Rahim Kurwa
@rahimk.bsky.social
assoc prof at uic
Indefensible Spaces: Policing and the Struggle for Housing is available at https://www.ucpress.edu/books/indefensible-spaces/paper
www.rahimkurwa.com
Indefensible Spaces: Policing and the Struggle for Housing is available at https://www.ucpress.edu/books/indefensible-spaces/paper
www.rahimkurwa.com
Pinned
Rahim Kurwa
@rahimk.bsky.social
· Jun 10
It's publication day for Indefensible Spaces: Policing and the Struggle for Housing, available in paper & free .epub! It traces a century of struggle over Los Angeles' periphery, culminating in the use of policing to expel and repress Black tenants. Here's a look at its chapters:
Reposted by Rahim Kurwa
Message to all faculty: your expertise is no longer trusted or valued at this so-called “university.”
November 14, 2025 at 12:22 PM
Message to all faculty: your expertise is no longer trusted or valued at this so-called “university.”
Reposted by Rahim Kurwa
The congressional measure, backed by 21 Democratic legislators, calls for sanctions against Israel over Gaza horrors.
Rashida Tlaib introduces US Congress resolution to recognise Gaza genocide
The congressional measure, backed by 21 Democratic legislators, calls for sanctions against Israel over Gaza horrors.
bit.ly
November 14, 2025 at 7:30 PM
The congressional measure, backed by 21 Democratic legislators, calls for sanctions against Israel over Gaza horrors.
Reposted by Rahim Kurwa
The shutdown was an excuse, not a reason, to go after SNAP.
SNAP recipients have to re-apply either every 6 months or year. Onerous process, with almost no fraud.
There are no shutdown-related requirement for SNAP renewal. But it would predictably result in low-income families going hungry.
SNAP recipients have to re-apply either every 6 months or year. Onerous process, with almost no fraud.
There are no shutdown-related requirement for SNAP renewal. But it would predictably result in low-income families going hungry.
Brooke Rollins says on Newsmax SNAP participants will have to re-apply for the program.
Details are still unclear.
via Grace Yarrow for @politico.com
www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
Details are still unclear.
via Grace Yarrow for @politico.com
www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
Trump administration will require SNAP participants to reapply for benefits
The move is part of USDA chief Brooke Rollins’ effort to overhaul the nation’s largest anti-hunger program and get rid of “fraud.”
www.politico.com
November 14, 2025 at 7:35 PM
The shutdown was an excuse, not a reason, to go after SNAP.
SNAP recipients have to re-apply either every 6 months or year. Onerous process, with almost no fraud.
There are no shutdown-related requirement for SNAP renewal. But it would predictably result in low-income families going hungry.
SNAP recipients have to re-apply either every 6 months or year. Onerous process, with almost no fraud.
There are no shutdown-related requirement for SNAP renewal. But it would predictably result in low-income families going hungry.
Reposted by Rahim Kurwa
Look. I know some people want the US of their childhood back. It’s not gonna happen. The actually existing Democratic party is not capable of achieving even 10% of this stuff. Wishing harder won’t make it so.
We need to get serious about what is actually required to beat fascism and billionaires.
We need to get serious about what is actually required to beat fascism and billionaires.
November 14, 2025 at 7:16 PM
Look. I know some people want the US of their childhood back. It’s not gonna happen. The actually existing Democratic party is not capable of achieving even 10% of this stuff. Wishing harder won’t make it so.
We need to get serious about what is actually required to beat fascism and billionaires.
We need to get serious about what is actually required to beat fascism and billionaires.
Reposted by Rahim Kurwa
Reading this remarkable letter offers more evidence that the Trump administration and its allies are far more interested in taking down elite universities than in supporting higher ed, even in the areas they claim to care about, such as "viewpoint diversity," or even helping UVA enforce the law.
Former UVA president Jim Ryan, who resigned over the summer due to pressure from the Trump Administration, just shared this 12-page letter with the Faculty Senate, detailing his experience with the Board of Visitors and DOJ.
It's a surreal--and troubling--read.
drive.google.com/file/d/1Is6x...
It's a surreal--and troubling--read.
drive.google.com/file/d/1Is6x...
November 14, 2025 at 7:21 PM
Reading this remarkable letter offers more evidence that the Trump administration and its allies are far more interested in taking down elite universities than in supporting higher ed, even in the areas they claim to care about, such as "viewpoint diversity," or even helping UVA enforce the law.
