Episode Transcript
Speaker 1 00:00:04 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 a another zone. You can burn a whole thing down. Y'all don't really care about a brother till we burn our whole thing down.
Speaker 1 00:00:25 Yeah, we about to go to work. Yeah, we about to let it burn. Like send it Quill. Yeah, I bet you will try to skip a David Lynching. Nothing semi till and that's really freaking January. Cuz honestly they have been killing nothing. We were property. No stopping me from saying how it is to say the whiz ain't no easing down the road where we live at the bed, we can't go out for a jo or a swim walk a 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 but do not care what Gusher say. Put him back, screams up, make a few bucks. My life is in marketing or who you think you trying to play? Um, I liked it better when like, nerdy was all fun and stuff. This is really angry. Like don't you think you said enough? Huh? Well it'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. Yeah. Yeah. I don't care if you're uncomfortable. We can burn our whole thing down. You can burn our whole thing down. Couldn't about a zone. You can burn a whole thing down.
Speaker 2 00:01:29 All right. Welcome to Views from the ground. Views for the day of ground. Yeah. And this show, we're gonna have a Kingdom Demetrius, a local journalist coming in and telling us about what he does for the community, um, and what he's done over the years. And we are also, um, gonna have a lot of things to talk about what's going locally and what's going on nationally with the whole Roe v. Wade. And just stay tuned for an excellent show.
Speaker 3 00:01:55 But we torture to take us and we give into Survivors Citys making black people Compli Rapids. Who are you asking? I'm proof. Survive the boom. Bad trick bro. Ethics got me laughing at your message and they Black Lives Matter. You would not get so defensive. We got cops and deeds and robberies and gas liters. We adopt 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 and people be so suck and mad. So pass the gun and mask and pass. Thethe. No, y'all can really kill us for anything. Y'all just bend the laws. The samet performance art, the samet performative saving the racist header or normative. You
Speaker 1 00:02:36 Can burn the whole
Speaker 3 00:02:37 Thing down.
Speaker 1 00:02:38 Yeah, burn down. I don't care if y'all uncom we can 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. Bang down. Y'all don't really care about it brother. Till we burn a whole thing down. Burn it down. Yeah. We about to go
Speaker 4 00:02:58 To
Speaker 2 00:03:25 Views from the ground.
Speaker 5 00:03:26 Views from the damn ground views from the ground views from the damn ground views. From the ground views. From the ground ground.
Speaker 2 00:03:32 And that's on
Speaker 5 00:03:33 That, on that, on that.
Speaker 2 00:03:35 All right. Welcome everyone. Welcome back to another episode of Views From the Ground. Views
Speaker 5 00:03:40 From the Damn
Speaker 2 00:03:40 Ground. So, um, we're gonna start it off here. So Jaylen, what's what's our first story we're gonna talk about today?
Speaker 6 00:03:46 So today we're gonna start by talking. So today we're gonna start by talking about, uh, actually what happened right after our show last week for our day one listeners. Uh, they'll, we will we'll recall that we had an interview with Katie Wright, the mother of Dante Wright, um, who was killed by police in 2021. Uh, she shared moments, fun moments with us. She required the trial and how hard it was for her family to watch a judge humanize a white killer cop and not her black son. Uh, and after, on her way home, um, Katie witness young adults being pulled over. So she decided to stop and record the interaction. I'll speak for myself. And I imagine you guys would agree as folks in community on the ground, like police presence does something to you. And going through that experience, of course she's gonna stop and see what's going on and making she, she reiterated over it again like her baby was taken, um, by a police stop.
Speaker 6 00:04:41 So she w she's gonna do what she can to make sure that they're safe and she wanted to record the interaction. Um, a police officer decides to go over to Katie and say that she was disrupting what was going on and just the intimidation that we know the police do. And she was recording the interaction and it was a problem for whatever reason. And they ended up, um, pulling Katie's wrists, uh, and taking her phone and preventing her from uh, recording the interaction. Uh, and after, I mean, it's just like I was saying, as someone who has lost her son to a police interaction, needing to keep community safe. Like we, that's something we have to do. And that's also just a right. Like, that's just what we are able to do, videotaping interactions. That's a protected, it's a protected thing to do. And so for Katie to experience that, um, and for the police to say that she was disrupting, um, whatever they were doing is just not, not what's up at all. Um, so
Speaker 2 00:05:44 Yeah. And that, and that's just crazy cuz it happened moments like couple of minutes after we ended the show. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, um, I know she, um, sustained injury to her risk. Um, they had a press conference about it the next day in, um, from the BC police department and, uh, she had her wrist covered up. Yeah. Um, and so it,
Speaker 6 00:06:06 And their union rep had the nerve to say, uh, I sympathize with the right family for their loss, but it does not give them free reign stock harass or threaten any of our officers just because they're wearing a uniform. And what the ca caity <laugh> <laugh> stock harass, threaten <laugh>.
Speaker 7 00:06:28 It, it just doesn't make any sense. And for people who, who that who don't understand it, like, the easiest way I can paint the picture to you is you would've never, no one would've ever had an outrage about the murder of George Floyd had it not been for someone standing by and taking a video of what happened because they would've seen the body camera footage and still ran with the original narrative that George Floyd died of a medical incident, had Darnell Fraser not recorded it, there would've been no uprising that happened in 2020. Um, and so it is, I mean, it is our right and it is our duty to, uh, to cop watch and to keep an eye on these, on these police officers. Yes. They're wearing body cameras that always like to tell you, like, uh, oh, I I'm recording it too. But we know what y'all do to the videos.
Speaker 7 00:07:17 You can, you can crop 'em, you can trim 'em, you can, uh, edit them or turn 'em off. Yeah. You can just delete 'em, act like they're not there. Um, give 'em to the bca never to be seen again. Or, or only show the one angle that shows your narrative. So, um, kudos to Katie Wright for doing what she knows she needs to do to protect her community members, as Jaylen said. Um, and that is, it's commendable. She is the one that that should be commended. Not these, uh, her police people saying that our officers did a good job. Uh, putting your hands on a, on a community member who's just trying to keep her community safe, that's not doing a good job. I mean, that's, that's like the, the, the microcasm of what police do. <laugh>. They, they're gonna terrorize people who are actually keeping us safe.
