If the White House can lawlessly take a wrecking ball, there's no reason that gaudy tower can't. It's clearly not up to code, an unsafe and unwanted blight.
And they’re taking on San Francisco simultaneously.
San Francisco, where the gay community burned two cop cars the night Dan White got off with a wrist-slap after assassinating Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk. Won’t just be the gay community pissed this time. It’ll be everybody.
In 1940 former New Yorker Rick Blaine, who had run guns to Ethiopia and fought against the fascists in Spain, had to leave Paris as the Nazis invaded and began their occupation. He also had his heart broken at the same time.
He relocated to Casablanca, controlled by the Vichy government but unoccupied by Nazis.
He opened a bar, Rick’s Cafe Americain.
One night several Nazi German officers, led by a Major Strasser, visited Rick’s Cafe. They had a file on Rick, and began a casual interrogation of him.
Strasser asked Rick, “Can you not imagine Germans in your beloved Paris?”
Rick, “Well, it’s not exactly MY beloved Paris.”(broken hearts hurt for a long time)
Strasser,”What about London?”
Rick,”Ask me when you get there.”
Strasser,”And New York?”
Rick, “Well Major, there are certain sections of New York I would advise you not to invade.”
Why not have Garbage Trucks ready to block and close roads? Permanently close the streets around their buildings. Bring in those huge concrete blocks. Make it absolute hell.
Here in Illinois, I am constantly impressed by my Chicago compatriots and their thorough response. It's still frightening and immigrants are huddling at home, but their friends and neighbors are taking none of this lightly. Plus the Mayor and the Governor are so forthright in their stance -- makes us proud!
But I wanted to ask, are you familiar with the 287(g) program? I ask since you mentioned keeping police independent from ICE and other federal agents. This program is dangerous as it's DHS partnering with state and local law enforcement. They are providing incentives in MONETARY ways, and they provide a map on their site of where they already have active partnerships (it's well over 1000 now). Anyway, I wrote a piece on it, but you should definitely look into it and do the same since you have far more reach. The Intercept has written about but aside from them, there has been very little press on it aside from them and the ACLU: https://cryn.substack.com/p/need-to-know-ices-aggressive-287g
Many small town sheriffs in my state have agreed to work with ICE if they’re alerted to a “criminal wanted by ICE”. As a local organizer, we’re monitoring the sheriffs’ every move.
Ugh. Well, I'm glad you and your community are working together to keep an eye on your sheriff. That's the work we need to be doing when we learn about these things. Thanks for telling me about it, too!
We have organized a group in our town of 11,000 to identify people who are in seats power and influence. We’ve set meetings with them to discuss their reactions to the Trump administration, how policies will effect their jobs and this town. The sheriff was on the list and that’s how he told us about signing up to work with ICE. He considers us to be “helping him do his job” and that relationship makes it possible for us to regularly check in and monitor what he’s doing. It’s a good way to build communication with school boards , homeless shelters, social services, hospitals, all kinds of institutions who build a healthy community. We’ve been greeted with open doors everywhere. Highly recommended strategy for building connections that are necessary to survive this administration.
Rats > cockroaches > unconfirmed subhuman hybrid sewer mutants > these now-hybrid teams of feds
The two halves of my life are Chicago and NYC. I hope you're right that NYC can do an even better job of what everyone in Chicago has been trying to do. Ridicule these pathetic and overcompensating losers every moment they dare to step foot outside their vehicles. They often get right back in and drive away when they're being recorded under humiliation.
Oh, and they love to obscure their license plates. Report each instance to 311 and the State Attorney General's office. Tickets mailed to their home addresses. Try to get them towed (If any NYPD officers are actually brave enough to do their jobs and pull over one of those vehicles, which CPD have expectedly not been).
I’m exceedingly skeptical that the NYPD, or any cops anywhere, are all that interested in being a bulwark against fascism. In 2025 who the hell becomes a cop thinking that they are gonna be the good guys??
That being said , now’s the time for every law enforcement individual, much like every military member to decide if being a decent person is something that’s in the cards for their present and future selves.
If there’s going to be any light at the end of all this swirling darkness, America is going to need a very serious de-MAGAfication effort. That is going to start with a clear eyed acceptance, by everyone of good conscience, that the consolidation and deployment of state power for the benefit of the elites is not some 21st century bug in the functioning of American society.
Either a thing works or it doesn’t. Thats the sum total of any things utility. You can’t substitute nostalgia for a thing that perhaps once worked and longer does. More to the point if a thing doesn’t work and yet persists you must ask if perhaps you don’t understand its purpose at all.
