1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:01,480 Speaker 1: All right, we have a chance now to talk to 2 00:00:01,480 --> 00:00:04,080 Speaker 1: a woman by the name of Irene Lee's. She's agreed 3 00:00:04,080 --> 00:00:06,520 Speaker 1: to come on our show and talk about what happened 4 00:00:06,519 --> 00:00:09,680 Speaker 1: to her. In August of twenty twenty, she was attacked 5 00:00:09,680 --> 00:00:13,720 Speaker 1: by this same man that attacked the Olympian volleyball player 6 00:00:13,720 --> 00:00:16,680 Speaker 1: and modeled Kim Glass. Kim got a lot of media 7 00:00:16,720 --> 00:00:21,120 Speaker 1: attention because she went very public with the attack. Apparently 8 00:00:21,440 --> 00:00:25,760 Speaker 1: a construction bolt was hurled at her and if you've 9 00:00:25,800 --> 00:00:29,120 Speaker 1: seen the video, she got some real injuries to her face, 10 00:00:29,280 --> 00:00:34,440 Speaker 1: almost blinded her. YEP. Fifty one year old Simeon Tasphamarian 11 00:00:35,400 --> 00:00:37,479 Speaker 1: is the person that did this, and we've come to 12 00:00:37,479 --> 00:00:40,360 Speaker 1: find out since this attack happened, he's done this to 13 00:00:40,440 --> 00:00:44,560 Speaker 1: numerous other women, including our next guest. In twenty eighteen, 14 00:00:44,560 --> 00:00:46,760 Speaker 1: he chased down two women with a golf club and 15 00:00:46,840 --> 00:00:51,040 Speaker 1: a hammer. In January twenty twenty, he bleeded guilty to 16 00:00:51,120 --> 00:00:54,480 Speaker 1: striking a nineteen year old with a metal pole, and 17 00:00:54,640 --> 00:00:59,560 Speaker 1: even after that, even after multiple incidents, he was only 18 00:00:59,560 --> 00:01:03,320 Speaker 1: given pro bastion. He did go to jail for attacking 19 00:01:03,320 --> 00:01:05,680 Speaker 1: our guest, Irene Lee, who at the time was an 20 00:01:05,720 --> 00:01:08,080 Speaker 1: Elle County Deputy DA she now works for the La 21 00:01:08,160 --> 00:01:11,400 Speaker 1: County Council. Let's get her on the show and talk 22 00:01:11,440 --> 00:01:14,759 Speaker 1: about her ordeal. And she's speaking out because this guy 23 00:01:14,800 --> 00:01:19,240 Speaker 1: should not be on the streets obviously. Irene, welcome, Hi, 24 00:01:19,319 --> 00:01:22,080 Speaker 1: Thanks for having me. First of all, I just want 25 00:01:22,120 --> 00:01:24,399 Speaker 1: to say that I'm here in my personal capacity. I 26 00:01:24,400 --> 00:01:27,600 Speaker 1: don't represent the opinions of my current office or any 27 00:01:27,720 --> 00:01:31,000 Speaker 1: entity that I worked for in the past. Well, all right, understood, 28 00:01:31,160 --> 00:01:33,360 Speaker 1: all right. It was August of twenty twenty that you 29 00:01:33,400 --> 00:01:36,840 Speaker 1: were attacked. Can you tell people how it went down? Sure? 30 00:01:37,360 --> 00:01:40,960 Speaker 1: I was walking to Starbucks in Little Tokyo by first 31 00:01:40,959 --> 00:01:43,520 Speaker 1: to Los Angeles, and that's one of the Starbucks that's 32 00:01:43,560 --> 00:01:46,160 Speaker 1: being closed down that I'm sure that everyone knows about. 33 00:01:46,319 --> 00:01:50,240 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, it was a weekday. I believe it was 34 00:01:50,240 --> 00:01:52,360 Speaker 1: a Monday, at about eleven in the morning. I was 35 00:01:52,400 --> 00:01:57,360 Speaker 1: walking with my coworkers Cindy, and she pulled me to 36 00:01:57,480 --> 00:02:01,640 Speaker 1: her right and just within seconds, I've felt a lot. 37 00:02:01,880 --> 00:02:04,760 Speaker 1: I felt a very severe impact to my back and 38 00:02:05,240 --> 00:02:08,760 Speaker 1: it caused me to stumble forward, nearly falling to the ground, 39 00:02:08,840 --> 00:02:12,640 Speaker 1: and I was screaming and crying, and I thought a 40 00:02:12,639 --> 00:02:17,360 Speaker 1: bicyclist had hit me. So I was stunned and Cindy 41 00:02:17,440 --> 00:02:20,040 Speaker 1: was screaming calling for help, and a security guard that 42 00:02:20,080 --> 00:02:23,079 Speaker 1: was nearby was able to pepper spray the man who 43 00:02:23,080 --> 00:02:26,240 Speaker 1: attacked me and detain him until the police arrived. What 44 00:02:26,360 --> 00:02:28,000 Speaker 1: did he hit you with or what how did he 45 00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:31,440 Speaker 1: hit you? So? I can only assume that it was 46 00:02:31,639 --> 00:02:33,560 Speaker 1: his fist. That's what I thought, because I didn't see 47 00:02:33,560 --> 00:02:36,240 Speaker 1: a weapon in his hand when I turned around moments later. 48 00:02:36,360 --> 00:02:39,359 Speaker 1: But you know, he had this history of using weapons. 49 00:02:39,480 --> 00:02:41,480 Speaker 1: It could have been a weapon. I just don't know, 50 00:02:42,080 --> 00:02:46,440 Speaker 1: because in the news story it said he well, no you, 51 00:02:46,639 --> 00:02:48,760 Speaker 1: then that's one of the other people he attacked. Yeah, 52 00:02:48,800 --> 00:02:51,560 Speaker 1: I guess so. I didn't realize that there was never 53 00:02:51,600 --> 00:02:53,679 Speaker 1: a conclusion as to what he used. He could have 54 00:02:53,720 --> 00:02:57,280 Speaker 1: just punched you. I guess you did not. I don't know. 55 00:02:57,600 --> 00:03:00,320 Speaker 1: You did not notice him before this encounter at all 56 00:03:00,360 --> 00:03:03,760 Speaker 1: in the area? No, No, I mean, and this is 57 00:03:03,760 --> 00:03:05,880 Speaker 1: an area that a lot of the attorneys walk around. 58 00:03:05,880 --> 00:03:08,680 Speaker 1: It's very close to the courthouse. I had. Yeah, I 59 00:03:08,720 --> 00:03:12,720 Speaker 1: didn't notice anything right before. What was his demeanor? What 60 00:03:12,880 --> 00:03:15,840 Speaker 1: was his size? Did he seem like a crazy guy 61 00:03:15,919 --> 00:03:19,679 Speaker 1: or somebody who blended you? No, it's hard to say. 62 00:03:19,720 --> 00:03:22,440 Speaker 1: Because you know, he came up from behind me, and 63 00:03:23,160 --> 00:03:26,000 Speaker 1: when he was being detained by the security guard, he 64 00:03:26,080 --> 00:03:28,959 Speaker 1: was very quiet. I didn't you know. He wasn't saying, 65 00:03:29,120 --> 00:03:33,640 Speaker 1: you know, garble things, and he wasn't acting crazy, so 66 00:03:33,760 --> 00:03:37,320 Speaker 1: to speak. He was pretty calm. I see. That's really 67 00:03:37,320 --> 00:03:40,080 Speaker 1: scary because if he was acting like a lunatic, at 68 00:03:40,160 --> 00:03:43,360 Speaker 1: least you might have a few seconds to be on guard, 69 00:03:44,200 --> 00:03:47,320 Speaker 1: to be prepared. And but if he looks normal and 70 00:03:47,360 --> 00:03:51,160 Speaker 1: he's quiet and then suddenly hits you, punches you, or 71 00:03:51,200 --> 00:03:55,480 Speaker 1: throws something at you, then you have no chance to 72 00:03:56,360 --> 00:03:59,000 Speaker 1: dodge the weapon. Were you heard it all? Then? From 73 00:03:59,040 --> 00:04:02,160 Speaker 1: this attack, yes, I had a bruise on my back 74 00:04:02,200 --> 00:04:05,160 Speaker 1: that lasted about three weeks. I was sore for quite 75 00:04:05,160 --> 00:04:08,640 Speaker 1: a bit. Well, let's talk about what happened with the 76 00:04:09,360 --> 00:04:12,960 Speaker 1: credial justice system with this man and your case. Sure, 77 00:04:13,120 --> 00:04:16,080 Speaker 1: so the next day I was notified by the detective 78 00:04:16,120 --> 00:04:19,960 Speaker 1: that he was on probation for assaulting other people. And 79 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:22,760 Speaker 1: then during the course of the trajectory of the case, 80 00:04:22,800 --> 00:04:26,720 Speaker 1: I found out that he was on felony probation for 81 00:04:27,160 --> 00:04:32,279 Speaker 1: two separate incidents involving women. One the twenty eighteen incident 82 00:04:32,360 --> 00:04:34,840 Speaker 1: where he had used a golf club and a hammer 83 00:04:35,320 --> 00:04:38,400 Speaker 1: to chase after two women and threatening to bash their 84 00:04:38,400 --> 00:04:41,640 Speaker 1: heads in and then in twenty