WEBVTT - Stop Cop City 0:00:01.720 --> 0:00:04.720 You are listening waiting on reparations the production of I 0:00:04.840 --> 0:00:13.640 Heart Radio. What's what's happening? My name is Dope Knife 0:00:14.000 --> 0:00:19.520 lingle Franca and we are waiting on reparations? Are you 0:00:19.520 --> 0:00:22.119 waiting on me? Were waiting? Yeah? I was like glancing 0:00:22.200 --> 0:00:25.680 at un We're gonna get it. We're gonna get It's 0:00:25.720 --> 0:00:30.280 like super weird. It's like we have like five months 0:00:30.320 --> 0:00:33.240 of being in perfect synergy and then all of a 0:00:33.280 --> 0:00:36.040 sudden we fell off and we can't y yo, we 0:00:36.200 --> 0:00:38.239 on some Simone bile ship. It was just like at 0:00:38.280 --> 0:00:41.920 the top of our game, invented moves. Ain't nobody ever 0:00:41.960 --> 0:00:44.920 see him before? And then you get up there, tokyo, 0:00:45.200 --> 0:00:48.800 get the twisties a little bit, and then you just 0:00:48.840 --> 0:00:50.519 gotta you just gotta be like yeo, I gotta take 0:00:50.520 --> 0:00:52.559 a step back. You know. I know I'm the greatest, 0:00:52.640 --> 0:00:56.360 but this should happen sometimes. Bro, Michael Jordan's took two 0:00:56.440 --> 0:00:58.760 years off to go chill. Well, he played baseball, but 0:00:58.760 --> 0:01:01.640 you know what I'm saying, it had whatever the jim 0:01:01.720 --> 0:01:03.959 during that time. No, I don't think so he made 0:01:03.960 --> 0:01:06.000 space jam. I think like after he came back with 0:01:06.040 --> 0:01:08.959 the year after some like um what's going on with you? 0:01:09.000 --> 0:01:14.160 How you doing? I'm great, I am thriving. Uh I 0:01:14.240 --> 0:01:18.640 am uh. I'm not excited about this eviction moratory. I'm expiring. 0:01:18.959 --> 0:01:20.480 We're gonna talk about a little bit more in a bit, 0:01:21.080 --> 0:01:24.200 but um, from a local perspective, my colleague, my comrade, 0:01:24.800 --> 0:01:28.280 Commissioner Tim Denson, has been working on eviction protection program 0:01:28.319 --> 0:01:31.840 that actually protects both renters and landlords. He's working on 0:01:31.840 --> 0:01:36.520 it since last December, and the moderates on them he 0:01:36.640 --> 0:01:39.440 foresaw it coming. Oh yeah, oh yeah, he's alwayould coming 0:01:39.440 --> 0:01:42.360 away away and he's been working on it since December. Uh, 0:01:42.400 --> 0:01:44.920 the moderates on the commission who just hate the left 0:01:45.080 --> 0:01:49.040 because we are young and like socialists or whatever. To 0:01:49.280 --> 0:01:52.440 stone waled it, stone waled it, stone walded for months 0:01:52.480 --> 0:01:56.040 and now we got you know, like forty I think 0:01:56.120 --> 0:02:00.040 compending evictions in the magistrate court at least not including 0:02:00.080 --> 0:02:02.360 all the ones that are about to get filed now. 0:02:03.720 --> 0:02:06.280 And it's just like y'all think this isn't a game. 0:02:06.400 --> 0:02:08.200 You'all think this is a game. This is not a game, 0:02:08.800 --> 0:02:13.600 live man. So is there is there any chance of 0:02:13.720 --> 0:02:16.320 us of people like fighting for to get it? Just 0:02:16.400 --> 0:02:20.000 kind of like permanently in place in some manner for him, 0:02:20.040 --> 0:02:22.280 because I feel like we've been talking about this coming 0:02:22.360 --> 0:02:24.760 up and then it got extended, and then it's coming 0:02:24.840 --> 0:02:27.440 up again. It seems like, you know, we're in an 0:02:27.440 --> 0:02:29.760 economic state where we might need that to kind of 0:02:29.800 --> 0:02:33.000 be indefinite until further notice type of Well, what we 0:02:33.080 --> 0:02:36.320 need to do is a federal house and guarantee and 0:02:36.480 --> 0:02:39.920 just you know, it would be far cheaper probably for 0:02:40.000 --> 0:02:42.800 us to just house everyone then to like fund the 0:02:42.880 --> 0:02:48.760 magistrate courts, operation of eviction proceedings and like and and 0:02:48.800 --> 0:02:52.720 pay for you know, the like substance abuse issues of 0:02:52.800 --> 0:02:55.720 the homeless, because one day somebody loses a job and 0:02:55.760 --> 0:02:57.480 they lose their car, then they lose their house and 0:02:57.520 --> 0:03:02.200 now they're living in a camp somewhere. You know. I yes, 0:03:02.560 --> 0:03:04.800 we would be knowpe if there was just like let's 0:03:04.880 --> 0:03:07.640 maybe not big people, but you have to balance out 0:03:07.639 --> 0:03:10.480 the private market with public forces. I think, I mean 0:03:10.560 --> 0:03:13.440 in a mixed economy like ours. And so did you 0:03:13.440 --> 0:03:16.239 make it so like you know, are you contributing it 0:03:16.320 --> 0:03:19.160 all to well Holm he's working on as far as 0:03:19.160 --> 0:03:21.320 the Oh yeah, I mean I've been, I've been, I've 0:03:21.360 --> 0:03:24.920 attended you know, meetings with the folks and other municipalities 0:03:24.960 --> 0:03:29.600 that have pilot of similar programs. Program works the um like, 0:03:29.800 --> 0:03:31.880 if you get an eviction proceeding fought against you and 0:03:31.960 --> 0:03:35.120 magised to court, magised to court, since you a letter 0:03:35.200 --> 0:03:37.400 and says, yo, there's this program you can get said 0:03:37.480 --> 0:03:40.240 you can like take part in. We call it Project Reset, 0:03:40.640 --> 0:03:44.320 where we'll pay off part of your back rent if 0:03:44.480 --> 0:03:47.840 your landlord agrees not to kick you out. And it 0:03:47.920 --> 0:03:50.280 works out for both parties because the landlord and an 0:03:50.280 --> 0:03:53.640 eviction proceeding, they don't get shipped. They get to legally 0:03:53.720 --> 0:03:56.200 kick you out of the house, but they don't get 0:03:56.240 --> 0:04:00.360 any they don't get any money back. And so obviously 0:04:00.400 --> 0:04:03.040 we're trying to keep renter's house. And so if you're 0:04:03.080 --> 0:04:05.920 a landlord, like, okay, my option start keep this person 0:04:05.920 --> 0:04:08.200 out and get no money or let this person stay 0:04:08.240 --> 0:04:11.280 and get like eighty percent of what I'm owed back, 0:04:11.760 --> 0:04:14.080 and who knows, maybe you might get it all maybe 0:04:14.120 --> 0:04:16.760 you get it all back. Yeah, and so and so 0:04:16.880 --> 0:04:18.800 people who were like, oh, what about the landlord's Like, 0:04:18.880 --> 0:04:21.440 I personally don't like about the lords like for the 0:04:21.480 --> 0:04:25.520 most part, but we were we're looking at for that too, 0:04:25.720 --> 0:04:27.520 and so we didn't always work to make it happen, 0:04:27.720 --> 0:04:31.160 and it's still like, you know, we just gotta it's 0:04:31.160 --> 0:04:35.800 still like popping. It's really annoyingly annoying. But anyway, that's what. 0:04:36.080 --> 0:04:37.440 That's what's going on in my world. We'll talk a 0:04:37.480 --> 0:04:40.839 little bit more about those an other current events. Surely, 0:04:41.080 --> 0:04:44.000 what's popping in your world? What's good? How's the studio? Oh, 0:04:44.040 --> 0:04:47.240 the studio is fine. I have been practically sleeping in 0:04:47.279 --> 0:04:51.120 there for the past week, cooking up some stuff. I mean, 0:04:51.200 --> 0:04:54.240 you know, it's always it's always weird to talk about 0:04:54.320 --> 0:04:58.240 my like musical stuff after you know, you're actually helping 0:04:58.320 --> 0:05:02.040 people and doing things real stuff like that. I barely 0:05:02.040 --> 0:05:04.840 even wrap on the show half the time. Well, I 0:05:04.839 --> 0:05:08.120 mean mixed up. The big thing right now is the 0:05:08.200 --> 0:05:12.120 show with Afroman coming up on Wednesday at Victory North 0:05:12.200 --> 0:05:14.560 and Savannah, Georgia. But yeah, you know, just doing that, 0:05:14.640 --> 0:05:17.400 trying to promote it, getting back in the promotion games. 0:05:17.480 --> 0:05:20.200 I kind of had to slow down on some of 0:05:20.279 --> 0:05:22.840 the booking that I had been doing just because I 0:05:22.880 --> 0:05:24.880 just want to see where COVID's that. I got a 0:05:24.880 --> 0:05:27.640 little too excited when stuff started open. I know, it 0:05:27.720 --> 0:05:29.800 really hit me this week that I was like, for 0:05:29.839 --> 0:05:31.560 a couple of months, maybe it's pretty much since I 0:05:31.560 --> 0:05:34.000 got vaccinateded back in April or whatever. I was like, 0:05:34.400 --> 0:05:38.560 it's a whole new and like very like, and then 0:05:38.720 --> 0:05:41.479 it was like and this week it really hit me, 0:05:41.520 --> 0:05:45.599 like yeah, because Savannah, actually they all just got a 0:05:45.680 --> 0:05:48.400 mask mandate. Yeah, we got we got a mask mandate 0:05:48.440 --> 0:05:52.160 in place. Um, I guess it's Georgia a hotspot at 0:05:52.160 --> 0:05:57.760 this point, fucking practice probably. And I was like, I 0:05:57.800 --> 0:06:00.760 pretty I had, Um, I had a some sort of 0:06:00.800 --> 0:06:05.640 show at least once, you know, for for eat, for 0:06:05.680 --> 0:06:08.040 at least once of the next you know, three months, 0:06:08.080 --> 0:06:11.400 I had at least one show booked in Savannah, And 0:06:11.480 --> 0:06:13.760 now you know, I'm just looking down the line. I 0:06:13.800 --> 0:06:15.800 have no idea what's going to happen with those. So 0:06:15.839 --> 0:06:18.720 I was just like, skirt, stop booking anymore and just 0:06:18.800 --> 0:06:20.840 kind of try to wait it out. But in the meantime, 0:06:20.880 --> 0:06:22.960 you know, I got this new studio, so I am 0:06:23.080 --> 0:06:25.600 definitely wearing it the funk out. I think I need 0:06:25.600 --> 0:06:30.440 to get a new one for real. But um, we 0:06:30.600 --> 0:06:34.840 have a pretty exciting show for you guys. Today. We're 0:06:34.839 --> 0:06:38.000 gonna be talking about a couple of different topics, but 0:06:38.240 --> 0:06:41.240 it's all going to be capped off with an interview 0:06:41.360 --> 0:06:44.560 with who we're talking to, UM, colleague of mine, a 0:06:44.600 --> 0:06:47.520 colleague in the movement. We don't like, not office mates 0:06:47.600 --> 0:06:51.120 or anything, but like kindred spirits as organizers. UM. By 0:06:51.120 --> 0:06:54.880 the end of Jasmine, who is a organizer with the 0:06:55.080 --> 0:06:59.000 defund Atlanta what's it called? Sorry, I said, that's right, 0:06:59.240 --> 0:07:04.480 defund ap D, refund communities like working group within the 0:07:04.520 --> 0:07:08.120 Atlanta Democrats Socialists in America. So pretty much these are 0:07:08.120 --> 0:07:13.360 the like the defund people of Atlanta, UM, like their 0:07:13.400 --> 0:07:17.680 main bitch on the show to chop chat with us 0:07:17.720 --> 0:07:21.320 about their campaign to stop cops City. This whole thing 0:07:21.760 --> 0:07:23.520 I sort of got, like it feels like when we 0:07:23.600 --> 0:07:26.440 even talked about it