Michelle S. Phelps
@michellesphelps.bsky.social
Professor at UMN, Sociologist, Mom | Books: Breaking the Pendulum on criminal justice & The Minneapolis Reckoning on the politics of policing | www.michellesphelps.com.
Pinned
Minneapolis Knows How to Resist This State Violence
From George Floyd to Renee Good, the city has become all too familiar with killings by law enforcement—and it knows exactly how to respond.
newrepublic.com
It has been an exhausting couple of weeks, but I'm proud to have been able to contribute to a slew of news reports about the resistance in MN. Doing a link round-up below:
newrepublic.com/article/2050... / www.startribune.com/ice-mpd-law-... /
www.cnn.com/2026/01/24/u... ... (cont.)
newrepublic.com/article/2050... / www.startribune.com/ice-mpd-law-... /
www.cnn.com/2026/01/24/u... ... (cont.)
Do you know a student thinking about a PhD in Soc? @umnsociology.bsky.social is running a how to apply workshop in October and encourage all to join! More info at:
cla.umn.edu/sociology/gr...
cla.umn.edu/sociology/gr...
September 16, 2026 at 6:44 PM
Do you know a student thinking about a PhD in Soc? @umnsociology.bsky.social is running a how to apply workshop in October and encourage all to join! More info at:
cla.umn.edu/sociology/gr...
cla.umn.edu/sociology/gr...
Apparently I managed to come down with both a sinus infection & bronchitis in first (two) weeks of the semester. Yayyyy, really starting F26 with a bang (of snot).
September 13, 2026 at 7:47 PM
Apparently I managed to come down with both a sinus infection & bronchitis in first (two) weeks of the semester. Yayyyy, really starting F26 with a bang (of snot).
Delighted to be included in Racket's Flyover news this week, talking about how the people of Minneapolis and the broader Twin Cities metro area built up a muscle memory of resistance before the DHS winter occupation.
Plus a new budget calculator, more chudmaxxing, and toilet dreams dashed in today's Flyover news roundup.
Politics and Minneapolis: It’s In Our Blood? - Racket
Plus a new budget calculator, more chudmaxing, and toilet dreams dashed in today's Flyover news roundup.
racketmn.com
September 4, 2026 at 6:21 PM
Delighted to be included in Racket's Flyover news this week, talking about how the people of Minneapolis and the broader Twin Cities metro area built up a muscle memory of resistance before the DHS winter occupation.
Reposted by Michelle S. Phelps
I feel like we’re really overdue for a thread of things that have changed for women in your lifetime.
I’m interested in good and bad things. Any little life moment that would feel unbelievable if it happened in 2026.
I’m interested in good and bad things. Any little life moment that would feel unbelievable if it happened in 2026.
September 3, 2026 at 7:28 PM
I feel like we’re really overdue for a thread of things that have changed for women in your lifetime.
I’m interested in good and bad things. Any little life moment that would feel unbelievable if it happened in 2026.
I’m interested in good and bad things. Any little life moment that would feel unbelievable if it happened in 2026.
I keep getting these AI-written emails with banger subject lines like "Michelle, your Minneapolis Reckoning won two major awards and has 4 Amazon reviews two years later." 😂 Authors -- are there actually things to you can do to improve the book pages' keywords and such (w/o the scammy cash grab)?
September 3, 2026 at 5:05 PM
I keep getting these AI-written emails with banger subject lines like "Michelle, your Minneapolis Reckoning won two major awards and has 4 Amazon reviews two years later." 😂 Authors -- are there actually things to you can do to improve the book pages' keywords and such (w/o the scammy cash grab)?
Reposted by Michelle S. Phelps
Watch this interview w/ ASA member Michelle Phelps for insights into how the Minneapolis 2020 protests grew out of years of organizing and also built networks that powered this year's resistance to ICE. @michellesphelps.bsky.social @perrybaconjr.bsky.social @newrepublic.com
How the 2020 Minneapolis Protests Set Up the City To Fight ICE
In the latest episode, Perry is joined by sociologist Michelle Phelps to trace how Minneapolis’s 2020 protests built the networks that powered this year’s resistance to ICE.
