1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:04,680 Speaker 1: From UFOs to psychic powers and government conspiracies. History is 2 00:00:04,760 --> 00:00:09,080 Speaker 1: riddled with unexplained events. You can turn back now or 3 00:00:09,200 --> 00:00:12,079 Speaker 1: learn the stuff they don't want you to know. A 4 00:00:12,200 --> 00:00:25,599 Speaker 1: production of My Heart Radio. Hello, and welcome back to 5 00:00:25,680 --> 00:00:28,880 Speaker 1: the show. My name is Noel, our writer Dike and 6 00:00:28,920 --> 00:00:32,600 Speaker 1: patriot Matt Frederick is on adventures, but will be returning 7 00:00:32,760 --> 00:00:36,320 Speaker 1: post haste. They called me, Ben. We're joined as always 8 00:00:36,320 --> 00:00:40,560 Speaker 1: with our super producer Paul mission controlled decade. Most importantly, 9 00:00:40,760 --> 00:00:43,920 Speaker 1: you are you, You are here, and that makes this 10 00:00:44,360 --> 00:00:47,760 Speaker 1: stuff they don't want you to know. Peek behind the 11 00:00:47,840 --> 00:00:52,640 Speaker 1: curtain here as we begin mission control. Noel and I 12 00:00:52,880 --> 00:00:59,080 Speaker 1: have all returned from a vacation of sorts. Now, as 13 00:00:59,080 --> 00:01:04,040 Speaker 1: you know, no Uh, despite our constant haranguing, Mission Control 14 00:01:04,480 --> 00:01:07,959 Speaker 1: prefers to be the uh non audible power behind the 15 00:01:07,959 --> 00:01:11,080 Speaker 1: stuff they don't want you to know. Throne. But Ben, 16 00:01:11,160 --> 00:01:14,200 Speaker 1: that phrase literally flashed across my mind before you said it. 17 00:01:14,520 --> 00:01:17,040 Speaker 1: Paul is indeed the power behind the throne. I love 18 00:01:17,080 --> 00:01:19,600 Speaker 1: that you said that. That's you read my mind. Amazing. 19 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:23,040 Speaker 1: So we want you to know that. Paul has assured 20 00:01:23,120 --> 00:01:26,520 Speaker 1: us that he had adventures of his own. Stories for 21 00:01:26,560 --> 00:01:29,240 Speaker 1: another day and Nola wanted to check in with you 22 00:01:29,319 --> 00:01:32,200 Speaker 1: before we continue. How how is your time? How's your time? All? 23 00:01:32,360 --> 00:01:34,880 Speaker 1: It was good? Thanks Ben? Yeah. I mean, like I've 24 00:01:34,880 --> 00:01:36,880 Speaker 1: mentioned before, I just moved into a new place and 25 00:01:37,200 --> 00:01:39,319 Speaker 1: had been kind of uh, you know, doing it in 26 00:01:39,400 --> 00:01:41,880 Speaker 1: dribs and drabs getting it all set up and got 27 00:01:41,920 --> 00:01:44,040 Speaker 1: some furniture delivered. But I was able to really focus 28 00:01:44,080 --> 00:01:47,160 Speaker 1: and get the majority of the place really livable, and 29 00:01:47,560 --> 00:01:51,120 Speaker 1: I'm I'm speaking to you from my now fully ensconced 30 00:01:51,440 --> 00:01:54,080 Speaker 1: studio with all my little toys and guitars, and I 31 00:01:54,120 --> 00:01:56,000 Speaker 1: got a drum kid in here now and a couch 32 00:01:56,080 --> 00:01:58,800 Speaker 1: and a living rooms nice. My bedroom still full of boxes, 33 00:01:58,840 --> 00:02:00,600 Speaker 1: but yeah, no, I just go in there to sleep. 34 00:02:00,680 --> 00:02:04,160 Speaker 1: So it's like it's I don't feel compelled to to 35 00:02:04,240 --> 00:02:07,600 Speaker 1: hurry along with that one. How about you, Ben? Yeah, 36 00:02:07,640 --> 00:02:10,639 Speaker 1: I've I've had some you know, like Paul, have had 37 00:02:10,680 --> 00:02:14,320 Speaker 1: some story for Another Day adventures, some of which might 38 00:02:14,400 --> 00:02:17,640 Speaker 1: come into play in future episodes. I don't want to 39 00:02:17,639 --> 00:02:22,600 Speaker 1: spoil quite yet, but it's all. It's all fine, because 40 00:02:22,600 --> 00:02:26,560 Speaker 1: everybody emerged more or less. Okay. One segue I was 41 00:02:26,600 --> 00:02:30,960 Speaker 1: thinking about for this episode is that when when we 42 00:02:31,120 --> 00:02:35,480 Speaker 1: move physically, we also move symbolically, and it's a powerful act. 43 00:02:35,760 --> 00:02:37,960 Speaker 1: It makes us aware of how much stuff we have 44 00:02:38,440 --> 00:02:41,400 Speaker 1: and how much stuff we've lost. And as any long 45 00:02:41,480 --> 00:02:45,240 Speaker 1: time listener of our show knows, fellow conspiracy realists, you 46 00:02:45,280 --> 00:02:48,320 Speaker 1: are aware by now that the human species has a 47 00:02:48,400 --> 00:02:55,519 Speaker 1: profound and troubling history of losing communities, cities, entire civilizations sometimes, 48 00:02:55,760 --> 00:02:59,880 Speaker 1: and these sometimes become the subject of later legends and myths, 49 00:03:00,240 --> 00:03:06,080 Speaker 1: only to be rediscovered centuries or millennia later. Today, we're 50 00:03:06,120 --> 00:03:10,360 Speaker 1: exploring something different because our collective history is also full 51 00:03:10,400 --> 00:03:14,240 Speaker 1: of cities or communities or neighborhoods that went missing, not 52 00:03:14,400 --> 00:03:17,680 Speaker 1: due to pandemics, not due to natural disasters or so 53 00:03:17,760 --> 00:03:21,360 Speaker 1: called acts of God, but instead due to purposeful acts 54 00:03:21,480 --> 00:03:25,480 Speaker 1: of human beings. This is the story of a destroyed community, 55 00:03:25,560 --> 00:03:28,400 Speaker 1: and unlike the story of the c Tech CA or 56 00:03:28,480 --> 00:03:31,520 Speaker 1: the City of Troy or other communities of old, this 57 00:03:31,600 --> 00:03:35,320 Speaker 1: story is much much more recent than most people would 58 00:03:35,360 --> 00:03:40,120 Speaker 1: like to admit. And odds are uh, it's safe to 59 00:03:40,160 --> 00:03:42,400 Speaker 1: assume that a lot of people haven't heard of this. 60 00:03:42,800 --> 00:03:46,040 Speaker 1: We we didn't hear this story, no, until we received 61 00:03:46,040 --> 00:03:51,120 Speaker 1: an excellent email from fellow conspiracy realist Looping Band. Yeah 62 00:03:51,160 --> 00:03:54,080 Speaker 1: so why don't we get right into it. Yes, here 63 00:03:54,120 --> 00:03:57,400 Speaker 1: are the facts. So, as you hear Ben say at 64 00:03:57,440 --> 00:04:00,400 Speaker 1: the beginning of every one of our episodes, we know 65 00:04:00,920 --> 00:04:04,320 Speaker 1: and have seen firsthand that history has riddled with unexplained events. 66 00:04:04,840 --> 00:04:09,080 Speaker 1: Uh and and often UM, history is also riddled with 67 00:04:09,760 --> 00:04:16,240 Speaker 1: uh kind of crappy, obscured events. UM, things that authorities, 68 00:04:16,279 --> 00:04:20,200 Speaker 1: people in power, from the federal government to your local school, 69 00:04:20,600 --> 00:04:24,720 Speaker 1: you know, superintendent, would rather keep you in the dark about. 