LightNews LightNews
banner
shrub34.bsky.social
@shrub34.bsky.social
160 followers 230 following 67 posts
On here now. I cycle and sew, also help at Adepticon.
She/they
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
shrub34.bsky.social
shrub34.bsky.social @shrub34.bsky.social · Feb 21
I have decided that I am blocking anyone whose main posting page is mainly reposts, especially without any extra commentary.

I'm guessing they are bots.
Reposted
juliusgoat.bsky.social
Epstein redactions aren't believable, and they are valuable to fascists specifically because they aren't believable.

Fascists prefer lies to truth. Believing in a lie is preferable to believing a truth, if what you want is to dominate.

Believing lies dominates truth. So they believe lies.
December 21, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Reposted
skatunenetwork.bsky.social
HI INTERNET
hate that I need to do this, but calling in my community to help me out!

Square freezing my account and holding my funds was the straw that broke the camels back, tbh. Here’s An incredibly long block of text, but all provides transparency and context behind this
Screenshot of gofund me featuring a picture of the JER band and text reading “help JER cover tour debt & expenses to keep touring in 2026” Hi, my name is JER and I’m calling in my community for help right now. For some background, I am an artist who releases music under my name, JER. In addition to that, I have a YouTube channel called skatune network, where I cover songs in the style of ska. For 9 years, I’ve been doing the YouTube thing, but for the past 5 years, my passion truly lies with the art that i create through the JER project and JER band. It’s been a privilege and honor to see the support of 2 full length records and 104 live shows over this time, and I’m deeply grateful for everybody who has been showing love and support to my craft! Anybody who follows me knows that touring is volatile and expensive. So many factors can make or break a tour financially, and it’s easy for expenses and debt to snowball to a point where it’s near impossible to catch up / continue. That was 2025 for me. With the expecting of a handful of shows, I didn’t really play any shows from spring 2024 to fall of 2025. I got off the road and dedicated the back half of 2024 to working to pay down tour debt. I began 2025 with minimal debt and recorded a record, the record being Death of the Heart. I made a financial plan for the year, which included keeping costs on our first March weekend. The additional cost was going to cover half of the bands flights to Japan, while I was already going to be out there AND all of our expenses in Japan were already covered. At the end of that March weekend, however, I was hit with the news that my merch fulfillment store had accumulated several thousand dollars of debt. All the money we made that weekend immediately went toward paying a portion of that debt off. This left me back home with more debt, and having to work my real life jobs to re-save to fly a portion of my band to Japan for our shows The spring is my slowest time of year, since most of my work is in the summer and fall. It took until the summer for me to save the money to book the flights. Our June tour was a breakeven, but the money we made from merch at shows was immediately taken to cover the online fulfillment debt I didn’t even know existed until March. This put me in a position where every dollar I made from my 5 jobs all summer went toward covering the costs of the last tour, and the next tour booked would start before I could pay off the last. This cycle is why we had to drop off our shows leading into fest. The money that was supposed to rent the van and book the flights instead went toward a previous tour debt. This cycle has culminated to where I’m at now. As of now, Square has frozen my account and is withholding all the merch money I made from my last few December shows. There is *still* a remaining debt on the merch fulfillment that isn’t fully paid down, and every tour has been in the red because of this lingering debt. I’m at a position where I have a lot of cool tours booked for 2026, but I am at a point where I can’t even afford to start the tour. Vans need to be rented. Flights need to be booked. Merch needs to be made. These are all costs that I don’t have, and I can’t afford to go on the road with this much debt again. It would be a huge bummer to drop off some very cool tours, but it’s just not feasible for me to make happen THATS WHERE I’M ASKING FOR Y’ALLS HELP! Between every skatune network page, I have over 1.2 million followers. If less than 1/10th of a % of my following sent me a dollar, I’d be able to cover every expense lost from square locking my merch money, AND the debt lingering over the skatune store. I hate feeling that I’m in a position where I need to ask for this. I’ve been trying my best and working non-stop for over a year. I’ve been applying to jobs all year beyond my current work, and while I’m making enough to do everything I appreciate the love and support deeply. The JER band is the most special project I’ve been a part of and had. The message of this band is so deeply important to me and I hope I can lean into my community to help make this possible. If you ever wanted to say thank you for the thousands of videos, hundreds of covers, all the entertainment, this is the way to do it! I’ve set the gofundme up for 10k. Believe it or not, my debt is higher than that right now, but that will pay off every debt lingering, cover the loss in merch money, pay down remaining tour expenses from this year, and set me up to get on the road next year! And lastly, if you purchased merch from us this past weekend and used a card, expect a refund. I’m also going to honor system this and try to build some sort of forum to contact everybody. Square refuses to release all of our card transactions and is suggesting we refund it all. I know everybody we sold merch to doesn’t follow me. Some saw us for the first time at these shows. Some don’t use social media. I just have to accept that I may be out of some merch money this weekend. Thank you all so much. I appreciate you all 🫶🏾
December 20, 2025 at 7:47 PM
Reposted
djbyrnes1.bsky.social
Greg Bovino may have moved on to Charlotte, but federal immigration agents maintain a presence in the Chicago area.

