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Willie Burnley Jr 🌹

@willieburnleyjr.bsky.social
1.4K followers 136 following 60 posts

Community organizer, part-time Empowerment Self-Defense Instructor, and At-Large Somerville City Councilor.

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Reposted by Willie Burnley Jr 🌹
Sean Horgan @horgan.net · 02/10/2026
Help those impacted by the fire last night in Somerville. www.thesomervilletimes.com/archives/150... #Somerville cc: @311somerville.bsky.social
thesomervilletimes.com
Emergency fund activated for residents displaced by Teele Square fire
Community members encouraged to donate to support 43 residents displaced by September 30 fire The City of Somerville and Somerville Homeless Coalition have activated the Emergency Displacement Fund to...
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Progressive Mass @progressivemass.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
MA has 9 statewide ballot questions this year. Be an informed voter! #mapoli www.progressivemass.com/2026ballot/
This November, Massachusetts will see *9* statewide ballot questions, a historic number. But we’ve got you covered. 

✅VOTE YES ON 1 to expand the public records law to cover the Governor and the Legislature. We’re the only state in the country that doesn’t do that already. Let the sunlight in.

✅VOTE YES ON 2 to enable public defenders to collectively bargain. Every worker deserves to have a union, and public defenders, who are often overworked and underpaid, should be no exception. 

❌VOTE NO ON 3 to prevent private equity billionaires from rigging our election system in their favor. Top-two primaries empower corporate PACs and self-funders, disadvantage grassroots candidates, and turn MAGA voters into election kingmakers. 

✅VOTE YES ON 4 to enable voters to register to vote or update their registration on Election Day. No eligible voter should be turned away due to a clerical error, and this reform is one of the most proven ways to increase voter turnout. 

❌VOTE NO ON 5 to protect our state’s ability to invest in health care, transportation, and public education. The rich would get millions in tax rebates, while the rest of us suffer from underfunded public services. 

⚪VOTE how you want on 6. Question 6 fell shy of our endorsement threshold: our members valued land and water conservation, but were worried about the dedication of existing funds as opposed to new ones. 

✅VOTE YES on 7 to enable more starter homes across the Commonwealth. We have a housing crisis, and large lot size requirements mean fewer homes are able to be built. 

❌VOTE NO on 8 to protect our state’s cannabis laws. We said NO to the war on drugs back in 2016, and we shouldn’t turn back time and destroy local economies. 

✅VOTE YES ON 9 to protect our state’s landmark gun safety law, which cracked down on ghost guns, banned machine gun conversion devices, and strengthened gun violence data collection.
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Nicolas Hénin @nicolashenin.net · 17/09/2026
Nice campaign by the Norwegian Consumer Council about the declining lifespan of products. Enjoy!
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Chris Dwan (he/him) @somershade.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Think back on the history of the past 6 to 8 years ... including the response police violence at the straight pride thing. Does this timeline seem to represent the history accurately to you? Does it give a sense of urgency? 15/?
A slide titled "History and Context" with a few bullets from 2000 to today.
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Paul @pawlbologna.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Markeychusetts
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I Scare You Like Sound Dog @chadstanton.blacksky.app · 05/04/2025
"There is an inverse relationship between public resources and police. As resources are extracted, policing in its various forms increases, both to sustain the extraction and to manage the social insecurities that extraction causes." inquest.org/extracting-p...
inquest.org
Extracting Police - Stephanie Guirand & Spencer Piston - Inquest
Violent policing is not a bug of capitalist societies but a feature. To end our dependence on it, we must first understand its connection to exploitation.
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Evan MacKay @evanforcambridge.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
The people of Cambridge are among the most progressive in the state, and the Mass Democratic party platform articulates bold progressive policies. Yet the action taken by our state government lags behind our values. Join us by Sept 1st to help change that.
Evan MacKay is running for safety and belonging for all

