Omar Wasow
@owasow.bsky.social
Asst Prof, UC Berkeley, Political Science. Study protests, stats & race: 1/ Agenda Seeding http://j.mp/agenda-seeding 2/ Race as a Bundle of Sticks http://j.mp/bundle-of
Pinned
Omar Wasow
@owasow.bsky.social
· Feb 6
I’ve been studying civil rights protests for 20 years. With new mobilization against Trump’s agenda, I’m sharing a thread summarizing my research on how nonviolent & violent actions by 1960s activists and police influenced media, elites, public opinion & voters. 1/ www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Fully concede slippage btwn Minneapolis and MN. Original MPR article I quoted emphasized whole state and agree first post should have referenced MN (as you may have seen, posted while half-asleep!). That said it's already been months of daily action, mostly unseen and that's what feels similar.
February 4, 2026 at 8:52 PM
Fully concede slippage btwn Minneapolis and MN. Original MPR article I quoted emphasized whole state and agree first post should have referenced MN (as you may have seen, posted while half-asleep!). That said it's already been months of daily action, mostly unseen and that's what feels similar.
Also, to be clear, civil rights movement is not only analogy I (and others) are drawing today:
German pogroms: bsky.app/profile/did:...
ACT-UP: bsky.app/profile/owas...
German pogroms: bsky.app/profile/did:...
ACT-UP: bsky.app/profile/owas...
“All over my neighborhood we keep finding empty cars, the glass shattered into diamonds on the snow, the people missing. Tiny private automotive kristallnachts, everywhere and ongoing.” — @deardara.bsky.social deardara.com/so/adPmSCLoz...
Dara's Guide to Handling Reality
Minneapolis, inside the economic blockade zone where we are pioneering nonviolence, whistle edition
deardara.com
February 4, 2026 at 8:48 PM
Also, to be clear, civil rights movement is not only analogy I (and others) are drawing today:
German pogroms: bsky.app/profile/did:...
ACT-UP: bsky.app/profile/owas...
German pogroms: bsky.app/profile/did:...
ACT-UP: bsky.app/profile/owas...
We agree the context differs substantially. We disagree that, looking at the diversity of tactics employed by a movement, Montgomery has something to tell us about Minneapolis.
February 4, 2026 at 8:42 PM
We agree the context differs substantially. We disagree that, looking at the diversity of tactics employed by a movement, Montgomery has something to tell us about Minneapolis.
For analogy to Selma, I think the two killings in MN are actually more than just an abstract echo of murders in AL:
“Visible state violence against sympathetic civilians was the beginning of the end for Jim Crow. It may be a turning point now, too.” Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2026/01/28/o...
“Visible state violence against sympathetic civilians was the beginning of the end for Jim Crow. It may be a turning point now, too.” Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2026/01/28/o...
Opinion | We’re Seeing the Weakness of a Strong State
www.nytimes.com
February 4, 2026 at 8:38 PM
For analogy to Selma, I think the two killings in MN are actually more than just an abstract echo of murders in AL:
“Visible state violence against sympathetic civilians was the beginning of the end for Jim Crow. It may be a turning point now, too.” Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2026/01/28/o...
“Visible state violence against sympathetic civilians was the beginning of the end for Jim Crow. It may be a turning point now, too.” Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2026/01/28/o...
Yes, agree legal regimes are very different. Point wasn't that Metro Surge = Jim Crow but rather that, as compared to tactics like marches and sit-ins, which often worked via media, Montgomery Bus Boycott involved slow, grinding coordination of small local actions (e.g., carpools, legal assistance).
February 4, 2026 at 8:32 PM
Yes, agree legal regimes are very different. Point wasn't that Metro Surge = Jim Crow but rather that, as compared to tactics like marches and sit-ins, which often worked via media, Montgomery Bus Boycott involved slow, grinding coordination of small local actions (e.g., carpools, legal assistance).
Gentle request to do some homework before calling people non-Black.
And one more gentle request to do a bit homework before suggesting folks might just be relying on snapshots: bsky.app/profile/owas...
And one more gentle request to do a bit homework before suggesting folks might just be relying on snapshots: bsky.app/profile/owas...
I’ve been studying civil rights protests for 20 years. With new mobilization against Trump’s agenda, I’m sharing a thread summarizing my research on how nonviolent & violent actions by 1960s activists and police influenced media, elites, public opinion & voters. 1/ www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
February 4, 2026 at 8:24 PM
Gentle request to do some homework before calling people non-Black.
And one more gentle request to do a bit homework before suggesting folks might just be relying on snapshots: bsky.app/profile/owas...
And one more gentle request to do a bit homework before suggesting folks might just be relying on snapshots: bsky.app/profile/owas...
Reposted by Omar Wasow
Worth noting that when the Montgomery boycott started they probably thought it would be quick. The Baton Rouge boycott before them lasted less than a week. Of course Montgomery would last for over a year and go in front of SCOTUS multiple times.