nineteen where he ultimately 85 00:04:41,680 --> 00:04:45,480 Speaker 1: pled guilty. In January of twenty twenty, he struck a 86 00:04:45,600 --> 00:04:48,320 Speaker 1: nineteen year old woman with a metal pool numerous times, 87 00:04:48,360 --> 00:04:52,760 Speaker 1: injuring her lower back, and he was also on felony 88 00:04:52,760 --> 00:04:57,680 Speaker 1: probation for stealing from a construction site. Is twenty nineteen, 89 00:04:57,680 --> 00:05:00,520 Speaker 1: what is felony probation? Did he get prison time here 90 00:05:00,600 --> 00:05:04,280 Speaker 1: or no? So he ultimately got prisoned with me. So 91 00:05:04,320 --> 00:05:07,359 Speaker 1: basically felony probation, he is a grand sled promise to 92 00:05:07,400 --> 00:05:09,320 Speaker 1: the court that he's going to behave abide by certain 93 00:05:09,360 --> 00:05:13,039 Speaker 1: conditions and he'll be watched by the court. And you know, 94 00:05:13,080 --> 00:05:15,600 Speaker 1: in twenty eighteen, when he pled to the incident involving 95 00:05:15,600 --> 00:05:18,520 Speaker 1: the two women, he was put on probation, and then 96 00:05:18,560 --> 00:05:21,520 Speaker 1: he immediately absconded from probation because you're supposed to check 97 00:05:21,560 --> 00:05:24,400 Speaker 1: in with your probation officer and he didn't do that. 98 00:05:24,600 --> 00:05:27,560 Speaker 1: And then in August of twenty nineteen is when he 99 00:05:27,680 --> 00:05:30,640 Speaker 1: stole the items from the construction site. And that's when 100 00:05:30,640 --> 00:05:34,080 Speaker 1: he was placed in a program that's known as ODR 101 00:05:34,160 --> 00:05:36,920 Speaker 1: in the La County court system, which is designed to 102 00:05:36,960 --> 00:05:40,719 Speaker 1: provide mental health services and programming for the homeless. Did 103 00:05:40,760 --> 00:05:44,880 Speaker 1: he get it didn't have any effect? Well, he went 104 00:05:44,960 --> 00:05:48,960 Speaker 1: to this program and he in January of twenty twenties 105 00:05:48,960 --> 00:05:51,360 Speaker 1: when he pled or I'm sorry when he pled on 106 00:05:51,440 --> 00:05:54,359 Speaker 1: the assault against the nineteen year old woman, and he 107 00:05:54,560 --> 00:06:00,320 Speaker 1: a walled from the ODR program in eight believe in 108 00:06:00,440 --> 00:06:03,359 Speaker 1: March of twenty twenty. He was arrested in April of 109 00:06:03,360 --> 00:06:07,120 Speaker 1: twenty twenty, and he was reinstated on the program, and 110 00:06:07,120 --> 00:06:10,400 Speaker 1: then again he violated by a walling again in July 111 00:06:10,480 --> 00:06:13,680 Speaker 1: of thirteen, July thirteenth to twenty twenty, and then he 112 00:06:13,760 --> 00:06:16,320 Speaker 1: was arrested with my case. That's his second a wall 113 00:06:16,800 --> 00:06:21,240 Speaker 1: third violation on probation where the court had reinstated him, 114 00:06:21,240 --> 00:06:24,279 Speaker 1: and when my incident happened, the DA assigned to the 115 00:06:24,320 --> 00:06:27,520 Speaker 1: case had argued for him to be sentenced you to prison, 116 00:06:27,880 --> 00:06:32,479 Speaker 1: but the court again reinstated him on probation. So the 117 00:06:32,560 --> 00:06:35,679 Speaker 1: way I'm counting here, he assaulted at least four women 118 00:06:36,240 --> 00:06:42,200 Speaker 1: and absconded on probation at least three times, and still 119 00:06:42,240 --> 00:06:45,320 Speaker 1: didn't go to jail for any of this and he 120 00:06:45,360 --> 00:06:49,120 Speaker 1: clearly has some kind of weird compulsion about whacking women 121 00:06:49,760 --> 00:06:53,200 Speaker 1: with weapons. Yea, with weapons, right right? And that was 122 00:06:53,240 --> 00:06:55,120 Speaker 1: the most frightening thing. And that's what I was trying 123 00:06:55,120 --> 00:06:57,800 Speaker 1: to convey to the court because you know, when when 124 00:06:57,800 --> 00:06:59,719 Speaker 1: the police asked me do you want this guy to 125 00:06:59,720 --> 00:07:02,240 Speaker 1: be a rested? You know, the thought going through my 126 00:07:02,279 --> 00:07:04,520 Speaker 1: mind was has he done this to other people? Because 127 00:07:04,520 --> 00:07:07,240 Speaker 1: that's the DA side of me thinking, Okay, has he 128 00:07:07,279 --> 00:07:08,719 Speaker 1: done this to other people? Who's going to be the 129 00:07:08,760 --> 00:07:11,600 Speaker 1: next victim? And you know, I try to convey that 130 00:07:11,640 --> 00:07:13,800 Speaker 1: to the court last summer when I gave my statement 131 00:07:13,880 --> 00:07:16,800 Speaker 1: at the sentence thing, I asked the court, you know, 132 00:07:17,200 --> 00:07:18,760 Speaker 1: is he going to hurt someone else? Is there going 133 00:07:18,800 --> 00:07:21,480 Speaker 1: to be another victim? I can't take that chance? And 134 00:07:21,520 --> 00:07:24,280 Speaker 1: I said how many more women did this defendant have 135 00:07:24,360 --> 00:07:26,800 Speaker 1: to hurt for it to matter to this court? And 136 00:07:26,840 --> 00:07:30,400 Speaker 1: I felt like my experience was being dismissed by the court. 137 00:07:30,560 --> 00:07:35,880 Speaker 1: So the judges are also I had the same philosophy 138 00:07:36,000 --> 00:07:40,000 Speaker 1: as as like George Gasconne and some of these activists. 139 00:07:42,400 --> 00:07:46,239 Speaker 1: They don't think anybody should be punished, that anybody should 140 00:07:46,280 --> 00:07:49,680 Speaker 1: be imprisoned for any kind of crime. I mean basically, 141 00:07:49,680 --> 00:07:53,080 Speaker 1: he got seven chances. Yeah, this guy's a serial attacker. 142 00:07:53,560 --> 00:07:55,560 Speaker 1: And I guess when you saw the Kim Glass case, 143 00:07:55,560 --> 00:07:57,040 Speaker 1: you must have been, oh my god when you saw 144 00:07:57,080 --> 00:08:00,120 Speaker 1: who the attacker was of Kim Glass. Right, Yes, I 145 00:08:00,240 --> 00:08:03,080 Speaker 1: was absolutely stunned, and I was upset because I felt 146 00:08:03,120 --> 00:08:05,040 Speaker 1: like I'd warned the court. I feel like the court 147 00:08:05,080 --> 00:08:08,400 Speaker 1: had so many red flags along the way to show 148 00:08:08,440 --> 00:08:10,960 Speaker 1: that this guy deserves to go to prison. Well, but 149 00:08:11,160 --> 00:08:14,600 Speaker 1: not not every defendant does, but this particular defendant, I mean, 150 00:08:14,680 --> 00:08:18,120 Speaker 1: with his history, it just seems like a no brainer, right, 151 00:08:18,280 --> 00:08:20,560 Speaker 1: So keep does he keep sliding because they think he's 152 00:08:20,640 --> 00:08:22,840 Speaker 1: mentally unbalanced? Is that why he keeps getting a break? 153 00:08:24,720 --> 00:08:26,720 Speaker 1: I was not there during all the proceedings. All I 154 00:08:26,760 --> 00:08:28,720 Speaker 1: can say is that the court kept wanting to give 155 00:08:28,800 --> 00:08:33,040 Speaker 1: him a chance with the ODR programs. Point whether that's 156 00:08:33,040 --> 00:08:36,800 Speaker 1: an ideology, though, that's an ideology that we keep letting 157 00:08:36,800 --> 00:08:40,960 Speaker 1: them out no matter what, because no rational person, right, 158 00:08:40,960 --> 00:08:42,520 Speaker 1: if you don't want to fill up the jails in prisons, 159 00:08:42,559 --> 00:08:44,719 Speaker 1: you find excuses to keep people out of them. I mean, 160 00:08:44,720 --> 00:08:47,160 Speaker 1: what's this program he's come up with? These programs that 161 00:08:47,240 --> 00:08:49,720 Speaker 1: this guy easily absconds from and the programs don't work. 162 00:08:51,440 --> 00:08:54,320 Speaker 1: I don't want to say blanket statement that this program 163 00:08:54,320 --> 00:08:56,280 Speaker 1: doesn't work at all. I've seen it work well for 164 00:08:56,360 --> 00:09:01,640 Speaker 1: certain types of defendants, but this particular defendant, he abused 165 00:09:01,760 --> 00:09:06,320 Speaker 1: his chances so many times. And I don't know what 166 00:09:06,360 --> 00:09:09,440 Speaker 1: the court was thinking at the time, but I obviously 167 00:09:09,480 --> 00:09:12,840 Speaker 1: wholeheartedly disagree