WEBVTT - Pushing Back Against Nazis with Lincoln Heights Resident Sharen Sierra King (Part 1) 0:00:00.360 --> 0:00:02.920 Broadcasting from the Hip Hop Weekly Studios. I'd like to 0:00:02.920 --> 0:00:05.520 welcome you to another episode of Civic Cipher, where our 0:00:05.519 --> 0:00:09.159 mission is to foster allyship empathy and understanding. I am 0:00:09.160 --> 0:00:12.319 your host, ramses Jah, and yes, I know I've been 0:00:12.360 --> 0:00:15.240 promising q Ward. We'll be back in the studio for 0:00:15.360 --> 0:00:18.040 probably three weeks now, and I can assure you with 0:00:18.079 --> 0:00:20.520 great certainty we are working on getting him back in 0:00:20.520 --> 0:00:23.480 the studio, but for now, have no fear. We are 0:00:23.560 --> 0:00:26.439 joined by a special guest. She goes by the name 0:00:26.760 --> 0:00:30.400 of Charen Sierra King. She's a journalist, public speaker, and 0:00:30.440 --> 0:00:35.159 former radio host, a lifetime member of the NCNW, an 0:00:35.280 --> 0:00:37.479 organization that is very near and dear to our heart 0:00:37.520 --> 0:00:40.000 for those unfamiliar, that as a National Council of Negro Women, 0:00:40.760 --> 0:00:43.440 as well as the NAACP, where she is actively engaged 0:00:43.440 --> 0:00:48.120 in policy advocacy, voter protection efforts, and racial justice initiatives 0:00:48.159 --> 0:00:51.519 at both local and national levels. And also a resident 0:00:51.600 --> 0:00:54.640 of Lincoln Heights, Ohio, the place that is making national 0:00:54.640 --> 0:00:58.440 headlights for the Nazi demonstrations and the community response, which 0:00:58.480 --> 0:01:01.280 is exactly what we want be talking about today. So 0:01:01.360 --> 0:01:02.120 welcome to the show. 0:01:03.080 --> 0:01:06.080 Thank you for having me it's an honor and a pleasure. 0:01:06.360 --> 0:01:08.640 Well, we are very much looking forward to the conversation 0:01:08.720 --> 0:01:11.840 that we were going to have. As I mentioned, you know, 0:01:11.920 --> 0:01:15.080 and for those who may not be, you know, familiar 0:01:15.160 --> 0:01:19.680 with this story, this was right around the time of 0:01:21.080 --> 0:01:28.200 the inauguration of the current administration. There was one notable 0:01:28.520 --> 0:01:34.200 Nazi demonstration that took place in Ohio that got tons 0:01:34.240 --> 0:01:37.720 of news coverage, and you know, people were concerned about 0:01:37.720 --> 0:01:40.600 the police response. People were concerned about this community, which 0:01:40.640 --> 0:01:45.919 was a black community, and this intentional display of hate 0:01:47.120 --> 0:01:50.920 with what historically would have been a very vulnerable population. 0:01:51.080 --> 0:01:52.920 Later in the show, we'll see that they're less vulnerable 0:01:52.960 --> 0:01:55.680 than people may know, but still very vulnerable. And we 0:01:55.760 --> 0:01:57.440 are going to get into the weeds of this story. 0:01:57.520 --> 0:01:59.840 So stick around for that and so much more. But 0:02:00.000 --> 0:02:03.680 first we are going to discuss some Ebony excellence and 0:02:03.760 --> 0:02:07.760 today's Ebny excellence we're going to share from the source magazine, 0:02:07.840 --> 0:02:11.040 you know, shout out to Miami. It is a pleasure 0:02:11.080 --> 0:02:14.839 to be on the air in Miami and of course 0:02:14.840 --> 0:02:17.120 at the Beat in Miami and elsewhere in the country. 