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Jim Daley @jimdaleywrites.bsky.social · 1h

NEW: The People’s Law Office is representing Debbie Brockman, the WGN producer who was detained by feds.

“Ms. Brockman and her legal team adamantly deny any allegation that she assaulted anyone. Rather, Ms. Brockman was the one who was violently assaulted by federal agents on her way to work.”

Statement on Behalf of Debbie Brockman, WGN
Employee Assaulted by Federal Agents

Debbie Brockman, the WGN employee who was physically attacked and arrested in Chicago, Illinois by federal agents on October 10, 2025, would like to provide the following information to clarify any misunderstandings or misrepresentations that have been previously reported.

First off, Ms. Brockman wishes to clarify that at the time of this incident she was not acting in any professional capacity as an employee of WGN. During the morning hours this past Friday, Ms. Brockman was walking to the bus stop as part of her morning commute when she was attacked by Border Patrol agents.
Ms. Brockman, who is a U.S. citizen born in this country, was violently detained on Foster Avenue, on the north side of Chicago. As this occurred, individuals on the street began recording the incident and asked Ms. Brockman her name. In addition to providing her name, Ms. Brockman stated that she worked for WGN. She added this information because she hoped someone would notify her employer so her coworkers would know that she would not be arriving at work that day.
Ms. Brockman was detained and held in federal custody for approximately 7 hours before being released. She has not been charged with any crimes and she intends to pursue all legal avenues available to her to vindicate her rights and hold the federal authorities accountable for their actions.
Ms. Brockman is being represented by attorneys from the People’s Law Office in Chicago. Ms. Brockman and her legal team adamantly deny any allegation that she assaulted anyone. Rather, Ms. Brockman was the one who was violently assaulted by federal agents on her way to work. Ms. Brockman feared for her life multiple times throughout this terrifying experience.
“This incident should be alarming and horrifying to every single person in this country,” said Brad Thomson, one of Ms. Brockman’s attorneys at People’s Law Office. “If armed, masked, federal agents are sn…

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eli shroom's altered ego @shroompunk.com · 1h

looking forward to the onion getting a hold of infowars and doing the funniest shit possible

󠀁󠁿⁢⁢⁤⁤⁢⁢⁢⁤⁢⁢⁤⁤⁢⁢⁤⁤⁢⁢⁤⁤⁢⁢⁤⁤⁢⁢⁤⁤⁢⁤⁤⁤⁤⁤⁤⁤⁢⁢⁢⁢⁤⁢👻 @0x0.boo · 2h

GOOD! Alex Jones, loser extraordinaire, loses again.

Alex Jones loses Supreme Court bid to avoid paying $1.4B to Sandy Hook families

Lawyers for conspiracy theorist loser warned his website and assets will end up in the hands of his ‘nemesis’ and be ‘destroyed’ unless the justices get involved

go.stonking.com

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Omar Kooheji 🍉 @ohmz.bsky.social · 2h

Saqi have launched an anthology of Queer Arab stories, buying in the next 7 days gets you a free tote.

This Queer Arab Family – Saqi Books

Existence is a form of resistance. This Queer Arab Family is here to slay.

saqibooks.com

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Nathan Tankus @nathantankus.bsky.social · 1h

Note that the people who typically participate in Black blocs know this. Contrary to the impression of tons of liberals,people generally do Black blocs strategically. David Graeber discusses this quite a lot in "Direct Action An Ethnography". There is a direct line to inflatable frogs from Ya Basta!

