bhawktho

law yer

[bhawktho @bhawktho]

@bfurnas Bring it to gowanus with OpenPlans

[Rania Khalek @RaniaKhalek]

It's mind blowing that 15 months and hundreds of thousands of maimed and murdered Palestinians later, the mainstream Western media has been largely silent about some crucial details surrounding Oct 7 and the subsequent genocide:

1) Israel lied about mass rapes (with the help of the Western media.)

2) Israel instituted the Hannibal Directive and killed its own people.

3) There was never a Hamas headquarters under the Gaza hospitals Israel systematially destroyed.

4) Israel rapes Palestinians as a matter of policy and punishment. At least one instance of this sexual torture was captured on camera.

These are just the most shocking omissions that come to mind. There are of course many more.

Nothing has exposed the mainstream Western media apparatus more than this genocide. So be sure to view their narratives about other US allies and adversaries with a critical eye. They don't only lie about Gaza.

[Caitlin Johnstone @caitoz]

Sometimes Israel’s crimes are so horrific that at first you don’t even understand what you’re looking at. You just stare at it trying to make sense of what you’re seeing for a bit, like you would if you suddenly saw a space alien or a leprechaun or something.

It happened to me yesterday when I was watching a Sky News report about a teenage boy who was shot by Israeli forces in Jerusalem for celebrating the release of Palestinian prisoners in the hostage negotiations with Hamas. I was watching it thinking to myself, I must be misunderstanding what I’m looking at. I know that Israel does gross things, but surely the story here isn’t that they shot a kid for being happy about something.

Then, as has happened so many times over the last two months, I kept watching and learned that yes, that is indeed what happened. The deputy mayor of Jerusalem Fleur Hassan-Nahoum is seen defending the shooting by saying “part of the deal is that there would be no celebrations for the release of attempted murderers” (this was actually not a part of the deal, it was just a decree issued by Israel’s national security minister) and claiming dishonestly that “we’re talking about the release of attempted murderers” (the vast majority have not been convicted of any crime and have been denied any due process for the accusations against them).

The band Eve6 nicely summed up what it felt like watching the clip of the deputy mayor’s comments, tweeting, “The remarkable thing about this clip is her self assurance. Like she’s supremely confident that ‘we shot the teenager because he was celebrating’ is a thing that people will find reasonable.”

I had the same experience reading about the five premature babies who were left to die after the IDF raided al-Nasr Pediatric Hospital in Gaza earlier this month, their decomposing bodies only discovered when the temporary ceasefire allowed access to the hospital. It’s just too insane to believe — they attacked a pediatric hospital? And then they left the babies there to die? What??

The only reason we’re learning about this now is because the pause in fighting allowed journalists to get cameras into the building and show the dead infants to the world. This calls to mind the Politico report immediately prior to the ceasefire which said that the White House was worried “an unintended consequence of the pause” would be “that it would allow journalists broader access to Gaza and the opportunity to further illuminate the devastation there and turn public opinion on Israel.”

Indeed, since the pause in fighting began the world has been receiving drone footage from mainstream platforms like Reuters and The Washington Post revealing vast expanses of urban terrain completely destroyed by a blanket of Israeli military explosives spanning from city block to city block. Looking at the blatantly indiscriminate devastation that’s been caused by Israel’s assault on Gaza since October 7 makes it clear that the IDF are not targeting Hamas but Gaza itself.

I’ve been amazed at how much I’ve been sleeping since the ceasefire started; that’s why I haven’t been writing as much. I guess spending weeks staring at unbelievable horrors unfolding on your screen can be pretty hard on your system if you’re sensitive to that sort of thing, so my body’s been resting up as much as it can while there’s an opportunity.

And I’m just here watching this all unfold safely from my home in Melbourne. I cannot imagine what it’s like to be living in the midst of this horror for the last two months, trying to figure out the best way to survive while also grieving the family, friends and neighbors you’re losing along the way. These people have all been deeply traumatized in ways that will haunt them for the rest of their lives, if they survive the violence, disease and deprivation that’s to come.

