Risking It All For Justice with activist Sterling Brown and Leslie Redmond

these last few weeks has just been really good. It feels good to make sure that Street Politicians arrived, arrives. We are arriving. We are, We are gradually slowly growing into something I just think is needed, you know, because that's the reason why I got into activism. That's why I got in because I didn't see where it messed for me. I didn't see where I fit into it. I didn't see, like somebody from my communities, actually from the streets, how did politics and activism and civil rights

even you know. So I think that's what we're trying to provide, you know, and as we move on, you know, hopefully we'll be in the Hall of Fame, you know, well, if it has anything to who has been, you know, inducted into the Hall of Fame. Yeah, I don't know, because I was thinking about the Hall of Fame. That's

what made me think. When I thought about what I thought about Charlotte Magne, I thought about them being inducted in the Hall of Fame, right, and our good friends DJ Envy and yes anyway, but in order to get us to the Hall of Fame, you know, there's some people that worked really hard at making this happen, and we have to always give a shout out to our producer producer, that's right, the executive producer, executive producers Kathleen Trigg, Cat Skate Productions and I Woman TV. And then of

course always working creative directing is our dear sister Janice Rodrigues. Janice, you keep it up. You're doing a good job. You know. People are really out here putting it down, like really really fighting so hard. I was thinking, just you know, not too long ago, the million Maga March happened in Washington, d C. Some people say it wasn't a million. I

don't care if it was two people out there. The point, the theory, the concept in general of this whole uh million Maga March and what it represents is what's so dangerous. This is the seventy I think it's seventy three million people who voted for Donald Trump. This is that, this is that crowd. And why and the reason why I bring up that folks are putting it all on the line is because I think about a young she she are not pretty old at this point, but you know,

we still like to say we're young. Um, but my sister from Black Lives Matter d C, Nini Tay, Now y'all know if you don't know, and you should do some research, Nini te is off the chain, right. This is a This is a black woman who does not

play at all period. She I mean, first of all, the way that we came into contact with her was because she challenged us as leaders within Women's March, Carmen, Linda and myself to sit down at the table and make sure that when we go into d C with these major events, that we also think about the local organizers. You know, people go to d C to do marches and protesting other things because it is the state, the capital, the nation's capital, but there's still a local community there.

And when you and I and many helped me to see that when you go into Washington and you get these permits or not to do these mass demonstrations, they move the homeless community. Which are these folks are being supported. They're not just like out on the street. There are people in grassroots organizations that do work. They have routes, they have conversations with these folks. They know where to find people who may have mental health challenges and whatnot.

So it's not like when you move them it's just a simple, you know, movement. Now it's actually dislocation for the work. So you know, she was like, listen, our homeless community gets impacted. Y'all leave the streets dirty, people don't clean up, and then our communities, our parks and other things are not um you know, sanitized properly for our children. Also, resources are being taken thing, businesses are being closed. People are not able to work on their jobs.

So this these are things I never even it never came to my mind, but men say made sure that I know it. And in this last in this million Maga March, one of the most important things for UH for for Black Lives Matter d C was to ensure that these people did not destroy Black Lives Matter Park, the plaza where people there are monuments or memorials there, you know, uh, pictures of people who have died, messages. It's like it's it's really like a It is a memorial.

It is a memorial for the movement for black people who have lost their lives in many different ways. And they wanted to make sure that it was not damaged and that you know, it was respected, because why not, right,

And of course the opposite happened. People from the march part of the delegation, if you will, went to the park and begin to deface it, destroying the park, and of course the police officers who were there, they kind of fake intervened, but you can see on the video on Nini's videos very clearly they didn't really do anything

to try to stop and preserve this part. And when I see Nini says, people that were with her got stabbed, there were fights, and that to me is the idea, you know, of risking it all because this is a black woman who stands really really strong in her square and they've been arrested a bunch of times. We've been arrested.

People think it's cool, like they think it's like a party when you go inside of I know, when we were in Kentucky, I was like, oh, this is different, you know, I think I think for me, you know, actually be being on the front lines and really doing this work. I had to appreciate the danger in the risk that we actually put ourselves in every time, you know,

when we face to face with these police. When we were in Kentucky, you know, I remember the last pretty much the last march that we had when the police came and started to surround us, you know, and they let all five I mean flash flash bombs. And it was a peaceful march. It was a nonviolent mark because we don't use the word peaceful because we don't get no justice and there's no peace. So it wasn't peaceful,

but it was a non violent march. We were people were you know, expressing their frustrations, the anger that Brianna Taylor hadn't got justice and we were just marching and they cut us off in the way that they met us, you know, they met us with a level of energy and anger and aggression that any moment something could we couldn't have made it home. Yeah, something could have gone

