1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:03,120 Speaker 1: Welcome to Worst Year Ever, a production of I Heart 2 00:00:03,240 --> 00:00:22,479 Speaker 1: Radio Together Everything, So don't don't Hey, everybody, Welcome back 3 00:00:22,680 --> 00:00:27,520 Speaker 1: to the incredibly aptly named show Worst Year Ever. My 4 00:00:27,600 --> 00:00:30,760 Speaker 1: name is Katie Stole, my name is Robert Evans, and 5 00:00:30,880 --> 00:00:34,720 Speaker 1: my allergies are exploding horribly and I apologize with that. 6 00:00:34,720 --> 00:00:39,000 Speaker 1: That's okay, apology accepted. Today we are joined by a 7 00:00:39,120 --> 00:00:43,800 Speaker 1: very special guest, Michelle Manos, who is a community organizer 8 00:00:43,840 --> 00:00:49,000 Speaker 1: and the co founder of Bernie's Coffee Shop. Hi Michelle, Hi, 9 00:00:49,040 --> 00:00:51,640 Speaker 1: thanks for having me. Thank you so much for being here. 10 00:00:52,120 --> 00:00:58,000 Speaker 1: Michelle and I actually met right before the reality of 11 00:00:58,080 --> 00:01:01,560 Speaker 1: coronavirus really hit here in l I like running those 12 00:01:01,680 --> 00:01:05,720 Speaker 1: transitioning days. I'd say, uh, we were. We were both 13 00:01:05,760 --> 00:01:07,600 Speaker 1: at the very last I'm assuming it was the last 14 00:01:07,640 --> 00:01:08,920 Speaker 1: bar met the class that you took. It was the 15 00:01:08,959 --> 00:01:11,840 Speaker 1: last one that I took. And we kind of connected 16 00:01:12,120 --> 00:01:15,880 Speaker 1: in the bathroom and and and struck up a conversation. Um, 17 00:01:15,920 --> 00:01:18,400 Speaker 1: and she started telling me all about the amazing organizing 18 00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:21,040 Speaker 1: that she was already doing to provide resources to people 19 00:01:21,160 --> 00:01:24,640 Speaker 1: here in Los Angeles who might need them during the coronavirus. 20 00:01:25,040 --> 00:01:26,759 Speaker 1: Can you start by telling us a little bit about 21 00:01:26,760 --> 00:01:29,040 Speaker 1: the projects you've been working on over the last few weeks, 22 00:01:29,319 --> 00:01:32,960 Speaker 1: uh in and and kind of how you got them started. Yeah, 23 00:01:33,160 --> 00:01:35,920 Speaker 1: thanks Katie. You know, it was pretty interesting when the 24 00:01:35,959 --> 00:01:38,880 Speaker 1: way we met, because I think there was several um 25 00:01:38,920 --> 00:01:41,760 Speaker 1: women standing around in the locker room sort of lamenting 26 00:01:42,120 --> 00:01:45,720 Speaker 1: the impact of the virus. And you mentioned your political 27 00:01:45,800 --> 00:01:50,360 Speaker 1: podcast and my ears perked up. Yeah. And I don't 28 00:01:50,360 --> 00:01:53,960 Speaker 1: do a lot of talking or like socializing and those 29 00:01:54,040 --> 00:01:57,480 Speaker 1: kinds of spaces that kind of keep to myself. Um, 30 00:01:57,520 --> 00:02:01,160 Speaker 1: but when you started talking about your podcast, I became 31 00:02:01,240 --> 00:02:04,920 Speaker 1: very interested because something that that I think is really important, 32 00:02:04,960 --> 00:02:06,840 Speaker 1: that that I think we're all always working on, is 33 00:02:07,120 --> 00:02:09,120 Speaker 1: how do we amplify the things that are happening in 34 00:02:09,120 --> 00:02:12,880 Speaker 1: our communities when the mainstream media won't cover it. And um, 35 00:02:12,919 --> 00:02:15,120 Speaker 1: it's really important to get the word out about some 36 00:02:15,200 --> 00:02:17,440 Speaker 1: of the ways its community is coming together to take 37 00:02:17,480 --> 00:02:21,040 Speaker 1: care of each other and to provide resources and infrastructure 38 00:02:21,080 --> 00:02:23,560 Speaker 1: beyond what the governments are able to do right now. 39 00:02:24,120 --> 00:02:26,480 Speaker 1: And so a couple of the projects I've been working on, 40 00:02:26,800 --> 00:02:29,239 Speaker 1: the main focus right now is called Project mass l 41 00:02:29,320 --> 00:02:33,639 Speaker 1: A or Project Mask Los Angeles UM on social media, 42 00:02:34,120 --> 00:02:37,360 Speaker 1: and the purpose of that project is we signed up 43 00:02:37,400 --> 00:02:41,040 Speaker 1: several dozen volunteers soists and UM. Many of them are 44 00:02:41,080 --> 00:02:45,520 Speaker 1: costume designers, many of them are are amateur soists, and 45 00:02:45,800 --> 00:02:50,080 Speaker 1: we have been coordinating the UM projects so that we 46 00:02:50,120 --> 00:02:53,160 Speaker 1: can do batches of masks to the most at risk 47 00:02:53,919 --> 00:02:57,000 Speaker 1: members of our community. So so far, we've been providing 48 00:02:57,040 --> 00:03:03,959 Speaker 1: masks to frontline volunteers and to essential workers, to assisted 49 00:03:04,040 --> 00:03:08,600 Speaker 1: living facilities and shelters and places like that around the community. 50 00:03:08,639 --> 00:03:11,440 Speaker 1: We're working with a couple of city council members so far, 51 00:03:11,960 --> 00:03:14,280 Speaker 1: UM they're helping us point us in the right direction 52 00:03:14,400 --> 00:03:17,480 Speaker 1: regarding like who really needs these masks and and quickly, 53 00:03:18,160 --> 00:03:21,200 Speaker 1: and it's been really wonderful to be able to participate 54 00:03:21,240 --> 00:03:24,240 Speaker 1: in helping to keep each other safe. UM. One of 55 00:03:24,280 --> 00:03:26,200 Speaker 1: the other things that I'm working on right now is 56 00:03:26,760 --> 00:03:29,960 Speaker 1: Urban Partners Los Angeles, which is an organization that has 57 00:03:29,960 --> 00:03:33,240 Speaker 1: been providing a food bank over in Koreatown. For the 58 00:03:33,240 --> 00:03:35,880 Speaker 1: food bank has gone on for over twenty years, and 59 00:03:35,920 --> 00:03:37,560 Speaker 1: a couple of my good friends are on the board 60 00:03:37,560 --> 00:03:40,720 Speaker 1: of that organization, and they were quickly trying to make 61 00:03:40,760 --> 00:03:44,040 Speaker 1: sure that they could scale fast enough to you know, 62 00:03:44,160 --> 00:03:47,480 Speaker 1: layer in all of the safety and and sanitary needs 63 00:03:47,480 --> 00:03:49,880 Speaker 1: to continue the food bank for the members of the 64 00:03:49,920 --> 00:03:53,080 Speaker 1: community that already rely on it. And in the time 65 00:03:53,240 --> 00:03:58,400 Speaker 1: since the coronavirus outbreak has started, the community reliance on 66 00:03:58,400 --> 00:04:01,960 Speaker 1: the food bank has doubled, and so we to continue 67 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:05,080 Speaker 1: to grow as people continue to be out of work, 68 00:04:05,240 --> 00:04:07,520 Speaker 1: So that one is really important as well. And we'll 69 00:04:07,600 --> 00:04:12,320 Speaker 1: link to all of that for listeners in our so 70 00:04:12,360 --> 00:04:14,960 Speaker 1: that everyone can check out all those wonderful things Michelle 71 00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:19,520 Speaker 1: is working on. I'm so blown away by that. You know. 72 00:04:20,640 --> 00:04:22,640 Speaker 1: One of the things that struck me when we first 73 00:04:22,680 --> 00:04:28,680 Speaker 1: met was not only that you were organizing to to 74 00:04:28,680 --> 00:04:31,599 Speaker 1: to fill a need, but you were anticipating a need 75 00:04:32,080 --> 00:04:35,719 Speaker 1: and forming a plan to help before the full reality 76 00:04:35,720 --> 00:04:38,480 Speaker 1: of all of it had really hit And and I 77 00:04:38,520 --> 00:04:42,760 Speaker 1: just found that incredibly impressive. How um and and the 78 00:04:42,800 --> 00:04:47,039 Speaker 1: project mask l A hadn't You didn't even mention that 79 00:04:47,080 --> 00:04:49,040 Speaker 1: to me yet you just pulled all of us together 80 00:04:49,120 --> 00:04:52,880 Speaker 1: incredibly rapidly. How many people are you working with on 81 00:04:52,880 --> 00:04:55,800 Speaker 1: on that project specifically? And and and how did you 82 00:04:56,680 --> 00:05:01,440 Speaker 1: specifically get all of these people together? Sure? Well, so 83 00:05:01,480 --> 00:05:04,040 Speaker 1: originally it was the idea of a friend of mine 84 00:05:04,040 --> 00:05:07,800 Speaker 1: who is a professional costume designer UM but she and 85 00:05:07,880 --> 00:05:13,560 Speaker 1: she's incredibly progressive, politically minded, and she volunteered for years, 86 00:05:14,200 --> 00:05:17,000 Speaker 1: but she didn't have the capacity to organize it. So 87 00:05:17,080 --> 00:05:19,360 Speaker 1: she came to me and said, listen, I'm connected to 88 00:05:19,400 --> 00:05:22,600 Speaker 1: all these people who so I'm in these communities. I'd 89 00:05:22,680 --> 00:05:25,359 Speaker 1: like to find a way to organize them or to 90 00:05:25,480 --> 00:05:27,880 Speaker 1: give them a place to to make these masks. She 91 00:05:27,960 --> 00:05:30,760 Speaker 1: had her finger on the pulse um of the need 92 00:05:30,839 --> 00:05:33,919 Speaker 1: for masks. It's kind of like happened with us in 93 00:05:34,080 --> 00:05:36,039 Speaker 1: l A at the same time, as everybody had the 94 00:05:36,040 --> 00:05:39,080 Speaker 1: same idea around the country, like groups of mask making 95 00:05:39,120 --> 00:05:43,800 Speaker 1: people popped up right and so UM we started with 96 00:05:43,800 --> 00:05:46,400 Speaker 1: a Google form and when we realized how many people 97 00:05:46,440 --> 00:05:48,720 Speaker 1: were willing to sew for a project like this, we 98 00:05:48,760 --> 00:05:51,280 Speaker 1: had to get organized very quickly. The team now is 99 00:05:51,320 --> 00:05:55,279 Speaker 1: about twelve people and like a like the core organizing team, 100 00:05:55,320 --> 00:05:58,600 Speaker 1: we have UM a full delivery team. We have a 101 00:05:58,600 --> 00:06:01,880 Speaker 1: full laundry team with about dozen a dozen people on 102 00:06:01,920 --> 00:06:04,960 Speaker 1: each of those teams spread throughout the city, and we 103 00:06:05,000 --> 00:06:07,760 Speaker 1: have protocols for each of the for the cleanliness for 104 00:06:07,800 --> 00:06:10,240 Speaker 1: each of the teams, and a coordinator for each of 105 00:06:10,240 --> 00:06:12,640 Speaker 1: those sort of buckets of work. We also have an 106 00:06:12,640 --> 00:06:15,080 Speaker 1: amazing graphic designer who has been doing all the great 107 00:06:15,080 --> 00:06:18,240 Speaker 1: graphics that you see on the social media and um, 108 00:06:18,279 --> 00:06:20,440 Speaker 1: you know, doing like the stickers that we're putting on 109 00:06:20,480 --> 00:06:23,680 Speaker 1: the bags and things like that and so and just 110 00:06:23,720 --> 00:06:26,960 Speaker 1: a couple of a really amazing uh folks who stepped 111 00:06:27,040 --> 00:06:29,680 Speaker 1: up to want to organize this and make sure that 112 00:06:29,720 --> 00:06:32,760 Speaker 1: it was effective. And um, you know, there's this movement 113 00:06:32,760 --> 00:06:35,520 Speaker 1: in Los Angeles is full of talented people. Have to 114 00:06:35,520 --> 00:06:38,240 Speaker 1: give a shout out to um who has really become 115 00:06:38,279 --> 00:06:41,599 Speaker 1: like my co organizer on this project. Her name is 116 00:06:41,680 --> 00:06:46,039 Speaker 1: Chelsea Straw and she is our lead sewer, our lead sowist, 117 00:06:46,160 --> 00:06:50,200 Speaker 1: and also our nurse consultant. She recently passed her nursing 118 00:06:50,240 --> 00:06:53,159 Speaker 1: exam and she's been really carrying the weight of the 119 00:06:53,279 --> 00:06:57,120 Speaker 1: research and the contact for the sowest volunteers regarding like 120 00:06:57,160 --> 00:07:00,600 Speaker 1: what material works and what doesn't, how to go about 121 00:07:00,720 --> 00:07:02,960 Speaker 1: creating masks in a sanitary way, how to keep your 122 00:07:02,960 --> 00:07:05,960 Speaker 1: workspace clean. So many of those things that we've been 123 00:07:06,000 --> 00:07:09,039 Speaker 1: able to implement have come from her experience on the 124 00:07:09,080 --> 00:07:12,440 Speaker 1: medical side. So um, it's a really wonderful and active 125 00:07:12,440 --> 00:07:15,640 Speaker 1: and talented team. And like I said, in addition to 126 00:07:15,840 --> 00:07:20,240 Speaker 1: a couple dozen sewing volunteers. We have about ten driving 127 00:07:20,320 --> 00:07:24,680 Speaker 1: volunteers and I think fourteen laundry volunteers, all sort of 128 00:07:24,800 --> 00:07:27,360 Speaker 1: you know what I've come to term like the flight 129 00:07:27,360 --> 00:07:30,160 Speaker 1: patterns throughout the city, and like I'm not a math person, 130 00:07:30,280 --> 00:07:34,920 Speaker 1: but we have an amazing delivery coordinator who's really been 131 00:07:34,920 --> 00:07:36,760 Speaker 1: taking on like how to get things from A to 132 00:07:36,880 --> 00:07:40,880 Speaker 1: B and it's been pretty beautiful so far. What's the workflow, 133 00:07:40,960 --> 00:07:44,240 Speaker 1: Like you're talking about the laundry services and everything like that, 134 00:07:44,360 --> 00:07:46,520 Speaker 1: so like you have people making masks and then you 135 00:07:46,560 --> 00:07:48,200 Speaker 1: have a pickup to take it to be laundered to 136 00:07:48,200 --> 00:07:50,920 Speaker 1: make sure that it's disinfected and all of that. Yeah, 137 00:07:51,200 --> 00:07:53,600 Speaker 1: So basically, and that's part of like it's a it's 138 00:07:53,600 --> 00:07:57,480 Speaker 1: a large logistical operation. My role is the logistics coordinator. 