I'm Tamika D. Mallory and the.
Ship Boy my son in general.
We are your host of t M.
I Tamika and my Son's information, Truth, motivation and inspiration, New name.
New Energy.
What's going on? My son, Lennon, I'm black blessed?
And how he favored Tamika D. Mallory.
How are you as well? I see you got your free AT shirt?
Yes, free At. My brother at Mitchell is trying to get his conviction which what we call e sponge. You know he was he was falsely convicted.
I can say it all over again.
Yes, my brother At is trying to get his conviction sponge.
Yes, my brother At, our brother At Mitchell man is trying to get his conviction sponged. And he started his whole campaign called free At No More Bars, So I'm definitely represented for him.
I need to get me a T shirt. Free At.
This is our brother who is the anti violent Czar of New York City.
That's number one.
AT and I started along with Erika Ford many many years ago, working to get resources in New York City for anti violence work. You all have heard us talk about this before. We started out with no money. We got to five million, after really pressuring the elected officials to focus on grassroots efforts that would help us to curb violence.
In the community.
We went through a whole lot, but we went from again zero to five million and now over one hundred million dollars that is being invested into local grassroots groups around the city. And the data is very clear that where these programs exist, people are absolutely bringing the number of violent incidents down, giving our youth more opportunities, and just also providing holistic approaches to dealing with violence that does not lean on police in counter in police intervention.
They're still, of course, you know, issues with in terms of policing in these communities. I can't say that it's solved the problem, but we know that they're based upon the data. We know that there has been some significant change. And our brother at is one of the leaders of that movement. He really keeps the community of anti violence, the CBI community Violence Intervention movement, and the crisis management
system operating across the city. And as you said, now he has a campaign to get his own record expunged and we support at one hundred percent. We ask that people who are listening, doesn't matter if you're from New York City, you can be from anywhere around the country learn more about At and support his campaign for the expungement of his records.
So we love you AT, we support you. We're with you.
Free atre At because if free At, if you have free AT.
The next comes me. I like that campaign. I like the campaign.
So the State of the People Power Tour has really been an incredible labor of love. I tell you, while we have definitely been engaged, we haven't worked nearly as hard as some of the people who have been twenty four hours. I have to give a shout out to our own Victoria.
Panel, who has been VP's.
Right the until Freedom representative, holding us down as we work on a million projects, book tours, boycott black Murder, the work that you all are doing in Newark and around the country. Of course Angelo building a whole conference that is you know that is actually in progress right now. I mean, there's so much happening, and we've been so busy. And it was my birthday, which was a major production that landed in the middle of it. Your birthday also landed in the middle of the tour, so we had
a lot going on. We were present often, we led at least two particular cities. And when I say led, you know, yes, we picked those cities. We supported the infrastructure and worked alongside our people in Newark, New Jersey, and of course in Louisville, Kentucky, as much as possible in other cities where we support it. But the team members, the many team members with Angela Raie and a number of people I don't want to get myself in trouble,
have worked, like you. I don't even know how to explain the type of effort that has been put into
this tour. And you know, I think that the main thing that people need to know is that rather than sitting around with our lips poked out, complaining about what isn't and who didn't do this, and who hurt our feelings and all of that, and you know, and definitely in this political climate, rather than sitting around and just kind of looking hopeless, we said, no, we actually have a lot of power, and we're going to do what we always do, which is to go into our local
community and spend the type of time necessary learning, loving up on our people, collaborating with our people, dealing with some of the backstories and the issues that we have that need to be massaged and work through in order for us to be able to stand together and to get through this turbulent time in our society. And we said, there's so many people who have skills already, they have resources, they're doing major work in their local communities, and their
voices just need to be uplifted. Their programs need to be exposed to the world, their ideas need to be supported. And when I think about what the tour has done and the different tour stops in terms of the mutual aid, doing things like helping people with groceries and with gas and electricity bills, doing things like bringing out services of all sorts, and also uplifting local services as well as rallies and town hall meetings and listening sessions and local
led activities. I mean, this has been a true not just labor of love, but labor and all of it, all of it with the exception of security, because you know, we gotta pick make sure we pay security. And of course I don't want to say technical av audio visual team there you go, look ahead to me, could get
your words together. The audio visual team. Everyone else has been a volunteer unless you are a staff person like Victoria who works for one of the major organizations, the Coalition and the partners, and you were assigned to support this project, to work on this project. But overall, everybody engaged, and some of the most critical people in this entire project, they are volunteers. Every dime that was raised has been
poured into the communities and these local engagements. And I'm talking about when I say people spending their own money, I'm talking about travel, everything, hotels. I'm saying that there is and I'm not saying that that's a model that we want to replicate and that it needs to continue. There has to be another way because people can't necessarily afford it. But people believed in this tour so much and have been home feeling frustrated, you know, and feeling
like we can't just I can't sit around. And they said, we're not gonna wait for the money. We're gonna go and the money will meet us and things will get done. And so I'm excited that we have captured some of the Louisville content specifically. And you go ahead and talk about what your experience was being there in Louisville for
the State of the People Power Tour. And so you go ahead and you know, talk about what your experience was in Louisville, Kentucky, and also what the tour has really meant to you.