Northwest Side Rapid Response has confirmed agents detained at least one person around 9:45 this morning off Kedzie and Wabansia.
Northwest Side Rapid Response confirming a detention off Kedzie and Wabansia around 9:45 a.m. on 11/18. Link to page: https://www.instagram.com/p/DRNGKdmEeLL/?img_index=2 Northwest Side Rapid Response confirming a detention off Kedzie and Wabansia around 9:45 a.m. on 11/18. Link to page: https://www.instagram.com/p/DRNGKdmEeLL/?img_index=2
November 18, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Reposted
femnthembikechi.bsky.social
join us for a ride & bonfire ❤️‍🔥
Bike rides and bonfires on the southside? Nothing more we could want for that end of Fall vibe. ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥 We will be hosting an 8 mile ride to a bonfire at the point. Meet up at Ping Tom Memorial Park at 6:00pm, we roll at 6:30pm. Bonfire at Promontory will start around 7:30 PM. ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥 We recommend grabbing food in Chinatown before 6:30 so you have enough time to eat before we get rolling! Bring weenies, brews, and all your favorite snacks (salsa🌶️) for this one. And don’t forget your lights!!! ✨ ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥 We roll at 10-12mph & stick together. Our rides welcome all forms of micromobility! We’d love to see you roll up on e-bikes, cruisers, cargo bikes full of children & pets, trikes, scooters, other PEVs. 🪵🪵🪵 Come hang out and enjoy a cozy seat by the fire at 7:30 PM. We’ll have supplies for S’mores. Bring your own chair or blanket and any snacks, drinks or refreshments you’d like to share! ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥 This meetup is a safe, inclusive space for trans, enby, and queer folx to gather, connect, and have fun in the city. Safe spaces are created actively, not passively, through collective action. Be a part of creating a safe space and protecting others by holding this trans intentional space. That includes no tolerance for hate, misgendering, or any behavior that harms another. This is a gender diverse, queer space that is unwavering in the conviction that Black Trans Lives Matter. 🏳️‍🌈⚧🏳️‍⚧️ We encourage the community to take care of one another! Watch out for your queer fam! Say hello to your neighbor. This is event is hosted in a private space and we reserve the right to deny entry to anyone who does not uphold our community agreements.
November 10, 2025 at 10:28 PM
Reposted
femnthembikechi.bsky.social
join us on saturday, november 8th❣️
Saturday, November 8th 🍂🍁🍃 •meet at the Bike Box at Boxville @ 1:00 pm 🚲📦 •roll (start riding) @ 2:00 pm 📣 •ride 8 miles •to Wild Blossom Meadery & Winery 🍷🐝🍯 please bring your coziest sweater, sunscreen, snacks, bike locks, & lots of water 🔒 we roll at 10-12 mph & stick together 🚴🏼‍♀️🚴🏻‍♂️🚴🏻 Our rides welcome all forms of micromobility! We’d love to see you roll up on e-bikes, cruisers, cargo bikes full of children & pets, trikes, scooters, or other PEVs. 🛴🛼
November 4, 2025 at 12:15 AM
Reposted
mclean.bsky.social
Just got this action alert, I think from @betterstreetschicago.org

