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Helen Gerhardt (she/her)

@helengerhardt.bsky.social
379 followers 1.1K following 38 posts
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Reposted by Helen Gerhardt (she/her)
The Immigrant Legal Resource Center @the-ilrc.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Have you or someone in your community ever needed help locating a loved one after they’ve been detained by ICE? The @mirrorindy.org has got you covered. The ILRC’s step-by-step family preparedness plan is linked for easy use, amongst a slew of other valuable legal resources 👇🏽 🔗
mirrorindy.org
How to find legal help if a family member is detained by ICE
Mirror Indy spoke to immigration experts about finding lawyers, being prepared and avoiding fraud in case a family member is detained by ICE.
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Reposted by Helen Gerhardt (she/her)
Rich Lord @richelord.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Your ability to vote by mail probably shouldn't be news in 2026, but President Trump sought to exert federal control over the process. Here are your voting options in Allegheny County from now until Nov. 3 www.publicsource.org/allegheny-co...
publicsource.org
Voting by mail underway as usual in Allegheny County in 2026
Allegheny County is mailing ballots for this year's midterm election. Here's how to return yours, including drop-off sites, by the 8 p.m. deadline on Nov. 3.
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Reposted by Helen Gerhardt (she/her)
Witness @witness-stories.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
The rules for family and friends to visit immigrants held in low security ICE detention at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center are often both draconian and absurd, as illustrated by comic artist, Rosa Colón Guerra in "Cinderblocks and Smiley-Faced Slippers"
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Reposted by Helen Gerhardt (she/her)
Witness @witness-stories.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
"Cuando tenia 10 años edad , mis padres nos llevaron junto con mis dos hermanos a Los Ángeles, California de manera ilegal, de “migrantes”. Ahí estuvimos por tres años viviendo en un sótano de un edificio y la rutina diaria era de ir del sótano a la escuela..." witness-stories.org/autor-enriqu...
witness-stories.org
Migrante - Witness
Cuando tenia 10 años edad , mis padres nos llevaron junto con mis dos hermanos a Los Ángeles, California de manera ilegal, de “migrantes”. When I was 10 years old, my parents took my two siblings and ...
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Reposted by Helen Gerhardt (she/her)
Witness @witness-stories.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Sony Ton-Aime, Haitian poet, essayist, translator, and Executive Director of Pittsburgh Arts and Lectures, asks "Why Do People Leave their Homes?" You can read his essay at the new Witness website: witness-stories.org/sony-ton-aime/
witness-stories.org
Why Do People Leave Their Homes? - Witness
On March 2, 2026, I learned the devastating news that a Haitian woman had died at a bus stop twenty minutes away from my house. It was one of the coldest weeks of the year. I did not know much about h...
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Reposted by Helen Gerhardt (she/her)
Pedinska @pedinska.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
This is how you make a gestapo. We shouldn't be treating anyone this way - the Constitution guarantees rights to all persons in the US - but we do, and it is already expanding to apply to all of us, just like surveillance by cameras. We are all criminals according to our rulers.
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Reposted by Helen Gerhardt (she/her)
southpaw @nycsouthpaw.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
“Briefly detained” = beat half to death
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Reposted by Helen Gerhardt (she/her)
Louisa Loveluck @leloveluck.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Barred from deporting asylum seekers back to places they face jail or death, Trump struck 35 secret deals to send people to places which will deport them there instead. - 25,000 people deported - $410 million spent. - UN aid used to sweeten the deals. www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...
theguardian.com
Banished to alien lands: Trump’s secret deportation deals
After a plane journey in shackles, an Iranian woman found herself in the middle of Africa in a country she did not know existed. She is one of thousands deported from the US on the back of shadowy dea...
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Reposted by Helen Gerhardt (she/her)
ACLU of Pennsylvania @aclupa.org · 25/06/2026
“When the government releases a person from custody, there is an implicit promise that their liberty will be honored as long as they follow what is asked of them. These rearrests disregard a decades-old policy and sow fear and chaos.”
inquirer.com
A lawsuit challenges arrests of immigrants who come to Philly’s ICE office for routine appointments
The lawsuit says a policy change by ICE in Philadelphia was unlawful, and turned arrests of immigrants during routine check-ins from an "unheard of" occurrence to a routine practice.
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Reposted by Helen Gerhardt (she/her)
Carl T. Bergstrom @carlbergstrom.com · 15/08/2026
These gloves don't cause neuromuscular incapacitation the way that a taser does. In fact, they only work when applied directly to bare skin. These aren't made for apprehending anyone. These have one and only one use: causing extreme pain to already-restrained captives. In plain language: torture.
