Paul Benson
@paulbenson.bsky.social
Provincetown washashore. "A home at last." Reporter and editor for the Provincetown Independent. Happy to be here.
Reposted by Paul Benson
I've been reporting on the criminal justice system for over a decade and have lived in an authoritarian country overseas, but I've never seen anything like the police presence in ICE-occupied Memphis. Here's my dispatch: www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
I'm a veteran criminal justice reporter. I've never seen anything like ICE-occupied Memphis.
“It’s about as sad as you can possibly imagine."
www.motherjones.com
December 16, 2025 at 6:40 PM
I've been reporting on the criminal justice system for over a decade and have lived in an authoritarian country overseas, but I've never seen anything like the police presence in ICE-occupied Memphis. Here's my dispatch: www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Paul Benson
An absolute bedrock institution for understanding how the planet works, just civilization-scaled vandalism by the most incurious morons on Earth
December 17, 2025 at 2:52 AM
An absolute bedrock institution for understanding how the planet works, just civilization-scaled vandalism by the most incurious morons on Earth
Reposted by Paul Benson
Me when people suggest AI could help me with my creative endeavors.
November 17, 2025 at 4:22 AM
Me when people suggest AI could help me with my creative endeavors.
Reposted by Paul Benson
To celebrate my new handle, it's raffle time‼️
There will be two winners!
1st- your choice of a custom ceramic sculpture (6"x6" max) OR a large woodburn (~11"x8" max, have several shapes)
2nd- custom pendant of any animal + woven cord!
to enter, simply follow and repost! ends Dec 1st!
There will be two winners!
1st- your choice of a custom ceramic sculpture (6"x6" max) OR a large woodburn (~11"x8" max, have several shapes)
2nd- custom pendant of any animal + woven cord!
to enter, simply follow and repost! ends Dec 1st!
October 18, 2025 at 6:53 PM
To celebrate my new handle, it's raffle time‼️
There will be two winners!
1st- your choice of a custom ceramic sculpture (6"x6" max) OR a large woodburn (~11"x8" max, have several shapes)
2nd- custom pendant of any animal + woven cord!
to enter, simply follow and repost! ends Dec 1st!
There will be two winners!
1st- your choice of a custom ceramic sculpture (6"x6" max) OR a large woodburn (~11"x8" max, have several shapes)
2nd- custom pendant of any animal + woven cord!
to enter, simply follow and repost! ends Dec 1st!
Reposted by Paul Benson
i desperately want everyone involved in the destruction of USAID to have to, st the very least, answer to the american people for the suffering and misery they have caused apnews.com/article/myan...
Starving children screaming for food as US aid cuts unleash devastation and death across Myanmar
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has repeatedly said “no one has died" because of his government’s decision to gut its foreign aid program.
apnews.com
October 8, 2025 at 2:59 PM
i desperately want everyone involved in the destruction of USAID to have to, st the very least, answer to the american people for the suffering and misery they have caused apnews.com/article/myan...
Reposted by Paul Benson
We need a bigger national spotlight on this building raid, fam. Agents dropped from helicopters onto the roof. Citizens and non-citizens alike were dragged from their homes in the night. People who weren't kidnapped during the raid had their belongings seized after the fact. This is madness.
"Jones, 27, is among the residents left at 7500 S. South Shore Drive who are trying to piece together what remains after an early morning, high-powered federal immigration raid led to the arrests of dozens of their neighbors at their South Shore apartment building."
Massive immigration raid on Chicago apartment building leaves residents reeling: 'I feel defeated'
The Department of Homeland Security said federal agents with Border Patrol, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives arrested 37 people in the raid.
chicago.suntimes.com
October 2, 2025 at 4:23 PM
We need a bigger national spotlight on this building raid, fam. Agents dropped from helicopters onto the roof. Citizens and non-citizens alike were dragged from their homes in the night. People who weren't kidnapped during the raid had their belongings seized after the fact. This is madness.
