BomBardened

BomBardened

By BomBardenedSociety & CultureNewsPolitics
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BomBardened episodes

  • Ep17: Breaking the Script: Truth, Trust, and Independent Journalism with Brandi Kruse
    In this episode, Eric and Amy Barden sit down with independent journalist Brandi Kruse to explore what happens when you step outside traditional media and speak freely. Brandi shares her journey from newsroom reporter to independent voice, reflecting on the challenges of maintaining public trust in a divided media landscape. Together, they unpack what honesty, transparency, and accountability look like when the microphones are always on—and why telling the truth can sometimes mean standing alone.
    40 min
  • Ep16: Measuring Justice: Redefining Success in Reform with Lisa Daugaard
    In this continuation of their conversation with MacArthur Fellow and justice reform leader Lisa Daugaard, Eric and Amy Barden explore how communities can define—and measure—real success in diversion and public safety. Lisa discusses what’s working, what’s changing, and how the Purpose Dignity Action and LEAD programs continue to evolve through constant learning and collaboration.

    Together, they examine how shifting from punishment to care can create safer, more resilient communities—and what it takes to prove that change truly works.
    47 min
  • Ep15: On Justice Reform: Alternatives to Incarceration & Making Safer Communities | Lisa Daugaard
    In this episode of Bombardened, Eric and Amy Barden sit down with Lisa Daugaard—MacArthur Fellow, co-founder of the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program, and longtime advocate for criminal justice reform. Lisa shares how her career as a public defender and activist led to pioneering new models that divert people away from jails and courts and toward community-based care.

    The conversation moves through Lisa’s personal journey, the systemic failures that keep communities trapped in cycles of incarceration, and the practical solutions she and her colleagues are building to replace punishment with restoration. Eric and Amy bring in their own experiences from law enforcement and nonprofit work, creating a candid, often challenging dialogue about safety, accountability, and what true reform looks like on the ground.

    This episode is a thoughtful and unflinching look at how communities can reimagine justice—offering listeners not just critique but a path forward toward healing, safety, and dignity.
    40 min
  • Ep14: On Resilience: BLM, HIV, Addiction and Recovery | Deaunte Damper
    In this episode of Bombardened, Eric and Amy Barden sit down with Deaunte Damper—community leader, activist, and the first LGBTQIA+ Chair for the Seattle NAACP. Deaunte shares his personal journey of resilience and advocacy, from navigating the challenges of being a Black queer man to driving change at the intersections of race, identity, and justice.

    The conversation moves from deeply personal experiences of stigma and survival to broader issues of systemic inequality, addiction, and the urgent need for safe, affirming spaces. Eric and Amy weave in their own perspectives from law enforcement and nonprofit leadership, creating a raw and layered dialogue that highlights both struggle and possibility.

    This episode is a powerful exploration of courage, identity, and leadership in the face of adversity—offering listeners not only perspective but also hope for what true community healing can look like.
    57 min
  • Ep13: Rethinking Homelessness: Policy, Practice, and Hope | Dr. Robert Marbut
    In this episode of Bombardened, Eric and Amy Barden sit down with Dr. Robert Marbut, a nationally recognized expert on homelessness policy and intervention. With decades of experience advising cities and serving as the Executive Director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, Dr. Marbut brings deep insight into why traditional approaches are failing and what needs to change.

    The conversation explores the complexities of addiction, mental health, and housing policy, while challenging the assumptions that often drive public debate. Eric and Amy bring their own lived and professional perspectives into the dialogue—Eric from his decades in law enforcement and Amy from her work in nonprofit leadership—creating a rich, nuanced discussion about what real solutions might look like.

    This episode is an honest, sometimes uncomfortable, but deeply necessary exploration of homelessness in America—and how compassion and accountability can coexist in lasting reform.
    54 min
  • Ep12: Effective Restorative Justice | Judge Dave Larson
    In this episode of Bombardened, Eric and Amy Barden sit down with Judge Dave Larson, a nationally recognized leader in reforming how our justice system responds to people disrupting public order. From the bench in Washington State to national advisory roles, Judge Larson has spent decades confronting the courtroom, law enforcement, and community-based service gaps that predictably fail to break patterns of destructive behavior. 

    Through candid reflection and storytelling, Judge Larson shares lessons he’s learned about what actually motivates individuals to exit cycles of crime, addiction, and homelessness. He highlights how simple changes, from courtroom culture to the engagement of peers in case management, can dramatically shift outcomes, improve individual lives, and restore public safety.

