Laura Norton-Cruz, LMSW, CLC
@lauritadianita.bsky.social
1.4K followers 840 following 2.8K posts
I ✍️ about AK politics, health equity, feminism, advocacy 4 kids, documentary films, 🎨, 🎶, 🥘,🌱 , ADHD, synesthesia. Social worker, public health professional, & lactation counselor raising Alaskan-🇨🇴 kids on Dena’ina ełnena. www.lauranortoncruzconsulting.com
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In the examples I saw there was always a padding to recover (if they stayed alive) as long as they had wealth & the benefit of the doubt from white skin, an opportunity seldom afforded to their Black and brown counterparts who engaged in similar misbehaviors. Who gets to be a “kid” varies by DECADES
This example of explicitly pro-Hitler, rape, gas chambers, racist & sexist ideas expressed by white adults being excused as the behavior of “young boys” & “kids,” is EGREGIOUS.

But my whole life I’ve watched this play out, where wealthy white ppl’s misbehavior is excused as youthful indiscretion.
Prime example of white privilege in plain sight.

Black kids get called adults to justify blame, while white adults get called “kids” to excuse their hate. They’re not boys and girls, they’re grown-ass men and women, and the receipts are in writing.
It’s particularly cool that Alaska is represented in this video by the most conservative town in the entire state.
There are more of us than there are of them. Thank you for a truly historic day of peaceful protests across America. #NoKings
And my kids had even considered making signs saying that he is LITERALLY a poopy pants (before this video)
It still works great for helping us spot bears, tbh. I had two bear encounters this spring/summer and was like “hey, thanks, instincts!”
At the Seward AK (small town, red district) protest, we got these posts for our signs from a young man & young woman w a bucket full of posts & a staple gun & a sign that said Make Argentina Great Again along w/ a 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ flag & pins. As always, a reminder not to write off every inhabitant of red states.
And sometimes I need the happiest of songs — depending on the reason for the sadness, it can switch how I’m feeling - esp Laverne Baker: spotify.link/QiFVJBD0zXb
Happy bops
spotify.link
More scenes from Seward Alaska’s protest. I LOVE seeing aerial photos of the huge protests in big cities and my heart is also warmed by seeing small towns and villages (including those in MAGA country) rallying for a multi-racial democracy.

I hope this helps bring awareness to the unreached.
Gustavus Alaska also protesting in inclement weather. Love y’all: bsky.app/profile/myce...
No Kings protest in Gustavus Alaska today with over 90 people! A great turnout for our little town despite the rain.

#NoKings, #Alaska
I love Alaska & how we protest in all kinds of weather!

I’m in Seward this weekend w/ my son & niece. A small town in a majority-R voting district where ~ 200 people showed up to waive 🇺🇸 flags & anti-fascist signs & where cars honked in support. #NoKings #AlaskaAntifa
The post by Sharon uses an AI photo, but glad to see the others and that some folks are bringing attention to it.
Too many people check out of politics or consider it a dirty thing they’d rather not talk about, or just vote for the R candidate bc that’s what they’ve done their whole lives w/o really asking: what did this person do in their last term? I think we need to connect those 💔 images from floods to this
I think we need to keep repeating this point —that decisions by this admin, by the EPA Secretary confirmed by our Senators, by DOGE as Nick Begich III & Dan Sullivan enthusiastically cheered it on —directly impacted Kipnuk’s destruction. Alaskans need to see that politics affect homes, bodies, lives
"The E.P.A. grant was intended to fund Kipnuk’s river stabilization project for three years. Planning, design & some construction were supposed to happen between June and September, when the river would have thawed enough for barges to bring supplies to the village."

It was cancelled last spring 🫠
Before Alaska Flooding, E.P.A. Canceled $20 Million Flood Protection Grant
www.nytimes.com
BLOCK these accounts. Very Big Brother energy coming right before the peaceful democratic protests they’re accusing of being terroristic.
Big Brother is watching. Joined today to "snag" people sharing protest videos and the such tomorrow. BLOCK! Also Another on, DNI or some shit.
bsky.app/profile/did:...
⚓️: Reminder the AFN Market is going today & the first part of Saturday. If you’re looking for beautiful & meaningful holiday gifts or pieces for you & a way to support the local economy & Alaska Native artists, 1st floor Dena’ina Center is the place. Clothing, footwear, trad medicines & accessories.
This is so powerful! ❤️ I know Dan Sullivan himself doesn’t have a conscience to feel bad about the harm & the deaths caused by his policy choices & enthusiastic approval of & concession to the Trump admin, but this kind of visible protest makes a strong statement to voters & he’s up for election…
Protesters stand and turn their backs to US Sen. Dan Sullivan during his address to the Alaska Federation of Natives conference.

Signs read: "Medicaid Matters" + "Public radio saves lives"

Sullivan does not acknowledge or stop speaking
Reposted by Laura Norton-Cruz, LMSW, CLC
All of my organizing & work is with moms & kids, so I’m going to offer an alternative to the “it’s dumb” universal judgment against any mom or parent who includes kids in any protest. In part that excludes single moms like me. Sometimes it is reckless, sometimes it isn’t.
That sounds scary. I absolutely believe the right counter-protestors are getting more dangerous & know for sure they’ll be even more dangerous to protestors from groups they target w/ their hate. So far in the most MAGA parts of AK, they’ve done their engine revving tactics.
I didn’t claim that though. She said she couldn’t think of any reason to bring children to protests, so I offered some reasons I do.

I didn’t claim that’s true of all places.

I don’t think vast judgments against all parents who do that anywhere are fair in a diverse country & diverse movement.
When I was childless in the Bush era, I got pepper-sprayed at protests all along the east coast and people got trampled by NYPD horses so I know even experientially how dangerous protest can be and how to assess when they’re safe for kids or not. Tho times are escalated now so it’s constant 👀 .
Oh I can imagine it’s a VERY different environment there. But since Alaska is part of the US & might be similar to small towns everywhere in environmental& the initial statement was a universal judgment against anyone bringing their kids to any protests, I wanted to say we aren’t all reckless.
The more that protest represents the population at large, the closer we get to that 3% of the population number that topples dictatorships, the more we have media coverage of protests in big cities & small towns & villages, the more effective we will be. We have to ensure safety for this to happen
the whole point of mass protest is to demonstrate overwhelming opposition to the political direction, at a scale that can't be cracked down on

dress comfortably and stay away from anyone inciting violence, but don't let clout chasers scare you into losing sight of how the basic concept works