Xander Lenc
@xlenc.bsky.social
Geographer. Writing about prison history, ecology, labor, and capitalism. Go read @oaklandreviewofbooks.org
The goal cannot be to simply restore the Wiemar power structure that led us here.
January 30, 2026 at 11:11 PM
The goal cannot be to simply restore the Wiemar power structure that led us here.
Reposted by Xander Lenc
huge anti ICE demo in Fruitvale Oakland now
January 30, 2026 at 10:35 PM
huge anti ICE demo in Fruitvale Oakland now
Opening day ticket sales for Melania at my local AMC are going great.
January 30, 2026 at 10:36 PM
Opening day ticket sales for Melania at my local AMC are going great.
You know those generic, soulless stories written for standardized tests to test teenagers' ability to recognize symbolism? Most Darren Aronofsky movies are just the cinematic version of that.
January 30, 2026 at 1:00 AM
You know those generic, soulless stories written for standardized tests to test teenagers' ability to recognize symbolism? Most Darren Aronofsky movies are just the cinematic version of that.
Checking in with my comrades in the group chat about whether going to therapy during the general strike counts as scabbing.
January 29, 2026 at 7:00 AM
Checking in with my comrades in the group chat about whether going to therapy during the general strike counts as scabbing.
This makes sense because there is no global demand for electric cars but a very high global demand for household robotics. Definitely not an act of desperation at all.
January 29, 2026 at 2:44 AM
This makes sense because there is no global demand for electric cars but a very high global demand for household robotics. Definitely not an act of desperation at all.
Personal update: my cat still loves sitting in my lap and purring for hours while I work.
January 29, 2026 at 2:37 AM
Personal update: my cat still loves sitting in my lap and purring for hours while I work.
The real power center of the Republican Party isn't in their party anymore: it's the right-wing media ecosystem, which is primarily based in Silicon Valley. If you want to destabilize fascism, reigning in runaway tech corporations matters more than elections.
January 29, 2026 at 1:20 AM
The real power center of the Republican Party isn't in their party anymore: it's the right-wing media ecosystem, which is primarily based in Silicon Valley. If you want to destabilize fascism, reigning in runaway tech corporations matters more than elections.
The new Melania movie was literally directed by a serial rapist who is in the Epstein files, all of this is public record, I feel like I'm losing my mind.
January 29, 2026 at 12:40 AM
The new Melania movie was literally directed by a serial rapist who is in the Epstein files, all of this is public record, I feel like I'm losing my mind.
Thinking about how NYPD responded to the Ferguson uprising after Michael Brown was murdered by adding clips from Road House to their training program. nypost.com/2015/02/24/n...
Exclusive | NYPD using ‘Road House’ movie to teach cops how to ‘be nice’
The NYPD has turned to Patrick Swayze to teach city cops how to behave. Police bosses are using a scene from the 1989 action flick “Road House” as part of the mandatory, three-day retraining course…
nypost.com
January 29, 2026 at 12:31 AM
Thinking about how NYPD responded to the Ferguson uprising after Michael Brown was murdered by adding clips from Road House to their training program. nypost.com/2015/02/24/n...
The official state pokémon of Minnesota.
January 29, 2026 at 12:25 AM
The official state pokémon of Minnesota.
If the entire U.S. congress erupted into a bare-knuckle battle royale, Ilhan Omar would emerge victorious within minutes.
January 28, 2026 at 1:59 AM
If the entire U.S. congress erupted into a bare-knuckle battle royale, Ilhan Omar would emerge victorious within minutes.
Absolutely criminal that Oakland recognizes "Oakland Civic Center" and "Oakland City Center" as two distinct neighborhoods, especially since they are almost (but not quite) right next to one another.
January 27, 2026 at 8:11 AM
Absolutely criminal that Oakland recognizes "Oakland Civic Center" and "Oakland City Center" as two distinct neighborhoods, especially since they are almost (but not quite) right next to one another.
Being a writer/artist is so funny, if you rent a woodland airbnb cabin with your friends once a year you can just give it a name and say you "facilitate the Annual Bonny Doon Salon" on your CV.
January 27, 2026 at 4:08 AM
Being a writer/artist is so funny, if you rent a woodland airbnb cabin with your friends once a year you can just give it a name and say you "facilitate the Annual Bonny Doon Salon" on your CV.
