jen by.
@jenbyers.com
investigative journalist • menace to society
📓📸🕵🏻♀️📽️
bylines: aljazeera, the guardian, philadelphia inquirer, prism, showtime, truthout, unicorn riot, etc.
📓📸🕵🏻♀️📽️
bylines: aljazeera, the guardian, philadelphia inquirer, prism, showtime, truthout, unicorn riot, etc.
Reposted by jen by.
In the concentration camp universe, this is what's known as a filtration camp. A government preemptively takes a whole class of people to interrogate and detain extrajudicially in order to inflict duress on them while arbitrarily assessing their (supposed) culpability.
This is a truly horrifying memo. It says that the policy of the US government will now be to proactively seek out and arrest likely tens of thousands of refugees who entered legally under Biden and subject them to detention, where they will be interrogated about their status.
February 19, 2026 at 2:20 AM
In the concentration camp universe, this is what's known as a filtration camp. A government preemptively takes a whole class of people to interrogate and detain extrajudicially in order to inflict duress on them while arbitrarily assessing their (supposed) culpability.
my irish teacher says i'm learning really fast & should be in the "reading actual books" class within a year 🥹
aw, yay.
aw, yay.
February 19, 2026 at 2:27 AM
my irish teacher says i'm learning really fast & should be in the "reading actual books" class within a year 🥹
aw, yay.
aw, yay.
Reposted by jen by.
“I feel so much sadness and depression of not being able to leave, its really sad to hear that peoples cases are being denied and getting send back to their countrys.”
-14 year-old imprisoned for 20 days in Texas concentration camp
-14 year-old imprisoned for 20 days in Texas concentration camp
February 17, 2026 at 7:33 PM
“I feel so much sadness and depression of not being able to leave, its really sad to hear that peoples cases are being denied and getting send back to their countrys.”
-14 year-old imprisoned for 20 days in Texas concentration camp
-14 year-old imprisoned for 20 days in Texas concentration camp
Reposted by jen by.
“I don’t want to be in this place I want to go to my school.”
- 7 year old imprisoned by ICE for 70 days in a concentration camp in Texas.
Today, after @propublica.org published this story, the camp was raided to confiscate letters from the children.
www.propublica.org/article/ice-...
- 7 year old imprisoned by ICE for 70 days in a concentration camp in Texas.
Today, after @propublica.org published this story, the camp was raided to confiscate letters from the children.
www.propublica.org/article/ice-...
February 17, 2026 at 7:31 PM
“I don’t want to be in this place I want to go to my school.”
- 7 year old imprisoned by ICE for 70 days in a concentration camp in Texas.
Today, after @propublica.org published this story, the camp was raided to confiscate letters from the children.
www.propublica.org/article/ice-...
- 7 year old imprisoned by ICE for 70 days in a concentration camp in Texas.
Today, after @propublica.org published this story, the camp was raided to confiscate letters from the children.
www.propublica.org/article/ice-...
Reposted by jen by.
Reminds me of the many times Emmett Till's memorials in Mississippi have been defaced and destroyed as if the vandals need to kill that person — and what they represent — again and again.
Just awful. People (like Ryan mentioned in the article, who is living out of his van) have been staying awake all night for weeks keeping watch over the memorial for this exact reason.
Renee Good memorial site in south Minneapolis doused in gasoline
Damage from a burning pile of wood was minimal but police are investigating.
www.startribune.com
February 18, 2026 at 10:03 PM
Reminds me of the many times Emmett Till's memorials in Mississippi have been defaced and destroyed as if the vandals need to kill that person — and what they represent — again and again.
Reposted by jen by.
Religion note: Remember the bishop who told priests to get their wills in order and “we are entering a new era of martyrdom,” referring to resisting ICE?
He’s the Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire, and he mentioned the fight over this ICE facility when I spoke w/him religionnews.com/2026/01/15/t...
He’s the Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire, and he mentioned the fight over this ICE facility when I spoke w/him religionnews.com/2026/01/15/t...
February 18, 2026 at 7:48 PM
Religion note: Remember the bishop who told priests to get their wills in order and “we are entering a new era of martyrdom,” referring to resisting ICE?
He’s the Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire, and he mentioned the fight over this ICE facility when I spoke w/him religionnews.com/2026/01/15/t...
He’s the Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire, and he mentioned the fight over this ICE facility when I spoke w/him religionnews.com/2026/01/15/t...
once again, it appears the right has appropriated a key bit of leftist culture: infighting 😌
Tucker Carlson 'DETAINED' in Israel: Journalist 'dragged into interrogation room' as explosive interview sparks diplomatic firestorm
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...
