Lars Åkerson
@larsakerson.bsky.social
At home in the Shenandoah watershed. Leading with curiosity, continuing with courage, sharing joy and struggle. Cultivating a livable economy, theologies of care, abolition democracy. A better world is possible
Reposted by Lars Åkerson
🚨BIG changes happening -- ICE leadership is being purged tonight. The old guard, which prioritized targeted enforcement operations aimed at people with criminal records, is being replaced with Border Patrol and Gregory Bovino's "Midway Blitz" style.
Think things are bad now? It'll get worse.
Think things are bad now? It'll get worse.
October 28, 2025 at 12:27 AM
🚨BIG changes happening -- ICE leadership is being purged tonight. The old guard, which prioritized targeted enforcement operations aimed at people with criminal records, is being replaced with Border Patrol and Gregory Bovino's "Midway Blitz" style.
Think things are bad now? It'll get worse.
Think things are bad now? It'll get worse.
Reposted by Lars Åkerson
Hey look, Israel broke the cease-fire, twice, in two different ways, within 24 hours - again.
NEW: Israel informed the UN it will permit only 300 aid trucks into Gaza daily, not the 600 mandated by the ceasefire it just signed.
October 14, 2025 at 11:34 PM
Hey look, Israel broke the cease-fire, twice, in two different ways, within 24 hours - again.
This essay is one attempt to ask, with @rwgilmoregirls.bsky.social and @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social, what broader, transformative solidarity might require and how to design worlds that reinforce our collective freedom rather than inscribe isolation and captivity to reactionary models of solidarity
“We cannot survive in isolation, let alone be free. The worlds we build should remind us of this fact.”
– @larsakerson.bsky.social
www.christiancentury.org/features/map...
– @larsakerson.bsky.social
www.christiancentury.org/features/map...
Designing and zoning a new world
Walking the streets of Harrisonburg, Virginia, I map the moral geography of this small city in the Shenandoah Valley.
www.christiancentury.org
October 12, 2025 at 3:23 PM
This essay is one attempt to ask, with @rwgilmoregirls.bsky.social and @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social, what broader, transformative solidarity might require and how to design worlds that reinforce our collective freedom rather than inscribe isolation and captivity to reactionary models of solidarity
Reposted by Lars Åkerson
Here’s an angle for a journalist looking for a fresh take on the White House “Antifa” roundtable — most of the people who participated are employed by or have a direct financial connection to Turning Point USA. I think that’s pretty telling, no?
October 8, 2025 at 11:59 PM
Here’s an angle for a journalist looking for a fresh take on the White House “Antifa” roundtable — most of the people who participated are employed by or have a direct financial connection to Turning Point USA. I think that’s pretty telling, no?
Reposted by Lars Åkerson
eventually politicians need to start advocating for criminal and civil penalties for people involved in fabricating stories to get citizens incarcerated.
or, put another way: a society that would like to keep functioning has to discourage baldfaced lying, especially by authorities
or, put another way: a society that would like to keep functioning has to discourage baldfaced lying, especially by authorities
Body-camera video appears to contradict the government’s claim that Marimar Martinez, 30, drove toward officers before one of them opened fire at her late Saturday morning in Brighton Park, her attorney claimed.
trib.al/9Sxu9IN
trib.al/9Sxu9IN
Attorney for woman shot by Border Patrol claims officer said 'Do something b-----' before shooting
Body-camera video appears to contradict the government's claim that Marimar Martinez, 30, drove toward officers before one of them opened fire at her late Saturday morning in Brighton Park, her attorney claimed. A judge ordered Martinez and a co-defendant released pending trial.
trib.al
October 7, 2025 at 2:10 AM
eventually politicians need to start advocating for criminal and civil penalties for people involved in fabricating stories to get citizens incarcerated.
or, put another way: a society that would like to keep functioning has to discourage baldfaced lying, especially by authorities
or, put another way: a society that would like to keep functioning has to discourage baldfaced lying, especially by authorities
Reposted by Lars Åkerson
Once we are at war with Venezuela the Alien Enemies Act leaves the courts powerless to stop ICE from throwing anyone they want to call a "Venezuelan" into camps and deporting those people end masse to anywhere in the world that will take them. Normalizing this state of exception means we're all next
September 27, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Once we are at war with Venezuela the Alien Enemies Act leaves the courts powerless to stop ICE from throwing anyone they want to call a "Venezuelan" into camps and deporting those people end masse to anywhere in the world that will take them. Normalizing this state of exception means we're all next
Reposted by Lars Åkerson
🚨NEW: For the first time in history, the single largest group of people arrested in the interior and sent to ICE detention is people with NO criminal record.