with what she did, and I felt like 168 00:09:12,880 --> 00:09:15,680 Speaker 1: she was not considering the impact to the victims and 169 00:09:15,880 --> 00:09:20,839 Speaker 1: to public safety. It cannot always be all about considering 170 00:09:21,120 --> 00:09:23,560 Speaker 1: him first, and that's where we have problems when there's 171 00:09:23,640 --> 00:09:27,680 Speaker 1: preferential treatment for violent criminals overlaw abiding citizens. This is 172 00:09:27,720 --> 00:09:31,240 Speaker 1: all the rage for so many in the justice system. Now. 173 00:09:33,440 --> 00:09:35,160 Speaker 1: Isn't there a way to even put him away in 174 00:09:35,200 --> 00:09:40,840 Speaker 1: like one of these mental hospitals because he's violent, Well 175 00:09:40,920 --> 00:09:44,319 Speaker 1: that that would require him to be found, you know, 176 00:09:44,520 --> 00:09:48,720 Speaker 1: insane and sent to a facility. But at this point, 177 00:09:48,840 --> 00:09:52,920 Speaker 1: or at the point where my case had occurred, you know, 178 00:09:53,200 --> 00:09:55,520 Speaker 1: the court had the option of sentencing to prison or 179 00:09:55,600 --> 00:09:58,760 Speaker 1: reinstating him. Ultimately, she did sentencing to prison, but it 180 00:09:58,800 --> 00:10:00,800 Speaker 1: was one of the lowest sentence is available, and he 181 00:10:00,800 --> 00:10:05,800 Speaker 1: had a lot of credits already, I mean, repeatedly whacking 182 00:10:05,960 --> 00:10:10,520 Speaker 1: women with metal objects. That's not the definition of insane. 183 00:10:11,360 --> 00:10:13,559 Speaker 1: You know, I don't know what is. Well, Irene, we 184 00:10:13,640 --> 00:10:17,160 Speaker 1: appreciation and then very talking about this with us, We 185 00:10:17,280 --> 00:10:19,520 Speaker 1: thank you very much. That must have been quite a 186 00:10:19,520 --> 00:10:23,040 Speaker 1: shock when you saw he showed up again attacking women. Yes, 187 00:10:23,160 --> 00:10:25,280 Speaker 1: and I just want to say, you know, for my 188 00:10:25,280 --> 00:10:28,240 Speaker 1: my prior colleagues that you know, and for people of 189 00:10:28,400 --> 00:10:30,520 Speaker 1: La County, you know, don't lose hope. I know, it 190 00:10:30,600 --> 00:10:32,839 Speaker 1: just seems like so many bad things are happening every day, 191 00:10:32,880 --> 00:10:35,800 Speaker 1: but they are just amazing prosecutors that are trying to 192 00:10:35,800 --> 00:10:39,160 Speaker 1: find justice, fight the good fight, and um, you know, 193 00:10:39,559 --> 00:10:42,600 Speaker 1: not all hope is lost. We have a fighting chance, 194 00:10:43,160 --> 00:10:45,440 Speaker 1: all right, Irene Lee, who was attacked by the same 195 00:10:45,480 --> 00:10:47,920 Speaker 1: man that attacked the Olympian Kim Glass a couple of 196 00:10:47,920 --> 00:10:50,720 Speaker 1: weeks ago. I rine was attacked in twenty twenty. And 197 00:10:50,800 --> 00:10:53,040 Speaker 1: this guy just keeps getting away with it. Thanks for 198 00:10:53,040 --> 00:10:57,240 Speaker 1: coming on, Thank you guys. Take all, who's the judge? 199 00:10:58,440 --> 00:11:00,400 Speaker 1: Who's the judge? You let this guy off over and 200 00:11:00,480 --> 00:11:05,120 Speaker 1: over again. There must be another gascon type more coming up, 201 00:11:05,160 --> 00:11:07,400 Speaker 1: John and Ken KF I am six forty live everywhere 202 00:11:07,400 --> 00:11:10,199 Speaker 1: the iHeartRadio app Well the three council members that were 203 00:11:10,240 --> 00:11:15,839 Speaker 1: caught on that infamous leaked audio recording, well one was 204 00:11:15,920 --> 00:11:19,760 Speaker 1: Nouri Martinez. She resigned. Now there was Gil Sadillo. He's done. 205 00:11:19,840 --> 00:11:21,760 Speaker 1: He got beaten in the election and he's done with 206 00:11:21,800 --> 00:11:25,400 Speaker 1: the city council. The third one is still there. His name, 207 00:11:25,480 --> 00:11:28,040 Speaker 1: of course, now known by everybody even around the country, 208 00:11:28,480 --> 00:11:31,000 Speaker 1: is Kevin Dillone. We call him Kevin Leone because he 209 00:11:31,040 --> 00:11:36,400 Speaker 1: added the de for purposes of his campaigning. He's refusing 210 00:11:36,400 --> 00:11:40,720 Speaker 1: to quit. There was a scuffle last Friday night, of course, 211 00:11:40,840 --> 00:11:42,839 Speaker 1: after he showed up at the La City Council meeting 212 00:11:43,240 --> 00:11:46,760 Speaker 1: on Friday morning. The thing that really needs to be 213 00:11:46,800 --> 00:11:48,840 Speaker 1: done if you want him out of office is a recall. 214 00:11:49,400 --> 00:11:52,280 Speaker 1: Now there is now one officially underway. They have to 215 00:11:52,280 --> 00:11:56,920 Speaker 1: collect twenty thousand, four hundred and thirty seven signatures to 216 00:11:57,040 --> 00:12:01,120 Speaker 1: affect a recall vote for this fourteenth district seat council districts. 217 00:12:01,160 --> 00:12:04,240 Speaker 1: We're going to talk to Oscar Goodieris and he's one 218 00:12:04,240 --> 00:12:08,520 Speaker 1: of the organizers for the recall Kevin da Leon movement. Oscar, 219 00:12:08,559 --> 00:12:11,120 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Johnny Ken Show. How are you hi, 220 00:12:11,320 --> 00:12:13,640 Speaker 1: John Hi Ken, Thank you for having me on the show. Today. 221 00:12:14,000 --> 00:12:17,920 Speaker 1: All right, what's lay out the case for recalling Kevin 222 00:12:18,000 --> 00:12:21,360 Speaker 1: da Leon. Well, of course, we all know that he 223 00:12:21,400 --> 00:12:24,720 Speaker 1: refuses to resign from his position on the City Council. 224 00:12:25,240 --> 00:12:29,160 Speaker 1: So the recall effort basically is a last resort, last 225 00:12:29,280 --> 00:12:33,480 Speaker 1: effort to basically draw a line in the sand. If 226 00:12:33,520 --> 00:12:35,559 Speaker 1: he does not resign, we are going to recall, and 227 00:12:35,679 --> 00:12:38,440 Speaker 1: we need to collect signatures, as you say, over twenty 228 00:12:38,440 --> 00:12:43,160 Speaker 1: thousand signatures before March the thirty fourth of twenty twenty 229 00:12:43,160 --> 00:12:47,000 Speaker 1: three next year. And so we are looking for volunteers. 230 00:12:47,040 --> 00:12:49,720 Speaker 1: We are looking for, of course money to help fund 231 00:12:49,800 --> 00:12:53,160 Speaker 1: the camping, but most of all, we need people who 232 00:12:53,360 --> 00:12:56,680 Speaker 1: are aware of that in our district, the Los Angeles 233 00:12:56,720 --> 00:13:00,440 Speaker 1: City Council District of number fourteen. We need people today 234 00:13:00,480 --> 00:13:02,760 Speaker 1: and we need people in the future in case the 235 00:13:02,840 --> 00:13:06,440 Speaker 1: recall does go to fruition. We also need people to 236 00:13:06,640 --> 00:13:11,120 Speaker 1: volunteer to make sure that we have candidates that are 237 00:13:11,120 --> 00:13:16,079 Speaker 1: within suitable credibility to run for office. Besides what he 238 00:13:16,200 --> 00:13:19,160 Speaker 1: said on the tape, are there other issues that have 239 00:13:19,240 --> 00:13:23,480 Speaker 1: been bubbling in the district that would cause people to 240 00:13:23,520 --> 00:13:27,160 Speaker 1: want to recall him, Well, that's a good question. The 241 00:13:27,160 --> 00:13:29,680 Speaker 1: thing is that recording was made over a year ago 242 00:13:29,840 --> 00:13:33,360 Speaker 1: or approximately a year ago. So within that year, the 243 00:13:33,440 --> 00:13:36,480 Speaker 1: year before, and the year after, what other things has 244 00:13:36,520 --> 00:13:42,000 Speaker 1: he done to garner such let's say, a repugnant and 245 00:13:42,480 --> 00:13:46,440 Speaker 1: loss of credibility of his office. I mean, we don't know. 246 00:13:46,760 --> 00:13:50,200 Speaker 1: All we know is that tape. So again, with all 247 00:13:50,200 --> 00:13:54,960 Speaker 1: the controversy going in city Hall and again that melee 248 00:13:55,040 --> 00:13:58,280 Speaker 1: that happened for that Christmas event that he hosted where 249 00:13:58,280 --> 00:14:01,640 Speaker 1: he got into a fight, I feel that as a 250 00:14:01,679 --> 00:14:04,360 Speaker 1: member of the city council he's lost credibility. He no 251 00:14:04,440 --> 00:14:08,440 Speaker 1: longer can be a representative because again he's a distraction 252 00:14:08,920 --> 00:14:13,600 Speaker 1: and we're losing our ability to represent our community effectively. 