Tucker Carlson detained in Israel after Mike Huckabee interview
Tucker Carlson and his staff were detained at an airport in Tel Aviv and interrogated by Israeli officials on Wednesday, according to the conservative commentator.
www.dailymail.co.uk
February 18, 2026 at 9:39 PM
once again, it appears the right has appropriated a key bit of leftist culture: infighting 😌
Reposted by jen by.
“Now livestreaming has transformed the media landscape,” @unicornriot.bsky.social co-founder Niko Georgiades observes. “There's right-wing cats that've infiltrated all these places. You see 16-year-old kids with selfie sticks on TikTok. It's the content-creation game; it's the new game of media."
Streaming the Siege: At Every Turn, ICE's MN Invasion Has Been Captured on Video - Racket
As the country’s largest-ever immigration raid hits Minnesota, unprecedented packs of journalists, activists, and influencers upload scenes of the chaos.
racketmn.com
February 18, 2026 at 6:19 PM
“Now livestreaming has transformed the media landscape,” @unicornriot.bsky.social co-founder Niko Georgiades observes. “There's right-wing cats that've infiltrated all these places. You see 16-year-old kids with selfie sticks on TikTok. It's the content-creation game; it's the new game of media."
Reposted by jen by.
Normalize laughing derisively in men's faces when they deserve it.
February 18, 2026 at 7:00 PM
Normalize laughing derisively in men's faces when they deserve it.
Reposted by jen by.
I swear to god reading some of the takes on this site are almost as poisonous to my brain as reading awful shit on X with my burner account
February 18, 2026 at 8:37 PM
I swear to god reading some of the takes on this site are almost as poisonous to my brain as reading awful shit on X with my burner account
Reposted by jen by.
ICE is crushing Minneapolis economy. On the pod, Mayor Jacob Frey tallies up damage:
$203 million overall
$80 million small biz losses
$5 million hotel cancellations
75K people food insecurity
"Impact is staggering," Frey tells us. Bleeding city for being diverse:
newrepublic.com/article/2066...
$203 million overall
$80 million small biz losses
$5 million hotel cancellations
75K people food insecurity
"Impact is staggering," Frey tells us. Bleeding city for being diverse:
newrepublic.com/article/2066...
Minneapolis Mayor’s Emotional Message to Trump: You Failed to Break Us
In an interview, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey says ICE’s attack came from the top—and shares new details about how badly it damaged his city, while explaining how the people there are emerging utterly...
newrepublic.com
February 18, 2026 at 5:43 PM
ICE is crushing Minneapolis economy. On the pod, Mayor Jacob Frey tallies up damage:
$203 million overall
$80 million small biz losses
$5 million hotel cancellations
75K people food insecurity
"Impact is staggering," Frey tells us. Bleeding city for being diverse:
newrepublic.com/article/2066...
$203 million overall
$80 million small biz losses
$5 million hotel cancellations
75K people food insecurity
"Impact is staggering," Frey tells us. Bleeding city for being diverse:
newrepublic.com/article/2066...
Reposted by jen by.
This is the kind of thing white supremacists have been doing to Emmett Till’s memorial for decades.
It’s wild to see them do this to a white woman who the entire world saw extrajudicially murdered.
It’s wild to see them do this to a white woman who the entire world saw extrajudicially murdered.
Someone doused Renee Good’s Minneapolis memorial and a nearby pile of wood with gasoline and started a fire at about 9 p.m. Tuesday.
Renee Good memorial site in south Minneapolis doused in gasoline
Damage was minimal but police are investigating.
bit.ly
February 18, 2026 at 5:19 PM
This is the kind of thing white supremacists have been doing to Emmett Till’s memorial for decades.
It’s wild to see them do this to a white woman who the entire world saw extrajudicially murdered.
It’s wild to see them do this to a white woman who the entire world saw extrajudicially murdered.
soft power mirrors hard power:
just as the right attempts to claim the environment for resource extraction, it pretends that "living with the land" is also its cultural domain.
why? because the goal is to romanticize theft & territorial expansion. to reinforce terra nullius.
just as the right attempts to claim the environment for resource extraction, it pretends that "living with the land" is also its cultural domain.
why? because the goal is to romanticize theft & territorial expansion. to reinforce terra nullius.
