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Cynthia Matthias

@cmatthias.bsky.social
201 followers 601 following 102 posts

Former librarian turned researcher errant. Mostly lurking. Opinions are my own.

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Reposted by Cynthia Matthias
Alex @mplsalex.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
“Nevertheless, when a citizen paints a crosswalk or builds a bench, whether as a stopgap as an act of protest, it can also exert a sort of “productive tension” on a city, said Lydon, one that can compel a static government to act much more quickly than it would otherwise” www.vox.com/future-perfe...
vox.com
What if making your neighborhood safer means breaking the rules?
Neighborhood vigilantes are making their own crosswalks, bus stop benches, and DIY bike lanes. Not everyone’s happy about it.
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Reposted by Cynthia Matthias
taylr @taylordahlin.com · 05/10/2026
once again begging people newly activated to read @danielsuitor.com's piece on how to get involved instead of sitting in signal chats cooking up ideas that won't work
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Cynthia Matthias @cmatthias.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I can tell it's peak migration time because the sidewalks in downtown Minneapolis are littered with the tiny corpses of birds I normally never see. 😞 As a birder this is deeply upsetting.
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Reposted by Cynthia Matthias
Alex Tomlinson @alextomlinson.com · 12/09/2023
Reducing light pollution at night helps migrating birds. Turn off the lights for them!
Illustration of bird silhouettes with stars overlaid. Text reads "Lights Out For The Birds"
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mollypeonies @mollypeonies.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
NEW! How MPD Built a Police Surveillance Operation Around Renee Good’s Memorial — and What It Cost the Community MPD dedicated 101 personnel to a memorial deployment where just seven people were holding vigil. It was part of a four-day MPD operation that generated $1.92 million in overtime.
thisisbydesign.com
How MPD Built a Police Surveillance Operation Around Renee Good’s Memorial — and What It Cost the Community
Records reveal a coordinated system of drones, city cameras, command-post intelligence, body-worn and helmet cameras, person and vehicle checks, and evidence preservation around the memorial site as p...
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Reposted by Cynthia Matthias
Minnesota Reformer @minnesotareformer.com · 14/09/2026
Missed appointments, malnutrition, miscarriage and stillbirth—Minnesota healthcare providers published an article in the New England Journal of Medicine this month detailing the impact of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown on their patients.
minnesotareformer.com
Minnesota healthcare providers detail harm to patients from Operation Metro Surge • Minnesota Reformer
The article adds to the growing body of health research on Operation Metro Surge.
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Reposted by Cynthia Matthias
Bree | PAILBN Art @pailbn.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
RT if you've never had a tab of ChatGPT open, period.
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taylr @taylordahlin.com · 01/09/2026
MINNESOTAN RENTERS: if you rented from a large property mgmt company between 2018-2025, you may be able to get money from a recent settlement as they were colluding to drive up rents i found the brentwood apartments in loring park on there! www.realpagerentalsettlement.com/property-loo...
realpagerentalsettlement.com
Property Lookup - In re RealPage, Inc., Rental Software Antitrust Litigation (No. II)
In re RealPage, Inc., Rental Software Antitrust Litigation (No. II)
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Cynthia Matthias @cmatthias.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Forever in awe of crop artists
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Reposted by Cynthia Matthias
The War on Cars @thewaroncars.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
"Examinations of London schoolchildren before and after the introduction of the city’s ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) found a restoration of lung capacity that had been stunted by exposure to pollution."
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Cynthia Matthias @cmatthias.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Shoutout to my patient dissertation advisor who kept reminding me that I wouldn't really know what I thought until I saw what I said.
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McSweeney's @mcsweeneys.net · 18/08/2026
"You were riding in the morning, or at night, or on a quiet road, or a main road. The only time and place to ride a bike is a time beyond time and a place beyond place, where the space-time continuum is bent so strangely that you are both everywhere and nowhere." buff.ly/bSa1Wm5
mcsweeneys.net
You’re a Cyclist Who Was Just Struck by a Car Driver. Here’s Why It Was Your Fault
You were riding during rush hour Why were you riding then? There are way too many cars on the road. If you were commuting, you should have contacted your bos...
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ashley fairbanks @ziibiing.com · 14/08/2026
Eyes on ICE Legal Defense is an all-volunteer, Minnesota-based fund focused on providing support for the legal services needed to protect constitutional observers and protestors who were arrested or charged. To find out more or support their efforts, visit EyesOnICELegalDefense.org.
eyesonicelegaldefense.org
EYES ON ICE LEGAL DEFENSE
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Cynthia Matthias @cmatthias.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
My neighbors in South Minneapolis know what's up.
Screenshot of US Senate primary results showing Flanagan with 86% of the vote and Craig with 13% of the vote.
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Minnesota Reformer @minnesotareformer.com · 07/08/2026
ICE arrested at least 75 people who had been granted permission to live and work in the U.S. while they awaited a U visa, which is available to victims of serious crimes and their immediate family. The youngest was six years old.
minnesotareformer.com
During Operation Metro Surge, ICE arrested dozens of immigrant crime victims • Minnesota Reformer
Years ago, Rosa watched from inside the car as men robbed her husband at gunpoint, shortly after they’d arrived in Minnesota from Guatemala. The couple had a pending asylum case, but once they reporte...
