Silja JA Talvi
banner
sjat.bsky.social
Silja JA Talvi
@sjat.bsky.social
840 followers 720 following 2.1K posts
In forced exile from U.S. Investigative journalist (35 yrs), author, lecturer. Multi-minority. Anti-racist; despise ALL bigotry. Prisons, criminal justice, eugenics, refugees, misogyny, trauma, etc. Documentary: https://youtu.be/lbBMriSDEwg?feature=shared
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs
Pinned
Documentary link is corrected in bio. After staying relatively hidden for over a decade, I broke my silence. The doc explains why I was forced to flee the U.S. despite a flourishing career as investigative/immersive journo. It all came down to what I stumbled across.
30 that we know of … and this doesn’t include deaths in custody or black ops. The real total of ppl who have been killed (or tortured) will remain unknown for the foreseeable future.
According to latest stats, 1.8 million persons are incarcerated in the U.S., an increase of 400,000 since 2019. More than 10% (roughly 200,000) are lifers. The U.S. represents 4% of the global pop but 40% of ALL lifers are in U.S. prisons, inc. 83% of all ppl serving life without parole. #LWOP
Humanizing individuals who are relegated into the realm of faceless statistics is what we, as journalists, are called to do. In the daily maelstrom of American disappearances, detentions & deportations, stories like Nory’s rarely get told. A heart wrenching profile: www.nytimes.com/2025/10/17/u...
Nory Doesn’t Go to School Here Anymore
www.nytimes.com
Rakas Isoäiti: Tänä päivänä monta vuotta sitten, sinä siirryit maailmasta taivaaseen. Haluan kiittää sinua siitä että sain kokea aitoa rakkautta. Sain tarttua käteesi ja istua vieressäsi saunassa & keittiössä. Ihailin sinun vahvuutta ja viisautta. Kiitän & rakastan sinua ikuisesti, Irja Talvi 💜
”On” eikä ”in” …
Joo, etenkin täällä! Olen huomannut sen. Just tämmöisen kanssa ehdotukset auttaisi koska suomalainen huumorin taju on edelleen vaikeata ymmärtää vaikka kuinka yritän … se in siis täysin erilaista kun missään muualla.
The recent shudders of violence in #Gaza are predictable but horrible. As long as sick & demented right-wing Israeli & Hamas extremists are in power, ppl keep dying. Hamas has even started up public executions again. The answer lies w/ the strong #women who want 2 lead ppl 2 peaceful co-existence.
Highlight of my life; skanking on stage next to Dick Lucas for an ENTIRE set of Subhumans/Citizen Fish & Culture Shock songs. And that was when I was nearly 40. 👊🏽
Etsin apua: ihmisiä jotka tarkistaa ja jopa ehdottaa tekstiä. Sitten yritän kerätä riittävästi € että pystyn tuottamaan ja tarjoamaan ympäri Suomea ilmaiseksi. Miten voisin kerätä pieniä lahjoituksia tätä varten? Ideana olisi että tarrat laitetaan terveyskeskuksien lähelle. #HuonovointiSuomi
Hei muut vihaiset Suomalaiset: meinaan tehdä isoja tarroja missä tuon esiin meidän ”hyvinvointivaltion” romahdus etenkin julkisen terveydenhoidon näkökulmasta. Miten me köyhät, kroonisesti sairaat (ja vähemmistö ryhmän jäsenet) kohdellaan ikään kuin meidän elämällä ei ole merkitystä. (Jatkuu … )
Certain album covers stay with you for life. This was one of many. Punk rock rasta chica since early 80s, still as full of sociopolitical rage and wondering HTF most music got so insipid & tepid. Every day is a FU to everyone who told me I was going through a “phase.” ✊🏽
While nearly 2 million ppl rot in US prisons—many serving decades or even life sentences—frmr Rep. Santos just got released after serving 3 mo of a 7 yr sentence. So far, Trump has freed 1,600 Jan6ers, fraud & tax evasion pardons 4 reality tv stars & frmr Rep. Grimm. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/18/n...
Social Media, Pleas From Allies and Prison Essays: How Santos Won His Freedom
www.nytimes.com
Fascists don’t come knocking at your door to ask politely if they can come inside. Authoritarian rule doesn’t shake your hand & ask for your support. Tyrannical leaders don’t study press polls b4 seizing power permanently. They break your door down, throw you in a cell & take control of the media.
Are you a survivor of #humantrafficking, #sextrafficking or any form of #modernslavery looking to share your story of survival? As the gap between rich & poor grows, so does slavery. Seeking additional personal stories of trafficking in Western & Eastern Europe, Middle East, Asia & Africa.
Four seasons. As climate change has impacted our lives here in dramatic ways, we take even more time to appreciate what’s left of a once glorious decay & renewal/rebirth cycle.
For all my fellow Americans who still see Europe as a monolith, it’s crucial to understand that these countries are TRULY different from one another. In #Finland, the practice of retrieving lost items & placing them on display in hopes that the owner will find them is an ubiquitous cultural trait.
Kuvanmukaiset lasten silmälasit roikkuvat Veräjämäessä metsäpolun varressa (saa jakaa).

#kadonnut #löydetty #silmälasit #Veräjämäki #Helsinki
When peace becomes a subversive concept we’re in trouble … and one of the primary things I find distressing ab the modern day left. Even here on BlueSky I read leftists who support torturing ppl they dislike & back violence as response to oppression. I understand rage. But I don’t seek violence.
Absolutely everyone on the left needs to stop using Facebook, Google/Gmail and X. I can’t believe many “progressive” pubs still use all of them. There’s just no excuse (no matter how accustomed you are to using them) to support platforms that happily hand over data to the fed govt, NSA, FBI, CIA …
There’s no shame in his game. He knows he’s the man in charge and gets away with everything. The extreme narcissism is already astounding to watch on display, the add to that knowing he’s dictator of the US empire … why would he worry about watching his words? It’s sadistic “fun” for him.
(To clarify: By referencing 2 years, I mean the Jewish lunar calendar.)

I also need to say I grieve w/ EVERY person who lost loved ones in this catastrophic war. The grief process must be respected & the resulting trauma must be addressed. Without it, more brutality & suffering will follow.
Have you all noticed that what would’ve once been a matter of outrage—even front page news—is now relegated to little more than a mention or the online equivalent of a dismissive shrug? This is the normalization of brutality & authoritarian control. This is PRECISELY how the arc of facism develops.
“Are you ICE or a cop? I’m a combat vet. Who are you with? I’ve got this on video.

Wow! You better not fucking tase him! Call the cops. You fucking pieces of shit! Racist little bastards!

Don’t you touch me! I’ll knock you the fuck out! We’re following you..

#AbolishICE #Vets
Thank you for posting this. It is vital that we bring as much attn to issues and ppl who aren’t in the headlines but whose struggles cry out for our attention. #IndigenousWisdom
Two yrs ago to the day, the horror of an unimaginable massacre, hostages & the relentless murder of #Palestinian innocents started on #SimchatTorah. I thank Jah 4 listening to our prayers & protests. We are DONE w/ men & war. The time 4 women’s guidance is NOW. #NotInOurName #NetanyahuHamasOutNow