Yes, Louisville was definitely an eye opening. It just it was, like you said, a label of love. You know, Louisville is like I was second home. You know, we have been there a while. But when you see those familiar faces and we go down and we're in those familiar places to Meeka Palmer with with the Katura Haran who will be coming up the next room, we're talking about all of the government officials and just the Freeway family,
you know. And we opened up with our party in which we met with the people and we danced and we talked and just feeling that camaraderie and that love. You know, based on what happened with Breonna Taylor, we've
built a family in Louisville, Kentucky. And that's why we were very adamant, you know, even like you said, they didn't give pushback, we were very adamant that we wanted to make sure that that was one of the tour stops and that we galvanized the energy and brought some resources back to Louisville and they're always very appreciative, you know, and just watching the growth from the people in Louisville, just understanding how you know, we we seen people grow
from regular protesters to being elected officials. That we watched Nicole Hayden, who who was one of the on the ground people, just build her own organization and just watched her become this leader and it's just it's always beautiful to see that.
But just along with the.
Tour, you know, the our Boycott Black Murder shout out to Angelo, you know, we do a training and course about boycott Black Murder, and we teach people what boycott Black Murder is and what it came from. And we get engaged with community people who have gun violence issues. Some of them have actually lost family members to gun violence. Some of them have family members who are in prison based off gun violence. And the stories and the tears
is always like very emotional. So that's something I love to do in East City that we go to. But you know, this thought was, like I said, it's a lot more personal for me, you know, as we still fight for justice for Breonna Taylor. You know, seeing Tamika Palm is always something that gives me joy and pain at the same time because I love her so much and to see her still fighting for Breonna Taylor, you know, it's just invigorating to me. So Louisville was nothing short of amazing.
I think everyone felt that, and you know, as you said, the whole Breway family included. And we have to make sure we give a lot of love to Nicole Hayden and Nicol Yates, who were the co chairs, if you will, of that tour stop, and I can tell you it's not easy because, as we know, in every single city, there's always the difference of ideas and opinions and that energy that we all experience. And you know, the two of them coming together working together was quite funny to me.
But I love to see how whether they were fighting about who was going to present particular again ideas and strategies, or if they were organizing other people and really trying to make sure that everybody in the community felt involved, whatever the issues, whatever the things were, they ended up producing an incredible, incredible, incredible tour stop. And so just thankful to both of them, and also thankful to our
baby sister Jania, who is and she was there. Jania is the sister of Brionna Taylor who lived in there, and she's with child, and.
She is with child, she's about to have a baby. Yes, so having.
Her around carrying a little Brionna and her stomach is so special. I'm not sure of the gender of the baby, but I will say that we know Brianna lives through Jania's belly, and so it just was exciting and I want for to know that, Yes, we did have some good moments.
And so first of all, it was super high, as it.
Always is and Louisville always and we did have some powerful moments of you know, dancing, like you said, camaraderie and planting, and they sent families home with things that they need to start their gardens.
I mean, you know, great things.
But at the same time, there was some very serious discussions, very serious panel discussions, town halls and listening sessions.
With the community.
And so we've got a little bit of you know, some of the discussions and the interviews that we did for the TMI podcast, the TMI Show to meet getting my Son's information to who are our guests this week?
Yes, like I already stated, Katoa Heron is going to be one of our guests along with Nicole Hayden that we just finished speaking of. And to end it off, we have our co founder of Until Freedom, attorney Angelo Pinto, is also one of our guests today.
Check it out, Check it out.
