Washington Indivisible Podcast

Senator Maria Cantwell. She is the Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and is the first woman to be in that role.

In our wide-ranging discussion, we touch on everything from the Biden’s infrastructure to the We the People Act and the filibuster, and even her many achievements over the course of her 20 years in the Senate. We also get her thoughts on the current state of the Republican Party.

This was recorded live at noon on Friday, May 14th.

Theme music from filmmusic.io

"Pure Joy" by Otis Galloway

License: CC BY (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

As communities examine the way that traditional policing is currently done, we see more and more questions on how police respond to people in mental and behavioral health crises.

How and where is this current model coming up short? And what are some alternative approaches that could be more effective, less expensive, could result in better outcomes, and most importantly, could save lives?

We’ve convened an expert panel to talk these models, their benefits, costs, and implementation.

This was recorded live on the evening of May 4th.

Panel:

Dr. Amy Watson is a professor in the Social Work Department at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Her research has focused on police encounters with persons with mental illnesses and the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) model. She has also conducted research on mental health courts and prison re-entry programs. Her current work is looking at models to reduce/eliminate the role of law enforcement in mental health crisis response.

Tim Black is Director of Consulting for White Bird Clinic in Eugene, OR. White Bird Clinic launched CAHOOTS (Crisis Assistance Helping Out On The Streets) as a community policing initiative in 1989. Tim has an extensive background in direct service, harm reduction, and mobile crisis intervention. He is currently focused on assisting communities and municipal governments in the development and implementation of programming based on the CAHOOTS model of behavioral health first response service.

Senator Manka Dhingra is the Deputy Majority Leader of the Washington State Senate. She is also Chair of the Senate Behavioral Health Subcommittee, and Vice chair of the Senate Law & Justice Committee. She was selected as one of one of the Washington branch of the National Alliance on Mental Illness’s 2019 Behavioral Health Champions, for her commitment to improving the entirety of Washington’s behavioral health system.

She serves as a Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. As Chair of the Therapeutic Alternative Unit, she helped develop and oversee the Regional Mental Health Court. She is also a former instructor at the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission for the 40-hour Crisis Intervention Training for law enforcement officers.

Theme music from filmmusic.io

"Pure Joy" by Otis Galloway

License: CC BY (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

As communities examine the way that traditional policing is currently done, we see more and more questions on how police respond to people in mental and behavioral health crises.

How and where is this current model coming up short? And what are some alternative approaches that could be more effective, less expensive, could result in better outcomes, and most importantly, could save lives?

We’ve convened an expert panel to talk these models, their benefits, costs, and implementation. 



This was recorded live on the evening of May 4th.

Panel:

Dr. Amy Watson is a professor in the Social Work Department at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Her research has focused on police encounters with persons with mental illnesses and the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) model. She has also conducted research on mental health courts and prison re-entry programs. Her current work is looking at models to reduce/eliminate the role of law enforcement in mental health crisis response. 

Tim Black is Director of Consulting for White Bird Clinic in Eugene, OR. White Bird Clinic launched CAHOOTS (Crisis Assistance Helping Out On The Streets) as a community policing initiative in 1989. Tim has an extensive background in direct service, harm reduction, and mobile crisis intervention. He is currently focused on assisting communities and municipal governments in the development and implementation of programming based on the CAHOOTS model of behavioral health first response service.

Senator Manka Dhingra is the Deputy Majority Leader of the Washington State Senate. She is also Chair of the Senate Behavioral Health Subcommittee, and Vice chair of the Senate Law & Justice Committee. She was selected as one of one of the Washington branch of the National Alliance on Mental Illness’s 2019 Behavioral Health Champions, for her commitment to improving the entirety of Washington’s behavioral health system.

She serves as a Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. As Chair of the Therapeutic Alternative Unit, she helped develop and oversee the Regional Mental Health Court. She is also a former instructor at the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission for the 40-hour Crisis Intervention Training for law enforcement officers.

Theme music from filmmusic.io

"Pure Joy" by Otis Galloway

License: CC BY (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Panelists:

- Shasti Conrad (Chair of the King County Democrats)

- Rich Smith (The Stranger)

We devote this week’s show to what got accomplished (and what didn't) in this year's legislative session, with an emphasis on progressive revenue and police accountability.

Show Notes:

Rich Smith's Wrap-Up: https://www.thestranger.com/slog/2021/04/29/56978551/washington-legislature-closes-session-with-massive-watered-down-wins

Theme music from filmmusic.io

"Pure Joy" by Otis Galloway

License: CC BY (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Our town hall with Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal. She’s one of the most powerful figures in Congress, as Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus, and Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and she joins us to discuss the first 100 days of the 117th Congress and the Biden administration—what’s been accomplished, and what progressive goals still lie ahead, on things like infrastructure, healthcare, police reform, and so much more.



This was recorded live on Saturday, April 24th.

Shukri Olow is a community organizer who is running for King County Council in District 5, a district that includes all or parts of Kent, SeaTac, Tukwila, Burien, Normandy Park, Des Moines, and Renton.

Show Notes:

https://www.electshukriolow.com/

If you've ever thought about running for office, this is your time. With so much support in place from grassroots groups and the state Democrats, you'll be in great hands!

Guest: Shasti talks with Jen Carter, Board Commissioner, King County Public Hospital District #4 about her campaign.

Show Notes:

Register for the King County Democrats candidate event: bit.ly/KCDEMS427

Killing the filibuster may prove to be the determining factor in whether or not our democracy survives.

If you'd like to join in the fight to pressure our senators to get on board, you can join what's called a call-o-rama, on Monday, April 26. Hear all about the game plan with Kat Pipkin, steering committee member of the Washington Indivisible Network (and producer of the town hall series).

Show notes:

Learn more here: https://www.takeaction.network/xactions/14925?ref=356 See Less

Our town hall with Congressman Adam Smith. As the 117th Congress has been in session for 100 days, it’s a good time to check in with him on a range of issues, including his assessment of President Biden’s performance in office thus far, democracy reform, income inequality, and more.

And then, in his capacity as the chair of the House Armed Services Committee, we talk about Afghanistan, the defense budget, and what we be shaping up to be a Biden Doctrine.

On this week's panel, Stephan is joined by Shasti Conrad (Chair of the King County Democrats) and Will Casey (Managing Partner, Left Wing Digital) to discuss how the president has redefined bipartisanship by focusing less on elected officials and more on the voters themselves.

Then, Afghanistan combat veteran and Indivisible member Chris Franco joins us to discuss his thoughts on the end of the longest war in American history.