therealnews--2020-08-26--When Nixon pushed postal workers, they pushed back

In 1970 , what started as a small worker sick-out in a Bronx branch of the US Postal Service eventually expanded into a wildcat strike that caused President Richard Nixon to call in the National Guard to deliver the mail and greatly improved the working conditions for hundreds of thousands of postal workers .
This strike was supported by a climate of dissent that existed in the early ‘ 70s—a climate that the current political atmosphere mimics—and it provides a teachable moment for organizers in 2020 .
Paul Prescod , a union activist who detailed the history of the strike @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that led to it .
“ People just questioned authority in general throughout society , ” Prescod said .
“ [ At the Post Office ] you had Vietnam War veterans … they expect to be treated well , and they come back to this crappy job with crappy pay , so they ’ re angry about that , [ and also there were ] many Black people who had been involved in the civil rights struggle .
And it ’ s sort of like taking this militancy that was existing outside the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ labor movement.
” This climate of rebellion against political institutions echoes through today ’ s movements : “ I don ’ t think you can draw direct parallels , but it ’ s sort of an interesting moment now where you ’ ve had so many people , especially younger people , excited by the Bernie Sanders campaign and the moment we are living in .
And a lot of these people do not have , at least yet , a connection with the labor movement , and it will be interesting to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the workplace as a sign of struggle , ” Prescod said .
The wildcat strike in 1970 came after years of struggle by postal workers for benefits comparable to other public sector workers .
In addition to their discontent with compensation , Prescod says postal workers were stuck in a “ collective begging not bargaining ” situation , where they had very little opportunity to advocate for their rights .
The strike began when rank and file members broke away from their union leaders and endorsed an illegal sick-out by postal workers at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ action , the strike movement grew and spread quickly across the country .
The strike ended up lasting eight days , during which Time Magazine worried that it set a dangerous precedent for unlawful actions by federal workers .
During the strike , Nixon called in the National Guard to deliver the mail , a move that possibly hurt more than helped mail delivery .
“ It turns out moving the mail is actually hard , there are skills associated with it , so they did terribly at moving the mail , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some reports of some postal workers who were in the National Guard actually deliberately sabotaging the process to help out postal workers.
” The strike ended with an overwhelming victory for postal workers .
They gained large pay raises , improved their maximum salaries , received better health benefits , and won more collective bargaining rights , ending the “ collective begging not bargaining ” problem .
The strike also led to the Postal Reorganization Act , which changed the nature of the Postal Service .
The Postal Reorganization Act required the US @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an early step towards privatization , this was not actually a problem until the 2006 Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act , which required the Postal Service to pre-fund pensions and health benefits 75 years in advance .
This act , which continued other efforts since the 1980s to privatize the mail , is what caused the current financial crisis for the service .
With attacks by the Trump administration on voting by mail and the Postal Service in general intensifying , Prescod thinks it is important to remember that an attack on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ working class : “ The Postal Service is home to over 600,000 living wage jobs , the average salary is $ 55,000 a year … In the United States in 2020 it is harder and harder to come by good , solid union jobs with good benefits and stability , so that ’ s a big reason why they want to attack it , and you can think of it as a form of union busting.
” The US Postal Service has 21 % Black employees , and has been a crucial factor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ class .
With the renewed focus on the Postal Service , Prescod argues it is a good time to not only fight its privatization , but also to expand its services to things like postal banking , and to more broadly use this moment to mobilize around the protection of public services and workers in general .

In 1970, what started as a small worker sick-out in a Bronx branch of the US Postal Service eventually expanded into a wildcat strike that caused President Richard Nixon to call in the National Guard to deliver the mail and greatly improved the working conditions for hundreds of thousands of postal workers. This strike was supported by a climate of dissent that existed in the early ‘70s—a climate that the current political atmosphere mimics—and it provides a teachable moment for organizers in 2020.
Paul Prescod, a union activist who detailed the history of the strike in Jacobin, spoke about the environment that led to it.
“People just questioned authority in general throughout society,” Prescod said. “[At the Post Office] you had Vietnam War veterans … they expect to be treated well, and they come back to this crappy job with crappy pay, so they’re angry about that, [and also there were] many Black people who had been involved in the civil rights struggle. And it’s sort of like taking this militancy that was existing outside the labor movement and bringing it inside the labor movement.”
This climate of rebellion against political institutions echoes through today’s movements: “I don’t think you can draw direct parallels, but it’s sort of an interesting moment now where you’ve had so many people, especially younger people, excited by the Bernie Sanders campaign and the moment we are living in. And a lot of these people do not have, at least yet, a connection with the labor movement, and it will be interesting to see if they bring these…radical politics into the workplace as a sign of struggle,” Prescod said.
The wildcat strike in 1970 came after years of struggle by postal workers for benefits comparable to other public sector workers. In addition to their discontent with compensation, Prescod says postal workers were stuck in a “collective begging not bargaining” situation, where they had very little opportunity to advocate for their rights. The strike began when rank and file members broke away from their union leaders and endorsed an illegal sick-out by postal workers at a Bronx branch. Emboldened by this action, the strike movement grew and spread quickly across the country.
The strike ended up lasting eight days, during which Time Magazine worried that it set a dangerous precedent for unlawful actions by federal workers. During the strike, Nixon called in the National Guard to deliver the mail, a move that possibly hurt more than helped mail delivery.
“It turns out moving the mail is actually hard, there are skills associated with it, so they did terribly at moving the mail,” Prescod said. “There are actually some reports of some postal workers who were in the National Guard actually deliberately sabotaging the process to help out postal workers.”
The strike ended with an overwhelming victory for postal workers. They gained large pay raises, improved their maximum salaries, received better health benefits, and won more collective bargaining rights, ending the “collective begging not bargaining” problem. The strike also led to the Postal Reorganization Act, which changed the nature of the Postal Service.
The Postal Reorganization Act required the US Postal Service to be self-sufficient. Although an early step towards privatization, this was not actually a problem until the 2006 Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act, which required the Postal Service to pre-fund pensions and health benefits 75 years in advance. This act, which continued other efforts since the 1980s to privatize the mail, is what caused the current financial crisis for the service.
With attacks by the Trump administration on voting by mail and the Postal Service in general intensifying, Prescod thinks it is important to remember that an attack on the Postal Service is an attack on the working class: “The Postal Service is home to over 600,000 living wage jobs, the average salary is $55,000 a year … In the United States in 2020 it is harder and harder to come by good, solid union jobs with good benefits and stability, so that’s a big reason why they want to attack it, and you can think of it as a form of union busting.”
The US Postal Service has 21% Black employees, and has been a crucial factor in upward mobility for the Black working class.
“It doesn’t seem like it’s a racial justice issue, but I think people should recognize that when we talk about Black Lives Matter,” Prescod said. “If the Postal Service is privatizing, and these jobs are destroyed, this is going to be a disaster especially for Black workers who have gotten so much out of this institution over the long term.”
With the renewed focus on the Postal Service, Prescod argues it is a good time to not only fight its privatization, but also to expand its services to things like postal banking, and to more broadly use this moment to mobilize around the protection of public services and workers in general.
“We need to look at what can unite the broadest possible [number] of people … The Postal Service is a good example of an institution [with] 91% support, that’s urban, that’s rural, Republican, Democrat, Independent,” Prescod said. “That’s something we really can unite around.”
With additional reporting by Molly Shah
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therealnews--2020-08-26--Developers displace Baltimore public housing residents, get tax breaks

This is a rush transcript and may contain errors .
It will be updated .
Taya Graham : Hello .
My name is Taya Graham and welcome to the Real News Network .
As you know , along with my reporting partner , Stephen Janis , I usually host the Police Accountability Report , but today we ’ re going to focus on a different topic , economic inequality .
Don ’ t worry though .
We ’ re still going to discuss it through the lens of our overarching focus as journalists , accountability .
That ’ s because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no accident .
In fact , it ’ s the result of a political economy that benefits the few at the expense of the many .
And to give you a deeper understanding of how that works , we ’ re going to do what good journalists do , show don ’ t tell .
And that telling will include two parts .
One , the story of a working class community who lived in this public housing project for years , and who are now asked to relocate to make way for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aforementioned political economy is driven by the ideology of neoliberalism , made this seeming injustice possible .
So to begin , we ’ re going to start with the tale of people who endured the abandonment of public housing firsthand , and who were hoping that their collective suffering was finally over .
A story about a community that until four years ago had known little but neglect .
I ’ m talking about the residents of Perkins Homes , a low income housing project located not too far from Baltimore ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The project was home to roughly 500 families and had been built shortly after World War II to provide affordable housing for blue collar workers to live proximate to the city ’ s most treasured amenity .
But over time , the federal government and city officials had let the community fall into disrepair .
A tale of neglect that residents shared with us as they contemplated an uncertain future a few years ago .
Speaker 2 : And these places are so , so bad .
You know that… The rodents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the pipes , everything is wrong with these places .
Taya Graham : The reason we were talking to them back in 2017 , is that the city had announced plans to revitalize the buildings .
In fact , the plan was to raze the entire project and replace it with new apartments .
However , it came with a catch and concerns because for almost a decade , developers have been gentrifying the surrounding area , building new gleaming towers and luxury office space , while Perkins Homes sat abandoned .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ wealthy neighborhoods while Perkins suffered from neglect .
It was a history that left residents wary .