Speaker 6 00:08:01 Yeah. And to add on what you were saying about body cam footage, we read that human rights report and even like that, that evidence, the prosecutors don't want it because it's usually not good. Um, and helpful for what their case. So it's just reiterating like body cam footage, we, we have a right to, uh, record it because all angles can look different and can tell a very different narrative. Yeah.
Speaker 2 00:08:23 And, and, and, and I wanna also stress this cop ran across the highway, jumped over
Speaker 7 00:08:28 It over the median. Yeah.
Speaker 2 00:08:29 Jumped over like a little fence thing and then went over to her core and then grabbed a wrist. Like this was like a very long process. Like this
Speaker 6 00:08:37 Is very
Speaker 2 00:08:38 True. Like
Speaker 6 00:08:39 <laugh> footage.
Speaker 2 00:08:40 This wasn't like she was within walking range, like mm-hmm. <affirmative> mm-hmm. <affirmative>. I'm like, oh
Speaker 6 00:08:45 Man. Yeah. She was definitely a safe distance, a way that they could do whatever they were doing and they made it seem like it was not the case. So I wanna send all the love and the light to the right family mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Um, and please hold them up in solidarity. Yep. Um, so next topic, um, we are going to talk, um, it's not super new, new news, um, but we ran outta time last week, uh, with that spicy human rights report and an unprecedented leak. The draft ruling shows that Roe v Wade, which established a constitutional right to abortion, maybe on the verge of being reversed, Chief Justice John Roberts called the Leak in egregious breach of trust. Uh, President Biden urged Congress to codify the right to abor. Um, kind of crazy that there's this kind of le kind of leak in the most righteous undemocratic branch of the government. Like that is kind of, kind of really, really crazy. Um, so they are doing a lot, They're actually doing an operation pull up right now on a couple Supreme Court justices and we know that we love Operation Pull Up. Yay.
Speaker 6 00:09:49 So it's, uh, it's, it's really stressing some folks out saying that it's crossing the line. Uh, I wonder like for the folks that really, really, you know, love the Constitution and our Bill of rights and you know, hold it that dearly, um, how are they really like, so we understand that the people were very upset with Great Britain and how they ruled so upset that they made this Bill of Rights to try and, you know, protect themselves and the First Amendment is part of those. And to say that, you know, showing up to someone's house is crossing the line. And that's not how you get change in democracy. That's not, and it's just like reinforcing this, um, you know, there's a right way to protest there. There isn't, we, we wouldn't protest. That's just it. And so having these conversations and hearing them has just been like an eye roll. Cuz it's like, what do you mean? Like, it's the first one
Speaker 7 00:10:42 Y'all. Like we people have shown time and time again that protesting only works if you make the people you're protesting against uncomfortable. Um, within that discomfort comes change comes action. And I mean, you can look back at any protest in, in history, really any effective protest in history. Um, and people try to say that it's not the right thing to do. And I mean, honestly, it's what you signed up for. I if you need to, uh, make rules on the law of the land, the law of the land affects all of us as people. So if you're making judgements on things that affect us, we should be able to to tell you our, our our how we feel. And I mean, if, if you made decisions that didn't have people coming up to your front door demanding answers from you, then you're probably making the right decisions. But if people are coming to your front door, I mean, you might be making some mistakes here. You know what I'm saying? So, I mean,
Speaker 6 00:11:42 And it doesn't sound like they wilding over there. No, it's, it's just candles. Yeah. Chance. It's a
Speaker 7 00:11:47 Little barbecue. I'm not sure how good the do is
Speaker 6 00:11:50 <laugh>,
Speaker 7 00:11:51 But, you know, just little barbecue. I mean, that reminds me of some, you know, some block parties that people have had at Mike Freeman's house and Yep. Stuff like that, you know, so it's a good tactic in my opinion. You can disagree, but you're wrong. Just kidding. <laugh>.
Speaker 2 00:12:07 Yeah. And it's actually, uh, really interesting. One thing I didn't realize is that some states have already passed laws to like completely, um, stop abortions period that are not currently legal, but would automatically trigger once Roe v. Wade got struck down. Yep.
Speaker 6 00:12:25 13 states.
Speaker 2 00:12:25 13. Wow. 13. I just,
Speaker 6 00:12:27 And that goes to, I wanted to talk about that in that this fight has, um, a lot of black and brown folks have been preparing for this because there's already 13 states that soon as Roe v Wade is overturned, like you were saying, it triggers their state. And it's just, it's, it's frustrating as a black woman, um, because it's, it's intersectional. And I don't think in this, in the past it has been as intersectional as it needed to be mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Um, and it is one of those things that we know, um, we know that movements go to die in the Democratic party. Uh, and this, this movement is, is one of those, uh, and it's like now, you know, a group of folks, Ro Roe v Wade passes and there's still black families and parents being criminalized, and there's still all these things that aren't supported.
Speaker 6 00:13:26 Um, and I think this new fight, we really, um, in this go round, the Democrats are gonna say, you know, we need to go to the polls. We need to vote. You need to vote like you mean it. And my question back is like, how are we gonna make this intersectional? And how are we gonna write and do this differently than we, than we've done last time? Because we voted in some pretty progressive people. Um, and I think today even the Senate shut down, um, the Democrats, uh, efforts to try and do that. But it's like there was a point in time when it could have been codified before this was all spicy and up in the air and it just, it it feels weird.
Speaker 7 00:14:02 Yeah. Uh, how many times are Democrats gonna tell us, we gotta go to the polls and vote and things just continue to get worse? <laugh> like, we vote for y'all, but y'all, y'all not vouching for us. They say these things to get in office and then they peel off their, their, uh, their pretty little mask that they have on that says Black Lives Matter and has a pride flag on it. They peel that off and then, oh, there's, you know, uh, imperialism there shining in your face. There's capitalism there shining in your face, uh, in all of that. And, and it's crazy to think about, uh, how they're not even like stopping at abortion. Like they are already like states that are trying to get rid of IUDs and plan B and, and condoms and other contraceptives. And I'm like, Man, like I ain't saying y'all say we can't have no fun <laugh> like, not even, not even that.
