George Spies
@georgespies.bsky.social
Safe streets, active transpo, dense urbanism, everybody in, nobody out. I like making stuff. Active member of Traffic Violence Rapid Response as well as Seamless Bay Area.
Reposted by George Spies
A good time to repost this about Ilhan Omar 💕
A mutual aid organizer in Minneapolis told us that Ilhan Omar pops in to help with the foodbank.
No press, no photos, she just shows up and asks the organizers where she should pitch in.
No press, no photos, she just shows up and asks the organizers where she should pitch in.
January 28, 2026 at 3:44 AM
A good time to repost this about Ilhan Omar 💕
This is right. Get protections now, commit to abolishing ASAP.
Keeping the pain levels high sounds cool in the abstract, but I've already lost 3 people I know personally to sidewalk abductions for being Latino or Asian and stopping that from happening is my priority. Warrants do that.
January 27, 2026 at 7:46 PM
This is right. Get protections now, commit to abolishing ASAP.
Reposted by George Spies
We're now seeing a steady march of Catholic prelates with obvious backing from the Vatican saying hat it's time now to defund and liquidate ICE.
January 27, 2026 at 3:16 PM
We're now seeing a steady march of Catholic prelates with obvious backing from the Vatican saying hat it's time now to defund and liquidate ICE.
The problem is not training. Call your squeamish electeds and ask them how this reflects anything other than deliberate evil as a strategy.
ICE detained a 2-year-old girl in Minneapolis and put the child on a flight to a detention center in Texas, despite a court ordering her release: www.startribune.com/agents-detai...
January 24, 2026 at 2:12 AM
The problem is not training. Call your squeamish electeds and ask them how this reflects anything other than deliberate evil as a strategy.
Reposted by George Spies
Minnesota is the best of us.
January 23, 2026 at 10:52 PM
Minnesota is the best of us.
We did another one in Oakland too!
At the Embarcadero kicking off Connect Bay Area Transit's signature gathering campaign. 🖊️ Learn how you can get involved: connectbayarea.com
January 24, 2026 at 2:04 AM
We did another one in Oakland too!
Reposted by George Spies
in case you're curious about how angry Minnesota is about ICE, it was -20 today
January 24, 2026 at 12:38 AM
in case you're curious about how angry Minnesota is about ICE, it was -20 today
Holy hell
There is no level to which these heartless shit-for-brains won’t stoop to inflict cruelty and suffering.
January 24, 2026 at 2:03 AM
Holy hell
Reposted by George Spies
Respect & gratitude ✊️
January 23, 2026 at 4:40 PM
Respect & gratitude ✊️
Spraying chemical weapons into the eyes of people already subdued is torture.
Tomorrow’s front page of the Minnesota Star Tribune: Jan. 23, 2026
January 23, 2026 at 7:00 AM
Spraying chemical weapons into the eyes of people already subdued is torture.
Reposted by George Spies
Liam’s mom dressed him in all those layers to keep her little boy warm and safe in this frigid weather, packed his book-bag w/ everything he’d need for a good day at school, and then our govt stole him out of their driveway. Used her little boy as bait. These people are monsters.
This picture making the rounds on reddit, Columbia Heights. I'm not OK.
January 22, 2026 at 3:47 AM
Liam’s mom dressed him in all those layers to keep her little boy warm and safe in this frigid weather, packed his book-bag w/ everything he’d need for a good day at school, and then our govt stole him out of their driveway. Used her little boy as bait. These people are monsters.
How about you all nonviolently vote NO to any funding for ICE, every single time, and never relent?
Instead of targeting "the worst of the worst,” Trump orders ICE to violently provoke—dragging law abiding families from their homes, churches, schools, and health care facilities. Important for neighbors to make full use of the power of nonviolent protest against these injustices.
January 22, 2026 at 2:07 PM
How about you all nonviolently vote NO to any funding for ICE, every single time, and never relent?
Beautiful
I came to Minneapolis to report on what's going on, and one of the main questions I showed up with is "just what is the scale of the resistance?" After all, we're all used to the news calling Portland a "war zone" or whatever when it's just some protests in one part of town.
January 22, 2026 at 6:12 AM
Beautiful
Some folks struggle with this
a few nights ago i rode a bus for about 15 minutes or so. once it got close to the stop near my home i hit the button to request a stop. soon after, the bus driver stopped the bus and let me off
January 22, 2026 at 12:14 AM
Some folks struggle with this
Car brain in action
At yesterday’s Unincorporated Alameda County meeting about their proposed bike/walk commission formation (which has now been shelved), one of the supervisors made a comment along the lines of “we are all drivers”, as a justification for why bike/walk issues don't need a dedicated focus.
January 20, 2026 at 3:00 PM
Car brain in action
Reposted by George Spies
"Households from the lowest income quintile that have access to a private vehicle — often because their car dependent landscapes force them to own or lease a car just to get to work, school, or the grocery store — can expect to spend around 40 percent of their after-tax pay on their cars."
We can't talk about Americans' empty wallets without talking about our empty buses and sidewalks.
The 'Affordability Crisis' Conversation Can't Leave Out the Cost of Cars — Streetsblog USA
We can't talk about Americans' empty wallets without talking about our empty buses and sidewalks and overall dependence on automobiles.
buff.ly
January 7, 2026 at 3:10 PM
"Households from the lowest income quintile that have access to a private vehicle — often because their car dependent landscapes force them to own or lease a car just to get to work, school, or the grocery store — can expect to spend around 40 percent of their after-tax pay on their cars."
