Alex Pareene
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Articles by Alex Pareene
Traffic Stops Were Already Harmful. ICE Is Making Them Worse.
A decade ago, the killings of Sandra Bland and Philando Castile forced people in the United States to reckon with the harms of traffic stops—especially for people of color. In the years since, many jurisdictions have become safer by curbing the use of traffic stops as a law enforcement tool. But in much of the country, the harms have persisted. Now, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is bringing new attention to this issue and why it matters.
Op-ed | Out-of-Control Federal Law Enforcement Is Undermining Public Safety
A series of fatal shootings by federal agents shows how an aggressive federal law enforcement agenda undermines the very public safety it claims to protect. Originally published by Vera Institute of Justice This month, agents of the federal government, including the National Guard, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), have shot and killed four people.
I Have A Great Idea For Retraining ICE Agents
The several thousand federal agents currently running rampant in the Twin Cities have so far achieved little in the way of legitimate law enforcement objectives, but they have been rather more successful at spreading mayhem and death. Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti were both brutally and callously killed this month, Good shot by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer Jonathan Ross and Pretti killed by so far unidentified U.S. Border Patrol agents.
The Computers Are Coming For The Wrong Jobs
One of the funnier conceits of the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike is the producers’ insistence on keeping the door open to having AI involved in the writing process.
People Who Caused Traffic Nightmare At Pretty Tree Festival Complain Of Traffic Nightmare At Pretty Tree Festival
If I’d wanted to see the Cherry Blossoms in Washington, DC today, I could’ve taken the Q or the 2 from my apartment in Brooklyn to Penn Station, which is about a 40 minute trip, and then taken the Amtrak Northeast regional to Union Station, which would’ve taken 3-and-a-half to 4 hours, and then hopped on one of Washington’s Capital Bikeshare bikes outside Union Station to ride down to Hains Point at the southern tip of East Potomac Park, about a 25-minute ride in what looks to be beautiful,...
I Love And Hate My Stupidly Expensive Crossword Puzzle Device
I received a Kindle Scribe for Christmas last year, which I probably should have expected, on account of asking for it. The Kindle Scribe is, basically, a large e-reader, with a stylus. It came out late last year. I put it on my wishlist because I was curious about it, but not curious enough to buy one for myself. I am a fan of the Kindle e-reader line, though.
Has Anyone Seen My Balloons?
One of my main interests, as a longtime balloon enthusiast, is acquiring balloons of various shapes and sizes, filling them with lighter-than-air gasses, and then letting them float freely throughout North American airspace. Now, a big part of the fun of releasing large, sometimes irregularly shaped balloons is that you just never know where they’ll end up. But lately, the damnedest thing keeps happening: My balloons keep disappearing! I lost the first one earlier this month.
In the Blue Doghouse
This official White House photograph is being made available only for publication by news organizations and/or for personal use printing by the subject(s) of the photograph. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way and may not be used in commercial or political materials, advertisements, emails, products, promotions that in any way suggests approval or endorsement of the President, the First Family, or the White House.
America Will Never Put Its Teen Curfews to Bed
I STUMBLED UPON this ScreenRant listicle about what facts of American life international players find odd or amusing in “The Sims,” the popular video game franchise about dressing up and/or torturing bits of human-shaped data.
I Forgot Entertainment Weekly Stopped Running This Year
SPEAKING OF NOT ending well, in Popula this week Matt Haber reminded us of the print magazines we lost this year. As a former writer for and editor of a website that used to treat magazines shuttering, or being rumored to be on the verge of shuttering, as a big deal, it was somewhat distressing to realize I had no idea most of these had actually ceased publication. I mean, I forgot Entertainment Weekly stopped running this year, and that used to be one of my main magazines.
The Secret Service Is Not-So-Secretly Disloyal
ACCORDING TO A forthcoming book by the journalist Chris Whipple, an advance copy of which was obtained by The Independent, Joe Biden is distrustful of his own Secret Service security detail for at least two reasons, one comical and one a bit less so. The comical one is that he simply does not believe his dog, Major, is as naughty as has been reported. Major supposedly bit an agent in the private residence section of the White House last March.
Oh, Angelo!
