Her name was Anita Ann Grayson. She was 75 years old. She had congestive heart failure. She was wearing a heart monitor. She walked into a Tim Hortons in Fort Wayne, Indiana to complain about a drive-thru order. She never walked out. After a physical altercation with a younger white employee, Anita Grayson collapsed on the floor of that restaurant. She was pronounced dead at the hospital. The coroner has not ruled on cause of death. The prosecutor has not filed charges. The full video has not been released to the public. The police statement was characterized by an elected city councilwoman as victim-blaming. And racists online celebrated her death. Her daughter said it best — you should not enter a coffee shop for a coffee and a doughnut and come out unalived. Attorney Ben Crump is now representing the family. Today we go through what we know, what we do not know, and why this case sits inside a pattern Black America has been documenting for a very long time. Let's have this conversation.

00:00 — Disclaimer01:01 — Introduction02:34 — Thesis03:55 — Opening: Her name was Anita Ann Grayson — and that name deserves to be the first thing you hear06:02 — Background: What is confirmed, what is pending, and why the police statement drew a victim-blaming accusation from an elected official09:33 — The Data: The online response, the documented pattern — Emmett Till, Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, Michael Brown — and why this case sits inside that history14:46 — Personal Thoughts: A 75-year-old Black woman with congestive heart failure walked into a coffee shop — and somebody decided she was a threat that required a physical response19:37 — Close/Action Steps: Know her name before they replace it with a narrative. Watch the coroner's ruling. Watch the prosecutor's decision. And remember — the pattern only changes when enough people refuse to let it continue.

WANE 15 Fort Wayne — wane.com

NBC News — nbcnews.com

Black America Web — blackamericaweb.com

BET News — bet.comNewsOne — newsone.com

Follow the show wherever you get your podcasts.

Goodpods Podcast🏆 #2 in the Top 100 Personal Journals Monthly chart🏆 #2 Podcast of the Month — Personal Journals🏆 #6 in the Top 100 Personal Journals Weekly chart🏆 #7 in the Top 100 Cult Monthly chart🏆 #8 in the Top 100 Business News Monthly chart🏆 #9 in the Top 100 Cult Weekly chart

Anita Grayson Tim Hortons Fort Wayne, Anita Grayson death Indiana, Fort Wayne Tim Hortons fight death, Ben Crump Anita Grayson, Black woman dies Tim Hortons, Fort Wayne Police victim blaming, Tawnda Grayson, Allen County Prosecutor Grayson, Black women dehumanization, Emmett Till Trayvon Martin pattern, racism elderly Black woman, Afternoon Coffee Break Darren Watts,

Indiana is ranked 3rd in the nation for sports business. $3 billion in infrastructure. An 800-room hotel. A 25-year strategy called the 2050 Vision. And Indiana has the worst foreclosure rate in the United States. Those two facts do not exist in parallel universes. They exist in the same state, in the same budget cycle, paid for by the same tax base. Today we follow the money. Hotel taxes. Admission taxes. Athlete income retention. Stadium debt reinvestment. Corporate partnerships. All of it flowing into a sports machine while the neighborhoods surrounding those stadiums lead the nation in foreclosures. And we use a real budget — real numbers from a real Hoosier — to show you exactly what this economy feels like from the inside. The math isn't mathing. And the communities paying the highest price are the same communities that have always paid the highest price. Let's have this conversation.

00:00 — Disclaimer01:01 — Introduction02:39 — Thesis: Indiana cannot be both things at the same time without someone paying for the gap — and we know who that someone is04:31 — Opening: 3rd in sports business. Number one in foreclosures. How does the same state hold both rankings simultaneously?06:57 — Background: How the sports machine actually gets funded — hotel taxes, admission taxes, athlete income retention, stadium debt reinvestment, Senate Enrolled Act 245, and corporate partnerships12:47 — The Data: The real budget, the racial dimension, the Fair Housing Center findings, and what the two-tier economy actually looks like from the inside21:07 — Personal Thoughts: This is my budget. These are my numbers. The math doesn't work — not because I'm doing something wrong, but because the system is structured so that it doesn't26:16 — Close/Action Item: Look up the Capital Improvement Board, understand how the machine works, and ask the accounting question — what would it look like if even a fraction of that stadium revenue went toward the foreclosure crisis?