70 00:04:25,120 --> 00:04:28,600 Speaker 1: In the United States, a great example would be this 71 00:04:28,680 --> 00:04:32,600 Speaker 1: idea of black Wall Street, um. And the Tulsa Massacre 72 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:37,200 Speaker 1: of nineteen twenty one. Um. Ben, this is something that 73 00:04:37,240 --> 00:04:39,279 Speaker 1: you turned me onto, this idea of black wall streets, 74 00:04:39,279 --> 00:04:41,599 Speaker 1: and something I was very much not familiar with. But 75 00:04:41,680 --> 00:04:43,400 Speaker 1: a lot of people across the planet in the US 76 00:04:43,440 --> 00:04:48,600 Speaker 1: itself only learned of this massacre because of the series 77 00:04:48,600 --> 00:04:50,800 Speaker 1: Watchman on HBO that we've talked about at length on 78 00:04:50,800 --> 00:04:54,280 Speaker 1: the show. UM, and the Tulsa massacre plays a very 79 00:04:54,320 --> 00:04:57,359 Speaker 1: important role in the story. Ben, Can you tell us 80 00:04:57,360 --> 00:05:00,279 Speaker 1: a little bit about what went down? Yeah, and I 81 00:05:00,320 --> 00:05:04,120 Speaker 1: think this is a great way to get into the 82 00:05:04,240 --> 00:05:07,160 Speaker 1: crazy part of today's topic. So here's what happened on 83 00:05:07,200 --> 00:05:11,920 Speaker 1: a high level. After World War One, Tulsa, Oklahoma, became 84 00:05:12,000 --> 00:05:17,040 Speaker 1: known for its affluent African American community. This community thrived 85 00:05:17,080 --> 00:05:22,000 Speaker 1: against massive brutal, systemic oppression. Most of the ten thousand 86 00:05:22,040 --> 00:05:26,840 Speaker 1: black residents of Tulsa lived in one neighborhood, the Greenwood District, 87 00:05:27,080 --> 00:05:31,440 Speaker 1: and because of its incredibly successful business district, it became 88 00:05:31,520 --> 00:05:36,080 Speaker 1: known as Black Wall Street. But astute listeners, you'll notice 89 00:05:36,560 --> 00:05:40,919 Speaker 1: that we are speaking in past tense. So no, what 90 00:05:41,080 --> 00:05:43,520 Speaker 1: happened to Black Wall Street? Why aren't we speaking in 91 00:05:43,600 --> 00:05:47,800 Speaker 1: present tense? Now? Yeah, it's exactly what you described at 92 00:05:47,800 --> 00:05:51,359 Speaker 1: the top of the show. Ban. It was essentially eradicated 93 00:05:51,440 --> 00:05:55,360 Speaker 1: from existence, um, because of the influence of those that 94 00:05:55,400 --> 00:05:58,760 Speaker 1: would prefer it have never existed in the first place. 95 00:05:59,040 --> 00:06:02,960 Speaker 1: On May, a young black man named Dick Rowland was 96 00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:05,760 Speaker 1: writing in an elevator in the Drexel building at Third 97 00:06:05,800 --> 00:06:09,760 Speaker 1: in Maine. Um there in Tulsa, along with the elevator operator, 98 00:06:09,800 --> 00:06:13,159 Speaker 1: because that was a thing back then, and that person 99 00:06:13,400 --> 00:06:16,920 Speaker 1: was a white woman by the name of Sarah Page Uh. 100 00:06:16,960 --> 00:06:21,680 Speaker 1: And the actual details of what is alleged to have 101 00:06:21,760 --> 00:06:25,600 Speaker 1: occurred between these two people very um. There's a lot 102 00:06:25,640 --> 00:06:32,160 Speaker 1: of hearsay, um, But Ultimately we are told of accounts 103 00:06:32,200 --> 00:06:36,279 Speaker 1: of some sort of incident. Uh and and this spread 104 00:06:36,320 --> 00:06:40,640 Speaker 1: like wildfire within Tulsa's white community. Uh. And it's the 105 00:06:40,680 --> 00:06:43,440 Speaker 1: same way like you see now, you know, especially when 106 00:06:43,480 --> 00:06:48,039 Speaker 1: it's negative, people are so quick to spread uh these 107 00:06:48,080 --> 00:06:50,880 Speaker 1: fake news stories. And I say fake news, not in 108 00:06:50,920 --> 00:06:54,440 Speaker 1: the loaded way that maybe is used rhetorically by certain 109 00:06:54,720 --> 00:06:58,479 Speaker 1: members of of of our government, but actual fake news 110 00:06:58,520 --> 00:07:03,719 Speaker 1: that's written and intended to obscure or to uh to deceive. Um. 111 00:07:03,760 --> 00:07:05,360 Speaker 1: And if it's negative or it's about if it's something 112 00:07:05,440 --> 00:07:07,760 Speaker 1: that supports your narrative, people are very quick to just 113 00:07:07,839 --> 00:07:10,720 Speaker 1: boom click share. You gotta really careful, You gotta do 114 00:07:10,760 --> 00:07:13,000 Speaker 1: your homework before you become that person. You don't want 115 00:07:13,000 --> 00:07:15,960 Speaker 1: to be that person. But a lot of people here, untulso, 116 00:07:16,080 --> 00:07:19,960 Speaker 1: were that person and spread this story all across the community. 117 00:07:20,440 --> 00:07:23,520 Speaker 1: And um, every time it was told, like a just 118 00:07:23,720 --> 00:07:27,040 Speaker 1: like a sick game of telephone, it became worse and 119 00:07:27,120 --> 00:07:31,880 Speaker 1: more exaggerated and more egregious, the details more lurid um 120 00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:36,120 Speaker 1: and the police White of course, arrested Dick Roll in 121 00:07:36,160 --> 00:07:39,400 Speaker 1: the very next day, and that same day mate the 122 00:07:39,440 --> 00:07:44,120 Speaker 1: Tulsa Tribune ran an absolutely bonkers, uh, and of course 123 00:07:44,320 --> 00:07:49,400 Speaker 1: biased a report of the events, right. Yeah, So in 124 00:07:49,480 --> 00:07:54,400 Speaker 1: the elevator incident, the the bare bones reports seems to 125 00:07:54,440 --> 00:07:59,040 Speaker 1: be that this young man could have done something as 126 00:07:59,080 --> 00:08:03,400 Speaker 1: simple as accidentally bump into the elevator operator or he 127 00:08:03,520 --> 00:08:06,120 Speaker 1: stepped on her foot or something like that. But as 128 00:08:06,160 --> 00:08:10,040 Speaker 1: you said, Noel, over a span of just a few hours, 129 00:08:10,480 --> 00:08:15,360 Speaker 1: really this turned into like a full on lurid story 130 00:08:15,360 --> 00:08:20,800 Speaker 1: of assault. And this sparked a confrontation between armed groups 131 00:08:20,880 --> 00:08:25,320 Speaker 1: gathered around the courthouse. The local authorities barricaded Roland at 132 00:08:25,360 --> 00:08:28,240 Speaker 1: the top floor of the courthouse, and these groups, as 133 00:08:28,280 --> 00:08:30,760 Speaker 1: you can imagine, were divided by race, but they were 134 00:08:30,800 --> 00:08:34,400 Speaker 1: also divided by aim. The white mob, which was getting 135 00:08:34,400 --> 00:08:37,640 Speaker 1: bigger and bigger as time went on, wanted to murder 136 00:08:37,760 --> 00:08:41,760 Speaker 1: Roland that day, but they were met by a group 137 00:08:41,840 --> 00:08:45,080 Speaker 1: of twenty five armed black men, many of whom were 138 00:08:45,160 --> 00:08:49,920 Speaker 1: veterans from World War One. These veterans were not antagonizing 139 00:08:50,080 --> 00:08:53,120 Speaker 1: this mob, It's important to note this. Instead, they were 140 00:08:53,160 --> 00:08:56,040 Speaker 1: going to the local authorities, the sheriff, and they said, 141 00:08:56,320 --> 00:08:59,560 Speaker 1: you know, there's a very real and immediate threat of 142 00:08:59,760 --> 00:09:03,400 Speaker 1: the this mob taking this kid and torturing him and 143 00:09:03,400 --> 00:09:05,880 Speaker 1: then killing them. We are here to help you. The 144 00:09:05,960 --> 00:09:10,959 Speaker 1: sheriff said no, And then I hope that we can 145 00:09:10,960 --> 00:09:13,680 Speaker 1: only imagine this sheriff had to eat his words because 146 00:09:13,720 --> 00:09:17,119 Speaker 1: that white mob turned their attention away from the courthouse 147 00:09:17,200 --> 00:09:21,440 Speaker 1: and they tried to break into the National Guard armory nearby. Yeah, 148 00:09:21,480 --> 00:09:24,360 Speaker 1: and then you have these two kind of contingents colliding. 