As of yesterday's data release, 40%(!) of those arrested in the interior and detained by ICE had no prior conviction or pending charges.
As of yesterday's data release, 40%(!) of those arrested in the interior and detained by ICE had no prior conviction or pending charges.
September 26, 2025 at 4:49 PM
🚨NEW: For the first time in history, the single largest group of people arrested in the interior and sent to ICE detention is people with NO criminal record.
As of yesterday's data release, 40%(!) of those arrested in the interior and detained by ICE had no prior conviction or pending charges.
As of yesterday's data release, 40%(!) of those arrested in the interior and detained by ICE had no prior conviction or pending charges.
As I wrote this, I found myself thinking alongside Ruth Wilson Gilmore, Willie Jennings, and @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social. I hadn’t seen the three of them gather in conversation before and I was curious where the path of thought might go if they were in this place, together with me
The Shenandoah Valley has been a home to me for many years, so I was excited to share about it in the October issue of the @christiancentury.bsky.social
“If we’re willing to dream new dreams together, there are tools we can learn to use to refashion the places we live into places of shared thriving.”
– @larsakerson.bsky.social
www.christiancentury.org/features/map...
– @larsakerson.bsky.social
www.christiancentury.org/features/map...
September 25, 2025 at 2:17 PM
As I wrote this, I found myself thinking alongside Ruth Wilson Gilmore, Willie Jennings, and @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social. I hadn’t seen the three of them gather in conversation before and I was curious where the path of thought might go if they were in this place, together with me
The Shenandoah Valley has been a home to me for many years, so I was excited to share about it in the October issue of the @christiancentury.bsky.social
“If we’re willing to dream new dreams together, there are tools we can learn to use to refashion the places we live into places of shared thriving.”
– @larsakerson.bsky.social
www.christiancentury.org/features/map...
– @larsakerson.bsky.social
www.christiancentury.org/features/map...
Mapping my city’s moral geography
When I returned to Harrisonburg, I began to see how the built environment reflects and shapes our values and...
www.christiancentury.org
September 25, 2025 at 1:57 PM
The Shenandoah Valley has been a home to me for many years, so I was excited to share about it in the October issue of the @christiancentury.bsky.social
Reposted by Lars Åkerson
NEW: the Trump admin has moved to terminate TPS for Honduras and Nicaragua, covering over 50,000 people
Both of these designations date back to 1999, meaning Trump wants to strip legal status from people here legally who have had a background check every 18 months for the last 26 years.
Both of these designations date back to 1999, meaning Trump wants to strip legal status from people here legally who have had a background check every 18 months for the last 26 years.
July 7, 2025 at 1:07 PM
NEW: the Trump admin has moved to terminate TPS for Honduras and Nicaragua, covering over 50,000 people
Both of these designations date back to 1999, meaning Trump wants to strip legal status from people here legally who have had a background check every 18 months for the last 26 years.
Both of these designations date back to 1999, meaning Trump wants to strip legal status from people here legally who have had a background check every 18 months for the last 26 years.
Reposted by Lars Åkerson
An astonishing figure in this piece:
Last year, the U.S. budgeted $12.8B for new affordable housing.
This country is now poised to spend $45B on immigrant detention centers.
That's nearly *four times* as much on cages as on homes—in the middle of a devastating housing and homelessness crisis.
Last year, the U.S. budgeted $12.8B for new affordable housing.
This country is now poised to spend $45B on immigrant detention centers.
That's nearly *four times* as much on cages as on homes—in the middle of a devastating housing and homelessness crisis.
Are We About to Have Labor Camps in the United States of America?
If you think that’s far-fetched, then you really haven’t been paying attention to what the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress have been up to lately.
newrepublic.com
July 7, 2025 at 1:31 PM
An astonishing figure in this piece:
Last year, the U.S. budgeted $12.8B for new affordable housing.
This country is now poised to spend $45B on immigrant detention centers.
That's nearly *four times* as much on cages as on homes—in the middle of a devastating housing and homelessness crisis.
Last year, the U.S. budgeted $12.8B for new affordable housing.
This country is now poised to spend $45B on immigrant detention centers.
That's nearly *four times* as much on cages as on homes—in the middle of a devastating housing and homelessness crisis.
Reposted by Lars Åkerson
I don’t think anyone is prepared for what they just did w/ ICE.
This is not a simple budget increase. It is an explosion - making ICE bigger than the FBI, US Bureau of Prisons, DEA,& others combined.
It is setting up to make what’s happening now look like child’s play. And people are disappearing.