last time we talked, it sounds 0:07:26.480 --> 0:07:29.760 like a movie, Like it's like cartoonitially villainish, villain the 0:07:29.840 --> 0:07:33.320 villainous what they're trying to do. And actually you said 0:07:33.360 --> 0:07:37.960 it actually was a movie one time like this. There's 0:07:37.960 --> 0:07:42.920 a movie, uh, nineteen nine seven's called Copland. It's with 0:07:43.200 --> 0:07:46.120 Sylvester Stallone, Robert de Niro. It's got a bunch of 0:07:46.120 --> 0:07:50.200 those you know, like white actor dudes in it. It's 0:07:50.240 --> 0:07:53.120 it's a really good movie. But it's about a town 0:07:53.960 --> 0:07:58.680 that is populated by a local police department. So it's 0:07:58.760 --> 0:08:01.200 like they owned busin this is there. They all have 0:08:01.360 --> 0:08:05.000 houses there. It's like a suburb that's hidden away and 0:08:05.080 --> 0:08:07.360 it's kind of closed off from the rest of the city. 0:08:07.600 --> 0:08:09.680 But you know, kind of kind of in line with 0:08:09.720 --> 0:08:11.720 what you're talking about. Obviously, it's got some ust just 0:08:11.800 --> 0:08:14.080 alone in it. So stuff starts blowing up and people 0:08:14.080 --> 0:08:17.240 start getting shot. But you know, that might not be 0:08:17.520 --> 0:08:21.040 too far away from the reality of the reality of 0:08:21.080 --> 0:08:24.440 Cops City. But yeah, we're gonna talk to Jasmine Dark 0:08:24.480 --> 0:08:26.640 about what's going on with the stop Cops City movement 0:08:26.680 --> 0:08:29.880 in Atlanta. We're also going to talk about the men's 0:08:30.040 --> 0:08:34.880 fencing team in the Olympics, the Olympics in general, and 0:08:35.200 --> 0:08:57.240 yeah stuff, yea, all god stuff. After the jump. Okay, 0:08:57.280 --> 0:09:00.640 so we are back and the first topic we're going 0:09:00.679 --> 0:09:02.400 to talk about it's a topic that I don't think 0:09:02.440 --> 0:09:04.600 either one of us really wants to talk about because 0:09:05.240 --> 0:09:07.840 I don't think we really care about this ship that much. 0:09:08.120 --> 0:09:10.440 I don't like, I hate giving any kind of air 0:09:10.559 --> 0:09:14.360 oxygen to dumb shit. Yeah, you know, and I don't 0:09:14.400 --> 0:09:17.480 really take a lot of joy in participating in pylons 0:09:17.600 --> 0:09:22.160 on people that aren't like lawmakers, Like if you're just 0:09:22.240 --> 0:09:27.880 to think of that, just make raps like you know, 0:09:28.240 --> 0:09:31.079 I'll let you live. So we're talking about the baby. 0:09:31.320 --> 0:09:35.440 The North Carolina rap Sensation has been a little bit 0:09:35.480 --> 0:09:38.000 of trouble this past few days or is it a 0:09:38.000 --> 0:09:41.360 week or weeks? I don't even fucking no. Anyway, this 0:09:41.520 --> 0:09:44.760 nigger was performing at Rolling Loud, got on stage and 0:09:44.840 --> 0:09:47.480 went on a huge homophobic rant against the l g 0:09:47.600 --> 0:09:51.280 B t Q and HIV AIDS community. One of his 0:09:51.400 --> 0:09:55.880 fashion collaborators, Booho Man Men's Clothing, has stated that they 0:09:55.920 --> 0:09:58.320 won't be working with him anymore or in the future. 0:09:59.120 --> 0:10:02.120 And after for brushing it aside, Oh I forgot, he 0:10:02.200 --> 0:10:05.560 also was dropped from performing at the park Life Festival. 0:10:05.559 --> 0:10:07.680 It's going to go down in September. Yeah, he got. 0:10:07.760 --> 0:10:14.480 He got dropped from Lollapalooza from Day in Vegas, like 0:10:14.840 --> 0:10:17.480 Governor's Ball in New York. He got. You gotta from 0:10:17.520 --> 0:10:20.040 a ton of different ship. Oh you can ball if 0:10:20.040 --> 0:10:24.439 you want to, but but so um. After brushing it 0:10:24.520 --> 0:10:27.800 aside and the backlash and then even doubling down for 0:10:27.840 --> 0:10:31.360 a little bit. He has since formally apologized. That was 0:10:31.520 --> 0:10:35.760 today he issued the statement, I want to apologize to 0:10:35.840 --> 0:10:40.640 the LGBTQ community lgbt Q plus community for the hurtful 0:10:40.679 --> 0:10:44.240 and triggering comments I made. Again, I apologize for the 0:10:44.280 --> 0:10:48.800 misinformed comments about HIV AIDS. I know education on this 0:10:48.960 --> 0:10:52.800 is important. So yeah, in the in the interim in 0:10:52.880 --> 0:10:57.040 between his initial statement, in that latter statement, he tried 0:10:57.080 --> 0:10:59.840 to like cover his ask by saying that his my 0:11:00.120 --> 0:11:05.800 gay fans aren't junkies like the rest of the gay community. 0:11:06.200 --> 0:11:08.160 Like he kind of he doubled down in a weird 0:11:08.200 --> 0:11:10.360 way where he was like trying to cover trying to 0:11:10.400 --> 0:11:16.320 cover his ass, but just kept saying work and then 0:11:16.559 --> 0:11:19.480 and then his Papa says, clearly wrote this apology statement 0:11:19.520 --> 0:11:21.720 for him, because I don't believe for a fucking second 0:11:22.320 --> 0:11:25.360 these He like sat down with his journal in the 0:11:25.400 --> 0:11:28.480 moonlight and was like in the depth of his soul, like, 0:11:28.920 --> 0:11:31.679 I mean we were talking before we started recording with us, 0:11:31.720 --> 0:11:36.040 Like I don't know why these just celebrities or like 0:11:36.120 --> 0:11:42.520 famous figures go the route of the the pr statement Instagram, 0:11:43.280 --> 0:11:45.680 Like I mean, you might as well just get on 0:11:45.760 --> 0:11:48.439 camera and say some shing. It's like people might still 0:11:48.480 --> 0:11:51.440 not even believe you. You know, you might be a 0:11:51.440 --> 0:11:54.079 bad liar, bad actor, or maybe just people have something 0:11:54.120 --> 0:11:55.760 against you and they don't take your word for it 0:11:55.880 --> 0:11:59.000 or whatever. But it's more believable than just some statement 0:11:59.040 --> 0:12:01.720 that you clearly and write, you know what I mean? Yeah, 0:12:02.360 --> 0:12:04.320 but I guess I mean better than him speaking from 0:12:04.320 --> 0:12:09.600 the heart, apparently, because everything to speaks from the herd's true. 0:12:09.880 --> 0:12:17.000 He added, social media moves fast, and social media moves 0:12:17.040 --> 0:12:19.160 so fast that people want to demolish you before you 0:12:19.240 --> 0:12:22.600 even had the opportunity to grow, educate, and learn from 0:12:22.640 --> 0:12:26.320 your mistakes. As a man who had to make his 0:12:26.440 --> 0:12:30.840 way from very difficult circumstances, having people I know publicly 0:12:30.840 --> 0:12:34.200 work against me knowing that what I needed was education 0:12:34.240 --> 0:12:39.040 on these topics and guidance has been challenging, to which 0:12:39.200 --> 0:12:44.240 I say, this dude is twenty nine years old, nigger 0:12:44.400 --> 0:12:47.240 us an adult, Like I mean, like we're not talking 0:12:47.280 --> 0:12:50.680 about We're not talking about like the fucking square root 0:12:50.679 --> 0:12:52.800 of some ship, you know what I mean? Like this 0:12:52.880 --> 0:12:56.360 is just I don't know. These guys are funny. If 0:12:56.520 --> 0:13:01.000 if you listen to do his music and then like 0:13:01.080 --> 0:13:04.680 you're shocked, you know what I mean, I'm not saying 0:13:04.840 --> 0:13:08.200 pass any judgment or anything. It's not passing any judgment, 0:13:08.320 --> 0:13:10.440 but it's just like this all kind of seems in 0:13:10.520 --> 0:13:14.760 line with this ship that he does, you know, So, 0:13:15.000 --> 0:13:19.240 I mean, I mean, I do think there it does 0:13:19.280 --> 0:13:23.520 speak to a lack of education around HIV and AIDS 0:13:23.559 --> 0:13:26.320 in the in the in the in the community at large. 0:13:26.840 --> 0:13:29.839 I think there's a lot of misconceptions and myths that 0:13:29.920 --> 0:13:33.400 still circulate to this day, though medicine has made it 0:13:33.480 --> 0:13:39.719 such that for some floths of the populace impacted by 0:13:39.880 --> 0:13:44.360 UM the disease, like, you know, it's it's manageable, it's 0:13:44.600 --> 0:13:48.000 we some of some of the early, you know, early 0:13:48.160 --> 0:13:51.880 stigmas around it have faded away with some sorts of education. 0:13:51.880 --> 0:13:55.080 But like like, but there's still a lot of people stuff. 0:13:55.120 --> 0:13:56.640 There is still a lot of stuff that people don't 0:13:56.720 --> 0:13:58.600 understand about it, and a lot of a lot more 0:13:59.120 --> 0:14:02.200 awareness ray thing to be done. That means that just 0:14:02.280 --> 0:14:05.679 keep the mouth shut about you don't know about it's 0:14:07.000 --> 0:14:09.760 that's even I think that's given the benefit of the doubt, 0:14:09.920 --> 0:14:11.400 or not given the benefit of the doubt. I don't 0:14:11.400 --> 0:14:13.640 want to say that's what you're doing, but it's just 0:14:13.679 --> 0:14:16.360 I don't know. I don't I don't want to take 0:14:16.679 --> 0:14:18.480 I don't want to take it that easy on them, 0:14:18.520 --> 0:14:21.360 because it's like the way I look at it is, 0:14:23.080 --> 0:14:26.160 he wouldn't have gone if there was some crew there 0:14:26.280 --> 0:14:29.800 that you like, he just they're just he wouldn't have 0:14:29.800 --> 0:14:33.000 gone on there and just said that about any old body, 0:14:33.040 --> 0:14:34.560 you know what I mean. It's like he picked those 0:14:34.600 --> 0:14:37.560 communities because he thought that he could say some ship 0:14:38.040 --> 0:14:40.880 and get away with it, which you can. I mean, 0:14:40.960 --> 0:14:43.120 he's still rich, he's still doing the ship. He still 0:14:43.120 --> 0:14:45.560 has his fans and the people who dig him. But 0:14:46.360 --> 0:14:51.000 like you can't use Oh, I wasn't educated about HIV 0:14:51.240 --> 0:14:55.120 and AIDS in the LGBT community enough to know that 0:14:55.160 --> 0:14:57.400 I shouldn't get on stage in front of like twenty 0:14:57.840 --> 0:15:00.400 people and just like this motherfucker's you know what I mean? 0:15:00.680 --> 0:15:02.480 Or if you want to do it, then be about it, 0:15:02.760 --> 0:15:05.920 you know what I mean? Yeah, I'd be a little 0:15:05.960 --> 0:15:08.760 bit right if that's the case. Yeah, I don't know. 0:15:09.040 --> 0:15:12.120 But enough of these funny style niggas. Let's talk about 0:15:12.400 --> 0:15:15.080 this is a crazy amount of cancel culture cascading down 0:15:15.120 --> 0:15:18.000 on this man. Though I was almost comically so I 0:15:18.000 --> 0:15:21.720 mean ends on what your definition of cancel culture, because 0:15:21.800 --> 0:15:24.960 I defined it as consequences. This is just what should 0:15:24.960 --> 0:15:27.960 happen to you if you're dumbass in public. Um. But 0:15:28.680 --> 0:15:31.160 I mean people don't remember an examina their example that 0:15:31.280 --> 0:15:33.760 was like this in recent memory. I guess, I guess 0:15:33.760 --> 0:15:36.000 you know what the difference is. We haven't had music 0:15:36.080 --> 0:15:38.800 festivals in a year and a half. I mean people 0:15:38.840 --> 0:15:41.720 to get pulled off the lineup. I forget the dude's name. 0:15:42.160 --> 0:15:44.520 I don't feel like looking it up. But there was 0:15:44.520 --> 0:15:48.000 a country singer guy like not too long ago, just 0:15:48.120 --> 0:15:51.760 a few months ago, who they TMZ caught him saying 0:15:51.800 --> 0:15:55.440 the N word going into his his driveway. This wasn't 0:15:55.480 --> 0:15:58.280 at like a concert in front of twenty people. He 0:15:58.360 --> 0:16:00.720 was saying the N word going into his driveway. They 0:16:00.720 --> 0:16:04.200 took a ship off the Spotify. They fucking canceled the ship. 0:16:04.400 --> 0:16:07.080 He lost this, he lost that, and it happened. And 0:16:07.160 --> 0:16:12.160 the whole lesson of it is say what you're gonna say. 0:16:12.200 --> 0:16:14.480 But people are allowed to react how they can react. 