0:02:17.120 --> 0:02:21.919 But this is Miami Dade's own story. So Miami Dade 0:02:21.919 --> 0:02:25.239 County commissioners have officially approved the renaming of several streets 0:02:25.280 --> 0:02:28.799 in honor of hit songs by Miami artists. The initiative, 0:02:28.840 --> 0:02:35.440 spearheaded by Commissioner Keon Pardiman, aims to celebrate the city's 0:02:35.520 --> 0:02:37.560 deep musical roots while bringing a sense of pride to 0:02:37.639 --> 0:02:41.240 local communities. After facing initial resistance earlier this month, the 0:02:41.320 --> 0:02:43.639 proposal has now passed with a ninety three vote, drawing 0:02:43.760 --> 0:02:47.680 national attention for its unique approach to cultural recognition. Hardiman 0:02:48.200 --> 0:02:51.080 emphasized the significance of music in Miami's neighborhoods and the 0:02:51.080 --> 0:02:54.200 power of this move to inspire change. Quote, we need 0:02:54.240 --> 0:02:57.160 to try something dramatic to really change the neighborhood. People 0:02:57.200 --> 0:03:03.680 in these communities take music very seriously. This according to 0:03:03.960 --> 0:03:06.839 Hardeman himself. As a result, several streets in Liberty City 0:03:06.880 --> 0:03:09.720 will now bear the names of classic Miami anthems, paying 0:03:09.720 --> 0:03:12.600 tribute to artists who have shaped the city's hip hop legacy. 0:03:12.639 --> 0:03:16.800 Among the newly renamed streets are City Girls Street, which 0:03:16.840 --> 0:03:20.760 is Northwest sixty sixty third. Streets are born in Rays 0:03:20.800 --> 0:03:24.320 Street Northwest sixty seventh Street. We the best terraces Northwest 0:03:24.360 --> 0:03:27.880 sixty eight Terraces Trick Love, the Kids Street, ninety six 0:03:28.000 --> 0:03:32.359 Terrace Northwest, ninety six Terras, and many others. Additionally, individual 0:03:32.440 --> 0:03:35.360 artists are being recognized with street names dedicated to treat 0:03:35.440 --> 0:03:37.840 It Still, the Baddest Balgreases, I Deserve It All, and 0:03:37.920 --> 0:03:41.840 Luther Campbell's It's Your Birthday Moves further cements Miami's reputation 0:03:42.000 --> 0:03:45.280 as a city where music and culture are woven into 0:03:45.320 --> 0:03:50.480 its very streets now quite literally. And you know again, 0:03:50.520 --> 0:03:53.120 because this show we target hip hop stations around the country. 0:03:53.120 --> 0:03:56.000 Anytime that we get to combine some ebony excellence with 0:03:56.040 --> 0:03:58.960 some hip hop culture, it is just a feather in 0:03:59.000 --> 0:04:02.720 our cap. Shout out to Miami doing the right thing. Okay, 0:04:03.560 --> 0:04:07.680 back to the lecture at hand, Charenzi, Eric. 0:04:07.640 --> 0:04:09.240 King, Yes, that is me. 0:04:11.560 --> 0:04:14.240 Do us a favor. I gave a brief introduction when 0:04:14.320 --> 0:04:18.480 we first, you know, started the show, of who you 0:04:18.520 --> 0:04:23.280 are and the business upon which you stand. But you 0:04:23.279 --> 0:04:28.560 know your connection to Lincoln Heights runs quite deep. Yes, 0:04:28.920 --> 0:04:35.400 and you are I know that you have you live 0:04:35.440 --> 0:04:37.320 a very very full life. I know that I've known 0:04:37.360 --> 0:04:40.320 that since we met at the at the convention in Maryland. 0:04:40.400 --> 0:04:46.000 But you are the right person to have this conversation 0:04:46.120 --> 0:04:48.960 as well, So do us a favorite again for our listeners. 0:04:49.160 --> 0:04:51.120 Talk a little bit about yourself and sort of what 0:04:51.240 --> 0:04:53.840 qualifies you to have this conversation. And then I also 0:04:53.880 --> 0:04:57.680 want you to discuss your deep roots in Lincoln Heights. 0:04:58.160 --> 0:05:01.800 Well, thank you again for having me, and I'm thankful 0:05:01.800 --> 0:05:04.960 for those roots. I was born too, a single black woman. 