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Simon V Kostelanetz

@simonkostel.bsky.social
310 followers 326 following 172 posts

Comms at @council.nyc.gov. Adjunct at @cuny.edu. Proud union member(x2). All views my own, reposts≠endorsements.

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Reposted by Simon V Kostelanetz
Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @mayor.nyc.gov · 09/10/2026
This afternoon in Marble Hill, a New Yorker was shot by an ICE agent in a residential neighborhood. Early reports indicate agents surrounded him and a 5-year-old child in his car before firing multiple rounds. We believe the child was physically unharmed.

This is an unconscionable and incredibly serious situation. I have called the President; when we speak I will demand that he ends all ICE enforcement actions in our city. I will not stand by while ICE agents terrorize our communities.

Our thoughts are with the injured New Yorker and his family tonight. We are praying for his recovery.

Get ICE out of our neighborhoods. Get ICE out of our hospitals. Get ICE off our streets. Get ICE away from our children.

Abolish ICE.
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Michael Derby @michaelsderby.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
A cop warns on the price of witnessing death.
As a homicide detective, I can say with all of my being that there is no lesson learned in seeing someone die. But there is a price. And that price is your peace. Your decency. And the soul of our society.
We don't have to be this way, this fake tough but real ugly way. Stop
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Gwynne Hogan @gwynnefitz.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Here's what we know about the ICE shooting in Marble Hill, protesters are gathered outside NYP The Allen Hosptial, where the man who was shot was thought to have been taken. www.thecityreporter.nyc/2026/10/08/f...
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Evan Simko-Bednarski @simko-bednarski.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents shot and wounded a man in an SUV on a bustling New York City street Thursday afternoon, narrowly missing a 5-year-old boy who was seated in the vehicle’s backseat and sparking a heated confrontation between the feds and outraged citizens, officials said.
nydailynews.com
ICE agents nearly hit 5-year-old boy as they open fire on man in NYC clash
The incident happened at about 4 p.m. on Marble Hill Ave. near W. 225th St., officials said.
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Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @mayor.nyc.gov · 07/10/2026
Black text on white background 
"This day is profoundly painful for so many New Yorkers. It marks three years since the horrific war crimes of October 7. On that day, Hamas killed more than 1,100 Israelis and abducted 251 others. We grieve alongside our many friends and neighbors who still carry that unthinkable loss.
 
The suffering did not begin nor end that day. It instead continued through the Israeli government’s devastating, ongoing genocide in Gaza, in which it has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians—including more than 21,000 children. Even since the so-called ceasefire, more than 1,400 Palestinians have been killed. That suffering has intensified with every Israeli bomb dropped on ambulances waiting outside hospitals, every drone strike targeting a residential building or journalist, and every shipment of food aid turned away at a border crossing. Many New Yorkers are reckoning with this unbearable grief, and we mourn alongside them – all while knowing that our tax dollars fund these war crimes.
 
Three years later, we must refuse to accept a world in which occupation and apartheid continue, where war crimes are met with impunity, and our federal government continues its complicity with every arms shipment.
 
To honor the dead, we must fight for a world in which every person can live with freedom, safety, and dignity."
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Rachel Holliday Smith @rachelholliday.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
sigh well curtis sliwa is in the news once again which means I must by law trot out one of the stories I had the most fun writing, ever: a deep dive on his decades of absolutely batshit lore
thecityreporter.nyc
Who Is Curtis Sliwa? A Look at the GOP Mayoral Candidate’s Wild Ride in New York
The Guardian Angels leader’s history is marked by both fabricated tales and true events that sound like fiction. Here’s what to know about the beret-wearing, cat-rescuing, vigilante radio host trying ...
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Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @mayor.nyc.gov · 02/10/2026
Black text on a white that says the following:

The allegations in the Cornell sexual assault case are deeply disturbing and gut-wrenching. Cornell University has failed this survivor.

I fully support Governor Hochul's decision to name Attorney General James as special prosecutor in this case and look forward to the complete and extensive investigation that is to come. 