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Reposted by Helen Gerhardt (she/her)
Science Magazine @science.org · 17/08/2026
"Those who believe in free, open, and responsive institutions must recognize how critically linked science is to democracy itself and defend its integrity with every tool at their disposal," writes John Palfrey in a new #ScienceEditorial. scim.ag/4i9awDH
Quote from John Palfrey of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation: "Funding science means supporting the truth that lies at the heart of every democracy ..."
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Reposted by Helen Gerhardt (she/her)
Karen Feridun @karenferidun.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
#PAisNOTforsale #nodatacenters
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Reposted by Helen Gerhardt (she/her)
Lawrence @ldog562.bsky.social · 07/06/2026
absolutely...
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Reposted by Helen Gerhardt (she/her)
Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @mayor.nyc.gov · 05/06/2026
Amazon sets the routes, the quotas, the uniforms, the cameras — and then tells workers they don't actually work for Amazon. Every delivery worker in this city should be able to afford to live here and have their rights respected. Workers deserve better.
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Reposted by Helen Gerhardt (she/her)
Rich Lord @richelord.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
We @publicsource.org do news differently. Sure, we break news, like the video revealing the truth behind the arrest of an ICE critic www.publicsource.org/video-spring...
publicsource.org
Video: Critic of Springdale police ICE pact did not break rule prior to rough arrest
Surveillance camera footage shows William “Danny” Rosenmund did not defy the public comment time limit before his forceful arrest by Springdale police.
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Reposted by Helen Gerhardt (she/her)
Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @mayor.nyc.gov · 28/05/2026
We don't need to choose between protecting tenants and building more housing. Between fighting for NYCHA residents and homeowners. Between leading with the values that got us here and addressing the housing crisis.   Block by block, we can do it all.
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Reposted by Helen Gerhardt (she/her)
Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie @audrelawdamercy.blacksky.app · 01/06/2026
every day I discover that my heart still has room to break www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...
washingtonpost.com
DHS allows mother it deported without her toddler to return for his burial
Wendy Hernandez Reyes denies she “abandoned” her son, as ICE claimed. In an extraordinary act, she was allowed to come back to the U.S. for his burial.
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Reposted by Helen Gerhardt (she/her)
The City Reporter @thecityreporter.nyc · 01/06/2026
An investigation by The City Reporter, based on a database of more than 1,200 lawsuits, shows that ICE agents in the field have seized Latinos in numbers that far exceed their share of the undocumented population. projects.thecity.nyc/ice-street-a...
projects.thecity.nyc
ICE Targeted NY Metro Latinos With 93% of Known Street Arrests
An investigation by The City Reporter, based on a database of more than 1,200 lawsuits, shows that ICE agents in the field have seized Latinos in numbers that far exceed their share of the…
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Reposted by Helen Gerhardt (she/her)
Charlie Wolfson @chwolfson.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
New: Springdale Borough leaders said in April that a critic of the borough's ICE agreement was forcefully arrested at a council meeting for exceeding his allotted three minutes of speaking time. New video shows he only spoke for 2:20 before being tackled. www.publicsource.org/video-spring...
publicsource.org
Video: Critic of Springdale police ICE pact did not break rule prior to rough arrest
Surveillance camera footage shows William “Danny” Rosenmund did not defy the public comment time limit before his forceful arrest by Springdale police.
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Reposted by Helen Gerhardt (she/her)
Tyler Kingkade @tktk.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
An NBC News investigation finds dozens of examples of criminals imitating ICE to rob and attack people www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
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Reposted by Helen Gerhardt (she/her)
Mary Rizzo @maryrizzo.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
I took this video right before ICE pepper sprayed the crowd at Delaney Hall, including Senator Andy Kim. ICE was dressed like they're going to war, with weapons and an armored vehicle. That's because we are the enemy to them. We just keep standing up to this repression. @north.dsanj.org
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Reposted by Helen Gerhardt (she/her)
Lauren Deschain @thatnerdchick.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
Thanks, Vonnegut. 💜
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Reposted by Helen Gerhardt (she/her)
Senator Andy Kim @kim.senate.gov · 26/05/2026
I saw chaos inside and outside of the ICE detention center Delaney Hall today. Detainees protesting the lack of due process, the disgusting food and poor treatment while their families and advocates stood outside calling for help. 1/4
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Reposted by Helen Gerhardt (she/her)
Brad Lander @bradlander.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
HUGE NEWS: ICE’s courthouse arrests have been STAYED by a New York district judge. That means that ICE will have to stop arresting our immigrant neighbors on the spot when they show up to court at places like 26 Federal Plaza, 290 Broadway, and 201 Varick. (1/2)
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Helen Gerhardt (she/her) @helengerhardt.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
HA!
