jim recht

2 days until MA hearing on #S791 🌳 Support nature prescriptions in MA! Submit your testimony, tell your senator, and join us live, Wednesday 10/8 @ 10:30 am! #HERO4S791 #NatureHeals

📧 Email Testimony to:
jointcmte-financialservices@malegislature.gov

Bill details: malegislature.gov/Bills/194/S791

some early morning good news: the Somerville for Palestine organizers and canvassers worked hard to get a divestment question on the local ballot, and it’s going to happen.

We are there!!

You scream, we all scream!! We have a weekly standout at the bridge from East Boston coming into Winthrop every Saturday! If you can’t join Brian and you’re closer to the Northshore, join us! Lots a music and cowbells!

Who wants to scream at kidnappers with me tomorrow???? Join me in Plymouth, Ma at PCCF from 3pm - 4pm . Bring a sign & buy an ice cream to help
Support @aclum.bsky.social
@journeyled1.bsky.social
@emilylkay.bsky.social
@21kelly.bsky.social
@nicholehiltz.bsky.social
@bostonbrian.com

Donate to Help Mellona Find Safety in Canada, organized by Eritrean Community Center Boston Mellona Takie Areaya is a 28-year-old Eritrean woman from Barentu… Eritrean Community Center Boston needs your support for Help Mellona Find Safety in Canada

gofund.me/fcaedac1 please consider making a donation - thanks!

The March Towards Justice | September 29th "Moral Mondays Go South" September 29th, 2025 - As immoral policies continue to plague the most vulnerable in the nation, clergy and people of moral conscience gather in Montgomery, AL and…

vimeo.com/1122282276
March Toward Justice with Rev. William Barber III

"Anti-Semitism" my ass. Wrong-headed legislators in Massachusetts are attempting the same crap. Let's organize to stop them!

Unfortunately, despite heavy opposition from educators and the public, AB715 passed the legislature, but we can still ask Newsom to veto it:

win.newmode.net/caircaliforn...

You can also keep in mind Scott Wiener's support for academic censorship next time he's on your ballot.

Opinion Guest Essay/California Democrats are Fighting Trump's Battle for Him/August 15, 2025 5:01 a.m. ET

The irony is that many Democrats pushing this bill - such as Assemblymen Rick Chavez Zbur and Jesse Gabriel and State Senator Scott Weiner - have been vocal opponents of Mr. Trump, Mr. DeSantis and Mr. Abbot because of their attacks on free speech and protest. Yet here they are, advancing legislation that comes straight from the same political playbook. They should know better. California should reject this bill, and Democrats across the country should take note.

I was the only Jewish appointee to resign from the Biden administration over the U.S. government's continued support for Israel's war in Gaza. I did it because I believe dissent is a democratic duty, not a liability. But in my home state of California, Democratic leaders are pushing a bill that would make dissent harder, riskier and in some cases punishable. Assembly Bill 715 is framed as a measure to combat an "antisemitic learning environment." In reality, it imports one of the most troubling censorship tactics from the Trump era into a deep-blue state. Democrats are the ones leading the charge. What constitutes antisemitism? A.B. 715 would require California's K-12 public schools to adopt a definition that largely falls in line with the one developed by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. On its face, this might seem like a common sense measure to fight prejudice. But the alliance's definition goes far beyond identifying antisemitic tropes or hate crimes. It includes political speech critical of Israel -- such as calling it an apartheid state or advocating Palestinian rights -- as potential examples of antisemitism, too.

A.B. 715 endangers those students' rights, along with those of their school's teachers, administrators and staff. Under its provisions, a history teacher who touches on Palestinian perspectives could be accused of promoting antisemitism. A student who calls Israel an apartheid state -- a position shared by many mainstream human rights groups including Amnesty International -- could be reported for discriminatory behavior. Even Jewish students who speak out against the war could be targeted by people eager to call any criticism of Israel an act of hate.

