How Do We Deal with Violence Within our Own Community?

But hopefully folks can hear me and see me well enough, because today's show is going to be really powerful. UM. It's something that has been impacting my life and and something that's touched me for so long. We've been talking about the issue of violence and how violence is on the rise across the nation and particularly looking at what's happening in our communities. I don't think we've ever stopped talking about violence in the black community, but we know

that there is an uptick. The pandemic has caused so many different issues for so many people. UM, and we're seeing violence at an all time high. Although if you listen to the stats, there's some um, you know, some things that might be a little different, but anyway, we're seeing some dangerous numbers coming out in terms of what's happening across the country with guns and with violence in general.

And so for the next several weeks, we're gonna be really really focused on this issue and bringing people from different states and different areas, folks who deal with different types of issues that may cause people to pick up guns. We're gonna be talking to mothers, We're gonna be talking to people who've actually pulled a gun, who've been shooters

in the past US. We're gonna be talking to folks who have been who are victims of gun violence, UM, and also elected officials and other community members who are working to make a change UM. And so it's not the type of show that you can do in one week. We had a great show just recently where we talked about the issue of gun violence. We had our brother Shanon Duke mcfadder from g MAC and Brooklyn on to

talk about how he works on gun violence. And actually Shan Duke lost his brother, UM, you know, in and in in a terrible incident that took place in a nightclub in New York City where he was shot and killed on camera, um, and so we've been covering the issue already, but we're really gonna be intentional going forward about making sure that all the different elements of how we deal with violence in our communities it's out there, so people won't be able to say they didn't know

or they don't know what to do and how they can support. We want to pull folks in to the world that we live in every day because we are actively engaged in the movement to to curb and try to end to the degree of which we can gun violence and violence in general. Um. Also, mass shootings. Mass

shootings is a real thing. You know, some people believe that mass shootings is only something that happens in white schools and white communities, but if you think about the shootings that have taken place in grocery stores, malls and other very public places, anyone can be harmed. And to be clear on street politicians, we don't want mass shootings

to happen to white folks either. We want to try to figure out what is causing this type of disturbance and danger um in all sectors of our communities and

of our lives. And so um, you know, I am, I guess excited might not be the best word, but I am excited to have an opportunity to showcase the work that I've been involved in, that we've been involved in for so many years, and also to give an opportunity for people to speak on solutions and things that can be done to to fight this terrible, terrible epidemic

within our society. Yeah, definitely when I when I look at these numbers, you know, they say more than two hundred thirty people were fatally shot across the US on the fourth of July weekend, and about six eighteen people were injured by gun violence, and more than five hundred

shootings across the country. Like that's crazy. I was just unfortunately, I was on the internet and there's this video that's been viral and it's about two young men, you know, and they're sitting there talking to each other and one of them just gets shot, like literally why they're on camera on a live conversation on Instagram. The boy works

up being shot. It sounds a a shots and he was pronounced dead on on the scene when you know, when the ambulance showed up, and it's just like the disregard for human life and it's dealing is with the trauma, you know, with the epidemic and the pandemic has cars and and and when you look at trauma, you know, me being formally incarcerated, understanding what being secluded right, being the reason why we fought against to end the box

and end um solidtable confinement because we understood the ramifications of that. Right, A lot of people that come out of those situations come out more traumatic, come out way more violent. They don't want to be around people they have. You're dealing with mental issues, you know, you're dealing with anxiety, dealing with all types of stress and those things of causes. So we're looking at the ramifications of what came after

the epidemic and the pandemic. So, you know, I think it's really important that we have this conversation and we bring people from all different levels. Like you said, we're gonna have some government official is, we're gonna have people who actually wore shooters, we're gonna have victims, we're gonna have family members, we're gonna have everybody, so we can talk about this in totality because it's really something that

needs to be focused on. I don't think that you know, I think that people are talking about it, but I don't think that people are delving into what are the causes of this violence and and how do we actually stop the violence? What are the things that's needed to stop that. Everybody's saying, oh, it's a problem, you know, and and and a lot of people, oh, we just need more police and and I'm so anti that because, like I always say, police have never stopped violence in

our community. The only thing they've ever done is arrest the people who committed the violence, right, So we we don't need just people being arrested. We were trying to get We're trying to interceed before there is an actual crime committed. We want to figure out how do we mediate situations, How do we give these people in the communities the resources needed so they don't have to feel like violence, How do we get the mental health situations

that they need to make sure that they're okay. So I'm just glad that we're going to be really delving into this over the next few weeks, and you know, I think it's it's very gonna be very informative. I hope that people are paying attention, you know, because this is a topic that is is definitely is literally between life and death. It absolutely is. It absolutely isn't it.

It makes me, um think about like how I got started, you know, outside of my personal issue, which you know, everybody knows or at least many people as have listened to me at any point. You know that my son's father was shot and killed, and um, Oftentimes people say, well, you know, I can't believe that you guys don't work on violence in the community and whatever. And I think a lot of times there are some people who are just trolling, but there are other people who really just

don't know. They don't know because either you know, one thing I think that's important is that folks are they only know what they see on the media every single day.

And so when a Brianna Taylor is killed, or George Floyd or the names go on and on and on, you're going to see that more often because unfortunately it's the media that makes it, uh, they make it salacious, um sort of, which is unfortunate to have to use that language, but it's true they in in many ways, um, not so much glorified, but they certainly exploit uh these issues.

And then of course you have many people who run to these incidents and get involved because of the fact that, um, you know, it is high profile and and it's in those moments that you see the intersection of racism that is really, really present, and it's clear as it connects with the loss of black life or the loss of brown life. And so folks find their ability to fight in the struggle in those moments. Uh, they feel like, yes, this is this is when I get to confront the system.