0:05:05.160 --> 0:05:08.040 She chose to have me. She kind of left my 0:05:08.120 --> 0:05:12.400 dad at the altar and she forged her way. I 0:05:12.440 --> 0:05:16.839 am fortunate in the fact that my mother bred into 0:05:16.920 --> 0:05:22.360 me and my brother's advocacy from infancy. We had drills 0:05:22.400 --> 0:05:25.560 in our house because she was very involved in some 0:05:25.680 --> 0:05:29.880 radical goings on. We had drills of how to get 0:05:29.880 --> 0:05:33.000 out the house, where to go. We talked about collaboration, 0:05:33.200 --> 0:05:36.760 we talked about advocacy. It was like food for my soul. 0:05:37.880 --> 0:05:40.440 I was an avid reader as a child, and I 0:05:40.520 --> 0:05:44.000 lived in a community called Avondale just for one year. 0:05:44.880 --> 0:05:47.200 It was called the heart of Jewelry because it is 0:05:47.200 --> 0:05:50.080 where a lot of the Russian and German Jews landed 0:05:50.360 --> 0:05:53.320 and started their own businesses. So I also had an 0:05:53.360 --> 0:05:57.800 exposure to Jewish people of Jewish faith and how they 0:05:57.839 --> 0:06:03.799 were able to escape hate their generations later and how 0:06:03.839 --> 0:06:07.359 they forged together. So I saw it on both sides. 0:06:08.400 --> 0:06:11.279 And I was a quiet child. You would never think 0:06:11.320 --> 0:06:13.880 I would grow up to speak because I was always 0:06:13.960 --> 0:06:17.640 reading and I was always listening to my mother. She 0:06:17.680 --> 0:06:21.279 didn't believe in leaving us at home with babysitters. She 0:06:21.400 --> 0:06:24.120 took us to the meetings. So I think a lot 0:06:24.160 --> 0:06:27.159 of it filtered into my soul by sitting there at 0:06:27.200 --> 0:06:30.880 my coloring book listening to adults. We were not to speak. 0:06:31.800 --> 0:06:35.560 I didn't know I was listening to the revolution, but 0:06:35.600 --> 0:06:37.040 I'm so thankful that I did. 0:06:38.200 --> 0:06:42.680 And that translated to your work with the NCNW because 0:06:42.960 --> 0:06:46.880 up until recently you were holding a formal position with 0:06:46.920 --> 0:06:48.720 the NCNWS to talk about that as well. 0:06:48.880 --> 0:06:53.680 Yes, NCNW we have sections, and I was the second 0:06:53.760 --> 0:06:56.600 vice president of the Cincinnati Section. I was pleased and 0:06:56.640 --> 0:07:01.040 proud because again in my upbringing, I belong and was 0:07:01.080 --> 0:07:05.160 baptized and to mout Morale Missionary Baptist Church one one 0:07:05.200 --> 0:07:08.479 sixty nine Simms Avenue. It was called the Mother Church. 0:07:08.800 --> 0:07:12.760 It was also a place of advocacy and Sister Mamie 0:07:12.760 --> 0:07:17.040 Hall founded the chapter and Cincinnati. She was one of 0:07:17.120 --> 0:07:20.680 the charter members and she was the first president, so 0:07:20.720 --> 0:07:23.320 I got it. I had a three hundred and sixty 0:07:23.440 --> 0:07:26.480 look degree. Look, it wasn't one eighty. It was three 0:07:26.600 --> 0:07:33.280 sixty of women, specifically black women doing the work. So 0:07:33.560 --> 0:07:36.200 I only knew that no matter where I went. And 0:07:36.240 --> 0:07:39.760 then from Avondelle, I went to whitten Terras, which was 0:07:40.040 --> 0:07:43.200 is now called the Bricks. For me, it was a lifeblood. 0:07:43.600 --> 0:07:48.760 It was still multiracial, but I had teachers who taught 0:07:49.040 --> 0:07:52.520 who were concerned. I still refer to them in my 0:07:52.600 --> 0:07:55.120 writings where I write for the sin Sint Harold. My 0:07:55.240 --> 0:08:00.360 third grade teacher, missus Gregory, she was like, she taught 0:08:00.360 --> 0:08:07.760 me lessons through education, so she has listen, read the 0:08:07.960 --> 0:08:13.000 entire paper and then follow the directions. The directions were 0:08:13.040 --> 0:08:17.640 at the end of the paper and it said write 0:08:17.640 --> 0:08:19.240 your name on the right hand corner. 0:08:19.080 --> 0:08:19.760 And then you're done. 0:08:19.840 --> 0:08:25.200 Yeah, So I absorbed all of that when I moved. 0:08:25.440 --> 0:08:27.280 We moved. My mother was able to buy her home 0:08:27.680 --> 0:08:30.280 when I was in fourth grade, and it had to 0:08:30.280 --> 0:08:33.240 be outside the city in order to get the most 0:08:33.240 --> 0:08:37.400 house for the most land. And I started school there. 