Sign a witness slip immediately for the transit funding bill. Info in alt text

mbl.ms/mKgZnW7m-BQ
🚨 Transit funding bill SB2111 has been assigned to committee and we need folks to file witness slips as PROPONENT immediately! How to submit a witness slip: 1. Follow the link and fill out your contact information 3. Under "firm/business" put "self" (or your workplace if authorized) 4. Under "representation" put "self" again 5. Under "position" choose subject matter "SB2111" and "proponent" 6. Under "testimony" choose "record of appearance only" 7. Then agree to the terms and click "Submit" https://mbl.ms/mKgZnW7m-BQ
October 30, 2025 at 10:39 PM
Reposted
kevjs1982.uk
Need someone to create a cycle shed that looks like a car...
Cartoon of a range rover cycle storage concept - a person lifting the car up to store their bike securely
October 21, 2025 at 7:57 PM
shrub34.bsky.social
Easy block list of US government accounts.
eva.computer eva (^_^)/ @eva.computer · Oct 17
white house has joined bluesky
click here to block all official us government accounts instantly

bsky.app/profile/did:...
October 17, 2025 at 11:03 PM
Reposted
4nikkolas.bsky.social
after millions of views and shares of my Portland Frog art. (thank you all🙏🏾) I got requests to highlight priests, and chickens, and Chicagoans, and T-Rexes, and more… all of us who refuse to bend the knee. so this is for US.
𝚂𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚃𝚊𝚕𝚕.
𝚆𝚎 𝚆𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚆𝚒𝚗.
October 10, 2025 at 9:11 PM
Reposted
peoplesfabric.com
This is from a video on X, showing inside the Broadview ICE facility when Noem was in town on Fri.

For context, she's in the central room with 15 workstations setup to process detained individuals, whether they were arrested by immigration enforcement or at protests.

See the orange triangles?
Kristi Noem inside the ICE facility at 1930 Beach St. in Broadview, IL. She is standing near a white man, smiling at a desk with a computer monitor and printer. Behind her is a cell door with a man looking out a narrow slit window. Next to him, three or four other men are seen through a larger window in the cell. Behind the white man are two upside down "demo bags" taped up over the windows to another cell.
October 7, 2025 at 6:57 PM
Reposted
katmabu.bsky.social
ICE has erected a gate to keep protesters out. They are blocking a public street, despite the Broadview Fire Department ordering ICE to tear it down.

Join us at 1930 Beach Street. 7-9 AM. Tell Broadview to tear this fence down.
September 26, 2025 at 10:39 AM
Reposted
nwchifiets.bsky.social
Call your representatives and tell them to oppose this.
House Republicans have added a provision to the State Department reauthorization bill, Sec. 226 of H.R. 5300, that will give the Secretary of State new unchecked power to revoke passports from U.S. citizens for any speech or beliefs they oppose.
September 16, 2025 at 11:31 AM
shrub34.bsky.social
Chicago buildings can be pretty at night.
Downtown Chicago at night. The main colors of the buildings going left to right are white, purple, purple white and blue
September 11, 2025 at 6:43 PM
Reposted
ravingpenguin.bsky.social
Hey, wanna know something neat about this wording? It not only bans care for trans individuals but is also blocks birth control and other similar medications or services.
ericmgarcia.bsky.social Eric Michael Garcia @ericmgarcia.bsky.social · Sep 8
NEWS: House Appropriations Committee Republicans released their spending bill for Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies. The legislation would prohibit taxpayer dollars for any type of gender-affirming care for transgender people. This would include programs like Medicaid
SEC. 243. None of the funds made available by this Act may be used to implement, administer, or enforce Executive Order 13988, entitled ‘‘Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation’’, published by the Executive Office of the President on January 25, 2021 (86 Fed. Reg. 7023). SEC. 244. None of the funds made available by this Act may be used for any social, psychological, behavioral,or medical intervention performed for the purposes of in16 tentionally changing the body of an individual (including by disrupting the body’s development, inhibiting its natural functions, or modifying its appearance) to no longer correspond to the individual’s biological sex.
September 9, 2025 at 9:44 PM
Reposted
bikegridnow.org
Jamapalooza is back! Join us for the fall equinox celebration and Chicagohenge on Wednesday, September 24th, for our biggest ride of the year as we descend on and then ride around downtown.