Reposted by Rahim Kurwa
NEW: Before the recent Epstein disclosures, Larry Summers was poised to lead the economic policy plank for the Democrats' "Project 2029" effort at the Center for American Progress. He signed off on a housing policy paper CAP was prepping for next week.
prospect.org/2025/11/14/e...
prospect.org/2025/11/14/e...
Epstein Confidant Larry Summers Guiding Democrats’ ‘Project 2029’ - The American Prospect
Summers was overseeing the economic policy plank of the Center for American Progress’s effort. Emails released this week show him in regular contact with Jeffrey Epstein.
prospect.org
November 14, 2025 at 5:04 PM
NEW: Before the recent Epstein disclosures, Larry Summers was poised to lead the economic policy plank for the Democrats' "Project 2029" effort at the Center for American Progress. He signed off on a housing policy paper CAP was prepping for next week.
prospect.org/2025/11/14/e...
prospect.org/2025/11/14/e...
Reposted by Rahim Kurwa
"It is cruelty & political indoctrination. I'd need to tell my students that ‘What you came here to learn, I’m unable to tell you, because I’m restricted to tell you that information, even though such knowledge is available at every major university in this world.’"
— Leonard Bright, AAUP TAMU
— Leonard Bright, AAUP TAMU
Texas A&M Requires Approval for Courses That “Advocate” Certain Ideologies
Many faculty members decried the new restrictions on race- and gender-related courses as an assault on academic freedom. Meanwhile, the board also discussed a once-per-semester systemwide course revie...
www.insidehighered.com
November 14, 2025 at 6:18 PM
"It is cruelty & political indoctrination. I'd need to tell my students that ‘What you came here to learn, I’m unable to tell you, because I’m restricted to tell you that information, even though such knowledge is available at every major university in this world.’"
— Leonard Bright, AAUP TAMU
— Leonard Bright, AAUP TAMU
Reposted by Rahim Kurwa
"If anything, the response by university leaders may have brought to the fore what some of us suspected all along: Academic freedom is being eroded internally by university administrators & externally by politicians."
— Laura Isabel Serna, President of University of Southern California AAUP
— Laura Isabel Serna, President of University of Southern California AAUP
Commentary: Fearing Trump, universities themselves restrict academic freedom
Seven out of the nine universities that the Trump administration invited to offer feedback on the so...
www.macon.com
November 14, 2025 at 5:11 PM
"If anything, the response by university leaders may have brought to the fore what some of us suspected all along: Academic freedom is being eroded internally by university administrators & externally by politicians."
— Laura Isabel Serna, President of University of Southern California AAUP
— Laura Isabel Serna, President of University of Southern California AAUP
Reposted by Rahim Kurwa
READ: "A chance encounter with one of my past students at the Islamic University of Gaza highlighted the paradox of surviving the Gaza genocide: feeling joy in surviving the war and sorrow in witnessing what our survival has cost us." mondoweiss.net/2025/10/im-h...
‘I’m happy and sad to see you’: The paradox of surviving the Gaza genocide
A chance encounter with one of my past students at the Islamic University of Gaza highlighted the paradox of surviving the Gaza genocide: feeling joy in surviving the war and sorrow in witnessing…
mondoweiss.net
November 14, 2025 at 5:03 PM
READ: "A chance encounter with one of my past students at the Islamic University of Gaza highlighted the paradox of surviving the Gaza genocide: feeling joy in surviving the war and sorrow in witnessing what our survival has cost us." mondoweiss.net/2025/10/im-h...
Reposted by Rahim Kurwa
Fall with the Feds in Chicago: 2 people shot, 1 fatally. Rubber pellets, pepper balls fired into crowds. Neighborhoods enveloped in noxious gas, sickening residents & police. Chokeholds used at least 5 times. 8 car chases. Force used in at least 76 incidents.
chicago.suntimes.com/the-watchdog...
chicago.suntimes.com/the-watchdog...
Tear gas, car crashes, rubber bullets: Risky tactics have driven Trump’s Chicago deportation ‘blitz’
Law enforcement experts say federal agents have displayed a lack of training and restraint. “They’re out of control,” ex-police Supt. Garry McCarthy says.
chicago.suntimes.com
November 14, 2025 at 4:23 PM
Fall with the Feds in Chicago: 2 people shot, 1 fatally. Rubber pellets, pepper balls fired into crowds. Neighborhoods enveloped in noxious gas, sickening residents & police. Chokeholds used at least 5 times. 8 car chases. Force used in at least 76 incidents.
chicago.suntimes.com/the-watchdog...
chicago.suntimes.com/the-watchdog...
