Vernon T. Bateman joins the show to discuss the latest developments in his fight for exoneration.

This week's Naptown Breakdown highlights a recent Mirror Indy/Indy Star investigation uncovering that, for more than a decade Mayor Joe Hogsett, used no-bid contracts that benefited his friends and those with ties to the Democratic Party. Hogsett won his first term as Mayor with a proposal called “Disclose Indy," which directly targeted then-Mayor Greg Ballard, a Republican whose non-competitive bidding practices were regularly covered in the press at the time. In 2015 he promised that "betray the public trust, you deserve to be punished to the fullest extent of the law." Disclose Indy also included a two-term limit for the Mayor. Guest co-host and organizer Lindsey Holtgrave sheds additional light on the situation before turning to the recent inspiring anti-ICE protests. She highlights positive developments in the movement over the past two years, particularly in terms of the people's consciousness and leadership.

Artist, author, and community advocate Vernon T. Bateman joins co-host Derek Ford to discuss a major breakthrough in his fight for freedom. On January 13, the Lake County Prosecutor's Office headed by Bernard Carter admitted the State tried and convicted Bateman in 1998 without any evidence tying him to the alleged "crime." This contradicts trial testimony from the Prosecution's witnesses during the trial. Shockingly, however, the Judge sided with the Prosecution and denied Bateman's motion for DNA testing to confirm his innocence. Nonetheless, the State's admission they sent Bateman to jail for 30 years without any DNA evidence is a major step forward. Sign the petition to support Bateman here!

Finally, this week's Circle City Shout Out goes to the youth of Minneapolis, the country, and here in Indianapolis for walking out to protest ICE, even without any legal rights to do so. However, young people have always been at the forefront of social change and even revolutions. When Karl Marx and Frederick Engels wrote The Communist Manifesto, they were only 29 and 27 years-old respectively. Leila Khaled was just 15 when she joined the Arab Nationalist League and at age 23 was the first woman to join the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, or PFLP. Huey P. Newton co-founded the Black Panther Party when he was 24.

That’s why we view everything here as an opportunity to train a new generation of fighters and activists. And we have several ways to do so this week. So shout-out to the youth eager to learn how to best fight for justice and to those willing to teach (and learn from) them!

Events:

Capital Class: Session 4 (virtual)

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In this episode, Lucas Lee joins co-host Dani Abdullah to discuss the upcoming mayoral elections and analyze the unknown history of working-class solidarity and uprisings in the Midwest.

The Naptown Breakdown discusses so-called “Voice of Progress” Vop Osili’s announced mayoral candidacy. Although current Indianapolis mayor Joe Hogsett will not seek re-election, Osili and Hogsett maintain close ties and Osili continue to defend Hogsett’s culture of patriarchy and misogyny. Osili’s ongoing silence and his 2025 removal of Lauren Roberts during a June 9 City-Council hearing.

In today’s main segment, Dani and Lucas discuss the pivotal uprisings of the Midwest that have happened in the last 20 years, from Ferguson to Minneapolis. While some may refer to this region as the ‘flyover states’ as organizers we know that almost anything is possible. Often labeled as slow and uneventful cities, the Midwest experienced some of the largest uprisings that later spread to the rest of the U.S. and the world. They analyze Indiana’s history of uprisings like the 1919 U.S. Steel Strikes, which saw workers of different national identities uniting for the benefit of the working and oppressed classes. Despite a common narrative that this uprising was plagued by “race riots” that pitted workers against each other, the real history is an exceptional one of solidarity the ruling class wants buried.

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Wildstyle Paschall joins the show in advance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day to reclaim the real legacy of Dr. King by situating his organizing, leadership, diplomatic moves, and theories in their proper context.

The Naptown Breakdown begins with Saturday's emergency demonstration in solidarity with Renee Nicole Good and all those killed by ICE and the State. The Indianapolis demonstration was one of hundreds across the country and, at the protest, one speaker asked where our "city" "leaders" are and what they plan to do about ICE's reign of terror. The people forced Hogsett to respond, as reported in Mirror Indy on January 9. Hogsett refused to take any responsibility and said it is "somebody else's decision." He ended by saying "people are frightened and I'm aware of that." But as our co-hosts Dani Abdullah and Derek Ford note, the people are not afraid, which is why so many took to the streets on January 8. Perhaps it won't be Hogsett's decision after all: it will be the people's decision.

