CEO of the MA Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence. Knitter, cat lady, grey hair evangelist. Oh, and I box. #COYS. Opinions strong, plentiful, and my own. Check out my essays at: https://ruthzakarin.substack.com/
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The president is sending the military to control American cities and if you're a reporter who's framing that illegal power grab as "pushing the boundaries of constitutionality" or "acting boldly to fight crime" or whatever, please go find another line of work where you won't get us all killed.
🧵Oh boy. Here we go. Materials & resources for helping to protect our neighbors in this thread.
Wow. Sending the National Guard from Texas to go after people on Mexican Independence Day is quite a choice.
Be loud, get in the way, do all the damn things.
Be loud, get in the way, do all the damn things.
Be loud, get in the way, do all the damn things.
Gun violence isn’t solved by federal agents with guns.
In our current timeline, there are states where it’s easier to get a semiautomatic weapon than a COVID shot. That’s not public safety.
So much this
Here’s the full article. A mind boggling read, and a reminder that this was never ever about protecting Jews. www.bostonglobe.com/2025/09/02/m...
From today’s @bostonglobe.com. I’ll link the full article below, but for those who hit a paywall… “Velchik — who holds two degrees from Harvard, one from the college and one from the law school — was the sole lawyer arguing the case for the White House in July.” You really can’t make this up.
Imagine the crime and violence we could prevent if only we invested in the things that make people safe and well.
Prosecutors are reducing penalties for “a teen who admitted he posed on Instagram with an AR-15-style rifle when he was 18 years old, after having been convicted of armed carjacking, assault and destruction of property as a juvenile…” 1/ www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...
The 90 year old hippie that’s gonna scare the shit out of Stephen Miller
I’m with you. I can’t imagine we’re done with him. Or that he’s done with us. Unfortunately.
Abusers to their victims: “You are nothing without me”
This is a terrific statement that holds both respect for Nadler’s accomplishments as well what’s needed in this moment. @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social can walk and chew gum at the same time and we sorely need that right now.
“But before any penalties could be imposed, a prosecutor from Pirro’s office pulled the plug on the proceedings.” All while federal agents have taken over DC, harassing and disappearing people who have committed no crime at all. This is insane. Dangerous and absolutely insane. 2/2
Prosecutors are reducing penalties for “a teen who admitted he posed on Instagram with an AR-15-style rifle when he was 18 years old, after having been convicted of armed carjacking, assault and destruction of property as a juvenile…” 1/ www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...
On this Labor Day… “Immigrants make up almost 20% of the U.S. workforce and that data shows 45% of workers in farming, fishing and forestry are immigrants… About 30% of all construction workers are immigrants…” These workers didn’t disappear. They were violently abducted. apnews.com/article/labo...
I am so grateful for you!!
Anyone else got the September scaries?
Imagine the crime and violence we could prevent if only we invested in the things that make people safe and well.
I certainly see where it’s coming from. Power and control.
You know when you play a record at a slower speed and it sounds all distorted and wonky? That’s why this post reads like.
You know what would be a great way to celebrate Labor Day? Removing federal restrictions on vaccine access so our workers can get the preventative health care they need and deserve.
I am the daughter of a Teamster and a member of the teachers’ union. I am the niece and granddaughter of four members of the nurses’ union. Hell yeah I wish you all a happy Labor Day.
vax your kids. if you're old, get your titers checked. or if you're in doubt, ask about getting an mmr booster.
I called this segregationist way back in February: www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
On this Labor Day… “Immigrants make up almost 20% of the U.S. workforce and that data shows 45% of workers in farming, fishing and forestry are immigrants… About 30% of all construction workers are immigrants…” These workers didn’t disappear. They were violently abducted. apnews.com/article/labo...
If the Dems are looking for some advice on how to address crime & violence, I’ve got a couple of thoughts on who might be able to help. Folks doing the work on gun violence prevention, criminal justice reform, housing, etc. Survivors. We know what safety looks like 1/ apnews.com/article/trum...
Can you imagine what good this money would have done if it had been invested in housing people instead of caging them?
