Motive

By WBEZ Chicago

What's Motive about?

Chicago gangs: Real people. Real stories. A way forward. The new season of Motive explores violence on the streets of Chicago and the former gang members working to stop it.

4.7

17911,791 ratings

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Motive episodes:

05.01.2023
Introducing - You Didn't See Nothin
Here's another podcast we think you'll find interesting. Twenty-five years ago in Chicago, a little boy named Lenard Clark was beaten into a coma just for being Black. Almost overnight, the news stories turned to racial reconciliation and forgiveness. From...
03.02.2023
6: Aftermath
Anti-violence worker Cecilia Mannion confronts her desire for revenge after the car her kids are riding in is shot up 20 times. Meanwhile outreach workers in Garfield Park are trying to slow a string of shootings stemming from the theft...
02.23.2023
5: Collateral Damage
A 14-year-old boy whose father was wounded in a gang shooting faces down threats of violence and the temptations of joining a gang. Meanwhile, a person who killed one woman and wounded another will avoid criminal charges.
02.16.2023
4: Getting In And Getting Out
The gang murder of 7-year-old Jaslyn Adams shook Chicago and affected many of the anti-violence workers on the West Side. As former gang members they sympathized with Jaslyn’s dad, Jontae, his desire to spend time with his daughter and how...
02.09.2023
3: Underpaid And Underappreciated
Gunshot victim Joey struggles to get police to arrest the man he believes seriously wounded him and killed his neighbor. Meanwhile, low-pay and job insecurity make it harder for anti-violence workers to do their jobs and build a life for...
02.02.2023
2: De/Escalation
Sirenzo Strong spends his work days trying to talk to gang members in Chicago’s East Garfield Park neighborhood. Part of his turf is the site of a former housing complex, Rockwell Gardens. When former residents return to the old neighborhood,...
01.26.2023
1: After The Gunfire
Former gang members are out on Chicago’s streets trying to slow the relentless violence. A man shot 11 times hides with his kids at home.
01.17.2023
'Motive' Season 5 Podcast Trailer
On the West Side of Chicago, a father is seriously wounded by an apparent gang shooting. The worker who comes out to help him heal mentally and emotionally is a former gang member herself. She is part of a growing army...
12.14.2022
Bonus: Prisoncast
In this bonus episode of Motive, we bring you some excerpts from a special project we created. After a years-long investigation into prisons, we wanted to make something that wasn’t just about people in prison, but also for them. In August...
06.02.2022
Motive Presents “Through the Cracks”
From our friends at WAMU and PRX. When 8 year old Relisha Rudd disappeared from a homeless shelter in Washington, D.C. in 2014, nobody noticed. By the time authorities formally declared Relisha “missing,” 18 days had passed since she’d been...
05.19.2022
7: Where Life is Precious, Life is Precious
Prisons helped rural towns, while Black communities in Chicago paid a heavy price. Now, rumors swirl that parts of Pontiac prison may close.
05.12.2022
6: The Prison Sweepstakes
In the 1980s Illinois leaders held a competition, where rural towns competed to “win” prisons and the jobs that come with them.
05.05.2022
5: The Trial
Two Illinois prison guards were tried for beating Larry Earvin to death. We try to make sense of the trial and what it says about prisons?
04.25.2022
Update: The Trial, and Other News
A short update on Motive Season Four.
04.18.2022
4: No Justice in Politics
A man goes into prison with a 7 year sentence. But ends up getting 97 more years. How does that happen? And what do small town politics have to do with it?
04.11.2022
3: The Major and Her Crew
State investigators interrogate a high-ranking prison guard, who is accused of coordinating attacks on prisoners.
04.04.2022
2: Us and Them
Damaria Bates and Jimia Stokes started their jobs as mental health workers, full of hope. But soon, they saw signs of severe abuse-- mentally ill prisoners with injuries, drenched in tear gas. When they tried to report the problems, they...
03.28.2022
1: The Blind Spot
Men in an Illinois prison said they were beaten in a spot with no security cameras. But no one took action, until someone died. Exposing violence and cover ups, Season 4 of Motive investigates the hidden world of big prisons...
03.14.2022
'Motive' Season 4 Podcast Trailer
Exposing violence and cover ups, the new season of Motive investigates the hidden world of big prisons in small towns. Places where everyone knows each other and difficult truths get buried. Sign up for the Motive newsletter for the latest...
10.23.2020
8: Bloodlines
Clark Martell was at the vanguard of reviving the white supremacist movement. Then, he disappeared. His trail reveals how sex, money, and blood have kept the movement alive.
10.16.2020
7: Tipping Point
Atomwaffen was the most extreme white supremacist group, pushing for societal collapse. Today, their ideas are on the streets.
10.09.2020
6: The New Nazis
How did President Trump, the border wall, and the 2017 Charlottesville rally play into the education of a white supremacist?
10.02.2020
5: What To Do With Christian
Christian Picciolini grew a violent hate movement for eight years. After he left, it continued to grow. What's his role in fixing the harm?
09.25.2020
4: Boots To Suits
Daytime TV discovered neo-Nazi skinheads and it was a ratings bonanza. But it also helped to grow the hate movement across America.
09.18.2020
3: Union And Division
The Chicago Area Skinheads are, by some accounts, the first racist skinhead crew to organize in the U.S. What drew in those young recruits? And how one brutal event brought them down.
09.11.2020
2: Romantic Violence
It was the ‘80s. Reagan was president. And for angsty, angry teens, the punk scene provided family and expression. Until the Nazis showed up and ruined everything.
09.04.2020