0:08:38.280 --> 0:08:40.040 My mom went to the Prince of the boy and 0:08:40.080 --> 0:08:42.840 said there was only five of us in that school. 0:08:42.920 --> 0:08:47.280 African Americans. She said, my children are not perfect, but 0:08:47.320 --> 0:08:51.160 you're not to spat them until you call me at work. 0:08:52.720 --> 0:08:54.920 So I thought, my mother's giving them permission to swot me. 0:08:55.040 --> 0:08:59.480 She doesn't spank me, but there are lessons and learned 0:08:59.640 --> 0:09:02.760 less and the reasoning, and of course that happened. They 0:09:02.760 --> 0:09:05.160 tried to swap me and I fought them and my 0:09:05.240 --> 0:09:08.439 mother had to call the NWCAP. So early I learned 0:09:08.640 --> 0:09:14.760 the value collaboration, collaboration with organizations they were advocating for me. 0:09:16.520 --> 0:09:20.480 So I think in some of these stories, I'm hearing 0:09:20.800 --> 0:09:24.200 that there's a strong sense of community, not just in 0:09:24.280 --> 0:09:28.559 Lincoln Heights, but you know, in the surrounding areas in Ohio. 0:09:30.440 --> 0:09:33.960 So before we get into this story, talk to us 0:09:34.000 --> 0:09:38.840 about your like familial connections to Lincoln Heights specifically. 0:09:38.679 --> 0:09:42.680 Wow, I use my last name King on everything and 0:09:42.679 --> 0:09:46.959 I will never change it, married or not married, because 0:09:47.000 --> 0:09:51.480 my family name matters. Lincoln Heights is bordered by Woodlawn 0:09:51.520 --> 0:09:55.400 and Lachlan and it's called Zona fifteen because the zip 0:09:55.440 --> 0:09:59.040 code is four FI two one five. And anywhere in 0:09:59.040 --> 0:10:02.800 the world that you go oh and you hear Zone fifteen, 0:10:03.200 --> 0:10:06.280 you know they're probably related to one another, or you 0:10:06.320 --> 0:10:08.560 went to school with one another, or someone you married, 0:10:08.679 --> 0:10:11.520 or someone had a child by So it's the familiar 0:10:12.240 --> 0:10:16.840 congregation of love. We support each other whether we live 0:10:16.880 --> 0:10:21.520 there or don't live there. I still have family members 0:10:21.520 --> 0:10:24.640 who live in Lincoln Heights Lachlan while Lincoln Heights and 0:10:24.880 --> 0:10:30.400 Woodlawn we're three four generations deep. Now yeah, so yeah, 0:10:30.520 --> 0:10:33.120 I am totally connected. It would always be my life 0:10:33.120 --> 0:10:37.280 blood and good. The family that I have is not 0:10:37.320 --> 0:10:40.360 always blood family, but they're my family. 0:10:40.679 --> 0:10:44.400 Now, you mentioned something to me. You mentioned that Lincoln 0:10:44.440 --> 0:10:50.760 Heights was a bit of a refuge for people that 0:10:50.840 --> 0:10:54.720 were migrating out of the South, out of the South, 0:10:54.840 --> 0:10:57.480 and I believe it was your grandparents. 0:10:57.760 --> 0:10:59.000 Yes, my grandparents. 0:10:59.520 --> 0:11:01.040 As it is, they were part of that migration. 0:11:01.080 --> 0:11:03.440 They're part of that migration. The migration started before they 0:11:03.480 --> 0:11:07.160 moved there, but it was a continuation of migration. You 0:11:07.280 --> 0:11:10.880 would come to Cincinnati, you get a job, and then 0:11:10.920 --> 0:11:13.000 you send for your family, You send for your brother, 0:11:13.040 --> 0:11:16.079 you send for your cousin. You got in. My grandfather 0:11:16.200 --> 0:11:20.400 worked for the aviation company Gie. His brother, my uncle's 0:11:20.440 --> 0:11:22.600 worked for Seagrums. And when you got in, you bought 0:11:22.640 --> 0:11:25.360 other people with you gotcha. So the migration was real. 0:11:27.080 --> 0:11:30.200 It doesn't happen as much now because we don't