CJ Fenton
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cjfenton.bsky.social
CJ Fenton
@cjfenton.bsky.social
Chicago Dweller.
Reposted by CJ Fenton
I have a note: journalists shouldn’t post AI slop in a time of national crisis
January 10, 2026 at 4:19 PM
The knowledge of basic civics on this platform is atrocious.
January 5, 2026 at 4:12 AM
It makes me sad whenever I see that the Reader has been struggling financially because they’ve been one of the few outlets to actually criticize the current mayor from a progressive POV.

In contrast, The Triibe has been behaving as if they work as MBJ’s PR shop.
draconian to the point of absurdity - essentially making it so difficult to even attempt at establishing stability with the aim of making people just give up and flee in the face that one mistake returns them to incarceration.
December 30, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Old Twitter had “main characters”.

Bluesky has black holes that ingest all the oxygen on this site.
i don't know why this site can't operate without an insane annoying guy everyone can always yell at but that's just how they coded it i guess
December 27, 2025 at 8:39 PM
Considering his inability to filter himself from saying stupid stuff is what cost him the runoff in 2023, this is actually probably in everyone’s best interest.
Fun fact, speaking of how Vallas loves to talk:

Per Vallas' author page on the Chicago Tribune's website, he's written 23 opinion pieces for the Trib just since the start of this year, and 70 since he lost the mayoral election in April 2023.
Paul Vallas — the perennial candidate who normally loves to talk — has no comment on this one www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/18/j...
December 18, 2025 at 9:43 PM
👀
There was a bald eagle in Humboldt Park today.
December 10, 2025 at 3:12 AM
The big question is what will the post-Johnson left look like in this city?
It’s hard to explain the massive damage the Brandon Johnson administration has done to Chicago’s left wing coalition of organizers but this is a really good starting point.
Well that’s easy: all of the conspiracists and right wing wackos are right, UWF is primarily a front for CTU and SEIU and now that they got what they wanted/are at each others’ throats they’ve decided that even pretending to do what their mission is isn’t worth it
December 7, 2025 at 1:15 AM
I've actually seen some local teachers arguing that classroom tech is necessary so that kids know how to use iPads for state tests, and no, that is not, in fact true.
This was just sent to me by an LAUSD parent. A 4th grader was assigned to design a book cover for Pippi Longstocking using Adobe for Education. Here is what the AI tool generated:
December 6, 2025 at 4:20 PM
For all the lamenting about the lack of plowed sidewalks, it’s REALLY bad in the suburbs today.
December 3, 2025 at 5:25 PM
I don’t know how to break this to people outside Chicago, but Johnson has a sub-20% approval rating and helped start a completely unnecessary feud between the Teachers Union and the SEIU.

If you want to unite the working class, you might want to look elsewhere…
October 20, 2025 at 6:04 PM
I keep thinking of how much I missed The Freeze every time I see that ad.
the thing about the vanilla pro ad is that everyone likes ice cream cones and a world where everyone is carrying a vanilla ice cream cone is super pleasant
October 13, 2025 at 3:18 PM
Absolutely shameless.
Eleven of 21 CPS board members sent a letter to the interim CEO, saying a pension payment and loan must be in this year’s budget. They were not in the CEO’s budget released Wednesday.
CPS board rebuffs budget plan from school district leaders
Eleven of 21 board members sent a letter to the interim CEO, saying a pension payment and loan must be in this year’s budget. They were not in the CEO’s budget released Wednesday.
buff.ly
August 14, 2025 at 7:38 PM
Pretty good summary of last week’s ILGA meeting re: CPS.

skywriter.blue/pages/did:pl...
Page by Illinois Families for Public Schools | @ilfps.bsky.social
We'll be liveskeeting this hearing. The video feed is up in the hearing room (House Bilandic) but nothing has started yet ilga.gov
skywriter.blue
August 2, 2025 at 6:18 PM
Ok, but that’s not unique to Meta though…

Google is the worst offender here.
metaverse was the biggest flop in modern tech history, and the clumsy AI in Instagram and Facebook feels utterly pointless and duct-taped to the side of the product, offering nothing that's actually useful or interesting or improves anything

but no matter!
July 8, 2025 at 12:52 PM
This is the way.
Anyway I encourage everybody to be cringe as fuck, it's cleansing
June 14, 2025 at 9:17 PM
Cubs at home, Pope thing at Sox Park, massive protest, Puerto Rican fest, soccer double header…
Extremely good vibes out today.
June 14, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Extremely good vibes out today.
June 14, 2025 at 8:11 PM
I know the solutions and causes are certainly up for debate, but I’m glad we’re at least finally putting the spotlight on this issue. The closure moratoriums have had their own consequences.
June 14, 2025 at 1:59 PM
How is it possible that our “educator” mayor’s board couldn’t find a leader who wasn’t drowning in controversy?
June 12, 2025 at 2:15 AM
Ironically enough, having children was a major point of de-radicalization for me.
The rise of doomers, preppers, and antinatalists on the Left reveals something deeper than the hollow posture of rebellion: a collapse of belief in tomorrow.

A Left that chants “No future” isn’t just demoralized — it’s unserious, misanthropic, and bound to lose.
The Fatal Flaws of the Futureless Left
The rise of doomers, preppers, and antinatalists on the Left reveals something deeper than the hollow posture of rebellion: a collapse of belief in tomorrow. A Left that chants “No future” isn’t just demoralized — it’s unserious, misanthropic, and bound to lose.
jacobin.com
June 8, 2025 at 10:41 PM
Brandon Johnson, a man who was hand-picked by Davis-Gates and CTU, has had full control of the school board for the last two years and failed to acquire money for the district.

Sorry, but this is on you. Take some accountability.
The Chicago Teachers Union is threatening to sue the Chicago Board of Education over budget plans proposed by outgoing schools chief Pedro Martinez that it says constitute unfair labor practices and violations of the recently ratified contract.
CTU threatens to sue over proposed CPS budget cuts
The Chicago Teachers Union is threatening to sue the Chicago Board of Education over budget plans it says constitute unfair labor practices and violations of the new teachers’ contract.
www.chicagotribune.com
June 4, 2025 at 7:14 PM
Well, SOME good news came out of the legislative session…
wbez.org WBEZ @wbez.org · Jun 2
With lawmakers scrambling to pass a state budget and agonizing over the future of mass transit, the Bears’ team of lobbyists was left on the Capitol sideline in their push for a bill that would potentially pave the way to a dome in Arlington Heights. www.wbez.org/politics/202...
Bears blocked from stadium help again as legislative clock runs out
Three bills surfaced in the Illinois General Assembly that could’ve thrown the team a block in their rush to the former Arlington International Racecourse, but none made headway by the time lawmakers ...
www.wbez.org
June 2, 2025 at 2:38 PM
And this is why I never got into prediction markets.
Picking Underwood, FWIW.
May 27, 2025 at 7:48 PM
This is really cool.
Meet Chicago Public Schools’ only competitive bass fishing team: blockclubchi.co/3HbND2h
May 27, 2025 at 7:46 PM
This seems like the stupidest possible solution to the problem at hand.

That said, these “trends” keep resulting in teenagers getting shot so just pretending it’s just “kids hanging out” isn’t helpful.
In a 10-7 vote this afternoon, the “snap curfew ordinance” passed out of committee.

The Chicago City Council is set to vote on it tomorrow.
The Chicago City Council’s Committee on Public Safety is meeting right now.

Here’s the link to watch: www.chicityclerk.com/committee-pu...
May 22, 2025 at 1:03 AM