iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Walter @walterkatz.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

60 years ago on July 11, @thenation.com published James Baldwin's, "A Report from Occupied Territory." What is occupied may have moved. The brutality remains. As does the impunity. I urge you to read it even if it isn't your first time. www.thenation.com/article/cult...

thenation.com

A Report from Occupied Territory

These things happen, in all our Harlems, every single day. If we ignore this fact, and our common responsibility to change this fact, we are sealing our doom.

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Walter @walterkatz.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

read the actual article and then read Proton's TOS (I've been a paid user for years). It clearly states that while the data is secure, they are still subject to Swiss law.

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Walter @walterkatz.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

@404media.co I am really disappointed with how you clickbaited this article. It is very clear that Proton did not "help" the FBI. Proton responded to a lawful order from the Swiss government which, in turn, was responding to a lawful request from the FBI. I thought this approach was beneath you.

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Walter @walterkatz.bsky.social · 18/09/2025

The brilliance of Orwell was to never reveal whether The Brotherhood in ‘1984’ was real or a fabrication. That ambiguity served its purpose for the state to do whatever it wanted to define it as it pleased and to do what was “necessary” to wipe out the “threat.”

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Walter @walterkatz.bsky.social · 18/09/2025

I will say it again, the lack of a private setting in the @bsky.app means it is not suitable for this environment: www.wired.com/story/inside...

This isn’t ‘cancel culture,’” the post reads. “It’s self defense. A nation that empowers the deranged and the depraved is a nation marching toward ruin.”

The longer-term focus from the White House, the lawmaker close to Trump tells me, won’t be limited to just one social media site, such as Bluesky, where scores of posts were compiled and cataloged by the since-offline site “Expose Charlie’s Murderers,” as WIRED reported. Trumpworld wants to come for them all.

“You’re going to continue to see this: Whether it’s Meta, Reddit, Bluesky, Roblox—all of ’em that are actually taking down any content that’s literally calling for more violence and/or recirculating that horrifying video,” the lawmaker told me.

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Walter @walterkatz.bsky.social · 15/09/2025

It was taken down by Reddit mod, so here is the YouTube version of the explainer by @cybelecanterel.bsky.social about always online Gr*yper meme extremism which has been outside the view of the vast majority of people until now. Best explainer I have seen on this: youtu.be/Wcw02sEslog?...

youtu.be

Blackpill Aesthetics: A Crash Course in Meme Extremism

YouTube video by Cy Canterel

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Walter @walterkatz.bsky.social · 15/09/2025

That’s wild considering it had something like 8000+ upvotes.

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Walter @walterkatz.bsky.social · 15/09/2025

Also… what is a Gr**per? Why is Pepe lonely? What does it have to do with volatility, political tension, and lots of guns? Another excellent explainer from TikTok via Reddit: www.reddit.com/r/TikTokCrin...

reddit.com

From the TikTokCringe community on Reddit: Forensic memeologist deciphers shitposts

Explore this post and more from the TikTokCringe community

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Walter @walterkatz.bsky.social · 15/09/2025

This thought-provoking explainer of the conflict between Christian nationalists, who want to take control of institutions, and blackpilled memetic nihilists, is what a lot of mainstream writers should watch before doing a Steve Buscemi. www.reddit.com/r/TikTokCrin...

reddit.com

From the TikTokCringe community on Reddit: A breakdown of the differences between the Christian Nationalist and Black Pill Accelerationist Communities

Explore this post and more from the TikTokCringe community

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Walter @walterkatz.bsky.social · 14/09/2025

This post from @faineg.bsky.social from 7 months ago is more true than ever before. And, I’d add, get your @proton.me email account and toss in their excellent VPN. bsky.app/profile/fain...

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Walter @walterkatz.bsky.social · 14/09/2025

After 2020, especially, the right moved to private messaging, such as Telegram and Discord. Since last week, people’s public social media posts are being used to attack them and their livelihoods. In this environment, that a private setting is *impossible* renders @bsky.app fundamentally flawed.