Accountability and justice cannot simply be values, they must also be delivered.
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Carey @careylikemariah.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
🎉A big win for democracy in Brooklyn: The appellate court has upheld the lower court's ruling that Brooklyn Democratic Party Chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn's power grab is INVALID. District Leaders elected in THIS YEAR'S PRIMARY should now proceed (under the old rules) to elect a new chair.
nycourts.gov
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Gothamist @gothamist.com · 28/09/2026
The deaths of four New York City cab drivers over the summer are prompting renewed questions about the viability of the city’s once iconic yellow taxi business. gothamist.visitlink.me/npuHxN
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Heba Gowayed هبة جويد @hebagowayed.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
I’m in Illinois, Urbana Champagne, giving my first talk of the semester, and man there’s something so sweet about these college towns. My most annoying trait is I really do love the university and academia under the hardened institutions don’t love you back exterior
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Peter Sterne @petersterne.com · 15/09/2026
I made a TikTok video about my new cover story! Check it out below and then read the story here: www.cityandstateny.com/politics/202...
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CBS News New York @cbsnewyork.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
New legislation is aiming to put a stop to fraudulent ticket sales in New York City's Battery Park.
cbsloc.al
Legislation aims to end fraudulent ticket sales in NYC's Battery Park
New legislation aims to put a stop to fraudulent ticket sales in New York City's Battery Park.
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Samantha Maldonado @smaldo.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
"As the tenants at these L&M properties learned, simply retrofitting older buildings with submeters does not necessarily give renters the ability to meaningfully reduce their bills." Great story, written by a former student who reported on this topic relentlessly. citylimits.org/manhattan-re...
citylimits.org
Manhattan Renters Say Submetered Utilities Force Them to Pay for Buildings' Inefficiencies - City Limits
Tenants at five apartment complexes in Harlem and on Roosevelt Island say the switch to submetering has led to sky-high electricity bills.
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The City Reporter @thecityreporter.nyc · 14/09/2026
A New York State Supreme Court judge ruled against Brooklyn Democratic Party Chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn on Monday, declaring that outgoing executive committee members had “no authority” to vote on sweeping rule changes at a recent August meeting.
thecityreporter.nyc
Judge Strikes Down Controversial Rule Changes Benefitting Embattled Brooklyn Party Boss
Outgoing party leaders had no authority to vote on rule changes that would have changed the balance of power on the party’s executive committee, a State Supreme court judge found.
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Rachel Holliday Smith @rachelholliday.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
big news out of Brooklyn today
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Spectrum News NY1 @spectrumnewsny1.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
The last speaker at the 9/11 remembrance ceremony lost his father to the attacks.
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Nick Pinto @nickpinto.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Hold up, NYTimes—You're telling me that these people are *receiving communications from the administration describing its endeavors and achievements*? And when they cover the administration, they stand to profit, *monetizing that coverage through advertising*? www.nytimes.com/2026/09/04/n...
The mayor’s office says that it does not pay the influencers. Still, their proximity and access to a figure as popular as Mr. Mamdani can help increase their own social media following and, by extension, potentially put them in a position to attract paid content sponsorships from commercial brands.
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Daniel Ahmad @zhugeex.com · 04/09/2026
It takes you 20 paragraphs to get to the part of the article where they admit that Mamdani isn't paying the influencers and the reason they are posting videos of the stuff Mamdani is doing is because people are interested in watching it.
The mayor’s office says that it does not pay the influencers. Still, their proximity and access to a figure as popular as Mr. Mamdani can help increase their own social media following and, by extension, potentially put them in a position to attract paid content sponsorships from commercial brands. Some influencers said that when they feature Mr. Mamdani, the videos get more likes and viewers watch longer.
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James Goodwin @jamesgoodwin.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