This thing is so astonishingly ugly, and it could get a whole lot uglier after the ceasefire ends. If there’s anything positive to be found in this living nightmare, it’s that it’s so earth-shakingly ugly that it just might shake the world awake.

[Transportation Alternatives @TransAlt]

In the first half of 2023, traffic violence killed 112 New Yorkers – including a Vision Zero-era record of 18 bike riders.

Currently, NYC is on track to have the second deadliest year for bike riders in recorded history.

[bhawktho @bhawktho]

@bradhoylman Trash

[Rutger Bregman @rutgerbregman]

Why not? Cars out, people in!
Great piece by @tverka and @fietsprofessor
https://t.co/8IDHrXWpCI

[Office of New York City Comptroller Mark Levine @NYCComptroller]

Transit ridership is barely up to 60% of pre-pandemic levels—while car usage is back at 100% of pre-pandemic levels.

That's bad for air pollution, street safety, and for our mass transit system.

From me and @nycpa: we need congestion pricing now.

https://t.co/ae68kGqbAZ

[bhawktho @bhawktho]

@FMH54321 @wumbooty 😅

[The Nation @thenation]

The land Black farmers lost since the number of Black farmers peaked in the US is conservatively estimated to be worth $250 - $350 billion today. https://t.co/gLfR6Q4568

[bhawktho @bhawktho]

NY Governor: Make Walk/Run/Bike the Verrazzano Bridge Happen - Sign the Petition! https://t.co/ZTiWsQPSE1 via @Change

[Scott Hechinger @ScottHech]

Forget criminal charges. After shooting a Black man in the back 7 times & paralyzing him, the cop didn’t even face internal discipline, let alone termination. “Sheskey returned to work in March … did not face discipline.” He’s out there. Still armed.https://t.co/kG9ISWVpuA

[The Associated Press @AP]

An Olympic ban on a swimming cap designed with people of color in mind has sparked a conversation about the sport's lack of diversity. Alice Dearing, Britain's first Black female Olympic swimmer, has been barred from wearing the Soul Cap at #Tokyo2020. https://t.co/GnNOfCTXaE

[bhawktho @bhawktho]

@rekrabmb @TylerIAm @LeBatardShow

[The New York Times @nytimes]

Just minutes after the war between Israel and Hamas broke out, Baraa al-Gharabli, 5, was killed in Gaza.

He was one of at least 68 children killed during the conflict. Nearly all were Palestinian.

These are the children who died.
https://t.co/cUGR9yLvSd

[Jimmy Van Bramer @JimmyVanBramer]

Dianne is my 1st choice to lead in a moment where we need a champion for the working class & a visionary to raise us out of this crisis. Her plan to reimagine education & center workers over corps is what we need. It’s why I'm proud to support @Dianne4NYC to be NYC's next Mayor!

[Dianne Morales @Dianne4NYC]

This mayoral race comes at a crucial moment for NYC’s future. I am honored to receive endorsements from @MDCNY, @LIDbrooklyn and @CBIDems, and to see the support of their members out on the campaign trail as we work to ensure NYC is on a path of solidarity.

[NY Working Families Party @NYWFP]

The 1% wants to turn NYC into a playground for the ultra rich & they're banking on @AndrewYang to let them.

Rank @Dianne4NYC & @mayawiley at the top of your ballot to make sure that working people—not Wall Street CEOs—are represented in City Hall.
https://t.co/tDdchLNuEl

[Rafael Shimunov @rafaelshimunov]

Choose your mayor.

[Chris Vanderveen (yep…me) @chrisvanderveen]

Reminder to all journalists...

This is how Minneapolis initially reported the death of #GeorgeFloyd

[Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez @AOC]

The prosecutor did not “make an error.” He lied.

He lied about the police killing a child.

Ending this isn’t just about consequences for who pulls the trigger. It’s about admitting to and confronting an entire system that exists to protect, defend, and cover up state violence.