The guest in the main segment is Wildstyle Paschall, a community advocate, skater, and Indiana historian with whom the PSL and groups at the Indy Liberation Center have been honored to struggle alongside for years. Paschall and Abdullah chop it up about the real history of Dr. MLK Jr. They show in detail how, as Lenin put it:

This week's Circle City Shout Out goes to all of the donors and sustainers for PSL Indianapolis, the Liberation Center, and our fellow member-organizations there. We just launched a fund drive to help cover the costs of our recent move and increasing costs in general, so please give what you can, become a sustainer, and ask a friend to become one. We don't accept foundation or government grants. The only way we can maintain our political independence is by relying on our people, and we thank you for showing out so far!

A few of the events mentioned at the end of the episode include:

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We are proud to present 'Season 2' of Naptown People's Radio. We hope everyone got some rest over the holiday break because the struggle is heating up more than ever!

Our first episode this season covers the launch of MaskOff12, a new independent police accountability mechanism, Indianapolis' solidarity with the Venezuelan people, as well as the present and future of the artistic scene in Indy.

Absent Dani Abdullah, host Derek Ford is joined by guest host Lucas Lee. Lee takes on the Naptown Breakdown, focusing on Trump's military action against Venezuela, including the illegal kidnapping of its democratically-elected President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. 

Within hours, Indianapolis joined over 100 cities to defend Venezuela's sovereignty and show their solidarity with the people of the country. We hear from protesters at the January 3 action on Monument Circle organized by ANSWER Indiana about why they felt compelled to show their solidarity with the people of Venezuela. The local protest was covered by WTHR, WRTV, FOX, and other outlets

For our featured segment, we're joined by Akhim Abdullah and Noah Leininger, two Center volunteers who have been organizing against police terror for a combined eight years. Abdullah and Leininger delve into their important project launching today: MaskOff12.com. Killer cops are rarely held accountable for their crimes against our communities because other state agents do everything they can to protect them. With MaskOff12, they can no longer hide behind the comfort of anonymity.

Finally, we hear from local cultural worker James Cramer, a member of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) union about his work in the entertainment industry. Cramer speaks about the recent annual Yuletide Celebration show he just finished working, as well as about the past, present, and future of the arts in our city.

Events:

From Indy to Minneapolis: Stop ICE Terror!

Show Notes:

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This week, our co-hosts are joined by NPR's producer, Dakota Fronterhouse, as they look back at the past year of struggle in Naptown. They begin with late 2024, as groups in and around the Indianapolis Liberation Center started preparing for a heightened era of repression and resistance. They cover in detail the people's fight-back movement against ICE, police terror, mass incarceration, and attacks on oppressed nationalities, drawing out their connections and the lessons we can take with us as we move into the new year.

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This week's episode features Sam Shr and Iris of Starbucks Workers United, who remind us of the reason for the season: living wages, dignity, and justice. With our co-producer, Lucas Lee, they cover the unionization attempt, their reasonable demands, the challenges they've confronted and overcome, and the reason for unions in the first place—because they are the only way to protect workers from the dictatorship of the workplace.

Our Naptown Breakdown transitions from workplace to the political dictatorship exercised by the local Democratic Party led by Joe Hogsett and his henchmen. By creating the "Indianapolis Local Education Alliance," constructed to do the opposite of what its name implies, the right-wing is trying to bulldoze their way to privatize our public resources and dismantle all public control over public institutions. But finally, the people are fighting back and challenging the pro-corporate and anti-people narrative that's dominated Indianapolis unchallenged for over a decade.

Co-hosts Dani Abdullah and Derek Ford discuss the evolution of public schooling in the United States, showing how it emerged as a direct result of the Radical Reconstruction Era until that revolution was overthrown. After providing a brief history of the militant struggles of working and oppressed people to gain access to education and the reactionary responses to undo that progress (including placing corporate businessmen on school boards in the 1890s), they detail exactly what the ILEA is: an unelected body appointed by Mayor Hogsett that will further erode power from the people via the Indianapolis Public School Board. This history matters as we continue the struggle, the outcome of which will be determined not in the Council Chambers but in the streets. That was on display just before the vote at a press conference spoke at the press conference organized by the Indianapolis Education Association and Central Indiana Democratic Socialists of America (with support from the Indianapolis Liberation Center).

For our main segment, co-producer Lucas Lee interviews two leading organizers with Starbucks Workers United Mass Ave. They touch on a range of crucial issues that demand our attention as support for unions is, finally, on the rise once again. They also inform our listeners how they can support their winning campaign.

