Rebecca M. Bratspies

Rebecca Bratspies, Author

@rbratspies.bsky.social

16K followers 3.3K following 2.1K posts

Professor, CUNY Law | award-winning scholar, author, speaker
scuba diver | environmental justice, climate justice, human rights, NYC history, urban policy, comic books | mom | optimist (mostly) www.RebeccaBratspies.com

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Law 24%

Environmental science 23%

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Rebecca Bratspies, Author @rbratspies.bsky.social · Apr 28

hey friends. Guess what . . .my book Naming Gotham just won the 2024 American Legacy Book Award for US History!!! #history #NYC #newyorkcity #historybuff #historylovers #historypodcast #NewYork #awardwinning #books #booklovers www.amazon.com/Naming-Gotha...

Good seal. Words Award Winner 2024 emblazoned across the seal

cover of Naming Gotham: The Villains, Rogues, and Heroes Behind New York Place Names. Title in a central red box with white type Photos (in clockwise order) of Peter Cooper, Henry Bruckner, NYC view from Hells Kitchen, Jackie Robinson, at bat, Shirley Chisholm, and Bryant Park

Reposted by Martin Tomko, Melanie C. Green, Rebecca M. Bratspies , and 2 more Martin Tomko, Melanie C. Green, Rebecca M. Bratspies, Kate Starbird, James M. Thomas

Senator Patty Murray @murray.senate.gov · 5d

Today I received FOUR death notifications for people in ICE custody. That's 30 deaths since Trump took office. It's appalling & unacceptable.

ICE is required—by law—to ensure detainees are safe & their basic needs are met. It's clear this isn't the case. We NEED answers.

Reposted by Steve Peers, Rosemary A. Joyce, Lesley A. Hall , and 4 more Steve Peers, Rosemary A. Joyce, Lesley A. Hall, Rebecca M. Bratspies, John Maynard, Meredith Farkas, Nathan P. Kalmoe

The Wall Street Journal @wsj.com · 6d

Travelers bemoan a rise of able-bodied passengers who game the system to skip the lines. on.wsj.com/3N6apva

They Get Wheeled on Flights and Miraculously Walk Off. Praise ‘Jetway Jesus.’

Travelers bemoan a rise of able-bodied passengers who game the system to skip the lines.

on.wsj.com

Reposted by Rosemary A. Joyce, Melanie C. Green, Rebecca M. Bratspies , and 1 more Rosemary A. Joyce, Melanie C. Green, Rebecca M. Bratspies, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Jonathan Cohn @jonathancohn.bsky.social · 6d

Henry Cuellar, Don Davis, and Vicente Gonzalez joined Republicans in voting to criminalize trans health care.

The bill passed only 216 to 214.

4 Republicans voted no. If they did too, it would have failed.

clerk.house.gov/evs/2025/rol...

clerk.house.gov

Rebecca Bratspies, Author @rbratspies.bsky.social · 7d

What the actual f*ck?

Eileen Clancy 🧿 @clancyny.bsky.social · 7d

No. No. No!

This is critical research. It's not even centered on climate. It's solar physics! It's geomagnetic storms! It's space weather! It's sunspots!

It's a research center needed for satellites and spaceflight!

USA TODAY @usatoday.com · 7d

Exclusive: The Trump administration is moving to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado, according to a senior White House official, taking aim at one of the world's leading climate research labs.

Reposted by Rebecca M. Bratspies

Eileen Clancy 🧿 @clancyny.bsky.social · 7d

USA TODAY @usatoday.com · 7d

Trump moves to dismantle major US climate research center in Colorado

The Trump administration is breaking up the National Center for Atmospheric Research, taking aim at one of the world's leading climate research labs.

bit.ly

Rebecca Bratspies, Author @rbratspies.bsky.social · 9d

Thank you for sharing

Rebecca Bratspies, Author @rbratspies.bsky.social · 9d

and automatic seatbelts

Reposted by Rebecca M. Bratspies

Chanda Prescod-Weinstein 🌌 @chanda.blacksky.app · 10d

The miracle was in the way the light lasted, not the weapons

Rebecca Bratspies, Author @rbratspies.bsky.social · 10d

I'm not usually one to cry but the combination of the Sandy Hook anniversary, the Brown shooting, the Bondi Beach antisemitic terror shooting, and the fact that ICE grabbed a kid in my neighborhood is just too much. How did we let this happen to us? We have to make it stop.