Reposted by Paul Benson
it’s pretty darkly funny that the U.S. has spent decades trying to become closer partners with India and trump blew it all up because India wouldn’t nominate him for a Nobel peace prize.
we’re being governed by the biggest moron on earth
we’re being governed by the biggest moron on earth
August 31, 2025 at 11:27 AM
it’s pretty darkly funny that the U.S. has spent decades trying to become closer partners with India and trump blew it all up because India wouldn’t nominate him for a Nobel peace prize.
we’re being governed by the biggest moron on earth
we’re being governed by the biggest moron on earth
Reposted by Paul Benson
Every lawyer should get the day off in observance of the fact that they actually failed to indict a ham sandwich
Federal prosecutors on Tuesday were unable to secure a felony assault indictment against a man who threw a sandwich at a federal agent on the streets of Washington this month, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Prosecutors Fail to Secure Indictment Against Man Who Threw Sandwich at Federal Agent
www.nytimes.com
August 27, 2025 at 1:48 PM
Every lawyer should get the day off in observance of the fact that they actually failed to indict a ham sandwich
Reposted by Paul Benson
“Jimenez Rosa, a legal permanent resident and mother of four U.S. citizens, was detained over what her lawyer believes was a decades-old, personal-use marijuana charge, which is no longer a crime in Massachusetts today… “I was just like, ‘Girls, we might never see your mother again in this country’”
ICE released this Mass. mom with no phone, 30 miles from home in the rain after detainment for a sealed marijuana conviction
Federal authorities refused to tell the Canton woman's husband or lawyer on what grounds she was being detained until shortly before her release.
www.masslive.com
August 24, 2025 at 2:13 AM
“Jimenez Rosa, a legal permanent resident and mother of four U.S. citizens, was detained over what her lawyer believes was a decades-old, personal-use marijuana charge, which is no longer a crime in Massachusetts today… “I was just like, ‘Girls, we might never see your mother again in this country’”
Reposted by Paul Benson
In 1900 a popular rationale for excluding concession food and drink in SF's Golden Gate Park was animus against immigrants - specifically Germans
> where beer shall foam... while pretzels shall tangle the teeth with thirst, where the mettwurst, the sauerkraut and the sausage lay claim.
> where beer shall foam... while pretzels shall tangle the teeth with thirst, where the mettwurst, the sauerkraut and the sausage lay claim.
August 19, 2025 at 12:47 AM
In 1900 a popular rationale for excluding concession food and drink in SF's Golden Gate Park was animus against immigrants - specifically Germans
> where beer shall foam... while pretzels shall tangle the teeth with thirst, where the mettwurst, the sauerkraut and the sausage lay claim.
> where beer shall foam... while pretzels shall tangle the teeth with thirst, where the mettwurst, the sauerkraut and the sausage lay claim.
Reposted by Paul Benson
Reposted by Paul Benson
what all of these front-line fighters were insistent on was the incredible power of media. authoritarians and oligarchs around the world have laser-focused on seizing control of the commanding heights--of *media*--before anything else.
they're not wrong.
www.liberalcurrents.com/we-must-defe...
they're not wrong.
www.liberalcurrents.com/we-must-defe...
We Must Defend and Build a True Opposition Media
It is absolutely critical that the opposition have a voice that is widely heard.
www.liberalcurrents.com
August 16, 2025 at 11:09 PM
what all of these front-line fighters were insistent on was the incredible power of media. authoritarians and oligarchs around the world have laser-focused on seizing control of the commanding heights--of *media*--before anything else.
they're not wrong.
www.liberalcurrents.com/we-must-defe...
they're not wrong.
www.liberalcurrents.com/we-must-defe...
Reposted by Paul Benson
Head of NASA Sean Duffy intends to destroy a satellite that collects key data on carbon dioxide and plant health, by causing it to burn up in the atmosphere. The U.S. Dept of Agriculture and private agriculture firms use the data to forecast crop yield, drought conditions and more.