1: The Hate Crate
A shy kid from Chicago shaves his head and prepares for an inevitable race war. In the early 1980s, it looked like organized white supremacy was declining in the U.S. But a generation of racist skinheads breathed new life into...
08.21.2020
'Motive' Season 3 Podcast Trailer
To understand the white supremacist movement today, look at the last time a wave of hate pulled in young Americans. A preview of WBEZ’s new season of Motive, coming September 4, 2020.
07.14.2020
Preview: California City
We're hard at work on a new season of Motive, but in the meantime we want to share another podcast we think you'll enjoy. Introducing a new show from LAist Studios: California City. Deep in the Mojave Desert, there is...
03.27.2020
8: The ‘After’
“Nobody talks about ‘the after,’” one woman said about sexual assault. “The during is terrible, but it’s the after, that’s the hard part.” On the final episode of Motive, the “remembering it for the rest of your life” part of...
03.20.2020
7: La Manada, The Wolfpack
The verdict in a 2016 gang rape case known as La Manada, or “The Wolfpack,” ignited mass protests across Spain. It kicked off Spain’s #MeToo movement and prompted a call for change to the country’s sexual assault laws. On today’s...
03.13.2020
6: The Investigation
A Spanish prosecutor opened a criminal investigation in the spring of 2018. Almost two years have passed. We go to Spain to see what’s happening.
03.06.2020
Preview: Season 2 Q&A
p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px Calibri} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 48.0px; text-indent: -48.0px; font: 11.0px Calibri} span.s1 {font-kerning: none} The powerful investigative work of the Motive podcast is directly supported by WBEZ members. Your donation today...
02.28.2020
5: Did Anyone Know?
While studying abroad in Spain, Hayley McAleese and Carly Van Ostenbridge reported to both the police and their school that they had been sexually assaulted. It didn’t go as expected.
02.21.2020
4: Can’t Tell Anyone
Most of the women in this story did not go to the police. And while some told a friend, family member or therapist what happened, most say they tried to bury it and move on. Why? And what made these...
02.14.2020
3: Blackout
“If you’re robbed while you’re drunk everyone still understands that’s a robbery,” says a former prosecutor. “Or if you’re beaten up while you’re drunk, everyone still understands that’s an assault.” In today’s episode, we look at the double-standard often applied...
02.07.2020
2: Gabrielle Vega
Gabrielle Vega alleges her tour guide raped her in 2013. Nearly five years later, she learns she’s not the only one and decides to do something about it.
02.07.2020
1: Lauren Bajorek
A college student dies on her 21st birthday in Spain. Authorities rule her death an accident. Years later, questions arise after a TV segment airs about someone she was with that night.
01.24.2020
'Motive' Season 2 Podcast Trailer
A story of years of silence, how it was broken, and the young women who are finally coming forward to seek justice. A preview of WBEZ’s new season of Motive, coming soon.
11.22.2019
10: Mother's Day
The big question is ... why? For photos, video, court documents and more visit the Motive page at the Chicago Sun-Times.
11.15.2019
9: Batman On The West Side
Now a multi-millionaire, T.J. could have done anything. But he called himself Batman and started a violent gang war. For photos, video, court documents and more visit the Motive page at the Chicago Sun-Times.
11.08.2019
8: T.J. Versus The City Of Chicago
T.J. gets angry watching a heavyweight match between two persuasive Chicago lawyers. One side claims the police framed T.J. for a murder. The other side claims that T.J. is a murderer. For photos, video, court documents and more visit the Motive page at the Chicago Sun-Times.
11.01.2019
7: Inmate K51114
In prison, T.J. becomes a part of the gang hierarchy and dives deep into religion. Not long after inmate number K51114 is released, cracks start to appear. For photos, video, court documents and more visit the Motive page at the Chicago...
10.25.2019
6: Mousey Is Dead
Brian Nelson was the leader of T.J.'s gang: The Simon City Royals. Nelson spent almost thirty harrowing years in prison. What was left when he came out? For photos, video, court documents and more, visit the Motive page at the Chicago Sun-Times.
10.18.2019
5: The Fairytale Ending
After his conviction is overturned, T.J. leaves prison and begins enjoying his freedom. Meanwhile, Frank receives some emails from a mysterious man telling him he's got the story all wrong. For photos, video, court documents and more, visit the Motive...
10.11.2019
4: What Really Happened At The Honey Baked Ham
In 1993, a young man was murdered in front of a Honey Baked Ham store on Belmont Avenue. We return to the scene of the crime to find out what happened on the night that put T.J. in prison for...
10.04.2019
3: A Boy Enters And A Man Leaves
T.J. is charged with murder and sent to juvenile jail. Although only 13 when arrested, he's prosecuted as an adult. For photos, video, court documents and more, visit the Motive page at the Chicago Sun-Times.
09.27.2019
2: Violated Into The PeeWees
A fellow gang member and T.J.'s mom describe the young T.J. before the arrest that put him away for so long. And we hear T.J.'s version of the night of the murder. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px...
09.20.2019
1: A Shooting From A Mercedes
While driving a Mercedes convertible, multi-millionaire T.J. Jimenez shoots a man in the legs. It's all captured on video. We begin our story outside the jail in downtown Chicago. See photos, video, court documents and more of the reporting behind...
09.06.2019
'Motive' Season 1 Podcast Trailer
It’s a cruel sociological experiment. Lock up a 13-year-old boy for a murder that he swore he didn’t commit. Release him as a 30-year-old man. Then, give him $25 million. New from WBEZ Chicago, Motive is a true crime podcast hosted...

