Ruth Zakarin
@ruthz.bsky.social
CEO of the MA Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence. Knitter, cat lady, grey hair evangelist. Oh, and I box. #COYS. Opinions strong, plentiful, and my own.
Check out my essays at: https://ruthzakarin.substack.com/
Check out my essays at: https://ruthzakarin.substack.com/
Pinned
Ruth Zakarin
@ruthz.bsky.social
· Jun 8
Your daily reminder from me that this administration operates like someone who abuses their partner.
They use hurt and fear to maintain power and control. They cannot tolerate pushback and refuse to take any responsibility for their actions.
And they always blame the victim for their violence.
They use hurt and fear to maintain power and control. They cannot tolerate pushback and refuse to take any responsibility for their actions.
And they always blame the victim for their violence.
I stood with friends and colleagues today at this rally, listening to speaker after speaker highlight the fear felt by our immigrant neighbors and the urgency of taking action. I share that urgency. 1/2
Immigrant rights advocates called on Beacon Hill Democrats Tuesday to pass a trio of policies they argued would bolster protections for migrants who are being targeted for deportation amid a push by President Trump to increase federal immigration enforcement.
Immigrant groups want Beacon Hill to bolster protections for migrants in Massachusetts
Immigrant rights advocates called on Beacon Hill Democrats Tuesday to pass a trio of policies they argued would bolster protections for migrants who are being targeted for deportation amid a push by P...
www.wbur.org
November 25, 2025 at 7:59 PM
I stood with friends and colleagues today at this rally, listening to speaker after speaker highlight the fear felt by our immigrant neighbors and the urgency of taking action. I share that urgency. 1/2
Reposted by Ruth Zakarin
Vote Yes in '26 - Vote Yes For a Safe Massachusetts
Support Massachusetts Gun Safety Statutes & Continue to Keep Communities Safe Across the Commonwealth
For more information see this website ~~~> www.YesForaSafeMA.com
Support Massachusetts Gun Safety Statutes & Continue to Keep Communities Safe Across the Commonwealth
For more information see this website ~~~> www.YesForaSafeMA.com
November 25, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Vote Yes in '26 - Vote Yes For a Safe Massachusetts
Support Massachusetts Gun Safety Statutes & Continue to Keep Communities Safe Across the Commonwealth
For more information see this website ~~~> www.YesForaSafeMA.com
Support Massachusetts Gun Safety Statutes & Continue to Keep Communities Safe Across the Commonwealth
For more information see this website ~~~> www.YesForaSafeMA.com
Reposted by Ruth Zakarin
Vote Yes in '26 - Vote Yes For a Safe Massachusetts
Support Massachusetts Gun Safety Statutes & Continue to Keep Communities Safe Across the Commonwealth
Support Massachusetts Gun Safety Statutes & Continue to Keep Communities Safe Across the Commonwealth
Massachusetts friends, I need your help! I am the chair of Vote Yes for a Safe MA — a campaign formed to protect our strong firearm safety laws from the gun lobby’s repeal effort. Please check out our website, sign up for updates, and share share share!
www.yesforasafema.com
www.yesforasafema.com
Vote Yes: Protect MA Gun Safety Law in 2026
Vote Yes in 2026 to protect Massachusetts’ new gun safety laws… Keep communities safes
www.yesforasafema.com
November 25, 2025 at 2:11 PM
Vote Yes in '26 - Vote Yes For a Safe Massachusetts
Support Massachusetts Gun Safety Statutes & Continue to Keep Communities Safe Across the Commonwealth
Support Massachusetts Gun Safety Statutes & Continue to Keep Communities Safe Across the Commonwealth
Reposted by Ruth Zakarin
Larry Summers is a stark example of the grace given to white men who cause great harm. He was afforded second, third, & fourth chances, and then had the white hubris to come after the first Black women to be appointed to a position he himself was pushed out of. 1/ www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/24/m...
