Kay Whitlock
@kwhitlock.bsky.social
Writer. Activist. Co-author "Queer (In)Justice: The Criminalization of LGBT People in the United States"; "Considering Hate: Violence, Goodness, and Justice in American Culture"; and "Carceral Con: The Deceptive Terrain of Criminal Justice Reform."
Pinned
Kay Whitlock
@kwhitlock.bsky.social
· Feb 11
This Is How You Win the Culture Wars | Kay Whitlock | INQUEST
Faced with violence and authoritarianism, survival demands prioritizing relationship building over reactivity and solidarity over silence.
inquest.org
My latest for @inquest.bsky.social ...and yes, we can ultimately win, if we are willing to work in transformative ways. It will require the best we have in ourselves, but along the way, we may become quietly courageous in ways that will surprise and energize us. inquest.org/this-is-how-...
Reposted by Kay Whitlock
A deaf teen was violently detained by ICE for not “following orders”.
He couldn’t hear their orders.
They denied him an interpreter.
Denied him accommodations.
This is who they are.
They target the disabled because eugenics and fascism go hand in hand.
He couldn’t hear their orders.
They denied him an interpreter.
Denied him accommodations.
This is who they are.
They target the disabled because eugenics and fascism go hand in hand.
February 5, 2026 at 4:34 AM
A deaf teen was violently detained by ICE for not “following orders”.
He couldn’t hear their orders.
They denied him an interpreter.
Denied him accommodations.
This is who they are.
They target the disabled because eugenics and fascism go hand in hand.
He couldn’t hear their orders.
They denied him an interpreter.
Denied him accommodations.
This is who they are.
They target the disabled because eugenics and fascism go hand in hand.
Reposted by Kay Whitlock
Jeff Bezos’s wealth has increased an average of $70 million every day of 2026, meaning that he could have offset The Post’s losses with what he’s made since Monday.
February 5, 2026 at 2:48 AM
Jeff Bezos’s wealth has increased an average of $70 million every day of 2026, meaning that he could have offset The Post’s losses with what he’s made since Monday.
Reposted by Kay Whitlock
Police accept the claims of technology companies with just amazing credulity, wasting money (at best) and surveilling everyone.
www.wxyz.com/news/region/...
www.wxyz.com/news/region/...
Dearborn police launch first-of-its-kind real-time crime-fighting system with drones and integrated cameras
The Dearborn Police Department has become the first in Michigan to deploy FUSUS, a state-of-the-art real-time crime-monitoring system that integrates thousands of cameras with drones to fight crime.
www.wxyz.com
February 4, 2026 at 10:06 PM
Police accept the claims of technology companies with just amazing credulity, wasting money (at best) and surveilling everyone.
www.wxyz.com/news/region/...
www.wxyz.com/news/region/...
Reposted by Kay Whitlock
My friend and one of the co-authors of Read This When Things Fall Apart, Stevie Wilson, will be released from prison in less than a week. Stevie has done tremendous work as an incarcerated organizer and has plans to continue doing important work on the outside. Let's help him make a new start.
Donate to Support Stevie Wilson's New Beginning, organized by Danielle Squillante
Our beloved comrade and friend Stevie Wilson is FINALLY coming home from pri… Danielle Squillante needs your support for Support Stevie Wilson's New Beginning
www.gofundme.com
February 4, 2026 at 10:10 PM
My friend and one of the co-authors of Read This When Things Fall Apart, Stevie Wilson, will be released from prison in less than a week. Stevie has done tremendous work as an incarcerated organizer and has plans to continue doing important work on the outside. Let's help him make a new start.
Reposted by Kay Whitlock
NEW: Abigail Spanberger this afternoon ordered that all state agencies leave ICE's 287(g) program.
This means that the state police (and some other agencies) will no longer be empowered to detain and arrest people for ICE.
Big, big move by the governor within weeks of coming into office.
This means that the state police (and some other agencies) will no longer be empowered to detain and arrest people for ICE.
Big, big move by the governor within weeks of coming into office.
Virginia’s New Governor Ends ICE Program. Local Contracts Remain, For Now. - Bolts
Abigail Spanberger left the 287(g) program, which empowered state law enforcement to detain immigrants. Will Democrats also bar local police and sheriffs from the program?
boltsmag.org
February 4, 2026 at 10:36 PM
NEW: Abigail Spanberger this afternoon ordered that all state agencies leave ICE's 287(g) program.
This means that the state police (and some other agencies) will no longer be empowered to detain and arrest people for ICE.
Big, big move by the governor within weeks of coming into office.
This means that the state police (and some other agencies) will no longer be empowered to detain and arrest people for ICE.
Big, big move by the governor within weeks of coming into office.
Reposted by Kay Whitlock
The election denial movement relies on propaganda and urging their believers into action based on genuine belief that they are in the right.
