Dr. Richard Wolff, professor of economics at the University of
Massachusetts, Amherst, visiting professor in the graduate program in
International Affairs of the New School University and the author,
most recently, of “Understanding Socialism” and “Understanding
Marxism,” tells the Misfits that the US had no excuse for being
unprepared for this pandemic ‒ except for the perennial excuse that it
wasn’t profitable. Our government could have been buying and storing
public health supplies the same way it does military supplies, but it
doesn’t. Our capitalist system crashes every four to seven years, but
the combination of events this year has pushed us to a total system
breakdown. He urges listeners not to be deflected by the wedges the
forces of capital will try to drive between us, be they racial,
generational or otherwise. He also predicts much more civil unrest,
because job losses on this scale are an open invitation to labor
abuse.

We are joined by Dr. Gerald Horne, historian and chair of history and
African American Studies at the University of Houston, warns DC
activists that they are probably the most heavily surveilled in the
nation, and that this administration appears to be pulling out all the
stops to smear and prosecute them. Fascism arrives on little cat feet,
he says, and it is imperative to block it now, before that fist can
fully form and fall. For whatever reason, the black community and its
allies have finally snapped, and we may be on the verge of more than a
long, hot summer. They discuss historical mechanisms used to disrupt
protest movements and parallels to effective paths we’ve seen in the
past, and his fears that this wall-to-wall media coverage of today’s
protests will still somehow miss the point.

Hosts Bob Schlehuber and Jamarl Thomas also discussed the charges
levied against the three officers present at George Floyd’s death,
Drew Brees’ disappointing statement and bizarre apology on the
subject, the rise of the thin blue line flag, the frightening trend of
attacks on media and the fighting breaking out within media organs
over how to cover this uprising.

We are joined by Dr. Gerald Horne, historian and chair of history and
African American Studies at the University of Houston, warns DC
activists that they are probably the most heavily surveilled in the
nation, and that this administration appears to be pulling out all the
stops to smear and prosecute them. Fascism arrives on little cat feet,
he says, and it is imperative to block it now, before that fist can
fully form and fall. For whatever reason, the black community and its
allies have finally snapped, and we may be on the verge of more than a
long, hot summer. They discuss historical mechanisms used to disrupt
protest movements and parallels to effective paths we’ve seen in the
past, and his fears that this wall-to-wall media coverage of today’s
protests will still somehow miss the point.

Nicole Roussell, producer of Loud and Clear on Radio Sputnik,
described to hosts Bob Schlehuber and Jamarl Thomas how she was
attacked by police while filming in front of the White House on
Monday. She documented people being maced, shoved and trampled by
officers in riot gear. Despite holding her badge up and shouting that
she was press as she attempted to film the events, she was pelted with
stinger grenades, raising welts. But that was only the first attack ‒
minutes later, she was struck with a rubber bullet, again despite
being clearly identified as press, and eventually shoved to the ground
by a police officer with a shield. This was the experience of many
media figures at the event, as well as countless protesters, she
notes, and once again, it’s not an aberration. This is the prescribed
functioning of the system of policing, laid bare.

Mohamed Elmazi, journalist and contributor to numerous outlets
including the Canary, the interregnum.net, and Sputnik International,
said that in London, a huge and racially mixed crowd came out into the
streets to support the Black Lives Matter movement. Many of them told
him racism and violence on the part of the police in the UK are
pervasive, and merely better covered up than in the US. He also laid
bare the power and influence of the armed forces in the UK, as
exemplified by several war crimes investigations being dropped, and
brought an update on the case of Julian Assange, who has missed even
video conferencing into his most recent hearings because of health
concerns.

The Misfits also shared the voices of voters who’d waited in line for
hours due to the District’s incompetence and those who’d come to the
streets to protest again, talked about Congressman Eliot Engel’s hot
mic disaster, busted open the fiction of Donald Trump’s Antifa
boogeyman and wondered what the hell happened to Justin Trudeau
yesterday.

Mohamed Elmazi, journalist and contributor to numerous outlets
including the Canary, the interregnum.net, and Sputnik International,
said that in London, a huge and racially mixed crowd came out into the
streets to support the Black Lives Matter movement. Many of them told
him racism and violence on the part of the police in the UK are
pervasive, and merely better covered up than in the US. He also laid
bare the power and influence of the armed forces in the UK, as
exemplified by several war crimes investigations being dropped, and
brought an update on the case of Julian Assange, who has missed even
video conferencing into his most recent hearings because of health
concerns.