Speaker 7 00:14:52 The, the, the reality of the situation is the wealthy are still going to have access to whatever they need to have access to. All it's going to do is affect low income, black, brown and marginalized communities. Because if, if the billionaire's daughter, uh, uh, is having unprotected sex and gets pregnant when she's a teenager, they can fly her anywhere in the world, get an abortion, come on back, You know, Whereas people that are living with nothing, if they get pregnant, well now they have to bring this baby to life. Um, how are you gonna have someone with nothing force them to have another mouth to feed when they can't even feed themselves? Um, and, and yeah, there's gonna be who's the most affected by these decisions.
Speaker 2 00:15:36 Yeah. The last thing that we're gonna talk about is, um, is Ilhan got, um, the DFL endorsement.
Speaker 6 00:15:44 Yes.
Speaker 2 00:15:45 And, uh, and that was a real heated, um, because Don Samuels was running against Yes. Her, Correct,
Speaker 6 00:15:55 Correct. Yep. Uh, Don Samuels did not get the nomination. Uh, still very confident that he has the community ties and leadership style to pull through. Um, and she is, there's a lot of folks running against Ilhan and it's a very important contentious seat, I should say. Um, and I think this endorsement and with Don running as a Democrat, um, will stir the pot, I guess is the nicest way.
Speaker 2 00:16:22 Yeah. And to say it. And yeah, we saw Don being very active, uh, once again during the uprising, um, doing a lot of things like suing, um, Yes. For Minneapolis on their language and winning mm-hmm. <affirmative>, um, several times. And you know, a lot of people feel like he's advocating on behalf of the north side, or at least that's how he feels about it. Um, and so yeah, so, so him running, um, but we also see that there is kind of this, um, division a little bit between, uh, the Somali community sometimes in the African American community too. Um, we've heard, yeah, we, we've heard, um, some community leaders say that Ilhan doesn't come to come to the north side and talk to the black community that often. So that has been one of her critiques that has happened. Um, and it, and it feels like they're really coming after her, right. Because they're like, Don Samuels is running for the dfl, um, ran for the DFL endorsement. And then on the Republican side we have Royce White, we have Royce White. Yeah. Um, you know, new, um, Golden Child on Fox, right? <laugh>,
Speaker 6 00:17:34 Yeah. Him and is it Bannon <laugh>? I'm like, I don't watch him enough to really know his name. <laugh>, him and Bannon are buddies. Uh, and yeah, he's coming on the right side, um, with his very conservative, um, but kind of new, I don't know, I I'm not even gonna put words and call it whatever.
Speaker 7 00:17:53 Yeah. I can't say what I wanna say on the radio. So
Speaker 6 00:17:56 <laugh>,
Speaker 7 00:17:56 I'm
Speaker 6 00:17:57 A, this conversation.
Speaker 7 00:17:58 No, what I would my commented about that is, is no comment because I don't think he deserves, uh, too much time or attention cuz he's already doing a good job of getting too much of that.
Speaker 2 00:18:09 So, Yeah. So, but it,
Speaker 6 00:18:11 It would be a race to watch for sure. Um, and I just really hope that there's a lot of, you know, who is representing the community appropriately and ac uh, accurately. And I just want folks to dig deep and ask themselves like, what do they want in a representative? And is it someone you know well, or you think, you know, well let's be clear, you think you know well and you trust? Or is it someone, um, who maybe represents different things? Are you looking in their platform? Um, what's, what's your, what's gonna make you vote and why are you voting for them? And I just want folks to look very closely at these campaigns, uh, and uh, just be mindful cuz it, it's getting, Yeah, like I said, it's gonna stir the pot and it can get messy. Uh, and we deserve better.
Speaker 2 00:18:57 And it's just, you know, in America, like they have this thing where they keep saying that, uh, Democrats are left. And, and in reality the Democrats are, you know, globally if we're looking at a political scale, pretty, um, leaning right and people like Bernie and Ilhan and ALC are more in the middle or middle left, but they're definitely not on the left side. So like, we don't even have real leftists, but like now we have to deal with these real attacks on them that we're seeing coordinated from the DFL and the, um, Republican party, the Defend these Democrats that still aren't really doing much. I mean they, a lot of these Democrats stand for the same thing that the Christian Democratic party that, uh, Angela Merkel used to chair for the last like 15 years stands for. So like, I be like that that's the type of party we're like trying to get right now. So, but yeah,
Speaker 6 00:19:48 Organized, organized, organized, Organize,
Speaker 2 00:19:51 Organize. So, um, but yeah. So now, um, we're gonna go into our next segment, which is gonna be Words of Freedom.
Speaker 7 00:19:59 So welcome back to Words of Freedom, a segment here on views from the ground,
Speaker 6 00:20:03 Views from the damn ground.
Speaker 7 00:20:05 There we go. Where we give local poets the freedom to liberate themselves with their expression. This month our future poet is Jen del Ray, who is an author, award-winning spoken word, poet and painter for Minneapolis. And today we'll start off with her piece titled Prayers and Love.
Speaker 8 00:20:23 When it's my Time for love, I pray that it's sweeter than me. I hope he's outlined with the fixings of God and the thickness of culture is sewn onto his tongue. I pray that he provides more answers than questions, more solutions than problems, more progress than promises and more air than my lungs can withhold. I hope that it is love, not based on opportunity or convenience or sexuality or wonderings of what my mouth can do outside of reciting poetry. I pray that I just love drenched in curiosity, drip with all the ways of which I am poetry, the intricacies of my black being, the honesty of my flesh and the freedom of my tongue. I hope that he sees my hips, yet finds the frames of my mind just so much more interesting that he knows who he is and where he's going. So he'll never need feel the need to pull me away from my glory just so I can be his. I hope that he's so in love with the fire of his own flame, that he doesn't fear the ferocity of my throne. I pray he's bigger than me, but an ego much smaller than God with the heart that is honest and true with wings that find no problem in carrying both masculine and feminine energy. I pray that man reads the wind that he reads words that he reads self and that he ain't afraid to read me.
Speaker 7 00:21:42 So that was prayers and love by Jen Delray. And this next piece is titled Alternate Endings.