1. Protect MA communities
2. End state collaboration with ICE
3. Ban surveillance fusion centers
4. Fully fund immigrant legal aid
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Willie Burnley Jr 🌹 @willieburnleyjr.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
A majority of MA Dem voters & independents (unenrolled) have said that they would be less likely to vote for candidates that have "accepted campaign contributions from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC)." And let's be clear, AIPAC is a stand-in for the Israel lobby.
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siobhan mcdonough @siobhan-m.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
if a candidate in a democratic primary is trying to convince you that everyone running is the same on policy, that candidate is worse on policy
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Willie Burnley Jr 🌹 @willieburnleyjr.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Haven't been active on here in a while. What'd I miss?
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Yanis Varoufakis @yanisvaroufakis.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
And so the ethnic cleansing in the West Bank accelerates against the backdrop of the never-ending genocide in Gaza
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Boston DSA @bostondsa.org · 10/08/2026
Want to meet @socialists.nyc's very own @claireforny.bsky.social and get @evanforcambridge.bsky.social across the finish line? Join us on Sat Aug 15th at 12 PM in the Cambridge Common for our biggest mega canvass yet. Sign up now!!!! At: bdsa.us/evanclaire
Canvass with Claire Valdez for Evan
Megacanvass

Sat. Aug 15 • 12 pm
Cambridge Common

RSVP at bdsa.us/evanclaire
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siobhan mcdonough @siobhan-m.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
this is true, and the fair share ballot measure was a huge win. but we also need to be clear-eyed that it was undermined almost immediately by tax cuts for the rich pushed by state house leadership
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siobhan mcdonough @siobhan-m.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
cambridge cops wanted to get one of these—we organized and stopped them. working-mass.com/2025/02/06/c...
working-mass.com
Cambridge Socialists, Students Shoot Down Unelected City Manager’s Police Surveillance Drone Proposal - Working Mass
Other Surveillance Technology Proposals Pass Council, Despite Community Opposition By Siobhan M. CAMBRIDGE — Community members flooded a meeting of the Cambridge City Council on Monday evening, succes...
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Chris Dwan (he/him) @somershade.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
I'm divided on the utility of body worn cameras, given that - as @willieburnleyjr.bsky.social said back in 2020, the officers who killed George Floyd were wearing them. Without an oversight body, that's a hell no from me. Oh look, the council unanimously called for oversight six years ago. 10/?
A city council meeting item calling for the establishment of police oversight.
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JT Scott @jtforward2.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
I don't think I can express just how infuriating it is to, as a legislator, pass laws and then have the Mayor (who is obliged to faithfully execute the duly passed laws) completely ignore enforcing the laws he/she disagrees with. 1/
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JT Scott @jtforward2.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Having that failure to enforce used as an argument for the Council to not pass laws "without the admin's support" is also infuriating, and evidence to me of a Council's abdication of their charge as legislators as much as it is of a Mayor refusing the co-equal role of a legislature. 2/
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The Associated Press @apnews.com · 12/03/2026
A man who was shot by Connecticut police last year and later died had to wait 10 extra minutes for another ambulance to arrive at the scene, after another officer having an anxiety attack took the first one.
bit.ly
Officer having anxiety attack took ambulance sent for man dying from police shooting, report says
A man who was shot by Connecticut police last year and later died had to wait 10 extra minutes for another ambulance to arrive at the scene, after another officer having an anxiety attack took the first one.
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Jonathan Cohn @jonathancohn.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
Why are Massachusetts Democrats advancing a right-wing bill filed by Republicans to create a subminimum wage for teenagers? #mapoli malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H2...
oint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development
January 07, 2026
Question: Do you agree with the Chair's recommendation to give the bill a favorable report?

