#RolandMartinUnfiltered - Atatiana Jefferson Verdict, Ronald Greene Update, Donovon Lynch Settlement, WSSU Student Arrested

Starting point is 00:00:00 This is an iHeart Podcast. Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. Listen to Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glott. And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. Last year, a lot of the problems of the drug war. This year, a lot of the biggest names in music and sports. This kind of star-studded a little bit, man.

Starting point is 00:00:48 We met them at their homes. We met them at their recording studios. Stories matter, and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Starting point is 00:01:05 Here's the deal. We got to set ourselves up. See, retirement is the long game. We got to make moves and make them early. Set up goals. Don't worry about a setback. Just save up and stack up to reach them. Let's put ourselves in the right position.

Starting point is 00:01:23 Pre-game to greater them. Let's put ourselves in the right position pregame to greater things. Start building your retirement plan at this is free retirement.org brought to you by AARP and the Ad Council. Folks, Black Star Network is here. Hold no punches. A real revolutionary right now. I'm proud. We support this man, Black Media.

Starting point is 00:01:47 He makes sure that our stories are told. Thank you for being the voice of Black America, Roller. Hey, Black, I love y'all. All momentum we have now, we have to keep this going. The video looks phenomenal. See, there's a difference between Black Star Network and Black-owned media and something like CNN. You can't be Black-owned media and be scape.

Starting point is 00:02:07 It's time to be smart. Bring your eyeballs home. You dig? Life's in the wrong spot, to be honest, y'all. Today is Thursday, December 15, 2022. Coming up on Roland Martin Unfiltered, streaming live on the Black Star Network, live here in Atlanta. The former Fort Worth police officer

Starting point is 00:02:38 who shot and killed Atiana Jefferson, he has been found guilty of manslaughter. We'll give you those details. Also, at this hour, we await word on whether or not the cops who killed Ronald Green are going to be indicted by a grand jury. We're on standby for that decision. Also, coming out of Virginia Beach, the city has settled a case there for millions of dollars. In the case of Donovan Lynch, he was shot and killed by cops there as well. Also, a TikTok video of a teacher

Starting point is 00:03:06 at Winston-Salem State University, a white teacher having a black student arrested then apologizing for yelling at her has caused tons of controversy and a bunch of folks are mad at the university for their response. We'll break that thing down to you as well. Plus in today's Marketplace segment,

Starting point is 00:03:23 we'll speak with a father-son duo who is launching the first black-owned athletic supply company. Lots to cover today on Rolling Mark Unfiltered, streaming live on the Black Star Network. It's time to bring the funk. Let's go. Whatever it is, he's got the scoop, the fact, the fine And when it breaks, he's right on time And it's rolling, best belief he's knowing Putting it down from sports to news to politics With entertainment just for kicks He's rolling, yeah It's Uncle Roro, yo

Starting point is 00:04:00 Yeah, yeah It's rolling, Martin, yeah Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, The city of Virginia Beach will spend $3 million for the family of Donald Lynch. Of course, that is the story, y'all, that we all, Donald and Lynch, I'm sorry, that we've been covering, shot and killed. You might remember on March 26, 2021, folks. This was a story that caused so much consternation there. Donovan was shot and killed by Officer Solomon Simmons. Simmons claimed he shot Donovan in self-defense when he saw Donovan holding his legal gun.

Starting point is 00:05:00 A grand jury determined no probable cause to warrant criminal charges against Simmons. Joining me now is the Lynch family attorney, Justin Fairfax. Justin, glad to have you on the show. This is, of course, an issue that you, representing the family, has been really focused on. And in so many of these cases, the only way families have any sense of justice is through a settlement because very few times officers are indicted for their wrongdoing. That's exactly right, Roland. And thank you for having us on. And thank you again for following this story. We finally have justice for Donovan Lynch and for his family.

Starting point is 00:05:38 This has been an extraordinary journey, a very painful journey for that family. But we are ending where we started, which is with the truth. Donovan Lynch is innocent. He did nothing wrong that night. He did nothing illegal that night. He simply had dinner with one of his best friends and was out for a fun night out, totally innocent, when he was shot and he was killed, and wrongfully so. And so we were going to fight for justice. I came about 65 or so days ago. The case had been going on for a very long period of time. But when they brought me in and also Thomas B. Martin, my co-counsel and one of the best

Starting point is 00:06:17 lawyers in America, we said we were going to supercharge this case. We were going to litigate it. As you know, I'm a former federal prosecutor in Virginia, and that's exactly what we did. And so just last week, we were very proud that the city of Virginia Beach reached a settlement. We'll give $3 million to the family of Donovan Lynch. And as you mentioned, there's no amount of money that can make a family whole from the loss of a loved one. It's a tragedy, but it also is a measure of justice. And we have to live in a society where the value of our lives is effectuated not just through the legal system, but through how we are treated. And so I was going to fight for justice in this case, no matter what it took. And so we were very happy for the family.

Starting point is 00:07:04 They finally, finally, finally got a measure of justice. And so I was going to fight for justice in this case no matter what it took. And so we were very happy for the family. They finally, finally, finally got a measure of justice. And, again, this really is the only way to achieve justice. And this officer, they said no probable cause. Is he still on the street? Is he still policing in Virginia Beach? Yes, Roland, it's our understanding that he is still a member of the force and that is still policing. And so we have been, you know, gotten word about that. And so, you know, we're looking at that information. But here's the other thing. We believe that the reforms need to continue.

Starting point is 00:07:42 Donovan Lynch's life mattered then. It matters today. It will matter forever. And the reason that his legacy will live on is because we're going to save the lives of other family members, of other families who won't have to suffer the same fate and the same tragedy that was suffered here. This officer did not have his body-worn camera turned on at the time that he shot and killed Donovan Lynch. And so this family didn't body-worn camera turned on at the time that he shot and killed Donovan Lynch. And so this family didn't even get to see, you know, the final moments of their beloved son's life. And so this is an extraordinary young man, college-educated, really lit up the world. And so we are going to honor him and honor his legacy by what we do in

Starting point is 00:08:21 terms of reform. And so, as we mentioned at our press conference the other day, we're going to be reaching out to President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, and we thank them for their extraordinary leadership. We would like to have the Lynch family meet with the president and vice president in the White House to discuss, again, their journey, discuss what they have gone through and also what they want to see going forward. We are in a powerful season of vindication. Donovan Lynch has been vindicated. His name, his legacy has been vindicated with the power of the truth. And that's what I was going to fight for as the attorney for this family, again, along with Thomas B. Martin.

Starting point is 00:08:57 And we were going to fight to ensure that the truth was finally told, that there was accountability. There had been no accountability in this case whatsoever. And we now need to live in a society where there is that kind of accountability. The truth is told and that justice is served. And so that's really what our focus was. And in 66 days, that's what we got done. All right. Justin Fairfax, we certainly appreciate it. Certainly give our best to Donovan's family. We will do. Thank you, Roland. God bless you again for your leadership and for following this case.

Starting point is 00:09:30 We appreciate you. I appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Folks, let's now go to Fort Worth, where we do have some justice in the legal system. The former Fort Worth police officer, Aaron Dean, who shot and killed Antoine Jefferson, he will be going to prison today. A jury came back, found him guilty of manslaughter. You might recall the case where a neighbor called the police to say they saw a door ajar and they did a wellness check. Two officers arrived on the

Starting point is 00:09:57 scene. Dean fired a shot into the home, killing Antionna Jefferson. This, of course, took place in 2019. He fired the shot through a window. The mostly white jury deliberated for more than 10 hours. They could have found Dean guilty of murder. He is facing up to 20 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. The sentencing phase begins tomorrow. Joining me now is Erica Savage, founder of the Reframe Brain. Recy Colbert, founder of Black Women Views. Dr. Larry J. Walker, assistant professor, University of Central Florida. Recy, I'll start with you. Folks, he's found guilty, but not of murder, of manslaughter,

Starting point is 00:10:43 which still is crazy when you had his former partner who testified that he never, she never heard him identify himself. She never saw a gun. I mean, you see the circumstances of this, yet these juries still just, they cannot bring themselves to find these cops guilty of murder. Yeah, I mean, I understand the moral victory of him being convicted of murder as opposed to manslaughter. But he's still facing 20 years. Of course, obviously, that's not enough to negate the fact that he did kill Tatiana Jefferson, who was doing nothing more than playing video games with her nephew. But I think, you know, a win is a win to a certain degree.