Speaker 8 00:21:50 As the brown in my eyes drown into the hauntings of memory, I can still taste the repercussions of imagination that obnoxious crack of reality dividing clear blue skies, pourers filled with the warmth of apps and winds carrying the laughter of ghosts who smile once whispered the direction of home. I stare in awe of shadows dressed as angels under the sun of Satan, hoping I could remember how to pretend just as good as they do. My eyes revisit this memory often rehearsing every detail of torn canvas, studying the length of each brush stroke in hopes that one day their paths might just lead me somewhere, praying that I could learn to lie good enough to write an alternate ending for shattered glass, hoping I could somehow exist in the freedoms of a dream wishing this consciousness could actually live. Instead of carrying the burden of tragedy in full pursuit of joy, this remembrance is alive and well. But the moment it leaves the stage of my mind, it bleeds into ink and perishes onto paper, becoming nothing more than recycling that will never make it to the curb. One day I'll decide to be honest, but tonight I decide to lay myself awake and purport nothing but happy endings of me and you.
Speaker 7 00:23:01 And next up we will listen to the peace titled Homecoming by Jen del Ray.
Speaker 8 00:23:08 I've walked through fire, washed my sins with my tears, and hung my secrets out to dry on the tip of my tongue. These scars you ask, Oh, there ain't for no decoration. See these scars sing from the diaphragms of sorrow singing an off key tune of feelings felt and battles lost. So when you ask you about my stories of war, my heart will take its time to speak the magic of my survival. I made love to the darkness, escape the downfall of its climax with only the ashes of my flesh left to spare lungs heaving in the fruits of my refuge. I lived through death and was sent here to tell the tale. So when you asked me where I'm headed, I'll tell you I'm going to kisses. Feel like peace of mind. And Sundays taste like honey on warm butter biscuits, a place where the cost for breath is gratitude and the sun shines for nothing less than free. I'll tell you, I'm going to love knows me by name.
Speaker 7 00:23:57 And next up we will listen to Marvel comics. By Gen del Ray,
Speaker 8 00:24:02 I hold the energy of life and death in my hands like Scarlet Witch. My mind never seems to stop wandering for vision. And my ego talks stuff like Tony Stark on his best day. Because most days I'm afraid to undress this iron fist and speak the truth of my heart beneath my shield. I carry love in my eyes like pepper pots a love with windows as big as the holk in the middle of his rage. I'm bred from the culture of black panthers running in the wild, yet fierce like the venom of black widows holding the trauma of winter soldiers in their webs. A low key can be as mischievous as low key, but I promise I always mean well. It's just that some days I want it all like Thanos and other days like Falcon, I just wanna float in the sky. But a lot of days I am grouped with only three words to speak, come to mind.
Speaker 7 00:24:47 Can we get some snaps please? Can we get some snaps? That is Jan del Ray. If you guys stay, that's beautiful. Uh, if we stay too next week, y'all gonna be, uh, blessed with her in the studio. We will all be blessed with her presence in the studio here for an interview. Maybe some live poetry. We'll see. Y'all gotta, y'all gotta be there for that. Um, uh, but yeah. Next we're gonna go onto our, uh, next segment here. Yeah.
Speaker 2 00:25:14 And our um, next segment is gonna be the nerdy spotlight. So I'm gonna let him take it away.
Speaker 1 00:25:19 Hello my guys gals and non-binary pals. It's your boy nerdy back again with the artist spotlight. That's right, the whole month. We are taking a look at just one artist here in our community. And that means it's time to get in cozy with Lieutenant Sunny. This next track from one of her most recent projects. Stages of grief is a smooth jam for those good times, if you know what I'm saying. And when I tell you the music video is hot, trust me, I ain't talking about the temperature. So get right, dim the lights and get ready for a little surprise
Speaker 9 00:26:30 This time. You wanna take my time? We in the rush. You and I slow down. Close your eyes. I got a little surprise. I got a little surprise. Hold this confidence that be wise, showcase yours so divine. Close your wise. I got a little surprise. I got a little surprise. Yay. This time really when I take my time, we in a rush. Maybe you and I slow down close your wise. I got a little surprise. I got a little surprise. Hold some comments. That'll be why I show your prizes. Sold my, um, close your eyes. I got a little surprise. I got a little surprise worth more than diamonds surpass out class woman who fear God proverbial dressed well silk material. You know, it's on by the way that I look at you, you said I was hard to find. Every minute was worth your time. Work hard. I'm up before dawn. Triple the bag. How good I spend yard travel far, bring back surprises by the land built and organize it. I am the sun control, the climate worth of the wisest youth of kind land, eloquent in my ways. Laugh with no fear in my days. I dance in my own pace. Land so soft. You can call it grace. Yeah.
Speaker 9 00:27:46 And you, you've been waiting babe. And you've been patient for
Speaker 0 00:27:52 Me
Speaker 9 00:27:55 And you've been waiting for me.
Speaker 9 00:27:58 Close your eyes. I got a little surprise. I got a little surprise this time. Really want take my time. We in the rush baby. You and I slow down. Close your eyes. I got a little surprise. I got a little surprise. Hold this confidence. That'll be why show your progress so divine. Close your eyes. I got a little surprise. I got a little surprise this time. Wanna take my time? We in a rush baby. You and I slow down. Close your I got a little surprise, I got a little surprise. Hold some comments. That'll be why Show mine your eyes. I got a little surprise. I got a little surprise. Feel real good on what I got. Dog Call room for hit a down tone and anniversary. Hit a milestone. Really start to miss you when you're not home. You love my cele young. Hold me down through transformation.
Speaker 9 00:28:52 Assure me no competition. Secure my position. I speak you. You listen. What? The only thing you taking is my clothes off. Yeah. The only thing you break is the heart. Could you with me you embrace my secure hers. Never better prove that you want my team never hesitate to speak my name. Reason that I love you. You make me feel sane. Us against our problems. You don't place blame. Loving in my mind attitude. Ta spark in your heart hot like a flame. I don't play with you cuz you're not a game. You will safe space. I don't feel shame. God, something for you. It's a special day. You've been waiting today
Speaker 0 00:29:31 And
Speaker 9 00:29:32 You've been for
Speaker 0 00:29:33 Me
Speaker 9 00:29:34 This time. Wanna take my time? We in the rush baby. You not slow down. Close your eyes. I got a little surprise. I got a little surprise. Hold this confidence. That'll be why show yours. So the mine, close your eyes. I got a little surprise. I got a little surprise this time. Really want to take my time in a rush? Maybe you and I slow down, close your eyes. I got a little surprise. I'll,
Speaker 10 00:30:30 So my sister says to me, Don't eat your old car to K F I. And I say to her, You mean just give it away? You're crazy. Then my sister says, Okay, how much is that car worth to you? And I say, Nothing. She says, What would a dealer give you? And I say, Nothing. And she says, Well, it's worth something. The k I give it to them and they'll get some money for it and use it to make the radio you love. I know she's right, but I say, I bet it's hard to do. And she says, No, just go to their website, fill out a form and that's it. They haul your car away and you're done. Except that you might get a tax deduction. And I say, I guess mom was right. After all, you are smarter than me and my sister just smiles.