149 00:09:24,360 --> 00:09:28,080 Speaker 1: When a reformed group of seventy five armed black men 150 00:09:28,200 --> 00:09:32,240 Speaker 1: returned UM, the white mob, which was about fifteen hundred strong, 151 00:09:32,960 --> 00:09:37,080 Speaker 1: clearly outnumbering the black group. UM and the group seeking 152 00:09:37,120 --> 00:09:41,720 Speaker 1: to protect Roland had to retreat to to the Greenwood District, 153 00:09:41,800 --> 00:09:44,680 Speaker 1: that area where many of these affluent black members of 154 00:09:44,679 --> 00:09:49,640 Speaker 1: the community lived. UM. So in June one, members of 155 00:09:49,679 --> 00:09:52,800 Speaker 1: the white mob, along with so many hangers on and 156 00:09:52,920 --> 00:09:58,480 Speaker 1: opportunists and looters UM white looters, sacked the Greenwood District 157 00:09:58,800 --> 00:10:03,360 Speaker 1: and attempted to completely eradicated, burning into the ground. The 158 00:10:03,400 --> 00:10:07,079 Speaker 1: governor at the time, Robertson, declared a state of martial law. 159 00:10:07,120 --> 00:10:11,840 Speaker 1: This is all sounding early familiar. Unfortunately I'm given the 160 00:10:11,840 --> 00:10:14,040 Speaker 1: current state of of of of events here in the 161 00:10:14,120 --> 00:10:19,360 Speaker 1: United States. UM. The National Guard was called in. They 162 00:10:19,480 --> 00:10:23,920 Speaker 1: assisted fireman and putting out the flames. They arrested some 163 00:10:23,960 --> 00:10:30,160 Speaker 1: of the African Americans from these absolutely you know, bloodthirsty 164 00:10:30,520 --> 00:10:33,080 Speaker 1: vigilantes what they referred to themselves as, as though they 165 00:10:33,120 --> 00:10:36,720 Speaker 1: were seeking some sort of out, you know, wild West 166 00:10:36,880 --> 00:10:42,000 Speaker 1: outlawed twisted justice. Uh. And then they imprisoned every single 167 00:10:42,040 --> 00:10:46,240 Speaker 1: black resident of Tulsa that hadn't already been arrested. Uh. 168 00:10:46,280 --> 00:10:50,160 Speaker 1: That's over six thousand people who were held against their 169 00:10:50,200 --> 00:10:53,640 Speaker 1: will for up to eight days at a convention center 170 00:10:54,880 --> 00:10:57,360 Speaker 1: on on the fair grounds of of the of the town. 171 00:10:58,040 --> 00:11:03,000 Speaker 1: That's right, and needless to say, these people who were arrested, 172 00:11:03,240 --> 00:11:08,080 Speaker 1: who were, you know, innocent of crimes, were denied, you know, 173 00:11:08,160 --> 00:11:13,120 Speaker 1: the basic things one would expect incarceration in theory, you know, food, water, 174 00:11:14,200 --> 00:11:17,479 Speaker 1: restroom facilities, and so on. Let's look at the aftermath. 175 00:11:17,840 --> 00:11:21,520 Speaker 1: All of this means that within only twenty four hours 176 00:11:21,559 --> 00:11:26,040 Speaker 1: after this pandemonium erupted, thirty five city blocks were in 177 00:11:26,120 --> 00:11:30,319 Speaker 1: total ruin. Over eight hundred people were treated for injury, 178 00:11:30,360 --> 00:11:32,920 Speaker 1: which means of course that many more were injured and 179 00:11:33,120 --> 00:11:37,080 Speaker 1: unable or unwilling to seek medical attention. The death toll 180 00:11:37,840 --> 00:11:41,400 Speaker 1: was estimated at the time to be thirty six, but 181 00:11:41,559 --> 00:11:46,920 Speaker 1: today historians believe around three hundred people died, if not more, 182 00:11:47,720 --> 00:11:53,040 Speaker 1: thousands lost their livelihoods and homes this massacre. Oddly enough, 183 00:11:53,200 --> 00:11:56,640 Speaker 1: even though thousands of people were had their lives are 184 00:11:56,640 --> 00:12:00,320 Speaker 1: preparably damaged, this massacre was not really reported in the 185 00:12:00,400 --> 00:12:04,520 Speaker 1: national media, definitely not inaccurate way, and today it remains 186 00:12:04,600 --> 00:12:08,760 Speaker 1: one of the worst again officially acknowledged incidents of racial 187 00:12:08,840 --> 00:12:13,720 Speaker 1: violence in US history. But it's just one example. Yeah, 188 00:12:13,880 --> 00:12:16,319 Speaker 1: and and there are others U and one of them 189 00:12:16,400 --> 00:12:20,400 Speaker 1: is is the topic of today's episode, um and it's 190 00:12:20,400 --> 00:12:22,000 Speaker 1: something we like we said at the top of the show, 191 00:12:22,080 --> 00:12:25,800 Speaker 1: neither of us were familiar with a community in Halifax, 192 00:12:25,880 --> 00:12:31,320 Speaker 1: Nova Scotia known as Africaville. So what happened to Africaville? 193 00:12:31,679 --> 00:12:41,200 Speaker 1: Will explore this after a word from our sponsor. Here's 194 00:12:41,240 --> 00:12:45,840 Speaker 1: where it gets crazy. If you were like us, then 195 00:12:45,840 --> 00:12:48,640 Speaker 1: you're from the United States. Odds are you may have 196 00:12:48,800 --> 00:12:52,679 Speaker 1: never heard of Africaville. Like you said, No, this community 197 00:12:52,800 --> 00:12:56,480 Speaker 1: was located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, was founded in 198 00:12:56,520 --> 00:13:00,360 Speaker 1: the early eighteen hundreds. It's often described as one of 199 00:13:00,400 --> 00:13:05,040 Speaker 1: the first free black communities outside of the African continent. 200 00:13:06,040 --> 00:13:13,400 Speaker 1: By nineteen sixty it was raised to the ground. Seriously, 201 00:13:13,760 --> 00:13:17,120 Speaker 1: it didn't happen as quickly as the Tulsa massacre, but 202 00:13:17,320 --> 00:13:22,440 Speaker 1: it happened. So what what gives? What what's the what's 203 00:13:22,480 --> 00:13:27,320 Speaker 1: the history of this community? Yeah, I've seen it referred 204 00:13:27,320 --> 00:13:30,440 Speaker 1: to as well as as like a settlement um, which 205 00:13:30,480 --> 00:13:32,360 Speaker 1: is interesting because I mean, it really was sort of 206 00:13:32,760 --> 00:13:40,040 Speaker 1: a very self sufficient community, but they did depend on 207 00:13:40,120 --> 00:13:44,200 Speaker 1: some services from the City of Halifax. We'll get into 208 00:13:44,320 --> 00:13:47,640 Speaker 1: what that relationship kind of deteriorated into in just a second. 209 00:13:48,040 --> 00:13:51,280 Speaker 1: But Um, from eighteen forty to eighteen sixty, Nova Scotia 210 00:13:51,440 --> 00:13:56,600 Speaker 1: was actually the last stop on the underground railroad. Uh So, 211 00:13:56,760 --> 00:14:00,080 Speaker 1: while Africville was certainly a better place for many and 212 00:14:00,120 --> 00:14:03,040 Speaker 1: where they had come from, uh, it was still poor 213 00:14:03,559 --> 00:14:07,400 Speaker 1: and still quite oppressed. The local government never provided them 214 00:14:07,400 --> 00:14:12,840 Speaker 1: with basic amenities, uh, sewage, you know, water, electricity, and 215 00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:16,360 Speaker 1: snow plowing, because let's not forget this is in the 216 00:14:15,840 --> 00:14:19,680 Speaker 1: the Great White North. Um and the community reached its 217 00:14:19,720 --> 00:14:24,000 Speaker 1: population peak by nineteen seventeen, only about four hundred people 218 00:14:24,080 --> 00:14:27,800 Speaker 1: lived there um during the time of a very important 219 00:14:27,800 --> 00:14:30,760 Speaker 1: event in the history of of Halifax, Nova Scotia, the 220 00:14:30,800 --> 00:14:35,840 Speaker 1: Halifax Explosion, which took place on December six of nineteen seventeen. 221 00:14:36,640 --> 00:14:40,440 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, this is this is insane. So it's a 222 00:14:40,480 --> 00:14:43,600 Speaker 1: tale of two ships instead of a tail of two cities. Right. 223 00:14:43,920 --> 00:14:47,200 Speaker 1: The S S Multi Blanc is a French cargo ship. 224 00:14:47,760 --> 00:14:51,800 Speaker 1: It's carrying has met hazardous materials we call them today. 225 00:14:51,840 --> 00:14:55,080 Speaker 1: It's it's carried a bunch of explosives. It collides with 226 00:14:55,120 --> 00:14:58,640 Speaker 1: the Norwegian vessel called the S s Imo or Emo. 227 00:14:58,800 --> 00:15:01,840 Speaker 1: I m O. I hope it wasn't the email, but 228 00:15:01,880 --> 00:15:05,640 Speaker 1: that would be funny though. What happened though, was anything 229 00:15:05,680 --> 00:15:09,800 Speaker 1: but humorous. When this friendship collides with this Norwegian ship, 230 00:15:10,200 --> 00:15:14,440 Speaker 1: it happens in a straight connecting Upper Halifax Harbor to 231 00:15:14,520 --> 00:15:17,800 Speaker 1: something called the Bedford Basin. A fire breaks out on 232 00:15:17,840 --> 00:15:21,040 Speaker 1: the French ship. It ignites the cargo and this causes 233 00:15:21,320 --> 00:15:25,400 Speaker 1: a massive explosion, the equivalent of two point nine killer 234 00:15:25,480 --> 00:15:29,320 Speaker 1: tons of T and T. It kills around two thousand 235 00:15:29,360 --> 00:15:33,400 Speaker 1: people and at least nine thousand other people are injured. 