Christopher Whitaker
@civicwhitaker.com
Civic Technologist | Executive Director, Alliance of Civic Technologists | Army Veteran | Alumni of Code for America, Defense Digital Service and USDS #civictech #chicago
Really doesn’t like bullies
Signal: civicwhitaker.53
Really doesn’t like bullies
Signal: civicwhitaker.53
Pinned
Christopher Whitaker
@civicwhitaker.com
· Nov 10
Home
ACT is a decentralized network of civic tech volunteer organizations.
www.civictechnologists.org
#Introductions
Hi, I'm Christopher Whitaker & I'm a civic technologist w/ a hybrid background as a product manager & bureaucrat. I currently serve as director of the Alliance of Civic Technologists - a network of local #civictech volunteer groups. www.civictechnologists.org
Army vet / #chicago
Hi, I'm Christopher Whitaker & I'm a civic technologist w/ a hybrid background as a product manager & bureaucrat. I currently serve as director of the Alliance of Civic Technologists - a network of local #civictech volunteer groups. www.civictechnologists.org
Army vet / #chicago
Tuesday night, Reilly Martin from @publicgood.tech, Kate Green from @wethebuilders.org
& I will be speaking at @chihacknight.org about the impact of this administration & DOGE on #civictech one year in.
It'll be a virtual event that'll stream here! chihacknight.org/events/2026/...
& I will be speaking at @chihacknight.org about the impact of this administration & DOGE on #civictech one year in.
It'll be a virtual event that'll stream here! chihacknight.org/events/2026/...
Online: One Year In - What We Know the Trump Administration Means for Public Interest Technology - Chi Hack Night
Legislative data is hard to parse, track, and organize—and existing solutions can disappear overnight, like Google’s Civic Information API did in 2024. What would a decentralized, open-source alternat...
chihacknight.org
January 12, 2026 at 8:55 PM
Tuesday night, Reilly Martin from @publicgood.tech, Kate Green from @wethebuilders.org
& I will be speaking at @chihacknight.org about the impact of this administration & DOGE on #civictech one year in.
It'll be a virtual event that'll stream here! chihacknight.org/events/2026/...
& I will be speaking at @chihacknight.org about the impact of this administration & DOGE on #civictech one year in.
It'll be a virtual event that'll stream here! chihacknight.org/events/2026/...
Reposted by Christopher Whitaker
We're hiring for a senior technical lead at @runforsomething.net - if you're an engineer/coder looking to build great products for a meaningful mission, check the JD & apply. workforcenow.adp.com/mascsr/defau...
Recruitment
workforcenow.adp.com
January 12, 2026 at 5:33 PM
We're hiring for a senior technical lead at @runforsomething.net - if you're an engineer/coder looking to build great products for a meaningful mission, check the JD & apply. workforcenow.adp.com/mascsr/defau...
For what it's worth, I think there's a fair amount of guys whose papa wolf instincts lit up like a Christmas tree after ICE started deploying tear gas near schools.
I wonder how long "They will kill your awesome and interesting wife for the crime of not licking a cop's boot" will take to sink in with the male equivalent of wine moms
this is all it’s really about for them. Not domestic policy, not “economic anxiety”, just an endless desire to punish stand-ins for the Mommy who forced them take a bath, even if it tanks their own quality of life.
January 12, 2026 at 4:38 PM
For what it's worth, I think there's a fair amount of guys whose papa wolf instincts lit up like a Christmas tree after ICE started deploying tear gas near schools.
Reposted by Christopher Whitaker
This whole list is good but this is the key: they are coming to your town too, the time to organize is now not once they touch down.
5. Start getting your own community ready.
Meet your neighbors. Form Signal groups. Distribute whistles and organize trainings on how to be a legal observer. (There's probably an organization close to you that does stuff like this.)
Meet your neighbors. Form Signal groups. Distribute whistles and organize trainings on how to be a legal observer. (There's probably an organization close to you that does stuff like this.)