Favorable: 10
Bruce J. AyersHannah BowenRob ConsalvoDennis C. GallagherRyan M. HamiltonPaul McMurtryAdrianne Pusateri RamosKenneth P. SweezeyMark D. SylviaTommy Vitolo
Adverse: 0
Reserve Right: 0
No Action: 1
Donald H. Wong
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Progressive Mass @progressivemass.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
“Are we okay having our local justice agencies, being complicit with the federal immigration crackdown?” #mapoli www.wgbh.org/news/local/2...
wgbh.org
Some local police, sheriff and DA offices are communicating often with ICE, records show
In one instance, a sheriff's office sent an entire list of sentenced individuals just 12 minutes after ICE requested the information.
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Taniel @taniel.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
There's only one state in the country that voted for Kamala Harris, & voted for a Dem governor, and where a state agency has any sort of contract with ICE's infamous 287(g) program. Massachusetts. The MA Gov says she supports it (even days after Spanberger ended Youngkin's same agreement in VA).
boltsmag.org
Inside ICE’s Only Contract with a Blue State - Bolts
As part of a 287(g) contract between state officials and ICE, Massachusetts continues to release prisoners into deportation—even as state lawmakers look to ban other forms of ICE collaboration.
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Progressive Mass @progressivemass.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
"In fact, Massachusetts is the only state that voted against Donald Trump in 2024 where a state agency is contracting with the 287(g) program." #mapoli boltsmag.org/massachusett...
boltsmag.org
Inside ICE’s Only Contract with a Blue State - Bolts
As part of a 287(g) contract between state officials and ICE, Massachusetts continues to release prisoners into deportation—even as state lawmakers look to ban other forms of ICE collaboration.
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mcc @dryad.technology · 09/12/2025
Relatable
Legend of Zelda screenshot. Malon: "Everyone seems to be turning evil…"
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Jonathan Cohn @jonathancohn.bsky.social · 10/11/2025
"We're caving now, but don't worry: we'll fight harder next time." -- Democratic axiom
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Willie Burnley Jr 🌹 @willieburnleyjr.bsky.social · 28/10/2025
I'm grateful for the endorsement of Senator @edmarkey.bsky.social in this race & to know that as Somerville's next mayor I will have the federal support necessary to best serve our community. This colloboration will be critical to defend our rights, fully fund our schools, & improve city services.
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IfNotNow Boston 🔥 @ifnotnowboston.bsky.social · 27/10/2025
SOMERVILLE (continued) Importantly, Question 3 is a non-binding resolution. Burnley, Jr. is a stalwart defender of Palestinian freedom, who has spoken in favor of the resolution, and pledges to follow it if passed. (His opponent, Jake Wilson, opposes the resolution.)
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Willie Burnley Jr 🌹 @willieburnleyjr.bsky.social · 22/10/2025
Democracy is not divisiveness. If the people tell their leads to divest from Israel's illegal occupation, apartheid, and genocide, then their leaders should do it. I have stood up time and time again for the rights of our residents and, as mayor, I will work to safeguard and expand those rights.
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Jesse and the Purple Crayon … of Death!! @misctakes.com · 15/10/2025
@willieburnleyjr.bsky.social, too, was always against this. I only joined @ifnotnowboston.bsky.social in November 2023; he’d been involved for years. He’s always been a real one, and for that he too has faced unfair attacks. Somerville, you should make him your mayor. (Also vote yes on 3)
Willie quote tweeting an IfNotNow Boston post from 4/7/2018. That original tweet is illustrated with a photo of Willie speaking at a rally, in front of a banner that reads "Stop Deportations. End the violence on Gaza." The text of that tweet reads: "We are here drawing the connections between liberation for Jews, Palestinians, Africans, and immigrants around the world." Willie's quote tweet, from 8/11/2025, reads: "I'm proud to have been morally consistent on this issue for years: the only way for marginalized people to find true safety and liberation is through solidarity. I have stood against antisemitism, Islamophobia, and anti-Blackness my entire life. I will continue to do so as mayor."
