John J. Parman
@j2parman.bsky.social
Writer-editor based in Berkeley
We've analysed this video of the shooting of Renee Nicole Good yesterday in Minneapolis frame-by-frame to highlight the positioning of the gun and phone in the ICE agent's hands.
Video: @minnesotareformer.com with annotations by Bellingcat
Video: @minnesotareformer.com with annotations by Bellingcat
January 9, 2026 at 6:01 PM
They're not ruling us yet, but they're definitely trying, with lots of evidence of what that will look like if we let it happen.
In @nytopinion.nytimes.com
“All of us, citizens and immigrants alike, are being ruled by people who think life is a privilege bestowed by authority, and death is a fair penalty for disobedience,” our columnist Michelle Goldberg writes.
“All of us, citizens and immigrants alike, are being ruled by people who think life is a privilege bestowed by authority, and death is a fair penalty for disobedience,” our columnist Michelle Goldberg writes.
Opinion | By Killing Renee Good, ICE Sent a Message to Us All
Not even citizens are safe in Trump’s America.
nyti.ms
January 9, 2026 at 2:57 AM
They're not ruling us yet, but they're definitely trying, with lots of evidence of what that will look like if we let it happen.
Remarks of the perpetual harasser of its democratic neighbor.
sc.mp/g8wbp?utm_so...
sc.mp/g8wbp?utm_so...
China decries ‘brazen use of force’ as US attacks Venezuela
Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and his wife will face charges in New York; US President Donald Trump says ‘much larger attack’ still possible.
sc.mp
January 4, 2026 at 3:44 AM
Remarks of the perpetual harasser of its democratic neighbor.
sc.mp/g8wbp?utm_so...
sc.mp/g8wbp?utm_so...
Getting rid of "Citizens United" would be a huge step toward reviving our democracy. Ditching the Electoral College would also be helpful. The small states already have the Senate.
Friends — Here's one "big idea" for how we can start to fix the system in 2026. Let me know your thoughts.
https://robertreich.substack.com/p/how-to-get-rid-of-citizens-united
https://robertreich.substack.com/p/how-to-get-rid-of-citizens-united
December 29, 2025 at 1:17 AM
Getting rid of "Citizens United" would be a huge step toward reviving our democracy. Ditching the Electoral College would also be helpful. The small states already have the Senate.
Afraid of their shadow.
The Chinese government once focused on political dissidents and exiled activists. Now, federal officials say, it is targeting artists in the U.S. whose creative protests test its tolerance.
‘Orwellian Climate of Fear’: How China Cracks Down on Critics in the U.S.
The Chinese government once focused on political dissidents and exiled activists. Now, federal officials say, it is targeting artists in the United States whose creative protests test its tolerance.
nyti.ms
December 22, 2025 at 3:35 AM
Afraid of their shadow.
Even Henry Ford grasped that he needed to pay his workers adequately so they could afford a good life.
SNAP is a lifeline for workers in low-wage jobs.
Meanwhile, CEOs are paid 280x as much as the typical worker.
Don’t be angry at workers for using food stamps.
Be angry at the corporations paying them so little that they need them.
Meanwhile, CEOs are paid 280x as much as the typical worker.
Don’t be angry at workers for using food stamps.
Be angry at the corporations paying them so little that they need them.
December 20, 2025 at 9:14 PM
Even Henry Ford grasped that he needed to pay his workers adequately so they could afford a good life.
"Nothing has ever trickled down."
Your Friday reminder that trickle-down economics is a cruel hoax.
Cruel because it's used by the super-rich to avoid paying their fair share of taxes.
And a hoax because nothing has ever trickled down.
Cruel because it's used by the super-rich to avoid paying their fair share of taxes.
And a hoax because nothing has ever trickled down.
December 20, 2025 at 12:36 AM
"Nothing has ever trickled down."
You came for the crime, you got the accused's pedigree.
www.thetimes.com/uk/crime/art...
www.thetimes.com/uk/crime/art...