But in our situation, and for as long as I can now remember, in terms of my career and as long as I have been working in this movement, I have understood that the violence happening in our community is also a form of systemic oppression. That racism and white supremacy and all of those things play a role in why the ray Rays and others of our community feel

like violence maybe the only choice. And so we have to look at confronting the system on many different levels, because once once we confront the system, so many different things will be corrected, if you will, in our in our society, I believe that confronting the system gives us the ability, as they say, to take one stone and

hit several different licks. Um. And that's and that for me is why this show and and this this this time period is so important because I think we get the opportunity to educate people on how they can also be a part of this movement. Now. What I do understand though, and what I will never ever allow people to make us feel, is like, if you are in the police accountability movement, you're no good if you're not also in the movement to end gun violence, or in

the education space, or in the housing space. I think each person has the right to be in the fight and to focus on the thing that is most passionate for them and the thing that they have some level of expertise in and what impacts them on a daily basis. I do not think that we should get into trying to force folks that, well, if you do this one thing, what the only thing that will make you credible is if you work on these other issue us as well. I think it's a false narrative. I think it is

a form. It is being used, if you will, as a way to uh to diminish our movements on many different levels. Um, we all have something that has impacted us, has touched us in a certain way, and you know, I was online one day. I won't I think we already talked about the individuals, so we won't bring up his name today. I saw you know this person on a TV show again, won't name him today on Twitter basically saying, oh, you know, we get so upset about

everything else. But does black violence or you know, the death of black people, particularly a young black girl, does that mean anything to us? And I find that offensive. I find it offensive because there are a number of activists who are out here every single day who really don't work in the police accountability space. A lot of them, some of them do, but many of them are deeply in the gun violence awareness and and really working to combat gun violence. They are out there every single day.

They do protests, they show up at their elected officials offices, they organize, They do a great deal of work. But we don't help them. We don't support them in the ways in which we should. And I say we as a greater community because me personally and you personally, my son, we do actually support them. We do actually help to bring their the fights that they're involved in. Um, you know,

to bring more awareness. You have led several marches and and other occasions and efforts to try to bring gang members together and to and to to actually mitigate violence. I've watched you in the projects late at night working with Erica Ford and others to try to address some

of the issues that's happening. Like really, I mean in the details, the granulate details of going out there and talking to young men, not just standing up at a podium, but literally being in the middle of two people who could kill each other the next minute, not the next day, not the next week, but the next minute. And so we do do that work, but as a greater community, we do not focus as much of our attention on helping these individuals who are out there doing that work

every day. And that's where I think we need to put more of our efforts, not in saying that if someone is doing gun violence work that they're they're no good if they're not working as much on uh, you know, on some other area. I think what we need to do is focus on uplifting those who are actually doing the work, because there are thousands, thousands of people who are out here with organizations and other initiatives and campaigns

to help deal with gun violence. So that's what I have to say on that that's pretty much it I think for me, man, it's it's just it's really just disingenuous when people make that argument, it's just to try to discredit, you know, or because they don't want to do any work right. It's it's a lazy argument. It's like all lives matter, you know, I say, I'm saying it's it's it's just something to distract from what's going on.

And it's like it's every it's so much violence and this in our communities that we deal with every day. I know how your inboxes flooded with people about this happen, and this happened, and this happened. And unfortunately we can't talk about everything right because what happens is it gets overwhelmed and this one when we're trying to focus on this, and we just keep on talking about all the things

that happened. We we don't have the capacity, No one organization, no one individual has the capacity to talk to talk about every act of violence that goes on in the community. So what happens is people want to utilize that to discredit the fact that you're talking about something, and they don't they don't look at the fact that it's not that you're especially in our case. It's not that we

talk about the cases that are getting highlighted. It's that the cases that we talk a about tend to get highlighted. We don't jump on cases that everybody's, oh, let's do this.

It's not what we do. You know, we we see a need for Southern If we find we find a family member or someone we notice into you know, into in contact with family members, contacts us and say hey, we need help with this, and we see the significancy, right then this is something that we really need to get on top of, you know, and and and and and Another thing is we're we're fighting against a system that has not figured out how to have reprimanding and

how to have consequences for the system. Right this Unfortunately, we know that when Ray Ray shoots Johnny, he's going to do jail time when he gets caught. This is we're actually advocated for the system to be held accountable, and we also want the resources and things needed in our communities so that we can stop the violence in our communities. The police are being paid to protect and serve us, The police of an oath that they live up.

These are professionals who went to school, They've studied, they went two courses, they understand how to it's ject they're supposed to have the escalation tactics. All of these things are supposed to being played. So when we talk about that, it's not to diminish the fact that Johnny and ray Ray are shooting at each other, because we're going to deal with that, but it's a different method in which we deal with that. Because John john we understand that

they're dealing with mental health. They don't have resources. They're gonna they're gonna do life in prison when they and this is a that's why the jails are overwhelmed with people who look like us, because there's accountability for those individuals. We're looking at a system who does not have accountability. We're looking at the system where officer Johnson decides that he's gonna shoot and kill somebody, there's a very little chance that he's gonna be held accountable for that. Right.

So these are two different issues. Yes, they are definitely both black murder, and we will, we want to fight for them, but they have to be fought on two different fronts, and they have to be fought two different ways. So do not try to diminish the fight that we have to try to fight that the system is held accountable for killing us, and and then try to interchange it or interconnected with the fight that we have and

trying to stop the violence in our own communities. Yes, they're definitely both violenced, but there are two different fights. So start trying to connect all of them and try to make it seem like if we fight for one, we can't fight for both, or we don't fight for both. No, I I agree with you, and I'll just say this really quick point. I think that one thing we know is that if we are able to win in our efforts to defund police and refund our communities, that is

one way that the two things connect. Because if we can take resources out of the six billion dollar budget in a place like New York City that police officers at this point now enjoy that the police department is able to draw down on a six billion dollar budget, If we're able to take a few billion dollars of that budget away, and if it to our communities to build, to uplift, to empower our people, we do believe that it will help to mitigate much of the violence that

we see and that's why we will never stop talking about defunding police. No matter what folks say the word they don't like. Find come up with any word you want, and I support it as long as the word is attached to taking the resources and moving them to our community. Before we go to the next segment and have our special guests joint, we're gonna take a quick break for our sponsors, I said, you know what, what what my