Indianapolis Recorder — indianapolisrecorder.com

Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana — fhcci.org

ATTOM Data — attomdata.com

Indiana Destination Development Corp — visitindiana.com

Indiana Sports Corp — indianasportscorp.org

Follow the show wherever you get your podcasts.

Goodpods Podcast🏆 #2 in the Top 100 Personal Journals Monthly chart🏆 #2 Podcast of the Month — Personal Journals🏆 #6 in the Top 100 Personal Journals Weekly chart🏆 #7 in the Top 100 Cult Monthly chart🏆 #8 in the Top 100 Business News Monthly chart🏆 #9 in the Top 100 Cult Weekly chart

Indiana sports business ranked 3rd, Indiana foreclosure rate number one, Indianapolis cost of living 2026, tale of two Indianas, Indiana economy racial disparity, Black Hoosiers cost of living, Fair Housing Center Indiana, Indianapolis sports infrastructure, Capital Improvement Board Indianapolis, Professional Sports Development Area, Indiana Sports Corp 2050 Vision, Senate Enrolled Act 245, living wage Indiana, Black Americans wage gap Indiana, Afternoon Coffee Break Darren Watts,

Today is Memorial Day. Before a single number is shared — this episode opens with a dedication to Elbert M. Watts Sr. August 8th, 1920 to July 27th, 1997. World War II. Korean War. 46 years in accounting after coming home. This episode is for him. Washington DC is the seat of American government. The monuments are here. The memorials are here. The buildings where the laws get written are here. And DC nearly tripled its reported hate crimes from 2021 to 2023. 67 incidents in 2021. 152 in 2022. 188 in 2023. Anti-Gay Male incidents lead the cumulative data at 162 — the first jurisdiction in this series where LGBTQ targeting leads all other categories. 76 percent of incidents are crimes against persons — the highest in this series. Three documented hate crime murders. 88 incidents on public transit. In the city where the monuments cast their shadows — the data still has to be named. Let's have this conversation.

00:00 — Disclaimer01:01 — Introduction02:34 — Mission: A Memorial Day dedication to Elbert M. Watts Sr. — and why DC is the right place to honor him and name the data simultaneously04:52 — Opening: 67 to 152 to 188 — a 180 percent increase in two years in the capital of the United States10:19 — Background: What makes DC unique in this series — no voting representation, the Metro, the intersection of every community, and the first jurisdiction where LGBTQ targeting leads all categories14:00 — The Data: Anti-Gay Male at 162, anti-Black at 97, simple assault at 368, three hate crime murders, 88 Metro incidents, and the offender data that requires careful and precise reading20:09 — Personal Thoughts: The Metro station number, the monuments, and what it means that hate does not pause for memorial observances26:00 — Close: To Elbert M. Watts Sr. — your sacrifice is not forgotten. Not here.

DOJ Hate Crimes State Data — justice.gov/hatecrimes/state-data/dc

FBI Crime Data Explorer — cde.ucr.cjis.govS

PLC — splcenter.orgDC Courts — dccourts.gov

Follow the show wherever you get your podcasts.