236 00:15:33,760 --> 00:15:37,840 Speaker 1: Africville is located on the southern shore of the Bedford Basin, 237 00:15:38,320 --> 00:15:42,600 Speaker 1: and due to topology in the area, it's partially shielded 238 00:15:42,680 --> 00:15:46,840 Speaker 1: from the direct blast. But that doesn't mean it's completely shielded. 239 00:15:47,200 --> 00:15:52,720 Speaker 1: Multiple structures in this area are destroyed or so heavily 240 00:15:52,800 --> 00:15:55,600 Speaker 1: damaged that they're unusable. And you know, to the point 241 00:15:55,640 --> 00:15:58,720 Speaker 1: about self sufficiency that you made earlier, noal Uh, it 242 00:15:58,840 --> 00:16:02,239 Speaker 1: makes sense because a out of these buildings were constructed 243 00:16:02,240 --> 00:16:04,320 Speaker 1: by the people who were living in them. That's right. 244 00:16:04,400 --> 00:16:06,360 Speaker 1: And um, I saw a great documentary if you just 245 00:16:06,400 --> 00:16:09,040 Speaker 1: google Africville on YouTube, it's the longest thing that comes up. 246 00:16:09,080 --> 00:16:12,040 Speaker 1: It's like thirty five minute documentary that the Canadian Broadcasting 247 00:16:12,080 --> 00:16:15,120 Speaker 1: Service UH made. Um it feels like it was in 248 00:16:15,160 --> 00:16:17,560 Speaker 1: the seventies or something. It's got that look, but it 249 00:16:17,600 --> 00:16:21,120 Speaker 1: starts off interviewing like multi generational families that lived in 250 00:16:21,120 --> 00:16:23,400 Speaker 1: Afforcville and like grew up there. Because again it was 251 00:16:23,840 --> 00:16:26,800 Speaker 1: nineteen seventeen. It had a history. And people say, when 252 00:16:26,800 --> 00:16:29,440 Speaker 1: people when people ask you the question put to these 253 00:16:29,480 --> 00:16:32,320 Speaker 1: these former residents, when people ask you where are you from? 254 00:16:32,360 --> 00:16:34,600 Speaker 1: What do you say? And they say Africville. They don't 255 00:16:34,600 --> 00:16:37,080 Speaker 1: say Canada, they don't say Nova Scotia, they don't say Halifax, 256 00:16:37,200 --> 00:16:41,200 Speaker 1: they say Africville. Because it really had this identity all 257 00:16:41,240 --> 00:16:44,760 Speaker 1: of its own, and they were proud of of it. 258 00:16:44,880 --> 00:16:47,960 Speaker 1: They were proud of their community. They, like you said, Ben, 259 00:16:48,000 --> 00:16:49,800 Speaker 1: they did the best that they could with what they had. 260 00:16:49,880 --> 00:16:54,120 Speaker 1: They built their own homes. UM. But in the greater 261 00:16:54,280 --> 00:17:00,360 Speaker 1: community outside of Africville, it was unfairly characterized as a slum. Uh. 262 00:17:00,400 --> 00:17:03,680 Speaker 1: There was this kind of notion that it was hated 263 00:17:03,680 --> 00:17:06,040 Speaker 1: by the members of the community. But when you actually 264 00:17:06,080 --> 00:17:07,960 Speaker 1: talk to people, and the people have seen interviewed in 265 00:17:07,960 --> 00:17:11,200 Speaker 1: this documentary, no one says that it's just the people 266 00:17:11,200 --> 00:17:13,359 Speaker 1: in power that say that. It's a narrative they tried 267 00:17:13,400 --> 00:17:17,880 Speaker 1: to create to justify what they ultimately what they ultimately did. 268 00:17:18,520 --> 00:17:21,840 Speaker 1: Um which will will get to. So the local government 269 00:17:22,280 --> 00:17:25,920 Speaker 1: UH in question here had already begun arguing the community 270 00:17:25,960 --> 00:17:29,600 Speaker 1: should be destroyed to make room for industrial development. Oh, 271 00:17:29,680 --> 00:17:31,720 Speaker 1: all of a sudden, they realized they've got some prime 272 00:17:31,760 --> 00:17:34,919 Speaker 1: real estate and something better to do with it that 273 00:17:34,960 --> 00:17:38,679 Speaker 1: could maybe enrich the community more in their eyes in 274 00:17:38,720 --> 00:17:40,680 Speaker 1: a way that was meaningful. And so in the wake 275 00:17:40,720 --> 00:17:43,639 Speaker 1: of this disaster, UM, the people of the community didn't 276 00:17:43,680 --> 00:17:47,119 Speaker 1: get anything in the way of recovery assistance. They also 277 00:17:47,160 --> 00:17:49,760 Speaker 1: got no police or fire protection, and they still had 278 00:17:49,800 --> 00:17:53,199 Speaker 1: to pay taxes and other parts of the city. Yeah, 279 00:17:53,400 --> 00:17:55,560 Speaker 1: received tons of help in terms of like, you know, 280 00:17:55,600 --> 00:17:58,879 Speaker 1: recovering from this horrific event, and after the explosion, the 281 00:17:58,880 --> 00:18:02,480 Speaker 1: city of Halifax itself continued what you could describe as 282 00:18:02,600 --> 00:18:07,120 Speaker 1: systematic efforts to make Africville a bad place to live 283 00:18:07,200 --> 00:18:10,359 Speaker 1: and then demonizing it, you know, with this rhetoric and 284 00:18:10,400 --> 00:18:12,080 Speaker 1: this idea of it being a slum and we have 285 00:18:12,200 --> 00:18:14,679 Speaker 1: to do something about it. But it was basically like 286 00:18:14,880 --> 00:18:18,840 Speaker 1: them commenting on what they themselves had wrought upon this community, 287 00:18:18,920 --> 00:18:23,560 Speaker 1: right yeah, Yeah, I'm being too charitable with could be 288 00:18:23,720 --> 00:18:29,160 Speaker 1: described as just systematic effort there, because uh it is, 289 00:18:29,359 --> 00:18:33,840 Speaker 1: and it was to to the dovetail in the earlier 290 00:18:33,880 --> 00:18:37,159 Speaker 1: point we were making about the discrepancy between what the 291 00:18:38,440 --> 00:18:41,240 Speaker 1: people who lived their experience of what the city's official 292 00:18:41,320 --> 00:18:46,440 Speaker 1: line was and had always been. Uh, just follow the money, 293 00:18:46,720 --> 00:18:49,159 Speaker 1: you know what I mean, whether it's a war, whether 294 00:18:49,280 --> 00:18:53,000 Speaker 1: it's a moral crusade, follow the money. Ultimately, there's a 295 00:18:53,040 --> 00:18:57,960 Speaker 1: financial motive there, and this was this was an opportunity. 296 00:18:57,960 --> 00:19:00,159 Speaker 1: I want to be very clear, No one say that 297 00:19:00,240 --> 00:19:05,240 Speaker 1: the Halifax explosion itself was planned or you know, even 298 00:19:05,840 --> 00:19:09,560 Speaker 1: meant to in any way affect the people of Africaville. 299 00:19:09,880 --> 00:19:14,600 Speaker 1: But the City of Halifax certainly took advantage of the opportunity. 