Would they really be allowed to stay in Perkins ?
Let ’ s listen .
Speaker 2 : Even if they decide to get rid of these places and stuff , I ’ m fine with that , but where am I going to go ?
I have a disability son and four other children and at the end of the day , I haven ’ t talked to anybody .
Nobody letting me know where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we just supposed to pick up and go ?
Where is we going to go ?
Taya Graham : Despite their concerns , city officials promised they would be allowed to come back when the redevelopment was finished .
In fact , we spoke with Baltimore Mayor Jack Young , who told us he would only support redevelopment , if indeed Perkins Homes residents would be prioritized for the newly upgraded apartments .
Let ’ s listen .
Mayor Jack Young : Because I ’ m not , I don ’ t have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I have to have a guarantee that these folks who live there , can come back .
Because what I don ’ t want to see is that neighborhood gentrified .
Taya Graham : But in the intervening years , something changed .
The plans that once included affordable housing units for the Perkins Homes was substantially altered .
And the promise that current residents could return to their homes after the development was finished , had been significantly changed .
As a matter of fact , in the most recent plan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Melody Simmons says most of the low income units were moved to a location far removed from the Perkins site .
Melody Simmons : Well , the way we ’ re hearing , what we ’ re hearing now and what we ’ re seeing in public meetings that are being held is that most of the affordable is going to be placed at the old Somerset site , which is near Dunbar High School , right off of Central Avenue in that area and near the Old Town redevelopment .
Oh , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million .
And that is going to start moving its way through the city now .
There will be some public hearings on it .
We ’ re going to hear more details on that this fall , but it ’ s going to cost the city a lot to upgrade that lot .
Taya Graham : But why that happened is what we ’ re going to tackle next .
And by explaining the process which made it possible , touch on a broader theme that informs much of the income inequality @ @ @ @ @ @ @ part of what drove the change in plans is a process we ’ re all familiar with , gentrification .
We all know about the phenomena that is widespread in this country that has moved low income residents from communities they lived in for years , to make way for an influx of high income residents .
The location of Perkins Homes , proximate to the city ’ s most visited tourist attraction , means it was easy pickings for well-financed and already rich developers .
But that ’ s just a symptom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s not the only reason this apparent bait and switch occurred .
It ’ s not just greed and the desire to move working class people out of the way that made this plan passable .
It takes more than a blueprint and a bank account to effectuate that kind of maneuvering we ’ re witnessing here .
That ’ s how we get to the political economy .
A process that not only fuels this type of iniquity , but makes it both fiscally and politically inevitable .
What do I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , I ’ m going to have to refer again to one of our favorite thinkers on TRNN .
His name is Thomas Piketty and he is the French economist best known for his book , Capital in the 20th Century .
In it , he said inequality was an inevitable byproduct of capitalism , but his latest book offers a slightly different take , titled Capital And Ideology .
It makes case that inequality is the result of an ideology of wealth that has little to do with economic processes .
That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a small group of elites is the byproduct of the constant drum beat from the mainstream media and popular culture that , put simply , the rich are simply more deserving .
Which brings me back to the situation at Perkins Homes and the plight of the residents who live there .
Because the deal we ’ re talking about is fueled by a phenomenon that is so widespread , it is almost invisible , but still a big part of the ideology Teddy ’ s talking about .
A tax incentive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inequality is not really inevitable , but an idea , because the wealthy developers who are building a new upscale oasis , aren ’ t financing it on their own .
No , in fact , just the opposite .
They are relying on taxpayers to fund it and for more on how and why this is happening , I ’ m joined by my reporting partner , Stephen Janis .
Stephen , thank you so much for joining us today .
Stephen Janis : Taya , thanks for having me .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Stephen , the tax break that ’ s financing the project has a special name and as a result of a special , should I say , dispensation ?
Can you talk about it ?
Stephen Janis : Yeah , exactly .
This is what ’ s known as a TIF or a tax increment financing .
It might sound fancy , but what it really does is it allows a developer to take all of the property taxes they would have paid for 30 years and invest it back into the project @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they ’ ll say it ’ s for infrastructure .
In this case , they ’ re going to build a school , but no one really knows where the money goes .
And the truth is , it ’ s a huge benefit because the money doesn ’ t go into the city ’ s coffer .
So , it ’ s going into the developer ’ s pockets .
So I think it ’ s a tax break .
Taya Graham : Now , these special tax districts are part of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this trend ?
Stephen Janis : Throughout the world and since the 1970s , there has been an uptick in what ’ s called specialized economic zones , and that is ports and other areas that are sort of set aside by government where companies don ’ t have to pay taxes , have special tax incentives , don ’ t have to abide by labor rules or environmental regulations .
They are sort of not just a trend , but actually something that has grown to epic proportions where most countries have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can go in and make tons of money , not pay taxes on it , not pay fair wages , not allow for unionization .
It is actually something that is a huge trend .
And a growing trend .
Taya Graham : What I find interesting about these tax zones is how they ’ re justified and how they have multiplied .
Can you explain this for us ?
Stephen Janis : Well , what ’ s interesting about it , if you look at a case in Baltimore , it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ starts with , we can ’ t afford to build this city because we can ’ t pay the taxes and everyone else does .
And that narrative doesn ’ t make any sense .
I mean , they ’ re saying that a person lives in the poorest part of town has to pay more taxes than a rich developer .
And that story is that we aren ’ t going to invest our money in the city .
Well , we all know Baltimore has a higher tax rate and that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ off from the surrounding jurisdictions .
And so the poorest people have to support the largest government infrastructure .
And I guess it ’ s something we would call extra state [ inaudible 00:08:52 ] where the tax breaks and the need for infrastructure is sort of a narrative ideology foisted upon the people to make them embrace policies that make no sense .
It makes no sense , that a rich developer from the suburbs would be able to get a huge tax break and then move residents who have lived generations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ achieved through ideology and convincing people that there ’ s no other way it ’ s going to happen .
Taya Graham : So , as Stephen explains , what we ’ re dealing with is the proliferation of an idea , not a necessity .
The widespread use of specialized tax zones has created havens where billion dollar corporations to flout all sorts of laws regarding fair labor practices , environmental regulations , and not pay their fair share of taxes , that support policies , which fund critical public services .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ driven by ideology .
I mean , think about the Perkins Home dilemma in a broader sense .
For years , we have disinvested in public housing .
The federal government has refused to provide funds to maintain and upgrade public housing .
Meanwhile , the federal bailout for investment bankers and corporations totals $ 6 trillion , a fraction of which could transform the public housing across the country , into state of the art domiciles .
But it didn ’ t happen .
Instead , authorities allowed Perkins to deteriorate .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ cities in the country with the highest property tax rate .
And then , like some sort of dystopian recipe , they create large swaths of real estate where tax burdens don ’ t apply .
It ’ s a veritable , obligation free zone where funds for critical services and public investment stay right in the developer ’ s pocket .
And that ’ s why during these reports , we ’ d like to have what we call our neoliberal moment .
It ’ s the part of the show , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a philosophy that has abandoned the true principles of liberal policies for free market solutions and deregulation .
The greed that led to the so-called public private partnerships that turn public assets into private profit machines , like we are witnessing at Perkins , and the idea part of the ideology , which Piketty believes is so critical to enriching the already wealthy .
And today we ’ re going to credit neoliberalism with creating this explosion of obligation free districts , by giving them a name that truly reflects what they are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rightly , gives credit where credit is due .
A name which symbolizes the fraught partnership between unfettered wealth and misleading ideology .
For our neoliberal moment , we ’ re going to call these tax free havens , Neoliberal Autonomous Zones .
Remember autonomous zone , the 12 block area in Seattle that protestors took back from police ?
The small area of land upon which the mainstream media fixated as a sign of the end of civilization , the tiny sliver of land that existed without law enforcement for a brief @ @ @ @ @ @ @ news for weeks .
Now , we realize that the zone had real problems and that establishing a police-free zone is a work in progress , fraught with missteps and teachable moments .
But our point here , is a matter of balance and it starts with a question .
What has wreaked more havoc on the wellbeing of humanity ?
Tax havens or multinational corporations or brief experiments with the absence of police ?
And as we confront the existential threats , climate change , entrenched poverty , what plays a bigger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ groups of protestors or the rampant deregulation of capital .
Isn ’ t it odd that the hysteria over this relatively short-lived experiment , however flawed , has seen more breathless coverage than 30 million people losing their jobs .
And with that their health insurance .
Isn ’ t it telling that the mainstream media obsession with autonomous zones that affected 12 blocks of real estate , far exceeds any reporting on the fact that the U.S. has roughly 500,000 personal bankruptcies occur every year due to unpaid medical bills ?
Well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do what we do .
Why we follow the lives of residents of Perkins Homes , while the mainstream media chases the latest celebrity drama or clash between the elites .
We spent four years and published multiple stories on the working class people of our city and why we will continue to hold the wealthy and their political benefactors accountable .
The point is , we have to recognize how the ideology of wealth affects the perception of public policy .
How the stories which create the narrative of a false necessity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the nation to give a $ 150 million tax break to a small group of wealthy developers .
And I must pause to say this .
To move low income residents from a community they have lived in for generations .
As our final thought on this topic .
Let ’ s listen to them , the people the mainstream media doesn ’ t want you to hear from .
Speaker 2 : Yeah .
And I feel like it ’ s a lie .
