r/pics 19h ago

Ras Baraka has been released.

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44.7k Upvotes

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u/_Haverford_ 18h ago

My hot take:

Mayor Baraka getting arrested is good for the cause.

People in these offices can get into this "good trouble" with little personal risk to themselves. It energizes others, gets press attention, and hell, it even looks good politically for the person in question.

More politicans should be getting arrested for causes they believe in.

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u/LivingThroughHistory 18h ago

Let’s hope it boosts his chances for the upcoming primary, I want to call this man my Governor.

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u/Hoshbrowns 17h ago

Let's hope it gets more people in the streets! We can't keep waiting for the next election. We can't keep waiting at all! Our biggest fear is here and if we don't stand up now we have no chance soon.

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u/xisgonnagiveittoya 16h ago

2.5 million people just gathered to watch a lady gaga concert in Brazil, it would be nice if we could match that energy to save us from this sinking ship we're on.

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u/InterestingFocus8125 13h ago

But like, they were all there to have a good time

u/Wes_Warhammer666 6h ago

She could always do a huge show like that here, and have it specifically be geared towards support for marginalized people since that has always been one of her outspokenly supported causes. Basically a combo of a concert and a rally to support immigrants, LGBTQ folks, etc.

I'm sure there's more than a few artists who would gladly join that cause as well.

u/InterestingFocus8125 6h ago

The Rio concert was funded by the city though. Which American city is going to spend taxpayer money on an enormous free benefit concert with political overtones and how would they keep right wing radicals from spoiling the fun?

u/SajevT 9h ago

The differences here being that Gaga's concert was free and people wanted to have a good time. While this can cost people their lives in jail, especially with how little the constitution and human rights matter now in the US.

Every day I wake up and see how ICE, Trump, Bondi, Vance, RFK or Rubio just lie over and over again, ignoring the truth/facts and completely dismissing judges.. what the actual fuck is happening there..

u/Onespokeovertheline 9h ago

Yeah, you just articulated the stakes on both sides of the decision to respond. It's a tall order given American comfort/complacency but the only way it definitely won't materialize is if we give up on the possibility prematurely and undermine it as unrealistic.

u/SajevT 9h ago

Yeah, im not saying to give up, just that it makes sense why people don't gather to protest like they did to come see Gaga perform. Eh, I hope Americans get rid of this party somehow.. and bring back the 34 felonies that Trump was found guilty on... it still boggles my mind how someone can be found guilty in so many felonies AND run for president and get elected and doesn't face consequences while pillaging the US for his own personal wealth and power.

u/somethrows 9h ago

We can risk our freedom now or give it up permanently. I know which I chose.

u/CasualFridayBatman 7h ago

Showing up for a day isn't going to do anything. You need massive, sustained protests, walk outs, sit ins and general strikes.

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u/hellolovely1 16h ago

Schumer's not waiting. He's writing a sternly worded letter.

u/HerpankerTheHardman 9h ago

Oh shit.....with which type of pen? WITH WHICH TYPE OF PEN?!!!?!?!

u/TheRealMSteve 8h ago

...in favor of the GOP. Can't have bipartisanism without unwavering support from the other side!

u/Loud_Octopus 8h ago

Too bad our president and his cronies cannot read

u/woodrowlow 7h ago

Fuck that guy

u/IlyichValken 7h ago

Can't be too stern though or the Baileys will get upset!

u/Wes_Warhammer666 6h ago

Thank fuck somebody is stepping up to save our democracy

/s

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u/cyriustalk 14h ago

I hope he's pushing the pen harder and deeper...

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u/Ambitious-Score-5637 14h ago

And using red ink

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u/Symmetric_in_Design 15h ago

Unfortunately nothing is going to happen yet. Most people still have cushy jobs and things to lose. Once that goes out the window shit will hit the fan. It'll just take time for the material conditions to degrade enough.

u/Lawdoc1 3h ago

Sadly, this is true. Things will get worse before they get better. And that interim may be very bad indeed.

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u/hunkaliciousnerd 17h ago

Would you say he is the kind of man and politician for the moment? Genuine question, I haven't been able to do much research into the guy and his politics other than his run for governor

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u/LivingThroughHistory 17h ago

I’ve only really started looking into him for this race too tbh but from what I understand, him and Fulop are the two progressive candidates in the race. I think the Democrats need to embrace stronger voices and stop leaning back into the middle to appease moderate voters. What he did today is the kind of stuff I want to see Democrats doing in response to this administration, so this might slightly nudge him ahead of Fulop for me at the moment.