People saying "there aren't enough ICE agents" are kinda missing the point. The point is to get people to distrust the results of the election.
People saying "there aren't enough ICE agents" are kinda missing the point. The point is to get people to distrust the results of the election.
🚨BREAKING: Steve Bannon said Tuesday that the federal government is planning to send Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to patrol polling stations during this year’s midterm elections. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...
Steve Bannon says ICE will ‘surround the polls’ as Trump doubles down on taking over elections
Trump doubled down on his comments to nationalize voting Tuesday during an Oval Office press conference. “If you think about it, a state is an agent for the federal government in elections,” Trump sai...
www.democracydocket.com
February 4, 2026 at 7:33 PM
The election denial movement relies on propaganda and urging their believers into action based on genuine belief that they are in the right.
People saying "there aren't enough ICE agents" are kinda missing the point. The point is to get people to distrust the results of the election.
People saying "there aren't enough ICE agents" are kinda missing the point. The point is to get people to distrust the results of the election.
Reposted by Kay Whitlock
Reminders: Law enforcement lies out of the gate as a rule about shootings in general. I don't say this to diminish anyone's reactions to what ICE is doing. Those reactions are appropriate, and we should be raging against this violence. We should also have a baseline understanding of state violence.
Has there been a single shooting by immigration officers over the last year in which DHS did *not* blatantly lie about what happened?
February 4, 2026 at 4:11 PM
Reminders: Law enforcement lies out of the gate as a rule about shootings in general. I don't say this to diminish anyone's reactions to what ICE is doing. Those reactions are appropriate, and we should be raging against this violence. We should also have a baseline understanding of state violence.
Some folks seem shocked by T/MAGA designation of protestors as "agitators." The criminalization of protest isn't new. Civil rights and Black Power activists, anti-Vietnam war activists, union organizers, etc. have been labeled "outside agitators" forever...including by many Dems.
February 4, 2026 at 8:30 PM
Some folks seem shocked by T/MAGA designation of protestors as "agitators." The criminalization of protest isn't new. Civil rights and Black Power activists, anti-Vietnam war activists, union organizers, etc. have been labeled "outside agitators" forever...including by many Dems.
Reposted by Kay Whitlock
We've paid 12 families rents in less than two hours.
I will keep taking signal requests for people that want to do this because it's the first thing that is working pretty seamlessly.
I will keep taking signal requests for people that want to do this because it's the first thing that is working pretty seamlessly.
I said we were done asking for rent money. But today I heard the horrifying fact that there are zero family shelter beds in the entire state of Minnesota. So we are going to try something new.
We are going to do peer to peer funding. You take on urgent‼️ funding for one family. You send to them.
We are going to do peer to peer funding. You take on urgent‼️ funding for one family. You send to them.
February 4, 2026 at 6:47 PM
We've paid 12 families rents in less than two hours.
I will keep taking signal requests for people that want to do this because it's the first thing that is working pretty seamlessly.
I will keep taking signal requests for people that want to do this because it's the first thing that is working pretty seamlessly.
Reposted by Kay Whitlock
again we do not really do a good job of explaining how wealthy people like Jeff Bezos are
his net worth is $253.2 billion.
so he could take one million dollars, and just light it on fire
and then do it again tomorrow
and again the day after that
and then do it every day for 693 years and 8 months
his net worth is $253.2 billion.
so he could take one million dollars, and just light it on fire
and then do it again tomorrow
and again the day after that
and then do it every day for 693 years and 8 months
February 4, 2026 at 5:41 PM
again we do not really do a good job of explaining how wealthy people like Jeff Bezos are
his net worth is $253.2 billion.
so he could take one million dollars, and just light it on fire
and then do it again tomorrow
and again the day after that
and then do it every day for 693 years and 8 months
his net worth is $253.2 billion.
so he could take one million dollars, and just light it on fire
and then do it again tomorrow
and again the day after that
and then do it every day for 693 years and 8 months
Reposted by Kay Whitlock
From my conversation on the Green Dreamer Podcast. Listen to the whole conversation wherever you get your podcasts.
Solidarity not charity!
You can find much more about this in my book Mutual Aid which is free on the Anarchist Library. I just wrote an updated edition that is coming out March 31.
Solidarity not charity!
You can find much more about this in my book Mutual Aid which is free on the Anarchist Library. I just wrote an updated edition that is coming out March 31.
February 4, 2026 at 7:22 PM
From my conversation on the Green Dreamer Podcast. Listen to the whole conversation wherever you get your podcasts.
Solidarity not charity!
You can find much more about this in my book Mutual Aid which is free on the Anarchist Library. I just wrote an updated edition that is coming out March 31.
Solidarity not charity!
You can find much more about this in my book Mutual Aid which is free on the Anarchist Library. I just wrote an updated edition that is coming out March 31.