It could have gone wrong. So when they met us, because there was kids out there, there were kids who was crying, who was screaming, her ears were damaged by the flash bombs sound. And it was for no there was no reason at all. We hadn't done anything aggressive. We just marched. We were actually heading back. We're on our way back to Brianna Square, you know where they called freeway. We're on our way back there, and matching that the block and they just cut us off from

every block and sealed us in. And you know, and understanding those moments and other times that we've actually been face to face were officers on the bridges when they met us there, you know, and we understood that there could have been a level of danger and aggression and you know, physical interaction with officers that couldn't could have ended us either hurt, deeply hurt or actually dying, you know. And then we go to prisons to where it's freezing,

you're in there for hours, you're hungry. Well, I mean not prison jail, you know, in the county, in the county facilities. Yeah, I've been in prison prisoners definitely, you know, but we've actually been in facilities that that you know, our lives were could have been in danger. You know a lot of people we're traumatized. There were a lot of people who actually went to prison that were traumatized

but his experiences and didn't want to go back. So when you talk about that, more people that came out crying. People inside really frustrated. You know, when you're in near twelve thirteen four, people call it bullpen therapy. You always talk about this bullpen therapy. What is that? Bullpen therapy

is exactly what you experience. You know, when you're sitting in that cell and you started to get hungry, you started to get cold, you started to see the hours go and you're like, okay, when am I going home? And nobody has no real answers, you started to get frustrated. You know, everybody in there is frustrated that the tension is mountain. You're like, damn, I don't want to be

in here. You experienced in Clausrophobia is dirty. It's all type of things going through your mind, and it makes you say to yourself, I don't never want to be in this situation again. So what it does is it prohibits you from wanting to be on the front line of the movement again because you don't want to go

through that, you know, experience again. So it's bullpen thirds like, Okay, you want to do this, We're gonna make sure that you're sitting there for sixteen and twenty four in twenty eight hours and being the coal and have a you know, bologney sandwich or a ham sandwich that tastes like garbage and in water that don't even taste like juice that tastes like you put two paces. Yeah, we had. So in New York City, I've never been fed, and I've

been in four between four to six. I think the most was probably about seven hours for a day without a woman where we were arrested outside the Trump Towers um with the women's march, and so I think that was about seven hours. I didn't have any food period

um and so New York. I don't know how it works in different places, but I will say that in Kentucky, there was a black man who was in the kitchen working in the kitchen, but he's also an officer, clearly, and he came and was like, you know, I need to make sure y'all get something. So he slapped some kind of turkey cheese something together that was just disgusting. And let me just tell it. I have to tell and Yandy, I think both of them ate the hole, y'all.

I didn't even Linda Sarso definitely ate the sandwich and said she actually enjoyed it. I did drink his little crystal like water thing, but I listened. I was thirsty. They said drink water if nothing else. And then you got to use the bathroom. So the bathroom, yeah, we had to put up like a her. But the crazy thing is that the glass the window is right next to the toilet, so you could put up the sheet

or whatever. The blankets which are like wool literal wool like not like nice wool that you wear, but I'm talking about woolf from like the actual animal. Um. They put that up to try to block you, but the officers walking by can see right through the window the glass as you use the at them. I mean, the

whole thing is not at all. And the crazy thing that happened to us is that while you're in the cell, you call you know whomever we're calling outside here and there, and they're actually talking about you got a felony, like what like now people as you said, everybody's getting frustrated the tensions arising. It's something my job. They were teachers principles and they're like, felony, that's not what they thought this was about. But Kentucky is very different, you know.

And I think all of these places, unfortunately that I've been arrested have been have been different and difficult in their own ways. Because the tuns in New York is no joke, and I've been in there is dangerous. It's very dangerous. That's the one thing. It's very dangerous at least. And I've had fights in the tuns. Yeah, you know. I've gotten into numerous fights in the tumbs. In Kentucky they separate you where it's just you and whatever group.

But in New York, I've been in the tumbes with other women that I have in there because of the situation. But in most facilities they don't really separate you. They didn't have to separate us. I guess they put us in certain selves because they know we all came together, and they separated a certain people. For the most part, as you come into the system, they're supposed to just feel up these selves and it could be very dangerous.

And the last thing that I'll say on it is like, you know, I think people they see us smiling and and and and they don't know that sometimes in those cells you build camaraderie, right, Like you've become closer, you sort of become family with the people who are in there with you, and you come out feeling victorious, like, listen, you know we did this. We we believe in our struggle,

We believe in our fight. But every single person who goes in there, there's a moment when you know you your freedom has been taken from you as somebody else is in charge. They're in control of what may or may not happen to you on that day. That's right, And I think the more that those of us who do it daily, you know, we put ourselves in more risk because there's no guarantee that they're gonna let you go home today, and there's no guarantee that you're not

going to have a fell in each other. There's no guarantee that you're gonna make it out of yourselves. You know, we've seen san Jibland pulled over for a traffic and never made you understand I'm saying, So we understand that what we're doing risking at all, but we understand hownnecessary it is in this time. You know, we understand that our voices, our platforms, you know, are very important to uplifting this moment. So I'm letting people understand what we

got to do it this moment. We have no choice. We got to do it. But I'll tell you this. So in d C. When I got arrested with the White ladies, I was able to sit on the grass and be on my cell phone and all types of stuff. But that's a conversation for another day. And it brings me to the thought of the day, My thought of

the day. You know, I'm always thinking, which might be about thematic, right, but for my thought of the day, I just want to ask the question, should we be relying on the activism of entertainers and athletes and other influencers as part of our movement, Because then you have people like little Wayne and little I don't know these people's names, but these pumps, and you know, and and Donald Trump called him pimp, little pimp on purpose. As

far as i'm he didn't even vote. So anyway, these because any sword that you pull has two sides, right, So you're gonna have the side that we want, which is for people to stand with us, But then you're gonna have the side of folks who are gonna go against us and actually stand with the oppressor. So is it better to just say just let's you know, just don't talk at all to entertain this, or are we saying we'll just take both and fight the battles as

