Building Local Power

The first bookstore Danny Caine fell in love with was a suburban Cleveland outpost of a mega-chain. Since then, he has not only fallen in love with independent bookstores and other local businesses but has also become a widely known advocate against Amazon and other corporate monopolies. Now, he's the new host of Building Local Power. This week's episode features Danny talking with co-host Reggie Rucker about his history, advocacy, and path to ILSR. Danny also shares his future plans for the podcast in hopes of inviting more folks into the Building Local Power conversation. For the full transcript and related resources, visit the episode page: https://ilsr.org/articles/blp-new-host-danny-caine

The destruction of Dorr Street in Toledo, Ohio isn’t just a story of physical destruction; it's about the dismantling of crucial social infrastructure that once allowed residents to communicate, organize, and thrive. In the final episode of our Toledo season, we are joined by board president of the Lucas County Commission, Pete Gerken to discuss the legacy of Dorr Street — a once-thriving hub of Black culture, commerce, and community in Lucas County that was fractured by the construction of the interstate highway system. Today, Dorr Street struggles with another legacy of failed government policy: chain dollar stores. These dollar stores highlight a broader trend of disinvestment in communities of color. But, Gerken is committed to reinvesting in Dorr Street. He champions using local tax dollars to support small businesses and combat corporate greed, advocating for a food overlay district to address food apartheid and uplift community health. His philosophy is clear: power yields nothing without a demand, and the fight for local power must be relentless. With the support of local activists and a dedicated political class in Lucas County, Gerken believes that real, positive change is within reach. The journey to revitalize Dorr Street will be long and challenging, but as Gerken puts it, "You don't start till you start." For the full transcript and related resources, visit the episode page: https://ilsr.org/articles/the-will-and-the-way-to-revive-the-mecca

Toledo’s Dorr Street bears the deep scars of federal policies that stripped away Black economic power and prosperity. Once a thriving center of Black business, Dorr Street was decimated by discriminatory practices that prioritized urban expressways over vibrant communities. In this episode of Building Local Power, Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz addresses this destruction and the long-overdue promises of renewal. With $22 million in federal funds now aimed at reconnecting the Dorr Street neighborhood torn apart by I-75, there's a glimmer of hope. While this investment can't undo the past, it's a crucial step toward healing. As the city undertakes transformative projects like the Uptown Innovation District, Toledo’s renewal efforts stand as a powerful testament to the resilience of its people and the strength of community-driven change. For the full transcript and related resources, visit the episode page: https://ilsr.org/articles/mending-broken-promises-on-dorr-street

Johnetta Turner McCollough and her husband, Nelson, ran The Spot, a popular restaurant on Dorr Street, Toledo, that was more than just a business—it was, well, the Spot. Known for its lively late-night gatherings and frog legs The Spot offered a unique space where people came to eat, unwind, and enjoy jazz music after the bars closed. Johnetta was only 24 when her husband Nelson was tragically killed, and soon after, their restaurant, home, and the spirit of Dorr Street were destroyed by urban renewal. Promised development turned into empty lots and minimal investment, leaving a fractured community in its wake. Reflecting on her experiences, Johnetta recalls the profound loss: "We didn't miss it until it was gone. It was a time when the people who owned the businesses were friends, neighbors, and Black. They employed Black people, and it was a good time. But we didn't realize what we had until it was taken away." Dorr Street's legacy lives on in the stories of those like Johnetta, who remember its culture, resilience, and spirit. Though the street as they knew it is gone, its impact on the community and those who lived it will never fade. For the full episode transcript and related resources, visit the episode page at ilsr.org: https://ilsr.org/articles/a-heyday-in-the-toledo-life

Lifelong Toledo resident Doris Greer takes us back to a time when Dorr Street was the heart of Black wealth, culture, and community. Doris vividly recalls the bustling Black-owned businesses, close-knit neighbors, and a deep sense of pride and ownership.  But today, that vibrant community has been replaced by empty lots and chain dollar stores, a result of decades of disinvestment, discrimination, and corporate consolidation. Beginning with Doris’ firsthand account of Dorr Street’s destruction, our Toledo series explores the impact of federal policy that ushered in the forces of destruction, and the ongoing efforts to reclaim and rebuild the heart of Toledo’s Black community. For the full episode transcript and related resources, visit the episode page at ilsr.org: https://ilsr.org/articles/rediscovering-toledos-black-wall-street