0:16:14.720 --> 0:16:19.080 That's all I'm saying. No nobody's locking the baby in jail, nobody. 0:16:19.120 --> 0:16:22.560 Nobody is saying, hey, you're not allowed to make music anymore. 0:16:22.760 --> 0:16:24.760 The venues that still want to funk with you, we'll 0:16:24.760 --> 0:16:26.480 funk with you. The fans that still want to funk 0:16:26.520 --> 0:16:28.600 with you, we'll funk with you. And the people that 0:16:28.720 --> 0:16:31.560 don't won't. If that number of people that no longer 0:16:31.600 --> 0:16:33.440 want to funk with you is greater than the people 0:16:33.480 --> 0:16:35.200 that do you want to funk with you, then sorry, 0:16:35.280 --> 0:16:38.880 but you lost them, don't. That's just when it comes 0:16:38.920 --> 0:16:40.760 down to, that's just how would be out here. Yeah, 0:16:41.440 --> 0:16:43.640 all right, let's talk about more important things. Let's talk 0:16:43.680 --> 0:16:45.840 on more important things. Let's move on to look at 0:16:46.080 --> 0:16:50.400 another kind of backlash that another dumbass is facing. Black 0:16:50.480 --> 0:16:53.600 voting rights leaders are getting fed up with President Joe 0:16:53.600 --> 0:16:57.760 Biden's failure to deliver on the John Lewis Voting Rights 0:16:57.760 --> 0:17:01.520 Act and other pieces of legislation which crucially hinge upon 0:17:02.080 --> 0:17:07.520 abolition of the filibuster so um. Latasha Brown and Cliff Albright, 0:17:07.600 --> 0:17:13.320 both founders of the Black Voters Matter Organization, have spoken 0:17:13.320 --> 0:17:18.960 out against Biden given their the you know, his his 0:17:19.080 --> 0:17:21.320 failure to just fucking buck up and scare the ship 0:17:21.400 --> 0:17:23.879 out of people like Cinema and Mansion that like just 0:17:24.000 --> 0:17:26.880 are standing in the way right. So Latasha Brown said, 0:17:26.880 --> 0:17:30.440 there's always this air that in some way that Black 0:17:30.440 --> 0:17:33.560 Americans are supposed to wait. Oftentimes when we're engaged in 0:17:33.600 --> 0:17:36.920 this process, it's an urgency of what we need when 0:17:36.920 --> 0:17:40.280 there's an election, but then once there's a result, it 0:17:40.320 --> 0:17:42.439 seems that our issues are always put on the back burner. 0:17:42.920 --> 0:17:45.600 Cliff Albright went on to say, and these are both 0:17:45.720 --> 0:17:49.640 um reported by NPR that Biden lied when he said 0:17:49.640 --> 0:17:52.600 he would have the backs of black Americans, and I 0:17:52.680 --> 0:17:58.040 laughed because it's like, yeah, nigga's surprised. I don't like, 0:17:59.520 --> 0:18:01.040 I don't know what you I don't know what you 0:18:01.040 --> 0:18:03.960 guys thought was gonna happen on some of these issues. 0:18:04.119 --> 0:18:06.400 I think I'm kind of two minds, and I think 0:18:06.520 --> 0:18:10.360 one of them might be a bit opposed to what 0:18:10.400 --> 0:18:12.480 you're you're thinking is on this I want to see, 0:18:12.560 --> 0:18:17.119 But I don't think that this is comparable to like 0:18:17.880 --> 0:18:22.320 Obama having the House in the Senate and the White 0:18:22.320 --> 0:18:27.480 House and not getting shipped done or using what Republican 0:18:27.560 --> 0:18:31.520 obstruction there was to make excuses to not move because 0:18:31.560 --> 0:18:33.840 the Democrats are kind of Republican light and don't want 0:18:33.880 --> 0:18:37.000 to do certain ship anyway, I think this is I mean, 0:18:37.080 --> 0:18:39.080 don't get me wrong, I think all of that can 0:18:39.119 --> 0:18:43.960 still be going on. But as far as like obstruction, 0:18:44.160 --> 0:18:46.720 I think the Republicans are on crack with their ship 0:18:46.840 --> 0:18:52.080 right now. And obviously Cinema and Mansion aren't helping. That's obvious. 0:18:52.680 --> 0:18:57.359 But I just, I just I just don't think it 0:18:57.480 --> 0:19:00.919 can be overlooked, especially this early on in the presidency. 0:19:00.960 --> 0:19:04.159 And I know, you know, there was an MPR article 0:19:04.240 --> 0:19:07.080 that you know, we had that we read for some 0:19:07.160 --> 0:19:09.760 of the background for the story, and um, you know 0:19:09.800 --> 0:19:12.200 you had. Al Sharpton made a pretty good point where 0:19:12.200 --> 0:19:15.920 it's like, it's obviously it's hard to I'm paraphrasing. He 0:19:16.000 --> 0:19:19.520 was saying, obviously it's hard to make a judgment on 0:19:19.600 --> 0:19:22.000 something like the six months into a presidency. But the 0:19:22.040 --> 0:19:23.920 next thing you know, it'll be eight months. The next 0:19:23.920 --> 0:19:25.439 thing you know, it'll be ten months, the next thing 0:19:25.440 --> 0:19:27.439 you know, it'll be the midttern. Will it be a 0:19:27.560 --> 0:19:31.080 fair to criticize totally understanding I'm not even I'm not 0:19:31.119 --> 0:19:36.720 sitting here saying that no one should criticize or even advocating, 0:19:36.840 --> 0:19:40.880 you know, like giving them the benefit of the doubt 0:19:40.960 --> 0:19:45.639 or understanding. You know, I'm just saying that me surveying 0:19:45.720 --> 0:19:48.560 the ship. That's just the aspect of it that I 0:19:48.640 --> 0:19:52.919 personally can't overlook or downplay to any degree. You know, 0:19:53.000 --> 0:19:57.400 that the Republicans have completely lost the plot. A poll 0:19:57.520 --> 0:20:00.720 came out recently that over six the percent of these 0:20:00.760 --> 0:20:04.320 motherfucker's are like ready to give up democracy, Like six 0:20:05.160 --> 0:20:07.640 of them believe that voting is a privilege that can 0:20:07.680 --> 0:20:09.720 be taken away. You know what I'm saying, Like they're 0:20:09.920 --> 0:20:12.600 they're just you know, and we're not We're talking about 0:20:12.640 --> 0:20:15.720 from the tippy top of the party down to like 0:20:16.200 --> 0:20:19.119 the mom and pop voter. They're just the majority of 0:20:19.160 --> 0:20:23.360 them have lost all interest in the American project. And 0:20:23.840 --> 0:20:28.560 because of that, I'm at the very least understanding to 0:20:28.760 --> 0:20:31.919 the predicament that the Democrats are in with trying to 0:20:31.960 --> 0:20:34.000 get some stuff done before the mid terms so people 0:20:34.040 --> 0:20:36.560 have a reason to come back out. Yeah, I guess. 0:20:36.600 --> 0:20:38.720 I mean, we all do what we was within our 0:20:38.720 --> 0:20:41.840 power to do, and so as organizers on the ground, 0:20:41.880 --> 0:20:45.199 because this whole thing has come out of particularly a 0:20:45.280 --> 0:20:49.720 sense that you know, and I think the particular statement 0:20:49.800 --> 0:20:53.520 that Washington insiders had made people into the White House 0:20:53.880 --> 0:20:55.880 when asked what are we gonna do about voting rights. 0:20:56.240 --> 0:20:58.919 They're responsive, Oh well, we can just outorganize them, like 0:20:59.200 --> 0:21:03.440 Kamala Harris the Democratic Party, it's gonna donate million dollars 0:21:03.480 --> 0:21:06.679 towards like voter outreach or production efforts or whatever, and 0:21:06.760 --> 0:21:09.399 kind of admitting that like, yeah, we're not going to 0:21:09.440 --> 0:21:11.560 actually change any of the laws like we said we 0:21:11.600 --> 0:21:14.320 would when we asked you to vote for us, but 0:21:14.600 --> 0:21:16.960 we'll put it back on y'all to keep on knocking 0:21:16.960 --> 0:21:19.520 on doors and making phone calls and like doing your 0:21:19.560 --> 0:21:22.960 voter registration drive. And maybe we did that to get 0:21:23.000 --> 0:21:25.080 you in there because you were gonna take We're gonna 0:21:25.080 --> 0:21:26.840 pass the baton to you and you're gonna fix the 0:21:26.880 --> 0:21:28.840 ship the rest of the way. And they're just like 0:21:28.880 --> 0:21:32.360 psy y'all gonna keep you in the work, right um, 0:21:32.640 --> 0:21:36.359 And so uh, there's a little frustration with that, but 0:21:36.400 --> 0:21:38.439 we all douted the power, you know, as organizers on 0:21:38.480 --> 0:21:41.160 the ground. We knock on doors, and we give volunteer 0:21:41.160 --> 0:21:43.240 stock on doors, and we you know, put the little 0:21:43.240 --> 0:21:47.760 flyers and oh no, oh no, I think we'll no, 0:21:47.800 --> 0:21:49.480 this's what I'm gonna This what I'm saying. I think 0:21:49.520 --> 0:21:52.680 we've hit our capacity as like having like worked the 0:21:52.720 --> 0:21:57.359 runoffs here in Georgia like last you know, in January, 0:21:57.920 --> 0:22:00.840 like I don't think there's anything more we can do. 0:22:01.600 --> 0:22:05.159 And and beyond that, I think everybody who bust their 0:22:05.240 --> 0:22:08.959 ass to make it happen. Half those kids, half those 0:22:09.000 --> 0:22:11.440 people are burnt out and won't be coming back next 0:22:11.480 --> 0:22:16.000 time regardless because they gave their souls to the initiation, 0:22:16.000 --> 0:22:18.560 to the initiative of you know, taking back the sign. 0:22:19.040 --> 0:22:22.280 And so it's like if they don't, there's no like, oh, 0:22:22.320 --> 0:22:24.520 we'll does give you more money. It's like money to 0:22:24.640 --> 0:22:29.240 train who like you. You killed off half the organizers 0:22:29.280 --> 0:22:33.600 that we had out here on the ground, like emotionally 0:22:33.680 --> 0:22:37.440 like emotionally dead into them, psychologically scarred them with how 0:22:37.480 --> 0:22:39.600 hard we worked to get the Senate and then y'all 0:22:39.600 --> 0:22:43.040 didn't do anything with it. And so I say this 0:22:43.160 --> 0:22:45.320 because we all do what we can, we do the 0:22:45.359 --> 0:22:47.840 best best we can. Organizers here in Georgia with a 0:22:47.880 --> 0:22:52.840 Senate runoff for electing ass ofphomore not blusted ass. I 0:22:52.880 --> 0:22:55.239 would I mean, I would inspect your Biden to like 0:22:56.200 --> 0:22:59.320 try to scare your mansion a little harder, Like I 0:22:59.359 --> 0:23:01.600 want every I want all my supporters to show up 0:23:01.640 --> 0:23:04.520 at his office in West Virginia and like, let let 0:23:04.640 --> 0:23:08.040 him know that you know, this is not like put 0:23:08.080 --> 0:23:10.159 a little bit of fear in his heart. Well, I 0:23:10.160 --> 0:23:13.399 mean something like go ahead and find recruit and like 0:23:14.520 --> 0:23:17.920 and like fond of an opponent or something, just to 0:23:18.000 --> 0:23:20.240 scare the ship out of him a little bit instead 0:23:20.280 --> 0:23:24.359 of just like what whoops. They definitely don't think we 0:23:24.400 --> 0:23:28.119 can do. They definitely are posty footing about with that ship, 0:23:28.240 --> 0:23:31.359 especially with this particular issue, the voting rights issue, because 0:23:32.119 --> 0:23:35.320 I mean, the shaving of the margins is gonna matter. 