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Christopher Whitaker

@civicwhitaker.com

1.3K followers 1.3K following 800 posts

Civic Technologist | Executive Director, Alliance of Civic Technologists | Army Veteran | Alumni of Code for America, Defense Digital Service and USDS #civictech #chicago Really doesn’t like bullies Signal: civicwhitaker.53

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Christopher Whitaker @civicwhitaker.com · Nov 10

#Introductions

Hi, I'm Christopher Whitaker & I'm a civic technologist w/ a hybrid background as a product manager & bureaucrat. I currently serve as director of the Alliance of Civic Technologists - a network of local #civictech volunteer groups. www.civictechnologists.org

Army vet / #chicago

Home

ACT is a decentralized network of civic tech volunteer organizations.

www.civictechnologists.org

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Helen Kennedy @helenkennedy.bsky.social · 12m

ICE 0 - Frog 1

Danny K @dannykpolitics.bsky.social · 2d

WATCH: ‘Portland Frog’ pepper balled by ICE agents

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darth™️ @darthbluesky.bsky.social · 17m

i am not saying the world has gone completely bonkers but
the world has gone absolutely completely bonkers

Danny K @dannykpolitics.bsky.social · 2d

WATCH: ‘Portland Frog’ pepper balled by ICE agents

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micco caporale @juggaloreporter.bsky.social · 7h

imho the @thetriibe.com is doing some of the best ice coverage in the city

i don't think people outside the industry fully appreciate the scope of what they provide relative to their resources, and i think they should be the first click for non-chicagoans trying to understand chicago right now

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Christopher Whitaker @civicwhitaker.com · 7h

I read this without sound and at first I thought this was the opening to the Chicago Declaration of Independence

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 7h

Johnson: "He has defunded our education system. He has defunded our transportation system. He's firing black women across this country. He's defunding our healthcare system. This president is absolutely out of control... Chicago is going to stand firm in protecting humanity."

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Waldo Jaquith @waldo.net · 7h

www.nextgov.com/people/2025/...

In a list of the Office of Personnel
Management director's priorities for the federal workforce, technology is "number one, two and three."

"We have a real, acute shortage of people who have what I would call very cutting-edge, modern tech skills," said Scott Kupor, director of the government's personnel agency.

A man dressed in a hot dog suit, saying “We’re all trying to find the guy who did this.”

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Christopher Whitaker @civicwhitaker.com · 7h

How many air traffic controllers did DOGE fork over?

MSNBC @msnbc.com · 7h

Delays expected at airports as government shutdown drags on

Christopher Whitaker @civicwhitaker.com · 7h

www.nextgov.com/people/2025/...

a close up of a man with a mustache

Alt: a close up of a man with a mustache laughing his ass off

media.tenor.com

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The TRiiBE @thetriibe.com · 22h

NEW — Some TRiiBE readers, among many others on the internet, have been suggesting that the Chicago police arrest ICE agents for their misconduct.

TRiiBE publisher @morganelisej.thetriibe.com put out this explainer video, breaking down the legality for y’all.

youtube.com/shorts/WDHFe...

Can local police arrest ICE?

YouTube video by The TRiiBE

youtube.com

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Christopher Whitaker @civicwhitaker.com · 8h

The really shitty part is that Gov Pritzker is catching heat from supporters for putting state police at Broadview.

That just led to ICE gassing neighborhoods, shooting at rapid responders, and trying to provoke people where they live.

Governor JB Pritzker @govpritzker.illinois.gov · 10h

I will not back down.

Trump is now calling for the arrest of elected representatives checking his power.

What else is left on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?

Donald Trump Truth Social Post: Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect Ice Officers! Governor Pritzker also.

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Governor JB Pritzker @govpritzker.illinois.gov · 10h

I will not back down.

Trump is now calling for the arrest of elected representatives checking his power.

What else is left on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?

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southpaw @nycsouthpaw.bsky.social · 10h

This South Side Weekly report on the Chicago building raid is well worth reading. Most striking to me are the indications of collusion between federal authorities and the building owner and management to effect a mass eviction at the blighted property. southsideweekly.com/federal-agen...

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Amanda Katz @katzish.bsky.social · 13h

Horrific reporting from the AP on the Myanmar families watching their kids starve to death from Trump and Musk’s aid cuts apnews.com/article/myan...

Starving children screaming for food as US aid cuts unleash devastation and death across Myanmar

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has repeatedly said “no one has died" because of his government’s decision to gut its foreign aid program.

apnews.com

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Marianna Chierici @maryannchierici.bsky.social · 12h

L'altro giorno sul Lago Michigan / sulla riva dove sta Chicago / giravan dei topi di fogna / affamati volevan mangiar...

Christopher Whitaker @civicwhitaker.com · 3d

For those outside of Chicago, these signs are pretty common

Four signs hanging up in a restaurant - The top left says “EVERYONE IS WELCOME HERE * EXPECT ICE * in English. The bottom left is the same message in Spanish. A know your rights card is on the right in both English and Spanish. The food is delicious.