Starting point is 00:11:28 And as you know, he is seeing accountability. It's not justice and it's not restorative. But I think in this case, you know, it's I'm I'm encouraged that at least there was another way of ensuring that there were some compatible there were some kind of accountability, because sometimes that isn't on the table and then we just see these cops walk completely scot-free. Yeah, and the thing for me, Erica, again, we're in this constant battle for what's right. We're in this constant battle for justice. And the reason I'm making this point is because anyone looking, I mean, the police chief testified in this case that this guy violated all police protocols, all. And it still goes to show you how hard it is to get a conviction for the highest charge for a police officer. And even with all of these facts, the jury was still, we'll convict him, but not murder

Starting point is 00:12:33 manslaughter. Yeah. And their primary mandate is to protect and kill is what is adorned on police cars. And so, you know, we we through, unfortunately, or wait, rather, as I would say, in this grave weekly. And I think, for me, one of the most important things around this is really to lift up some of the things that we're facing in our communities, which is really just repetitive trauma. And what I thought about in Atiana Jefferson's case, no doubt about her and her family, I also thought about her nephew. That's a young man that was

Starting point is 00:13:11 exposed to a violent, traumatic event early on in his life. And I think if that's the importance of being on a jury, right? I'm pretty sure all of us have had jury duty, but that is the importance of showing up and ensuring that we're doing all that we need to do to be present to hold people accountable. I can assure you if in that jury pool, if the victim, the person that was executed, looked like one of their children or their grandchildren, there would be no doubt about what that conviction would look like. So I'm praying and hoping that, though that this person will have to face some type of time in some type of prison facility, that that young man who bore witness to trauma by someone who is, by Maslow's hierarchy of needs, one of the base needs that we all have as humans is safety, right? So I'm really hoping that all of the counseling, the professional services that he'll need, behavioral

Starting point is 00:14:11 services, emotional tapping, that he will have the ability to play and be a child, hold on to all those childlike behaviors as long as he has, especially considering he's a Dory. But just really thinking about the Jefferson family and about that young man that had to bear witness to such a violent death. I'll say this here, Larry. Even with this manslaughter conviction, I hope it sends the signal to all cops, you may very well go to prison for your wrongdoing. We are now seeing, and this is, people can shout and whine and complain about Black Lives Matter all they want

Starting point is 00:14:53 to, but it has been the protest of black people for the last decade that is causing this change in DAs and in juries when it comes to killer cops. Yeah, I think you're making a really important point. And, you know, there's obviously research that shows the highlight in terms of Black Lives Matter protests, in terms, like you said, had impacted juries in the judicial system. But, Roman, as it relates to this particular case and some other cases we're going to talk about this evening and talked about in your show is I'm often it forces me to reflect on what it means to be black and free in America. Now, look, the jury came back with a manslaughter charge.

Starting point is 00:15:32 It could have been murder. And from what I understand, the officer could serve anywhere from two to 20 years. So I'm thinking about the sentencing, the next stage in terms of how many years does he get? But I agree with you that there's certainly been some progress. DOJ has done an excellent job in prosecuting various cases. But once again, what does it mean to be free and black in America? And my colleague just talked about the traumatic experiences for the young man and for that family, but also in terms of the black community, where consistently it almost seems like a

Starting point is 00:16:01 daily basis dealing with this violence from law enforcement. And this has been decades in the making in terms of an interaction between law enforcement and the black community. So for me personally, Roland, it's just when is this stop? Obviously, we need to keep pushing not only in terms of at the state and local level, but the DOJ and the Biden administration to make sure that we're taking a critical look on these issues. And then obviously also at the federal and state level in terms of having a conversation about some comprehensive reform to address police behavior. But this generally, like I said, this is a step in the right direction. We need to continue to apply the pressure. And there's still a long way to go to make sure once again, black folks feel free in America. Indeed. Got to go to a break right now.

Starting point is 00:16:45 We come back. We'll discuss the Ronald Green case out in Louisiana as the grand jury is determining. We're waiting to find out if the cops involved in his death are going to be charged. Folks, you're watching Roland Martin on the filter on the Black Star Network. Don't forget, download the Black Star Network app. Available on all platforms. Apple phone, Android phone, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox One, Samsung, Smart TV. Support our Bring the Funk fan club.

Starting point is 00:17:12 Your dollars make it possible for us to do what we do. Check some money orders. Go to PO Box 57196, Washington, D.C., 20037-0196. Cash app, dollar sign RM Unfiltered. PayPal is RMartin Unfiltered, dollar sign, RM Unfiltered. PayPal is rmartinunfiltered. Venmo, rmunfiltered. Zelle is roland at rolandsmartin.com. Roland at rolandmartinunfiltered.com.

Starting point is 00:17:34 And of course, you can get a copy of my book, White Fear, How the Browning of America is Making White Folks Lose Their Minds, available at all bookstores, online, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target. Also, download a copy from Audible. We'll be right back. On the next Get Wealthy with me, Deborah Owens, America's Wealth Coach, inflation is on the rise.

Starting point is 00:18:04 Interest rates are high. Can you still thrive during these uncertain times? On the next Get Wealthy. I know a lot of cops and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes, but there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley

Starting point is 00:18:38 comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,

Starting point is 00:19:05 or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Ad-free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Lott. And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. I'm Greg Glod. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast.

Starting point is 00:19:25 We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne.

Starting point is 00:19:46 We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug ban is. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Caramouch. What we're doing now isn't working

Starting point is 00:20:02 and we need to change things. Stories matter and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad free with exclusive content,

Starting point is 00:20:21 subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. Here's the deal. We got to set ourselves up. See, retirement is the long game. We got to make moves and make them early. Set up goals. Don't worry about a setback. Just save up and stack up to reach them let's put ourselves in the right position pre-game to greater things start building your retirement

Starting point is 00:20:53 plan at this is pre-tirement.org brought to you by aarp and the ad council you're gonna meet a woman who's done just that living proof of what you need to do to flourish during these uncertain times. These are times where you take advantage of what's going on. This is how people get rich or richer. That's right here on Get Wealthy, only on Blackstar Network. There's an angry pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol. We're about to see the rise of what I call white minority resistance. We have seen white folks in this country who simply cannot tolerate black folks voting. I think what we're seeing is the inevitable result of violent denial. This is part of American history.

Starting point is 00:22:00 Every time that people of color have made progress, whether real or symbolic, there has been what Carol Anderson at Emory University calls white rage as a backlash. This is the rise of the Proud Boys and the Boogaloo Boys. America, there's going to be more of this. There's all the Proud Boys guys. This country is getting increasingly racist in its behaviors and its attitudes because of the fear of white people. The fear that they're taking our jobs, they're taking our resources,

Starting point is 00:22:29 they're taking our women. This is white fear. For the next A Balanced Life with me, Dr. Jackie, tis the season, tree trimming, party going, and gift giving. And I don't know about you, but for me, sometimes it can be overwhelming. And sometimes it's just downright exhausting. Surviving the holiday season, we've got tips for you for staying sane, solvent, striving, and thriving, and sometimes keeping a little money in your pocket. Two things just out of the gate.

