Speaker 0 00:00:00 More recent than others, but there are times in which we were not
Speaker 1 00:00:04 Expressed in this program are the opinions of the people expressing them and not necessarily those of fresh air incorporated its staff or its board of directors.
Speaker 3 00:00:24 You can burn a whole thing down. I don't care if you are uncomfortable, we can burn a whole thing down. Couldn't care about another zone. You can burn a whole thing down. Y'all don't really care about a brother till we burn all thing down.
Speaker 3 00:00:46 Yeah, we about to go to work. Yeah, we about to let it burn. Like send Quill. Yeah, I bet you will try to skip a They've been lynching us and till and that's really freaking generous cuz honestly they have been killing us since we were property. No stopping me from saying how it is. How this ain't the whizz, ain't no easing down the road where we live. That a biz. We can't go out for a jog or a swim fucking dog. Fall asleep in the car, fall asleep where we live. So we about to let it burn. Just like gusher say they be trying bud do not care what gusher say. Put in back screens up, make a few bucks. My life isn't marketing who you think you trying to play. Um, I like it better when like, nerdy was all fun and stuff. This is really angry. Like don't you think you said enough? Well that's freaking tough cuz I'm being loud and the people are not playing with you now. Yeah, you can burn a whole thing down. Yes. Yeah. I don't care if you are uncomfortable. We can burn a whole thing down. You can burn our whole thing down. Couldn't care about a another zone. You can burn a whole thing down. Burn down. Y'all don't really care about a brother until we burn our own thing down.
Speaker 3 00:01:56 Yeah, we about to go to work. Yeah, we about to let it burn.
Speaker 4 00:01:59 Come on the youngins. What I'm focused on. I'm so old then. Golden. I ain't know you was talking about Pokemon, but I'm more like me and nerdy next to a burndown system with a candle of gas and a handful of matches and no we ain't miss some famous now my mission. So watching all the leaders leading think Nona Minions, but we taught you enough to take us and we give into survivors city of liars making black people compliant. <laugh> Coon Rapids. Who are you asking? I'm proof. Survive the boomba trick bro. Ethics got me laughing at your message. And in Black Lives Matter, you would not get so defensive. We got cops and deans and robberies and gas light us. We are not the same. We on the scene we pass typing cuz y'all don't care about us and we ain't come to ask. We just mind our business in and people be so sucking mad. So pass the gun and mask and pass the athe. Nu Y'all can really kill us for anything. Y'all just bend the laws the same performance art, the same performative saving the racist head of normative. You can
Speaker 3 00:02:57 Burn the whole thing down. You can burn it all. I don't care if you are uncomfortable, we can burn a whole thing down. You can burn it, burn it, burn it down. Couldn't care about it. Not a zone. You can burn a whole thing down down. Y'all don't really care about a brother till we burn all thing down. Burn it down. Yeah, we about to go to work. Yeah, we let it
Speaker 5 00:03:46 Views from the ground, views from the damn ground views from the ground views from the damn ground views from the ground views from the damn ground. And that's on that on that on that.
Speaker 6 00:03:57 Yeah. So, um, this is DJ your favorite agender host. I use data and pronouns.
Speaker 7 00:04:03 My name is Brandon. I use he him pronouns.
Speaker 6 00:04:06 Yeah. We're gonna jump in right into what's happening this week.
Speaker 7 00:04:10 Uh, so the other day, when was it? Yesterday? Two days ago. Um,
Speaker 6 00:04:15 Yeah, Monday,
Speaker 7 00:04:16 Monday, uh, there was a officer involved shooting in St. Paul, Minnesota. Um, let me preface this by saying the only information that we have so far is from the police's perspective. Um, and we know that time and time again, cops lie. So it's hard to piece together the facts of what actually happened, especially until we see, um, body camera footage. Um, community members have spoken with his family. Um, uh, his family has shared some words. Um, but again, most of the words that they're out in the media, uh, is from the St. Paul Police Department and from the bca. Um, again, it's hard to form opinions, um, without seeing it or with only hearing one side of the story. Um, it's just unfortunate being a black person in this country, in this world. And here we are again, um, where law enforcement takes the life of somebody. Um,
Speaker 7 00:05:25 Normally when that happens, we'll see the video and then we can decide for ourselves whether we believe it was justified or not. However, nine times out of 10, these police killings are never justified because it should not be the job of the police to, uh, uh, execute people. Um, they cannot be judge, jury and executioner. Um, we live in a country where everyone's supposed to have a right to trial, um, to be tried by a jury of their peers. But time and time again, uh, the police tend to take matters into their own hands. And that is speaking very generally because again, we don't, don't have very many facts of this case. Um, there was, uh, uh, an alleged incident that happened before. Um, there was a couple different things that they said he was doing during, um, that led to him being one hit by a police car and then two, uh, shot and killed by the police.
Speaker 7 00:06:23 Um, in his back. In his back. Yeah. So it's hard to formulate an opinion without, again, with only earing one side of the story and without seeing the video. Um, but again, opinions generally are come with a lot of emotion. So emotionally, we know how a lot of community members feel emotionally. We know how a lot of black, brown indigenous people feel every time they hear a story. Um, because like, you know, we've learned in the past couple years, George Floyd apparently died of a medical incident, right? Mm-hmm. <affirmative> May 25th, 2020. That was the first story that came out, and that's what the press ran until the video came out. Um, so the family is requesting that the video be released. The community is requesting that the video be released, um, not requesting, demanding that the video be released in a timely manner. Um, because we have every right to see what happened.