A bit worrying that the NY Times doesn't recognize democracy when confronted with it directly
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The City Reporter @thecityreporter.nyc · 01/09/2026
"Ida is precisely the day we stopped primarily worrying about coastal flooding and started worrying about stormwater."
thecityreporter.nyc
5 Years After Ida, NYC Is Still Struggling To Deal With Extreme Rain and Deadly Flooding
Heavy rain and flooding is expected to become more common and intense in the city due to climate change.
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Jesse Myerson @jessemyerson.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Can’t wait for 2028, when we send Ku Klux Shrek here back to his fetid little bog. Disgusting man.
"I don't get along with El-Sayed," Fetterman said. "You know, I don't get along with him because he absolutely supports Sharia law. I mean, he's absolutely pro-Iran and Hamas. I mean, he even said he wants to define the police. And he's in a spiritual union with Hasan Piker, who really thinks that we deserve 9/11. So overall, I don't get along with communists and socialists and people that hate America, or people that pick on women, you know, like El-Sayed."
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Starbucks Workers United @sbworkersunited.org · 02/09/2026
“Workers are fed up with unchecked corporate greed, and we’re standing with them in their fight for a fair contract.” - @aflcio.org www.huffpost.com/entry/starbu...
huffpost.com
Starbucks Workers Call For Boycott: 'No Other Choice'
The campaign has organized hundreds of stores since 2021 but still doesn’t have a collective bargaining agreement.
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The City Reporter @thecityreporter.nyc · 02/09/2026
New investigation: 27 House in the ER, How Bed Shortages Leave Hospital Patients in Chaotic Limbo buff.ly/1X5KZWE
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The City Reporter @thecityreporter.nyc · 01/09/2026
NEW: For-hire drivers in New York City pleaded at a public hearing Tuesday for expanded access to parking while on the road, saying the search for restroom relief can be especially draining for women who get behind the wheel. www.thecityreporter.nyc/2026/09/01/t...
thecityreporter.nyc
Crunch for NYC Restroom Access Is a ‘Crisis' for Taxi, Uber Drivers — Especially Women
City officials are considering a proposal to expand the number of commercial metered spots where drivers can park before finding a bathroom or other relief.
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April Glick Pulito @aprilglick.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Jacob Misiorowski is a fucking freak (complimentary)
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Starbucks Workers United @sbworkersunited.org · 25/08/2026
🚨BREAKING: Our union of over 12,000 baristas are officially calling for a Starbucks boycott. Read this statement penned by Starbucks workers on why a boycott from ALL customers, allies, and organizations is necessary to fight back against corporate greed:
BOYCOTT STARBUCKS is written inside a zig-zaggy speech bubble against crumbled paper. Beside it are the Starbucks Workers United logo and an image of a coffee cup being poured out.We, the 12,000 and growing members of Starbucks Workers United, call on everyone who stands with working people to boycott Starbucks until they finalize a contract with union baristas and stop union-busting.
What we’re fighting for is simple: a minimum $17/hr wage, enough hours to live on, better staffing in our stores, and basic workplace protections. Every year, our living costs rise but our wages don’t keep up – a growing pressure many American workers are feeling as corporate greed accelerates unchecked in our country. 
Starbucks is banking on customers' blind loyalty to the integrity and values this company once stood for in order to keep squeezing them for profits. At a time when working-class people across the country are struggling in a challenging economy, it is no longer possible to be both a Starbucks customer and in support of workers; choosing to spend money at Starbucks is choosing a law breaking corporation over the baristas who make your coffee everyday exactly as you ask for it.
Starbucks has violated U.S. labor law more than any other company in modern history–the NLRB and its judges have found that Starbucks committed hundreds of labor violations and there are currently more than 550 unresolved unfair labor practice charges still pending against the company. Instead of finalizing a fair and reasonable union contract, Starbucks has repeatedly demonstrated a lack of care for the workers who fuel the company’s profits by wasting millions of dollars on AI and technology that doesn’t work, launching countless gimmicky drinks designed to distract from real problems, and inventing pointless policies that do nothing but make our jobs harder. 
This ongoing, irrational behavior by Starbucks and its refusal to settle a fair union contract with workers leaves us with no other choice than to call for a boycott. We know when working people stand up together, we win. 
No Contract? No Coffee.
