Sirus Bouchat
@bouchat.bsky.social
🏴🏳️⚧️
Former(!) Northwestern polisci faculty, current and forever researcher, teacher, and student of authoritarianism, research methods and knowledge creation
Find me at necessaryevil.co or read my writing at https://necessary-evil.ghost.io
Former(!) Northwestern polisci faculty, current and forever researcher, teacher, and student of authoritarianism, research methods and knowledge creation
Find me at necessaryevil.co or read my writing at https://necessary-evil.ghost.io
Reposted by Sirus Bouchat
2017: Officer shoots teen in the back of their shoulder
June 2021: Shooting ruled unjustified
Sept. 2021: Top cop disagrees
Nov. 2021: Police Board president orders full hearing
2019-24: 4 lawsuits naming officer settled for $590K
June 2025: Officer promoted to sergeant
Nov. 2025: Charges dropped
June 2021: Shooting ruled unjustified
Sept. 2021: Top cop disagrees
Nov. 2021: Police Board president orders full hearing
2019-24: 4 lawsuits naming officer settled for $590K
June 2025: Officer promoted to sergeant
Nov. 2025: Charges dropped
The Chicago police officer who shot a 16-year-old in September 2017 in what investigators ruled was an unjustified use of deadly force will not be fired, according to documents obtained by WTTW News. https://to.wttw.com/48nbt6g
CPD Officer Who Shot Teen in 2017 Won’t Be Fired — But Was Promoted After Costing Taxpayers $590K
Since the shooting, Chicago taxpayers have paid $591,500 to resolve four lawsuits that allege the officer, who was promoted in June 2025, violated the rights of other Chicagoans, according to an analy...
to.wttw.com
December 8, 2025 at 3:07 PM
2017: Officer shoots teen in the back of their shoulder
June 2021: Shooting ruled unjustified
Sept. 2021: Top cop disagrees
Nov. 2021: Police Board president orders full hearing
2019-24: 4 lawsuits naming officer settled for $590K
June 2025: Officer promoted to sergeant
Nov. 2025: Charges dropped
June 2021: Shooting ruled unjustified
Sept. 2021: Top cop disagrees
Nov. 2021: Police Board president orders full hearing
2019-24: 4 lawsuits naming officer settled for $590K
June 2025: Officer promoted to sergeant
Nov. 2025: Charges dropped
I don't think we can describe what's happening as a true "boycott" of Spotify, and it's telling how much emphasis is on offering people "easy" alternatives in Apple Music, Tidal, etc. that *aren't any better* ethically, but ALSO 1/
Spotify deserves all the hate its getting and more.
The boycott is a good start, but really we need to build a movement for legislation that ends surveillance capitalism as a business model.
The work is just beginning
www.vice.com/en/article/w...
The boycott is a good start, but really we need to build a movement for legislation that ends surveillance capitalism as a business model.
The work is just beginning
www.vice.com/en/article/w...
Wrapped or Whacked? Activist Organizations Call for Spotify Boycott During Annual Data Reveal
Activists are calling for a boycott following Spotify Wrapped 2025, launching campaigns to spread awareness of AI, ICE ads, and investments.
www.vice.com
December 6, 2025 at 5:23 PM
I don't think we can describe what's happening as a true "boycott" of Spotify, and it's telling how much emphasis is on offering people "easy" alternatives in Apple Music, Tidal, etc. that *aren't any better* ethically, but ALSO 1/
Reposted by Sirus Bouchat
the thing about online queer discourse is unless you dig into things it's hard to tell if someone is speaking from a place of nuance and decades of lived experience or whether you're reading the untested absolutes of the most 15-year-old alive
December 5, 2025 at 5:35 PM
the thing about online queer discourse is unless you dig into things it's hard to tell if someone is speaking from a place of nuance and decades of lived experience or whether you're reading the untested absolutes of the most 15-year-old alive
Reposted by Sirus Bouchat
every trans person i see post about the OU suspension knows that the suspended target is trans & a grad student, & has an innate awareness that this is about purging trans employees. every cis person i see thinks the target is a rando professor & that this is about giving conservatives good grades
December 1, 2025 at 12:04 AM
every trans person i see post about the OU suspension knows that the suspended target is trans & a grad student, & has an innate awareness that this is about purging trans employees. every cis person i see thinks the target is a rando professor & that this is about giving conservatives good grades
Reposted by Sirus Bouchat
The problem with fetishizing the rule of law is that people have to break the law to resist fascism, state violence, and oppression. This has always been true, and is very much the case RIGHT NOW.