Speaker 11 00:31:08 Go to K F i.org, click donate, and scroll down to vehicle.
Speaker 12 00:31:14 This is the Minnesota dose on K F A I. There's a new type of covid 19 tests available that doesn't involve sticking something up your nose. The FDA has granted emergency use authorization to a Texas company who makes a device that'll test for covid 19 using breath samples. The inspect IR COVID 19 breathalyzer is about the size of a piece of carry on luggage. In one study, the test accurately yielded a positive reading 91.2% of the time. It's not for in-home use though the test can only be used by a licensed healthcare provider. In other news, a new COVID 19 vaccination incentive is now up and running at the Mall of America. Get a vaccine or a booster at the moa and you can get a Nickelodeon Universe mystery ticket, which includes at the very least, one free amusement ride or up to a full day of free rides. That's all for now for the Minnesota dose on K F A I. Ryan DOS
Speaker 13 00:32:21 Programming is supported by NorthPoint Health and Wellness Center, located at Penn and Plymouth and North Minneapolis. This spring, NorthPoint reminds you that if you feel sick, check for Covid symptoms, start wearing your mask, get tested and stay home. If you test positive and remember to get your covid vaccine for more information, please visit NorthPoint health.org.
Speaker 2 00:32:45 All right, welcome back. The views, Views from the ground. Views
Speaker 6 00:32:49 From the damn ground.
Speaker 2 00:32:50 Um, we just got done listening to the Nerd D segment and, uh, Nerdy will be joining us in the studio to help uh, conduct an interview with Li Sunny next week. So, um, coming up next, we um, we have a very special guest. Uh, listen,
Speaker 6 00:33:06 Listen.
Speaker 2 00:33:08 We have my uncle, you know, you know, uh, King Demetrius in the house.
Speaker 6 00:33:12 Welcome. Thank you so much for being with us today.
Speaker 14 00:33:15 Listen,
Speaker 6 00:33:18 Is it trademarked yet?
Speaker 14 00:33:21 Everybody be trying to see it, but
Speaker 6 00:33:23 They really
Speaker 14 00:33:24 Do's the original so Yeah. Of imitated never duplicated. Something like that.
Speaker 2 00:33:28 That's hard. Yeah. So, um, yeah, so Kingdom Mutualist does a lot for the community. Um, local journalist that is, you know, I don't even wanna confine them to just Black Lives Matter. He shows up the Free Palestine, he shows up for women rights. He's been doing it, um, for many years and it is just an absolute treasure for, um, our local activist scene and being able to tell our stories. So, uh, yeah, welcome to the show. Kingdom Demetrius,
Speaker 14 00:33:58 Thank you all very much for having me in Is, um, definitely an honor.
Speaker 2 00:34:03 Yeah. Um, so, so, so the thing is a lot of people know you, um, from, from showing up the protests and and filming them, but how about you tell the, the listing on how we met?
Speaker 14 00:34:16 Well, how me and um, my young gentleman brother, um, DJ Matt, we was basically at this um, book reading club at Black Men and Women Reading Club at North Point. And we would read different, um, books, I mean like different jewels. And it was so amazing with, um, professor, um, Israel Highland at U of M and it was just amazing to just basically be around black men and black women reading books, educating themselves and making sure that, um, they refused to be refused. And everybody in that room played an important part. It was totally amazing.
Speaker 2 00:34:56 Yeah. And, and, and the crazy part is, uh, you're talking as if we went to this together. I was, I was like eight y'all or I was like 12 or I was in middle school.
Speaker 6 00:35:06 Important context. <laugh>
Speaker 2 00:35:08 <laugh>. But uh, that's
Speaker 6 00:35:11 Super cool. Um, that's super duper cool. Sorry. Yeah.
Speaker 2 00:35:14 Point. And it was just, it was just nice to like be surrounded by um, a bunch of, you know, black men and women that were trying to better themselves and get this information. It was nice to have a local professor come in and teach this for free for the community on the heart of North Minneapolis and you know, being able to just, you know, also providing food for people who showed up. Uh, and you know, I feel like that's where I get a lot of what I, you know, learned from the movement. Right. Just reading those books and, and seeing y'all being able to like study and getting to listen and hear y'all exchange ideals. Right. Um, you know, and something we don't see enough. Yeah. We don't get to see that enough and you know, just to see everyone as equals, you know, you know, Ezra was, is very chill and like treats everyone as a equal and everyone has something to contribute, you know, and there's so much that we covered in that that like, you know, I forget sometimes, right? Yes. Yes. Cause cuz people be like, Did you read this such and such book? I was like, No, I don't think I read that. Did they start talking about it? I'm like, Oh, you know what? Actually <laugh>,
Speaker 14 00:36:23 Actually we did actually
Speaker 2 00:36:24 We never that. Um, I, I actually remember, uh, I went to a conference like two years ago, um, and Angela Davis was there and I remember calling my dad and I was like, I thought I was hot stuff. And I was like, Yeah, you know, at this conference or Angela Davis, you know, no big deal, you know. And my dad was like, Oh, okay, cool. Is that the third or fourth time you seen her <laugh>? And I was like, What do you mean? I was like, I've never seen Angela Davis, the book club saw her like two times today. Like we went to their,
Speaker 14 00:36:57 Just so we clear
Speaker 2 00:36:58 <laugh> you were there. I was like, what? Just mind blown though.
Speaker 14 00:37:05 So, so were you really
Speaker 2 00:37:06 Listening dj? I mean, were you really paying attention? You know, you know,
Speaker 14 00:37:11 You used making some chess moves, <laugh>.