Goodpods Podcast🏆 #2 in the Top 100 Personal Journals Monthly chart🏆 #2 Podcast of the Month — Personal Journals🏆 #6 in the Top 100 Personal Journals Weekly chart🏆 #7 in the Top 100 Cult Monthly chart🏆 #8 in the Top 100 Business News Monthly chart🏆 #9 in the Top 100 Cult Weekly chart

Washington DC hate crimes 2024, DC hate crime statistics, anti-gay hate crimes DC, LGBTQ hate crimes Washington DC, DC Metro hate crimes, hate crimes monuments DC, Memorial Day podcast, Elbert Watts Sr veteran, Korean War WWII veteran, Gerald Brevard DC hate crimes, hate crimes through 2024 series, anti-Black hate crimes DC, DC anti-transgender hate crimes, Afternoon Coffee Break Darren Watts,

A quick update from Darren Watts on what is coming and when. New episodes will now publish on Mondays and Saturdays. After The Brew continues on Tuesdays and Thursdays. There may be more than one episode on publish days depending on the news cycle. And because accuracy matters more than speed — breaking news may take a couple of days before it shows up here. If you are looking for careful, sourced, fact-checked analysis that respects your intelligence and your time — you are in the right place. The Hate Crimes Through 2024 series continues. The current events episodes are recorded and coming. And Darren is not stepping away. The work matters too much to put down. Narrated by Achird.

00:00 — Introduction00:14 — The Schedule Update: Mondays and Saturdays for new episodes, Tuesdays and Thursdays for After The Brew — and why accuracy comes before speed01:16 — The Content Coming: Hate Crimes Through 2024, the VRA case study, Tennessee, Virginia, the Anti-Weaponization Fund, Stephen A. Smith — all of it is built and coming02:05 — A Personal Note From Darren: Managing health challenges and still showing up — because the work matters too much to put down02:30 — Close: Follow the show, rate and review on Apple Podcasts, and thank you for being here

Follow the show wherever you get your podcasts.

Goodpods Podcast🏆 #2 in the Top 100 Personal Journals Monthly chart🏆 #2 Podcast of the Month — Personal Journals🏆 #6 in the Top 100 Personal Journals Weekly chart🏆 #7 in the Top 100 Cult Monthly chart🏆 #8 in the Top 100 Business News Monthly chart🏆 #9 in the Top 100 Cult Weekly chart

Afternoon Coffee Break Darren Watts update, podcast schedule change, Monday Saturday episodes, After The Brew schedule, Hate Crimes Through 2024, current events podcast, Black journalism podcast, Goodpods Personal Journals, Achird narrator, podcast update 2026,

Donald Trump filed a $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS in January 2026. He dropped it two days before a court deadline he was almost certainly going to lose. His former personal criminal defense attorney — now acting Attorney General — negotiated a settlement creating a $1.776 billion taxpayer-funded fund with no judicial oversight and no legally defined terms for who qualifies. January 6th defendants may apply for payments. And the day after the announcement — quietly — the IRS was permanently barred from ever investigating Trump's past tax returns. That term was added in a hyperlink. The acting AG did not mention it during Senate testimony earlier that same day. Today we cut through the noise. What actually happened. What lawyers are actually saying. And what this means for the American taxpayer. Let's have this conversation.

00:00 — Disclaimer01:01 — Introduction02:34 — Mission04:33 — Opening: What actually happened — the sequence, the timing, and why two days before a deadline matters07:40 — Background: The judge's questions, the collusive lawsuit problem, and who Todd Blanche actually is10:50 — The Data: No judicial oversight, no defined terms, the IRS bar added in a hyperlink, January 6th defendants potentially eligible, and what legal experts actually said16:05 — Personal Thoughts: The facts are damaging enough without embellishment — this is the same pattern in a different room20:41 — Close/Action Steps: Three questions that cut through every version of the noise — who negotiated it, did a court approve it, and what does the IRS bar actually mean

DOJ Press Release — justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-anti-weaponization-fund

NBC News — nbcnews.com

CNN Politics — cnn.comPolitiFact — politifact.com

Axios — axios.com

The Hill — thehill.com

Follow the show wherever you get your podcasts.