Judge Sparkle Sooknanan is my new hero.
So I hope our Democratic leaders talk to folks doing the work. Talk to survivors of violence. They will hear a lot about what builds safer communities. It’s not punishment, militarization, disappearing people, or “sweeping” them off the streets. It’s investment. That’s what will get my vote. 6/6
A poll noted in the article gets at the same thing, noting that respondents “believe resources would be better spent investing in community policing, mental health services and passing meaningful laws to get guns off city streets.” 5/ apnews.com/article/trum...
One of my favorite resources for demonstrating this is from @themarshallproject.org. A round up of feedback from incarcerated people on what might of kept them out of prison, it is both a blueprint and a call to action. I hope you will read and share it. 4/ www.themarshallproject.org/2020/10/27/w...
What works is investing in people and communities. And we have to help people connect the dots between this and crime prevention. How funding the programs that provide care, ensuring people have what they need to be safe and well… that’s what prevents crime and violence. 3/
We know what works to prevent violence, and it’s not what the current administration is offering. Punishment isn’t prevention, and the Dems should reject the “tough on crime” ethos. It’s BS and it doesn’t work. You can’t arrest your way out of these problems. 2/
If the Dems are looking for some advice on how to address crime & violence, I’ve got a couple of thoughts on who might be able to help. Folks doing the work on gun violence prevention, criminal justice reform, housing, etc. Survivors. We know what safety looks like 1/ apnews.com/article/trum...
I first read that as he declared himself immoral and I was like yeah we already know that
They are doing just what they wanted to accuse Dems of: trafficking children. I am grateful to Judge Sooknanan for getting in the way.
HAPPENING NOW: Judge Sparkle Sooknanan holds an emergency hearing as the Trump admin is reportedly trying—imminently—to deport hundreds of Guatemalan children without required process or access to representation. www.courtlistener.com/docket/71240...
You have to read this whole harrowing thread about how our government is willing to sacrifice children at the altar of hate, and how Judge Sooknanan is getting in the way. Thank you @joshuajfriedman.com for bringing this all to us. Violence thrives in silence and it’s critical that we bear witness.
It’s just another example of republican leaders sacrificing their own people at the altar of loyalty to Trump. From the big awful bill to the gutting of public health infrastructure, their willingness to see their own people suffer in service to regime knows no bounds.
Can you spare a little blame for James Comey? And for all the people who didn’t believe Anita Hill, Christine Blasey Ford, E. Jean Carroll, and so many other women who told us??
Trump wants to get rid of Housing First, which has seen great success and doesn’t require sobriety to access. Critics don’t like it because they see it as a giveaway. But here’s what they don’t — or don’t care to — understand about programs based on compassion 1/ www.bostonglobe.com/2025/08/30/m...
I’m a MH clinician, and when someone is suicidal you make sure they have support and that they don’t have access to firearms. What does the big awful bill do? Takes away Medicaid coverage, making MH care less accessible. And it makes certain kinds of firearms more accessible. This is very bad.
Too many people assume addiction can be turned off like a switch & done according to what THEY feel is the right schedule (especially govt & courts), thats not how it works. It take years for a body & brain to adjust to being sober again, you have to learn how to live all over again & it takes time
Please call it what it is: human trafficking
Agreed
Hah. I ran out of characters!
I’m a MH clinician, and when someone is suicidal you make sure they have support and that they don’t have access to firearms. What does the big awful bill do? Takes away Medicaid coverage, making MH care less accessible. And it makes certain kinds of firearms more accessible. This is very bad.
👇🎯 University presidents, take note & start getting in front of microphones, en masse, now:
If I birthed one of those kids can I say hey too?? Some of my favorite mom memories are rooted in this, BTW
We won’t notice it at first Maybe an outbreak of cholera in southwest Kansas goes undetected Perhaps the number of flu related deaths ticks up just a bit each year But-ultimately, inexorably-the destruction of the CDC will lead to countless deaths All because of two men Trump and RFK, Jr
We should support trans people simply because we should. And we should support trans people because when we build safety for those most marginalized, we build systems of safety that ultimately benefit us all. And we should support trans people simply because we should.