139 00:07:57,760 --> 00:08:01,880 Speaker 1: I don't so I do and driving, um, but I 140 00:08:01,920 --> 00:08:04,160 Speaker 1: don't have laundry at home. And that's one of our 141 00:08:04,200 --> 00:08:06,600 Speaker 1: requirements is that all the laundry volunteers have a wash 142 00:08:06,640 --> 00:08:09,480 Speaker 1: or dryer in their home in order to prevent any 143 00:08:09,520 --> 00:08:15,640 Speaker 1: additional risk of contamination. And so the seists make requests 144 00:08:15,640 --> 00:08:19,600 Speaker 1: for materials and we have people donating materials UM, so 145 00:08:19,960 --> 00:08:23,960 Speaker 1: we get them whatever they need. Within our capacity. They 146 00:08:24,000 --> 00:08:26,960 Speaker 1: produce you know, a bulk of masks, maybe ten or 147 00:08:26,960 --> 00:08:29,720 Speaker 1: maybe fifty, or maybe a hundred or two hundred. We 148 00:08:29,800 --> 00:08:32,600 Speaker 1: send our drivers to go and get them, and they 149 00:08:32,640 --> 00:08:36,400 Speaker 1: go to a laundry volunteer and they are laundered and 150 00:08:36,440 --> 00:08:40,440 Speaker 1: then from the laundry volunteer uh AT. At the laundry 151 00:08:40,480 --> 00:08:45,160 Speaker 1: volunteers location, the masks are put into their own individual 152 00:08:45,240 --> 00:08:49,520 Speaker 1: sandwich baggy with an information card about you know, mature 153 00:08:49,600 --> 00:08:51,600 Speaker 1: to wash and things like that, and how to wash 154 00:08:52,000 --> 00:08:54,280 Speaker 1: the mask before using it each or after using it 155 00:08:54,280 --> 00:08:58,480 Speaker 1: each time. Um, all the masks go to a hub. 156 00:08:58,559 --> 00:09:01,240 Speaker 1: We have to distribution hubs. One is Bernie's Coffee Shop 157 00:09:01,240 --> 00:09:03,760 Speaker 1: in mid City and one is the Food Not Bombs 158 00:09:03,760 --> 00:09:08,480 Speaker 1: Collective in Silver Lake, and the hub will count them 159 00:09:08,520 --> 00:09:11,320 Speaker 1: and log them and then batch them into the correct 160 00:09:11,360 --> 00:09:13,320 Speaker 1: amounts for the drivers to pick up and take them 161 00:09:13,360 --> 00:09:16,800 Speaker 1: to their end user. This is all incredibly well thought out. 162 00:09:16,960 --> 00:09:22,160 Speaker 1: I'm very pride pulling this thing together, but it's been 163 00:09:22,600 --> 00:09:25,120 Speaker 1: so amazing to watch it come together. Really, I'm sure 164 00:09:25,160 --> 00:09:27,400 Speaker 1: there's a lot of learning on the flies. You're going 165 00:09:27,720 --> 00:09:31,880 Speaker 1: doing this, the organizer, you just sort of redeploy your 166 00:09:31,920 --> 00:09:34,280 Speaker 1: skills for whatever is needed at the time, you know, 167 00:09:34,600 --> 00:09:38,120 Speaker 1: And so like the delivery coordinator is amazing because he's 168 00:09:38,160 --> 00:09:41,559 Speaker 1: an Uber driver for part of his profession, for his income, 169 00:09:41,960 --> 00:09:44,719 Speaker 1: and so he has an idea of what what's convenient, 170 00:09:44,760 --> 00:09:46,760 Speaker 1: what makes sense, what the city layout looks like, what 171 00:09:46,880 --> 00:09:49,560 Speaker 1: drivers go through. And then again like all of us 172 00:09:49,640 --> 00:09:52,760 Speaker 1: having to layer in these safety and sanitary practices to 173 00:09:52,760 --> 00:09:56,160 Speaker 1: to protect each other and the end recipients of the masks. Well, 174 00:09:56,320 --> 00:10:00,760 Speaker 1: it's clear that this is not your first time doing 175 00:10:00,920 --> 00:10:04,400 Speaker 1: community organizing. Uh. It was clear from my very first 176 00:10:04,400 --> 00:10:06,640 Speaker 1: conversation and then when I actually had a chance to 177 00:10:07,000 --> 00:10:09,679 Speaker 1: talk with you before we recorded, I was truly blown 178 00:10:09,679 --> 00:10:12,000 Speaker 1: away by all of the incredible work that you've you've 179 00:10:12,040 --> 00:10:14,080 Speaker 1: done over the years. Uh. And I would love for 180 00:10:14,120 --> 00:10:16,760 Speaker 1: you to take some time and describe some of those 181 00:10:16,800 --> 00:10:20,480 Speaker 1: experiences and the other things that you've worked on. Sure, 182 00:10:20,640 --> 00:10:24,760 Speaker 1: well kind of where to start. Um. You know, I 183 00:10:24,800 --> 00:10:28,679 Speaker 1: was always what I would call progressive. I don't necessarily 184 00:10:28,720 --> 00:10:32,439 Speaker 1: identify as a liberal anymore. UM. I do identify as 185 00:10:32,440 --> 00:10:36,640 Speaker 1: like a leftist, progressive, a socialist, a democratic socialist. Um. 186 00:10:36,679 --> 00:10:39,960 Speaker 1: I'm a big Bernie supporter, and I have been since 187 00:10:40,520 --> 00:10:43,080 Speaker 1: two thousand eight when I first learned about at the 188 00:10:43,120 --> 00:10:47,160 Speaker 1: time Representative Sanders, and uh, you know, he was saying 189 00:10:47,200 --> 00:10:49,440 Speaker 1: the things that that no one else was saying that 190 00:10:49,520 --> 00:10:52,080 Speaker 1: I was thinking and my friends were thinking, and and 191 00:10:52,120 --> 00:10:54,640 Speaker 1: no one was saying it on any public airwaves or 192 00:10:54,679 --> 00:10:59,080 Speaker 1: from any you know, important pulpit. So it was very uh, 193 00:10:59,400 --> 00:11:02,240 Speaker 1: you know, it was very important to me to continue 194 00:11:02,240 --> 00:11:05,640 Speaker 1: to follow him. And when he announced in two thousand 195 00:11:05,720 --> 00:11:09,640 Speaker 1: and fourteen that um, if no other progressive candidate stepped 196 00:11:09,720 --> 00:11:13,800 Speaker 1: up to run for president, that he would run. And so, 197 00:11:14,080 --> 00:11:15,920 Speaker 1: you know, when he announced that he was running in 198 00:11:17,440 --> 00:11:19,760 Speaker 1: I found some people, and I'm lucky to live in 199 00:11:19,760 --> 00:11:22,520 Speaker 1: a city like Los Angeles where there are more of 200 00:11:22,640 --> 00:11:25,719 Speaker 1: us and there are some resources UM and there is 201 00:11:25,720 --> 00:11:30,160 Speaker 1: a beautiful community here, and several of us just wanted 202 00:11:30,200 --> 00:11:32,959 Speaker 1: to find an office where we could volunteer for Bernie 203 00:11:33,440 --> 00:11:37,080 Speaker 1: um phone banking canvas saying this was kind of before 204 00:11:37,240 --> 00:11:40,199 Speaker 1: this was right before text banking was really big, and 205 00:11:40,679 --> 00:11:43,320 Speaker 1: so we it was about half a dozen of us 206 00:11:43,360 --> 00:11:45,280 Speaker 1: at the time. We formed a group called Team Bernie 207 00:11:45,480 --> 00:11:48,400 Speaker 1: l A. And we found out later that we had 208 00:11:48,520 --> 00:11:52,720 Speaker 1: established the first full time, all volunteer office for Bernie 209 00:11:52,760 --> 00:11:56,160 Speaker 1: standers in the state of California, and that was in 210 00:11:56,600 --> 00:12:00,920 Speaker 1: South l A, the Lamart Park neighborhood. And then from there, 211 00:12:00,960 --> 00:12:04,800 Speaker 1: about two to three weeks before the primary in California 212 00:12:04,840 --> 00:12:09,400 Speaker 1: and seen, we launched Bernie's Coffee Shop and that location 213 00:12:09,600 --> 00:12:13,079 Speaker 1: set record numbers for phone bankers and canvassers. At the 214 00:12:13,200 --> 00:12:16,840 Speaker 1: end of the campaign, Senator Sanders gave a shout out 215 00:12:17,000 --> 00:12:20,120 Speaker 1: to our district and the numbers we had done there, 216 00:12:20,960 --> 00:12:25,079 Speaker 1: and so it was pretty amazing. Um, yeah, pull a 217 00:12:25,160 --> 00:12:27,920 Speaker 1: story behind Bernie's Coffee Shop too, but you know, I 218 00:12:27,960 --> 00:12:30,840 Speaker 1: think it was Senator Sanders. I'll always be able to say, 219 00:12:31,000 --> 00:12:35,120 Speaker 1: you know, thank you Bernie for awakening the full time 220 00:12:35,160 --> 00:12:38,839 Speaker 1: activists in me, because I always had these passions for 221 00:12:39,000 --> 00:12:42,079 Speaker 1: organizing people to to help each other and to build community, 222 00:12:42,320 --> 00:12:44,439 Speaker 1: but I didn't have those words yet and I didn't 223 00:12:44,480 --> 00:12:48,160 Speaker 1: have the tools yet. And when when when Bernie's campaign 224 00:12:48,200 --> 00:12:50,840 Speaker 1: brought us all together, we learned from each other and 225 00:12:50,880 --> 00:12:54,720 Speaker 1: I'm very grateful for that. Yeah, I've got more questions 226 00:12:54,720 --> 00:12:57,320 Speaker 1: for you regarding Bernie, But first I wanna can you 227 00:12:57,640 --> 00:12:59,320 Speaker 1: give us a little bit of history of Bernie's Coffee 228 00:12:59,360 --> 00:13:02,240 Speaker 1: Shop because it's actually kind of a cool story. It's 229 00:13:02,280 --> 00:13:05,240 Speaker 1: a local Los Angeles landmark that had been closed down 230 00:13:05,280 --> 00:13:08,880 Speaker 1: for a while. Correct. Yeah, so it's the old Johnny's 231 00:13:08,880 --> 00:13:11,760 Speaker 1: Coffee Shop on Wilshare and Fairfax. Many people who are 232 00:13:11,880 --> 00:13:14,440 Speaker 1: longtime Angelino's remember when it was a diner in a 233 00:13:14,520 --> 00:13:18,560 Speaker 1: restaurant um. And and the owners of that space, you 234 00:13:18,600 --> 00:13:21,200 Speaker 1: know that it needs too much work to to turn 235 00:13:21,240 --> 00:13:23,960 Speaker 1: it back into a functioning restaurant right now. There are 236 00:13:24,000 --> 00:13:25,920 Speaker 1: plumbing issues that would have to be dealt with and 237 00:13:25,960 --> 00:13:29,559 Speaker 1: things like that. But you know, the family that owns 238 00:13:29,640 --> 00:13:34,200 Speaker 1: a lot are big Bernie supporters. And it was originally 239 00:13:34,280 --> 00:13:38,600 Speaker 1: going to be a media stunt um in back in sixteen. 240 00:13:39,280 --> 00:13:42,240 Speaker 1: We've we brought together a team of like filmmakers and 241 00:13:42,480 --> 00:13:46,360 Speaker 1: artists and you know, organizers and builders and things like that, 242 00:13:46,920 --> 00:13:50,040 Speaker 1: and um, it was going to be you know, Johnny's 243 00:13:50,240 --> 00:13:54,319 Speaker 1: historic Johnny's Coffee Shop one night only as Bernie's Coffee Shop, 244 00:13:54,320 --> 00:13:56,680 Speaker 1: and we did this big, gorgeous unveiling and a whole 245 00:13:56,679 --> 00:13:59,959 Speaker 1: bunch of media showed up. Francis Fisher cut the river 246 00:14:00,040 --> 00:14:04,400 Speaker 1: in with the big you know, uh scissors and things, 247 00:14:05,160 --> 00:14:08,640 Speaker 1: and and those of us who were organizers kind of 248 00:14:08,800 --> 00:14:11,320 Speaker 1: went to the to the owners of the landlord and said, 249 00:14:11,360 --> 00:14:14,199 Speaker 1: what about keeping this thing open and inviting people to 250 00:14:14,240 --> 00:14:17,600 Speaker 1: come volunteer here, and they were with it. So so 251 00:14:17,640 --> 00:14:20,280 Speaker 1: that's exactly what we did. And again, you know, and 252 00:14:20,360 --> 00:14:24,080 Speaker 1: and I'll send you some pictures, you know, afterwards, but 253 00:14:24,240 --> 00:14:28,920 Speaker 1: these it's very large inside, and there's two main counters 254 00:14:28,960 --> 00:14:31,560 Speaker 1: kind of in an L shape, and the long encounter 255 00:14:31,720 --> 00:14:35,560 Speaker 1: was was filled with canvassing packets and then like food 256 00:14:35,560 --> 00:14:38,760 Speaker 1: and snacks for the volunteers. All the booths were filled 257 00:14:38,760 --> 00:14:42,560 Speaker 1: with phone bankers the whole day, all week long. And 258 00:14:42,600 --> 00:14:45,600 Speaker 1: then on the short side of the counter we did merchandise. 