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I'm Margaret! I'm the best! Blah Blah Blah! @vt-vagabond.bsky.social · 21h

There’s a lot in here that deserves a pull quote, but this is the most egregious. I need people to recognize the gravity of the situation here in Chicago;

SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY
Donate

"The ones that are getting out are coming home to no home," Watson said.
According to her, after the raid occurred, building management stole or threw out residents belongings, including visas and important documents.

ICIRR is still trying to determine the identities of all the people detained in the raid. Castro said that the organization usually can do that by following up with family members or loved ones. "In this instance, there was nobody left to work with," she said. The only detainee name they're sure of is that of a person who passed their Venezuelan passport to a neighbor as they were being taken away.

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Nicholas Grossman @nicholasgrossman.bsky.social · 20h

The First Amendment explicitly guarantees:

-the right of the people peaceably to assemble
-to petition the Government for a redress of grievances
-the free exercise of religion
-freedom of speech

If this priest had also been press, ICE would have violated all five 1A freedoms at once.

Kurt @flglchicago.bsky.social · 23h

Here’s video of the incident

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Eric Michael Garcia @ericmgarcia.bsky.social · 22h

I've been banging this drum for the past four months or so: DOGE and Russ Vought broke the appropriations process. What's the point of going through the arduous process of crafting 12 spending bills, clearing them through committee and getting them through two chambers if Trump does rescissions?

Garrett M. Graff @vermontgmg.bsky.social · 1d

If appropriations bills are not seen as enforceable contracts, why should any Member of Congress vote to fund any part of the federal government under Donald Trump? You're voting to provide money for lawlessness. www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/there-is-n...

There is no budget "deal" to be made

President Trump has so broken the constitutional framework as to make joint normal, responsible government impossible.

www.doomsdayscenario.co

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Melanie D’Arrigo @darrigomelanie.bsky.social · 1d

I feel like this photo of masked, armed men pepper spraying a pastor protecting his community is going to be a defining picture of this moment in America for a long, long time.

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Christopher Whitaker @civicwhitaker.com · 1d

If you see a patch below the flag, that person has seen combat with whatever unit they were with at the time. It can feel random to an outsider (Mine is a box with 3 lines for 3rd ID, but there are dozens of possible patches)

Christopher Whitaker @civicwhitaker.com · 1d

If the Illinois National Guard ends up being deployed too, you can tell the difference between TX and IL by their patches

TX = Arrowhead with T
IL = Shield with Abe Lincoln’s head

Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 1d

Texas National Guard arrives in Illinois. They're calling them Meal Team 6.

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Kelsey Atherton @atherton.bsky.social · 1d

this is literally stuff King Charles did, like not only did the American colonists have a revolution to not have this happen, but they did so in the wake of the English revolution, which was about not having stuff like this happen

George Pearkes @peark.es · 1d

Well that's not how appropriations work at all

*WHITE HOUSE TO TRANSFER TARIFF REVENUE TO FUND WIC: LEAVITT

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Anne Caprara @annecaprara.bsky.social · 1d

Chicago is so much of a war zone that we just won best big city for the 9th year in a row.

Governor JB Pritzker @govpritzker.illinois.gov · 1d

BEST BIG CITY IN THE US 9 YEARS IN A ROW.

While critics try to paint Chicago as something to fear, the rest of the world knows the truth — this is the best big city in America.

Best Big City: Chicago Wins Award 9th Year in a Row

Learn why Chicago was voted the Best Big City for the 9th consecutive year by exploring our vibrant culture, welcoming inclusion, and so much more.

www.choosechicago.com

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Preorder Read This When Things Fall Apart @mskellymhayes.bsky.social · 1d

Y'all who keep lecturing protesters to "not give them an excuse" need to pause for a minute. Imagine yourself telling a DV victim, "Be sure not to mouth off or make any mistakes so he won't hit you. Don't give him an excuse! It's what he wants!" That's what you fools sound like.

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Christopher Whitaker @civicwhitaker.com · 1d

I imagine Pritzker saw this coming and tried to head it off by putting ISP at Broadview......only to have ICE agents tear gas a neighborhood and shoot a rapid responder instead.

What worried me is what they'll do to escalate next.

www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...

www.reuters.com

Christopher Whitaker @civicwhitaker.com · 1d

Speculation here, but the reason why they can’t use a pic from 2025 is that *there is no riot* just peaceful protests

ICE agents are the aggressors here

CNN @cnn.com · 1d

"President Donald Trump and his top aides are using the word 'insurrection' more frequently to describe anti-ICE protests in places like Portland," writes Zachary B. Wolf. https://cnn.it/4pWYmzr

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Lizzie O'Leary @lizzieohreally.bsky.social · 1d

This picture is from 1992 in LA and using it in this post and story shows terrible news judgment.

CNN @cnn.com · 1d

"President Donald Trump and his top aides are using the word 'insurrection' more frequently to describe anti-ICE protests in places like Portland," writes Zachary B. Wolf. https://cnn.it/4pWYmzr

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