James says abolish ICE (he/him)
@jamespkennedy.bsky.social
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Originally Delco Philly, Providence, São Paolo
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jamespkennedy.bsky.social
Hey all, I voted absentee at City Hall today. Super easy. Walked in, got seen in two minutes. Did my paper ballot, submitted it in the special envelopes. Done.

Vote for @dalarrykrasner.bsky.social and vote YES to retain all judges. #Philly #GoBirds #FuckICE #FreePalestine
jamespkennedy.bsky.social
Democrats lose because they fail to confidently declare a vision of the world. They chase and chase after a half version of the Republican vision, which makes it sound like Republicans are right, when they aren’t.
jamespkennedy.bsky.social
Someone comes and cleans your toilet or picks your food, or in the majority of cases is a student who overstays their visa. And your position is that the law should stop that *worker* who is part of the *working class* from getting services? Bullshit!
jamespkennedy.bsky.social
Like, you’re only doing half the job, Mark Kelly. It’s a lie to say they get these benefits. But it’s also a lie to say they shouldn’t get these benefits. Undocumented immigrants pay like $100 billion a year in taxes that helps uphold these programs.
jamespkennedy.bsky.social
I guess it’s fine and good to point out that undocumented immigrants can’t access these benefits, but the next step would be reminding American workers that their interests are with *other workers* and not with American bosses.

www.youtube.com/shorts/kKGrz...
Trump Rages at Fox Over Mark Kelly
YouTube video by NowThis Impact
www.youtube.com
Reposted by James says abolish ICE (he/him)
jamellebouie.net
vought's view is that the president is an elected dictator and lo and behold he is seizing outright the power of the purse
kjephd.bsky.social
Unconstitutionally taking money that the law says must be spent on one purpose & using it for something else—when it's to establish personalist control over the FUCKING MILITARY—is about as dangerous a constitutional crisis/failure as you can imagine

Via: www.nbcnews.com/politics/tru...
The Office of Management and Budget sent a notification to Congress about their intent to use research and development funds to pay members of the military, two sources with direct knowledge tell NBC News.

A spokesperson for the OMB confirmed to NBC News that it plans to use the research and development funds and that there are two years' worth of funds available within the Department of Defense.
jamespkennedy.bsky.social
When I want to project “cool” in São Paolo, I wear my Zohran for New York shirt. I made sure to buy one before leaving Philly because Zohran is one of the things that makes me proud to be an American.
Reposted by James says abolish ICE (he/him)
ratcher.bsky.social
I've mapped out most of the parking center city area even the garages and back alley parking areas just to fully show how much is there still missing some and some of it is just empty lots or bad land u se but 98% is parking. the garages hiding under everything adds alot.
jamespkennedy.bsky.social
I’m not necessarily saying the ideal amount of parking garages is zero, but the ideal amount is very low. And a garage is a commitment of resources. In a city land use environment, a garage spot can cost $30,000-$100,000. For one spot.
jamespkennedy.bsky.social
Contrary to what some say, I maintain that a parking garage is a *worse* use than a surface lot, because a parking garage is saying we’re committing resources and time to the project of cars in cities.
ratcher.bsky.social
I've mapped out most of the parking center city area even the garages and back alley parking areas just to fully show how much is there still missing some and some of it is just empty lots or bad land u se but 98% is parking. the garages hiding under everything adds alot.
jamespkennedy.bsky.social
…how detached Philadelphians are from this dumb highway.

The best way we can stick it to Frank Rizzo’s ghost is not by removing his statue, it’s by removing his highway.
jamespkennedy.bsky.social
And, as highlighted by @ingasaffron.bsky.social and others at the time, when the Vine Street Expressway flooded, it became the temporary home of the “Philly Canal”. I don’t actually think a canal really makes sense, but the ease with which the entire community accepted that shows..
jamespkennedy.bsky.social
If we de-highwayed the Vine Street Expressway, we could redevelop all this parking into better things. But we’d also have a natural corridor for a new train line, or at minimum a BRT. It would connect all the existing trains in Philly and some of the South Jersey transit. No brainer.
jamespkennedy.bsky.social
There is no good urban highway. They don’t exist. Cars ruin cities. But in terms of political ease of change, the Vine Street Expressway only exists in Center City. When I fought unsuccessfully to remove the 6/10 Connector from Providence, the biggest political difficulty was suburbanites.
jamespkennedy.bsky.social
I really think it would be a huge political failure of imagination not to Cheongyecheon Chinatown in Philly. I mean, we’re talking about a place that was actively fighting the Vine Street Expressway into the 1990s. People who fought that highway are *still alive*.
jamespkennedy.bsky.social
www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmJR...

Philly wanted to make South Street into a highway, which hollowed put the value of the buildings. But it never happened, and now South Street is one of the major centers of Philadelphia. We should *remove* (not just cap) the Vine Street Expressway.
10 Cities That Destroy Their Downtowns With Parking
YouTube video by Ray Delahanty | CityNerd
www.youtube.com
jamespkennedy.bsky.social
Philly makes it to the “good” list of cities for least surface parking taking up its central business district. Which is certainly good… but look at how much more parking there is on the northern edge next to the Vine St Expressway! It’s like a natural experiment in urban destruction/preservation.
Reposted by James says abolish ICE (he/him)
katmabu.bsky.social
This is what it looks like when your community stands up.
jamespkennedy.bsky.social
Similarly to Hank Green vis-a-vis drinking, I’m not saying Blue Sttes don’t have issues with housing. I’m just saying, I dunno, maybe Red States, who are run by crazy rightwingers, don’t um… faithfully collect data on homelessness?!?!?! Lol.
jamespkennedy.bsky.social
This reminds me of when people who have drank too much YIMBY Kool Aid say there isn’t really a homelessness problem in Red States but there is in Blue States. Like gee, can we think of any confounding data collection variables to that conclusion?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4I7...
Don’t Trust Maps Like This
YouTube video by Hank Green
www.youtube.com
Reposted by James says abolish ICE (he/him)
brenttoderian.bsky.social
“In London cyclists now outnumber cars in the City by 2 to 1. Paris, where they now outnumber motorists across the whole city, is catching up with Europe’s traditional bike capitals, Amsterdam & Copenhagen…In Copenhagen, bikes account for almost half of commuter trips to work/school.” @economist.com
Forget EVs. Cycling is revolutionising transport
Pedal power is booming, spinning up a new culture war
www.economist.com
Reposted by James says abolish ICE (he/him)
donoteat.bsky.social
this is a dark day for california's many historic downtown parking lots and strip malls
cayimby.bsky.social
[VICTORY ALERT] Governor Newsom has signed SB 79, which will make it legal to build multi-family housing near high quality transit!

Our statement:
cayimby.org/news-events/...
cayimby.org