1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:02,640 Speaker 1: So, as we talked about in the first hour, the 2 00:00:03,040 --> 00:00:06,480 Speaker 1: swatting of the state senators in Indiana's getting totally out 3 00:00:06,480 --> 00:00:10,880 Speaker 1: of control. It's absolutely ridiculous, it's dangerous. And one of 4 00:00:10,920 --> 00:00:14,440 Speaker 1: the senators yesterday who was impacted by this was Spencer 5 00:00:14,480 --> 00:00:16,919 Speaker 1: Derry from the Lafayette area. He joins us now in 6 00:00:16,920 --> 00:00:20,120 Speaker 1: the WIBC hotline. Senator Spencer Derry, Hello. 7 00:00:20,800 --> 00:00:22,080 Speaker 2: Hey there, thanks for having me on. 8 00:00:22,239 --> 00:00:24,239 Speaker 1: All right, So, first of all, take us through what 9 00:00:24,360 --> 00:00:27,360 Speaker 1: yesterday was like for you. I think people here swatting 10 00:00:27,360 --> 00:00:29,160 Speaker 1: and I think, oh, this is this horrible nine one 11 00:00:29,280 --> 00:00:31,520 Speaker 1: one call, the police come to your house, they'd knock 12 00:00:31,600 --> 00:00:33,360 Speaker 1: down the door. Can you kind of let our audience 13 00:00:33,440 --> 00:00:35,839 Speaker 1: know what the experience was like for you? 14 00:00:36,760 --> 00:00:37,320 Speaker 2: Yeah. Sure. 15 00:00:37,400 --> 00:00:39,960 Speaker 3: So for some it can be and that's why it 16 00:00:39,960 --> 00:00:43,279 Speaker 3: can be so dangerous. Fortunately for me, you could kind 17 00:00:43,280 --> 00:00:45,199 Speaker 3: of see it coming. It was like, you know, all 18 00:00:45,200 --> 00:00:47,960 Speaker 3: happy and slow motion because you had the reports. 19 00:00:47,600 --> 00:00:48,480 Speaker 2: Of other senators. 20 00:00:49,000 --> 00:00:52,200 Speaker 3: We actually the night before had the so called prank 21 00:00:52,280 --> 00:00:55,440 Speaker 3: of a pizza you didn't order being delivered to your house, 22 00:00:55,840 --> 00:00:58,760 Speaker 3: which is really you know, can seem harmless, but really 23 00:00:58,800 --> 00:01:01,040 Speaker 3: the message there is we know where you live. And 24 00:01:01,080 --> 00:01:04,680 Speaker 3: so I had had multiple conversations with law enforcement saying, look, 25 00:01:04,800 --> 00:01:06,480 Speaker 3: this is probably going to happen to me. How are 26 00:01:06,480 --> 00:01:08,399 Speaker 3: we going to handle it? So we had a plan. 27 00:01:08,560 --> 00:01:11,360 Speaker 3: So fortunately, in my case, it was not that it 28 00:01:11,520 --> 00:01:15,400 Speaker 3: was a they were able to They received a report 29 00:01:15,640 --> 00:01:17,880 Speaker 3: of you know, the scary thing is the report says, 30 00:01:18,840 --> 00:01:22,440 Speaker 3: you know, there's domestic violence happening at this address and 31 00:01:22,480 --> 00:01:23,520 Speaker 3: any officers. 32 00:01:23,120 --> 00:01:25,520 Speaker 2: Who show up are going to be shot or attacked. 33 00:01:25,520 --> 00:01:27,320 Speaker 3: And so really the goal there is to try to 34 00:01:27,360 --> 00:01:30,119 Speaker 3: get them to come in with you know, guns ready 35 00:01:30,160 --> 00:01:34,679 Speaker 3: to shoot anybody that resists. But fortunately, you know, because 36 00:01:34,720 --> 00:01:38,160 Speaker 3: we were able to prepare. Instead it was a conversation 37 00:01:38,280 --> 00:01:42,119 Speaker 3: from dispatch, a phone call from distatch, No, we're good, 38 00:01:42,160 --> 00:01:44,280 Speaker 3: this is me, and then an officer showing up on 39 00:01:44,319 --> 00:01:47,800 Speaker 3: the doorstep, you know, politely having a flight interaction. So 40 00:01:47,960 --> 00:01:49,920 Speaker 3: you know, we we are fine. I don't want to 41 00:01:49,920 --> 00:01:52,960 Speaker 3: exaggerate of what we went through, but I still think 42 