Finally, Dani gives this week's Circle City Shout Out to none other than Sena Kürk. Born and raised in Türkiye, Sena holds a bachelor’s degree of Psychological Counseling and Guidance from Ankara University and an associates degree in Visual Communication & Design from Ivy Tech. Shas has over five years of experience as a certified yoga instructor.

Sena leads "Emancipatory Motions: Yoga for Movement Building," a member-organization at the Liberation Center. They meet every Sunday from 6-8 pm to engage in a yoga that repairs the damages done by capitalism to our entire bodies by reconnecting us with our selves as beings in complex motion together. We hope to see you as we move to build the movement! To help Sena and the Center out, we ask for a sliding scale donation of $10 - $15 but no one is turned away from a lack (or excess) of funds!

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This week's episode pays tribute to our fallen soldier Kwame Shakur, a brother who was consistently fighting for the freedom and liberation of all people.

To keep Kwame Shakur's spirit and words with us, we let Kwame speak for himself. In a concise clip from our August 2019 Liberation Forum filmed by Critical Thought Critique, Kwame talks about his life, political development, ideological outlook, and hope for the future.

Abdullah takes the Circle City Shout Out as an opportunity to honor Kwame and recall the time he spent fighting in the streets with us since we met him in late 2018. Kwame was a leading figure in the 2020 response to the IMPD's 8-hour killing spree. While the protests that erupted were certainly spontaneous, they were also organized after a "Free Them All" Coalition protested prison conditions throughout the winter and spring.

While he wasn't a member of the PSL, he was a dear friend of the Party and a welcome presence at the Indianapolis Liberation Center, where he hosted the inaugural ceremony of the Black Liberation Party.

Kwame Shakur, ¡presente!

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This week, co-hosts Dani Abdullah and Derek Ford dive into the housing crisis in Indianapolis, detailing how unnecessary and absurd it is by comparing it with how a socialist government could not only easily fix the problem but prevent its occurrence in the first place.

The Naptown Breakdown covers the convergence of two protests this past Saturday. The first, called by ANSWER Indiana, was part of a nationwide day of action that involved more than 60 cities across the U.S. showing their solidarity with the Venezuelan people. The second protest, organized by “We the People: Indiana United,” was held to oppose redistricting efforts. While these two events may seem unrelated, interviews with “We the People” Director Amy Kleyla and other protesters show this is not the case. 

Last week's Breakdown discussed the misogynistic murder of Amanda Jones, and this week, we unfortunately have to cover a similar preventable tragedy. On December 6, Brittany Kavanaugh was murdered by her ex-boyfriend even though, like Jones, she repeatedly filed police reports and got a restraining order. The investigation is still ongoing, and Kavanaugh’s ex-boyfriend is helping with the investigation.

Speaking of Indiana’s war against women, our hosts turn to Gov. Mike Braun’s “Family First Workplace” decree by Executive Order on December 2. Several government offices are piloting the program, which effectively forces women to take their children to work for the first six months after birth. Not even accounting for the many caregivers and parents excluded from the order, is it really “pro-family” or “anti-worker”?

Finally, before diving into the local housing crisis, our hosts turn to the paychecks that haven’t kept up with rising rents, as full-time work far from guarantees decent shelter. A 2025 report by Out of Reach – Indiana found that one has to earn $22.18/hr to afford a modest two-bedroom apartment at “fair market rent,” but the average Hoosier earns just $18.05/hr.

The main segment takes up Joe Hogsett’s 2018 plan to end homelessness by 2023, which we critiqued last episode. It’s one thing to critique these plans clearly produced for public consumption. What we need to do is demonstrate that the housing crisis can easily be solved; we need to present a positive vision for the future and what is possible when ordinary people, everyday people like you and me, are mobilized to do something that we care about: provide for ourselves, each other, and our communities.

They compare the homelessness crisis facing Indiana and our city to an “evil government” the politicians and media consistently demonize: the Bolivarian government in Venezuela. Since coming to power, Hugo Chávez immediately began two great housing projects: one focusing on the city and the other on the primarily indigenous populations in the countryside, who were gifted the land they worked by the government. Nicolás Maduro continued the initiative that continues to this day. One major recent breakthrough came in 2022, when the Great Housing Mission of Venezuela delivered 4 million homes to the people. Then last year, the day after International Workers’ Day (May 1), the government announced an additional 4.9 million homes, developed by a woman-led initiative. Among the other milestones, you can watch live footage from our featured speaker Grand Opening Night, Gloria La Riva, who was on the ground when the 2019 Housing Mission Initiative went public.