Speaker 7 00:07:17 We have every right to know what happened. Um, and typically the b c A takes those first steps to cover up or change or muddy the waters of the story, um, to make sure that there is no large community, uh, uh, coming out to support this family and, and this victim of another police shooting. It is just unfortunate again, that we live in a world, we live in a society where black people specifically, um, black and brown people, specifically black, brown and indigenous people specifically have so many factors that can lead to their lives being cut short. Um, and it's not to speak on the man that he was. I'm sh nobody is perfect. One, there's no such thing as a perfect, uh, perfect victim. There's no such thing as a perfect human. And again, that is not speaking in support of decisions that he may have made that were terrible decisions, actions that he may have done that were terrible actions.
Speaker 7 00:08:22 But it is saying that one day, hopefully we would like to live in a world where everyone can live, love one another, be in community with one another, and not fear for their life being cut short by the police, um, by, um, abusers, by, uh, people committing crimes to, to survive themselves. You know, there's plenty of things that go into it and it's always black, brown and indigenous communities that suffer the most. And, uh, here we are again waiting for another video to confirm, deny, or, or just to clear up the picture of what happened. Um, yeah, so I, I don't think I've even said his name yet. So that was Howard Johnson, 24 year old St. Paul man, um, who was killed.
Speaker 6 00:09:10 So Yeah. With, with um, two twin boys.
Speaker 7 00:09:13 Yeah. Father.
Speaker 6 00:09:15 Yeah. So I, uh, actually was at the press conference earlier today and the family says they still haven't heard a word from the, the city or the state or anyone about their loved ones. So, um, they're still waiting to get a call back. Um, the mayor won on the record on Twitter and said he, um, he, he's committed to releasing the body cam footage as quickly as possible. Um, but there's still no body cam footage here. Um, and we are what on we're, we're, we're 48 a little bit after 48 hours after the incident. So, so yeah, we're still waiting for the, the footage that he is so that he has committed to release in a timely matter. We know when, you know, the mayor and the BCA say timely, they then they back it up with 30 to 90 days cuz they like to edit the videos. So the, the demand is, um, from the community and also from the family is to see the raw, um, footage of the incident. And, um, I I did hear that, uh, the officer had their, their body cam ums on, so, yeah. So,
Speaker 7 00:10:34 And it's, uh, when, uh, when it comes to the issue of this body camera footage, let's say we do get it within the next 24, 48, 72 hours, hypothetically, that typically only happens if the police feel that that video will will be good for their image. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, right? So if there's, in past cases, in future cases, if we're demanding body camera footage, demanding body camera footage, and it doesn't come for months, years, or never comes, it's because they know that they lied in their, uh, report and, uh, the video doesn't show their lie. Um, like we think about, uh, Dola Eid, how there was all those cameras, all those cars, all those, uh, uh, gas station cameras, and then the video they release is the worst angle <laugh> to like a 28 second clip of the worst angle that showed what best depicted do being this and that and acting this and that way.
Speaker 7 00:11:32 Um, which led to him being murdered by M P D. Um, and they released that video. Or there was that, um, time where a, uh, gentleman, um, ended his life after he was on the run from the police and there was some, uh, unrest that was happening because again, it is, it is like you can't even expect black brown or indigenous people to just believe police narrative. It would be like <laugh>, it would be inconceivable to, to expect or or think that that would happen. So that unrest was coming up and then they literally released the video within hours, uh, of, of that individual, um, taking their own life. Um,
Speaker 6 00:12:14 Yeah, that, yeah, that was wild. Cuz that was the quickest body cam footage that had ever happened before. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. I mean, it was like out in like an hour. They're like, no, we didn't do it. We really didn't do it. Like, I was like, wow, okay. So the body cam footage can come out immediately,
Speaker 7 00:12:31 Can can come out. Yeah. Ain't that crazy.
Speaker 6 00:12:33 Yeah. So if they want to, so it's all up to that. And, you know, it's just really hard for, you know, black and brown families, uh, you know, bipo families to actually, uh, you know, trust the police narrative because, you know, like city officials have done nothing in the last, you know, two years since, uh, George Floyd has been, um, murdered, you know, um, all that we, we have seen no, like real, we haven't seen any systemic changes. All we've seen is, you know, them charging Derek Chauvin with a couple of years and, you know, kind of like the promise that like yeah, you can't kill anyone for nine minutes. Right. You know what I mean? You gotta you gotta be faster than that. And so, um, and, and you know, when elected officials like the Minneapolis City Council and the mayor like last night, you know, passing, uh, their budget that they did where they were giving the cops more money, um, and they're passing some fake oversight committee that has no power and is appointed, um, by council members and has the cops on it, you know, like, we're still not seeing any real change, right.
Speaker 6 00:13:51 Uh, the, yeah, the city budget was happened yesterday. That was, that was, um, actually real bad. So, um, just giving more money to the cops, even though, you know, all they say is that they're traumatized cause of all the people that they've beat up and, you know, teargassed. Because if you think about it, um, since the, since the murder of George Floyd, the metro area here has been averaging killing a black man every six or seven months, right? When we talk about, um, D Law E and then we talk about Dante Wright, and then, and then we talk about Smith, Winston Smith, Amir Locke Tek, um, yeah. And so, um,
Speaker 7 00:14:40 Nothing's being done.
Speaker 6 00:14:41 Nothing's being done. And then, and then the elected officials want to cry and want to go to people's, you know, funerals and kneel on their caskets and cry about it, even though they had the power to change it. So it's just, yeah, it's just, um, really unfortunate that that's happening. So,
Speaker 7 00:15:01 And, and when we talk about not having a perfect victim, like, um, so many people we're so quick to, to villainize Tela, who was having very clearly a mental health crisis who fired a, a gun recklessly, um, into an apartment building where people were, that is not us excusing that behavior when he is not on a vacant apartment building. Um, and the only person he can harm is himself. The job that we expect the police to do is to protect and serve. In that instance, they needed to protect Tek from Techway, but what did they do? They took the, the matter into their own hands and ended up killing him. You know, when we talk about not having a perfect victim with, um, our brother that was, uh, just murdered by St. Paul Police, um, uh, Howard, uh, we need, and what we hope for is to live in a society where if he has done wrong in the past, if so many people are so quick to just send him to jail, send him to prison, uh, uh, outcast him wherever he needs help, you know, we live in a society where so many people need help, but what do they get instead?