This is an item from a recent Popula Planet newsletter, which you should sign up for! I FIRST ENCOUNTERED Twin Peaks on VHS, through the box set released by Worldvision Enterprises (Not Affiliated with World Vision International a Religious and Charitable Organization) that was apparently notorious for its poor quality.
The Honourable Schoolboy
Chiles's People
NEWS ANALYSIS: Who Can Be Blamed for Not Blowing the Midterms?
AMERICA’S NOBLEST ELECTORAL tradition is gathering around each midterm election night and laughing at the concession speech of whichever losing ghoul you find most loathsome, mocking his weeping children and imagining the pharmaceutical cocktail powering the defeated candidate and his grim wife through their brief appearance in what has become, tonight, the saddest ballroom in the United States. (Though electoral denialism, among the other issues it raises, now threatens even this pleasure.
The Local News Hung Up On Me For Asking If They Asked a Doctor Whether You Can Die From Touching Fentanyl
It was relatively easy to get the news director of KCTV5 in Kansas City on the line. I am just putting that here for the record, if you happen to be a Kansas City resident. There’s a phone number on the website. It was not easy to get the news director of KCTV to answer a pretty simple question. A few days ago, the station put out a very dramatic story about a police officer’s seeming brush with death.
What Do Cops Do?
Lots of very smart (and even more not-so-smart) people have tried, over the years, to answer the question of what cops are for—whether they exist to keep us safe, to fight crime, to protect property, to enforce racial hierarchies, etc. I pose a simpler question: What do cops do?
The Unanswered Question
Believers in American institutions, and the people who control those institutions, should know that they are forging a generation of Americans with no faith in them. I think many of them do get this on some level. They read the polls and the research on “voter sentiment.” But that almost makes it worse that, on this subject—as on so many others—they appear to have no articulable plan for what they will do about it.
The Disastrous Legacy of the New Democrats
On December 21, 2000, shortly before leaving office, President Bill Clinton signed the New Markets Tax Credit Program into law, as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2001. He called it “the most significant effort ever to help hard-pressed communities lift themselves up through private investment and entrepreneurship.” Legacy-defining stuff, in other words.
The Disastrous Legacy of the New Democrats
On December 21, 2000, shortly before leaving office, President Bill Clinton signed the New Markets Tax Credit Program into law, as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2001. He called it “the most significant effort ever to help hard-pressed communities lift themselves up through private investment and entrepreneurship.” Legacy-defining stuff, in other words.
Tripping On the Abortion Pill
Timothy Faust, author of Health Justice Now: Single-Payer and What Comes Next, is a healthcare activist currently working at an abortion clinic. The AP Newsletter and Libby W…
The Indignity of Automobile Dependence
Indignity editor Tom Scocca, Click to my Clack, reached out recently to ask if I’d like to engage in some Car Talk. TOM SCOCCA, INDIGNITY: Hello! The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, came to New York this week, on a trip to promote tourism.
I Saw a Cool Truck Today
53-foot semi-trailers are prohibited on the vast majority of the streets of New York City. The city’s rules for trucks can get fairly complex, but this one is simple and unambiguous. The state Department of Transportation has a helpful website for those unsure if their 53-foot long semi-trailers are allowed in New York City.
The Institutionalist's Dilemma
Sometimes when I am explaining the somewhat eclectic variety of topics I write about in my newsletter, compared to the work I did at other publications for many years, l joke that “I just ran out of ways to say the Senate shouldn’t exist.” I say “joke,” but it’s also a fact. I was blogging this in 2010. Nothing has fundamentally changed about how the Senate “works” since George Packer wrote the damning portrait of a dysfunctional institution that I reference in that old Salon piece.
"I Would Love to Work Myself Out of a Job": Talking Healthcare With "Sick Note" Author Libby Watson
Audio playback is not supported on your browser. Please upgrade. The Covid-19 pandemic caused the U.S. government to declare a “public health emergency.” The emergency declaration grants millions of Americans access to benefits like Medicaid and food stamps. It was last on April 12, and, unless renewed again, it will expire in July. The healthcare implications, in particular, are massive.
The Vicious Traffic Circle
What could go wrong? Just mix! (NYC.gov) I had to drive a bit this weekend, which I mainly do when traveling, not in my own neighborhood. Driving in central Brooklyn is a miserable experience. The streets are choked with cars, the other drivers are terrible, the vehicles have grown too large for their lanes, especially on the two-way streets with parking…
They Know How Journalism Works! They’re Just Against It!
