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Rita L. Portela @westernspinster.bsky.social · 13h

Yes WTF. The term "restorative justice discussion" has been appropriated by privileged people who want to pick fights w other political activists or random people on a purely interpersonal level. It's bully behavior.

Restorative justice for:
Someone left a mess in the bathroom.
Parking spot taken.

Reposted by Rita L. Portela

unraveled @unraveledpress.com · 1d

Seen in Chicago

Handmade label sticker on street pole

The scariest thing this Halloween is ice terrorizing our communities

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Rita L. Portela @westernspinster.bsky.social · 1d

Today someone missed a deadline & I sent them a message about how clearer communication might have saved us some time.

Someone else stepped in & said there was a need for a "restorative justice discussion" & email was not appropriate.

???

Do they want to meet me behind the shed to "discuss" this?

Rita L. Portela @westernspinster.bsky.social · 1d

Instead of uniting to fight a shared enemy, circular firing squad. Every time I hear "restorative justice discussion" it is people screaming at each other or having a fist fight

ALWAYS privileged people attacking the less privileged

What recent political writing popularized this INTERPERSONAL use?

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Rita L. Portela @westernspinster.bsky.social · 1d

It's in political activist circles. Not re: historic injustice. Instead it's interpersonal.

& always means initiating a fight.

Example: the people who called me a wetback, felt that I had done some kind of injustice to them & they wanted me to apologize to them. For... living in the neighborhood?

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Rita L. Portela @westernspinster.bsky.social · 1d

The term "restorative justice discussion" has been taken by privileged people. They say this when they want to yell at someone.

The group that called me a wetback twice & said "go back where you came from"

They kept messaging me, that I needed to initiate a "restorative justice discussion" w them.

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Rita L. Portela @westernspinster.bsky.social · 1d

??

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Rita L. Portela @westernspinster.bsky.social · 1d

Why do these political activist people always want to have "restorative justice discussions" with people they despise?

Real question.

They don't know what they are asking for! Are they trying to get me incarcerated?

Or waiting there with baseball bats and knives?

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Reposted by Rita L. Portela

TheColfaxxx 🐢 @thecolfax.bsky.social · 3d

The opposite of poverty is not wealth. The opposite of poverty is justice. - Bryan Stevenson

Pic of the day

#photography

Loutro Beach on the island of Crete. A small boat with a man in it hovers on top of turquoise water. In the distance, brilliant white stores and homes line the cove. There are no roads to get here. Boat is everything.

#greece
#travel
#sea
#holiday
#crete

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Reposted by Rita L. Portela

John Pfaff @johnpfaff.bsky.social · 2d

To be clear:

LA County has declared a state of emergency BECAUSE OF the federal government.

The Feds, LA County is (correctly) saying, have CAUSED the emergency.

This is a striking political moment of internal collapse. Local govts feeling compelled to protect their ppl from … their own govt.

Los Angeles County declares state of emergency over immigration raids

Los Angeles County officials voted on Tuesday to declare a state of emergency over ongoing federal immigration raids.

abcnews.go.com

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Rita L. Portela @westernspinster.bsky.social · 2d

Me fitting in.

I'm doing my very very best to not let my OG side come out at the upcoming picnic.

Crazy horiffic slate black monster with an extremely elongated head, about ten times the length of a normal human head. No eyes or nose but only large sharp teeth. It is partially bug looking, partly machine, partly humanoid. It is wearing a pink ruffled and lace dress with bows and puffy sleeves and sitting at a tea table with fancy tea set. Wording reads: "Me fitting in"

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Rita L. Portela @westernspinster.bsky.social · 2d

The doctor looked at me with tears in his eyes and said: "You are the healthiest president that I have examined."

Three photos side by side: Left - Obama shirtless on a standing paddle board, smiling broadly with the photo snapped mid action of paddling.; Middle - Trump plump, bulging, red and in wrinkled up golf clothing, looking blank faced into the distance.; Right - Biden, in action on a bike and wearing a helmet and aviator glasses, smiling broadly. Wording reads: The doctor looked at me with tears in his eyes and said: "You are the healthiest president that I have examined."

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Rita L. Portela @westernspinster.bsky.social · 3d

Imagine being bitten by a snake and instead of healing from the poison, you chase the snake to understand why it bit you and prove that you didn't deserve it.

