JP Andrews

This week’s BWW session is focused on developing and maintaining community connections! This open and supportive virtual discussion will be facilitated by Caroline Vincent from the LACBA Lawyer Well-Being Project and Jenny Andrews from BeSustained.

"I don't care about medals."

"I just skate because I like to skate."

"I take breaks and I enjoy my life."

"My friends and family are the most important parts of my life."

"I don't define success as winning."

I listened to an interview with Alysa Liu yesterday and I can see that the interviewers are unsettled by her and do not know what to do with her responses.

She challenges so much of what USians are taught about competition and frankly about how to live a life.

As the negotiations over DHS budget continue, please remember: the ICE detention budget alone was exploded in 2025 so it is now 62% greater than the entire Bureau of Prisons. People are not clocking what this infusion of cash to build concentration camps will do to our society.

From George Floyd to Alex Pretti: “Copaganda” Author on Myths About Immigration, Crime & Policing As calls grow to defund and abolish ICE, author Alec Karakatsanis warns that activists should take care to not fall for “copaganda,” which “takes ordinary people who are outraged over what’s happening...

Much of the public believes violent crime is a major problem, even though it's at historic lows in the United States. This disconnect is "the product of carefully cultivated propaganda," says author @equalityalec.bsky.social.
https://www.democracynow.org/2026/1/27/alec_karakatsanis

Rapid responders still out there, tracking ICE. In spite of everything, even now. Heroes

Once again: Focusing on their lack of training is a mistake. With "better training," their violence would simply cost more, and they would still kill whoever they wanted, but make it look more professional — to make people more comfortable, the way many of you are at ease with local police violence.

Excellent @radleybalko.bsky.social piece on why what we are seeing in Minneapolis is, in fact, something qualitatively different than the police violence that happens all too often.

This struck me as a key line: the OPEN contempt for accountability. Such explicitness matters.

Abolishing ICE isn’t enough – it’s time to center people’s humanity | Heba Gowayed and Victor Ray It’s far from radical to reject a system predicated on violence – despite what thinktanks might claim

“Abolish ICE” isn’t radical, it doesn’t go far enough.

Latest in @theguardian.com written with my friend @victorerikray.bsky.social.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

I have been as impressed by the normal people of this country as I have been disgusted by elite institutions and every bit of optimism I have that we are going to make it comes from that

Happy 2026! 🥳 We are kicking off 2026 with our first Be Well Wednesday session of the year: Mindful Gratitude Walks with @jpandrews.bsky.social ✨ As always, you can find more information on upcoming and previous BWW sessions at the link in our bio!

That one person can drag us into a war without consulting or even notifying Congress, or our allies, or fully explaining to the American people why this is necessary, is absolutely bonkers.

Reminder that Congress has the power to stop all of this. Where the hell are they?

The work we do at BeSustained to support public defender well-being is truly special and satisfying. Our board has build a strong foundation in these first two years to continue to grow this important work. Reach out to me if you are interested in joining our board!

Be Well Wednesdays are taking a holiday pause! We will return on January 7th with a session on mindful gratitude walks with @jpandrews.bsky.social ✨ Happy Holidays to all; we hope you find rest and joy this holiday season!

Is there a way to block AI content on here? It’s not what I’m here for.

Think Twice Before Giving Surveillance for the Holidays With the holidays upon us, it's easy to default to giving the tech gifts that retailers tend to push on us this time of year: smart speakers, video doorbells, bluetooth trackers, fitness trackers,

So-called "smart" devices are pushed heavily for the holidays, but be mindful of what you're opting that gift recipient into. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...

Double Your Impact on Privacy & Free Speech Right now, your donation to EFF gets an automatic 2X match! Don't let tyrants co-opt tech.

EFF is fighting back against tyrants abusing tech by
🔨 Creating tools to protect your digital rights
📸 Pushing back against surveillance regimes
📣 Safeguarding your right to speak your mind online
We just need your support: eff.org/power-up

This week’s BWW is in collaboration with the LA County Bar Association’s Well-Being Project! Please note that this session will start 10 minutes earlier than usual and run for the full hour. You can find more info and sign up for our newsletter to receive the Zoom link at our website in our bio!

Pardon power is not the problem. More people should be freed from this vicious system. Corruption and organized crime as governance are the problem. Shady pardons are just one symptom of the much larger clusterfuck we're in. If you zoom in too much on any detail as "the problem," you lose the plot.

Giving the gift of independent journalism: a guide The Handbasket has subscription suggestions for almost everyone on your list.

Inspiring leadership as ever from The Handbasket: a BRILLIANT Independent Journalism Gift Buying Guide.

Thank you @marisakabas.bsky.social!! The @flaminghydra.com lair is roaring with pride to be included among great IRL publications, for great IRL readers.

www.thehandbasket.co/p/independen...

BeSustained is doing good things to support public defender well-being!

Check out what’s on deck for December’s Be Well Wednesdays! Please note that the 12/10 session will start 10 minutes earlier than usual and run for the full hour. Hope to see you at one of these sessions before we take another holiday pause 👀✨ #bewellwednesdays

Kelly Hayes’ writing and her Movement Memos Podcast episodes about AI have been immensely useful to me and I recommend them. In this clip from our recent conversation, Kelly talks about how AI is emerging in a context of alienation and dehumanization.

2/2: Thank you all for an incredible 2025! Your support and collaboration have been deeply appreciated. Please consider sharing our donation link from our website (link in bio) for this #givingtuesday

Pt 1/2: a look back at 2025!

BWW will take a winter pause and return on 12/3 (swipe to see the BWW for December!). We hope you all will rest and recharge in ways that are meaningful for you. Stay well and see you in December! #publicdefender

If you are called for jury duty you have the power to stand up to the government like this on behalf of your fellow citizens. Don't avoid it; do your civic duty like these people did.

I found this a really illuminating thread on what demonstrations do and why they matter.

Bit of good news for our neighborhood

Piece of More Mesa Gains Permanent Protection Under Conservation Deal | Local News | Noozhawk A 36-acre section of the More Mesa open space in Santa Barbara County has been permanently protected from future development under a new conservation

www.noozhawk.com/piece-of-mor...