Kirsti
@kst.bsky.social
Librarian. Geek. Music is life. I block early & often. “Always fight for the user, never for the system.”— Cory Doctorow.
Reposted by Kirsti
There was a disturbing agreement about the nature of the problem in 2024, too: Immigrants weren't following the law. Democrats decided more should be spent on enforcement, to make them obey.
The alternative "make immigration vastly easier" wasn't one that the major parties offered.
The alternative "make immigration vastly easier" wasn't one that the major parties offered.
February 12, 2026 at 4:35 PM
There was a disturbing agreement about the nature of the problem in 2024, too: Immigrants weren't following the law. Democrats decided more should be spent on enforcement, to make them obey.
The alternative "make immigration vastly easier" wasn't one that the major parties offered.
The alternative "make immigration vastly easier" wasn't one that the major parties offered.
Reposted by Kirsti
The actual lesson is that if you try to engage in draconian immigration enforcement to appease the xenophobic right, you are just confirming to them that they are right and encouraging their xenophobia.
February 12, 2026 at 4:31 PM
The actual lesson is that if you try to engage in draconian immigration enforcement to appease the xenophobic right, you are just confirming to them that they are right and encouraging their xenophobia.
Reposted by Kirsti
Last week, Education Minnesota, the Minnesota teachers union, filed a FEDERAL LAWSUIT against Kristy Noem, DHS, and ICE to stop the government from terrorizing students. Did you hear about? Probably not. We need to uplift their bravery. Watch here: open.substack.com/pub/wkamaube...
February 12, 2026 at 1:22 AM
Last week, Education Minnesota, the Minnesota teachers union, filed a FEDERAL LAWSUIT against Kristy Noem, DHS, and ICE to stop the government from terrorizing students. Did you hear about? Probably not. We need to uplift their bravery. Watch here: open.substack.com/pub/wkamaube...
Reposted by Kirsti
Another aspect of this story: some action by political leaders / govt institutions is impossible … until it isn’t. And public statements and threats to remove subsidies works.
This strikes me as very good news, and a big win for activists who pushed state officials *very* hard on this
Corporation with ICE contract withdraws application from Wilmington Airport after pressure from Delaware lawmakers - Bay to Bay News
Daedalus Aviation Corp., a private company that recently obtained a $140 million contract with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for deportation flights, has withdrawn its lease application for...
baytobaynews.com
February 12, 2026 at 12:45 PM
Another aspect of this story: some action by political leaders / govt institutions is impossible … until it isn’t. And public statements and threats to remove subsidies works.
Reposted by Kirsti
The federal occupation's skin-color-based discriminatory attacks on BIPOC Minnesotans of all citizenship statuses is quietly undermining our early care and education system.
minnesotareformer.com/2026/02/06/m...
minnesotareformer.com/2026/02/06/m...
Minnesota child care providers try to make ends meet as immigrant families keep kids home • Minnesota Reformer
Two weeks into January, the director of a St. Paul child care center called a family to ask why their daughter had been absent on-and-off since late last year. “We reached out to just see, ‘Hey, what...
minnesotareformer.com
February 12, 2026 at 12:54 PM
The federal occupation's skin-color-based discriminatory attacks on BIPOC Minnesotans of all citizenship statuses is quietly undermining our early care and education system.
minnesotareformer.com/2026/02/06/m...
minnesotareformer.com/2026/02/06/m...
🧵 From an immigration lawyer in Minneapolis
Legal status doesn’t matter: if you exceed ICE’s melanin threshold, you get snatched. It is ethnic cleansing. There is no other word for it.
The news has shown you video of these often violent detentions. What you don’t see is what happens to these individuals after.
I’ve had a front row seat.
7/
The news has shown you video of these often violent detentions. What you don’t see is what happens to these individuals after.
I’ve had a front row seat.
7/
February 12, 2026 at 4:18 PM
🧵 From an immigration lawyer in Minneapolis
I talked to a woman in her late 60s the other day who said she's had to stop riding her bike because the lack of protected bike lanes in her neighborhood makes it too dangerous.
It doesn't have to be this way.
It doesn't have to be this way.
February 12, 2026 at 4:12 PM
I talked to a woman in her late 60s the other day who said she's had to stop riding her bike because the lack of protected bike lanes in her neighborhood makes it too dangerous.
It doesn't have to be this way.
It doesn't have to be this way.
Reposted by Kirsti
"We have witnessed, locally and now nationally, the consequences of a century-old, violent federal apparatus with total impunity. South Texas has been transformed into a surveillance economy, sustained by massive federal investment in militarization rather than in people."
New from Nansi Guevara: "We know where the checkpoints are. We warn one another when the Border Patrol is nearby. In public space, we adjust our bodies and behavior, attempting to go unnoticed, offering smiles of compliance as a way to disarm."
My Home Is Treated Like a War Zone. That Militarization Expanded to Minnesota.