259 00:14:45,800 --> 00:14:49,160 Speaker 1: People brought us boxes of Bernie's books, you know, t shirts, 260 00:14:49,240 --> 00:14:51,920 Speaker 1: anything we could think of, you know, we had the 261 00:14:51,960 --> 00:14:55,320 Speaker 1: campaign at the time bringing us packs of bumper stickers, 262 00:14:55,720 --> 00:14:57,400 Speaker 1: anything we could do to bring in a few bucks 263 00:14:57,400 --> 00:14:59,120 Speaker 1: so we could feed the volunteers, so we could keep 264 00:14:59,160 --> 00:15:01,400 Speaker 1: the lights on, so we can keep volunteering for Bernie. 265 00:15:01,880 --> 00:15:04,760 Speaker 1: And it's really beautiful. As you said, the building is 266 00:15:04,760 --> 00:15:08,080 Speaker 1: a historical cultural landmark in Los Angeles, so we don't 267 00:15:08,080 --> 00:15:11,040 Speaker 1: do any major changes to the structure of the building 268 00:15:11,400 --> 00:15:15,680 Speaker 1: besides keeping it up. And so there's an interesting side story. 269 00:15:15,840 --> 00:15:19,080 Speaker 1: If you've seen the mural, you know, it's an old 270 00:15:19,160 --> 00:15:21,960 Speaker 1: fifties diner with the Google architecture and there's a there's 271 00:15:22,000 --> 00:15:25,960 Speaker 1: a gorgeous googie style uh mural on the fair fact 272 00:15:26,000 --> 00:15:29,080 Speaker 1: side of the building that after two years or so, 273 00:15:29,200 --> 00:15:31,520 Speaker 1: somebody in the neighborhood started to complain and we got 274 00:15:31,640 --> 00:15:32,920 Speaker 1: to notice we were going to have to take the 275 00:15:33,000 --> 00:15:37,920 Speaker 1: mural down, and uh we we rallied the troops. We 276 00:15:37,920 --> 00:15:40,440 Speaker 1: we sent letters, we created a slide show. We asked 277 00:15:40,480 --> 00:15:43,920 Speaker 1: for a hearing about forty people and from the community 278 00:15:43,960 --> 00:15:48,600 Speaker 1: showed up to that hearing with the Historical Cultural Society 279 00:15:48,720 --> 00:15:51,880 Speaker 1: here in l a and they we had a slide 280 00:15:51,920 --> 00:15:55,160 Speaker 1: show about political art and the art history of the 281 00:15:55,200 --> 00:15:58,240 Speaker 1: space and being right there in museum row and and 282 00:15:58,360 --> 00:16:01,880 Speaker 1: being a neighbor to LACMA and the peter An Autumn Museum. 283 00:16:01,920 --> 00:16:05,160 Speaker 1: And the beautiful thing that came out of that was 284 00:16:05,240 --> 00:16:07,720 Speaker 1: that rather than make us take the mural down, they 285 00:16:07,760 --> 00:16:11,760 Speaker 1: actually declared the mural its own historical cultural monument. I 286 00:16:11,800 --> 00:16:15,840 Speaker 1: love that. Wow, that's such as a lot of happy 287 00:16:15,840 --> 00:16:19,040 Speaker 1: tears that day. And the artist, what you know, we 288 00:16:19,320 --> 00:16:21,440 Speaker 1: had looped in. The artist was now based in Arizona, 289 00:16:21,480 --> 00:16:22,880 Speaker 1: and we were like, they're trying to make us take 290 00:16:22,880 --> 00:16:25,520 Speaker 1: your mural down, like can you help us? And he 291 00:16:25,640 --> 00:16:28,520 Speaker 1: was so happy. We were all so happy. That's a 292 00:16:28,560 --> 00:16:32,320 Speaker 1: great story. I still have the slide show to its 293 00:16:32,360 --> 00:16:46,560 Speaker 1: great slide show, Welcome, get everything. So for this nice 294 00:16:46,600 --> 00:16:49,040 Speaker 1: moment down just a little bit, I think and give 295 00:16:49,160 --> 00:16:52,000 Speaker 1: a slight tangent from our organizing talk. I think a 296 00:16:52,000 --> 00:16:55,800 Speaker 1: lot of Progressives were dealta kind of a blow last 297 00:16:55,840 --> 00:17:00,640 Speaker 1: week when when Bernie officially suspended his campaign. And we've 298 00:17:00,680 --> 00:17:04,640 Speaker 1: seen a lot of conversations, you know, debates about whether 299 00:17:04,760 --> 00:17:07,800 Speaker 1: or not Bernie supporters will be voting for Joe Biden. Uh. 300 00:17:08,119 --> 00:17:13,560 Speaker 1: You know, people have very reasonable fears about that or 301 00:17:13,720 --> 00:17:17,560 Speaker 1: or qualms with Joe Biden, and it's something that we 302 00:17:17,600 --> 00:17:19,399 Speaker 1: are all going to have to spend the next several 303 00:17:19,440 --> 00:17:22,240 Speaker 1: months figuring out for ourselves. And I think we're all 304 00:17:22,359 --> 00:17:25,359 Speaker 1: a little bit curious how you're feeling right now, what 305 00:17:25,440 --> 00:17:29,400 Speaker 1: you're thinking about all of that. Yeah, I mean this, 306 00:17:29,400 --> 00:17:33,959 Speaker 1: this particular Bernie supporter will not be voting for Joe Biden. Um. 307 00:17:34,000 --> 00:17:38,000 Speaker 1: I'm well aware and just as horrified as everyone else 308 00:17:38,080 --> 00:17:43,040 Speaker 1: about the problems with Trump and the administration that we have. However, 309 00:17:44,280 --> 00:17:47,879 Speaker 1: you know, and I I don't I don't need to 310 00:17:47,880 --> 00:17:50,360 Speaker 1: tell out any credentials, but I did do my undergrad 311 00:17:50,359 --> 00:17:53,680 Speaker 1: and my masters in political science and global politics, and 312 00:17:54,840 --> 00:17:57,600 Speaker 1: I am horrified as well by the steady march to 313 00:17:57,680 --> 00:18:00,440 Speaker 1: the right, uh for the United States that is occurring 314 00:18:00,440 --> 00:18:03,119 Speaker 1: pretty much since the Reagan years. I do want to 315 00:18:03,160 --> 00:18:06,159 Speaker 1: ask what we're still on the subject of, Like, you know, 316 00:18:06,880 --> 00:18:10,760 Speaker 1: Joseph Robin at Biden, do you think your calculus would 317 00:18:10,800 --> 00:18:13,280 Speaker 1: be any different if you lived in a swing state 318 00:18:13,359 --> 00:18:16,240 Speaker 1: somewhere where that like that was literally kind of because 319 00:18:16,280 --> 00:18:18,000 Speaker 1: because because you know, I'm in this point of like, 320 00:18:18,040 --> 00:18:19,600 Speaker 1: I'm not going to vote for Biden either, but I 321 00:18:19,640 --> 00:18:22,760 Speaker 1: live in a state where the state's going to go 322 00:18:22,880 --> 00:18:25,120 Speaker 1: for Biden, right, So I'm not I'm not on an 323 00:18:25,119 --> 00:18:28,680 Speaker 1: electoral since worried um. And I'm curious as to whether 324 00:18:28,800 --> 00:18:31,400 Speaker 1: or not that's entered into your calculus at all. For me, 325 00:18:31,800 --> 00:18:35,600 Speaker 1: it doesn't. And I don't envy the position of people 326 00:18:35,600 --> 00:18:38,840 Speaker 1: who think like I do or like we do, who 327 00:18:38,880 --> 00:18:40,960 Speaker 1: are in swing states. I mean, my my own mother, 328 00:18:41,200 --> 00:18:43,720 Speaker 1: you know, as a huge Bernie supporter, and it's very 329 00:18:43,720 --> 00:18:45,720 Speaker 1: proud of the work that we do. She's in New 330 00:18:45,800 --> 00:18:49,679 Speaker 1: Jersey and feels the need to participate in defeating Trump, 331 00:18:49,800 --> 00:18:53,040 Speaker 1: which I don't have any blame or ill will towards 332 00:18:53,080 --> 00:18:55,760 Speaker 1: anybody who feels that way. I totally get it and understand. 333 00:18:56,440 --> 00:19:00,280 Speaker 1: For me, it's not just about Bernie. Um are our 334 00:19:00,400 --> 00:19:04,560 Speaker 1: eyes are open now to the complacency and the corruption 335 00:19:04,560 --> 00:19:08,320 Speaker 1: of the establishment within the Democratic Party, the sort of 336 00:19:08,400 --> 00:19:11,560 Speaker 1: jaded bitterness with which they operate. Many of our friends 337 00:19:11,720 --> 00:19:16,159 Speaker 1: here in uh In at the local level, attempt to 338 00:19:16,160 --> 00:19:18,960 Speaker 1: participate in the Democratic Party at the local and state 339 00:19:19,040 --> 00:19:22,200 Speaker 1: level and are consistently shut down. It's a very toxic 340 00:19:22,320 --> 00:19:26,000 Speaker 1: environment to attempt to participate in local party politics as 341 00:19:26,040 --> 00:19:29,480 Speaker 1: a you know, as a progressive. Uh And what we've 342 00:19:29,480 --> 00:19:31,600 Speaker 1: been saying about Bernie Sanders, Bernie Sanders for a long 343 00:19:31,640 --> 00:19:35,879 Speaker 1: time is that he is is really pretty down the 344 00:19:35,880 --> 00:19:40,199 Speaker 1: middle politically on the global political spectrum. However, as I 345 00:19:40,280 --> 00:19:42,399 Speaker 1: was saying, you know, this country has been marching to 346 00:19:42,440 --> 00:19:45,120 Speaker 1: the right for several decades, and it's you know, it's 347 00:19:45,119 --> 00:19:47,560 Speaker 1: it's it's the sort of right off a cliff phenomenon 348 00:19:47,680 --> 00:19:51,440 Speaker 1: we are now in in a corporatist, fascist sort of scenario. 349 00:19:52,280 --> 00:19:57,720 Speaker 1: And I personally, you know, my ideals bigger and beyond 350 00:19:57,720 --> 00:20:01,240 Speaker 1: Bernie Sanders don't allow me to participate aid in endorsing 351 00:20:01,720 --> 00:20:05,520 Speaker 1: that sort of political structure. I think we need to 352 00:20:05,520 --> 00:20:08,479 Speaker 1: to overhaul and that I don't I don't identify myself 353 00:20:08,520 --> 00:20:11,000 Speaker 1: as like Bernie or Bust. I don't think that that 354 00:20:11,480 --> 00:20:13,760 Speaker 1: it doesn't have to be like a dichotomy like that, 355 00:20:14,160 --> 00:20:16,400 Speaker 1: But I do think we need to think extremely critically 356 00:20:16,440 --> 00:20:19,800 Speaker 1: about the situation in which we find ourselves because you know, 357 00:20:19,960 --> 00:20:23,240 Speaker 1: Joe Biden and Donald Trump are far more similar to 358 00:20:23,280 --> 00:20:27,240 Speaker 1: each other than than Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden are right, 359 00:20:27,359 --> 00:20:31,560 Speaker 1: And so a lot of people feel that the shaming 360 00:20:31,800 --> 00:20:34,080 Speaker 1: of you know, okay, Bernie supporters, it's time to fall 361 00:20:34,119 --> 00:20:38,040 Speaker 1: in line. A lot of us are not Democrats and 362 00:20:38,240 --> 00:20:41,080 Speaker 1: don't owe our vote to anybody in the party. And 363 00:20:41,160 --> 00:20:44,320 Speaker 1: we came out and attempted to get involved, and Bernie 364 00:20:44,359 --> 00:20:46,840 Speaker 1: Sanders asked us to be Democrats for a little while, 365 00:20:46,920 --> 00:20:49,760 Speaker 1: to to to participate in the power structures that exists, 366 00:20:49,760 --> 00:20:51,800 Speaker 1: an attempt to bring that power back to the people 367 00:20:52,520 --> 00:20:55,760 Speaker 1: and the DNC and the establishment within the Democratic Party. 368 00:20:56,119 --> 00:20:59,480 Speaker 1: Rather than than being in awe of Bernie's ability to 369 00:20:59,560 --> 00:21:02,360 Speaker 1: bring people into the party and to bring a diverse 370 00:21:02,440 --> 00:21:07,160 Speaker 1: coalition into their Party, they attempted to stop it at 371 00:21:07,200 --> 00:21:10,439 Speaker 1: every turn, and ultimately they seem to have succeeded in 372 00:21:10,560 --> 00:21:13,520 Speaker 1: this in this moment, and and the message that we 373 00:21:13,600 --> 00:21:16,720 Speaker 1: received was loud and clear. You are not wanted. Yeah, 374 00:21:16,720 --> 00:21:18,840 Speaker 1: I mean, I I don't I don't disagree with any 375 00:21:18,880 --> 00:21:21,520 Speaker 1: of your calculus there, and I in fact feel the 376 00:21:21,560 --> 00:21:24,679 Speaker 1: same way. But I also, like I have to, I 377 00:21:24,720 --> 00:21:28,720 Speaker 1: think that I probably would wind up, you know, swallowing 378 00:21:29,080 --> 00:21:31,560 Speaker 1: a lot of things in order to do what I 379 00:21:31,560 --> 00:21:33,919 Speaker 1: could to get Trump out, because while he and Biden 380 00:21:33,960 --> 00:21:37,320 Speaker 1: have a lot similar Like I the person that I 381 00:21:37,359 --> 00:21:39,480 Speaker 1: live with right now is a is a Chinese national 382 00:21:39,760 --> 00:21:42,720 Speaker 1: um and just the changes in her life and the 383 00:21:42,760 --> 00:21:44,159 Speaker 1: lives of a lot of friends of mine who are 384 00:21:44,200 --> 00:21:46,800 Speaker 1: immigrants as a result of all of this, Like, there 385 00:21:46,800 --> 00:21:49,240 Speaker 1: are things that wouldn't be as much of a problem 386 00:21:49,280 --> 00:21:51,880 Speaker 1: as they are right now if Biden were in office. 