The TMI podcast, The TMI Show with my brother my son who is not here because he's actually in a workshop here in Louisville leading a workshop on gun violence prevention. That we are live and we're talking directly with people who have many, many, many layers and levels of solutions and brilliant and strategy for our community. And it's two super bad, super bad individual rules who are here in
front of us. I want to read their bios so that I give you the proper acknowledgment, but then I want to talk about why the two of you are so important to us on this show. So Nicole Hayden, who was one of the city leads here in Louisville to make this incredible two days of focus on our people and our community happen. The Cole Hayden is a Louisville based community strategist and founder of the Friends of Nicole Network, which until Freedom has had the privilege of
supporting and collaborating with for the last five years. And also, oh we excuse me, at the Friends of Nicole network, she leads initiatives that empower young women of color through mentorship and advocacy. And the wake of Brionna Taylor is Killing. She served as a community laison for Until Freedom That's true, helping organize protests and connect national activists to local grassroots efforts.
And then my dear sister, Senate Katura Heron. Now, before I even say anything else, let me just say that she was not Senator Katura Heron when we first met her. She was an organizer for ACLU Louisville. And this is not even her first elected position. So from an organizer when we first got here to now two times elected, maybe three times elected, I don't know how many you'll tell us that part, but elected to different levels, moving on up the scale on her way to national leadership.
For sure.
In government, she is Senator Heron represents. Senator Heron represents Kentucky's thirty fifth Senate district and has dedicated her life to advocacy and reform. In twenty twenty, she worked with community and elected leaders to pass Brianna's law at the local and state level, which without law no knock warrants in the state of Kentucky. Some of it passed more work to be done. But these are two super bad individuals who are doing work within the community and also
just growing in your leadership. And let me say that for us at until Freedom, to watch the growth of this city and the individuals in the city has been incredible because we know we had our little hands in different parts of how that happened. We promised Nicole Hayden when we first met the first weekend we were here, the first night we sat down and had a conversation, we promised that not only would we not exploit the community, but that we would continue to be here and we
would never leave. And that's a commitment that I've made to every single family and community that I've been in since I started over twenty years ago, because I was told by my mentors that the most important thing you can do is not the work when everybody is there, but it's the work when nobody is there, right, And we have continued that until Freedom to come back here
and to work with the two of you. So I'm so excited to have both of you sitting here today our show when we talk about the one hundred years, excuse me, when we talk about the hundred days of Trump's presidency. We have been trying to pair boots on the ground with legislators and media representatives and strategists so that we have a feeling of what comes out. What people get to see is that those two things have to work together.
Yeah.
It's no way for us to do work with just an elected just the boots on the ground individual They have.
To come together.
So the first thing I want to talk about for both of you is how you see that working together. That you are an elected leader, how important is it for you to have the Nicole Hayden's and everybody the people of your city, right, Melvin and.
Brother big Baby and you name it, everybody.
An yeah, yeah.
Right, pushing to help you get things done. Because I think some folks, some elected officials, don't think they need the people until this election time, and then the people boots on the ground.
Don't always see the need for elected officials.
So I want you all to talk about that dynamic and how important it is.
I mean, first, thanks for having us on and always coming back and showing love as you promised, and coming from an organizer to now elected, I'm actually talking to Angelo and I need to write these things down to come back and teach the community. Because what I realized is it the work that we were able to do in twenty twenty. It was organizing an organizing strategy and
an the legislative strategy. And I think oftentimes where we fought is that either legislators just want to do it their way or the community just wants to do what they're way, and until both of those things is working together,
then you're not gonna get policy passed. That was how we were able to get Brianna's Law passed as quickly as we did obviously in the moment, but there was a community organizing strategy, and then the legislators the electeds had to be working behind the scenes and figuring out what that is because the dynamics are different and community may not be able to always move that elected, but there's other people in this other body, whether it's lobbyists, whether there's other business leaders.
That can move some of those people.
And so there has to be the legislative strategy and the community organizer strategy.
And I think.
That that's one of the things that I've been trying to wrap my head around for so long, is how how do I display and show that we've got a lot of great people in the City of Mobile. But I do think that, you know, one of the downfalls that we have is we have not done a great job of us all coming together and making this thing work together.
Work strategy of of all.
You know, time that you've been even organizer and or and elected, where have you seen the power of the people and the legislative process come together.
I mean, honestly, Brianna's Law when we look at that during twenty twenty, when we went to get a Brianna's Law passed, when you called the City of Louisville, the voicemail said press one for Breonna Taylor related issues, two for everything else.
Wow.
And what we were able to do, and what people.
Don't know is that the first piece of policy that we gave the Metro Council, it wasn't a complete full band. And what we actually was fighting against was language that we first originally gave them.
Right and so like we made the call and said we wanted.
We so legislators without your involvement, gave them language that you had to go fight or was it right?