Not on a bus? Meet us at the Picasso statue at 6pm!

See you at the Jam.
September 9, 2025 at 4:41 PM
Reposted
bikegridnow.org
Join us for a marshal training at Union Park! Come out on Tuesday, September 9th and we’ll teach you how to lead a group ride, cork, and de-escalate safely with drivers.

📍 Union Park (NE corner of Ashland/Washington)
⏰ Tuesday, September 9th from 6-8pm
September 4, 2025 at 12:51 PM
Reposted
sherrycdrom.bsky.social
today is BANDCAMP FRIDAY. if you don't know what Bandcamp Friday is, it's basically a day where you are supposed to send sherry five dollars. i hope you all celebrate this lovely day with me.
September 5, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Reposted
skatunenetwork.bsky.social
IT’S BANDCAMP FRIDAY!!!!
IT’S BANDCAMP FRIDAY!!!!
IT’S BANDCAMP FRIDAY!!!!
IT’S BANDCAMP FRIDAY!!!!
IT’S BANDCAMP FRIDAY!!!!
IT’S BANDCAMP FRIDAY!!!!
IT’S BANDCAMP FRIDAY!!!!
IT’S BANDCAMP FRIDAY!!!!

Order Death of the Heart Vinyl, CD, and digital through bandcamp!
jerska.bandcamp.com
September 5, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Reposted
femnthembikechi.bsky.social
Calling on all Chicago bikers! A beloved member of the Chicago bike community (and a Femmes + Thems core organizer) took a spill at Critical Mass on Friday and was badly injured. Because both of their arms are broken, they are not able to do most self care tasks, let alone work.
A flyer with a purple and pink background. Large white and pink text at the top reads: “CALLING ALL CHICAGO BIKERS! HELP US SUPPORT A FEMMES N THEMS CORE ORGANIZER.” Smaller white text on the left says: “Our beloved Femmes & Thems member Haley broke both of their arms on one of their favorite group rides. We ask the community to come together to support them in their recovery. Direct funds sent to Haley’s venmo are the most helpful. You can find it here:” Below, in large white and pink text: “@HSTORM78934” At the bottom left, smaller text: “@FEMNTHEMBIKECHI” On the right side of the flyer, there is a photo of a person smiling while holding a decorated bicycle with bright purple lights. They are wearing a knit hat, glasses, a white t-shirt, patterned pants, and a backpack, standing in front of a black iron fence.
September 1, 2025 at 7:09 PM
shrub34.bsky.social
When non-car drivers say cars make cities loud, Bike the Drive on this stretch of Lake Shore Drive really helps point it out.