387 00:21:52,040 --> 00:21:56,640 Speaker 1: And I guess that's kind of like, I feel two 388 00:21:56,640 --> 00:21:58,399 Speaker 1: ways about it, because I agree with you, like the 389 00:21:58,400 --> 00:22:01,399 Speaker 1: Democratic Party, if it weren't the Republican Party didn't exist, 390 00:22:01,400 --> 00:22:03,920 Speaker 1: the Democratic Party would be the most despicable organization in 391 00:22:03,960 --> 00:22:09,679 Speaker 1: the United States. But yeah, but at the same point, 392 00:22:10,000 --> 00:22:12,440 Speaker 1: there is a difference between the two of them. Yeah, 393 00:22:12,600 --> 00:22:16,560 Speaker 1: there there is. But I think perhaps the I don't 394 00:22:16,560 --> 00:22:18,399 Speaker 1: want to, I don't want to get a sort of 395 00:22:18,440 --> 00:22:22,560 Speaker 1: caught up in who's worse kind of questions. I think 396 00:22:22,600 --> 00:22:25,119 Speaker 1: that the issue of being asked to vote for the 397 00:22:25,200 --> 00:22:28,159 Speaker 1: lesser of two evils. Okay, for instance, right, part of 398 00:22:28,200 --> 00:22:30,879 Speaker 1: my work has included being a founding member of the 399 00:22:30,920 --> 00:22:33,879 Speaker 1: me Too movement here in Los Angeles. Right, I'm not 400 00:22:33,920 --> 00:22:37,399 Speaker 1: talking about big me Too. I'm not talking about times Up. 401 00:22:37,760 --> 00:22:41,439 Speaker 1: I'm talking about, you know that, the grassroots movement of 402 00:22:41,560 --> 00:22:44,879 Speaker 1: women and survivors to believe women and survivors here in 403 00:22:44,920 --> 00:22:48,320 Speaker 1: Los Angeles. And um so we did our first big 404 00:22:48,359 --> 00:22:52,280 Speaker 1: march with several thousand people UM in I think November. 405 00:22:54,280 --> 00:22:57,720 Speaker 1: And in addition to that, I've done also a lot 406 00:22:57,760 --> 00:23:02,320 Speaker 1: of work with and for and alongside immigrants and immigrant communities, 407 00:23:02,920 --> 00:23:07,200 Speaker 1: direct action video and written content around the kids and cages, 408 00:23:07,760 --> 00:23:11,720 Speaker 1: things like that, um working with uh native groups that 409 00:23:11,760 --> 00:23:16,320 Speaker 1: are not only uh, you know, horrified by the situation 410 00:23:16,359 --> 00:23:20,000 Speaker 1: of you know, people crossing the border, but also continuing 411 00:23:20,040 --> 00:23:25,840 Speaker 1: to suffer under the continued colonization of the current day. Right, 412 00:23:26,320 --> 00:23:32,240 Speaker 1: um and so nobody can speak for an entire community. 413 00:23:32,320 --> 00:23:36,960 Speaker 1: There's differences about opinions about Biden and Trump and Bernie 414 00:23:37,400 --> 00:23:41,680 Speaker 1: within immigrant communities. There's differences in the Me Too movement. 415 00:23:41,760 --> 00:23:43,679 Speaker 1: But I'll tell you that that my friends that I'm 416 00:23:43,720 --> 00:23:48,280 Speaker 1: connected to that are still actively organizing me too, UM, 417 00:23:48,320 --> 00:23:50,920 Speaker 1: they will not be endorsing Joe Biden. And I think 418 00:23:50,920 --> 00:23:55,160 Speaker 1: we know why. You know, um, And the biggest fear 419 00:23:55,240 --> 00:23:59,440 Speaker 1: that I have right now is that UM and I'm 420 00:23:59,480 --> 00:24:06,159 Speaker 1: her last misforgetting me Tara, Tara Read. My biggest is 421 00:24:06,200 --> 00:24:11,080 Speaker 1: that the Democrats will attempt to vilify terror read and 422 00:24:11,200 --> 00:24:12,800 Speaker 1: if that, if we start to see that happen, that 423 00:24:12,960 --> 00:24:18,399 Speaker 1: is just absolutely unforgivable. UM. So you know and have 424 00:24:18,840 --> 00:24:21,480 Speaker 1: in the immigrant communities. You also have to understand that 425 00:24:21,520 --> 00:24:25,600 Speaker 1: people were calling Obama the deporter in chief for years 426 00:24:25,640 --> 00:24:29,800 Speaker 1: before President Trump was even a possibility. Obama reported more 427 00:24:29,840 --> 00:24:33,280 Speaker 1: people than Bush. You know, years of Obama was worse 428 00:24:33,359 --> 00:24:35,760 Speaker 1: for in many ways for our immigrant communities than eight 429 00:24:35,840 --> 00:24:38,919 Speaker 1: years of Bush, with the possible exception of you know, 430 00:24:39,080 --> 00:24:44,000 Speaker 1: the vilifying of Muslims after nine eleven. But you know, 431 00:24:44,320 --> 00:24:48,240 Speaker 1: what we're talking about is two parties that in their 432 00:24:48,280 --> 00:24:52,840 Speaker 1: own way right, and you could argue one potentially more 433 00:24:52,920 --> 00:24:55,720 Speaker 1: dangerous because they attempt they attempt to make it look 434 00:24:55,760 --> 00:24:58,560 Speaker 1: like they're being your friend. You know, they attempt to 435 00:24:58,560 --> 00:25:01,760 Speaker 1: look good on the social issue. But Nancy Pelosi is 436 00:25:01,840 --> 00:25:04,159 Speaker 1: up there, you know what is she doing her golf 437 00:25:04,200 --> 00:25:07,280 Speaker 1: clap and she's ripping up Trump's speech. But you know, 438 00:25:08,520 --> 00:25:11,960 Speaker 1: the very same week, she's approving his military budget, which 439 00:25:12,080 --> 00:25:16,720 Speaker 1: no performative. Yeah, exactly, So I'm not just not interested 440 00:25:16,760 --> 00:25:19,760 Speaker 1: in that. Y and and uh. I know some people 441 00:25:19,800 --> 00:25:21,760 Speaker 1: will say, well, how do we protect the people that 442 00:25:21,800 --> 00:25:25,399 Speaker 1: are suffering under this administration currently in these horrific ways. 443 00:25:25,680 --> 00:25:27,760 Speaker 1: I think we take to the streets. I think we 444 00:25:27,760 --> 00:25:30,960 Speaker 1: we flood into the We flood into the party structures 445 00:25:30,960 --> 00:25:33,080 Speaker 1: and the power structures and take them over. What you 446 00:25:33,080 --> 00:25:36,280 Speaker 1: guys are doing here with independent progressive media. All these 447 00:25:36,320 --> 00:25:39,480 Speaker 1: things matter, Um, but voting for someone who is more 448 00:25:39,520 --> 00:25:42,960 Speaker 1: of the same, and you know holds many of the 449 00:25:43,119 --> 00:25:48,720 Speaker 1: ideological problems that the current president does, I I just can't, 450 00:25:48,840 --> 00:25:51,320 Speaker 1: you know, I can't be a party to that. It's tough. 451 00:25:51,400 --> 00:25:55,680 Speaker 1: I've said this several times on this show. Just the realization, 452 00:25:56,359 --> 00:25:58,640 Speaker 1: I mean, it's not a realization. I've known this, but 453 00:25:58,760 --> 00:26:03,360 Speaker 1: the cycle has certainly underscored it that we are vastly 454 00:26:03,440 --> 00:26:08,400 Speaker 1: different parties trying to get one person nominated, vastly different 455 00:26:08,640 --> 00:26:12,359 Speaker 1: political affiliations here, and and yes, we align ourselves with 456 00:26:12,400 --> 00:26:16,160 Speaker 1: the democratic establishment in order to try to progress this agenda. 457 00:26:16,359 --> 00:26:21,040 Speaker 1: You know, this philosophy, and it's it's continually disappointing. I 458 00:26:21,440 --> 00:26:25,080 Speaker 1: feel bolstered. And this might be me being naive, This 459 00:26:25,160 --> 00:26:28,280 Speaker 1: might be me being I'm someone that's that tends to 460 00:26:28,359 --> 00:26:30,679 Speaker 1: hear towards hopeful because that's my sort of my coping 461 00:26:30,720 --> 00:26:35,600 Speaker 1: mechanism with life. Uh, I'm I'm I'm proud of us. 462 00:26:35,600 --> 00:26:38,200 Speaker 1: I'm proud of the gains that have been made. I'm 463 00:26:38,200 --> 00:26:41,880 Speaker 1: I'm I'm disappointed by what's happening right now, and I'm 464 00:26:41,960 --> 00:26:47,800 Speaker 1: also invigorated by how how many people I see now 465 00:26:47,920 --> 00:26:52,320 Speaker 1: that align with me. Um and I think that we 466 00:26:52,400 --> 00:26:55,639 Speaker 1: are further ahead than we've ever been. I find myself 467 00:26:55,720 --> 00:26:59,040 Speaker 1: veering between two things, which is that like I grew 468 00:26:59,119 --> 00:27:02,840 Speaker 1: up very conservative, and I watched as these things that 469 00:27:02,960 --> 00:27:06,359 Speaker 1: like these very fringe beliefs that like when I was 470 00:27:06,400 --> 00:27:08,240 Speaker 1: a kid, my parents are like, no one really agrees 471 00:27:08,280 --> 00:27:10,840 Speaker 1: with these people. These people aren't normal conservatives, Like they 472 00:27:11,320 --> 00:27:13,280 Speaker 1: don't have any power or anything, and they never will. 473 00:27:13,600 --> 00:27:17,240 Speaker 1: And I watched them very methodically and very carefully take 474 00:27:17,320 --> 00:27:20,160 Speaker 1: over the Republican Party. And they did it by compromising. 475 00:27:20,160 --> 00:27:23,280 Speaker 1: They didn't by voting with people who were on board 476 00:27:23,320 --> 00:27:26,439 Speaker 1: with them and then either marginalizing those people are pushing 477 00:27:26,480 --> 00:27:28,960 Speaker 1: them further because those folks were power hungry. And I 478 00:27:29,119 --> 00:27:32,760 Speaker 1: watched it get to the point where now my parents 479 00:27:32,920 --> 00:27:35,359 Speaker 1: are endorsing all of the views that when I was 480 00:27:35,440 --> 00:27:39,439 Speaker 1: younger they said, we're not representative of normal conservatives. So 481 00:27:39,560 --> 00:27:42,560 Speaker 1: I I am not a person. I have very I 482 00:27:42,600 --> 00:27:45,880 Speaker 1: would say, very very far left political beliefs, um, much 483 00:27:45,880 --> 00:27:49,639 Speaker 1: more so than than Mr Sanders even Um, But I 484 00:27:49,640 --> 00:27:53,439 Speaker 1: I have watched a radical political party take over a 485 00:27:53,560 --> 00:27:57,800 Speaker 1: mainstream political party, so I don't believe it's impossible. Um. 486 00:27:57,840 --> 00:28:01,199 Speaker 1: At the same time, I also recognize, like where the 487 00:28:01,240 --> 00:28:04,600 Speaker 1: hour is like because of how how much progress the 488 00:28:04,640 --> 00:28:07,960 Speaker 1: far right has made in taking over the Republican Party. 489 00:28:08,359 --> 00:28:12,320 Speaker 1: We don't have twenty five years right there. For a 490 00:28:12,400 --> 00:28:17,440 Speaker 1: variety of reasons we don't have. Yeah, maybe we bought 491 00:28:17,480 --> 00:28:21,800 Speaker 1: ourselves a bit of time with coronavirus. Yeah, that's one 492 00:28:21,800 --> 00:28:24,280 Speaker 1: of the up shots of it, I guess, Um, But 493 00:28:24,400 --> 00:28:28,560 Speaker 1: I I so I'm not. I'm not someone I don't 494 00:28:28,560 --> 00:28:33,040 Speaker 1: reject electoralism out of hand. But also, um, I don't know, 495 00:28:33,920 --> 00:28:36,679 Speaker 1: like taking to the streets is all well and good, 496 00:28:36,720 --> 00:28:39,120 Speaker 1: but I have seen for one of the things that's 497 00:28:39,120 --> 00:28:41,560 Speaker 1: been really frustrating to me is how even a lot 498 00:28:41,600 --> 00:28:45,040 Speaker 1: of like the progressive left has kind of thrown anti 499 00:28:45,080 --> 00:28:48,440 Speaker 1: fascist street activists under the bus because of the way, 500 00:28:48,680 --> 00:28:52,200 Speaker 1: you know how And I don't know. I guess maybe 501 00:28:52,240 --> 00:28:54,320 Speaker 1: the mask issue has been sort of one thanks to 502 00:28:54,360 --> 00:28:56,640 Speaker 1: the coronavirus two people are going to complain about that 503 00:28:56,680 --> 00:28:59,280 Speaker 1: so much in the future. Um, yeah, they were just 504 00:28:59,360 --> 00:29:04,280 Speaker 1: forward thinking. The big task is how do we I 505 00:29:04,280 --> 00:29:06,760 Speaker 1: mean really the question that we're all asking dancing around, 506 00:29:06,800 --> 00:29:09,160 Speaker 1: I think is how do we get a general strike going? 