they go along as they come along. I think I think for me, it's you know, just being on the right side of truth, you know, because the facts are the facts, you know, So whatever position that you take, if it's contradictory to the facts, then people are gonna let you know it. You know, when we talk about Little Wayne and we talk about the situation with Little Pump and these people who advocated against what it is that we knew was right, you know, right is right

all the time. When you when Little Wayne talks about, you know, a platform and a platinum plan and really not having any knowledge of the legal system, understanding what the government does, understanding really what that Platinum plan really states, in opposition to what other documents people have put together that really give you know, some type of transformative justice and and so many other you know, when you don't, when you are not away of those you know, those

documents who have that have been created to give real equity to black people, and you don't and you don't have anything to compare it to, and you just make a statement. Then you gotta figure out what you gotta ask what is that based on? You know, we we we heard I hear certain things. I don't know that little Wayne had a gun charge and he had, you know, certain charges that he wanted to get dismissed. So he does it for that. You know, when you look at

a little pump. We're in a we're in an era of what they call cloud chasing, you know, and trolling. So they want they just want any level of notoriety at any costs, and they don't even care if they're compromising or jeopardizing people. So we have to be able to call that out. We we we understand they have a platform in the voice, but we also need those who are on the right side to combat that. You

know what I'm saying. Karen Sivil said that trolling it's all about personal ego, right, It's all about you doing things for yourself. UM and not for the greater community. And I think that that's what we saw with this election. This this past election, there was a lot of trolling. There was a lot of people trying to position themselves as being the savior for our communities without engaging some

of the community. You know, even though I believe wholeheartedly that ice Cube was trying to do and it's going to continue to do the right thing for our communities, really trying to find a way to UM to force these politicians to do something for us, to give us something for our votes. I believe in that. But I also I read a tweet that he put out where he said, don't tell me like I didn't talk to people from the community or good solid people to put

this plan together. And he names a bunch of individuals, all of which I respect very much. These are people who are in the economic development space for the most part, and they are incredible, incredible strategies. Not one black woman was on the list, at least it wasn't in the

tweet that he put out. And if he did talk to a black woman, he didn't feel that she was important enough for him to include the names of those who he mentioned, So That tells me there's a big gap there because if you didn't see if, first of all, in this moment, if you don't have a black woman sitting at the center of the dialogue about communities, I'm not I understand now unless he says, well, I was

going to try to work on black men. Okay, that's a different conversation, and it should be room for that. Just like President Obama has the black Mail initiative. There should be room for and space for dialogue that is just about saving black men, just like we have spaces that are for black women. But if you say that you're representing the community and you don't have a black woman like Alicia Garza, like you know, I mean, I could go on with and on, I won't even get

myself in trouble. You know, name these individuals. If you don't have them in the conversation, then what are you doing? I think what it is is, you know, it's it's a level of entitlement. It's a level of ego that we as black men have a lot of time, but we have a level of fans. But that's that's you know what it is. Our ego is our biggest asset in our biggest you know, liability. At the same time, because our ego pushes us to our greatness, it makes

us feel like we can't fail. It makes us tell ourselves that despite what America has then to us, and how we are marginalized and criminalized and demoralized every day, that we continue to drive on. But it also tells us that we don't need to deal with other people. Sometimes we don't need to confer, we don't need to sit down in community and get opinions of other people. And that's that's the floor that we have. And it also means that sometimes, um, you don't see the value

of women and black women at the table. Well, I don't know if we say we don't see the value. I just sometimes I just think that patriarchy in himself and what we've dealt in this country has has taught us that we have to make the decisions. We have to be the leader, we have to be the strong one. We have to provide and protect. So sometimes we do that and we we we just say we're gonna make sure that we got you. We we go in there with your intentions and all we say, we know what

you need. And sometimes we don't but nothing about us without us. We know that. And I just want the cameras to zoom in on you using language, using words like patriarch. You have come a mighty long way. And the life is about evolution, is about growing. It's about listenings, about paying attention. And as you grow and you learn and you hear things and you start to do self assessment, you know, you have to do self reflection and say, well, maybe maybe that right there I could have done better,

Maybe that I can still do better, you know. And I think in this time we talk about activism and people having voices, you know, I think as men, as black men, definitely, we just have to be more conscious of how we show up, especially in spaces that we don't normally show up in. You know what I'm saying. Even though we have notoriety, we have you know, position, we have finances, we have all those things. But it takes time, It takes respect to confer what people are

actually doing the work. Like you should have sat down, Like we've had a bunch of calls when when the thing when situation, you know, the situation happened with George Floyd and what Brianna Taylor. They were calls from the NBA, from the NFL where they want to sit down and have conversations with you and say, hey, what should we be doing right now? We you know, we want to help. We we have platforms, we have voices, we have finances. What is it that you need us to do? How

do we uplift the work that you already doing. I ain't trying to cut you off. I never said anybody had to talk to me because you know that don't be the story that But listen to me. I'm not saying there aren't many women, but I'm saying you are one of the many women who have been on the front lines, who have proven leadership, who have proven understanding, and have led in this movement for years. So if people are having conversations with like you said, Alicia Garza,

there's Angela Rides, There's Nina Turner. There's so many different black women that you could sit down and have conversations with, and you didn't talk to Nina Turner. Yeah, have a conversation. And in order for us to get back to our natural positions in this world, as the protector, as the provider, as kings, we have to do the work. We have to do the necessary work to listen to our queens, because that's where the counterpart is. We have counterparts and

together we're gonna take over everything. Yeah. Well, I'm happy again to hear you speaking so eloquently about it's about evolution, and it is about evolution, and I appreciate um the fact that you even want to evolve and that you're being a voice because there's so many young men, young black men, who are coming up that need those examples of what it looks like to protect black women. And guess what protecting a black woman is actually protecting the nation.