Starting point is 00:23:14 Set boundaries and set a budget. On a next A Balanced Life right here on Blackstar Network with me, Dr. Jackie. You want me to do something crazy, but I don't know what to do. I'd rather just sit here. Hi, this is Cheryl Lee Ralph and you are watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. I mean,

Starting point is 00:23:36 could it be any other way? Really. It's Roland Martin Unfiltered, broadcasting from Atlanta, where we're covering Martin Unfiltered broadcasting from Atlanta. We're coming, of course, Celebration Bowl. A viral video has gone all across the country showing a Winston-Salem State University student. The story is absolutely crazy, folks. This student who was arrested in an altercation with a white professor. Okay. So check this out.

Starting point is 00:24:30 It's a TikTok video. It shows 20-year-old Lila Hamoud getting arrested by university police officer Michael Rau. Watch this. I swear to God I hate you I swear to God I hate you I swear to God I hate you bro you're the worst hitter ever you get me taken out of here because i want to apologize because i want to apologize you started yelling at me you're trying to embarrass me about my paper you're a terrible teacher is somebody recording this oh everybody is that's ridiculous yes that really is she sit here and say she loves black people and stuff but you like this Anybody is better than Carrie, bitch. What the hell? You weren't yelling at her. You weren't yelling at her. That's ridiculous.

Starting point is 00:25:52 That's BS. I'm saying, I'm like. I'm trying to say I'm sorry. That's. You're the worst teacher I've ever met. Leela posted this video to explain exactly what happened in the classroom. So basically, we had a group project assigned as a final, which is probably the dumbest thing, but I'm not here to critique her on her learning. We had a group final. We had to write a paper, and we had to also make up a skit for our group to present. It was seven of us. I did most of writing the skit just because I wanted to.

Starting point is 00:26:31 It was easy and it was fun for me. Well, I thought it was easy. I did the essay as well. She, um, got back to me late, six hours before we had to present actually, saying that my essay was completely wrong and I should revise it, all this shit. And I'm just like, I'm not going back and redoing this essay. That took me two weeks and you told me six hours before I'm not redoing it and I think I'm pretty okay for that even my camera is dirty I think that wasn't a bad idea of not redoing it I didn't feel any type of way um and I still came to the final to present with my group because that was what we were supposed to do um I came did not say anything when I did come into the class because like I said I was already frustrated at the fact that she told me my whole essay was

Starting point is 00:27:05 wrong so I come into class and didn't say anything to her she's talking she's assigned us to our groups and we're gonna talk about what we're doing for the project before we actually have to do it so I'm talking to my group members and come present it so I we talked about that and she was like well it is wrong and you should redo it cuz it's gonna greatly impact your grade um once again said I did not care about that because I'm only here to present with my group so that my group does not get a zero on this um well I got a hell of you so look at my story so boom she starts getting loud she starts yelling at me telling me this is her

Starting point is 00:27:40 class so it doesn't matter what I think um I'm getting loud back I'm not gonna sit here and lie to you guys I got loud back i was raising my voice too i'm like dr v like you're yelling at me i'm not gonna redo it i'm here to present with my group like i'm here to get this done and get out and she's like you need to get out like i want you to leave and i'm like leave no like i'm here for my group project turn the comments off how do i do that oh and she told me uh to get out of the classroom and i literally refused i was like i'm not going to leave this is our final exam and i didn't do anything wrong other than responding to what you said to me because i did not say anything to her uh she's telling me to get out of the class i'm like no i'm not going to she's upset at this point she leaves and she's

Starting point is 00:28:16 talking to another teacher in the hallway at that point i guess is when they decided to call the police campus police campus police comes and it is a black officer at first. I'm not usually one to mention race, but I think it is a little bit necessary in this instance because I do go to a historically black college and for this to happen to me and be so provoked by people who are not of blackness, it hurts. So I feel like I do have to mention that. The officer, the black officer comes in, he asks me what's going on. I tell him everything. The class is telling him everything as i'm telling my story my professor comes back in yes officer i want her taken out i'm like whoa he's like whoa i'm talking to her i'm listening to her so wait we're talking another officer comes in and he is a white officer he comes in and he's like okay so

Starting point is 00:28:58 your options are your or no like you you're gonna get out of the class i'm gonna have to take you out i'm like what like take me out take me out? Take me out how? So, yeah, like they said, it is important because the black officer, he's a very well-known officer on our campus. He's never given anybody any problems. He's actually pretty cool. And he was doing his best to not arrest me. He was trying to have a conversation. And the white officer came in and was like, yeah, you're either going to get out or I'm going to have to get you out.

Starting point is 00:29:23 And I'm like, okay. At this point, I'm like, Dr. V, you're gonna let them arrest me, and she's like, yes, Dr. V, Dr. Villa Gomez, Cynthia Villa Gomez, yes, say that name in here, so y'all know who we're emailing about, because I'm sending emails, my class is sending emails, friends are sending emails, send an email, if not, that's okay too, I'm not pressuring you, um, so the white officer comes in, he says that, I said that to Dr. V, and she's like, wait, hold on, she's trying to, like, you that to dr v and she's like wait hold on she's trying to like you know fix herself she's like okay um either apologize or you you need to leave i said apologize now the only i'm sure i would have apologized but at that

Starting point is 00:29:55 that moment i knew that i did not i was not going in the wrong i didn't start the situation i didn't escalate the situation i knew i was not wrong so i'm just like okay apologize for what apologize because you yelled at me and you dropped the f-bomb yes i did drop that bar and told you i'm just like okay apologize for what apologize because you yelled at me and you dropped the f-bomb yes i did drop that bar until i'm not fucking stupid that's what i told you so i'm sorry the f-bomb hurt your feelings so sorry baby we're grown if that was worth an arrest let me know let me know according to my mom it wasn't but continuing um i said dr b are you gonna apologize to me i didn't i came in i sat with my. I didn't say anything to you. You decided to start yelling at me as soon as the fire alarm went off about my essay. So she was like, no, I'm not going to apologize.

Starting point is 00:30:32 I'm like, what? So then I'm like, wait, well, tell me what I'm apologizing for. Tell me what I'm apologizing for. At that moment, I'm talking to the black officer. I'm talking to my professor. The white officer is like. I know a lot of cops and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun?

Starting point is 00:30:48 Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that Taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season One, Taser Incorporated.

Starting point is 00:31:22 I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Add free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg

Starting point is 00:31:52 Glod. And this is season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves.

Starting point is 00:32:11 Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug thing is. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corps vet. MMA fighter Liz Karamush.

Starting point is 00:32:31 What we're doing now isn't working, and we need to change things. Stories matter, and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Starting point is 00:32:47 And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. Here's the deal. We got to set ourselves up. See, retirement is the long game. We got to make moves and make them early. Set up goals. Don't worry about a setback. Just save up and stack up to reach them.

Starting point is 00:33:17 Let's put ourselves in the right position. Pre-game to greater things. Start building your retirement plan at thisispretirement.org. Brought to you by AARP and the Ad Council. Yeah, go ahead and take her. You have to go get her. To the black officer. So the black officer is like, okay, turn around.