What's Motive about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Motive episodes:

Introducing - You Didn't See Nothin

6: Aftermath

5: Collateral Damage

4: Getting In And Getting Out

3: Underpaid And Underappreciated

2: De/Escalation

1: After The Gunfire

'Motive' Season 5 Podcast Trailer

Bonus: Prisoncast

Motive Presents “Through the Cracks”

7: Where Life is Precious, Life is Precious

6: The Prison Sweepstakes

5: The Trial

Update: The Trial, and Other News

4: No Justice in Politics

3: The Major and Her Crew

2: Us and Them

1: The Blind Spot

'Motive' Season 4 Podcast Trailer

8: Bloodlines

7: Tipping Point

6: The New Nazis

5: What To Do With Christian

4: Boots To Suits

3: Union And Division

2: Romantic Violence

1: The Hate Crate

'Motive' Season 3 Podcast Trailer

Preview: California City

8: The ‘After’

7: La Manada, The Wolfpack

6: The Investigation

Preview: Season 2 Q&A

5: Did Anyone Know?

4: Can’t Tell Anyone

3: Blackout

2: Gabrielle Vega

1: Lauren Bajorek

'Motive' Season 2 Podcast Trailer

10: Mother's Day

9: Batman On The West Side

8: T.J. Versus The City Of Chicago

7: Inmate K51114

6: Mousey Is Dead

5: The Fairytale Ending

4: What Really Happened At The Honey Baked Ham

3: A Boy Enters And A Man Leaves

2: Violated Into The PeeWees

1: A Shooting From A Mercedes

'Motive' Season 1 Podcast Trailer

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