February 18, 2026 at 5:51 PM
soft power mirrors hard power:
just as the right attempts to claim the environment for resource extraction, it pretends that "living with the land" is also its cultural domain.
why? because the goal is to romanticize theft & territorial expansion. to reinforce terra nullius.
just as the right attempts to claim the environment for resource extraction, it pretends that "living with the land" is also its cultural domain.
why? because the goal is to romanticize theft & territorial expansion. to reinforce terra nullius.
Reposted by jen by.
I went to an Evie Magazine ("conservative cosmo!") new york fashion week party and blogged about it:
Burnt Hair and Soft Power: A Night Out With Evie Magazine
Evie is a longtime favorite of far-right. At its very first live event, the strength of the publication's politics was in the pretense that it doesn’t have any.
www.wired.com
February 18, 2026 at 4:31 PM
I went to an Evie Magazine ("conservative cosmo!") new york fashion week party and blogged about it:
extremism is wild, because you'll listen to people & it's like:
horrible trauma -> valid grievance -> valid grievance -> horrible trauma -> valid grievance -> absolutely insane conclusion -> horrifyingly inappropriate call for violence
horrible trauma -> valid grievance -> valid grievance -> horrible trauma -> valid grievance -> absolutely insane conclusion -> horrifyingly inappropriate call for violence
February 18, 2026 at 5:21 PM
extremism is wild, because you'll listen to people & it's like:
horrible trauma -> valid grievance -> valid grievance -> horrible trauma -> valid grievance -> absolutely insane conclusion -> horrifyingly inappropriate call for violence
horrible trauma -> valid grievance -> valid grievance -> horrible trauma -> valid grievance -> absolutely insane conclusion -> horrifyingly inappropriate call for violence
Reposted by jen by.
I regularly see people wondering how it's possible that there are so many musicians and writers and film makers and artists from a tiny nation like Iceland.
And the answer is really simple: State funding for art education and artists. I literally get a salary from the government to write books.
And the answer is really simple: State funding for art education and artists. I literally get a salary from the government to write books.
I’m constantly astounded at the sheer level of artistic production coming out of Iceland. Novels, movies, music. Amazing.
February 18, 2026 at 2:23 PM
I regularly see people wondering how it's possible that there are so many musicians and writers and film makers and artists from a tiny nation like Iceland.
And the answer is really simple: State funding for art education and artists. I literally get a salary from the government to write books.
And the answer is really simple: State funding for art education and artists. I literally get a salary from the government to write books.
Reposted by jen by.
SCOOP: Ring’s controversial, AI-powered “Search Party” feature isn’t intended to be limited only to dogs, the company’s founder, Jamie Siminoff, told Ring employees in an internal email obtained by 404 Media.
Leaked Email Suggests Ring Plans to Expand ‘Search Party’ Surveillance Beyond Dogs
Ring's CEO told staff the feature is “first for finding dogs,” indicating a plan to expand.
www.404media.co
February 18, 2026 at 2:53 PM
SCOOP: Ring’s controversial, AI-powered “Search Party” feature isn’t intended to be limited only to dogs, the company’s founder, Jamie Siminoff, told Ring employees in an internal email obtained by 404 Media.
Reposted by jen by.
My latest in @texasobserver.org
The ‘Antifa Scare’ Goes on Trial in North Texas: As nine of the "Prairieland 19" face their days in court, the broader constitutional rights of left-wing activists may hang in the balance.
www.texasobserver.org/antifa-scare...
The ‘Antifa Scare’ Goes on Trial in North Texas: As nine of the "Prairieland 19" face their days in court, the broader constitutional rights of left-wing activists may hang in the balance.
www.texasobserver.org/antifa-scare...
The ‘Antifa Scare’ Goes on Trial in North Texas
As nine of the "Prairieland 19" face their days in court, the broader constitutional rights of left-wing activists may hang in the balance.
www.texasobserver.org
February 17, 2026 at 6:18 PM
My latest in @texasobserver.org
The ‘Antifa Scare’ Goes on Trial in North Texas: As nine of the "Prairieland 19" face their days in court, the broader constitutional rights of left-wing activists may hang in the balance.
www.texasobserver.org/antifa-scare...
The ‘Antifa Scare’ Goes on Trial in North Texas: As nine of the "Prairieland 19" face their days in court, the broader constitutional rights of left-wing activists may hang in the balance.
www.texasobserver.org/antifa-scare...
i've long-held the belief that journalism was gutted *precisely to enable this level of corruption.*
I can’t help thinking there’s so much money changing hands wrt ICE detention that there aren’t even enough investigative reporters to track
www.michiganpublic.org/criminal-jus...
www.michiganpublic.org/criminal-jus...
