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Silky Shah

@silkys13.bsky.social
16K followers 1.2K following 285 posts

executive director, Detention Watch Network, author Unbuild Walls: Why Immigrant Justice Needs Abolition (Haymarket Books, 2024), from Texas, views my own book info/events: www.detentionwatchnetwork.org/unbui…

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Silky Shah
The Fascism Barometer @fascismbarometer.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
This Thursday, Oct 8th Ejeris will be joining Khury Petersen-Smith of @ips-dc.org and @silkys13.bsky.social of Detention Watch Network for a generative dialogue as part of YWCA Madison's 25th Annual Racial Justice Summit. Register now at events.ringcentral.com/events/racia...
Social media poster with images of keynote speakers Ejeris Dixon, Khury Petersen-Smith, Silky Shah, Kazu Haga, Ray Broad, and kristy kumar for YWCA Madison's Racial Justice Summit Thursday October 8th 2026
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Reposted by Silky Shah
Prison Policy Initiative @prisonpolicy.org · 06/10/2026
🚨NEW: The Trump admin has demanded local & state collusion on immigration enforcement, promising to pull back on community arrests in return. But new data reveal that it never delivered on that promise, and ICE's assault on communities only worsened 🧵
prisonpolicy.org
Cooperation with ICE doesn’t stop community arrests: New data on the results of state strategies
The Trump administration has demanded local and state collusion on immigration enforcement, and promised to pull back on community arrests in return. But our analysis ...
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Prisonculture @prisonculture.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
The white nationalists are turning up the dial on racism against South Asian USians. Will we talk about the fact that the dial has been up on anti-Blackness among this same group for decades? Because I think that it's a barrier to solidarity.
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Taniel @taniel.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
NEW: It's that time of year: time to launch my annual guide to November's elections! I guide you through over *650* interesting elections, & why they matter. Judges, AGs, govs, mayors, lawmakers, AGs, county & school boards—plus many (many) ballot measures. Oh, & Congress. Explore & bookmark!
boltsmag.org
Your Cheat Sheet to the 2026 General Elections - Bolts
Congressional races will take center stage on Nov. 3, but they’re just the tip of what to watch. Prosecutors and governors, attorneys general and sheriffs, school boards and mayors, utility... Read Mo...
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Whitney Curry Wimbish @whitneycwimbish.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
The mortality reviews that ICE published late last week show that medical neglect is widespread in Trump's concentration camps — something immigrants, advocates and attorneys have said for years, and which ICE routinely denies. New from me in @prospect.org.
prospect.org
Disturbing Pictures of Neglect in ICE Mortality Reviews - The American Prospect
The federal government released dozens of mortality reviews of immigrants who died in detention in recent years. They show a uniform pattern of medical neglect.
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Truthout @truthout.org · 27/09/2026
Organizers discuss how they are fighting new women’s prisons in Vermont, Massachusetts, and Illinois. buff.ly/iK2IZRS
buff.ly
Incarcerated Women Are Pushing for Decarceration, Not “Trauma-Informed” Prisons
Organizers discuss how they are fighting new women’s prisons in Vermont, Massachusetts, and Illinois.
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Beatrice Adler-Bolton @reallandsend.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
a strategically useful way to think through border policing and detention is as an attack on the infrastructures people need to survive. @silkys13 and @ANaomiPaik joined us at the @socialismconf to talk ICE, counterinsurgency, care, abolition, migration, and what tf is to be done❤️‍🔥
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Evan Bernick, a finite mode with a smol hooman and a lorg floof @evanbernick.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
States can and have banned 287 agreements within their borders. There’s a template for this, and any state that hasn’t done so is choosing not to do so.