Why a NASA satellite that scientists and farmers rely on may be destroyed on purpose
The Trump administration has asked NASA staffers to draw up plans to end at least two satellite missions that measure carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, according to current and former NASA employees.
www.npr.org
August 8, 2025 at 7:13 AM
Head of NASA Sean Duffy intends to destroy a satellite that collects key data on carbon dioxide and plant health, by causing it to burn up in the atmosphere. The U.S. Dept of Agriculture and private agriculture firms use the data to forecast crop yield, drought conditions and more.
Reposted by Paul Benson
Hello, would you like to read about capital subsidy and social housing daniel-kay-hertz.ghost.io/deep-v-shall...
Deep v. shallow capital subsidy, or: What is the Montgomery County model's secret sauce?
In a previous post, I wrote about how it's worth separating the way we fund affordable housing into two buckets: Capital subsidy, which helps the government or a mission-oriented third party buy or bu...
daniel-kay-hertz.ghost.io
July 27, 2025 at 11:01 PM
Hello, would you like to read about capital subsidy and social housing daniel-kay-hertz.ghost.io/deep-v-shall...
Reposted by Paul Benson
If you're a legal immigrant with a court date, ICE is likely to pick you up after the hearing. If you don't go to the hearing, a judge can order ICE to pick you up.
Here's @whitneycwimbish.bsky.social with some great reporting on the Catch-22 Trump has made of our legal immigration system:
Here's @whitneycwimbish.bsky.social with some great reporting on the Catch-22 Trump has made of our legal immigration system:
There’s No Safe Place for Legal Immigrants in Trump’s America
As Trump’s deportation gangs continue snatching people after scheduled court hearings, more are opting to stay home. But that comes with its own dangers.
prospect.org
July 22, 2025 at 1:40 PM
If you're a legal immigrant with a court date, ICE is likely to pick you up after the hearing. If you don't go to the hearing, a judge can order ICE to pick you up.
Here's @whitneycwimbish.bsky.social with some great reporting on the Catch-22 Trump has made of our legal immigration system:
Here's @whitneycwimbish.bsky.social with some great reporting on the Catch-22 Trump has made of our legal immigration system:
Reposted by Paul Benson
Breaking news: Federal immigration officers may deport immigrants with as little as six hours’ notice to countries other than their own, even without assurances that the arrivals will be safe from persecution or torture, a top official said.
ICE memo outlines plan to deport migrants to countries where they are not citizens
The dramatic shift in policy could result in thousands of immigrants being deported to places where they lack family ties or even a common language.
www.washingtonpost.com
July 13, 2025 at 1:26 AM
Breaking news: Federal immigration officers may deport immigrants with as little as six hours’ notice to countries other than their own, even without assurances that the arrivals will be safe from persecution or torture, a top official said.
Reposted by Paul Benson
More than 20 years ago, North Carolina legislators passed a law requiring that landslide hazards be mapped across 19 mountain counties.
But after only four of those countries were mapped, lawmakers gave in to developers who said it could harm property values.
(Published May)
But after only four of those countries were mapped, lawmakers gave in to developers who said it could harm property values.
(Published May)
Prescient Warnings About Helene Didn’t Reach People in Harm’s Way. Here Are 5 Lessons for the Next Hurricane.
After four months of reporting, ProPublica found that the warnings about Helene were eerily accurate. Yet, local residents remained largely unaware of the enormity of danger approaching as the storm…
www.propublica.org
July 7, 2025 at 11:30 PM
More than 20 years ago, North Carolina legislators passed a law requiring that landslide hazards be mapped across 19 mountain counties.
But after only four of those countries were mapped, lawmakers gave in to developers who said it could harm property values.
(Published May)
But after only four of those countries were mapped, lawmakers gave in to developers who said it could harm property values.
(Published May)
Reposted by Paul Benson
"The Nazis... imagined their targets would self-deport. Once the myth of self-deportation collapsed, they turned to more punitive measures. On Tuesday, Noem similarly noted the Everglades camp was meant to frighten immigrants into self-deporting. 'If you don’t,' she said, 'you may end up here.'"