507 00:29:09,280 --> 00:29:12,320 Speaker 1: Because that's that's what's necessary, Like the hour is late 508 00:29:12,440 --> 00:29:16,120 Speaker 1: enough that we need to we need to get enough 509 00:29:16,160 --> 00:29:19,040 Speaker 1: of America on board a simple list of demands that 510 00:29:19,040 --> 00:29:21,920 Speaker 1: would take sizeable chunks that are like the big issues 511 00:29:22,080 --> 00:29:25,960 Speaker 1: facing us. Um that we can have some breathing space 512 00:29:26,000 --> 00:29:28,360 Speaker 1: to figure out the rest. And I I guess you're 513 00:29:28,400 --> 00:29:30,400 Speaker 1: better at organizing than I am, for damn sure, you 514 00:29:30,440 --> 00:29:32,360 Speaker 1: have a lot more experience with this what do you 515 00:29:32,600 --> 00:29:34,480 Speaker 1: how do we how do we how do you think 516 00:29:34,480 --> 00:29:37,560 Speaker 1: we start doing that? How do we save the world? Uh, 517 00:29:37,920 --> 00:29:41,880 Speaker 1: please answer the form of a question. Yeah. You know 518 00:29:42,640 --> 00:29:46,720 Speaker 1: they say that luck is a combination of persistence in timing, 519 00:29:47,240 --> 00:29:50,840 Speaker 1: and I'm a pretty firm believer in that that. You know, 520 00:29:52,920 --> 00:29:57,240 Speaker 1: we get opportunities in cycles. Right if we had attempted 521 00:29:57,280 --> 00:30:01,560 Speaker 1: to throw a march about surviving sex old violence without 522 00:30:01,960 --> 00:30:06,000 Speaker 1: the media moment that had happened, you know, it wouldn't 523 00:30:06,040 --> 00:30:08,880 Speaker 1: have had four thousand people and it wouldn't have had 524 00:30:08,920 --> 00:30:13,040 Speaker 1: international media covering it. Right. We we had a moment 525 00:30:14,040 --> 00:30:16,440 Speaker 1: where we looked at each other, you know, we're all 526 00:30:16,440 --> 00:30:18,320 Speaker 1: sitting around at Bernie's coffee shop, and we looked at 527 00:30:18,360 --> 00:30:21,400 Speaker 1: each other and said, Wow, we have an opportunity to 528 00:30:21,480 --> 00:30:23,600 Speaker 1: make a splash on this issue right now if we 529 00:30:23,640 --> 00:30:29,960 Speaker 1: move quickly, you know. And it's it's really about when 530 00:30:30,160 --> 00:30:32,400 Speaker 1: when is when are the people going to be ready? 531 00:30:32,520 --> 00:30:34,400 Speaker 1: So I know one one thing that you guys, or 532 00:30:34,400 --> 00:30:37,880 Speaker 1: whether I talked to Katie about offline, was um, we're 533 00:30:37,880 --> 00:30:42,680 Speaker 1: working with the rent issue and reclaim our homes and 534 00:30:42,760 --> 00:30:45,040 Speaker 1: the tenants unions and the fact that you folks have 535 00:30:45,080 --> 00:30:48,840 Speaker 1: been covering those issues. UM, I think it's an amazing 536 00:30:48,880 --> 00:30:52,520 Speaker 1: moment for reclaim our homes, which is, you know, families 537 00:30:52,600 --> 00:30:58,360 Speaker 1: basically houseless families, unhoused families moving into vacant houses that 538 00:30:58,400 --> 00:31:02,040 Speaker 1: are on public proper be right there, owned by Caltrans, 539 00:31:02,440 --> 00:31:05,800 Speaker 1: and they've been sitting in some cases for decades empty. 540 00:31:06,160 --> 00:31:10,320 Speaker 1: They're single family homes in you know, nice, average or 541 00:31:10,360 --> 00:31:13,480 Speaker 1: above average neighborhoods that are sitting boarded up because they're 542 00:31:13,520 --> 00:31:16,040 Speaker 1: owned by cow Trans and they're not being used. And 543 00:31:16,120 --> 00:31:20,200 Speaker 1: so what we have is support for the idea that 544 00:31:20,200 --> 00:31:23,320 Speaker 1: people should not have to be on the street, right, 545 00:31:23,360 --> 00:31:25,640 Speaker 1: So you can get public support for something like a 546 00:31:25,680 --> 00:31:29,600 Speaker 1: housing occupation in a moment like this where the coronavirus 547 00:31:29,720 --> 00:31:32,160 Speaker 1: is on top of everyone's mind and people are not 548 00:31:32,240 --> 00:31:35,040 Speaker 1: supposed to be outside, and yet we're allowing families to 549 00:31:35,080 --> 00:31:38,840 Speaker 1: live on the streets. And so it's a big difference 550 00:31:39,440 --> 00:31:42,760 Speaker 1: in in the narrative because of because there's a larger 551 00:31:42,800 --> 00:31:47,240 Speaker 1: public narrative happening. I think that organizing for things like 552 00:31:47,280 --> 00:31:50,800 Speaker 1: a rent strike and a loan strike um could get 553 00:31:50,880 --> 00:31:52,920 Speaker 1: us to a general strike. But here's the issue with 554 00:31:52,960 --> 00:31:56,200 Speaker 1: a general strike. The biggest impact of a general strike 555 00:31:56,280 --> 00:31:58,360 Speaker 1: is people not going to work, which most people are 556 00:31:58,360 --> 00:32:01,120 Speaker 1: already not doing. So part of what we could do 557 00:32:01,160 --> 00:32:05,840 Speaker 1: in this moment is capitalized on the idea of, well, hey, 558 00:32:06,080 --> 00:32:09,200 Speaker 1: maybe it really is those grunt workers that how are 559 00:32:09,240 --> 00:32:13,360 Speaker 1: the damn economy that are the engine? Because when people 560 00:32:13,400 --> 00:32:16,240 Speaker 1: can't go to their minimum wage jobs in broad scale, 561 00:32:16,680 --> 00:32:20,160 Speaker 1: the whole damn thing is shutting down globally. Right. I 562 00:32:20,200 --> 00:32:23,479 Speaker 1: saw a meme floating around that said, uh, you know, 563 00:32:24,280 --> 00:32:28,240 Speaker 1: people tell mother Earth, well, we can't possibly shut down 564 00:32:28,800 --> 00:32:32,000 Speaker 1: global capitalism, we can't possibly close down the economy to 565 00:32:32,080 --> 00:32:34,800 Speaker 1: deal with climate change, and mother Earth goes here's a 566 00:32:34,880 --> 00:32:38,920 Speaker 1: virus practice. I know. I that was one of the 567 00:32:38,960 --> 00:32:40,800 Speaker 1: first things I was thinking in all of this is 568 00:32:40,880 --> 00:32:45,360 Speaker 1: it's like, Wow, we've shown that we actually can mobilize 569 00:32:45,360 --> 00:32:48,400 Speaker 1: on a great, big scale, and we can see rapid 570 00:32:48,440 --> 00:32:51,400 Speaker 1: results from that. We can see the earth start to 571 00:32:51,480 --> 00:32:54,640 Speaker 1: regrow a little bit. You know, a sudden you have 572 00:32:54,760 --> 00:33:00,440 Speaker 1: people talking about universal basic income, universal health care. Uh 573 00:33:00,480 --> 00:33:03,800 Speaker 1: you know, you have people talking about again like masses 574 00:33:03,800 --> 00:33:06,880 Speaker 1: of people sleeping outside and sleeping in the streets, and 575 00:33:06,920 --> 00:33:08,760 Speaker 1: we have it taught. We we're talking about it in 576 00:33:08,800 --> 00:33:12,360 Speaker 1: a way that really affects us all right, because no 577 00:33:12,400 --> 00:33:16,000 Speaker 1: matter how wealthy you are, it's still is gonna mess 578 00:33:16,040 --> 00:33:18,640 Speaker 1: you up when you go to get gas and you 579 00:33:18,680 --> 00:33:21,640 Speaker 1: can't touch that that gas panel, or you want to 580 00:33:21,680 --> 00:33:23,920 Speaker 1: get your coffee and your coffee shop is closed down, 581 00:33:24,520 --> 00:33:27,080 Speaker 1: you know. And and it's really starting to force us 582 00:33:27,080 --> 00:33:29,880 Speaker 1: to consider the role that we have in our interconnectedness 583 00:33:30,360 --> 00:33:32,280 Speaker 1: and why it makes sense to be able to like 584 00:33:32,360 --> 00:33:36,480 Speaker 1: Canada implemented monthly u b I almost immediately, many others 585 00:33:36,520 --> 00:33:39,360 Speaker 1: are doing the same. South Korea is leading the way 586 00:33:39,800 --> 00:33:44,880 Speaker 1: in identifying cases and and and issuing the the social 587 00:33:44,960 --> 00:33:48,640 Speaker 1: distancing type measures to keep people from spreading this thing. 588 00:33:48,720 --> 00:33:51,479 Speaker 1: And they're listening. You know, the people are listening because 589 00:33:51,640 --> 00:33:54,239 Speaker 1: in many other places around the world, uh, you know, 590 00:33:54,280 --> 00:33:57,160 Speaker 1: the leadership of the countries and the formation of the 591 00:33:57,560 --> 00:34:01,720 Speaker 1: governance is all about the interconnectedness the people, whereas in 592 00:34:01,880 --> 00:34:05,440 Speaker 1: America we've really built a pride on this sort of 593 00:34:05,760 --> 00:34:09,840 Speaker 1: libertarian sort of every man for himself. I'm I'm not 594 00:34:09,880 --> 00:34:11,880 Speaker 1: concerned with whether my neighbor has what they need as 595 00:34:11,880 --> 00:34:14,520 Speaker 1: long as I have what I need. And you know, 596 00:34:14,600 --> 00:34:19,400 Speaker 1: you've asked about what to do, um, about what to 597 00:34:19,480 --> 00:34:21,920 Speaker 1: do about the fact that we have to deal with 598 00:34:22,120 --> 00:34:25,279 Speaker 1: reality how it is right, and we have to deal 599 00:34:25,320 --> 00:34:26,920 Speaker 1: with the fact that we have this monster in the 600 00:34:26,920 --> 00:34:29,239 Speaker 1: White House, and we could continue to go in the 601 00:34:29,239 --> 00:34:31,440 Speaker 1: wrong direction if we're not very careful in this moment. 602 00:34:31,880 --> 00:34:35,239 Speaker 1: And I agree, but I I start to take the 603 00:34:35,280 --> 00:34:40,480 Speaker 1: perspective and when I take my my humanity hat off 604 00:34:40,800 --> 00:34:43,560 Speaker 1: right and I let myself get out of the anger 605 00:34:43,640 --> 00:34:47,000 Speaker 1: for a second, and I sort of put my political 606 00:34:47,000 --> 00:34:50,040 Speaker 1: scientists hat on and I go, we'll we'll look at 607 00:34:50,080 --> 00:34:55,919 Speaker 1: this grand experiment, right the the Great American experiment has 608 00:34:56,080 --> 00:35:01,800 Speaker 1: lasted perhaps three hundred years before, you know, it seems 609 00:35:01,840 --> 00:35:05,560 Speaker 1: to have peaked and the bottom, you know, in my opinion, 610 00:35:05,680 --> 00:35:10,000 Speaker 1: during the FDR years um and the bottom has fallen 611 00:35:10,040 --> 00:35:13,560 Speaker 1: out from it. And you know, I'm not gonna I 612 00:35:13,600 --> 00:35:17,640 Speaker 1: don't advocate any which way. I'm not. I'm not married 613 00:35:17,719 --> 00:35:22,440 Speaker 1: to any any path right now. I think that regardless 614 00:35:22,440 --> 00:35:25,839 Speaker 1: of what happens, we have a responsibility to help and 615 00:35:26,040 --> 00:35:28,160 Speaker 1: save as many people as we can, and we have 616 00:35:28,160 --> 00:35:32,280 Speaker 1: a responsibility to each other first and foremost, because those 617 00:35:32,320 --> 00:35:35,799 Speaker 1: in power are so incredibly disconnected from what we're going 618 00:35:35,880 --> 00:35:40,840 Speaker 1: through that you know, I do support one of the 619 00:35:40,840 --> 00:35:43,200 Speaker 1: biggest things that that Bernie Sanders gave us was the 620 00:35:43,239 --> 00:35:45,960 Speaker 1: will and the drive and the understanding of the importance 621 00:35:46,000 --> 00:35:48,799 Speaker 1: of running for office. So as much as you know, 622 00:35:48,920 --> 00:35:51,720 Speaker 1: I may leave that that top of the ticket blank 623 00:35:52,080 --> 00:35:56,680 Speaker 1: uh come November, Um, you know, I'll absolutely be voting 624 00:35:56,719 --> 00:35:59,239 Speaker 1: all the way down the ballot for all the progressives 625 00:35:59,239 --> 00:36:01,560 Speaker 1: that I can find and that are attempting to take 626 00:36:01,600 --> 00:36:03,839 Speaker 1: this power structure back for the people, because it does 627 00:36:03,920 --> 00:36:07,320 Speaker 1: involve getting involved in your community, running for your local 628 00:36:07,360 --> 00:36:10,960 Speaker 1: seats everything from dog catcher, you know, school board all 629 00:36:11,000 --> 00:36:14,760 Speaker 1: the way on up, and really advocating within those spaces 630 00:36:14,800 --> 00:36:16,919 Speaker 1: for progressive policies. And that's what I was talking about 631 00:36:16,960 --> 00:36:19,239 Speaker 1: when I said it's a bit of exposing yourself to 632 00:36:19,320 --> 00:36:23,160 Speaker 1: some toxicity because you know, within these establishment spaces there's 633 00:36:23,200 --> 00:36:25,960 Speaker 1: a lot of gaslighting and telling progressives that these policies 634 00:36:25,960 --> 00:36:28,480 Speaker 1: are just not possible and we need to be realistic. 635 00:36:28,960 --> 00:36:31,239 Speaker 1: And then we look around the world and go, we're 636 00:36:31,239 --> 00:36:34,000 Speaker 1: the ones that are being unrealistic here, you know. Yeah, 637 00:36:34,200 --> 00:36:37,520 Speaker 1: And I'm and speaking of gas lighting. Did you see 638 00:36:37,800 --> 00:36:44,759 Speaker 1: Barack Obama's endorsement video today and Sanders in it. I 639 00:36:44,760 --> 00:36:47,880 Speaker 1: didn't get I read about it. I perhaps we'll have 640 00:36:47,920 --> 00:36:51,120 Speaker 1: the stomach for it later. I've avoided it so far 641 00:36:53,440 --> 00:36:55,960 Speaker 1: to read about how and I was duped by Obama. 