00:01:52,960 --> 00:01:55,520 Speaker 3: it's important to take a moment and say this is not. 43 00:01:55,560 --> 00:01:59,240 Speaker 1: Okay this state Senator, smister dearies are our guests. So 44 00:01:59,400 --> 00:02:01,400 Speaker 1: is that something you and your colleagues after the Greg 45 00:02:01,400 --> 00:02:04,320 Speaker 1: Good incident have kind of taken it on your own 46 00:02:04,360 --> 00:02:07,520 Speaker 1: to do. Is contact your local law enforcement and say, hey, 47 00:02:07,640 --> 00:02:09,480 Speaker 1: we could be victims of this too. 48 00:02:10,840 --> 00:02:13,600 Speaker 3: Yeah, I think there's definitely been an effort to say, 49 00:02:13,680 --> 00:02:15,440 Speaker 3: you know, we need to be prepared for this. This 50 00:02:15,600 --> 00:02:18,000 Speaker 3: is a different environment than we are used to, and 51 00:02:18,040 --> 00:02:20,399 Speaker 3: so we need to be more prepared than we typically 52 00:02:20,400 --> 00:02:22,800 Speaker 3: are for a state senate type position. 53 00:02:23,160 --> 00:02:25,520 Speaker 4: Senator deary, I want to ask you about motives and 54 00:02:25,560 --> 00:02:28,959 Speaker 4: the political climate. Do you believe the swatting incidences are 55 00:02:29,080 --> 00:02:31,400 Speaker 4: connected to the current debate over redistricting? 56 00:02:32,440 --> 00:02:35,320 Speaker 3: You know, I don't want to jump to any inclusions. 57 00:02:35,440 --> 00:02:39,240 Speaker 3: I mean, obviously nobody knows who I am out without that, 58 00:02:39,320 --> 00:02:41,640 Speaker 3: and so obviously there's a connection in the sense of 59 00:02:42,280 --> 00:02:46,040 Speaker 3: we're in the public profile nationally because of that. What 60 00:02:46,080 --> 00:02:50,959 Speaker 3: the motivations are, you know, an investigation will show. But really, 61 00:02:51,200 --> 00:02:54,840 Speaker 3: whatever the motivation is, it's important to just say, you 62 00:02:54,840 --> 00:02:58,160 Speaker 3: know what, elected officials are humans. 63 00:02:58,680 --> 00:03:01,040 Speaker 2: Because we're humans. We do still stuff. So call us 64 00:03:01,040 --> 00:03:03,280 Speaker 2: out when we do stupid stuff, but deal do it 65 00:03:03,320 --> 00:03:04,680 Speaker 2: with respecting dignity. 66 00:03:04,720 --> 00:03:06,560 Speaker 3: And you're and they're Nope, I'm not talking to one 67 00:03:06,560 --> 00:03:08,880 Speaker 3: of the best at doing so well. 68 00:03:08,800 --> 00:03:10,840 Speaker 1: I was just gonna ask you about that because look, 69 00:03:11,000 --> 00:03:13,160 Speaker 1: we came at you guys really hard on property taxes. 70 00:03:13,200 --> 00:03:15,079 Speaker 1: I'm not gonna lie I that you guys totally blew it. 71 00:03:15,120 --> 00:03:17,000 Speaker 1: I'm not gonna say something different because you're on the 72 00:03:17,040 --> 00:03:19,280 Speaker 1: phone with me. But we were pretty nice to you guys. 73 00:03:19,280 --> 00:03:21,640 Speaker 1: But what is it about this redistricting thing that like 74 00:03:21,680 --> 00:03:24,160 Speaker 1: it's it's amped this thing up to a level that's 75 00:03:24,160 --> 00:03:25,120 Speaker 1: totally ridiculous. 76 00:03:26,639 --> 00:03:28,239 Speaker 2: Well, let me just say I did vote against the 77 00:03:28,280 --> 00:03:30,440 Speaker 2: property tax. They'll just throw that out there, but you 78 00:03:30,440 --> 00:03:31,600 Speaker 2: did that said. 79 00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:36,320 Speaker 3: But with that said, you know it's I think it's 80 00:03:36,360 --> 00:03:39,840 Speaker 3: just become this national profile. I mean, you have the president, 81 00:03:39,880 --> 00:03:41,920 Speaker 3: you have the vice president, and because of that, you 82 00:03:41,960 --> 00:03:44,360 Speaker 3: even have