0:23:35.680 --> 0:23:39.159 You know what I'm saying, It's like every vote is 0:23:39.200 --> 0:23:43.399 going to count. I've been I've been pretty vocal on 0:23:43.440 --> 0:23:47.760 this podcast, is saying I don't think that the Republicans 0:23:47.840 --> 0:23:52.040 can be allowed to have power again. So you know, 0:23:52.119 --> 0:23:55.560 the like the if if we just kind of if 0:23:55.560 --> 0:23:58.639 the Democrats kind of just go about the ship with 0:23:58.680 --> 0:24:01.200 this las fair attitude. It seems like they have. I mean, 0:24:01.240 --> 0:24:05.040 the lip service is good, but the actions aren't really 0:24:05.600 --> 0:24:08.639 matching what Biden is saying in terms of how some 0:24:08.720 --> 0:24:11.960 of these voting restriction bills that they're passing in the 0:24:12.000 --> 0:24:15.200 States is gonna have an effect on the next election. 0:24:15.640 --> 0:24:19.000 But that ship's coming and with that, I you know 0:24:19.119 --> 0:24:21.000 that that that's the things that's the thing that makes 0:24:21.040 --> 0:24:24.800 me have two minds about this whole situation because all 0:24:24.880 --> 0:24:27.280 this being scared of the filibuster because what if we 0:24:27.320 --> 0:24:29.919 do this, because then if the Republicans get power, then 0:24:29.920 --> 0:24:31.680 they're going to do that. Or what if we do 0:24:32.400 --> 0:24:34.560 X and Republicans get power, then they're going to do that. 0:24:34.760 --> 0:24:37.560 They're gonna do that ship anyway, They're gonna do it, 0:24:37.600 --> 0:24:42.120 don't matter what, mark my words. The Republicans will they 0:24:42.119 --> 0:24:44.320 will kill the filibuster the second that they have the 0:24:44.359 --> 0:24:46.560 chance to, they will. They have power and then y'all 0:24:47.119 --> 0:24:48.920 and they're going to get it because y'all and did 0:24:48.960 --> 0:24:54.280 ship the Supreme Court. So stop. But what they're gonna do, 0:24:54.280 --> 0:24:56.560 they're gonna do the worst thing that you are fear. 0:24:56.960 --> 0:24:59.760 So just chill, Just do what you gotta do to 0:24:59.800 --> 0:25:02.959 get yours. We gotta play dirty sometimes, but you know, 0:25:03.119 --> 0:25:07.040 as it is, we're gonna have to move through. Yeah, 0:25:07.280 --> 0:25:09.840 this next story kind of quickly so we can not 0:25:10.000 --> 0:25:11.960 have a crazy time. So there's been a lot of 0:25:11.960 --> 0:25:14.399 thoughts on the Olympics and stories emerging the Olympics that 0:25:14.440 --> 0:25:18.040 have swirled about and piqued the interest of the masses. 0:25:18.160 --> 0:25:20.199 Everything from you know with happen with some of the 0:25:20.280 --> 0:25:25.480 files before the Olympics, which are Cary Richardson, I think 0:25:25.560 --> 0:25:28.480 Raven Saunders. There's like this new controversy about this. I 0:25:28.520 --> 0:25:30.800 don't even know a score. She's in this fucked up 0:25:31.119 --> 0:25:34.080 but she's badass, wants some ship. Got up on the 0:25:34.080 --> 0:25:37.679 podium and threw up an X to represent the what 0:25:37.760 --> 0:25:41.960 was it the place where the was the oppression? We're 0:25:41.960 --> 0:25:46.760 all oppressed. People's like struggles intersect or something. Real fucking cool. 0:25:47.800 --> 0:25:51.160 Does the thing where they throw the metal ball, Dan, 0:25:51.240 --> 0:25:54.000 Don't I sound like a stoner right now? She does 0:25:54.080 --> 0:25:57.040 the thing where they throw the metal ball. Yeah, I 0:25:57.040 --> 0:25:59.960 feel like you're just quitting out strippers in the club. 0:26:00.119 --> 0:26:04.399 Like she got the thing where she throws the battle bomb. 0:26:05.560 --> 0:26:07.720 They got the heavy battle ball and then put it 0:26:07.800 --> 0:26:11.000 to the shot but shot, but shot. That's what it is. 0:26:11.480 --> 0:26:15.320 That's what That's what I'm playing with you well soon. 0:26:15.440 --> 0:26:17.639 Indition to this, a story that I found interesting this 0:26:17.680 --> 0:26:20.960 week from the Olympics um was that the US men's 0:26:21.000 --> 0:26:24.680 fencing team wore pink face masks to protest their own 0:26:24.880 --> 0:26:30.280 teammates UM earlier this week. So he was used of 0:26:30.400 --> 0:26:35.359 sexual assault for a two thousand, fifteen, two thousand thirteen incidents. 0:26:35.440 --> 0:26:37.880 And I guess this all came to light immediately after 0:26:37.920 --> 0:26:40.200 he was announced to the Olympic team, and so this 0:26:40.280 --> 0:26:43.480 is the rest teammates went. Weren't fucking with it? So 0:26:43.960 --> 0:26:47.040 UM at their opening match? Yes, sorry, no, he he 0:26:47.160 --> 0:26:50.800 was suspended. Before we get into that, he was suspended UM, 0:26:50.840 --> 0:26:54.960 but I guess it was over. The suspension was overturned, 0:26:55.000 --> 0:26:57.520 so he was allowed to go back. But due to 0:26:57.520 --> 0:27:00.600 the protests of his teammates, they were certain sessions that 0:27:00.640 --> 0:27:02.920 were made. So for example, he's not allowed to stay 0:27:02.920 --> 0:27:06.200 in Olympic village. He has to stay in a hotel 0:27:06.240 --> 0:27:10.280 that's nearby. He can't be alone with any female members 0:27:10.359 --> 0:27:14.000 or team members, and I guess he's like separated just 0:27:14.160 --> 0:27:18.280 generally from the rest of the team. But he, like 0:27:18.440 --> 0:27:22.119 you know, he denies the allegations and appeals suspension that 0:27:22.119 --> 0:27:24.040 would have kept him with the U S team. Bro, 0:27:24.359 --> 0:27:26.760 why would you put yourself through this? Just go home. 0:27:27.359 --> 0:27:30.560 This is worse embarrassment than if you'd just been like I, yeah, 0:27:30.600 --> 0:27:34.199 I fucked up, MB, And now the whole point that 0:27:34.280 --> 0:27:36.200 he's like trying that they were trying to make where 0:27:36.200 --> 0:27:38.240 it's like, oh, well he earned this Olympic right and 0:27:38.280 --> 0:27:40.480 ship like that was like, now the whole thing is 0:27:40.520 --> 0:27:43.159 about you and not about the team or you know 0:27:43.160 --> 0:27:44.960 what I'm saying, what you guys are there to represent, 0:27:45.080 --> 0:27:49.280 So you're sucking it up either way. Ridiculous. But shout 0:27:49.320 --> 0:27:52.200 out to the US men's fencing team for holding down 0:27:52.280 --> 0:27:55.960 for for women in a show of solidarity. They ended 0:27:56.040 --> 0:27:59.760 up coming in ninth place and loss. But why does 0:28:00.560 --> 0:28:03.400 I'm just I'm delivering the news. That's what happened. That's 0:28:03.400 --> 0:28:10.080 what they get. Well, that's what you get. Nah, But 0:28:10.200 --> 0:28:13.880 y'all do the right thing right, the right thing, practice 0:28:13.880 --> 0:28:17.119 on the practice on the skills and also whatever. You 0:28:17.119 --> 0:28:19.800 don't even know what shot put is talking about, telling them, 0:28:19.840 --> 0:28:22.800 telling them, tell them world class fencers to practice all 0:28:22.800 --> 0:28:28.600 their skills all right. Um, for for reference, they're the 0:28:28.640 --> 0:28:33.159 ones that have the notza pointing swords, A yeah in 0:28:33.160 --> 0:28:39.080 in when they when they got h competitive rapping in 0:28:39.120 --> 0:28:41.240 the Olympics. My old ask is going to be there 0:28:41.240 --> 0:28:43.640 and then I can be an Olympian as well, and 0:28:43.680 --> 0:28:49.040 their judging be elite at what I do wraps all 0:28:49.080 --> 0:28:51.320 in the mind. It's not a physical thing. It's all 0:28:51.360 --> 0:28:55.960 in the mind. Tell them all right, all right, we're 0:28:56.000 --> 0:28:59.320 gonna take a little break when we when we come back, 0:29:00.320 --> 0:29:05.560 we're gonna be talking with Jasmine from Dark after the jump. 0:29:17.720 --> 0:29:20.280 So this week I'm very excited a chat with Jasmine, 0:29:20.280 --> 0:29:23.560 who is a member of Dark stands for defund ap 0:29:23.680 --> 0:29:27.800 D Atlanta Police Department Refund Communities. It's a campaign run 0:29:27.840 --> 0:29:32.800 by the Democratic Socialists of America chapter in Atlanta, and 0:29:32.920 --> 0:29:35.080 they are part of a coalition of people who have 0:29:35.280 --> 0:29:37.960 been fighting to stop Cops City. So we're gonna find 0:29:37.960 --> 0:29:41.920 out what cops City is, why it sucks, and how 0:29:41.960 --> 0:29:46.000 they've been organizing to uh to you know, fight you know, 0:29:46.080 --> 0:29:49.120 to fight back against city council and what is I 0:29:49.120 --> 0:29:56.680 think pretty unequivvocally into terrible proposal. Horrible First and foremost, Jasmine, 0:29:56.720 --> 0:30:00.080 how are you today? I'm good, Thank you for having me. 0:30:00.240 --> 0:30:03.240 How are you? I'm fantastic. I'm super excited talking about this. 0:30:03.240 --> 0:30:06.120 I think it's such a fascinating campaign. UM, but to 0:30:06.240 --> 0:30:11.120 start out to tell us what cops City is? Yes, So, 0:30:11.520 --> 0:30:16.360 cops City is a proposal introduced by um Joyce Shepherd, 0:30:16.480 --> 0:30:19.120 who's a city council person for District twelve, which is 0:30:19.120 --> 0:30:23.480 in southwest Atlanta. UM. She has proposed that the City 0:30:23.520 --> 0:30:26.960 of Atlanta give away over three hundred acres of city 0:30:27.000 --> 0:30:30.040 owned land UM that is currently a forest, to the 0:30:30.080 --> 0:30:33.080 Atlanta Police Foundation so that they can clear the land 0:30:33.200 --> 0:30:37.360 and build an eighty million dollar police training facility UM, 0:30:37.400 --> 0:30:42.480 which would include a shooting range, explosives testing, basically a 0:30:42.560 --> 0:30:45.320 place for them to practice urban warfare tactics which we 0:30:45.360 --> 0:30:48.080 know will be used against black people, brown people, and 0:30:48.120 --> 0:30:50.640 poor people here in the city. UM. It's a direct 0:30:50.680 --> 0:30:55.200 response to the protests and the uprisings that happened last summer. UM. 0:30:55.280 --> 0:30:58.040 And so we you know, we see that city council 0:30:58.080 --> 0:31:01.520 here in Atlanta is more committed to giving more resources 0:31:01.600 --> 0:31:05.479 to the police department, supporting capitalism and anti blackness and 0:31:05.520 --> 0:31:08.360 not really responding to community needs. So this is just 0:31:08.480 --> 0:31:13.560 one kind of major timely example of their focus on that. Yeah, 0:31:13.600 --> 0:31:15.920 I think it's really interesting that out of the uprising 0:31:16.000 --> 0:31:18.880 last summer, for folks that weren't like directly engaged in it, 0:31:18.880 --> 0:31:21.640 it seems like the demands were muddled. There's like hall 0:31:21.840 --> 0:31:24.400 from from like their safe distance and they're like, you know, 0:31:24.840 --> 0:31:28.920 suburban home or whatever, like it's people think policing should 0:31:28.920 --> 0:31:32.200 be better, but we're not sure how, Like oh, maybe 0:31:32.240 --> 0:31:36.040 we need to attract better officers and like let them 0:31:36.040 --> 0:31:38.120 blow up bombs in a fake city and this and 0:31:38.200 --> 0:31:39.960 this and like the heart of Atlanta that used to 0:31:39.960 --> 0:31:43.440 be a forest, um to like make them happy so 0:31:43.560 --> 0:31:45.480 that policing will be better. When I was like, no, man, 0:31:45.840 --> 0:31:50.160 we were like pretty clear about We were like pretty 0:31:50.160 --> 0:31:51.680 clear if y'all have been out in street so those 0:31:51.760 --> 0:31:54.200 y'all want to hurt, Like we were not really playing around. 