Oh and protecting a black woman is protecting a black man. Like you know, we had this conversation the other day and what we were saying, like we just both we the reality is America. The world has always tried to divide us because they know when we are connected and we are united, how strong we are. That's a fact. Stronger together, Stronger together. Before we go to the next segment and have our special guests joint, we're gonna take a quick break for our sponsors. So who's your next

guest list? Is super excited next guest and when we talk about putting it all on the line. You know, this is a young brother who is an NBA basketball player who had a situation you know that we've seen on We've seen the video, We've seen the interaction with him and the police and he was tased, you know, and just recently he received the seven hundred fifty dollars settlement you know with Milwaukee and they realized that his rights were violated. So we have sterling DeMarco. What's going on?

We need that. How are you feeling today, Brother, I'm good, I feel great, Man, blessed, be alive man, man man especial especially, you know that brings us being alive. Man. We look at the situation that happened with you, and now we see that you reached the settlement of seven hundred fifty thousand dollars with the Milwaukee you know, police

department after you were tased. Was that like an awakening for you when it happened to you, like I know, because we see it on the videos all the time, and we see it it's in the far away place and we hear about it. But when you actually were a victim of this, didn't really open your eyes to the injustice that we all we all deal with. I wouldn't say it opened my eyes. It was just more confirmation for me, you know, because I'm from Chicago, maggot.

You know, homies and friends and family that's you know, been out there, um, and you know they targeted every day, you know, and in the league. You know it's guys that you know going through similar situations. But it just doesn't go as you know, public or as viral as mine. So it wasn't really, you know, an awakening like it was. It was just confirmation. I mean I didn't. I've been

studying my history. I know my history a little bit, and uh, I know, you know how everything operation in the country and you know what you know, the system, how they try to target us. So, um, it wasn't It wasn't awakening like I said, It was just confirmation for me. Like you're you're first of all, Sterling, it's good to see you. We've been kicking it a lot behind the scene talking about these cases that's popping up. I mean one of the obviously, Brianna Taylor was an

issue that brought us all together. You know. I remember being on the conference call with Brianna's mother to Mika Palmer Um and you and Chris Paul and many of the players who were trying to figure out how can we get involved, what more can we do? This has been a summer or this the previous summer was one that really made us focus. If never before, if people weren't paying attention to police abuse and just um white supremacy and all those things in the past, they certainly

during this this previous summer began to see it crystal clear. Uh. And it it brought us together. But the next incident that happened that really got us talking was in Kenosha, um in Wisconsin where Jacob Blake was shot by those officers and has been paralyzed. And then immediately follow on that, Kyle Rittenhouse. Uh, the white kid that I think travel from Illinois from your home state, went to Wisconsin and too Kenosha shot to protesters, well, shot three and killed

two of them. Um. And and as you said, it's more like confirmation we already know that we're actually at war. And it's for me, I'm proud to see that there are so many players, led by individuals like yourself, who are willing to risk it all and put everything on the line to say that we have our communities have to have justice, you know, and I know it. It's probably not the most comfortable spot to be in, but

you're doing it. I got to, I feel like, you know, I have to just you know, being a black man first, you know. Um. I mean, you know, I can, you know, being a league or whatever I'm doing, you know, to get an income from my family, Like that's cool, and I'm gonna make sure my family good regardless. But at the end of the the day, I still got to you know, stand up for who I am and you know what I represent in the people that you know surround that's around me. I mean, I'm gonna have kids one day.

I gotta make sure that it's a little smooth out here for them. You know. I got nephews, Um, I got cousins and everybody you know that that's out here, you know, walking the streets every day, you know, and they can they can be the victim of any type of situation. So for me, I just you know, got to do my part whatever I can do. You know, I gotta use my platform, use my voice, hues, whatever it is to you know, try to make an impact

and make some change. But I mean, I I'm not letting, you know, a job title or a dollar amount, you know, stop me being a black man at the end of the day. Amen, you know when when I watched that video, what I what I identified with so much of that. You know, as a black man, you know, we have to always try to listen ourselves and capitulate. They want us to not be Mainly they want us to be afraid. They want us to bow down. And watching that video,

you know, I've seen it. They addressed a man. You know, you you you, you still your ground, you are a man, you and and that somehow it's threatening because you conduct yourself, especially as a black man, when you conduct yourself as

a man and somehow threatens them. You know. So we've seen the video, but I just want to know, I want you to take us through that situation too, so we can get a view of it from exactly how you felt at that moment, what was going And people will say the video, but we need to call it exactly what it is. It's an incident with the police department,

um where we believe police brutality happened to you. And obviously the city of Milwaukee agrees because they now have to pay you, even though I think the settlement is too low. But that's a different days conversation. Yeah, yeah, we get to that in a little bit. But I mean, as far as you know, that night, you know, I was in and out Wall Grange, you know, you know, double parked in the handicap and everything. But when I came out, you should have just been a simple ticket,

you know. And you know we both go our separate ways. But um, when I approached the car, the officer kind of you know, nudged me back a little bit. So I told him, like, you know what I'm saying, don't touch me. He just off back. I guess, you know, felt like since he had a bad job, he can you know, treat the city or take control of the situation pretty much. And he, you know, say some I owned this, and right off back, I knew what it was.