So there was community folks, myself and a dude named Terrence Sullivan. We are the ones who actually wrote that first, the first the first copy, and then it evolved. We gave it to Metro Council. They ran with the language that we had. The goal was to get coalition to work together, but they said they wanted to move fast, so they took our first draft of the language and
they ran with it. But after we had some days to read it, we were like, no, we needed a complete band and we can do that and so and so that's what we actually ended up fighting. And what we did was we had like I think originally like four or five council people this said that we support a complete band. So what we did was we put on social media and we said we want to thank these five council people for supporting a complete band.
So then other council members was like.
Well we supported, were like, yeah, but you don't support a complete band.
If you want us to thank you, you got to support a complete band.
And that's how we was able to eventually get the four twenty six to get behind the complete band, because at first people was like, we can never do a complete band. But if there's an emergency situation, what if my daughter's kid? Now, what if this is happening? And it's like, no, we know, and in real time, if it is that emergency situation, law enforcement can go in. If you hear shooting in a building, you can go
in and and respond. But let's be very clear that we need to do a complete ban and and and common sense and in the moment less you know when you can't go in if it's an emergency.
Talk about your.
Not so much the role in this, but your understanding of the importance of community and what the legislators are doing.
Even like ca terror has been like my go to terror, What does this mean?
Who does this? And that's what we've been doing in community, like really taking it back.
Of course, we need the legislators and people that Metro counsel to continue and push policy, but also got keep in mind that people in community and neighborhoods don't know a lot of this language, and so so the expectation of people to know what these things are. It's like, no, we got to take it back to this and educate our people. So that's really what we've been focusing on, like educating.
What does a legislative do? What does a representative do?
You know, basically having those conversations, having workshops, having training and again when it's time to vote, having those classes and ahead of time, having those conversations early on so that people can be informed. So whether that is some bullet points on a piece of paper that we can share on social media, whether that's some bullet points that we can share in text, but a lot of people believe it or not, just don't know what that is.
And so we've just been taking our time post twenty twenty is to really educate community and going inside the neighborhoods, inside of schools and educating our youth, making sure letting them know where they hit seventeen that they can pre register to vote.
So we've been doing a lot of community.
Engagement that way, like educating the community on like what can they do before it's time to vote, but also who's on the ballot beforehand and knowing what those roles really mean. Yeah, you know, not every legislator gives people access to be able to call.
Them and ask questions. Is that the community organize.
A side of you or do you just think all politicians or to have their cell phone numbers floating around the community.
I mean, I've worked with youth my whole life, so I've had the same numbers since I was like eighteen. And the reason why I've kept my same numbers because sometimes I have young people call me who I worked with ten or fifteen years ago, and so I just never have never gotten a different number. I mean, honestly, sometimes it's a gift and a curse. I'm you know, do people have too much access to people?
Not?
But I am of the community, of for the community, and I want people to know that they can reach out to me.
But I also have had to set some boundaries and.
Get people to know and understand just because you have access to me doesn't mean you get to abuse it.
And I also have to teach people you know what my position is and what I'm able to do.
But I believe given access, it's important, but it is a tight line because we have to also take care of ourselves in order for us to continue to do the work.
How important is that that you can pick up the phone, Nicole and say, hey, I'm getting ready to go to a meeting and I don't know myself right, Like, that's another problem that I think some of us and I don't have this issue. I thank God that he delivered me from me knowing everything.
I don't know. It's okay. You can look at.
Me like I'm dumb, and I'll raise my hand in a room full of people and say, I don't understand the words that you're saying. You know, straight up, I don't know that you know, and I'm not trying to act like how important has that been for you to be able to call Katuro or Shamika whomever and say, help me understand this so I could go relay it, especially to our young people who need to know.
It's very important.
Like, look, Saious, she was one of us before she we came in office, so she's been boots on the ground. So just having those connections, even Shamika persson Wright, like, we were all boots on the ground together, and I knew that once they leveled up, they were going to be important to me to be able to communicate to the community.
And to me, it's like you gotta have that, you gotta have that connection.
You gotta know who's doing what and even stepping outside of the norm to pick up the phone. I see her and moving around in traffic and be like, hey, pe'st what this means.
But she's always encouraging you got this, you can do this.
And even who's next in line, even if it's not yournico, who's next in line?
Who do we need to get for pro and novel?
Like, Okay, this young person, this young person's let's get them connected with you.
Let's get them in conversation.
It may not be big, Sure, it may be three years down the line, but we need to get them in communication and conversation to.
Know what's now.