bit.ly
September 3, 2026 at 4:30 PM
Watch this interview w/ ASA member Michelle Phelps for insights into how the Minneapolis 2020 protests grew out of years of organizing and also built networks that powered this year's resistance to ICE. @michellesphelps.bsky.social @perrybaconjr.bsky.social @newrepublic.com
Reposted by Michelle S. Phelps
Link to Michelle Phelps' website and information about her excellent book published in 2024:
The Minneapolis Reckoning: Race, Violence, and the Politics of Policing in America
The Minneapolis Reckoning: Race, Violence, and the Politics of Policing in America
Policing in Minneapolis
The Minneapolis Reckoning: Race, Violence, and the Politics of Policing in America was published in May 2024 with Princeton University Press. The book traces the history of the MPD, from its founding ...
www.michellesphelps.com
September 1, 2026 at 5:58 PM
Link to Michelle Phelps' website and information about her excellent book published in 2024:
The Minneapolis Reckoning: Race, Violence, and the Politics of Policing in America
The Minneapolis Reckoning: Race, Violence, and the Politics of Policing in America
Reposted by Michelle S. Phelps
"Minneapolis was on Trump’s target list." There were indications the administration wanted to prompt a redux of the unrest of 2020, and to instigate state violence.
"The helicopters circling reminded people of traumatic memories, but so did the community coming together in protest and solidarity."
"The helicopters circling reminded people of traumatic memories, but so did the community coming together in protest and solidarity."
September 1, 2026 at 5:50 PM
"Minneapolis was on Trump’s target list." There were indications the administration wanted to prompt a redux of the unrest of 2020, and to instigate state violence.
"The helicopters circling reminded people of traumatic memories, but so did the community coming together in protest and solidarity."
"The helicopters circling reminded people of traumatic memories, but so did the community coming together in protest and solidarity."
Reposted by Michelle S. Phelps
Science writ large is under assault. I hope folks in the social sciences keep this in mind as we sort through competing explanations of “what went wrong” - it’s got to be more than something specific to any one field, or even to the social sciences as a whole.
There was a 57% decrease in the number of research grants given by the US National Science Foundation last year to astronomy and astrophysics - and a 51% decrease in the funding.
This is a collapse.
aas.org/posts/news/2...
This is a collapse.
aas.org/posts/news/2...
NSF Astronomical Sciences Grants Reduced by Over 50% in Fiscal Year 2026
An analysis of new awards suggests that as of 26 August 2026, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has issued 57% fewer awards in the astronomical sciences in the current fiscal year compared to the ...
aas.org
September 1, 2026 at 3:36 PM
Science writ large is under assault. I hope folks in the social sciences keep this in mind as we sort through competing explanations of “what went wrong” - it’s got to be more than something specific to any one field, or even to the social sciences as a whole.
The New Republic has a great series, Right Now with @perrybaconjr.bsky.social, that's been revisiting summer 2020, "woke 1.0," and calls to shrink the police. Catch convos with @devawo.bsky.social, yrs trly, and @alexvitale.bsky.social on Substack: newrepublic.substack.com/s/right-now-...
Great conversation with @michellesphelps.bsky.social about why Minneapolis has become a center for 2020s activism and the problem of progressives/Democrats distancing themselves from the 2020 protests. newrepublic.com/article/2146...
Transcript: Why Minneapolis Has Become the Center of 2020s Politics
Author Michelle Phelps explains why Minneapolis has been at the center of recent racial justice movements.
newrepublic.com
September 1, 2026 at 5:12 PM
The New Republic has a great series, Right Now with @perrybaconjr.bsky.social, that's been revisiting summer 2020, "woke 1.0," and calls to shrink the police. Catch convos with @devawo.bsky.social, yrs trly, and @alexvitale.bsky.social on Substack: newrepublic.substack.com/s/right-now-...
Reposted by Michelle S. Phelps
NEW: ICE data released under the Freedom of Information Act reveals that more than half of all ICE arrests are now people with no criminal record; no prior convictions or pending charges.
In the first week of August, 55% of all ICE arrests were of people with no criminal record.
In the first week of August, 55% of all ICE arrests were of people with no criminal record.
August 25, 2026 at 5:23 PM
NEW: ICE data released under the Freedom of Information Act reveals that more than half of all ICE arrests are now people with no criminal record; no prior convictions or pending charges.
In the first week of August, 55% of all ICE arrests were of people with no criminal record.
In the first week of August, 55% of all ICE arrests were of people with no criminal record.