300 00:19:14,680 --> 00:19:21,440 Speaker 1: They started aggressively making this a bad place to live. Beforehand, 301 00:19:22,200 --> 00:19:27,320 Speaker 1: they were they were um degrading Africaville through what I 302 00:19:27,359 --> 00:19:32,400 Speaker 1: would describe as willful, purposeful neglect. But now they started 303 00:19:32,440 --> 00:19:35,880 Speaker 1: being more aggressive, an assertive, and belligerent about it. They 304 00:19:36,000 --> 00:19:39,679 Speaker 1: built a hospital for World War two veterans, but not 305 00:19:39,760 --> 00:19:43,040 Speaker 1: just any World War two veterans, specifically World War two 306 00:19:43,119 --> 00:19:48,680 Speaker 1: veterans with various contagious diseases and there's no real hygiatic 307 00:19:48,720 --> 00:19:52,400 Speaker 1: practice at the time, so this exposes the community to this, 308 00:19:52,920 --> 00:19:55,399 Speaker 1: but that's not the only thing they were exposed to. Yeah, 309 00:19:55,440 --> 00:19:59,399 Speaker 1: it's like adding insult to injury. Halifax decided, oh, this 310 00:19:59,440 --> 00:20:04,920 Speaker 1: would be a site for a toxic waste dump. Wow. Um, 311 00:20:05,000 --> 00:20:08,919 Speaker 1: they're really laying it on thick and the the You 312 00:20:08,920 --> 00:20:12,000 Speaker 1: can see the residents, uh, one of whom will meet 313 00:20:12,240 --> 00:20:15,760 Speaker 1: later in this episode. The residents often had to go 314 00:20:16,000 --> 00:20:23,320 Speaker 1: through this dump for honestly discavenged to find things to sell. 315 00:20:24,119 --> 00:20:27,399 Speaker 1: You know. It's it's very rough situation, that's right, And 316 00:20:27,600 --> 00:20:29,679 Speaker 1: there actually is footage of this all of this in 317 00:20:29,720 --> 00:20:31,960 Speaker 1: the documentary that I mentioned. I highly recommend checking it 318 00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:34,040 Speaker 1: out because it's all you know, you can see the dump. 319 00:20:34,040 --> 00:20:38,520 Speaker 1: It's this is not hyperbole. It's literally a sludgy, toxic, 320 00:20:38,760 --> 00:20:41,800 Speaker 1: you know mess. Also, you know, it's it's sort of 321 00:20:41,800 --> 00:20:44,480 Speaker 1: a catch all dump. You got your toxic stuff, you 322 00:20:44,560 --> 00:20:47,320 Speaker 1: got your like you know, scrap metal, you know. But 323 00:20:47,359 --> 00:20:51,240 Speaker 1: you're right. I mean they were so um put upon 324 00:20:51,359 --> 00:20:53,680 Speaker 1: and unable to earn a living, and people were you know, 325 00:20:53,720 --> 00:20:55,679 Speaker 1: there's a there's a there's a gentleman in the in 326 00:20:55,720 --> 00:20:57,879 Speaker 1: the in the in the dock who says, I was 327 00:20:57,920 --> 00:21:01,440 Speaker 1: seeing my brothers, you know, avenging in the dump every 328 00:21:01,560 --> 00:21:04,320 Speaker 1: day and it was just you know, painful, and that 329 00:21:04,440 --> 00:21:08,560 Speaker 1: level of pain. Uh lad to folks starting to just 330 00:21:08,680 --> 00:21:11,840 Speaker 1: leave it time to move on. Um, And you know 331 00:21:11,960 --> 00:21:15,000 Speaker 1: it was it was when the rats started showing up 332 00:21:15,400 --> 00:21:18,960 Speaker 1: that things really took a turn. The gentleman you mentioned 333 00:21:19,000 --> 00:21:23,320 Speaker 1: ben Eddie Carvery, who grew up there, um, he had 334 00:21:23,359 --> 00:21:25,359 Speaker 1: there's a quote we have from him that is is 335 00:21:25,400 --> 00:21:27,320 Speaker 1: pretty disturbing and it really gives you a sense of 336 00:21:27,320 --> 00:21:29,399 Speaker 1: what it would have been like to live in this 337 00:21:29,520 --> 00:21:34,280 Speaker 1: place at the time. Yeah, Eddie Carvery, who is in 338 00:21:34,560 --> 00:21:39,200 Speaker 1: you can see a multiple documentaries. He he grew up there. 339 00:21:39,200 --> 00:21:43,720 Speaker 1: As you said, no, and he witnessed firsthand the successful 340 00:21:44,080 --> 00:21:49,600 Speaker 1: efforts of Halifax to depopulate Africville. In this quote describing 341 00:21:49,600 --> 00:21:52,760 Speaker 1: the rats, he says, the hospital would just dump their 342 00:21:52,840 --> 00:21:56,880 Speaker 1: raw garbage on the dump, bloody body parts, blankets and everything. 343 00:21:57,359 --> 00:21:59,920 Speaker 1: We were subject to that. And then they would burn 344 00:22:00,040 --> 00:22:02,359 Speaker 1: this dump every so often. There would be walls of 345 00:22:02,400 --> 00:22:05,400 Speaker 1: fire and toxic smoke. And we used to run through 346 00:22:05,440 --> 00:22:08,720 Speaker 1: that fire to get the metals before they melted because 347 00:22:08,760 --> 00:22:12,320 Speaker 1: we scavenged the dump. We had to. You had to 348 00:22:12,440 --> 00:22:15,520 Speaker 1: do that to survive. In a way. You know, what 349 00:22:15,560 --> 00:22:19,520 Speaker 1: this reminds me of is the practice of ship breaking. 350 00:22:20,000 --> 00:22:23,720 Speaker 1: There are places in you know, we everybody's kind of 351 00:22:23,720 --> 00:22:26,760 Speaker 1: aware of large water going vessels, cargo ships and stuff. 352 00:22:27,160 --> 00:22:31,960 Speaker 1: When those things are decommissioned, sometimes they are physically broken 353 00:22:32,000 --> 00:22:36,720 Speaker 1: down by people who like the boat is run aground 354 00:22:37,200 --> 00:22:40,280 Speaker 1: and then uh, people have to go through and scavenge 355 00:22:40,320 --> 00:22:43,399 Speaker 1: and break it down, and they're like paid per kilo 356 00:22:43,680 --> 00:22:48,480 Speaker 1: um and and typically will end up contracting horrible medical 357 00:22:48,520 --> 00:22:51,479 Speaker 1: conditions from exposure to stuff like this. I mean, this 358 00:22:51,560 --> 00:22:55,480 Speaker 1: may be even worse because of the burning, right, Like 359 00:22:55,520 --> 00:22:58,320 Speaker 1: the smoke means that you don't have to be at 360 00:22:58,320 --> 00:23:02,000 Speaker 1: the site. Yeah, in case of tetanus or or worse, 361 00:23:02,119 --> 00:23:05,880 Speaker 1: you know, um and yeah, like we were alluding to earlier, 362 00:23:05,960 --> 00:23:11,240 Speaker 1: the rats just became an absolute nightmarriage and an utter 363 00:23:11,280 --> 00:23:16,960 Speaker 1: infestation that the population just ballooning, and Halifax was having 364 00:23:17,040 --> 00:23:20,119 Speaker 1: none of it in terms of helping. Um. The residents 365 00:23:20,160 --> 00:23:25,480 Speaker 1: of Africkville found themselves in just an absolute, like nightmarish 366 00:23:25,600 --> 00:23:30,760 Speaker 1: perfect storm for a plague, I mean really just absolutely 367 00:23:30,840 --> 00:23:35,480 Speaker 1: biblical horrible stuff when the rats began to infiltrate white 368 00:23:35,520 --> 00:23:39,280 Speaker 1: neighborhoods night. Mind you, the city finally stepped in to 369 00:23:39,320 --> 00:23:43,800 Speaker 1: address the problem by dousing the dump at Africville in 370 00:23:44,000 --> 00:23:48,879 Speaker 1: in rat poison. Cool, But now it's like, how how 371 00:23:48,880 --> 00:23:52,320 Speaker 1: do you make a toxic waste dump worse you cover 372 00:23:52,400 --> 00:23:55,159 Speaker 1: it in rat poison? I don't know. This is just 373 00:23:55,320 --> 00:24:00,320 Speaker 1: this is a real, real saga here. Meanwhile, the the 374 00:24:00,440 --> 00:24:04,320 Speaker 1: larger government of Canada is completely ignoring what's happening here. 375 00:24:04,480 --> 00:24:06,560 Speaker 1: By the way, and we're not unless we sound like 376 00:24:06,600 --> 00:24:10,280 Speaker 1: we're picking on Canada. This isn't a more obscure case, 377 00:24:10,480 --> 00:24:13,280 Speaker 1: or was at the time. But make no mistake, things 378 00:24:13,280 --> 00:24:16,280 Speaker 1: like this are happening in multiple countries around the world 379 00:24:16,440 --> 00:24:22,600 Speaker 1: right and and to your point, Noll, the population is 380 00:24:22,720 --> 00:24:27,000 Speaker 1: breathing this poison in Uh. You know, numerous people are saying, 381 00:24:27,400 --> 00:24:29,679 Speaker 1: like even if we even if we try to avoid 382 00:24:29,720 --> 00:24:32,160 Speaker 1: the dump, this is still getting all over our air, 383 00:24:32,200 --> 00:24:36,080 Speaker 1: our clothing. And now we see something that happens in 384 00:24:36,119 --> 00:24:38,960 Speaker 1: a lot of small communities with exposure to these kind 385 00:24:39,000 --> 00:24:44,760 Speaker 1: of chemicals. Uh. The real dangerous effects are things that 386 00:24:44,840 --> 00:24:46,720 Speaker 1: people might not have seen at the time, even the 387 00:24:46,720 --> 00:24:50,520 Speaker 1: people spreading the rat poison. It's it's a it's a 388 00:24:50,560 --> 00:24:54,560 Speaker 1: problem that crops up like agent orange years after the fact, 389 00:24:54,680 --> 00:24:59,080 Speaker 1: right years after exposure, we start noticing people getting cancer. Yeah, 390 00:24:59,119 --> 00:25:01,840 Speaker 1: it reminds me of the sand A Susannah, uh nuclear 391 00:25:02,000 --> 00:25:06,080 Speaker 1: research site in the episode we did not terribly long ago. Um. Yeah, 392 00:25:06,119 --> 00:25:07,880 Speaker 1: you don't find that about that stuff until a way later. 