THIRD EXAMPLE: STREET PARTY
Direct action aims to confront what it sees as an unjust or illegitimate form of
authority in a way that, in its very internal structure, suggests a viable alternative
to it. Actually, the same is probably true, in some sense, of protest in generaL The
result, as we've seen, is that it's often difficult to determine how much any given
action should be seen as primarily a performance meant to make an impression
on an outside audience, and how much it is better seen as a collective ritual meant
to educate, inspire, entertain, and transform the sense of possibilities of the participants themselves. Certainly, there is always a little of both. But some types of
action lean much more heavily towards one than towards the other.
If picket lines lean very much in the first direction-they are primarily about
communicating a message of defiance to specific opponents, and convincing a
broader audience to act in solidarity-street parties might be said to represent
the opposite extreme. While they are certainly intended to make a political statement or achieve a political end, they are also designed to afford participants every
possible opportunity to enjoy themselves. lhat element of pleasure-above all,
of collective, social pleasure-is really the main point. Even insofar as those taking part in a street party are trying to impress an audience, they are doing so in
such a way as to blur the boundaries, not to draw lines in the sand. Onlookers are
offered a show, with music and jugglers and clowns. The ideal is for the pleasure
of the experience to become infectious, so that the audience spontaneously finds
itself drawn in, to either mentally or, better, physically enter the festivaL
This element of pleasure is considered a crucial to what makes new forms of
protest new-almost as much as principles of self-organization and autonomy.

In activist circles that year, Ya Basta! had something of the quality ofa Next
Big Thing. Probably, this was most of all for their spectacularly innovative tactics:
members of the group were famous for covering themselves in all sorts of elaborate padding, made from everything from foam rubber sheeting to rubber ducky
flotation devices, combining it with helmets and plastic shields, so one looked
like some kind of futuristic Greek hoplite, then topping the whole thing with gas
masks and white chemical protective suits. The idea is that, so suited up, there's
relatively little the cops can do that will actually hurt you. Of course, you are rendered so clumsy there's probably not that much you could do to hurt anyone else;
but that's kind of the point. Its exponents claim the tactic is rooted in a new philosophy of civil disobedience. Where the old-fashioned, masochistic, Gandhian
approach encourages activists to hold out their willingness to let the police beat
them up as a sign of moral superiority, the "white overalls" proposed an ethos of
protection: as long as you refuse to harm others, it is completely legitimate to take
whatever measures necessary to avoid harm to yourself The costume also makes
one look rather ridiculous, but that's kind of the point too. Ya Basta! columns would often play on it by, for instance, attacking police lines with balloons or water pistols. What really impressed a lot of activists in America, though, was that
such groups had a real social base.

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unraveled @unraveledpress.com · 1h

We're told at least one person was arrested—and later released with a citation for disorderly—by Broadview police for simply being on the Maywood side of 25th at Harvard St outside the ICE facility this morning.

They were documenting agents coming and going as electeds have told people to do.

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Orion Rummler @oriion.bsky.social · 2h

Miss Major was known as many things in her community — a caretaker for other Black trans women, a defender of the homeless and the incarcerated, and a Stonewall veteran who did not want the past to be used as an excuse for inaction.

Read our full obituary here:

Legendary transgender activist Miss Major dies at 78

Known as a surrogate mother of her community, Miss Major Griffin-Gracy leaves behind a legacy as a fierce advocate for trans and LGBTQ+ rights.

19thnews.org

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Greg Pak @gregpak.net · 12h

I frequently say you don't need to protest. You don't! There are a thousand other ways to push back on fascism if protesting doesn't feel comfortable or safe for you!

But if you CAN go, this 10/18 #NoKings thing is really a key protest to participate in. Be part of it, friends.

Greg Pak @gregpak.net · 1d

NO KINGS, y'all! October 18! Find a rally near you and GO!

nokings.org

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eli shroom's altered ego @shroompunk.com · 2h

i mean really as long as you're doing something worth funny looks, it makes you immune to judgment, since you know exactly what the looks are about.

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🍁 Juniper/Blomblida | #Weretober 🍁 @yeeniebeans.fiskiper.art · 12h

👩🏾 Black furry creatives? artists? musicians?
👨🏾‍🦱 Black furry writers, lyricists, poets?
🧕🏾 Black fursuit makers? craftmakers?
👵🏾 Black furries who wanna hype up other Black furries?