This is such an important point. And we have to keep on fighting to show those being most harmed by this administration that there are a whole lot of us willing to fight for and with them. We have to. Giving up isn’t an option.
Distrust in government institutions played a huge role in bringing Trump’s regime back into power. And now Trump’s regime is dismantling critical government institutions — and eroding our ability to trust in them. It’s such the awful irony.
It’s hard to follow a plan when you are worried about what’s going to happen next. And recovery is hard work, impossible without safety and support. So when Trump yanks funding from housing first programs he shows us yet again how it’s never really about safety and never really about care. 5/5
Folks don’t realize that shelter is not safe for everyone, and it’s certainly not the best environment to support recovery for all people. No shade to shelter providers — they are doing critically important work. But emergency shelter is a stopgap, not a long term solution. 4/
Low threshold housing doesn’t reward substance use. It makes recovery from substance misuse way more likely. You want people to engage in intensive services that will support being clean and sober? Not gonna happen when someone is trying to survive on the streets. Or in shelter. 3/
I’ve worked with plenty of survivors of abuse who also struggle with substance misuse. While everyone’s situation is different, there’s a common theme. You can’t heal or recover if you don’t have a safe place to heal and recover. There is no safety without a safe place to lay your head at night. 2/
Trump wants to get rid of Housing First, which has seen great success and doesn’t require sobriety to access. Critics don’t like it because they see it as a giveaway. But here’s what they don’t — or don’t care to — understand about programs based on compassion 1/ www.bostonglobe.com/2025/08/30/m...
“The last time I checked DC’s Union Station and Boston’s South Station are not killing upwards of 45,000 people a year. But guns sure are.” @ruthz.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/ruthzaka...
Thank you for sharing, Mary!
What happens when anyone could have a gun, and that anyone is a tailgating asshole with masculinity issues. How can Americans be a Free People when we are scared all the time that some asshole will pull out a gun? #FreedomFromGunViolenceNOW! #MomSky
Thank you @kimberlyeatkins.bsky.social for naming one of the foundational reasons it’s so hard to make change on gun violence. When guns are sacrosanct to a significant portion of people, and the gun industry profits on that reverence, we are stuck. And we have to name that in order to change that.
“When President Joe Biden ran for reelection at 81, his age and health were subjected to persistent scrutiny … In Trump’s case—the oldest person to take the oath of office who regularly fabricates stories and misremembers names—the bruises and swelling have barely merited a wire-service brief.”
đź“Ś
I am a Boston commuter and I am in South Station multiple times a week. I am in gun violence prevention work & I think about violence every day. I think that makes me uniquely qualified to comment on the potential federal takeover of South Station to address crime & violence. It’s total BS… 1/
Appreciate you, friend
Ruth we’re having a gun violence protest/ rally in Bridgewater 9/13 organized by @slarrry.bsky.social BCCRcivilrights.org
Thank you for sharing this! I will be in Springfield that day but happy to amplify!
We know what we need to make Boston even safer than it already is. And we could absolutely do that if we had a fraction of the federal resources Trump is currently wasting on the occupation of DC. His troops and threats don’t get us there. They don’t make us safe. We make us safe. 5/5
If Trump was serious about safety (he’s not) he would support strong gun laws, give back the money he’s stolen from violence prevention programs, invest in housing, and the list goes on. Pass us by with these threats to take over South Station. Let Boston do Boston. 4/
I walk through South Station all the time without worrying about my immediate safety. What would make me worry would be having my commute taken over by federal agents. I worry about ICE threatening to flood Boston. I worry about my friends and neighbors being harassed or abducted. 3/
Sure, Boston has crime just like any other city. You know what? Rural areas have crime and violence too. You know what doesn’t solve violence? Militarization. Force. Power and control. You know what does? Giving people the resources they need to be safe and well. Investing in communities. 2/
I am a Boston commuter and I am in South Station multiple times a week. I am in gun violence prevention work & I think about violence every day. I think that makes me uniquely qualified to comment on the potential federal takeover of South Station to address crime & violence. It’s total BS… 1/
"I drive past Annunciation Church and School frequently - they are about a mile from my home. Wednesday on my way home, I was redirected by police with the nearby roads blockaded in the aftermath of the horrific act of violence that took place during morning mass."
