Gwen Otwell
onetofu.bsky.social
Gwen Otwell
@onetofu.bsky.social
@Richmondforall treasurer & comms
This machine kills the vibe
#rva since we're on the topic of publicly available info, there are two competing Richmond FIOA Library bills on the agenda for the 12/08/25 city council meeting. Def recommend showing up to give public comment in support of transparency @ city hall.
Seems the DeFlock app supports quickly adding Flock Ravens, the gunshot detectors all over the East End of RVA that are leaking west into the downtown wards.

deflock.me/app
November 25, 2025 at 3:54 AM
Can't wait for the 2027 congressional inquiry into why the CIA AI told the DOD AI to order a drone strike in Wisconsin.
Amazon says it will spend up to $50 billion on AI infrastructure to support the U.S. government.

The tech giant says the project will let government agencies develop AI solutions.
November 24, 2025 at 9:03 PM
This sort of voter disenfranchisement is so common in #rva that we train canvassers to walk residents through applying to have their voting rights restored or check if they have been. In many cases, we're seemingly the first people to tell them this is possible.
November 24, 2025 at 5:54 PM
I don't wanna sound too pessimistic here so I'll say I hope this is one of many bills introduced to protect folks from ICE brutality. Incrementally expanding the civil liability of ICE agents brutalizing residents cannot be the best we can do.
This is big news for #Virginia. From the #Shenandoah to #RVA to the #757

#nomasks
#ICE
#nokings
#handsoff
Hell yeah #Virginia!

Putting a stop to those cowardly masked ICE agents.

Elections have consequences!

"Liability of law-enforcement officer for certain conduct while unlawfully wearing a facial covering."

$10,000 civil penalties

#Bluewave
November 23, 2025 at 1:08 PM
Reposted by Gwen Otwell
Tonight the #rva school board dealt a serious blow to collective bargaining in Richmond Public Schools. Their public facing message outlined the need for mutual compromise but they made sure the unions knew that they weren't required to take any public feedback into consideration on this topic.
November 12, 2025 at 3:55 AM
Reposted by Gwen Otwell
They will call this practicality or fiduciary responsibility. It is cowardice and we should call it that.
November 10, 2025 at 3:37 PM
Reposted by Gwen Otwell
When chaos erupts at the national level, some local officials will fail to raise the alarm and fight for the people they serve. Instead, they will attempt to quietly scale back policies and programs that protect the working class.
November 10, 2025 at 3:37 PM
Reposted by Gwen Otwell
As Richmond watches Republicans & Trump drastically weaken key social welfare programs like Obamacare, food stamps, and Medicare we urge you to channel some of the outrage you feel into pressure on local officials to take a bolder and braver approach in supporting working class residents.
November 10, 2025 at 3:37 PM
Reposted by Gwen Otwell
Amazon may have made VA a datacenter hub and be pumping money into the state for now but VA politicians would do well to remember they're a fair weather friend. If you need evidence of this, just look how Seattle is doing after effectively selling their city to Amazon.
November 9, 2025 at 8:29 PM
Reposted by Gwen Otwell
Data centers create few long-term jobs, cause skyrocketing energy bills, and have major environmental impact. Meanwhile, Amazon just laid off 30k employees and the AI industry is already signaling the need for a government bailout.
November 9, 2025 at 8:29 PM
When I was 24 I broke my wrist in a car accident & with permission from a sheriff that witnessed the accident got a ride from my step mom to the ER. A different sheriff showed up at the ER to tell me he should charge me w/ leaving the scene but wouldn't b/c he was such a nice guy
Talk to someone who's uninsured. I lived that life for 2.5 years in my early 30s. I don't wish it upon anyone.

I can tell you first hand, you absolutely do think about "how the ___ am I going to afford this?" when deciding to call for an ambulance. No one should have to live like that. It's awful.
November 9, 2025 at 7:48 PM
I think it's fair to say this framing is a little overblown but by many measures things have gotten harder for working class people. So I'd encourage folks to ask "Is this framing a huge problem or something I find personally annoying?"

Also Haley's son says some way wilder things in this piece
People wildly overestimate the economic security experienced by past generations. There's no period in American history where significant numbers of young people were just handed high paying jobs. Nostalgia for a time that never existed is a huge problem.
Why Nikki Haley’s son went radical: His generation inherited insecurity.

I profile Nalin Haley, a fascinating young man, who I believe will likely play an important role in conservative politics in years to come.

unherd.com/2025/11/why-...
November 9, 2025 at 7:28 PM
For both logistical and health reasons current American food systems rely on processed and fried foods just to meet the caloric needs. There's a reason Chipotle cannot stop giving people salmonella
Thinking about the social stigma against eating fast food in a country where poor people are being starved by the govt, the cost of groceries and fresh vegetables are astronomical, and a cheeseburger at McDonald’s costs $3.50.

“Clean” and “healthy” eating rhetoric is racist, ableist, and classist.
November 9, 2025 at 3:03 AM
I'm not trying to get spit in my Strange Mac
Medium famous is generous
In Richmond we dare to ask "what if all the small businesses were run by goths or guys in medium famous metal bands?"
November 9, 2025 at 2:26 AM
Reposted by Gwen Otwell
Tech guys six months ago: haha yes we’re cutting all this WASTEFUL spending by eliminating medical research and USAID

Tech guys now: yes I think taxpayers will be excited to bailout my non consensual pornography machine
November 8, 2025 at 11:02 PM