There have been many violent murders at the hands of Border Patrol agents. This is not an aberration but part of a broader federal apparatus built and refined over decades.
www.texasobserver.org
February 12, 2026 at 3:26 PM
"We have witnessed, locally and now nationally, the consequences of a century-old, violent federal apparatus with total impunity. South Texas has been transformed into a surveillance economy, sustained by massive federal investment in militarization rather than in people."
Reposted by Kirsti
I had a pregnant client who was experiencing abdominal cramping for three days and was deprived of medical care. When we interceded, she was punished.
A first grader snatched two days after surgery denied wound care.
A client who developed a large painful cyst but was ignored.
25/
A first grader snatched two days after surgery denied wound care.
A client who developed a large painful cyst but was ignored.
25/
February 11, 2026 at 9:57 PM
I had a pregnant client who was experiencing abdominal cramping for three days and was deprived of medical care. When we interceded, she was punished.
A first grader snatched two days after surgery denied wound care.
A client who developed a large painful cyst but was ignored.
25/
A first grader snatched two days after surgery denied wound care.
A client who developed a large painful cyst but was ignored.
25/
Reposted by Kirsti
Living in Minnesota right now is wondering if you should keep the gas mask in the car or in the house.
Living in Minnesota right now is wondering how long your front door could stand up to a battering ram and how you could reinforce it.
Living in Minnesota right now is wondering how long your front door could stand up to a battering ram and how you could reinforce it.
Living in Minnesota right now is wondering if your patient is late because they got caught in traffic, because they got arrested, or because they got detained and all of these are perfectly plausible and equally likely.
February 12, 2026 at 7:25 AM
Living in Minnesota right now is wondering if you should keep the gas mask in the car or in the house.
Living in Minnesota right now is wondering how long your front door could stand up to a battering ram and how you could reinforce it.
Living in Minnesota right now is wondering how long your front door could stand up to a battering ram and how you could reinforce it.
Reposted by Kirsti
This is the aftermath of an ICE kidnapping a few blocks from my home in St. Paul—an hour ago. A quiet street full of broken glass and at least three wrecked cars. The target of the kidnapping was taken away by ambulance. He was on a stretcher and covered by a sheet, though a cop said he was alive.
February 11, 2026 at 4:46 PM
This is the aftermath of an ICE kidnapping a few blocks from my home in St. Paul—an hour ago. A quiet street full of broken glass and at least three wrecked cars. The target of the kidnapping was taken away by ambulance. He was on a stretcher and covered by a sheet, though a cop said he was alive.
Reposted by Kirsti
Difference: Transit is more of a Left-Right culture war than housing. The car, oil, and anti-tax lobbies are a political threat to transit, and GOP electeds (with rare exceptions) have declared war on transit around the country. Transit activists are more left-leaning than housing activists ime
February 11, 2026 at 7:27 PM
Difference: Transit is more of a Left-Right culture war than housing. The car, oil, and anti-tax lobbies are a political threat to transit, and GOP electeds (with rare exceptions) have declared war on transit around the country. Transit activists are more left-leaning than housing activists ime
Reposted by Kirsti
Good morning from Godless Heathen Liberal Seattle Super Bowl Champion Parade
February 11, 2026 at 5:43 PM
Good morning from Godless Heathen Liberal Seattle Super Bowl Champion Parade
Reposted by Kirsti
A fact that sounds like bullshit but is actually true:
There is more square footage of parking *per car* in the US than there is square footage of housing *per person.*
There is more square footage of parking *per car* in the US than there is square footage of housing *per person.*
February 11, 2026 at 6:06 PM
A fact that sounds like bullshit but is actually true:
There is more square footage of parking *per car* in the US than there is square footage of housing *per person.*
There is more square footage of parking *per car* in the US than there is square footage of housing *per person.*
Reposted by Kirsti
Hey gang, we've got a big ask. We're raising funds to improve the audio quality on our cop videos.
We're crowdfunding a set of RODE GO II mics. Please pitch in to help us cover the price with tax ($212.47).
venmo.com/divestspd
We're crowdfunding a set of RODE GO II mics. Please pitch in to help us cover the price with tax ($212.47).
venmo.com/divestspd
February 11, 2026 at 5:05 PM
Hey gang, we've got a big ask. We're raising funds to improve the audio quality on our cop videos.
We're crowdfunding a set of RODE GO II mics. Please pitch in to help us cover the price with tax ($212.47).
venmo.com/divestspd
We're crowdfunding a set of RODE GO II mics. Please pitch in to help us cover the price with tax ($212.47).
venmo.com/divestspd
Reposted by Kirsti
When I got the contract to write a history of concentration camps in 2014, I hoped to keep the US from ending up here. That didn't work out! But now it's critical to understand how much is already in process and the enormity of what's coming. The sooner we act to stop it, the more people we'll save.
Building the camps
The warehouseification of detention and initial thoughts on stopping it.
degenerateart.beehiiv.com
February 11, 2026 at 2:24 AM
When I got the contract to write a history of concentration camps in 2014, I hoped to keep the US from ending up here. That didn't work out! But now it's critical to understand how much is already in process and the enormity of what's coming. The sooner we act to stop it, the more people we'll save.