That they ’ re going to move @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and it ’ s going to be a better place and all that , because half of the people not going to be able to come back at all .
Taya Graham : My name is Taya Graham , and I want to thank you for watching the Real News Network .

A multi-year investigation by TRNN reporters reveals how neoliberal policies and public-private partnerships have led to tax-free zones for private interests, while taxpayers foot the bill.
Story Transcript
This is a rush transcript and may contain errors. It will be updated.
Taya Graham: Hello. My name is Taya Graham and welcome to the Real News Network. As you know, along with my reporting partner, Stephen Janis, I usually host the Police Accountability Report, but today we’re going to focus on a different topic, economic inequality. Don’t worry though. We’re still going to discuss it through the lens of our overarching focus as journalists, accountability. That’s because our country’s inequitable landscape is no accident. In fact, it’s the result of a political economy that benefits the few at the expense of the many. And to give you a deeper understanding of how that works, we’re going to do what good journalists do, show don’t tell. And that telling will include two parts. One, the story of a working class community who lived in this public housing project for years, and who are now asked to relocate to make way for luxury apartments and two, how the aforementioned political economy is driven by the ideology of neoliberalism, made this seeming injustice possible.
So to begin, we’re going to start with the tale of people who endured the abandonment of public housing firsthand, and who were hoping that their collective suffering was finally over. A story about a community that until four years ago had known little but neglect. I’m talking about the residents of Perkins Homes, a low income housing project located not too far from Baltimore’s top tourist attraction, the Inner Harbor. The project was home to roughly 500 families and had been built shortly after World War II to provide affordable housing for blue collar workers to live proximate to the city’s most treasured amenity. But over time, the federal government and city officials had let the community fall into disrepair. A tale of neglect that residents shared with us as they contemplated an uncertain future a few years ago.
Speaker 2: And these places are so, so bad. You know that… The rodents, the bed bugs, the smells, the pipes, everything is wrong with these places.
Taya Graham: The reason we were talking to them back in 2017, is that the city had announced plans to revitalize the buildings. In fact, the plan was to raze the entire project and replace it with new apartments. However, it came with a catch and concerns because for almost a decade, developers have been gentrifying the surrounding area, building new gleaming towers and luxury office space, while Perkins Homes sat abandoned. Hundreds of millions poured into the already wealthy neighborhoods while Perkins suffered from neglect. It was a history that left residents wary. Would they really be allowed to stay in Perkins? Let’s listen.
Speaker 2: Even if they decide to get rid of these places and stuff, I’m fine with that, but where am I going to go? I have a disability son and four other children and at the end of the day, I haven’t talked to anybody. Nobody letting me know where they moving us, what they… What we just supposed to pick up and go? Where is we going to go?
Taya Graham: Despite their concerns, city officials promised they would be allowed to come back when the redevelopment was finished. In fact, we spoke with Baltimore Mayor Jack Young, who told us he would only support redevelopment, if indeed Perkins Homes residents would be prioritized for the newly upgraded apartments. Let’s listen.
Mayor Jack Young: Because I’m not, I don’t have an appetite for [inaudible 00:03:21]. I have to have a guarantee that these folks who live there, can come back. Because what I don’t want to see is that neighborhood gentrified.
Taya Graham: But in the intervening years, something changed. The plans that once included affordable housing units for the Perkins Homes was substantially altered. And the promise that current residents could return to their homes after the development was finished, had been significantly changed. As a matter of fact, in the most recent plan presented to the city, reporter, Melody Simmons says most of the low income units were moved to a location far removed from the Perkins site.
Melody Simmons: Well, the way we’re hearing, what we’re hearing now and what we’re seeing in public meetings that are being held is that most of the affordable is going to be placed at the old Somerset site, which is near Dunbar High School, right off of Central Avenue in that area and near the Old Town redevelopment. Oh, the tip right now is about 150 million. And that is going to start moving its way through the city now. There will be some public hearings on it. We’re going to hear more details on that this fall, but it’s going to cost the city a lot to upgrade that lot.
Taya Graham: But why that happened is what we’re going to tackle next. And by explaining the process which made it possible, touch on a broader theme that informs much of the income inequality we see today. Of course, part of what drove the change in plans is a process we’re all familiar with, gentrification. We all know about the phenomena that is widespread in this country that has moved low income residents from communities they lived in for years, to make way for an influx of high income residents. The location of Perkins Homes, proximate to the city’s most visited tourist attraction, means it was easy pickings for well-financed and already rich developers. But that’s just a symptom, not the disease.
And it’s not the only reason this apparent bait and switch occurred. It’s not just greed and the desire to move working class people out of the way that made this plan passable. It takes more than a blueprint and a bank account to effectuate that kind of maneuvering we’re witnessing here. That’s how we get to the political economy. A process that not only fuels this type of iniquity, but makes it both fiscally and politically inevitable. What do I mean? Well, to explain this, I’m going to have to refer again to one of our favorite thinkers on TRNN. His name is Thomas Piketty and he is the French economist best known for his book, Capital in the 20th Century. In it, he said inequality was an inevitable byproduct of capitalism, but his latest book offers a slightly different take, titled Capital And Ideology. It makes case that inequality is the result of an ideology of wealth that has little to do with economic processes.
That in fact, the allocation of largess to a small group of elites is the byproduct of the constant drum beat from the mainstream media and popular culture that, put simply, the rich are simply more deserving. Which brings me back to the situation at Perkins Homes and the plight of the residents who live there. Because the deal we’re talking about is fueled by a phenomenon that is so widespread, it is almost invisible, but still a big part of the ideology Teddy’s talking about. A tax incentive tool that in part explains how wealth inequality is not really inevitable, but an idea, because the wealthy developers who are building a new upscale oasis, aren’t financing it on their own. No, in fact, just the opposite. They are relying on taxpayers to fund it and for more on how and why this is happening, I’m joined by my reporting partner, Stephen Janis. Stephen, thank you so much for joining us today.
Stephen Janis: Taya, thanks for having me. I appreciate it.
Taya Graham: So Stephen, the tax break that’s financing the project has a special name and as a result of a special, should I say, dispensation? Can you talk about it?
Stephen Janis: Yeah, exactly. This is what’s known as a TIF or a tax increment financing. It might sound fancy, but what it really does is it allows a developer to take all of the property taxes they would have paid for 30 years and invest it back into the project. Now, a lot of times they’ll say it’s for infrastructure. In this case, they’re going to build a school, but no one really knows where the money goes. And the truth is, it’s a huge benefit because the money doesn’t go into the city’s coffer. So, it’s going into the developer’s pockets. So I think it’s a tax break.
Taya Graham: Now, these special tax districts are part of a broader trend. Can you describe this trend?
Stephen Janis: Throughout the world and since the 1970s, there has been an uptick in what’s called specialized economic zones, and that is ports and other areas that are sort of set aside by government where companies don’t have to pay taxes, have special tax incentives, don’t have to abide by labor rules or environmental regulations. They are sort of not just a trend, but actually something that has grown to epic proportions where most countries have these deals or arrangements where private corporations can go in and make tons of money, not pay taxes on it, not pay fair wages, not allow for unionization. It is actually something that is a huge trend. And a growing trend.
Taya Graham: What I find interesting about these tax zones is how they’re justified and how they have multiplied. Can you explain this for us?
Stephen Janis: Well, what’s interesting about it, if you look at a case in Baltimore, it’s a narrative. A narrative that starts with, we can’t afford to build this city because we can’t pay the taxes and everyone else does. And that narrative doesn’t make any sense. I mean, they’re saying that a person lives in the poorest part of town has to pay more taxes than a rich developer. And that story is that we aren’t going to invest our money in the city. Well, we all know Baltimore has a higher tax rate and that’s because Baltimore has been cut off from the surrounding jurisdictions. And so the poorest people have to support the largest government infrastructure. And I guess it’s something we would call extra state [inaudible 00:08:52] where the tax breaks and the need for infrastructure is sort of a narrative ideology foisted upon the people to make them embrace policies that make no sense.
It makes no sense, that a rich developer from the suburbs would be able to get a huge tax break and then move residents who have lived generations at Perkins Homes. That only is achieved through ideology and convincing people that there’s no other way it’s going to happen.
Taya Graham: So, as Stephen explains, what we’re dealing with is the proliferation of an idea, not a necessity. The widespread use of specialized tax zones has created havens where billion dollar corporations to flout all sorts of laws regarding fair labor practices, environmental regulations, and not pay their fair share of taxes, that support policies, which fund critical public services. It’s a policy that is driven by ideology. I mean, think about the Perkins Home dilemma in a broader sense. For years, we have disinvested in public housing. The federal government has refused to provide funds to maintain and upgrade public housing. Meanwhile, the federal bailout for investment bankers and corporations totals $6 trillion, a fraction of which could transform the public housing across the country, into state of the art domiciles. But it didn’t happen. Instead, authorities allowed Perkins to deteriorate. Then they burdened one of the poorest cities in the country with the highest property tax rate. And then, like some sort of dystopian recipe, they create large swaths of real estate where tax burdens don’t apply.
It’s a veritable, obligation free zone where funds for critical services and public investment stay right in the developer’s pocket. And that’s why during these reports, we’d like to have what we call our neoliberal moment.