Speaker 7 00:16:17 They get mistreatment. They don't get funding, they don't get help, they don't get love, they don't get community. They get shackles, they get bullets. Um, and that's not the society that we should live in. That's not the society we desire to live in. Um, we try to fight for a society where we can take, I don't even wanna say the damaged individuals, where individuals who have done wrong and, and find a way to have them be contributing members of society again without stigmatizing them, without outcasting them, and without killing them. Um, yeah,
Speaker 6 00:16:56 Exactly. With that, um, I do want to, um, move on to our next topic, which is, um, Morocco made the World Cup Quarter finals, Hey.
Speaker 7 00:17:09 Yeah. To, uh, so many different statistics or talking about, uh, how many times the African country has gone to the World Cup, what quarter finals, the last four teams, I believe. I think this is like the fourth time ever or something like that. Um, it's crazy to see how many, um, like Moroccan players who even, there was one player I think who won the game on the last, uh, penalty kick. He was born in Spain, but his, uh, parents were Moroccan immigrants and he chose to play for Morocco and ended up defeating Spain in the World Cup. Um, and he said like in an interview, like my, my parents came from very humble means my father was a street vendor. My mom cleaned houses, but that is my people, right? We may live in Spain, but I am Moroccan. And so he chose to, uh, to play for Morocco and beat Spain, which is crazy. I <laugh>, one of my favorite tweets that I saw, <laugh> someone was like, if Morocco beats Spain, we get Andrew Lucia back, which is the southern part of Spain. Um, which I mean, historically there's been under different rules by the Moores and whoever back and forth, but they were saying, if Morocco beats Spain, we get, we get it back. It's part of Africa again. Oh,
Speaker 6 00:18:24 Dead.
Speaker 7 00:18:24 I was like, that's what's up. That's super funny. Yeah,
Speaker 6 00:18:27 I, um, I, I definitely, um, in keeping up with the headlines, um, more, uh, I have enjoyed seeing, uh, the solidarity that Palestine has got throughout the real cup. That's been amazing. I see the flag like every round, I feel like mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Um, so that's been really cool. Um, yeah,
Speaker 7 00:18:45 Reporters are trying to like, be careful on who to interview, who they think won't talk about Palestine, and then surprised at the end of the interview free Palestine, and they're like, <laugh>. I'm trying to
Speaker 6 00:18:53 Cut the interview real quick. Like, nope, too late. <laugh> mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Um, yeah, so I wanted to say that, um, I also wanted to tell people about, uh, chess club that I, um, found it with my friend, and I just want to let people know that it is like, it's a black, it's a bipo queer chess club, um, focus. So, and, uh, it meets every Sunday from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM over at Tory 44, uh, which is, uh, 2203 North 44th Avenue. Um, um, yeah. And we're doing it, uh, every, every Sunday. It's called Black King Chess Club, um, on Sundays from two to four at Tory 44. So, yeah. Um, I've just been real frustrated at, uh, the chess community and not having the space for, for Bipo people and for queer people. It's, you know, like actual safe space for us. So, you know what, um, my friend <laugh> Gabe, who, um, co-founded it with me, uh, one day we got really upset with the chess club we were going to, and he was like, yeah, we're gonna do our own thing.
Speaker 6 00:20:12 Yeah, yeah. And I'm in the background. Yeah, yeah. We gonna do our own thing. He like, yeah, we're gonna do it over north. And I was like, yeah. And I'm just like pumping him up and all that stuff. And like two days later he calls me, he's like, yeah. So I called a couple of restaurants. I was like, what do you mean <laugh>? And he's like, for the chess club we're doing. I was like, oh, we weren't just talking <laugh>. I was like, oh, okay. So yeah, we've been, um, doing that for about, uh, three weeks now. So just thought I let, um, people know that they're invited to come out. Um, but with that being said, um, we are going to go over, um, to Brandon for the words of freedom segment.
Speaker 7 00:20:47 So yeah, this week or this whole month actually for Words of Freedom, um, it has been what, when did we start this show? This year? Since May, may, may was our first month. Uh, so I think we've had seven or eight poets, I think however many months that is. Math is hard. Uh, <laugh>, um, one poet each month. And so for the month of December here, we're gonna do like a recap looking back at, uh, the poets we've had, we're gonna play some of their stuff and, uh, you know, we're still figuring out what we're gonna, uh, do at the end of the month, but that's okay. Uh, we may just play some more of their stuff. We may try to get somebody in. We may just hear some, uh, uh, DJ's stuff, you know, they've been writing a couple things here and there. I've been writing a couple things here and there, so yeah, you know, stay tuned if you can. But yeah, we're gonna listen to some of Jan Delta Ray's poetry along with, uh, DIA Jammas poetry today.
Speaker 6 00:21:38 All right, here we go.
Speaker 8 00:21:42 Well, brave. And Simone is still trying to decide whether she wants to be considered black or just American. There are still white people that believe reverse racism is real. And as Donald Trump was stepping down as the president of the United States eye found myself commenting at the bottom of someone's Facebook post, defending how expressive my black skin can be. It's as if I was born with limitations, as if I was born into a predetermined box of confinement. Damning me away before the world could ever know my name. Well, hello, it's so nice to meet you. I'm as black as it gets. I'm south side bred to black streets. I'm the black blood that's still dripping from popular trees. White man tells me I'm too pro-black. I tell him I'm Fred Hamson on his best day. I tell him I'm Africa. I tell him I'm mama's best part of neck bones and collard greens.