Yeah, but I was gonna say, you know, one of the things that you said, I tell people that as well. I don't know everything. My background is juvenile justice. That's what I I know front to back. You can't tell me nothing about it. But there's other things about housing that I need you know, information about or about codes and rags. I don't know that language you know, and so so it is important. And I actually lean on some of the folks who know more than me and
prepare me for meeting. So one of my homegirls gave me the whole thing for a meeting that I just had and the person I was meeting with was like, that's an excellent idea and ran with it.
And it wasn't me, but.
It was somebody from the community who is an expert. And so my role as well, it's to take their expertise and the meeting right it does you will.
You include that person with you on the journey to getting there.
Yes, they don't want to be because it's political, but that they did, they would definitely be there. But they know that it's best for me to have the seat. But they're giving me the information. And so after the meeting, I'm like, yo, they bit, you know, they writing it down and.
I need to get them a document in the next two days.
And so then we me and that person collaborated was able to send this document and it's going to be.
Rolled out in in a way.
But but it's their expertise that I'm a allowed to take, you know, to the rooms because I don't know everything.
So the last thing I wanna talk of two two things. I'm gonna ask you all about the inspiration of this tour, which has been hard and we know they're saying that in every conversation. It's not easy. So we'll talk about some of that. But the consent decreed, right, I feel like it's such a slap in the face to watch, uh the federal government say that our lives don't matter, because I I we know that the investigation that was done to get to the point of a court order,
which is the consent degree. Uh, just it uncovered what you all already knew, which is that there's an abuse of police power in this city that many of our young people and particularly people in general who live in the West End and other places that are deeply concentrated with folks who are under resource, are under siege with policing here in the city.
Let me tell you, Louisville. You know, I protested a lot of places.
I've been a lot of places, and we've been in some contentious fights across this country.
But here there.
Is almost a klu klux Klan mentality policing, or at least it was during the summer of twenty twenty, and the militia was out there mixed up with the police doing whatever they wanted to do, whatever reason.
When they had the we were under what you call at.
A time, Why do wife folks with the big guns were under excuse me, a senator, why do wife folks with the guns was still able to be out and the police wasn't chasing them, but they were chasing us.
That's an issue.
And so this the Department of Justice's findings about all of the issues, the corruption and the abuse was very serious. And to have the federal government decide to go further than just investigating, but to actually say, here's a court order that you all have to follow in this city. And now we have a mayor who took a long time to sign it. There was a mite to get him to sign it. What do you think he's.
Going to do now? What do you all want to see him do? And what do you how do you.
Feel knowing that the blood, sweat and tears. I think about Travis, our young brother, who gave his life literally in this work, leaving a protest that day when he was killed. What does it feel like to watch our rights and the work that has been done just rolled back. We can start with you, Nicole, and then can you talk about, as an elected official in this state, what work has to be done to make sure that the consent decree is abided by even without the federal government's input.
For me and my role is just to continue to keep the community inspired, you know what I'm saying. Through everything that's going on it, you know, especially with a consent degree, there are people that have been on the ground organizing, trying to submit a resolution I think as of tomorrow, and it's basically to encourage them. That's really been my role. You know, it hurts, you know what I'm saying to say, it doesn't hurt. It hurts, you know, but again you know, not to be consumed with all
of it. Is to keep them encourages for me has been my role and allow them to you know, continue to feed me with information so that I can give it away to a community. So as they've been organizing on the ground within it with officials, with themselves taking that resolution that they're going to be presenting tomorrow and being able to tell the community about what that is. By today, we have a workshop that the talks abouthicacent degree. A lot of people don't know exactly what that is,
that language. So just having those workshops and those conversations for a community has really been my.
Role inness you know it it was it's very hurtful. And I think that during the time like this, it's a time for individual self reflection and collective self reflection. And that's what I've tried to do, you know, since we heard But but but what I what I think or what I what I've come to is that one, uh, the work is the same no matter who's elected. And I think that that is something that oftentimes we forget as people.
Is is that uh?
And when I say that the work is the same, the strategy is different, is is that we as a community.
Should have been more, been doing more to be prepared for this moment, right.
And so now as a leader, I'm thinking what what can I do to take the information and experts that I've had as an organizer to now as an elected to continue to educate the community. One two Regardless, I'm gonna make sure I'm in the room. Right. And so the mayor just announced that he's doing a I forget what they called it, but it's gonna be eight community members, I think, seven elected officials and some organizations. And I'm gonna make sure as an elected official that I've got
to a seat at that table. And it's hard because the community is like, hell, no, this is not what we want, right, Heck no, this is not what we want. But we have Yeah, but we have to.
Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah, all that are that.
But but it is my role again to be at the table and take the voices and.
The concerns of the people and be there.
And so as an elected I have to one encourage my other elected officials that we have to stay on top of this, that we have to continue to put pressure on this mayor administration. But when we talk about what's happening state, why until we in Louisville start to build coalition with our country cousins and brothers across the state, it doesn't matter. You know, there's one hundred House members in Kentucky and there's a twenty who are Democrat and there's eighty who's Republican.
And in the Senate there's thirty eight members.
We just had one member switched from Democrat to Republican, so there's six of us in the Senate, right, And so when we talk about building power, there's police issues with the white rule folks. There's police issues in Lexington
and Richmond and Paducah and all these places. And until unless we come together around these issues, we're not gonna get anything statewide as far as policy goes, and so we have to do a better job of yes, organizing here, but we have to also understand how we getting out across the state to hear the concerns.
Because our country.
Brothers and sisters and cousins, they got the same are fighting the same issues. It just looks a little bit different, but it's the same thing across the state.
You know. I want we're gonna wrap this up.
But as I heard you talking just now, I can literally see people saying, which leads us right to the last topic. I can literally see people saying, Oh, Katora got the big head.
Now she's talking about state stuff.
Now she wanted to talk about going to these other communities. Why not just focus on Louisville. See, that's why we shouldn't have elected her.
She got the big head, you know, and I can hear it.
Yeah, I know how it goes, because you have a now that you've been in elected office, you see the full playing field. And sometimes when people only live in there, they're not i won't say small, but limited square footage. Yeah, they don't understand how the bigger pie.
And when you start pulling on them to move this way.
And to stretch that way becomes problematic because they just the division is to be. Yeah, So do you feel like that it's happening to you a little bit?
And how are you gonna combat it?
How are you gonna bring people along with you to help to educate them on the process so they know that when you're not in.
Louisville, and it doesn't mean you're not on the job.
Yeah, I mean absolutely I feel it. But what for some people don't know? I'm not from Louisville. I'm born and raised in Richmond, Kentucky. The county that I grew up in, Madison County is the first county that starts Appalachia.
So I'm country. And I was just home two weeks ago.
We had a fish fried in and barbecue and so like, I know, and I have people I was, you know, my cousins have been harassed by the police in these places, and so I just know that that's what we need to do. The other thing is we got the Black Church, that is all of you got the Baptist conventions. I'm amme, the A and me still get together, stay wide, and so there are people and if we really want to
be liberated, I mean that's just what it is. And and and the people who don't want to be liberated, they're not.
Gonna come along with it. And I'm okay with that.
And so for me, it is that I have to do my job and and and do what God has called me to do.
Like trust me, trust me.
There's days I wake up and I say, God wise is my assignment? Because sometimes it would be easier not to be elected. You know, I would be able to go and make more money. I'm broke as hell right now. You know what I'm saying. It would be easier not to have all eyes on me. Yeah, you know, it would be easier not to have my eyes have eyes on me. And so yeah, trans yeah, yeah, do anything, yes, yeah yeah.
To be in.
Community is a sacrifice. And appreciate you for making a sacrifice. I remember the first time I met you, I had to bow down and apologize because we overlooked your your presence and role in the Brianna law Brianna's Law fight and did a whole campaign with all these celebrities because first of all, I was just so excited that people who usually don't want to have anything to do with my work were like, yes, I'm ready to use my voice from at least she always wants.
To have something to do with our work. But Ellen degenerous and all these folks in the name.
Of all but they all got involved and we did not include you in that campaign. And I remember coming to you and just being like, I am so sorry. I meant it with all of my heart. And it's you know that's it wasn't just the fact that you accepted my apology.
It was how you did it.
You did not yell at me and cuss me out and talk bad about me and write on social media that I ain't shit and until for you they not. We had a conflict resolution process of me repenting and you accepting and acknowledging and in us becoming sisters from there.
And I acknowledge that I.
Appreciate you and I want you to know that you are going places that you have you don't even know it yet, right like we believe in you. I believe that you will be a national force for our community, and we will continue to pour resources and support into you becoming that because you have exactly what it takes so anytime that you get that little feeling of being like man, I just want to throw my hands up. Just remember that we believe in your people are counting on you to keep going.
Thank you, appreciate it. Thank y'all.
Don't talk about conflict resolution, but I think we kind of covered it in that we just got to work together.
Che This tour is all about being God che been called.