It’s the part of the show, that we recognize the ugly achievements of a philosophy that has abandoned the true principles of liberal policies for free market solutions and deregulation. The greed that led to the so-called public private partnerships that turn public assets into private profit machines, like we are witnessing at Perkins, and the idea part of the ideology, which Piketty believes is so critical to enriching the already wealthy. And today we’re going to credit neoliberalism with creating this explosion of obligation free districts, by giving them a name that truly reflects what they are. A moniker, which we believe rightly, gives credit where credit is due. A name which symbolizes the fraught partnership between unfettered wealth and misleading ideology. For our neoliberal moment, we’re going to call these tax free havens, Neoliberal Autonomous Zones.
Remember autonomous zone, the 12 block area in Seattle that protestors took back from police? The small area of land upon which the mainstream media fixated as a sign of the end of civilization, the tiny sliver of land that existed without law enforcement for a brief moment in time that made front page news for weeks. Now, we realize that the zone had real problems and that establishing a police-free zone is a work in progress, fraught with missteps and teachable moments. But our point here, is a matter of balance and it starts with a question. What has wreaked more havoc on the wellbeing of humanity? Tax havens or multinational corporations or brief experiments with the absence of police? And as we confront the existential threats, climate change, entrenched poverty, what plays a bigger role in these life-threatening challenges? Small groups of protestors or the rampant deregulation of capital. Isn’t it odd that the hysteria over this relatively short-lived experiment, however flawed, has seen more breathless coverage than 30 million people losing their jobs. And with that their health insurance.
Isn’t it telling that the mainstream media obsession with autonomous zones that affected 12 blocks of real estate, far exceeds any reporting on the fact that the U.S. has roughly 500,000 personal bankruptcies occur every year due to unpaid medical bills? Well, perhaps that’s why we do what we do. Why we follow the lives of residents of Perkins Homes, while the mainstream media chases the latest celebrity drama or clash between the elites. We spent four years and published multiple stories on the working class people of our city and why we will continue to hold the wealthy and their political benefactors accountable. The point is, we have to recognize how the ideology of wealth affects the perception of public policy. How the stories which create the narrative of a false necessity have prompted one of the poorest cities in the nation to give a $150 million tax break to a small group of wealthy developers. And I must pause to say this. To move low income residents from a community they have lived in for generations. As our final thought on this topic. Let’s listen to them, the people the mainstream media doesn’t want you to hear from.
Speaker 2: Yeah. And I feel like it’s a lie. That they’re going to move all of us back in here, and it’s going to be a better place and all that, because half of the people not going to be able to come back at all.
Taya Graham: My name is Taya Graham, and I want to thank you for watching the Real News Network.
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therealnews--2020-08-25--2020: Make It Stop

2020: Make It Stop

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therealnews--2020-08-25--Trump warns of a rigged election as he undercuts the post office

This is a rush transcript and may contain errors .
It will be updated .
Donald Trump : This will be the most corrupt election in the history of our country .
Jaisal Noor : Welcome to the Real News , I ’ m Jaisal Noor .
With the election less than two and a half months away , activists are sounding the alarm that Trump ’ s cuts to the post office are threatening the ability of the United States to hold a free and fair election .
In response , house lawmakers who approved 25 billion in emergency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , grilled Postmaster General Louis DeJoy on Monday .
The house asked about cutbacks at the post office and the dismantling of sorting machines ahead of an expected surge in mail-in ballots in the November election .
DeJoy said he would not restore sorting machines before the election under questioning by democratic rep , Stephen Lynch .
Steven Lynch : Will you put the machine back ?
Louis DeJoy : I ’ m very proud to lead the organization .
The rest of your accusations are actually outrageous .
Steven Lynch : Will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ DeJoy : No , I will not .
Jaisal Noor : All of this happens as President Trump stokes fear and makes unfounded claims about so-called voter fraud connected to mail-in ballots as he accepted the Republican nomination on Monday .
Crowd : Four more years .
Four more years .
Donald Trump : Now if you want to really drive them crazy , you say 12 more years .
We have to be very careful because they ’ re trying it again with this whole 80 million mail-in ballots that they ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to people that didn ’ t ask for them .
They didn ’ t ask , they just get them .
And it ’ s not fair , and it ’ s not right , and it ’ s not going to be possible to tabulate .
Jaisal Noor : Well , joining us to discuss this is Jennifer Epps-Addison , president and co-executive director of the Center for Popular Democracy Action , whose over 800,000 members endorsed Bernie Sanders in the primary , and just recently endorsed Joe Biden in the general @ @ @ @ @ @ @ joining us again .
Jennifer Epps-Addison : Thank you so much for having me .
Jaisal Noor : So Trump ’ s Postmaster General Louis DeJoy defended his action in front of the house oversight committee today .
He maintains at least $ 30 million in stocks with direct competitors of the USPS .
How do you perceive the scope of these threats ?
We ’ re hearing about sorting machines being dismantled , cutbacks overall to the post office .
What are grassroots groups doing to oppose these cuts ?
Jennifer Epps-Addison @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we have to understand what ’ s happening with our post office under the context of a corrupt administration who has seen many members of its cabinet indicted , many members of the cabinet convicted .
We know that DeJoy ’ s appointment is not about his qualifications .
In fact , in his testimony , he could not even tell us how much it costs to mail a postcard .
He doesn ’ t understand the workings of the post office .
His appointment is a political appointment .
One meant to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ give an edge to this administration .
And I think the Trump administration has been crystal clear that their intent is not to have a free and fair election , their intent is to engage in voter suppression , be it in coordination with States like Georgia , who are closing polling places and making it so people have to wait three , four , five , six hours to vote .
But in addition to that , he ’ s using the institutions of service in our government , namely the post @ @ @ @ @ @ @ down the counts of ballots of sowing confusion , and fear of confusing voters so that they miss critical deadlines .
And overall , just casting a dispersion on this election , as in his own words , he tries to maneuver for additional terms .
Jaisal Noor : So I have to ask .
It appears to me that Trump is setting up himself for a defeat in November , and he ’ s setting himself up to not accept the election results , which is going to cause a massive crisis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to happen next ?
Are group ’ s preparing for that eventuality ?
And are they starting to think of a plan ?
What needs to happen in that eventuality , which in many people ’ s opinion is exactly what ’ s going to happen .
If they could predict it , that ’ s what ’ s going to happen in the days after this election .
Jennifer Epps-Addison : The first thing that we have to say is that the best way for us to protect ourselves in November @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Donald Trump through the electoral college .
It means motivating those States that will give Joe Biden at decisive enough electoral college victory .
And that means black and Brown voters have to vote in record numbers in places like Wisconsin , and Pennsylvania , and Michigan , and Minnesota .
But you are right .
It is entirely likely that because of the surge in mail-in voting and vote by mail , that we will not have a complete picture of who has won this election on election night .
It may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a full , complete count of the ballots .
And if that is the case , there are rules of decorum .
There are ways of dealing with that .
But what we know is that none of what we ’ ve seen out of President Trump indicates that he will do so in an ethical way , that he will do so in the best interests of the country .
What we ’ re seeing is him setting himself up to sow confusion , and to be able to continue to maintain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he is not duly elected through the electoral college .
So we are absolutely considering it .
We need people to remain vigilant and ready , but we also want people to know , even if Joe Biden is elected , even if the electoral college votes are indisputable , people still need to be ready .
You mentioned our network endorsed Vice President Biden , and we want to be clear .
Our endorsement is not an acquiescence to a status quo agenda , and it ’ s certainly not an acquiescence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be prepared whether it is Trump or Biden to be in the streets , to bring about a wave of mass mobilizations , and to name a people ’ s agenda that puts the people of this country , our planet , and really our recovery from this pandemic first no matter who comes out victorious in the November election .
Jaisal Noor : And I want to ask you about this moment right now , and really made it really this whole year .
Because we were on the ground in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were critical in helping Sanders pull off big win in New Hampshire , setting himself up as the front-runner in this race , and that ’ shortly before we spoke last .
And really taking on Biden ’ s climate policy among other policies .
Last week he accepted the democratic nomination .
You wrote in the Nation about your opposition to someone like Kamala Harris , his vice president , and progressives had backed other candidates .
That ’ s all in the past now , what does it mean to now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their track record especially when it comes to issues like criminal justice in the context of , as we ’ ve been talking about the threat that Trump poses to not only just the election , but our democracy itself ?
Jennifer Epps-Addison : I ’ m looking down because I ’ m getting emotional .
Yesterday , we heard about the horrific shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha , Wisconsin .
I ’ m from Wisconsin .
I ’ m a proud Wisconsinite , and people know a lot of things about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its beer and it ’ s cheese , and maybe it ’ s its football team .
But what most people don ’ t know is it ’ s the literal worst place in America to be black .
If you Google it , Wisconsin comes up .
And so I ’ m getting emotional because I understand that I ’ m asking people to go out and vote for a democratic ticket that doesn ’ t deserve Jacob Blake or the millions of black people who have been suffering under state violence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that our job in convincing people about what ’ s at stake and why it is still worthwhile to go and vote for that ticket is much more difficult because not only do we have one of the authors of the 94 Crime Bill , but we also have a prosecutor who helped push those policies forward and enforce those policies .
That ’ s a tough pill to swallow , especially for folks who really believe that this is a moment where we can finally have a conversation about fully transforming systems @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the same time , I think what is important is that we have to be honest with our people .
So we want you to feel all the feels .
I certainly was a Bernie endorser , both now and in 2016 .
I am feeling the feels , trust me .