253 00:14:14,120 --> 00:14:19,720 Speaker 1: He has lost basically an effective position to govern from 254 00:14:19,720 --> 00:14:24,720 Speaker 1: his position, and again it's a lack of leadership, and 255 00:14:25,360 --> 00:14:27,520 Speaker 1: we look at it as a vote of no confidence 256 00:14:27,760 --> 00:14:30,080 Speaker 1: in this recall. Do you believe that there is a 257 00:14:30,160 --> 00:14:32,520 Speaker 1: deep base of people in that council district who want 258 00:14:32,560 --> 00:14:36,280 Speaker 1: him out? Because last Friday, supporters of deleone showed up 259 00:14:36,280 --> 00:14:39,280 Speaker 1: and confronted the protesters, who largely seem to be from 260 00:14:39,280 --> 00:14:43,040 Speaker 1: outside the district. With these ever present activist groups, are 261 00:14:43,080 --> 00:14:48,200 Speaker 1: you concerned about this? Well, I'm not concerned because they 262 00:14:48,200 --> 00:14:51,360 Speaker 1: don't live in the district, they don't have any credibility 263 00:14:51,480 --> 00:14:54,680 Speaker 1: or should even get involved in it. I live in 264 00:14:54,680 --> 00:14:56,520 Speaker 1: the district. I live in a part of the district 265 00:14:56,560 --> 00:15:00,440 Speaker 1: called El Sereno, not far from Highland Park or Lincoln Heights. 266 00:15:00,600 --> 00:15:03,920 Speaker 1: So I feel I have a as a stakeholder, as 267 00:15:03,920 --> 00:15:07,120 Speaker 1: a community activists on it, and a person who lives 268 00:15:07,120 --> 00:15:10,040 Speaker 1: in the community. I feel it's my duty to recall 269 00:15:10,120 --> 00:15:14,120 Speaker 1: Kevin di Leone as well as other members of the recall. Again, 270 00:15:14,160 --> 00:15:15,960 Speaker 1: if you want to know more about the recall, go 271 00:15:16,040 --> 00:15:21,760 Speaker 1: to www. Dot recall, KDL, dot org or dot org. 272 00:15:22,680 --> 00:15:26,440 Speaker 1: Now I'm I'm living in a district where we had 273 00:15:26,440 --> 00:15:29,800 Speaker 1: a near recall, and even though it felt a little 274 00:15:29,800 --> 00:15:33,480 Speaker 1: bit short for mysterious reasons, they're definitely from people I 275 00:15:33,560 --> 00:15:37,480 Speaker 1: talked to in the district. There was definitely a lot 276 00:15:37,520 --> 00:15:40,520 Speaker 1: of support to get rid of Mike Bonnet, the councilman 277 00:15:40,560 --> 00:15:43,600 Speaker 1: there yea and eventually he quit before he was going 278 00:15:43,600 --> 00:15:46,040 Speaker 1: to lose the next election. But there were so many 279 00:15:46,080 --> 00:15:49,120 Speaker 1: people talking, and they were talking about the hard issues 280 00:15:49,200 --> 00:15:52,880 Speaker 1: of the homeless encampments that were spreading everywhere and the 281 00:15:52,880 --> 00:15:57,000 Speaker 1: way Bonnet was handling that issue when you talk to people, 282 00:15:57,200 --> 00:16:00,280 Speaker 1: do you get the sense that there there is a 283 00:16:00,280 --> 00:16:04,640 Speaker 1: critical mass fed up with him, disgusted with him. Yes, 284 00:16:04,640 --> 00:16:06,680 Speaker 1: there is a critical mass. And in fact, this is 285 00:16:06,720 --> 00:16:11,600 Speaker 1: a bipartisan effort both by Republicans and Democrats in the district, 286 00:16:11,680 --> 00:16:15,080 Speaker 1: people who live in the community, who are just basically 287 00:16:15,120 --> 00:16:20,360 Speaker 1: tired of all the drama and the problems that are occurring. Again, 288 00:16:20,640 --> 00:16:24,800 Speaker 1: it's not a political issue in the sense that we 289 00:16:24,880 --> 00:16:29,400 Speaker 1: don't have representation now in the city council. Every time 290 00:16:29,400 --> 00:16:33,160 Speaker 1: he goes to the city council it's disrupted by protesters 291 00:16:33,560 --> 00:16:36,080 Speaker 1: and let's just say, let's just say this all blows 292 00:16:36,120 --> 00:16:40,080 Speaker 1: over in a year. He still has that stigma of 293 00:16:40,320 --> 00:16:44,320 Speaker 1: what has he done and what he could have probably done, 294 00:16:44,920 --> 00:16:49,680 Speaker 1: and again it just makes him less credible as a 295 00:16:49,720 --> 00:16:52,640 Speaker 1: member of the city council. As so, we we're focusing 296 00:16:52,680 --> 00:16:56,000 Speaker 1: more on the fact that we need to have new 297 00:16:56,040 --> 00:17:00,280 Speaker 1: representation that way we can get things done. And we 298 00:17:00,320 --> 00:17:03,840 Speaker 1: have a history in the City Council District fourteen of 299 00:17:04,480 --> 00:17:08,280 Speaker 1: basically people like Josie wes Are and other politicians who 300 00:17:08,280 --> 00:17:11,600 Speaker 1: have taken money under the table, and crooked politicians and 301 00:17:11,920 --> 00:17:15,240 Speaker 1: all kinds of backdoor deals and people violating the Brown 302 00:17:15,280 --> 00:17:21,000 Speaker 1: Act and so we're looking for new representation today. Hopefully 303 00:17:21,040 --> 00:17:23,280 Speaker 1: he resigns, but if he doesn't resign, we're going to 304 00:17:23,359 --> 00:17:25,600 Speaker 1: go forward with the recall. And again we do need 305 00:17:25,680 --> 00:17:30,320 Speaker 1: money and volunteers. Yeah, I mean, people have to support 306 00:17:30,320 --> 00:17:33,639 Speaker 1: a better quality candidate. Here. We'se are followed by Dai Leone. 307 00:17:33,680 --> 00:17:37,359 Speaker 1: That is a bad run. Yes, I agree, And I 308 00:17:37,400 --> 00:17:41,439 Speaker 1: mean we've had other representations that wasn't so good. I 309 00:17:41,480 --> 00:17:43,680 Speaker 1: don't want to mention those names because I don't want 310 00:17:43,680 --> 00:17:46,919 Speaker 1: to dilute or take away from the fact that the 311 00:17:47,040 --> 00:17:50,840 Speaker 1: focus on this recall is Kevin de Leon. He's no 312 00:17:50,920 --> 00:17:55,960 Speaker 1: longer a credible representation for our district and he's lost 313 00:17:56,000 --> 00:18:00,240 Speaker 1: credibility and he's no longer an effective leader in our community. Well, 314 00:18:00,280 --> 00:18:03,400 Speaker 1: that's an interesting angle that, regardless of what people think 315 00:18:04,000 --> 00:18:08,920 Speaker 1: about his comments, he just can't be effective anymore. Yeah, yeah, 316 00:18:08,920 --> 00:18:12,320 Speaker 1: he can't be effective. He's no longer his voice has 317 00:18:12,320 --> 00:18:15,360 Speaker 1: been muted by the fact that he was involved in 318 00:18:15,359 --> 00:18:21,840 Speaker 1: that I would say prony type atmosphere where they're talking about, 319 00:18:22,240 --> 00:18:26,720 Speaker 1: you know, charrymandering the districts and then talking about racial 320 00:18:26,760 --> 00:18:30,760 Speaker 1: aspects about other people and their children and comparing them 321 00:18:30,760 --> 00:18:36,359 Speaker 1: to handbags. That's cringeworthy enough. But again, now he's no 322 00:18:36,440 --> 00:18:38,480 Speaker 1: longer an effective member. He can't go to the city 323 00:18:38,520 --> 00:18:41,960 Speaker 1: council without disruption. He can't even hold a Christmas event 324 00:18:42,000 --> 00:18:46,400 Speaker 1: without disruption. I don't see any point in keeping them 325 00:18:46,400 --> 00:18:49,719 Speaker 1: as a representation of our leadership in our community. We 326 00:18:49,760 --> 00:18:53,480 Speaker 1: need new leadership. I don't care where it comes from. 327 00:18:53,480 --> 00:18:56,320 Speaker 1: My only concern right now is recalled de Leone and 328 00:18:56,440 --> 00:18:59,320 Speaker 1: whoever wants to run to take over that position, they're 329 00:18:59,320 --> 00:19:01,920 Speaker 1: more than welcome too. It's a free country. But we 330 00:19:02,000 --> 00:19:04,040 Speaker 1: need to get rid of Kevin de Leone. Kevin must go, 331 00:19:04,400 --> 00:19:06,800 Speaker 1: Kevin must resign, and if he doesn't resign, as a 332 00:19:06,920 --> 00:19:10,919 Speaker 1: latch last ditch effort, as a final resort, we have 333 00:19:11,040 --> 00:19:14,920 Speaker 1: to focus on removing Kevin de Leone and getting those signatures. 