Starting point is 00:33:35 I'm about to put these handcuffs on you. All right, folks. Winston-Salem State released a statement. Here is what they said. We received a report that there was a significant commotion in Carolina Hall this morning. And as such, a WSSU employee nearby called for the assistance of law enforcement after they tried to de-escalate the situation. We understand that the weaponization of police is a prevalent problem in our community. However, that is not what happened in this incident. We strive for a safe, inclusive, thriving, and intellectual community

Starting point is 00:34:19 where all our faculty, staff, and students feel respected and supported. To that end, we will take swift and appropriate measures against any situation that contradicts those ideals. Now, here's the deal. When you look at this Rate My Professor, this professor does not get good ratings. She gets a 2.5 out of 5 when, of of course being evaluated from students. I want to go to you, Erica, because when we're talking about cases like this, I mean, this is I can't imagine. Look, I've been in classrooms where there have been debates back and forth with teachers, with professors,

Starting point is 00:35:07 and nobody called the cops. Right. I'm sorry. I don't care what – first of all, I'm trying to understand why would a staffer in another classroom who's not in the classroom, even if you hear yelling, how do you say, oh, let's call the cops? To me, this is just me, if I'm an adult and I hear yelling, I'm going to go visit the classroom to see if I can help de-escalate,

Starting point is 00:35:46 not call the cops. Right. Exactly. But see, we have the presence of hearing on HBCU, so the story is a little different. I think what was very interesting about that statement that was issued, you know, the top and the bottom, and then you have this one line about the weaponization of police, and then the very firm, but this was not the case. I'm really glad that Lila's mother is there to support her, because I'm going to assume that she is the one, you know, her family is the one that takes care of her tuition. And just thinking back to 2017, at the beginning of the son of a Klansman's administration, where we saw the numbers of students that were enrolling to HBCUs, my son Dan Morehouse was, you know, he was no different from those numbers of kids. And so just thinking about that kids were actually enrolling in HBCUs because of the real intense, the real intense racism, everything that came with the son of

Starting point is 00:36:48 Klansman's regime, all of that, that they were feeling very young students is that they wanted a place of safe haven protection in academia. And that's what it brought to them. So what I love is really the stand that Lila has, that she has already started shooting off emails. She got emails, city rock and rolling. She has already started shooting off emails. She got emails, city rock and rolling. She has the support of her classmates. She has the support of her friends. She has the support of her family. And I think that when you have a person that really understands where they're coming from, that that gives that institution a lot more to deal with. So really kudos to Lever and really shame on this institution for the way that they have, what it seems like, really has backed up someone who, if they would have done a cursory search, what you did, Roland, would have seen that she's been problematic for quite

Starting point is 00:37:38 some time. But I'll stop here because Recy did an eloquent, eloquent summary on this earlier that I would encourage everyone to go to Black and Women's News Media, Instagram, Twitter, to just listen to what the response was to this situation. But before I go to Recy, I want to go to Larry. Larry, you're a professor. Based upon what you see here and what you've heard described, how do you handle that situation? So, Roland, you know, I'm looking at this from a number of perspectives.

Starting point is 00:38:11 I'm an HBCU alum. My son is also currently enrolled in HBCU. And as you mentioned, I'm a college professor. So sometimes you have conversations with students, debates in class, and, you know, this is what higher ed is. You engage in, you know, passionate discussions. But this is really a failure. This is a failure by the professor. And I watched the young lady's, you know, her entire Instagram in, and you saw this in this situation, that law enforcement can be deployed and also be responsible for creating more trauma for black students. You should never call law enforcement unless there's – we're talking about violence in terms of my using a weapon or a knife or some other situation. I would have never called law enforcement.

Starting point is 00:39:04 I've never had gotten to the point where I had to call law enforcement for a student. I currently teach at a predominantly white institution. I've also taught at HBCU. I have never engaged in it and gotten things that got that heated or what I felt like was dangerous and my life was in the line. This professor didn't take the necessary steps in terms of whatever feedback she was giving her on her paper in terms of a realistic timeline to say she needed to rewrite the paper. That was also a misstep. And then engaging in that student in class. Now, if she decided to engage or she should have engaged her after class and had a conversation, it showed a level of respect. Because you heard the young lady say she felt

Starting point is 00:39:40 like she was being disrespected. It is also a failure on law enforcement. Once again, the white police officer comes in, the black police officer is having a conversation and then instructs her to take this young lady outside the classroom and arrest her. That is uncalled for. And then lastly, Roland, it is a failure by the president and other administrative leaders to put that statement out. And they put out another statement before that. But the bottom line is, overall, for people thinking this professor should be fired, I will remind them she is tenured and that it is difficult to fire tenured professors. I've seen it in my institution. I've seen it in other institutions. But overall, this is a failure in terms of leadership in the institution.

Starting point is 00:40:19 This is an absolute failure by the professor to call police on a young sister who attended an HBCU because they are supposed to be safe spaces. And then lastly, we can't allow this to happen. And I hope that the professor faced repercussions. So control room, do y'all have the video from Tennessee state? Okay. So y'all remember, it was just a couple of weeks ago. This happened at HBCU Tennessee State. I said, what is your name?

Starting point is 00:40:57 Out! Get out! You're a family of scores, whatever your name is. Out! Out! Out! Out! That white teacher was yelling in the face of a black student. That video went viral. That teacher knew what was

Starting point is 00:41:14 coming down Reese. He quit the next day. What do you have to say? Well, I want to be clear about a couple of things. Number one, this is not simply a case of the police removing Layla from the classroom. She was handcuffed, aggressively manhandled. The weight of this police officer

Starting point is 00:41:40 was put on a 5'2", petite young lady. She doesn't look so petite in that video because she has a big sweater on, but she showed that she's a skinny little, you know, short thing. She was handcuffed for hours. She was transported to a jail and charged before

Starting point is 00:41:58 a judge with two misdemeanors. I know that people don't like mouthy black girls. I know that people don't like mouthy black girls. I know that people don't like black girls getting out of turn, getting, you know, not showing deference to people. But you cannot tell me that it is a proportionate response to getting mouthy with a teacher who started the interaction

Starting point is 00:42:25 being a little aggressive, you cannot tell me two misdemeanor charges are appropriate for that situation. If you think that, there's something wrong with you. And I'm surprised you're even watching this program to begin with. Right. I think we all could concede

Starting point is 00:42:44 that perhaps she could have just left the room, but she was not given that chance by the police officers before he handcuffed her. As far as she understands, she's having a conversation, as she's probably had many times with a professor, as you should be allowed to have in an environment that's supposed to be safe and inclusive

Starting point is 00:43:05 for intelligent, bright, young Black people. She was valedictorian, and we want our HBCUs to recruit the best and the brightest. So the kind of conversation that she was having at that moment did not warrant being handcuffed. And I've been in a situation because I've had a conversation, I've been in conversation in front of a white police

Starting point is 00:43:29 officer where arbitrarily he decided that he was going to handcuff me and haul my black ass out. And I was in stiletto high heels, dressed up, got my boobs out. You know, I was looking good. I was in Vegas. And he decided, okay, I'm done with this black bitch.

Starting point is 00:43:46 She got to go. She got to get arrested. Now I acted a plump fool, and I didn't get arrested. But I was still handcuffed. My arms were sore the next day. I was like, why are my arms sore? What happened? Then I remember, okay, this cop was manhandling me. So I know how arbitrary these situations can be where a cop just decides in the middle of a conversation, I'm just going to fuck with this girl

Starting point is 00:44:04 because she's a black woman and I can't. So I just want that to be clear. This wasn't a situation where she was simply removed out of the classroom. Perhaps she should have just left the classroom, but she didn't. And just because you don't act in exact accordance with how you're expected to act does not give anybody license to escalate it and disproportionately respond to the point to where she, as a bright young student, is facing two misdemeanor charges. And then one other thing I will say is, not only did this teacher abuse the her power and weaponize the police, it's absurd for this school and this institution to say that the police weren't weaponizing the situation, but not only did she do that, not only did she injure this student, but she injured the classroom

Starting point is 00:44:49 because I've seen other footage and I'm telling you them students was dragging her ass for filth as they should. And in those videos, I will say this, and this is not a credit to her. She sounded like, okay, I didn't mean it to go that far. Okay, well, professor, if you didn't mean it to go that far, then you should be the first one demanding that charges against this young lady are dropped. And you should be the first one to apologize to that person. And if you're raising a mouthy black girl, an intelligent, bold black girl, I hope that you don't look at something like this and say, always back down. I hope that you tell them, stand your ground.