642 00:36:55,960 --> 00:36:58,839 Speaker 1: I voted for Obama twice and then I doubt that 643 00:36:59,239 --> 00:37:01,160 Speaker 1: so he we He came into office and he was 644 00:37:01,200 --> 00:37:03,440 Speaker 1: bomb we were bombing two countries, and when he left office, 645 00:37:03,440 --> 00:37:06,120 Speaker 1: we're bombing seven countries. You know, he had a he 646 00:37:06,200 --> 00:37:09,280 Speaker 1: had an opportunity to lift up Bernie Sanders and continue 647 00:37:09,320 --> 00:37:13,279 Speaker 1: towards progressivism, and you know, he made his decision. He 648 00:37:13,360 --> 00:37:16,839 Speaker 1: made it start clear and it isn't in my mind, 649 00:37:16,880 --> 00:37:20,080 Speaker 1: and I feel completely duped by the Obama years. Oh, 650 00:37:20,120 --> 00:37:21,520 Speaker 1: I thought you were going to say that's a three 651 00:37:22,000 --> 00:37:24,960 Speaker 1: percent improvements, So like, yeah, look at look at we're 652 00:37:25,000 --> 00:37:40,439 Speaker 1: weak together. Ever since you're you're working with reclaim our Homes, 653 00:37:40,440 --> 00:37:41,960 Speaker 1: I wanted to talk to you a little bit about 654 00:37:42,239 --> 00:37:45,759 Speaker 1: kind of I guess you'd say, like illegalism, which has 655 00:37:45,800 --> 00:37:48,799 Speaker 1: been really pushed out of kind of mainstream left wing 656 00:37:48,840 --> 00:37:52,560 Speaker 1: politics for a while, and I think Reclaiming our Homes 657 00:37:52,640 --> 00:37:55,200 Speaker 1: is the first time I've I've seen something that that 658 00:37:55,280 --> 00:37:58,719 Speaker 1: his widely popular and seems to be getting some some 659 00:37:58,920 --> 00:38:02,880 Speaker 1: traction on a larger scale, that is based around sometimes 660 00:38:02,880 --> 00:38:05,399 Speaker 1: we have to break the law to do the right thing. 661 00:38:05,560 --> 00:38:08,680 Speaker 1: And I I've seen like the Republican Party already got 662 00:38:08,719 --> 00:38:10,760 Speaker 1: on board breaking the law to make their things happen 663 00:38:11,040 --> 00:38:16,719 Speaker 1: a while ago. Um, And I think that uh, this 664 00:38:16,800 --> 00:38:19,080 Speaker 1: idea that like, okay, well, if there's homes here that 665 00:38:19,120 --> 00:38:21,879 Speaker 1: are owned by the government, maybe we just open them up. 666 00:38:22,360 --> 00:38:25,399 Speaker 1: I see that as one of the more this understanding 667 00:38:25,480 --> 00:38:29,520 Speaker 1: that uh, there's not actually any value in just being 668 00:38:29,600 --> 00:38:32,640 Speaker 1: polite and waiting your turn and holding off on doing 669 00:38:32,680 --> 00:38:36,080 Speaker 1: something necessary because it will make people, um angry or 670 00:38:36,160 --> 00:38:39,120 Speaker 1: violate the law. And I'm curious as to I don't 671 00:38:39,120 --> 00:38:41,000 Speaker 1: know whether or not you're even thinking about it in 672 00:38:41,040 --> 00:38:44,440 Speaker 1: that sense, or or or what. But that's that's something 673 00:38:44,480 --> 00:38:45,960 Speaker 1: that has occurred to me in this and I think 674 00:38:46,000 --> 00:38:50,160 Speaker 1: something that has a lot of potential um for future 675 00:38:50,200 --> 00:38:53,680 Speaker 1: necessary movements as we encounter food shortages and medical shortages 676 00:38:53,719 --> 00:38:57,799 Speaker 1: and the like. Yeah. Yeah, And I just want to 677 00:38:57,800 --> 00:39:00,799 Speaker 1: clarify I'm not organizing with Reclaim our Homes. I've I've 678 00:39:00,840 --> 00:39:05,360 Speaker 1: been volunteering with them and supporting them. My friend and 679 00:39:05,800 --> 00:39:09,359 Speaker 1: mentor is good friends with one of the lead organizers 680 00:39:09,360 --> 00:39:12,520 Speaker 1: with Reclaim our Home. So I'm I'm you know, grateful 681 00:39:12,600 --> 00:39:14,680 Speaker 1: to be able to be to be able to tap 682 00:39:14,719 --> 00:39:17,400 Speaker 1: in and really find ways to help. Like we've delivered 683 00:39:17,440 --> 00:39:20,879 Speaker 1: groceries to the families. Um, we're organizing to get them 684 00:39:20,880 --> 00:39:24,040 Speaker 1: some of the equipment they need. And what what's really 685 00:39:24,040 --> 00:39:26,719 Speaker 1: happening though, the hard work is is the volunteers are 686 00:39:26,719 --> 00:39:30,640 Speaker 1: taking shifts to help guard the community because there's backlash 687 00:39:30,800 --> 00:39:36,160 Speaker 1: from residents, from detractors, from police. UM. So you know, 688 00:39:36,200 --> 00:39:39,880 Speaker 1: it's a it's a very it's very um, you know, 689 00:39:40,560 --> 00:39:46,080 Speaker 1: sensitive situation. And regarding your question about thinking about it 690 00:39:46,080 --> 00:39:49,040 Speaker 1: in terms of legalities, I mean, listen, I'm I'm a socialist. 691 00:39:49,080 --> 00:39:56,479 Speaker 1: I'm not an anarchist. Um, I'm I'm only I'm only 692 00:39:56,920 --> 00:39:59,480 Speaker 1: really the type of person that wants to see it 693 00:39:59,560 --> 00:40:04,320 Speaker 1: just society. So I believe in a strong society that 694 00:40:04,560 --> 00:40:07,239 Speaker 1: is built as a collective. I believe that we were 695 00:40:07,239 --> 00:40:10,120 Speaker 1: all in this together, and I believe in following the 696 00:40:10,200 --> 00:40:13,000 Speaker 1: rules when the rules are to benefit the most or 697 00:40:13,040 --> 00:40:16,840 Speaker 1: the all. Right, But unfortunately, we don't live in a 698 00:40:16,920 --> 00:40:19,120 Speaker 1: society where the rules are set up to benefit the 699 00:40:19,160 --> 00:40:21,399 Speaker 1: most or the all. We live in a society where 700 00:40:21,400 --> 00:40:23,800 Speaker 1: the rules are set up to benefit the status quo 701 00:40:24,080 --> 00:40:27,760 Speaker 1: and the elite. I mean, just this you know, coronavirus 702 00:40:27,800 --> 00:40:32,440 Speaker 1: response right now is is just resulting in another massive 703 00:40:32,480 --> 00:40:36,319 Speaker 1: transfer of wealth to the top to Wall Street, right 704 00:40:36,400 --> 00:40:40,239 Speaker 1: while they parce out a little for us, like that 705 00:40:40,320 --> 00:40:43,000 Speaker 1: doesn't even cover half of people's rent in Los Angeles, 706 00:40:43,400 --> 00:40:46,120 Speaker 1: you know, And they want to dangle that in front 707 00:40:46,160 --> 00:40:48,760 Speaker 1: of us as a one time thing, while we're hearing 708 00:40:48,760 --> 00:40:51,720 Speaker 1: the headlines about other countries that are getting a monthly 709 00:40:51,760 --> 00:40:54,040 Speaker 1: u b I during this and things like that. And 710 00:40:54,080 --> 00:40:58,120 Speaker 1: they're leaving it up to individual companies and individual industries 711 00:40:58,160 --> 00:41:02,160 Speaker 1: to determine how they're going to handle things, or individual cities, 712 00:41:02,200 --> 00:41:05,279 Speaker 1: and the governors are looking at the federal government like 713 00:41:05,760 --> 00:41:08,920 Speaker 1: is it really all on us? You know? And so 714 00:41:09,000 --> 00:41:11,400 Speaker 1: and you listen to this president's speak and and as 715 00:41:11,480 --> 00:41:13,920 Speaker 1: much as I hate the Democrats, nobody wants to hear 716 00:41:13,960 --> 00:41:17,839 Speaker 1: you blame the Democrats right now. People want answers, you know, 717 00:41:18,480 --> 00:41:21,879 Speaker 1: and so frankly, you know, they find a reason every 718 00:41:21,880 --> 00:41:24,400 Speaker 1: ten years or so to to to do a massive 719 00:41:24,480 --> 00:41:28,040 Speaker 1: transfer of wealth. And and last time in the two 720 00:41:28,040 --> 00:41:31,680 Speaker 1: thousand and eight crisis, you know, they robbed people's pensions 721 00:41:31,719 --> 00:41:36,880 Speaker 1: in four oh one case right by by illegal um 722 00:41:37,000 --> 00:41:41,400 Speaker 1: illegal insurance scams, right and they were able to basically 723 00:41:41,480 --> 00:41:45,719 Speaker 1: bet against the American people and and the homeowners of 724 00:41:45,760 --> 00:41:50,400 Speaker 1: this country and transfer that wealth then, um via the 725 00:41:50,440 --> 00:41:52,839 Speaker 1: insurance policies that they had purchased on things like their 726 00:41:52,840 --> 00:41:56,240 Speaker 1: mortgage backed securities. Right, so we all know that that happened. 727 00:41:56,239 --> 00:41:59,520 Speaker 1: And here we find ourselves again in a crisis situation 728 00:41:59,680 --> 00:42:02,759 Speaker 1: where they've created a pathway to transfer wealth to the 729 00:42:02,840 --> 00:42:05,680 Speaker 1: very wealthy already. So when when you look at it 730 00:42:05,719 --> 00:42:08,719 Speaker 1: like that, and you look at it that, you know, 731 00:42:08,920 --> 00:42:11,960 Speaker 1: again and again and again you find uh decisions made 732 00:42:12,000 --> 00:42:16,000 Speaker 1: in favor of industry and quote unquote the economy rather 733 00:42:16,080 --> 00:42:18,759 Speaker 1: than the health and well being of the people. I mean, 734 00:42:19,200 --> 00:42:22,080 Speaker 1: I use Amazon, and I'm gonna get you know, I'm 735 00:42:22,120 --> 00:42:26,279 Speaker 1: gonna get lambasted for saying that. Um. But but I 736 00:42:26,320 --> 00:42:29,640 Speaker 1: do and not a lot from time to time. But 737 00:42:29,719 --> 00:42:32,440 Speaker 1: you know, the this is something that it should it 738 00:42:32,480 --> 00:42:35,880 Speaker 1: should exist, but it should be nationalized. It should not 739 00:42:35,920 --> 00:42:39,400 Speaker 1: be to benefit one or very few people, and the 740 00:42:39,440 --> 00:42:42,200 Speaker 1: workers should not have to put up with the conditions 741 00:42:42,239 --> 00:42:45,200 Speaker 1: that Amazon is currently imposing upon them. But when a 742 00:42:45,239 --> 00:42:49,279 Speaker 1: company like Amazon or Facebook is so deeply integrated into 743 00:42:49,360 --> 00:42:52,200 Speaker 1: our society that it is too big to fail, then 744 00:42:52,239 --> 00:42:55,440 Speaker 1: it should belong to the damn people. That's my opinion 745 00:42:55,440 --> 00:42:58,040 Speaker 1: on things like that. So until we are making moves 746 00:42:58,040 --> 00:43:01,719 Speaker 1: towards a society that looks something I could just society, 747 00:43:01,840 --> 00:43:04,880 Speaker 1: then then take those homes that are sitting vacant, when 748 00:43:04,920 --> 00:43:08,960 Speaker 1: you have unhoused families, not just unhoused in general, but 749 00:43:09,040 --> 00:43:11,560 Speaker 1: now in the middle of a pandemic, when people are 750 00:43:11,640 --> 00:43:15,040 Speaker 1: literally being told by police to go inside, and some 751 00:43:15,080 --> 00:43:17,920 Speaker 1: people have no place to go, it's it's horrific that 752 00:43:17,960 --> 00:43:20,880 Speaker 1: they didn't already open the doors to those homes and 753 00:43:20,920 --> 00:43:26,520 Speaker 1: many others as well. We have been talking for forty 754 00:43:26,560 --> 00:43:30,120 Speaker 1: five minutes about all the incredible stuff you've been working on, 755 00:43:30,200 --> 00:43:33,080 Speaker 1: and we've barely even scratched the surface of your past. 756 00:43:33,160 --> 00:43:35,680 Speaker 1: I mean, you've mentioned a lot, so just tell me 757 00:43:35,719 --> 00:43:38,800 Speaker 1: to shut up. No, no, it's incredible, it's wonderful. You 758 00:43:38,880 --> 00:43:41,080 Speaker 1: know you've mentioned me too and your work with that 759 00:43:41,480 --> 00:43:45,200 Speaker 1: and and reclaim our homes. Um. You know you also 760 00:43:45,920 --> 00:43:48,480 Speaker 1: have been did stuff with Standing Rocky or at Standing 761 00:43:48,560 --> 00:43:53,400 Speaker 1: rock you work with California for Progress. I think for me, 762 00:43:53,480 --> 00:43:56,279 Speaker 1: what's so inspiring about all of this and this conversation is, yes, 763 00:43:56,280 --> 00:43:58,640 Speaker 1: this is the status of our government and of our 764 00:43:58,640 --> 00:44:02,959 Speaker 1: society right now. And yes, we may not be able 765 00:44:03,000 --> 00:44:08,359 Speaker 1: to support the politicians that we are offered, but there 766 00:44:08,400 --> 00:44:15,480 Speaker 1: are things that we can do ourselves, two organized to 767 00:44:15,480 --> 00:44:17,959 Speaker 1: to come together to fight back against all of this stuff, 768 00:44:18,000 --> 00:44:21,520 Speaker 1: to do actual tangible work that that affects people's lives immediately. 769 00:44:22,440 --> 00:44:24,719 Speaker 1: And and and this is incredible for us to have 770 00:44:24,760 --> 00:44:26,680 Speaker 1: this opportunity to talk to you because it demystifies it 771 00:44:26,719 --> 00:44:29,520 Speaker 1: a little bit. I mean you you are an event planner, 772 00:44:29,560 --> 00:44:34,080 Speaker 1: am I right? That's your background lance event planning, And 773 00:44:34,080 --> 00:44:37,920 Speaker 1: and I don't know nobody's doing events anymore right currently? 