thought of the day is for today. I have a friend who's a Republican and um, I follow him on social media. I don't really know if his him being Republican plays a role in this thought, but it's important to mention that for me because he and I often have debate. However, he's a great guy. He's in New York. Um, he's a very you know, he's a uh, he's not really an elected official, but he's worked in government and

he's a pretty powerful person. And so I noticed that lately he's been posting the shootings and you know the aftermath of these violent situations, he's been posting stories that I don't even know about. Um in the media that shows you know, young girl, young man or whatever. Massive shootings where multiple people are hurt in the hood, and he's been saying, you know, what the hell are we

gonna do about this? He obviously is extremely frustrated and um, and he should be, because what we're seeing happening in this moment is definitely absolutely unacceptable, and it's happening all too often. Um you know. But the other day I saw a post that he put up about a white woman who was attacked and mauled by mauled, I guess by a white man. And um, you know, the woman said, just out of nowhere, this man attacked her. And the one thing I will say is that this guy, my

my friend. He is an equal opportunity person who's frustrated about everything. He gets frustrated with the Republicans. He certainly was not a Trump supporter. Um you know, he gets frustrated with the Democrats. He's all he's he's he's always um, you know, bringing attention to things that's happening that are wrong.

But the statement he made as a part of this particular post about the white man who harmed this white woman was at what point are we going to stop and deal with the mental health issues happening in our nation. And I sat with that and said, I'm gonna write him, which I haven't done yet because I wanted to come here and talk to you and get your feelings. I

didn't you and I haven't discussed this. I want to understand why is it that when that people seem to go automatically to punitive measures, because he said, lock them up when they've been shooting, you know, when he sees shootings and bad things happen, and lock them up. You know, these guys need to be caught. You can't defund the police when you have this type of behavior. Where are

the cops? They need all of that. But when it came to this white man attacking a white woman, his thing was when are we going to deal with mental

health services? And I think for me, my thought of the day is that we need mental health support in the black community today more than we probably ever have because coming out of this pandemic, as we have been saying, and we'll talk about more during the show, people have been harmed in real substantive ways, being locked into their homes, um you know, having beasts that have now started online because people weren't out interacting in the street, they don't

have jobs, they have family members who may have died. Uh, they have lost in general. And as you used to say all the time, just watching the news every day had a mental impact, a negative mental impact on all of us because of the fear and you know, just feeling so it was, it was uncomfortable. So why don't people see the need for us to have the mental health support that they automatically see when it comes to

white people. You let me to answer that. It's the same reason why you know, when there was, uh, the the war on drugs, you know, and in the crown wars were to lock us up and then and when the drugs went to the white neighborhoods, it became a health crisis. Right, it's the same because unfortunately black people

have been dehumanized. You know that, I've seen it. I actually seen a video going around and it's this young man talking on the video and he's talking how there's a gene in black people that gives them perplexity to violence. Like I forgot the name of the gene, but he literally gave the name of the gene and said that black people have this gene in them that makes them

naturally more violent. I mean, listen, it's the dumbest sh I've ever seen, because history history shows you who's been more violent, who's been more priding about So we that that what I'm trying to tell you. It's the mentality, right, and that's what it is for me. And it's not so much of political party is not democratic Republican. It's the Republican mind state, right. The mind state of Republicans is those who are the least of these are the problems, right,

That is them. That is the mindset that people have encompassed. They have encompassed that when you go to these these neighborhoods where people have nothing and they're poor, and it's because there's something wrong with them. It ain't because the structure of the system has created that. It is those people are bad people. We need to get rid of them, and in their mind states, we need to get rid of them one way. We need to lock them up,

we need to do whatever we need to do. But we we just don't need them around hurt and our good people. So when you see the white people who you automatically attribute, because we've already most of black people think that the white man's ice is colder. Right, So when you see a white man who most of the time you see him being portrayed in a positive light. He's portrayed as a businessman. They own the companies you'll

be at, they live in all the nice neighborhoods. You can't attribute anything other and then there has to be something mentally wrong with this individual, right, So you attribute that to a white person because in your mind, these are good, successful people, will have everything. What else would make them just be violent? When you look at black people, you say, these are people who come from nothing, there

in the worst neighborhoods. This and that that. Everything that we've ever been taught about this species, these people, this human species that we dave dave somehow eliminated us from some level of humanity, right, Everything that we've been taught about them shows us negativity. So we just don't even want to be around that. We want to help the white man because we see that there has to be

some mental issues that can be changed. But in our mind, what we've been shown about black people, our whole lives, is everything negative. You can't help them. We just need to lock them up and get rid of them, and that's it. And that's what that's where the mindsett comes from. So even as a black man, when you when you share Republican value use right, even as a good person, it's mean that you have been indoctrinated into a mind state that makes you believe that even your own people

are the problem. You don't even want to say it. You don't say it publicly because you want to because to believe that you, when you're a successful black man, right, that that luck didn't play a part that position in that time, and that all the things that you're to not believe that you're an exception to that rule. When you when you can look in and say, the majority of people that look like me do not have the

same opportunities and resources and things that I've had. If you, if you have conditioned your mind to believe I made it out, everybody can make it up. Once you get that mind state right, once you've indoctrinate that mind state, then you you've disconnected yourself from the real reality of ninety more percent of black people. You know, once you start realizing you're not the rule, you're the exception and you and you not realizing that, then you you've you've

going somewhere else, and you can't really help us. It's impossible for you to help us because the mentality and the strategy that you think can help us can't. M Wow, it's pretty deep, pretty deep. But less help ourselves by making sure that you know. And one of the bigger issues that we're dealing with are the economics in our community.

And that's why we've been using our platform to ensure that people know about black businesses, small businesses, UM, so that people are out here and able to go and continue to support. Support, support, support those folks who have held out through this entire pandemic. They were already probably struggling and you know, struggling with trying to find their way as a small business, but certainly over the last

year it has been even more so. If you want to help us in any way to address the issues happening in our community, one of the main things that you can do is support black business. Is because we hire our people more, we give more opportunities to UM, you know, those folks who look like us and UM.

