Sam Menefee-Libey
@sml47.bsky.social
Antifascist. Anthropology, Critical Theory, American Studies, dogs, film, music, democratic pedagogy, degrowth and bioregionalism in greater Los Angeles. This world (system) we must leave. https://boxd.it/6oFrP
Pinned
In my experience, October is when residents of southern California start experiencing summer weather with some variation of “how can we miss you if you won’t go away?”
Today, it is 86°F before noon.
Today, it is 86°F before noon.
November 10, 2025 at 7:44 PM
In my experience, October is when residents of southern California start experiencing summer weather with some variation of “how can we miss you if you won’t go away?”
Today, it is 86°F before noon.
Today, it is 86°F before noon.
Reposted by Sam Menefee-Libey
I received this email about Democrats caving to end the shutdown from one of the SNAP recipients I spoke to:
November 10, 2025 at 2:17 PM
I received this email about Democrats caving to end the shutdown from one of the SNAP recipients I spoke to:
Reposted by Sam Menefee-Libey
Feeling sick about what this means for so many comrades. It’s such an incredible self-own and for WHAT
November 10, 2025 at 2:20 AM
Feeling sick about what this means for so many comrades. It’s such an incredible self-own and for WHAT
Reposted by Sam Menefee-Libey
Lots of hard, shitty lessons being learned from this presidency. And one of the many I hope you're learning is, white supremacy is incompatible with reality, and cannot exist without historical revisionism.
1/ The US Government has quietly removed a memorial to Black soldiers who died in World War II from the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten, South Limburg. The move follows a complaint from the right-wing Heritage Foundation to the American Battle Monuments Commission. ⬇️
November 9, 2025 at 1:15 PM
Lots of hard, shitty lessons being learned from this presidency. And one of the many I hope you're learning is, white supremacy is incompatible with reality, and cannot exist without historical revisionism.
Reposted by Sam Menefee-Libey
And now, if you read the devastating piece about what Venezuelan deportees endured at the El Salvador torture prison, read what incarcerated U.S. citizens endure in Alabama prisons.
State prisons in the U.S. that are massive systems of human rights violations.
www.theguardian.com/film/2025/oc...
State prisons in the U.S. that are massive systems of human rights violations.
www.theguardian.com/film/2025/oc...
‘How is this possible?’: a new film looks inside the appalling abuses of the Alabama prison system
In the year’s most shocking documentary, The Alabama Solution, prisoners share astonishing footage in a plea for help
www.theguardian.com
November 9, 2025 at 4:38 PM
And now, if you read the devastating piece about what Venezuelan deportees endured at the El Salvador torture prison, read what incarcerated U.S. citizens endure in Alabama prisons.
State prisons in the U.S. that are massive systems of human rights violations.
www.theguardian.com/film/2025/oc...
State prisons in the U.S. that are massive systems of human rights violations.
www.theguardian.com/film/2025/oc...
Reposted by Sam Menefee-Libey
Sure looks like DHS has used Chicago to practice/hone larger neighborhood sweeps and then immediately exported that tactic back to LA
DAILY MEMO: Border Patrol Targets Van Nuys and Panorama City, Snatching Street Vendors, Pedestrians, and Day Laborers Again
Full report: lataco.com/daily-memo-n...
Full report: lataco.com/daily-memo-n...
November 9, 2025 at 5:37 PM
Sure looks like DHS has used Chicago to practice/hone larger neighborhood sweeps and then immediately exported that tactic back to LA
Reposted by Sam Menefee-Libey
i think the main thing a lot of you “the economy is better than it’s ever been” types are failing to grasp is that it really—and i mean REALLY—makes it look like you don’t give a shit about poor people.
November 9, 2025 at 7:54 PM
i think the main thing a lot of you “the economy is better than it’s ever been” types are failing to grasp is that it really—and i mean REALLY—makes it look like you don’t give a shit about poor people.