334 00:19:14,920 --> 00:19:18,360 Speaker 1: So anyone who's listening, please go to the website and 335 00:19:18,560 --> 00:19:21,080 Speaker 1: hopefully you guys will put the website on yours or 336 00:19:21,080 --> 00:19:25,920 Speaker 1: a link on your site. Yeah, just because we need volunteers, 337 00:19:25,960 --> 00:19:28,760 Speaker 1: we need money. We also need people boots on the 338 00:19:28,800 --> 00:19:31,159 Speaker 1: ground to go door to door to collect the signatures. 339 00:19:31,480 --> 00:19:34,720 Speaker 1: And again, this is a final last ditch effort. The 340 00:19:35,119 --> 00:19:38,920 Speaker 1: line in the sand and we just need to get 341 00:19:39,000 --> 00:19:41,439 Speaker 1: rid of Kevin de Leone. He's just not effective as 342 00:19:41,440 --> 00:19:43,720 Speaker 1: a leader. And if there was a vote, how long 343 00:19:43,800 --> 00:19:47,080 Speaker 1: from now would it be? You say the signatures are 344 00:19:47,119 --> 00:19:50,440 Speaker 1: due by March thirty first, so I would only assume 345 00:19:50,520 --> 00:19:53,640 Speaker 1: the soonest they could do that is maybe June. It's 346 00:19:53,680 --> 00:19:56,760 Speaker 1: not June, maybe November. So we're hopefully we'll get the 347 00:19:56,800 --> 00:20:01,480 Speaker 1: signatures required and any other information would have to come 348 00:20:01,520 --> 00:20:05,080 Speaker 1: down the line. We don't know what's going to happen, 349 00:20:05,160 --> 00:20:08,320 Speaker 1: but we are definitely passionate about this issue. We definitely 350 00:20:08,359 --> 00:20:12,280 Speaker 1: want to get new leadership, and again, Kevin the Leone 351 00:20:12,320 --> 00:20:15,880 Speaker 1: must go. All right, recall KDL dot org Oscar. Thanks 352 00:20:15,880 --> 00:20:18,719 Speaker 1: for coming on. I appreciate all your help and it's 353 00:20:18,800 --> 00:20:21,000 Speaker 1: nice seing you guys again. Hopefully we'll meet later in 354 00:20:21,040 --> 00:20:24,639 Speaker 1: the year to talk about this issue again. Okay, Oh absolutely, 355 00:20:24,640 --> 00:20:26,120 Speaker 1: we'll keep an eye on it. We'll put a link 356 00:20:26,200 --> 00:20:28,840 Speaker 1: up on the web page. Boyle Heights down to La 357 00:20:28,920 --> 00:20:32,200 Speaker 1: Eagle Rock, Lincoln Heights. These are some of the neighborhoods 358 00:20:32,200 --> 00:20:36,359 Speaker 1: in Kevin de Leone's fourteenth District council seat that is 359 00:20:36,400 --> 00:20:39,919 Speaker 1: recalled KDL dot org. More coming up, John and ken 360 00:20:39,960 --> 00:20:42,920 Speaker 1: KF I am six forty live everywhere the iHeartRadio app. Well, 361 00:20:42,960 --> 00:20:45,920 Speaker 1: we're going to talk again to an author by the 362 00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:48,479 Speaker 1: name of Sam Canonis. He was on our show a 363 00:20:48,560 --> 00:20:51,520 Speaker 1: few weeks ago after writing an article for LA magazine. 364 00:20:51,560 --> 00:20:53,919 Speaker 1: But he he is. This is all coming out of 365 00:20:53,960 --> 00:20:56,479 Speaker 1: a book that he wrote called The Least of Us 366 00:20:57,080 --> 00:21:00,280 Speaker 1: True Tales of America and Hope in the time. I'm 367 00:21:00,280 --> 00:21:03,280 Speaker 1: of fentnyl and meth. And he came to our attention 368 00:21:03,359 --> 00:21:06,040 Speaker 1: again this week when he didn't an interview with the 369 00:21:06,160 --> 00:21:10,119 Speaker 1: New York magazine. They were Intelligencer, and in that interview 370 00:21:10,520 --> 00:21:14,080 Speaker 1: he talked about this potent meth that's now out there 371 00:21:14,119 --> 00:21:17,600 Speaker 1: impacting clearly the homeless problem and of course the newer 372 00:21:17,720 --> 00:21:21,679 Speaker 1: scourge of fentnyl. So let's get Sam Canona's on. Sam. 373 00:21:21,720 --> 00:21:25,960 Speaker 1: How are you very well? Guys? How about you? We're 374 00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:28,840 Speaker 1: doing great. I gotta tell you I was when I 375 00:21:28,920 --> 00:21:33,520 Speaker 1: read your interview in New York Magazine and it was 376 00:21:33,520 --> 00:21:36,640 Speaker 1: like an epiphany moment for me. What you wrote suddenly 377 00:21:36,640 --> 00:21:38,760 Speaker 1: explained what I'd been seeing with my own eyes for 378 00:21:38,800 --> 00:21:44,600 Speaker 1: the last five years. And it's all these crazed zombies 379 00:21:44,600 --> 00:21:50,320 Speaker 1: stumbling around and impervious to all offers of help, which 380 00:21:50,840 --> 00:21:53,359 Speaker 1: no one could understand and many people in power would 381 00:21:53,400 --> 00:21:56,119 Speaker 1: not accept. And then when he wrote about how the 382 00:21:56,240 --> 00:22:01,400 Speaker 1: meth and the fentanyl destroy their instinct for self preservation, 383 00:22:02,320 --> 00:22:05,800 Speaker 1: it was the moment It's like, yes, that's what it is. 384 00:22:06,200 --> 00:22:09,000 Speaker 1: That's why you're seeing things you never saw before. The 385 00:22:09,119 --> 00:22:13,159 Speaker 1: instinct for self preservation is gone. Talk about how you 386 00:22:13,240 --> 00:22:16,520 Speaker 1: came to that conclusion, Well, I mean it was writing 387 00:22:16,640 --> 00:22:19,040 Speaker 1: the book The Least of Us, as y'all'm just mentioned. 388 00:22:20,040 --> 00:22:22,680 Speaker 1: I began to see that we were in the era 389 00:22:22,800 --> 00:22:26,840 Speaker 1: of synthetic drugs now plant based drugs kind of being passe, 390 00:22:27,119 --> 00:22:31,080 Speaker 1: particularly because the Mexican trafficking world understands that there is 391 00:22:31,160 --> 00:22:35,160 Speaker 1: now really all kinds of benefits and very little downside 392 00:22:35,480 --> 00:22:38,879 Speaker 1: to producing making their own drugs from chemicals now no 393 00:22:39,359 --> 00:22:43,480 Speaker 1: plants involved. Because of that, they're able to make drugs 394 00:22:43,480 --> 00:22:48,080 Speaker 1: that are now more preble plentiful than ever we've ever 395 00:22:48,119 --> 00:22:50,760 Speaker 1: seen it. This is a historic moment. We have seen 396 00:22:51,280 --> 00:22:54,879 Speaker 1: the trafficking world in Mexico. One source cover the entire 397 00:22:54,960 --> 00:22:58,120 Speaker 1: country with not just one drug, which would be unprecedented, 398 00:22:58,160 --> 00:23:02,200 Speaker 1: but but too so. You find fensis nationwide, You find 399 00:23:02,240 --> 00:23:04,040 Speaker 1: it up in New England, you find it in LA 400 00:23:04,200 --> 00:23:08,359 Speaker 1: you find it really really everywhere you go. And that 401 00:23:08,520 --> 00:23:14,720 Speaker 1: these drugs do quite effective masterfully. I would say, um, 402 00:23:14,840 --> 00:23:17,399 Speaker 1: what all drugs of abuse do to some degree, just 403 00:23:17,560 --> 00:23:20,280 Speaker 1: these guys, these drugs do it more more completely, and 404 00:23:20,400 --> 00:23:24,160 Speaker 1: that is destroy our instincts for survival. I first saw 405 00:23:24,200 --> 00:23:26,919 Speaker 1: this when I was a kid. I'm from southern California. 406 00:23:26,960 --> 00:23:30,280 Speaker 1: But we were living in the Bronx and we found ourselves, 407 00:23:30,400 --> 00:23:31,840 Speaker 1: my dad and I, we were walking along. We found 408 00:23:31,840 --> 00:23:34,320 Speaker 1: ourselves in the Bowery, back when the Bowery was not 409 00:23:34,400 --> 00:23:37,640 Speaker 1: some gentrified hipster tell then it was the real Bowery 410 00:23:37,680 --> 00:23:41,440 Speaker 1: with people living in trash and the slaves at alcohol. 