It takes us off the street, right, It takes a small business owner off the street, and and and and puts them in a position where they're able to take care of themselves and they don't have to resort to any form of negativity or crime in order to survive. Because we have a beautiful guest with us today, someone who has been through a lot. You know, we don't really talk about how women are impacted by gun violence. We talk about how brothers are locked up because of

gun violence. Our brothers are losing their lives. For black women are definitely impacted. They are victims of it, They've seen it. They are mothers who've lost children. And today with who we have with us today is Miss Patience Murray. Now, I first met Miss Patience Murray an event that a friend of mine, Miss Maggie Carry, was throwing cold wounded with the lives and it was a room full of women who had been impacted, who had been shot, who had lost loved ones. It was one of the most

emotional rooms I've ever been in. I actually started shedding tears just hearing their stories. You know, there were women who had lost their sight, women had got shot in the odds, women who were had bullets still inside them. There's so many different issues that I never had talked about or even experienced, you know, So this is one

of the most life changing rooms I've ever been. And hopefully we'll have our sister Maggie to talk about her foundations and what it represents her being a survivor herself. But today we have the beautiful miss Patience Mary, who is of a survivor of the shooting in the post nightclub situation that happened in Orlando, Florida, Florida in the year sixteen. It was all over the news and she

is one of the survivors of that. Unfortunately, her sister was one of those who did not survive that situation. So she survived actually the shots as to being wounded and and then had to deal with the loss of her sister. So this is gonna be something that is very life changing and and I'm just glad in honor to have you with us today. Patients. Well, I'm so blessed to be here. Thank you, Patience. We're so sorry

about your sister. You know, I saw you grab your chest and I'm sure that it never gets better, you know that it it's just constantly a feeling of um, you know, just why do we even go that night? What else could we have done? You know? All the things that you probably are experiencing that never ever go away.

And I think too many people don't understand what it feels like to lose UM, a loved one in general, but specifically to lose a loved one UM in the midst of something that has now become such a high profile event. Unfortunately. UM, you know there's a difference. It is.

You know, there are there are shootings, there is murder, there's all types of things that take place, But when it is in the midst of something that becomes a media issue or a big media moment, it takes on another layer because you're constantly reliving it, You're constantly having to talk about it, You're constantly having people wanting to probe for their own reasons, not necessarily because they really

care about you and or your loved one. UM. And you wrote a book, and I want you to talk about that book and talk about what made you sit down and say, you know, I want to write my story. This is the time for me to tell this story. UM, you know what was the motivation? Thank you so much for that. Honestly, I know you understand what it's like to experience loss, and I had to do my homework about YouTube, and I'm sorry for the loss that you experience with Jason, and that's the loss is always the

transformational experience. I feel like that thrust you into your destiny and your purpose. And Akira married. She was actually my sister in law, so I actually didn't get to grace that experience with her while she was alive. So my husband is her older brother, and we found love

after this whole tragedy. And I talked about it in the book Survived and Lived the Patient's car to Story and ultimately it's the beginning from everything that happened before Paul's leading up to that moment in that night, and I feel like I have to just touch on it. But I was there with two friends and we went there a regular girl's night and then at one a m gunshot started going off. And I'm from Philadelphia, which is also nicknamed Philadelphia, but I never experienced gun violence

in Philadelphia. My first experience with gun violence was in a mass shooting, So that kind of stewed my view of gun violence. Little bit and match. You things account for one percent, just one percent of gun violence in America, Yet that's all we see on the news right and I'm a mating survivor, so I had this very skewed deal of gun violence. But the reality is that the most people affected by gun violence are black people in America, right,

And it's everyday violence. It's not just match you, it's right. So having to grapple with that, that's where I am so so so I hate to ask for this, but unfortunately it's important to bring people to that night. M M. I know you talked about this on a number of platforms MO times, but street politicians listeners may not have heard it or may need to be reminded. So can you take us that to that night you decided to go out with two friends. What happens? You guys are

having a great time, and then what happens. Wow, we were having a great time. That's the most important thing. And anybody can just be out having a great time with their friends right at the club that night, it was the best night ever. Like there's like really no other way to say it. It It was the best night ever. We had a blast. Akira, Tier and I were all there for vacation, so I'm in Philadelphia. That was my first time getting on the plane. Guys, Because when you

said you were from Philadelphia. Early I was thinking you met you from Philadelphia, but you moved to Orlando, and you know you you were living in Florida. What you're saying is that you all were on vacation and went out that night as a part of a vacation. That was the first night of vacation. Wow, all right, So I spent So I was actually shot in both in my legs, and the bullet that entered my right thish stuttered my femur. So I have a metal ride and

screws for the rest of my life. And I actually have a bullet fragment that's going to be there for the rest of my life unless it gives me problems. But the reality is it was just vacation. It could have been anybody. It could have been any three girls walking into a club from Philly experiencing that situation that night. So and the fact that I'm even here, the fact that I'm alive, that I had breath, that's a miracle, the fact that I'm able to do all this stuff.

And I wanted to get to it. I definitely want to get to it. But I'm I'm the intending chief vision officer for the Gun Violence Survivors Foundation, And I never understood how important it was to have a foundation just solely dedicated to survivors, because I thought that there were all these resources for gun violence survivors, because my view of gun violence, being a gun violence survivor, was in this mass shooting. So I had this outpour of

community love and support from Orlando. But the reality is people experience gun violence every day and they don't get that outward blood. They don't get, of course support. So the Gun Violence Survivrus Foundation basically is the foundation that answers those unmet needs, those unseen survivors, those people who feel neglected and feel forgotten. That's what I'm trying to address. And this whole experience has truly just changed my life.

And there's so many things that changed my life, especially my brother died last year at the start of COVID. He was my oldest of my oldest brother. He died at thirty four years old. But he died with a smile on his face. It was a smile stuck on his face in the casket, and that sparked my spiritual journey. And I know you're spiritual as well, but sparked this journey of trying to figure out how can I get this joy, true joy on the inside of me now

while I'm here and service serving others. Serving others is the joy. And I get to serve with the Gun Bounced Survirus Foundation among so many great people, and I'm honored, I'm truly honored to be here with you to be able to bring this up and talk about this. There's

no federal funding for gun violence survivor research. There's a paste and gun violence, but as far as gun violence survivors go, and you're gun violence survivor, you experienced gun violence, and your survivor, what were the unmet needs that you may have experience with less of access to mental health care, free free disservices, of talking to someone, And that's the things that people don't have. So that's what you're fighting for.