internationalized you know, for all we know, there 83 00:03:44,400 --> 00:03:47,600 Speaker 3: could be you know, there are people internationally that like 84 00:03:47,720 --> 00:03:51,320 Speaker 3: to sew discord in this country and you know, capitalize 85 00:03:51,320 --> 00:03:52,040 Speaker 3: on things like this. 86 00:03:52,200 --> 00:03:54,680 Speaker 2: So it could be it could be somebody up the street, 87 00:03:54,760 --> 00:03:58,120 Speaker 2: it could be somebody overseas. I don't know. But anytime 88 00:03:58,160 --> 00:04:00,320 Speaker 2: you have this kind of vitriol. 89 00:04:00,200 --> 00:04:03,840 Speaker 3: And this kind of anger and you look online, you 90 00:04:03,880 --> 00:04:06,720 Speaker 3: know it's there's a lot of dehumanization and there's a 91 00:04:06,720 --> 00:04:11,160 Speaker 3: lot of just you know, anger, and so it's important 92 00:04:11,200 --> 00:04:13,800 Speaker 3: to take a moment say you know what, we're. 93 00:04:13,640 --> 00:04:15,280 Speaker 2: Humans, We have families. 94 00:04:15,640 --> 00:04:18,640 Speaker 3: I had kids in my house and there were kids 95 00:04:18,680 --> 00:04:21,200 Speaker 3: line up to get on the bus at the time 96 00:04:21,240 --> 00:04:24,160 Speaker 3: that this could have been happened, and so fortunately it 97 00:04:24,279 --> 00:04:27,480 Speaker 3: was not traumatic. But if I had been the first, 98 00:04:27,720 --> 00:04:29,560 Speaker 3: it could have. You could have had a swat team 99 00:04:29,960 --> 00:04:32,200 Speaker 3: storming in my street while you had kids lined up 100 00:04:32,640 --> 00:04:34,600 Speaker 3: getting on the bus. And so we just got to 101 00:04:34,640 --> 00:04:36,880 Speaker 3: take the time and say stuff like this is not okay. 102 00:04:37,120 --> 00:04:40,000 Speaker 4: Senator Deary, in regards to safety and protocols, have you 103 00:04:40,200 --> 00:04:44,120 Speaker 4: been offered additional security or protective measures and do you 104 00:04:44,200 --> 00:04:48,479 Speaker 4: believe Indiana's current laws and policies around swatting are sufficient? 105 00:04:49,720 --> 00:04:53,120 Speaker 3: Well at the moment, you know, we the state police 106 00:04:53,120 --> 00:04:54,840 Speaker 3: does a good job taking care of us, and I 107 00:04:54,880 --> 00:04:56,600 Speaker 3: don't want to go into too many details about what 108 00:04:56,640 --> 00:04:59,960 Speaker 3: that looks like just for our own safety and protocol, 109 00:05:00,200 --> 00:05:03,440 Speaker 3: but I'm very grateful to local law enforcement. 110 00:05:03,480 --> 00:05:05,440 Speaker 2: I'm grateful to state police for all that they do 111 00:05:05,839 --> 00:05:06,880 Speaker 2: to keep us safe. 112 00:05:07,240 --> 00:05:10,919 Speaker 3: We did actually pass House and Rolled Act or sorry, 113 00:05:10,920 --> 00:05:13,720 Speaker 3: Center Rolled Act one ninety eight last year that elevated 114 00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:16,560 Speaker 3: the crime of slatting to a level six felony. 115 00:05:16,880 --> 00:05:18,159 Speaker 2: So in some sense we're a. 116 00:05:18,120 --> 00:05:20,080 Speaker 3: Little ahead of the game on that, but you know, 117 00:05:20,279 --> 00:05:22,960 Speaker 3: there's always going to be stuff that like this, and 118 00:05:23,040 --> 00:05:25,559 Speaker 3: so we have to try and say one step ahead 119 00:05:25,560 --> 00:05:28,600 Speaker 3: of the people that are doing this. But we need 120 00:05:28,720 --> 00:05:32,960 Speaker 3: as a state, as a country, say this is not okay. 121 00:05:32,680 --> 00:05:35,760 Speaker 1: Spencer Deery, our guest any at a state center Lafayette area, 122 00:05:38,200 --> 00:05:40,960 Speaker 1: get you now get a primary challenger right out of this, Like, 123 00:05:41,520 --> 00:05:45,400 Speaker 1: why is it that people think that redistricting is some 124 00:05:46,160 --> 00:05:49,359 Speaker 1: magic silver bullet that's going to prepare them to victory 125 00:05:49,440 --> 00:05:51,320 Speaker 1: because and maybe going to this a little bit, it 126 00:05:51,360 --> 00:05:55,200 Speaker 1: doesn't seem like a lot of constituents, your constituents are 127 00:05:55,279 --> 00:05:57,760 Speaker 1: really fired up that this is the issue that's going 128 00:05:57,800 --> 00:05:58,920 Speaker 1: to motivate them to vote. 129 00:06:00,160 --> 00:06:00,919 Speaker 2: You know, it's true. 130 00:06:01,160 --> 00:06:03,520 Speaker 3: I mean, right from the get go, I did not 131 00:06:03,680 --> 00:06:05,200 Speaker 3: believe this is the right thing to do, because I 132 00:06:05,200 --> 00:06:08,520 Speaker 3: think it goes against the idea of what you know, 133 00:06:08,640 --> 00:06:10,840 Speaker 3: we call popular sovereignty, the people being in charge of 134 00:06:10,880 --> 00:06:13,960 Speaker 3: their rulers. But I was only reinforced as I started 135 00:06:13,960 --> 00:06:17,560 Speaker 3: to go to my community and to listen and not 136 00:06:17,760 --> 00:06:20,200 Speaker 3: just you know, obviously the Democrats against one hundred percent, 137 00:06:20,600 --> 00:06:23,240 Speaker 3: but there was a lot of money spent to try 138 00:06:23,279 --> 00:06:27,360 Speaker 3: to convince Republicans to tell me to support this, and 139 00:06:28,440 --> 00:06:30,800 Speaker 3: over half of the calls I got in response to 140 00:06:30,839 --> 00:06:32,800 Speaker 3: those were saying, this is not who we are, don't 141 00:06:32,880 --> 00:06:35,799 Speaker 3: do this. And those that were on the other side, 142 00:06:36,920 --> 00:06:39,920 Speaker 3: you call them up, and there wasn't really an honestly 143 00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:42,080 Speaker 3: passion there or even a lot of information. And so 144 00:06:42,160 --> 00:06:44,280 Speaker 3: once you walk through the situation, I had lots of 145 00:06:44,320 --> 00:06:46,160 Speaker 3: people say, yeah, you're right, this is a bad idea, 146 00:06:46,200 --> 00:06:48,720 Speaker 3: don't do this. So I don't fully understand it as 147 00:06:48,720 --> 00:06:51,039 Speaker 3: an issue, especially when you consider that by the time 148 00:06:51,080 --> 00:06:53,880 Speaker 3: you get to the primary, this is not going to 149 00:06:53,960 --> 00:06:55,640 Speaker 3: be an issue. 150 00:06:55,720 --> 00:06:57,520 Speaker 2: You know, the result of these races an't going to 151 00:06:57,520 --> 00:06:58,360 Speaker 2: impact this at all. 152 00:06:59,160 --> 00:07:01,600 Speaker 3: What I'm hearing people want to focus on is they're 153 00:07:01,640 --> 00:07:04,400 Speaker 3: worried about rising utility rates driven by. 154 00:07:04,279 --> 00:07:07,160 Speaker 2: Unpressed demand of energy. There's there's still. 155 00:07:06,920 --> 00:07:09,360 Speaker 3: Concerns that you know out there about about property taxes, 156 00:07:09,720 --> 00:07:10,960 Speaker 3: rising medical costs. 157 00:07:11,120 --> 00:07:14,400 Speaker 2: That's what people want to talk about. And so I'm there. 158 00:07:14,760 --> 00:07:18,000 Speaker 3: You know, I took my position knowing that it could 159 00:07:18,080 --> 00:07:21,160 Speaker 3: date somebody into trying to run a primary, but I 160 00:07:21,400 --> 00:07:23,120 Speaker 3: try not to think that way to do what's right, 161 00:07:23,200 --> 00:07:25,400 Speaker 3: and I'm confident that I'm doing what the voters want 162 00:07:25,400 --> 00:07:26,480 Speaker 3: me to do, and we'll be just fine. 163 00:07:26,880 --> 00:07:30,800 Speaker 4: How do the recent comments or pressure from not only 164 00:07:30,920 --> 00:07:33,960 Speaker 4: the governor but also President Trump affect your position? 