Reposted by Rahim Kurwa
MAGA’s ongoing war on academic freedom, reflected in headlines from the last 24 hours.
November 14, 2025 at 1:17 PM
MAGA’s ongoing war on academic freedom, reflected in headlines from the last 24 hours.
Reposted by Rahim Kurwa
The winter storms have come to Gaza. Huge numbers of people are still stuck in makeshift tents, often with no waterproofing. If you've ever helped people in Gaza with direct donations, please do so now. Aid still can't reach them and for malnourished children, exposure to this can be deadly. #Gaza 🍉
November 14, 2025 at 3:01 PM
The winter storms have come to Gaza. Huge numbers of people are still stuck in makeshift tents, often with no waterproofing. If you've ever helped people in Gaza with direct donations, please do so now. Aid still can't reach them and for malnourished children, exposure to this can be deadly. #Gaza 🍉
Reposted by Rahim Kurwa
“Housing shortage – Jews to blame," letter sticker, German Reich, 1938
zwangsraeume.berlin/en/context
zwangsraeume.berlin/en/context
November 14, 2025 at 2:16 AM
“Housing shortage – Jews to blame," letter sticker, German Reich, 1938
zwangsraeume.berlin/en/context
zwangsraeume.berlin/en/context
Reposted by Rahim Kurwa
JUST IN: Judge orders ICE to release 300+ detained immigrants
Judge demands ICE release 313 people held without warrants
The detainees are to be released on bond into a monitoring program by Nov. 21.
trib.al
November 12, 2025 at 9:15 PM
JUST IN: Judge orders ICE to release 300+ detained immigrants
Reposted by Rahim Kurwa
Fmr Canadian FM Lloyd Axworthy: Canada should pull out of Safe Third Country Agreement w/United States which leads to most asylum seekers arriving at the Canadian border being turned back: "erosion of the rights of migrants in the U.S. means the country should no longer be considered a safe country"
Canada should withdraw from U.S. refugee pact, says former minister Axworthy
Lloyd Axworthy says the U.S. should no longer be considered a safe country for Canada to return asylum seekers to
www.theglobeandmail.com
November 13, 2025 at 11:40 PM
Fmr Canadian FM Lloyd Axworthy: Canada should pull out of Safe Third Country Agreement w/United States which leads to most asylum seekers arriving at the Canadian border being turned back: "erosion of the rights of migrants in the U.S. means the country should no longer be considered a safe country"
Vance's argument has a long history. He statements could have come out of the country's mid-century fascists, who also argued for anti-immigrant housing policy. I trace that history here: theconversation.com/the-trump-ad...
November 14, 2025 at 1:27 AM
Vance's argument has a long history. He statements could have come out of the country's mid-century fascists, who also argued for anti-immigrant housing policy. I trace that history here: theconversation.com/the-trump-ad...
Reposted by Rahim Kurwa
Researchers at Columbia University say the use of prison labor in Hyundai’s supply chain is driving down the wages of non-incarcerated workers by as much as 14%. www.al.com/news/2025/11...
Alabama prison labor in Hyundai supply chain has devastating effect on wages, researchers say
A new study says that inmates, who are paid for their work, also experience more frequent safety hazards.
www.al.com
November 14, 2025 at 1:18 AM
Researchers at Columbia University say the use of prison labor in Hyundai’s supply chain is driving down the wages of non-incarcerated workers by as much as 14%. www.al.com/news/2025/11...
Reposted by Rahim Kurwa
We are seeking short reflections on:
Surveillance culture and technology
Artificial intelligence
Climate change
Fake news and misinformation
Reproductive justice
Racial and gender inequalities
Indigenous rights
More here: www.feministstudies.org/home.html
Surveillance culture and technology
Artificial intelligence
Climate change
Fake news and misinformation
Reproductive justice
Racial and gender inequalities
Indigenous rights
More here: www.feministstudies.org/home.html
Feminist Studies
The first scholarly journal in women's studies and a flagship interdisciplinary venue for new areas of feminist research, theory, commentary, and art.
www.feministstudies.org
November 13, 2025 at 3:29 PM
We are seeking short reflections on:
Surveillance culture and technology
Artificial intelligence
Climate change
Fake news and misinformation
Reproductive justice
Racial and gender inequalities
Indigenous rights
More here: www.feministstudies.org/home.html
Surveillance culture and technology
Artificial intelligence
Climate change
Fake news and misinformation
Reproductive justice
Racial and gender inequalities
Indigenous rights
More here: www.feministstudies.org/home.html
Reposted by Rahim Kurwa
"I stood in front of my classmates and delivered my presentation while my mind was somewhere else, on Gaza’s shattered streets, on Dr. Refaat’s face, on the laughter we shared on the beach before I left."