Reposted by Kay Whitlock
One of the world's best historians of ethnic cleansing, @timothysnyder.bsky.social, also happens to be from near Springfield, OH, which may be the site of the next big ICE attack. Here he reviews what got us here and revisits a "tricky city" targeted by fascism. snyder.substack.com/p/ethnic-cle...
Ethnic Cleansing in Ohio?
Nazi Lies in Vance's America
snyder.substack.com
February 4, 2026 at 1:54 PM
One of the world's best historians of ethnic cleansing, @timothysnyder.bsky.social, also happens to be from near Springfield, OH, which may be the site of the next big ICE attack. Here he reviews what got us here and revisits a "tricky city" targeted by fascism. snyder.substack.com/p/ethnic-cle...
Reposted by Kay Whitlock
Starbucks @sbworkersunited.org baristas’ fight for a fair contract is about more than coffee — it’s about dignity and respect in our workplaces that we make run every day.
If Starbucks won’t respect workers, they don’t deserve our clicks or orders. Delete the Starbucks app!
If Starbucks won’t respect workers, they don’t deserve our clicks or orders. Delete the Starbucks app!
February 3, 2026 at 11:36 PM
Starbucks @sbworkersunited.org baristas’ fight for a fair contract is about more than coffee — it’s about dignity and respect in our workplaces that we make run every day.
If Starbucks won’t respect workers, they don’t deserve our clicks or orders. Delete the Starbucks app!
If Starbucks won’t respect workers, they don’t deserve our clicks or orders. Delete the Starbucks app!
Reposted by Kay Whitlock
"Voters have a right to be free to cast their votes without walking past a phalanx of Trump’s private army.”
Former Governor Jay Inslee is out with a new warning and a call to action concerning the upcoming midterm elections.
Former Governor Jay Inslee is out with a new warning and a call to action concerning the upcoming midterm elections.
Don’t Let ICE Freeze Voting
Guest article by Jay Inslee, former governor of Washington State
www.meidasplus.com
February 4, 2026 at 3:08 AM
"Voters have a right to be free to cast their votes without walking past a phalanx of Trump’s private army.”
Former Governor Jay Inslee is out with a new warning and a call to action concerning the upcoming midterm elections.
Former Governor Jay Inslee is out with a new warning and a call to action concerning the upcoming midterm elections.
Clearly, not everyone named in the Epstein files has had sex with children. Of those who did/do not have sex with children, many, regardless of their political views/allegiances, kept silent about what they knew/perceived, perhaps enthralled by being considered "important" in Epstein's circles. 1/
February 3, 2026 at 11:51 PM
Clearly, not everyone named in the Epstein files has had sex with children. Of those who did/do not have sex with children, many, regardless of their political views/allegiances, kept silent about what they knew/perceived, perhaps enthralled by being considered "important" in Epstein's circles. 1/
Reposted by Kay Whitlock
again, the problem is not "masks enable bad behavior." the problem is, police aren't "public servants" and aren't accountable to the public and, therefore, don't have to do anything communities demand. it's up to us to drain police of their political power (and their $ and their personnel).
Rep. Mark Harris: "Some of these things are nonstarters. Having judicial warrants? To me, hat's a nonstarter. Being able to make off their mask, putting them at risk? That's a nonstarter. I would say anything that's going to hamstring the work of ICE, that's just not going to go anywhere."
February 3, 2026 at 2:56 PM
again, the problem is not "masks enable bad behavior." the problem is, police aren't "public servants" and aren't accountable to the public and, therefore, don't have to do anything communities demand. it's up to us to drain police of their political power (and their $ and their personnel).
Reposted by Kay Whitlock
i had imposter syndrome trying to talk about fascism alongside Alberto Toscano, but i'm glad i did coz it was an incredibly generative conversation that helped distill & crystallize my own thoughts about fascism worldwide today & it's differentiations from the past.
www.tni.org/en/article/l...
www.tni.org/en/article/l...
Lifeboats, steampunk and colonialism – fascism today | Transnational Institute
In this fascinating opening interview for State of Power 2026, scholar activists Toscano and Walia explore the historic roots and current capitalist dynamics that have led to the rise of fascism world...
www.tni.org
February 3, 2026 at 9:43 PM
i had imposter syndrome trying to talk about fascism alongside Alberto Toscano, but i'm glad i did coz it was an incredibly generative conversation that helped distill & crystallize my own thoughts about fascism worldwide today & it's differentiations from the past.
www.tni.org/en/article/l...
www.tni.org/en/article/l...
Reposted by Kay Whitlock
I don't think people should say this without proof -- they are literally not "now in ICE." Most of them are in the Portland PD, if you want to make a point of it.
Yes, right-wing dudes are in the police everywhere and all at once. This line is just a way to maintain police exceptionalism.
Yes, right-wing dudes are in the police everywhere and all at once. This line is just a way to maintain police exceptionalism.