That's why I told you to back up. But because you're gonna try and get in the car, I'll do what I want, all right, I own this right here. So after that, you know, he called his back up and everything about five six, seven squad carts came. Um, I mean, and I'm standing out there, I'm waiting on them.

To go back to his vehicle right at ticketing everything, as all the squad carts come, the officers they started getting out and they just start surrounding me, like they just start standing by, you know, as we just standing that time, going back, I got my hands in my pockets a little code outside. So one of the officers tell me to take my hands out of my pocket, you know right. You know, after he telled me a second time, he grabs me, and then all of them

started grabbing the opposite that ended up tasting me. He had his gun drawn initiative. So if I would have pushed one of them off for me, it would have been a wrap for me. I wouldn't be here talking to y'all today. So in the midst of that, I'm like, you know, he just I gave in, and you know, I got to the ground. Um, they got me to the ground, and they still tased me. And you know why they tased me. One of them got his knee and my neck face to the ground, scars and all

of that. One of them got his ankle, his foot stepping on my ankle the entire time I'm on the ground, handcuffs and all of that, and it was like, man, during that whole situation, it was just get to the house, man, Get to get get back home, get to your family. You know you got more you know going on for you, Like don't don't let it in right here? Why why they try to justify what they did? It was crazy, you know, saying I was, you know, double park that

looked like I was robbing the place. Like if you robbing the store, Like your car is not gonna be parked towards the you know what I'm saying, the entrance, like you're gonna park it away like it's just little little things. They was trying to, you know, justify their case where and none of them added up, Like none of them made that you was trying to rob the store. You know, it's unfortunate, but we live in a society where we just you know, we are automatically criminalized for

being black man. You know, and when you when you came out there and you you have a presence, you're you know, you're a stocky toll individual, they just feel intimidated. And and we deal with this all the time. And you know, and I say all the time, I'm not willing to lessen myself as being a man to make you feel comfortable, you know, and we shouldn't have to. We should be able to if you if you're giving me a ticket, in your officer, you should understand that

nobody wants to get a ticket. That that should be part of your training. If you're giving me a ticket, I'm gonna be a little frustrated. I'm be like when you give me to take alright, cool, It's not gonna be just cool. They have to be trained in the level of de escalation and dealing interacting with individuals who might not be happy about getting a ticket. And that's part of life. Nobody's in that when they deal with other communities, because we see white people go completely crazy

when they're getting a ticket. They could be wrong as hell, and they go off. They the ticket in their face and all the times they do all type of stuff they do. Let's talk about what we get. Absolutely not at all. But let's talk about the bubble. Uh real quick. I don't know anything really about sports. I'm trying to learn, but I do know there was a bubble um And the reason why I know there was a bubble because the pandemic created the situation. But while being in that bubble.

You all were very very much as I said earlier, connected to what was happening in the community. Do you feel like the pandemic caused some of your college leagues to sit still and really see the world and like see how serious the trauma is that black people and black men particularly are dealing with. And when I say colleagues, I'm not just talking about other players. I'm talking about coaches, you know, people in the back office, because it seemed

like everybody was involved. Yeah, no, it definitely, uh you know, um raised, you know, a different alert level to a lot of guys in the league, like you said, coaches, referees, you know, front office people like it definitely because they ain't they ain't have nothing to do at the beginning of the pandemic, but you know, sit at home, work out there now and then and see what's you know,

the latest on the news. And then George Floyd's situation, you know, Brianna Taylor situation, Like it was a lot that was going on that they had no choice but to you know, um, you know, look at and see you know, and for everybody that did, you know, use their platform with voice to peak up and you know, try to um, you know, help you know, families and you know, trying to reach out and you know try

to do what they can. You know, I salute them and respect them because like you, like we were talking about earlier, that will put a different you know, stamp on somebody's image, Like if you you know, trying to stand up and you're going against some of your leagues, you know, policies or some things that you know owners might not be for or you know, it's just a lot that comes with it, you know, and a lot of guys not willing to you know, take that stand

and you know, use their voices. Um, some guys you know sitting in the back and they you know, quiet about it. But I salute you know a lot of the guys that were stepping up, and you know, it's it's a lot that you know happened during that you know, pandemic bubble, you know, time timing for us. But a lot of guys still out here doing stuff. A lot

of guys still out help fighting. You know. Georgia, Uh, George Hill on my team, you know, for what he's doing and what he's been, you know, continuing to do in the community in Milwaukee, in Tonio in Indiana. You know, he got a lot going on. You know, he always out there looking out for the people. Man. And I talked to him a lot, you know, I try to pick his brain a lot. George like to talk, so

