Hello, I’m filling in for Boston Boomer today…who is a bit under the weather.
There was a huge case in Texas that needs more attention than it is getting…
A Texas tattoo artist has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for moving a box of political pamphlets and zines featuring “anti-government and anti-Trump sentiments,” prompting outrage from First Amendment advocates.
It is hard to believe this kind of shit actually happened.
This is appalling:‘This is injustice’: how leftist zines were used to sentence anti-ICE protesters to decades in prisonAdvocates sound alarm after zines were used as evidence to convict protesters of terrorism charges tied to 2025 protest at Texas ICE facilitywww.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i…
Last year on the Fourth of July, a small group from Dallas-Fort Worth held a night-time noise demonstration, setting off fireworks outside the Prairieland Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility south of the cities, in solidarity with the detainees. A few protesters broke away and spray-painted graffiti on employees’ cars and a security post, slashed the tires on a government van, and broke a security camera. The facility’s guards ordered the protesters to disperse, and most of them did. When a police officer arrived at the scene, drawing his gun, an armed protester shot her rifle, hitting the officer in the shoulder. The officer survived.
After a three-week trial, a jury found eight of nine protesters guilty of “providing material support to terrorists”, among other crimes. For the Sotos, this “material support” included owning a “printing press” used to print anarchist zines and being part of a leftist book club, the federal government argued. The couple had already left the scene by the time guns were drawn. All eight of the defendants sentenced so far have received unusually harsh sentences – 30 to 100 years – essentially life in prison.
They believe the only way these people will get out of prison, is by a presidential pardon…from a different administration.
The Prairieland case was the first tried and convicted under the Trump Department of Justice’s “counter-terrorism” initiatives targeting “antifa” – short for antifascist – a decentralized movement the administration has officially categorized as a “domestic terrorist organization”. The federal government argued the Prairieland defendants, what they called a “North Texas Antifa cell”, had planned the demonstration as an assassination attempt against a law enforcement officer. The government alleged this conspiracy even though the defendants were loosely connected, and some who attended the protest did not even know each other.
The conviction of the Prairieland defendants has shocked legal and civil liberties experts, who say the Trump administration is making examples of them and setting a dangerous precedent for what this means for the first amendment right to protest and to create and distribute information.
It is so crazy…
In total, 22 people have been charged in connection with the protest: five others took plea deals, another five have state charges pending and three more were indicted last month. What the federal government has described as “antifa extremists” are activists you’d find anywhere in the US: trans people, tattoo artists, vegans and anti-ICE community members who engage in mutual aid. The federal government’s focus on the possession of leftwing literature, including zines, and other basic security measures common in our modern era – like owning Faraday bags, meant to block wireless signals to prevent surveillance; using the encrypted messaging app Signal; or dressing in all-black clothing – is alarming to activists.
“Zines are a foundational first amendment document” going back to the Federalist papers, said Xavier de Janon, the director of mass defense at the National Lawyers Guild and the attorney representing Elizabeth in her state case. “Zines discussing ideas of revolution, mutual aid, ideas of a world after capitalism should not be able to be criminalized in and of themselves … That’s just dangerous to all of us.”
Read more at the link above.
Artist Des Sanchez Estrada Sentenced to 30 Years for Transporting Zineswww.dailycartoonist.com/index.php/20…
This week’s comic-related rabbit hole is a somber one. I saw a Bluesky postabout the sentencing of Texas tattoo artist Des Sanchez Estrada who was accused of transporting zines in his car. That post by Eisner-nominated author and artist Ryan Estrada (no relation) gained a lot of traction. He tells me he felt compelled to spread the word because “I am also a cartoonist named Estrada who makes comics about fighting fascism with my wife and join protests and banned book clubs.” After reading more about Des’ case, I too think it’s worth understanding because Des and others are being used as examples to any American who takes for granted their first amendment rights to protest our government, and their right to create or distribute art or information.
Daniel “Des” Sanchez Estrada. Photo from FreeDes.com
There is more at the link but here is the important part:
The Facts of the Case
The Trump Administration is making an example of this prosecution. The grand jury indictment declares Antifa is a terrorist organization with a goal to “overthrow of the United States Government, law enforcement authorities, and the system of law.” It’s a stretch to call individuals protesting the round-up and incarceration of migrants as a group wanting to overthrow the government, but here we are.
The sentencing of all the defendants related to the case is an exercise of government abuse. For instance, married couple Ines and Elizabeth Soto were charged and sentenced with 1) providing material support to terrorists, 2) conspiracy to use and carry an explosive, and 3) using and carrying an explosives. The facts are they had in their garage a commercial copy machine, paper cutting equipment and a book binder. According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the prosecution couldn’t even prove that the printing press was used to print any of the anti-government zines, nor could they prove that the contents of the zines were not protected under the first amendment. The “explosives” used in two of the counts against them were fireworks. The two left the scene when the protest went out of control. For owning a printing press and lighting fireworks, Elizabeth was sentenced to 50 years. Her husband will be sentenced on July 1. They have one child.