Goodpods Podcast🏆 #2 in the Top 100 Personal Journals Monthly chart🏆 #2 Podcast of the Month — Personal Journals🏆 #6 in the Top 100 Personal Journals Weekly chart🏆 #7 in the Top 100 Cult Monthly chart🏆 #8 in the Top 100 Business News Monthly chart🏆 #9 in the Top 100 Cult Weekly chart

Trump IRS lawsuit dropped, Anti-Weaponization Fund, IRS barred investigating Trump, Todd Blanche settlement, $1.776 billion fund, January 6 rioters settlement, Trump self-dealing DOJ, weaponization fund legal experts, collusive lawsuit Trump, IRS audit Trump tax returns barred, judgment fund taxpayer money, Afternoon Coffee Break Darren Watts,

Delaware is the smallest state by area. A population of roughly one million people. And in the cumulative hate crime data — Anti-Jewish incidents are the single largest bias type. 28 anti-Jewish incidents. 25 anti-Black incidents. Delaware is the first state in this series where antisemitism overtakes racial bias as the leading category. 9 total hate crimes in 2021. 16 in 2022. 20 in 2023 — trending up. Arson at 4 incidents for a state this small is not a statistic — it is a threat delivered in flame. And April 2024 — 13 offenses in a single month against a baseline of fewer than 2 per month. A spike that demands attention. Small states tell big stories when the per capita numbers are this concentrated and the trend line is moving in the wrong direction. Let's have this conversation.

00:00 — Disclaimer01:01 — Introduction02:34 — Mission04:20 — Opening: The first state in this series where antisemitism leads the data — and an April 2024 spike that nearly matched an entire year in one month06:20 — Background: The national baseline, Delaware's upward trend, and what property crimes outnumbering person crimes tells you about how hate operates in a small state10:54 — The Data: Anti-Jewish at 28, anti-Black at 25, arson at 4, intimidation at 33, and the April 2024 spike that demands explanation15:07 — Personal Thoughts: Arson has a history in this country — burning has always been a tool of terror — and four documented arson incidents in Delaware's data cannot be read neutrally18:15 — Close: Small state. Big story. Florida is next.

DOJ Hate Crimes State Data — justice.gov/hatecrimes/state-data/delawareFBI Crime Data Explorer — cde.ucr.cjis.govUnited Against Hate — justice.gov/usao-de

Follow the show wherever you get your podcasts.

Goodpods Podcast🏆 #2 in the Top 100 Personal Journals Monthly chart🏆 #2 Podcast of the Month — Personal Journals🏆 #6 in the Top 100 Personal Journals Weekly chart🏆 #7 in the Top 100 Cult Monthly chart🏆 #8 in the Top 100 Business News Monthly chart🏆 #9 in the Top 100 Cult Weekly chart

Delaware hate crimes 2024, Delaware hate crime statistics, antisemitism Delaware, anti-Jewish hate crimes Delaware, anti-Black hate crimes Delaware, arson hate crime Delaware, Delaware hate crime spike April 2024, United Against Hate Delaware, small state hate crimes, hate crimes through 2024 series, Afternoon Coffee Break Darren Watts, Delaware hate crime law,

Most states in this series have shown decreasing reported hate crime numbers. Connecticut went up. 92 total hate crimes in 2021. 98 in 2022. 109 in 2023 — an 18 percent increase over two years. Religion-based hate crimes nearly quadrupled — from 9 in 2021 to 32 in 2023. Anti-Black incidents remain the largest single category at 143 cumulative. 19 incidents classified in cyberspace — hate that does not need a physical location to find its target. More than 55 incidents at educational settings across all levels. And 120 incidents at residences — hate that follows people home. Connecticut has a comprehensive hate crime law and robust reporting infrastructure. And the numbers are still going up. When the infrastructure is strong and the numbers are still climbing — the problem is not the reporting system. The problem is the environment producing the incidents. Let's have this conversation.

Note: This episode is narrated by Achird. Darren Watts is managing a health situation and will return to recording soon. This is a AI generated voice.