"California Democrats are Fighting Trump's Battle for Him"
Lily Greenberg Call (@LGreenbergCall), the first known Jewish appointee to publicly resign over Biden’s support for Israel during its ongoing war on Gaza. OpEd on #AB715 CA's Censorship bill backed by the Democratic Party Supermajority

This definitely doesn't look fake!

Donate to Support a Somerville Household of Immigrants impacted by ICE, organized by Jo Elliott We are a community group supporting individuals in Somerville … Jo Elliott needs your support for Support a Somerville Household of Immigrants impacted by ICE

gofund.me/c1264db61
a real opportunity to engage in mutual aid ❤️

Donate to Support a Somerville Household of Immigrants impacted by ICE, organized by Josephine Johnson We are a community group supporting individuals in Somerville… Josephine Johnson needs your support for Support a Somerville Household of Immigrants impacted by ICE

gofundme for four of the people abducted by ICE in East Somerville this weekend: gofund.me/8d1b7e782

I will not link to it. I just want to reiterate that thousands of books have been banned by the right. And American Dirt sold millions of copies.

Somervillian here legally stayed to talk with Ice and was taken anyway, state and local officials say (updated) - Cambridge Day A federal agent is heard on video saying a man “fit exactly the description of the problem we’re here to address” before taking him away. A protest is planned for Saturday night at the hotel where age...

For the past 53 hours we have been trying to identify the man who was racially-profiled and abducted by ICE agents in East Somerville this past Saturday — his family and co-workers have now come forward to identify him as Magdaleno Pineda Avelar. More here: www.cambridgeday.com/2025/09/20/s...

Second wave of ICE presence in this neighborhood in four days. Somerville pals, please be on the lookout.

(I’ll be copying/folding another batch of @meganpiont.bsky.social ‘s “How to report ICE” zines tonight, neighbors lmk if you want some)

Masked agents take two from East Somerville, say state and local officials Home | News # Masked agents take two from East Somerville, say state and local officials By Marc Levy Monday, September 15, 2025 Social media A masked agent is shown in East Somerville on Monday after taking a resident. An East Somerville resident was taken Monday morning by federal agents, with its aftermath captured on video by another resident, state representative Mike Connolly said on social media. The Wisconsin Avenue abduction was confirmed by the city of Somerville, and by Ward 1 city councilor Matt McLaughlin, who said it was the second abduction within hours out of the neighborhood Another resident had been taken at around midnight from a nearby street, McLaughlin said. “Masked and menacing Homeland Security agents abducted one of my East Somerville constituents,” said Connolly, whose 26th Middlesex district also covers East Cambridge. He shared a video taken of masked agents in at least four unmarked SUVs interacting with residents after removing a man from his home. The City Council on Thursday passed a resolution filed by JT Scott, who represents Ward 2, seeking to ban the wearing of masks by federal agents and to force them to provide identification upon request. The Wisconsin Avenue resident was taken while he was doing his laundry, residents said. A masked man wearing a vest that labeled him as police said agents were there to arrest people “breaking the law.” Connolly said he was “in touch with colleagues at all levels of government as we work to gather more information.” > This morning, masked and menacing Homeland Security agents abducted one of my East Somerville constituents. Thankfully another constituent captured this video to document the presumed kidnapping. I’m in touch with colleagues at all levels of government as we work to gather more information. > > — Mike Connolly (@mikeconnollyma.bsky.social) 2025-09-15T19:31:46.156Z Less was known about the the midnight abduction described by McLaughlin. Neither Connolly nor the city was able to say with certainty how many Somerville residents have been caught up in aggressive Donald Trump administration federal deportation actions against immigrants and international visitors. Likely the first was Tufts University graduate student Rümeysa Öztürk was snatched from her street March 25. A spokesperson for Somerville said the city, once alerted to an abduction, connects remaining family members with legal help and worked to support them, but that following when residents were taken was “getting increasingly challenging.” On Monday, city staff identified the abducted man by piecing together information from multiple community members, and “lawyers from an area nonprofit have readied a habeas corpus petition for the individual as soon as a family member accepts that support,” said Denise Taylor, a city spokesperson. In any such instance, “city and school staff including the City’s Office of Immigrant Affairs are surging assistance to family members of detainees as they seek to find their loved ones, access legal support and pick up the pieces in the devastating wake of the loss of a parent, provider or loved one,” the spokesperson said, but “swift identification of detainees is critical in filing habeas corpus petitions to keep them in Massachusetts near loved ones and to protect their due process rights.” News releases from a website of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency don’t report actions locally since July 18. For Cambridge, there have been no news releases or statements since May 12. East Somerville has a strong immigrant community – three-quarters of businesses there are immigrant-owned, McLaughlin has said. He warned in February that residents of East Somerville were already being pushed into “hiding” by the federal government, and that there was “a real fear amongst both undocumented and naturalized American immigrants who are afraid of being mistaken for being undocumented.” A message was left Monday with McLaughlin for updated information. * * * East Somerville, immigration, politics