Speaker 8 00:22:29 I tell him, I'm African, I'm African American, I'm black American. Or maybe I'm just black. Cuz I never fit into the white outlines of your America. But Langston Hughes told me himself that I too am American. How soon could we forget the children stolen from the motherland have always been beautiful. Last time I checked, we were the ones that built this. This ink, no poem. This is the Constitution rewritten for black skin. This is the skin that's blacker than mine. Black, black coal, black, like the ink of the pen that I used when I wrote this black like gold that shines so bright. It blinds you to the darkness of the galaxy that provides its light for the stars to shine. See this, this here ain't no poem. This is the reincarnation, the rebirth of black skin. It's a beautiful soul conceived by Egyptian god's, blessed by the nation of Zulu, raised by Nubian royalty.
Speaker 8 00:23:15 And Stephen Biko Beco is my grandfather. I am the female rendition of Soly Carmichael Dart of Angela Davis in the next life, the spirit animal of Malcolm X and the bad dream that keeps you up at night. This ain't no poem. This here is the renaissance of black skin. This is Peter Pepper. Pick a black child, this black child, this black girl, this black queen. I wasn't meant to be settling. You can't force feed me your whitewashed version of my history and expect for me to keep quiet. Listen, I'm pro black equals black panther and everything else in between. And yes, I said I am pro-black. Don't mean I'm anti-white. It means that I'm in love with me and people that look like me. Black boys and black girls that are watching, wanting to grow up and be just like me. This is black body swinging in the sun.
Speaker 8 00:23:59 Just so I can have space to grow, create and breathe. This ain't no poems, the homecoming of melanin. This is black girl can do it as she puts her mind to. This is black boy is more than your statistics. This is white. People are now offended. But listen, this here ain't about you. You see, I'm just a black girl that's speaking loud and prideful. This is mind, body and soulful. This is, I'm in love with my black body because it's what my soul has been tied to. This ain't no poem. This is black joy that I can't keep within. This is love. This is real. And I hope that you can understand. But if you don't, maybe you just weren't meant to. But you will understand that I'm unapologetically black and that black is unapologetically beautiful.
Speaker 9 00:24:40 Take me home to the mouth of the river, spitting out a thousand spears. And take me to the high tops, the countryside of Northern Minnesota. Let's sit a top unmarked graves and shattered bones. Eat fried bread and walleye fish all while looking at the stars. Drive us through the city of lakes. Pretend there's no drowning here. And take us to the wall of rebirth where names are no longer of people. But memories Teach the school children not to of the stolen language, but pure American pride. Show them how to lift the curls of their mouth into a smile, but not how to say sorry. Minnesota nice is a comedic phrase. We offer condolences through small talk and prayers. Maybe the city is the joke or maybe it's us. Take me home to the opening of fire. Throw away the extinguisher. Not everything burning needs. Saving this place, this place would put wildfires to shame the wave. Flames carry through the months crossing the rivers and breaking the ice. There is no Minnesota winter that containment. I once dreamed of my home as lilac bushes and cherry blossoms. Wishing the seasons could change to see them sprout. I do not know what to dream of anymore. Some days I see ashes and others I see waves. This home is so different from the way it was once praised, but there is nowhere else to go. So take me home. Home to my burning sit.
Speaker 9 00:26:10 We stay floating, caressing skin under the deep ocean blue. We stay existing in three second photo snaps and video clips. Honestly, I can't picture times like this where life is slow burning and we don't try to resist to stay cruising through life in little increments. I once wanted to be the oldest in a room with life lessons and understanding to pay my dues. But lately time isn't a shadow I'm trying to outrun. So instead we stay focused on the present. No need to press skip. Appreciating adolescence. My youth is what I got to give. Writing truth into the ground. These are words I have to spill. So trust when I say they'll hear me loud to the speakers and across the towns, I will pave away. Leave this world with something reminders to stay float.
Speaker 7 00:27:00 So yeah. So that was, uh, Jane Delta Ray on the first one. And then we had Ju Jamma on the second and third piece today. Um, again, stay tuned. All month we are going to be doing recaps of, uh, our past artists who have been featured on the words of freedom. Um, and again, you know, stay tuned for that last, uh, Wednesday of the month. We gonna do something special for y'all. Uh, never know what you gonna get <laugh>
Speaker 6 00:27:28 With that, um, we're gonna take a quick break.
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Speaker 6 00:28:22 All right, with that, um, we are going to go straight into the nerdy spotlight. So take it away. Nerdy
Speaker 3 00:28:32 Season's. Greetings everybody. It's your boy nerdy. And we are back again on the radio waves for the Artist Spotlight. This year we have found so many amazing artists in our community. So I thought for this last month of the year, we're gonna take a little bit of time and go back and just check out all the amazing artists we've had on the program so far. And without further ado, the first look back is gonna be our very first artist here on the artist Spotlight. That's right. It's your girl, Lieutenant Sonny. This is word to Howie
Speaker 12 00:29:20 Confetti in the air at the party. Feeling all over my body waits outside the lobby. Don't no deal worth a how confetti in the air at the party feeling all over my outside the lobby. Don't we? No deal worth the holiday.