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Walter @walterkatz.bsky.social · 13/09/2025

With all else going on, this incident will likely receive little traction but it does call into question the “run/hide/fight” approach to active shooters. A sheltering midshipman apparently mistook a law enforcement officer as a threat and ended up being shot. www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/u...

nbcwashington.com

Midshipman shot during police response to Naval Academy threat

A midshipman was shot at the U.S. Naval Academy in Maryland Thursday as law enforcement responded to reports of threats made to the military school, a source told NBC News.

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Walter @walterkatz.bsky.social · 13/09/2025

I am trying to reconcile this: “From its inception, Utah has aspired to be a sanctuary from the strife and sin and violence that scarred the rest of the country.” You didn’t gloss over, but ignored, the Utah Wars and the Mountain Meadows Massacre in particular, that took place not far from St George

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Walter @walterkatz.bsky.social · 08/09/2025

Hello to the future from Korematsu II Day

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Walter @walterkatz.bsky.social · 07/09/2025

I still have my sbcglobal account :)

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Walter @walterkatz.bsky.social · 07/09/2025

This chart in the 2024 WICHE annual report on college enrollment projections on state by state high school graduation projections, should put to bed any delusions about saving House seats in Blue states. NY, CA and IL won’t save Democrats. This also explains the purpose of stifling immigration

Map of US depicting high school graduate population from 2023-2041. Across the U.S., 38 states are expected to experience declines — while 12 states and Washington, D.C., will actually see increases.

High school graduate populations will rise by double digits in some states, including South Carolina, Tennessee, Idaho and North Dakota, according to WICHE estimates. In Washington, D.C., they’re projected to jump a whopping 31%.

Among regions, the only increase is expected in the South, already home to the largest number of high school graduates. By 2037, the ranks of high school graduates in the region will rise by 3% to about 1.5 million over 2024. High school graduate headcount is expected to decline 17% in the Northeast, 16% in the Midwest and 20% in the West.

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Reposted by Walter

Justin Wolfers @justinwolfers.bsky.social · 06/09/2025

The relentless dishonesty is revealing. This was a meeting of the *academic advisory council* of the Chicago Fed. Think: Nerds around a conference table. No, academics don't set rates. No, the Chicago Fed doesn't set rates. No, the Chicago Fed President didn't even vote on rates that year.

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Walter @walterkatz.bsky.social · 07/09/2025

Follow @unraveledpress.com for the clearest real-time reporting on what is happening in the streets of Chicago.

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Walter @walterkatz.bsky.social · 06/09/2025

“What one man’s 45-year-old case tells us about the ‘Jim Crow juries’ haunting Louisiana” - 19-year-old Lloyd Gray, a Black man, was sentenced to prison for life even though the only two Black jurors had voted not guilty. @propublica.org www.propublica.org/article/lloy...

propublica.org

What One Man’s 45-Year-Old Case Tells Us About the “Jim Crow Juries” Haunting Louisiana

Today, a split verdict would mean a mistrial. But in 1980s Louisiana, when nonunanimous juries were still legal, 19-year-old Lloyd Gray, a Black man, was sentenced to prison for life — even though the...

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Walter @walterkatz.bsky.social · 04/09/2025

Consumers are even more skeptical about AI than a year ago, yet enterprise and public sector adoption is accelerating without that valuable public/worker input or visibility into potential impact. www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/...

cnet.com

Smartphone Buyers Care Even Less About AI Than They Did Last Year, CNET Survey Finds

Shoppers aren't sold on thinner phones, even as rumors suggest Apple will soon debut the iPhone 17 Air.

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Walter @walterkatz.bsky.social · 04/09/2025

A truly remarkable achievement. Chicago has seen the fewest homicides for June, July and August in 60 years. Overall violent crime remains near its lowest point in more than four decades. www.wbez.org/news/2025/09...

wbez.org

Chicago sees its fewest summer murders since 1965

The Chicago Police Department’s criminal homicide tally for June, July and August is the lowest in 60 years. And overall violent crime remains near its lowest point in more than four decades.