Speaker 2 00:37:14 Oh yeah. That's when you um, I used to do a lot of poetry
Speaker 14 00:37:18 Too. Yes. And, and he's amazing with doing Gil Scott here. You guys gotta hit him. Just do that. Gil Scott here. It was just like, amazing. Just blows you away. And not only that, um, to go to that book reading club was just very therapeutic. And a lot of people were basically talking about like what they were going through a lot of personal things or what have they, uh, what happened in their state in there. Um, nobody was breaking anybody care for their GE and anything like that. So it was just totally amazing. Like, like you said, it needed to be more that, you know, you know, black men and women reading clubs cuz you know, a lot of individuals as you can see, um, our, um, education, um, system how, um, young black men and women or children are failing that alarming rate. So Yeah.
Speaker 2 00:38:05 Yeah. And, and, and it, and I feel like the community, um, people who were recovering from addiction and stuff like that, they were able to help like, like the able to help stabilize their life by going to this book club and stuff like that. I know that's true for my dad. Yes. Um, and so, um, and I know that's true for some individuals that had went there, so that was also really nice to see that, um, happen.
Speaker 14 00:38:29 Yes, it definitely was. Definitely.
Speaker 2 00:38:32 So now, now we really want to get into like, how did you get into the movement? You know what I mean? Yes. Like, like it just always seems like you've been there, you know what I mean? Like
Speaker 14 00:38:44 It is totally, um, discombobulating how I got into the movement. So my daughter by the name of Brandy and Bank PDO was tragically killed by a drunk driver in 2013. And, um, I was really, um, just blown away and not knowing what to do. And, um, no one was really talking about her case. Not only did she get killed, also a young man by the Melvin Jones, he was also killed and former other people was impacted, um, due to, um, that car crash. And they wa the media wasn't saying anything about it. And I felt very, um, like compelled to say something or do something. And a lot of times when um, someone get killed or someone um, passes away, it's two things can happen. One, you can make a significant change in your life or two, or you can basically destroy your life. A lot of people go into that avenue of using chemical dependency, trying to self-medicate themselves and done some, then some people just go into just basically just trying to better themselves. So that's what I wanted to do. I wanted to challenge myself. So what I wound up doing, I started going, um, out just, um, documenting things and that's when Jamar Clark was tragically killed. And when he was killed, it was around the same time my daughter was killed by the drunk driver and I just showed up. You know, I just, I showed up, started giving blankets away, he started giving food away, showing up, um, at the Prince thing and going from there.
Speaker 2 00:40:19 Yeah. And so you showed up a lot, um, for the occupation?
Speaker 14 00:40:24 Yes, yes. Um, you know, Jamar Clark, um, occupation was like one of a kind. And what I, what I would say about that is that, um, we all, um, basically seen and heard the, to fully accusations that, um, the, um, the, um, police chief had made, um, um, he basically indicated that Jamar Clark wanted to die, Cetera cetera later on to come to find out that Mike Freeman was basically, um, full of baloney if you will. Um, the lady came out and said basically Jamar Clark was like a son to her and there was no domestic violence or anything of that nature. And not only that, a 10 year old kid came out and basically said, hey, what he seen happen and they didn't believe the young black kid basically. And they just told him to shut up and go away. And, um, later on down the line, we come to find out they made his mom and them move up out of town because they would took a session they from when they put a gag order on the little kid so he wouldn't say anything.
Speaker 2 00:41:26 Yeah. That yeah. And cuz the cops never pay fair and it's always about the cover up and you know, and then that occupation, um, if some of our, our listeners didn know actually in, uh, ended after someone came and shot up. Um,
Speaker 14 00:41:45 No, I think, um, yeah, some individuals did come and shoot up the occupation, if you will, but, um, a lot of people's indicated because, um, um, our now Attorney General Keith Ellison indicated that all the smoking things was messing with the, um, community people and their asthma. So he wanted to shut it down. So under his orders and a couple more other people orders, um, they was able to shut it down.
Speaker 2 00:42:11 Okay. Well thank you for that. Yeah. So, um, and so, um, how, how's it looked staying in the, um, movement as long as you have, because you've been in it since 2013 and right now we have all these different orgs and we have, um, all these different people who help organized, but like back then it really wasn't that many people right? During the story of the like Black Lives Matter movement. So how's that look like? How it's changed over time?
Speaker 14 00:42:41 So basically how it's changed over time. We always had, um, agitators always in the crowds if you will. We always had predators in the crowd, if you will. And we always had individuals that was chemical dependent use and they prey on the young youth, if you will. So how I basically look now is like a lot of people are basically organizing, a lot of people are calling people out on their tongue fooly acquisitions and the way they act and they're not going to take it anymore. And the youth are standing up and they standing proud and I just love it. And, um, a lot of, um, individuals are not able to come out because a lot of individuals are dealing with chemical dependency issues, um, have warrants, um, have felonies if you will have probation, cetera, cetera. So a lot of times people like, well, well all the black people wear dah this and dah of that. Well, if you want to think about a lot of people still dealing with some issues and they don't want to be on the camera. And not only that, once, whenever you get into the movement you have to be all 10 toes down. You can't have five toes in there, other five doing something else.
Speaker 2 00:43:47 Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And, and so how's it, how's it, um, felt seen like this influx of a lot of people because like, you know, um, we definitely saw a lot of people during the uprising with Floyd, right? And so, and so can you speak to that? Like just seeing these crowds of, you know, tens of thousands of hundreds of thousands of people showing up in the middle of a pandemic. How, how did that um, feel?
Speaker 14 00:44:17 So it was very, um, confusing, um, to say the least because we had so many other, um, agitators like the Boogalo Boys and the KKK and different, um, Noxy, um, people coming along doing, um, things that we know that African American people was not doing such as burning down buildings in our community. A lot of black people does not play with fire, if you will. And a lot of people was making these acquisitions, like this is what African American people was doing, that was very, um, fla doodled for them to make those accusations <laugh>. So, um, as you can see, um, when a lot of people, um, come about and especially when it comes to this, um, movement, it's very concerning because, um, we were doing this when it wasn't, um, popular right? If you will. The Black Lives Matter thing wasn't a hashtag cliche if you will mm-hmm. <affirmative>. So now a lot of people has gotten their cameras and went out and um, started making go fumy. A lot of people got rich off the movement just so we clear. And um, they haven't did anything but take, take, take and haven't given anything back. But, um, um, if it don't come, if it don't come out in the wash it it come out in the rinse, if you will. So you just gotta basically just um, you know, watch the people and once you watch the people, you'll see who they are.
