B.G. Firmani
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bgfirmani.bsky.social
B.G. Firmani
@bgfirmani.bsky.social
120 followers 180 following 100 posts
Writer with a day job. Longtime New Yorker. Believer that while the arc of the moral universe may be long, it bends toward justice.

Finché c'è vita, c'è speranza.

https://www.bgfirmani.com/
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bgfirmani.bsky.social
Every time I read of strutting #spaccone Bovino’s vicious ways I think, doesn’t #FascistBro know his history? #ItalianAmericans were the Brown people of the past. Great article: chicago.suntimes.com/the-watchdog... @josephsciorra.bsky.social @dmihalopoulos.bsky.social @bylaurenfitz.bsky.social #DHS
Greg Bovino’s the star of Trump’s deportation show. We trace his roots.
As a boy, the Hollywood movie “The Border" set the course for his life. He couldn’t believe the Border Patrol agents in the movie were the bad guys. Now that he’s in charge of deportation efforts caus...
chicago.suntimes.com
January 28, 2026 at 2:40 AM
Reposted by B.G. Firmani
kristenradtke.bsky.social
I wrote about my childhood friend Alexi Pretti. Please read it and share it and remember him as a human being. @theverge.com
I grew up with Alex Pretti
The kind-hearted ICU nurse shot by ICE agents was my childhood best friend.
www.theverge.com
January 27, 2026 at 4:45 PM
Reposted by B.G. Firmani
jamellebouie.net
to the extent that there is a “carrot” to trumpism it is the same carrot that slaveholders offered to lower class white men: “you can be an overseer”
sodrock.bsky.social Secretary of Defense Rock @sodrock.bsky.social · 1d
Saw this and it’s just wild
January 26, 2026 at 2:43 PM
bgfirmani.bsky.social
"There are more mysteries in language than are dreamt of in linguistics.” Beautiful piece on @teacherscollege.bsky.social
website of Clifford A. Hill. Professor Hill was a generous man, a teacher of Hausa at #ColumbiaUniversity, father of my dear friend Sarah. www.tc.columbia.edu/articles/202...
Remembering Language and Education Leader Clifford A. Hill
www.tc.columbia.edu
January 27, 2026 at 12:02 AM
bgfirmani.bsky.social
I'm attending No Kings's event, “Eyes on ICE: Document and Record” - sign up now to join me! www.mobilize.us/nokings/even...
Eyes on ICE: Document and Record · No Kings
On Saturday, federal agents horrifically shot and killed 37-year-old Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse who cared for veterans, in the Eat Street neighborhood of south Minneapolis after brutally beating him in...
www.mobilize.us
January 26, 2026 at 11:44 PM
Reposted by B.G. Firmani
riseandresist.bsky.social
📆 TUESDAY, 1/27
⏰ 5:30PM
📍 FOLEY SQUARE

The New York Alliance against Racist and Political Repression (NYAARPR), and NYC ICE Watch are calling for an EMERGENCY RALLY: "JUSTICE FOR ALEX PRETTI!"

ICE OUT OF EVERYWHERE!