have 0:11:30.280 --> 0:11:32.920 that familiar ties, not just Lincoln Heights, but we as 0:11:32.960 --> 0:11:38.200 a community, we've grown, we've accomplished, and sometimes people don't 0:11:38.200 --> 0:11:38.680 look back. 0:11:39.200 --> 0:11:43.480 Well. I think that this story, in this thing that 0:11:43.559 --> 0:11:49.640 is taking place, is all the more important because now 0:11:49.640 --> 0:11:58.800 that we've established that this town has deep roots, there's 0:11:58.960 --> 0:12:03.680 historical context for this town, and we see sort of 0:12:03.720 --> 0:12:07.319 the why Nazis would target this town for their demonstration. 0:12:09.280 --> 0:12:15.439 It makes sense why there was this national lens placed 0:12:15.520 --> 0:12:19.480 onto Lincoln Heights. It's not just a place where a 0:12:19.520 --> 0:12:21.440 lot of black folks live. It's not the run down 0:12:21.480 --> 0:12:24.520 part of town. It doesn't sound like at least, it's 0:12:24.559 --> 0:12:27.080 a place with strong roots, where there's a strong sense 0:12:27.080 --> 0:12:30.200 of identity, is a strong support among black people, and it, 0:12:30.640 --> 0:12:35.040 dare I say, is a community where black folks can thrive. 0:12:35.600 --> 0:12:39.200 And so we'll get into the story now. So I'll 0:12:39.200 --> 0:12:43.520 share a bit from CNN. Now bear in mind that 0:12:43.600 --> 0:12:45.920 this part of the story is from February ninth. We're 0:12:45.920 --> 0:12:48.160 going to talk about the community's response a little later 0:12:48.200 --> 0:12:50.640 in the show, but right now we're talking about something 0:12:50.640 --> 0:12:55.439 that was from last month. So you know, I want 0:12:55.520 --> 0:12:57.719 you to understand that we know that. Okay, So from 0:12:57.760 --> 0:13:01.240 seeing and local residents confronted and drove off neo Nazi 0:13:01.280 --> 0:13:06.120 demonstrators waving large swastika emblazoned flags along a highway overpass 0:13:06.120 --> 0:13:09.920 on Friday between Lincoln Heights and Evandale, Ohio, home to 0:13:10.000 --> 0:13:13.720 a historically black community that has endured a long history 0:13:13.800 --> 0:13:17.600 of racism. White nationalist groups in Ohio have recently grown 0:13:17.679 --> 0:13:22.800 increasingly brazen in expressing hateful rhetoric and racist ideologies. Last November, 0:13:22.960 --> 0:13:28.160 Hate Club, a newly formed white supremacist organization, paraded through 0:13:28.200 --> 0:13:31.600 a Columbus neighborhood, waving swastika flags and shouting racist slurs. 0:13:31.960 --> 0:13:34.840 About a dozen neo Nazis wearing all black clothing and 0:13:34.920 --> 0:13:39.880 red face masks. The marchers in Columbus also wore were 0:13:39.920 --> 0:13:43.440 seen on traffic cameras waving the swastika flags. They also 0:13:44.559 --> 0:13:47.800 pinned red swastika banners on the fence of the overpass 0:13:48.120 --> 0:13:50.640 and a sign reading America for the White Man, according 0:13:50.640 --> 0:13:55.920 to photos shared with CNN, So you know, we talked 0:13:55.960 --> 0:14:00.280 a little bit about, you know, why the Nazis wanted 0:14:00.320 --> 0:14:06.240 to go there, specifically, you know, what was what was 0:14:06.240 --> 0:14:08.360 your reaction when you first saw the story? Was what 0:14:08.400 --> 0:14:10.760 was people's reaction when they first found out. 0:14:11.120 --> 0:14:13.800 My phone was ringing off the hook. I was not 0:14:14.040 --> 0:14:16.640 in Ohio, as you know. I also have a home here. 0:14:17.800 --> 0:14:20.560 My home in Lincoln Heights is my home in Sinci. 