Amy Franco
@thomaspoptart.bsky.social
Midwestern Isthmian 🇵🇦 en PDX. Coyote, bird, and bat enthusiast
Board Secretary of Pueblo Unido PDX
Mujer del maíz 🌽 🌱
Board Secretary of Pueblo Unido PDX
Mujer del maíz 🌽 🌱
Pinned
Amy Franco
@thomaspoptart.bsky.social
· Apr 12
For the last year, I've had the honor of getting to know Hashem Safi. When the genocide began he was a 2nd year medical student. He and his family have suffered bombings, displacement, and loss. And, he is so much more than what he's suffered. Kind, funny, full of life and desire to care for others
Reposted by Amy Franco
ICE detention isn’t just numbers; it’s geography. 237 facilities nationwide. Network roughly doubled. Now fully mapped at DetentionReports.com, with facility comparisons and contract archives. See the system.
Learn more about it on my substack: austinkocher.substack.com/p/the-best-s...
Learn more about it on my substack: austinkocher.substack.com/p/the-best-s...
February 11, 2026 at 4:16 PM
ICE detention isn’t just numbers; it’s geography. 237 facilities nationwide. Network roughly doubled. Now fully mapped at DetentionReports.com, with facility comparisons and contract archives. See the system.
Learn more about it on my substack: austinkocher.substack.com/p/the-best-s...
Learn more about it on my substack: austinkocher.substack.com/p/the-best-s...
Jill Zarin getting immediately fired before that show even started production ? You love to see it.
February 11, 2026 at 6:19 AM
Jill Zarin getting immediately fired before that show even started production ? You love to see it.
Reposted by Amy Franco
Rep. Delia Ramirez to DHS officials: "I have as much respect for you as I do for the last white men who put on masks to terrorize communities of color. I have no respect for the inheritors of the Klanhood and the slave patrol. Those activities were criminal and so are yours."
February 10, 2026 at 5:11 PM
Rep. Delia Ramirez to DHS officials: "I have as much respect for you as I do for the last white men who put on masks to terrorize communities of color. I have no respect for the inheritors of the Klanhood and the slave patrol. Those activities were criminal and so are yours."
Reposted by Amy Franco
Her community rallied so fast and so diligently. This is a victory to uphold and celebrate. Reminds everyone that it's worth fighting back.
An immigration court dropped its case against Turkish graduate student Rumeysa Ozturk, a little less than a year after federal agents arrested her on a street near Tufts University
Immigration Court Drops Case Against Tufts Student Rumeysa Ozturk
The Turkish national had been arrested by plainclothes federal officers outside her apartment.
on.wsj.com
February 10, 2026 at 1:30 AM
Her community rallied so fast and so diligently. This is a victory to uphold and celebrate. Reminds everyone that it's worth fighting back.
Reposted by Amy Franco
That Super Bowl halftime show was beyond incredible, and fun. Here’s the story of how it came together, complete with beautiful photos from @d-jacks.bsky.social.
www.wired.com/story/bad-bu...
www.wired.com/story/bad-bu...
Inside Bad Bunny’s Historic Super Bowl Halftime Show
Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl performance required 9,852 theatrical pyrotechnics, nearly 400 costumed extras, and a lot of ingenuity. And yes, that was a real couple featured in the wedding.
www.wired.com
February 9, 2026 at 3:01 AM
That Super Bowl halftime show was beyond incredible, and fun. Here’s the story of how it came together, complete with beautiful photos from @d-jacks.bsky.social.
www.wired.com/story/bad-bu...
www.wired.com/story/bad-bu...
Reposted by Amy Franco
It was transforming the biggest NFL stage in the world into a sugar cane plantation that did it for me.
Like, the multiple layers of turning an American icon into a plantation and highlighting the history of exploitation of Black and Brown bodies by the NFL and American colonialism simultaneously?
Like, the multiple layers of turning an American icon into a plantation and highlighting the history of exploitation of Black and Brown bodies by the NFL and American colonialism simultaneously?