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Walter @walterkatz.bsky.social · 03/09/2025

What works to reduce homelessness? Housing first policies and harm reduction programs. What does the July executive order specifically prohibit? Federal funding to cities that have housing first and harm reduction programs. gothamist.com/news/a-new-t...

gothamist.com

A new Trump order could upend the way NYC treats homeless people. Here’s what to know.

Trump’s executive order “ending crime and disorder” proposes a shift away from solutions the city says have worked for decades to address homelessness.

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Reposted by Walter

Heather Cherone @heathercherone.bsky.social · 02/09/2025

From a a source in the Texas governor's office: "I'm not sure where the Governor got his information but it is not accurate." @wttw.bsky.social

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Walter @walterkatz.bsky.social · 02/09/2025

No worries. There was a bit of ambiguity in my OP. I’m glad that I could clarify it.

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Walter @walterkatz.bsky.social · 02/09/2025

In the early to mid 90s, Chicago had over 900 murders a year. There was a longterm decline that reversed in 2015. By 2016, up to 766 murders. Then 650 in 2017, ~550 in 2018. COVID spike interrupted declines and now we will lowest in decades. A truly remarkable effort.

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Walter @walterkatz.bsky.social · 02/09/2025

Exactly. I was on a Biden transition committee focused on community gun violence. What we saw across the country was cities looking to restart their intervention work and struggling with the COVID police recruitment crisis. The Bipartisan Community Safety Act got $$ where it was needed.

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Walter @walterkatz.bsky.social · 02/09/2025

YTD is what the table says at the top. My reference to 25% is my rough estimate that about 1/4 of a year’s shootings occur in the last 4 months of the year. When I was in the role, I spent a lot of time on trends and we developed new ways to analyze the data.

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Walter @walterkatz.bsky.social · 01/09/2025

There is still four months to go, but after Labor Day the risk of violence decreases. Meaning, despite there still being 1/3 of the year remaining, I don’t expect there be 1/3 more murders. My rough estimate is +25%. That would have been my calculation in the Chicago mayor’s office.

decreases.so

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Walter @walterkatz.bsky.social · 01/09/2025

Unemployment among Black people is at the highest level since 2021 and up significantly for college-educated Black workers. DOGE cuts disproportionately hit Black federal staff. Add nonprofit cuts caused by grant cancellations, attacks on diversity and there you have it. www.wsj.com/economy/jobs...

wsj.com

Black Americans Are Losing Jobs in a Warning for the Economy

Unemployment among Black people reaches highest level since 2021. “I am in the fight of my life.”

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Walter @walterkatz.bsky.social · 30/08/2025

LOL. Fun fact - my favorite barbecue joint in the Valley was also Erik Estrada’s. He was there a lot.

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Walter @walterkatz.bsky.social · 30/08/2025

Among cops in LA there is a longstanding joke that CHP stands for Can’t Handle Policework. “They know how do a traffic stop but not much else.”

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Reposted by Walter

Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 28/08/2025

They're openly calling to lock up every trans person by force. We need every ally to speak out forcefully against this because trans folks cannot do this on our own.

Alt text: A tweet from Joey Mannarino (@JoeyMannarinoUS) dated August 27, 2025. The tweet calls for Health and Human Services to violate HIPAA laws and forward information about every transgender and transgender-questioning person to law enforcement for immediate detainment, claiming they are killing children in schools. It describes this as a matter of national security, says transgender people should be locked away and studied, calls for medical professionals who enable transitions to be expelled from the profession, and demands that the federal government treat transgender people as if they were terrorist organizations. The tweet shows it was last edited at 1:11 PM and has 5,049 views.

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Walter @walterkatz.bsky.social · 30/08/2025

It happened before 2022. The rapid rise in violence in 2020 continued into 2021. Journalists had a hard time understanding that COVID-related factors drove it and the easy answer was to blame George Floyd protests that either emboldened criminals or demoralized cops - which evidence doesn’t support.

