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daniwelch.bsky.social
Dani Welch
@daniwelch.bsky.social
2K followers 2.3K following 1.6K posts
Public defender in NYC, specializing in ending pre-trial detention. #CloseRikers

#UAW Region 9A, Local 2325

Free Palestine 🇵🇸 (and all humans everywhere)

Occasional cat & dog pictures, mostly rage.

pronouns: she/her
Posts Replies Media Videos
daniwelch.bsky.social
AI is an actively harmful, environmentally devastating industry built on theft that produces nothing of value (at least in the LLM form.)

Let AI fail.
Meme image of little girl smiling at the camera while a house burns in the distance. Text reads "I bet you're wondering how we got here."
November 25, 2025 at 4:50 PM
daniwelch.bsky.social
Just because Cuomo lost again doesn't mean we can't insist he make good on certain campaign promises.
NY Post headline "Andrew Cuomo says he ‘will move to Florida’ if Zohran Mamdani becomes NYC mayor" By Carl Campanile and Rich Calder Published July 19, 2025, 3:31 p.m. ET Above the headline, a yellow banner announces that Zohran Mamdani has won the 2025 Mayoral Election.
November 5, 2025 at 4:16 AM
daniwelch.bsky.social
Judges should not set thousands of dollars of bail on people who are arrested for allegedly stealing necessities. (Or anyone, but that's a longer rant.)

I am so angry and so tired of people dying because they are poor and vulnerable.

The societal cruelty we inflict and accept is horrific.
Still from the Disney animated film "Aladdin" that shows the titular character in his classic purple vest ensemble, holding a loaf of bread he has just procured without payment, which was followed by a lengthy chase and eventual escape from a hoarde of guards. He looks somewhere between frustrated and perplexed. The caption reads "all this for a loaf of bread?" -- an unfortunately prescient insight about where capitalism would find us in appx 30 years.
October 27, 2025 at 11:27 PM
daniwelch.bsky.social
Asked to guess the most common 311 complaints, Andrew Cuomo, without hesitation: "Homeless."
David Rose from Schitt's Creek making a thoroughly disgusted face, like decent humans do when Creepy Cuomo talks.
October 17, 2025 at 12:14 AM
daniwelch.bsky.social
On the right, a lovely illustration of a bird. On the left, the words "what the fuck am I looking at" and in smaller, cursive font @effinbirds
June 30, 2025 at 11:58 PM
daniwelch.bsky.social
An NYPD officer with 24 college credits and 5 years of experience makes substantially more than I do as a public defender with 10 years of experience (and 7 years of very expensive higher education).

No wonder @lasattysunited.bsky.social are ready to strike.
An NYPD recruitment banner ad that notes that the starting salary is $60,884 and the salary after 5.5 years is $126,410. The ad notes that new hires are required to complete 24 college credits from an accredited institution.
June 28, 2025 at 2:36 AM
daniwelch.bsky.social
By failing to adequately fund @lasattysunited.bsky.social & other legal service providers, NYC has been saying the same thing as the Trump admin.: civil rights do not matter.

Budgets are moral documents. If NYC values due process and basic freedoms, it's time to pay the people protecting them.
Office windows with multiple handmade signs reading "Ready to strike!!!" and "strike"
June 28, 2025 at 1:52 AM
daniwelch.bsky.social
Cassie is having a very good birthday.
Closeup of a tawny chinook dog (Cassie) who is facing the camera but looking off to the right with her ears back and tongue out. She looks wildly happy, and has clearly just spotted a squirrel. Background is a slightly blurred park. Closeup of a tawny chinook dog (Cassie) in profile, looking up and to the left with hope in her eyes, a smile on her face, tongue slightly hanging out. Blurred trees, grass, blue skies and park paths are in the background, but out of focus. Only Cassie's face deserves focus. If Cassie ever runs for president, this will be the picture on the mailers.
June 22, 2025 at 7:58 PM
daniwelch.bsky.social
Happy 4th Birthday, Cassie!! You are the very best dog.
A tawny chinook dog (Cassie) stands in front of a body of water. Land is visible in the distance, and there is a marina off to the left. It is early evening and overcast, so the sky is cloudy but you can see a hint of a sunset. Cassie is smiling- her ears are perked up and her head is slightly tilted. She is very happy to be at the water with her family.
June 22, 2025 at 1:41 PM
daniwelch.bsky.social
Hey #NYC! Early voting starts TODAY. Go vote! #DontRankCuomo but DO rank 5 candidates!