0:14:20.600 --> 0:14:22.280 It is not in Lincoln Heights, but my life is 0:14:23.680 --> 0:14:29.160 my church is I was really not surprised, and I 0:14:29.240 --> 0:14:32.640 say that with complete honesty, because where else would you go. 0:14:33.680 --> 0:14:36.040 There is Avondeale, which is where I lived for that 0:14:36.080 --> 0:14:39.520 one year, which is a thriving Avondale community. We just 0:14:39.560 --> 0:14:42.880 got our first black grocery store, but it's too close 0:14:43.160 --> 0:14:49.200 to the police station. It's too close to vital White 0:14:49.280 --> 0:14:54.920 communities use the hospitals there, the hospital that I don't 0:14:54.920 --> 0:14:56.720 want to name their name because I don't want folks. 0:14:57.320 --> 0:15:01.080 But there's a lot of thriving community this surrounds Avondale, 0:15:01.840 --> 0:15:07.520 so it would have bought police from everywhere. Lincoln Heights 0:15:07.760 --> 0:15:11.360 is kind of isolated because we are in a recommissioning 0:15:11.440 --> 0:15:15.600 of properties and we have an African American builder building there. 0:15:16.160 --> 0:15:19.480 But we are governing overseen by the Hamilton County Shrift Department. 0:15:19.920 --> 0:15:22.360 I'm not saying they don't do a good job, but 0:15:22.400 --> 0:15:27.600 they're not us. And so they came to where they 0:15:27.600 --> 0:15:31.119 thought they can have a great exit because the overpass 0:15:31.240 --> 0:15:36.960 leads to Evendelle, which is a middle class, affluent white 0:15:37.000 --> 0:15:40.480 community with their own police force as well. I looked 0:15:40.520 --> 0:15:45.760 up the numbers and if they are strategic, like I 0:15:45.760 --> 0:15:48.240 would be strategic that I would want to know that 0:15:48.320 --> 0:15:52.840 I have some help if things go bad. Because as 0:15:52.880 --> 0:15:55.080 they did this at two point thirty in the afternoon, 0:15:55.560 --> 0:15:59.600 and our children were getting out of school and thank 0:15:59.640 --> 0:16:04.400 goodness that someone was driving over that that overpassed which 0:16:05.320 --> 0:16:09.680 is fairly new by the way, and got immediately on 0:16:09.760 --> 0:16:13.360 social media, and folks who lived in Lincoln Heights still, 0:16:13.360 --> 0:16:15.280 and folks who used to live in Lincoln Heights still, 0:16:15.320 --> 0:16:17.840 and those folks who worship in Lincoln Heights because we 0:16:17.880 --> 0:16:22.760 have a very concentrated community of churches showed up in droves. 0:16:22.880 --> 0:16:25.920 And I'm on the phone. I'm getting phone calls and 0:16:25.960 --> 0:16:29.080 I'm getting texts. I'm like what, and they're sending me 0:16:29.160 --> 0:16:33.920 pictures And because you know, I thought, wow, this is 0:16:33.960 --> 0:16:40.240 really happening, and they were right on point. They first 0:16:40.240 --> 0:16:44.480 scattered at the babies I actually called the mayor because 0:16:44.480 --> 0:16:47.000 we grew up in church together and she was in 0:16:47.080 --> 0:16:50.400 Kentucky a bit of ways and not able to leave 0:16:50.440 --> 0:16:55.640 immediately because she was the only person color and the boss, 0:16:55.760 --> 0:16:57.640 and she didn't leave right away. But there were others 0:16:57.720 --> 0:17:01.080 like Carton Collins, who you know, I said we could 0:17:01.120 --> 0:17:04.439 bring into the conversation. He is a co founder of 0:17:04.480 --> 0:17:07.720 the Heights Moovement along with two other young men, and 0:17:07.800 --> 0:17:13.760 they it just really mobilized right away. They mobilized, they confronted, 0:17:16.359 --> 0:17:22.879 but the Evendel police were there protecting not us the Nazis, 0:17:23.200 --> 0:17:24.400 but the neo Nazi group. 0:17:24.520 --> 0:17:26.560 So so that's what I wanted to talk about because 0:17:27.520 --> 0:17:31.320 that's what a lot of the initial response looked like, 0:17:31.440 --> 0:17:34.800 and like in terms of the online response and some 0:17:34.960 --> 0:17:35.560 articles too. 0:17:36.440 --> 0:17:36.560 Uh. 0:17:36.760 --> 0:17:39.159 You know, there were people that were saying, okay, so 0:17:40.000 --> 0:17:42.359 the Nazis left peacefully. 