Reposted by Xander Lenc
I don’t think people realize how normal it is in Maine for there to be a street called like “Weed District Road” and everyone who lives there is called something something Weed and also captain Moloch Weed shipwrecked his cod boat there in 1692.
January 27, 2026 at 2:41 AM
I don’t think people realize how normal it is in Maine for there to be a street called like “Weed District Road” and everyone who lives there is called something something Weed and also captain Moloch Weed shipwrecked his cod boat there in 1692.
Congratulations to Greg Bovino on your impending run on Dancing with the Stars.
January 27, 2026 at 12:41 AM
Congratulations to Greg Bovino on your impending run on Dancing with the Stars.
Reposted by Xander Lenc
whats up @xlenc.bsky.social let me write for orb!!!
"It’s a rare and special experience to see a bunch of people in the Bay Area putting this much effort into wearing their clothes." www.oaklandreviewofbooks.org/we-get-there...
We Get There Eventually
It’s a rare and special experience to see a bunch of people in the Bay Area putting this much effort into wearing their clothes.
www.oaklandreviewofbooks.org
January 26, 2026 at 11:23 PM
whats up @xlenc.bsky.social let me write for orb!!!
Reposted by Xander Lenc
If you haven't been following the developments at Amazon Ring as closely as I have the last 7 years and you're wondering how we got to the current headlines that the doorbell cameras are "eyes for ICE" because of their Flock partnerships--read my report about shakeups at the company from last year.
Amazon Ring Cashes in on Techno-Authoritarianism and Mass Surveillance
Ring founder Jamie Siminoff is back at the helm of the surveillance doorbell company, and with him is the surveillance-first-privacy-last approach that made Ring one of the most maligned tech devices....
www.eff.org
January 26, 2026 at 2:44 AM
If you haven't been following the developments at Amazon Ring as closely as I have the last 7 years and you're wondering how we got to the current headlines that the doorbell cameras are "eyes for ICE" because of their Flock partnerships--read my report about shakeups at the company from last year.
Even for conservative Democrats, anything short of abolishing ICE would be absurd at this point. The bureau's public reputation is set for at least a generation. It will be completely impossible to recruit agents who aren't trying to replicate what they're seeing on TV right now, or worse.
January 26, 2026 at 1:38 AM
Even for conservative Democrats, anything short of abolishing ICE would be absurd at this point. The bureau's public reputation is set for at least a generation. It will be completely impossible to recruit agents who aren't trying to replicate what they're seeing on TV right now, or worse.
Reposted by Xander Lenc
Even as liberal an area as Oakland is taking money for information thru this program, as state shields against info-sharing only go so far boltsmag.org/alameda-coun...
This Bay Area County Says It Cut Ties with ICE. This Program Says Otherwise. - Bolts
A widespread data-sharing program highlights financial ties between local police and immigration enforcement—and how even sanctuary jurisdictions still feed “the deportation machine.”
boltsmag.org
January 25, 2026 at 3:39 AM
Even as liberal an area as Oakland is taking money for information thru this program, as state shields against info-sharing only go so far boltsmag.org/alameda-coun...
Californians have permanently lost all remaining excuses for skipping protests over inclement weather.
January 25, 2026 at 3:51 AM
Californians have permanently lost all remaining excuses for skipping protests over inclement weather.
I guarantee you that when they're going to try and give ICE agents legal protected status against employment and housing discrimination like veterans.
January 25, 2026 at 2:55 AM
I guarantee you that when they're going to try and give ICE agents legal protected status against employment and housing discrimination like veterans.
I love the Twin Cities so much. Truly one of the greatest places in the country. Defend them at all costs.
January 24, 2026 at 7:27 AM
I love the Twin Cities so much. Truly one of the greatest places in the country. Defend them at all costs.
Demands for a new Nuremberg seriously lack ambition. The original prosecutions included fewer than 200 defendants, even if you count the post-IMT trials. Only 37 people were executed. Pretty much EVERYONE in the Nazi Party walked, and many remained in power.
January 24, 2026 at 1:38 AM
Demands for a new Nuremberg seriously lack ambition. The original prosecutions included fewer than 200 defendants, even if you count the post-IMT trials. Only 37 people were executed. Pretty much EVERYONE in the Nazi Party walked, and many remained in power.
Aside from setting off fireworks, does anyone actually have a plan for how to respond politically When It Happens?
January 22, 2026 at 12:08 AM
Aside from setting off fireworks, does anyone actually have a plan for how to respond politically When It Happens?