Choice.
That's Ryan.
I like to do a work workshop every single tour. No, he ain't got no choice.
Thank you, appreciating, thank you, thank you.
We are that live from Louisville at the State of the People Power Tour.
Uh.
The tm I Show has been live all day interviewing so many people, local organizers, folks who have do national work, and it's really been incredible conversations.
And for a little while we lost.
My other half of the t m I Show, my son the General.
But now you're would love to hear about where you went.
I did tell the folks, but who could tell people where you were? And you know Attorney Angelo Pensau, who was our brother and also one of the co founders.
Of untol Freedom.
Uh, you were with my son away somewhere mysterious doing some some mysterious work. She can't tell us a little bit about aprils over here laughing, but.
You start set it off.
We had a hardship and old Boycott Black Murder, that's right, was one of my virtuildren, which was Angelo. I love that so yes, Angela is one of the closest spirits with in Boycott Black Murder.
That's true.
In which we do workshops Bongo stay to stay here and music wake up station. On workshop, we talked about caused them out, how they spread in our communities, How do we combat and dogs the violence in our pities. What are the the WoT causes, you know, how do we chase narrative, how do we chase the culture around it. We engaged with a lot of the local people in the community talk about their experiences with violence, and we
had very It was a focus. There was one Madiutlook, I think she might left, but she soon as we open up, you know, she told us about her experience and violence, how she was brother a cousin's when somebody got shopped in the head inside.
Home in the past.
Year, within the last a few months, and yeah, in March, I believe it had lives just so I was so impacted by the US and how sometimes it causes you to wanting to tell it.
So a woman, you could tell this she she wasn't about our teams, she like, you know, we talked about.
All these things with Sometimes when you.
Think about people harming your loved ones are takeing and logos, you want someone else to do that paint. You know, She's it doesn't make do bad person, but it's just a reality that nobody talks about.
And it was so real. It was It was so.
Many different conversations, but that was oneing to I had to go hug delay after we had their conversation.
Yeah, and how you respond with I think oftentimes we do the work every day, So we do violence prevention work every day, and we've been doing it for so long. I think sometimes times we forget that we're talking to folks who may not be familiar with the work, and then the question becomes, how do you help folks understand how this work is happening.
So that was a lot of what we did.
We spoke about how the reason why violence prevention work has become so effective is because now we're looking at violences of public health fish. That's the first pivot, right, This is it spreads like a disease. Right, people are affected by it and now take on some of the tendencies that caused violence. But in places like Nork and New York City, even in Birmingham, we've seen and implemented
effective models that have created change. And even in Newark we've seen homicides go from one hundred and forty or so to less than forty in of two or three years.
How did this happen? Right One, there was an investment that took place.
The mayor took a million dollars out of the police budget at one percent of the police budget, which equated to about twenty million dollars, created the Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery, created the Brick City Peace Collective, which pulled all those organizations together, identified how Irish interventionist, credible messengers and individuals who could take guns out of people's hands, stop homicides and also change from a culture of violence.
To a culture of peace.
So it's important for people to understand I think the nuance and how the work happens, particularly in places like Louisville, so they could replicate it. Right because one of the things we heard was that there was all there is an office in Louisville that is supposed to address violence, but we know violence is increased. So what's not happening, that's what's not being effected. How do national folks and partners come into actually enhance the work and make it effective.
So we talked about all of those things and so much more as a robust conversation.
Yes, wow, and you said it was a fact house of.
People who will soose communionyms amsungs where I met people yesterday, especially at the rally. I met people who drove in from Cincinnati who fluent.
We saw of Cincinnati folks.
Around the country so that they could get to you know, people watching it.
It's what stops.
They like, I gotta get there so because I have something to say and the.
People here are the leaders. We said that in the room too, We said, and we said this about Louisville all the time. Louisville has the answers, but oftentimes, just like in a neighborhood, we said that Mysion says it all the time.
We've taken the neighbor.
Out of neighborhood and now it's just a hood, and what that means is there's a culture that comes with just being a hood, right, and how do we transform that culture and now identify the leaders which we have all around us and have them step into the positions they need to step into career change because that's the only way it's going to happen. The folks in Louisville who are leaders have to step into leadership roles to transform the existing ecosystem.
And we've seen it time and time again.
