A.J. Withers

APTN National News: May 20, 2025 – Water supply crisis, High benzene levels affect First Nation YouTube video by APTN News

Tonight on APTN National News: Community in northern Quebec declares state of emergency over water supply crisis after a housefire.

Aamjiwnaang First Nation once again asks residents to exercise caution due to high benzene levels from petroleum plants.

Unbelievably angry that this is a real headline I woke up to and nobody with an ounce of power is doing anything to stop this.

Spain blocks more than 65,000 Airbnb holiday rental listings | CBC News Spain's consumer rights ministry said on Monday it had ordered Airbnb to withdraw more than 65,000 listings for holiday rentals from its platform, saying they violated existing rules.

This is great! Barcelona city council also expropriated property from speculators & investors who were leaving it empty during a housing crisis!

www.cbc.ca/news/world/s...

This is one of the best articles I've read in a long time.

Many don't get the underlying eugenics of the far right (beyond COVID). Read this.

Interesting reporting on involuntary treatment but buried the lede big time: The man the involuntary treatment law is named after fled Washington because it was too traumatizing to be forced into treatment, and later died in treatment. Heartbreaking.

I am excited to read this!

‘If I die, I want a loud death’: Gaza photojournalist killed by Israeli airstrike Fatima Hassouna, who had been documenting war in Gaza for 18 months and was subject of new documentary, killed along with 10 members of her family

“If I die, I want a loud death. I don’t want to be just breaking news, or a number in a group, I want a death that the world will hear.”
She was about to get married; a film about her life in Gaza had just been finished.
10 of her family were killed with her.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...

text message screenshot: " Hey Trevor, sorry to bug you man. Rogers CEO is coming to town for UBCM. He'd like to sit down with Ken on the 19th 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM preferably. Between you and I, Rogers would like to increase the presence in BC and within public procurement. They would also like to sponsor events and Oregon initiatives that are important to the mayor. Next text: Hey Trevor, just checking in man hope all is well. Helped me on the Rogers stuff. Hope you're okay.

Came across this text b/w lobbyist Gurpreet Vinning & Mayor Sim's staffer Trevor Ford.

Vinning wanted this kept quiet: Rogers wants to get more government contracts. Were they trying to sweeten the deal by giving money to things Sim cares about? I have questions.

vancouver.ca/files/cov/20...

High voter turn-out, people waiting for hrs to vote and landslide victories for progressive candidates could be read as widespread discontent w/ Van Mayor Sim and the ABC party's anti-poor, carceral agenda

But I saw a kid wearing an "I voted" sticker = evidence it was fixed

Stay the course Ken

hractoronto.net

Support these people. Be engaged. You’ve got 29 days to prevent mass death.

Thanks Catherine. No live stream but there should be a video of a similar talk going up soon.

Meeting this Moment: Building Disability and Trans Justice Amid Rising Authoritarianism - A.J Withers - Punch Up Collective The Research Center on Social Innovation and Transformation (CRITS) is pleased to announce that A.J. Withers (Simon Fraser University) will present a lecture entitled “Meeting this Moment: Building Di...

Hey Ottawa, I will be doing a talk on Wednesday at 6 at Atelier d’innovation sociale Mauril-Bélanger, 95 Clegg Street.

Meeting this Moment: Building Disability and Trans Justice Amid Rising Authoritarianism.

It would be great to see you there!

The tariffs will hurt bad, but Fentanyl is a front. The drug war ain’t about drugs. Never was. It’s always been a proxy fight to attack specific communities. Targets change, but the principal remains the same. It’s theatre, political kayfabe. “Fentanyl Czar” - sounds like a wrestler.

Dean Spade Book Launch: Love in a F*cked-Up World Dean Spade Book Launch Sunday, March 30: 1 pm 312 Main St (Main & Hastings)

Join UBC Centre for Community Engaged Learning and SFU Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies to celebrate the launch of @deanspade.bsky.social's new book, "Love in a F*cked up World."

March 30 | 1 PM | 312 Main St
ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

@ajwithers.bsky.social @sfufass.bsky.social

YouTube video by NowThis Impact What Every Protestor Needs to Know Before Speaking

Well put advice about confronting fascists and the state

This is a venn diagram showing how 69 Trump actions map onto domains covering: undermining democratic institutions; suppressing dissent and media; dismantling social protections; attacking science and education; destabilising the global order. A table version is available here https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1LZN7QnbSyFfUZJG8Sn1MWpK0VnfBtb0OSyZ1jxP3xBk/edit?usp=sharing

🧵"So this is how liberty dies..."