Speaker 2 00:45:44 Yeah. Um, and so how did it feel, um, to see all these orgs that have been forming a lot? Um, you know, um, over the years? Cuz you know, during the 2020 uprising we had the Jfa get formed Justice Frontline Aid, and you know, and luckily we had orgs that have been there for a while, like TCC for J like, you know, Racial Justice Network. Um, and so how does that felt with all these orgs being formed? So,
Speaker 14 00:46:14 Well just to, just to be clear, TC for j uh, Richard Justice Network and all the individuals Michelle grows police against, um, um, police brutality, what have they, they have always been boots on the ground. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. So they've always been steadfast, right? So they name alone stands. And not only that, they can't help everybody cuz a lot of times people come to, to them with, um, preposterous, um, Oh, can you help me with this and this and that? No. You know what I'm saying? Because not only that, when you're asking for someone's help, you're asking for them to basically put their neck on the line for you basically. So they don't want you to come to them with a false, um, a help story if you will, to act like you're taking something from the movement. Cuz a lot of times people think they're beating the movement, but Ashley, they're just beating themselves.
Speaker 2 00:47:06 Yes. Um, so now let's talk about your event that, um, you're gonna be having start this weekend, which is, the movement never stops. So, uh, talk to us about this event, like what inspired this? Like, and, and, um, and kind of like what is it gonna be about?
Speaker 14 00:47:24 So, um, the movement never stops is just as it says it is, the movement never stops. Right? And I wanted to be clear about that statement, right? So when I say the movement never stops, I mean like when you want to go fast, um, and when you wanna go first, right? When you wanna go first, um, go alone. But when you wanna go strong, go with a nation of people. So that's what the movement never stops come from, right? So I wanna go with a nation of people. I don't wanna be the first individual. I wanna go with a nation of people. And the nation of People is a coalition of people who's out here standing in solidarity by any means necessary mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And, um, the movement never stops. This exhibit is, um, basically one of a kind, um, I wanted to make sure, um, I was sick in September, I almost died from Covid and um, I was just laying in the hospital bed, um, basically lost 40 pounds and, and three days and couldn't breathe or what have they.
Speaker 14 00:48:26 And just laying in the bed being vulnerable, very vulnerable, right? And just like, wow. And then being sick for a whole month after I got out of the hospital. Um, shout out to Racial Justice Network, they were there. Um, um, they, oh my goodness, they helped my family tremendously. But what I'm saying is that when you're laying in the bed and you're thinking about like, I'm on my deathbed, you're thinking like what things that I did not do right? All alone. I was always thinking about making sure I got my living written wheel, making sure my life insurance is paid up, making sure that I, I take care, a bill, um, um, put out a book, making sure that I, um, you know what I'm saying, do some I and cross some ts and that I hadn't did that and I was upset and I was like, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker 14 00:49:13 And when you're sick, you're already stressed out, right? So you put extra stress on yourself because these, all of the things that you didn't check off on your, not bucket list, but some things that you know, you could have did if you would have pushed yourself. So I wanted to make sure that the movement never stops. Um, came, it, it, it came to life, right? And then the month of Ramadan was, um, April. And um, I just pushed myself that whole month to just basically put something together. And, um, the, the, the photos, the images are, are gonna be, um, draw dropping cuz it's, it's amazing cuz you just look at these images and you'll just be like, wow. Cuz a lot of people will put an exhibit on. But are you gonna put the real exhibit on
Speaker 7 00:49:59 <laugh> <laugh>? So in this exhibit, um, obviously it's photos and covers your work. What is like the date range? Like, what's the earliest photo you have in this, in this gallery?
Speaker 14 00:50:12 The earliest? Um, like what, like
Speaker 7 00:50:15 Year? Like you've been in the movement since like 2013. Do you have photos
Speaker 14 00:50:19 From Yes, Yes. Yeah, I have some images from 2013, um, when Jamar Clark, the situation occurred with Jamar Clark, um, just like, um, spotted image, but they are images that speaks power to truth, right? And it shows you like how everybody didn't have a camera then
Speaker 6 00:50:38 <laugh> mm-hmm. <affirmative>,
Speaker 7 00:50:41 It wasn't, it wasn't 20 people trying to get the same shot. You gotta move people out the way for, for black photographers to the front and not fighting with, with people who have never stepped foot in Minneapolis a day in their life. But here they are for a trial, you ain't gotta fight with none of those people.
Speaker 14 00:50:55 Oh,
Speaker 2 00:50:56 Memory why you did <laugh>,
Speaker 7 00:50:59 That's for sure. Um, what was the, uh, I don't know if I can just ask, ask questions, but here I am <laugh>, uh, what was like the process of selecting these images as a person who's been taking photos for almost 10 years? I'm sure that took a long time to do one and two. Um, like what were like your like criteria that was like, yes, this one has to be in it.
Speaker 14 00:51:24 So that's a good question. So I have a great answer for you. So whenever I look at an image, right, right. I'm like, um, I'm thinking about being in, in, um, a sophomore in high school, right? I'm thinking about dissecting the frog, right? So that's what I'm thinking
Speaker 7 00:51:41 About, like,
Speaker 14 00:51:42 Okay, food, this is it right here. This one right here. So like that part, Okay. So I was like, if I'm thinking about it, somebody else could be thinking about it too. But whenever you look at an image, right, you're always thinking about like, okay, what is these other individuals gonna say about this image? Okay, I'm just gonna put it out there. You know, you can change the frame, but the picture will always remain the same. Powerful. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>.
Speaker 6 00:52:07 I have also have a question. Um, and this is just yeah. Generally what do you want? Excuse me. What do you want your legacy to be?
Speaker 14 00:52:16 I want my legacy to be that I've always remained humble and always came back. I love to give back. The only way we can keep what we have is by giving it away.
Speaker 6 00:52:27 Whoa. I think you got that down. Anything else?
Speaker 14 00:52:31 <laugh>. Listen, listen.
Speaker 6 00:52:32 You're doing great <laugh>.
Speaker 2 00:52:35 Yep. And so and so, yeah, we're just all really excited, um, for the movement never stops. And can you tell people, um, where it's going to be and how they can get the information to show up?