Even with a career marked by controversy, Larry Summers seemed to rise above it all. Then came the Epstein emails. - The Boston Globe
A towering figure at Harvard University and in national politics for over a quarter-century, the economist now faces the greatest challenge to his legacy.
www.bostonglobe.com
November 25, 2025 at 1:05 AM
Larry Summers is a stark example of the grace given to white men who cause great harm. He was afforded second, third, & fourth chances, and then had the white hubris to come after the first Black women to be appointed to a position he himself was pushed out of. 1/ www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/24/m...
Reposted by Ruth Zakarin
My mother was a teacher. Both of my aunts and my grandmother were nurses. They raised me, a social worker.
On behalf of a long line of strong women I would like to tell the Trump administration to go pound sand.
On behalf of a long line of strong women I would like to tell the Trump administration to go pound sand.
November 25, 2025 at 2:52 AM
My mother was a teacher. Both of my aunts and my grandmother were nurses. They raised me, a social worker.
On behalf of a long line of strong women I would like to tell the Trump administration to go pound sand.
On behalf of a long line of strong women I would like to tell the Trump administration to go pound sand.
My mother was a teacher. Both of my aunts and my grandmother were nurses. They raised me, a social worker.
On behalf of a long line of strong women I would like to tell the Trump administration to go pound sand.
On behalf of a long line of strong women I would like to tell the Trump administration to go pound sand.
November 25, 2025 at 2:52 AM
My mother was a teacher. Both of my aunts and my grandmother were nurses. They raised me, a social worker.
On behalf of a long line of strong women I would like to tell the Trump administration to go pound sand.
On behalf of a long line of strong women I would like to tell the Trump administration to go pound sand.
Request to make a lap… granted
November 25, 2025 at 1:22 AM
Request to make a lap… granted
Larry Summers is a stark example of the grace given to white men who cause great harm. He was afforded second, third, & fourth chances, and then had the white hubris to come after the first Black women to be appointed to a position he himself was pushed out of. 1/ www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/24/m...
Even with a career marked by controversy, Larry Summers seemed to rise above it all. Then came the Epstein emails. - The Boston Globe
A towering figure at Harvard University and in national politics for over a quarter-century, the economist now faces the greatest challenge to his legacy.
www.bostonglobe.com
November 25, 2025 at 1:05 AM
Larry Summers is a stark example of the grace given to white men who cause great harm. He was afforded second, third, & fourth chances, and then had the white hubris to come after the first Black women to be appointed to a position he himself was pushed out of. 1/ www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/24/m...
Reposted by Ruth Zakarin
Reposted by Ruth Zakarin
So Trump decided that my degree (master of social work) is no longer a professional one.
???
This is coming from the most embarrassingly unprofessional man you could ever imagine occupying the now partially destroyed White House.
I mean, really. 1/2
???
This is coming from the most embarrassingly unprofessional man you could ever imagine occupying the now partially destroyed White House.
I mean, really. 1/2
November 24, 2025 at 3:03 AM
So Trump decided that my degree (master of social work) is no longer a professional one.
???
This is coming from the most embarrassingly unprofessional man you could ever imagine occupying the now partially destroyed White House.
I mean, really. 1/2
???
This is coming from the most embarrassingly unprofessional man you could ever imagine occupying the now partially destroyed White House.
I mean, really. 1/2
So Trump decided that my degree (master of social work) is no longer a professional one.
???
This is coming from the most embarrassingly unprofessional man you could ever imagine occupying the now partially destroyed White House.
I mean, really. 1/2
???
This is coming from the most embarrassingly unprofessional man you could ever imagine occupying the now partially destroyed White House.
I mean, really. 1/2
November 24, 2025 at 3:03 AM
So Trump decided that my degree (master of social work) is no longer a professional one.
???
This is coming from the most embarrassingly unprofessional man you could ever imagine occupying the now partially destroyed White House.
I mean, really. 1/2
???
This is coming from the most embarrassingly unprofessional man you could ever imagine occupying the now partially destroyed White House.
I mean, really. 1/2
Reposted by Ruth Zakarin
“71.5% of people held in detention had no criminal record. Of the rest, many have a record of a minor infraction, such as driving with a broken.