Opinion | Don’t call it ‘Alligator Alcatraz.’ Call it a concentration camp.
This facility’s purpose fits the classic model, and its existence points to serious dangers ahead for the country.
www.msnbc.com
July 5, 2025 at 5:45 PM
"The Nazis... imagined their targets would self-deport. Once the myth of self-deportation collapsed, they turned to more punitive measures. On Tuesday, Noem similarly noted the Everglades camp was meant to frighten immigrants into self-deporting. 'If you don’t,' she said, 'you may end up here.'"
Reposted by Paul Benson
With the awful news from the last couple hours, this post from the political optimism subreddit helped to break through a bit of the despair fog. Repubs know this is political suicide, ICE's support is crumbling despite the budget increase, and there's a myriad of ways to fight back. Keep strong.
July 3, 2025 at 8:20 PM
With the awful news from the last couple hours, this post from the political optimism subreddit helped to break through a bit of the despair fog. Repubs know this is political suicide, ICE's support is crumbling despite the budget increase, and there's a myriad of ways to fight back. Keep strong.
Reposted by Paul Benson
Andry José Hernández Romero, I remember you, even if I do not know how to articulate my horror, rage, & sorrow at your treatment by my government.
No one has heard from you in 111 days.
As vigil, I’m posting a photo or video of you every day until you are returned from El Salvador.
No one has heard from you in 111 days.
As vigil, I’m posting a photo or video of you every day until you are returned from El Salvador.
July 4, 2025 at 12:25 AM
Andry José Hernández Romero, I remember you, even if I do not know how to articulate my horror, rage, & sorrow at your treatment by my government.
No one has heard from you in 111 days.
As vigil, I’m posting a photo or video of you every day until you are returned from El Salvador.
No one has heard from you in 111 days.
As vigil, I’m posting a photo or video of you every day until you are returned from El Salvador.
Reposted by Paul Benson
This is a really remarkable achievement: Cambridge, Massachusetts now allows midrise multifamily housing citywide.
I can’t believe it - after years of advocacy, exclusionary zoning has ended in Cambridge.
We just passed the single most comprehensive rezoning in the US—legalizing multifamily housing up to 6 stories citywide in a Paris style
Here’s the details 🧵
We just passed the single most comprehensive rezoning in the US—legalizing multifamily housing up to 6 stories citywide in a Paris style
Here’s the details 🧵
February 11, 2025 at 2:17 PM
This is a really remarkable achievement: Cambridge, Massachusetts now allows midrise multifamily housing citywide.
Reposted by Paul Benson
This summer, Bozeman Tenants United scored a big win: voters overwhelmingly approved the creation of a study commission to explore changes to the city’s local government structure.
They talked to Bolts about how it's related to the fight for fair housing:
boltsmag.org/montana...
They talked to Bolts about how it's related to the fight for fair housing:
boltsmag.org/montana...
To Tackle Housing Crisis, These Organizers Want to First Change How City Hall Works
Advocates in Bozeman, Montana, are using a once-in-a-decade chance to reshape their local government structure to create more equitable representation and, eventually, more affordable housing policy.
boltsmag.org
February 12, 2025 at 6:00 PM
This summer, Bozeman Tenants United scored a big win: voters overwhelmingly approved the creation of a study commission to explore changes to the city’s local government structure.
They talked to Bolts about how it's related to the fight for fair housing:
boltsmag.org/montana...
They talked to Bolts about how it's related to the fight for fair housing:
boltsmag.org/montana...
Reposted by Paul Benson
Spokane passed a bunch of housing reforms recently—eliminating parking minimums, increasing height maximums, reducing lot minimums, allowing more missing middle, & expanding property tax exemptions for new multifamily projects—and now they're building record amounts of housing
December 31, 2024 at 8:56 PM
Spokane passed a bunch of housing reforms recently—eliminating parking minimums, increasing height maximums, reducing lot minimums, allowing more missing middle, & expanding property tax exemptions for new multifamily projects—and now they're building record amounts of housing