Hanukkah menorah with all 9 candles lit.

Rebecca Bratspies, Author @rbratspies.bsky.social · 10d

Growing up, I thought that line was about solidarity with Stonewall

Rebecca Bratspies, Author @rbratspies.bsky.social · 10d

F*ck your thought and prayers

Reposted by Rebecca M. Bratspies

Manohla Dargis @manohladargis.bsky.social · 11d

Happy 100th Birthday Dick Van Dyke, and thank you for the joy!

Reposted by Rebecca M. Bratspies

Dr. Genevieve Guenther (she/they) @doctorvive.bsky.social · 11d

This story really crystallized the impression I’ve been getting recently—also from yesterday’s @jael.bsky.social story—that there are conservative climate dismissives fighting decarbonization who also hold “environmentalist” or at least CONSERVATIONIST positions.

heatmap.news/plus/the-fig...

1/2

Reposted by Rebecca M. Bratspies

Don Neufeld @dnf.bsky.social · 11d

Funny how the economic plan is “you could get a government job”…

Reposted by Tim Bale, Steven French, Jonathan M. Gilligan , and 10 more Tim Bale, Steven French, Jonathan M. Gilligan, Martin Paul Eve, R. M. Wilson, Robert Wolfe, Rebecca M. Bratspies, Daryl Adair, Laleh Khalili, Henry Jones, Joris van Zundert, David R. Shumway, David Darmofal

Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 11d

Rebecca Bratspies, Author @rbratspies.bsky.social · 13d

Justice Kavanaugh says this is fine

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 13d

WOW. So this is obviously a huge violation of this man's rights, and it illustrates a few things we're seeing broadly:

- DHS officers are ignoring peoples' IDs and instead requiring screening through their own systems
- Confirms @404media.co's reports of use of DHS's facial recognition app.

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Tom Clark, David R. Miller , and 2 more Anna O. Law, Tom Clark, David R. Miller, Rebecca M. Bratspies, Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 13d

Mubashir said he was in the car with officers for about 20 minutes, asking them repeatedly if he could show them his I.D. They refused, he said.

Officers asked if they could take a picture of him to check if he was a U.S. citizen. Mubashir told reporters that he declined their request, because, “How would a picture prove I’m a U.S. citizen?”

Officers took him to the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building at Fort Snelling, which houses immigration court and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement offices. They took his fingerprints and then one of the officers allowed Mubashir to show his I.D., proving his U.S. citizenship, Mubashir said. He was then immediately allowed to leave.

Reposted by Rebecca M. Bratspies

Kirk Rudell @rudell.bsky.social · 14d

It’s a small thing in the larger white nationalist project, but I keep thinking about the national parks story. It’s so explicitly racist, and its pettiness (and the way it just sailed through the news cycle) makes it even more sinister.

www.npr.org/2025/12/06/g...

National parks' fee-free calendar drops MLK Day, Juneteenth and adds Trump's birthday

The Trump administration, which has railed against what it describes as "woke" policies, removed MLK Day and Juneteenth from next year's list of fare-exempt days for visitors at dozens of national par...

www.npr.org

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Cathy N. Davidson, Rebecca M. Bratspies , and 1 more Anna O. Law, Cathy N. Davidson, Rebecca M. Bratspies, Lisa Diedrich

Greg Pak @gregpak.net · 14d

I've probably photographed Brad Lander more than any other elected in NYC because the dude shows up. He's everywhere, he's incredibly accessible, and he genuinely loves New Yorkers. You can literally go up and talk to him whenever he shows up. Go ahead, try it!

(I have NEVER seen Goldman ANYWHERE.)