Duke of Marlborough charged with intentional strangulation
Charles James Spencer-Churchill, a relative of Sir Winston Churchill and Diana, Princess of Wales, is accused of three offences between November 2022 and May 2024
www.thetimes.com
December 18, 2025 at 6:10 AM
You came for the crime, you got the accused's pedigree.
www.thetimes.com/uk/crime/art...
www.thetimes.com/uk/crime/art...
@aboutdave.bsky.social , here's the article that started our thread. I read it wrong - it's not specifically about prevailing wage, but other labor-related issues. www.berkeleyside.org/2025/11/18/b...
Developers have found way to bypass Berkeley’s labor standards for housing construction
Developers are using a powerful state housing law to get around Berkeley's labor standards. Construction unions want to block their projects.
www.berkeleyside.org
November 23, 2025 at 1:54 AM
@aboutdave.bsky.social , here's the article that started our thread. I read it wrong - it's not specifically about prevailing wage, but other labor-related issues. www.berkeleyside.org/2025/11/18/b...
So much for the course-correction.
sfist.com/2025/11/19/m...
sfist.com/2025/11/19/m...
Marc Benioff, Elon Musk Attend White House Dinner With Murderous Saudi Crown Prince
The billionaires were all back in their billionaire bubble alongside Trump Tuesday night, and even Elon Musk has been welcomed back into the fold after his teenage-style tiff with Trump.
sfist.com
November 20, 2025 at 1:00 AM
So much for the course-correction.
sfist.com/2025/11/19/m...
sfist.com/2025/11/19/m...
This is a real issue. To me, it violates rule of law.
In @nytopinion.nytimes.com
A green card holder returning from vacation. An asylum recipient at a “routine check-in.” A woman reapplying for her work visa. All of them were legally in the U.S. when they were suddenly arrested and detained by ICE. nyti.ms/4i5gsM5
A green card holder returning from vacation. An asylum recipient at a “routine check-in.” A woman reapplying for her work visa. All of them were legally in the U.S. when they were suddenly arrested and detained by ICE. nyti.ms/4i5gsM5
Opinion | We Immigrated Legally. ICE Detained Us Anyway.
The brutal detention of three people who came to the U.S. legally reveals a cruel system that operates with impunity.
nyti.ms
November 17, 2025 at 11:29 PM
This is a real issue. To me, it violates rule of law.
Wiener's black swan?
missionlocal.org/2025/11/scot...
missionlocal.org/2025/11/scot...
Voters seem to want something new. Does that look like Scott Wiener?
Sen. Wiener has spent years laying the groundwork for a congressional run. Why couldn't he have waited one more week?
missionlocal.org
November 3, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Wiener's black swan?
missionlocal.org/2025/11/scot...
missionlocal.org/2025/11/scot...
Not a good look. www.berkeleyside.org/2025/10/30/f...
A federal agent shot a pastor in the face with a chemical weapon. What can California do about it?
A violent response to an Oakland protest raises the same legal questions other states are grappling with as Trump’s immigration crackdown intensifies.
www.berkeleyside.org
October 31, 2025 at 2:09 AM
Not a good look. www.berkeleyside.org/2025/10/30/f...
Hamas should look to the IRA as its precedent.
October 16, 2025 at 3:20 AM
Hamas should look to the IRA as its precedent.
Urban dilemmas, episode 1,267,488.
Berkeley encampment fire puts the focus on Codornices Creek
Community members are concerned about impacts on businesses and protected steelhead trout. They say Berkeley must do more.
www.berkeleyscanner.com
October 7, 2025 at 3:40 AM
Urban dilemmas, episode 1,267,488.
"The Right to Bear Arms," episode 762,477,986 (and counting).
sc.mp/yzvy6?utm_so...
sc.mp/yzvy6?utm_so...
