Author | Lightnews

Dave Mason @fatsodoctor.bsky.social · 19h

Dia de Los Muertos, today. Memphis is alive. #freethe901

Color. Day. A person wearing what seems to be a short blonde wig on which is a loop of red and yellow flowers, large costume-style cat-eye glasses colored red and white, white face paint and red lipstick, and a black coat with black fur around the collar and sleeves holds their hands out toward the viewer. Their hands are in bright red gloves. In the background on the right is another person, mostly turned away, whose face wears skull makeup.

Color. Day. In deep shadow. On the right, a woman in skull makeup looks toward the viewer. She is under a broad black hat with a single red flower on it. Her upper body, arms, and hands are wrapped in black satin. On the left, the back of a man with short gray hair, wearing a brimless black hat and a red velvet jacket.

Dave Mason @fatsodoctor.bsky.social · 1d

Halloween, y'all.

Color. Night. The front yard of a house decorated for Halloween. String of yellow lights meeting at a corner in the lower center. Four glowing jack-o-lanterns on the brich ballustrade of the porch.

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Dave Mason @fatsodoctor.bsky.social · 3d

Memphis lives. #freethe901

B&W. Day. A street receding from bottom foreground towards center. A broken white lane line from near the bottom left corner converges toward center with a solid white curb line from the bottom right corner. On the left, a small crowd of people gathered on the solid curb line. One person with a sort of mohawk stands by a bicycle. Near center, midground, a man in sunglasses and shorts holds a plastic cup and look toward the viewer. In the street just to the left of the broken lane line, a man in shorts and sunglasses is doing a skip-hop in the direction of the viewer and in the direction of traffic. He seems to be playing the bass guitar slung around his neck while he skip-hops.

Dave Mason @fatsodoctor.bsky.social · 8d

Signs of the times, in Memphis. #freethe901

Color. Day. A white sign on wire legs amid ivy. A sidewalk runs across the bottom of the frame in front of the sign. Red and blue text: "Opportunity Not Occupation."

Color. Day. A black sign on wire legs. Green azalea bushes behind the sign. White text: "STRAIGHT UP - NO ICE"

Color. Day. From a distance, a blue sign on wire legs, just below center. Greenery and shrubbery to the left of the sign. To the right, a three concrete stairs with black, iron handrails on both sides. A sidewalk runs across the bottom of the frame, in front of it all. Text: "Healthcare, Jobs, and Gun Reform - Not Boots On Our Necks"

Color. Day. The left two thirds are a blurred background scene: a sidewalk, receding to a street intersection in the upper left. Green grass on both sides of the walk. The poles of street lights. In the right foreground, a Little Free Library emerges from a stand of long, green leaves. The LFLj is painted blue and has a peaked roof topped with black shingles. It faces the sidewalk that recedes in the distance, so the side of the library faces the viewer. A blue sign, taped to the side of this library: "Join the Movement - TEXT FREEDOM901 TO 25225 - FREE the 901"

Dave Mason @fatsodoctor.bsky.social · 10d

This Border Patrol yahoo approached the passenger side of this car with drawn weapon and demanded that the twenty-something driver roll her window down. She did not. He said he'd break it. One sheriff was on the scene and three more showed up—to keep the BP numbskull in check, no doubt. #freethe901

B&W. Day. Angled front end of a small car parked at the curb of a small street. A Border Patrol agent wearing a black mask leans against the passenger window on the far side. His right hand appears to be resting on a holstered sidearm.

Dave Mason @fatsodoctor.bsky.social · 11d

It's Memphis, folks. We are still here. #freethe901

Color. Sunny Day. Looking leftward, down the middle of a brick-lined pedestrian avenue. Shops line the street in the background, receding from right to left. A slight crowd, in the background, ambling about. In the foreground, facing the viewer: two people, side-by-side. The person on the right has long, full, blond hair and brown skin, glasses, and a yellow dress. Their face is turned down to the small dog that they hold in their arms. The person on the right has short, black hair and brown skin and wears sunglasses, a colorful shirt, and several strings of beads around their neck. They smile at the viewer behind two plastic cups that their hands hold up.

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Dave Mason @fatsodoctor.bsky.social · 12d

Happy Diwali. #diwali

Color. Dark night. Blurry blue, red, white, and orange lights in the far background. In warm focus in the foreground, lower right, a small, open clay lamp. A single wick burns yellow-white.

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Dave Mason @fatsodoctor.bsky.social · 12d

It appears that the guy who swaggered 25 yards out of his way to try to intimidate me is Gadyaces S. Serralta, the Director of the U. S. Marshals Office. Just, y'know, out doin' the work.