Starting point is 00:45:30 And I'm not saying you tell them to be disrespectful, but there is nothing that should have prevented her from continuing on with the conversation before it was escalated by the cops. On upon the watch of the teacher to the point to where she's facing two misdemeanor charges, that is ridiculous. That is abuse of power. That is weaponizing the police. And that is something that students, prospective students, are going to have to think about when considering that, or when they decide,

Starting point is 00:45:57 if people want to decide to re-enroll to the next year. This is egregious. It's disgusting. And I'm sick of people thinking that they can treat young Black women, and if this was a young black man I would say the exact same damn thing any old kind of way. And for this to happen in an HBCU... And that is...

Starting point is 00:46:13 And that is what I think what bothers me here, what bothers me here is a classroom discussion argument. And look, I know a lot of cops, and they get asked all the time,

Starting point is 00:46:32 have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops call this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1. Taser Incorporated.

Starting point is 00:47:07 I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1. Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes

Starting point is 00:47:24 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st, and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Ad-free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glod. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. We are back. In a big way.

Starting point is 00:47:42 In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice

Starting point is 00:47:53 to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars, Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding

Starting point is 00:48:02 of what this quote-unquote drug ban is. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Sh Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug man. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer

Starting point is 00:48:12 Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Karamush. What we're doing now isn't working and we need to change things. Stories matter

Starting point is 00:48:20 and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts.

Starting point is 00:48:47 Here's the deal. We got to set ourselves up. See, retirement is the long game. We got to make moves and make them early. Set up goals. Don't worry about a setback. Just save up and stack up to reach them. Let's put ourselves in the right position.

Starting point is 00:49:06 Pre-game to reach them. Let's put ourselves in the right position pregame to greater things. Start building your retirement plan at this is pre-retirement.org brought to you by AARP and the Ad Council. I've had my fair share of debates and back and forth with college professors. But that should not lead, that should not lead, that shouldn't lead to police charge. In fact, the DA should come out right now and say, we ain't pursuing this crap. Exactly. Thank you. Hey, Roland, can I add one other thing I think is really important?

Starting point is 00:49:43 And my colleagues, you know, the points I make is very important. Lastly, I think the point is really important in terms of, you know, as a Harvard study came out a few years ago to found black folks, when they come in contact with law enforcement are two to three times more likely to be killed. Like we've just talked about that. So just that interaction dramatically increased the likelihood that she could end up dead. And I think that's really important in terms of we and I talked about what it means to be black and free in America, and particularly at HBCU, that she put her life in danger dramatically by even calling the cops and that interaction. So that's a really important point

Starting point is 00:50:14 I think we all should keep in mind. Look, it is just, this is the crap that we have to deal with all the time. And here's the other piece. If you were a college professor, and again, I remember, again, I was at Texas A&M, and this professor really got upset because I disagreed with her opinion. I mean, she was yelling and screaming, and I literally said, oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were God. And I made it clear I am going to disagree with you.

Starting point is 00:50:55 These things happen. The job of the professor. And this is the key that the person who the who is the one who should be de-escalating is the professor. And second of all, what you don't do is demand someone apologize. What you say is, young lady. You and I can have this conversation after class. I have office hours, but I'm going to be moving forward with the rest conversation after class. I have office hours, but I'm going to be moving forward with the rest of the class. There's a way for you to do it. If you're going to tell a student

Starting point is 00:51:32 to redo an assignment, you don't do it in front of the other students. Absolutely. Because guess what? Don't show out. And can I just say, can I just add? I mean, I'm just saying. Edit it out of the video.

Starting point is 00:51:48 Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on. Hold on one second, one second, one second. After this point here. And if the student continues to be unruly, if the student is yelling and screaming, the professor should say, let me know when you're done and what you do you don't heighten tensions you sit there and let them show their ass and you sit there and say

Starting point is 00:52:19 are you now done and then you say either take your seat are you now done? And then you say, either take your seat, or you're more than welcome to leave today's class. Now, I'm going back to work. You don't, and here's the last point. If the professor was not the one who called the cops, when the cops show up, gentlemen, I have this under control.

Starting point is 00:52:45 I don't need your assistance on this. That is how you handle it. Recy, go ahead. And that will be the video that's also made available. Go ahead. And I just wanted to point out one more thing, too. The way that the exchange started was there was a fire alarm that was going off. And the young lady was on the way out because there was a fire alarm that was going off. And the young lady was on the way, you know, out because there was a fire alarm going off when the teacher started the confrontation.

Starting point is 00:53:11 So it wasn't like she was in the back of the room and they were yelling at each other or anything like that. I mean, it was because of the fire alarm going off that she was even having any kind of passing by the teacher or anything. So I know some people probably just think that she was just out there acting a plumb fool and starting stuff with the teacher, but that is not at all what happened. Again, this is a perfect example. We talk about when the cops don't deescalate. If you're dealing with young people, even college students, you're the grown up. You're the one who should be in control of the situation.

Starting point is 00:53:50 And what you do is recognize I'm not going to allow this thing just to continue and just go on and on and on. And when it's a Salem State, I've been to that campus. I've spoken on that particular campus, the university administration, they should be calling for these charges to be dismissed. This is not how you handle academic disagreements between a student and the professor. You do not bring in the criminal justice system. This is an academic situation. You handle

Starting point is 00:54:27 this internally. You do not go to the criminal justice system. I do not care. Going to a break. We come back more on Roland Martin Unfiltered right here on the Black Star Network. I am on screen and I am representing what a black man is to the entire world that's going to see this. And this might be the only black man, a representation of a black man that they see. Right. So I am responsible, right, for how they see black men. And it's my responsibility to, if I am not playing an upstanding, honorable, someone with a strong principle and moral core, to make sure that this character is so specific that it is him, not black men.

Starting point is 00:55:19 And I wish that more actors would realize how important their position is as an actor, as an actor of color, playing people of color on screen. Because there are people that see us all over the world in these different images that we portray, and not everyone knows black people to know that's not all.

Starting point is 00:56:01 This is Judge Matthews. What's going on everybody? It's your boy Mack Wilde. Hey, what's up y'all? It's your boy Jacob Lattimore and Hey, what's up, y'all? It's your boy, Jacob Lattimore, and you're now watching Roland Martin right now. Eee! Christopher Jones has been missing from Chicago since December 3rd, 2022. The 12-year-old is 5 feet 8 inches tall Police Department at 312-745-5020.

Starting point is 00:56:48 312-745-5020. Folks, Breonna Taylor's boyfriend has settled a state and federal lawsuit against the city of Louisville. Kenneth Walker will receive a $2 million settlement. Walker was with Breonna Taylor the night she was shot and killed by Louisville police. He fired a shot at police as they burst through Taylor's door in 2020 as police served a no-knock warrant resulting in the death of Breonna. The U.S. Justice Department charged three Louisville officers with a conspiracy to falsify the Taylor warrant. Officer Kelly Goodlett pleaded guilty and admitted to helping create a false link between Taylor and a wanted drug dealer. Former officers Joshua James and Kyle Meany are scheduled to go on trial in federal court next year.

Starting point is 00:57:37 You know what? This is this is the thing here, Larry, that we think about this story here. I mean, this guy could be dead. First of all, the fact that Kenneth survived this is rare when cops bust in and you fire a gun, you actually make it out alive. Yeah, it's a miracle. And obviously, you know, Breonna Taylor

Starting point is 00:57:58 was killed. But it's interesting, Roman, is how this one 360, remember, they charged him. So, you know, and this is, once again, we've had this conversation many times on your show about law enforcement. You can't always believe the initial narrative. You know, the first, you know, what you heard initially was, no, there was some kind of shootout and they were, you know, blaming the boyfriend. And here we are a couple of years later, he's getting his three million dollar settlement. But you're right. He's he's fortunate that he wasn't also killed.