411 00:23:42,160 --> 00:23:43,719 Speaker 1: So I saw that then, and you know, it's one 412 00:23:43,720 --> 00:23:45,600 Speaker 1: of those things you can you continue to see. Cocaine 413 00:23:45,640 --> 00:23:49,200 Speaker 1: does the same thing. But what really separates these two 414 00:23:49,280 --> 00:23:52,840 Speaker 1: drugs from the other is simply the supplies are so 415 00:23:52,840 --> 00:23:56,560 Speaker 1: so massive. There's there's these drugs centinel and thats are everywhere, 416 00:23:56,840 --> 00:24:02,520 Speaker 1: and they are so devastatingly and that is really the difference. 417 00:24:02,560 --> 00:24:05,160 Speaker 1: And so they have done that. They have done as 418 00:24:05,160 --> 00:24:10,520 Speaker 1: you said, they they have thwarted, squelched, muffled whatever the 419 00:24:10,600 --> 00:24:13,840 Speaker 1: term as you'd like to use basic instincts for survival. 420 00:24:13,880 --> 00:24:18,399 Speaker 1: So people living in tents pimped out feces, even in 421 00:24:18,440 --> 00:24:21,639 Speaker 1: areas where the temperatures are turning going to be turning lethal, 422 00:24:22,040 --> 00:24:28,000 Speaker 1: will will not, you know, except except help. Because they 423 00:24:28,000 --> 00:24:32,680 Speaker 1: are imprisoned. They are slaves to to to the dope. 424 00:24:32,680 --> 00:24:34,919 Speaker 1: And it's a remarkable thing. You hear this over and 425 00:24:35,000 --> 00:24:38,240 Speaker 1: over again. You hear this from homeless outreach workers. You 426 00:24:38,320 --> 00:24:42,240 Speaker 1: hear this from er docs. People come in with frostbite, 427 00:24:42,280 --> 00:24:45,600 Speaker 1: even losing digits though they could easily have been in 428 00:24:45,640 --> 00:24:48,440 Speaker 1: a warming shelter and they're losing digits. And colder part 429 00:24:48,480 --> 00:24:51,240 Speaker 1: of the country, colder parts of the country, people freezing 430 00:24:51,960 --> 00:24:53,760 Speaker 1: to death, this kind of thing, but you're seeing it 431 00:24:53,840 --> 00:24:57,920 Speaker 1: daily in tent encampments. I think um Uh and many 432 00:24:58,040 --> 00:25:01,639 Speaker 1: many parts of the country. Math used to be fifty 433 00:25:01,640 --> 00:25:05,840 Speaker 1: percent math and fifty percent other stuff. Now it's ninety 434 00:25:05,920 --> 00:25:11,000 Speaker 1: nine pure correct, And that has to do with the 435 00:25:11,040 --> 00:25:14,560 Speaker 1: way that they make it now, the way they had 436 00:25:14,600 --> 00:25:18,840 Speaker 1: to change. About twelve fourteen years ago, Mexican government put 437 00:25:19,320 --> 00:25:23,200 Speaker 1: a kabash on importations of the chemical they were using 438 00:25:23,240 --> 00:25:26,040 Speaker 1: to make methamphetaments. As a federn, which is found in 439 00:25:26,119 --> 00:25:28,560 Speaker 1: pseudo fed it's in a decontest and all that kind 440 00:25:28,560 --> 00:25:31,320 Speaker 1: of stuff. They really cut back dramatically on the mount 441 00:25:31,359 --> 00:25:33,600 Speaker 1: that they allowed to be imported. So the trafficking world 442 00:25:33,600 --> 00:25:36,840 Speaker 1: in Mexico, which had grown up around methampheedoment and saw 443 00:25:37,119 --> 00:25:40,080 Speaker 1: enormous profits from making their own drugs and not having 444 00:25:40,119 --> 00:25:43,240 Speaker 1: to plant anything, had to shift and they shifted to 445 00:25:43,320 --> 00:25:46,439 Speaker 1: a new method that isn't as easy to make, but 446 00:25:46,520 --> 00:25:48,880 Speaker 1: it does have one benefit, and that is you can 447 00:25:48,960 --> 00:25:52,479 Speaker 1: make the precursor chemical known as P two P penal 448 00:25:52,560 --> 00:25:57,320 Speaker 1: to propanone. You can make it with many different combinations 449 00:25:57,359 --> 00:26:01,040 Speaker 1: of chemicals, and these chemicals are widely available there industrial chemicals. 450 00:26:01,160 --> 00:26:05,040 Speaker 1: They're legal, they're widely available. They're toxic, and but that 451 00:26:05,080 --> 00:26:07,440 Speaker 1: means the government cannot crack down the way it did 452 00:26:07,440 --> 00:26:10,240 Speaker 1: on a Federan They cracked down on this way of 453 00:26:10,280 --> 00:26:13,240 Speaker 1: making P two P. You shift to another or to another, 454 00:26:13,480 --> 00:26:15,959 Speaker 1: and the truth is that they have control over the 455 00:26:16,080 --> 00:26:18,879 Speaker 1: shipping ports, particularly on the western side of Mexico, so 456 00:26:18,960 --> 00:26:21,960 Speaker 1: they can get any combinations of these chemicals they want. 457 00:26:22,520 --> 00:26:24,840 Speaker 1: This allowed them to do two things. The first thing 458 00:26:24,880 --> 00:26:27,280 Speaker 1: I understood from the beginning when I was writing my book, 459 00:26:27,440 --> 00:26:30,920 Speaker 1: and that was pursued such enormous quantities that they've now, 460 00:26:31,080 --> 00:26:34,960 Speaker 1: as they said, covered the country in areas where you 461 00:26:35,000 --> 00:26:38,879 Speaker 1: never saw a Mexican methom fedomen before, in the Midwest, 462 00:26:39,040 --> 00:26:42,480 Speaker 1: nor in New England, etc. All over the country. You're 463 00:26:42,480 --> 00:26:45,119 Speaker 1: finding this stuff now, and that's just a testament to 464 00:26:45,160 --> 00:26:47,000 Speaker 1: how much they're able to make. But along the way, 465 00:26:47,000 --> 00:26:49,920 Speaker 1: as I was doing the least of those, I came 466 00:26:49,960 --> 00:26:52,400 Speaker 1: to understand that there was another story, and that, along 467 00:26:52,560 --> 00:26:58,040 Speaker 1: with the prevalence of the huge quantities, was this metho 468 00:26:58,240 --> 00:27:05,480 Speaker 1: was also creating SOMs of schizophrenia, very intense paranoia, delusions, hallucinations. 469 00:27:05,640 --> 00:27:09,159 Speaker 1: Very quickly, people lose absolute control of their lives. They 470 00:27:09,200 --> 00:27:12,840 Speaker 1: can't live with anybody up there else they're up all night. 471 00:27:13,160 --> 00:27:16,920 Speaker 1: Very quickly they're homeless, and then very quickly they're in tenths, 472 00:27:16,960 --> 00:27:20,680 Speaker 1: because tenths are the perfect place if you are believe 473 00:27:20,760 --> 00:27:22,960 Speaker 1: the entire world's out to get you. You're so paranoid 474 00:27:22,960 --> 00:27:25,600 Speaker 1: on this stuff. The tent is like this nice little cartoon. 475 00:27:25,680 --> 00:27:28,840 Speaker 1: There's less a little pod. And as one guy told me, 476 00:27:29,200 --> 00:27:31,800 Speaker 1: he said, the last place you want to be when 477 00:27:31,800 --> 00:27:34,520 Speaker 1: you're on this meth is in a homeless shelter because 478 00:27:34,640 --> 00:27:37,160 Speaker 1: you're surrounded by people you don't know. Everyone's a threat, 479 00:27:37,200 --> 00:27:40,760 Speaker 1: everyone's your paranoid beyond words. And so what we've seen 480 00:27:40,960 --> 00:27:45,280 Speaker 1: is the rise in homelessness. Mental illness has really kind 481 00:27:45,280 --> 00:27:48,680 Speaker 1: of accompanied this meth as it is marched in these 482 00:27:48,720 --> 00:27:55,040 Speaker 1: staggering quantities all across the country, beginning really in about 483 00:27:55,040 --> 00:27:58,760 Speaker 1: twenty eleven, twelve thirteen in the Midwest. It arrived about 484 00:27:58,760 --> 00:28:01,879 Speaker 1: twenty seventeen eight up into New England by two thousand, 485 00:28:02,640 --> 00:28:08,280 Speaker 1: nineteen and and and so that was really the startling 486 00:28:09,240 --> 00:28:11,119 Speaker 1: reporting that I was doing. I couldn't believe what I 487 00:28:11,160 --> 00:28:13,879 Speaker 1: was seeing and put it truthfully, you talked to people 488 00:28:13,880 --> 00:28:15,760 Speaker 1: who are in all these different parts of the country, 489 00:28:15,960 --> 00:28:19,679 Speaker 1: and it's almost like they're telling the same story of 490 00:28:19,720 --> 00:28:23,760 Speaker 1: people very quickly descending into mental illness, paranoia, inability to 491 00:28:23,840 --> 00:28:27,080 Speaker 1: manage their lives intense or on the street screaming at 492 00:28:27,119 --> 00:28:31,199 Speaker 1: demons they don't and bicycles, hoarding bicycle parts and all 493 00:28:31,240 --> 00:28:35,280 Speaker 1: that kind of stuff. It was a remarkable reporting experience 494 00:28:35,320 --> 00:28:38,400 Speaker 1: because I kept hearing the same stories over and over 495 00:28:38,480 --> 00:28:40,880 Speaker 1: and over all. Right, say, how doesn't this make the 496 00:28:40,920 --> 00:28:44,080 Speaker 1: case for a conservatorship then that we have to do 497 00:28:44,160 --> 00:28:47,840 Speaker 1: something because these people know. I think that's why you 498 00:28:47,880 --> 00:28:49,800 Speaker 1: were seeing cities begin to do that. You saw the 499 00:28:49,840 --> 00:28:52,280 Speaker 1: City of New York may or New York beginning to 500 00:28:52,320 --> 00:28:56,000 Speaker 1: do that. It it defies I would say this. Let 501 00:28:56,040 --> 00:29:01,440 Speaker 1: me say this that that's a policy that cities and 502 00:29:01,520 --> 00:29:04,320 Speaker 1: counties and states can argue about and people can debate. 