0:31:54.640 --> 0:31:57.000 And the way that that, you know, gets even the 0:31:57.080 --> 0:31:59.880 ideas like reimagining public safety like get twisted to the 0:32:00.000 --> 0:32:03.800 to be like what's into whatever you want, whatever justifications 0:32:03.960 --> 0:32:09.200 you need for expanding the you know, military police, prison 0:32:09.360 --> 0:32:14.120 industrial stay that we live in. And we're seeing, you know, 0:32:14.400 --> 0:32:17.960 it sounds like we're seeing the same thing happen again here. UM. 0:32:18.040 --> 0:32:21.479 So they're very sorry, go ahead, and I asou to say, 0:32:21.520 --> 0:32:27.520 they're very good at co opting leftist language. So changing 0:32:27.520 --> 0:32:31.920 what reimagining public safety should mean, which is abolishing policing 0:32:31.960 --> 0:32:35.640 as an institution and creating you know, community controlled community 0:32:35.680 --> 0:32:40.440 lead UM, methods of community safety that center restorative and 0:32:40.520 --> 0:32:44.440 transformative justice, not putting pops on bikes and communities. Um. 0:32:44.520 --> 0:32:47.240 And we've had this conversation both in the streets and 0:32:47.680 --> 0:32:51.200 through public comment and in personal conversations with city council 0:32:51.200 --> 0:32:54.640 people here in Atlanta, and many of them fain understanding 0:32:54.680 --> 0:32:57.160 over the phone and then get right back into their 0:32:57.200 --> 0:33:01.480 offices and continue to cause chaos. So I yeah, I'm 0:33:01.480 --> 0:33:04.920 not lending them any ignorance anymore, because we've explained it 0:33:05.040 --> 0:33:09.720 multiple times and very clear language. They're just politically opposed 0:33:09.840 --> 0:33:13.760 to the concepts at this point, Yeah, very clearly, and 0:33:13.800 --> 0:33:16.560 even in opposed to not only the concepts, but like 0:33:17.320 --> 0:33:21.120 the with the community engagement aspect. That's been very interesting 0:33:21.200 --> 0:33:24.640 to watch from a distance. So what has um Well, 0:33:24.680 --> 0:33:26.560 I guess tell us a little bit about what your 0:33:26.720 --> 0:33:30.560 y'all's organizing has looked like, and then we'll get into, um, 0:33:30.760 --> 0:33:34.080 how the little city council has responded. So what So 0:33:34.200 --> 0:33:37.320 for dark, what has organizing around this? And I guess 0:33:37.320 --> 0:33:39.720 the broad there's a broad coalition of people under the 0:33:39.880 --> 0:33:43.560 Defend the Atlanta Forest Banner doing this work. So for 0:33:43.680 --> 0:33:46.080 y'all or whatever coalitions you've been working with what has 0:33:46.160 --> 0:33:51.000 organizing UM looks like. Yeah, So for Dark specifically, we 0:33:52.400 --> 0:33:55.600 entered the month of June really focused on UM a 0:33:55.680 --> 0:33:59.640 not our budget campaign, pushing for city council to divest 0:34:00.040 --> 0:34:02.680 UM policing and adopt a set of demands that would 0:34:03.200 --> 0:34:06.280 you know, create a pathway towards abolition here in the city. 0:34:06.680 --> 0:34:10.240 And on the same day that city Council actually voted 0:34:10.280 --> 0:34:13.960 to increase the police budget, once again ignoring demands and 0:34:14.000 --> 0:34:17.600 ignoring what residents have been asking for. UM. That same 0:34:17.680 --> 0:34:20.360 day is when Joyce Shepard introduced that ordinance. So we 0:34:20.560 --> 0:34:23.719 quickly kind of pivoted to figuring out how to organize 0:34:23.760 --> 0:34:27.120 around this new Cops City UM, and we're fortunate to 0:34:27.160 --> 0:34:32.040 find a number of similarly minded organizations here in Atlanta UM. 0:34:32.120 --> 0:34:36.360 So we are focused primarily on ensuring that Cops City 0:34:36.440 --> 0:34:40.520 is not built, but also centering demands around land back 0:34:40.680 --> 0:34:44.360 so the Muscogee Creek. They're the original kind of stewards 0:34:44.400 --> 0:34:48.200 of that land which was stolen from them. UM, reparative 0:34:48.280 --> 0:34:52.720 justice for the former laborers who were on the prison farm, 0:34:52.719 --> 0:34:55.839 which is what what used to be located on that land. 0:34:55.880 --> 0:34:59.799 So essentially black laborers were sold into indangured servitude on 0:35:00.000 --> 0:35:03.160 at farm and they were forced to labor there. UM. 0:35:03.239 --> 0:35:06.800 So we want to center restorative justice for the living 0:35:07.160 --> 0:35:10.000 folks who work that land and their descendants UM and 0:35:10.080 --> 0:35:13.640 also think through in a democratic process on like city council, 0:35:14.000 --> 0:35:16.239 how the land could be used to actually address the 0:35:16.280 --> 0:35:22.040 needs of existing community members, things like affordable housing, grocery stores, 0:35:22.360 --> 0:35:26.160 you know, real kind of public goods UM. And so 0:35:26.239 --> 0:35:29.799 we've been working with Sunrise Movement and they focus a 0:35:29.800 --> 0:35:33.280 lot on the environmental justice side of things, because again, 0:35:33.320 --> 0:35:36.600 this is a forest UM and we know that their 0:35:36.600 --> 0:35:40.200 implications for when they do these explosives and weapons testing 0:35:40.360 --> 0:35:44.400 that toxins will impact the residence of the surrounding community 0:35:44.640 --> 0:35:46.880 in ways that would lead to long term health damage. 0:35:47.360 --> 0:35:50.359 We've been working with Community Movement Builders. They are a 0:35:51.160 --> 0:35:55.960 UM black organization in Pittsburgh really rooted in building liberated 0:35:56.040 --> 0:35:59.279 and self sustaining Black communities UM. And they are in 0:35:59.280 --> 0:36:02.880 the district where Joyce Shephard UM apparently is supposed to 0:36:02.880 --> 0:36:07.560 be representing the interests but it's not, yeah, exactly, UM 0:36:07.760 --> 0:36:12.320 Black Alliance for Peace and um D s A at large. 0:36:12.320 --> 0:36:15.319 And so we've all been working together to primarily raise 0:36:15.400 --> 0:36:18.000 awareness about what's going on, and we do a lot 0:36:18.000 --> 0:36:20.440 of canvasing, and most of the folks we talked to 0:36:20.520 --> 0:36:23.240 are like, we've never we didn't know that this was happening. 0:36:23.280 --> 0:36:26.800 Even the people who live in the neighborhood surrounding where 0:36:26.880 --> 0:36:30.000 cops city would be never heard of it. UM So 0:36:30.080 --> 0:36:33.920 raising awareness, really putting pressure on city Council to recognize, 0:36:33.920 --> 0:36:36.440 even if only for their own political interests, that this 0:36:36.520 --> 0:36:39.560 is not what community wants, so they should prepare to 0:36:39.640 --> 0:36:42.120 vote no on it when um it comes up for 0:36:42.239 --> 0:36:44.960 vote on August sixte and then we'll be having a 0:36:45.040 --> 0:36:48.000 series of just community events um So. The first one, 0:36:48.040 --> 0:36:50.680 we'll be having a town hall UM in about a 0:36:50.719 --> 0:36:55.400 week and a half to combat the open forum session 0:36:55.840 --> 0:36:58.880 that happened a couple of weeks ago where the Atlanta 0:36:58.920 --> 0:37:03.640 Police Foundation essentially brought folks together to give a presentation 0:37:04.280 --> 0:37:07.640 but called it a community meeting, but nobody was allowed 0:37:07.640 --> 0:37:10.239 to speak, nobody was allowed to give actual input. So 0:37:10.280 --> 0:37:12.920 we'll be having our own town hall to show what 0:37:13.000 --> 0:37:16.000 democracy is actually supposed to look like. UM And we'll 0:37:16.040 --> 0:37:19.000 also be having a teaching in a barbecue just to 0:37:19.080 --> 0:37:23.000 bring community together talk about the kind of historic context 0:37:23.160 --> 0:37:25.600 of the land and what it means UM in this 0:37:25.719 --> 0:37:28.719 current moment, as we fight against police brutality and as 0:37:28.719 --> 0:37:32.800 we fight for abolition UM and Yeah, we'll have a 0:37:32.840 --> 0:37:35.680 bunch of series of events essentially just to bring awareness 0:37:35.760 --> 0:37:38.960 to the topic and to yeah, make it plain that 0:37:39.000 --> 0:37:40.600 this is not what we want and that there will 0:37:40.640 --> 0:37:45.720 be repercussions and consequences for those who aren't on our side. Yeah, 0:37:45.760 --> 0:37:48.600 I mean, I love the broad covolition that's kind of 0:37:48.600 --> 0:37:51.680 come together to fight you know, UM on their on 0:37:51.719 --> 0:37:53.600 their own turfs, like with Sunrise sort of focus on 0:37:53.600 --> 0:37:56.400 the environmental justice aspect of it UM as well as 0:37:56.440 --> 0:37:58.879 the variety of kinds of events that have been put 0:37:58.920 --> 0:38:01.240 on under this band or to send the Atlanta forests. 