Speaker 13 00:29:51 It's a birthday, but when the flame out weather, it is hot. Bring in the cake out. Birthday wish. Give me the payout. Said that your love me. Always gonna stay down on leave in the house. Dress like a Millie. Got the squad. Fpe Whitney. We the hotness in the Twin Cities. But the party. See you at the Benny. All I wanna do is have fun tonight. Bring the black whip in the black car tonight. No fee fees in your heart tonight. Leave the boys at the bar tonight. Hey, big face. That thing dumping. DJ Hayes got the place jumping and and Kay got the place. Crumping. What's next? I'm
Speaker 12 00:30:24 Up to something y confetti in the air at the party feeling all overt. House the lobby, don't we? No dear. Where the highway confetti in the air at the party feeling all over. My body waits outside the lobby, don't we? No deal.
Speaker 14 00:30:59 We popping the bottle of invited the people who with me. And we put number like a where Beef with the wrong reduction. Smoke on loud colors. No discussion. Something for your head baby. No. Concussions might just spin cause I get more loved than racket dev. This a chamber. It's after party go missing. Wait for love. Like a company love us. Smile Bday Sheik come around clipping us. Fair play. But it ain't fair for the competition. No gin at the mission. We're the gin. She up the handy. We on the mission
Speaker 12 00:31:49 Confetti in the air at the party. Feeling all over my body. Waits outside the lobby. Don't need no deal. The confetti in the air at the party, feeling all over my body waits outside the lobby. Don't need no deal worth. The highway
Speaker 15 00:32:21 Sun has spin in like it's my birthday. So while my head, I'm in the worst way already told y'all I'm a star fleet. I keep up moving like a track meet. I can racing through all these s you see the jacket so you know it's me. I'm taking, attacking every beat I see. I'm using tracking casuals. Fair play. Come up for the top spot with your top notch where he Finn get this top crotch. Ah, I'm wearing ear range with a crop top of masculine. I hit our hotspot. Woo. We about to have a celebration and Noah ever really took his patience, the creating and feel soap. Amazing. I'll never come down up to the word. You may not know my name, but the fame don't find me the same. And the game won't blind me or pretend that the ground won't ground me or meditate once, two times to remind me to keep my center. As long as God is in the middle, I'm good. Told me I could. Curses always told me I would
Speaker 12 00:33:11 Confetti in the air at the party, feeling all over my body. Wait outside the lobby. Don't need no deal. Worth the confetti in the air at the party. Feeling all over my waits outside the lobby, don't we? No deal worth the highway.
Speaker 6 00:33:48 All right, welcome back to Studio four here at, uh, cafe I. And so just want to give a special shout out there to, um, nerdy, um, for doing his spotlight every week and also for, um, yeah, for Word to Howie <laugh>. I like that song. So, um, with that, um, I want to introduce my guest, um, this week, which is my friend Alejandra. Hey. Hello. Hello. And you brought a friend with you. So my Minnesota bestie <laugh>. So, um, go ahead and introduce yourselves.
Speaker 16 00:34:32 Yeah. So my name's Alejandra Bon. I use she they pronouns. Um, and I'm currently a paralegal at Kim Hunter's law office, uh, where we do immigration based cases.
Speaker 17 00:34:43 Hi, my name is Wendy Sanchez. Um, I use she her pronouns and I also work at Kim Hunter Law and Alejandro is my coworker. Yeah, <laugh>
Speaker 6 00:34:54 <laugh> kind of, yeah. Most technical
Speaker 17 00:34:57 <laugh>. Technically <laugh>. Um,
Speaker 16 00:35:00 But yeah, a little bit about why I've decided to work in the immigration field. Um, it's just because the US Immigration system is extremely inhumane. Um, instead of prioritizing safety or efficiency, the main purpose of the governmental immigration system are to make it as difficult as possible to, for people to gain any sort of status in the us. Um, and I really think that the system needs to be changed, um, completely because Customs and Border Patrol, US Citizenship and Immigration Services, department of Homeland Security do not protect us. Um, instead they further the exploitative mission that is the capitalist society and that we live in. Um, we have to work to dismantle these systems and build new ones, which would guarantee permanent protection, dignity, and respect for all. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, that's what I believe.
Speaker 17 00:35:54 Yes. This is why I love Alejandra. She is passionate about, um, just making sure that these systems are just taken down. Um, they are definitely built, um, incredibly, um, inhumanely. Um, I, myself, I got involved with immigration. Uh, due to my own personal background, I am an immigrant. I came to the United States when I was eight years old. Um, I'm currently, uh, on daca. Um, so I have personally experienced, uh, the instability of, uh, the immigration system. Um, and so that is one of my, you know, the biggest thing in my life. So I was always just interested to, um, just take part in helping that however I could. And so, uh, when the opportunity came up to, uh, work for Kim Hunter Law, that was such a, um, uh, just a great thing for me. Um, and I work, uh, with Kim Hunter Law for the almost four years.
Speaker 17 00:37:01 Um, and it's been such a eye-opening experience apart from my own experience. Um, I got to see a lot of, I get to see a lot of, um, other people's experience and the struggles that they go through. Um, and being personally connected to it. Um, and knowing that my work affects it, um, is just, you know, one of the, like the biggest connects that I have with, with this work. Um, so that is a little bit about me. That is one of my, the reasons why I am involved in this work and why I'm so passionate about it. Um, but that is what brought us to this, to this, uh, to this work. Uh, but just a quick disclaimer. We are not attorneys. Uh, what we're, uh, we'll talk about today is just general information, uh, for us to distribute to the community. Um, to even just bring you, uh, a little bit more, um, perspective, if you are not familiar with this, uh, this part of the world, this part of the struggle, <laugh> of.