Fucking #ICE abducted two people in East #SomervilleMA this morning. I'm getting scared for my neighbors. Thanks to @cambridgeday for reporting on it.

https://www.cambridgeday.com/2025/09/15/masked-agents-take-two-from-east-somerville-say-state-and-local-officials/

Virtual ICE Bystander Training · Mobilize Bystander training for an Immigration and Customs Endorsement (ICE) encounter will empower individuals to understand their legal rights as bystanders and what they can do to support affected community...

#ICE #Bystander training online 9/18 from 6:30-8 pm ET. RSVP below.

This training will empower participants to understand their legal rights and what they can do to support affected #community members.

#Somerville #Indivisible
@ealmquist.bsky.social
@mysticmashupindiv.bsky.social

Thank you to all the neighbors who were out today trying to keep each other safe. Let's find this man and get him free. @massgovernor.bsky.social , @katjanaballantyne.bsky.social , I want every resource working on finding him - and the 4 other people detained earlier today - and getting them home.

I did not get video of about the first 30 seconds of this interaction, during which the resident asked if he was being detained (he was not) and if there was a warrant for him. The Black Rifle Coffee Shirt Guy only told him he "fit exactly the description of the problem we're here to address".

The next two minutes of video show me offering to walk off with him since he's not being detained. He declines, because he "doesn't want to be rude". Less than two minutes later, they place him in cuffs with no explanation and stuff him into a car with NY plates.

As you can see, this man is as cool as a cucumber, knows his rights, and is confident that he is here legally.

This morning at 11am, corner of Hathorn and Broadway in Somerville MA. 3 ICE vehicles idling on nearby corners. I was following two ICE cars that were cruising around the neighborhood.

This person was just walking down the sidewalk when two ICE vehicles stopped and officers jumped out to stop him.

FYI @marisakabas.bsky.social more ICE kidnappings in East Somerville.

From the Somerville community on Reddit: ICE in East Somerville statement Explore this post and more from the Somerville community

Statement by Somerville Ward 1 Councilor Matthew McLaughlin on all the ICE snatchings of late starts:
"ICE is out in East Somerville and the streets are noticeably silent. Multiple East Somerville residents have been detained by ICE in the last two weeks. ...
www.reddit.com/r/Somerville...

Eat Out in East and address the effect of federal actions on Somerville - Cambridge Day These are dark times, and there are many things out of our control. There are many things we can still do, however, to help those in need and strengthen community bonds.

“Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are out in East Somerville, and the streets are noticeably silent. Multiple East Somerville residents have been detained by ICE in the past two weeks. No one has been charged with any crimes, and some even held a protected status.” 👇 from Clr. McLauglin

I'm severely worried by this. If ICE arrested me and kept me a few days, even if they released me (I'm a natural born citizen) I'd die after a couple days of not having my heart medicine.

And I have to go to East Somerville, because Project Soup is there.

What is Somerville doing about this?

@mikeconnollyma.bsky.social explains how a real estate transfer fee is a nimble and cost-effective tool for generating revenue for nee affordable housing. #mapoli

They stated they had no probable cause. This would appear to be an unlawful, unconstitutional kidnapping — based on racial profiling.

givebutter.com/SCLifT