503 00:29:04,680 --> 00:29:08,920 Speaker 1: I would say this, It does not seem reasonable to 504 00:29:09,000 --> 00:29:13,400 Speaker 1: assume that people on the street in the conditions addicted 505 00:29:13,440 --> 00:29:16,720 Speaker 1: to meth using fentanyl too. I mean, there's no one 506 00:29:16,800 --> 00:29:19,280 Speaker 1: drug people are using. It's a kind of a polypharmacy 507 00:29:19,640 --> 00:29:22,680 Speaker 1: out there that there is. There is no chance that 508 00:29:22,800 --> 00:29:26,080 Speaker 1: many of those people will ever find quote unquote the 509 00:29:26,200 --> 00:29:29,440 Speaker 1: readiness for treatment to say yes, I want to come 510 00:29:29,840 --> 00:29:32,320 Speaker 1: in and stay. A lot of people come in and 511 00:29:32,440 --> 00:29:35,160 Speaker 1: then the three days later they run back out. Um, 512 00:29:36,000 --> 00:29:38,680 Speaker 1: there's no chance that they will have the time to 513 00:29:38,800 --> 00:29:43,160 Speaker 1: develop the readiness for treatment while they're on the street. 514 00:29:43,480 --> 00:29:47,800 Speaker 1: Before me. This meth now so prevalent, so cheap, drives 515 00:29:47,840 --> 00:29:52,240 Speaker 1: them mad or and ben Fentinel kills them all right. 516 00:29:52,280 --> 00:29:54,280 Speaker 1: I hang on, Sam, hang on it, because I want 517 00:29:54,280 --> 00:29:56,480 Speaker 1: to talk about Fentinel too, because something else is remarkable. 518 00:29:56,480 --> 00:29:59,480 Speaker 1: In this interview, Sam Cannotice is our guest Teason, author 519 00:29:59,480 --> 00:30:01,840 Speaker 1: of the book The Least of Us True Tales of 520 00:30:01,840 --> 00:30:04,240 Speaker 1: America and Hope in the Time of Fentanyl and meth. 521 00:30:04,560 --> 00:30:07,240 Speaker 1: More coming up John and Ken Show KFIAM six forty 522 00:30:07,440 --> 00:30:10,600 Speaker 1: Live Everywhere the iHeartRadio app Our guest is Sam Canonis. 523 00:30:10,640 --> 00:30:13,400 Speaker 1: The book The Least of Us about the effects of drugs, 524 00:30:13,440 --> 00:30:16,960 Speaker 1: particularly meth, which we talked about in the last segment. 525 00:30:17,400 --> 00:30:21,000 Speaker 1: Especially it's an effect on the homeless population and they're 526 00:30:21,040 --> 00:30:26,000 Speaker 1: they're losing their instinct for self preservation. Sam wanted to 527 00:30:26,000 --> 00:30:28,760 Speaker 1: ask you about another part of the interview that you 528 00:30:28,840 --> 00:30:31,360 Speaker 1: did with New York Magazine and a paragraph that really 529 00:30:31,440 --> 00:30:34,680 Speaker 1: just stunned me. And moving now over to the newer 530 00:30:34,760 --> 00:30:38,680 Speaker 1: drug fentanyl. You said, there's a saying on the street 531 00:30:38,760 --> 00:30:41,080 Speaker 1: that I've heard it from several people that there is 532 00:30:41,120 --> 00:30:43,880 Speaker 1: no such thing as a long term street feentnyl user 533 00:30:43,960 --> 00:30:46,239 Speaker 1: like there was with heroin. There are people who use 534 00:30:46,320 --> 00:30:50,120 Speaker 1: heroin for thirty to forty years, but with fentanyl, everybody dies. 535 00:30:50,640 --> 00:30:53,080 Speaker 1: There may be people using it who function in societies 536 00:30:53,080 --> 00:30:57,920 Speaker 1: to some degree, but eventually everybody dies. But that's a 537 00:30:57,960 --> 00:31:02,800 Speaker 1: pretty tragic It has to do though, with the fact 538 00:31:03,200 --> 00:31:06,920 Speaker 1: that in order to sell Sentinel you have to mix it, 539 00:31:07,320 --> 00:31:10,160 Speaker 1: and that people on the street, even traffickers in Mexico 540 00:31:10,200 --> 00:31:12,520 Speaker 1: who have then gotten much better at mixing it, still 541 00:31:12,600 --> 00:31:18,360 Speaker 1: are far from perfect. Centinel is so potent that a 542 00:31:18,480 --> 00:31:21,640 Speaker 1: few the equivalent of a few grain fentel, few grains 543 00:31:21,640 --> 00:31:24,960 Speaker 1: of like salt, say, would make you high, and a 544 00:31:25,000 --> 00:31:27,600 Speaker 1: couple more would kill you. And so you can't sell 545 00:31:27,640 --> 00:31:30,400 Speaker 1: a few grains on the street. So you have to 546 00:31:30,440 --> 00:31:33,280 Speaker 1: mix it with something else. And the problem is that 547 00:31:33,360 --> 00:31:36,200 Speaker 1: the mix is always bad. You never know what the 548 00:31:36,280 --> 00:31:39,240 Speaker 1: mix is, even if you have a high tolerance, you're 549 00:31:39,280 --> 00:31:42,840 Speaker 1: never quite sure. And the drug is so potent that 550 00:31:42,840 --> 00:31:45,840 Speaker 1: that frequently that's this is what happens. The guy who 551 00:31:45,880 --> 00:31:48,120 Speaker 1: first told me that there's no such thing as a 552 00:31:48,120 --> 00:31:52,080 Speaker 1: long term fentinyl user is himself dead from a fentinyl 553 00:31:52,400 --> 00:31:55,400 Speaker 1: sentinel overdose. And and that is really the case. Again, 554 00:31:55,440 --> 00:31:58,320 Speaker 1: it's it's it's And the fact is too that we're 555 00:31:58,320 --> 00:32:01,560 Speaker 1: seeing now Fentinel because it's so cheap and so potent, 556 00:32:01,960 --> 00:32:07,320 Speaker 1: it's being used now to bump or boost up other 557 00:32:07,520 --> 00:32:11,120 Speaker 1: other drugs, cocaine and methem sediment, and to some degree. 558 00:32:11,160 --> 00:32:14,760 Speaker 1: We're seeing now examples of it being dusted into onto 559 00:32:14,800 --> 00:32:19,760 Speaker 1: marijuana as well. And of course you're seeing Fentinel in 560 00:32:19,960 --> 00:32:23,480 Speaker 1: all these counterfeit pills that are coming in from Mexico 561 00:32:23,600 --> 00:32:27,000 Speaker 1: that first looked like oxycodon generic thirty milligram press blues 562 00:32:27,000 --> 00:32:29,960 Speaker 1: but now and percocets and fan X bars and now 563 00:32:30,000 --> 00:32:32,560 Speaker 1: have many colors. But all of this, I want to 564 00:32:32,600 --> 00:32:35,560 Speaker 1: stress it seems to me very clearly from my reporting, 565 00:32:35,760 --> 00:32:38,960 Speaker 1: this is all a function of the enormous supplies that 566 00:32:38,960 --> 00:32:44,000 Speaker 1: they're able to produce down in Mexico. And again, Sentinel 567 00:32:44,160 --> 00:32:47,720 Speaker 1: and math are both now nationwide. I was talking with 568 00:32:47,880 --> 00:32:51,000 Speaker 1: a guy in Maine who's now in recovery, but he's 569 00:32:51,160 --> 00:32:53,800 Speaker 1: he's a heroin addict and Maine, and all of a sudden, 570 00:32:53,800 --> 00:32:56,200 Speaker 1: Fentinel was it, and he couldn't find any heroine at all. 571 00:32:56,360 --> 00:32:58,640 Speaker 1: We are, we are probably about a year or two 572 00:32:58,680 --> 00:33:03,800 Speaker 1: away from seeing like no heroine at all, real heroine 573 00:33:03,840 --> 00:33:06,600 Speaker 1: at all on the streets of America. We're almost We're 574 00:33:06,640 --> 00:33:11,040 Speaker 1: almost there. It's just been outcompeted by Fentinel. It seems 575 00:33:11,080 --> 00:33:16,280 Speaker 1: like the death toll has a potential to explode. It's possible. 