That's what we're fighting for, the gun violence survivors. And there was the spike and gun violence, right so that also means there's a spike in families that have been affected by gun violence. And there's been a spike of gun violence survivors. So there's this group of people and Ben Do she's our vice president right now. She has done this research, and there's no federal funding for gun violence survivor research, but she's done this on her own.

There's over one million gun violence survivors who aren't receiving health, not free health, not free healthcare, not free mental health care. Even the certain codes for medical billing they judge in the coding. There's no code for a person that was injured by an assault rifle, but it wasn't their fault. So if it goes under assault in the medical coding, you're not gonna get reaversed for your medical bills, simply

because the way it's coded. But there is no code for gun violence survivors who just happened to be shot like me, who just happened to be in a situation on vacation, who just happened to be leaving school, who just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. But this is the reality of everyday violence. There are people experiencing this, this crime every day, and

they're not able to get the access to resource they need. Wow, that's that's that's really that's really telling, just to understand that just the way that word is worded and coded, that there's actually no one who's been held accountable or have resources to give you. So just listening to the things, it seems like your life has changed a life. What other ways can you say that since this night your

life has changed well and positively. I found love. I'm married now, my husband, Alex Murray is there's a miracle in itself. Let me just tell you so, to hurt

people are obviously going to hurt people. My husband was struggling with his own loss of his sister that was his best friend, that was his best friend, right and I was dealing with being shot in both of my legs, experiencing being held houstage for three hours and having to unravel all the the PTSD from my own childhood and bringing all of that into one relationship right fast forward. There is life after tragedy. You can't find love after tragedy.

You don't have to stay broken forever. My husband and I are now two years in Hey and our anniversary has come up August. Funny fit and we we actually got married at the Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia and they're a championship team on if you guys know about the Philadelphia Eagles. But um boring and braids and Philly, so I have to shout out the eagles, and we

had our loving wedding there and it was beautiful. I'm grateful to have that experience with love because for a long time I thought I couldn't receive it, and for a long time I identified with this tragic experience as the only I didn't be that I would ever have.

And the reality is, this experience has given me so much more purpose and I've never honestly, if I look back at me in school and growing up in Philadelphia, I would have never thought that I would be an advocate for gun violence or advocate for gun violence survivors. And even when my situation first happened, I received so much pushback from conspiracy theorists of just from speaking out,

just from sharing my story. And I'm sure you understand what that's like to have a community people just hating you for no reason. Um, but that scared me away from my advocacy, and to be here now, unafraid, it feels good. And it feels good to know that nothing is gonna stop me from changing lives, changing lives that I was put on this earth here to do, and that's helping me understand why I survived in the first place. Why did I survive and for you and other people didn't?

Why was I still made it out? I made it out of the club, but I went back in and I still made it out a second time, and that's a miracle. So I'm happy to be here. I'm just so blessed in this moment to be speaking with you guys and sharing this awareness about gun violence survivors and what they need. Why did you go back in the club?

What made you go back? One of my friends were still in there, so Akira is the one that did not make it, but she and I both made it out, So we made a decision to walk back into the club for our other friend, Tierra, her cousin. So a cure is shot you. So at this point, none of us were shot. So this is how it happened. It's at one fifty a am. Shooting started breaking out. I'm scooting on the floor backwards and I feel the ground on my hands because they just happened to be this

exit door. And I made it out, and I saw Akira running towards me. I look up at her before I know she's over top of me, and I see this skuy behind here. I'm like, where's Tierra. Tierra was still inside. We have to go get her. A cure runs in, I go in, and at that point we had to make a decision. Everybody was running into the bathrooms, nobody was running to the exit door, so we decided

to follow the people going into the bathrooms. And that's what started the gunfire, the gun actually coming into the bathroom, and the three hour hostage wait for the police to come in and get us. And Akira unfortunately didn't make it through those three hours. So you guys made it outside, but your friend was still inside and got shot when you return inside to try to find your friend. Wow, I mean that is it's that is such an incredible story.

And also I think it speaks so much to your advocacy, the fact that you're going back inside again, over and over again, You're going back inside. I am I'm just completely you finished me. I'm finished, Mike. Maybe you can help us because I'm finished. I just I just think for me. First of all, I just want to just um commend the bravery. You know, there ain't too many people running back into the club with someone to shooting

to get a friend. You know, so that that and that in itself needs to be commended, and I just and I also just want to say I'm sorry that you even had to experience that, you know, three hours in the level of trauma and PSTD. I know that

you had to experience just sitting there. You know, my song makes up words on street and I think I didn't say PTZ PSTD God because well sometimes I make up my warriors, but PTSD, the level of PTSD that you had to be experienced after sitting in a bathroom for three hours shot and trying to figure out hope, and that you actually make it out of there with other people in their shot, some of them who didn't make it like that in itself, it's something that I

couldn't even fathom having to deal with. So, you know, we just want to say we commend you, and you know you also have our condolences, and I was we just I just wish to have the strength that you have. You know, it's not me, it's not me, it's God is my strength. And that's what I'm staring right now. And this is why I'm stepping into this leadership because it wasn't me. For five years, I was crumbling for five years, crumbling pretending to be healed, pretending to be happy,

pretending to be this advocate. Right now, I'm finally where God has designed me to be, and it feels great, and I want to share the message with other people, like, listen, you don't have to stay broken. You don't have to stay broken. And I can go through what I went through. You can make it through whatever it is that you're going through right now. Wow, Well, we are so thankful, so grateful, so humble or honored, so blessed to have had you on, especially for the first of a now