January 12, 2026 at 2:10 PM
This whole list is good but this is the key: they are coming to your town too, the time to organize is now not once they touch down.
Reposted by Christopher Whitaker
Rahm Emanuel is coming — whether Democrats like it or not.
Rahm Emanuel targets GOP and Dems as he tests 2028 campaign for president
The former Chicago mayor wants to lead a post-Trump "renewal wing" of the Democratic Party.
www.axios.com
January 12, 2026 at 12:08 AM
Either these amplifier accounts need to credit the photo journalists or people need to stop following these accounts. The journalists put themselves at risk by being out here & deserve credit.
This one’s by Christopher Katsarov of the Canadian Press I believe
This one’s by Christopher Katsarov of the Canadian Press I believe
January 11, 2026 at 11:19 PM
Either these amplifier accounts need to credit the photo journalists or people need to stop following these accounts. The journalists put themselves at risk by being out here & deserve credit.
This one’s by Christopher Katsarov of the Canadian Press I believe
This one’s by Christopher Katsarov of the Canadian Press I believe
Reposted by Christopher Whitaker
Heads up, Twin Cities—
CBP agent Timothy Donahue was photographed outside the Whipple building yesterday. In Chicago, he was documented aggressively detaining bystanders; also involved in at least one car crash.
Most importantly, he also brandished his gun at a crowd in Evanston on 10/31.
CBP agent Timothy Donahue was photographed outside the Whipple building yesterday. In Chicago, he was documented aggressively detaining bystanders; also involved in at least one car crash.
Most importantly, he also brandished his gun at a crowd in Evanston on 10/31.
January 11, 2026 at 6:12 PM
Heads up, Twin Cities—
CBP agent Timothy Donahue was photographed outside the Whipple building yesterday. In Chicago, he was documented aggressively detaining bystanders; also involved in at least one car crash.
Most importantly, he also brandished his gun at a crowd in Evanston on 10/31.
CBP agent Timothy Donahue was photographed outside the Whipple building yesterday. In Chicago, he was documented aggressively detaining bystanders; also involved in at least one car crash.
Most importantly, he also brandished his gun at a crowd in Evanston on 10/31.
So, Trump’s National Design Studio will sell you - for $47 - a print of ‘Eat Real Steak’ while the One Big Bill cuts SNAP benefits that might be used to buy it.
Shop Limited Edition Prints - National Design Studio
The National Design Studio releases limited edition objects tied to significant public initiatives. Each edition documents a moment in civic design.
ndstudio.gov
January 11, 2026 at 6:15 PM
So, Trump’s National Design Studio will sell you - for $47 - a print of ‘Eat Real Steak’ while the One Big Bill cuts SNAP benefits that might be used to buy it.
Reposted by Christopher Whitaker
One of the reasons we have such an established, thorough record of the lies ICE, Bovino, and DHS told about alleged aggression from protesters and observers in Chicago is that a group of protesters and media orgs sued ICE. Continuously grateful for the people and lawyers who waged that fight.
January 9, 2026 at 3:51 PM
One of the reasons we have such an established, thorough record of the lies ICE, Bovino, and DHS told about alleged aggression from protesters and observers in Chicago is that a group of protesters and media orgs sued ICE. Continuously grateful for the people and lawyers who waged that fight.
As @blockclubchi.bsky.social reports here blockclubchicago.org/2026/01/08/b..., this isn’t the first time they’ve made claims like this that turned out not to be true at all
January 11, 2026 at 4:01 PM
As @blockclubchi.bsky.social reports here blockclubchicago.org/2026/01/08/b..., this isn’t the first time they’ve made claims like this that turned out not to be true at all
Reposted by Christopher Whitaker
One of the many, many ways people are fighting ICE in Minneapolis is helping neighbors safely shelter at home during a time when abductions are genuinely rampant.