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Death Panel @deathpanel.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
New in the public feed: our live discussion with Silky Shah & A. Naomi Paik on how border policing intersects with health fascism and how to build collective care in an age of escalating repression, from Prairieland to the Minnesota 15 @silkys13.bsky.social @naomipaik.bsky.social
soundcloud.com
Care Networks, Abolition, and the Fight Against Border Policing (DP x S26)
To support the show and help make episodes like this one possible, become a patron at https://www.patreon.com/deathpanelpod This is the second recording in a series of sessions we organized at this y
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The Intercept @theintercept.com · 22/09/2026
Leavenworth fought ICE’s reopening of a CoreCivic-run prison to detain immigrants through every available avenue. It still wasn’t enough.
theintercept.com
How a Small Kansas City Became a Critical Hub for Trump’s Deportation Regime Against Its Will
The city of Leavenworth, Kansas, fought ICE’s reopening of a notorious CoreCivic-run prison tooth and nail. It still wasn’t enough.
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Congresswoman Delia C. Ramirez @ramirez.house.gov · 22/09/2026
In July, I visited the Campbell County Detention Center in Kentucky, where I met Anabell and heard her story, including about her miscarriage and how DHS lied to deny her care and access to her medical records.
theguardian.com
Revealed: ICE lost count of miscarriages, while detaining a record number of pregnant women
ICE says it has no updated information on the number of miscarriages after 3 October 2025. Lawmakers, advocates and immigration attorneys have raised alarms that pregnant detainees are not receiving b...
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Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal @jayapal.house.gov · 16/09/2026
Trump and my Republican colleagues are okay with immigration detention because these private, for-profit detention facilities are cutting chucks to their campaigns. It’s time to shut them down and end this cruelty and corruption.
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Silky Shah @silkys13.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Trying to take stock of 25 years post 9/11 has been hard but I really appreciated joining this conversation with Darakshan and Cayden on the Block & Build podcast, especially having an abolitionist lens to understanding the global and domestic war on terror and what that means for our work today.
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Cayden Mak @catachresis.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
I so enjoyed talking about abolition and the movement lineages that have made this moment possible with Darakshan (Muslims for Just Futures) and @silkys13.bsky.social (@detentionwatchnetwork.org). I hope this helps.
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Convergence Magazine @convergencemag.com · 15/09/2026
Tracing the links from the early days of America's 25 year "War on Terror" to the authoritarian violence and detention wielded by today's administration. Full episode available now. Listen and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.
convergencemag.com
25 Years of the “War on Terror” w/ Silky Shah & Darakshan Raja
Looking back on 25 years of the War on Terror and opportunities today to dismantle the tools created to fight it, w/ Darakshan Raja (MJF) & Silky Shah (DWN).
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David Dayen @ddayen.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
New York has barred local sheriff departments from 287(g) agreements with ICE to aid the mass deportation campaign. Some sheriffs are refusing to comply. @jamesjbaratta.bsky.social has the story. prospect.org/2026/09/14/r...
prospect.org
Rogue Sheriffs Revolt Against New York Law Ending ICE Partnerships - The American Prospect
State lawmakers have forbidden local police from participating in mass deportation. Some sheriffs think they are above the law.
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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
NEW: DHS's Inspector General releases a scathing report about the Everglades detention camp known as "Alligator Alcatraz." The OIG finds that the now-closed camp, violated multiple ICE standards. The OIG also confirms detainees were punished with placement in a metal cage in the Florida heat.🧵
OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Staff also reported that time spent in the small metal enclosures is closely monitored, and
detainees are not locked in, even though we observed locking mechanisms on the enclosures.
Figures 11 and 12. Small Metal Enclosures; Observed January 21, 2026

Underneath is a picture of a metal cage that is 4 feet 3 inches wide by 4 feet 3 inches long, and 7 feet 9 inches high. The cage itself is placed on a tiny spot of fake turf, and then surrounded by another chainlink fence with razor wire on top. The cage is covered by a roof, but it's entirely exposed to the outside otherwise, meaning mosquitos and no air conditioning.
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José G. Miranda @josegmiranda.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
As @silkys13.bsky.social has astutely pointed out, the prevention of the construction of immigrant detention warehouses in places like Social Circle, GA have been truly inspirational wins in what are certainly bleak times for our movements.