Reposted by Michelle S. Phelps
A Minnesota religious studies professor is facing six years in prison, with the DOJ saying he is part of an "antifa" conspiracy against ICE
Erik Davis speaks out about his prosecution, largely based on a handful of his comments in Signal chats. He's not accused of any violence
“It’s petty revenge"
Erik Davis speaks out about his prosecution, largely based on a handful of his comments in Signal chats. He's not accused of any violence
“It’s petty revenge"
The professor facing prison in ‘antifa’ case: ‘They want to scare all who oppose ICE’
Erik Davis is accused by the government of a ‘conspiracy’ to obstruct ICE – experts say it’s part of a pattern to criminalize lawful organizing and ruin activists’ lives
www.theguardian.com
July 28, 2026 at 10:50 PM
A Minnesota religious studies professor is facing six years in prison, with the DOJ saying he is part of an "antifa" conspiracy against ICE
Erik Davis speaks out about his prosecution, largely based on a handful of his comments in Signal chats. He's not accused of any violence
“It’s petty revenge"
Erik Davis speaks out about his prosecution, largely based on a handful of his comments in Signal chats. He's not accused of any violence
“It’s petty revenge"
Reposted by Michelle S. Phelps
Police murdered a Black man in the street in Madison WI today. Shot point blank in the head while on the ground, tased, and surrounded by four cops. It looks like an execution. Multiple videos circulating online. Things are about to get very bad here.
July 22, 2026 at 9:52 PM
Police murdered a Black man in the street in Madison WI today. Shot point blank in the head while on the ground, tased, and surrounded by four cops. It looks like an execution. Multiple videos circulating online. Things are about to get very bad here.
Reposted by Michelle S. Phelps
They made so few mistakes in Minnesota that two people were murdered, the ICE head was let go, and the agency has been sued numerous times for its crimes.
Other than that? Flawless.
Other than that? Flawless.
Homan: "All the mistakes they say happened in Minnesota -- the mistakes them claim in Minnesota, a lot of them I don't think were mistakes."
July 20, 2026 at 5:38 PM
They made so few mistakes in Minnesota that two people were murdered, the ICE head was let go, and the agency has been sued numerous times for its crimes.
Other than that? Flawless.
Other than that? Flawless.
Reposted by Michelle S. Phelps
With funding cuts to mental health and addiction treatment services... I've been thinking a lot about the future of 988. All the data points to there's still a demand for it...
www.kff.org/mental-healt...
www.kff.org/mental-healt...
988 Enters Its Fourth Year as Demand Grows and the Mental Health and Substance Use Landscape Shifts | KFF
Data as of March 2026 show that demand for 988 continues to rise, with the volume of calls, texts, and chats 15% higher than a year earlier and nearly 50% higher than two years ago. States are also an...
www.kff.org
July 15, 2026 at 6:47 PM
With funding cuts to mental health and addiction treatment services... I've been thinking a lot about the future of 988. All the data points to there's still a demand for it...
www.kff.org/mental-healt...
www.kff.org/mental-healt...
I just renamed the document "Books to Buy -- Winter 2024" that I have been continuously editing (but not apparently buying fast enough) to "Books to Buy -- Running list" 😂 I am going to bury myself in books eventually
July 14, 2026 at 10:15 PM
I just renamed the document "Books to Buy -- Winter 2024" that I have been continuously editing (but not apparently buying fast enough) to "Books to Buy -- Running list" 😂 I am going to bury myself in books eventually
Reposted by Michelle S. Phelps
Did you write your comment yet on the OMB rules on federally funded science yet? No? Don’t worry, you can do it this weekend. Here are some resources that can help you get started.
July 11, 2026 at 1:37 AM
Did you write your comment yet on the OMB rules on federally funded science yet? No? Don’t worry, you can do it this weekend. Here are some resources that can help you get started.
Reposted by Michelle S. Phelps
While the phrase “worst of the worst” was already part of the lexicon of immigration enforcement before Donald Trump, his administration has routinely wielded it as a tool for advancing a radical, white-nationalist agenda.
The Uses and Abuses of the “Worst of the Worst” - Dissent Magazine
While the “worst of the worst” was already part of the lexicon of immigration enforcement before Donald Trump, his administration has routinely wielded it as a tool for advancing a radical, white-nationalist agenda.
dissentmagazine.org
July 8, 2026 at 3:01 PM
While the phrase “worst of the worst” was already part of the lexicon of immigration enforcement before Donald Trump, his administration has routinely wielded it as a tool for advancing a radical, white-nationalist agenda.
Reposted by Michelle S. Phelps
NEW: The Trump administration’s deployment of thousands of federal immigration agents to Minnesota led to widespread human rights violations.