But then I want us to take a sober assessment of our power and to ask ourselves a real question .
Under which president , either Joe Biden or Bernie sorry , I was going to say Bernie Sanders .
Either @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president ?
That is a fact .
And the question we have to ask ourselves is , will less of our people die under Joe Biden or under Donald Trump ?
Do we imagine that we will get more COVID relief under a Biden administration , or a Trump administration ?
As somebody who voted for Hillary in 2016 , but did not do all of the work that I normally do in election making phone calls , shooting out text messages , knocking on doors .
I often ask myself , where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be if the last four years we were organizing against democrats to expand the ACA or to create that public option , instead of just fighting against Donald Trump to protect the ACA at the bare minimum level ?
And that ’ s the conversation we had within our network and our network ultimately decided to endorse Joe Biden .
Jaisal Noor : So Trump officially accepted the nomination just a few hours after we were speaking right now on Monday in a Republican convention that ’ s a who ’ s who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ right-wing grifters , and other truly scary figures .
You talked about the importance of winning swing states .
Trump , despite everything that ’ s happened over the last three and a half years , Trump maintains a very high approval rating amongst republicans .
Do you think democrats are doing too much to appeal to conservatives rather than trying to get out members of its own base ?
We all know how the convention for democrat played out last week .
A lot of people raised that exact issue .
Jennifer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to say is progressives are not sitting around waiting to be invited into the conversation or to the table .
And so I know there was a lot made about who was speaking , and who wasn ’ t speaking , but I think people actually should have paid a lot more attention to who was organizing their own events on the side of the convention conversation .
From Linda Sarsour organizing Muslim voters .
Our own network had a launch of our United Against Trump , which is a program with lots @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country who understand our task is to defeat Donald Trump in this election .
So I understand why people made that point , but I want to be clear .
Joe Biden clearly has a strategy where he believes that there are enough 2016 Trump voters who are willing to cross over to vote for him in 2020 in order to secure this election .
I do not share that analysis , nor do I believe history has born that out .
People should remember that Barack Obama won the presidency twice , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ win a majority of white voters .
I believe that if a Democrat wins in 2020 , it will not be with the support of a majority of white voters .
What does that mean to groups like ours and to Progressives ?
It ’ s our community , and it ’ s our responsibility to help them participate in this election at record numbers .
We should anticipate that the Biden administration or the Biden campaign should I say , will not help us with that .
They will continue to make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ultimately does not share our values .
And yet we are in the position we ’ re in , and so we again have to have the right conversations with our communities about what our strategy will be in pushing a Biden administration .
And part of that strategy is defeating authoritarianism and this racist regime in Donald Trump in order to get to a place where we can push for co-governance and push our policies forward .
Jaisal Noor : And I wanted to end on this question because I ’ m @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
There ’ s a lot of discourse about this online and just people are having conversations on the left about what you ’ ve addressed their role in the Democratic Party , what the left ’ s role is , what kind of force can it play .
We know how that ’ s played out on local elections , where members of the squad grew their ranks by a huge amount in a lot of local congressional races .
Yeah , Cory Bush , Jamaal Bowman and a number of other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But what do you say to activists that say , look , we can ’ t get behind a Biden and a Harris administration .
We have to work outside of the Democratic Party entirely .
Jennifer Epps-Addison : Again , what we ’ re talking about is Joe Biden is not a liberation candidate .
That ’ s the truth .
I want a liberatory politics as much as anybody else .
That ’ s why I joined the Working Families Party .
It ’ s why I ’ m [ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and our network is also a member of that political party .
Voting for Joe Biden is a harm reduction strategy .
And the reality is , is that there is a lot of harm that we need to get in the way of , that we need to stop , that we need to try to redress that is happening under this administration .
And we also need people to make a deep commitment that we just don ’ t go back to “ normal ” as soon as Trump is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 40 million people living in poverty , the number of people without health insurance , the number of people who are homeless , many of those problems existed before Trump , they will exist after Trump .
And so our job is to push a Biden administration , and put in place a Congress and a Senate that will put a Medicare for all bill , a green new deal bill , a guaranteed housing bill onto president Biden ’ s desk .
And that ’ s the role that our network @ @ @ @ @ @ @ invite everybody who believes in freedom and wants to get back to that into our movement .
Jaisal Noor : All right , Jennifer Epps-Addison , it ’ s always a pleasure to speak with you , and we ’ ll definitely have you on again , soon , we want to talk more about what the strategy is in these swing States .
And a lot of people forget that this election is going to be decided by really a handful of voters , and a handful of districts , and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ really the bigger context here .
Jennifer Epps-Addison : Thank you so much for having me , and I look forward to talking after this election .
Jaisal Noor : Thank you for joining us at the Real News Network .

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy was grilled by Democrats over his undermining of the U.S. Postal Service’s ability to deliver ballots on time.
Story Transcript
This is a rush transcript and may contain errors. It will be updated.
Donald Trump: This will be the most corrupt election in the history of our country.
Jaisal Noor: Welcome to the Real News, I’m Jaisal Noor. With the election less than two and a half months away, activists are sounding the alarm that Trump’s cuts to the post office are threatening the ability of the United States to hold a free and fair election.
In response, house lawmakers who approved 25 billion in emergency aid to the post office last week, grilled Postmaster General Louis DeJoy on Monday. The house asked about cutbacks at the post office and the dismantling of sorting machines ahead of an expected surge in mail-in ballots in the November election. DeJoy said he would not restore sorting machines before the election under questioning by democratic rep, Stephen Lynch.
Steven Lynch: Will you put the machine back?
Louis DeJoy: I’m very proud to lead the organization. The rest of your accusations are actually outrageous.
Steven Lynch: Will you put the machines back?
Louis DeJoy: No, I will not.
Jaisal Noor: All of this happens as President Trump stokes fear and makes unfounded claims about so-called voter fraud connected to mail-in ballots as he accepted the Republican nomination on Monday.
Crowd: Four more years. Four more years.
Donald Trump: Now if you want to really drive them crazy, you say 12 more years. We have to be very careful because they’re trying it again with this whole 80 million mail-in ballots that they’re working on, sending them out to people that didn’t ask for them. They didn’t ask, they just get them. And it’s not fair, and it’s not right, and it’s not going to be possible to tabulate.
Jaisal Noor: Well, joining us to discuss this is Jennifer Epps-Addison, president and co-executive director of the Center for Popular Democracy Action, whose over 800,000 members endorsed Bernie Sanders in the primary, and just recently endorsed Joe Biden in the general election. Thank you so much for joining us again.
Jennifer Epps-Addison: Thank you so much for having me.
Jaisal Noor: So Trump’s Postmaster General Louis DeJoy defended his action in front of the house oversight committee today. He maintains at least $30 million in stocks with direct competitors of the USPS. How do you perceive the scope of these threats? We’re hearing about sorting machines being dismantled, cutbacks overall to the post office. What are grassroots groups doing to oppose these cuts?
Jennifer Epps-Addison: First of all, I think we have to understand what’s happening with our post office under the context of a corrupt administration who has seen many members of its cabinet indicted, many members of the cabinet convicted.
We know that DeJoy’s appointment is not about his qualifications. In fact, in his testimony, he could not even tell us how much it costs to mail a postcard. He doesn’t understand the workings of the post office. His appointment is a political appointment. One meant to suppress votes. One meant to help give an edge to this administration.
And I think the Trump administration has been crystal clear that their intent is not to have a free and fair election, their intent is to engage in voter suppression, be it in coordination with States like Georgia, who are closing polling places and making it so people have to wait three, four, five, six hours to vote.
But in addition to that, he’s using the institutions of service in our government, namely the post office, as a way of slowing down the counts of ballots of sowing confusion, and fear of confusing voters so that they miss critical deadlines. And overall, just casting a dispersion on this election, as in his own words, he tries to maneuver for additional terms.
Jaisal Noor: So I have to ask. It appears to me that Trump is setting up himself for a defeat in November, and he’s setting himself up to not accept the election results, which is going to cause a massive crisis in this country. What’s going to happen next?
Are group’s preparing for that eventuality? And are they starting to think of a plan? What needs to happen in that eventuality, which in many people’s opinion is exactly what’s going to happen. If they could predict it, that’s what’s going to happen in the days after this election.
Jennifer Epps-Addison: The first thing that we have to say is that the best way for us to protect ourselves in November is to ensure a crushing defeat of Donald Trump through the electoral college. It means motivating those States that will give Joe Biden at decisive enough electoral college victory.
And that means black and Brown voters have to vote in record numbers in places like Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, and Michigan, and Minnesota. But you are right. It is entirely likely that because of the surge in mail-in voting and vote by mail, that we will not have a complete picture of who has won this election on election night.
It may take several days and/or weeks to finish a full, complete count of the ballots. And if that is the case, there are rules of decorum. There are ways of dealing with that. But what we know is that none of what we’ve seen out of President Trump indicates that he will do so in an ethical way, that he will do so in the best interests of the country. What we’re seeing is him setting himself up to sow confusion, and to be able to continue to maintain and hold onto power, even if he is not duly elected through the electoral college.
So we are absolutely considering it. We need people to remain vigilant and ready, but we also want people to know, even if Joe Biden is elected, even if the electoral college votes are indisputable, people still need to be ready. You mentioned our network endorsed Vice President Biden, and we want to be clear. Our endorsement is not an acquiescence to a status quo agenda, and it’s certainly not an acquiescence to a neoliberal agenda.
