minute headways on select routes. That's approaching the point where you don't need a schedule. Just show up and get whisked to your destination without the hassle of parking. Awesome.

A woman and a man sit inside a bus. The back of the driver is visible on the center right of the image.

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Ariel Méndez @amendez.bsky.social · 1d

1) Share your personal experiences with city council! A short email saying what you appreciate or what you're worried about is great. Showing up for public comment can have an even bigger impact.

A view of Bend city council chambers from the dais which is visible in the foreground. A group of people are seated in chairs. Large framed photos are arranged on the walls. A table with chairs is visible for guest speakers.

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Ariel Méndez @amendez.bsky.social · 1d

Bend is 55 days away from a full twelve months with zero fatalities on our public roadways. That's down from a high of 7 fatalities in 2023.

Here are 8 strategies to help Bend continue on the right track.

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Ariel Méndez @amendez.bsky.social · 1d

"it can be a struggle to conceive how life might improve with fewer [cars]"

This is the single biggest hurdle to moving away from car dependence: Most don't see themselves as hurt by it and they are deeply skeptical of the benefits of alternatives.

Great piece from @davidzipper.bsky.social

David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 1d

Three newly published books argue that cars are destroying society as well as the planet.

Is the world finally ready to rein in the automobile?

My essay, in @bloomberg.com (gift link below)

‘Car Brain’ Is Making the US Unhealthy and Dangerous. EVs Won’t Fix It.

A trio of new books argue that we need to confront the full range of costs that car-based living has imposed on our cities, our health and our society.

www.bloomberg.com

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Ariel Méndez @amendez.bsky.social · 2d

Great. Another shadow docket ruling!

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Ariel Méndez @amendez.bsky.social · 2d

I see they conveniently avoided the bike lane/cyclepath/active transportation lane question!

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Ariel Méndez @amendez.bsky.social · 2d

I wonder if Ezra will ever change his mind or if this is all still the right way to use false claims, inflammatory language, enemies lists, threats and intimidation.

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Ariel Méndez @amendez.bsky.social · 3d

Do you have experience walking or biking through the two-lane roundabout at Butler Market and Empire/27th? If so, I’d love to hear about your experiences! Drop a comment or send me a message. Thank you!

A screenshot of a satellite view of a 2-lane roundabout at NE 27th and Butler Market in Bend.

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Ariel Méndez @amendez.bsky.social · 3d

Interesting thought!

My impression is the biggest source of backup on Reed Mkt is the railroad crossing. One we build the overpass, I would expect congestion to be greatly relieved at locations like 15th.

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Ariel Méndez @amendez.bsky.social · 3d

Staff is looking for support to widen 15th and Reed Mkt to a full 2 lanes.

Also whether Bond and Reed Mkt should be widened to partial multi-lane (some are asking for full 2 lanes), and whether we should switch with the Chase/Brosterhous roundabout project to accomplish it sooner.

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Ariel Méndez @amendez.bsky.social · 3d

Preparing for tonight's Bend city council discussion about widening roundabouts

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