This is not a simple budget increase. It is an explosion - making ICE bigger than the FBI, US Bureau of Prisons, DEA,& others combined.
It is setting up to make what’s happening now look like child’s play. And people are disappearing.
July 3, 2025 at 6:58 PM
I don’t think anyone is prepared for what they just did w/ ICE.
This is not a simple budget increase. It is an explosion - making ICE bigger than the FBI, US Bureau of Prisons, DEA,& others combined.
It is setting up to make what’s happening now look like child’s play. And people are disappearing.
This is not a simple budget increase. It is an explosion - making ICE bigger than the FBI, US Bureau of Prisons, DEA,& others combined.
It is setting up to make what’s happening now look like child’s play. And people are disappearing.
Reposted by Lars Åkerson
I've covered race for two decades. I knew the 2nd Trump Admin would be dangerous for civil rights. Yet the collapse of the federal civil rights architecture and national will to address racial inequality and work on integration is stunning. Here's my latest. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/27/m...
How Trump Upended 60 Years of Civil Rights in Two Months
www.nytimes.com
June 27, 2025 at 2:31 PM
I've covered race for two decades. I knew the 2nd Trump Admin would be dangerous for civil rights. Yet the collapse of the federal civil rights architecture and national will to address racial inequality and work on integration is stunning. Here's my latest. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/27/m...
Reposted by Lars Åkerson
“Someone with a 1-hr car commute needs to earn 40% more to be as happy as someone with a short walk to work. On the other hand, if someone shifts from a long commute to a walk, their happiness increases as much as if they’d fallen in love.” #CityMakingMath
50 reasons to want more walkable cities.
50 reasons to want more walkable cities.
50 Reasons Why Everyone Should Want More Walkable Streets
From making you live longer to making cities more resilient: If you want a reason to make your city more walkable, it's in here.
www.fastcompany.com
June 26, 2025 at 2:12 PM
“Someone with a 1-hr car commute needs to earn 40% more to be as happy as someone with a short walk to work. On the other hand, if someone shifts from a long commute to a walk, their happiness increases as much as if they’d fallen in love.” #CityMakingMath
50 reasons to want more walkable cities.
50 reasons to want more walkable cities.
Reposted by Lars Åkerson
"Enslaved people received, took, filed, fled, reclaimed, and sued for their freedom," writes Daina Ramey Berry. "What we acknowledge this Juneteenth must be about more than what was given. It must be about what had already been claimed."
The Truth About Black Freedom
This year’s Juneteenth commemorations must take a deeper look at the history of Black self-liberation to understand what emancipation really means—and how far the country still has to go.
bit.ly
June 19, 2025 at 5:15 PM
"Enslaved people received, took, filed, fled, reclaimed, and sued for their freedom," writes Daina Ramey Berry. "What we acknowledge this Juneteenth must be about more than what was given. It must be about what had already been claimed."
Reposted by Lars Åkerson
Brad has been released and the crowd breaks into a chant of “Free them all.”
June 17, 2025 at 9:28 PM
Reposted by Lars Åkerson
SCOOP: ICE, HSI, and DHS are getting side-door access to the nationwide system of Flock license plate cameras by asking local police to perform lookups for them, new public records show.
ICE does *not* have a contract to use this surveillance tool itself.
www.404media.co/ice-taps-int...
ICE does *not* have a contract to use this surveillance tool itself.
www.404media.co/ice-taps-int...
ICE Taps into Nationwide AI-Enabled Camera Network, Data Shows
Flock's automatic license plate reader (ALPR) cameras are in more than 5,000 communities around the U.S. Local police are doing lookups in the nationwide system for ICE.
www.404media.co
May 27, 2025 at 1:40 PM
SCOOP: ICE, HSI, and DHS are getting side-door access to the nationwide system of Flock license plate cameras by asking local police to perform lookups for them, new public records show.
ICE does *not* have a contract to use this surveillance tool itself.
www.404media.co/ice-taps-int...
ICE does *not* have a contract to use this surveillance tool itself.
www.404media.co/ice-taps-int...
Reposted by Lars Åkerson
thinking about her on mother’s day.
A Venezuelan family is calling for a kidnapped 2-year-old to be returned to her mother after the U.S. authorities trafficked the child’s mother to Venezuela on Friday (without the child). The father was sent to a concentration cap in El Salvador in March.
May 11, 2025 at 1:59 PM
thinking about her on mother’s day.
Reposted by Lars Åkerson
In largely programmatic talk, Leo doesn’t waste time, states “complete commitment to the path that the universal Church has now followed for decades in the wake of the Second Vatican Council,” which “Pope Francis masterfully and concretely set forth in the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium.”