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zohra ahmed @azohra.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Spent the weekend at the socialism conference, digging into the hard questions our movements face with 3000 (!) other people. Thank you @haymarketbooks.org @socialismconference.org. Here’s our panel with @silkys13.bsky.social amna akbar, jack norton and amelia kirby.
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Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
while milo gets to chit chat on TV with clear access to safety and basic needs, the US is flying untold numbers of immigrants to unsafe countries of origin or other countries where they don't speak the language or know anyone.
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Haymarket Books @haymarketbooks.org · 02/09/2026
If you can’t make it to Chicago, the @socialismconference.org virtual program will feature Angela Y. Davis, Ruth Wilson Gilmore, Michelle Alexander, Saul Williams, @silkys13.bsky.social, @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social, @chenjerai.bsky.social, @reallandsend.bsky.social, @avierkant.bsky.social, and more!
events.haymarketbooks.org
Register now – Socialism 2026 Virtual Program – YouTube
Socialism 2026 Virtual Program – YouTube, Fri Sep 4, 2026 - Sun Sep 6, 2026 - Can't make it to Chicago for the Socialism Conference? Check out our live-stream schedule, and RSVP to attend virtually! *...
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Haymarket Books @haymarketbooks.org · 02/09/2026
A bunch of Haymarket authors will be speaking at this weekend’s @socialismconference.org in Chicago! There’s still time to register. Hope to see you there!
haymarketbooks.org
Haymarket at Socialism 2026!
Join Haymarket Books for the Socialism Conference, September 4 - 7 in Chicago, and participate in four days of socialist politics, ideas, and community. You'll also be able to browse the conferen...
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Jim Myers @kidneystories.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Dozens of rallies calling for Indiana to end its cooperation with ICE share.google/cahjhXcFQ0e5...
share.google
Dozens of rallies calling for Indiana to end its cooperation with ICE
Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
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Eric Stanley @stillhere415.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
LA, Homotopia is having its 20th year anniversary screening along with its younger sister Criminal Queers on September 12th. www.h-r.la/event/crimin...
h-r.la
Homotopia & Criminal Queers
20th anniversary screening of Homotopia (2006) with its sequel Criminal Queers (2015) directed by Eric A. Stanley & Chris E. Vargas Post-screening discussion with the directors and Silky Shah, author ...
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Haymarket Books @haymarketbooks.org · 21/08/2026
The @socialismconference.org virtual program will feature Angela Y. Davis, Ruth Wilson Gilmore, Michelle Alexander, Saul Williams, @silkys13.bsky.social, @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social, @chenjerai.bsky.social, Vaishnavi Patel, @reallandsend.bsky.social, @avierkant.bsky.social, and more!
events.haymarketbooks.org
Register now – Socialism 2026 Virtual Program – YouTube
Socialism 2026 Virtual Program – YouTube, Fri Sep 4, 2026 - Sun Sep 6, 2026 - Can't make it to Chicago for the Socialism Conference? Check out our live-stream schedule, and RSVP to attend virtually! *...
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enrique @nenebal.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
@hurwitz.bsky.social "Over and over, officers said on tape that the gloves work because they cause pain without leaving the kind of marks that could lead to lawsuits. It’s a weapon and a public relations ploy, all in one." #AbolishICE
motherjones.com
The Orwellian Company Behind ICE’s New Electric Shock Gloves
“With a glove, there are no burn marks or scars.” That makes it hard for victims to sue.
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Rozina Ali @rozinaali.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
I wrote about the DoJ's shocking use of material support laws in the Prairieland case, how this charge has been abused in the past, and what this suggests for Trump's crackdown on leftwing political dissent. For NYT Opinion. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/18/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | Anti-ICE Protesters Are Charged With a Terrorism Playbook We’ve Seen Before (Gift Article)
In Prairieland, prosecutors are using antiterrorism laws we’ve seen before.