Speaker 17 00:38:07 So that's just, uh, I wanted to clear that out. Um, um, and so Alejandra and I, we both work, um, with mainly asylum cases and family based petitions, uh, such as daca, t p s, um, naturalization, uh, meaning, you know, you apply for citizenship. Um, and then also processes with the National Visa Center. Uh, when families petition their families abroad, uh, they go have to go through a, um, um, a process with the National Visa Center to actually process their, their visas. And we have to do a whole thing of resubmitting documents applying, making sure that they are suitable to be citizens of the United States <laugh>. Um, um, so yeah, that's a little bit about this.
Speaker 16 00:39:01 Yeah. And today we will. We'll, thank you, Wendy. But today we will be talking about the state of deferred action for childhood arrivals, daca, uh, temporary protective status work permits and de delays in processing times. It's important for all of us, no matter our status to be aware, especially since things are always changing in immigration law. Um, well, we never know when we need to be ready. Um, but do you wanna talk a little bit about processing times, Wendy? Yeah.
Speaker 17 00:39:29 That is one of the biggest things that, um, I feel like our clients are always, uh, very worried about. Uh, whenever they have, um, an application that we've worked on or they're, you know, wor um, waiting on a decision, uh, waiting on, uh, news from immigration. Processing times is one of the biggest questions that we get. And we also, um, don't really have an answer to most of the times. We can't really tell you when we're gonna get something. Um, in these times, um, from what I've heard from, uh, the attorney, uh, that we work with, who she's been in this field for so many years, um, and through my experience in the last four years, um, I started work, uh, working in this law firm when, um, the, it was the Trump administration was, um, in place. Um, and that's when I heard that things were starting to slow down just because that administration really was trying to bring up any, um, and all reasons to try to delay mm-hmm.
Speaker 17 00:40:41 <affirmative>, um, giving procedures, yeah. Uh, procedures and, um, delaying decisions, anything that would move people forward on with their processes. Um, and so that was one big factor that, uh, added to the delay. And then with the pandemic, um, now, um, there's the whole like shutdown delay where they weren't really in place or working on anything, um, that has added to that delay. And so, um, we get a lot of, uh, a lot of clients really frustrated with, with that. Um, and we, like, we just feel so, um, powerless. Powerless because we cannot, we cannot really answer that really mysterious question of when will we hear back? Um, and that's all we can, we can work with is just going on their website and telling them the generic answer of like, they say that it's going to be in the next eight months sometime <laugh>. And so, uh, that was,
Speaker 16 00:41:47 Yeah. Or checking in with the senator. Um, here we got Tina Smith. Yeah. Or, um, checking, doing an outside of processing times inquiry when it's been more than eight months and they haven't done it yet. Um,
Speaker 17 00:42:00 Yeah. So the delay is very significant. The other part is, uh, P four clients who are, um, I deportation proceedings. Um, that is the other biggest things because a lot of our clients have different barriers if they're under, uh, deportation proceedings. Um, sometimes they just don't have, um, depending on how they get it, um, in the system, uh, they get their green cards taken away and then they're like, when can I get it back? Like, I haven't been able to prove my status. And then their whole, like, case is going on for 3, 4, 5 years. Um, and that is, you know, it's really hard for them to hear that, that no, we cannot, you know, tell you anything until we get your hearing. And if these, uh, docket times are so lengthy, then it's so hard to like really be able to give them a solution or an answer. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>.
Speaker 6 00:42:57 Yeah. So y'all were just talking about how it could, their site says it takes eight months. Is that being your experience working in this field that it takes eight months?
Speaker 16 00:43:07 Yeah, I mean, and not, it doesn't have to be generally eight months. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, that's just an example. Yeah. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Um, right now, work permits can take any time from six months to a year and
Speaker 17 00:43:18 Most often a year nowadays. Yeah. <laugh> ridiculous. Yeah. When people are used to three months, yeah. Three, maybe six months, and then that jump to a year is just mm-hmm. <affirmative> really hard to grasp. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> especially because at the beginning when the delay began, um, for that long, they were, they didn't have a work permit, so a lot of them were laid off. Um, a lot of them lost their driver's license, so it was very frustrating.
Speaker 6 00:43:50 So when there's that long of a delay, they could lose their ability to work mm-hmm. <affirmative> and even their drive. Yeah.
Speaker 17 00:43:57 Yeah. Because their driver's license is, uh, issued, um, based on their work permit. So you have to provide your current work permit to the DMV in order to get, um, your driver's license. And your driver's license is only valid as long as your work permit is valid. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>.
Speaker 16 00:44:14 And then now the U S C I S gave an extension, there's 180 day extension for those who qualify for it if you're under the category. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Um, and then because they noticed that they were taking so long, now there's a 540 day extension in addition to the 180 day extension, because they know they just can't give you your work permit <laugh>. It's ridiculous.
Speaker 6 00:44:39 Oh, wow. So, yeah,
Speaker 17 00:44:40 It's a very ridiculous delay. Um, all that to say that, um, if anyone's listening that has, you know, that maybe like insecurity of it's my attorney even doing anything or, you know, like, is anything even being done? Um, it's just because something is taking long doesn't mean that nothing's being done is just right now things are really delayed. Um, and we can only, you know, it's always good to call your attorney if some, you feel like something is out of like, timeframe that it should be. Although if right now it is very common for things to just be super delayed, um, and thankfully right now with the work permits, which is one of the things that is an immediate impact to people's lives, um, thankfully we got that extension where people can be like, oh, I have an extension on my work permit. I already submitted my renewal, but I can continue to work and continue to have a driver's license for a little bit longer, even though my new work permit isn't here yet.