Starting point is 00:58:26 It's also really important that, and we're seeing that these law enforcement officers are being held accountable. But once again, this is another story in which law enforcement killed someone who didn't have to die and has ruined the lives of an entire family, of multiple families, traumatized a number of black folks in that city, and also traumatized Black folks throughout the United States. And we talked about in terms of Black Lives Matter movement and fighting for justice for sisters like Breonna Taylor. But he is lucky, but we have to make sure we don't have any more Breonna Taylors. And we have to stop this violence when it comes to law enforcement in our community. And when it does happen, we have to continue to hold them accountable, send them to jail, to send a clear message. The last thing I want to point out is we have to also negotiate these contracts with law enforcement. We have to make sure we start taking people's

Starting point is 00:59:14 pensions because the citizens are the ones who are paying, have to pay off this $3 million. Taxpayers have to pay for this. And we have to start being more aggressive. And once again, we deal with these union contracts that make sure law enforcement are paying out of their pensions, et know, we're not going to really have justice. What the heck? Cut a check would be just fine. It's all good. But, you know, yes, it's two million dollars. But when you still talk about trauma, this man seeing his girlfriend gunned down, having to live with that, having to live with these officers lying on him, charging him. And now it's seeing how they falsified the arrest warrant. All that all of this could have been prevented.

Starting point is 01:00:16 All of it. If you had cops who were not hell bent on causing mayhem. Absolutely. I mean, this was a setup for what? Like, they lied in the affidavit, so why go after her? If you don't have anything but lies, why don't you leave people the fuck alone? There's a thing.

Starting point is 01:00:37 That's the actual thing that you could do. And unfortunately, you know, I mean, he has so much trauma involved in this, and if this didn't become an international story, he could be sent in jail right now for charges that were brought up against him because the cops, you know, they get away with this kind of stuff all the time. And so my heart really goes out to him. I mean, $2 million, I know it sounds like a lot of money, but it really is peanuts for the trauma that he's endured and for the way that his life was completely upended. And it's just, I mean, I want to stop seeing this happen to Black people, but every time you go out there and you harass and you torment and you just violate Black people, they absolutely should get some sort of settlement at a bare minimum. Indeed. And I just again, Erica, it is what we have to endure.

Starting point is 01:01:40 I mean, just with black people. I mean, I was watching a video today and some white woman calls the cops because she said a black man was staring at her. I mean, it's like literally. And these cops roll up and it's like four or five cops. And the brother's like, are you serious? Y'all respond like this because the white woman was being stared at? I mean, this is what happens. And then when you have all these cops that were involved in this, Breonna Taylor, nobody had the courage to say, this is wrong. What are we doing? No, it's the go along to get along, and it leads to black people being killed. Absolutely. But when you think you're the prototype, then everybody just has to get along. And it leads to black people being killed. Absolutely. But when you think you're the prototype that everybody just has to adjust around.

Starting point is 01:02:29 And so here we are with another group of stormtroopers in another city, another state that have snuffed out the life of another black person. And again, woven into our collective trauma pain, more of that. I think that in this particular case, especially when we're talking about money and things like that, I think that's why it's really important. And I'm glad we're mentioning trauma and different people. Recy talked about the students that were in the class at Wisdom State that witnessed that trauma with Layla, you know, thinking about the unseen things and what this actually does to our bodies. And so a $2 million settlement that is not without lawyer's fees, and then the unseen part of that. Then we're talking about not knowing if this man has now

Starting point is 01:03:21 had to face some issues that he didn't have to face before, medical issues, health issues. Black people, unfortunately, have high numbers when it comes to high blood pressure, when it comes to heart disease, when it comes to numbers of kind of like smoking, who leaves smoking. And a lot of this is brought on by anxiety, stress, and trauma. Another one of those conditions that is brought on is insomnia. So you're literally talking about a person not being in rhythm with their own body when their body is saying, we're tired and go to sleep. Well, how the hell am I going to go to sleep when the last time I was sleeping peacefully, cops stormed into my house and shot up my home and killed my girlfriend. That's a lot of medical

Starting point is 01:04:07 issues. That's a lot of unseen trauma to work through. And those are a lot of things that undoubtedly take years off of Black folks' lives. So you all are right that the money is not a lot of money when you actually have to cop the cost of what has happened, what he's experienced in this event, his family's experience. And then you multiply that by our experience as a Black collective since our time on the shores. It definitely, definitely. I know a lot of cops and they get asked all the time. Have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes.

Starting point is 01:04:47 But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission.

Starting point is 01:05:13 This is Absolute Season 1. Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,

Starting point is 01:05:32 or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Ad-free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glod. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. We are back.

Starting point is 01:05:52 In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug ban is.

Starting point is 01:06:17 Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Cor vet. MMA fighter Liz Karamush. What we're doing now isn't working, and we need to change things. Stories matter, and it brings a face to them.

Starting point is 01:06:32 It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. Here's the deal. We got to set ourselves up. See, retirement is the long game. We got to make moves and make them early.

Starting point is 01:07:07 Set up goals. Don't worry about a setback. Just save up and stack up to reach them. Let's put ourselves in the right position. Pre-game to greater things. Start building your retirement plan at thisispretirement.org. Brought to you by AARP and the Ad Council. He makes you pause. So for this case, I really do hope, again, just as I did with that young

Starting point is 01:07:35 black man, that this brother does have a really good team of people wrapped around him, especially around that mental health and wellness. Yeah, it's just, again, you know, we do so many of these stories. Look, right now we're still waiting to hear a decision on the grand jury if they're going to return an indictment in the case of Ronald Green in Louisiana. And so we're still waiting to hear that. Hopefully we get word before we sign off for today's show. But it's just so much that we have to endure when it comes to dealing with police. And that's why that Winston-Salem State story is so painful, because it's just too many

Starting point is 01:08:15 examples. We know what happens when cops show up. White folks can yell, holler, and scream at cops. It's all good. We end up dead. But not even just dead, but faced trumped up charges. Like that's like, you know how many black people face trumped up charges just by having interaction with the cops, resisting arrest and all kinds of stuff. Like that's also very damaging part of interacting with the police.

Starting point is 01:08:46 Yeah, absolutely. It's just so unfortunate. And again, all people who keep yelling, oh, how dare you talk about defund the police? It's time for them to get their act together. And I really hope that Kristen Clark Civil Rights Division is able to get guilty, please, get guilty verdicts from these cops for what they did because Breonna Taylor still should be with us. Attila Jefferson should still be with us.

Starting point is 01:09:16 But it was the actions of rogue cops that led to their death. And other cops could have stopped them, but they didn't. All right, folks, going to break. We'll be back with more on Roller Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. Download our app, Apple phone, Android phone, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV. Join our Bring the Funk fan club. Send your check and money orders to PO Box 57196, Washington, D.C., 20037-0196. Cash App, Dollar Sign, RM Unfiltered.

Starting point is 01:09:48 PayPal is RM Martin Unfiltered. Venmo is RM Unfiltered. Zelle is Roland at RolandSMartin.com. Roland at RolandMartinUnfiltered.com. And be sure to get a copy of my book, White Fear, How the Browning of America is Making White Folks Lose Their Minds. Available at all bookstores, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Target. You can also download a copy of the book on Audible.