We want to be prepared whether it is Trump or Biden to be in the streets, to bring about a wave of mass mobilizations, and to name a people’s agenda that puts the people of this country, our planet, and really our recovery from this pandemic first no matter who comes out victorious in the November election.
Jaisal Noor: And I want to ask you about this moment right now, and really made it really this whole year. Because we were on the ground in New Hampshire where members of CPD Action were critical in helping Sanders pull off big win in New Hampshire, setting himself up as the front-runner in this race, and that’ shortly before we spoke last. And really taking on Biden’s climate policy among other policies.
Last week he accepted the democratic nomination. You wrote in the Nation about your opposition to someone like
Kamala Harris, his vice president, and progressives had backed other candidates. That’s all in the past now, what does it mean to now be mobilizing voters for them, knowing their track record especially when it comes to issues like criminal justice in the context of, as we’ve been talking about the threat that Trump poses to not only just the election, but our democracy itself?
Jennifer Epps-Addison: I’m looking down because I’m getting emotional. Yesterday, we heard about the horrific shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. I’m from Wisconsin. I’m a proud Wisconsinite, and people know a lot of things about Wisconsin. It’s known for its beer and it’s cheese, and maybe it’s its football team. But what most people don’t know is it’s the literal worst place in America to be black. If you Google it, Wisconsin comes up.
And so I’m getting emotional because I understand that I’m asking people to go out and vote for a democratic ticket that doesn’t deserve Jacob Blake or the millions of black people who have been suffering under state violence in this country. And I understand that our job in convincing people about what’s at stake and why it is still worthwhile to go and vote for that ticket is much more difficult because not only do we have one of the authors of the 94 Crime Bill, but we also have a prosecutor who helped push those policies forward and enforce those policies.
That’s a tough pill to swallow, especially for folks who really believe that this is a moment where we can finally have a conversation about fully transforming systems of criminalization and incarceration. And at the same time, I think what is important is that we have to be honest with our people. So we want you to feel all the feels.
I certainly was a Bernie endorser, both now and in 2016. I am feeling the feels, trust me. But then I want us to take a sober assessment of our power and to ask ourselves a real question. Under which president, either Joe Biden or Bernie sorry, I was going to say Bernie Sanders. Either Joe Biden or Donald Trump will be president? That is a fact. And the question we have to ask ourselves is, will less of our people die under Joe Biden or under Donald Trump?
Do we imagine that we will get more COVID relief under a Biden administration, or a Trump administration? As somebody who voted for Hillary in 2016, but did not do all of the work that I normally do in election making phone calls, shooting out text messages, knocking on doors. I often ask myself, where would the movement for Medicare for All be if the last four years we were organizing against democrats to expand the ACA or to create that public option, instead of just fighting against Donald Trump to protect the ACA at the bare minimum level? And that’s the conversation we had within our network and our network ultimately decided to endorse Joe Biden.
Jaisal Noor: So Trump officially accepted the nomination just a few hours after we were speaking right now on Monday in a Republican convention that’s a who’s who of conspiracy theorists, white supremacist, right-wing grifters, and other truly scary figures.
You talked about the importance of winning swing states. Trump, despite everything that’s happened over the last three and a half years, Trump maintains a very high approval rating amongst republicans. Do you think democrats are doing too much to appeal to conservatives rather than trying to get out members of its own base? We all know how the convention for democrat played out last week. A lot of people raised that exact issue.
Jennifer Epps-Addison: The first thing I want to say is progressives are not sitting around waiting to be invited into the conversation or to the table. And so I know there was a lot made about who was speaking, and who wasn’t speaking, but I think people actually should have paid a lot more attention to who was organizing their own events on the side of the convention conversation.
From Linda Sarsour organizing Muslim voters. Our own network had a launch of our United Against Trump, which is a program with lots of progressive organizations and activists across the country who understand our task is to defeat Donald Trump in this election.
So I understand why people made that point, but I want to be clear. Joe Biden clearly has a strategy where he believes that there are enough 2016 Trump voters who are willing to cross over to vote for him in 2020 in order to secure this election. I do not share that analysis, nor do I believe history has born that out. People should remember that Barack Obama won the presidency twice, neither which of those times did he win a majority of white voters. I believe that if a Democrat wins in 2020, it will not be with the support of a majority of white voters.
What does that mean to groups like ours and to Progressives? It’s our community, and it’s our responsibility to help them participate in this election at record numbers. We should anticipate that the Biden administration or the Biden campaign should I say, will not help us with that. They will continue to make choices that play to a constituency that ultimately does not share our values.
And yet we are in the position we’re in, and so we again have to have the right conversations with our communities about what our strategy will be in pushing a Biden administration. And part of that strategy is defeating authoritarianism and this racist regime in Donald Trump in order to get to a place where we can push for co-governance and push our policies forward.
Jaisal Noor: And I wanted to end on this question because I’m sure you get asked this a lot. There’s a lot of discourse about this online and just people are having conversations on the left about what you’ve addressed their role in the Democratic Party, what the left’s role is, what kind of force can it play. We know how that’s played out on local elections, where members of the squad grew their ranks by a huge amount in a lot of local congressional races.
Yeah, Cory Bush, Jamaal Bowman and a number of other candidates across the country winning big races. But what do you say to activists that say, look, we can’t get behind a Biden and a Harris administration. We have to work outside of the Democratic Party entirely.
Jennifer Epps-Addison: Again, what we’re talking about is Joe Biden is not a liberation candidate. That’s the truth. I want a liberatory politics as much as anybody else. That’s why I joined the Working Families Party. It’s why I’m [inaudible 00:14:24] to a personal member, and our network is also a member of that political party.
Voting for Joe Biden is a harm reduction strategy. And the reality is, is that there is a lot of harm that we need to get in the way of, that we need to stop, that we need to try to redress that is happening under this administration. And we also need people to make a deep commitment that we just don’t go back to “normal” as soon as Trump is gone.
Because many of these problems, 40 million people living in poverty, the number of people without health insurance, the number of people who are homeless, many of those problems existed before Trump, they will exist after Trump.
And so our job is to push a Biden administration, and put in place a Congress and a Senate that will put a Medicare for all bill, a green new deal bill, a guaranteed housing bill onto president Biden’s desk. And that’s the role that our network is going to play, and we invite everybody who believes in freedom and wants to get back to that into our movement.
Jaisal Noor: All right, Jennifer Epps-Addison, it’s always a pleasure to speak with you, and we’ll definitely have you on again, soon, we want to talk more about what the strategy is in these swing States. And a lot of people forget that this election is going to be decided by really a handful of voters, and a handful of districts, and a handful of States, and that is really the bigger context here.
Jennifer Epps-Addison: Thank you so much for having me, and I look forward to talking after this election.
Jaisal Noor: Thank you for joining us at the Real News Network.
Related
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therealnews--2020-08-25--Breaking: Police shoot man multiple times in the back

This is a rush transcript and may contain errors .
It will be updated .
Taya Graham : Hello .
My name is Taya Graham .
This is Stephen Janis .
We ’ re here for the Police Accountability Report , giving you a breaking news update .
Jacob Blake , age 29 , father of three , was just shot in the back at least seven times by the Kenosha , Wisconsin Police Department .
We have the video footage here .
It is extremely disturbing .
We ’ re giving you a warning right now .
Stephen , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re seeing ?
Stephen Janis : Well , the video starts at a point we don ’ t know .
We know that the police department said that they had responded to some sort of domestic dispute .
People on the scene had said that [ Mr. Price 00:00:38 ] had just broken up a fight .
But as you can see here , the police officers are following him around the van with their gun drawn .
Once he gets around the van and Mr. Price tries to enter the van , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and pump bullets into his back .
People on the scene described it as disturbing .
As you can see , a young woman responds .
She ’ s screaming .
She ’ s upset .
There ’ s a tremendous amount of agony in the community this occurs , and I think most people can agree upon a disturbing scene when a police officer grabs someone , which means they can ’ t really do anything , respond to any sort of- Taya Graham : They can ’ t really comply in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They can ’ t respond to any commands or anything and then proceeds to pump bullets into him .
So , that ’ s why this particular case is under investigation and has drawn national attention .
Taya Graham : And just an aside , Jacob Blake is a father of three and he was shot in front of his three boys who were in the car at the time of the shooting .
So , not only did the police officers risk the life of Jacob Blake , but they also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were present on the scene .
So , Stephen , what have the police said so far ?
Stephen Janis : Well , we have a statement here from police provided to us by our reporting colleague , Steve Horn , who got this to us because he actually is from Kenosha , Wisconsin .
It says , “ At 5:11 PM , Kenosha police officers were sent to the 2800 block of 40th street for a domestic incident and were involved in the shooting .
Officers provided immediate aid to the person.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They have not identified the officers or said whether the officers had body cam running at the time .
They have suspended the officers , but not identified them , and the Wisconsin Department of Justice has taken over the case and is supposedly investigating , so this will not be investigated by the Kenosha Police Department .
We don ’ t know though what that really means for this case or how quickly it will proceed .
But of course , there is plenty of calls in the community for these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Now , you noted something interesting , which is that the police posted this statement before the video of the witness was released .
So , perhaps the statement of the police will change now that this video has been released to the point .
Stephen Janis : Yeah .
I think the video creates a lot of questions that have to be answered .