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Cynthia Matthias @cmatthias.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
One of my favorite seasons in Minneapolis: Fringe!
Program for a performance of the musical Chum! Featuring a smiling shark. A sign for the Minnesota
fringe festival is in the background.
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Cynthia Matthias @cmatthias.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
A car passed me IN THE CURBED OFF BIKE LANE on Blaisdell and then 3 separate cars came within inches of hitting me in a crosswalk. I know it's always open season on bicycles/pedestrians here but based on all the photos I'm seeing from other car interactions...it's worse rn for some reason?
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Reposted by Cynthia Matthias
Ursula K. Le Guin Bot @leguinbot.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
And I speak of spiritual suffering! Of people seeing their talent, their work, their lives wasted. Of good minds submitting to stupid ones. Of strength and courage strangled by envy, greed for power, fear of change.
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Cynthia Matthias @cmatthias.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Some weirdos keep putting me on AI-hater lists so I feel compelled to pass this info along.
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Reposted by Cynthia Matthias
taylr @taylordahlin.com · 16/07/2026
minneapolis police department’s estimated overtime cost from june 28 to july 4 is $379,500 the total cost of OT for 2026 is estimated at $16.8 million, exceeding this year’s OT allocation by $2,265,500 MPD are defunding us, raising property taxes and this could lead to layoffs at the city
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Jason Chavez @jchavezmpls.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
If you experienced city staff violate the City's separation ordinance please fill out a complaint. The Office of Police Conduct Review and Internal Affairs only received a combined total of 9 complaints since the adoption of the new separation ordinance. www.minneapolismn.gov/report-an-is...
minneapolismn.gov
Separation ordinance complaint
You can report alleged violations of the City's separation ordinance.
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Cynthia Matthias @cmatthias.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
C'mon Mexico, get it together.
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Prison Policy Initiative @prisonpolicy.org · 04/07/2026
A grim reminder this 4th of July: The US has the highest incarceration rate of any independent democracy on Earth, making it a leader in mass incarceration. Far too many people are locked up in the “land of the free.”
Graph showing that the U.S. incarcerates people at a rate of 614 per 100,000. This is at least 4x higher than any other founding NATO countries.
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taylr @taylordahlin.com · 01/07/2026
the minnesota 15, indicted by the federal government for their work against ICE, leave the federal courthouse in downtown minneapolis after their first appearances and are joined by supporters waiting outside
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Emily M. Bender @emilymbender.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Transmisogyny is misogyny, and even as it harms trans women first and foremost, it also harms other women too.
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Cynthia Matthias @cmatthias.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Boosting as a cis woman who has been consistently misgendered since her teens. Trans women are women and this is an attack on all of us.
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Reposted by Cynthia Matthias
luna stargays 🏳️‍⚧️ @stargays.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
heat index is going to hit 105-110 in the twin cities today, stay cool if you want to help unhoused folks in the area, today is a great day to donate to @supplydepotmpls.bsky.social
linktr.ee
sanctuarysupplydepot Official: Instagram, Facebook | Linktree
Mutual aid group in Mpls getting basic necessities to our houseless neighbors
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Cynthia Matthias @cmatthias.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
They hold grudges and have adhd, basically. Relatable.
audubon.org
Are Crows Really Our Friends?
An investigation into the state of corvid–human relations.
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Jeff Sharlet @jeffsharlet.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
At the end of the term I asked my college creative wriing students to submit anonymous thoughts on AI. No real surprises: Mood ranges from resignation to despair, capitulation from embittered erosion of standards to total, feelings of betrayal from deep to furious. 1/
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Crystal Fleming is on sabbatical @alwaystheself.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
I'm attending a digital humanities event in Montreal. There was a keynote on AI and something about the talk made me wonder if it had been written by Claude. I said as much in the Q&A. As I posed the question, the speaker shifted, looking slightly uncomfortable. What he said next shocked the room +
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Pete, the Antifascist Nisse 🌈🔨🌈 @nanou2.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
WHISTLES UP
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Cynthia Matthias @cmatthias.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
We have neighbors everywhere.
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Cynthia Matthias @cmatthias.bsky.social · 07/06/2026
Lyndale is wasted on cars when instead it could be used for wrestling, roller skating, tap dancing while screaming Nirvana lyrics, and eating ice cream while strolling/rolling.
One wrestler standing on another wrestler's back like he is riding a skateboard, in a wrestling ring
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localhuman @locallhuman.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
MnDot has closed the last remaining pedestrian crossing of Hiawatha between 94 and 28th street. if you are a pedestrian who wants to cross Hiawatha you will need to walk almost a mile out of your way or walk in traffic because MnDot thinks this strategy will stop encampments from forming.
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mollypeonies @mollypeonies.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
In Jan and Feb, I submitted extensive public data requests. I had not intended on scouring them and analyzing myself. But some things are too urgent. This is the first (lengthy) post that outlines how Frey & O'Hara failed Minneapolis during Operation Metro Surge.
by-design.ghost.io
How Frey and O'Hara Failed Minneapolis During Operation Metro Surge
O’Hara is gone. But the mayoral failure remains. Records show MPD moved deeper into federal enforcement systems under Frey’s command while urgent calls were delayed, command rules were unresolved, and...