0:17:42.680 --> 0:17:47.000 Okay, great, they didn't come in peace. They came to agitate, right, 0:17:47.119 --> 0:17:50.880 came agitate, but you know, no arrest were made, no arrest. 0:17:50.680 --> 0:17:54.480 Right, And so so I remember seeing this comment that 0:17:56.440 --> 0:18:00.359 the police were protecting their own and and you know, 0:18:00.760 --> 0:18:02.800 one of the things that we know to historically be 0:18:02.920 --> 0:18:05.760 true is that a lot of times, people that feel 0:18:05.760 --> 0:18:07.720 the way Nazis feel, the people that feel the way 0:18:07.720 --> 0:18:12.560 clue clubs, clan members feel, those people often live double lives. 0:18:12.560 --> 0:18:15.840 They'll be a Nazi on Monday through Friday, and then 0:18:15.960 --> 0:18:18.840 Sunday they'll be you know, at the courthouse, or they'll 0:18:18.880 --> 0:18:21.040 be you know, driving the patrol car. Right, it's the same, 0:18:21.080 --> 0:18:21.840 prim I are you. 0:18:22.000 --> 0:18:24.280 They're a Nazi every day of the week. Yeah, they 0:18:24.359 --> 0:18:29.320 put on the uniform of a police officers peacekeeper. And 0:18:29.400 --> 0:18:31.200 I know this for a fact because where I grew 0:18:31.240 --> 0:18:36.160 up from fourth grade on. And yes, it was very 0:18:36.200 --> 0:18:41.399 disturbing for me to be told at that time, miss Charin. 0:18:41.920 --> 0:18:45.119 I have three names, Auntie, miss Charin, that's normally for 0:18:45.240 --> 0:18:48.639 my community engagement, and coach. So if they're calling me 0:18:48.800 --> 0:18:52.240 miss Charin, I know one is respectful and two is 0:18:52.280 --> 0:18:56.199 because of my community engagement, mis Charenne. They're letting them go. 0:18:56.520 --> 0:18:57.879 I'm like, what do you mean? They're letting them go? 0:18:58.080 --> 0:19:00.399 Who's there? Who's there? What's going on? So? I was 0:19:00.440 --> 0:19:03.080 getting to play by play this entire time, and I 0:19:03.119 --> 0:19:06.760 knew immediately, okay, what can I do? You know? I'm 0:19:07.160 --> 0:19:10.000 you know, how many thousands of miles away, But I 0:19:10.080 --> 0:19:16.680 will give credit to my community, the heightst movement, the 0:19:16.920 --> 0:19:20.200 churches that folks who don't even live in Lincoln Heights 0:19:20.200 --> 0:19:22.720 who may not have come from Lincoln Heights showed up 0:19:23.840 --> 0:19:28.040 and the basis was not here, not today, not ever. 0:19:29.119 --> 0:19:31.680 Now I want to say this. I know that this 0:19:31.800 --> 0:19:35.720 is a direct response to the election of Donald Trump. 0:19:35.800 --> 0:19:40.080 I know it's a direct response to Elon Musk. You know, 0:19:40.119 --> 0:19:44.439 Elon Musk's twitter feed historically speaking, has looked exactly like 0:19:44.520 --> 0:19:45.920 a neo Nazi's Twitter feed. 0:19:46.040 --> 0:19:46.400 It does. 0:19:47.680 --> 0:19:49.840 And then he got on stage and did a Hitler 0:19:49.960 --> 0:19:54.520 salute twice in front of everybody's face. And somehow people 0:19:54.560 --> 0:19:57.679 are just people on that side are surprisingly cool with it. 0:19:57.720 --> 0:20:01.679 Goes to show you exactly what they stand for. But 0:20:01.720 --> 0:20:03.520 there's a question I have for you. If hate groups 0:20:03.880 --> 0:20:08.960 were to target a community, whether through intimidation, recruitment, or misinformation, 0:20:09.040 --> 0:20:13.439 what protective steps should residents take to protect themselves or 0:20:13.480 --> 0:20:18.240 push back against extremism and strengthen their communities' resilience. And 0:20:18.440 --> 0:20:21.679 this we want to teach lessons that can be replicated 0:20:21.760 --> 0:20:23.800 as the vulnerable communities around the country. 