Michigan ICE detention center owner reports $254 million profit, record new business in 2025
The company that owns Michigan’s North Lake Processing Center, the largest immigration detention facility in the Midwest, reported $254 million in profit last year, up nearly 700 percent from $32 mill...
www.michiganpublic.org
February 17, 2026 at 10:48 PM
i've long-held the belief that journalism was gutted *precisely to enable this level of corruption.*
Reposted by jen by.
The drunk uncle theory.
You don’t argue with the casually homophobic uncle at Thanksgiving dinner to change his mind; you argue so that the closeted cousin at the kids table knows there’s safe people and better possibilities out there
You don’t argue with the casually homophobic uncle at Thanksgiving dinner to change his mind; you argue so that the closeted cousin at the kids table knows there’s safe people and better possibilities out there
agree with this (hah) but also think a particular mistake the left made for a long time online, and still makes to an extent, is failing to understand that the person whose mind you may actually change is the one reading the argument you're having, not the one you're arguing with
The secret to engaging in social media debate is knowing you will never win anyone over. The best you can hope for is to have people who already agree with tell you you're awesome. You might great a dopamine thrill from the righteousness of your anger! Fine benefits, all. But you will never win.
February 16, 2026 at 11:35 PM
The drunk uncle theory.
You don’t argue with the casually homophobic uncle at Thanksgiving dinner to change his mind; you argue so that the closeted cousin at the kids table knows there’s safe people and better possibilities out there
You don’t argue with the casually homophobic uncle at Thanksgiving dinner to change his mind; you argue so that the closeted cousin at the kids table knows there’s safe people and better possibilities out there
i need to join a writer's group & not a "constantly refreshing bluesky, waiting for the muses to come" group 🥲
someone chain me to a desk with a quill, like an ancient monk, and refuse to feed me until the angels come.
someone chain me to a desk with a quill, like an ancient monk, and refuse to feed me until the angels come.
February 17, 2026 at 12:40 AM
i need to join a writer's group & not a "constantly refreshing bluesky, waiting for the muses to come" group 🥲
someone chain me to a desk with a quill, like an ancient monk, and refuse to feed me until the angels come.
someone chain me to a desk with a quill, like an ancient monk, and refuse to feed me until the angels come.
Reposted by jen by.
Contra right-wing narratives, the alternatives are not "globalism" and "anti-globalism," but a globalism of expanding democracy vs. a globalism of resurgent authoritarianism
February 16, 2026 at 11:05 PM
Contra right-wing narratives, the alternatives are not "globalism" and "anti-globalism," but a globalism of expanding democracy vs. a globalism of resurgent authoritarianism
Reposted by jen by.
Minnesota's top investigative agency says federal government has formally refused to hand over evidence and information in the killing of Alex Pretti
www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/ne...
www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/ne...
FBI formally refuses to share evidence in Alex Pretti killing, Minnesota investigators say
Minnesota's top investigative agency said Monday the federal government has formally refused to hand over evidence and information in the killing of Alex Pretti.
www.cbsnews.com
February 16, 2026 at 8:43 PM
Minnesota's top investigative agency says federal government has formally refused to hand over evidence and information in the killing of Alex Pretti
www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/ne...
www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/ne...
my biggest quotidian fear is that the musicians i like can tell how many times i stream their songs & think i'm weird.
look. i don't really drink or do drugs. i don't gamble. i don't do much crazy shit anymore.
....but, i'll listen to a song 750 times on repeat. plz, dear god, let me have this.
look. i don't really drink or do drugs. i don't gamble. i don't do much crazy shit anymore.
....but, i'll listen to a song 750 times on repeat. plz, dear god, let me have this.
February 16, 2026 at 9:50 PM
my biggest quotidian fear is that the musicians i like can tell how many times i stream their songs & think i'm weird.
look. i don't really drink or do drugs. i don't gamble. i don't do much crazy shit anymore.
....but, i'll listen to a song 750 times on repeat. plz, dear god, let me have this.
look. i don't really drink or do drugs. i don't gamble. i don't do much crazy shit anymore.
....but, i'll listen to a song 750 times on repeat. plz, dear god, let me have this.
*david attenborough voice*
the mating call of the performative male includes listing all bands he knows
the mating call of the performative male includes listing all bands he knows
February 16, 2026 at 9:10 PM
*david attenborough voice*
the mating call of the performative male includes listing all bands he knows
the mating call of the performative male includes listing all bands he knows