Samantha Culp
@samanthaculp.bsky.social
Writer & filmmaker in LA after many years in greater China / Currently writing a book about the global landscapes of futures thought / newsletter: borderstudies.substack.com
Reposted by Samantha Culp
I wrote about my childhood friend Alexi Pretti. Please read it and share it and remember him as a human being. @theverge.com
I grew up with Alex Pretti
The kind-hearted ICU nurse shot by ICE agents was my childhood best friend.
www.theverge.com
January 27, 2026 at 4:45 PM
I wrote about my childhood friend Alexi Pretti. Please read it and share it and remember him as a human being. @theverge.com
Reposted by Samantha Culp
Liam himself is five goddamned years old and should be at home with an adult he trusts right now no matter who his parents are. It would not matter if they were literal criminal masterminds, Liam Ramos is a baby and babies do not belong in prison.
Reminder that, as of the latest reports, Liam Ramos is still in prison in Texas - now for 5 days.
His parents are legal asylum seekers with no criminal record.
His parents are legal asylum seekers with no criminal record.
January 27, 2026 at 1:22 AM
Liam himself is five goddamned years old and should be at home with an adult he trusts right now no matter who his parents are. It would not matter if they were literal criminal masterminds, Liam Ramos is a baby and babies do not belong in prison.
Reposted by Samantha Culp
Yes. Like Ruth Wilson Gilmore said, "At stake is not only how we fight to win, but also how prepared we are for victories. Prepare to win means be ready for the morning after."
if bovino is out and conservatives are turning on noem then there is a real opportunity to demand that miller resign too.
January 27, 2026 at 1:25 AM
Yes. Like Ruth Wilson Gilmore said, "At stake is not only how we fight to win, but also how prepared we are for victories. Prepare to win means be ready for the morning after."
Reposted by Samantha Culp
Even if Bovino gets fired, ICE has to go.
Even if Noem is out, ICE has to go.
Even when Trump leaves office, ICE has to go.
As protests grow and ICE's popularity drops, we may see concessions and leadership changes, like Bovino's departure. ICE still has to go.
www.cnn.com/us/live-news...
Even if Noem is out, ICE has to go.
Even when Trump leaves office, ICE has to go.
As protests grow and ICE's popularity drops, we may see concessions and leadership changes, like Bovino's departure. ICE still has to go.
www.cnn.com/us/live-news...
Live updates: Top Border Patrol official Bovino expected to leave Minneapolis as Trump sends Homan to the state | CNN
Tom Homan is headed to Minnesota after the fatal shooting of ICU nurse Alex Pretti in an encounter Saturday with federal agents deepened outrage over the Trump administration’s surge, part of its nati...
www.cnn.com
January 27, 2026 at 1:15 AM
Even if Bovino gets fired, ICE has to go.
Even if Noem is out, ICE has to go.
Even when Trump leaves office, ICE has to go.
As protests grow and ICE's popularity drops, we may see concessions and leadership changes, like Bovino's departure. ICE still has to go.
www.cnn.com/us/live-news...
Even if Noem is out, ICE has to go.
Even when Trump leaves office, ICE has to go.
As protests grow and ICE's popularity drops, we may see concessions and leadership changes, like Bovino's departure. ICE still has to go.
www.cnn.com/us/live-news...
Reposted by Samantha Culp
...and if it's the same "prison" or detention center in Texas where ICE has been sending people, there isn't enough food, and everyone is crying and screaming, and people can't get their medications, and no one can get in to help them. A FIVE YEAR OLD.
Reminder that, as of the latest reports, Liam Ramos is still in prison in Texas - now for 5 days.
His parents are legal asylum seekers with no criminal record.
His parents are legal asylum seekers with no criminal record.
January 27, 2026 at 1:18 AM
...and if it's the same "prison" or detention center in Texas where ICE has been sending people, there isn't enough food, and everyone is crying and screaming, and people can't get their medications, and no one can get in to help them. A FIVE YEAR OLD.
Reposted by Samantha Culp
I thought about this a lot when we were all pushing to get kilmar abrego garcia released. I'm glad we got him back but literally NO ONE should be sent to CECOT. They should have ALL been brought back.
Never accept an inch. Never accept their framing. Bring everyone back and abolish DHS.
Never accept an inch. Never accept their framing. Bring everyone back and abolish DHS.
The biggest risk in this moment is something sociologists call “symbolic compliance.”
That’s when an institution that is violating civil rights gives the public just enough symbolic victories that accountability efforts lose steam before there has been any meaningful change.
That’s when an institution that is violating civil rights gives the public just enough symbolic victories that accountability efforts lose steam before there has been any meaningful change.
January 27, 2026 at 1:15 AM
I thought about this a lot when we were all pushing to get kilmar abrego garcia released. I'm glad we got him back but literally NO ONE should be sent to CECOT. They should have ALL been brought back.
Never accept an inch. Never accept their framing. Bring everyone back and abolish DHS.
