Wait, What is That?

In this episode of 'Wait, What Is That' Podcast, hostsBrandon and Katie discuss the Peekskill Riots of 1949 with John Scott Bennett,a filmmaker who has chronicled this significant yet under-discussed event inAmerican history. The conversation centers on the riots that erupted duringconcerts by Paul Robeson, an African American singer, actor, and civil rightsactivist, who faced violent opposition from the Peekskill community and the KuKlux Klan. Bennett, a history graduate from Manhattanville College, sharesinsights into local history, how the riots were a reaction to Robeson'spolitical stance, particularly his support for the Soviet Union, and how theseevents have been systematically erased or undermined in local historynarratives. The episode also explores Robeson's legacy, his subsequentblacklisting, and the broader implications for civil rights and historicalmemory.

00:00 Introduction and Hosts Introduction

00:32 Introducing John Scott Bennett

01:24 The Peekskill Riots: A Historical Overview

02:40 Paul Robeson and His Impact

04:11 Discovering Local History

08:26 The Ku Klux Klan's Influence

11:19 Economic and Social Tensions

13:59 Paul Robeson's Legacy and Struggles

36:51 The First Peekskill Riot

40:49 Catholics Fight Back Against the Klan

41:25 The Jewish Summer Camp Incident

42:27 Obstacles in Documenting Peekskill History

43:34 The Peekskill Museum Controversy

45:34 Paul Robeson's Struggle and Legacy

57:52 The Decline of the Klan

01:03:15 Community Response and Support

01:04:25 Creating the Documentary Series

01:07:32 Personal Reflections and Future Plans

Kamel Jamal speaks of his love for Palestine and devotion to its liberation in a quietly sad yet solid voice after completing one of his toughest days as a chef for one of his restaurants, Beacon Bread Company. During the early summer days of May 2021, after families in the Palestinian neighborhood, Sheikh Jarrah in East Jerusalem, banded together to protest their scheduled displacement by occupying Israeli forces, the world awoke to the plight of Palestinians and their inability to survive in Palestine, as homes are demolished by their occupiers, electricity is limited, water is supplied undrinkable, and packages are confiscated. All of which is nothing new, but more people started paying attention.

As the City of Beacon considers a smoking cannabis ban on its public parks, Katie and Brandon discuss if people even want to smoke cannabis in public parks and if the smoke should be allowed to drift. Now that New York State has made smoking cannabis legal - partly in the name of removing racial discrimination from enforcement - the once-criminalized aroma can be all around us. Can people re-wire their brains to not associate negative thoughts with smoking? Does regulating open-air of cannabis take a step backward from attempting to remove discrimination?

To Attend The Public Comment Meeting On 8/2/2021:

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the City of Beacon City Council will be holding the City Council Workshop and Meeting of August 2, 2021, in the Courtroom at 1 Municipal Plaza, Beacon, NY 12508. The meeting will simultaneously be streamed via Zoom. The public can attend in the Courtroom, or access the meeting via Zoom at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88375353313?pwd=ZUNRTkkzdXJpbU5uQWlXeTlvSytKQT09

Webinar ID: 883 7535 3313 Passcode: 544508. To the extent internet access is not available, the public can attend and comment via telephone by dialing + 1 929 205 6099 and entering the Webinar ID: 883 7535 3313 Passcode: 544508.

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE, that the City Council Meeting of August 2, 2021, at 7:00 pm can be accessed live at  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvPpigGwZDeR7WYmw-SuDxg

Brandon and Katie’s first Disney discussion was so riveting, Katie’s sister wanted to come onto to the show to voice her very strong opinions about why she’s not a Little Mermaid Fan, her questions about Elsa from Frozen, and why Hans as a duplicitous character is allowed to make an appearance at all.

Brandon and Katie are BACK! It’s been an entire pandemic (for Dutchess County…several parts of the world are continuing to get crushed). To grease our wheels, Brandon breaks into song to Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and Katie ends the segment by singing the Little Mermaid’s “Part Of Your World.”

What started as a planned pod about Disney presentations of female and family values, turned into an improv jazz session, if you will, covering random but important topics, including (but not limited to):

In the summer of 2020, Beacon experienced protests down Main Street in the name of Black lives for several weekends in a row, followed by educational experiences, usually in Memorial Park. Supported by businesses down Main Street with signs in windows and staff and owners standing outside with fists raised, a young Beaconite Justice McCray led a drumbeat to break the silent segregation that has blanketed this nation since the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. Justice is not alone - an organic grouping of people called Beacon4Black Lives formed, grew, spread out, and defined their purpose in changing the community to be safer and more comfortable for Black and Brown's people living with white neighbors who historically have made the rules. This episode explores what inspires Justice and where he sees his work going.

Police reform and reflection is on the minds of everyone, including children. One example of confronting police influence is in children’s programming. For a minute, the long-loved cartoon Paw Patrol, which is a show that follows a boy named Ryder and a crew of pups who go on rescue missions in the community, was rumored to be canceled when police programming such as “Cops” was actually deemed to go off the air. The rumor was so strong, that even President Trump himself thought Paw Patrol was going off the air, and had his press secretary Kayleigh McEnany lament it at a press conference (USA Today had to correct her and his false statements).

Hearing the mis-information back in Beacon, 8-year-old Cole Martin fact checked the White House, and found that USA Today and many other newspapers also fact checked the president to correct him and Kayleigh, proving that Paw Patrol was in fact on the air, and thriving.

Brandon and Katie sit down with Cole Mitchell Martin, who is Katie’s son, to discover:

Get into the mind of an 8-year-old these days, to see how this one approaches everyday things.

Ali T. Muhammad was born and raised in Beacon, NY, walking every day down a literal pathway between prison and public school, as his home was on the grounds. Brandon and Katie catch up with Ali to hear about his perspective and experience with Black Lives Matter protests and experience sessions throughout the Hudson Valley.

Segueing into a different city department now, we interview Reuben Simmons, who is involved in community outreach and programming in Beacon, and worked his way up to being promoted as Beacon’s Highway Superintendent, until he wasn’t. His is the only job demotion you might see in LinkedIn. We look into why, what happened, and what is currently happening.