People in Minneapolis are doing *so much* great work
People in Minneapolis are doing *so much* great work
This was incredible. We fed 40 families today. Thank you to @jchavezmpls.bsky.social for helping fundraise, @elitalksmpls.bsky.social for organizing with me, and the dozen people who helped us pack and shop. And thank you to everyone who donated. I have no words.
January 11, 2026 at 12:28 PM
One of the many, many ways people are fighting ICE in Minneapolis is helping neighbors safely shelter at home during a time when abductions are genuinely rampant.
People in Minneapolis are doing *so much* great work
People in Minneapolis are doing *so much* great work
Reposted by Christopher Whitaker
Reposted by Christopher Whitaker
The doctor who was prevented from administering aid was indeed a medical doctor. He doesn't wish to speak to the media but I know his identity and can confirm the person who tried to help Renee Good and was prevented to by ICE is indeed an internal medicine doctor in Minnesota.
January 10, 2026 at 11:11 PM
The doctor who was prevented from administering aid was indeed a medical doctor. He doesn't wish to speak to the media but I know his identity and can confirm the person who tried to help Renee Good and was prevented to by ICE is indeed an internal medicine doctor in Minnesota.
Reposted by Christopher Whitaker
Common Sense, published 250 years ago today.
January 10, 2026 at 9:09 PM
Common Sense, published 250 years ago today.
Reposted by Christopher Whitaker
Hey Minneapolis ❄️—we're indie reporters here from Chicago. If there's anything you'd like us to know about community actions, vigils, or fed activity, please drop us a line on Signal at unraveled.66 📱
January 10, 2026 at 4:07 PM
Hey Minneapolis ❄️—we're indie reporters here from Chicago. If there's anything you'd like us to know about community actions, vigils, or fed activity, please drop us a line on Signal at unraveled.66 📱
Reposted by Christopher Whitaker
If you’re a Minnesota activist and you need supplies like ice cleats, power banks, hand warmers, etc. in your fight against ICE, drop your Amazon list here or to emidly.08 on Signal and @mostlybree.kitrocha.com and I have got you
January 10, 2026 at 4:05 AM
If you’re a Minnesota activist and you need supplies like ice cleats, power banks, hand warmers, etc. in your fight against ICE, drop your Amazon list here or to emidly.08 on Signal and @mostlybree.kitrocha.com and I have got you
This is a terrible idea for many, many reasons but chief of all is that DOGE’s burn the house down methodology actually resulted in higher government spending, less effective services, and greater risk to privacy and security.
Illinois Republican candidate for governor Darren Bailey says a DOGE-like system can achieve savings and efficiencies in Illinois’ budget.
Bailey Proposes ‘Illinois DOGE’ as Republican Governor’s Race Focuses on Spending
President Donald Trump’s and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency disbanded less than a year into Trump’s second term and appeared to have caused more chaos than actual savings to the feder...
news.wttw.com
January 9, 2026 at 8:12 PM
This is a terrible idea for many, many reasons but chief of all is that DOGE’s burn the house down methodology actually resulted in higher government spending, less effective services, and greater risk to privacy and security.
Reposted by Christopher Whitaker
oldhead advice from an oldhead.
every couple years, newcomers to the movement think "THIS is finally it, the moment when the dam breaks and the whole system is overthrown"
and when it doesn't happen they lose patience and get disillusioned and drop out of movement work
gotta build for long term
every couple years, newcomers to the movement think "THIS is finally it, the moment when the dam breaks and the whole system is overthrown"
and when it doesn't happen they lose patience and get disillusioned and drop out of movement work
gotta build for long term
January 8, 2026 at 7:32 AM
oldhead advice from an oldhead.