Let's make a thread of some Black work 👇🏾

(Non-Black furries: boost work you like, but enjoy our greatness in silence 🤫)

𝔰𝔞𝔩𝔢𝔪 ☾🔞🏳️‍⚧️ @w0lfertinger666.bsky.social · 18h

queer spaces are so overly racially biased it makes me upset every time.

the lack of boosting black positivity or just interacting with black art is upsetting. black art, people, and characters aren't viewed in the same desirability as white characters.

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Justin Baragona @justinbaragona.bsky.social · 18h

So far, the only media outlet that has signed Pete Hegseth's new prohibitive press policy for covering the Pentagon is One America News.

Even Newsmax and the Washington Times have rejected the letter.

www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...

Even Newsmax rejects the Pentagon’s new press restrictions ahead of signing deadline

‘Newsmax has no plans to sign the letter,’ the network stated on Monday. ‘We believe the requirements are unnecessary and onerous and hope that the Pentagon with review the matter further’

www.independent.co.uk

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mady castigan✨ 🏳️‍⚧️ @madycast.com · 11h

A lot of people wonder how companies like IBM, Ford, Coca Cola, and General Electric got away with supporting Nazi Germany in their genocidal war.

This is how. Companies have always taken profits, wherever it comes from, no matter what atrocities they are enabling. Fascism is built on corporations.

Santiago Mayer @santiagomayer.com · 20h

Spotify is now running recruitment ads for ICE.

It’s time to cancel your account.

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Toscha @poemless.bsky.social · 12h

I don't know how to get people outside Chicago & environs to understand what is happening here, but this thread captures the bleakness. It's happening in every corner of the city. The videos you see are only a fraction of the daily raids. Even those not at risk are aware of their own vulnerability.

Soren Spicknall @sorenspicknall.bsky.social · 13h

Rogers Park and surrounding neighborhoods were hit hard by immigration enforcement activity over the weekend.

There's no competition here, but I want to name that the same heavy, violent, fast-moving abduction pattern has invaded the southwest side about three times a week for over a month now.

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Raider @iwillnotbesilenced.bsky.social · 22h

Discovered near the ICE facility in Portland this morning.

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Kassandra Jo Tomaras @raconteuse.bsky.social · 17h

When a trans woman dies of natural causes, at an age greater than 75, having lived more than half her life as herself, that is cause for celebration, not mourning.

Thank you, Miss Major.

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Sherrilyn Ifill @sifill.bsky.social · 15h

I can’t help but think today about how many young people were savaged on social media, branded as anti-semites and abandoned by their schools for daring to call for a ceasefire. I remember saying that it was the first time I can remember that calling for ceasefire was regarded as a hostile demand.

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Laur-eeeeee😱 (spooky scream) @laurie-merrell.bsky.social · 12h

I was talking about what's going on in Chicago with someone and e.g. the WGN producer thing and they were like "well, she was released" and I was like no, don't let the goalpost move like that!

unraveled @unraveledpress.com · 13h

Thinking about how much of their violence has been normalized already, how scenes that caused shockwaves 6 weeks ago are now part of the rhythm of daily life. Watched a TikTok from a daughter who has to do her parents' laundry & get their groceries because they're in hiding. This is just it now

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unraveled @unraveledpress.com · 13h

Thinking about how much of their violence has been normalized already, how scenes that caused shockwaves 6 weeks ago are now part of the rhythm of daily life. Watched a TikTok from a daughter who has to do her parents' laundry & get their groceries because they're in hiding. This is just it now

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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 14h

"Residents in Chicago and Portland are living in a police state where masked armed forces kidnap who they want to kidnap, where they have to listen to public officials routinely lie about what is happening in their neighborhoods." donmoynihan.substack.com/p/purge-merg...

StrictlyChristo 🇺🇦🌻❌👑 @strictlychristo.bsky.social · 21h

Federal Secret Police and plainclothes ICE agents kidnap multiple people from a neighborhood in Chicago. They then deploy teargas and brutally beat neighbors who come out to express their concern.