Starting point is 01:10:11 We'll be right back. When you talk about blackness and what happens in black culture, you're about covering these things that matter to us, speaking to our issues and concerns. This is a genuine people-powered movement. There's a lot of stuff that we're not getting. You get it. You spread the word. We wish to plead our own cause to long have others spoken for us. We cannot tell our own story if we can't pay for it. This is about covering us. Invest in black-owned media. Your dollars matter. We don't have to keep asking them to cover our stuff. So please support us in what we do, folks. We want to hit 2,000 people. $50 this month. Waste $100,000. We're

Starting point is 01:10:58 behind $100,000. So we want to hit that. Your money makes this possible. Checks and money orders go to P.O. Box 57196, Washington, D.C., 20037-0196. The Cash app is Dollar Sign RM Unfiltered. PayPal is R. Martin Unfiltered. Venmo is RM Unfiltered. Zelle is Roland at RolandSMartin.com. Hi, this is Essence Atkins. Hey, I'm Deon Cole from Blackest. Hey, everybody, this is your man Fred Hammond,

Starting point is 01:11:27 and you're watching Roland Martin, my man, Unfiltered. Mark Curry's story where he was accosted in a hotel in Colorado Springs. Well, guess what? The guy who did it has been suspended until further notice. Wyndham Hotel and Resorts franchise employee in the 26-minute video, like I said, has been suspended. Curry was sitting there drinking coffee in the hotel lobby when an employee asked whether he was a guest. Curry and his attorney are demanding a zero-tolerance policy against racial profiling be instituted by the hotel chain uh mark and his

Starting point is 01:12:10 attorney will be coming on our show soon we're working on the day that best fits uh his schedule and this right here uh is a just just a perfect example again larry of being black brothers just sitting here in a restaurant, in a lobby, drinking coffee. White guy walk up to him. No badge, no nothing. Are you a guest here? And then demands to see I.D. and Mark is like, I ain't showing you a damn thing. Not a room key. Like, who the hell are you? This went on for 26 minutes. And it's just again, we do these, you know, we used to always do this segment called, you know, crazy-ass white people. Then you had some advertisers who complained. It's like, oh, my God.

Starting point is 01:12:52 It's like they have that crazy-ass white people segment. But these are crazy-ass white people. Black people can't just be people sitting in hotels or sitting in restaurants or walking down the street. And it's like, my goodness, we get accosted or they call a cop saying, oh my God, they're staring at us. Goes back to the point I made earlier about what does it mean to be black and free in America? It doesn't mean much. This is, you know, profiling by sitting in a hotel lobby, chilling, drinking coffee. It doesn't matter what black folks are doing. We could be watching birdwatching or, you know,

Starting point is 01:13:26 allegedly staring at people, standing in the mall. It doesn't matter. And this is a problem with being black in America. And I hope he sues. And I had a chance to watch the entire video this weekend. I hope he sues. And it looks like both the white man and the other gentleman have been, like you said, put on leave.

Starting point is 01:13:51 But the fact that he just walked up to him randomly and started asking for, was he staying there and asking all these other questions? First of all, black people don't get down like that. You don't walk up on some brother asking a bunch of questions. I know certainly you walked up on me like that. That would be a problem. But the fact that they stood there, obviously trying to intimidate him and ask him a series of questions, he didn't have to respond. I'm glad he was on live and he was able to record it. I'm glad that, you know, the company took the hotel chain, took the necessary steps. But I hope he sues him and gets every nickel, dime and penny he can possibly can. But once again, Roland, this is just another

Starting point is 01:14:19 situation in which black folks are just minding their business and someone comes up to them and start harassing them. And then you have white folks ask, well, why are you so worried about racism? Well, it's embedded in every aspect of our society, whether you're in a hotel or anywhere else. And people are sick and tired of being sick and tired, as family member once said.

Starting point is 01:14:40 You know what? I'm sorry, Recy. I don't want to hear suspended. I'm sorry, Reesey. I don't want to hear suspended. I'm sorry. If if you're if if you're a hotel, if you have a policy and first off, you should be wearing hotel attire and a name badge. So I know who's talking to me. And if you just randomly woke up to him, and if the security video shows that this guy didn't approach anybody else who's sitting in there, no, you shouldn't have a job. Right. I mean, what's suspended? That's it.

Starting point is 01:15:15 Like, you know, racial profiling should be an immediate termination. And harassing a guest should be termination, you know? So it's such a cop-out. I've seen people fired for leaving much more mild, for much more mild conduct on TikTok, so you can't tell me that y'all can't just get rid of this guy. I mean, he's not the CEO, he's not the president. He is a regular employee that just thought a Black man

Starting point is 01:15:38 sipping coffee in the lobby in the morning didn't belong, which is ridiculous. I mean, we should all be so lucky to hang with Mr. Cooper. So he really should have been asking for an autograph instead of accosting Mark Curry. It just keeps happening, Erica, over and over and over again. And this is

Starting point is 01:15:59 the reality of the crap that we have to deal with. And you said it earlier, when you talk about elevated blood pressure and stress and all of those different things, and then the amount of time it takes us to come down from that when all a brother was doing, and look, and I know Mark, okay?

Starting point is 01:16:17 Mark is Mr. Chill. Mr. Got some jeans on, some tennis shoes, and a polo, and just chilling, and that's and a polo and just chilling. And that's Mark not sitting here acting a fool. And it's like, damn, can we just sit and drink some damn coffee? Listen, and brother looked like he was tired. Leave black folks alone because we actually really don't bother anybody.

Starting point is 01:16:52 You know, one of the things that I thought about when I was watching this video is how fucking dare you, you dirty ass motherfucker. He walked up to this man. I was like, does he have teeth in his mouth? Who in the hell are you? He don't look like he washed his hands. I don't know if he been hunting. So the audacity, but then that is for people that actually buy into the religion known as whiteness. Let me tell you something, baby. If you think that your shit don't stink because you're white,

Starting point is 01:17:17 you have been disillusioned for a very, very, very, very long time because black people have not come out of our place and gave you what you give us. That doesn't mean that your shit doesn't stay. So I really applaud Mark while he was in his really chill sipping coffee space for really not sizing this guy up because who in the hell knows he does he belong there is he employed where's your w-2 show me your taxes i think if he would have given him back that same energy it definitely would have escalated the situation but black people have every reason to do that because we're constantly being bombarded whether somebody says something or whether they do something and so i really do hope that he not only sues them, but that guy is fired.

Starting point is 01:18:05 But hopefully he comes out with some stock shares as well because they absolutely owe him. This is bullshit. No, it is. But it is the stuff that we have to deal with, being black in the United States of America. All right, y'all. Go to break.

Starting point is 01:18:21 We come back, our Marketplace segment. We will talk to a father and son duo owning an athletic apparel company. We'll break it down next. Roland Martin unfiltered on the Black Star Network. We're all impacted by the culture, whether we know it or not. From politics to music and entertainment, it's a huge part of our lives. And we're going to talk about it every day right here on The Culture with me, Deborah Owens, America's Wealth Coach, inflation is on the rise. Interest rates are high. Can you still thrive during these uncertain times? On the next Get

Starting point is 01:19:17 Wealthy, you're going to meet a woman who's done just that, living proof of what you need to do to flourish during these uncertain times these are times where you take advantage of what's going on this is how people get rich or richer that's right here on get wealthy only on black star network hi i'm israel houghton with Israel and New Breed. What's up, what's up? I'm Dr. Ricky Dillard, the choir master. Hey, yo, peace world. What's going on?

Starting point is 01:19:50 It's the love king of R&B, Raheem Devon, and you're watching Roland Martin, y'all. A father and son, they're making history of launching the first ever black-owned athletic supply company. After years of supporting his son in sports, Aranda Booker noticed all the equipment his son's team was using for the four major companies and none were black owned. So he was like, yo, let's do this. So joining us now are both of them, Kendall, as well as Aranda. They started Book Dog Sports. They joined us from Atlanta. Glad to have y'all on the show. So, all right,

Starting point is 01:20:44 what kind of apparel are we talking about? Or what kind of athletic supply are we talking about? Yeah, supplies like basketballs, footballs, baseballs, soccer balls, some equipment and some merchandise as well, like just athletic gear that you can wear. So, y'all are, so you credit your own as opposed to what, selling Spalding or the other sort of kind of basketballs, things like that? Yes, yes, yes. We manufacture our own balls.

Starting point is 01:21:14 We go through the process of working with different manufacturers to find out what type of leather we want, how we want it to feel, what logo we want on it. And then we get the ball. We practice with it. We give it away to some basketball teams and some trainers to use they put it in that so then we get after say about six months or a year we sound the ball war how long it lasts uh what they think about it whether the people wouldn't think about it we do all of that before we actually come out with the product so the first product that we came out with is the actual basketball.