Why did the police have their guns drawn when we should know that Mr. Price was unarmed ?
Why did the police officer feel the need to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shooting him ?
Which I think seems to me to be an unusual technique , but I can ’ t say for sure .
I ’ ve never seen anything like it and I ’ ve covered police shootings for almost two decades .
So , there are a lot of questions that need to be answered , and I think it ’ s interesting that the statement , as you point out , was issued prior to the video coming out , and then after the video , now they ’ ve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this video has been released to the public , there has been activism on the street .
There has been protest .
Jacob is in the intensive care unit in Milwaukee right now .
He has gone through surgery .
As far as we know , he has survived the surgery , but his family , of course , is extremely concerned .
We ’ re going to keep you updated on the case of the shooting of Mr. Blake .
We ’ re going to keep you updated on his status , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to closely follow the police investigation .
My name is Taya Graham , this is Stephen Janis , and this is the Police Accountability Report .
Please be safe out there .

The shooting of Jacob Blake by Kenosha, WI, police has prompted outcry after a video posted to social media raised troubling questions.
Story Transcript
This is a rush transcript and may contain errors. It will be updated.
Taya Graham: Hello. My name is Taya Graham. This is Stephen Janis. We’re here for the Police Accountability Report, giving you a breaking news update. Jacob Blake, age 29, father of three, was just shot in the back at least seven times by the Kenosha, Wisconsin Police Department. We have the video footage here. It is extremely disturbing. We’re giving you a warning right now. Stephen, can you tell us what we’re seeing?
Stephen Janis: Well, the video starts at a point we don’t know. We know that the police department said that they had responded to some sort of domestic dispute. People on the scene had said that [Mr. Price 00:00:38] had just broken up a fight. But as you can see here, the police officers are following him around the van with their gun drawn. Once he gets around the van and Mr. Price tries to enter the van, the police grab him by the shirt and pump bullets into his back. People on the scene described it as disturbing. As you can see, a young woman responds. She’s screaming. She’s upset.
There’s a tremendous amount of agony in the community this occurs, and I think most people can agree upon a disturbing scene when a police officer grabs someone, which means they can’t really do anything, respond to any sort of-
Taya Graham: They can’t really comply in any way.
Stephen Janis: Yeah. They can’t respond to any commands or anything and then proceeds to pump bullets into him. So, that’s why this particular case is under investigation and has drawn national attention.
Taya Graham: And just an aside, Jacob Blake is a father of three and he was shot in front of his three boys who were in the car at the time of the shooting. So, not only did the police officers risk the life of Jacob Blake, but they also risked the life of the children that were present on the scene. So, Stephen, what have the police said so far?
Stephen Janis: Well, we have a statement here from police provided to us by our reporting colleague, Steve Horn, who got this to us because he actually is from Kenosha, Wisconsin. It says, “At 5:11 PM, Kenosha police officers were sent to the 2800 block of 40th street for a domestic incident and were involved in the shooting. Officers provided immediate aid to the person.” That’s all they said. They have not identified the officers or said whether the officers had body cam running at the time. They have suspended the officers, but not identified them, and the Wisconsin Department of Justice has taken over the case and is supposedly investigating, so this will not be investigated by the Kenosha Police Department. We don’t know though what that really means for this case or how quickly it will proceed. But of course, there is plenty of calls in the community for these officers to be prosecuted.
Taya Graham: Now, you noted something interesting, which is that the police posted this statement before the video of the witness was released. So, perhaps the statement of the police will change now that this video has been released to the point.
Stephen Janis: Yeah. I think the video creates a lot of questions that have to be answered. Why did the police have their guns drawn when we should know that Mr. Price was unarmed? Why did the police officer feel the need to hold onto his shirt while he was shooting him? Which I think seems to me to be an unusual technique, but I can’t say for sure. I’ve never seen anything like it and I’ve covered police shootings for almost two decades. So, there are a lot of questions that need to be answered, and I think it’s interesting that the statement, as you point out, was issued prior to the video coming out, and then after the video, now they’ve clammed up.
Taya Graham: Since this video has been released to the public, there has been activism on the street. There has been protest. Jacob is in the intensive care unit in Milwaukee right now. He has gone through surgery. As far as we know, he has survived the surgery, but his family, of course, is extremely concerned. We’re going to keep you updated on the case of the shooting of Mr. Blake. We’re going to keep you updated on his status, and of course, we’re going to closely follow the police investigation. My name is Taya Graham, this is Stephen Janis, and this is the Police Accountability Report. Please be safe out there.
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therealnews--2020-08-28--Why Jacob Blake’s family will have to fight for justice

After his unarmed son was killed by Kenosha police , Michael Bell Sr. has fought for independent investigations of police @ @

Story Transcript
This is a rush transcript and may contain errors. It will be updated.
Taya Graham: Hello. My name is Taya Graham and welcome to the Police Accountability Report. Now, normally at this point in the show I talk about, of course. Police accountability. But I’m going to have to change it up a bit here and say simply, that the entire premise may be faulty. Why do I say that? Well, earlier this week, this scene played out in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Police shot Jacob Blake, multiple times in the back, while his children watched.
The Kenosha, Wisconsin Police Department issued this terse statement, until this video surfaced, showing what led up to the shooting. Let’s watch, but just a warning, what you are about to see is violent and very disturbing.
video: [inaudible 00:00:59].
Taya Graham: Blake survived the seven shots and is paralyzed from the waist down. Protests have enveloped the town of Kenosha and calls for the arrest of the officer involved have prompted protests throughout the city. Right-wing militias have also arrived, claiming to protect property. They killed two protestors and injured one early Wednesday morning. For more, I’m going to my reporting partner, Stephen Janis out in the field. Steven, please give us the latest of what is happening on the ground in Kenosha.
Stephen Janis: Yeah, well, in the third day of protest, after the shooting of Jacob Blake, they have a militia, which is up here, called the Kenosha Militia, which appears to be people from outside the area who came armed with guns to confront protestors. And what happened was one of those members of the militia shot and killed two people and severely wounded another during the protest. Some of this was captured on video, which we’re showing right now. So it really seems to have escalated and turn what were peaceful protests, into a violent confrontation.
Taya Graham: We have just found out that two protesters were just shot and killed and one was wounded in Wisconsin. What is happening on the ground there?
Stephen Janis: Right now, we know who one person is and that is 17 year old, Kyle Rittenhouse. He was arrested just today and charged with first degree intentional homicide. So he is 17 years old, he is part of this militia. We don’t have any sort of formal organization, but we do know that the conspiracy theory based website InfoWars was promoting the militia and promoting the fact that purchasers should show up. So certainly, it’s part of a right wing perspective on this and certainly, fueled by right wing extremism.
Taya Graham: What are police saying about the investigation into Jacob Blake’s shooting?
Stephen Janis: Well, right now, they are saying nothing. Technically, this investigation is being handled by the Wisconsin Department of Justice. Police have not talked about anything about the details, about why the officers do this. Another video emerged, which shows a couple seconds before the police are seen coming around the van from a different perspective, but it really doesn’t tell us much and police had said even little.
One thing that’s interesting is that the sheriff of the county that includes Kenosha said that he had got a call from a person who said, “Why don’t you deputize the entire city or deputize anyone who wants to bring guns?” And let’s remember that the suspect in the murder had an AR-15 in his possession. So certainly, we don’t know much about the investigation, but we know tensions are heightened and we know that there’s concern about violence there.
Taya Graham: The reason I said at the top of the show that my intro would be different is because the police shooting of Jacob Blake happened in the wake of a multi year effort to reform the police in the same town where it happened. Since 2004, the father of Michael Bell Jr. Who was shot by the same police department, has worked tirelessly to overhaul the process of investigating police shootings and called for reform of how police can use deadly force.
Bell was shot during routine car stop. Officers had pulled him over in his family’s driveway for reasons that still remain unclear. And as he was being held over the car, an officer yelled that Michael had tried to grab one of the officers’ guns, which was later proved to be untrue. But in the confusion, an officer shot Belt in the head. Turns out the gun accusations were false, no DNA or fingerprints were found on the officer’s gun. There was no forensic evidence that Bell had touched the gun.
Instead, an investigation afterward determined that the officer’s weapon had brushed against a car side mirror. Three days after the shooting, police cleared all the officers involved and no charges were filed, but Bell’s father sued the department and won a settlement, which he used to fight to change the system. And he managed to win some changes to how police investigate themselves, which we will discuss later.
But the bottom line is despite the calls for change, Kenosha police are again involved in another controversial shooting, even though the shooting of Bell led to reform and calls for changes to policing. The community again, faces another troublesome use of force. To discuss what happened and why we’re forming law enforcement is always a work in progress, I’m joined by the man responsible for most of what little change has been seen in Kenosha.
His name is Michael Bell Sr, and he’s the father of the victim of the 2004 shooting. Here he is to talk about his efforts to obtain justice in the wake of his son’s death and give us his take on the shooting of Jacob Blake. Mr. Bell, thank you so much for joining me.
Michael Bell Sr.: I’m really happy to be here. Hopefully I can help in some way.
Taya Graham: So I know this is painful and must bring up terrible memories. But what did you think when you saw the video of the shooting of Jacob Blake?