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Walter @walterkatz.bsky.social · 30/08/2025

“It turns out ‘states’ rights’ was never about principle—it was just about who had the whip hand. Funny how ‘federal tyranny’ became ‘law and order’ the moment their guy was holding the federal badge.”

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Walter @walterkatz.bsky.social · 29/08/2025

This is absolutely true. I’ve been away from Chicago since 2020 but I’m still in regular contact with funders, community service providers, funders, and more. There is such a deep commitment to make a difference in under-resourced neighborhoods that see too much gun violence.

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Walter @walterkatz.bsky.social · 26/08/2025

The full text of Gov Prtizker’s remarks yesterday are a must-read. Not enough has been said until now on the glaring hypocrisy behind the false claims that the military is needed www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news...

Excerpt from speech by Illinois Gov JB Pritzker on 8/25/25:

If Donald Trump was actually serious about fighting crime in cities like Chicago, he, along with his congressional Republicans, would not be cutting over $800 million in public safety and crime prevention grants nationally, including cutting $158 million in funding to Illinois for violence prevention programs that deploy trained outreach workers to deescalate conflict on our streets. Cutting $71 million in law enforcement grants to Illinois, direct money for police departments through programs like Project Safe Neighborhoods, the state and local Antiterrorism Training Program, and the Rural Violent Crime Reduction Initiative, cutting $137 million in child protection measures in Illinois that protect our kids against abuse and neglect.

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Walter @walterkatz.bsky.social · 26/08/2025

What’s unnerving is the hybrid of traditional and compulsory visibility- Foucault: “Traditionally, power was what was seen, what was shown, and what was manifested. Disciplinary power… is exercised through its invisibility… it imposes on those whom it subjects a principle of compulsory visibility.”

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Walter @walterkatz.bsky.social · 26/08/2025

Currently reading - Hallucination, Perception, and the Limits of Knowledge: “Whether in neuronal circuits or neural networks, the feeling of plausibility is unreliable, always vulnerable to error or bias.”

"What lessons do these machine hallucinations offer us? Fundamentally, they underscore an epistemic humility: prediction is not truth. Whether in neuronal circuits or neural networks, the feeling of plausibility is unreliable, always vulnerable to error or bias. The need for grounding, error correction, and critical self-examination is universal, whether for machines or for minds."
Jonathan Boymal
Hallucination, Perception, and the Limits of Knowledge

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Walter @walterkatz.bsky.social · 23/08/2025

The difference is that here it is not actually about culture (cosmopolitan vs. traditional values), but is openly racialized. It is taking the same white resentment tapped into in 2020 and weaponizing it against Black and immigrant population centers.

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Walter @walterkatz.bsky.social · 23/08/2025

“trust declined among many white Americans after the 2020 election when President Trump began to blame his loss on voter fraud among Black Americans, majority-Black cities, and immigrant communities.” Notice how claims of mortgage fraud are now being waged against high profile Black women.

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Walter @walterkatz.bsky.social · 22/08/2025

All true. He went after my friends and former boss because they were doing their job.

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Walter @walterkatz.bsky.social · 22/08/2025

“An entire generation of people, many far younger than Trump, now know what it is like to exercise power without political, legal, or normative limits. The mid-terms won’t save anyone. We are at the early stage of an epoch.

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Walter @walterkatz.bsky.social · 21/08/2025

I was there twice over the last year for work at the capital. I love the city and the people.

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Walter @walterkatz.bsky.social · 21/08/2025

Austin was just cracking into midsized city territory 30 years ago. It was only in the 1950 census that its population passed 100,000

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Walter @walterkatz.bsky.social · 20/08/2025

And this is what happens when security theatre meets civilians: bsky.app/profile/mjga...

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Walter @walterkatz.bsky.social · 20/08/2025

The subhed: “The remark, made as the president has ordered a wide-ranging review of museum exhibits, added to his pattern of minimizing Black history.” “Minimizing” is the exact verb I was looking for too. /s www.nytimes.com/2025/08/19/u...

nytimes.com

Trump Says Smithsonian Focuses Too Much on ‘How Bad Slavery Was’

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