On Tuesday, Washington Post reporter Taylor Lorenz published a story about a repulsive creep who uses her large online following to, essentially, subject random LGBTQ people (and especially trans people) to harassment, and worse.
Is the Central Business District Doomed?
Citing research from economists, the New York Times this week claimed that “the average New York City office worker is predicted to reduce annual spending near the office by $6,730, from a prepandemic total of around $13,700,” which they called, “the largest drop of any major city.” According to that same Times story, after the real estate website Zillow announced that employees could work anywhere in the world, the company saw a 15 percent increase in employees living in New York City.
As VP of Comms For the Newsletter Company, It’s Really Important That I Make Sure Everyone Associates Our Brand With Being a Huge Unaccountable Dipshit
Hello, welcome. I’m a “VP” (“vice president”) of “Comms” (“communications") at the newsletter company. Corporate Communications is a tough job: You try to get your brand narrative out there to the public, sometimes battling a hostile press, sometimes struggling just to be heard among a sea of competitors. Your goal, in corporate comms, is to break through the noise and make people understand what your company is about.
As VP of Comms For the Newsletter Company, It’s Really Important That I Make Sure Everyone Associates Our Brand With Being a Huge Unaccountable Dipshit
Hello, welcome. I’m a “VP” (“vice president”) of “Comms” (“communications") at the newsletter company. Corporate Communications is a tough job: You try to get your brand narrative out there to the public, sometimes battling a hostile press, sometimes struggling just to be heard among a sea of competitors. Your goal, in corporate comms, is to break through the noise and make people understand what your company is about.
It's the Service Economy, Stupid
Help Wanted, 11:15 A.M. (c) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (CC BY-NC 2.0) Why do (many) Americans think a good job market is actually bad? Politico’s Playbook newsletter the other day highlighted a “little-noticed survey” showing that “37 percent of the public thought that more jobs had been lost (yes, lost) over the last year while just 28 percent thought that they had been gained.” Nearly half of Republicans believe more jobs have been lost than added over the last 12 months.
This Is a "Star Trek: Discovery" Opinions Newsletter
One thing Star Trek: Discovery (which ended its fourth season last week) does is, when they decide to give a longtime background actor or minor character a “moment,” they have a scene where one of the leads says how much that character has meant to the lead. But they forgot to have the background character… do anything memorable, prior to that scene.
Be the Fraud You Think You See in the World
I’ve been writing about the conservative movement’s fixation on policing “voter fraud” for more than a decade. For the right, the existence of large-scale “voter fraud” is both a pretext for laws making it harder for certain groups to vote and also very much a myth that one must accept as true for membership in the club.
Poetry Corner
A patron of Cafe Milano (not Irish but Italiano), who rose to House leader, today was a reader of a poem provided pro-Bono. A world famous singer that we know, whose holdings offshore can't be seen, no, tried helping poor Kyiv with what Pelosi read. Perhaps it'd sound better with Eno.
Sorry I'm Late, Walking Was a Nightmare
Here's an idea: Call a business and ask if you can walk to it.
The AP (Alex Pareene) Ukraine War Poll
Here are the results of the first poll conducted by The AP (Alex Pareene) Newsletter, asking U.S. respondents how favorably they viewed various hypothetical U.S. interventions in the Russian war on Ukraine.
How to Defeat Russia
Western Europe and the United States are currently waging economic war on Russia. Russia, for its part, is currently waging regular war on Ukraine, which is reliably a faster way to kill the most people, but the scope of the economic warfare against Russia is noteworthy. The U.S. and E.U. (and other allied nations) are not merely trying to punish Russia with sanctions; they are actively blowing up its economy.
Abolish States
Ross Douthat wrote a column arguing that liberals are not as committed to democracy as they claim and that conservatives are more committed than they are accused of being.
We're All Trying to Find the Guy Policing Our Behavior
I dropped my kid off at school this morning, as I do most mornings. We took the city bus, which, as always, crawled in traffic and grew steadily more crowded as it approached the Kings County Hospital campus. We live close enough to the start of the route to get a seat most of the time (except on those days when the traffic-induced bunching, and subsequent rerouting, grow so out of control that the bus is standing-room-only by the time it pulls out of its first stop).