We are living an unfolding Orwellian nightmare.
#MomSky
We are living an unfolding Orwellian nightmare.
#MomSky
Gift link. Long form article.
History will not be kind to us. The xenophobia is at pathological levels and the psychological abuse is intentional. White nationalism is the goal, to decrease the reality that we will some day be a white minority country.
#momsky
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/21/o...
History will not be kind to us. The xenophobia is at pathological levels and the psychological abuse is intentional. White nationalism is the goal, to decrease the reality that we will some day be a white minority country.
#momsky
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/21/o...
November 23, 2025 at 11:00 PM
“71.5% of people held in detention had no criminal record. Of the rest, many have a record of a minor infraction, such as driving with a broken.
We are living an unfolding Orwellian nightmare.
#MomSky
We are living an unfolding Orwellian nightmare.
#MomSky
Reposted by Ruth Zakarin
Grief is a funny thing. It’s about holding someone’s absence and presence all at the same time. It leaves holes in the narrative of your existence, a constant wondering about conversations and experiences you won’t get to have.
On grief, and missing my dad.
ruthzakarin.substack.com/p/missing-ma...
On grief, and missing my dad.
ruthzakarin.substack.com/p/missing-ma...
Missing Marshall
Two years ago today the person who probably most shaped who I am left this world.
ruthzakarin.substack.com
November 23, 2025 at 4:52 PM
Grief is a funny thing. It’s about holding someone’s absence and presence all at the same time. It leaves holes in the narrative of your existence, a constant wondering about conversations and experiences you won’t get to have.
On grief, and missing my dad.
ruthzakarin.substack.com/p/missing-ma...
On grief, and missing my dad.
ruthzakarin.substack.com/p/missing-ma...
Grief is a funny thing. It’s about holding someone’s absence and presence all at the same time. It leaves holes in the narrative of your existence, a constant wondering about conversations and experiences you won’t get to have.
On grief, and missing my dad.
ruthzakarin.substack.com/p/missing-ma...
On grief, and missing my dad.
ruthzakarin.substack.com/p/missing-ma...
Missing Marshall
Two years ago today the person who probably most shaped who I am left this world.
ruthzakarin.substack.com
November 23, 2025 at 4:52 PM
Grief is a funny thing. It’s about holding someone’s absence and presence all at the same time. It leaves holes in the narrative of your existence, a constant wondering about conversations and experiences you won’t get to have.
On grief, and missing my dad.
ruthzakarin.substack.com/p/missing-ma...
On grief, and missing my dad.
ruthzakarin.substack.com/p/missing-ma...
And it is the same for social workers. Our mental health crisis will only get worse.
What also infuriates me? This administration is quick to blame gun violence on mental health (which is wrong) but is actively dismantling mental health services: this & Medicaid cuts being just two examples.
What also infuriates me? This administration is quick to blame gun violence on mental health (which is wrong) but is actively dismantling mental health services: this & Medicaid cuts being just two examples.
Folks, this is VERY important. This means that there will be a decrease of nurses in the field and their access to student loans will be severely restricted. There is already a serious shortage of nurses, this is only going to make it worse. Nurses are the backbone of healthcare.
Nursing has been excluded as a “professional degree” by the Trump administration as the Department of Education prepares to make massive cuts to providing students loans. Also excluded are NP’s, PA’s, PT’s. This comes when there as an extreme nursing shortage and $20K sign on bonuses for nurses. 😡
November 23, 2025 at 2:53 PM
And it is the same for social workers. Our mental health crisis will only get worse.
What also infuriates me? This administration is quick to blame gun violence on mental health (which is wrong) but is actively dismantling mental health services: this & Medicaid cuts being just two examples.
What also infuriates me? This administration is quick to blame gun violence on mental health (which is wrong) but is actively dismantling mental health services: this & Medicaid cuts being just two examples.
Reposted by Ruth Zakarin
Good for @globeopinion.bsky.social for calling out the harm of Trump’s new rules for programs serving the homeless. Mandating sobriety and employment won’t fix homelessness, it will fuel it. Let people get safe, so they can then work on recovery and jobs. 1/2 www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/21/o...