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Peter Sterne @petersterne.com · 26/08/2026
AOC apparently forgot to renew her DSA dues in 2019, so she hasn't technically been a member of the socialist group for the past 7 years. She rejoined DSA month and began paying monthly dues that automatically renew. www.cityandstateny.com/politics/202...
cityandstateny.com
AOC rejoined DSA this month after 7-year absence
The socialist standard-bearer apparently forgot to renew her annual DSA membership when it expired in 2019.
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Rachel Holliday Smith @rachelholliday.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
the world is so much dimmer because Dolly is gone if you haven’t listened to this unbelievably good series on her life and music, do it immediately
wnycstudios.org
Dolly Parton's America : Episodes | WNYC Studios | Podcasts
The story of a legend at the crossroads of America’s culture wars.
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Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @mayor.nyc.gov · 25/08/2026
This is truly heartbreaking. Dolly Parton was an extraordinary person and an irreplaceable champion of the working class. We are a better country because of her.
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Andrew Giambrone @andrewgiambrone.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
the Mamdani administration is unveiling a plan to fix a crumbling section of the BQE (via @jmartineznyc.bsky.social for @thecityreporter.nyc)
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Andrew Giambrone @andrewgiambrone.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
"Uber and Waymo spent more than $15 million combined to lobby New York state officials in the first half of 2026 as Gov. Hochul backed both companies’ legislative priorities — but the tech titans didn’t get everything they asked for." (via @nyc.streetsblog.org) empire.streetsblog.org/uber-and-way...
empire.streetsblog.org
Uber and Waymo Have Spent More Than $15M This Year Lobbying New York Pols - Streetsblog Empire State
So much for affordability. Big Tech spent massive sums to back it's state legislative aims this year.
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Peter Sterne @petersterne.com · 22/08/2026
@chicagodsa.bsky.social WTTW reported that Chicago DSA declined to endorse 2 incumbent council members: Daniel La Spata and Jeanette Taylor. Are those current SIOs who you decided to unendorse, or just progressive incumbents who applied unsuccessfully for DSA endorsement?
news.wttw.com
Chicago’s Democratic Socialists Back 2 City Council Challengers, While Declining to Endorse 2 Incumbents
Chicago DSA declined to endorse Ald. Daniel La Spata (1st Ward) because he would not tell the group he considers himself an anti-Zionist and Ald. Jeanette Taylor (20th Ward) because she supported reve...
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Gwynne Hogan @gwynnefitz.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
In ICE's apparent escalation of car stops in NYC in recent weeks, undocumented drivers with out-of-state plates are an easy target..... www.thecityreporter.nyc/2026/08/21/i...
thecityreporter.nyc
ICE Agents Target Out-of-State License Plates in Apparent Escalation of Car Stops in NYC
College Point, Queens — a neighborhood where most people depend on cars — has been hit particularly hard, advocates sa
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Pete Sikora @petesikora.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Oh cool Zohran Mamdan and the Real Estate Board of New York sound like they’re on the same side. Not great!
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David Siffert for Assembly @siffertforny.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
State Government 101 is back! In this three-part series, I’ll do my best to bring schoolhouse rock to Albany to walk you through how a bill becomes a law here in New York State. This video covers how a bill goes from an idea to introduction.
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Molly Crane-Newman @mollycranenewman.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Luigi Mangione's courtroom statement this morning in full:
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Council Member Pierina Sanchez @cmpisanchez.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Every tenant deserves to live free from harassment, regardless of their immigration status. Codifying CONH is one way we build a city that is safe + welcoming for all. Read my full statement: council.nyc.gov/district-14/
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The City Reporter @thecityreporter.nyc · 14/08/2026
City Councilmember Frank Morano’s bill to formally adopt the Staten Island flag passed unanimously, 42 to 0, making it one of three borough flags, including those of Brooklyn and The Bronx, to be officially codified. www.thecityreporter.nyc/2026/08/14/s...
thecityreporter.nyc
Maiden, Sword, Ship: Staten Island’s Borough Flag Is Now City-Certified
A decade-long labor of love and design pays off at the City Council.
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Reuven Blau @reuvenblau.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