We don't talk about it a lot, but I remember when we went to Akron because the brother who got kills, Jayalen Walbur, was shot at think forty eight times by police, ninety two shots. And I remember we were clear that if we left and we weren't an integral part of their strategy, they would not get the tension they need and this case would not get the account of And
that's what happens. And I think what I heard from some folks here in Louisville is that when you don't, when Louisville doesn't get the spotlight and attention that sometimes comes with national attention, sometimes ground is lost too. So the question becomes, how does Louisville get to grow and be Louisville, and how do we bring attention to Louisville that's necessary and.
I think we happen to come here in a moment where that.
Can happen around this consent degree piece again where Louisville has the spotlight on it. But the question becomes, what do you do with the spotlight? How do you use it to elevate Louisville and create real changes here?
Because the mayor's this is a different kind of mayor.
We were here where we were placing Yes, we were placing pressure on the mayor.
He wasn't the best, but we know he would We could move them.
And now it's a different set of circumstances and the question becomes how important and can you shift this existing mayor? And if not, who does the next person coming behind him me to be?
And how does the community dictate that?
Well, it's all get about spotlight. You have your own show. Why don't you sell folks?
Andrew?
How the thank you? How do I hear watch you and follow you and see the content that you're producing.
So I have a show called Lettered Rip. It comes on.
Qunitiving and Okay, start all over again and say let it rich.
Yeah, I'll try.
I have a show called Lettered Rip. It comes on QUNY TV and PBS, and the show really focuses on the political sphere. We try to bring a progressive of what we like to say, a left leaning perspective into the media conversation because, as y'all know, oftentimes, and this was helpful for Trump's administration, a lot of the media is now rightly a tremendous amount and they've been able
to shape public perception. And I was asked to do the show because the producer said, we need in this particular moment, new conversations around.
Progressive and left ideas.
How do we popularize these ideas and get them to the folks. So please, you know, watch letter Rep.
It's a good show.
Let it show.
So I just wanted to end this stuff for still Issuel does amazing work outside of is also uh.
Teacher, that's true.
Where are you? So?
I was the inaugural Activist and Residents at Yale University, so we actually created the program and now the second Activist and Residence is coming there too, and they're actually.
Working on gun violence. So they focused specifically on gun violence.
I'm an adjunct at Seaton Hall and I teach a community practitioner class at Kane University of in Jersey, so I teach a lot.
About We talked about we talked about this violence intervention working.
We're talking about what is going to be necessary.
So it's going to take real leadership.
It's going to see incredible message.
And that's the main thing and we spoke about in our meeting.
He was young people, We're talking about how those need to be small.
Talk about your emotion.
That's one of the crazy about because about speed or it's around a lot of genius.
Issues with women women.
This is a jus.
Don't relate because you know, you know, those are big.
Conversations, a very conversation and anytime always wet to do this work is really a camera.
And we told one of the big pieces we mentioned is that community control. We said, what we've seen shipped around communities that have less violence is that communities have taken control over how they address safety.
Right, it's not just.
That, you know, we don't want the police to do what they do, but we know the community has.
A particular skill set that.
Oftentimes is not funded in that utilize and when we come in and do the work we allow that to flourish.
Thank you, You appreciate me into co founded until Freedom.
So thank you so much everybody who has tuned in. If you have not watched all of the interviews that we were able to capture during the Louisville stop of the State of the People Power Tour, please go to our YouTube page which is at TMI Show PC on YouTube.
You can watch all of the videos.
In fact, you can watch many of the episodes of the TMI Show, but you can find all of the interviews.
Of what took place on this tour.
I know folks are saying, what's the point, what's the objectives, what are you guys doing?
You can find that information out.
And you know, as far as these particular interviews, we've had some very powerful people. You heard from Pastor Mike McBride, You heard from Tef Poe, You heard from Attorney Lanita Baker. You heard from, of course, Attorney Angela Raie. You also heard from Dowana Thompson, one of the baddest organizers in America.
You also heard from Karen.
Finney, who is a political commentator and has been one of the key organizers on this tour as well, and today you heard from our dear sisters Nicole Hayden and Katura Heron, So it's action packed and if you haven't listened in, please make sure you go download all the episodes, whether you are listening or watching on YouTube.
That's right.
We're going to tell you that we love you, because we do love you, and this has been an amazing tour. Like make sure you follow State of the PPL on Instagram so you can get all the updates. Because although this tour is over, it's still gonna be a lot of more things to come, so make sure you stay following us and once again, we love you. Follow us on all social media platforms. Like she said, follow TMI Show PC on YouTube, and you can follow us on
Instagram at TMI Underscore Show. Listen. I love you, Tamika loves you. I'm not gonna always be right, She's not gonna always be wrong with both always and I mean always be authentic.
That's how we own it.