I'm not listening. Man, George is my guy. Man, George is definitely he supported me all the time, and he's always been that way, very vocal about what's going on. Man. But we just want to really salute you because you

know you're young. You know, you fresh into the to the league, and you could have it could have got worse for you, you know, you being standing up and speaking out, you know, speaking against a lot of you know, like you said, a lot of these coaches and a lot of these owners they don't want they don't want this type of problem. They don't want you to be vocal. There's a lot of players who have bigger platforms than you, that have more things happened, that don't want to be vocal,

that don't speak out. You know. So we want to just to say, continue to do the work. You got your back, man, and you know, hopefully we'll get back to the league and we could be back in them stands Man come to I need a couple of tickets. Man, You know I got what I'm here tickets. Look, I don't have no shame. This is the show tickets. But you show Grace his time putting a shameless plug to try to get some basketball tickets. That's the least I

could do making it happen. Y'all out here doing what y'all gotta do for us man, for the people, day in and day y'all y'all on the ground, actually doing it. So the tickets, that's the least I do. We gotta get you out that too to me. But but you know, you gotta teach about how it works. First of all, this is one I'm to say. This is all cat right here. She used to be front row at the next game on my cell phone. You know what I'm saying. She was that she had front road tickets at the

next game, season tickets. So don't let her like she don't know nothing about what's going on at the bund Yeah, she was right there. We're throng yea. And the way, the only time I used to pay attention was when Carmelo, you know, when he was in the basket. That was my moment but I was really there for the fashion. I was there to see La La and others line up with the fashion. That's that was my first right. Yeah, it's a plethora thing. You blast telling she come fashion,

I come for the game. You know, everybody come to see their favorite players. So you know a lot we appreciate you, man. Call my man George here. We need to bring George on the show too. You know, hit him up, tell him hit me up. Man. We're gonna set that up. But once again, man, we salute you man for taking that sting and not being afraid in this moment. You know, we know that a lot of people do things for trends. We know that it's training to be black lives. You know, it's gonna be people

that do it. But you know, we could tell that you really do it from the heart. And we could tell that from your upbringing when you I'm from and identifying with the struggles that we deal with every day that it's authentic for you, man. So once again, I want to salute you and you know what you left on the next season, hopefully we get back in the tickets. I'd be right there with you guys, And I appreciate you all man, salute, thank you, shout out to my

boy sterling. He got some tickets. Don't listen, listen, don't hate all my tickets. Man, dope, do good energy man, and he got some tickets for us. Man. So now he is, he's dope. I see his light. It's there, you can see it shine. And you know, he's super cool.

But he's very, very determined. And it really kind of like broke my heart a little bit when the two of you were talking to one another and you said, you know, as a black man, they want us to lessen ourselves, like we have to sort of capitulate, bow down, whatever it is to these folks who think that their master.

You know, he said, somebody this, this officer is telling him something about ownership, like I own you, I own this moment, and and and it just kind of broke my heart that this is what black men are dealing with every single day across this country. And you know, and and and to see Stirland saying he had to make decisions in the moment, like am I gonna defend myself stand up for myself rightfully? So because all I

did was part I know what was wrong. I'm not you know, he didn't say, well, you know, I should have been allowed to park there. He said, I'm supposed to get a ticket, because that's what you do. You give people a ticket who part in the handicapped and and and and for him to get to the point where he's on the ground, somebody stepping on his ankle and his neck punching him, it's just way too much. It's what we deal with all the time. And so

shout out to him. Man. Unfortunately he was able to leave with his life, not really injured, and get paid for their wrong doing. So said that you know, it was a tasting, not a gun. And you know, he even talked about that, and that really resonated with me that it could have been a guy. He said, it started out a gun merely first you was gun and then he drew to taser. So you know, before we go to the next segment and have our special guests joint,

we're gonna take a quick break for our sponsors. So listen now, will we Who we have? It's somebody who's family to us, like really family to us. She is one of the most intelligent. You know, she has an energy that fills a room. You know, she has a spirit that she has an old soul, but she has young energy, you know, and we love her dearly. She is prolifically, prolifically that she is prolific in every sense of the word. You know, she is graceful and peaceful.

You know, she is the past president, is the immediate immediate past. Okay, let me let me get that set. I don't even know. I just know that my sister was the president of the Minneapolis and she was and she was doing a damn thing out there. You know. We met her when we went down there to do on George Floyd, and she became family ever since. She is my sister and we love her. This is Ms. Leslie Redman. Leslie. See that smile is worth a million dollars and she has a million dollar smile. And it's

always like that. So it's not just for the cameras. And you know what, And you said, my stead, Well, first of all, you said that we went down there, went to Minneapolis to do George Floyd. We didn't go to do it. I mean, we went down there for George exactly on behalf of George Floyd and we mat and so everybody knows how recent George Floyd Um was murdered and we met this young sister, Leslie Redman, who's

now like she's a mentee to me. Maybe I'm being mentor mentored by her some days, just depends on what the situation is. We met her then and she literally has become family. We don't move without calling Leslie redmansh and getting her involved in everything that we do. For some reason, I guess she thought that she needed to work in Minneapolis during the election because she didn't come with us on our non day tour. She was missing.