393 00:25:08,560 --> 00:25:10,760 Speaker 1: At the time, you don't really associate it with with 394 00:25:10,840 --> 00:25:13,359 Speaker 1: that with your with your at with your environment at 395 00:25:13,359 --> 00:25:16,440 Speaker 1: its time especially might not have even something that people 396 00:25:16,480 --> 00:25:20,240 Speaker 1: were widely aware of. But there it is. And so 397 00:25:20,320 --> 00:25:24,520 Speaker 1: when the rats and the toxic dump weren't enough to 398 00:25:24,640 --> 00:25:28,560 Speaker 1: get residents to leave, Alifax decided that the area was 399 00:25:28,840 --> 00:25:33,960 Speaker 1: officially an uninhabitable slum, which is a term that they're 400 00:25:33,960 --> 00:25:37,720 Speaker 1: already using just in in you know, passing referring to 401 00:25:37,760 --> 00:25:40,520 Speaker 1: the place like with with these meetings, and the city 402 00:25:40,560 --> 00:25:43,840 Speaker 1: began to just tear the neighborhood down and forced the 403 00:25:43,880 --> 00:25:49,159 Speaker 1: remaining residents to relocate. Uh. In sixty four, the neighborhood 404 00:25:49,160 --> 00:25:53,359 Speaker 1: was entirely demolished and members of the community received You know, 405 00:25:53,640 --> 00:25:57,520 Speaker 1: it's like if if if a developer comes in and 406 00:25:57,560 --> 00:26:00,159 Speaker 1: wants to buy your house, you know that might be 407 00:26:00,400 --> 00:26:04,159 Speaker 1: one deal. Uh, this is gonna be you know, based 408 00:26:04,200 --> 00:26:06,159 Speaker 1: on all kinds of factors, and it's going to be 409 00:26:06,240 --> 00:26:11,520 Speaker 1: a variety of different amounts of compensation, likely not fair 410 00:26:11,880 --> 00:26:14,800 Speaker 1: at all. Uh. And some of the houses were bulldozed 411 00:26:14,800 --> 00:26:17,840 Speaker 1: with people still inside them. Yeah, think about that. So 412 00:26:17,920 --> 00:26:20,840 Speaker 1: we always hear that old that old figures speech in 413 00:26:20,920 --> 00:26:25,200 Speaker 1: real estate. What matters location and location and location in 414 00:26:25,240 --> 00:26:28,880 Speaker 1: that order. So the City of Halifax has done everything 415 00:26:28,920 --> 00:26:32,320 Speaker 1: it can to make this location terrible. So if they 416 00:26:32,320 --> 00:26:36,080 Speaker 1: pay people or compensate them for their property based on 417 00:26:36,560 --> 00:26:40,280 Speaker 1: the market value of the property, well that market value 418 00:26:40,320 --> 00:26:45,320 Speaker 1: has been destroyed. And bulldozing houses with people inside them 419 00:26:45,480 --> 00:26:48,879 Speaker 1: doesn't sound like something that should be happening in the 420 00:26:49,000 --> 00:26:52,000 Speaker 1: nineties sixties. But there we are. This has been the 421 00:26:52,080 --> 00:26:55,520 Speaker 1: here's where it gets crazy part. But this is all factual. 422 00:26:55,800 --> 00:26:59,560 Speaker 1: None of this is speculation zero percent. We're gonna pause 423 00:26:59,640 --> 00:27:02,640 Speaker 1: for we're from our sponsor, and then let's explore the 424 00:27:02,720 --> 00:27:07,439 Speaker 1: aftermath because the story of Africaville is not quite over 425 00:27:13,800 --> 00:27:19,760 Speaker 1: and we're back. Uh. Since Africaville was destroyed, UM, Eddie Carvery, 426 00:27:19,920 --> 00:27:25,639 Speaker 1: former resident, began protesting. He started his protest on the 427 00:27:25,680 --> 00:27:30,359 Speaker 1: original site of the neighborhood in nineteen seventy um, living 428 00:27:30,880 --> 00:27:36,359 Speaker 1: in what later was renamed to Seaview Park UH and 429 00:27:36,440 --> 00:27:38,720 Speaker 1: he stayed there on and off for over twenty five 430 00:27:38,800 --> 00:27:43,800 Speaker 1: years before making international news. When G seven visited Halifax 431 00:27:43,880 --> 00:27:48,960 Speaker 1: in nine, the city tried to get rid of him, 432 00:27:49,160 --> 00:27:52,240 Speaker 1: as well as his brother Victor. Yeah. Yeah, So the 433 00:27:52,320 --> 00:27:59,240 Speaker 1: Carvery brothers, Eddie and Victor have been have been struggling 434 00:27:59,280 --> 00:28:01,960 Speaker 1: with a lot of things. You know, if you see them, 435 00:28:02,320 --> 00:28:04,679 Speaker 1: if you see some of the video footage of the 436 00:28:05,680 --> 00:28:10,000 Speaker 1: Eddie is definitely sort of the last man standing in 437 00:28:10,040 --> 00:28:13,040 Speaker 1: the protest, and it has been waging this protest for, 438 00:28:13,200 --> 00:28:16,200 Speaker 1: as you said, in old decades and at times he's 439 00:28:16,240 --> 00:28:19,480 Speaker 1: been sleeping rough just in the area because he wants 440 00:28:19,480 --> 00:28:23,480 Speaker 1: to keep it there, uh, in the in the location 441 00:28:23,520 --> 00:28:28,440 Speaker 1: the former location of Africaville. And eventually the brothers did 442 00:28:28,840 --> 00:28:35,000 Speaker 1: move and lived more off of the site of Africville, 443 00:28:35,359 --> 00:28:39,840 Speaker 1: but they continue to travel to the community and protest 444 00:28:40,480 --> 00:28:44,360 Speaker 1: like literally pretty much every day where the community school 445 00:28:44,680 --> 00:28:50,000 Speaker 1: once stood. If you want to learn more about Eddie Carvery, 446 00:28:50,240 --> 00:28:53,239 Speaker 1: you can check out these documentaries we've mentioned. You can 447 00:28:53,280 --> 00:28:56,360 Speaker 1: also check out John Tatary's work. It's called The Hermit 448 00:28:56,480 --> 00:28:59,720 Speaker 1: of Africville. It was published in two thousand and ten. 449 00:29:00,320 --> 00:29:03,440 Speaker 1: And that's to me, that's one of the craziest things. 450 00:29:03,480 --> 00:29:07,520 Speaker 1: The timeline about this history tried to forget this for 451 00:29:07,560 --> 00:29:10,840 Speaker 1: a long time. Uh. You know, we're looking back at 452 00:29:11,280 --> 00:29:16,120 Speaker 1: at the turn of the nineteen century and now we're 453 00:29:16,160 --> 00:29:19,560 Speaker 1: well into the twenty one century, and this is this 454 00:29:19,640 --> 00:29:23,600 Speaker 1: is still continuing. People haven't been compensated for their lands, 455 00:29:23,880 --> 00:29:29,240 Speaker 1: let alone their medical conditions. Uh. Eddie Carvery was for 456 00:29:29,400 --> 00:29:32,160 Speaker 1: a large part of his entire life, he was just 457 00:29:32,200 --> 00:29:34,840 Speaker 1: trying to get people to listen to what was happening, 458 00:29:35,360 --> 00:29:38,240 Speaker 1: which speaks to I know, I think it speaks highly 459 00:29:38,280 --> 00:29:43,080 Speaker 1: to his character. But it is a resounding condemnation of 460 00:29:43,120 --> 00:29:46,000 Speaker 1: the government of Halifax. I just want to restate too. 461 00:29:46,080 --> 00:29:48,200 Speaker 1: I think we we said it at the top pretty well, 462 00:29:48,240 --> 00:29:52,840 Speaker 1: but just when these black settlers came over, um, you know, 463 00:29:53,040 --> 00:29:56,640 Speaker 1: to to this part of Canada, it wasn't like they 464 00:29:56,680 --> 00:30:00,720 Speaker 1: immediately you know, created this settlement. They were forced to 465 00:30:01,240 --> 00:30:03,720 Speaker 1: because they weren't accepted in in the in the rest 466 00:30:03,760 --> 00:30:06,680 Speaker 1: of the community, in the surrounding area, so they had to, uh, 467 00:30:06,720 --> 00:30:09,000 Speaker 1: they were kind of pushed onto what would be considered 468 00:30:09,080 --> 00:30:12,680 Speaker 1: less desirable land um. And then of course when the 469 00:30:12,720 --> 00:30:16,160 Speaker 1: tide turns and all of a sudden, you know, there's 470 00:30:16,200 --> 00:30:19,320 Speaker 1: a use for this land. It's like, okay, sorry, I 471 00:30:19,360 --> 00:30:20,800 Speaker 1: know we're the ones who put you here in the 472 00:30:20,840 --> 00:30:25,000 Speaker 1: first place, but you know, you're you're we need what 473 00:30:25,040 --> 00:30:27,120 Speaker 1: you're living on and we're gonna make your life a 474 00:30:27,120 --> 00:30:30,320 Speaker 1: living hell. And there's really great writing about this as 475 00:30:30,360 --> 00:30:33,880 Speaker 1: well in Canadian Museum for Human Rights website, just kind 476 00:30:33,920 --> 00:30:37,040 Speaker 1: of a timeline and the story of Africville. And you know, 477 00:30:37,440 --> 00:30:39,160 Speaker 1: I just want to pay a picture too of like 478 00:30:39,240 --> 00:30:41,960 Speaker 1: what life really was like when it was at its best. Everyone. 