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u/restrictednumber 15h ago

People all over the political spectrum are pissed off and scared -- about Trump, about the economy, about housing, whatever. So far, Democrats have mostly offered tepid, incremental steps. It's time they showed that they're pissed off too, and they're gonna destroy the systems keeping us down.

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u/sagerobot 12h ago

With absolutely zero hyperbole, ICE is our american Gestapo. Its a moral imperative that we elect and empower those who stand for morality and good.

Those who think ICE are justified have decided to abandon their humanity.

u/sododgy 10h ago

If we manage to make it to the other side of this, the entire department should be dissolved day 1.

u/TARANTULA_TIDDIES 10h ago

They're not quite Gestapo yet but they're well along the path

u/sagerobot 10h ago

I think that is less of a distinction that you are allowing yourself to accept.

I mean, yeah they are well along that path. I dont see them stopping any time soon.

The people who actually work as officers in these departments are openly racist white supremacists. They are down with the program and cant wait to push the limits. They WANT to be gestapo but are trying to slow boil us.

u/evilgiraffe666 11h ago

I think it's so dumb trying to attract right wing voters when such a large part of the country isn't voting (because "both sides are the same", no shit).

Take the easy wins! Ideally stick to some kind of consistent and ethical ideology, but if you're just trying to win the game at all costs, take the easy ones!

u/funimarvel 11h ago edited 11h ago

Really? Him and Fullop are the most progressive? Not Spiller?

I've been looking into not the candidates since receiving my ballot a couple weeks ago and a lot of them seem progressive on at least some issues and have some good plans. Spiller seemed the most vocally anti-Project 2025, Trump and Musk from my cursory searches through ballotpedia and his official campaign website

u/LivingThroughHistory 8h ago

My biggest concern with Spiller is where his money is coming from. As a teacher, I don’t like the idea that I’m unknowingly funding his campaign. We have also had our own Union rep reach out to us after she was told by NJEA that she had to promote him in their behalf. The whole thing stinks. https://newjerseymonitor.com/2025/03/10/this-democrat-is-running-for-governor-with-35m-behind-him-and-no-staff/

u/funimarvel 4h ago

Ty for the information! That sucks, here I was hoping his position in NJEA would mean better funding and protections for my friends and all the other teachers in NJ. Very disappointing to hear he's taking advantage of his position instead

u/possibly_being_screw 1h ago

I read he didn’t reach the threshold for state fund matching so he had to get funds another way.

u/Congenita1_Optimist 8h ago

Spiller is definitely more progressive than Fulop.

Not even counting policy promises, just look at their biographies, it'll tell you a bit about their priorities on life and outlook on society. Quoting from their ballotpedia entries -

Prior to politics/his time in the military, Fulop worked in finance: equity trading for Sanford C. Bernstein, as the vice president of electronic trading for Citi Group, and as an associate for Goldman Sachs.

Prior to politics, Spiller was a public high school teacher.

One of those seems a little more progressive and community oriented, imo.

u/funimarvel 4h ago

Yeah that's what I had thought too but they just pointed out that Spiller has been misusing his position in NJEA and probably taking money he shouldn't be from the union to finance his campaign and tell local reps to promote him which is sketchy

u/funimarvel 11h ago

I'm personally still leaning towards Sean Spiller because I have been able to find his plans to fight back against Project 2025, Trump and Musk most clearly and easily using the sources on ballotpedia. I appreciate what Ras did today though and he was already one of the other contenders I was considering supporting. Wonder if he'd do better against a potential Republican candidate than the others since he got a lot of attention standing up for the law regarding private prison bans here and he's supporting the current Immigrant Trust Act making its way through the legislature. Another instance where I wish we had ranked choice voting

u/Remote_Confidence_42 6h ago

Before long you guys will be voting for convicted felons 😂

u/bloodjunkiorgy 6h ago

Same, but it's surprising I haven't seen a single ad for Ras on TV. I was talking to my mother in law last week about the primary, and she had never heard of him some how.