Sam Mintz
samjmintz.bsky.social
Sam Mintz
@samjmintz.bsky.social
Editor at Brookline.News, a nonprofit news site covering the town of Brookline, MA.

Before this, I was a reporter covering transportation and energy policy in DC and Boston.
Reposted by Sam Mintz
you should not share a post that's a screenshot without a link to a news item. you should not share a post that's a video or picture without some kind of sourcing. we're in a new bad era and these are now basic practices.

... also photogs and journos gotta eat so share their work.
January 26, 2026 at 3:04 PM
Reposted by Sam Mintz
Can confirm that being a journalist is occasionally very sick indeed.
January 26, 2026 at 9:34 AM
Reposted by Sam Mintz
We're collecting photos of snowy Brookline! To share yours, comment, DM us or email [email protected], and share a little bit about where and when it was taken.
January 26, 2026 at 1:17 PM
Reposted by Sam Mintz
Wrote about the observers. The people standing by and filming and the risk they are taking to let the world see what is happening. It's crucial and its the only way to combat the lies and blatant propaganda. www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
Believe Your Eyes
People are risking their lives to document agents in Minneapolis.
www.theatlantic.com
January 25, 2026 at 6:52 PM
Huge snow storm, fireplace going, crushing arsenal loss, documentary about a secret apartment in the Providence mall. It's a good Sunday
January 25, 2026 at 6:26 PM
Reposted by Sam Mintz
15 years ago I borrowed a bulletproof vest from a reporter so I could report from a war zone. I held onto it after I returned.

Last week the reporter finally asked for it back because he is headed to Minneapolis.
January 25, 2026 at 10:36 AM
Reposted by Sam Mintz
Kare 11 local news just read, in full, this statement from Michael and Susan Pretti, the parents of Alex Pretti.

"Please get the truth out about our son."
January 25, 2026 at 12:43 AM
Reposted by Sam Mintz
one of the greatest living Americans
NFL Hall of Famer Alan Page protesting in Minneapolis today. Alan was a Minnesota Viking and is a retired Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court. #MinnesotaStrong
January 25, 2026 at 3:36 AM
Reposted by Sam Mintz
Reminder: DHS legislation that funds ICE at current levels without policy restrictions is in the Senate and needs 60 votes to pass. Deadline is next Friday.
January 24, 2026 at 4:47 PM
Reposted by Sam Mintz
Every person taking videos of these atrocities is a national hero. Full stop.
January 24, 2026 at 6:07 PM
Reposted by Sam Mintz
Brookline is one of several towns and cities that have asked the state legislature to enact a fee on real estate sales over a certain size, aiming to ease local budget strain and build more affordable housing.

But movement on Beacon Hill isn't likely anytime soon.

brookline.news/prospects-sh...
Prospects shaky for real estate transfer fee - Brookline.News
Brookline is one of the towns that has asked the state legislature to allow the enactment of a new tax on certain high-value real estate sales. But the prospects for legislation on Beacon Hill aren't ...
brookline.news
January 24, 2026 at 5:35 PM
ICE tried to order Minneapolis PD off the scene of this morning's murder, but the chief refused and is calling in every available officer.

Valuable reporting from the Strib

www.startribune.com/ice-raids-mi...
January 24, 2026 at 4:45 PM
Reposted by Sam Mintz
Initial report is that two observers got into a shoving match with eight agents, one observer was wrestled to the ground, and then an ICE agent pulled out a sidearm and shot the man on the ground five times.
January 24, 2026 at 3:19 PM
Reposted by Sam Mintz
There is video circulating on social media of a group of ICE agents beating a man near 26th and Nicollet in south Minneapolis, then one of the ICE agents shoots the man while he's on the ground numerous times. A witness can be heard yelling that the victim is dead.
January 24, 2026 at 3:44 PM
Logged on to X for the first time in a while and the second post I saw was from an explicitly white supremacist account with 106k followers, posting literal praise for Hitler.