Abdullah and Ford detail the vacancy rates of luxury condos in downtown Indianapolis. The most conservative estimates place the vacancy rate at 22 percent, which means there are 1,100 luxury units we could (and eventually will) immediately move homeless people into. Considering many of our homeless neighbors are part of families and other units, we could easily accomplish this. Yet if we take into account the larger Marion-County vacancy rate, that leaves an additional 2,416 units available for the approximately 1,800 homeless people in Indianapolis on any given night over the past year. And we would still have more homes than homeless people! After explaining and identifying that contradiction, our hosts translate it into common language we can use to explain the root causes of our “homelessness crisis” to co-workers, neighbors, and everyone in our lives.

Finally, this week’s Circle City Shout Out goes to Wayne Kidd, who stays busy but still finds time to attend and even dedicate his cooking chops to the Center. Wayne first attended our 2023 PSL Black August Forum feat. Jamil Cambell. He approached us about hosting Yessal Gui’s (The Renewal’s) celebration of Mawlid Al Nabi Muhammad, the anniversary of the birth of the Prophet Muhammad, before our new Center before it officially opened. We were excited one of the first events would be a spiritual, political, and community event. Yessal Gui is a charitable religious organization dedicated to demonstrating the divine love of God worldwide in all areas of life. They are headquartered in Indianapolis, although they have multiple branches in different states. As a Sufi community, they function not only to worship and celebrate God but to practice it in real life. Locally, they engage in various food distribution and other community projects. You can find Wayne at all of them.

Wayne and his son graciously provided excellent vegetarian and vegan meals at our 2023 and 2025 Grand Openings. And while he stays busy, expect to see him and eat his food more often when you're at the Center. Shout out to Wayne Kidd!

Upcoming Events:

Before concluding, we run through another upcoming week of events for everyone looking to plug into the struggle at any level and from any angle.

On Thursday, from 6:30 – 8:00 pm, Indy Hope Packages will assemble winter survival kits at the Center to distribute to our homeless neighbors at Lugar Plaza on Saturday. You can click on the show notes to donate, buy specific items, and all are welcome to the Center that evening. Then, on Sunday from 1 – 2:30 pm, they’ll be distributing the survival kits at Lugar Plaza. Throughout, they’ll be raising consciousness about two points from their 10-Point Program. You can catch Mirror Indy’s coverage of the two events, as well as donate, become a sustainer, or sign up to volunteer!

On Friday, stop by between 6:00 – 9:00 pm for the opening of our first art show at your new Center. Arte Mexicano en Indiana proudly features the work of Salvadoran-American painter Oscar Toloza at the Fonseca Du Bois Gallery. I’ve seen the artwork and it’s striking and quite interesting, and Friday’s a great time to check it out, see our new space, and also check out our new store, of course.

Saturday from 9:30-11 we have our next Circle City Sangha mindfulness meetup, and Sunday from 6-8 pm we have our next Emancipatory Motions political yoga session. And if you’re in New York City or by a computer Saturday at 6:30, be sure to catch the launch of Shaka A. Shakur’s first book, Manifestations of Thought: When the Dragon Comes, which you can pre-order here. The event will take place at The People’s Forum and will be livestreamed and stored on their website, will feature what is sure to be an informative, fun, and energizing call to action with the panelists we’ve lined up: Vernon T. Bateman, Dr. Akili Shakur, Dani Abdullah, Leon Benson, and Derek Ford, who closely co-edited the book with Shaka and Tessa Kockhert, one of Derek’s students.

Now that we’ve released the new Shaka A. Shakur documentary globally, the Shaka Shakur Freedom Campaign is now scheduling screenings in any territory featuring different panelists for each event. It’s a way to continue raising awareness about Shaka’s case, all political prisoners, building a movement to tear down the prison walls for good, and fundraising for the hefty legal dues involved in the campaign. To schedule an event in your area, simply fill out this form on the SSFC website! You can also visit the new Liberation Center Store to pick up our new “Free Shaka Shakur and All Political Prisoners” tees and a range of other accessories that support the Campaign.

As you can see, we stay busy here, so no need to skip back, you can just go to our website to check out the events.

Show Notes:

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Ahead of the global debut of the documentary, "Across Enemy Lines: Shaka A. Shakur" and the release of Shaka's book, Manifestations of Thought, Cecilia Gomez interviews NPR co-host Derek Ford, who co-directed the film and helped edit the book.