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Hump Day News @humpdaynews.bsky.social · 17/09/2025
Willie Burnley, Jr. is your general election pick. See you in November, @willieburnleyjr.bsky.social
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Kris @kriscritter.bsky.social · 15/09/2025
RT if you're voting for @willieburnleyjr.bsky.social tomorrow!!!!
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Miiiiiike Gutierrrrrrrrrez @mikesunra.bsky.social · 12/09/2025
Fest Willie-delphia, born and raised! @willieburnleyjr.bsky.social
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Willie Burnley Jr 🌹 @willieburnleyjr.bsky.social · 08/09/2025
With early voting starting tomorrow, it's great to have the support of @somervilleyimby.org in my race to become the next Mayor of Somerville! We can elect a pro-housing movement focused on ensuring Somerville has economic diversity and housing stability. Join us: linktr.ee/WillieforSomerville
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Boston DSA @bostondsa.org · 04/09/2025
Last year, @willieburnleyjr.bsky.social and @votejivan.bsky.social passed home rule petitions in Somerville & Cambridge and, collaborating with other municipal & statewide electeds, pushed our legislature and governor to ban forced brokers’ fees-Now tthey’re working to lift the ban on rent control.
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Ben Ewen-Campen @benforward3.bsky.social · 01/09/2025
If these folks want to know why Jews like me won’t silence ourselves in the face of what Israel is doing, please just read the news. NYT front page today: double-tap attack on a hospital & journalists. www.nytimes.com/video/world/... Here is my full statements on why I refuse to shut up about this:
docs.google.com
S4P statement
Dear Somerville for Palestine: I’m writing these words during the third week of July, 2025. Below are several headlines and quotes, published just in the last few weeks in The Guardian: “More than 1...
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Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley @pressley.house.gov · 27/08/2025
This is the same playbook Trump has used to criminalize immigrants and activists who center the dignity & humanity of all people. Xóchitl must be released immediately and reunited with her family.
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Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley @pressley.house.gov · 27/08/2025
Catalina "Xóchitl" Santiago is a farmworker, DACA recipient, & beloved community organizer who helped undocumented immigrants get drivers licenses in Massachusetts. She was unlawfully detained while boarding a flight for work & is being targeted for deportation.
A graphic that reads: Free Xóchitl.
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Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler @votejivan.bsky.social · 23/08/2025
Excited to canvass for @willieburnleyjr.bsky.social after the @bostondsa.org General Meeting tomorrow! I’ve organized with Willie since his 1st campaign. From ending forced brokers’ fees to curtailing surveillance tech, he’s been a partner. And he’ll be a great Somerville Mayor. Prelim is 9/16!
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DSA National Electoral Commission @dsaelectoral.bsky.social · 23/08/2025
Join our phonebank tomorrow to support our Nationally-endorsed candidates! @kelseabondatl.bsky.social @jakeephros.bsky.social @willieburnleyjr.bsky.social @north.dsanj.org @detroitdsa.bsky.social
Join us at our next phonebank tomorrow, Sunday, August 24th at 2pm pacific, 5pm eastern. Visit DSAUSA.US/socialist-cash to RSVP.
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DSA National Electoral Commission @dsaelectoral.bsky.social · 17/08/2025
Who wants to know how much socialist cash we raised at Convention?? 🫰🧐 Join us at our phonebank tomorrow afternoon! ☎️😏 We're supporting incredible DSA candidates across the country including @kelseabondatl.bsky.social @jakeephros.bsky.social @willieburnleyjr.bsky.social dsausa.us/socialist-cash
Join the NEC at our August phonebanks, Sundays the 17th and 24th at 2pm Pacific, 5pm Eastern. Visit DSAUSA dot US slash socialist hyphen cash.
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Drop Site @dropsitenews.com · 16/08/2025
🚨 BREAKING: After far-right influencer Laura Loomer raged online about a few severely injured Palestinian children arriving in the U.S. for life-saving medical interventions, the State Department announced it has suspended all visitor visas for individuals from Gaza.