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Reposted by Cynthia Matthias
"Horrifying Monster" Ella Tailor 🎃🎃🐶🎃 $450/$700 @garaktailor.com · 02/06/2026
So this is how I find out that this shirt went viral enough that a BUNCH of TeePublic type sites have ripped it off! Yay! I assure you THIS is the original and more importantly the only one sold at cost that makes ZERO Profit off of the Communities Pain that prompted it. Donations go to Community
garaktailor-shop.fourthwall.com
Jacob Frey is a Bad Person T-Shirt
Seriously he sucks real bad.  I am pricing everything in this line at cost. There is a Donation option at checkout that you can use to donate as much as you want to local Orgs/GFM's with a (🎶) in the ...
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Cynthia Matthias @cmatthias.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
They came for the state I currently live in and now they're coming for my home state. Please help if you can.
standwithminnesota.com
New Jersey — Stand With Minnesota
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MaryMM @marymm.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
Just remember when we set up HOURCAR we did it intentionally as a nonprofit, so the community benefits were all but assured. There's no reason we have to build essential public services using profit-driven providers.
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Cynthia Matthias @cmatthias.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
Important news:
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Cynthia Matthias @cmatthias.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
Reminder to myself and others that bike locks don't deter would-be thieves, but they can slow them down. (Still have my bike because it also has a frame lock and the guy couldn't make a fast getaway.)
Photo of a heavy duty chain bike lock that has been cut through.
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Elizabeth Wrigley-Field @wrigleyfield.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
Rent debt in Minnesota--the whole state!--may have as much as doubled in Jan-Feb due to Operation Metro Surge (estimated range of increase: 61%-115%) A calamity even for the families who weren't directly, physically harmed by ICE/DHS Even w/o OMS, typical MN rent debt is 10x rental assistance $
cura.umn.edu
Rent debt across Minnesota during Operation Metro Surge | Center for Urban & Regional Affairs
View in Google DocsRent debt across Minnesota during Operation Metro SurgeNick GraetzDepartment of Sociology, University of MinnesotaYusra Murad
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Adam Serwer @adamserwer.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
So you CAN get reparations you just have to be a reactionary white person who tries to overthrow the government because black votes shouldn’t count
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Frederick Melo, Reporter (TwinCities.com, Pioneer Press) @frederickmelo.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
As a teen war nurse, Mao Vang sorted through corpses, looking for survivors among the dead. Fellow war nurse Ly Vang assisted with operations. She was 8 years old. Hmong child nurses of the Secret War in Laos have rarely gotten the spotlight. Here’s their her-stories: twincities.com/2026/05/16/h...
twincities.com
Hmong child nurses of the ‘Secret War’ in Laos remembered, honored
The traveling exhibit, “The Hmong Nurses of the Secret War in Laos,” was assembled by the Hmong Nurses Association, and is displayed in St. Paul through May 22.
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Chanda Prescod-Weinstein 🌌 @chanda.blacksky.app · 14/05/2026
We desperately need to get away from arguments for the humanities that elevate them because of what they do for technology. The humanities should not be understood as service disciplines. They are an extension of us, and that is enough.
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Naomi Kritzer @naomikritzer.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
Minneapolis celebrates spring with a parade of giant handmade socialist puppets and a festival where people row the sun across the lake. This year's Mayday festival was today, and I'm going to try to share some photos and videos (many taken by others) to try to explain it for my non-local friends.
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Daniel Suitor @danielsuitor.com · 01/05/2026
If I was a lame-duck governor with a flagging reputation, I would simply use all my remaining power and capital to pardon a ton of Minnesotans on the way out the door to prevent their deportation
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Jason Chavez @jchavezmpls.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
While Mayor Frey travels the country accepting awards on the backs of immigrants, he’s back in Minneapolis vetoing the very policies meant to protect them. 1/ www.startribune.com/frey-again-v...
startribune.com
Frey again vetoes measure giving tenants more time to pay rent after Metro Surge
The mayor of Minneapolis said more time won’t improve outcomes. The council president said residents “deserve solutions, not vetoes.”
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Cynthia Matthias @cmatthias.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
The horrors/struggles persist so take a moment to celebrate cougar kittens in Voyageurs National Park (video includes kittens eating on a carcass) www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
mprnews.org
Trail cameras capture footage of cougar kittens in northern Minnesota
Cougars were native to Minnesota before becoming extinct within the state, according to the DNR. Over the past two decades, there have been dozens of sightings of lone cougars across Minnesota.
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🎃ℌ𝔞𝔩𝔩𝔬𝔴 ℑ𝔞𝔫👻 @mplsnightmayor.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Wanted to share this powerful project by public historians at UMN to document the artwork and signage of ICE abduction sites around the Twin Cities. z.umn.edu/HereandGone
z.umn.edu
Google Site
Here & Gone is a public archive of art and signs that memorialize where ICE abducted neighbors
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