This week's Naptown Breakdown focuses on housing, policing and patriarchy, and the upcoming grand opening of your new Indianapolis Liberation Center. Bracing for a loss of $10 million in federal grant money for long-term housing projects, city leaders are playing the victim. In fact, in 2018 they released a report about "ending homelessness in 2023." The City-County Council entertained the infamous "Sit-Lie" Ordinance, which would have criminalized homelessness, the same year.

Co-hosts Dani Abdullah and Ford send their solidarity and love to the family of Amanda S. Jones who, on November 24, was killed by an abusive partner. Jones' families says she had been trying to leave the abusive relationship for a while, filing multiple police reports and obtaining a restraining order. Relatives say Amanda told officers more than once “you’ll not do something till somebody’s dead." Less than nine hours after Amanda called the police, she was murdered.

While the city leaders and cops don't care about the masses, the groups and volunteers at the Indianapolis Liberation Center dedicate their time, energy, money, and other resources to struggling against the rotten systems that cause so much suffering in our lives. That's why we're excited to invite everyone to the grand opening of your new Liberation Center this Friday, December 5 between 5:00 - 10:00 am. We’re not only celebrating our new headquarters where activists, organizers, collectives, and organizations can collaborate and extend their capacity; we’re celebrating the next chapter in our mission to create a world without exploitation and oppression.

Cecilia Gomez, a leading organizer with the Indianapolis Liberation Center, joins the show this week to interview Ford about the documentary on Shaka A. Shakur he co-directed and about the forthcoming book by Shaka Ford helped edit. The two discuss the significance of Shaka's life, theory, and organizing; the process of editing the book throughout numerous disruptions to Shaka's ability to communicate, and more.

This week's Circle City Shout Out goes to Devon Rush from Live Free Indiana, which is the home to the Black Church Coalition, Validus Movement, and Indy Action Coalition. Devon previously worked at Mental Health for America, putting in work around the clock to make it possible for incarcerated parents to spend time with their children who were in Child Services. Most of Devon's work is behind the scenes; it's not glamorous and he's not in it for any recognition. He's an unsung hero of Indianapolis. Shout out to Devon Rush!

Bryce Gustafson, an organizer with Citizens Action Coalition since 2009, joins this week's show to explain the proliferation of AI data center proposals in the city and state and update us on the struggles to defeat them.

First, for the Naptown Breakdown co-hosts Dani Abdullah and Derek Ford address Gov. Braun's Nov. 19 order to deploy 300 Indiana National Guardsmen to Washington D.C. in December. While they train at Camp Atterbury, which is slated to be an ICE detention center, their deployment depends on the outcome of a federal court decision. Veterans and active-duty soldiers are organizing against ICE's reign of terror, like About Face's "Right to Refuse" campaign that organizer Lucas Lee announced in a previous episode.

Next, they turn to the recent "swatting" of multiple Republican senators and City-County councilor Nick Roberts, which entails the threat or use of violence against those who oppose Trump's redistricting efforts. The current swatting controversy is one instance of a long history, dating back to the counterrevolution that overthrew Reconstruction in the late 19th Century. As early as 1938, a Supreme Court justice noted "less than half of one percent" of cases of 14th Amendment cases concerned the rights of Black people. Today's redistricting push is another attempt by the ultra-right to roll back the social gains made during the 1960s-70s.

Having just returned from a Martindale Brightwood organizing meeting to keep Metrobloks out of our city, Bryce Gustafson helps us understand the specifics of AI data centers, the reasons behind the recent rush for their development in Indiana, as well as the looming trillion-dollar economic bubble that even Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai anticipates is on the verge of bursting. Gustafson, who has decades of experience fighting to protect Hoosiers from rising costs of energy, utilities, and health care—not to mention the racism and corruption plaguing the Public Library Board of Trustees—shares his outlook and what every person in Naptown can do to protect our people and city.

This week's Circle City Shout Out goes to Nikki Shumpert, a community member who you can find helping our neighbors in need on a daily basis. Nikki is also a foster mom who has adopted and raised multiple children who have gone on to do amazing things with their lives. Unfortunately, on February 25 of this year, cop Grant Snyder killed one of her children, Adam Sykes. Under Nikki's leadership, PSL Indianapolis and other community members revealed evidence the IMPD was trying to hide from the public. Two days ago, on November 24, Adam would have turned 34. We send our love and heartfelt solidarity to Nikki and the family of fighters she raised. Rest in Power, Adam Sykes!

Before closing out the show, we remind listeners of Circle City Sangha's weekly gathering at the Center this Saturday at 9:30 and announce our new partnership with Emancipatory Motions, a political yoga practice for movement building. Join them this and every Sunday at 6:00 pm at the Center.

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