"In many ways, it has never been more difficult to access our elected officials. Communications teams are more determined than ever, it seems, to control the narrative, managing outside access and carefully crafting messages from within." www.star-revue.com/the-long-har...
star-revue.com
The long hard journey to get on Mamdani's press list - Red Hook Star-Revue
It’s late morning on May 26, and Mayor Zohran Mamdani, standing in front of a posse of New York City media outlets, announces his new “Block by Block” housing plan at Powerhouse Arts in Gowanus. He ha...
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Seth Rosenthal @sethrosenthal.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Gary Sanchez with a massive lip throwing a 37 mph curveball for a swinging strike might be my favorite moment in baseball history
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Simon V Kostelanetz @simonkostel.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
August the 32nd be with you @jmartineznyc.bsky.social
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Evan Simko-Bednarski @simko-bednarski.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Alas, my original copy involved the phrase "neon green scarlet letter"
nydailynews.com
NYC revives green ‘shame stickers’ for alternate-side parking scofflaws
“Shame stickers” are back in NYC, stuck by Department of Sanitation workers on the car windows of drivers who refuse to follow the city’s alternate-side parking rule and make way for street sweepers.
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Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @mayor.nyc.gov · 29/07/2026
Uber Eats and DoorDash hid tip buttons and set default tips below 10%. As a result, tips for delivery workers fell 79%.  In January, we made these corporations change their apps — and in the past six months, we've put $104 million back in delivery workers' pockets.  This is only the beginning.
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Evan Simko-Bednarski @simko-bednarski.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
The SOHO REI helped me teach my boys about the outdoors. The trip in on the subway before a weekend out in the woods was an object lesson in how to prepare. Every tent on display, an inspiration. Heading in to get a trail map or the next size up in boots was an important ritual in our home.
nytimes.com
Saying Farewell to R.E.I.’s Beloved New York City Storefront
Customers gathered to mourn as the outdoor equipment retailer shuttered its location in the famed Puck building in SoHo, where it had been for 15 years.
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Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @mayor.nyc.gov · 25/07/2026
Ousmane Diallo was the embodiment of compassion, humility, and a commitment to serving others. I knew him as a friendly face in Albany, someone whose smile was as dependable as the sun rising. Today, I joined his loved ones to pray Janazah and mourn his loss. Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un.
Mayor Mamdani comforts a loved one of Ousmane Diallo.Mayor Mamdani hugs a loved one of Ousmane Diallo.
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Schneps Media Union @schneps-union.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Schneps workers WON our union! After our NLRB election, Schneps reporters + editorial staff are officially part of IAPE Local 1096! We’re so excited to be a part of the NewsGuild. Tell Schneps management to join us at the bargaining table and stop trying to exclude workers from our union now!
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Award-Winning Reporter Dave Colon @davecolon.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
An off-putting Massachusetts-born businessman with a history of sexist remarks vowing to rule New York City as a tool of the billionaire class, but also really fucking stupid? What we have here is an attempt at Dumb Michael Bloomberg
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The New York Groove @nygroove.nyc · 16/07/2026
After a horse died and an 18-year-old was killed last month, the horse carriage industry promised more oversight to prevent tragedies. But that hasn't happened: “That behavior is continuing. There continues to be a real issue with how they’re operating the carriages." nygroove.nyc/free-the-cen...
nygroove.nyc
Just free the goddamn horses already
Banning the archaic and weird tourist-trap industry is closer to finally becoming a reality this week.
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🚲 @bicycle.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
interesting. I don’t see any horses (labor) in this crowd.
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James Hell Brooks @kleinman.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
There was a viral post early in the Mamdani mayoralty where it was like "oh New York had a child crushing machine and he turned it off." This is actually one of those instances where a stupid, dangerous thing has gone on for way too long and we just need a politician willing to stop it.
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