Trump’s reckless new policy on homelessness - The Boston Globe
Thousands of people in Massachusetts with a history of homelessness could lose housing due to policy shift.
www.bostonglobe.com
November 22, 2025 at 3:18 PM
Good for @globeopinion.bsky.social for calling out the harm of Trump’s new rules for programs serving the homeless. Mandating sobriety and employment won’t fix homelessness, it will fuel it. Let people get safe, so they can then work on recovery and jobs. 1/2 www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/21/o...
Reposted by Ruth Zakarin
Reposting this in light of Trump’s disgusting Piggy moment. Because his words weren’t just about silencing a female reporter, but also about doing so in the most demeaning way. Because Trump is a man who not just hates women, he actively wants to disempower them. open.substack.com/pub/ruthzaka...
Powerful Women and the Men Who Hate Them
This was another doozy of a week in Trump 2.0, and it’s impossible to notice every drop of water in the flood of news coming at us.
open.substack.com
November 22, 2025 at 3:40 PM
Reposting this in light of Trump’s disgusting Piggy moment. Because his words weren’t just about silencing a female reporter, but also about doing so in the most demeaning way. Because Trump is a man who not just hates women, he actively wants to disempower them. open.substack.com/pub/ruthzaka...
Reposted by Ruth Zakarin
It makes me very sad that Tatiana Schlossberg has to spend any energy whatsoever on RFK, Jr.
A true indication of how awful he is that his dying cousin is spending what little remains of her time on earth denouncing him.
A true indication of how awful he is that his dying cousin is spending what little remains of her time on earth denouncing him.
November 23, 2025 at 2:55 AM
It makes me very sad that Tatiana Schlossberg has to spend any energy whatsoever on RFK, Jr.
A true indication of how awful he is that his dying cousin is spending what little remains of her time on earth denouncing him.
A true indication of how awful he is that his dying cousin is spending what little remains of her time on earth denouncing him.
It makes me very sad that Tatiana Schlossberg has to spend any energy whatsoever on RFK, Jr.
A true indication of how awful he is that his dying cousin is spending what little remains of her time on earth denouncing him.
A true indication of how awful he is that his dying cousin is spending what little remains of her time on earth denouncing him.
November 23, 2025 at 2:55 AM
It makes me very sad that Tatiana Schlossberg has to spend any energy whatsoever on RFK, Jr.
A true indication of how awful he is that his dying cousin is spending what little remains of her time on earth denouncing him.
A true indication of how awful he is that his dying cousin is spending what little remains of her time on earth denouncing him.
Reposting this in light of Trump’s disgusting Piggy moment. Because his words weren’t just about silencing a female reporter, but also about doing so in the most demeaning way. Because Trump is a man who not just hates women, he actively wants to disempower them. open.substack.com/pub/ruthzaka...
Powerful Women and the Men Who Hate Them
This was another doozy of a week in Trump 2.0, and it’s impossible to notice every drop of water in the flood of news coming at us.
open.substack.com
November 22, 2025 at 3:40 PM
Reposting this in light of Trump’s disgusting Piggy moment. Because his words weren’t just about silencing a female reporter, but also about doing so in the most demeaning way. Because Trump is a man who not just hates women, he actively wants to disempower them. open.substack.com/pub/ruthzaka...
Reposted by Ruth Zakarin
This! We're with you @ruthz.bsky.social. Help people find safety first so they can focus on recovery and rebuilding their lives.
Good for @globeopinion.bsky.social for calling out the harm of Trump’s new rules for programs serving the homeless. Mandating sobriety and employment won’t fix homelessness, it will fuel it. Let people get safe, so they can then work on recovery and jobs. 1/2 www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/21/o...
Trump’s reckless new policy on homelessness - The Boston Globe
Thousands of people in Massachusetts with a history of homelessness could lose housing due to policy shift.
www.bostonglobe.com
November 22, 2025 at 3:34 PM
This! We're with you @ruthz.bsky.social. Help people find safety first so they can focus on recovery and rebuilding their lives.