On Improving Neighborhoods Somewhat
Someone (it doesn’t matter who) got dogpiled on Twitter last week for making an intentionally provocative claim about bike lanes. That person has long since deleted the claim—not, I’m sure, because any of the myriad pro-bike lane responses were persuasive, but because it’s unpleasant to be dogpiled on Twitter, which is not really a place for persuasion.
Announcement: The AP (Alex Pareene) Newsletter Is a Global Media Start-up Now
After many months of newslettering, I’m thrilled to announce that The AP (Alex Pareene) Newsletter is now a new global media startup focused on delivering unbiased news in exciting new formats to an international audience of educated news consumers. Months of conversations with business leaders, political insiders, and tech innovators show an audience hungry for new forms of news delivery and innovative modes of storytelling.
I Sort of Figured Out the Purpose of the MTA Boat
Courtesy the Office of the MTA Inspector General Last year, the New York City Transit Authority lost its boat. It was not precisely a secret that NYC Transit (the subagency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority that runs the subways—but, crucially, not the ferries) had this boat, to begin with, but it was certainly not well publicized.
The Lawlessness That Cops Ignore
In New York, a failure to take quality-of-life complaints seriously reveals a city unaccountable to its residents. About the author: Alex Pareene is the author of The AP (Alex Pareene) Newsletter.
Losing a Street Fight to Elon Musk
The New York Times has recently (and laudably) focused some attention on safety decisions made by the electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla. A Monday story focused on the company’s “Autopilot” autonomous driving feature, which is, bluntly, not very good. Despite this, Elon Musk regularly over-promises about the feature’s capabilities, and essentially allows Tesla owners to beta test it on public streets.
The Mess Age
Matt Yglesias, a newsletter author, spent time this past weekend sending around, for some reason, a list of campaign proposals the Democratic Party ran on in the 2006 midterm elections.This seemed to be part of a broader argument that Democrats now are worse at crafting winning messages than Democrats then. As you may recall, Democrats did quite well in the 2006 midterms and then won the presidency in 2008.
I’ve Heard You Have Some Questions About the New University My Friends and I Are Starting
John Springer Collection / Getty What is the APU? The University of Alaska Pacific, or APU, is a new university located in Alaska devoted to rational inquiry, free expression, and open debate. Why is the acronym APU? “U” stands for university and “AP” is short for “Alaska Pacific.” Isn’t there…isn’t there already an Alaska Pacific University? There might be, sure. Lots of things have similar names, or share initials. OK but “Pacific”? Alaska borders the Pacific Ocean. Why Alaska?
INDIGNITY
INDIGNITY Essays, inquiries, arguments, advice, and archaic sandwiches for hungry readers. Hundreds of paid subscribers Let me read it first
Pizza Story
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images I wanted a pizza. A large pizza with mushrooms. Or, actually, someone promised to get me a pizza. Actually, right, someone said they’d get pizza for me and everyone else in the building. They brought the pizza up to begin with, they asked around about what toppings would be popular, then they settled on mushrooms, and the majority of the people in my building seemed to think that sounded good.
All the News That Could Have Fit
Weeks after the Tekashi69 town hall, [Rolling Stone president Gus] Wenner was indeed on the hunt for a new editor. Those he reached out to included James Bennet, who had earlier that summer resigned as the editor of the New York Times opinion section after a staff revolt over the paper's publication of an opinion piece by US Senator Tom Cotton.
What Do Democrats Do All Day?
Neera Tanden got a new job this week. According to the Washington Post’s Michael Scherer, Tanden, the former head of the liberal think tank Center for American Progress, is the new White House staff secretary. The job is obscure but important.
What Is Kyrsten Sinema Doing?
In one respect, that’s an easy question to answer: Kyrsten Sinema is attempting to derail the reconciliation bill, or, failing that, to at least vastly pare back its more progressive elements, on behalf of the donors and lobbyists whose interests she represents. But it’s very possible to do that without making as much of a national fool of yourself as she has, or without expressing quite so much contempt for your own constituents, erstwhile supporters, and even your fellow Democratic senators.
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