November 29, 2025 at 1:44 AM
The problem with fetishizing the rule of law is that people have to break the law to resist fascism, state violence, and oppression. This has always been true, and is very much the case RIGHT NOW.
Reposted by Sirus Bouchat
I feel like the fractures we are seeing in the MAGA coalition have some people hoping the status quo will simply make a roaring comeback, and judicial consequences will simply engulf all of the bad guys. There's really no precedent that supports that expectation.
November 29, 2025 at 1:55 AM
I feel like the fractures we are seeing in the MAGA coalition have some people hoping the status quo will simply make a roaring comeback, and judicial consequences will simply engulf all of the bad guys. There's really no precedent that supports that expectation.
If I hadn't already resigned, I would do it for this. I can't even call it embarrassing because this institution has no shame; I can't call it disappointing because they're not worthy of expectations; I can't call it cowardly because they never had the constitution for bravery.
BREAKING: Northwestern University has agreed to pay the U.S. Treasury $75 million, over the course of three years as part of an agreement with the federal government to restore funding and end investigations into the university
Full statement from NU below:
Full statement from NU below:
November 29, 2025 at 1:49 AM
If I hadn't already resigned, I would do it for this. I can't even call it embarrassing because this institution has no shame; I can't call it disappointing because they're not worthy of expectations; I can't call it cowardly because they never had the constitution for bravery.
Reposted by Sirus Bouchat
in this agreement, NU formally says it will define "sports, locker rooms, and showering facilities" by sex assigned at birth.
November 29, 2025 at 12:47 AM
in this agreement, NU formally says it will define "sports, locker rooms, and showering facilities" by sex assigned at birth.
Reposted by Sirus Bouchat
there were a couple weeks where i tried Perplexity to see if AI search engines were any good.
They aren't.
If you disagree let me make something clear: I am better at searching than you.
They aren't.
If you disagree let me make something clear: I am better at searching than you.
one of the coolest things about ChatGPT is how you can actually just never use it. you can fill your whole entire life with simply not once using it. it's incredible.
November 26, 2025 at 1:12 AM
there were a couple weeks where i tried Perplexity to see if AI search engines were any good.
They aren't.
If you disagree let me make something clear: I am better at searching than you.
They aren't.
If you disagree let me make something clear: I am better at searching than you.
Reposted by Sirus Bouchat
Texas Governor Declares Muslim Civil Rights Group a ‘Terrorist Organization’
By J. David Goodman
Gov. Abbott said the state could take steps to shut down the Council on American-Islamic Relations. The group said the declaration had no basis in fact or law.
@jdavidgoodman.bsky.social Gift link!
By J. David Goodman
Gov. Abbott said the state could take steps to shut down the Council on American-Islamic Relations. The group said the declaration had no basis in fact or law.
@jdavidgoodman.bsky.social Gift link!
Texas Governor Declares Muslim Civil Rights Group a ‘Terrorist Organization’
www.nytimes.com
November 18, 2025 at 10:17 PM
Texas Governor Declares Muslim Civil Rights Group a ‘Terrorist Organization’
By J. David Goodman
Gov. Abbott said the state could take steps to shut down the Council on American-Islamic Relations. The group said the declaration had no basis in fact or law.
@jdavidgoodman.bsky.social Gift link!
By J. David Goodman
Gov. Abbott said the state could take steps to shut down the Council on American-Islamic Relations. The group said the declaration had no basis in fact or law.
@jdavidgoodman.bsky.social Gift link!
Reposted by Sirus Bouchat
NEW: The Trump administration’s slickly produced videos of an immigration raid at a Chicago apartment building in September showed federal agents rappelling from a helicopter and banging down doors.
These are the stories of the people who were inside.
These are the stories of the people who were inside.