February 9, 2026 at 1:54 AM
It was transforming the biggest NFL stage in the world into a sugar cane plantation that did it for me.
Like, the multiple layers of turning an American icon into a plantation and highlighting the history of exploitation of Black and Brown bodies by the NFL and American colonialism simultaneously?
Like, the multiple layers of turning an American icon into a plantation and highlighting the history of exploitation of Black and Brown bodies by the NFL and American colonialism simultaneously?
The fuera LUMA of it all ⚡️❤️🔥
February 9, 2026 at 1:48 AM
The fuera LUMA of it all ⚡️❤️🔥
Reposted by Amy Franco
Eagle-eyed watchers of Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show would have spied Toñita, the queen of Los Sures, AKA Williamsburg.
Read all about Maria Antonia “Toñita” Cay here: hellgatenyc.com/williamsburg...
Read all about Maria Antonia “Toñita” Cay here: hellgatenyc.com/williamsburg...
Williamsburg Changes, But Toñita Still Reigns - Hell Gate
For 50 years, Maria Antonia "Toñita" Cay has overseen the Caribbean Social Club in Williamsburg. It's now the last Puerto Rican social club in Brooklyn.
hellgatenyc.com
February 9, 2026 at 1:40 AM
Eagle-eyed watchers of Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show would have spied Toñita, the queen of Los Sures, AKA Williamsburg.
Read all about Maria Antonia “Toñita” Cay here: hellgatenyc.com/williamsburg...
Read all about Maria Antonia “Toñita” Cay here: hellgatenyc.com/williamsburg...
What did the futbol say on it 🤔
February 9, 2026 at 1:42 AM
What did the futbol say on it 🤔
As in most cases, wish Tego Calderon was there pero espero que está descansando
February 9, 2026 at 1:39 AM
As in most cases, wish Tego Calderon was there pero espero que está descansando
As someone who grew up hearing traumatic machete injury stories from my Pa, I absolutely loved the caña maze set 🥲
February 9, 2026 at 1:38 AM
As someone who grew up hearing traumatic machete injury stories from my Pa, I absolutely loved the caña maze set 🥲
Reposted by Amy Franco
If ICE gets even one of these facilities fully up and running, it’ll immediately be the second-largest jail in the country behind only Rikers Island.
The proposed centers are so large that some could house as many as 8,000 detainees at once, according to a DHS spreadsheet of more than 20 potential locations that was verified by NBC News. The largest federal prison in the U.S., for example, has roughly 4,000 inmates.
ICE plans to build mega warehouses for immigration detention spark growing concern
Sources at two government contractors told NBC News they were worried that new warehouses — and the large numbers of immigrants who would be housed in them — would present safety problems.
www.nbcnews.com
February 8, 2026 at 3:43 AM
If ICE gets even one of these facilities fully up and running, it’ll immediately be the second-largest jail in the country behind only Rikers Island.
Blocking people for not knowing of Jamaica’s long and illustrious bobsled history
February 7, 2026 at 5:30 AM
Blocking people for not knowing of Jamaica’s long and illustrious bobsled history
They never should have been there in the first place but glad they’re getting out.
U.S. Rep. Maxine Dexter said in a statement Friday afternoon that she is “escorting” the Crespo-Gonzalez family home to Oregon. The family of three had been apprehended seeking medical attention for 7-year-old Diana.
Gresham family to leave Texas detention facility, Rep. Dexter announces
The Crespo-Gonzalez family, including 7-year-old Diana, has spent three weeks in federal detention after being apprehended outside a Portland hospital.
www.opb.org
February 7, 2026 at 2:25 AM
They never should have been there in the first place but glad they’re getting out.
Reposted by Amy Franco
News from the edge of the visible universe:
JWST has confirmed this galaxy, MoM-z14, as the most distant one yet studied. We're seeing it as it was 13.5 billion years ago, 98% of the way back to the beginning of time.