every couple years, newcomers to the movement think "THIS is finally it, the moment when the dam breaks and the whole system is overthrown"
and when it doesn't happen they lose patience and get disillusioned and drop out of movement work
gotta build for long term
every couple years, newcomers to the movement think "THIS is finally it, the moment when the dam breaks and the whole system is overthrown"
and when it doesn't happen they lose patience and get disillusioned and drop out of movement work
gotta build for long term
Reposted by Christopher Whitaker
putting it behind a paywall is not "turning it off" lol what www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Grok turns off image generator for most users after outcry over sexualised AI imagery
Editing function to be limited to paying subscribers after X threatened with fines and regulatory action
www.theguardian.com
January 9, 2026 at 1:27 PM
putting it behind a paywall is not "turning it off" lol what www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Reposted by Christopher Whitaker
Local governments should be amping up their sanctuary & data privacy laws right now; they always should be and also absolutely right now.
‘They're killing Americans on the street’: NJ lawmakers push anti-ICE bills following fatal Minnesota shooting
‘They're killing Americans on the street’: NJ lawmakers push anti-ICE bills following fatal Minnesota shooting
Democrats teed up the bills for a full vote in the Legislature next week.
dlvr.it
January 9, 2026 at 2:56 AM
Local governments should be amping up their sanctuary & data privacy laws right now; they always should be and also absolutely right now.
Reposted by Christopher Whitaker
Great thread. I will add one thing: it’s very clear that when ICE is going into a new city, it’s not going into a city who hasn’t learned. Organizers are sharing. They start and people already have every license plate number they’ve used and are tracking their vehicles on day one.
They don't have capacity to terrorize more than 2-3 cities at a time.
Which means they rotate teams to new cities without relief.
Which means consistent resistance by fresh activists in each new city will break them over time.
Which means if you're city's not occupied, rest up and get ready.
Which means they rotate teams to new cities without relief.
Which means consistent resistance by fresh activists in each new city will break them over time.
Which means if you're city's not occupied, rest up and get ready.
"The Department of Homeland Security plans to pause operations in Chicago — where Gregory Bovino, a Border Patrol official, has led controversial arrest efforts — to support the immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota."
January 9, 2026 at 1:39 AM
Great thread. I will add one thing: it’s very clear that when ICE is going into a new city, it’s not going into a city who hasn’t learned. Organizers are sharing. They start and people already have every license plate number they’ve used and are tracking their vehicles on day one.
Reposted by Christopher Whitaker
As the year begins anew, with a rush of civic pride going into this weekend’s Bears playoffs, WBEZ’s arts desk asked some well-known Chicagoans to recite it. We caught on tape broadcaster Bill Kurtis, Mayor Brandon Johnson, author Sandra Cisneros and more.
Hear prominent Chicagoans read Carl Sandburg’s iconic 1914 poem ‘Chicago’
chicago.suntimes.com
January 8, 2026 at 11:26 PM
As the year begins anew, with a rush of civic pride going into this weekend’s Bears playoffs, WBEZ’s arts desk asked some well-known Chicagoans to recite it. We caught on tape broadcaster Bill Kurtis, Mayor Brandon Johnson, author Sandra Cisneros and more.
Reposted by Christopher Whitaker
I covered this case — and Ellis's extensive opinion in it — overnight: www.lawdork.com/p/ice-agent-...
An ICE agent killed Renee Nicole Good. Judge Sara Ellis all but told us today would happen.
"[A]gents have used excessive force … without justification, often without warning, and even at those who had begun to comply with agents’ orders," Ellis wrote on Nov. 20.
www.lawdork.com
January 8, 2026 at 8:44 PM
I covered this case — and Ellis's extensive opinion in it — overnight: www.lawdork.com/p/ice-agent-...
Reposted by Christopher Whitaker
i think it’s ultimately good that mainstream outlets are correcting the facts about ice/cbp, but these types of stories completely ignore their reporters’ and editors’ own complicity in helping dhs fabricate a narrative in the first place.
January 8, 2026 at 2:27 PM
i think it’s ultimately good that mainstream outlets are correcting the facts about ice/cbp, but these types of stories completely ignore their reporters’ and editors’ own complicity in helping dhs fabricate a narrative in the first place.