0:38:01.320 --> 0:38:02.560 Like I feel like there's a lot of joy in 0:38:02.560 --> 0:38:04.960 this movement, Like there's a lot of les barbecues, and 0:38:05.000 --> 0:38:07.200 there's like people's hanging out in the forest having a 0:38:07.200 --> 0:38:09.520 good dime and join the forest while it's here. Hopefully 0:38:09.560 --> 0:38:12.680 it doesn't go anywhere, but UM as a part of 0:38:12.760 --> 0:38:15.320 just raising awareness about what it gives to the city 0:38:15.320 --> 0:38:18.279 and its inherent value and with land back and with 0:38:18.480 --> 0:38:23.560 you know, thinking about atonement and restorative justice around UM 0:38:23.760 --> 0:38:26.879 slavery and the relationships with slavery and our modern day 0:38:26.880 --> 0:38:31.200 prison industrial complex. There's just so much packed into this, 0:38:31.600 --> 0:38:36.040 into this fight that's so interesting. Um, there's also there's 0:38:36.080 --> 0:38:39.040 also like a Hollywood component, if it might not mistaken, 0:38:39.120 --> 0:38:41.600 Is that still going on and can speak to that, 0:38:41.719 --> 0:38:44.959 because I was very curious that, like, yeah, it could 0:38:45.000 --> 0:38:48.439 just tell us about that part. Yes, So Black Hall 0:38:48.560 --> 0:38:52.640 Studios they are, I guess, a Hollywood studio that was 0:38:52.680 --> 0:38:57.080 planning to build UM a facility in the same Entrenchman 0:38:57.120 --> 0:39:00.799 Creek Park, the same location they've are, you destroyed a 0:39:00.920 --> 0:39:03.759 number of acres of land, but then realized that the 0:39:03.840 --> 0:39:06.040 land that they destroyed was would not be suitable for 0:39:06.080 --> 0:39:08.640 what they wanted to build. So they're also looking now 0:39:08.719 --> 0:39:13.520 to destroy another two hundred acres to build a sound stage. UM. 0:39:13.600 --> 0:39:18.840 And again they moved similarly to city council UM pretending 0:39:18.840 --> 0:39:21.080 that they were having all of these public comment sessions 0:39:21.120 --> 0:39:24.120 but really just kind of bull dozing forward with their 0:39:24.160 --> 0:39:29.080 plans for development. UM. It's yeah, it's there's a lot 0:39:29.120 --> 0:39:31.239 going on. There's a lot of capitalism involved in the 0:39:31.280 --> 0:39:35.200 studio project as well as the UM the actual what 0:39:35.280 --> 0:39:38.319 would be the cop City facility UM, which we know 0:39:38.440 --> 0:39:41.880 is being funded by the Atlanta Police Foundation, which UM 0:39:41.920 --> 0:39:45.120 a private entity that receives a lot of money from 0:39:45.680 --> 0:39:49.440 top companies here in the city of Atlanta and foundations 0:39:49.440 --> 0:39:52.759 as well. So yeah, and then that actually that I 0:39:52.800 --> 0:39:56.600 think itself has some times to UM. The Atlanta Police 0:39:56.600 --> 0:40:00.960 Foundation has sometimes the way that this UM movement against 0:40:01.000 --> 0:40:03.759 Cops City as being or or or the discussion around 0:40:03.760 --> 0:40:06.080 Cops City is being portrayed in the media. Isn't there 0:40:06.160 --> 0:40:09.480 some sort of link between like the Atlanta Police planoundation 0:40:09.480 --> 0:40:13.120 in the Atlanta Gurtal Constitution or something like that. So yes, 0:40:13.160 --> 0:40:16.360 I believe that. Um. So the facility is also supported 0:40:16.400 --> 0:40:20.279 by the Atlanta Committee for Progress, which that yeah, the 0:40:20.719 --> 0:40:25.359 cos Enterprises, which owns the a C which has been 0:40:25.360 --> 0:40:28.040 shaping the way. Yeah, so like the biggest newspaper in 0:40:28.040 --> 0:40:32.600 the state of Georgia is also somewhat complicit in shaping 0:40:32.600 --> 0:40:36.080 the narrative around whose you know, whose voices matter in 0:40:36.120 --> 0:40:39.719 the conversation around Cops City. I'm I'm shocked that it's 0:40:39.719 --> 0:40:42.839 not more coverage of of just the work that y'all 0:40:42.880 --> 0:40:45.400 are doing, and it's been focused primarily on the debate 0:40:45.440 --> 0:40:49.360 in city Hall or lack thereof given how loath to 0:40:49.920 --> 0:40:54.120 actually attend and be present, you know, like be like 0:40:54.160 --> 0:40:57.440 conscious and consciously present for pulblic comment. A lot of 0:40:57.440 --> 0:41:00.560 the City council folks seemed to be Yeah a j 0:41:00.760 --> 0:41:04.759 C has a history of blocking activists on Twitter when 0:41:04.800 --> 0:41:08.680 they've been called out about I feel like that should 0:41:08.680 --> 0:41:13.160 be illegal or something that's nuts. Yo, you would think, yeah, 0:41:13.320 --> 0:41:17.400 what what anyway? UM how speaking of you know, the 0:41:17.440 --> 0:41:20.160 folks on City Council, how f at all do you 0:41:20.239 --> 0:41:24.640 see this fight kind of playing into the races for 0:41:24.800 --> 0:41:27.880 mayor and City Council and City Council president that we 0:41:27.960 --> 0:41:31.719 are in the throes of right now. Um, in regards 0:41:31.719 --> 0:41:35.160 to like how people are positioning themselves, the rhetoric people 0:41:35.200 --> 0:41:39.600 are using around crime generally and things like that, so 0:41:39.719 --> 0:41:43.440 that that's a huge component of I think the transition 0:41:43.760 --> 0:41:47.480 out of Keisha Lance Bottoms and administration and into whatever 0:41:47.480 --> 0:41:50.839 this new one looks like. Everyone's been very critical of, 0:41:51.120 --> 0:41:55.280 um Keisha Lance Bottoms for rising crime here in the city, 0:41:55.960 --> 0:41:58.840 which largely is a lot of myth making. Um In 0:41:58.880 --> 0:42:01.720 the crime that you do see is a direct result 0:42:01.760 --> 0:42:06.640 obviously of exploitation and need um given the context of 0:42:06.680 --> 0:42:10.760 this global pandemic UM where folks receive very little support 0:42:10.960 --> 0:42:15.319 from the government. People are you know, housing insecure, food insecure, 0:42:15.760 --> 0:42:19.080 all of these mechanisms that lead to whatever we consider 0:42:19.160 --> 0:42:23.120 crime to be. UM. And so they're using that as 0:42:23.320 --> 0:42:26.040 kind of talking points for why we need a cop facility, 0:42:26.080 --> 0:42:29.759 why we need more police. We know Joyce Shepherd, the 0:42:29.800 --> 0:42:32.840 council person that introduced this legislation, has a history of 0:42:32.880 --> 0:42:36.160 calling the police on people in her own community. UM. 0:42:36.280 --> 0:42:40.160 So there's very little i think hope on the left 0:42:40.320 --> 0:42:43.239 that the folks that are currently on city council will 0:42:43.280 --> 0:42:46.680 actually um be different or do anything different. Even the 0:42:46.760 --> 0:42:50.480 ones that consider themselves on the left, like Antonio Brown, 0:42:50.600 --> 0:42:55.640 are perpetuating this idea of public safety that includes cops 0:42:55.640 --> 0:43:00.600 on bicycles or police training and want to a tribute 0:43:01.040 --> 0:43:06.319 brutality to bad apples or bad culture of policing UM, 0:43:06.400 --> 0:43:09.000 even though they've been in dialogue with many activists who 0:43:09.000 --> 0:43:12.920 have explained the direct um focus of policing is to 0:43:13.080 --> 0:43:16.000 subjugate black and brown bodies, is to protect capitalism and 0:43:16.040 --> 0:43:18.319 those who benefit from it. UM. So we don't have 0:43:18.360 --> 0:43:21.080 any faith in anyone who is currently on city Council 0:43:21.160 --> 0:43:24.520 to actually respond to what it is that community needs, 0:43:24.560 --> 0:43:28.120 and so we UM are. Part of our campaign is 0:43:28.160 --> 0:43:30.879 to amplify that truth, to let people know what their 0:43:30.880 --> 0:43:33.560 city council members are actually voting on, and how they 0:43:33.600 --> 0:43:37.480 are voting, and how oftentimes their plans don't actually match 0:43:37.560 --> 0:43:40.759 the words that they say UM when they're speaking with community, 0:43:41.120 --> 0:43:43.920 And to offer candidates who are running against those folks 0:43:43.960 --> 0:43:47.879 the opportunity to state, UM, what side they fall on, UM, 0:43:47.920 --> 0:43:51.480 so that we can amplify them if or their platform 0:43:51.600 --> 0:43:56.560 rather UM, if they're you know, on the right side. Yeah, 0:43:56.920 --> 0:43:59.320 a couple of months left. Election season always sucks. So 0:43:59.360 --> 0:44:01.399 we'll see how A guy I saw polling this morning. 0:44:01.400 --> 0:44:04.680 They had Cassim Read in the lead, which just I 0:44:04.719 --> 0:44:08.759 don't get here. It hurt me. I was like, y'all 0:44:08.800 --> 0:44:11.560 playing like, how do we get back here? Yeah, it's 0:44:11.600 --> 0:44:17.520 anything here. Atlanta politics highlights that representation is not liberation. 0:44:17.680 --> 0:44:19.920 Just because you have black people in power does not 0:44:20.040 --> 0:44:22.120 mean that they're fighting for your interests. We have to 0:44:22.200 --> 0:44:27.280 build people power such that these city council institutions become 0:44:27.320 --> 0:44:30.239 irrelevant and aren't able to actually dictate our lives. We 0:44:30.280 --> 0:44:34.840 can't rely on individuals UM to actually speak for our interests, 0:44:34.880 --> 0:44:38.319 because if they're successful, it's likely that they're tied to 0:44:38.760 --> 0:44:43.520 capitalists and moneyed interests and not community right right, right right, 0:44:43.520 --> 0:44:45.160 in order they have to play the game in order 0:44:45.160 --> 0:44:47.960 to even be sitting sitting at that table, which means 0:44:48.040 --> 0:44:54.399 like being beholden to to corporate power, to capital, etcetera. Yeah, 0:44:54.800 --> 0:44:57.920 it's really hard to maintain your integrity and your grounded 0:44:58.000 --> 0:45:00.600 nous even if you come out of social movement, like 0:45:00.920 --> 0:45:03.040 once you enter that space ideals that all the times 0:45:03.040 --> 0:45:05.480 in like the official just like not losing my way 0:45:05.520 --> 0:45:08.440 because like, yeah, we got developers being like hey, what's up, 0:45:08.760 --> 0:45:14.240 trying to you know, like etcetera. Um and so, um, 0:45:14.320 --> 0:45:17.280 let's see what happened. We covered a ton of stuff already, 0:45:17.719 --> 0:45:21.399 didn't not take long. Surprised. Um, So let's see. Oh, 0:45:21.480 --> 0:45:23.800 can you speak some to the Buckhead city hood movement 0:45:23.840 --> 0:45:26.319 and how city Council is leveraging the voices of that 0:45:26.360 --> 0:45:31.359 movement to push for cops city. Yes. So again with 0:45:31.400 --> 0:45:34.239 this narrative of crime, crime being such a huge issue 0:45:34.239 --> 0:45:36.920 in Atlanta, talking about crime instead of talking about social 0:45:36.920 --> 0:45:40.879 issues like poverty. Um So, Buckhead is a wealthy community 0:45:41.080 --> 0:45:46.719 in North Atlanta. Um, it's home to Atlantic small fis plaza, 0:45:47.120 --> 0:45:51.760 very bougie areas that are just meant to attract people 0:45:51.760 --> 0:45:55.640 who are very wealthy. Um. And so for decades UM 0:45:55.680 --> 0:45:59.320 they've been living in their own enclave of rich whiteness. 0:45:59.680 --> 0:46:03.640 And again due to the deprivation caused by the pandemic 0:46:03.680 --> 0:46:07.600 that has been increased, um social prime. I guess you 0:46:07.640 --> 0:46:11.279 could call it whatever crime means. We you know, capitalism 0:46:11.400 --> 0:46:15.480 defines crime, not actually you know what is bad for society. 