The ICE killings in Minneapolis evoke Selma but the day-to-day tactics in Minneapolis remind me of the Birmingham Bus Boycott: a grinding, continuous, citywide and logistically demanding effort of non-cooperation over months to break an unjust status quo.
A manager for the Immigrant Defense Network told MPR News that back in November, 2,500 people were trained as constitutional observers. Now, the total is nearly 30,000 trained observers in 77 of Minnesota's 87 counties.
February 4, 2026 at 7:48 PM
Worth noting that when the Montgomery boycott started they probably thought it would be quick. The Baton Rouge boycott before them lasted less than a week. Of course Montgomery would last for over a year and go in front of SCOTUS multiple times.
Here’s why Selma might be analogous:
“Visible state violence against sympathetic civilians was the beginning of the end for Jim Crow. It may be a turning point now, too.” Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2026/01/28/o...
“Visible state violence against sympathetic civilians was the beginning of the end for Jim Crow. It may be a turning point now, too.” Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2026/01/28/o...
Opinion | We’re Seeing the Weakness of a Strong State
www.nytimes.com
February 4, 2026 at 7:47 PM
Here’s why Selma might be analogous:
“Visible state violence against sympathetic civilians was the beginning of the end for Jim Crow. It may be a turning point now, too.” Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2026/01/28/o...
“Visible state violence against sympathetic civilians was the beginning of the end for Jim Crow. It may be a turning point now, too.” Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2026/01/28/o...
“Visible state violence against sympathetic civilians was the beginning of the end for Jim Crow. It may be a turning point now, too.” Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2026/01/28/o...
Opinion | We’re Seeing the Weakness of a Strong State
www.nytimes.com
February 4, 2026 at 7:28 PM
“Visible state violence against sympathetic civilians was the beginning of the end for Jim Crow. It may be a turning point now, too.” Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2026/01/28/o...
For anyone curious about context of my observations bsky.app/profile/owas...
I’ve been studying civil rights protests for 20 years. With new mobilization against Trump’s agenda, I’m sharing a thread summarizing my research on how nonviolent & violent actions by 1960s activists and police influenced media, elites, public opinion & voters. 1/ www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
February 4, 2026 at 7:25 PM
For anyone curious about context of my observations bsky.app/profile/owas...
I made specific claims about points of similarity. I’d welcome specific comments or critiques from a fellow social scientist. Can’t really offer much in response to “lol”
February 4, 2026 at 7:20 PM
I made specific claims about points of similarity. I’d welcome specific comments or critiques from a fellow social scientist. Can’t really offer much in response to “lol”
Thank you. Will watch
February 4, 2026 at 5:57 PM
Thank you. Will watch
Given the moment, some films that offer history, lessons and, perhaps, a bit of hope: bsky.app/profile/owas...
I teach a class on film and politics and include docs that offer insight into protest movements and the challenges they face. Some recommendations:
Eyes on the Prize: Canonical series on civil rights movement. Shows how ordinary people created extraordinary change.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGVL...
Eyes on the Prize: Canonical series on civil rights movement. Shows how ordinary people created extraordinary change.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGVL...
Eyes on the Prize | Official Trailer
YouTube video by WORLD
www.youtube.com
February 4, 2026 at 5:48 PM
Given the moment, some films that offer history, lessons and, perhaps, a bit of hope: bsky.app/profile/owas...
“I want my death to be as strong a statement as my life continues to be. I want my own funeral to be fierce and defiant, to make the public statement that my death from AIDS is a form of political assassination.” — Mark Lowe Fisher, 1992, actupny.org/diva/polfuns...
“If I am killed doing this, throw my body at the White House, martyr the shit out of me & raise hell. Do not be sad. Do not think I would do anything differently. I would do it over & over again — this is too important to sit down & shut up and not do anything.” www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
Pursued by federal agents, suburban ICE observers remain resolved
After a frightening pursuit by federal agents, suburban ICE observers say fear hasn’t stopped them from protecting their communities.
www.mprnews.org
February 4, 2026 at 5:43 PM
“I want my death to be as strong a statement as my life continues to be. I want my own funeral to be fierce and defiant, to make the public statement that my death from AIDS is a form of political assassination.” — Mark Lowe Fisher, 1992, actupny.org/diva/polfuns...
“All over my neighborhood we keep finding empty cars, the glass shattered into diamonds on the snow, the people missing. Tiny private automotive kristallnachts, everywhere and ongoing.” — @deardara.bsky.social deardara.com/so/adPmSCLoz...
Dara's Guide to Handling Reality
Minneapolis, inside the economic blockade zone where we are pioneering nonviolence, whistle edition
deardara.com
February 4, 2026 at 4:51 PM
“All over my neighborhood we keep finding empty cars, the glass shattered into diamonds on the snow, the people missing. Tiny private automotive kristallnachts, everywhere and ongoing.” — @deardara.bsky.social deardara.com/so/adPmSCLoz...