479 00:30:42,400 --> 00:30:45,480 Speaker 1: You know, again, this is like a long standing community 480 00:30:45,520 --> 00:30:49,520 Speaker 1: and people described it as you know, feeling uh, no 481 00:30:49,640 --> 00:30:53,080 Speaker 1: sense of isolation. There's a quote on this Canadian Museum 482 00:30:53,080 --> 00:30:57,640 Speaker 1: for Human Rights site from a former Africville resident um saying, quote, 483 00:30:57,640 --> 00:31:00,200 Speaker 1: you weren't isolated at any time living in Africa. Well, 484 00:31:00,520 --> 00:31:03,000 Speaker 1: you always felt at home. The doors were always open. 485 00:31:03,360 --> 00:31:05,040 Speaker 1: That is one of the most important things that has 486 00:31:05,080 --> 00:31:08,320 Speaker 1: stayed with me throughout my life. And you know, you 487 00:31:08,360 --> 00:31:12,520 Speaker 1: can see photographs of like the country Store, and it's 488 00:31:12,640 --> 00:31:15,120 Speaker 1: like it just seemed kind of like, at the time, 489 00:31:15,160 --> 00:31:18,400 Speaker 1: an idyllic situation that they kind of had to create 490 00:31:18,400 --> 00:31:21,120 Speaker 1: for themselves. And yeah, some of the houses are kind 491 00:31:21,120 --> 00:31:24,160 Speaker 1: of ramshackle and look a little bit like shanty kind 492 00:31:24,200 --> 00:31:27,360 Speaker 1: of houses um, but it was obvious that they took 493 00:31:27,360 --> 00:31:30,240 Speaker 1: great pride in it and that they did the repairs 494 00:31:30,280 --> 00:31:32,320 Speaker 1: with everything they had at their disposal and did the 495 00:31:32,320 --> 00:31:35,160 Speaker 1: best they could. And then the idea of demonizing it 496 00:31:35,200 --> 00:31:37,680 Speaker 1: as being some kind of slum is just a real 497 00:31:38,280 --> 00:31:44,440 Speaker 1: misnomer to me. M hm. And you know, Halifax has 498 00:31:44,520 --> 00:31:51,480 Speaker 1: acknowledged Africaville after its destruction, primarily in two the same 499 00:31:51,600 --> 00:31:54,960 Speaker 1: year the Hermit Africa of Africaville published, the Mayor of 500 00:31:54,960 --> 00:32:01,760 Speaker 1: Halifax officially apologized to the former residents of the neighborhood. 501 00:32:02,480 --> 00:32:07,000 Speaker 1: You know, this is this is an important active symbolism, right. 502 00:32:07,600 --> 00:32:11,560 Speaker 1: This was Mayor Peter Kelly. He said, you lost your homes, 503 00:32:11,600 --> 00:32:14,080 Speaker 1: your church, all the places in which you gathered with 504 00:32:14,120 --> 00:32:16,760 Speaker 1: your family and friends to share and mark the milestones 505 00:32:16,880 --> 00:32:21,800 Speaker 1: of your lives. For all of that, we apologized. But 506 00:32:22,320 --> 00:32:24,120 Speaker 1: here here's what he did. So they did put some 507 00:32:24,160 --> 00:32:28,959 Speaker 1: money behind us. The government of Halifax promised three million 508 00:32:29,000 --> 00:32:32,480 Speaker 1: dollars to build a replica church and what they called 509 00:32:32,600 --> 00:32:36,240 Speaker 1: an interpretive center. But the people who are at the 510 00:32:36,240 --> 00:32:39,840 Speaker 1: crowd when this apology was you know, presented, and this 511 00:32:39,920 --> 00:32:43,600 Speaker 1: funding was announced, they were loudly complaining. They said, you know, 512 00:32:43,680 --> 00:32:47,160 Speaker 1: nobody asked us we were residents of Africville or we 513 00:32:47,200 --> 00:32:51,560 Speaker 1: were descended from people from Africville. Uh, this settlement, I 514 00:32:51,560 --> 00:32:54,600 Speaker 1: don't know. It seems like too many people. It was 515 00:32:54,640 --> 00:32:58,520 Speaker 1: a token gesture because nobody who lost their home is 516 00:32:58,560 --> 00:33:02,520 Speaker 1: getting any further competence asan for that loss. You know, 517 00:33:03,160 --> 00:33:06,280 Speaker 1: I can see that being a valid point. I think 518 00:33:06,320 --> 00:33:08,520 Speaker 1: it's all too easy for people who aren't involved in 519 00:33:08,520 --> 00:33:13,080 Speaker 1: a situation to say, well, acknowledgement is important and something's 520 00:33:13,120 --> 00:33:16,680 Speaker 1: better than nothing. But is that a symbolic statement, you know, 521 00:33:16,800 --> 00:33:20,120 Speaker 1: more than an actual one. No, I absolutely think you're right, Ben. 522 00:33:20,720 --> 00:33:23,160 Speaker 1: It's also to kind of too little, too late, you know, 523 00:33:23,960 --> 00:33:27,480 Speaker 1: and you know, in a lot of ways. Um, but 524 00:33:27,600 --> 00:33:30,520 Speaker 1: in uh again, there is sort of a silver lining 525 00:33:30,560 --> 00:33:33,680 Speaker 1: here even beyond that, in the Africa Filled Church was rebuilt, 526 00:33:34,080 --> 00:33:39,320 Speaker 1: and Carvery moved his protest to that area. Uh. And Carvery, 527 00:33:39,360 --> 00:33:45,120 Speaker 1: against all odds, continues his protest today. Yeah, and UH, 528 00:33:45,280 --> 00:33:47,880 Speaker 1: to be fair, we don't know how long this will last, 529 00:33:47,960 --> 00:33:50,480 Speaker 1: but at the time of this recording, he's still protesting. 530 00:33:51,880 --> 00:33:56,800 Speaker 1: The takeaway from this is that not every conspiracy is 531 00:33:57,480 --> 00:34:01,200 Speaker 1: you know, someone trying to hide space each technology. Not 532 00:34:01,360 --> 00:34:06,800 Speaker 1: every conspiracy is necessarily you know, like a secret uh 533 00:34:06,960 --> 00:34:12,239 Speaker 1: genetic research program or or cryptic or paranormal activity. All 534 00:34:12,280 --> 00:34:17,400 Speaker 1: too often conspiracies are real, and they're motivated by things 535 00:34:17,560 --> 00:34:21,839 Speaker 1: like racism or real estate. Right, they're motivated by a 536 00:34:21,880 --> 00:34:24,880 Speaker 1: profit of some sort, and that seems to be the 537 00:34:24,880 --> 00:34:28,520 Speaker 1: case with Africville. And as we said at the top, 538 00:34:28,560 --> 00:34:32,520 Speaker 1: at this point the story continues. We don't know whether 539 00:34:32,560 --> 00:34:37,120 Speaker 1: there will be further action by the government of Halifax, uh, 540 00:34:37,200 --> 00:34:40,799 Speaker 1: you know, the president administration or a future administration. And 541 00:34:40,840 --> 00:34:42,719 Speaker 1: we don't know whether there will be any sort of 542 00:34:42,760 --> 00:34:48,919 Speaker 1: further compensation for the survivors of the neighborhood of the community, 543 00:34:49,000 --> 00:34:51,719 Speaker 1: and we passed the toworchs to you. Thank you as 544 00:34:51,719 --> 00:34:55,560 Speaker 1: always for tuning in what other cities or communities have 545 00:34:55,719 --> 00:34:58,239 Speaker 1: been destroyed in this manner let us know about the 546 00:34:58,320 --> 00:35:02,640 Speaker 1: hidden history in your neck of the Global woods, because 547 00:35:02,680 --> 00:35:06,319 Speaker 1: one of the strangest and most disturbing things about these 548 00:35:06,320 --> 00:35:09,240 Speaker 1: sorts of stories is we can guarantee you most people 549 00:35:09,320 --> 00:35:13,040 Speaker 1: have not heard of them, and that's probably by design. Yeah, 550 00:35:13,040 --> 00:35:15,360 Speaker 1: I mean, you know, let's not forget that. Like the definition. 