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Rita L. Portela @westernspinster.bsky.social · 3d

Agreed. From helicopter parents to over controlling schools, and government surveillance to excessive beauerocracy, they have never been free and the prefer oppression so much that they impose it on each other when there is even a glimmer of freedom.

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Reposted by Rita L. Portela

Daniel Westreich @epidbydesign.bsky.social · 5d

RIFs at CDC.

Destroying the Epidemic Intelligence Service, NCIRD, NCIPC & a dozen other areas/divisions/branches will cause enormous harm and suffering to America, and indeed to the whole world.

Call your Reps about it.

Then call them again.

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Rita L. Portela @westernspinster.bsky.social · 4d

My impression: This generation are not control freaks, but they expect to be controlled. When they are not controlled they freak out.

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Rita L. Portela @westernspinster.bsky.social · 4d

Maybe he is overreacting to the dialect difference?

Rita L. Portela @westernspinster.bsky.social · 4d

Question for people 22 to 29: Does everyone older seem totally crazy and lawless? Does uncertainty make you very nervous and unsettled? Specifically roles, do undefined roles and undefined hierarchies make you want to exit the situation?

What's going on?

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Rita L. Portela @westernspinster.bsky.social · 4d

This is a very common term. Is English not his first language? Or does he speak a very specific dialect of English & hasn't traveled much?

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Rita L. Portela @westernspinster.bsky.social · 4d

The generation in their early to mid 20s. They appear to expect & WANT things to be tightly controlled, on a moralistic basis. & in an authoritarian roles structure. WHY? Real question.

At that age & my entire life, everything was total chaos & everyone just did the best they could to be kind.

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Rita L. Portela @westernspinster.bsky.social · 5d

Asem Alnabih is the spokesperson for Gaza Municipality, an engineer, and a PhD researcher currently based in Gaza City. He has written for many platforms in both Arabic and English. He has published several academic papers and is actively engaged in efforts to plan and support Gaza's reconstruction.

Round cameo of a man's head and shoulders. The background is an image of olive tree leaves, and a black background. The man is smiling broadly, has vivid blue eyes and tidy short hair and a dark blue button down shirt. Text below the image reads: Asem Alnabih is the spokesperson for Gaza Municipality, an engineer, and a PhD researcher currently based in Gaza City. He has written for many platforms in both Arabic and English. He has published several academic papers and is actively engaged in efforts to plan and support Gaza's reconstruction.

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Rita L. Portela @westernspinster.bsky.social · 5d

youtu.be/Fb_QNey8i9M?...

Palestine Part 2 – The Nakba to Apartheid | Office Hours

YouTube video by Dr. Roy Casagranda

youtu.be

Reposted by Rita L. Portela

Kyle Griffin @kylegriffin1.bsky.social · 5d

A library director in Wyoming who was fired two years ago because she refused to remove books with sexual content and LGBTQ themes from a library's children and young adult sections has just been awarded $700,000 in a settlement. t.co/EA5L1kOZfV

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/09/us/wyoming-library-settlement-book-bans-terri-lesley.html?smtyp=cur&smid=fb-nytimes&fbclid=IwdGRjcANWLXdleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHhlnY6nKj_j4zuP3VjNSstXWBaV1t8-sPQ5C3b_jS6WN...

t.co

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Rita L. Portela @westernspinster.bsky.social · 5d

Livestream poetry from Gaza, Sun., 10/26/25, 11AM-12:30PM PDT, on the reality of life during genocide.

Join us for live-streamed performances + Q&A by 3 incredible poets in/from Gaza who refuse to be silenced: Mariam Mohammed Al-Khatib, Asem Alnabih, & Hala Al-Khatib.

bit.ly/gazapoets

Flier in black, green and red, bold colors and geometric design. There are three headshots, of two women and a man. The wording reads: LIVE-STREAM
POETRY
FROM GAZA
on the reality of life during genocide
Sunday, 10/26/25, 11AM - 12:30PM PDT

Register: https://bit.ly/gazapoets

Sliding scale - All proceeds split evenly between the poets

Headshots are captioned:
Asem Alnabih
Mariam M. Al-Khatib
Hala Al-Khatib

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Reposted by Rita L. Portela

MD or Bust aka Applejuice @appyjumpindaze.bsky.social · 6d

Important information on what to do if you are a bystander to 🧊 kidnapping someone or another event where someone needs help (@tiktokce0)

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