(MoM stands for "miracle or mirage.") 🧪🔭
science.nasa.gov/missions/web...
JWST has confirmed this galaxy, MoM-z14, as the most distant one yet studied. We're seeing it as it was 13.5 billion years ago, 98% of the way back to the beginning of time.
(MoM stands for "miracle or mirage.") 🧪🔭
science.nasa.gov/missions/web...
February 6, 2026 at 8:56 PM
News from the edge of the visible universe:
JWST has confirmed this galaxy, MoM-z14, as the most distant one yet studied. We're seeing it as it was 13.5 billion years ago, 98% of the way back to the beginning of time.
(MoM stands for "miracle or mirage.") 🧪🔭
science.nasa.gov/missions/web...
JWST has confirmed this galaxy, MoM-z14, as the most distant one yet studied. We're seeing it as it was 13.5 billion years ago, 98% of the way back to the beginning of time.
(MoM stands for "miracle or mirage.") 🧪🔭
science.nasa.gov/missions/web...
Reposted by Amy Franco
At the same time that we are dealing with ICE's unaccountable violence, the local police association (PPA) is attempting to raid climate funds for their own purposes.
Protect PCEF - Rally & Hearing!
Friday, Feb 13 @ 1pm (rally) 1:30pm (hearing)
Multnomah County Courthouse, 1200 SW 1st Ave, PDX
Protect PCEF - Rally & Hearing!
Friday, Feb 13 @ 1pm (rally) 1:30pm (hearing)
Multnomah County Courthouse, 1200 SW 1st Ave, PDX
February 5, 2026 at 8:15 PM
At the same time that we are dealing with ICE's unaccountable violence, the local police association (PPA) is attempting to raid climate funds for their own purposes.
Protect PCEF - Rally & Hearing!
Friday, Feb 13 @ 1pm (rally) 1:30pm (hearing)
Multnomah County Courthouse, 1200 SW 1st Ave, PDX
Protect PCEF - Rally & Hearing!
Friday, Feb 13 @ 1pm (rally) 1:30pm (hearing)
Multnomah County Courthouse, 1200 SW 1st Ave, PDX
Reposted by Amy Franco
Bhattacharya testified that he's taking this issue seriously, but I just spoke with a researcher who had completed all the screening and was disinvited from NIAID's council *today*.
NIAID's council is set to run out of voting members in October. No grants can be funded without Council.
NIAID's council is set to run out of voting members in October. No grants can be funded without Council.
Baldwin quotes directly from my article abt advisory-council vacancies.
BALDWIN: This poses a very serious threat to NIH's ability to fund research.
BHATTACHARYA: I've ordered the ICs to nominate new members... including for the advisory committee to the director [which hasn't met since Dec 2024]
BALDWIN: This poses a very serious threat to NIH's ability to fund research.
BHATTACHARYA: I've ordered the ICs to nominate new members... including for the advisory committee to the director [which hasn't met since Dec 2024]
Exclusive: key NIH review panels due to lose all members by the end of 2026
Thirteen of the agency’s advisory councils, which must review grant applications before funding is awarded, are on track to have no voting members.
www.nature.com
February 4, 2026 at 10:38 PM
Bhattacharya testified that he's taking this issue seriously, but I just spoke with a researcher who had completed all the screening and was disinvited from NIAID's council *today*.
NIAID's council is set to run out of voting members in October. No grants can be funded without Council.
NIAID's council is set to run out of voting members in October. No grants can be funded without Council.
Where can I get a good steak tartare whilst in Chicago ?
The Gage was my initial thought but it’s not on the menu anymore
The Gage was my initial thought but it’s not on the menu anymore
February 5, 2026 at 6:29 AM
Where can I get a good steak tartare whilst in Chicago ?