How it feels to live as an academic in exile while Gaza burns
As a graduate student from Gaza studying in Wyoming, I live in two dimensions: one where life moves peacefully forward, and another where everything I love is collapsing. I live in both worlds at once...
mondoweiss.net
November 13, 2025 at 7:49 PM
"I stood in front of my classmates and delivered my presentation while my mind was somewhere else, on Gaza’s shattered streets, on Dr. Refaat’s face, on the laughter we shared on the beach before I left."
Reposted by Rahim Kurwa
This is inexcusable. Allegations of abuse inside ICE Broadview facility but ICE destroyed the video evidence. Time to let everyone go -- and then lock up those who destroyed the evidence.
An interesting tidbit in the joint status report filed in the Broadview ICE facility case today:
ICE says video from inside the facility "between October 19, 2025, and October 31, 2025, has been irretrievably destroyed" and can't be produced in discovery.
www.courtlistener.com/docket/71832...
ICE says video from inside the facility "between October 19, 2025, and October 31, 2025, has been irretrievably destroyed" and can't be produced in discovery.
www.courtlistener.com/docket/71832...
November 13, 2025 at 7:36 PM
This is inexcusable. Allegations of abuse inside ICE Broadview facility but ICE destroyed the video evidence. Time to let everyone go -- and then lock up those who destroyed the evidence.
Reposted by Rahim Kurwa
Bovino: "Whether they were criminals or individuals that were taking jobs from Americans -- you name it, that's what they were doing. And I'll tell you what's gonna happen. We're gonna go even harder on the streets. If he releases those 650, we're gonna apprehend 1,650 on the streets of Chicago."
November 13, 2025 at 7:45 PM
Bovino: "Whether they were criminals or individuals that were taking jobs from Americans -- you name it, that's what they were doing. And I'll tell you what's gonna happen. We're gonna go even harder on the streets. If he releases those 650, we're gonna apprehend 1,650 on the streets of Chicago."
Reposted by Rahim Kurwa
Bovino: "We're ratcheting operations up in Chicago. That's a very corrupt system in Chicago. Whether it's those elected leaders like Pritzker or those out of control judges, Chicago needs some attention. You're gonna see some very dynamic operations."
November 13, 2025 at 7:47 PM
Bovino: "We're ratcheting operations up in Chicago. That's a very corrupt system in Chicago. Whether it's those elected leaders like Pritzker or those out of control judges, Chicago needs some attention. You're gonna see some very dynamic operations."
Reposted by Rahim Kurwa
NEW: @propublica.org investigated the Chicago apartment raid where kids were zip-tied and citizens detained for hours. They find:
- NONE of the arrested were criminally charged
- NO evidence the building was "filled with TdA terrorists."
- ZERO legitimate reason for DHS to rappel from a Blackhawk.
- NONE of the arrested were criminally charged
- NO evidence the building was "filled with TdA terrorists."
- ZERO legitimate reason for DHS to rappel from a Blackhawk.
November 13, 2025 at 2:08 PM
NEW: @propublica.org investigated the Chicago apartment raid where kids were zip-tied and citizens detained for hours. They find:
- NONE of the arrested were criminally charged
- NO evidence the building was "filled with TdA terrorists."
- ZERO legitimate reason for DHS to rappel from a Blackhawk.
- NONE of the arrested were criminally charged
- NO evidence the building was "filled with TdA terrorists."
- ZERO legitimate reason for DHS to rappel from a Blackhawk.
Reposted by Rahim Kurwa
Seven immigrants detained at the new California City ICE facility are suing the Trump administration, alleging inhumane conditions including lack of food, water and medical care.
Detained immigrants sue over alleged inhumane conditions at California City ICE facility
Seven immigrants detained at the new California City ICE facility are suing the Trump administration, alleging inhumane conditions including lack of food, water and medical care.
bit.ly
November 13, 2025 at 6:30 AM
Seven immigrants detained at the new California City ICE facility are suing the Trump administration, alleging inhumane conditions including lack of food, water and medical care.