Trump’s first 3 weeks have been a relentless flood of actions. It's incredibly hard to keep up.

I’ve gone through 69 actions & mapped out the pattern - showing how they fall within 5 broad domains consistent with authoritarian states 1/9

The Liberals' new immigration policies are preferred over the Conservative platform by Nazis and white supremacists.

No joke.

Buy. This. Book. 👇🏾
Liberals, open your pro-capitalist wallets

"Their Spirits Live Within Us"

34th Annual Women's Memorial March on Friday Feb 14th

March for public begins at noon at main & hastings

Led by Indigenous Women To Honour the MMIWG2S+

Queer, HIV-Positive, and Running Out of Medication in Gaza A year in Palestine, living in fear of not just genocide — but AIDS.

Last month, @theintercept.com published our investigation about E.S., a young man living w HIV in Gaza, & the terror he faced as his access to AIDS medication was threatened by US-Israeli policy.

Now, TENS of MILLIONS are being similarly threatened by US policy. theintercept.com/2025/01/13/i...

Screen capture of an audio book site showing Disability Politics and theory (Revised and expanded edition) by A.J. Withers

Disability Politics and Theory is out as an audio book now!

I am so excited.

If you listen, please review.

Smudge the cat, who is mostly concerned just with what's going on in his own house.

Folks, I don't intend to post about every single horrible thing that's happening at the moment because I'm not a direct news source and also because my mental health has an upper limit. Don't confuse lack of obsessive news updating for lack of concern or lack of personal action. Also, here's a cat.

FBI Uncovers Al-Qaeda Plot To Just Sit Back And Enjoy Collapse Of United States WASHINGTON—Putting the nation on alert against what it has described as a “highly credible terrorist threat,” the FBI announced today that it has uncovered a plot by members of al-Qaeda to sit back an...

"this plot is already well under way"

In Wyoming, tribal protests prevent land transfer — for now A GOP-led Congress could resuscitate the effort to transfer roughly 2 acres within the Wind River Indian Reservation to a local irrigation district.

In Wyoming, tribal protests prevent land transfer — for now.

Written by @siisiiko.bsky.social

grist.org/indigenous/i...

#Wyoming #Tribe #Indigenous #Climate

A notecard with the prompt, "What is something that was important to you that was taken in a sweep? How did it impact you?" The handwritten statement below says, "My momma’s ashes were displayed on my table in my tent. I came back one day — and EVERYTHING was gone, including her ashes. They were clearly labled ‘In loving memory — my mom, my best friend…’ and her name. Her ashes were all that I had left of her. No one stored my stuff. I called tons of places and NO ONE knew anything. It is very difficult for me still, everyday. No warning, no remorse, nothing."

A notecard with the prompt, "What is something that was important to you that was taken in a sweep? How did it impact you?" The handwritten statement below says, “It’s hard to narrow my list down. One particularly devastating (for me) sweep took EVERYTHING I owned at the time I was gone from my spot for a couple nights. Save for my wallet, ID, and the clothes on my back, I had not brought anything with me. Unaware of the sweep, I returned to find my tent, my cot, all my clothing, several files with important document, literally everything; all of it, gone.”

A notecard with the prompt, "What is something that was important to you that was taken in a sweep? How did it impact you?" The handwritten statement below says, “Lost my clothes tents more than once all my personal items i.e. pictures family photos and kids birth certificates and it really sucked how they did it and bulldozed everything I owned litterally bulldozed it.”

A notecard with the prompt, "What is something that was important to you that was taken in a sweep? How did it impact you?" The handwritten statement below says, “Winter bedding & personal memorabilia pictures, things that can’t be replaced. One winter in the middle of the night they came and took bedding only now they mess with us every day now I try to keep it to a backpack and cart try to.”

People who experienced homeless encampment sweeps in Washington state and Tennessee wrote about the impact it had on their lives.

Our team @propublica.org added these to our page featuring stories from people across the country: projects.propublica.org/impact-of-ho...

*Topic: Access Through Information: FOI Best Practices in a Disability Justice Context
Who: Meg Linton, Carleton University
When: Mar 18, 2025 12:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
REGISTER HERE: us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...