WPKN Community Radio

Host: Steve di Costanzo Gm, of WPKN

Guest: Carolyn Vermont - CEO Habitat for Humanity of Coastal Fairfield. An individual who has really given back to the many communities she has served: Urban Family Development (21 years); President of the Bridgeport NAACP (6 years); she's sat on boards such as CT Against Gun Violence (8 Years); St Vincents Hospital (5 years); Board of Trustees Fairfield University (6 years)

Host: Steve di Costanzo, GM of WPKN

Guest: Pierre F. D’haiti- founder of Haitian Awareness Inc., a civic leader, immigration advocate and currently the Assistant Academic Affairs Community Engagement Housatonic Community College

Host: Steve di Costanzo

GM Report to the Listeners February 2023

WPKN’s General Manager does his monthly ‘Report’ today from 12noon to 12:55pm. Today his guests include: Pierre F. D’haiti- founder of Haitian Awareness Inc., a civic leader, immigration advocate and currently the Assistant Academic Affairs Community Engagement Housatonic Community College; other guests include Carolyn Vermont, the CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Coastal Fairfield County and Josue Jorge, Director of Communications; the final guest will be Assistant Academic Affairs Community Engagement Housatonic Community College; our final guest Sheena Graham is an educator, songwriter and poet who teaches at Harding High School and Central High School, Bridgeport CT. She has worked with students across grade levels throughout her career and continues to be energized by her students and colleagues. Sheena has been featured in the book “Notable Valley African Americans.” She has received the Beard Excellence in Teaching Award, Teacher Of the Year Awards from the NANBP, NAACP, and Bridgeport and is the 2019 CT Teacher of the Year.

The February 19, 2023 Episode of Mic Check was In Memory of Donny Simmons and Sade Billie, who both tragically passed away early this year.

This program revisits host Mike Merli's December 16, 2018 conversation with Donny and Sade about their work with the Housing Not Jails Collective in New Haven. The version of that conversation here is lightly edited, and includes the introduction from last night (Sunday February 19, 2023).

Housing Not Jails was an initiative under the Connecticut Bail Fund that was led by homeless / unhoused folks in the community. They organized, strategized, mobilized, and drafted policy proposals. They held rallies and press conferences, spoke out, and fought for their rights and the rights of everyone experiencing homelessness.

Donny and Sade were two of the lead organizers with Housing Not Jails. They loved each other, and they loved their people. They fought hard against criminalization, profiling, and constant police harassment, while organizing for the homeless community in New Haven to be treated with dignity, respect, and equal access to housing, healthcare, and the right to vote.

Sade passed away on January 27, and Donny passed away several days ago.

Sade's mother has a GoFundMe page still active, where donations can be made to her family:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/in-memory-of-sade-billie

It was an honor to be in conversation with Sade and Donny that night on the radio, and to hold space for them to share their stories as they spoke powerfully about their lives, experiences, and the organizing work they were engaged in as unhoused community members in New Haven.

Below are links to articles from 2018 that touched on the work that Sade, Donny, and the rest of the Housing Not Jails Collective were engaged in:

https://www.nhregister.com/news/article/Anti-homelessness-advocates-demand-New-Haven-take-13473396.php

https://www.newhavenindependent.org/article/homeless_rights

https://www.newhavenindependent.org/article/housing_activists_demand_task_force_listen_up

Below is a link to a WNPR / CT Public radio interview with Sade and Donny from 2020 about the impact of loitering laws on unhoused folks in our communities in Connecticut:

https://www.ctpublic.org/politics/2020-03-06/pmja-2020-loitering-laws-hit-connecticuts-most-vulnerable-residents

The original interview can be found here:

https://soundcloud.com/wpkn895/mic-check-12-16-18-donny-and-sade-housing-not-jails-collective

The Farm Stand presents:

--Laura Modlin's report on Harriot Tubman

--Steve Munno talks about National CSA Week coming up soon

--Hector Geraldo aka Freedom shares the story of how he and his wife started the SEAmarron Farmstead in Danbury, CT and how his project will empower young people of color trying to get into farming as a livelihood. Freedom gives a short course in hemp in all its many forms and uses.

Panel: Richard Hill, Chris Ferrio and Laura Modlin

In the wake of the Memphis police murder of Tyre Nichols, Dr. Gerald Horne, professor of history and African American Studies at the University of Houston, discusses the history and evolution of policing in America, from the militias to the slave patrols to the era of modern militarized police forces that prey upon working class communities of color.

Panel: Ruthanne Baumgartner, Scott Harris and Richard Hill

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-L.A.’s halts plan to chop down 13,000 shade trees citywide

-Health and environmental concerns from Ohio derailed train cars

-36.3 million trees died in California in 2022

-Half of plastic pollution in existence was produced in the last 20 years

-Sri Lanka will ban single-use plastics

-January had "the most extreme heat wave in European history."

-The U.S. government fails to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales

-Switzerland’s longest dam now wears nearly 5,000 solar panels.

* Chinese "Spy Balloon," New US Philippines Military Bases Inflame US-China Tensions; David Vine, Professor of Anthropology at American University; Producer: Scott Harris.

* Ohio “Bomb Train” Derailment Releases Dangerous Toxic Chemicals; Amanda Kiger Director of River Valley Organizing; Producer: Melinda Tuhus.

* US Corporate Media Ignores Report Concluding US Sabotaged Russia's Nord Stream Pipeline; Bryce Greene, a regular contributor to Extra! The newsletter of the media watch group FAIR.org; Producer: Scott Harris.

A CT state rep from Waterbury and a Bridgeport community advocate discuss the issue of environmental racism and efforts in this year's General Assembly to strengthen the state's environmental justice law.

Laura Modlin's report on the Snow Moon, the return of daylight and more;

Steve Munno's Winter Farm Report

Vincent Kaye: the Honey Bees in Winter

Kimberly Stoner on the new Green Amendment to the CT Constitution

Hosts: Richard Hill and Chris Ferrio