774 00:44:38,120 --> 00:44:41,960 Speaker 1: Freelance writing? Oh where where? Where events happening right now? 775 00:44:42,040 --> 00:44:45,440 Speaker 1: Is there something that's going on? I was for my 776 00:44:45,560 --> 00:44:48,200 Speaker 1: income for me personally, you know, about half my income 777 00:44:48,239 --> 00:44:50,880 Speaker 1: came from freelance events and half from my freelance writing. 778 00:44:51,080 --> 00:44:53,600 Speaker 1: And so I'm down to just the writing. So I'm 779 00:44:53,600 --> 00:44:55,840 Speaker 1: trying to expand on that. Well, you know, this is 780 00:44:55,880 --> 00:44:58,640 Speaker 1: a good time to write your masterpieces special I've been 781 00:44:58,640 --> 00:45:02,520 Speaker 1: told not that things aren't stressful. A friend of mine, 782 00:45:02,520 --> 00:45:04,520 Speaker 1: who are I've been saying for years, we're going to 783 00:45:04,560 --> 00:45:06,000 Speaker 1: write a book. He kind of said that to me 784 00:45:06,040 --> 00:45:10,480 Speaker 1: the other days. But I think it's just it's so 785 00:45:10,640 --> 00:45:13,560 Speaker 1: inspiring to me that, Okay, so you've got this skill set. 786 00:45:13,760 --> 00:45:16,120 Speaker 1: You are an event planner and a writer, yes, but 787 00:45:16,239 --> 00:45:20,200 Speaker 1: you know you you you bring that to your work 788 00:45:20,440 --> 00:45:24,680 Speaker 1: and and do community organizing and you know, and and 789 00:45:24,800 --> 00:45:27,719 Speaker 1: earlier you're talking about everything that you've done for for 790 00:45:27,800 --> 00:45:31,640 Speaker 1: the masks. Here in l A. You've got people seamstresses, 791 00:45:32,080 --> 00:45:36,600 Speaker 1: you've got an Uber driver coordinating the delivery. You know, 792 00:45:37,160 --> 00:45:41,719 Speaker 1: it's it's it's people using what they have to do 793 00:45:41,800 --> 00:45:45,759 Speaker 1: something tangible. Uh. And that's what I really wanted to 794 00:45:45,760 --> 00:45:49,239 Speaker 1: hammer home with this episode also, to to say that 795 00:45:49,280 --> 00:45:51,800 Speaker 1: we all have that power within our reach if if 796 00:45:51,840 --> 00:45:56,400 Speaker 1: there's something that we can do. So, you know, after 797 00:45:56,880 --> 00:46:00,919 Speaker 1: the campaign came to an end, and you know, Team 798 00:46:00,960 --> 00:46:04,719 Speaker 1: Bernie l A as it existed, voted to disband. I 799 00:46:04,800 --> 00:46:07,840 Speaker 1: voted against that, but I was outnumbered. And so a 800 00:46:07,840 --> 00:46:10,040 Speaker 1: couple of us who still wanted to work together kind 801 00:46:10,040 --> 00:46:11,759 Speaker 1: of looked at each other and we're like, what do 802 00:46:11,880 --> 00:46:14,960 Speaker 1: we want to do? And a friend of ours had 803 00:46:15,000 --> 00:46:19,400 Speaker 1: created California for Progress logo, a website. He set up 804 00:46:19,440 --> 00:46:22,200 Speaker 1: the social media infrastructure, and he was like, do you 805 00:46:22,239 --> 00:46:25,120 Speaker 1: guys want this? Like I created this, you know, and 806 00:46:25,160 --> 00:46:26,640 Speaker 1: we kind of just looked at each other and said, 807 00:46:26,640 --> 00:46:28,719 Speaker 1: do you guys want to be California for Progress? Sure, 808 00:46:28,800 --> 00:46:32,080 Speaker 1: let's be California for Progress. And you know, it's a 809 00:46:32,120 --> 00:46:34,279 Speaker 1: it's a beautiful thing that we were able to do 810 00:46:34,400 --> 00:46:37,399 Speaker 1: because it's such an innocuous name. It can it can 811 00:46:37,440 --> 00:46:39,800 Speaker 1: do anything right. It can support the me to a movement, 812 00:46:39,840 --> 00:46:42,040 Speaker 1: it can support immigrants, it can support Bernie. You can 813 00:46:42,080 --> 00:46:44,759 Speaker 1: do whatever it wants to do. And it's pretty clear 814 00:46:44,800 --> 00:46:48,280 Speaker 1: in the name like what it is um and so 815 00:46:48,760 --> 00:46:52,000 Speaker 1: really though, the point of my saying that is that 816 00:46:53,000 --> 00:46:56,040 Speaker 1: once we showed up to volunteer together, right, and we 817 00:46:56,120 --> 00:46:58,400 Speaker 1: kind of went through the ringer for a few months together. 818 00:46:58,880 --> 00:47:01,320 Speaker 1: We were in the trenches together with the Bernie campaign, 819 00:47:01,680 --> 00:47:03,440 Speaker 1: and it didn't turn out the way we wanted it to. 820 00:47:04,000 --> 00:47:06,839 Speaker 1: But we've wanted to continue to make a difference. I mean, 821 00:47:06,840 --> 00:47:10,120 Speaker 1: even with Bernie's coffee Shop. Once the campaign was over, 822 00:47:10,520 --> 00:47:14,000 Speaker 1: the coffee shop became more of a community center based 823 00:47:14,000 --> 00:47:16,319 Speaker 1: in the issues, right. And I can talk more about 824 00:47:16,360 --> 00:47:18,720 Speaker 1: how we've utilized the coffee shop in the interim between 825 00:47:18,719 --> 00:47:22,280 Speaker 1: the campaigns, but the key of it is is once 826 00:47:22,320 --> 00:47:25,360 Speaker 1: you find a little niche where you enjoy volunteering and 827 00:47:25,400 --> 00:47:28,799 Speaker 1: you meet other like minded people who also enjoy volunteering, 828 00:47:29,360 --> 00:47:31,840 Speaker 1: then it's just a little hop skip to get together 829 00:47:31,880 --> 00:47:35,200 Speaker 1: and say, let's create a project of our own. Let's 830 00:47:35,200 --> 00:47:37,200 Speaker 1: start an initiative. What do we like to do? Do 831 00:47:37,239 --> 00:47:39,600 Speaker 1: we want to gather signatures? Do we want to knock 832 00:47:39,640 --> 00:47:43,759 Speaker 1: on doors? Do we want to create media content? Do 833 00:47:43,880 --> 00:47:47,040 Speaker 1: we want to put marches in the streets and create events? 834 00:47:47,080 --> 00:47:51,439 Speaker 1: And we do media awareness? Like you can decide with 835 00:47:51,480 --> 00:47:54,440 Speaker 1: your with your group of friends basically that that that 836 00:47:54,560 --> 00:47:57,839 Speaker 1: share these that a share the same or similar views 837 00:47:57,840 --> 00:48:00,279 Speaker 1: as you and be are willing to volunteer their time. 838 00:48:00,880 --> 00:48:04,120 Speaker 1: So all of us who are organizers and it seems like, 839 00:48:04,239 --> 00:48:07,080 Speaker 1: you know, we're out here like doing these these big 840 00:48:07,120 --> 00:48:10,440 Speaker 1: like um, sometimes it seems like untouchable. I know, like 841 00:48:10,440 --> 00:48:13,480 Speaker 1: when I look up to people like you know, Molina 842 00:48:13,520 --> 00:48:16,600 Speaker 1: Abdullah from Black Lives Matter, you know, I think, wow, 843 00:48:16,680 --> 00:48:19,080 Speaker 1: like this person who's been doing this for decades and 844 00:48:19,120 --> 00:48:21,880 Speaker 1: really understands what we're dealing with here, you know, and 845 00:48:22,000 --> 00:48:26,040 Speaker 1: is fighting for the most marginalized. Or or my mentor 846 00:48:26,120 --> 00:48:30,040 Speaker 1: Carlos Markin, who has been working on housing issues since 847 00:48:30,040 --> 00:48:33,680 Speaker 1: the foreclosure crisis and has really anchored himself in that 848 00:48:33,800 --> 00:48:36,600 Speaker 1: sort of um, that struggle of how to lift up 849 00:48:36,600 --> 00:48:39,040 Speaker 1: the people who are suffering the most under these systems. 850 00:48:39,480 --> 00:48:41,600 Speaker 1: When we entered into the Bernie movement, we did it 851 00:48:41,680 --> 00:48:45,719 Speaker 1: for to try to make Bernie president, right, but we 852 00:48:45,800 --> 00:48:48,920 Speaker 1: came out of it going Holy cow, there's a lot 853 00:48:48,960 --> 00:48:52,320 Speaker 1: of work to do. I mean, as a as a 854 00:48:52,320 --> 00:48:56,719 Speaker 1: community organizer or as a as an activist, really you 855 00:48:56,760 --> 00:48:59,640 Speaker 1: can run yourself ragged, and many people do, and many 856 00:48:59,640 --> 00:49:03,680 Speaker 1: people have to hit the wall before they've reorganized, you know, themselves, 857 00:49:03,719 --> 00:49:06,640 Speaker 1: to say, Okay, I need to have boundaries with this work, 858 00:49:06,680 --> 00:49:08,839 Speaker 1: because you can work twenty four hours a day, seven 859 00:49:08,880 --> 00:49:11,319 Speaker 1: days a week and and still feel like you're not 860 00:49:11,360 --> 00:49:14,160 Speaker 1: doing enough. And so part of what it what it 861 00:49:14,239 --> 00:49:17,239 Speaker 1: really is, is finding a niche, you know, finding a 862 00:49:17,280 --> 00:49:19,200 Speaker 1: type of work that you really like to do. Is 863 00:49:19,200 --> 00:49:22,319 Speaker 1: it food bank stuff and helping the poor and the 864 00:49:22,480 --> 00:49:25,320 Speaker 1: n housed? Is it doing that work within the Democratic 865 00:49:25,360 --> 00:49:29,080 Speaker 1: Party and showing up to your local county and city 866 00:49:29,080 --> 00:49:32,799 Speaker 1: and state party and and being a progressive voice in 867 00:49:32,800 --> 00:49:35,040 Speaker 1: that space, and and running for an office or being 868 00:49:35,080 --> 00:49:37,200 Speaker 1: on the E board or something like that. If that 869 00:49:37,239 --> 00:49:39,840 Speaker 1: strikes your fancy do it? I'm I'm. Also, we haven't 870 00:49:39,880 --> 00:49:43,160 Speaker 1: even talked about my my work with KPFK, currently the 871 00:49:43,480 --> 00:49:46,080 Speaker 1: chair of the board at our local Pacific A station 872 00:49:46,160 --> 00:49:49,440 Speaker 1: KPFK in Los Angeles. And that's because you know, and 873 00:49:49,480 --> 00:49:53,640 Speaker 1: a strong and strong, functional, productive independent media is extremely 874 00:49:53,680 --> 00:49:56,319 Speaker 1: important to me. And so when a friend of mine 875 00:49:56,360 --> 00:49:58,239 Speaker 1: who was on the board said, you know, a couple 876 00:49:58,320 --> 00:49:59,799 Speaker 1: of us would like to ask you if you can 877 00:49:59,800 --> 00:50:02,600 Speaker 1: still are running for the board, UM, I found a 878 00:50:02,640 --> 00:50:05,840 Speaker 1: new way to be able to interact with my passion 879 00:50:05,960 --> 00:50:09,600 Speaker 1: for getting us off of our addiction to mainstream media. Right. 880 00:50:10,200 --> 00:50:13,600 Speaker 1: And so because in my opinion, even like our Rachel Matadows, 881 00:50:13,640 --> 00:50:16,880 Speaker 1: are are participating in the completeency and the march to 882 00:50:16,960 --> 00:50:20,640 Speaker 1: the right right by not calling out um. The issues 883 00:50:20,680 --> 00:50:23,560 Speaker 1: with the Democrats are with the establishment right. And Trump 884 00:50:23,600 --> 00:50:26,480 Speaker 1: gives us a great, big, evil boogeyman that we can 885 00:50:26,520 --> 00:50:28,640 Speaker 1: point to all day long, and he will continue to 886 00:50:28,680 --> 00:50:31,440 Speaker 1: give us that content. You know, but it means that 887 00:50:31,600 --> 00:50:33,680 Speaker 1: when we're when we're wall to wall and how bad 888 00:50:33,719 --> 00:50:37,320 Speaker 1: Trump is, we're missing a lot of other important things. 889 00:50:37,719 --> 00:50:40,400 Speaker 1: You're overlooking all the other stuff that's going on that 890 00:50:40,480 --> 00:50:43,920 Speaker 1: was already a problem and was already broken in our system. 891 00:50:44,520 --> 00:50:47,360 Speaker 1: So I encourage people to find a space to volunteer, 892 00:50:47,600 --> 00:50:51,240 Speaker 1: talk to people, make connections, and plan your next steps. 893 00:50:51,360 --> 00:50:52,879 Speaker 1: You know, if you have an idea and a couple 894 00:50:52,880 --> 00:50:54,840 Speaker 1: of people willing to sit with you to talk it through, 895 00:50:55,480 --> 00:50:57,840 Speaker 1: then you you have, you know a way to to 896 00:50:57,920 --> 00:51:01,840 Speaker 1: make something happen in your community. Also, if you don't 897 00:51:01,880 --> 00:51:05,040 Speaker 1: have an idea, you can look and say, what is 898 00:51:05,040 --> 00:51:07,600 Speaker 1: it that I do. You've mentioned on our call before 899 00:51:08,040 --> 00:51:14,520 Speaker 1: accountants yea, every aization to support and that with the 900 00:51:14,560 --> 00:51:17,880 Speaker 1: money person and they are few and far between. So 901 00:51:18,200 --> 00:51:24,880 Speaker 1: if you're one of those people, help them. I would 902 00:51:24,920 --> 00:51:26,799 Speaker 1: I would go so far as to say that some 903 00:51:26,880 --> 00:51:29,400 Speaker 1: of the people that like the activist community in the 904 00:51:29,480 --> 00:51:32,839 Speaker 1: United States needs most are like accountants and people who 905 00:51:32,920 --> 00:51:36,560 Speaker 1: know how to like run organizations and organize that. Yeah 906 00:51:36,640 --> 00:51:40,319 Speaker 1: like that? That that is definitely um, like how to 907 00:51:40,400 --> 00:51:44,520 Speaker 1: set up your lawyers? What are the implications? You know? 908 00:51:44,680 --> 00:51:46,720 Speaker 1: Just not like that? Or if you're trying to operate 909 00:51:46,760 --> 00:51:49,560 Speaker 1: within the party. You know, within the Democratic Party, people 910 00:51:49,600 --> 00:51:52,160 Speaker 1: who get the party, they understand the by laws, they 911 00:51:52,239 --> 00:51:55,560 Speaker 1: understand the structure of the clubs and the layers of governance. 