a series. For the next several weeks, we're gonna be talking about gun violence, and we wanted to be intentional about addressing women and the fact that women are also impacted, because people often see gun violence as just being something that exists within um, you know, with with our men um. And we know that that's not true. We know that women UM, as my son said, I become the caretakers of people who have been killed, experienced the pain, but

also that women actually are victims, physical victims, UM. And to have you on today, to have you here to tell your story, all that keeps coming to me is that you continue to go back in UM and take some of us with you, take as many of us as you can, back into our communities, back into those difficult places where where we may sacrifice ourselves. But at the end of the day, what good does it make that we are alive and well and thriving if our people are caught in the midst of such trauma, are

trapped in trauma, trapped in the bathroom. If you will, UM and so patients. God bless you, God bless you on your journey. Thank you so much for telling your story today. It's not enough time. We can talk more and more and more, but we appreciate and love uh you so much. And you always have an audience here at Street Politicians that any time you want to come back and bring us any information, when you want us

to share anything, we want to do that to support you. Yes, tell us the name of your book, where can we get the book, Tell people how they can follow you, because you are a leader and you definitely need to be followed. To give all the information so we can share it with the audience. Well, my book Survived and Lived is available everywhere and Survived and Live dot com. And you can follow me on Instagram at p A. E. Carter. That easy. Amen, Well I'm gonna follow you. I'm having

follower right now to know I am. You know, make sure please drop drop your information for me in the chat before you go. Thanks, take care, keep doing God's work. I think Maggie is with us. You know, she's a hot girl, hot girl song all day long. Okay mess right now, you're not a hot mess. We just had Patience Murray on um who attended Wounded but Alive. She was there for an incredible event that you hosted, and she just talked about her situation. I mean, obviously you

know the story. She was shot in post nightclub um barta uh. And but she's now in an organization called Survived Survive then Live, Yeah Live, and she's doing great work. And um, my son and I thought that we didn't. We thought you would come another week. You know, we're doing a series of about six shows on gun violence.

But we wanted to be intentional by starting with this conversation around how women are impacted because not enough it is out there, not enough information, not enough conversation, is not enough resources and advocacy. And my song was saying, but we need Maggie on We met patients through and here I am. I'm gonna side of the hallway, but I'm here. That's what that's what that's having friends do your friends on the side of the hillway. I'm on the side of the turnpike, but I'm here. You're not

gonna keep you on the side of the turnpike. We don't want to do that. I just want to know Maggie. You know, Will will fill people in on the details of what happened to you. M urban plaza. There's no urban palace of Plaza Plaza Plaza Plaza. We'll fill folks in on that while you're gone. But you started an organization and you bought women together and you've you've been doing that work along with all the other things that you're involved in. Why did you Why did you decide

to start an organization? UM? I feel like when I got shot, I couldn't identified with anyone I felt like I was with I was at the time dating someone who also been shot. But I feel like a man being shot or a man being injured is way worse than a woman being injured. And they don't identify with us because you know, guys just you know, pick up and they're talked to just shake it off. And we

were deal with our own insecurities daily. I wake up, I'm worried about my hair, my eyelashes, this that now I have a bullet in my leg and a rod from my knee in my hip, and I know I can't run, No, I can't go to the gym. And they see self conscious moments that I felt like, I knew it was other women out there that I needed to speak to. Mm hmmm, no, no, that's real. And you know, and I was just saying that they we don't really focus enough about how women are are impacted

by gun violence. Our women are victims, you know. And I was saying how when we actually went to your event, it was life changing for me. It was a bunch of women in there that you had to have visible scars and had a lot of different stories that actually had me in tears. You know. It was one of the most life changing events that I went to. And you know, and and I just want to say thank you for having me there, you know, thank you for allowing me to even visual thank Yeah, it was it was.

It was a life changing experience. I just want to know, like, you know, we know that you started the organization, how was it being like, because you talk about the trauma and way men deal with certain things, how has it been for you just dealing with that situation that happened with you? Well, it's hard. Um, we've been having his rainstorms. I'm pretty sure you gotta see. And like, so when it rains, my leg malfunctions, like it gives out at

any moment. And then when when I'm running errand so I have to go to the supermarket or the post office or the bank, and I pull up in the handicap and up on my handicap signing, and I got these old people looking at me crazy. Are regular people looking at me crazy? But they don't know like what I'm going through, So it's hard to like And then I want to go to the gym, I want to run.

I only could do the StairMaster or you know, people don't you know, they don't look at that, or they don't understand the daily struggles of not only the scars, Like I have three scars, so I got one covered up for like a tap two of a feather that was sent to men too. But it's hard and this is why I wanted to do more in my organization.

I actually wanted to start a four where we can go to different cities and meet women like actual and the actual tour bus and get airbnbs and give them all these services because I just want people to know that we see them, these ladies, to know it was women there that you know, been shot in the face. Someone got shot when she had a five month baby and she's paralyzed. She had to rock her baby in a in a in a chair. So and I know

it's women like this all over the world. So I just want to be able to reach them because although I may not show it every day and my my social as I am going through exactly what they're going through. Wow, what we want to Maggie. You know that you you're um, such a beautiful sister and your little sister to us and we love you so much. And and and I

know the struggle. You know, I've heard you talk about the struggle of how deep it is this mental space of of having to keep going but also having that memory of what took place that night. You just out having a good time. You weren't thinking in any way, shape or form, that you could get shot, that it would be you, of all the people it was, but it was you for a reason. It was you for a reason because you had the profile and the audience to be able to bring other women together to tell

their stories. And um, and we want to continue to support you. We probably haven't done enough. Let's do more. How can people support you, you and your organization right now? Well, right now we just have our Instagram up which is wounded but a live w B a UM. I'm also

gonna take now that COVID is like calming down. I'm gonna see how to get to different cities and just provide services, local services with the hairstyle is and manicurists and massagists and then we all do our healing session where we sit in a group and we just talk and we let it out and then we drink and then we paint and then we I just want to do that just and re single state that I can touch, because gun violence is happening everywhere and us women are

the ones that are being hurt and we have no one to talk to about it. Yeah, Well, we're inviting you publicly to be a part of the state of