    Eric brings his street-level law enforcement perspective, while Amy grounds the conversation in the current systemic and policy contexts that predictably fail people. Together with Judge Larson, they explore the failures that have kept our systems reactive instead of proactive, how to balance compassion, accountability, and common sense, and the urgency of building criminal justice solutions that tap individual motivations and fundamental humanity.
    1 hr 7 min
  • Ep11: From Lived Experience to System Change | Nichole Alexander
    In this episode of Bombardened, Eric and Amy Barden sit down with Nichole Alexander — a powerhouse in the fight for effective homelessness response and a leader whose credibility comes from both lived experience and deep professional expertise. Nichole’s journey from surviving the very challenges she now works to solve, to becoming one of the most respected voices in the field, is nothing short of extraordinary.

    Through candid conversation, Nichole unpacks the systemic failures she’s witnessed firsthand, the barriers that keep people from stability, and the changes she believes are essential to breaking the cycle. She and the Bardens dive into the intersection of compassion, accountability, and smart policy, revealing how real change happens when people with direct experience have a seat at the table.

    Eric brings a law enforcement lens shaped by decades of navigating the realities of crisis on the street, while Amy offers a perspective rooted in nonprofit leadership and pragmatic compassion. Together with Nichole, they explore the tension, hope, and urgency in building systems that actually work.
    1 hr 10 min
  • Ep10: Pioneering Alternative Response | Mariela Ruiz-Angel
    In this episode of Bombardened, Eric and Amy Barden sit down with Mariela Ruiz-Angel, the founding Director of Albuquerque Community Safety and current Director of the Alternative Response Research Collective at Georgetown Law School. With passion and clarity, Mariela shares how she designed and launched the first independent, cabinet-level alternative first response department in the nation. Today ACS responders have been to over 110,000 calls related to mental health, substance use, and homelessness, and other non-police related issues.

    Mariela dives into the challenges of building something from nothing, breaking down siloes and pushing through skepticism, and centering community voices in public safety design. She discusses what it means to show up for the most vulnerable, how trauma-informed response works in real time, and why dismantling segregated systems and advancing coordination is vital to long-term change and meaningful impact.

    Amy and Mariela compare notes on their shared challenges myth-busting and navigating cynicism, political agendas, and territorialism – and discuss how to advance this significant movement. With Amy and Eric’s dual perspectives—alternative response and law enforcement—the conversation explores the tension and possibilities in transforming public safety models. It’s a candid, hopeful look at what happens when a city chooses compassion, care, and courage over the status quo.

    This episode is about vision, imagination, courage and what is required to truly redesign a dated system.
    56 min
  • Ep9: Reentry, Redemption, Reform | Jacob Schmitt (Pt. 2)
    Content warning: This episode includes discussion of trauma, incarceration, addiction, and recovery. Listener discretion is advised.

    In Part 2 of their conversation with Jacob Ivan Schmitt, Eric and Amy continue to explore the human cost of cycles that begin in childhood and end behind bars — and what it takes to break them.Jacob shares the raw truths of reentry: trying to rebuild trust, navigating systemic barriers, and confronting the consequences of his past.

    He opens up about what accountability means after prison, the work of making amends, and the everyday effort of living a life rooted in service instead of survival.

    Together, they examine the cracks in the carceral system, the lack of resources for people who want to change, and how lived experience can be the most powerful tool for reform. Jacob’s story is far from finished — but it’s already reshaping the narrative of what redemption can look like.
    53 min
  • Ep8: The Foster Care to Prison Pipeline | Jacob Schmitt (Pt.1)
    Content warning: The following episode contains detailed accounts of childhood abuse, sexual violence, and life inside the prison system. Listener discretion is advised.

    In this episode of Bombardened, Eric and Amy sit down with Jacob Ivan Schmitt, the founder and Director of Just Us Solutions — a man whose story is shaped by early childhood trauma, addiction, incarceration, and the slow, painful work of transformation.

    Raised around chaos and exposed to drugs early, Jacob illuminates what happens when family dysfunction and physical and psychological abuse are routine and normal. He speaks openly about how his addiction and untreated mental health issues related to his criminal behaviors, his experiences in foster care, treatment, jails and prisons, and his journey to rehabilitation.

    Together, they dig into myths around recovery, the limits of the current criminal justice system, and why support and stability are essential for real change. Eric brings decades of law enforcement experience, and Amy offers a compassionate lens shaped by crisis systems reform — creating space for a nuanced, raw, and powerful conversation.

    This is part one of Jacob’s story — and it’s one you won’t forget.
    54 min

About BomBardened

From the publisher's feed

In BomBardened, Eric Barden, a retired Deputy Chief of the Seattle Police Department, and Amy Barden, Chief of Seattle’s new third public safety department, come together—not just as professionals,…