00:00 — Disclaimer

01:01 — Introduction

02:34 — Mission

04:05 — Opening: Most states are going down — Connecticut is going up. 92 to 98 to 109 and a religion spike of 256 percent in two years

05:49 — Background: The national baseline, Connecticut's comprehensive hate crime law, and why strong reporting infrastructure makes these numbers more reliable not more alarming

08:58 — The Data: Anti-Black at 143, antisemitism surging, cyberspace at 19, schools at 55 combined, and homes at 120 — hate that follows people everywhere

12:23 — Personal Truth: The cyberspace number tells you where hate crime is going — and the legal infrastructure has not kept pace with the technology

14:44 — Close: Going up when most are going down is a signal. Know what Connecticut's data is telling us.

DOJ Hate Crimes State Data — justice.gov/hatecrimes/state-data/connecticut

FBI Crime Data Explorer — cde.ucr.cjis.gov

SPLC — splcenter.org

Follow the show wherever you get your podcasts.

Goodpods Podcast🏆 #2 in the Top 100 Personal Journals Monthly chart🏆 #2 Podcast of the Month — Personal Journals🏆 #6 in the Top 100 Personal Journals Weekly chart🏆 #7 in the Top 100 Cult Monthly chart🏆 #8 in the Top 100 Business News Monthly chart🏆 #9 in the Top 100 Cult Weekly chart

Connecticut hate crimes 2024, Connecticut hate crime statistics, anti-Black hate crimes Connecticut, antisemitism Connecticut, religion hate crimes Connecticut, cyberspace hate crimes, online hate crime, Connecticut hate crime law, hate crimes at schools Connecticut, hate crimes through 2024 series, Jewish community Connecticut hate crimes, Afternoon Coffee Break Darren Watts,

On April 21st, 2026, Virginia voters approved a redistricting referendum — 51.7 percent said yes. Seventeen days later a court said the vote did not count. Not because of fraud. Not because of a close margin. Because the legislature voted on a constitutional amendment on October 31st while early voting for a different election was already underway. The Virginia Supreme Court ruled 4-3 that violated the intervening election requirement. The vote was voided. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene. The 2021 maps stand through 2026. Democrats are now eight seats behind Republicans in the national redistricting battle. Today we go through all three sides — what the court actually said, what Democrats say went wrong, what Fox News says Democrats deserved, and what the neutral legal record shows. Because you deserve all three before you form an opinion. And then I will tell you what I think. Let's have this conversation.

00:00 — Disclaimer01:01 — Introduction02:43 — Mission04:03 — Opening: The timeline is the whole story — October 31st, January 16th, April 21st, May 8th06:08 — Background: Three perspectives — the right, the left, and the neutral legal reality that sits in between11:31 — The Data: Eight seats behind, four Virginia seats gone, and how this connects to Tennessee, Florida, and the Callais ruling15:58 — Personal Thoughts: I can hold that the procedural violation was real and that it is not the same thing as what happened in Tennessee — both things are true simultaneously20:11 — Close/Action Steps: Check your congressional district, know which map you are voting under, and understand that the maps determine the margins that determine the legislation

Virginia Mercury — virginiamercury.com

Cardinal News — cardinalnews.org

Ballotpedia — ballotpedia.org

Democracy Docket — democracydocket.com

Fox News — foxnews.com

Follow the show wherever you get your podcasts.