Dave Mason @fatsodoctor.bsky.social · 13d

So, the guy in the lead, here, walked 25 yards to photograph me and my plate, up close, with a phone. I told him about the 1978 consent decree. He told me to get my priorities straight. "What priorities?", I asked. "Saving lives," he said. I'm still trying to figure out the reasoning. #freethe901

B&W. Day. Looking down a tree-lined suburban street. Three armed U.S. marshals in tactical vests walk down the middle of the street, toward the viewer. Several more men in such vests stand with a TN state trooper, in the background.

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Dave Mason @fatsodoctor.bsky.social · 14d

Here's one of the Memphis occupation goons who showed up with seven other HSI - FBI goons for a "seatbelt violation" that resulted in a detained/disappeared driver. #freethe901

B&W. Day. Minivan, ona slight forward angle, dominates the frame. An Autozone is in the background. at far right, behind the minivan, the back of a state trooper. Just left of center, a large man in a cap, sunglasses, and tactical vest, is climbing into the minivan's open passenger door. He looks at the viewer, smiling broadly. His sidearm is clearly visible.

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Reposted by Dave Mason

Indivisible ❌👑 @indivisible.org · 14d

This is what democracy looks like. #NoKings

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Dave Mason @fatsodoctor.bsky.social · 14d

Memphis shows out. #NoKingsMemphis #NoKings #freethe901

Color. Day. Urban green space. A crowd of people standing on grass with blue, blue sky and puffy clouds above. Dominating the left side, foreground, a big, white placard on stick. On the sign is a cartoon drawing of an angry clown with bright yellow hair. Text: "No Crown for a Clown."

Color. Day. Urban green space. A crowd of people standing on green grass with blue, blue sky and puffy clouds above. Foregound, left, a person in a large inflatable suit taking a step forward toward the left edge of the frame. The suit is bright orange, top to bottom. The person wears a big blond wig, sunglasses, and a paper crown. The person holds a sign in front of them: "Release the Epstein Files. Donald." The "Donald" is in the style of POTUS's signature.

Color. Day. Close view of a sign. Brown finger's clutch it at the very top. The sign presents a version of the opening frames of the "Brady Bunch" tv show, in which the show's characters' heads appear in a tic-tac-toe grid around the show's title. In this case, the show's title is "The Shady Bunch." Pictured in the eight squares around the title are Noem, POTUS, Vance, Leavitt, RFK Jr., Hegseth, Miller... the lower left square is blocked by someone's shoulder.

Color. Day. A crowd of people on a sidewalk. At left, the street receds toward center. A person in an orange reflector vest stands at the curb, watching the traffic. Behind the orange vest, closer to center, a person in a taco costume. They are turned in toward the other people to the right and in the background, but their head looks over their shoulder toward the street. The person holds a sign: "Taco McCankles; No Kings"

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Dave Mason @fatsodoctor.bsky.social · 15d

Memphis lives, everybody. #freethe901

Color. Day. Near center, a person in a blue t-shirt and black shorts sits on the edge of a blue pickup bed, twisting towards the curb. Their face, with a slight smile, tilts up into the sunlight and their arms are raised in a joyful "Y." Bars and shops of Beale Street cross the background, behind colorful crowds on the sidewalk.

Dave Mason @fatsodoctor.bsky.social · 15d

"If they're not a criminal element, then they shouldn't be afraid." —Governor Bill Lee. #freethe901

Color. Day. A round man in a white cap, gray shirt, and light green pants, taking a step from just left of center towards center. There is a gold-and-black law enforcement badge hanging around his neck. Behind him, on an angle, is a large white van. The man has a black mask pulled tightly over his face, covering chin to the lower rims of his dark sunglasses.

Dave Mason @fatsodoctor.bsky.social · 16d

So, this guy pulled away, went 50 yards down the road, came straight back, and photographed me with his phone while stopped at a light. No prob. Turnaround's fair play, and all. Except he violated the 1978 consent decree in Memphis that prohibits law enforcement from doing exactly this. #freethe901

B&W. Day. The rear end of a Ford truck, parked at the curb of a busy, four-lane street. A man is emerging from the driver's side. He wears a baseball cap and the tactical vest of a law enforcement officer.

Dave Mason @fatsodoctor.bsky.social · 18d

About a mile from the marker pictured here is a marker on the section of the Trail of Tears that runs through Memphis.

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Dave Mason @fatsodoctor.bsky.social · 19d

Civilian salute to the Nat'l Guard troops who chatted with me today about photography and tattoos. Sure am glad that they're here in Memphis keeping that silver maple safe. #freethe901

Color. Day. In a city park, a group of eleven people stand facing each other in a circle within a pool of shade being cast by a large tree. Nine of the eleven are wearing military-style greenish-brown camouflage, including caps, tactical vests, heavy belts—with holsters and sidearms—and sandy-colored boots. The back of one soldier, at center, has a black-and-white tag: "Military Police." Two people in the circle are entirely in black, including caps. Partly visible white text on the back of one of these people: "Memphis Pol... NMS Task F..."