0:46:15.520 --> 0:46:18.640 But there's a perception that in Buckhead crime has increased 0:46:18.719 --> 0:46:21.200 and the white people there are upset with it. And 0:46:21.280 --> 0:46:24.400 so as city council does often they acquiesced to the 0:46:24.440 --> 0:46:27.520 demands of what rich people want. And so they are 0:46:27.520 --> 0:46:31.640 in the process of funding this kind of additional policing 0:46:32.239 --> 0:46:37.040 unit safe safety unit in Buckhead um and are again 0:46:37.200 --> 0:46:41.600 using the rhetoric around crime to justify why these additional 0:46:41.960 --> 0:46:45.080 police forces would need a place to train. Um. And 0:46:45.120 --> 0:46:50.200 that's connected directly to cops city. So again just relaying 0:46:50.239 --> 0:46:52.840 the same language that we hear time and time again 0:46:53.040 --> 0:46:56.720 that poor people are causing problems and we need police 0:46:56.719 --> 0:47:01.920 officers who can stop them. Um. And despite the evidence, 0:47:01.960 --> 0:47:06.160 despite all of the conversations that activists have had with 0:47:06.239 --> 0:47:11.360 city council members around this issue, UM acknowledging and presenting 0:47:11.440 --> 0:47:15.560 data that more policing does not actually lower crime. UM 0:47:15.680 --> 0:47:20.160 they refused to listen because they know that the wealthy 0:47:20.200 --> 0:47:23.640 people want something and that's who their constituents are, no 0:47:23.680 --> 0:47:26.360 matter what district they're in. UM. Joyce Shepherd is in 0:47:26.440 --> 0:47:30.920 a primarily black area UM and still feels the need 0:47:31.000 --> 0:47:35.640 to acquiesce to these demands. So and I recall seeing 0:47:35.760 --> 0:47:39.760 UM the Atlanta the official Atlanta City Council Twitter reet. 0:47:39.760 --> 0:47:42.440 I think it was like Fox CBS forty six, Fox 0:47:42.480 --> 0:47:46.600 News somebody. But they were talking about how Atlanta homeowners 0:47:46.680 --> 0:47:50.640 were calling for UM cops City to sort of like 0:47:50.719 --> 0:47:53.319 contrast that like the four hours of public comment they 0:47:53.320 --> 0:47:57.200 had received at the last meeting largely against cops City, 0:47:57.560 --> 0:48:00.480 like didn't count because its people were probably ters or 0:48:00.520 --> 0:48:04.080 interlopers or something like that. But this homeowner and Buckhead 0:48:04.680 --> 0:48:07.839 said that they were this, this person owns property and 0:48:07.840 --> 0:48:10.960 so like they you know, have rights and a voice. 0:48:11.600 --> 0:48:14.840 UM was scared about crime, and like the center the 0:48:15.320 --> 0:48:20.640 centering that UH perspective to sort of like blanket over 0:48:21.360 --> 0:48:24.319 the very loud and broad chorus of people that were 0:48:25.239 --> 0:48:31.920 against against the measure? Right, how how how many renters 0:48:31.920 --> 0:48:37.120 does it take the equal one homeowner? Yeah? Exactly, yeah, yeah. 0:48:37.200 --> 0:48:42.400 And the comment about homeowners being more active citizens than 0:48:42.480 --> 0:48:46.680 renters is just misguided UM and a way to elevate 0:48:46.840 --> 0:48:51.960 property owners UM again tend to be obviously wealthier, UM 0:48:51.960 --> 0:48:56.360 wider UM, and their their desires over what the broad 0:48:56.480 --> 0:48:59.400 vast majority of residents actually want. UM. And we know 0:48:59.480 --> 0:49:01.319 that the city council people they wouldn't know if a 0:49:01.360 --> 0:49:03.160 homeowner or a renter are called because they don't listen 0:49:03.200 --> 0:49:08.200 to our public comment. They don't even do, they've already 0:49:08.200 --> 0:49:11.560 made their minds up. Yeah. And then and I think 0:49:11.560 --> 0:49:13.920 there was an incident where Joyce Shepherd some people went 0:49:13.960 --> 0:49:17.600 to her house, correct because she called the police, well, 0:49:17.600 --> 0:49:19.600 I mean people because she wasn't listening to the public 0:49:19.640 --> 0:49:23.920 comment in the meetings. And then, if I recall correctly 0:49:23.960 --> 0:49:27.520 as well, during the public comment at a subsequent meeting, 0:49:27.960 --> 0:49:31.000 she left to hold a press conference about not being 0:49:31.040 --> 0:49:33.600 scared the protest. Yes? Is that? Is that? Is that correct? 0:49:33.640 --> 0:49:36.080 Is that what happened? She held an entire press conference 0:49:36.120 --> 0:49:38.520 about how she wasn't scared and she was going to 0:49:38.840 --> 0:49:42.759 move forward with her plans, despite the fact that she 0:49:43.000 --> 0:49:45.680 was scared enough apparently to call the police, but when 0:49:46.520 --> 0:49:49.920 peaceful folks showed up to her house to demand what 0:49:50.040 --> 0:49:51.960 it is that they want, which is the whole point 0:49:52.040 --> 0:49:54.600 I thought of being an elected official was to actually 0:49:55.200 --> 0:49:57.680 um elevate the needs of the folks that you're supposed 0:49:57.719 --> 0:50:01.040 to be representing. But city coun so doesn't have the 0:50:01.080 --> 0:50:05.160 same definition of democracy. So I mean, like, just given 0:50:05.239 --> 0:50:10.840 that you know, those these blows, these what must be 0:50:10.920 --> 0:50:14.520 like setback for what feels like being stonewalled? Like what 0:50:15.120 --> 0:50:17.200 how do you all keep moving forward? Like does that 0:50:17.239 --> 0:50:21.640 inform a shift in tactics or strategy? Um? And how 0:50:21.680 --> 0:50:24.319 do and how do you all keep it faith in 0:50:24.360 --> 0:50:28.960 the face of that kind of stonewalling? I think a 0:50:29.000 --> 0:50:33.520 major revelation UM, for I think a lot of organizers 0:50:33.560 --> 0:50:36.680 here in the city is like I said before, city 0:50:36.719 --> 0:50:39.799 council is not They're not changing their minds, right. So 0:50:39.880 --> 0:50:42.960 once you learn that lesson, it's easy to adapt to 0:50:43.239 --> 0:50:45.640 an alternative strategy. Our fight is not going to be 0:50:45.719 --> 0:50:49.000 one through electoral politics, um again, because the people who 0:50:49.160 --> 0:50:52.600 enter that space have already decided that they have different 0:50:52.600 --> 0:50:55.560 priorities than actually upholding what it is that residents want. 0:50:55.960 --> 0:50:59.080 And so our main mission is to build people power 0:50:59.200 --> 0:51:03.040 around these ideas, to build a collective of communities that 0:51:03.080 --> 0:51:07.880 are organized and committed to abolition, getting rid of policing, 0:51:08.040 --> 0:51:12.840 creating community centered institutions for public safety UM that aren't 0:51:12.880 --> 0:51:17.080 centered around violence and retribution UM so that we can 0:51:17.120 --> 0:51:21.600 make these other institutions obsolete. And obviously we are going 0:51:21.640 --> 0:51:25.520 to have to in the meantime try to fight on 0:51:25.560 --> 0:51:28.160 the electoral front, because that's currently how decisions are made. 0:51:28.719 --> 0:51:31.400 You know, we need currently a process to close the 0:51:31.440 --> 0:51:34.120 Atlanta City Detention Center, and that's something that the mayor 0:51:34.160 --> 0:51:37.040 will have control over. So it doesn't mean giving up 0:51:37.040 --> 0:51:39.560 on the electoral fight, but it means that our our 0:51:39.640 --> 0:51:43.279 vision should be broader than the people who currently sit 0:51:43.360 --> 0:51:45.680 on city Council so that we have enough power to 0:51:45.800 --> 0:51:50.399 supersede and ignore the decisions that they make in isolation 0:51:50.600 --> 0:51:53.440 outside of community UM. And then like he like we 0:51:53.440 --> 0:51:55.799 talked about before, we like to have community events like 0:51:56.440 --> 0:52:00.520 this work can be very draining obviously if you're not 0:52:00.560 --> 0:52:03.640 seeing the type of winds that you know your energy 0:52:03.680 --> 0:52:07.560 has um poured into. And so yeah, we have barbecues 0:52:07.640 --> 0:52:10.640 we have community meetings. We really just want to build 0:52:10.719 --> 0:52:14.359 relationships with one another so that we can have enough 0:52:14.400 --> 0:52:17.120 sustained energy to keep moving, because this is not something 0:52:17.160 --> 0:52:20.480 that's gonna even if we are successful in getting city 0:52:20.480 --> 0:52:23.279 Council to vote no on Cops City, the fight to 0:52:23.360 --> 0:52:26.239 abolish to the Atlanta Police Department is not going to 0:52:26.280 --> 0:52:29.480 be over just because of that. So we're like batting 0:52:29.480 --> 0:52:32.000 down all these things that like are popping up while 0:52:32.040 --> 0:52:35.400 also trying to plan for a longer term vision for 0:52:35.440 --> 0:52:40.120 the city. Yeah, and so where where is um? Where 0:52:40.160 --> 0:52:43.120 is cops? Where's Cops City at right now? What are 0:52:43.160 --> 0:52:46.279 y'all's planning, What are y'all's next moves looking like with 0:52:46.320 --> 0:52:50.680 regards to yes. So we are we are in turbo 0:52:50.719 --> 0:52:55.600 mode right now because the the vote is on the 0:52:55.760 --> 0:52:59.840 six of August currently scheduled for that. We understand that 0:52:59.840 --> 0:53:03.120 am I get pushed back again because city a lot 0:53:03.120 --> 0:53:05.799 of city council people may not want to be on 0:53:05.880 --> 0:53:10.440 the record either way because of these elections that are 0:53:10.480 --> 0:53:12.480 coming up in November. But we are prepared in the 0:53:12.520 --> 0:53:15.360 event that they decide that they do want to vote 0:53:15.400 --> 0:53:18.239 on it on the sixteenth, So in preparation for that, 0:53:18.280 --> 0:53:21.040 We will be having a people's town hall on August five, 0:53:21.320 --> 0:53:24.480 from six thirty to nine pm at the Neighborhood Church 0:53:24.560 --> 0:53:27.080 in Candler Park, and again that's going to be an 0:53:27.120 --> 0:53:32.000 opportunity for us to counter the fake listening session that 0:53:32.080 --> 0:53:34.920 the Atlanta Police Foundation had on the fifteenth. People can 0:53:34.920 --> 0:53:38.000 come out talk about how they feel about pop City 0:53:38.120 --> 0:53:41.440 UM and will also be inviting city council members to attend, 0:53:41.680 --> 0:53:44.360 so if they choose, they can have another opportunity to 0:53:44.360 --> 0:53:46.840 hear what it is that residents actually want. We are 0:53:46.880 --> 0:53:52.480 also encouraging people to call city council members, particularly Westmoreland Eyed, 0:53:52.920 --> 0:53:56.960 Antonio Brown, Andre Dickens, Parokee, and Archibald, people who have 0:53:57.040 --> 0:54:02.080 previously been crib like, how would you describe their? People 0:54:02.120 --> 0:54:06.520 who are movable whatever that means, right, People who are 0:54:06.520 --> 0:54:12.239 not Joy Shepherd, who are actively championing pretty much UM 0:54:12.560 --> 0:54:15.080 want call them, you