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Willie Burnley Jr 🌹 @willieburnleyjr.bsky.social · 16/08/2025
I'm proud to have earned the endorsement of @somervilleyimby.org as the housing candidate for Mayor. As Mayor, I will continue to fight for renters, to build more housing, and to ensure affordable and accessible units are available to keep our neighbors in this place we call home!
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Alex P @perniexanders.bsky.social · 15/08/2025
Huge congratulations to @willieburnleyjr.bsky.social for winning the mayoral endorsement from @somervilleyimby.org !! It means a lot that housing justice groups recognize that he's the best candidate. Now let's get him in office! somervilleyimby.org/elections/20...
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Boston Cyclists Union: BCU.bike/act @bikeboston.bsky.social · 11/08/2025
In wake of the 3 recent micro-mobility crashes we want to make our point clear: We need less people in cars, and safer streets. Fear mongering & calling for bike regulations does neither. bostoncyclistsunion.org/statement-we...
bostoncyclistsunion.org
Statement: We need safe streets, not bike regulation after tragedies - Boston Cyclists Union
On August 6th there was a crash involving a delivery worker on an e-bike and a pedestrian, in the area of Dartmouth and Huntington near Copley Square where safety infrastructure…
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Tom Scocca @tomscocca.bsky.social · 19/07/2025
Fun politics fact: Zohran Mamdani got 2.4 times as many votes in the mayoral primary as Hakeem Jeffries got in the highest-turnout general election of his career
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Willie Burnley Jr 🌹 @willieburnleyjr.bsky.social · 10/07/2025
So grateful to join the Pragmatic Optimists crew to talk about how local & state governments can do more to protect the trans community. Not only have I led this charge on the Somerville City Council by passing laws & changing policies; as mayor, I will continue to invest in our inclusive values.
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Crystal Huff (they/them) @crystalvisits.mas.wrong.tools.ap.brid.gy · 10/07/2025
Folks on here who are in #SomervilleMA ... do you know about Justin Klekota doubling down on transphobia and stuff? He's been texting some list of Somerville voters he's got, and his replies are super offputting. I haven't gotten a reply from him myself, but I've seen several screenshots like […]
mas.wrong.tools
Original post on mas.wrong.tools
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Sam @sltrmn.bsky.social · 10/07/2025
This is your semi-annual reminder to not vote for Justin Klekota, who continues to attack trans Somervilliens as "extremists" for telling him that it was bad to require everyone to identify as either male, female, or "transitioning" to run for a position on the Ward 7 Democratic committee.
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Willie Burnley Jr 🌹 @willieburnleyjr.bsky.social · 08/07/2025
Come check out Willie Fest II, a night of celebrating local artists, at The Rockwell on July 27th! We'll have four local bands playing and a surprise special guest! And if you're interested in how a Mayor Burnley will fight for artists, read this: www.bostoncompassnewspaper.com/bcn?recordId...
Image shows a lightly cloudy sky in the background with two statues from Somerville's Seven Hills Park in the foreground. Text reads: Willie Fest 2, Willie Burnley Jr for Mayor of Somerville, featuring Mallcops, Battlemode, Your Friends in Hell, and The Love Shamans. July 27th at The Rockwell. Doors at 6, music at 7pm."
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Boston DSA @bostondsa.org · 07/07/2025
Follow us on Tiktok & check out our latest vid! Let’s get @willieburnleyjr.bsky.social elected in Somerville! www.tiktok.com/@boston_dsa/...
tiktok.com
You heard it from our co-chair Tefa — Zohran shook up NYC. Now it’s Somerville’s turn. Let’s get Willie elected 🔥 #dsa #willieforsomerville #somerville
TikTok video by Boston DSA
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Chris Dwan (he/him) @somershade.bsky.social · 27/06/2025
The council folds to a scolding from the Mayor and undoes their vote from two nights ago by a nine to two vote. It will surprise nobody that @jtforward2.bsky.social and @willieburnleyjr.bsky.social were the "cut the funds" votes. Even after all that talk, the rest were like "sure." 24/?
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