Speaker 14 00:52:49 Okay. It's gonna be at six, um, 76 Smith Avenue South in St. Paul, Minneapolis 55 1 0 7 at Block studio, Portrait block, Studio portrait. Um, and it is, um, it's just an opening show to the public Saturday and Sunday and people can just come
Speaker 7 00:53:11 Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And then there is also that v i p uh, showing on Friday. Correct? There is a ticket information. Um, if you look up King Demetrius Pendleton, you can go to the Facebook page, you can go to the event, right. There's, uh, information on on tickets and stuff like that if you want to go to the VIP show. And that's on Friday. At what time is
Speaker 14 00:53:31 That? It would be from five o'clock to nine o'clock.
Speaker 7 00:53:33 Yes. So if you wanna be the first one to see it, go ahead and and get those. So, uh, uh, go ahead and do what you can. Yes.
Speaker 2 00:53:41 Yes. And I just really appreciate you coming in here and you telling us about your event that's gonna be coming up this weekend and, you know, and I just appreciate how much you've given to the movement over the last decade and how you stayed strong and, and it is just, um, I remember, um, talking to Dr. Naima Levy Armstrong and she just says how it just fills her with like, vior just to hear you go, listen, you know, you, that's when you know you killing it when you give it a speech. When you hear, listen, uh, uh, I had so there, you know what I mean?
Speaker 14 00:54:18 And you know the thing well a lot of people don't realize like, listen, listen came from, um, from this strategy, like I've always thought about listening with a critical ear. A lot of times individuals don't listen, right? So when you don't listen, that's how wars get started. That's how divorces happen. That's how um, people get, um, tragically killed, etcetera, et cetera. If you don't listen, right? So when you listen with a critical ear, um, you become more and more, um, acceptable when it comes to, um, living life on life terms. But if you don't listen so many things that can happen, right? So just like the young 10 year old was telling, um, the police officers and everybody what happened to Jamar Clark and they didn't listen to 'em mm-hmm. <affirmative>, they didn't listen to him. You know, just like when we thought about like with Dying and Marie, when she got killed over there in uptown, you know, um, people was not listening to individuals was telling like, look, we was just just doing a friendly reminder gang. And this guy just come from outta nowhere and just just plows into individuals and killed them. And now they going to try to use the, um, he has some mental illness capacity, if you will,
Speaker 2 00:55:30 <laugh>. Yes. And so, uh, once again, I just want to thank you for coming in. Thank you for elevating stories of black and indigenous and queer folks.
Speaker 14 00:55:42 Yes. Yes, yes, yes.
Speaker 6 00:55:44 We appreciate you so much.
Speaker 14 00:55:45 Thank you all solidarity and respect.
Speaker 2 00:55:48 Yeah. Cause as, as we say in the movement, the, uh, <laugh> the revolution
Speaker 14 00:55:53 Will not be televised,
Speaker 2 00:55:55 But it will be Live street livestream, <laugh>, live street.
Speaker 14 00:55:58 Here's what's happening in your neck of the hood. <laugh>.
Speaker 2 00:56:03 Oh man. So, yeah. And so what protests, um, we, we have, um, some protests to tell people about coming up this
Speaker 6 00:56:13 Weekend, this weekend. So this weekend we have, um, the protests, we have all Naba, I'm sorry if I mispronounced that. It's going to be, uh, Saturday, May 14th. Uh, it is going to start at, sorry, let me, the, it is going to be at Bryan's Bryant Square Park. It's gonna start at 2:00 PM um, where it's going, Excuse me. It is hosted by the Anti-War Committee and the American Muslims for Palestine. And it's an annual protest to demand the end to US aid to Israel and to demand the right to return.
Speaker 2 00:56:48 Yes. And uh, yes.
Speaker 6 00:56:49 It's a big protest, y'all. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Yeah. It's, they return it up.
Speaker 2 00:56:52 Yeah. And so, you know, um, free Palestine, you know, we saw a lot what, um, the Israel government was doing to the Palestinians, um, during Ramadan. So that, which was very unfortunate. So, but um, but we always stick with international solidarity. So with that being said, um, this has been views from the ground, views from the damn ground out.
Speaker 15 00:57:18 Organized with all the lights. All the lights, all the lies they call me with the back of the black and the 45 in between the protests, we protest and realize, yes, we have to organize, organize organiz to wait with all the lies. All the lies. All the lies they come in with. The take and blocks and the 45 in between the protests, we protest and lies. Realize that we have already been here before. Protest in the streets cuz we seeking, we all at war burning police cars and we shooting loo in these stores. You may not agree, but you see they changing these laws. The only thing they understand now is her city burning. They acting like they shop with these cops. They just learning. See you Mr. Florida on the ground and got 'em squirming. Now we can see they are the Nazis. We the German blacks.
Speaker 15 00:58:02 Organized, organized organiz. You wait with all the lies. All the lies. All the lies. They come in with the magnum, the clock and the 45. In between the protests, we protest and realize, yes, we have to organize, organize, organize. You wait with all the lies. All the lies. All the lies. They come in with the ti as and clock and the 45 in between the protests, we protest and lies here. We, we always wake up, but then we go back to sleep again. In between the protestors, when we begin and week again, we hear about the loop. Another shooting this week again, this gives the police another excuse to hit the streets again. White police, black population can never be a friend. Our mother and our fathers and our families. Them they, the overseas we the SAVs to them, we got rise to the level where we ain't needing them.
Speaker 15 00:58:47 Everybody organiz, organiz organized. You wait with all the lies. All the lies. All the lies. They come with the mac and the black and the 45. In between the protests, we protest and realize, yes, we have to organize, organize, organized. You will wait. With all the lies. All the lies. All the lies. They come with the take and got. And the 45 in between the protests, we protest every your lives. Yes, You have to follow me, follow me, follow me. It's my philosophy that white law monopoly makes democracy. Democracy. In a capitalist economy, it's no democracy. I demand the return to my sovereignty. No apology, independence or autonomy. Don't need to model me. I can run my own country. If you could just stop bombing me. Give me my lamb pack, give me my gold back, my heritage, my birthright. You outright stole that. Organize, organize, organized, do wait. With all the lies. All the lies. All the lies. They come in with the back of the block in the 45. In between the protests, we protest and yes, we the organized, organized with all the lies. All the lies. All the lies come in the tear blocks and 40 in between the protests we protest and lies.