know, let them know that this 0:54:15.160 --> 0:54:18.080 is not what we want. They like to pretend that 0:54:18.080 --> 0:54:21.000 there are all these other people calling them saying the opposite. UM. 0:54:21.120 --> 0:54:23.439 Somehow those people are never on the record, So we're 0:54:23.520 --> 0:54:27.000 encouraging folks to UM to call them. We also have 0:54:27.040 --> 0:54:30.080 a website, Stop cop City dot org where folks can 0:54:30.080 --> 0:54:32.600 go to sign our petition, just again to put on 0:54:32.600 --> 0:54:35.799 the record how many people are against this. UM. You 0:54:35.840 --> 0:54:38.840 can follow dark a t L on Instagram where you 0:54:38.840 --> 0:54:41.759 can keep up with all of our canvassing events. We 0:54:41.840 --> 0:54:45.759 are canvasing Joy Shepherd's District this weekend, UM, and you'll 0:54:45.760 --> 0:54:47.960 get be able to get more information on the teaching 0:54:48.560 --> 0:54:51.440 that we are planning as well UM for the weekend 0:54:51.520 --> 0:54:54.280 right before the vote this. It's important to know about 0:54:54.360 --> 0:54:58.200 the movement in Atlanta, about lessons that people can take 0:54:58.239 --> 0:55:01.279 away to other places or anything. Yeah, I mean, I 0:55:01.280 --> 0:55:06.880 would say obviously, I think any movement for liberation, for 0:55:07.440 --> 0:55:12.239 socialism in general, abolition should be centering the most impacted UM, 0:55:12.280 --> 0:55:15.160 black people, brown people, poor people. If you're if your 0:55:15.160 --> 0:55:18.239 movement doesn't have anybody who meets that criteria in it, 0:55:18.320 --> 0:55:21.799 you might want to think about forming coalition. UM. This 0:55:21.840 --> 0:55:25.360 fight is going to be long and so UM again, 0:55:25.400 --> 0:55:27.719 it's important to build community with people that you can 0:55:27.760 --> 0:55:31.560 sustain the fight alongside. UM. And we know for Atlanta 0:55:31.600 --> 0:55:35.680 specifically that this fight is far beyond cops City. UM. 0:55:35.719 --> 0:55:40.000 We have an entire kind of cultural and material shift 0:55:40.040 --> 0:55:43.240 that we have to make away from punitive justice away 0:55:43.320 --> 0:55:47.160 from policing, UM for us to actually be safe. UM. 0:55:47.200 --> 0:55:49.359 And we know that folks and community know this when 0:55:49.400 --> 0:55:52.720 we canvass people talk about the fact that the cops 0:55:52.840 --> 0:55:55.760 have never helped them, UM, that they don't feel safe 0:55:55.800 --> 0:55:59.040 around police officers. UM. And so we need to be 0:55:59.080 --> 0:56:03.200 creating alternative systems as we work to um demolish the 0:56:03.239 --> 0:56:06.520 ones that are currently in place. And it's important for 0:56:06.640 --> 0:56:08.760 us and for our own mental health not to believe 0:56:08.840 --> 0:56:10.960 that city Council is going to be the ones to 0:56:11.040 --> 0:56:14.480 help us in that sight, um, but but rather they 0:56:14.520 --> 0:56:19.120 are currently oppositional forces and will be called out and 0:56:19.160 --> 0:56:21.279 treated as such. And so any of them who are 0:56:21.320 --> 0:56:23.320 listening to this who are running for mayor or running 0:56:23.360 --> 0:56:26.360 for reelection, like, please know that we will be actively 0:56:26.400 --> 0:56:30.600 opposing you and making your campaign very unsuccessful if you're 0:56:30.640 --> 0:56:34.040 not on the right side here tell them, put them 0:56:34.120 --> 0:56:41.880 put the fear in their hearts, right and right like 0:56:41.960 --> 0:56:44.960 all these businesses who want to put out ads about 0:56:44.960 --> 0:56:47.760 diversity and inclusion but are behind the scenes funding cops. 0:56:47.760 --> 0:57:01.000 City like, we're coming for you to so just be unnoticed. So, yeah, 0:57:01.239 --> 0:57:04.680 we really appreciated Jasmine in her time, particularly you know 0:57:04.719 --> 0:57:07.200 as an elected official to speak with people that organize 0:57:07.200 --> 0:57:09.719 in a very different realm than I do. Like, I 0:57:09.760 --> 0:57:12.440 do believe that we can accomplish things through policy through 0:57:12.520 --> 0:57:16.480 like tooralism, obviously because I've made it my life's work. Um. 0:57:16.680 --> 0:57:19.680 But what struck me most in our conversation was her 0:57:19.720 --> 0:57:23.600 idea and the idea of many about building power outside 0:57:23.600 --> 0:57:26.800 of the state of just like building strong communities, building 0:57:26.920 --> 0:57:31.040 community networks of care and of safety. That so that 0:57:31.120 --> 0:57:34.600 you don't need the you don't need policymakers to like 0:57:34.760 --> 0:57:38.520 legislate the way your your neighborhood is kept safe or 0:57:38.640 --> 0:57:41.760 is run or resource um And so that was dope, 0:57:42.040 --> 0:57:44.840 doctor is real, dope. What can What do you think 0:57:44.840 --> 0:57:47.480 people can do to help to the cause. So, if 0:57:47.520 --> 0:57:51.440 you're in the Alanta area, uh August seven, this weekend, 0:57:51.440 --> 0:57:56.320 they're gonna be um canvassing um to Stockhop City from 0:57:56.400 --> 0:57:59.920 ten am to one pm, starting at south Side Park Trail. 0:58:01.200 --> 0:58:05.000 They're also calling on people to call the Atlanta City Council. 0:58:05.080 --> 0:58:07.560 It looks like that was yesterday, So maybe not don't 0:58:07.600 --> 0:58:11.200 do maybe don't do that, Maybe don't do that. But 0:58:11.200 --> 0:58:14.200 then they also, yeah, they got another candide see like 0:58:14.280 --> 0:58:16.600 lit them up and follow them. Yeah, yeah, you can 0:58:16.680 --> 0:58:19.920 follow dark A t L on Instagram and Twitter and 0:58:20.000 --> 0:58:22.760 just kind of keep up with what they're doing. And 0:58:22.840 --> 0:58:27.000 you know, just uh, I think beyond getting involved this 0:58:27.080 --> 0:58:31.120 cause if you're not local, thinking about the intersection between uh, 0:58:31.360 --> 0:58:34.240 criminal justice and other forms of justice struggle, like you know, 0:58:34.320 --> 0:58:38.440 environmental justice, racial justice, the ways. One of the things 0:58:38.480 --> 0:58:40.840 that I find really intriguing about this campaign it is 0:58:40.880 --> 0:58:43.080 the way it's brought together such a diverse coalition of 0:58:43.160 --> 0:58:45.240 people who you got like Sunrise Movement on the one 0:58:45.280 --> 0:58:47.280 hand that are and all these people that are like 0:58:47.360 --> 0:58:49.720 I love the forest, save the forest because they like 0:58:49.880 --> 0:58:53.280 live in Ferngali or whatever, and the people that hate 0:58:53.280 --> 0:58:56.040 the police, and they're like yeah, like look the police, 0:58:56.080 --> 0:59:01.120 and like it's a it's a weird uh. It's like, uh, 0:59:01.200 --> 0:59:03.560 I don't know. I try to think of like a duo, 0:59:03.720 --> 0:59:07.000 like like a classic duo that that doesn't make sense 0:59:07.400 --> 0:59:11.720 coming together, the odd couple. It's like the odd couple. Yeah, 0:59:11.760 --> 0:59:16.760 it's like I don't know who that is, but our 0:59:16.880 --> 0:59:20.440 times Okay, that sounds like it sounds like indeed, I 0:59:20.480 --> 0:59:24.560 believe that, but yeah, um matching out to them. And 0:59:24.600 --> 0:59:27.280 then this week we were gonna have maybe a little 0:59:27.280 --> 0:59:31.040 bit of discussion about hip hop addressing environmental issues, since 0:59:31.640 --> 0:59:35.720 there is that intersection within the campaign that we're discussing. However, 0:59:36.240 --> 0:59:38.520 we actually have a whole episode on the topic of 0:59:38.520 --> 0:59:41.600 like eco hip hop that we can't wait to show you, 0:59:41.640 --> 0:59:44.920 So we're gonna save some of those gyms for that week, 0:59:45.080 --> 0:59:47.840 So stay tuned. Next week we're gonna be talking about 0:59:47.960 --> 0:59:51.200 the results of the Ohio election. Oh my god, Nina 0:59:51.240 --> 0:59:58.600 Turners and that other ladies are head another bitch. So yeah, 0:59:58.760 --> 1:00:00.439 by the time you hear this, we will know who 1:00:00.440 --> 1:00:05.360 has won the Ohio eleventh special election for Congress to 1:00:05.400 --> 1:00:11.080 fill Marcia Fudge his seat, which I'm personally very jazzed about. 1:00:11.120 --> 1:00:15.280 We'll see who fingers crossed. And then after that, we're 1:00:15.320 --> 1:00:18.000 going to have that eco rap episode for you, and 1:00:18.040 --> 1:00:20.760 we'll have a whole episode dedicated to music. What the 1:00:20.800 --> 1:00:22.439 funk were we're supposed to do? We're supposed to find 1:00:22.480 --> 1:00:25.800 like a rap about Olympic ship and then also like 1:00:25.840 --> 1:00:29.120 a rap about black voters being mad at the president, 1:00:29.160 --> 1:00:31.880 Like I mean, yeah, we can find them, or we 1:00:31.920 --> 1:00:37.000 could wrap them ourselves exactly correct them. An Tho Joel speaking, 1:00:37.840 --> 1:00:48.320 can you drop a beat please, Oh dope, yo yo, 1:00:48.720 --> 1:00:51.640 it's waiting on reparations. I admit we submissfits that one 1:00:51.720 --> 1:00:54.280 dude really got to skip the Olympics. The baby fucking 1:00:54.360 --> 1:00:56.960 round out on everybody's shipless find and take it too long. 1:00:57.040 --> 1:00:59.520 You really need to fix it. Jump the topic to topic. 1:00:59.600 --> 1:01:01.560 Out of my pocket. You wint holding my jock. You 1:01:01.640 --> 1:01:04.000 did properly drop it. I'm hot doggy dog and the 1:01:04.120 --> 1:01:07.479 unknown style like crowd, do flips like Simone Biles. Whow 1:01:07.800 --> 1:01:10.600 I tried? I could rock while spe knife on the mic. 1:01:10.640 --> 1:01:13.040 How do you like me now? Laura and Fain the 1:01:13.120 --> 1:01:15.240 lust of in nature then make up the last gap 1:01:15.320 --> 1:01:18.400 of three acres, the same ones that came forwards to 1:01:18.440 --> 1:01:20.320 your gas and taste us. They want to erase it, 1:01:20.400 --> 1:01:22.760 bulldoze and display it so they can arrect you. Even 1:01:22.960 --> 1:01:26.400 ranges practice their tactics that fameless poison the soil with lead. 1:01:26.400 --> 1:01:29.160 Contentment nation that runs through the rivers with children might 1:01:29.200 --> 1:01:31.800 play yet, but we ain't gonna take it. We organized 1:01:31.840 --> 1:01:34.920 in formation campus and calling them making the statement to 1:01:35.040 --> 1:01:37.800 Joyson declared that a mirror andre that the forest is 1:01:37.880 --> 1:01:45.080 stake were to epsking to stay. I'm dope knife Lingua franca. 1:01:45.520 --> 1:01:50.400 We are waiting on reparation. You next week, Winning on 1:01:50.480 --> 1:01:53.680 Reparations the production of iHeart Radio. For more podcasts from 1:01:53.720 --> 1:01:56.880 my heart Radio, check out the iHeart Radio apps, Apple podcast, 1:01:57.040 --> 1:01:58.400 or wherever you get your podcasts.