Michael Bell Sr.: It was pretty upsetting. I mean, it was very heartbreaking. You got to remember that I had my own son that was shot and killed by a police officer and his mother and his sister stood there and watched it. And one of the first things that I saw was this young lady jumping up and down as her family member was being shot and I know the incredible amount of stress she was going through at that moment. So it’s pretty emotional, pretty nerve wracking.
Taya Graham: So I want to talk about your struggle to reform policing Wisconsin in light of your son’s death. First, just so people understand, please tell us what happened to your son.
Michael Bell Sr.: Well, first off is, I give you the short answer, but if anybody wants to follow up on it, all you have to do is go to michaelbell.info and they can watch a short documentary there. It’s called Forensically Impossible: The Anatomy of a Police Coverup. My son was coming home from a night out with friends. He arrived in front of his own home. He was turning off his car, a police officer arrived behind him. As he got out of the car, a police officer yelled, “Get back in the car, get back in the car.”
There was no common courtesies, no like sir, can I see your driver’s license? The guy grabbed him by the neck, started pushing him in front of the car. And saw somebody else in the front seat and decided they didn’t want two people together and pulled them in the back. Make a long story short. He made some accusations. He accused my son is speeding and running a stop sign later in depositions. He recanted that, but he inflamed the situation. He started accusing my sense of things that he didn’t do.
At some point, there was some arguing back and forth. They threatened to tase him, they did tase him. You can hear him screaming in the background in those videos. And essentially, he ran to the back of his own home. And the motion sensor spotlight’s turned on, a mother and sister came out and watch this and may saw a Rodney King style beating occur with my son.
An officer bent Michael over the car hood in a bear hug. Another officer at that point, screamed, “He has my gun.” A fourth officer came up to the scene, put his gun directly to my son’s temple and pulled the trigger, the gun didn’t fire because the slide on the gun was disengaged. And so the guy put the gun back to my son’s temple and killed him right in front of his mother and sister.
There were five civilian eyewitnesses and not one of their testimony was even considered. They just strictly went to the version of the police officer. And later on in court, after years of waiting, my attorney allowed all four officers to lie in sequence. And after the last officer lied, he gave him a copy of the medical examiner’s report. They created a story where they shot Michael on the left side of the head. And the medical examiner said that it was forensically impossible, because he was shot on the right side of the head.
And that led into a civil rights lawsuit. And what bothered me is, I’m a retired Air Force officer. I was a pilot. And what bothered me was that the coworkers of the officers involved conducted their own investigation and cleared the officers involved of no wrongdoing within two days. Two calendar days, they were complete. And I knew as an Air Force officer, that accident investigations on airplanes took far longer. And I couldn’t imagine even in the best scenario that something could be done in two days. And so we pushed for a law and in 2014, we were able to get a law passed in the state of Wisconsin. I am told that it was the first in the nation and that law states that no department that has a police involved death. Can investigate itself.
Taya Graham: Tell us what happened after your son was killed by the police. I believe the police investigation into his death took only three days and it was ruled justified homicide. Were there any criminal charges filed against these officers?
Michael Bell Sr.: No, no, no. I still can’t get the investigation opened. There was a flawed original investigation. There was a coverup. What we later found out was this, I brought in my own detectives, I brought in my own investigators.
And actually a police detective, his name is Russell Beckman, that worked for the Kenosha Police Department. He solved it and what it was is that there was a gun belt on this one officer’s holster and it had what was called a jacket gap. And it fit perfectly onto a car mirror on this Nissan Pulsar, where the struggle took place and it fit right between the guy’s gun and his belt. And as he turned, he felt a tugging on it and that’s why he screamed, “He has my gun.” This officer committed suicide in 2010.
Taya Graham: So you’re essentially saying that police colluded and covered up a crime because they could not admit that they made a mistake?
Michael Bell Sr.: There was a video online at michaelbell.info and our Facebook page, Plea For A Change and we show how the chief of police and the DA and the sheriff colluded together to block a proper investigation. We showed how the officers changed their testimony, up to 20 times, they changed your testimony and they allowed the changing testimony to fly. Nobody bothered to do anything about it. I have a letter from the Attorney General that says at best, the officers are mistaken, at worst, they lied. And we still could not get any kind of investigation regarding this.
Taya Graham: Mr. Bell, what was it like fighting the system? How hard was it to win the changes you fought for and what were you able to accomplish?
Michael Bell Sr.: Well, first off, it was a team effort. There were other people involved and you have to remember that we settled a civil rights lawsuit, but I refuse to accept a nondisclosure confidentiality agreement. We were able to bring the material forward. Instead of it being sealed and locked up, we were able to show the public really what’s going on in Kenosha. But it was extremely difficult and it was one of the most nerve wracking things that we’ve done, but we got it done.
And right now, the Jacob Blake case is being reviewed underneath that law. I mean, Kenosha police conduct the shooting and an outside agency had to come in and conduct the investigation, but we still have problems. And we still have ways to go. And because the local DA, who is his political basis, law enforcement in the community, both the Sheriff’s agency and their family and the police department, he gets to review the case. And so he’s not going to go against his political base. So I can’t speculate, but past history shows that he’s probably going to disregard this and just save the officer.
Taya Graham: Mr. Bell, what do you want to see happen in the Jacob Blake case? And what do you want for your son’s case? What do you think needs to happen in both cases?
Michael Bell Sr.: Jacob Blake, first off, is there needs to be an open and transparent investigation. The findings need to be released. I believe there should be an independent prosecutor appointed. I don’t think somebody that works hand in hand with the chief of police. There are on are first name basis. I have text messages between the DA and the chief of police and they’re on a first name basis.
I don’t think he should be reviewing this case. And so I think there needs to be an independent outside prosecutor taking a look at it and that’s the best I can hope for now. I heard that Jacob Blake is paralyzed. I’m hoping that he recovers. I consider them to be lucky because at least he is alive, where I didn’t have that. In my own son’s case, I think there should be a grand jury. And I think that the findings we’ll probably find that the officer should be charged with second degree intentional homicide and that’s what I think needs to happen.
Taya Graham: As you see, the police reform movement in this country, what changes would you like to see made now that there’s more awareness? What do you hope to see change?
Michael Bell Sr.: First off, I support law enforcement. It’s a very difficult job. And if you had a son or a father that was a law enforcement officer, you’d be very worried about that. And if you go to our Facebook page, I post heroic things that officers do all the time. And some of them, they’re pulling people out of burning cars or rescuing people out of raging rivers. They’re giving mouth-to-mouth to little babies that are suffocating. And so don’t forget that, they’re human beings too.
But right now, a bill is going to be introduced tomorrow in the state of Wisconsin. And it’s a bill that creates an NTSB style learning model for law enforcement. They’re going to take a look at the shooting and they’re going to determine what went wrong. And they’re going to look at root cause analysis, and they’re going to try to figure out what makes it better.
And just like in aviation airplane crashes, they look at all the root cause analysis and they try to figure out how to stop it from happening again. But not only do you have to do that, then you have to teach those lessons over and over again to new recruits coming in, and you have to have a database that you can measure it against.
Taya Graham: While we watched the tragedy of both police shootings, nearly two decades unfold in Kenosha, I can’t help but return to a question that we have asked repeatedly on this show. It’s a concept that speaks to the very essence of why American policing seems at times, so inexplicably violent and also immune to reform. Why do routine stops in minor encounters lead to death? Why do arrests for minor traffic infractions and nonviolent crimes often end in tragedy?
As you recall, American police are among the most violent in the world. An investigation by the Guardian Newspaper found police in other countries, rarely shoot to kill. For example, in Wales, England police killed 55 people in 24 years. In the US, police killed the same number of people in just 24 days. And even after the death of George Floyd at the hands of police, the killing still hasn’t stopped.
The Washington Post found the number of police killings are in the same pace as last year, already over 500 killings in 2020. The point is, like the case of Michael Bell and Jacob Blake, how many of these victims are unarmed? How many of these situations could have been deescalated? And how many of the people who died, actually posed a threat and why do they keep occurring despite the efforts of people like Michael Bell Sr?
It’s a question we don’t ask enough in this country. And a point that bears repeating each time one of these disturbing deaths occur. Certainly, it is a question we will continue to ask on this show. I would like to thank my guest, Michael Bell Sr. for taking the time to speak with us. Thank you, Mr. Bell.
Michael Bell Sr.: Okay. And you have my email address. If you put something online regarding this, please send it to me. We have a Facebook following of about 10,000 and that would help to … We would like to get all the material that we can out there.
Taya Graham: And I have to thank intrepid journalist, Stephen Janis, for his investigative research, writing and editing on this piece. Thank you, Steven.
Stephen Janis: Taya, thanks for having me. I appreciate it.
Taya Graham: And I want to thank Real News reporter, Steve Horn for his contribution to this reporting. Thank you, Steve. And of course, I would be remiss to not thank friend of the show [Noli D. 00:16:58]. For her support. Thanks, Noli D. And I want you watching to know, that if you have evidence of police misconduct or brutality, please share it with us and we might be able to investigate.
Please reach out to us. You can email us tips privately at par@therealnews.com and share your evidence of police misconduct. You can also message us at Police Accountability Report on Facebook or Instagram or at Eyes On Police on Twitter. And of course, you can message me directly at tayasbaltimore on Twitter or Facebook, and please like, and comment. It really helps. And of course, I read your comments, appreciate them and try to answer your questions whenever I can. My name is Taya Graham, and I’m your host of the police accountability report. Please be safe out there.
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