Grace and peace was paid off in this election because Minnesota was super close four years ago and it wasn't close at all this year. Yeah, that's what's up. That's what's up. So that's that's right. That's something to congratulate. And we know how hard you work on the ground. You are the immediate past you title. She's the boogie people out there. I was also the youngest president in the history of the Chapters. Oh, I'm twenty eight now

twenty five years old. Two. For three years you were president of the Chapter of the Inn Double A c P. They love you. I know, President Derek Johnson loves you. I've been on calls when he's when he you know, shows his confidence in you, and we also see your grind,

you know. I what I think is so great about you, Leslie outside of your organizing skills and the work that you I've seen you do for George Floyd and and and you'll talk about some of the other cases, but it's also the fact that you didn't just say, Okay, I did the I ran for president. I'm done. You have another campaign that you were actually running simultaneously with your work for n double, a CP called Don't Complain Activate.

I love it. I love it. Tell us a little bit about what that is and thank you, says and you know, God really gave you Don't Complain Activate. I took my first internet your trip in two thousand and sixteen to India and actually to make when you all were doing the Women's March protesting, I was actually flying back in town during the inauguration, and so I created

Don't Complain Activate doing President's to Day. And the idea was that everyone is an activator, right, whether you're a mom or a dad, whether you're a teacher, whether you're an entrepreneur, we are all activate in the community in some way. Right, you don't have to be President Barack Obama or Beyonce in order to activate the community. Right. People get discouraged sometime when this negativity going on. But

I recognized that we have the power. Right, I recognize that all things are working for our good, and so don't complain activators while shining light on in the community and activators in the community. And so it's grown into a brand. We now have a clothing line that's launching at the end of this month. I'm super excited about it. People saw me wearing the gear on CNN and on a whole bunch of different platforms when I was protesting for Brother George Floyd, and people wanted it. So I'm

giving to people what they want. And I got a word to President Trump, and I want to make sure y'all get this word to him. I think that it's crazy that we're in the middle of a global pandemic COVID nineteen and you haven't sent a man or any resources to the black people in Minnesota, but she were quick to send your troops to kill us. We already been saying this open season all over the nation. If

you just open it up even more. You need people to help you because you're trying to do something specific that I was getting ready to give you some money the other night about but I didn't give it yet because I need to understand what I'm doing. And man, yeah, so let me break it down for you again. If you know me, you know I'm all about the community.

I'm all about black liberation. I'm all about all of us, right, And so before I really launched it to the public, one of my goals was to give two hundred and twenty the black activators in Minnesota and forty allies and not just white allies, but Latina Allies, Native Allies, Monk allies right with activated boxes. A lot of people see me on the front line and they you know, we'll get caught up in this. This is the leader or they are dub leader. But I believe that we are

all leaders. I believe we are all activators. And I quickly made a list of tow hundred and twenty people. There are over thousands of people in Minnesota activating the community. But I just want to show them that I see you, that I appreciate you, that we made it through, right, you all, we made it through a global pandemic. We made it through a global uprising, right that is something to celebrate. And what even we don't complain activate And so I'm going to be gifting these activator boxes out

with Our goal is to make fifteen th dollars. We're not quite there yet. How much have you raised so far? We're almost at the four thousand, all of mark. We gotta go. We gotta plug that. We gotta plug that. Yeah, you know, I gotta make my donation. A man, I would greatly appreciate it. Well, we we We just want to say, you know, the work that you do does not go unseung, It does not go unnoticed. You know

the value that you brought to our organizations. You know the thoughts, processes and the ideas that you've said at the table as we organized for Brianna Taylor in Kentucky. You know, we we definitely appreciate you, and we were not gonna complain. We're gonna keep on activating. Grace and peace to you before you go. And that was such a good close and so it's I really should just

say grace and peace and we love your sister. But there is another gentleman that you guys have been fighting for and I just want to make sure that we say his name because everyone was talking about George Floyd. But you continue to remind me, Yes, thank you so much for saying as JaMarcus Clark Jr. Mark Clark, Jamal

Clark right. And you know it's funny that you mentioned that because two days ago was his five year anniversary when he was murdered, right, And we actually just sponsored some shirts to get made for his sister and then celebrate. And that was really my introduction to advocacy in Minnesota. And I believe you that's why God play enity in Minnesota to receive my law degree in my NBA, because we needed to activate. And that is why I have so much appreciation for until freedom to make a demllory

my son, Lenda Angelo. You all have really blessed my life in ways that you don't even know. You encourage so many of us to keep going. You remind us that it's bigger than us for you all to leave your homes and go out into actually activate Louisville. It matters right for me to stay in Minnesota when I can go back home in BC. That matters. We are one thing we are one community, and I just really appreciate you all and thank you for giving me this platform.

Thank you. We love you, Leslie. Take care, We'll see you soon. Don't complain. And that's period, activate, period, period, period. Yes, that is our sister, Leslie. I hope you. I hope you don't. You haven't missed it. But if you see that energy, that's what she brings it to every room. She comes of a peaceful word, and she comes with this joyful energy that is enlightening, inspiring to everybody she

comes in contact with you. She's a strategy, she is and she is smart as hell, you understand I'm saying, like you see her and she's smiling, and then she sits down there and she says, listen, this is what we need to do, you know. And she's on the front line. Really, she knows a lot about policy and legislation. She works alongside um Our co founder Until Freedom, Angelo Pinto,

attorney Angelo Pinto. It's some smart young attorneys out here, and they're in the legacy of many attorneys who have come before who have really helped to shape policy and public opinion for decades, and so I love having them around. They make me smarter, and that brings me to what I don't do, and what I don't get is why don't people who have bigger platforms and bigger voices and more resources and everything that we have see the need to risk, to take that risk to make it better

for everybody else? Like why don't they see that this is the moment? Like why are people still scared in this moment to stand up and talk about real issues to say, you know what, we're not going back to business as usually the whole world wants to screen Black lives matter. I'm a black man, I'm a black woman.