America does not work for, or protect, normal people because that’s not what it was designed to do, but it could.
I don't think it's a matter of cops wanting to be "a bulwark against fascism" (an impossibility). Practically speaking it's a matter of having a police force that is actually under the control of the mayor and will carry out the mayor's policies rather than explicitly or implicitly refusing to do so.
My cynical side tells me that being “ under the control of the mayor” is just semantics. The police will appear to follow the rule of law, as long as the rule of law doesn’t impede their inherently fascist intent.
They are an armed gang, that’s their purpose. ICE is simply a caricature, not something at odds with the underlying reality.
You must have been first in your class. Right. The NY cops wouldn’t take on the feds even before “defund the police.” I doubt they’re going to stand with the tens of thousands of illegal migrants Biden brought here, who sell fake goods likely manufactured by slaves and child laborers.
But I’m glad the Democrats found another heartwarming cause.
I attended a panel discussion at Hunter earlier this month. I didn't realize just how much the demographics of NYC has changed over decades! 28% of NYC is Hispanic as of 2020! 20% is black, same year! ICE is going to be so horribly outnumbered!
As the great American philosopher Rick Blaine once said to an ICE-ish Major Strasser: "Well, there are certain sections of New York, Major, that I wouldn't advise you to try to invade."
It's been many years since I spent my one single week in NYC, but I have nothing but happy memories of meeting just one nice person after another. My favorite memento, although it doesn't work any longer, was a fake Rolex I bought in Battery Park for forty bucks, so my sympathies go to the retailers of knock-offs.
In terms of increased building inspections, Trump tower should be top of the list, along with any other properties Trump owns here.
If the White House can lawlessly take a wrecking ball, there's no reason that gaudy tower can't. It's clearly not up to code, an unsafe and unwanted blight.
And they’re taking on San Francisco simultaneously.
San Francisco, where the gay community burned two cop cars the night Dan White got off with a wrist-slap after assassinating Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk. Won’t just be the gay community pissed this time. It’ll be everybody.
San Fransisco has changed somewhat in the last 50 years
In 1940 former New Yorker Rick Blaine, who had run guns to Ethiopia and fought against the fascists in Spain, had to leave Paris as the Nazis invaded and began their occupation. He also had his heart broken at the same time.
He relocated to Casablanca, controlled by the Vichy government but unoccupied by Nazis.
He opened a bar, Rick’s Cafe Americain.
One night several Nazi German officers, led by a Major Strasser, visited Rick’s Cafe. They had a file on Rick, and began a casual interrogation of him.
Strasser asked Rick, “Can you not imagine Germans in your beloved Paris?”
Rick, “Well, it’s not exactly MY beloved Paris.”(broken hearts hurt for a long time)
Strasser,”What about London?”
Rick,”Ask me when you get there.”
Strasser,”And New York?”
Rick, “Well Major, there are certain sections of New York I would advise you not to invade.”
Still good advice to fascists.
Shout out to NYC from Chicago, here! Give 'em hell! Great ideas, Nolan. Obstruct, inspect, annoy. Protect our neighbors and neighborhoods!
Why not have Garbage Trucks ready to block and close roads? Permanently close the streets around their buildings. Bring in those huge concrete blocks. Make it absolute hell.
Salt trucks are the best metaphor. Park them in front of detention facility doors.
Except that it will affect all traffic in and out of the city
Here in Illinois, I am constantly impressed by my Chicago compatriots and their thorough response. It's still frightening and immigrants are huddling at home, but their friends and neighbors are taking none of this lightly. Plus the Mayor and the Governor are so forthright in their stance -- makes us proud!
I thank you.
@Hamilton - Great piece as usual.
But I wanted to ask, are you familiar with the 287(g) program? I ask since you mentioned keeping police independent from ICE and other federal agents. This program is dangerous as it's DHS partnering with state and local law enforcement. They are providing incentives in MONETARY ways, and they provide a map on their site of where they already have active partnerships (it's well over 1000 now). Anyway, I wrote a piece on it, but you should definitely look into it and do the same since you have far more reach. The Intercept has written about but aside from them, there has been very little press on it aside from them and the ACLU: https://cryn.substack.com/p/need-to-know-ices-aggressive-287g
Many small town sheriffs in my state have agreed to work with ICE if they’re alerted to a “criminal wanted by ICE”. As a local organizer, we’re monitoring the sheriffs’ every move.