Analogies to historic protest are useful but also important to pay attention to specifics of what’s happening on the ground in Minneapolis: new forms of repression, survival and counter-mobilization. Recommend reading @deardara.bsky.social for a view from the frontlines: bsky.app/profile/berg...
If you're not from MN and wondering what it's like here, check out @deardara.bsky.social write up. deardara.com/so/adPmSCLoz...
Dara's Guide to Handling Reality
Minneapolis, inside the economic blockade zone where we are pioneering nonviolence, whistle edition
deardara.com
February 4, 2026 at 4:46 PM
Analogies to historic protest are useful but also important to pay attention to specifics of what’s happening on the ground in Minneapolis: new forms of repression, survival and counter-mobilization. Recommend reading @deardara.bsky.social for a view from the frontlines: bsky.app/profile/berg...
Of course, meant Montgomery Bus Boycott. Note time stamp: ~5am. Literally woke, wrote, posted, and fell back asleep. Apologies.
kinginstitute.stanford.edu/montgomery-b...
kinginstitute.stanford.edu/montgomery-b...
Montgomery Bus Boycott
kinginstitute.stanford.edu
February 4, 2026 at 2:58 PM
Of course, meant Montgomery Bus Boycott. Note time stamp: ~5am. Literally woke, wrote, posted, and fell back asleep. Apologies.
kinginstitute.stanford.edu/montgomery-b...
kinginstitute.stanford.edu/montgomery-b...
The ICE killings in Minneapolis evoke Selma but the day-to-day tactics in Minneapolis remind me of the Birmingham Bus Boycott: a grinding, continuous, citywide and logistically demanding effort of non-cooperation over months to break an unjust status quo.
A manager for the Immigrant Defense Network told MPR News that back in November, 2,500 people were trained as constitutional observers. Now, the total is nearly 30,000 trained observers in 77 of Minnesota's 87 counties.
Nearly 30,000 Minnesotans trained as constitutional observers
The Immigrant Defense Network works with more than 100 organizations to help train constitutional observers. At the end of November, there were 2,500 trained observers. That number has soared as more ...
www.mprnews.org
February 4, 2026 at 1:09 PM
The ICE killings in Minneapolis evoke Selma but the day-to-day tactics in Minneapolis remind me of the Birmingham Bus Boycott: a grinding, continuous, citywide and logistically demanding effort of non-cooperation over months to break an unjust status quo.
Had to double check this wasn’t The Onion
February 4, 2026 at 5:10 AM
Had to double check this wasn’t The Onion
Reposted by Omar Wasow
I was out at a restaurant with friends and a young man stopped by my table tonight to tell me my essay collection changed his whole life. And I thanked him and wished him well, and then thought about how it can be a really nice life, to be writer.
February 4, 2026 at 4:15 AM
I was out at a restaurant with friends and a young man stopped by my table tonight to tell me my essay collection changed his whole life. And I thanked him and wished him well, and then thought about how it can be a really nice life, to be writer.
Reposted by Omar Wasow
We have a Boston Review Forum out today on the Democratic Party in a time of authoritarianism
www.bostonreview.net/forum/how-no...
www.bostonreview.net/forum/how-no...
February 3, 2026 at 3:50 PM
We have a Boston Review Forum out today on the Democratic Party in a time of authoritarianism
www.bostonreview.net/forum/how-no...
www.bostonreview.net/forum/how-no...
Results have replicated in other countries and in recent years in US.
February 3, 2026 at 12:05 PM
Results have replicated in other countries and in recent years in US.
Reposted by Omar Wasow
Re-upping this thread from a year ago because it's very relevant to understanding the resistance in Minnesota and its effects
I’ve been studying civil rights protests for 20 years. With new mobilization against Trump’s agenda, I’m sharing a thread summarizing my research on how nonviolent & violent actions by 1960s activists and police influenced media, elites, public opinion & voters. 1/ www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
February 3, 2026 at 1:37 AM
Re-upping this thread from a year ago because it's very relevant to understanding the resistance in Minnesota and its effects
“Criminality is so rampant inside CBP that it has seen one of its own agents or officers arrested every 24 to 36 hours since 2005.”
As the House prepares to fight over how much of DHS to shut down, I encourage you to pick your favorite factoid from this @vermontgmg.bsky.social report on CBP/ICE criminality and send it to your MoC.
www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/accountabi...
www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/accountabi...
Accountability for ICE and CBP
However bad you think the corruption and misconduct at ICE and CBP is — the reality is far far worse.
www.doomsdayscenario.co
February 2, 2026 at 5:17 PM
“Criminality is so rampant inside CBP that it has seen one of its own agents or officers arrested every 24 to 36 hours since 2005.”