Normally it is hard to hear others announcing passes on the trail due to the cars on this highway.
August 31, 2025 at 7:12 PM
shrub34.bsky.social
This is why I fear driving. Because others are not paying attention to a high risk activity.
derek.bike spruce van tree @derek.bike · Aug 31
here’s a version where the POV is blacked out whenever the driver takes their eyes off the road
August 31, 2025 at 12:17 PM
Reposted
jessiegender.bsky.social
I’m going to make this a video at some point but I’m saying this here and being done because it’s honestly just angering and scaring and frustrating me.
The reason I’ve been so critical of people praising the likes of Gavin Newsom and saying things like, “you may not like him but we need him in the fight,” or applauding his redistricting of California as a tit-for-tat move against GOP redistricting, is that fundamentally they are ignoring the core problem here: this is just justifying a further slide into an authoritarian state. I want to be clear, because people don’t seem to understand me when I say this—I think Gavin Newsom’s response to the GOP redistricting Texas to disenfranchise Democratic voters and give themselves more representatives, by doing the same in California to disenfranchise GOP voters and give Democrats more representatives, is the correct response within the system. Yes, if Democrats want to win, this is what they have to do. They shouldn’t be playing by rules the GOP clearly ignores. Again, this is the only response that makes sense within the rules of the game. But the problem with everyday Americans’ response—cheering on Newsom and saying we need to get behind him uncritically—shows how much people empathize with power over themselves. At the end of the day, this is the American system further entrenching and normalizing authoritarian power. Even if Democrats were to win using these tactics in 2028—which is preferable to a GOP win, yes—they will not willingly give up this newly normalized power dynamic. More voters will have been disenfranchised. Long term, we’re left with a system even less democratic, with few—if any—levers within it to push back. Worse still, so many are cheering on the idea of having strongman leaders like Newsom. People literally make Trump-like memes of him carrying an American flag. This “we need our own strongman to fight Trump and kick him in the balls” is the same cult of personality that entrenches the Trumpian mindset within establishment Democrats who think they’re being progressive, while actually backing further disenfranchisement of middle- and lower-class Americans—people already struggling under late-stage capitalism. And people like Newsom—or other Democratic leaders establishment liberals rally behind, like Pete Buttigieg—are perfectly willing to throw trans people or the homeless under the bus if it plays well to a mythical centrist base. So while people pat themselves on the back for voting for a gay man or supporting a Democrat like Newsom who “punches Trump where it hurts,” they’re ignoring not only their own further disenfranchisement, but also the additional attacks and harm directed toward even more marginalized groups like trans people and the homeless. I say all of this because one day people will have to reckon with this reality—that the American system will continue to justify making itself more authoritarian under the logic of, “that’s just how we have to fight the fascists.” That’s the only choice it offers us within its limits. But we do have other options. People are just too scared, or too enmeshed in the political system, to recognize them or admit what needs to be done. We need to fundamentally change how we do politics. I’m not saying you need to pick up a gun and start a revolution against the American state. But I am saying you need to stop focusing solely on electoral politics or trying to pass laws within this system to get what you need. Build up your communities. Find ways to provide food, educational resources, childcare, and other essentials locally. Organize for community defense. Join a union or a collective. These are tangible actions, better uses of your time than canvassing for a political campaign, asking people to vote, or arguing with Republicans online. The path we’re on—pouring our energy into stanning Newsom or treating electoral politics as the only way to “win”—is deeply dangerous. It limits our imagination and leads us further into authoritarianism. And eventually, we will have to face that fact—whether it’s in 2028, 2032, or 2036. No matter what, we will have to confront that fundamental problem. The reason I’m so adamant about recognizing it now is that the longer we wait, the more people will be hurt. As a trans person, I’m already on the chopping block—discarded by both sides of the same system of power. I see how people like me face a very real chance of being imprisoned, killed, or worse before society wakes up to this problem. And I’m not the only one. To paraphrase the poem: “They came for the trans people, and I did nothing, for I was not trans.” What scares me most is that when I try to explain all of this, I am the one vilified. Trans people like me are told—not just by Republicans who openly hate us, but by Democrats—that we need to shut up and get behind “our guy” with “our guy” always being politicians who are more willing to publicly sit down with the likes of Charlie Kirk than to platform or even talk to a trans person. That’s how the system fuels resentment and dehumanization of marginalized people like me—because I’m unwilling to comply. I become the problem, the issue, the person to ostracize, the one accused of helping the fascists. At the end of the day, I’m not here to say Gavin Newsom is wrong to redistrict in response to Trump and the GOP. That is how Democrats can and should win power, and within the system, it’s what they should be doing. That’s not my criticism. My point isn’t to Newsom—it’s to you. Because while redistricting may be a short-term solution, it doesn’t solve the deeper problem. It delays it. It accelerates it. And you will eventually have to face it. I would much rather we face it clear-eyed now. Because doing so not only gives me, as a trans person, a greater chance of survival, but it also means that if you recognize the problem now, I’m still here with you—still able to fight alongside you. Because as the poem warns, one day they will come for you. And by then, there may not be anyone left beside you to fight.
August 21, 2025 at 1:08 AM
Reposted
biknmusicmama.bsky.social
Drivers run over people in parking lots all the time, but it’s “private property” and therefore if you die this way you aren’t counted in any official road statistics and no one studies the problem
mrose.ink Meredith Rose @mrose.ink · Aug 19
Ok folks: what is your favorite fact that you share with people (maybe a bit too) eagerly?
August 19, 2025 at 11:29 AM
Reposted
blockclubchi.bsky.social
There's a high risk for West Nile Virus after 3 cases were reported in Chicago, health department said. blockclubchi.co/3JkopQ9
August 13, 2025 at 7:00 PM