On this episode, we hear from Michael & Catherine Ewing and Ed Alio of Danville Rescue. We discuss reasons for homelessness in Danville, the City's recent decision to criminalize homelessness, and some key misunderstandings out there about people who are homeless.

Topics discussed include:

• Some history of Danville Rescue (previously Vermilion County Rescue) Homeless Shelters
• The group's personal experiences of being homeless

• The myth of homeless people "not wanting help"
• Root causes of homelessness
• The tendency of privileged people to lack empathy for the suffering of the working class
• The interconnectness of us all
• American society's puritanical view that poverty = immorality

For show notes, visit www.vermiliontimes.com/latest

On this episode, we hear from Phillip & Yolanda Davis, the father and step-mother of Aniyah Davis — the 18-year-old DHS graduate and Ball State freshman who was shot to death on June 21 in an incident at Winter Park in Danville.

Topics discussed include:

• Aniyah's brief life and what made her so special and beloved by all who knew her
• The night she died + how they found out
• On still not knowing exactly what happened to Aniyah & never being provided a police report on her death
• Police Chief Christopher Yates and Mayor Rickey Williams Jr's fake public displays of sorrow + lack of private condolences

• The spectrum of racism
• The breakdown of community in Danville
• The impacts of poverty on the people of Danville
• The Davises' plans to continue to remember and honor Aniyah and call for justice

For show notes, visit www.vermiliontimes.com/latest

On this episode, we hear from Alderman Ed Butler, Rev. Frank McCullough, and Keith Groves all about the Three Kings of Peace and their perspectives on how the City of Danville and its people are holding themselves back from thriving.

Topics discussed include:

• The history of the Three Kings of Peace
• Why and how mentoring helps, especially young Black kids
• The breakdown in community support over the past few decades

• The City of Danville's persistent refusal to adopt the 10 Shared Principles of the NAACP, which would help build trust in the community between police and residents
• Karma is a bitch, babe
• The City's (mis)use of funds
• Why transparency in government is central to democracy
• Policing and diversity

For show notes, visit www.vermiliontimes.com/latest

On this Labor Day episode of Get with the Times, we dig into the history of labor unions, how labor regulation laws were established in the U.S., and the recent decision from Viscofan to unilaterally withdraw recognition of their union contracts. We hear from Connie Smalley, a former Viscofan employee and member of UFCW Local 700, and Rachelle Netzer, Midwest Regional Director of UFCW — The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union.

Topics discussed include:

• The history of labor regulation laws and how unionized strikes helped pressure the federal government to pass them
• Common misunderstandings about labor unions
• "Right to Work" as a propaganda misnomer
• Viscofan's history of labor law violations and Unsafe Labor Practices (ULPs), and its ongoing case with the National Labor Regulations Board (NLRB).
• Connie Smalley and Victor Nahara's stories of their experience with Viscofan
• Ways people can establish unions at their workplaces, or help keep current unions going

On this episode of Get with the Times, we chat with Chris Hightower — comedian, teacher, community organizer, and native son of Danville.

Topics discussed include:

• Chris's new nonprofit, The Hightower Foundation
• The problems with society limiting men and boys from expressing their emotions
• Chris's plans for his "Man to Men" event
• The "male loneliness epidemic"
• Different definitions of patriarchy

• Vulnerability and how important it is for connection and community
• The differences in the way Black boys, especially, are treated by society as compared to white Boys and Black girls
• The importance of giving young Black kids positive Black role models

Visit vermiliontimes.com/latest for show notes.

On this episode of Get with the Times, we hear from Breon Boyd, founder of Danville Restoring Our Community (DROC). This nonprofit organization has been working to help build community and connection in Danville for the past nine years.

Topics discussed include:

• Roots of the breakdown in our community, including broken families and the systemic removal of Black fathers from the household
• Discipline, respect, and self-love as catalysts for connection
• The importance of teaching and modeling emotional regulation to our kids
• The role of community leaders and law enforcement in helping to strengthen the community
• Ways Danville has changed over the past nine years
• Love as the root of community

On this episode of Get with the Times, we delve deeper into the gun violence issue in Danville with Project Success youth panelists Malia Roberson and Curtis Beasley IV, as well as grassroots organizer and all-around Good Trouble-maker, Mary Catherine (MC) Roberson.

For show notes, visit vermiliontimes.com/latest