Starting point is 01:21:50 Wow. Wow. That's pretty cool there. It's pretty cool. So in terms of, you know, doing this, how your sales been and how you marketing as well? Well, we started off with just marketing on Facebook and on Instagram. We did a press release that was on Black Enterprise. The sales were pretty good. And we just go to the basketball games a lot, talk to the different coaches that we play with, with the ball. We just do a lot

Starting point is 01:22:20 of grassroots talking to different organizations, different teams as we as Kendall plays in the games and tournaments. Right now it's high school period, so we're sort of kind of talking to a lot of the high school coaches that play against the TIS team. Got it. So, Kendall, was it in terms of the role that you played in this? Were you the guinea pig with the equipment?

Starting point is 01:22:48 Was it all your dad's idea? Or do you say, you know what? Yeah, let's sit here and ratchet this thing up. Well, I most definitely was the guinea pig with the ball. I was shooting with it a lot, dribbling with it a lot. And in terms of it being my idea, it was mostly his. But when he mentioned the idea, I thought it was a really good idea, and I supported him 100%.

Starting point is 01:23:11 Questions from my panel. Larry, you're first. Yeah, so congratulations is a great concept on trying to build black wealth, you know, generational wealth, which we talk about a lot of times on this show. I want to talk about it. I'm a big sports fan, but I want to talk about this in terms of how much air is in the ball, in terms

Starting point is 01:23:30 of the guidelines. So you know, whether it's AAU or NBA, et cetera, I know that the ball has a certain pressure and all that. Can you explain how you met all those requirements in terms of where the ball is being used, like I said,

Starting point is 01:23:45 if it's AAU or some other entity, how that's going. As far as like the composition of the ball, when we were creating the ball, we would talk to manufacturers who manufacture balls, right? So we already know about the pressure, the weight, everything needs to be. We told them what guidelines we wanted to be in, so we used a guideline of NHFS, and we took those guidelines. The ball has to be a certain pantone color. The ball has to be a certain weight. The ball has a certain kind of core, so we had to make sure we met all of those. So once we got a ball that we felt like met those specifications, that's the ball that we went with.

Starting point is 01:24:21 As far as what is being used right now, it's being used in some high schools for practice ball because it's not certified just yet. It's also being used for some AAU teams and for some training facilities here in Atlanta that we have personal relationships with. They purchased the ball to support us as well. We have a purchase from the Syracuse PAL organization. Shout out to Syracuse Police Department. They purchased some balls as well. So it's just been, like I said, more grassroots in where we are right now with the AAU team. So we're trying to get it more so to everybody and in all the households. Black people, Chinese people, it doesn't really matter. Basketball is a quality product, but it's brought to you by our Black family.

Starting point is 01:25:07 I'll let you hear. Erica. Hi, yes, and congratulations to the both of you. So excited to hear about this venture. My son played, I wish I would have known about you all company, my son played sports throughout all of his years in school. My question for you is, I love what you said around Black people contribute so much to sports. It almost made sense to really develop this athletic company, this, excuse me, this sporting goods company. Can you talk a little bit about the responses? You said that you really go around kind of a grassroots effort talking to different organizations, people in schools. Can you talk to us a little bit about what the reaction and response is when you tell people about the product that you all have available?

Starting point is 01:25:53 Well, it really depends on how we introduce it to them, right? I like to give it to them so I can get their honest opinion, so I don't say that, you know, I manufacture this basketball so it won't be biased. Sometimes you give people the ball, like, what is this? What is that? You know, you get different things. But once you tell, even in basketball games, sometimes we have the referee or the other coach,

Starting point is 01:26:11 we don't want to play with that. What kind of ball is that? Then they touch it, it's not that bad. Then I say, well, we manufacture the ball, me and my son. And then they're normally okay with it. It's a done deal from that point. But they do have to touch it to make sure it feels like a quality basketball. Congratulations.

Starting point is 01:26:29 And outside of that, it's really been great. Sorry, guys, sorry. Go ahead. I'm sorry. No, go ahead, go ahead, go ahead. I would say other than that, you know, most of the response has been the ball feels good, the ball dri feels good, the ball dribbles good, it's a great ball for shooting.

Starting point is 01:26:50 They compare it to other balls, they really like the feel of the ball. So, you know, in most sports, especially basketball, when you have the ball in your hand, it has to feel good in your hand for shooting, for dribbling. If the ball makes your hands hurt, nobody wants to play with it. So we haven't had any issues with the way the ball actually feels and bounces. All right, Recy? Congratulations again, as everyone else has said. I'm curious to see, in terms of scaling up, what are your goals in terms of units moved and production times and things of that nature? Well, right now, we do some statistics that we looked up, and there's about $264 million worth of basketballs being sold. So I'm thinking, you know, from a scale perspective,

Starting point is 01:27:34 if we can reach 1%, that would be awesome. 1% of $200 million, that would be awesome. So we're looking more so if we get to half a percent within the first couple of years, but we also need to grow by introducing other pieces of equipment. So we're looking to sell basketballs, we're looking to sell training basketballs, we're looking to sell footballs within the first year. So we're figuring that if we can move a million units within the group of those two balls, then we'll be poised to move forward even faster in the future. Awesome.

Starting point is 01:28:11 All right, then. Where can people get more information regarding your athletic company? At www.bookdogsports.com. You can also follow us at TheRealBookDogSports on IG and BookDogSports on TikTok and BookDogSports on IG and BookDogSports on TikTok and BookDogSports on Facebook. All right, folks, I appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Good luck.

Starting point is 01:28:33 Thank you. Thank you. Okay, then, Erica, Reesey, Larry, I appreciate y'all joining us. Folks, sorry we're a little bit late. We were interviewing T.I. for one of the interviews for our season two of Rolling with Roland. Earlier today we had Lou Gossett. Tomorrow I'll be talking with Omar Dorsey, Queen Sugar. And so we've got different things happening.

Starting point is 01:28:55 Plus tomorrow I get the Celebration Bowl. That's going on. And we'll be live on Friday, excuse me, Saturday as well. So a lot of things happening here with Roland Martin unfiltered in the Black Star Network right here in Atlanta. Folks, that's it. Don't forget, if you want to support us in what we do, download the Black Star Network app, Apple phone, Android phone,

Starting point is 01:29:16 Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV. You can also, of course, support us, Bring the Fuck Fan Club, by joining Senior Check and Money Order, of course, support us. Bring the Fuck Fan Club by joining Senior Check and Money Order, PO Box 57196, Washington, D.C. 20037-0196, Cash App, Dollar Sign, RM Unfiltered, PayPal is rmartinunfiltered, Venmo is rmunfiltered, Zelle is rolandatrolandsmartin.com,

Starting point is 01:29:42 rolandatrolandmartinunfiltered.com, and, of course, get a copy of my book, White Fear, How the Browning of America is Making White Folks Lose Their Minds. Available at bookstores everywhere. Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target. Download your copy from Audible as well. That's it. I'm C.L. Mark from Atlanta.

Starting point is 01:30:01 You know how we end the show. Holla! Să ne vedem la următoarea mea rețetă. I know a lot of cops. They get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future I get right back there and it's bad. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Lott. Hazer Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Clayton English.

Starting point is 01:32:29 I'm Greg Glott. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. Last year, a lot of the problems of the drug war. This year, a lot of the biggest names in music and sports. This kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We met them at their homes. We met them at their recording studios. Stories matter, and it brings a face to it. It makes it real.

Starting point is 01:32:47 It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Here's the deal. We got to set ourselves up. See, retirement is the long game. We got to make moves and make them early. Set up goals.

Starting point is 01:33:09 Don't worry about a setback. Just save up and stack up to reach them. Let's put ourselves in the right position. Pre-game to greater things. Start building your retirement plan at thisispretirement.org. Brought to you by AARP and the Ad Council. This is an iHeart Podcast.

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