emergency Tour until Freedom. Our organization is our organization is starting a tour very very soon, and we'd love to have you to join to be a part of it so that we can help you with some of the costs for what you're doing, um and you know, so that we could help to provide some of the structural resources that you may need to make sure that it is uh, that it's done properly and that is done

in Maggie carry fashion. I would love that. Yeah, so we needed you, love to have you to be a part of their Other organizations and individuals who will be joining the tour dealing with many different issues, um, and to have you to be a part of it would be great as well. Yes, I would love that, I need it and I would love I would love that. Well. Once again, we want to congratulate you on turning your you know, your pain into triumph and a lot of people are not able to do that. So I'm just

waddling it. You've taken that pain and you've been able to utilize your pain to help other people grow and you know, feel comfortable and have a foundation that invites others and show them that they're not alone. So you know, once again. We love you, so we're gonna see love you guys. He'd be safe when you get off the highway. But you know we're about to start parenting. I know I will. I'll put my signal on when I go out. Please there, Well what is it ten and six or something?

I don't know which way it goes? Then you look, put the phone down. I am go slow, probably got to go fast do old school. Put a hand up the window, so this is the turn pack. I gotta do them in there. But thank you, guys, I love you. That was I love Maggie. I done. Has a beautiful spirit. She's amazing. And Patience also has a beautiful spirit. And I mean, you know you've been so you know, uh impatient in a lot of ways about getting the State

of Emergency tour up and running. But I think God is like putting all the pieces in place, because I didn't know Maggie had that concept of taking that event that she did that we attended on the road. And I think it's an important component because you um and and the brethren, if you will want to get out there and do work in the community, working with folks to create peace treaties between gangs and other rivaling peace folks.

Um and and really to to put some boots on the ground and some support for these folks in these different communities. UM. I know that from from my perspective and also working with uh Linda and uh Linda sars Our, other co founder Angelo Pinto and of course Erica Ford

and others that are in the work. And now we have the fun piece movement apart that I would like to have happen on the State of Emergency Tour is helping elected officials and organizers understand how they can come together to create, um, you know, crisis management efforts the way that we have in New York City. UM. And then we have Maggie who can help to deal with women. And there are others among us who have different things that they do, you know, looking at the spiritual element,

looking at mental health support. So I think the State of Emergency Tour is shaping up and it's gonna be something that's really really powerful. And of course all of our books will be on a so folks who have been asking when are you come into our cities, they will be able to have direct access to us across the country as well. Yeah, So that was always my vision. Man, I knew the state of emergency meant so much more

than just one thing. You know, is gun violence, is education, is mental health, is women's issues, and many issues and so many It encompasses so many things. So I'm just glad to see that. You know, soon it will be taken off and we're gonna have everything we need to make it successful at subolutely. So thanks to Patients Mary for being all We've got to bring her back as well. It's almost time for us to start bringing a bunch of folks back because there we've been touching on these issues,

but there needs to be more time. I think that's the one thing about media is that it does not give an opportunity to really dig deep into the issues. But Patients is such a beautiful person. Of course, our system, Maggie carry and as we as we talked about gun violence us. You know what I really just don't get.

You know, there's been this online conversation I've been debating and going back and forth about the impact of hip hop in the violence, you know, and and I realized that there is a lot of violence in the hip hop music. But I don't get how people don't understand that the violence of the music is reflection of what people are actually dealing with. And I think for me, the real problem is not what the music is reflecting,

because people are gonna talk about their reality. Unfortunately, when we look at the drill music that comes from Chicago and we look at those artists, these are artists who are actually engulfed in the street life of violence. This is what they this is what happened to them. So they're told they're actually living that. And you can tell that by when they actually get their record deal and

they get signed that this violence follows them. You know, the street things that they were getting signed for are the things that actually got them killed when they got

these record deals. Right. So I don't get why people don't understand that the reality is that if we don't promote that type of thing, if we're not making artists feel like you're gonna be successful when you talk about violence, if we don't put up the videos with such and such as robbing such and such or such and such as shooting that, and we don't talk about it and hype it up and give them some level of credibility and honor for those things, then we can eliminate the

need and the actual activity. Because these young kids that are growing up and they want to get a record deal, you know, and they and they're trying to figure out how do I get out of my circumstances. I'm living in complete poverty. And they go to the Internet and they see that these big sites and these big um record labels and things are promoting people who are killing people.

Like they see when you go to the Internet and you see that this video or such and such robbing such and such, or this video talking about how somebody kills somebody got five million views, and now in that same artist that they're talking about just got a million dollar record deal. Why you don't think these kids are gonna follow suit, Why you don't think that they're gonna say, O care, I need to be involved in that, because

that's what happens in the streets. When you understand street culture, you understand that these young kids look up and they idolize. What you say is quote unquote lit in popping. So when you're saying that people are shooting and robbing and killing and doing all those things, are the people that's lit These young sixteen and seventeen your kids want to

be lit, they want a record deal. So that's why you get the cloud chase, and that's why you get the videos every day as somebody saying they're gonna shoot somebody, somebody recording the robbery, somebody recording the shooting, and they're putting it on the Instagram. We're saying they're bugging. No, they're not bugging. They realized that this is a recipe to gain money, to gain cloud, to gain success. So I don't understand why people don't understand that there is

a two pronged problem. Yes, we have to stop the violence, but we have to stop the people who promote and advocate and celebrate the violence as well. So two things that come to mind. First is how much you have evolved?