551 00:35:15,480 --> 00:35:16,840 Speaker 1: I had to kind of look this up because we 552 00:35:16,880 --> 00:35:20,000 Speaker 1: get so wrapped up in the buzzwordiness of conspiracy. And 553 00:35:20,040 --> 00:35:22,600 Speaker 1: again the way uh, it's all it's been demonized and 554 00:35:22,640 --> 00:35:24,799 Speaker 1: he used as kind of a thought terminating cliche as 555 00:35:24,800 --> 00:35:26,880 Speaker 1: you say, Ben, But a conspiracy, at the end of 556 00:35:26,880 --> 00:35:29,560 Speaker 1: the day, is a secret plan made by a group 557 00:35:29,640 --> 00:35:33,640 Speaker 1: to do something unlawful or harmful. Uh. And that's that's 558 00:35:33,640 --> 00:35:37,319 Speaker 1: what this is. This is, you know, cut and dry conspiracy, uh, 559 00:35:37,400 --> 00:35:42,280 Speaker 1: not theory. Um. And but you know, is that then 560 00:35:42,360 --> 00:35:44,440 Speaker 1: that you have to bring up the question of what 561 00:35:44,560 --> 00:35:47,880 Speaker 1: is lawful? If they voted unanimously to do this, you 562 00:35:47,920 --> 00:35:51,280 Speaker 1: know on account on a city council, a government body. 563 00:35:51,400 --> 00:35:55,000 Speaker 1: Uh is it lawful? Whose laws? You know? I don't know. 564 00:35:55,200 --> 00:35:57,080 Speaker 1: I don't want to feel like I'm grandstanding here, but 565 00:35:58,200 --> 00:36:01,040 Speaker 1: I certainly think that if a moose or look was 566 00:36:01,040 --> 00:36:04,400 Speaker 1: was paid to this, you could definitely find some evidence 567 00:36:04,440 --> 00:36:07,720 Speaker 1: of wrongdoing and of of this not being lawful. Uh. 568 00:36:07,960 --> 00:36:10,800 Speaker 1: It reminds me of the way Native Americans were treated, 569 00:36:10,840 --> 00:36:14,040 Speaker 1: you know, like they're they have this land that they 570 00:36:14,080 --> 00:36:17,440 Speaker 1: settled and then all of a sudden, oh, sorry, we 571 00:36:17,520 --> 00:36:20,279 Speaker 1: own the land. There's notion of owning the land is 572 00:36:20,280 --> 00:36:24,279 Speaker 1: such a you know, capitalistic kind of idea, and and 573 00:36:24,360 --> 00:36:28,640 Speaker 1: it's something that's just doesn't feel very natural. But yet 574 00:36:28,680 --> 00:36:31,360 Speaker 1: here we are. Um, so yeah, I don't I don't know. 575 00:36:31,360 --> 00:36:34,279 Speaker 1: I'm interested to see where this goes. I'm not particularly 576 00:36:34,640 --> 00:36:39,239 Speaker 1: hopeful that anything positive is going to come of it, 577 00:36:39,320 --> 00:36:42,120 Speaker 1: but I'm really glad we found out about and want 578 00:36:42,120 --> 00:36:44,719 Speaker 1: to thank the listener for letting us know. Because you 579 00:36:44,760 --> 00:36:47,319 Speaker 1: don't think about this stuff happening in Canada. You think 580 00:36:47,360 --> 00:36:50,360 Speaker 1: of Canada as being like this, you know, really positive 581 00:36:50,400 --> 00:36:54,000 Speaker 1: honky Dory Place, neighbors to the north, the kinder gentler, 582 00:36:54,480 --> 00:36:57,799 Speaker 1: you know, weed smoking, you know hockey players, but there's 583 00:36:57,880 --> 00:37:01,040 Speaker 1: tons of racism in Canada, you know. I mean you 584 00:37:01,080 --> 00:37:02,800 Speaker 1: can look it up and see, Like I saw a 585 00:37:02,920 --> 00:37:06,600 Speaker 1: video of someone being attacked on a bus in Canada 586 00:37:06,680 --> 00:37:11,719 Speaker 1: by some racist gentlemen, and it's everywhere. It's insidious and 587 00:37:11,760 --> 00:37:14,240 Speaker 1: it's not something that is going to go away without 588 00:37:14,360 --> 00:37:18,719 Speaker 1: you know, shedding the light on it. The Highway of tears, uh, 589 00:37:18,760 --> 00:37:24,000 Speaker 1: the force dissimilation of First nations people's Yeah, the list 590 00:37:24,040 --> 00:37:27,800 Speaker 1: goes on. You know, no country is perfect, and it's 591 00:37:27,880 --> 00:37:33,680 Speaker 1: our It's part of I think our purpose as people 592 00:37:34,440 --> 00:37:37,040 Speaker 1: living today, regardless of what country we live in, to 593 00:37:37,200 --> 00:37:40,560 Speaker 1: hold those in power accountable. We would like to hear 594 00:37:40,600 --> 00:37:44,680 Speaker 1: your stories. Let us know about your local hidden history. 595 00:37:44,760 --> 00:37:47,520 Speaker 1: Wherever you're at in the world. You can find us 596 00:37:47,520 --> 00:37:49,799 Speaker 1: on Facebook. You can find us on Instagram. You can 597 00:37:49,800 --> 00:37:52,240 Speaker 1: find us on Twitter. We like to recommend our Facebook 598 00:37:52,280 --> 00:37:55,240 Speaker 1: group Here's where it gets crazy, where you can find 599 00:37:55,760 --> 00:37:58,120 Speaker 1: our favorite part of the show, the most important part, 600 00:37:58,360 --> 00:38:01,560 Speaker 1: that's your fellow listeners. You can also while you're online, 601 00:38:01,840 --> 00:38:05,120 Speaker 1: find us as individuals. Yeah, you sure can if you wish. 602 00:38:05,120 --> 00:38:07,920 Speaker 1: I am at how Now Noel Brown on Instagram and 603 00:38:08,040 --> 00:38:10,680 Speaker 1: you can find me on Twitter at ben Bolland hs W. 604 00:38:10,920 --> 00:38:13,760 Speaker 1: You can also find me on Instagram at ben Bolling. 605 00:38:14,200 --> 00:38:18,920 Speaker 1: And of course, if you have complaints, corrections, or general gripes, 606 00:38:19,000 --> 00:38:22,200 Speaker 1: we have a dedicated email line for that. That is 607 00:38:22,280 --> 00:38:26,200 Speaker 1: Jonathan Strickland at iHeart media dot com. But we also 608 00:38:26,239 --> 00:38:28,279 Speaker 1: have a phone number, don't we we do. It's one 609 00:38:28,360 --> 00:38:31,239 Speaker 1: eight three three st d w y t K. Leave 610 00:38:31,320 --> 00:38:35,200 Speaker 1: us a message. You might be surprised to hear that 611 00:38:35,280 --> 00:38:38,759 Speaker 1: this segment of our show it's gonna be making a 612 00:38:39,360 --> 00:38:43,680 Speaker 1: stunning reappearance in a very real way very soon, meaning 613 00:38:43,719 --> 00:38:46,719 Speaker 1: that you you could be your voice could be a 614 00:38:46,760 --> 00:38:50,360 Speaker 1: part of stuff they don't want you to know. Episodes. Um, 615 00:38:50,560 --> 00:38:52,359 Speaker 1: it's a three minute time limit. You can call back 616 00:38:52,400 --> 00:38:55,040 Speaker 1: and continue and we just stitch them together. Uh and 617 00:38:55,160 --> 00:38:56,359 Speaker 1: just you know, if you don't want us to use 618 00:38:56,400 --> 00:38:58,759 Speaker 1: your name, just make sure to let us know. But 619 00:38:58,960 --> 00:39:01,400 Speaker 1: we uh, we up to hear from you. And I 620 00:39:01,840 --> 00:39:04,359 Speaker 1: really enjoyed doing the listener mail episodes and looking forward 621 00:39:04,400 --> 00:39:06,920 Speaker 1: to bringing that back very soon. And as I like 622 00:39:06,960 --> 00:39:08,880 Speaker 1: to say, if none of that quite back, your badgers, 623 00:39:08,920 --> 00:39:11,000 Speaker 1: you can only send us an email. It's a good 624 00:39:11,040 --> 00:39:14,359 Speaker 1: old fashioned one. We are conspiracy at iHeart Radio dot 625 00:39:14,360 --> 00:39:34,840 Speaker 1: Com Stuff they don't want you to know. Is a 626 00:39:34,880 --> 00:39:37,880 Speaker 1: production of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from my 627 00:39:37,960 --> 00:39:40,920 Speaker 1: heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 628 00:39:41,000 --> 00:39:42,840 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.