Aside:

but seriously, if you want to know about prison abolition, I am NOT your person, as it is NOT my area of expertise, so I urge you to seek out information & learn more about the harms of carceral "justice".

Yes, we do need ways to deal with people who cause harm in our communities, but prisons are NOT it.

Maybe look through the books in the Firestorm catalog. They carry some real bangers.

https://firestorm.coop/catalog/section/67-police-prison-abolition.html

Sure, I have specific fears for my individual future, but the thing we've feared is happening *now*.

This is not a future prediction about what may happen "if we continue down this path."

They are dehumanizing, kidnapping, abusing, & killing people *now*. It's fucking happening.

"First they came for..." etc.

Don't let anyone tell you this is normal or fine. Don't let anyone gaslight you. They're torturing detainees *right now*.

And of course, if people think we're being "overly dramatic" about things now, a lot of them would keep saying that to us *while we're being dragged away to a concentration camp by government thugs*.

It's a pretense, a cover. It's not normal. Nothing is normal. Now is a good time to be *appropriately dramatic* about real things that are really happening right now.

It feels so fucking melodramatic to be like "oh, the fascists may soon be throwing people like me in death camps". It's really annoying that this is NOT melodrama but real life.

Given what's happening now, I do actually have reason to be quite concerned.

But again, it feels silly almost. I think that feeling of absurdity is one of the weapons of the enemy. It's hard to accept dire situations because we are accustomed to thinking "it could be worse".

Hey, let's all promise each other right now that no matter what, we will not just settle down & accept these concentration camps.

I've got a couple facets of my identity that could make me a target myself before long, so I won't be forgetting about them, but collectively let's agree that this will never be something we quietly accept or choose to ignore.

I mean, once we've gotten through some of this bullshit, we're going to need to talk about prison abolition & restorative justice, because, y'all, prisons are all torture. It's not fucking okay.

But let's start with putting our foot down against the concentration camps.

It's fucking obscene what's happening right now, what ICE is getting away with. It's terrorism.

The other day, Apollo went & spoke to some people who had been recently released from detention in the Whipple Building, & it's abuse & torture happening in there.

His face is *definitely* in their database by now, because they record everyone, but I have no particular reason to think Apollo would be singled out. He has been more involved in the "helping people" side of things & less the stuff that would make it likely for them to want to terrorize or injure him, unlike some other people who have been targets of harassment & violence.

But what slim comfort that is! Oh good, if he gets hurt it will be a random act of violence instead of a premeditated one!

Some ICE agents did wander around the alley behind his house recently. They walked right past his garage. Also walked across his lawn. Didn't seem to be a specific threat to him or anything but there are just groups of masked gunmen traipsing around through people's yards. Normal stuff.

Brother has heard reports that ICE agents in Minneapolis have started drawing guns on random cars driving by, whether they are observers or just...people in cars going about their day.

(please do note: this is possibly third-hand information. While that fucking lines up with *everything* we know about ICE & their behavior, I am NOT telling you he saw it himself).

@violetmadder
Oh, my god. That's obscene. Well, I guess brutality is a way of life, not a job.

Part of the fascist project there literally is to cause *economic devastation*.

They destroy & steal things. They injure people, requiring them to get medical care. Many people will have long-term disabilities related to injuries received. They interrupt the lives of workers & the operations of businesses.

What Trump wants is to *crush* Minnesota. It's not going as planned. He's not getting what he thought he would out of this. But it's still brutal.

This is what they want for all of us. They literally want to trample anyone who doesn't fawn over them under their feet.

Let's continue to help & strengthen one another. Hard days are ahead.

But Minnesota isn't giving up, & neither are we.

And since ICE still isn't out of Minneapolis, Apollo asked me to share this site with y'all. If you are looking to help the folks in Minnesota, here are some ways you can.

https://www.standwithminnesota.com/

#ICEout #Minneapolis #MutualAid

ICE still ain't out of Minneapolis.

Dems are worthless.

We all see the fascist violence in the streets.

We will not be able to vote it out.

Ok, neurodivergent friends, does having to sit/stand upright in public impact your energy calculation for, say, a night out with friends?

When I am tired, I tend to melt into a puddle, & it's kind of stressful knowing that if I'm out at a restaurant, I'm going to have to continue to sit properly & upright no matter how tired I get.

Is this just me?

@mivox @alienghic @futurebird
I would say it is more like they are excluded from humanity entirely.

Many conservatives call those who are politically opposed to them "demons," & they mean it literally.

I wanna see a world where everyone is taken care of & no one is subjected to authoritarian control.

I think that's the only possible future. It's that or there is no future.

We're in a giant prison. You & me, buddy? We're busting out.

It doesn't matter if you are in this country or if you speak the same language or anything, my liberation & yours are bound together. Free people can free people.

At this point I'm pretty convinced either we all fight for liberation together *globally* or none of us will ever see freedom.

There is one struggle, one fight, & you & I are both in it.