Nicole Roussell, producer of Loud and Clear on Radio Sputnik,
described to hosts Bob Schlehuber and Jamarl Thomas how she was
attacked by police while filming in front of the White House on
Monday. She documented people being maced, shoved and trampled by
officers in riot gear. Despite holding her badge up and shouting that
she was press as she attempted to film the events, she was pelted with
stinger grenades, raising welts. But that was only the first attack ‒
minutes later, she was struck with a rubber bullet, again despite
being clearly identified as press, and eventually shoved to the ground
by a police officer with a shield. This was the experience of many
media figures at the event, as well as countless protesters, she
notes, and once again, it’s not an aberration. This is the prescribed
functioning of the system of policing, laid bare.

Nathaniel Wallace of RedSpin Sports dropped by to discuss some of the
history of activism and politics in sports and how they’re expressed
in that industry today. High profile players have real power, which
they have leveraged into concessions for their own labor. As sports
begin to reopen, we may see them again flex their muscle to protect
themselves, and perhaps to support some of the social movements in the
streets today.

Dr. Alex Vitale, sociology professor at Brooklyn College and author of
the recent book “The End of Policing,” tells Bob and co-host Jamarl
Thomas that the murder of George Floyd has ripped off the bandage that
was trying to cover up the plague of police violence. The police do
not treat Americans equally: they explicitly uphold the race and class
divisions of our society, and no amount of anti-bias training can
change that mandate. A solution has to begin with defunding police, he
says, but also by simultaneously refunding other social and community
services and systems to support problem solving without the police. In
the same way, we can’t invest all of our political energy into
electoral politics, but must also build community organizations and
systems to work toward our goals. Don’t let corporate media and the
defenders of this cruel system make you forget this moment, he
cautions.

Misfit host Bob Schlehuber and producer Michelle Witte shared
firsthand reports from the peaceful protests that were violently
broken up in Washington, DC, last night, describing the tactics the
police deployed first to clear the way for President Donald Trump’s
Bible-toting photo opportunity and then to intimidate protesters after
curfew, including hovering over them in military helicopters. Activist
and organizer Tracye Redd also shared their on-the-ground experience,
during which they got the opportunity to put a Black Lives Matter lawn
sign to the test. The three also broke down Joe Biden’s terrible
suggestion that the police “shoot them in the leg” when confronted by
armed or unarmed people.

Dr. Alex Vitale, sociology professor at Brooklyn College and author of
the recent book “The End of Policing,” tells Bob and co-host Jamarl
Thomas that the murder of George Floyd has ripped off the bandage that
was trying to cover up the plague of police violence. The police do
not treat Americans equally: they explicitly uphold the race and class
divisions of our society, and no amount of anti-bias training can
change that mandate. A solution has to begin with defunding police, he
says, but also by simultaneously refunding other social and community
services and systems to support problem solving without the police. In
the same way, we can’t invest all of our political energy into
electoral politics, but must also build community organizations and
systems to work toward our goals. Don’t let corporate media and the
defenders of this cruel system make you forget this moment, he
cautions.

Nathaniel Wallace of RedSpin Sports dropped by to discuss some of the
history of activism and politics in sports and how they’re expressed
in that industry today. High profile players have real power, which
they have leveraged into concessions for their own labor. As sports
begin to reopen, we may see them again flex their muscle to protect
themselves, and perhaps to support some of the social movements in the
streets today.

Garland Nixon, cohost of Fault Lines on Radio Sputnik, reminds
us to judge politicians on their records, not on their platitudes.
This unrest is not only about the murder of George Floyd: that was the
spark that ignited social unrest simmering under the tens of millions
out of work, trying to get by on one measly government check, too poor
to go to the doctor, with no guidance on how to best take care of
themselves in this pandemic. He blows up the double standard on
visiting protesters, that somehow it’s great when people come from
across the country for a right-wing protest, but it’s a crime when
people travel to show solidarity with Black Lives Matter. They also
discuss Keith Ellison leading the prosecution against the officers who
killed George Floyd, what needs to happen to start police reform, and
make some predictions about a very hot July.

Eugene Puryear, journalist with BreakThrough News, brings a report
from the ground in Minneapolis, and confirms that the demonstrations
there are being driven by locals, by real people with real anger,
including at local officials they say consistently protect violent
police. He also confirms that many issues are driving people to the
streets: poverty, police violence, the disproportionate impact of
COVID-19 on black communities, and more. People are recognizing that
white supremacy is a pillar of our capitalist system, he says, and
people in Minneapolis are excited to see the other protests popping
off in the US and around the world.

Brianna Griffith, producer and host of People’s Republic, reports that
she did not hear anyone speaking Russian at protests in Austin, but
she did encounter American officials pulling administrative strings to
shut down legitimate protest. Is this making Americans safer? No. But
mainstream media wants to run with this narrative about foreign
instigators exacerbating American tensions to turn people’s minds away
from class oppression to a foreign bogeyman. She and host Jamarl
Thomas also trashed former President Barack Obama’s weak call for
people to vote in response to police violence and the toothless
analysis from the Sunday news shows.