HANDS OFF OUR CITIES!
GRAPHIC PROMOTING JUSTICE FOR ALEX PRETTI! EMERGENCY RALLY, FOLEY SQUARE, TUESDAY, 1/27 AT 5:30 PM
January 25, 2026 at 8:54 PM
Reposted by B.G. Firmani
atrupar.com
Walz: "To Americans who are watching this, I've got a question for you: What side do you want to be on? The side of an all powerful federal govt that can kill, injury, menace, & kidnap its citizens off the streets? Or on the side of a nurse at the VA hospital who died bearing witness to such govt?"
January 25, 2026 at 8:24 PM
Reposted by B.G. Firmani
reichlinmelnick.bsky.social
You have to read this. Firsthand affidavit from one of the women who was there and recording the video. She talks about how Alex Pretti was directing traffic when she arrived. She watched him be killed in front of her. She's afraid to go home, worried she'll be arrested.
1. I am a resident of the Whittier neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota. I am over 18 years of age. I am a children's entertainer who specializes in face painting. 2. On Saturday, January 24, 2026, at about 8:50 am, I was getting ready to go to work when I heard whistles outside. I knew the whistles meant that ICE agents were in the area, so I decided to check it out on my way to work. I've been involved in observing in my community because it is so important to document what ICE is doing to my neighbors. Connecting to your local community and knowing who your neighbors are is something I profoundly value. 3. I drove to Nicollet Ave. and 26th where I could hear the whistles coming from. I turned south onto Nicollet. There were already several ICE agents there and they'd set up a sort of vehicle convoy on Nicollet and 28th. There were also about 15 observers there, recording and observing ICE. 4. I saw ICE agents surrounding cars and punching car windows. I also saw them stopping vehicles further down Nicollet, so I backed up because I didn't feel safe continuing on. 5. I noticed a man sort of acting to help traffic move more smoothly. He helped me find a place to park. I got out with my whistle and my camera. I went over to him and said something like, "I'm going to film and use my whistle." 6. It seemed like most ICE activity was happening a little farther down the street from us, near 27th. Someone was being thrown to the ground. 7. I started recording. There was an agent by a car across the street. Two observers were a few feet away from the agent, blowing their whistles. One was wearing a backpack. 8. I and the man who was observing and helping direct traffic were standing in the street. There was a phone in the man's hand recording a video. 9. An agent approached and asked us to back up, so I moved slowly back onto the sidewalk. 10. The man stayed in the street, filming as the other observers I mentioned earlier were being forced backward by another ICE agent threatening them with pepper spray. The man went closer to support them as they got threatened, just with his camera out. I didn't see him reach for or hold a gun. 11. Then the ICE agent shoved one of the other observers to the ground. Then he started pepper spraying all three of them directly in the face and all over. The man with the phone put his hands above his head and the agent sprayed him again and pushed him. 12. Then the man tried to help up the woman the ICE agent had shoved to the ground. The ICE agents just kept spraying. More agents came over and grabbed the man who was still trying to help the woman get up. All three of the observers looked to have been badly affected by the pepper spray. I could feel the pepper spray in my eyes. 13. The agents pulled the man on the ground. I didn't see him touch any of them-he wasn't even turned toward them. It didn't look like he was trying to resist, just trying to help the woman up. I didn't see him with a gun. They threw him to the ground. Four or five agents had him on the ground and they just started shooting him. They shot him so many times. 14.1 don't know why they shot him. He was only helping. I was five feet from him and they just shot him. 15. The video I recorded of what happened accurately depicts the events leading up to the agents shooting him and several minutes afterwards. The video is attached as Exhibit 1. 16. I have read the statement from DHS about what happened and it is wrong. The man did not approach the agents with a gun. He approached them with a camera. He was just trying to help a woman get up and they took him to the ground. 17. I feel afraid. Only hours have passed since they shot a man right in front me and I don't feel like I can go home because I heard agents were looking for me. I don't know what the agents will do when they find me. I do know that they're not telling the truth about what happened. I've heard that other witnesses might have been arrested and taken to the Whipple Building. 18. I am disgusted and gutted at how they are treating my neighbors and my state. I keep alternating between crying and feeling determined it is important to remember the value of documenting injustice. We show up for the people who need us to bear witness, because it can't just be one group of people bearing the brunt of their tyranny. This is a struggle to protect our freedom and democracy, those things are on the line. He lost his life for those values. I declare under penalty of perjury that everything I have stated in this document is true and correct. Dated and signed on Jan 24, 2026 in Hennepin County, State of Minnesota.
January 25, 2026 at 1:15 AM
bgfirmani.bsky.social
Article on @truthout.org that helps one find out corporations collaborating w/ ICE: truthout.org/articles/her...
And GOODS UNITE US tracks political donations of companies so that you can decide who gets your cash: www.goodsuniteus.com/einstein-wou... #AbolishICE
Einstein Would Have Endorsed Goods Unite Us - Goods Unite Us
We think Einstein would approve of Goods Unite Us given his concerns with capitalism's tendency to accumulate wealth and political power.
www.goodsuniteus.com
January 24, 2026 at 11:57 PM
bgfirmani.bsky.social
Tell your senators to rein in ICE NOW act.indivisible.org/sign/ice-out...
Tell your senators to rein in ICE NOW
On Wednesday, January 7, Renee Good was killed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Then, on January 24, Border Patrol killed Alex Pretti. These deaths were a direct...
act.indivisible.org
January 24, 2026 at 11:04 PM
Reposted by B.G. Firmani
whstancil.bsky.social
in case you're curious about how angry Minnesota is about ICE, it was -20 today
January 24, 2026 at 12:38 AM
bgfirmani.bsky.social
Thank you @surj.org for the training call last night, your committed + passionate people + inspiring words from THE POLITICS OF NONVIOLENT ACTION by Gene Sharp!! Another call next Tues, 1/27: www.mobilize.us/surj/event/8... #AbolishICE #Resist #ICEOut #FascistsBoundToLose #BuildTheResistance
January 22, 2026 at 1:10 AM
Reposted by B.G. Firmani
democracynow.org
MLK Day Special: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in His Own Words
MLK Day Special: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in His Own Words
Today is the federal holiday that honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He was born January 15, 1929. He was assassinated April 4, 1968, at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. He was just 39 years o...
www.democracynow.org
January 19, 2026 at 3:26 PM
Reposted by B.G. Firmani
criterionchannl.bsky.social
Evening viewing recommendation? On Watch GIRL WITH HYACINTHS (1950) in our Nordic Noir collection! 🖤 One of the most acclaimed Swedish films of all time (heralded as a masterpiece by no less than Ingmar Bergman)
January 16, 2026 at 1:18 AM
bgfirmani.bsky.social
I'm attending Showing Up for Racial Justice's event, “Solidarity Mobilizations: a 2-part training on showing up for immigrant communities” - sign up now t www.mobilize.us/surj/event/8...
Solidarity Mobilizations: a 2-part training on showing up for immigrant communities · Showing Up for Racial Justice
Across the country, immigrant communities are under attack and authoritarian forces are gaining ground. But there’s a growing movement of people ready to take action with clarity, courage, and discipl...
www.mobilize.us
January 18, 2026 at 12:30 AM
Reposted by B.G. Firmani
jayapal.house.gov
Mubashir and his family came to the United States as refugees from Ethiopia when he was a child, and they all became naturalized citizens in 2019.