It's not that it wasn't always there, it just used to be more subtle and harder to find.
January 24, 2026 at 3:02 PM
Our @brooklinenews.bsky.social readers suggested some great questions last time we interviewed Congressman Jake Auchincloss, who represents Brookline, about a year ago (see link below).

We're sitting down with him again next week. What's on your mind now?

brookline.news/qa-congressm...
Q&A: Congressman Jake Auchincloss on Democrats' constitutional fight, the Massachusetts housing crisis, and trans rights - Brookline.News
As Democrats in Congress look to assert themselves during a chaotic, dramatic presidential transition, Brookline.News sat down with Congressman Jake Auchincloss in his Newton office to discuss the iss...
brookline.news
January 23, 2026 at 3:53 PM
Kash Patel and Dan Bongino going back and forth on a conference call about what to Tweet immediately after the Charlie Kirk assassination, as agents were scrambling to try to investigate, is just an absolute fever dream

www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
January 22, 2026 at 10:32 PM
There's now a @progressivemass.bsky.social chapter in Brookline.

I talked to two of the co-founders, who aim to "transform Brookline into a bold laboratory for progressive town initiatives and foster an open and inclusive political environment."

brookline.news/new-progress...
New progressive political group launches in Brookline - Brookline.News
The seven founding board members of Progressive Brookline say they intend to turn the town into a "bold laboratory for progressive initiatives and foster an open and inclusive political environment."
brookline.news
January 22, 2026 at 9:21 PM
Reposted by Sam Mintz
This video filmed by Ben Luhmann shows the moment a federal agent sprayed chemical irritants directly into a man's face in south Minneapolis.

Three agents already had the man pinned to the ground when a fourth agent walked up and sprayed the irritants.
January 22, 2026 at 1:41 AM
Reposted by Sam Mintz
One of Brookline composer Elena Ruehr's operas is based on a Greek myth, and inspired by a climate change documentary. So it's little wonder that she considers her music political.

"Cassandra in the Temples" is playing at two shows in the Boston area this week.

brookline.news/brookline-co...
Brookline composer Elena Ruehr doesn't shy away from making her music political - Brookline.News
Ruehr's opera "Cassandra in the Temples" will be performed in the Boston area this weekend.
brookline.news
January 22, 2026 at 6:08 PM
Reposted by Sam Mintz
hey guys, just to confirm this is my fundraiser. i didn't want to ask for help, but i do need it.

my cancer is back. i am going through a lobectomy next week, the same surgery Walter White undergoes. i can't express how grateful i am. thank you so much everyone.

www.gofundme.com/f/support-ge...
Donate to Support Gene Park's Cancer Surgery and Treatment, organized by Gene Park
Hi, my name is Gene Park. I’m a games critic at The Washington Post, and I’… Gene Park needs your support for Support Gene Park's Cancer Surgery and Treatment
www.gofundme.com
January 22, 2026 at 1:44 AM
Big transparency step: Brookline School Committee and Brookline Educators Union have agreed to post recorded videos of their negotiating sessions as contract talks ramp up ahead of an August 2026 deadline.

Here are our takeaways from the first session last week:

brookline.news/teachers-uni...
Teachers union negotiations are underway, and you can watch along - Brookline.News
Negotiations between the School Committee and the Brookline Educators Union will be recorded and shared with the public this year.
brookline.news
January 20, 2026 at 9:35 PM
A 3 a.m. car crash last Tuesday between a Prius and an MBTA vehicle destroyed a sign outside All Saints Parish on Beacon Street. One witness said he saw a vehicle airborne. MBTA police investigated and say no injuries.

brookline.news/car-crash-de...
Car crash destroys sign outside Beacon Street church - Brookline.News
A car crash in the middle of the night last week sent two vehicles flying and destroyed a sign outside a Beacon Street church, according to police.  Just before 3 a.m. on Jan. 13, a 2013 Toyota Prius ...
brookline.news
January 20, 2026 at 8:17 PM