The indictment of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers revealed that they had a cache of weapons, entered the Capitol in military formation, and were prepared to harm lawmakers. They were all pardoned and no doubt many of them are now in ICE
Bondi accuses Don Lemon of "performing an attack-style infiltration of a church"
February 3, 2026 at 3:29 PM
I don't think people should say this without proof -- they are literally not "now in ICE." Most of them are in the Portland PD, if you want to make a point of it.
Yes, right-wing dudes are in the police everywhere and all at once. This line is just a way to maintain police exceptionalism.
Yes, right-wing dudes are in the police everywhere and all at once. This line is just a way to maintain police exceptionalism.
Reposted by Kay Whitlock
This is one of the most important cases that galvanized Black people in the late 40s through the 1950s. Almost every major Black leader had a comment about it. It is also one of the most successful defense committees that was organized in the 20th century. Almost no one knows about it today.
On this day in 1948, an all-white jury sentenced a Black woman and two of her teenage sons to death for killing an armed white man in self-defense.
Feb. 3, 1948 | Black Woman and Her Children Sentenced to Die for Defending Themselves
Learn more about our history of racial injustice.
calendar.eji.org
February 3, 2026 at 2:07 PM
This is one of the most important cases that galvanized Black people in the late 40s through the 1950s. Almost every major Black leader had a comment about it. It is also one of the most successful defense committees that was organized in the 20th century. Almost no one knows about it today.
Reposted by Kay Whitlock
The full article (which I tried sending them again): boltsmag.org/massachusett...
Massachusetts Could Be the Next State to Give Abuse Survivors a Pathway Out of Prison - Bolts
The Massachusetts Survivors Act emulates recent resentencing reforms across the country that allow for reduced sentences for people with convictions related to their abuse.
boltsmag.org
February 3, 2026 at 3:45 PM
The full article (which I tried sending them again): boltsmag.org/massachusett...
Reposted by Kay Whitlock
This is really what I want people to appreciate. I get that it feels good to be like "well that person's a pedophile too!" But in many cases they weren't. They were just people who didn't think it was a big deal. That's terrible in its own particular way.
I'm worried that the broader public isn't really understanding the Epstein Files. The problem isn't that everyone in the files is a secret pedophile, it's that all the people are corresponding with him because they *don't care that he's a pedophile*. It's a story of elite impunity.
You can look at the Epstein files and conclude that only bad people have billions of dollars, but I think it’s also possible that having billions of dollars cauterizes your humanity
February 3, 2026 at 7:38 PM
This is really what I want people to appreciate. I get that it feels good to be like "well that person's a pedophile too!" But in many cases they weren't. They were just people who didn't think it was a big deal. That's terrible in its own particular way.
Reposted by Kay Whitlock
It is great that someone leaked these videos. BUT you have to KNOW NOTHING about how prisons work to be surprised that guards regularly violently punish incarcerated people who complain, file claims, talk to the press, etc. And by "work" I mean that violence is essential to how prisons function.
The videos appear to bolster lawsuits claiming guards used force against California prisoners after they filed sexual harassment claims.
Leaked videos show California prison guards pepper-sprayed incarcerated women who alleged sexual misconduct
The videos appear to bolster lawsuits claiming guards used force against California prisoners after they filed sexual harassment claims.
bit.ly
February 2, 2026 at 5:39 PM
It is great that someone leaked these videos. BUT you have to KNOW NOTHING about how prisons work to be surprised that guards regularly violently punish incarcerated people who complain, file claims, talk to the press, etc. And by "work" I mean that violence is essential to how prisons function.
Reposted by Kay Whitlock
About activism, June Jordan said, “You do something, rather than nothing… You do whatever you can. You reach beyond yourself in your imagination, and in your wish for understanding, and for change. You admit the limitations of individual perspectives. You trust somebody else. You do not turn away.”
February 2, 2026 at 12:25 AM
About activism, June Jordan said, “You do something, rather than nothing… You do whatever you can. You reach beyond yourself in your imagination, and in your wish for understanding, and for change. You admit the limitations of individual perspectives. You trust somebody else. You do not turn away.”
Do not over-rely on the Democratic Party to "save us" from the fascist violence and predations of MAGA and the current administration. Scot Nakagawa's new Anti-Authoritarian Playbook post explains why. antiauthoritarianplaybook.substack.com/p/the-roosev...
The Roosevelt Administration Is A Warning
Nonpartisanship Is Critical To Winning
antiauthoritarianplaybook.substack.com
February 2, 2026 at 10:29 PM
Do not over-rely on the Democratic Party to "save us" from the fascist violence and predations of MAGA and the current administration. Scot Nakagawa's new Anti-Authoritarian Playbook post explains why. antiauthoritarianplaybook.substack.com/p/the-roosev...