The Gage was my initial thought but it’s not on the menu anymore
The Gage was my initial thought but it’s not on the menu anymore
Reposted by Amy Franco
senators only do this when they're in extreme distress
February 4, 2026 at 9:32 PM
senators only do this when they're in extreme distress
The first audience question at the District 3 Town Hall was someone who wanted all three councilors to say something nice about each other and I absolutely burst out laughing
February 5, 2026 at 6:21 AM
The first audience question at the District 3 Town Hall was someone who wanted all three councilors to say something nice about each other and I absolutely burst out laughing
Reposted by Amy Franco
This document is one of the great political failures of our time. It must be immediately denounced by all people of good will. And it will be a major scandal if any "civil rights" organization gives cover to this capitulation to fascism.
SENATE AND HOUSE DEMOCRATS ARE UNITED ON REINING IN THE ABUSES OF ICE
Americans have watched in horror as ICE has terrorized communities across the country
Federal agents can’t continue to cause chaos in our cities while more Americans are killed
We must rein in ICE
Here’s what we're demanding:
Americans have watched in horror as ICE has terrorized communities across the country
Federal agents can’t continue to cause chaos in our cities while more Americans are killed
We must rein in ICE
Here’s what we're demanding:
February 5, 2026 at 5:42 AM
This document is one of the great political failures of our time. It must be immediately denounced by all people of good will. And it will be a major scandal if any "civil rights" organization gives cover to this capitulation to fascism.
Reposted by Amy Franco
Happy Anniversary to those who celebrate cat attorneys.
February 4, 2026 at 1:49 AM
Happy Anniversary to those who celebrate cat attorneys.
Reposted by Amy Franco
After Border Patrol shot two people in Portland, DHS claimed they were "vicious gang members" tied to a past shooting.
But records I obtained reveal a US prosecutor has since directly contradicted DHS, saying, "We're not suggesting he is a gang member." My dive into how DHS' claims have collapsed:
But records I obtained reveal a US prosecutor has since directly contradicted DHS, saying, "We're not suggesting he is a gang member." My dive into how DHS' claims have collapsed:
DHS’s account of two Venezuelans shot by border patrol falls apart in court: ‘A smear campaign’
Immigration officials said agent shot two ‘vicious gang members’ in Portland, but records obtained by the Guardian reveal US prosecutor contradicted claims
www.theguardian.com
February 3, 2026 at 12:45 AM
After Border Patrol shot two people in Portland, DHS claimed they were "vicious gang members" tied to a past shooting.
But records I obtained reveal a US prosecutor has since directly contradicted DHS, saying, "We're not suggesting he is a gang member." My dive into how DHS' claims have collapsed:
But records I obtained reveal a US prosecutor has since directly contradicted DHS, saying, "We're not suggesting he is a gang member." My dive into how DHS' claims have collapsed:
May all Latino ICE and CBP agents forever be denied access to their ancestral foods
February 2, 2026 at 6:36 AM
May all Latino ICE and CBP agents forever be denied access to their ancestral foods
Reposted by Amy Franco
The current Portland City Councilors who are endorsed by the police union are:
Smith (D1), Ryan (D2), Novick (D3), Zimmerman (D4), Clark (D4)
Listing them because the Portland Police Association is making it a fight to have a masking ban (for law enforcement) and a tear gas ban.
Smith (D1), Ryan (D2), Novick (D3), Zimmerman (D4), Clark (D4)
Listing them because the Portland Police Association is making it a fight to have a masking ban (for law enforcement) and a tear gas ban.
Please list the swing vote councillors specifically so people know who to contact. With everything going on in the country right now, it's hard to keep up with who is doing what, especially now that there are so many of you.
February 1, 2026 at 6:52 PM
The current Portland City Councilors who are endorsed by the police union are:
Smith (D1), Ryan (D2), Novick (D3), Zimmerman (D4), Clark (D4)
Listing them because the Portland Police Association is making it a fight to have a masking ban (for law enforcement) and a tear gas ban.
Smith (D1), Ryan (D2), Novick (D3), Zimmerman (D4), Clark (D4)
Listing them because the Portland Police Association is making it a fight to have a masking ban (for law enforcement) and a tear gas ban.