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Lex McMenamin (they/them) @lexmcmenamin.com · 13/08/2026
ofc cc @craiggilmore.bsky.social for this mentioned within inquest.org/finding-the-...
inquest.org
Finding the Opportunity in Crisis - Ruth Wilson Gilmore, Craig Gilmore, Judah Schept, & Lydia Pelot-Hobbs - Inquest
The public’s appetite for meaningful change ebbs and flows. When it peaks, how do organizers capture that energy and channel it into the fight to end mass incarceration?
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Lex McMenamin (they/them) @lexmcmenamin.com · 13/08/2026
from the brilliant @derecka.bsky.social "The very movements producing [radical] rhetoric, from abolition to Free Palestine, also produced the possibilities of [DSA's] election [win]s. Downplaying those movements puts organizers who continue this work at risk, especially right now."
theguardian.com
AOC and Mamdani wanted to defund the police. Their backtracking puts organizers at risk | Derecka Purnell
Progressive and democratic socialist politicians are recanting pandemic-era statements on police and prison abolition
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Carly Goodman @carlygoodman.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Being able to travel affords people dignity; the end of this practice is an attack on human dignity
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Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project @florenceproject.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
AC that blows dust that causes respiratory infections and chest coughs, drinking water that causes stomach illness and diarrhea, and sometimes frozen and raw food, are among the inhumane conditions at Eloy Detention Center, all listed in a letter signed by 120 people currently detained there.
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Silky Shah @silkys13.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Jimothy was a trivia answer tonight
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Joseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
New from 404 Media: ICE to spend millions to buy data from LexisNexis to then feed into a Palantir system. ICE has long bought data from LexisNexis, which feds use to map out a person's addresses, location, assets, etc. But now explicitly want to use with Palantir www.404media.co/ice-to-pay-l...
404media.co
ICE to Pay LexisNexis Millions for Data to Feed to Palantir
LexisNexis sells a massive amount of data to law enforcement, including ICE. New records indicate ICE wants to feed that data into a Palantir system.
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David Kaib @davidkaib.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
ICE and Data Centers Aren’t New, But Face Growing Pushback as They Intertwine by @austinmccoy.bsky.social via @truthout.org
truthout.org
ICE and Data Centers Aren’t New, But Face Growing Pushback as They Intertwine
A New Jersey township ordinance is the first in the US reflecting the link between the deportation regime and Big Tech.
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Simulated Chollas @simulatedchollas.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
“Starting in the ’90s, we have seen the expansion of the Border Patrol, the rise of the Prevention Through Deterrence model, & a much more militarized border…Once you’ve grown this…it makes it much harder to get rid of the laws behind it. There’s an interest in always finding people to incarcerate.”
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Matt Shuham @mattshuham.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Private prison company CoreCivic has sold four of its ICE jails to the U.S. government in recent weeks for a total of $2.2 billion – an average of $307,000 per bed. The government was already paying CoreCivic to operate the facilities, and that will continue. ir.corecivic.com/news-release...
ir.corecivic.com
CoreCivic Reports Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results | CoreCivic, Inc.
The Investor Relations website contains information about CoreCivic, Inc.'s business for stockholders, potential investors, and financial analysts.
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Silky Shah @silkys13.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Great review of two new books on detention from @reneefeltz.bsky.social including the incredible anthology about 30 years of resistance at the Elizabeth Detention Center in NJ indypendent.org/2026/08/endi...
indypendent.org
Ending the ICE Age
Two new books shed light on 30 years of struggle to end immigrant detention in New Jersey and beyond.
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Hannah Riley Fernandez @hannahcrileyy.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
i think that everyone should know about the ways this government is trying to criminalize dissent and protest -- not because it should scare us into inaction, but because understanding how it works is how we stop it from working. wrote about it for @thenation: www.thenation.com/article/poli...
thenation.com
The Chilling Trump Order Threatening All Americans
Why National Security Presidential Memorandum-7 is so important.
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Karl Jacoby @karl-jacoby.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Rest in Power to Johanna Fernández, leading historian of NYC amsterdamnews.com/news/2026/08...
amsterdamnews.com
Johanna Fernández, Young Lords historian and prison abolitionist, makes her transition
Dr. Johanna Fernández, the Dominican American historian, prison abolitionist, and movement scholar, died on July 30.