Dave Mason @fatsodoctor.bsky.social · 20d

Today is Indigenous Peoples Day. #indigenouspeoplesday

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Dave Mason @fatsodoctor.bsky.social · 20d

You can donate to the cause at rememberyouroath.org

Remember Your Oath: Veterans Honoring our Commitment to the US Constitution

rememberyouroath.org

Dave Mason @fatsodoctor.bsky.social · 20d

"Remember Your Oath" has posted up near the Sheraton in Memphis. They tell me that they plan to remain as long as the National Guard remains in Memphis for the purpose of law enforcement alongside the Safe Task Force Unit (STFU) that the WH has imposed on the city. #freethe901

B&W. Day. Far view of tal walls of a Sheraton hotel, converging in a V near center. Lower-right, on park lawn in front of the hotel is a tent-pavilion. The facing and back sides of the pavilion have been rolled up. On the exterior of the pavilion's right side, a USA flag is displayed, alongside other military-related flags. Several people sit on chairs inside the pavilion. One person stands outside the pavilion, just to the left. Nearer, just left of center, is a historical marker—a dark sign with white text, acknowledging lynching on the site. Nearer, to the left of the marker is a "One Way" street sign, pointing to the left edge of the frame.

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Dave Mason @fatsodoctor.bsky.social · 24d

Someone needs to explain to the feds that straining your voice this much in order to tell a person to stay away by a distance of twenty-five feet is itself evidence that that person is already away by a distance of more than twenty-five feet. #noice #freethe901

Color. Day. At a distance, the front end of a police SUV with blue lights illuminated on top. At the SUV's left, a man in a cap and a bulky vest on which a yellow "F" (of FBI) is visible, shouts angrily toward the viewer, his right arm in the air and his index finger extended.

Dave Mason @fatsodoctor.bsky.social · 25d

Do think twice about coming to Memphis. Before you know it, you can be caught up in the violent street crime that the federal government has vowed to stomp out. #Memphis #freethe901 #noice

Color. Day. Just to the left, a person with hair cropped short on the sides and a broad yellow stripe of longer hair on top, pulled back into a top knot. The person's face has a look of performed surprise. With their right arm, the person operates a large Muppet-style puppet, with dark hair, orange-brown skin, and a red-and-blue striped shirt. The puppet's mouth is open, as though speaking energetically. In the lower left, the backs of a couple of children, watching the puppet.

Color. Day. Close on the right, the front end of a white car, parked. On slight diagonal, from up-front, just left of center towards the right in the rear, the curb of a sidewalk. A folded ladder is on the curb, at lower-front. Buckets and bins and coolers—blue, yellow, and black—are stacked all the way down the curb, holding paint cans and the handles of tools. In the distance, center, a bit of yellow, metal scaffolding, on the sidewalk. Close, on the left, three people turned away from the viewer and smiling at each other, dressed in t-shirts and caps. Two of them have their arms around each other. Behind them, a ten-foot, concrete wall runs back towards the right, passing behind the scaffolding in the distance. The wall has been freshly decorated, top-to-bottom, with brightly colorful graffiti art.

Color. Day. Close up, on the left, a white lyra—or aerial performance hoop—is suspended in the air. The bottom of the hoop curves under a woman's back, so that she faces, smiling, toward the viewer, upside-down. Her arms are extended. She wears a colorful leotard.

Color. Day. A brick street passing right-to-left. A crowd of people, some walking, some standing, wearing t-shirts and shorts. Lots of whites, blues, and yellows. On the far right, two people embrace. One of them, smiling under black sunglasses, is turned toward the viewer. Left of center, posted in the sidewalk on the far side of the street, is a historical marker—black text on a white signboard—for musician Rufus Tomas.

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Dave Mason @fatsodoctor.bsky.social · 28d

Forces occupying Memphis sent a military/combat helicopter to circle activists at Clayborn Temple, which served Black sanitation workers when they fought racism in the late 60's and which was torched by an arsonist, earlier this year. This is your country, folks. #Memphis #freethe901 #noice

Color. Day, and dappled shadow of a tree. A woman in sunglasses holds a large sign composed of three large stripes, from top to bottom: yellow, blue, red. An arc of stars is in the middle of the blue stripe. Text in the yellow and red stripes: "I take care of your family while you deport mine."

Color. Day. A small sign, held by an activist. Black and red, block-letter text: "No Occupation."

Color. Day. A small sign held by an activist. An cartoon rendering of a sad polar bear, sitting on a small ice floe, surrounded by water. Red text: "This is where we need ICE."

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Dave Mason @fatsodoctor.bsky.social · 29d

Memphis. You _wish_ you could crush it. #Memphis #freethe901

B&W. Day. A spare line of people standing across the background. On grass, midground, center: A Black woman in a long t-shirt. Short hair. Facing the viewer. She is dancing and has a look of solidly assured confidence on her face.

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Dave Mason @fatsodoctor.bsky.social · Oct 1

Beale Street. #Memphis

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