Gunmen kill 2, injure 12 in a shootout in Alabama’s capital Montgomery
Five of the wounded were in life-threatening condition, police said. No one has yet been arrested and police are appealing for information.
sc.mp
October 6, 2025 at 1:20 AM
"The Right to Bear Arms," episode 762,477,986 (and counting).
sc.mp/yzvy6?utm_so...
sc.mp/yzvy6?utm_so...
CA invades Oregon, apparently.
The Trump administration sent 300 federalized members of the California National Guard to Oregon early Sunday, after being blocked by a federal court from deploying the Oregon National Guard in that state, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom. Newsom denounced the move and said California would sue.
Trump Sends California Guard Troops to Portland, Ore., Newsom Says
The move follows a judge’s order on Saturday that blocked the Oregon National Guard from deploying there. California’s governor said the state would sue.
nyti.ms
October 5, 2025 at 7:56 PM
CA invades Oregon, apparently.
My friend Peiting Li is teaching calligraphy at Teance in Berkeley, in case you live in these parts.
www.teance.com/calligraphy-...
www.teance.com/calligraphy-...
Calligraphy and Tea with Dr. Peiting C. Li
1st & 3rd Sundays 10am–12pm Join us at Teance for calligraphy & tea—a shared space for both seasoned practitioners and the calligraphy-curious. Cultivate se
www.teance.com
October 3, 2025 at 3:16 AM
My friend Peiting Li is teaching calligraphy at Teance in Berkeley, in case you live in these parts.
www.teance.com/calligraphy-...
www.teance.com/calligraphy-...
More from Seattle.
www.seattletimes.com/business/rea...
www.seattletimes.com/business/rea...
Renting in Seattle area to get harder
After a building boom since the pandemic, apartment construction is dying down in Seattle as costs rise and economic uncertainty mounts.
www.seattletimes.com
October 2, 2025 at 10:23 PM
More from Seattle.
www.seattletimes.com/business/rea...
www.seattletimes.com/business/rea...
Is inclusionary housing problematic?
www.forbes.com/sites/rogerv...
www.forbes.com/sites/rogerv...
Bad Housing Policy In Seattle Should Be A Warning To Other Cities
Affordability mandates and eviction bans are well intended, but they are harming the Seattle's non-profit housing sector.
www.forbes.com
October 2, 2025 at 10:19 PM
Is inclusionary housing problematic?
www.forbes.com/sites/rogerv...
www.forbes.com/sites/rogerv...
Greek Theater volume a tad too high.
September 25, 2025 at 3:17 AM
Greek Theater volume a tad too high.
James Rojas on the slow demise of his Rockridge neighborhood.
The Lost Soul of Oakland: Living Large in Lower Rockridge
Real estate speculation is eroding the beauty of a great urban neighborhood.
commonedge.org
September 24, 2025 at 4:16 PM
James Rojas on the slow demise of his Rockridge neighborhood.
"Round up the usual suspects."
September 18, 2025 at 7:12 AM
"Round up the usual suspects."
@idothethinking.bsky.social analysis of SB79 leads me to retract my wholesale opposition to it. It has more nuance than I realized. The way legislation is communicated divides between all-in and total rejection, I realize. Owens' approach cuts through that.
open.substack.com/pub/darrello...
open.substack.com/pub/darrello...
California Passes Mass Transit Upzoning
Senate Bill 79 is the third version of a transit-oriented upzoning law. After eight years of failed attempts, the proposal will soon be signed by Gavin Newsom and become law.
open.substack.com
September 16, 2025 at 3:20 AM
@idothethinking.bsky.social analysis of SB79 leads me to retract my wholesale opposition to it. It has more nuance than I realized. The way legislation is communicated divides between all-in and total rejection, I realize. Owens' approach cuts through that.
open.substack.com/pub/darrello...
open.substack.com/pub/darrello...
"Round up the usual suspects."
September 15, 2025 at 9:47 PM
"Round up the usual suspects."