Independent pharmacies are the unsung heroes of healthcare, providing critical services that chain pharmacies simply can't match. On this summer special, ILSR’s Stacy Mitchell illustrates how corporate giants like CVS and Walgreens have used predatory tactics to drive these vital local businesses to the brink of extinction in communities and have, in many cases, subsequently abandoned these communities, creating pharmacy deserts and pushing people towards unreliable mail-order services.  Stacy reflects on the significant shift in our federal regulatory agencies since the 2020 Building Local Power episode “Independent Pharmacies are on the Front Lines of COVID-19 Care,” which we revisit after the interview. She explains how we're witnessing a dramatic transformation in the federal approach to curbing predatory practices. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently released a report exposing how Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) are driving up drug costs and squeezing out main street pharmacies. The federal government is finally recognizing the need to challenge the monopoly power of these pharmacy giants and advocate for policies that support independent pharmacies and the communities they serve.

In the groundbreaking report Upcharge: Hidden Costs of Electric Utility Monopoly Power, John Farrell exposes the severe environmental, financial, and economic costs imposed by monopoly utilities. John joins Building Local Power to discuss how these utilities perpetuate a monopoly model that is damaging our health, environment, and economy. He uncovers the corruptive forces of monopoly utilities, their far-reaching consequences, and proposes actionable solutions. During the interview, John reflects on what’s changed since he and David Pomerantz discussed the dark side of the electricity business in the 2019 Building Local Power episode we replay after the interview. He shares what keeps him hopeful and why he believes we will continue making progress toward a distributed and democratic energy system.

Last month, the Biden White House released its National Strategy for Reducing Food Loss and Waste and Recycling Organics. ILSR’s Julia Spector joins Building Local Power to discuss how the leading advocacy of ILSR and allied organizations led to community composting becoming a featured component of the national strategy, and how far we’ve come since we aired the 2019 episode of Building Local Power entitled “Why Scale Matters in Protecting the Climate and How Composting Can Help.”  Julia explains how the strategy’s goals — reducing methane emissions and increasing organics recycling with an emphasis on the importance of local and decentralized composting — are met by being mindful of how scale matters in tackling climate change, creating jobs, and building resilient local food systems. Following this introduction, we replay the conversation from the “Why Scale Matters” episode of Building Local Power for a deeper dive into the topic, highlighting the progress from unrelenting advocacy to integrate community composting into federal policies, ultimately showcasing how local power can drive substantial environmental and social benefits.

In 2019, we aired an episode titled "Independent Musicians and the Antimonopoly Movement," which explored the impact of industry concentration on independent musicians. We are resurfacing that episode in light of recent news that the Department of Justice is suing Live Nation for hindering competition following its 2011 merger with Ticketmaster.  ILSR’s Ron Knox joins us to explain the lawsuit's two main points: Live Nation and Ticketmaster's monopolization of the industry and their use of power to exclude rivals and prevent competition. As Ron explains, the lawsuit signifies a major shift in government policy and underscores the importance of collective action among fans, workers, and small business groups in tackling corporate concentration and monopoly power. The 2019 episode details the impact of concentration on independent musicians and how we can rebuild our media ecosystem to make it equitable. You can find that post and episode here. 

Veteran journalist, Harry Jaffe, reflects on his four-decade career dedicated to covering some of Washington D.C.’s stories, emphasizing the crucial role of local reporters in holding public officials accountable and keeping communities informed. Harry, founder of Spotlight DC, a nonprofit supporting investigative journalism, underscored the challenges facing local media amidst economic pressures and shifting consumer habits. He lamented the decline of resources allocated to local coverage, citing the closure of institutions like DCist as a significant loss for the community. Harry is hopeful that Councilmember Janeese Lewis George's Local News Funding Act, which proposes allocating $11.5 million in direct funding to media outlets that are chosen by DC residents, will potentially reshape the landscape of local news coverage. Harry’s message resonates beyond the Beltway, urging communities everywhere to support the journalists dedicated to telling the community’s stories.