0:20:23.920 --> 0:20:27.200 So your thoughts, well, from the beginning my life was 0:20:27.240 --> 0:20:32.400 about being prepared. I need us to teach each other. 0:20:33.280 --> 0:20:35.520 This can happen in any dainty moment to any of 0:20:35.520 --> 0:20:40.480 our communities. That's the first thing. Teach one, teach many, 0:20:40.520 --> 0:20:44.840 and work on preparation. You need to build collaborative partners 0:20:45.520 --> 0:20:47.440 folks who are going the same direction with the same 0:20:47.440 --> 0:20:49.600 things issue. They may not look like you all the time. 0:20:50.000 --> 0:20:53.200 They may be brown, tan, indigenous, but if you're living 0:20:53.240 --> 0:20:57.159 in the same community, then it's going to affect you 0:20:57.200 --> 0:20:59.199 to so. And if you don't want to be a 0:20:59.200 --> 0:21:02.000 part of the solution, than you are the problem and 0:21:02.040 --> 0:21:05.920 you were just left out. We need We had a 0:21:05.960 --> 0:21:09.879 phone bank because we didn't have you know, mobile, I 0:21:09.920 --> 0:21:12.320 grew up with a phone because something was happening. We 0:21:12.359 --> 0:21:16.440 had it within our church and it's just like enslave times, 0:21:16.920 --> 0:21:20.600 whether it was a song or signals. We need to 0:21:20.680 --> 0:21:23.399 develop a way to communicate with each other in a 0:21:23.480 --> 0:21:26.840 quick fashion like social media. Yeah, like social media, and 0:21:26.840 --> 0:21:29.679 that's exactly what happened. But we also need to make 0:21:29.680 --> 0:21:33.679 sure our seniors are protected because I actually do a 0:21:33.680 --> 0:21:35.199 lot of work with our seniors to make sure that 0:21:35.240 --> 0:21:38.119 they are knowing what's going on. We need to make 0:21:38.119 --> 0:21:41.439 sure that we're inclusive to our seniors. We need to 0:21:41.480 --> 0:21:44.600 make sure that everything that we do is intentional, So 0:21:45.160 --> 0:21:46.000 it starts there. 0:21:46.320 --> 0:21:52.840 Okay, Well, I know that there are communities around the 0:21:52.880 --> 0:21:56.199 country that where things like this happen. And because we 0:21:56.240 --> 0:21:59.920 get the stories here on the show, and we obviously 0:21:59.920 --> 0:22:02.359 can't cover them. We have an hour show one day 0:22:02.400 --> 0:22:05.200 a week and we get ten stories. 0:22:04.880 --> 0:22:06.080 A day, So. 0:22:07.560 --> 0:22:12.480 Excuse me. It's good to have just kind of some 0:22:12.600 --> 0:22:17.119 general advice for folks that are, you know, up against 0:22:17.119 --> 0:22:19.760 these sort of problems. But one of the things that historically, 0:22:19.800 --> 0:22:21.879 I think to your point, historically has really served the 0:22:21.920 --> 0:22:28.119 interests of black communities in particular, but marginalized communities is 0:22:28.480 --> 0:22:31.280 places of worship. You know, those can be great cultural 0:22:31.320 --> 0:22:34.560 watering holes, places where information can get out, places where strategies, 0:22:35.119 --> 0:22:39.480 strategy meetings can take place, and just really a show 0:22:39.480 --> 0:22:41.119 of force. I think that's really what we saw in 0:22:41.160 --> 0:22:43.400 full display and Lincoln. It's a show of force. Everybody 0:22:43.440 --> 0:22:50.119 coming out and saying no, in a full out, loud 0:22:50.160 --> 0:22:53.359 rebuke of that type of display by a community in 0:22:53.520 --> 0:22:58.040 mass I think that is just the most decisive type 0:22:58.080 --> 0:22:59.320 of maneuver possible. 0:23:00.160 --> 0:23:02.800 And I thank you for making note of that, because 0:23:02.840 --> 0:23:05.720 it takes and even though Lincoln Heights is in a village, 0:23:05.760 --> 0:23:08.000 it does take a village, and some people think that 0:23:08.080 --> 0:23:10.560 might sound right. We cannot do this alone.