@5borodefenders.bsky.social recommend @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social, @bradlander.bsky.social, @nycspeakeradams.bsky.social @blakefornyc.bsky.social, and @zellnor.bsky.social!

But please, not Cuomo. Please.
Image with dark blue background with a photo of the statute on the right. A comics-style speech bubble shows the statue of liberty saying "DON'T Rank Cuomo!" At the top, the text says "5 Boro Defenders Recommends Ranking These 5 Candidates For NYC MAYOR." Below, to the left of the statue of liberty, the names and photos of the recommended candidates appear (in a circle, from the top going clockwise:) Zohran Mamdani, Brad Lander, Adrienne Adams, Michael Blake, Zellnor Myrie. There is no numerical ranking. In the bottom left, the 5 Boro Defenders logo appears in another comic book style text box thing. At the very bottom against a red background, white text reads: 5 Boro Defenders (5BD) is an informal collective of public defenders, civil rights attorneys, and advocates fighting for the rights of indigent New Yorkers, and working to end the systemic injustices of the criminal legal system. This recommendation is from the 2025 Mayoral Race Working Group of 5BD and does not represent the opinions of 5BD as a whole. The Working Group reviewed each candidate’s platform, public statements, and responses to questionnaires.
June 14, 2025 at 2:28 PM
daniwelch.bsky.social
"D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser anticipates that the tanks will cause millions of dollars in damage to civilian city streets that were not designed to accommodate tanks, and the repairs are currently expected to come out of the Army’s budget[.]"
Sam the Eagle from the Muppets, thoughtfully touching his beak with a wing/hand and looking perturbed in front of an American flag. Caption reads "Distinctly Unpatriotic." (A line from many places, but mostly Muppet*Vision 3D (RIP))
May 26, 2025 at 2:02 PM
daniwelch.bsky.social
Cassie thinking of new ways to make people smile, probably.

Be like Cassie.
A tawny chinook dog (Cassie) is walking through grass in front of a large tree. Her brown leather leash is trailing behind her. In the background, plants and small white flowers grow around a black metal nyc park fence. Cassie's long pink tongue is curled up to the left (her right) as if in the process of licking her nose. She is perfection itself on this bright spring afternoon.
May 25, 2025 at 2:22 AM
daniwelch.bsky.social
Cassie wishes you a happy birthday.
A tawny chinook dog (Cassie) is sitting on a field, looking up at the camera with eyes full of joy and hope, and a tongue ready to flop out of her giant smile the second the off-screen treat is dropped.
May 25, 2025 at 2:16 AM
daniwelch.bsky.social
Still from "King of the Hill" that shows Dale Gribble holding a cigarette with a mildly disgruntled facial expression. Caption reads "Figure it out, Hank, the state calls its own violence law, but that of the individual, crime."
May 22, 2025 at 3:40 AM
daniwelch.bsky.social
Cassie experiences total exuberance.
A tawny chinook dog (Cassie) is seen mid-jump in a pond. Her back legs are still submerged in the water, her front legs are half-raised, and her tail is wagging. Her ears are back and the joy on her puppy face is very apparent. Ripples circle out from her in the water, and a leafy branch is above her. The edge of the path down to the water is visible in the foreground.
May 11, 2025 at 9:05 PM
daniwelch.bsky.social
Gif of Tree Trunks the elephant from Adventure time. She is wearing a blue beret, and is saying/the caption reads "the police have failed me in my time of need"
May 11, 2025 at 2:31 AM
daniwelch.bsky.social
Earth showing off for Earth Day.
A magnolia tree mostly in bloom with petals scattered on the ground in a large field. Sky in the background is blue with pink and orange clouds.
April 23, 2025 at 12:39 AM
daniwelch.bsky.social
(Fake) post on Truth Social Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY HIGH PRESSURE SHOWERHEADS!! DJT (Mocking his earlier, very real insider trading post on Truth Social.)
April 10, 2025 at 4:06 AM
daniwelch.bsky.social
Alt text
Two posts on X (f/k/a Twitter) from Seung Min Kim (@seungminkim), blue check. First post: HYATTSVILLE, MD. (AP)--A federal judge orders the US to return a Maryland man mistakenly deported to an El Salvador prison. Second post: White House response: "We suggest the judge contact President Bukele because we are unaware of the judge having jurisdiction or authority over the country of El Salvador." --@PressSec 5:48PM 4/4/25 103k views
April 4, 2025 at 11:44 PM
daniwelch.bsky.social
Venmo transaction (fake) showing Michael Waltz paid Pete Hegseth for "👊🇺🇸🍺😜"
March 27, 2025 at 1:55 AM
daniwelch.bsky.social
Venmo transaction (fake) showing Michael Waltz paid Pete Hegseth for "👊🇺🇸🍺😜"
March 27, 2025 at 1:53 AM
daniwelch.bsky.social
Sad that the area I grew up in seems much more overtly racist than when I left it almost 20 years ago.