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Lukas Hermsmeier @lukashermsmeier.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
"Once you’ve grown this infrastructure, it makes it much harder to get rid of the laws behind it… the vast majority of detention centers in the US are either former federal or state prisons or existing county jails." @silkys13.bsky.social
jewishcurrents.org
Unbuild the Cages
Silky Shah maps the vulnerabilities of the deportation machine.
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Melissa Gira Grant @melissagiragrant.com · 30/07/2026
I wrote about how immigration arrests are at all-time highs, even as ICE is trying to assume a lower public profile. How are they doing this? Look to your local police.
newrepublic.com
ICE’s Secret Weapon Is in Your Community
While attempting to maintain a relatively lower profile, ICE is managing to arrest record numbers of people. Here’s how it’s doing that.
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Austen Hartke @austenhartke.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Really excited to learn about End the Ice Age (endtheiceage.com) and the multi-pronged approach to abolishing ICE!
endtheiceage.com
Home
End the ICE Age is a national campaign working to end immigration detention, dismantle ICE, and build safe, welcoming communities for all.
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Alex Zucker @alexzucker.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
“I think those are the main tactics at this moment: trying to stop the expansion of detention and getting communities and elected officials to do everything they can to stop sharing data with ICE, so that ICE doesn’t have the information or the ability to target more people.” — @silkys13.bsky.social
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Andrew Thrasher @tituslegaldesign.com · 29/07/2026
This is a good read, including this ⤵️ from @silkys13.bsky.social, on tackling this machine across multiple levels of government: "There are so many levels at which people can do this work: in your neighborhood, with your county, at the state level or by reaching out to your member of Congress."
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Puff the Magic Hater @mskellymhayes.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
My latest republished in @truthout.org. "Florida is really ground zero for how much immigration enforcement is changing and expanding." - @silkys13.bsky.social
truthout.org
How Do We Sustain Momentum for the Anti-ICE Movement Over Time?
Silky Shah, executive director of Detention Watch Network, discusses how the fight against ICE has entered a new phase.
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Kay Whitlock @kwhitlock.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Such an important conversation with @silkys13.bsky.social and @mskellymhayes.bsky.social.
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Hannah Bowman @hannahnpbowman.com · 28/07/2026
More essential reading! "Detention is an institution of social control," @silkys13.bsky.social reminds us. And "There is so much emphasis on improving conditions when the answer is actually to release people. The best way for people to have good… health is not to be in these institutions"
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Puff the Magic Hater @mskellymhayes.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
In my latest, I talk with @silkys13.bsky.social about the struggle against ICE. How are the government’s tactics shifting, and how must we respond? We also discuss the tremendous victory of fighting off the warehouse model for the regime’s concentration camps, and where the fight goes from here.
organizingmythoughts.org
The Fight Against ICE Has Entered a New Phase
“This is a time to build on organizing on the ground and sustain it over time,” says Silky Shah
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Max Granger @maxgranger.info · 26/07/2026
An incredibly insightful conversation, for the launch an indispensable new book by @jwashing.bsky.social, out now @haymarketbooks.org. With @danieldenvir.bsky.social, @silkys13.bsky.social, and @harshawalia.bsky.social
m.youtube.com
How to Close a Camp: Dispatches from the Fight Against Immigrant Detention
YouTube video by Haymarket Books
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Evan Greer @evangreer.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
NEW: I wrote for MSNBC about how Madison Square Garden turning off their facial recognition cameras for Taylor Swift is a perfect encapsulation of our dystopian present: where the wealthy can use surveillance to consolidate power, and the rest of us live in a privately owned panopticon.
ms.now
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce got to buy MSG's privacy. Her fans aren't so lucky.
Reports that Madison Square Garden temporarily shut off its facial recognition system for Swift’s wedding expose a glaring problem with how the elite wield and control mass surveillance.
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