Never accept an inch. Never accept their framing. Bring everyone back and abolish DHS.
Reposted by Samantha Culp
NEW: A Texas county medical examiner found that Geraldo Lunas Campos was choked to death by a guard while he was held in ICE custody earlier this month.
Geraldo is the sixth person to die in ICE detention this year.
Geraldo is the sixth person to die in ICE detention this year.
January 26, 2026 at 6:39 PM
NEW: A Texas county medical examiner found that Geraldo Lunas Campos was choked to death by a guard while he was held in ICE custody earlier this month.
Geraldo is the sixth person to die in ICE detention this year.
Geraldo is the sixth person to die in ICE detention this year.
Reposted by Samantha Culp
Our event was so fucking cool. This is a reminder that you can just, like, do stuff. Like a ton of people can just decide to give away a bunch of stuff—food, clothes, medical supplies, haircuts—to people for free. You can just get a group together & do it.
Join us for the first Echo Park Really, Really Free Market, where everything is FREE!
📆Sunday, January 25
⏰11am—2pm
📍Echo Park Lake (corner of Park Ave & Echo Park Lake Ave near the picnic tables)
📆Sunday, January 25
⏰11am—2pm
📍Echo Park Lake (corner of Park Ave & Echo Park Lake Ave near the picnic tables)
January 25, 2026 at 10:33 PM
Our event was so fucking cool. This is a reminder that you can just, like, do stuff. Like a ton of people can just decide to give away a bunch of stuff—food, clothes, medical supplies, haircuts—to people for free. You can just get a group together & do it.
Reposted by Samantha Culp
If you know anything about state prisons, this is the kind of thing to blow your mind. They are generally not the type of institutions to do something like this. But the Trump admin just keeps lying and lying and lying so they clearly felt they had to.
mn.gov/doc/about/ne...
mn.gov/doc/about/ne...
January 25, 2026 at 5:33 PM
If you know anything about state prisons, this is the kind of thing to blow your mind. They are generally not the type of institutions to do something like this. But the Trump admin just keeps lying and lying and lying so they clearly felt they had to.
mn.gov/doc/about/ne...
mn.gov/doc/about/ne...
Reposted by Samantha Culp
A year after the Palisades fire, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass is fighting dense new housing near transit that would make the city more climate-friendly, claiming it would cost too much. Meanwhile, she's happy to toss more money at the Olympics: www.torched.la/burn-scars/ via @awalkerinla.bsky.social
Burn scars
It's remarkable, given our climate reality, that more neighborhoods were not lost one year ago. But truly engaging with that climate reality means we have to rethink the entire city at once
www.torched.la
January 11, 2026 at 7:57 PM
A year after the Palisades fire, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass is fighting dense new housing near transit that would make the city more climate-friendly, claiming it would cost too much. Meanwhile, she's happy to toss more money at the Olympics: www.torched.la/burn-scars/ via @awalkerinla.bsky.social
Reposted by Samantha Culp
I made an 11x17" double-sided poster version of "Who Shares the Restroom Code with ICE Agents?" Please DO NOT edit anything on it, but print and distribute freely! I'd love to see it in windows, bookstores, schools, taped up in public, rolled and rubber banded, etc. tinyurl.com/WhoSharesWit...
January 11, 2026 at 4:48 AM
I made an 11x17" double-sided poster version of "Who Shares the Restroom Code with ICE Agents?" Please DO NOT edit anything on it, but print and distribute freely! I'd love to see it in windows, bookstores, schools, taped up in public, rolled and rubber banded, etc. tinyurl.com/WhoSharesWit...
Reposted by Samantha Culp
you’re already ahead. stay with it. minneapolis stripped these forces of legitimacy (a battle other cities won’t have to repeat). remember they are completely outmanned. their only real advantage is their organizational capacity. out-organize them & the illusion of control will collapse.
I can't describe how bad Minneapolis feels right now. My neighbors are pulling kids out of school. The public schools are offering remote learning until 2/12. We are having conversations in our alleys about how to protect ourselves. It feels like a military occupation with a blockade.
The US Department of Agriculture suspends all federal funding to Minnesota, effective immediately.
January 10, 2026 at 9:03 PM
you’re already ahead. stay with it. minneapolis stripped these forces of legitimacy (a battle other cities won’t have to repeat). remember they are completely outmanned. their only real advantage is their organizational capacity. out-organize them & the illusion of control will collapse.
Reposted by Samantha Culp
We've removed the paywall from this guide so everyone can access it. 👇 Stay safe.
Just days into 2026, the killing of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good by a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, has sparked protests around the US.
If you’re planning to protest, here’s how to safeguard your digital security.
If you’re planning to protest, here’s how to safeguard your digital security.
How to Protest Safely in the Age of Surveillance
Law enforcement has more tools than ever to track your movements and access your communications. Here’s how to protect your privacy if you plan to protest.
www.wired.com
January 8, 2026 at 6:35 PM
We've removed the paywall from this guide so everyone can access it. 👇 Stay safe.