Reposted by Kirsti
Curling is anti-fascist
US Olympic Curling Team member speaks out against ICE:
"I'm proud to represent Team USA. But we'd be remiss if we didn't mention what's going on in Minnesota and what a tough time it's been. What's happening is wrong. There's no shades of gray."
"I'm proud to represent Team USA. But we'd be remiss if we didn't mention what's going on in Minnesota and what a tough time it's been. What's happening is wrong. There's no shades of gray."
February 11, 2026 at 7:29 AM
Curling is anti-fascist
Reposted by Kirsti
A dresser inside a museum in New York City has been discovered as a secret stop on the Underground Railroad — the first of its kind discovered in Manhattan in over 100 years
February 11, 2026 at 3:43 AM
A dresser inside a museum in New York City has been discovered as a secret stop on the Underground Railroad — the first of its kind discovered in Manhattan in over 100 years
Spouse has friends who come over regularly to play early music & have wine & cheese. I got a Spanish thistle rennet sheep cheese for tonight's shindig & now our friends have plans to visit Street Cheese on Beacon Hill to buy more.
Behold the power of cheese!
Behold the power of cheese!
February 11, 2026 at 6:08 AM
Spouse has friends who come over regularly to play early music & have wine & cheese. I got a Spanish thistle rennet sheep cheese for tonight's shindig & now our friends have plans to visit Street Cheese on Beacon Hill to buy more.
Behold the power of cheese!
Behold the power of cheese!
👏👏👏
Love having an absolute housing wonk who has communication skills:
"It comes down to having places for people to sleep or places for cars to sleep. We want to come down on the side of having places for people to sleep."
"It comes down to having places for people to sleep or places for cars to sleep. We want to come down on the side of having places for people to sleep."
February 11, 2026 at 5:56 AM
👏👏👏
Reposted by Kirsti
Makes me think of the stumbling stones you would see in Norway.
February 11, 2026 at 1:15 AM
Makes me think of the stumbling stones you would see in Norway.
bus routes heading into downtown Seattle from the north plan to drop off riders at Queen Anne and Mercer Street on the north end of town, and bus routes from the south and the Eastside will drop off riders at SODO and Stadium stations on south end of town
It’s parade time! Fan-filled commute expected Feb. 11 as region celebrates Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl victory
UPDATE! Due to street closures, massive crowds on the street, and expected gridlock, bus routes heading into downtown Seattle from the north plan to drop off riders at Queen Anne and Mercer Street …
kingcountymetro.blog
February 10, 2026 at 11:12 PM
bus routes heading into downtown Seattle from the north plan to drop off riders at Queen Anne and Mercer Street on the north end of town, and bus routes from the south and the Eastside will drop off riders at SODO and Stadium stations on south end of town
Reposted by Kirsti
Survivor demands in response to KCPAO’s offensive presentation about sex trafficking and Seattle Public Safety committee’s complicity rightsandsafety.org/survivor-dem...
Survivor demands in response to KCPAO’s offensive presentation about sex trafficking and Seattle Public Safety committee’s complicity
On Tuesday, January 27th, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office (KCPAO) gave a presentation about sex trafficking at a meeting of the Public Safety committee of the Seattle City Council that f...
rightsandsafety.org
February 10, 2026 at 10:34 PM
Survivor demands in response to KCPAO’s offensive presentation about sex trafficking and Seattle Public Safety committee’s complicity rightsandsafety.org/survivor-dem...
Head's up Seattle folks!
I don’t know how early it happens, but Metro will not be operating downtown. ST buses from the south will only use Busway and terminate at Busway and Royal Brougham.
February 10, 2026 at 8:39 PM
Head's up Seattle folks!
Reposted by Kirsti
If USAID can be dismantled with this level of awful consequences, surely we can dismantle ICE.
HORRIFYING -
Dismantling USAID & cancelling >80% of aid caused ~750,000 deaths by mid-2025
🧸Most were children
⌛️ Many died within the first year
😰 Preventable deaths were mainly from:
- HIV, TB, malaria
- Maternal & fetal deaths
- Malnutrition
news.westernu.ca/2026/01/u-s-...
Dismantling USAID & cancelling >80% of aid caused ~750,000 deaths by mid-2025
🧸Most were children
⌛️ Many died within the first year
😰 Preventable deaths were mainly from:
- HIV, TB, malaria
- Maternal & fetal deaths
- Malnutrition
news.westernu.ca/2026/01/u-s-...
Expert insight: U.S. withdrawal from WHO could affect global health - Western News
History professor Mitchell L. Hammond explains how the U.S. withdrawal from the World Health Organization could affect global health and disease threats.
news.westernu.ca
February 10, 2026 at 8:33 PM
If USAID can be dismantled with this level of awful consequences, surely we can dismantle ICE.