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Zach D Roberts @zdroberts.bsky.social · 19h

This year's MediaFest - a conference for student journalists has a Faith breakout section that includes speakers from the Alliance Defending Freedom - a SPLC designated Hate Group (oddly CJR's article doesn't mention that).

I hope attendees and sponsors pull out.
www.cjr.org/feature/stud...

But in recent weeks, MediaFest’s schedule has been amended to include people from other religious backgrounds. There will be more than twenty faith track speakers, on panels tackling such questions as “Can the Bible inform reporters on how to cover the news?” and discussing censorship on the basis of faith. “We even have a Muslim coming,” said Naomi Balk—who

Thursday, October 16th
Freedom to report with faith
Faith Central
1:00 PM – 1:50 PM
Cabin John
Description
As culture shifts away from religion, reporters are caught in a paradox: non-religious reporters report on topics of faith, and reporters of faith report on non-religious topics. What does it look like to report with objectivity in an age where not all perspectives are viewed as valid? Hear from Tyson Langhofer, director of the ADF Center for Academic Freedom, as he shares lessons from history about freedom of the press.
Speaker
Tyson Langhofer, Alliance Defending Freedom, Senior Counsel, Director of Center for Academic Freedom

Alliance Defending Freedom
SPLC Designated Hate Group
Related: Anti-LGBTQ
Founded: 1994
Location: Scottsdale, Ariz.

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Dan Mihalopoulos @dmihalopoulos.bsky.social · 14h

This version is confirmed, by Hoffman Estates police, puncturing the official DHS statement.

At this point, there is a statement from DHS re 🧊 activities in the Chicago area that’s refuted in similar fashion on nearly a daily basis at a minimum over the past week

Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi @congressmanraja.bsky.social · 16h

Despite what some, including at DHS, are claiming, this video isn’t from a year ago in Chicago. It was Friday in Hoffman Estates, in my district, a street I’ve walked myself. It appears to show a child being violently detained by ICE. It’s real, and I’m demanding accountability.

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Mavis 👑🌊🌙 [FINAL BOSS] @mavisdeluna.art · 17h

Happy Indigenous People’s Day! Did you know I have a starter pack for Black and Indigenous artists? ✨

If you’re looking for Indigenous artists to support, this pack is full of them!

Mavis 👑🌊🌙 [FINAL BOSS] @mavisdeluna.art · 20d

My starter pack for Black and Indigenous artists is now FULL!

Thank you to everyone who contributed, tagged their friends, and submitted!

Please share this starter pack and support Black and Indigenous artists 💖

(NOTE: There are NSFW artists in this pack, myself included.)

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Kendra, regular version @kendrawcandraw.bsky.social · 19h

You can't logic your way out of being burnt out. Unless you're me. Who should be able to do it and it's a personal failing that I can't

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Hell-Raea-ser 🦋✨🏳️‍⚧️🏴 @raea.meangirls.online · 15h

fuck u gavin newsom it’d have been such peace of mind to be able to get a year of hrt through insurance im gonna give u a swirlie bitch

mady castigan✨ 🏳️‍⚧️ @madycast.com · 17h

Newsom vetoes both the PreP access and the HRT stockpile bill because he is worried it would increase healthcare costs...

He claims to support the aims of these bills. But the vetoes deny access to medical care for queer people.

(Context: He vetoed these 2 while signing 8 other queer rights bills)

Trans News Network @transnews.network · 17h

He also signed SB 590, which bolsters paid family leave.

Read his veto messages here:

www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/u...
www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/u...

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Annalise Ophelian @dr-ophelian.bsky.social · 15h

The documentary I made with Miss Major 10 years ago is on Vimeo on Demand. If you want to spend some time with her on screen tonight and learn some abolitionist trans history while you're at it, it's free to rent with the code "shinebright" vimeo.com/ondemand/major

Watch MAJOR! Online | Vimeo On Demand

The award-winning documentary "MAJOR!" follows the life and campaigns of Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, a Black transgender elder who has been fighting for…

vimeo.com

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