Thrive in solidarity

be the “first piece of news that indicates this whole unbearable moment is about to unravel” you want to see in the world

"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed."

Tax flight is a lie. Time and time again, a faction of wealthy people and businesses threaten that the wealthy will relocate en masse if taxes on the wealthy increase to fund services for the populace, and time and time again, they don't.

Why would they move to a worse place to live?

🧵 Today’s news: Proton turned over payment info for a Stop Cop City account. Not good — it's state repression in action.

Controversial opinion: We don't think this means all activists should abandon Proton for docs/email.

It depends on your threat model. Let's explore.

(Long thread incoming 👇)

New Preschool for All Data Challenges Idea That Wealthy People Are Fleeing County In the years since 2021, when Multnomah County began collecting its Preschool for All tax, much has been made about the effect the program may be having on county income demographics. County data from...

The county has limited data about who’s paying its Preschool for All tax, which only went into effect in 2021. Still, some seized on a 14% dip in high-income filers between 2021 and ‘22 to suggest the tax drove wealthy ppl away. New data complicates that narrative.

I was afraid you were going to say that, lol. A friend of mine told me that hosting your own email server is a bad idea as well. So I guess we’re just in for more of that sweet state surveillance.

What alternative do you suggest? I just started transitioning away from Gmail and Google in general, and I had chosen proton. Apparently because I didn’t research well…

Happy Kristi Noem Getting Fired Day!
🥳🎉🎈🎊🍾

There is an overwhelming amount of smart, interesting, & brave people in Portland.

Our greatest resource for sure.

Well, at least that’s a positive. Kotek is really destroying herself by aligning with the rich and big tech. Then realizing how bad her choices were and reversing. I really hope she doesn’t try to run again!

We’re with you! Thank you for your care and drive to make things better.

Seconded!

The mayor’s office has gone real silent after Wilson told ice officers to quit their jobs and leave Portland. You’d think, if they were willing to make that kind of statement, they would, you know, do something. Or at least continue to talk. But no.

All the same “it didn’t happen of it wasn’t reported. We’ll just call it something else” sweeping of inhumane treatment under the rug.

Exits 🤮. The corporate language of dehumanization. Especially potent when used to obscure doing something awful to someone. Wilson just putting another corporate spin on bad stuff. Reminds me of big tech and I hate it. Cities are not tech firms! Of course tech firms shouldn’t be run that way either…

“We Belong to Each Other Now”: Lessons from Minneapolis “This extreme closeness, togetherness and intimacy — you cannot infiltrate your way into a space where you'll understand that," says May, a rapid responder in Minneapolis.

After months of relentless rapid response in Minneapolis, members of Defend the 612 had a moment to breathe and reflect on the lessons they’ve learned, the grief they carry, and the citywide fellowship they hope will endure. The crisis is not over, and I’m grateful they made time to speak with me.

Not enough folks understand the importance and sacredness of things like jail support and court support. Hospital visits. Even birthday parties.

There are many ways we show up for each other, and that's how we build community.

Meta will ruin its smart glasses by being Meta Meta’s bad reputation isn’t helping its ambitions for AI glasses.

“When you put powerful tools into the hands of jerks, you can’t just say, “Well, we told them to behave responsibly.” (For the record, that is what Meta’s smart glasses privacy policy amounts to.)”

@vicmsong.bsky.social is dead-on: www.theverge.com/column/88174...

How are the “this vs that” chosen here? I don’t feel like these are even close to binary choices. Not to mention that how it is done is paramount to understanding the choice. Garbage poll.

I’d really like to see us stand up to the data centers. They’re a cancer on our world. Not sure how exactly, but I’m here for it!

Simpsons “so far” meme where Bart says “this is the least farm land there has ever been”. Homer corrects him saying “this is the most farm land there will ever be”.

You’d think the many years spent on this temporary shelter system and the testimony of the people who run the systems saying it doesn’t work very well would lead to some rethinking. But, you would be so very wrong. The future is the dumbest place.

Focusing on the show instead of a process that could actually get results… not good praxis. Also, all that work without figuring out that city council cannot actually do what they ask? I understand they don’t want that to be the case. But, uh, it is.

I would guess it’s because she’s the loudest councilor. She’s very good at social media and has some non traditional takes, which makes her voice carry. Not to dismiss all the “she’s young and brown” comments, those are definitely part of it too. It’s all so dumb. She’s a hero. Recognize and respect

We are seeing the largest migration of liberals to leftists I’ve ever witnessed by a long shot. I think it’s super important that we give each other grace during this transition time. We need the biggest tent organizing we’ve ever done. Let’s not split ourselves up over labels and tactics please.

Maybe once ice has been abolished and the great concentration warehouses are emptied, we can do this with them.

When I first started working and realized almost no one uses calculus, I was very disappointed. Young me wondered why no one uses “real math”, just algebra derived from it. Got to say, it’s very satisfying to finally get something out of the real math. Too bad big tech killed my job / invention.

Tech jobs are not just in the bay (as you know). You can do the same thing in other places and you’ll be happier. Take it from someone who was able to escape and stay in tech.

I had to leave the bay for similar reasons. It was many years ago, no AI in sight. Can’t imagine how it is now. Do yourself a favor and go somewhere else. My mental health really improved after the move. Good luck!

I see myself in this picture and I hate it. I recently found an application to use calculus in my job for the first time in my 18 year career. It felt good. But rusty…