In a new report, HRW documents how the US government’s “Operation Metro Surge” caused a human rights crisis in Minnesota.
Learn more: https://bit.ly/44dMOht
In a new report, HRW documents how the US government’s “Operation Metro Surge” caused a human rights crisis in Minnesota.
Learn more: https://bit.ly/44dMOht
June 18, 2026 at 12:01 PM
NEW: The Trump administration’s deployment of thousands of federal immigration agents to Minnesota led to widespread human rights violations.
In a new report, HRW documents how the US government’s “Operation Metro Surge” caused a human rights crisis in Minnesota.
Learn more: https://bit.ly/44dMOht
In a new report, HRW documents how the US government’s “Operation Metro Surge” caused a human rights crisis in Minnesota.
Learn more: https://bit.ly/44dMOht
Reposted by Michelle S. Phelps
🎁Opinion by Will Bunch Gift Article Link in Replies/Comments
The ‘Minneapolis 15’ ICE-protester indictments are meant to shut you up
An outrageous federal conspiracy case against 15 anti-ICE protesters in Minnesota really seeks to silence all dissent.
@willbunch.bsky.social
The ‘Minneapolis 15’ ICE-protester indictments are meant to shut you up
An outrageous federal conspiracy case against 15 anti-ICE protesters in Minnesota really seeks to silence all dissent.
@willbunch.bsky.social
June 21, 2026 at 1:11 AM
🎁Opinion by Will Bunch Gift Article Link in Replies/Comments
The ‘Minneapolis 15’ ICE-protester indictments are meant to shut you up
An outrageous federal conspiracy case against 15 anti-ICE protesters in Minnesota really seeks to silence all dissent.
@willbunch.bsky.social
The ‘Minneapolis 15’ ICE-protester indictments are meant to shut you up
An outrageous federal conspiracy case against 15 anti-ICE protesters in Minnesota really seeks to silence all dissent.
@willbunch.bsky.social
Reposted by Michelle S. Phelps
Now in #paperback, The Minneapolis Reckoning by @michellesphelps.bsky.social is an urgent account of why it’s so difficult to reform the police.
Read a free preview & save 30% with code PUP30: press.princeton.edu/books/paperb...
#Sociology
Read a free preview & save 30% with code PUP30: press.princeton.edu/books/paperb...
#Sociology
June 20, 2026 at 4:37 PM
Now in #paperback, The Minneapolis Reckoning by @michellesphelps.bsky.social is an urgent account of why it’s so difficult to reform the police.
Read a free preview & save 30% with code PUP30: press.princeton.edu/books/paperb...
#Sociology
Read a free preview & save 30% with code PUP30: press.princeton.edu/books/paperb...
#Sociology
Reposted by Michelle S. Phelps
Honoring the man convicted of murdering George Floyd the week of the anniversary is frankly shocking. Chauvin was convicted by a jury of his peers and was affirmed through every appeal. It shows cruelty to the Floyd family and disrespect to our courts and all Minnesotans. No one is above the law.
Minnesota GOP Party Chair Alex Plechash defends MNGOP's moment of silence for Chauvin at their convention: "There are a lot of people I think that believe Derek Chauvin was improperly convicted & not treated well & those people wanted to have a moment of silence in recognition bc they felt that way"
June 1, 2026 at 7:41 PM
Honoring the man convicted of murdering George Floyd the week of the anniversary is frankly shocking. Chauvin was convicted by a jury of his peers and was affirmed through every appeal. It shows cruelty to the Floyd family and disrespect to our courts and all Minnesotans. No one is above the law.
Meanwhile, in Minneapolis...
BREAKING: brian o'hara has resigned as the chief of the minneapolis police department
o'hara was due to face the city council next month for a confirmation hearing to reappoint him, the same process community safety commissioner toddrick barnette has now failed twice
o'hara was due to face the city council next month for a confirmation hearing to reappoint him, the same process community safety commissioner toddrick barnette has now failed twice
May 27, 2026 at 5:56 PM
Meanwhile, in Minneapolis...
Reposted by Michelle S. Phelps
Check out @taylordahlin.com for coverage of the Rise and Remember Festival at George Floyd Square.
May 26, 2026 at 12:16 AM
Check out @taylordahlin.com for coverage of the Rise and Remember Festival at George Floyd Square.
Six years. Reflecting again today on learning the right lessons from summer 2020.
May 25, 2026 at 9:02 PM
Six years. Reflecting again today on learning the right lessons from summer 2020.