What the Trump Administration’s Videos From a Chicago Immigration Raid Don’t Show
Detained and deported Venezuelans tell their stories of what happened when immigration agents raided their apartment building.
www.propublica.org
November 17, 2025 at 2:00 PM
NEW: The Trump administration’s slickly produced videos of an immigration raid at a Chicago apartment building in September showed federal agents rappelling from a helicopter and banging down doors.
These are the stories of the people who were inside.
These are the stories of the people who were inside.
Reposted by Sirus Bouchat
I get why it happens but goddamn do I wish anything could hit as hard on the timeline as something that sucks that everyone hates written by or about the worst person you know. I wish something good or interesting was able to get anywhere near the traction some shit that sucks does.
November 17, 2025 at 5:39 PM
I get why it happens but goddamn do I wish anything could hit as hard on the timeline as something that sucks that everyone hates written by or about the worst person you know. I wish something good or interesting was able to get anywhere near the traction some shit that sucks does.
Reposted by Sirus Bouchat
ADDITIONAL STORY TODAY: What the Trump administration’s videos from the midnight Chicago raid *didn’t* show:
www.propublica.org/article/chic...
www.propublica.org/article/chic...
November 17, 2025 at 2:21 PM
ADDITIONAL STORY TODAY: What the Trump administration’s videos from the midnight Chicago raid *didn’t* show:
www.propublica.org/article/chic...
www.propublica.org/article/chic...
Sources say the $$$ I had to pay to change my name was also a waste, btw truthout.org/articles/dep...
“Department of War” Name Change, Which Isn’t Even Official, Will Cost $2 Billion
The move prioritizes “political theater over responsible governance,” a group of Democrats said in a statement.
truthout.org
November 16, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Sources say the $$$ I had to pay to change my name was also a waste, btw truthout.org/articles/dep...
Reposted by Sirus Bouchat
Trump’s move to label “Antifa” a domestic terrorist group—despite no legal framework for such a designation—has sparked imitation abroad. Far-right leaders in Hungary, Poland, and the Netherlands are adopting similar rhetoric to criminalize opposition.
Read more:
Read more:
How the International Far Right is Getting on Board With Trump’s Antifa Terrorist Designation
Trump’s baseless “Antifa” terrorist designation has sparked a global echo, with Hungary, Poland, and the Netherlands moving to replicate it. The coordinated effort reframes dissent as terrorism—part o...
globalextremism.org
November 15, 2025 at 7:28 PM
Trump’s move to label “Antifa” a domestic terrorist group—despite no legal framework for such a designation—has sparked imitation abroad. Far-right leaders in Hungary, Poland, and the Netherlands are adopting similar rhetoric to criminalize opposition.
Read more:
Read more:
Reposted by Sirus Bouchat
A nice obituary for Alice, who was going to be recognized as one of The Post 50.
I hate that we now have to live without this phenomenal woman.
#GiftLink
wapo.st/49WOdx1
I hate that we now have to live without this phenomenal woman.
#GiftLink
wapo.st/49WOdx1
Alice Wong, disability rights advocate and wordsmith, dies at 51
Alice Wong, a transformational leader for disability rights and justice, who founded the Disability Visibility project to magnify disabled culture, died Nov. 14.
wapo.st
November 16, 2025 at 12:22 AM
A nice obituary for Alice, who was going to be recognized as one of The Post 50.
I hate that we now have to live without this phenomenal woman.
#GiftLink
wapo.st/49WOdx1
I hate that we now have to live without this phenomenal woman.
#GiftLink
wapo.st/49WOdx1
Reposted by Sirus Bouchat
Agents rappelled from a Black Hawk helicopter in a massive show of force. Authorities said Tren de Aragua “terrorists” had taken over the building.
But after the cameras were gone, federal prosecutors did not charge anyone.
With @frontlinepbs.bsky.social & @blockclubchi.bsky.social
But after the cameras were gone, federal prosecutors did not charge anyone.
