Beezy Listening

A few weeks ago I assisted the People's Archive of Police Violence in Cleveland in setting up and conducting an interview with Emanuel Franklin, father of Desmond Franklin.  

On April 9, 2020, plainclothes Cleveland Police officer Jose Garcia, badge #2168 shot and killed Desmond. Garcia drove in an unmarked car, fired five shots into Franklin's moving vehicle, killing Franklin, whose car crashed into a cemetery wall. Special prosecutor Daniel Kasaris, from Ohio Attorney's General Dave Yost's office has taken the case and is currently considering whether to present to the Grand Jury. Meanwhile, Garcia remains on paid leave.

How You Can Help

If you live in Ohio, call the Ohio Attorney General's office (1-800-282-0515), and urge them to take this case to the Grand Jury to seek indictment of Officer Garcia.

If you are a Cleveland resident, call City of Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson (216-664-2000) and demand the firing of Jose Garcia by Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams for the murder of Desmond Franklin.

Don't stop there, demand that Calvin Williams be removed, and in 2021 vote Mayor Jackson out of office.

Today’s guest is technically me, as I’m re-broadcasting an interview I gave with Brenton Lengel on his YouTube channel a few weeks ago about an article I published at the end of October: "Euclid officer Matthew Rhodes and officials throughout Ohio facing charges of homicide, dereliction of duty due to non-compliance with state-mandated training"

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BZ Douglas moderates a panel discussion with local activists about who they're voting for up and down the Cuyahoga County ballot, and how they feel about their choices.

Panelists:

Today's episode contains bombshell revelations that have the potential to shake Ohio law enforcement to its core.

My guest is Mariah Crenshaw of Chasing Justice LLC. According to her research, a significant portion of officers in the state ("40-60%" in her opinion), are currently operating while designated as "cease function" according to Ohio Revised Code 109.803 and Ohio Administrative code 109:2-1-12. 

Crenshaw has widened her focus to EVERY DEPARTMENT IN THE STATE. Requesting 10s of thousands of records, cataloging, annotating, organizing, databasing, and preparing materials that could be used in lawsuits all over Ohio.

(Audio fixed, if there's an audio gap in the intro, re-download the episode)

Today my guest is Tim Tolka, author of Blue Mafia, which is best described by the closing line of the first chapter:

“This is the story of two police departments, their turbulent relationship with the local community, and how a 'crazy' lawyer risked everything to bring in a higher authority.”

Blue Mafia has many lessons for other cities in Ohio and across the nation. It is also a harrowing tale of how the gears of our legal and civic machinery can chew up activists, lawyers, and victims of police violence.

https://timtolka.com/

https://twitter.com/TimTolka

https://twitter.com/BlueMafiaBook

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Brian "BZ" Douglas is an independent movement journalist and podcast producer. All work is 100% reader/viewer supported. 

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/bzdug

Newsletter: https://bzdouglas.substack.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/bzdug

Podcast: "BZ Listening" on all the podthings

Today the show is returning to its roots, showcasing criminally overlooked grassroots artists, with one my favorite acts and friends from NYC, Jadon Woodard.

We talk about his origins in music, the ups and downs, and his days free-styling on the trains of NYC alongside Charley Crockett as part of "The Train Robbers".

This episode contains tracks from Jadon’s brand new album, “Late to the Party”, along with some audio from Train Robbers circa 2013.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqAkm5Tx4jI

Today I am interviewing members of the People's Archive of Police Violence in Cleveland. I first learned of them while covering a Black Lives Matter Cleveland "Defund the Police" protest on the fourth of July, where volunteer Emily Forsee spoke about the importance of documenting police brutality. In this episode I’ll be speaking with Emily and two of the creators of the archive Carol Steiner and Keith Wilson, to discuss some of the work they've done, why they're doing it, and how you can help.

When I interview musicians, I typically intersperse four or five songs throughout the interview. Today I'll be doing the same thing but using stories from the archive, specifically the 2015 People's Tribunal on Police Violence collection. You will hear the stories of Alicia Kirkman, Brenda Bickerstaff, Clarence Jones, and Bernadette Rolen.

Visit archivingpoliceviolence.org or @policeviolence_cle on Instagram for more info.

Support my independent journalism:

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/bzdug

Newsletter: https://bzdouglas.substack.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/bzdug

Here's a teaser of my very first guest appearance on another podcast: Stoner Morning Show.

The host, Shawn Wickens, is an old friend of mine from my improv days in NYC. Last year he mentioned on Facebook that he wanted advice on how to start a podcast, and I told him everything I learned in exchange for him being a guest on my show. 

I can’t thank him enough for returning the favor so that I can talk a bit about the work I’m doing now, how I came to do it, how I will be doing it, and why I think it’s important.

Support my work:

Kareem Henton joins me today to discuss what first roused him to activism, how BLM functions as an organization nationally and locally, and what his greatest hopes and fears are for the outcome of this national protest movement.

A lot has happened since my last episode. Let’s see: Bernie dropped out, a global pandemic broke out, which caused the economy to fall off a cliff, a national uprising against the police is in full swing, and on a personal note, as of last Friday I am officially a published journalist. For the story behind that story, check out my interview with Brent Lengel on his YouTube channel.

BLMCLE:

Other orgs that need support:

If you have any extra cash to spare, please consider supporting me on Patreon. I’ve decided to take the leap and quit my full-time job as a web developer in order to pursue journalism as a new career, and the only way I can pull it off and remain completely independent is with your support

(Apologies for my audio quality in the interview portion, it is what it is)

A lot has happened since my previous episode, so I gave myself a little bit of time to dwell on the events of the past month in the intro.

My guest today is Nick Clark, Chair of National Outreach Committee for the Vermont Progressive Party. We discuss the party's history, why we believe the Democratic party is not a viable vehicle for change, and how the VPP might provide a model of success for other states.

I highly encourage everyone to donate to and support David Zuckerman's run for Governor in VT.

http://zuckermanforvt.com/

https://ppof.us/

http://progressiveparty.org/