Despite being a U.S. citizen, Mubashir was targeted by ICE, assaulted, and detained. Listen to his story:
January 17, 2026 at 11:45 PM
Reposted by B.G. Firmani
harikunzru.bsky.social
May we have a fraction of this man’s courage and integrity www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/w...
Renfrew Christie Dies at 76; Sabotaged Racist Regime’s Nuclear Program
www.nytimes.com
January 15, 2026 at 5:32 PM
Reposted by B.G. Firmani
statuscoupnews.bsky.social
🚨"This is nuts! What the f*ck is going on, this is insane! ICE is just trying to scare people; they tell you it's only immigrants—it's f*cking anybody!" -furious Minneapolis resident tells our @zdroberts.bsky.social after ICE shot a man in the leg tonight. LIVE NOW ⬇️
January 15, 2026 at 3:59 AM
Reposted by B.G. Firmani
womensmarch.com
On Jan 20 we walk out everywhere.

Resistance doesn’t need permission. It needs to confront power.

A year into Trump 2.0, billionaires and big oil win.
Midterms will limit MAGA so 2026 is the cash-out.

We refuse. On Jan 20, feminists pull labor, money, consent. See you in the streets. #FreeAmerica
January 4, 2026 at 5:52 PM
Reposted by B.G. Firmani
indivisible.org
At nearly 1,200 events across all 50 states and DC, Americans honored Renee Nicole Good and mourned all the lives ICE has taken and destroyed. #ICEOutForGood
January 13, 2026 at 1:16 AM
Reposted by B.G. Firmani
bkindivisible.bsky.social
From MN & Chicago to Caracas & NYC, the administration is trampling our freedoms to entrench a rule of bullies for billionaires. We must stand together against these criminal attacks on families both here and abroad. Rule by kings is over. 🚫👑

Join us 1/11, 1pm, E60th & 5th Ave
@indivisible.org
No Wars No Kings No ICE graphic
January 8, 2026 at 10:05 PM
bgfirmani.bsky.social
Rally in Foley Square tonight to protest the murder of Renee Nicole Good by #ICE.

"We must love greater than they hate." —Jumaane Williams
January 8, 2026 at 1:57 AM
Reposted by B.G. Firmani
50501movement.bsky.social
Emergency rally TONIGHT in NYC responding to ICE’s murder—Foley Square 6pm

“We stand in solidarity with rapid responders in Minneapolis and the communities across the country who are choosing to build a movement grounded in love, solidarity, and unity.”
@handsoffnyc.bsky.social
@thenyic.bsky.social
EMERGENCY RALLY IN RESPONSE TO ICE KILLING OF MINNEAPOLIS PROTESTER WEDNESDAY, JAN 7, 6PM FOLEY SQUARE, NYC HANDS OFF NYC
January 7, 2026 at 9:33 PM
Reposted by B.G. Firmani
thebulwark.com
Mayor Frey responds after ICE shooting: "To ICE, get the fuck out of Minneapolis."
January 7, 2026 at 7:05 PM
Reposted by B.G. Firmani
50501movement.bsky.social
Starting off the New Year right with a beacon of hope in the biggest city in the nation.
January 1, 2026 at 10:29 PM