Reposted by Samantha Culp
Well, that's a stark admission.
"The question that you're basically asking is, can our cops arrest them? From a legal perspective, yes. From a practical perspective...they have bigger guns than we do." That's where we're at.
Look out for @mayorjacobfrey.bsky.social on today's Bulwark Podcast with @timmiller.bsky.social!
Look out for @mayorjacobfrey.bsky.social on today's Bulwark Podcast with @timmiller.bsky.social!
January 10, 2026 at 4:47 PM
Well, that's a stark admission.
Reposted by Samantha Culp
A Red Lake Ojibwe descendant was snatched by ICE in Minneapolis, and a Plains Cree woman was questioned.
This is in addition to the four Oglala Lakota men who reportedly were grabbed by ICE.
ictnews.org/news/i-felt-...
This is in addition to the four Oglala Lakota men who reportedly were grabbed by ICE.
ictnews.org/news/i-felt-...
‘I felt like I was kidnapped’: Ojibwe man recounts ICE detainment - ICT
At least five Native American men have been detained by ICE around Minneapolis following significant immigration raids
ictnews.org
January 10, 2026 at 3:19 AM
A Red Lake Ojibwe descendant was snatched by ICE in Minneapolis, and a Plains Cree woman was questioned.
This is in addition to the four Oglala Lakota men who reportedly were grabbed by ICE.
ictnews.org/news/i-felt-...
This is in addition to the four Oglala Lakota men who reportedly were grabbed by ICE.
ictnews.org/news/i-felt-...
Reposted by Samantha Culp
This assumes they have principles beyond allegiance to power.
Tim Cook and Sundar Pichai are cowards
Once you’ve traded your principles for proximity to power, do you even run your own company?
www.theverge.com
January 9, 2026 at 9:48 PM
This assumes they have principles beyond allegiance to power.
Reposted by Samantha Culp
“We had whistles. They had guns.
Renee leaves behind three extraordinary children; the youngest is just six years old and already lost his father.”
Renee leaves behind three extraordinary children; the youngest is just six years old and already lost his father.”
Renee Macklin Good's wife, Becca Good, released a statement and it moved me to sobbing tears:
archive.is/ur35j
archive.is/ur35j
January 9, 2026 at 8:35 PM
“We had whistles. They had guns.
Renee leaves behind three extraordinary children; the youngest is just six years old and already lost his father.”
Renee leaves behind three extraordinary children; the youngest is just six years old and already lost his father.”
Reposted by Samantha Culp
"I'm not mad at you" as your last words on earth are really not all that far from "forgive them father for they know not what they do."
January 9, 2026 at 8:15 PM
"I'm not mad at you" as your last words on earth are really not all that far from "forgive them father for they know not what they do."
Reposted by Samantha Culp
Los Angeles, CA -
Large group heading down 1st street in protest of recent shootings by federal immigration authorities. Native drum lines, and a mariachi band providing sound.
Large group heading down 1st street in protest of recent shootings by federal immigration authorities. Native drum lines, and a mariachi band providing sound.
January 9, 2026 at 2:17 AM
Los Angeles, CA -
Large group heading down 1st street in protest of recent shootings by federal immigration authorities. Native drum lines, and a mariachi band providing sound.
Large group heading down 1st street in protest of recent shootings by federal immigration authorities. Native drum lines, and a mariachi band providing sound.
Reposted by Samantha Culp
ICE has murdered THIRTY TWO PEOPLE in detention centers. Four in the last week.
www.msn.com/en-us/news/c...
www.msn.com/en-us/news/c...
MSN
www.msn.com
January 9, 2026 at 2:38 AM
ICE has murdered THIRTY TWO PEOPLE in detention centers. Four in the last week.
www.msn.com/en-us/news/c...
www.msn.com/en-us/news/c...
Reposted by Samantha Culp
The LA wildfires were the most costly disaster at $61.2B 😥
... and remember that direct costs are only a fraction (likely around 10%) of the total costs of any extreme event.
... and remember that direct costs are only a fraction (likely around 10%) of the total costs of any extreme event.
Opinion: The reported costs of the Los Angeles fires are staggering. The hidden costs are worse
California's wildfires are causing long-term environmental and economic damage that we have yet to grapple with. They should be treated as a collective challenge.
www.latimes.com
January 8, 2026 at 5:34 PM
The LA wildfires were the most costly disaster at $61.2B 😥
... and remember that direct costs are only a fraction (likely around 10%) of the total costs of any extreme event.
... and remember that direct costs are only a fraction (likely around 10%) of the total costs of any extreme event.
Cannot wait for this, congrats @pamelacolloff.bsky.social !
Some personal news, as they say: My first book, CATCH THE DEVIL, comes out July 14! I’m hugely grateful to @nytimes.com for naming it as one of the books everyone will be talking about in 2026.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/07/b...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/07/b...
January 9, 2026 at 1:36 AM
Cannot wait for this, congrats @pamelacolloff.bsky.social !