Goodpods Podcast🏆 #2 in the Top 100 Personal Journals Monthly chart🏆 #2 Podcast of the Month — Personal Journals🏆 #6 in the Top 100 Personal Journals Weekly chart🏆 #7 in the Top 100 Cult Monthly chart🏆 #8 in the Top 100 Business News Monthly chart🏆 #9 in the Top 100 Cult Weekly chart

Virginia Supreme Court redistricting, Virginia redistricting voided, Virginia redistricting referendum 2026, intervening election requirement Virginia, Abigail Spanberger redistricting, Don Scott Virginia redistricting, Virginia maps 2026, national redistricting war, Democratic redistricting loss, David Marcus Fox News Virginia, Jay Jones Virginia attorney general, redistricting and Black voters, Afternoon Coffee Break Darren Watts,

In 1965 the Voting Rights Act was signed into law. Born — as Justice Kagan wrote — of the literal blood of Union soldiers and civil rights marchers. For sixty years it stood as the most consequential civil rights legislation in American history. And for thirteen years the Supreme Court of the United States has had its sights set on destroying it. They did it in three acts. Act One — 2013. They killed the prevention. Act Two — 2021. They killed the challenge to ballot access. Act Three — 2026. They killed the challenge to redistricting. The act is complete. Today we walk through every case. Every ruling. Every doctrinal shift. Every quote from the dissent that tells you what was really happening in that courtroom. Because the history shows us — this has happened before. And we know how it ended last time. Let's have this conversation.

00:00 — Disclaimer01:01 — Introduction02:34 — Mission03:55 — Act I: Shelby County v. Holder, 2013 — They killed the prevention. Within hours of the ruling states did exactly what the coverage was designed to prevent.09:55 — Act II: Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee, 2021 — They killed the challenge to ballot access. New standards invented that are not in the statute. Not one successful Section 2 ballot access challenge since.12:40 — Act III: Louisiana v. Callais, 2026 — They killed the challenge to redistricting. The circle hypothetical. The partisan shield. Section 2 all but a dead letter.16:10 — The Data: The doctrinal slide from Cooper to Alexander to Callais, the Rucho problem, and the historical parallel to post-Reconstruction26:40 — Personal Truth: The foundation was never clean — and every generation has watched the system find a new way to bring Black political power back down31:05 — Close/Action Steps: Know the case names, know what Section 2 was and what it is now, watch Congress, and do not accept the framing that this is progress

SCOTUSblog — scotusblog.com

Democracy Docket — democracydocket.com

NAACP LDF — naacpldf.org

Brennan Center for Justice — brennancenter.orgDOJ — justice.gov

Follow the show wherever you get your podcasts.

Goodpods Podcast🏆 #2 in the Top 100 Personal Journals Monthly chart🏆 #2 Podcast of the Month — Personal Journals🏆 #6 in the Top 100 Personal Journals Weekly chart🏆 #7 in the Top 100 Cult Monthly chart🏆 #8 in the Top 100 Business News Monthly chart🏆 #9 in the Top 100 Cult Weekly chart

Louisiana v Callais Supreme Court, Voting Rights Act destroyed, Shelby County v Holder, Brnovich v DNC, Rucho partisan gerrymandering, Section 2 Voting Rights Act, Elena Kagan dissent Callais, Gingles preconditions, Section 5 preclearance, Allen v Milligan, Cooper v Harris, redistricting Black voters, VRA history, post-Reconstruction parallel, voting rights case study, Afternoon Coffee Break Darren Watts,

Darren closes out a rough week with one more gut punch — driving to church for a rehearsal he wasn't needed for, being the only one who didn't know, and coming home furious and unable to sleep. But this episode goes deeper than tonight. He connects it back to Easter Sunday, the micromanagement pattern he's been absorbing for months, and the cost of masking it all so well that nobody sees how unsustainable it is. Then he brings in Miles Davis — not just as a therapist's analogy, but as a fully drawn portrait of what it looks like to be precise, misread, and constantly managed by people who can't hear what you're actually doing. This is the episode where Darren names it out loud. He's not angry. He's exact.

After The Brew, Darren Watts, Afternoon Coffee Break, Miles Davis, micromanagement, ProPresenter, church, Easter Sunday, masking, neurodivergent, ADHD, presence fatigue, exclusion, left out, precision, misunderstood, Kind of Blue, 1959, Black excellence, telling my story, not looking for sympathy, real talk, Black podcast, May 2026,