I am grateful that this would not have been tolerated by other students, parents, faculty, or the administration in my own high school.
Facebook post that has link to a 13newsnow.com article titled "'Racist harassment' incident at Kellam High School prompts letter to families." Below it, a user named MaLani Unique writes (March 14): Since they didn't mention what happen I'll be the one to say it. A group of kids gave a special needs black child a kkk hat and gorilla on his birthday and made him sing and dance like a monkey, gave a black kid chicken and watermelon with racial slur written and taped to it also called my son a chicken eating 🥷 and was told to pick cotton a few weeks ago. It's sad it took for someone to go to the news for this situation to be acknowledged. I received a phone call this morning thinking it was to update me on the matter at hand but instead it was to tell me my son was TARDY to class. Ma'am, thank you, I'll handle my son but you have bigger fish to fry. 🙄😡"
March 16, 2025 at 5:13 PM
daniwelch.bsky.social
The link opens even if you don't have an account, and contains context missing from every single article I could find on it. I've posted a screenshot below with alt text.
Facebook post that has link to a 13newsnow.com article titled "'Racist harassment' incident at Kellam High School prompts letter to families." Below it, a user named MaLani Unique writes (March 14): Since they didn't mention what happen I'll be the one to say it. A group of kids gave a special needs black child a kkk hat and gorilla on his birthday and made him sing and dance like a monkey, gave a black kid chicken and watermelon with racial slur written and taped to it also called my son a chicken eating 🥷 and was told to pick cotton a few weeks ago. It's sad it took for someone to go to the news for this situation to be acknowledged. I received a phone call this morning thinking it was to update me on the matter at hand but instead it was to tell me my son was TARDY to class. Ma'am, thank you, I'll handle my son but you have bigger fish to fry. 🙄😡"
March 16, 2025 at 5:07 PM
daniwelch.bsky.social
Cassie is hard at work, unlike certain senators from NY.

Enjoy the book tour, @schumer.senate.gov!
A tawny chinook dog (Cassie) is reclining on a white sofa with a green blanket draped over it. She appears to be working on a laptop that is open in front of her. A blue and purple dinosaur foot is behind the laptop. Cassie's ears are large and perked up. Her eyes are wide and suggest a drive and purpose to her efforts.
March 15, 2025 at 3:21 PM
daniwelch.bsky.social
Hm.
Graphic from Oregon Trail game. Black background, bright green image of an animal pulling a covered wagon. Text below: YOU HAVE DIED OF DYSENTERY
March 8, 2025 at 10:58 PM