There are 219 Republicans (plus 3 Delegates) & 212 Democrats (plus 2 Delegates & the Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico), & 4 vacant seats. Only 132 Dems & 0 Republicans have cosponsored the bill to ban assault weapons. What will it take for them to stop arming school shooters with AR15s?
Many folks don’t know this, but the highest number of gun deaths are firearm suicides. A part of the work to prevent firearm suicide is to talk about it — have real conversations about real solutions. I am grateful to be a part of this important conversation. I hope you will join us!
Pundits critize people for having a political litmus test. I sure have one. Do your policies actually make people safer? Do they make communities stronger? Can you show your work to get from A to Z? Or are you just full of loud words and violent action? My latest. open.substack.com/pub/ruthzaka...
Boston commuter here. I’m not “not sold” on a federal takeover. I’m absofuckinlutely no on a fascist federal takeover. Thanks for coming to my Ruth talk.
Yesterday, a mass shooting claimed the lives of two schoolchildren and Trump had nothing to offer but prayers. But he keeps hollering about crime and violence— and how they’re going to address by taking over… train stations. It’s never really about safety. ruthzakarin.substack.com/p/if-it-was-...
Again, the political party that refuses to speak of gun laws after a mass shooting because it’s “not the time for politics” is perpetually politicizing our health. It will all kill us.
Yesterday, a mass shooting claimed the lives of two schoolchildren and Trump had nothing to offer but prayers. But he keeps hollering about crime and violence— and how they’re going to address by taking over… train stations. It’s never really about safety. ruthzakarin.substack.com/p/if-it-was-...
The constant question to ask with this administration is whether the action they’re taking actually works to keep people safe. The answer will always be no. For them it’s never about safety and always about power and control. But we have to keep asking the question and keep centering safety.
Yes, we know what the solutions are. We know what keeps people safe. And none of that should be political.
They're the people whose political rhetoric encourages violence. The legislators whose political calculus to align with the gun lobby enables it. The sellouts whose political cover shields the gun industry from liability. Every aspect of gun violence is political except the solutions, I think.
Why would anyone give a crap that I want a COVID vaccine? They’re turning cartwheels to make sure I can’t and WHY DO THEY CARE?? I mean, I know it’s all about power and control, but really. I mean really.
The people who say it’s too political to talk about gun laws after a mass shooting are the same people who have totally politicized the CDC. And they’re the same people who murmur thoughts and prayers but have absolutely no thoughts after children are gunned down while at prayer.
Yep I know this is some serious transphobic crap here but I’m not gonna lie… the other place my brain went to was “oh yet another example of how they don’t think of women as people”.
We are increasingly losing our other Constitutional rights to the cult of false 2A. If we are afraid to live our lives, always scared and worried someone will pull out a gun, how can we be a free People? #MomSky
The constant question to ask with this administration is whether the action they’re taking actually works to keep people safe. The answer will always be no. For them it’s never about safety and always about power and control. But we have to keep asking the question and keep centering safety.
Here you go. Unfortunately the Globe doesn’t have gift links.
Here’s the thing. We don’t need the Trump administration to do something about our train station problem to keep people safe. But we sure need something done about our gun violence problem. And they sure aren’t going to do anything about that. www.bostonglobe.com/2025/08/27/l...
Here’s the thing. We don’t need the Trump administration to do something about our train station problem to keep people safe. But we sure need something done about our gun violence problem. And they sure aren’t going to do anything about that. www.bostonglobe.com/2025/08/27/l...
Trying to find words when there are no words. Our post from the MA Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence about our kids’ right to be safe, and our responsibility to make that happen. What a horrific way to start the school year.
We talk a lot about how kids should feel safe at school. We talk a lot about how people should feel safe in their places of worship. And then there was today.