Reposted by Sam Menefee-Libey
Two months ago, before Bovino arrived and the Broadview ICE facility was transformed into an impenetrable fortress, regular people were out there every single day for weeks telling feds to get out. We think about this day a lot.
Since we've been out here observing, this small and growing group of neighbors (no organized protest planned today) have been repeatedly facing off with agents.
November 9, 2025 at 6:05 PM
Two months ago, before Bovino arrived and the Broadview ICE facility was transformed into an impenetrable fortress, regular people were out there every single day for weeks telling feds to get out. We think about this day a lot.
As skeptical as I am of “youtube video essay” as a form, this is a solid, accessible, and well-cited exploration of this idea of mass prosecutions as an ahistorical fantasy, belied by the realities of Nuremberg youtu.be/n9Ay5tzHIBU
November 9, 2025 at 9:50 PM
As skeptical as I am of “youtube video essay” as a form, this is a solid, accessible, and well-cited exploration of this idea of mass prosecutions as an ahistorical fantasy, belied by the realities of Nuremberg youtu.be/n9Ay5tzHIBU
Reposted by Sam Menefee-Libey
Take stock of everything that is failing us right now.
When the moment comes, don’t seek to restore + improve those institutions.
We should replace them.
When the moment comes, don’t seek to restore + improve those institutions.
We should replace them.
November 9, 2025 at 4:51 AM
Take stock of everything that is failing us right now.
When the moment comes, don’t seek to restore + improve those institutions.
We should replace them.
When the moment comes, don’t seek to restore + improve those institutions.
We should replace them.
(One of) the first double feature(s) at my movie theater
November 9, 2025 at 4:23 AM
(One of) the first double feature(s) at my movie theater
Reposted by Sam Menefee-Libey
What an amazing essay from the former chair of Africana Studies at Bowdoin. I'll share a few sections in the reply but seriously, read the whole thing. It's all insightful and beautifully written.
lithub.com/maybe-dont-t...
lithub.com/maybe-dont-t...
Maybe Don’t Talk to the New York Times About Zohran Mamdani
It’s remarkable, the people you’ll hear from. Teach for even a little while at an expensive institution—the term they tend to prefer is “elite”—and odds are that eventually someone who was a studen…
lithub.com
November 8, 2025 at 7:11 PM
What an amazing essay from the former chair of Africana Studies at Bowdoin. I'll share a few sections in the reply but seriously, read the whole thing. It's all insightful and beautifully written.
lithub.com/maybe-dont-t...
lithub.com/maybe-dont-t...
Note that liability claims take years to be assessed, meaning there’s a 3-5 year lag between when police misconduct occurs and when it’s adjudicated and penalized. This $384m in liability payments do NOT include all of the wild police misconduct from 2025.
Mayor Bass denies city’s own data on nearly $400M LAPD liability costs — Hours after LA Public Press reported the figure, Bass told a town hall the city would be “bankrupt” if the $384 million in LAPD costs were true.
lapublicpress.org/2025/11/bass...
lapublicpress.org/2025/11/bass...
Mayor Bass denies city’s own data on nearly $400M LAPD liability costs
Hours after LA Public Press reported the figure, Bass told a town hall the city would be "bankrupt" if the $384 million in LAPD costs were true.
lapublicpress.org
November 7, 2025 at 8:56 PM
Note that liability claims take years to be assessed, meaning there’s a 3-5 year lag between when police misconduct occurs and when it’s adjudicated and penalized. This $384m in liability payments do NOT include all of the wild police misconduct from 2025.
“The trial ended in an acquittal. But the proceedings felt like a strange sort of performance art—highly amusing and highly menacing at the same time.”
Yesterday, a D.C. jury found the man who threw a sandwich at a Customs and Border Patrol officer not guilty on a misdemeanor assault charge.
@mollyroberts.bsky.social reports on the proceedings that led to the acquittal:
@mollyroberts.bsky.social reports on the proceedings that led to the acquittal:
Sandwich Guy, Thrower of Hoagie–Or Hero?