576 00:33:16,320 --> 00:33:18,480 Speaker 1: I mean I don't. I'm not seeing wal Fentinel is 577 00:33:18,520 --> 00:33:21,880 Speaker 1: out there. I don't like to predict the future, particularly 578 00:33:21,920 --> 00:33:24,800 Speaker 1: now when it's horrifying news like this. But you know, 579 00:33:24,840 --> 00:33:29,280 Speaker 1: there's the amounts of Sentinel just simply increased. You're finding 580 00:33:29,280 --> 00:33:31,680 Speaker 1: it more parts of the country. Pretty much everywhere in 581 00:33:31,960 --> 00:33:34,600 Speaker 1: the country. I would say, with some exceptions. I guess 582 00:33:35,200 --> 00:33:37,960 Speaker 1: Baltimore an amazing story. I think Baltimore has been a 583 00:33:38,000 --> 00:33:41,800 Speaker 1: heroine town since the sixties. But the tests that they're 584 00:33:41,840 --> 00:33:44,760 Speaker 1: doing on people who overd us now, are you know, 585 00:33:44,840 --> 00:33:48,680 Speaker 1: eighty five percent ninety percent, maybe upwards of eighty five 586 00:33:48,680 --> 00:33:51,800 Speaker 1: percent are on Fentinel And there's really kind of no 587 00:33:51,880 --> 00:33:56,360 Speaker 1: more heroine in Baltimore, where where they made the great 588 00:33:56,360 --> 00:34:00,240 Speaker 1: show The Wire several years ago. You're seeing this all over. 589 00:34:00,440 --> 00:34:04,320 Speaker 1: The ingredients for Sentinel in meths are they coming from 590 00:34:04,880 --> 00:34:10,040 Speaker 1: China primarily? Yes, but you know, yeah, right exactly. But 591 00:34:10,040 --> 00:34:12,920 Speaker 1: but the truth is, you know, if you control the 592 00:34:13,000 --> 00:34:15,600 Speaker 1: shipping ports, and there are two of them on the 593 00:34:15,600 --> 00:34:18,360 Speaker 1: western side of Mexico that are the principal ones, although 594 00:34:18,400 --> 00:34:22,480 Speaker 1: the airport in Mexico City is a big player in 595 00:34:22,520 --> 00:34:25,720 Speaker 1: this too, but Salt of Arizona about two Day tribe, 596 00:34:25,719 --> 00:34:28,080 Speaker 1: you reach these two very very large ports through which 597 00:34:28,120 --> 00:34:32,520 Speaker 1: all this stuff comes. All kinds of retail comes frommer items, etcetera, etcetera, 598 00:34:32,760 --> 00:34:36,440 Speaker 1: things that are used in manufacturing other larger things, car parts, etcetera. Whatever. 599 00:34:36,840 --> 00:34:40,440 Speaker 1: But you get there are a lot of chemicals and 600 00:34:40,440 --> 00:34:42,840 Speaker 1: and so all of that's coming well, a lot of 601 00:34:42,880 --> 00:34:45,560 Speaker 1: it is coming from China, although my sources in the 602 00:34:45,640 --> 00:34:48,680 Speaker 1: DA tell me that there's India is now becoming a 603 00:34:48,719 --> 00:34:50,560 Speaker 1: little bit of a bigger player. But the truth is 604 00:34:51,200 --> 00:34:53,880 Speaker 1: it could be other countries as well. You know, it 605 00:34:53,920 --> 00:34:57,560 Speaker 1: doesn't have to be just China or India. It just 606 00:34:57,680 --> 00:34:59,640 Speaker 1: happens to be more convenient. Have you heard of stuff 607 00:34:59,719 --> 00:35:05,960 Speaker 1: is coming into Long Beach in San Pietro. My understanding 608 00:35:06,160 --> 00:35:09,960 Speaker 1: is that there that there are not per se but 609 00:35:09,960 --> 00:35:12,839 Speaker 1: but the pills. What I what I have heard is 610 00:35:12,960 --> 00:35:16,800 Speaker 1: that um and seeing in reports from from the border, 611 00:35:17,160 --> 00:35:20,839 Speaker 1: is that the pills now are coming in in quantities 612 00:35:20,880 --> 00:35:24,920 Speaker 1: that simply boggled I mean, they boggled my mind. I've 613 00:35:24,960 --> 00:35:28,840 Speaker 1: just stunned sometimes to see that. The seizures. Remember in 614 00:35:28,880 --> 00:35:32,000 Speaker 1: two thousand and seventeen in San Diego, there was the 615 00:35:32,080 --> 00:35:37,680 Speaker 1: first seizure of Mexican trafficked pills that contain only phantomo 616 00:35:38,080 --> 00:35:42,240 Speaker 1: counterfeit pills that contain only Fentomo and Sandia twelve thousand pills, okay, 617 00:35:42,360 --> 00:35:44,120 Speaker 1: And everyone was high five and then of each other. 618 00:35:44,200 --> 00:35:46,200 Speaker 1: And then the next week it was eighteen. And then 619 00:35:46,280 --> 00:35:49,160 Speaker 1: in Phoenix a month later, two months later it was thirty. 620 00:35:49,480 --> 00:35:52,680 Speaker 1: Now you're seeing one border crossing like in Nogalis in 621 00:35:52,719 --> 00:35:57,160 Speaker 1: Arizona of three, three or four hundred thousand pills sees 622 00:35:57,200 --> 00:36:00,200 Speaker 1: almost daily um and then of course of a week 623 00:36:00,200 --> 00:36:02,880 Speaker 1: those season like a million or something like that. I mean, 624 00:36:02,960 --> 00:36:06,240 Speaker 1: it's just it's a remarkable thing. There's this enormous rush 625 00:36:06,280 --> 00:36:10,400 Speaker 1: towards a manufacturer. Is this too overwhelming for even the 626 00:36:10,400 --> 00:36:13,520 Speaker 1: federal government to take on? Is? Does anyone have a 627 00:36:13,520 --> 00:36:18,239 Speaker 1: desire to do it? Well? I believe it has kind 628 00:36:18,239 --> 00:36:22,080 Speaker 1: of graduated to that level. I don't think any president 629 00:36:23,160 --> 00:36:28,120 Speaker 1: in recent years has done much about this, and and 630 00:36:28,480 --> 00:36:33,520 Speaker 1: but it has graduated beyond simply like a drug issue 631 00:36:33,800 --> 00:36:37,200 Speaker 1: the way we've commonly thought about it, to something that amounts. 632 00:36:37,239 --> 00:36:39,319 Speaker 1: In my opinion, it feels as much as as it 633 00:36:39,320 --> 00:36:42,840 Speaker 1: feels like a drug issue, it feels like a national poisoning. 634 00:36:42,880 --> 00:36:46,640 Speaker 1: And now would really rise to another to another level. 635 00:36:47,280 --> 00:36:51,520 Speaker 1: But again you've seen both the Trump administration and the 636 00:36:51,560 --> 00:36:54,919 Speaker 1: Biden in the administration essentially do very little about this, 637 00:36:55,320 --> 00:36:58,799 Speaker 1: in part I think because Mexico has done a lot 638 00:36:58,880 --> 00:37:03,200 Speaker 1: to curtail the immigration coming from from Mexico and has 639 00:37:03,200 --> 00:37:05,839 Speaker 1: done a lot to keep keep migrants from other parts 640 00:37:05,840 --> 00:37:08,480 Speaker 1: of Latin America in Mexico. That kind of thing. There's 641 00:37:08,520 --> 00:37:11,120 Speaker 1: all that whole issue that's playing out. But I think 642 00:37:11,239 --> 00:37:14,680 Speaker 1: this is now graduated to a level where where the 643 00:37:14,680 --> 00:37:16,800 Speaker 1: State Department has to take it up with the Mexican 644 00:37:16,920 --> 00:37:20,480 Speaker 1: government and there has to be you know, working on 645 00:37:21,480 --> 00:37:24,520 Speaker 1: pushing the Mexicans to deal with that with the chemicals 646 00:37:24,520 --> 00:37:27,239 Speaker 1: in their country. And I would say two on from 647 00:37:27,239 --> 00:37:30,520 Speaker 1: our end, on making sure that we are not allowing 648 00:37:30,640 --> 00:37:33,880 Speaker 1: guns smuggled to be smuggled south into Mexico. Those are 649 00:37:33,880 --> 00:37:37,480 Speaker 1: the guns, particularly assault weapons, that are that are really 650 00:37:38,280 --> 00:37:41,640 Speaker 1: arming those guys, allowing them the impunity to make those 651 00:37:41,719 --> 00:37:45,160 Speaker 1: these drugs and such staggering quantities. All right, Sam, thank 652 00:37:45,200 --> 00:37:47,120 Speaker 1: you very much for coming on and talking to us again. 653 00:37:47,160 --> 00:37:50,920 Speaker 1: We appreciate it. And the name of pleasure anytime, fellows. 654 00:37:50,960 --> 00:37:52,799 Speaker 1: And the Dame of the book is the least of Us, 655 00:37:53,280 --> 00:37:55,920 Speaker 1: True Tales of America and Hope in the time of 656 00:37:55,960 --> 00:37:58,640 Speaker 1: fetnol and method. Johnny Ken Show, kf I AM six 657 00:37:58,760 --> 00:38:00,600 Speaker 1: forty Live everywhere, the IR Radio app