With @frontlinepbs.bsky.social & @blockclubchi.bsky.social
“I Lost Everything”: Venezuelans Were Rounded Up in a Dramatic Midnight Raid but Never Charged With a Crime
Authorities said Tren de Aragua “terrorists” had taken over the building. A ProPublica investigation found little evidence to back up the government’s claims. For the first time, the Venezuelans arres...
www.propublica.org
November 16, 2025 at 2:00 AM
Agents rappelled from a Black Hawk helicopter in a massive show of force. Authorities said Tren de Aragua “terrorists” had taken over the building.
But after the cameras were gone, federal prosecutors did not charge anyone.
With @frontlinepbs.bsky.social & @blockclubchi.bsky.social
But after the cameras were gone, federal prosecutors did not charge anyone.
With @frontlinepbs.bsky.social & @blockclubchi.bsky.social
I've been watching so many of my neighbors answer the call to protect our communities from ICE, and even though they're now supposedly winding down, I can't stop thinking about the pathway to action...
November 16, 2025 at 2:57 AM
I've been watching so many of my neighbors answer the call to protect our communities from ICE, and even though they're now supposedly winding down, I can't stop thinking about the pathway to action...
Reposted by Sirus Bouchat
Former UVA president Jim Ryan, who resigned over the summer due to pressure from the Trump Administration, just shared this 12-page letter with the Faculty Senate, detailing his experience with the Board of Visitors and DOJ.
It's a surreal--and troubling--read.
drive.google.com/file/d/1Is6x...
It's a surreal--and troubling--read.
drive.google.com/file/d/1Is6x...
November 14, 2025 at 2:15 PM
Former UVA president Jim Ryan, who resigned over the summer due to pressure from the Trump Administration, just shared this 12-page letter with the Faculty Senate, detailing his experience with the Board of Visitors and DOJ.
It's a surreal--and troubling--read.
drive.google.com/file/d/1Is6x...
It's a surreal--and troubling--read.
drive.google.com/file/d/1Is6x...
Reposted by Sirus Bouchat
When I’ve talked to people who do really advanced math, they’ve basically crossed back into the humanities through high-level abstraction and do not sound like these freaks at all because it’s not simply the aesthetic of competence for them.
November 12, 2025 at 3:08 AM
When I’ve talked to people who do really advanced math, they’ve basically crossed back into the humanities through high-level abstraction and do not sound like these freaks at all because it’s not simply the aesthetic of competence for them.
Reposted by Sirus Bouchat
A statement from Wired's Conde Union Members
November 6, 2025 at 8:19 PM
A statement from Wired's Conde Union Members
Reposted by Sirus Bouchat
NEW: ICE is planning to build a shadow deportation network in Texas. A proposal outlines a 24/7 transport operation run by armed contractors—turning Texas into the logistical backbone of an industrialized deportation machine.
My latest @wired.com: www.wired.com/story/ice-is...
My latest @wired.com: www.wired.com/story/ice-is...
October 30, 2025 at 4:52 PM
NEW: ICE is planning to build a shadow deportation network in Texas. A proposal outlines a 24/7 transport operation run by armed contractors—turning Texas into the logistical backbone of an industrialized deportation machine.
My latest @wired.com: www.wired.com/story/ice-is...
My latest @wired.com: www.wired.com/story/ice-is...
Reposted by Sirus Bouchat
Mutual aid groups, food banks, etc are about to be under even more pressure in the US.
Post your local one's donation link here, and if you're seeing this, and you can spare a few bucks, pick one two to give to.
Post your local one's donation link here, and if you're seeing this, and you can spare a few bucks, pick one two to give to.
October 28, 2025 at 4:37 PM
Mutual aid groups, food banks, etc are about to be under even more pressure in the US.
Post your local one's donation link here, and if you're seeing this, and you can spare a few bucks, pick one two to give to.
Post your local one's donation link here, and if you're seeing this, and you can spare a few bucks, pick one two to give to.
I've declared tab bankruptcy an unprecedented 6 times already this month (this from a person who consistently has 4 browsers open, >140 tabs in each, tab snooze and Workona working at all times). And I can't be the only one.
October 30, 2025 at 1:43 PM
I've declared tab bankruptcy an unprecedented 6 times already this month (this from a person who consistently has 4 browsers open, >140 tabs in each, tab snooze and Workona working at all times). And I can't be the only one.