The trial ended in an acquittal. But the proceedings felt like a strange sort of performance art—highly amusing and highly menacing at the same time.
www.lawfaremedia.org
November 7, 2025 at 7:26 PM
“The trial ended in an acquittal. But the proceedings felt like a strange sort of performance art—highly amusing and highly menacing at the same time.”
Reposted by Sam Menefee-Libey
Don’t think ppl understand the terror the Feds are unleashing on the streets of LA right now. Roving patrols targeting vulnerable individuals. It’s horrible.
There’s no one coming to save us except ourselves.
There’s no one coming to save us except ourselves.
The past week+ has been really intense in Los Angeles. We need all of the help, support, & attention we can get. Feds are literally roving the streets snatch & grabbing vulnerable individuals. It's horrific. We need to do more.
Feds are once again ruthlessly targeting ktown & adjacent areas. This is getting really intense. We need to do more.
November 5, 2025 at 11:33 PM
Don’t think ppl understand the terror the Feds are unleashing on the streets of LA right now. Roving patrols targeting vulnerable individuals. It’s horrible.
There’s no one coming to save us except ourselves.
There’s no one coming to save us except ourselves.
It’s not a question of *when* this fascist regime will *turn* genocidal. It already is. It’s now a question of how long their genocidal project will last before we stop it, how many additional populations are targeted, and how many decades it takes for us to substantially remediate the harm done.
One analytical model shows that, as of November 5th, the dismantling of U.S.A.I.D. has already caused the deaths of 600,000 people, two-thirds of them children. https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/jUzNSc
The Shutdown of U.S.A.I.D. Has Already Killed Hundreds of Thousands
The short documentary “Rovina’s Choice” tells the story of what goes when aid goes.
newyorkermag.visitlink.me
November 7, 2025 at 4:12 AM
It’s not a question of *when* this fascist regime will *turn* genocidal. It already is. It’s now a question of how long their genocidal project will last before we stop it, how many additional populations are targeted, and how many decades it takes for us to substantially remediate the harm done.
This is a good example of why it’s important and useful to think about the political and logistical mechanics of “technofeudalism” vs capitalism. This is clearly not an action meant to maximize profits, firm competitiveness, or market efficacy.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk scored a resounding victory on Thursday as shareholders approved a pay package of as much as $878 billion over the next decade, endorsing his vision of morphing the EV maker into an AI and robotics juggernaut.
Tesla shareholders approve $878 billion pay plan for Elon Musk
Tesla CEO Elon Musk scored a resounding victory on Thursday as shareholders approved a pay package of as much as $878 billion over the next decade, endorsing his vision of morphing the EV maker into an AI and robotics juggernaut.
reut.rs
November 7, 2025 at 1:17 AM
This is a good example of why it’s important and useful to think about the political and logistical mechanics of “technofeudalism” vs capitalism. This is clearly not an action meant to maximize profits, firm competitiveness, or market efficacy.
Reposted by Sam Menefee-Libey
This is a big deal, the opposite of Obama standing down his organizing base after 2008.
Very exciting to see activists launching a new nonprofit today to keep building on the community of volunteers that came together to get Mamdani elected.
Our Time is a 501(c)(4) and plans to start events in December.
Our Time is a 501(c)(4) and plans to start events in December.
Our Time
A campaign for an affordable NYC
ourtime.nyc
November 6, 2025 at 3:42 PM
This is a big deal, the opposite of Obama standing down his organizing base after 2008.
Reposted by Sam Menefee-Libey
a man was just found not guilty by jury lollification
November 6, 2025 at 8:32 PM
a man was just found not guilty by jury lollification
Can someone get this into the heads of the LAPD rank and file?
Ellis rejects the DOJ's argument that plaintiffs are not protected by the First Amendment because they've "intermingled themselves with rioters."
"The unlawful activity by a few protesters does not transform a peaceful assembly into an unlawful assembly," Ellis says
"The unlawful activity by a few protesters does not transform a peaceful assembly into an unlawful assembly," Ellis says
November 6, 2025 at 8:36 PM
Can someone get this into the heads of the LAPD rank and file?