Good for @globeopinion.bsky.social for calling out the harm of Trump’s new rules for programs serving the homeless. Mandating sobriety and employment won’t fix homelessness, it will fuel it. Let people get safe, so they can then work on recovery and jobs. 1/2 www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/21/o...
Trump’s reckless new policy on homelessness - The Boston Globe
Thousands of people in Massachusetts with a history of homelessness could lose housing due to policy shift.
www.bostonglobe.com
November 22, 2025 at 3:18 PM
Good for @globeopinion.bsky.social for calling out the harm of Trump’s new rules for programs serving the homeless. Mandating sobriety and employment won’t fix homelessness, it will fuel it. Let people get safe, so they can then work on recovery and jobs. 1/2 www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/21/o...
Imagine inciting political violence against a family that has already experienced devastating political violence.
Trump supporters talk a whole lot about freedom. But is this what freedom looks like?
I think we need to reclaim the term. And freedom from violence feels like a good place to start.
Trump supporters talk a whole lot about freedom. But is this what freedom looks like?
I think we need to reclaim the term. And freedom from violence feels like a good place to start.
Sen. Mark Kelly fears for safety. "It would be irresponsible for me not to consider that [Trump’s] words result in increased threats to myself, even to my staff, to my family."
“It would be a rather irresponsible thing for us not to consider this seriously.”
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
“It would be a rather irresponsible thing for us not to consider this seriously.”
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Senator whose wife was shot fears for safety after Trump sedition accusation
President called behavior of Mark Kelly, whose wife Gabby Giffords survived assassination bid, ‘punishable by death’
www.theguardian.com
November 22, 2025 at 2:15 PM
Imagine inciting political violence against a family that has already experienced devastating political violence.
Trump supporters talk a whole lot about freedom. But is this what freedom looks like?
I think we need to reclaim the term. And freedom from violence feels like a good place to start.
Trump supporters talk a whole lot about freedom. But is this what freedom looks like?
I think we need to reclaim the term. And freedom from violence feels like a good place to start.
This image.
A government agent in camouflage using a gun to shatter the glass of a car window to abduct the people in it. Daylight. Public. Not some other country — right here in the United States.
We shouldn’t become numb to the horror of what this is.
A government agent in camouflage using a gun to shatter the glass of a car window to abduct the people in it. Daylight. Public. Not some other country — right here in the United States.
We shouldn’t become numb to the horror of what this is.
Dipshit is smashing out a car window with his gun, barrel first. Just rogue, cowboy stiff.
There were two US citizens in the car. They were apprehended and detained for “obstructing” ICE by honking their horn to let people know ICE was in the neighborhood.
There were two US citizens in the car. They were apprehended and detained for “obstructing” ICE by honking their horn to let people know ICE was in the neighborhood.
November 22, 2025 at 2:04 PM
This image.
A government agent in camouflage using a gun to shatter the glass of a car window to abduct the people in it. Daylight. Public. Not some other country — right here in the United States.
We shouldn’t become numb to the horror of what this is.
A government agent in camouflage using a gun to shatter the glass of a car window to abduct the people in it. Daylight. Public. Not some other country — right here in the United States.
We shouldn’t become numb to the horror of what this is.
Reposted by Ruth Zakarin
Trump fawning over Mamdani just proves once again that Trump has absolutely no core values except his own power. He has no politics except his own popularity. He believes in nothing except feeling validated.
He just wanted to hang out with the new cool kid. Didn’t matter what Mamdani stood for.
He just wanted to hang out with the new cool kid. Didn’t matter what Mamdani stood for.
November 22, 2025 at 1:29 AM
Trump fawning over Mamdani just proves once again that Trump has absolutely no core values except his own power. He has no politics except his own popularity. He believes in nothing except feeling validated.
He just wanted to hang out with the new cool kid. Didn’t matter what Mamdani stood for.
He just wanted to hang out with the new cool kid. Didn’t matter what Mamdani stood for.