Reposted by George Spies
Car dependency is the affordability crisis.
But there's such a profound denial about it in America so the rage is directed at grocery prices.
Before you say housing...transit and housing are the same issue and if you don't understand why then go for a walk and meditate on it.
But there's such a profound denial about it in America so the rage is directed at grocery prices.
Before you say housing...transit and housing are the same issue and if you don't understand why then go for a walk and meditate on it.
We can't talk about Americans' empty wallets without talking about our empty buses and sidewalks.
The 'Affordability Crisis' Conversation Can't Leave Out the Cost of Cars — Streetsblog USA
We can't talk about Americans' empty wallets without talking about our empty buses and sidewalks and overall dependence on automobiles.
buff.ly
January 7, 2026 at 2:49 PM
Car dependency is the affordability crisis.
But there's such a profound denial about it in America so the rage is directed at grocery prices.
Before you say housing...transit and housing are the same issue and if you don't understand why then go for a walk and meditate on it.
But there's such a profound denial about it in America so the rage is directed at grocery prices.
Before you say housing...transit and housing are the same issue and if you don't understand why then go for a walk and meditate on it.
This company is selling bike-shaped devices whose speed limit (shipped at 20mph) can be unlocked to either 28, or simply by switching modes, no speed limiters at all. This is NOT an ebike. Manufacturers who do this need to get right with the law
January 19, 2026 at 4:21 AM
This company is selling bike-shaped devices whose speed limit (shipped at 20mph) can be unlocked to either 28, or simply by switching modes, no speed limiters at all. This is NOT an ebike. Manufacturers who do this need to get right with the law
I was there, and this is true
You know, many of us said the post 9/11 War on Terror measures were Orwellian bullshit at the time, from DHS to ICE. The Patriot Act was chilling as well.
Some of us objected vociferously. Perhaps we didn't have the mics or the power, but we remember 2001-2005 as a terrible time in this country.
Some of us objected vociferously. Perhaps we didn't have the mics or the power, but we remember 2001-2005 as a terrible time in this country.
January 18, 2026 at 6:47 PM
I was there, and this is true
Victor doesn’t even get around to the reasons why I support growing Oakland into a much more populous city: more vibrant public spaces, more thriving local businesses, a stronger economy, and improved public services. For this last item, let’s do some simple arithmetic… 1/2
I want Oakland to become a city that can comfortably house 3 million people so we can make it more affordable, increase tax revenue, increase transit use, and very importantly to have more Congress members
January 18, 2026 at 5:59 PM
Victor doesn’t even get around to the reasons why I support growing Oakland into a much more populous city: more vibrant public spaces, more thriving local businesses, a stronger economy, and improved public services. For this last item, let’s do some simple arithmetic… 1/2
This point about Gen AI is what makes me angrily swerve away from auto-complete when I’m writing on my phone, be it a post, a text or an email, etc.: It drives unerringly towards mediocrity. Every one of us is better than our collective average.
January 18, 2026 at 12:54 AM
This point about Gen AI is what makes me angrily swerve away from auto-complete when I’m writing on my phone, be it a post, a text or an email, etc.: It drives unerringly towards mediocrity. Every one of us is better than our collective average.
I’m concerned that there hasn’t been any other publishing on this. Take with a grain of salt
January 17, 2026 at 5:18 PM
I’m concerned that there hasn’t been any other publishing on this. Take with a grain of salt
Yes.
Renee Good committed gender insubordination: she didn't cower & grovel to male authority. Many women are killed for the very same reason all over the world. We just call it by the euphemism "domestic violence" instead of what it is: a campaign of political terrorism in which any man can participate.
When Renee Good said "I'm not mad at you" what the ICE goon heard was "I'm not scared of you."
That's what enraged him. The populace wasn't fully terrorized and cowed into submission yet, so he acted to make that happen.
That's what enraged him. The populace wasn't fully terrorized and cowed into submission yet, so he acted to make that happen.
January 17, 2026 at 4:23 PM
Yes.
Reposted by George Spies
HHS is proposing two new rules that would dramatically harm trans youth. Please make public comment on both of them before Feb 17. The government actually makes public comment pretty easy, and here is a good set of step by step instructions: www.americanprogress.org/article/how-... 🏳️⚧️
How To Submit Public Comments To Oppose Proposed Rules Restricting Transgender Health Care Access
Comments to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services can help fight the Trump administration’s latest attempt to restrict federal funding for transgender health care for youth. This toolkit deta...
www.americanprogress.org
January 17, 2026 at 1:47 PM
HHS is proposing two new rules that would dramatically harm trans youth. Please make public comment on both of them before Feb 17. The government actually makes public comment pretty easy, and here is a good set of step by step instructions: www.americanprogress.org/article/how-... 🏳️⚧️
This wanton use of pepper spray as punishment rather than defense should be a felony
Photo by Pierre Lavie. Yes this is me. And I threw my Leica. It landed on the bass plate with hardly a scratch. Another Photographer grabbed it along with my phone and I was able to track him later. I was held face down tear gas deployed right in front of me and pepper sprayed directly into the eye.
January 17, 2026 at 4:06 PM
This wanton use of pepper spray as punishment rather than defense should be a felony