912 00:51:55,880 --> 00:51:59,640 Speaker 1: I mean, just people who are like wonky they perhaps 913 00:51:59,640 --> 00:52:01,840 Speaker 1: don't feel like there's a space all the time, or 914 00:52:01,880 --> 00:52:05,760 Speaker 1: like graphic designers. You know. The one of the ways 915 00:52:05,800 --> 00:52:08,080 Speaker 1: that we've been able to really send some of our 916 00:52:08,080 --> 00:52:11,880 Speaker 1: projects viral or even like international with the mainstream media 917 00:52:12,400 --> 00:52:16,040 Speaker 1: is by having you know, top notch professional graphics that 918 00:52:16,080 --> 00:52:20,200 Speaker 1: are branding our movements right and and it's you know, 919 00:52:20,400 --> 00:52:22,560 Speaker 1: and I've been criticized by some in the movement for 920 00:52:23,080 --> 00:52:26,520 Speaker 1: my sort of marketing thinking about this, but I think 921 00:52:26,640 --> 00:52:30,399 Speaker 1: branding what we do is really important. Like Project mask 922 00:52:30,520 --> 00:52:32,759 Speaker 1: l A is a brand new thing, just popped up 923 00:52:32,760 --> 00:52:35,120 Speaker 1: out of nowhere. Well, how we started asking for money 924 00:52:35,239 --> 00:52:38,080 Speaker 1: right off the bat? How do people know how to 925 00:52:38,120 --> 00:52:40,840 Speaker 1: trust it? You know? The first thing they want to 926 00:52:40,880 --> 00:52:45,359 Speaker 1: know is who's organizing this? Well if if they don't 927 00:52:45,400 --> 00:52:48,799 Speaker 1: know who Michelle Manno's is, because they don't know other 928 00:52:48,880 --> 00:52:51,000 Speaker 1: work that I've done, then how are they how do 929 00:52:51,080 --> 00:52:54,800 Speaker 1: they not to give this thing I'm endorsing money? Right? 930 00:52:55,040 --> 00:52:58,399 Speaker 1: So part of it is like being able to say like, yeah, 931 00:52:58,520 --> 00:53:00,719 Speaker 1: we are organized, we are a professional, we have done 932 00:53:00,719 --> 00:53:04,239 Speaker 1: this before, and you know, we're we're all volunteer and 933 00:53:04,239 --> 00:53:08,080 Speaker 1: we're bringing our very professional skills. Many times you know, 934 00:53:08,320 --> 00:53:11,799 Speaker 1: and so you know, I have a friend who her 935 00:53:11,960 --> 00:53:15,320 Speaker 1: thing is is social media and and she's so brilliant 936 00:53:15,360 --> 00:53:18,040 Speaker 1: at it. And if you can get her on a project, 937 00:53:18,120 --> 00:53:19,799 Speaker 1: and you can get her to focuses or eight, if 938 00:53:19,840 --> 00:53:23,400 Speaker 1: she has the time in the capacity, then your whole 939 00:53:23,440 --> 00:53:26,800 Speaker 1: operation levels up because she knows exactly how to reach 940 00:53:26,840 --> 00:53:29,680 Speaker 1: the people that you need to reach to execute your 941 00:53:29,800 --> 00:53:33,719 Speaker 1: your your vision. You know. So people who bring those 942 00:53:33,800 --> 00:53:36,480 Speaker 1: kinds of just showing up to a meeting and and 943 00:53:36,560 --> 00:53:39,960 Speaker 1: getting involved in conversations. First step is showing up and 944 00:53:40,000 --> 00:53:42,480 Speaker 1: the next step is, you know, putting yourself out there 945 00:53:42,480 --> 00:53:44,520 Speaker 1: a little bit, talk to someone, be willing to go 946 00:53:44,600 --> 00:53:47,239 Speaker 1: have that cup of coffee, even if you're tired and 947 00:53:47,239 --> 00:53:48,759 Speaker 1: you just wanted to home. And you're like, okay, I 948 00:53:48,760 --> 00:53:50,200 Speaker 1: went to the meeting. I did the thing I said 949 00:53:50,200 --> 00:53:52,520 Speaker 1: I was going to do. Go get that extra cup 950 00:53:52,520 --> 00:53:55,200 Speaker 1: of coffee and have a side conversation with someone who 951 00:53:55,320 --> 00:53:57,879 Speaker 1: thinks that you are interesting or someone that you think 952 00:53:57,960 --> 00:54:01,359 Speaker 1: is interesting. Because those have relation, ships get built. That's 953 00:54:01,360 --> 00:54:03,920 Speaker 1: how you build trust in community, and that's when you 954 00:54:04,000 --> 00:54:07,080 Speaker 1: bring each other onto these kinds of projects and say, hey, 955 00:54:07,239 --> 00:54:08,920 Speaker 1: you know what, I was talking to someone the other 956 00:54:09,000 --> 00:54:11,520 Speaker 1: day and that conversation we had two weeks ago popped 957 00:54:11,520 --> 00:54:13,279 Speaker 1: into my mind. I really want to bring you in 958 00:54:13,360 --> 00:54:16,200 Speaker 1: on this. It's little things like that how we build 959 00:54:16,239 --> 00:54:19,400 Speaker 1: community and we build these teams for these projects. Michelle, 960 00:54:19,600 --> 00:54:22,960 Speaker 1: thank you so much for taking the time to talk 961 00:54:22,960 --> 00:54:26,680 Speaker 1: with us. You're so eloquence and have such a wide 962 00:54:27,040 --> 00:54:30,280 Speaker 1: range of experiences. I think this was really fascinating. Um, 963 00:54:30,320 --> 00:54:32,839 Speaker 1: can you tell our listeners where they can find you 964 00:54:32,880 --> 00:54:36,800 Speaker 1: online or plug the projects that you're working on websites 965 00:54:36,880 --> 00:54:40,800 Speaker 1: or anything like that. Yeah. Sure, I'm not really on Twitter, 966 00:54:40,960 --> 00:54:43,680 Speaker 1: but you can find me on Facebook and Instagram. Um, 967 00:54:43,719 --> 00:54:47,319 Speaker 1: my name is Michelle Manos and my Instagram is miss 968 00:54:47,520 --> 00:54:51,120 Speaker 1: Lady mish M S l A d Y M I 969 00:54:51,239 --> 00:54:56,160 Speaker 1: C H. And uh, my my heart, My my heart 970 00:54:56,280 --> 00:54:58,520 Speaker 1: is always going to be with Bernie's Coffee Shop. You 971 00:54:58,560 --> 00:55:03,200 Speaker 1: can find Bernie's Coffee Shop Volunteer office on Facebook and 972 00:55:03,440 --> 00:55:07,680 Speaker 1: at Bernie's Coffee Shop all one word on Instagram. Uh. 973 00:55:07,800 --> 00:55:11,000 Speaker 1: And as you mentioned, you know, California for Progress and 974 00:55:11,120 --> 00:55:15,160 Speaker 1: currently Project mask l A. And you know, I'm happy 975 00:55:15,239 --> 00:55:18,160 Speaker 1: to come back and visit with you all again and 976 00:55:18,280 --> 00:55:21,320 Speaker 1: talk more about the history of what we've been doing 977 00:55:21,560 --> 00:55:23,720 Speaker 1: or what we're what's going to be coming next, so, 978 00:55:24,000 --> 00:55:26,160 Speaker 1: you know, because we have to figure out what we're 979 00:55:26,160 --> 00:55:28,480 Speaker 1: doing about this damn convention if it's even gonna happen. 980 00:55:28,560 --> 00:55:32,160 Speaker 1: So yeah, I'm sure there's gonna be lots of opportunities 981 00:55:32,200 --> 00:55:34,960 Speaker 1: to chat in the near future. And you know, I've 982 00:55:35,040 --> 00:55:37,879 Speaker 1: got some great war stories from the convention for when 983 00:55:37,920 --> 00:55:42,080 Speaker 1: the time comes. Great. Oh yeah, we can. I I 984 00:55:42,120 --> 00:55:45,960 Speaker 1: just want to say, I it's so incredible to me 985 00:55:46,080 --> 00:55:49,080 Speaker 1: that this started as a conversation between you and Katie 986 00:55:49,080 --> 00:55:53,000 Speaker 1: in a restroom. And I feel confident saying that nothing 987 00:55:53,320 --> 00:55:57,680 Speaker 1: this positive has ever resulted from a conversation in a 988 00:55:57,680 --> 00:56:00,120 Speaker 1: men's restroom. I do feel like I can stay that 989 00:56:00,239 --> 00:56:05,000 Speaker 1: objectively on a historic level. Um, it was faith that 990 00:56:05,040 --> 00:56:08,439 Speaker 1: brought us together. May actually have been the last day 991 00:56:08,440 --> 00:56:12,120 Speaker 1: of our method. I think it was because I remember 992 00:56:13,080 --> 00:56:15,840 Speaker 1: the same day I said to the girl at the 993 00:56:15,880 --> 00:56:18,200 Speaker 1: front desk, I'm going to keep coming as long as 994 00:56:18,239 --> 00:56:20,040 Speaker 1: you guys are here, so thank you for being here. 995 00:56:20,200 --> 00:56:22,360 Speaker 1: And it was that night that we got the email. 996 00:56:22,600 --> 00:56:24,319 Speaker 1: So I was there when he said that, and we 997 00:56:24,360 --> 00:56:29,320 Speaker 1: all got a little bit emotional, yeah, Steel emotional about 998 00:56:29,320 --> 00:56:34,520 Speaker 1: not being able to go to bar method again. Community. 999 00:56:34,840 --> 00:56:37,719 Speaker 1: Uh you know, I I rely on seeing people and 1000 00:56:37,760 --> 00:56:41,080 Speaker 1: sharing that energy. I hadn't realized that. I mean I 1001 00:56:41,160 --> 00:56:43,920 Speaker 1: knew it before this happened, but now I realized just 1002 00:56:44,000 --> 00:56:47,360 Speaker 1: how much I rely on it. Yeah, and you know 1003 00:56:47,520 --> 00:56:51,560 Speaker 1: for me, I you know, I moved to California in 1004 00:56:51,680 --> 00:56:54,799 Speaker 1: two thousand and eight. I married the guy that I 1005 00:56:54,840 --> 00:56:57,560 Speaker 1: was dating at the time, We bought a condo, we 1006 00:56:57,680 --> 00:57:01,279 Speaker 1: got a divorce. Uh Like, just so you know, I 1007 00:57:01,320 --> 00:57:03,360 Speaker 1: became a full time activist. My whole I went to 1008 00:57:03,400 --> 00:57:07,360 Speaker 1: grad school. The only damn constant in my whole life 1009 00:57:07,360 --> 00:57:09,920 Speaker 1: has been that freaking Bar method. And I don't I've 1010 00:57:09,960 --> 00:57:12,839 Speaker 1: been going like over ten years, and I don't kind 1011 00:57:12,880 --> 00:57:14,600 Speaker 1: of know what to do with it. I hate running. 1012 00:57:14,800 --> 00:57:18,400 Speaker 1: I hate it. So I'm like, what do I do? 1013 00:57:18,640 --> 00:57:21,320 Speaker 1: You know, Um, but you know, this is turning into 1014 00:57:21,360 --> 00:57:24,840 Speaker 1: an ad for Bar method. Normal. I mean, we could 1015 00:57:24,840 --> 00:57:28,200 Speaker 1: say Bar class, you know, but class is normal to 1016 00:57:28,360 --> 00:57:31,360 Speaker 1: sort of rethink the ways that we're going about our lives. 1017 00:57:31,360 --> 00:57:33,160 Speaker 1: I was talking to someone the other day that said, 1018 00:57:33,520 --> 00:57:35,840 Speaker 1: you know, I think that in the United States and 1019 00:57:35,960 --> 00:57:38,560 Speaker 1: the Western world is gonna become more like some of 1020 00:57:38,560 --> 00:57:41,720 Speaker 1: the Asian countries where wearing a mask is pretty common, 1021 00:57:42,000 --> 00:57:45,200 Speaker 1: you know, even in normal times, because people have lived through, 1022 00:57:45,720 --> 00:57:48,560 Speaker 1: you know, a viral pandemic. So it's very it gonna 1023 00:57:48,560 --> 00:57:50,000 Speaker 1: be very interesting to see where we land on the 1024 00:57:50,080 --> 00:57:52,760 Speaker 1: other side of some of this. Well, I'm looking forward 1025 00:57:52,800 --> 00:57:56,000 Speaker 1: to talking to you when we get there. Yeah, I 1026 00:57:56,040 --> 00:57:58,120 Speaker 1: hope we keep checking in. And thank you for having me. 1027 00:57:58,200 --> 00:58:00,760 Speaker 1: I really appreciate it. And again, like let me stress, 1028 00:58:01,040 --> 00:58:05,760 Speaker 1: I am so incredibly supportive of progressive independent media. So 1029 00:58:05,920 --> 00:58:08,800 Speaker 1: thank you for for having a people powered program, and 1030 00:58:08,960 --> 00:58:11,800 Speaker 1: thank you for all that you're doing. Shall thank you 1031 00:58:11,840 --> 00:58:14,560 Speaker 1: for coming on the show. So Chelle, yeah, for sure, 1032 00:58:14,640 --> 00:58:23,600 Speaker 1: any everything, So everything so dull and start again. I tried. 1033 00:58:24,520 --> 00:58:28,240 Speaker 1: Daniel Worst Year Ever is a production of I Heart Radio. 1034 00:58:28,480 --> 00:58:30,720 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the I 1035 00:58:30,800 --> 00:58:33,720 Speaker 1: heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to 1036 00:58:33,800 --> 00:58:34,640 Speaker 1: your favorite shows.