Brad Lander with one fist raised at the Manhattan No Kings march

Reposted by Rebecca M. Bratspies

🇬🇾🗽Sydette The Dreaded Gorgon🗽🇬🇾 @blackamazon.bsky.social · 15d

This baby Yuanxin Fanb is still just floating all alone in ICE custody and it’s just heartbreaking

He has to be so scared

www.tiktok.com/t/ZTr9CTQ3S/

ICE is abducting our children 😭 #ice #queens #nyc #astoria

TikTok video by The Rana Show

www.tiktok.com

Reposted by David S. Cohen, Smith, Karen Benjamin Guzzo , and 5 more David S. Cohen, Smith, Karen Benjamin Guzzo, Robert C. Richards, Rebecca Tushnet, David R. Miller, Julia Lynch, Rebecca M. Bratspies

Sam Bagenstos @sbagen.bsky.social · 15d

The best reading of this article: Trump is going to use FDA to restrict medication abortion, but he wants to wait until after the midterms so the Republicans don't experience blowback. But that just makes the midterms more important. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

FDA Slow Walking a Long-Awaited Abortion Pill Safety Study

The Food and Drug Administration has delayed a promised review of safety data for the abortion drug mifepristone at Commissioner Marty Makary’s request to put it off until after the midterm elections,...

www.bloomberg.com

Rebecca Bratspies, Author @rbratspies.bsky.social · 16d

Hey NYC, Want to talk Environmental Justice in Western Queens? Join us tonight. This will be my last hurrah at CUNY before moving to Tulane.

The Environmental Future of Western Queens.

Join Elected leaders, advocates, and legal experts for conversation on how we can shape law, policy, and environmental justice in our communities.

Dec. 8, 2025
6:30 pm
CUNY School of Law

Senator Patty Murray @murray.senate.gov · 18d

My constituent, Wilmer, was mauled by an ICE attack dog despite the fact that, as he has consistently explained, he was not resisting arrest or trying to flee—his wife and young children, all U.S. citizens, were forced to watch helplessly as Wilmer was violently attacked and dragged away.

Rebecca Bratspies, Author @rbratspies.bsky.social · 19d

So excited

Reposted by Sander van der Linden, Peter Thorne, Scott L. Greer , and 34 more Sander van der Linden, Peter Thorne, Scott L. Greer, Rosemary A. Joyce, David Rothschild, Philip N. Cohen, Jonathan M. Gilligan, Juan Cole, Rebecca Tushnet, David R. Miller, Silvia Secchi, Adrian Daub, Caroline T. Schroeder, Andrew Jacobs, Stacy D. VanDeveer, Margot C. Finn, Rebecca M. Bratspies, Brian Keegan, William Myers, David C. Kimball, Sarah Roberts, Aurélien Mondon, Mark Rice, Lisa Diedrich, Ann Bartow, Nelson Flores, Alessandro Rigolon, Seth Masket, Raúl Pacheco-Vega, Andrew Rudalevige, Brooke Harrington, Daxton R. Stewart, Manisha Sinha, Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò, Nathan P. Kalmoe, Clark Gray, Paul Franco

gwen howerton @kissphoria.bsky.social · 23d

OU has put the professor here on administrative leave:

The University of Oklahoma takes seriously concerns involving First Amendment rights, certainly including religious freedoms. Upon receiving notice from the student on the grading of an assignment, the University immediately began a full review of the situation and has acted swiftly to address the matter.
First, the college acted immediately to address the academic issue raised by the student. College leaders contacted her on the day her letter was received and have maintained regular communication throughout the process. As previously stated, a formal grade appeals process was conducted. The process resulted in steps to ensure no academic harm to the student from the graded assignments.
Second, the student reported filing a claim of illegal discrimination based on religious beliefs to the appropriate university office. OU has a clear process for reviewing such claims and it has been activated.
The graduate student instructor has been placed on administrative leave pending the finalization of this process. To ensure fairness in the process, a full-time professor is serving as the course instructor for the remainder of the semester.
OU remains firmly committed to fairness, respect and protecting every student's right to express sincerely held religious beliefs.
The UNIVERSITY of OKLAHOMA

Reposted by Rebecca M. Bratspies

John Cocker @joecocker.bsky.social · 24d

On this day in 1874, a Czech Jewish woman was born. On the 9 Jul 1942 she was deported to Theresienstadt and on the 15 Oct 1942 to Treblinka extermination camp where she perished. Her name was Luisa Grünhutová