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Reposted by Helen Gerhardt (she/her)
More Perfect Union @moreperfectunion.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Trump has appointed former GEO Group executive David Venturella to be the acting director of ICE. GEO Group was the number 1 ICE contractor last year. It has over $2 billion in contracts with ICE, and stands up profit massively from ICE locking up more people.
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Reposted by Helen Gerhardt (she/her)
Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
NEW: We've spent 10 months tracking the outcomes in tens of thousands of lawsuits brought by ICE detainees amid an unprecedented detention push. It's not a cose call: judges have ruled more than 10,000 times against ICE, a 9-1 ratio. See the database: www.politico.com/news/2026/05...
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Reposted by Helen Gerhardt (she/her)
Jason Koebler @jasonkoebler.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
ICE agents are walking around with a list of 20 million people to detain in their pockets because of this Palantir database: www.404media.co/ice-agents-h...
404media.co
ICE Agents Have List of 20 Million People on Their iPhones Thanks to Palantir
The comments made by a senior ICE official at a trade show highlight how Palantir is increasing the speed at which ICE operates. Most people detained by ICE have no criminal conviction.
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Reposted by Helen Gerhardt (she/her)
Max Kennerly @maxkennerly.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
It is wrong and criminal for government agents to kidnap someone, send them to die in a concentration camp, and disappear them, regardless of immigration status. But it's still worth noting she has a green card. The government doesn't even pretend this is about deporting undocumented people.
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Reposted by Helen Gerhardt (she/her)
Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
If you’re a follower of mine in the United States, please take a look at the post below, and please consider sharing it. I presume it WON’T be covered in American media.
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Reposted by Helen Gerhardt (she/her)
Judd Legum @juddlegum.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
1. ICE has not paid for detainee medical care for 7 MONTHS The termination of payments to providers has coincided with a MASSIVE SPIKE in detainee deaths. This is a health crisis and a moral crisis. Follow along for details. 🧵
popular.info
ICE has not paid for detainee medical care for 7 months
The termination of payments to providers has coincided with a massive spike in detainee deaths and medical crises.
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Reposted by Helen Gerhardt (she/her)
More Perfect Union @moreperfectunion.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
Today, the day of the Met Gala, the unionized workers of the Met posted this image to their Instagram. www.instagram.com/p/DX64ioYjecG/
text on image: 91% of hourly met staff in our unit earn less than a living wage
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Reposted by Helen Gerhardt (she/her)
Chris Potter @cpotterpgh.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
Final note before the weekend: No better account of what is happening at the Post-Gazette than this piece by my colleague @marucajulia.bsky.social www.wesa.fm/politics-gov...
wesa.fm
New Pittsburgh Post-Gazette owners making deep cuts to newsroom staff
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette will shrink to just under half its current size under its new owners, Post-Gazette employees told 90.5 WESA on Friday. And while the downsizing was no surprise, staffers ex...
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Helen Gerhardt (she/her) @helengerhardt.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
Please sign this pledge to ask new PG ownership to engage in good-faith bargaining with the union workers who fought so hard for their rights, the PG, and their neighbors: actionnetwork.org/forms/pledge...
actionnetwork.org
Pledge: The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Is A Union Paper for A Union Town
We NEED to make sure the new Post-Gazette owners understand that the PG is a union paper in a union town with readers who expect robust staffing and local news coverage. The new owners are clearly inv...
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Reposted by Helen Gerhardt (she/her)
Albert Pinto @70sbachchan.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
For last 100 yrs, water behind dams and caves full of gas has served as Seasonal storage. (Coz power demand spikes with ACs in summer, heating in winter etc) In the new age of Electricity, we have Lithium batteries for grid storage for few hours-days range. For Long duration? Game is wide open
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Reposted by Helen Gerhardt (she/her)
Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 19/04/2026
“In Finland, the number of homeless people has fallen sharply. Those affected receive a small apartment & counselling with no preconditions. 4 out of 5 people affected make their way back to a stable life. And all this is CHEAPER than accepting homelessness.” IT SAVES PUBLIC MONEY to house people.
thebetter.news
Finland ends homelessness and provides shelter for all in need - scoop.me
In Finland, the number of homeless people has fallen sharply. Why? The country applies the "Housing First" concept agains homelessness.
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Reposted by Helen Gerhardt (she/her)
Kate Knibbs @knibbs.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
Journalists know that losing the Wayback Machine would be a nightmare: www.wired.com/story/the-in...
wired.com
The Internet's Most Powerful Archiving Tool Is in Peril
As major news outlets cut off the Wayback Machine, journalists and advocacy groups are rallying to protect the Internet Archive’s vast collection of web pages.