Speaker 17 00:45:40 Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Um, so, um, yeah, just processing times are ridiculous right now. Um, and yeah, what, with what I was saying, the deportation, deportation proceedings with court is also the other thing that people are facing, um, immediate consequences, uh, or like, you know, barriers in their lives because of, you know, just being in court. Even if they're like a green card holder, they cannot leave the country. They cannot travel. So those are one of the main concerns of our clients that they're like, well, I'm still under proceedings. When am I going to hear like a decision on my case so I can continue my life? I can go see my mom, I can, you know, go see family for the holidays and stuff like that. So, um, that's, you know, it's just, it's just, unfortunately it's not much that we can do when the judge says that that is their schedule, you know? Um, so yeah.
Speaker 6 00:46:38 That sounds like a lot. I do want to let people know we are listening to, uh, views from the ground, views from the damn ground. Um, and we are here with a, uh, Alejandra and Wendy and we're talking about daca, so, um, y'all can continue.
Speaker 16 00:46:55 Yeah. Well, yeah, so thank you Wendy. Um, I am going to go ahead and start talking a little bit about daca. Uh, DACA is just a deferred action for childhood Childhood arrivals, uh, but are known as daca. It is an administrative belief that protects from deportation to those who came to the US when they were just children. Um, folks who qualify for DACA and get DACA can qualify for work permits and a social security. Um, but unfortunately it is not a path to citizenship. Um, the status needs to be renewed every two years and, um, crimes or bad moral character can jeopardize renewals and lead to people not being able to qualify for daca again, just for being humans. And, you know, sometimes do, you know, having a criminal record <laugh>, um, and then going through the courts, it's currently going through the courts, um, because the Fifth Circuit or the state of Texas, um, and several, several other states are trying to find any way to end daca. So, yes.
Speaker 6 00:47:59 Um, quick question. So when you say it's not a path citizenship mm-hmm. <affirmative>, um, elaborate a little bit more on that. So it's just a program to help people get work visas?
Speaker 16 00:48:10 Yeah. Work permits,
Speaker 6 00:48:11 Work permits, mm-hmm. <affirmative>. So, so just the ability to continue working here, but they're, but they don't get to be a citizen.
Speaker 16 00:48:18 Yep, exactly. That's all,
Speaker 6 00:48:19 That's a whole different process. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Okay. I just want to clarify that.
Speaker 16 00:48:24 It's very, it's a very not that helpful process because people are just here, you know, with no status is they're just here under a DACA title and, um, all that, the benefits that they can get is just to work for a capitalist society that doesn't really care about them and their existence at the end of the day. Um, and then some, they get social security numbers, and then that way they, people can look for ins, you know, insurance, get healthcare, um, and other things that we need to survive. Yeah.
Speaker 17 00:48:58 Yeah. And just to go off on, uh, off on that, um, basically it is just, DACA has been just so unstable. Um, it seems that everyone is against, uh, this, this, um,
Speaker 16 00:49:15 Basic human right? Mm-hmm. <affirmative>,
Speaker 17 00:49:17 Uh, I don't even know how to call it cuz Yeah. It's not any, it's just like an administrative action that, uh, the Obama administration took. Um, so it wasn't really put into place for it to be, to have any permanent stay or any like, path into citizenship. Um, so it's kind of, it is in the air and that is why I think, um, is it's just, um, it's just not, it's just very unstable and like the states are just, are against it. Um, so it's been, it's been in battle in court, uh, for, for a few years now.
Speaker 7 00:49:55 So when you talk about DACA is deferred action for childhood arrivals, um, but you also say that it's not a path to citizenship. And with the work that you guys do at the law firm, um, can you talk about like, the demographic of people who are still like receiving daca, uh, benefits, if that's what you want to call them? Um, like obviously they came here when they were young. How old are these people now? Like that type of thing does, is there a range? Is there a typical age, that type of thing?
Speaker 17 00:50:25 In my experience for the, the DACA renewals I've worked with, um, it's been like now it's their 20, late twenties, early thirties is who I work with who are DACA holders. Um, myself, I'm like in my mid twenties, so I'm pretty sure we're all around that age range. Okay. Gotcha. Yeah. Um, so obviously now we are like contributing, contributing to the workforce, um, having, uh, a lot more, you know, things to, opportunities to, to take on. And I can't source this factually, but I think I read this somewhere with that, you know, DACA recipients are doing so much, and like if you were to just take DACA away, you would be taking away all these important jobs. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, doctors, lawyers, um mm-hmm. <affirmative>. So it's, it's very, it's, it's, it's very hard to like understand why it's such a controversial, um, act, uh, sadness. Sadness. Yeah. Yeah. I don't, I don't even know <laugh>. It's just, um, but um, yeah. Anyways, um, so that's that and that. But recently, October 31st, uh, the Biden administration, uh, this year just, uh, put out a final rule that, uh, basically people who have DACA right now can continue their benefits, can continue to renew and can continue to ask for advanced parole, which is permission to leave the country for certain circumstances. Um, so yeah, those are, but
Speaker 16 00:51:58 Unfortunately, um, um, the state of Texas, the Fifth Circuit, um, put a halt on that. Um, on October four, 14th of this year, they issue an ordered, um, they issued an order that prohibited from granting initial DACA request and related employment authorization under the final rule that Biden, the Biden administration, um, issued. So at the moment, um, all that people can do is renew their daca, um, permits, but they cannot, if you are now qualified to apply for daca, you just cannot apply at the moment. And we do not know when they will lift this, um, in-state, um, halt. But, um, at the moment it just, it's very important to check the U S C I S websites and to keep, uh, listening to the news and seeing when people can start applying again.
Speaker 6 00:52:52 So when you say applying, do you, you mean like people who want to reapply or, or people who haven't who qualify for the program but just hasn't done it up until this
Speaker 16 00:53:04 Point? Yeah. So an initial application, the first time you are applying for DACA because you qualify and you are now of age, um, you cannot apply, only renew.