Ugh. Well, I'm glad you and your community are working together to keep an eye on your sheriff. That's the work we need to be doing when we learn about these things. Thanks for telling me about it, too!
We have organized a group in our town of 11,000 to identify people who are in seats power and influence. We’ve set meetings with them to discuss their reactions to the Trump administration, how policies will effect their jobs and this town. The sheriff was on the list and that’s how he told us about signing up to work with ICE. He considers us to be “helping him do his job” and that relationship makes it possible for us to regularly check in and monitor what he’s doing. It’s a good way to build communication with school boards , homeless shelters, social services, hospitals, all kinds of institutions who build a healthy community. We’ve been greeted with open doors everywhere. Highly recommended strategy for building connections that are necessary to survive this administration.
That’s really good to hear.
Rats > cockroaches > unconfirmed subhuman hybrid sewer mutants > these now-hybrid teams of feds
The two halves of my life are Chicago and NYC. I hope you're right that NYC can do an even better job of what everyone in Chicago has been trying to do. Ridicule these pathetic and overcompensating losers every moment they dare to step foot outside their vehicles. They often get right back in and drive away when they're being recorded under humiliation.
Oh, and they love to obscure their license plates. Report each instance to 311 and the State Attorney General's office. Tickets mailed to their home addresses. Try to get them towed (If any NYPD officers are actually brave enough to do their jobs and pull over one of those vehicles, which CPD have expectedly not been).
Ugh they just landed in SF. Organizers are totally ready and seeing people in NYC is pumping us up!
I’m exceedingly skeptical that the NYPD, or any cops anywhere, are all that interested in being a bulwark against fascism. In 2025 who the hell becomes a cop thinking that they are gonna be the good guys??
That being said , now’s the time for every law enforcement individual, much like every military member to decide if being a decent person is something that’s in the cards for their present and future selves.
If there’s going to be any light at the end of all this swirling darkness, America is going to need a very serious de-MAGAfication effort. That is going to start with a clear eyed acceptance, by everyone of good conscience, that the consolidation and deployment of state power for the benefit of the elites is not some 21st century bug in the functioning of American society.
Either a thing works or it doesn’t. Thats the sum total of any things utility. You can’t substitute nostalgia for a thing that perhaps once worked and longer does. More to the point if a thing doesn’t work and yet persists you must ask if perhaps you don’t understand its purpose at all.
America does not work for, or protect, normal people because that’s not what it was designed to do, but it could.
I don't think it's a matter of cops wanting to be "a bulwark against fascism" (an impossibility). Practically speaking it's a matter of having a police force that is actually under the control of the mayor and will carry out the mayor's policies rather than explicitly or implicitly refusing to do so.
My cynical side tells me that being “ under the control of the mayor” is just semantics. The police will appear to follow the rule of law, as long as the rule of law doesn’t impede their inherently fascist intent.
They are an armed gang, that’s their purpose. ICE is simply a caricature, not something at odds with the underlying reality.
I hope I’m wrong.
Has everyone forgotten that the NYPD literally threatened to murder DeBlasio's daughter during George Floyd Summer? (and got away with it)
You must have been first in your class. Right. The NY cops wouldn’t take on the feds even before “defund the police.” I doubt they’re going to stand with the tens of thousands of illegal migrants Biden brought here, who sell fake goods likely manufactured by slaves and child laborers.
But I’m glad the Democrats found another heartwarming cause.
I attended a panel discussion at Hunter earlier this month. I didn't realize just how much the demographics of NYC has changed over decades! 28% of NYC is Hispanic as of 2020! 20% is black, same year! ICE is going to be so horribly outnumbered!
https://bsky.app/profile/trooper1023.bsky.social/post/3m3uhwpg2xc2b
The bureaucratic harassment is brilliant!
Mr. Nolan. Hail and well met, sir. Been missing you since your Gawker days. Thanks for stepping up the fight here in Gotham. +1
Great piece! Somewhat apropos, check out this video based on an Elton John song...
https://saveourstate.substack.com/p/fascist-faces
As the great American philosopher Rick Blaine once said to an ICE-ish Major Strasser: "Well, there are certain sections of New York, Major, that I wouldn't advise you to try to invade."
It's been many years since I spent my one single week in NYC, but I have nothing but happy memories of meeting just one nice person after another. My favorite memento, although it doesn't work any longer, was a fake Rolex I bought in Battery Park for forty bucks, so my sympathies go to the retailers of knock-offs.