May 10, 2025 at 12:40 PM
In largely programmatic talk, Leo doesn’t waste time, states “complete commitment to the path that the universal Church has now followed for decades in the wake of the Second Vatican Council,” which “Pope Francis masterfully and concretely set forth in the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium.”
Reposted by Lars Åkerson
Meet Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
April 20, 2025 at 1:32 PM
Meet Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
Reposted by Lars Åkerson
They’ll do it in a few high profile cases to set examples. People will say, “No way this holds up in court.” Maybe. But we now know the plan: they’ll do it first, then dare the courts to stop them. And this too will be very difficult for courts to undo. This is end of democracy stuff.
Team Trump Is Gaming Out How to Ship U.S. Citizens to El Salvador
Donald Trump’s administration is talking internally about denaturalizing American citizens — and potentially sending some to El Salvador.
www.rollingstone.com
April 12, 2025 at 4:12 PM
They’ll do it in a few high profile cases to set examples. People will say, “No way this holds up in court.” Maybe. But we now know the plan: they’ll do it first, then dare the courts to stop them. And this too will be very difficult for courts to undo. This is end of democracy stuff.
Reposted by Lars Åkerson
Cars are a protected class i guess
DC Metro Police have announced they're investigating the defacement of Teslas as potential hate crimes.
Their news release (faces obscured by me):
Their news release (faces obscured by me):
March 25, 2025 at 1:03 AM
Cars are a protected class i guess
Reposted by Lars Åkerson
It is fascinating what is happening in Paris, I was there last year for the first time in a few years and I was very aware of the changes. They are very visible and the improvement for people who actually live in Paris is palpable and clearly very popular.
BREAKING & BIG: Today in PARIS, citizens voted in a referendum to PEDESTRIANIZE 500 MORE of the city's streets, giving fresh momentum to efforts by city leaders to create people-places, curb car usage, and improve air quality. 66% of Parisians voted in favour of the measure, official results showed!
Paris residents vote in favour of making 500 more streets pedestrian
Parisians voted in a referendum on Sunday to pedestrianise a further 500 of the city's streets, giving fresh momentum to efforts by the French capital's left-leaning town hall to curb car usage and improve air quality.
www.reuters.com
March 25, 2025 at 12:11 AM
It is fascinating what is happening in Paris, I was there last year for the first time in a few years and I was very aware of the changes. They are very visible and the improvement for people who actually live in Paris is palpable and clearly very popular.
Reposted by Lars Åkerson
Tonight an unbelievable **34,000 people** gathered for our Denver rally to take on billionaires and win our country back.
This was the largest political gathering in Denver since Obama in 2008.
Also bigger than the 2024 DNC.
And the largest ever rally in Bernie’s career (and obviously, mine too).
This was the largest political gathering in Denver since Obama in 2008.
Also bigger than the 2024 DNC.
And the largest ever rally in Bernie’s career (and obviously, mine too).
March 22, 2025 at 1:29 AM
Tonight an unbelievable **34,000 people** gathered for our Denver rally to take on billionaires and win our country back.
This was the largest political gathering in Denver since Obama in 2008.
Also bigger than the 2024 DNC.
And the largest ever rally in Bernie’s career (and obviously, mine too).
This was the largest political gathering in Denver since Obama in 2008.
Also bigger than the 2024 DNC.
And the largest ever rally in Bernie’s career (and obviously, mine too).
Reposted by Lars Åkerson
“One mile on a bike is a $.42 economic gain to society, one mile driving is a $.20 loss.”
“Which means that Copenhagen, a city of 1.2 million people, saves $357 million a year on health costs because something like 80% of its population commutes by bike.” #CityMakingMath
Some costs aren’t costs.
“Which means that Copenhagen, a city of 1.2 million people, saves $357 million a year on health costs because something like 80% of its population commutes by bike.” #CityMakingMath
Some costs aren’t costs.
One mile on a bike is a $.42 economic gain to society, one mile driving is a $.20 loss
Copenhagen, the bicycle-friendliest place on the planet, publishes a biannual Bicycle Account, and buried in its pages is a rather astonishing fact.
grist.org
March 20, 2025 at 5:50 AM
“One mile on a bike is a $.42 economic gain to society, one mile driving is a $.20 loss.”
“Which means that Copenhagen, a city of 1.2 million people, saves $357 million a year on health costs because something like 80% of its population commutes by bike.” #CityMakingMath
Some costs aren’t costs.
“Which means that Copenhagen, a city of 1.2 million people, saves $357 million a year on health costs because something like 80% of its population commutes by bike.” #CityMakingMath
Some costs aren’t costs.