165 00:07:37,640 --> 00:07:40,880 Speaker 3: Honestly, I'm listening to the people that I see at 166 00:07:40,880 --> 00:07:43,960 Speaker 3: the grocery store, the people that I see at you know, 167 00:07:44,800 --> 00:07:49,480 Speaker 3: the festivals in my rural counties. There's a lot of 168 00:07:49,560 --> 00:07:51,160 Speaker 3: noise online. 169 00:07:50,800 --> 00:07:52,840 Speaker 2: There's a lot of you know that's fueled. 170 00:07:52,960 --> 00:07:55,960 Speaker 3: Some of that by the national rhetoric, but it's a 171 00:07:56,080 --> 00:07:59,960 Speaker 3: mismatch from what I'm hearing from actual voters. And you know, 172 00:08:00,160 --> 00:08:02,200 Speaker 3: I'd love to make everybody happy, but I know that 173 00:08:02,200 --> 00:08:04,240 Speaker 3: that's not possible. And if I have to choose, I'm 174 00:08:04,280 --> 00:08:06,360 Speaker 3: going to any It's an easy choice. 175 00:08:06,400 --> 00:08:07,000 Speaker 2: Who I'm going to. 176 00:08:07,360 --> 00:08:10,160 Speaker 3: Upset and it's not the people that elected me. It's 177 00:08:10,200 --> 00:08:11,960 Speaker 3: not the people that I'm actually seeing on the ground. 178 00:08:12,040 --> 00:08:13,280 Speaker 1: All right, Well, get you out of here with this. 179 00:08:13,520 --> 00:08:16,160 Speaker 1: Spencer Dery State Center, Lafayette Area is our guest. If 180 00:08:16,160 --> 00:08:18,200 Speaker 1: you could give a message to the people out there 181 00:08:18,240 --> 00:08:21,240 Speaker 1: about this environment, about what's going on, If you could 182 00:08:21,480 --> 00:08:23,800 Speaker 1: just say something to the folks out there, maybe to 183 00:08:23,840 --> 00:08:26,600 Speaker 1: help drive the temperature down a little bit on this. Obviously, 184 00:08:26,640 --> 00:08:29,280 Speaker 1: the behavior is getting totally out of control. Flora is yours? 185 00:08:29,320 --> 00:08:29,840 Speaker 1: What would it be? 186 00:08:31,120 --> 00:08:33,400 Speaker 2: You know, you hear a lot of talk about unity. 187 00:08:33,400 --> 00:08:34,559 Speaker 2: It kind of becomes cliche. 188 00:08:35,360 --> 00:08:37,880 Speaker 3: Unity does not mean that we all agree or think 189 00:08:37,960 --> 00:08:38,360 Speaker 3: the same. 190 00:08:38,880 --> 00:08:40,600 Speaker 2: What it means is that we agree to act on 191 00:08:40,640 --> 00:08:41,680 Speaker 2: the same core values. 192 00:08:41,720 --> 00:08:43,640 Speaker 3: And one of those core values is that all of 193 00:08:43,640 --> 00:08:47,560 Speaker 3: our elective few sills and all of our voters, we're. 194 00:08:47,440 --> 00:08:50,079 Speaker 2: All human beings. And never forget that. 195 00:08:50,520 --> 00:08:53,000 Speaker 3: Fire them, debate them, tell them why they're wrong, but 196 00:08:53,040 --> 00:08:56,080 Speaker 3: don't dehumanize them. If social media is causing you to 197 00:08:56,120 --> 00:08:58,560 Speaker 3: do that, shut it off. Go talk to a human being. 198 00:08:59,040 --> 00:08:59,920 Speaker 2: Just be a good person. 199 00:09:00,360 --> 00:09:02,920 Speaker 1: Yeah, and congratulations, Senator. The odds were one hundred to 200 00:09:02,920 --> 00:09:05,280 Speaker 1: one we would ever get a member of the Indiana 201 00:09:05,320 --> 00:09:07,920 Speaker 1: Senate from the Republican side on our show. So congratulations, 202 00:09:08,000 --> 00:09:09,600 Speaker 1: we cashed the bet. Thanks to you today. 203 00:09:09,640 --> 00:09:11,240 Speaker 2: Thanks, Well, there you go. 204 00:09:11,360 --> 00:09:14,559 Speaker 3: Well, I hopefully they'll let me stil Coe hang around 205 00:09:14,760 --> 00:09:17,120 Speaker 3: in the pockets rooms. Actually giving you some time, but. 206 00:09:19,360 --> 00:09:20,560 Speaker 2: I enjoyed it. Thanks for having me on