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Reposted by Helen Gerhardt (she/her)
Writers Guild of America East @wgaeast.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
Solidarity with @propublicaguild.org members on strike today. Don’t cross the digital picket line! 🚫
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Reposted by Helen Gerhardt (she/her)
ProPublica Guild @propublicaguild.org · 08/04/2026
We’re on strike today! Support our fight for a fair contract by NOT visiting the @propublica.org website or engaging with ProPublica stories today. Tell ProPublica’s management you won’t cross the picket line: actionnetwork.org/petitions/te...
We're on strike! Don't visit propublica.org on April 8
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Reposted by Helen Gerhardt (she/her)
keep your electric eye on me @ubisurv.net · 03/04/2026
Air strikes by either #Israel or the #USA have destroyed #Iran 's #WHO -affiliated Pasteur Institute for vaccination and infectious disease research, just days after another health research centre was hit. This is deliberate, criminal and evil. www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...
thenationalnews.com
What is Iran's historic Pasteur Institute that was destroyed in US-Israeli attacks? | The National
The facility was established more than a century ago after the First World War
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Reposted by Helen Gerhardt (she/her)
Elle Cordova @ellecordova.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
Thoughts & prayers to the EPA :(
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Reposted by Helen Gerhardt (she/her)
Rich Lord @richelord.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
The Trump administration's Operation PARRIS started in Minnesota before courts put it on hold. Resettlement agency leaders in Pittsburgh are preparing refugees here, including use of the Ready Now! app in case of sudden detention, @venuri.bsky.social reports www.publicsource.org/pittsburgh-r...
publicsource.org
Pittsburgh-area refugees, advocates prepare for Minnesota-style detentions
Operation PARRIS aims to detain refugees who haven’t reached permanent residency. It’s stalled in court, but local advocates are sharing a new emergency app.
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Reposted by Helen Gerhardt (she/her)
NPR @npr.org · 24/03/2026
Local leaders report already-strapped police departments racked up overtime bills in the millions while others report a multi-million dollar hit to business during the worst ICE surges. n.pr/4buWMzI
n.pr
ICE deployments created chaos for cities and cost them millions, NPR analysis finds
Local leaders report already-strapped police departments racked up overtime bills in the millions while others report a multi-million dollar hit to business during the worst ICE surges.
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Reposted by Helen Gerhardt (she/her)
Chris Briem (www.briem.com) @chrisbriem.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
Axios/Pittsburgh: New book explains how Pittsburgh moved "Beyond Steel" www.axios.com/local/pittsb...
axios.com
A new book rethinks Pittsburgh's steel legacy
An economist argues Pittsburgh's economy shifted long before steel collapsed.
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Reposted by Helen Gerhardt (she/her)
The NewsGuild of New York @nyguild.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
READY TO STRIKE: Last night our @propublicaguild.org voted to authorize a strike. It's way past time for @propublica.org to do the right thing and agree to a fair contract. Read more about the vote here nyguild.org/post/unioniz...
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Helen Gerhardt (she/her) @helengerhardt.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
Please pass on this fundraising event flyer for Casa San José, working hard to provide immigrant families with support including: El Fondo Solidario de Pittsburgh (Bond Fund), groceries, medical care, English lessons, kid's mentors, Event registration at: casasanjose.salsalabs.org/ShamrocksOve...
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Reposted by Helen Gerhardt (she/her)
📎MommaDukes🖇️ @rcampkev.bsky.social · 15/03/2026
Please ask that the agency consider alternatives that balance timber production w/ conservation, habitat protection, clean water, recreation, and climate. Submit a comment. You can do it right now: Online: ePlanning project page — click “Participate Now” Email: BLM_OR_Revision_Scoping@blm.gov9
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Reposted by Helen Gerhardt (she/her)
Rich Lord @richelord.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
Refugees face a “turbo-charged” misinformation environment. Pittsburgh's Bhutanese community is telling its story and trying to protect 15 years of hard-won progress www.publicsource.org/pittsburgh-b...
publicsource.org
Pittsburgh's Bhutanese community in the misinformation age
Bhutanese refugees crossed oceans, languages and cultures to call Allegheny County home. Now they’re responding to rumors and misinformation about refugee services.
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ProPublica @propublica.org · 05/03/2026
We identified 12 shootings by federal agents that led to the deaths or injuries of citizens & immigrants since Sept. Nearly every time, the Trump admin blamed the injured and dead. Experts say this apparent lack of accountability demands that local authorities step up to investigate federal agents.
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Chris Potter @cpotterpgh.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
“We’re an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you’re studying that reality — judiciously, as you will — we’ll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too." -- A top Bush II aide (said to be Karl Rove) to a reporter, 2004.
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