The “Antifa materials” in the box Des was transporting included zines, illustrations, stickers, and tattoo flash sheets criticizing ICE and police. None of the items are against the law to create, distribute or transport. He was accused of doing the same thing that Waltine Nauta and Carlos de Oliveira did when they allegedly moved classified documents per Trump’s orders when Trump was on trial accused of hoarding classified documents. Had the case against Nauta and de Oliveira not been dismissed by Trump’s Justice Department and found guilty they would have likely faced 20 years under normal sentencing guidelines. Twenty years for moving classified documents. Des is facing 30 for zines and tattoo art.
30 FUCKING YEARS!!!!Texas artist Daniel “Des” Sanchez Estrada was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison today for transporting a box of zines, or political pamphlets.freedom.press/issues/texas…
New York, June 23, 2026 — Texas artist Daniel “Des” Sanchez Estrada was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison today for transporting a box of zines, or political pamphlets. The prosecution claimed Sanchez moved the zines so they wouldn’t incriminate his wife, who attended a protest outside the Prairieland immigration detention center near Dallas, where a police officer was wounded by gunfire.
The zines at issue may have discussed controversial political views, but they said nothing about the shooting or the Prairieland protest, and prosecutors did not allege that Sanchez’s wife, Maricela Rueda (who was sentenced to 70 years today), fired any shots or had anything to do with the shooting.
According to a press release from the Free Des Support Committee, court observers reported that, in sentencing Sanchez and his co-defendants, U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor said he intended to “send a message to anyone who shares a similar ideology.”
The following can be attributed to Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF) Chief of Advocacy Seth Stern:
“If prosecutors are correct that Sanchez moved zines because he feared they’d try to use them against his wife, that’s a commentary on prosecutors’ lawlessness, not Sanchez’s. Under the First Amendment, possessing literature cannot be criminal, so what legitimate evidence could he possibly have been concealing? Political zines like those Sanchez possessed are no different from the pro-Revolution pamphlets this country’s founders had in mind when they drafted the First Amendment’s press clause.
“Sanchez’s case is the latest example of the Trump administration grasping at any legal straws it can to criminalize disfavored ideologies and writings, from conflating dissent with terrorism to deporting immigrants who report on protests or criticize wars the U.S. bankrolls. Americans should not make the mistake of believing Sanchez’s sentence only threatens immigrants, leftists, or so-called Antifa members — they’re just the low-hanging fruit, not the end game.”
Hey. Sorry I am so late! I was trapping cats this morning for TNR program. They are basically my feral colony and the bar a few doors down. We feed and watch over them. Don’t want any kittens that can’t be homed so trying to get them all fixed and then they will be brought back to chase all those rats that come from ships at the port down the street.
Also, had to take Dinah to the vet. She could possibly have a thyroid issue so my vet sedated her and then took blood and urine samples. She’s about 9 pounds these days and she’ll be 15 around September. BB and I were on the phone when she showed up on the neutral ground brought her over to give her feed and water, she really wanted in … and been my ride and die ever since.
So, I’m exhausted and getting ready for student time.
The Sky Dancing banner headline uses a snippet from a work by artist Tashi Mannox called 'Rainbow Study'. The work is described as a" study of typical Tibetan rainbow clouds, that feature in Thanka painting, temple decoration and silk brocades". dakinikat was immediately drawn to the image when trying to find stylized Tibetan Clouds to represent Sky Dancing. It is probably because Tashi's practice is similar to her own. His updated take on the clouds that fill the collection of traditional thankas is quite special.
You can find his work at his website by clicking on his logo below. He is also a calligraphy artist that uses important vajrayana syllables. We encourage you to visit his on line studio.
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Carissa
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Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)
Sky Dancing 
I fixed the issue with the blocking…be safe and try to stay cool today.
Hey. Sorry I am so late! I was trapping cats this morning for TNR program. They are basically my feral colony and the bar a few doors down. We feed and watch over them. Don’t want any kittens that can’t be homed so trying to get them all fixed and then they will be brought back to chase all those rats that come from ships at the port down the street.
Also, had to take Dinah to the vet. She could possibly have a thyroid issue so my vet sedated her and then took blood and urine samples. She’s about 9 pounds these days and she’ll be 15 around September. BB and I were on the phone when she showed up on the neutral ground brought her over to give her feed and water, she really wanted in … and been my ride and die ever since.
So, I’m exhausted and getting ready for student time.
xoxo