I'm fighting for it. You're fighting for it. But let's take a moment to define what justice means for families impacted by police violence and racial terrorism on today's rerun episode of The Breakdown.

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2020 is too much. Period. On today's episode, a rerun that's relevant now more than ever as the year comes to a close, I just want to talk to you about the importance of processing the pain of it all.

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People ask me all of the time what I do for fun and whether or not I have a hobby. Let me tell you what I've been working on for fun for the past 6 months.

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Today in the United States, essential workers and others are starting to receive the coronavirus vaccination. I come from a community of people who are rightly skeptical of everything about the American healthcare system. I agree with them that this system is predatory and has a long history of abuse and profiteering. That's why I am understanding of people who just don't accept the vaccination at face value. I've read the studies. I've talked to epidemiologists. I've talked to public health experts. And I live in one of the most impacted communities and cities in the world where we need real help. If you are a part of a community that still doesn't believe that the coronavirus is real - then it will be hard for us to have a smart conversation together. However, if you know it's real, but just don't trust the system, then let's talk. Feel free to push back. I'm OK with that. Love y'all and need us to bounce back from this.

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Last night, at 9:27 PM, Brandon Bernard breathed his last breath after being injected with lethal poison 20 minutes earlier. Our federal government, with our tax dollars, did this. And it's easy to put all of the blame on our political enemy right now, but SO many people and systems failed Brandon along the way. Let me unpack and explain.

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I want to take a moment to begin unpacking and explaining the horrible police murder of Casey Goodson - a brilliant, kind, generous young Black man in Columbus, Ohio. He did nothing wrong. Broke no laws. Committed no crimes. Wasn't wanted for anything. Had never been in trouble a day in his life. But in what is perhaps the most 2020 way to end 2020, he was shot and killed by police as he had his keys in one hand, with the keys literally in the door of his home, and Subway sandwiches in another. We are not just demanding answers, but we are demanding justice, accountability, and deep systemic change.

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Today is a GOOD NEWS episode of @TheBreakdown! The people of New Orleans just elected a brand new District Attorney - a civil rights attorney and former Innocence Project attorney, Jason Williams - who is going to change the local justice system from inside out. And just this week Los Angeles swore in its brand new DA, George Gascon, who came out of the gates announcing more deep systemic change than any DA I've ever seen in my life. The PEOPLE made that happen! It's real change.

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I see a lot of calls for Joe Biden to appoint Black people to his cabinet. I get it. Black people put this man into office. And it makes sense to demand something in return for that loyalty and dedication, but we have to have a hard conversation today, OK? Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron is Black - and HORRIBLE. He has blocked justice for Breonna's family at every turn. We just defeated one of the most oppressive District Attorneys in the country - a Black woman - who was a Democrat - Jackie Lacey in Los Angeles. She was the oppressor. It's not just wrong to think that appointing someone Black is immediately a righteous decision - it can literally be used as COVER for some very horrible policies coming down the line. Yesterday Joe Biden nominated a Black man to be his defense secretary, but I need to explain to you why it's not quite what it appears to be.

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All over the country, as the coronavirus pandemic rages out of control, businesses are being shut down to slow the spread of the virus. Listen - I understand. This thing is off the rails. I think our country clearly has to make hard emergency decisions to get through this, but if you are going to close down small businesses, and mess with the ways people provide for their families, you have to provide direct aid to them right away. Period.

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Budget cuts are about to hit this country SO hard. The pandemic is reducing tax revenue from coast to coast - and when those cuts are made, police budgets need to be some of the first budgets cut. Departments are bloated, ineffective, and don't actually make us safer. Today, I'll finish my 2 part series on why we can and should defund the police.

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exclusive members perks and early access to content