“If we recognize their union, they’re supposed to shut the fuck up and keep their people in line! That’s the deal!”
In response, Conde has filed a charge with the NLRB against the NewsGuild of New York over the union's "repeated and egregious disregard of our collective bargaining agreement."
November 6, 2025 at 7:49 PM
“If we recognize their union, they’re supposed to shut the fuck up and keep their people in line! That’s the deal!”
The whole “canary in the coal mine” metaphor has just lost all purchase. If we wanted to try and re-establish the symbolic efficacy of the metaphor, I might start by pointing out that all three of these publications should at least be treated as miners themselves in the metaphor.
The key thing to watch here: they fired a Wired political reporter. That’s the title doing the most effective, pointed work. Teen Vogue’s stuff was culturally impactful, but less focused on investigating the administration. Within the Condé portfolio, Wired and the New Yorker are the canaries.
New: Conde Nast fired four employees who were among a group that confronted the company's head of human resources on Wednesday over the decision to fold Teen Vogue into Vogue/recent cuts. Employees who were fired included journalists from the New Yorker, Wired, and Bon Appétit.
November 6, 2025 at 7:32 PM
The whole “canary in the coal mine” metaphor has just lost all purchase. If we wanted to try and re-establish the symbolic efficacy of the metaphor, I might start by pointing out that all three of these publications should at least be treated as miners themselves in the metaphor.
Gordon Findlay is the toadie, RFK Jr bolts immediately, white house staff clear press pool temporarily, then everyone goes back to flattering Trump and letting him say whatever he wants.
This is happening while a judge in Chicago is enumerating constitutional violations by ICE/CBP.
This is happening while a judge in Chicago is enumerating constitutional violations by ICE/CBP.
holy shit -- one of Trump's toadies just passed out and the White House event is brought to an abrupt end
November 6, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Gordon Findlay is the toadie, RFK Jr bolts immediately, white house staff clear press pool temporarily, then everyone goes back to flattering Trump and letting him say whatever he wants.
This is happening while a judge in Chicago is enumerating constitutional violations by ICE/CBP.
This is happening while a judge in Chicago is enumerating constitutional violations by ICE/CBP.
This thread documenting the hearing is worth reading in full.
It seems worth noting that all the TROs and PIs against ICE and CBP since April, across the country, have merely demanded that government agents abide by well established constitutional parameters.
It seems worth noting that all the TROs and PIs against ICE and CBP since April, across the country, have merely demanded that government agents abide by well established constitutional parameters.
Ellis now saying that the balance of interests favors the public in issuing an injunction ensuring the government conducts itself fairly and abides by the constitution.
Requiring the government to do so, Ellis says, is "not a harm" to the government.
Requiring the government to do so, Ellis says, is "not a harm" to the government.
November 6, 2025 at 7:18 PM
This thread documenting the hearing is worth reading in full.
It seems worth noting that all the TROs and PIs against ICE and CBP since April, across the country, have merely demanded that government agents abide by well established constitutional parameters.
It seems worth noting that all the TROs and PIs against ICE and CBP since April, across the country, have merely demanded that government agents abide by well established constitutional parameters.
Terribly ignorant violence workers supplied with bottomless munitions, professing total belligerent alienation from the people they are supposedly “protecting”
Loevy gets into the feds' use of tear gas.
Loevy: "Tear gas is a serious weapon, do you agree?"
Hewson: "No."
Loevy: "Did you know that tear gas has been banned in warfare?"
Hewson: "I did not know that."
Loevy: "Tear gas is a serious weapon, do you agree?"
Hewson: "No."
Loevy: "Did you know that tear gas has been banned in warfare?"
Hewson: "I did not know that."
November 5, 2025 at 10:43 PM
Terribly ignorant violence workers supplied with bottomless munitions, professing total belligerent alienation from the people they are supposedly “protecting”