Speaker 6 00:53:14 W what is the age that you have to be the quala
Speaker 17 00:53:17 18? There's no ages. Depends on the year that you came into the United States. Um, from what I recollect it is in 2005 when you would've had to came in as a child to the United States to qualify,
Speaker 16 00:53:33 But yeah. So you just can't apply right now.
Speaker 17 00:53:36 And right now, yeah. That's, that's the problem that they're allowing for people that already have DACA to continue to renew. But if there's anyone out there who didn't have a chance to apply before, they cannot apply anymore.
Speaker 6 00:53:49 Yeah. And applying for is applying for DACA expensive or Yeah, yeah. So
Speaker 16 00:53:56 $495 <laugh> expensive
Speaker 17 00:54:00 That you have to pay every year, every
Speaker 16 00:54:02 Renewal,
Speaker 17 00:54:03 Every two years to renew.
Speaker 16 00:54:06 It's not, it's not cheap being an immigrant,
Speaker 17 00:54:09 That's one of the cheapest, uh, processes. Uh, there's way more expensive processes, <laugh>.
Speaker 16 00:54:15 Okay. And then we're just gonna briefly also touch on t ps temporary protected status. Um, uh, basically, um, the Secretary of Homeland Security can designate a foreign country for TPSs due to conditions in the country that temporarily prevent the country's nationals from returning. Um, TPSs is also not a pathway towards legal status. Um, what it does is that it grants, um, it gives you a work permit and it also allows you to travel. Um, you, you must file during a registration period to apply. Um, and I recommend checking the U S C I S website. Um, and then we have a list of countries that you can also look at on the U S C I S website. What
Speaker 6 00:55:02 Does U S C I S stand for?
Speaker 16 00:55:04 Yes. Uh, United States, uh, citizenship. Citizenship And, wait, I know this, what I'm <laugh>. United States citizenship and, um, immigration services. Okay. Lol, <laugh>. Yeah.
Speaker 17 00:55:20 Um, yeah. Some of the countries are, uh, Afghanistan, Myanmar, uh, Cameroon, El Salvador, Hari, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, Venezuela, um, Yemen and Ethiopia.
Speaker 16 00:55:38 And yeah, they each have their own registration period. So what year you can start, like what year you came in and when you can start applying. Um, and then like, there's always a short period. For example, Venezuela only had two months. So if you're from Venezuela and you wanted to apply for tps, your period already passed. It ended in November. <laugh>, very unfortunate. Um, uh,
Speaker 6 00:56:04 Okay. And so tps, they get the, so if someone comes here and from a certain country, we can give a country TPS status. And so then they get to apply for a work
Speaker 16 00:56:18 Permit,
Speaker 6 00:56:18 Permit, a social
Speaker 16 00:56:20 Security card.
Speaker 6 00:56:21 Okay.
Speaker 16 00:56:22 Um, and that's it.
Speaker 6 00:56:23 And is that similar? So is that similar to what the, the DACA recipients are getting? Yes. Okay. So it's like, oh, okay. Cool.
Speaker 16 00:56:32 Yeah. And you are just, they cannot deport you. So under you are save, like protected from deportation in the US if you have these titles. Yes.
Speaker 6 00:56:40 Okay.
Speaker 16 00:56:41 Categories, um, and conditions that count or work for TPS and the US is like ongoing arm conflict, an environmental disaster like a hurricane or earthquakes or an epidemic and other extraordinary temporary conditions that the country cannot solve. Um, and I think we're just gonna go ahead and talk a little bit about, um, the Minnesota Immigrants Right Action Committee, mik, um, they're going to be having an action tomorrow, the eighth at 4:30 PM at the Minnesota State Capitol. So if you are able to please attend, as it as it is to demand the Senate pass, the American Dream and Promise Act, we need to push for Amy Kho to, um, in her committee, her judiciary committee to, um, convince people to pass this bill to go through the Senate. Um, the American Dream and Promise Act passed the house in March of 2021, and the Senate has done nothing to ensure that it moved forward. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Um, so it will provide a path for permanent leg legalization for around 2.7 million Dreamers or DACA recipients. Um, and to about 400,000 TPSs Reci recipients from nine different countries, which include like El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, NICAR, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. Um, so all of these, uh, TPPs recipients and DACA recipients will be eligible for permanent legalization under this bill. So,
Speaker 17 00:58:20 Yeah. So with those, with those numbers, um, it is very important to take action and contribute to, um, any opportunities that you have, if it is to go to the Capitol mm-hmm. <affirmative>, um, and take part in these, um, in these events to show you your support. It's very important. So yeah, we would encourage you to do that. <laugh>.
Speaker 6 00:58:46 Well, thank you so much, Wendy and Alejandra. I extremely appreciate y'all coming on here to educate, um, the listeners on the DACA program and the updates of what's going on with that. Um, I look forward to, um, joining Mi RAC tomorrow outside of Klo, Charles's office. So, um, at the action, um, I wanna also just, um, thank Brandon and Nerdy, um, for their segments. Of course. Um, appreciate it a lot. With that being said, um, we are outta here and then we'll see you next week. Capitalist
Speaker 18 00:59:21 Economy, it's no democracy. I demand the return to my sovereignty. No apology, independence, autonomy, no need to mommy me. I could run my own country. If you could just stop bombing me, gimme my lamb back, gimme my gold back, my heritage, my birthright. You outright stole that. Organize, organize, organize. Do what? Wait. With all the lies. All the lies. All the lies. They come in with the act of the Glock and the 45 in between the protests we protest at Rio. Yes. We are the organized, organized, do away with all the lies. All the lies. All the lies. They come in with the tear blocks and 45 in between the protests, we protest.