I'm someone of power, I have stature, I have all the things I need and now want to utilize that to make sure that the people who don't are at least lifted up, who have a have an opportunity to do better, who are treated with equity, who are treated with levels of justice and respect, Like why don't people

see that need? Why don't people feel that in their soul that right now that they need to be able to risk everything, like you know, you know, and even though we talk about the basketball like I was, I was hurt, you know, because I was when when the NBA said you know, we're not playing based on what happened to Jacob Blake, you know when they said we're not playing and and then they went back a day later,

well to that. But it was like, you had the opportunity to say, you know what, we're not playing into some charges abroad. We're not going to be the cash cow for city for state that is going to allow a black man to just be shot in the back and the police officer and to have no you know, accountability for that. We we we we refused to bring money to this town as long as those things that happened.

They had the opportunity, and it's like, why did they not say, you know what, we have to sacrifice right now, we have the sacrifice to something because we we know that we we have that power. Yeah, I think you're using all the terms that makes it so hard risk sacrifice. Not everyone is ready for that. And you know, Sterling was saying something that resident need it with me. He's like,

I'm gonna take care of my family regardless. That's a part of the decision making factor for many individuals in general. I'm not just talking about in the NBA, because you know, I was one of the people that was like, this is pitiful, Like were right there. And I think that if Lebron and Carmelo and others who, like you said, have the major platforms and they are, uh, the they are the stars, but it's not just the stars, they're

the leaders, right. I think if they had said, you know what, we're we can't play a game in the midst of all of this that's also happening where it's not a game at all, because I didn't really after that. You do, but I didn't even feel the need to even engage in the NBA. And I'm one of the biggest NBA fans. You know, I'm talking about next season maybe, but I was so dishearmened that damn we couldn't We

couldn't even give. But but but the thing about it is there's a lot of forces that's in their pulling, and unfortunately we have to call a spade a spade and say that a part of the pulling that was happening was that President Obama also was out there saying, hey, let's use this platform, which I get he his opinion was use your platform to get to help with the election process because we know how serious this election. But we could have done all of that. It could have

been a part of the demand President Obama. And people got real mad at me for speaking on it because I said, this is pitiful, and I also wrote in in parentheses, um that I was specifically speaking to President Obama. He knows good and damn well that just because we vote in the election, the issue that made the players not want to play is not going to be solved. That's not gonna happen. Now. Do we have to do more inside the system, outside the system, absolutely, but great

sacrifice is going to have to be made. It's gonna come around at some point that people are going to have to be willing to risk it all in order to get what it is that we want. And guess which is which is justice? Right, that's one part of it. It's justice, but it's also equity in our communities, and it's also accountability. I think that's really the bottom line is like, you're never gonna stop, You're never going to rid the world of racism, You're never going to be

able to completely uh dismantle white supremacy. But what you can do is have accountability measures for people who hurt us, for people who hurt our communities. And my issue with President Obama in that moment is that you know that these guys were so close to doing something that would have been so historic and life changing that I believe that I don't know if he should have encouraged him, because he shouldn't, because you know, that's not his role.

Probably would have said, don't ask me because I can't. I'm not, I'm not. I don't want to advise you in this. I think you should go with your heart. No, but I don't agree with that. I believe he should have said he should h Yeah, but and that's what my issue is. The president he understand, but you understood. You have to understand that whatever we got in this country is because we fought for, because we sacrifice for.

We didn't get anything by saying, okay, let me just go along with the system, you know, even when if you didn't have a strategy, like even in the selection, the strategy for me was like, we gotta get Trump out and then we gotta pick somebody else that we can fight that we got a better chance of winning. We can't allow him to get a level of power

that too with dictatorship, you know. And so that was a strategy, and we still fighting whoever's in the White House because the system that they are brought into does not fit us. And we understand that we need some in different So there's a strategy with that. But when we start telling people that are in the midst of protesting, who are in the midst of going against the city, you know, who have them right there, like dag we need these funds that they bring in. We need these athletes.

You know, we need to make some changes. We're gonna make some calls because you know those we get it. But these officers have to be held accountable because this is taking away millions and billions of dollars from its bigger than these officers. So you know, when we when we understand that that's the power that we have, then

we're gonna make substantial change. And Obama has to understand that he knows that he he said it all the time about even in his election, that we were supposed to do a lot more to help to push him to you know, to push the Senate to do certain things that was needed to be done. So him making that decision, I understand where it comes from, you know, just trying to be politically correct, but it wasn't the right decision at that time. I agree, I agree. It's

not much more to be said. So once again we another great episode. Politicians, you know the places for the streets in politics meet and once again we don't always agree. We're getting a little better. Those getting better is trying to make us corner, trying not to argue about everything. Not everything. You know, We're still gonna have our disagreement. But I'm not always right. You're not always wrong, even though I'm more right then then you are. This is

where the problem comes in. Every single time. I'm not always right, she's not always wrong. But we are always gonna be a thing big. That's how we own it.