Because you talked about violence in your music, uh, you know when you were younger, and while you may still at this point talk about some of these situations, there is an evolution, right, And so I guess we have to understand, which I know you do, that some of our young people have not evolved, and it's not their responsibility as far as I'm concerned. I think the second thing that comes to mind is who is the day that that's promoting it as the conversation people don't like

to get into. Of course, you know we talk about it often. People don't want to identify they, and you know that that's my new thing When people ask me, what do I, um, you know, say to young people who are organizing or women or you know, what what do I say to people who are starting out in their careers? As I'm speaking across the country, I'm asked that question all the time. Or people will say to me, what has been you know, one of your biggest challenges

in terms of your own growth? And I say that I've had to identify Day. I've had to identify Day as the oppressor and not just say oh, it's they, as in white people, because that is not an accurate description of who or what our oppressor looks like. Um. You know, I've had to identify Day in my personal life in terms of those people who may be impacting me and making me feel not so good about myself. I've had to to identify Day online. I've had to

I've been identified Day in terms of my money. I mean, there has been so many different days, ways, and situations where I've had to get deeper into who is they and in this particular situation, I think they has should be or can be identified as some members of the media and also record labels. And in fact it is also a part of a system that I believe has been designed to keep our people in the conditions in

which we fight against every day. Why do I say that, Because the more that they can keep us believing that the way to success is through hurting and harming your brother or sister, then they have a strap, if you will, or or a noose on our next because our young people can't see themselves outside of violence, outside of drugs, drug dealing, drug use, UM. And And what we know is that while yes, there's heavy metal rock, while there are other uh forms of of you know, I guess negativity.

I'm not gonna say heavy metal rock is negativity. I'm just saying sometimes heavy metal rock can have a certain impact. So we've heard on people who are listening to it UM. But there are other things that definitely happen in white communities that young people get access to in their date and it can have a negative impact. But the reality is that if you pay attention to their shows, you

pay attention to UM, their their pop culture. They do not have an oversaturation of violence and drug abuse and everything that you can think of that is harmful to their community. There is a balance, and most of the time the balance leans on the side of making sure that a white kid sees themselves with many options and

seize themselves in better situations. It is only our communities where when you turn the TV on or you turn social media on, you can find millions of views on fights, on violent situations, um, people using drugs looking like they're high all the time, and that's what's being promoted. And so I personally think that yes, there is. You absolutely are doing the work of addressing people who have major platforms that are constantly promoting on this negativity and this

this this trauma in our communities, and that's important. But I think we also have to look at who is funding those individuals who are out here using their platforms to promote bad things within our communities. Where are they getting their resources, who are there advertisers, what platforms are they on. So we can also take our movement and elevate it to a level where one you and people like you are telling folks that directly this is not

good for you. But that there is also a layer of the movement that seeks to attack those people who are actually funding and keeping those individuals um you know, in in in position to be able to tear our communities down. Well, I think I think that definitely needs

to be the work. And you know, today, for me, you know, the conversation started with DJ Academics, Who's somebody that I've always said was a cancer to this culture just the way that he represents And and it's not just because DJ bladd is somebody who also advertises negativity and things in the culture too, So we're not just focused on saying that he's the only person who does it, but I'm just saying the way that he does it

is exacerbate. It is way different than anybody like we we have people that exploit we like people say Wendy Williams to talk about negativity that we have. We've had, you know, we've had media people who've always um talked about the negativity within the excluded it and utilized it as their way. We had start buck Wild, you know, Star has always done those things. There are media outlets

who've always done those things. But I think when you are someone who's not of the street culture, never been in the street, You've never done anything negative. You you had a good upbringing, and you utilize your voice, you know, your privileged voice, with the platform with five and six million people, to encourage people to quote unquote slide on somebody because he supposed he shot somebody. He looks too comfortable.

When these are the words that come up, and or he's looking too comfortable, or he's having a good time, you need to have you up a slide on him. This is a real beef. People lost their lives in the street already behind this, and you're utilizing your platform to encourage someone to slide now when you don't understand that a young boy who is impressionable, that's in Chicago, that's sitting around, he ain't got five dollars in his pocket, and you are advocating, and you play the video from

this guy, he's getting these millions of yous. You advocated to say, somebody need to slide on him. Somebody sees him as a meal ticket, a young boy who might not have been violent prior to this conversation. You might not have even thought about that. He's just trying to find his way out. But understands that were in the error right now to where they promoting everything that's violent. I'm trying to do it the right way. I'm trying

to do it this way. And now all I see is being promoted is somebody who sliding or somebody who shot somebody. So now this is my method to get myself out of my reality. It ain't something that I thought about before for me watching you with all these millions of you as, I actually think that it's cool and it's and the thing is that that's what's going on. I'm watching so called old g s and gez Co signed this dude because they want to utilize his platform

so that they artists can get promoted. They want him to promote their artists and and and and and fuge within it. And this is what this is what's happened within the coach. It just the new wayf you look through out. I said it the other day. If you look in Chicago, the only way you getting signed now is if you had to be for somebody. This is what they signed. They're not signing rappers who have talent and this and that your criteria to get signed is

that you have beef. You put it on the internet. People know about it, the song, you talk about it. We're gonna promote that song, turn it into a song where you get millions, and next thing you know, you got beef and that when you get shout at killed or we're gonna say is damn it's messed up. No, it's not messed up. The messed up part is that you navigated, you promoted, and you agitated a situation that you knew was detrimental. So those are the days all

the people who contribute to that. We need to go after the labels. We need to go after anybody who's gonna contribute to the to the disenfranchisement and the destruction of our culture. And on that we are done. H It was a dope show. Shout out to Maggie Carrey, Shout out to Patience Murray. Go get her book, Um, please go get her book. She as a survivor, she's

a leader. And just see her continue to smile and just in that grace, you know, after losing her sister in law in that situation, there's a lot and and being injured, having rods and things echather. So you know, we just got to celebrate her and continue to command her and support her. Go get her book and um. Once again, we finished another dope episode. I appreciate you to our fans, We appreciate you for making us the number one podcast in the world. Yes, the number one

podcast in the world. We number one. Man. You see this evolutionary. We are evolving the coach. I'm an evolutionary, evolving the coaching man. Shout out to everybody that supports us. If you've got a topic for a show, reach out to us, let us know, let us know. If you hate us, let us know if we love us. Whatever, we take your hate, we take the love everything. We embrace it. Man. For me, I love that they hate

turns into love for me. You know what. I turned to hate this into people who love me every day. So please give it all to me and listen. We're not gonna always be right to me, is not gonna always be wrong, but we will both always and I mean always be authentically slot. That's how we owned it.