#RolandMartinUnfiltered - Biden voting rights speech; Haley says ban CRT; Ed Buck trial begins; BLM blamed for murder plot

Episode Date: July 14, 2021

7.13.21 ##RolandMartinUnfiltered: Biden delivers voting rights speech in Philly; Nikki Haley says ban Critical Race Theory funding; Ed Buck trial begins; NY cop punches woman in the throat; Man plots to kill his girlfriend and blame it on BLM; Former Houston cop faces criminal charges; The Marketplace: Kits Cubed is on a mission to introduce youth to science through hands-on learning and fun + NaJe', the creator of the viral hit, "Go Lay Down" joins us.Support #RolandMartinUnfiltered via the Cash App ☛ https://cash.app/$rmunfiltered or via PayPal ☛ https://www.paypal.me/rmartinunfiltered#RolandMartinUnfiltered is a news reporting platform covered under Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Să facem o pătrunjelă. Today is Tuesday, July 13th, 2021. Coming up on Roller Martin Unfiltered, President Joe Biden delivers a speech on voting rights in Philadelphia today. We'll show you what he had to say. A lot of voting rights activists are not impressed. They say, Joe, you got to do a hell of a lot more.

House Democrats requested that the Senate make the For the People Act exempt from the filibuster. Also, Texas Governor Greg Abbott says there will be consequences for Texas Democratic leaders who left the state to protect voting rights. We'll talk with two of them who left. In Oklahoma, teachers could face suspension from the State Department of Education for teaching critical race theory.

And former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley is calling on governors to ban funding for it. But we know what's really going on here. This is nothing more but the right wing trying to drive up white hysteria for the 2022 election. And guess who's funding it? Yep, rich, white, conservative donors. Drew's selection began today in the trial of California sexual predator Ed Buck. Plus, she'll be the young man who started a business to introduce young people to science

through hands-on learning and fun as part of our new Next Door Marketplace series. Plus, social media sensation Najee is here, along with others who are part of her viral Go Lay Down videos. It's time to bring the funk and roll the mark and filter. Let's go. He's got it. Whatever the mess, he's on it.

Whatever it is, he's got the scoop, the fact, the find 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 It's on for a royal

It's Uncle Roro, yo Yeah, yeah It's Roland Martin Yeah, yeah Rolling with Roland now Yeah, yeah He's broke, he's fresh, he's real the best You know he's Roland Martin now The battle over voting rights continues in the country. Of course, Texas Democrats left the state under the threat of arrest.

You also have, of course, President Joe Biden today giving his speech in Philadelphia. He was at the National Constitution Center where he blasted the Republicans for their efforts to undermine the right to vote. Here is some of his speech. In 2020, more people voted in America than ever, ever in the history of America, in the middle of a once-in-a-century pandemic. All told, more than 150 Americans of every age, of every race, of every background exercised their right to vote. They voted early. They voted absentee. They voted in person. They voted by mail. They voted by Dropbox. And then they got their families and friends to go

out and vote. Election officials, the entire electoral system, withstood unrelenting political attacks, physical threats, intimidation, and pressure. They did so with unyielding courage and faith in our democracy. With recount after recount after recount, court case after court case, the 2020 election was the most scrutinized election ever in American history. Challenge after challenge brought to local, state, and election officials, state legislature, state and federal courts, even to the United States Supreme Court not once but twice. More

than 80 judges, including those appointed by my predecessor, heard the arguments. In every case, neither cause nor evidence was found to undermine the national achievement of administering the historic election in the face of such extraordinary challenges. Audits, recounts were conducted in Arizona and Wisconsin. In Georgia, it was recounted three times. It's clear. For those who challenge the results and question the integrity of the election, no other election has ever been held under such scrutiny and such high standards.

The big lie is just that, a big lie. The 2020 election, if it's not hyperbole, suggests the most examined and the fullest expression of the will of the people in the history of this nation. This should be celebrated, an example of America at its best. But instead, we continue to see an example of human nature at its worst, something darker and more sinister. In America, if you lose, you accept the results. You follow the Constitution. You try again. You don't call facts fake and then try to bring down

the American experiment just because you're unhappy. That's not statesmanship. That's not statesmanship. That's selfishness. That's not democracy. It's the denial of the right to vote. It suppresses. it subjugates. The denial of full and free and fair elections is the most un-American thing that any of us can imagine.

The most undemocratic, the most unpatriotic, and sadly, not unprecedented. So what was the reaction from those fighting on the ground for voting rights? Well, this is what Latasha Brown, co-founder of Black Voters Matter, tweeted today. Are y'all seeing the tweet here? Let me know if y'all are seeing it. Let's see here. Not sure why you can't see it. Let me go ahead and show this here.

Trust me, they were not at all impressed with what they heard there from President Biden. Let me go ahead and see if I can show you all this here. I pulled the tweets of LaTosha, Cliff Albright, as well as Reverend Dr. William Barber. And let's see if it pops up now. There we go. All right. Give me one second, folks. Let's see here.

All right. There we go here. All right. Latasha Brown here. Go to it now. Good speech. So what's the strategy? Hashtag in the filibuster now. Cliff Albright.

Earlier he tweeted, this is before the speech, failing to address the filibuster now. Cliff Albright, earlier he tweeted, this is before the speech, failing to address the filibuster in his speech today would be an epic fail, period. Then he tweeted, epic fail. He then later said, it's like listening to a doctor describe in the starkest terms how dire your illness is, and then saying good luck with that

as he escorts you out the office. Remember Dr. William J. Barber, of course, co-convener of the Poor People's Campaign, said POTUS, go to Texas and meet with activists and moral leaders of all races, colors, and creed. Then go to Arizona and West Virginia and make the case for ending the filibuster to pass these three things, the For the People Act, expansion of the Voting Rights Act, and minimum wage of $15 an hour. Joining me now is Ben Dixon. He's host, Benjamin Dixon Show podcast, Teresa Lundy, principal founder, TML Communications, Mustafa Santiago Ali, PhD,

former senior advisor for the Environmental Justice EPA. Teresa, you're in Philadelphia, so I'll go ahead and start with you. Okay, President Biden goes to Philadelphia, gives a speech. What now? Teresa. Lord, child. How many times we got to go over this here? You know, I'm just paying attention to the video. But, you know, President Biden, you know, he did what other elected officials and politicians have done.

They, you know, they come here, they give the great speeches. We're all clapping. We're all looking for, you know, I think the takeaways. We're looking for that strategy. So we don't know what the strategy is, but we do know, you know, that that speech was meant to do one thing, and that was to educate that we have an issue and also to, I think, implore people to continuously do their efforts on the ground so something could happen. We're not entirely sure, based upon that speech, what actually could happen, but I think there is a strategy in place, and we'll just see it when it happens. What's the strategy? I mean, you say the strategy in place.

This is actually not that hard. The reality is Republicans are passing laws in the states. Democrats can pass the For the People Act and the John Lewis Act to Democratic senators. Kristen Sienema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia, say they were not in the filibuster. That's it. So what's the strategy? There's something in place. I think, you know, again... What? What's in place? Have you seen it? I haven't seen it. No, no one has seen the strategy, but I'm sure from the president's office there is a strategy. There isn't.

We're all looking for it. And I think that's what people were essentially looking for when he spoke at the Constitution Center about this issue. So I think, you know, again, Twitter is a part of, I think, even the engagement of conversation of asking President Biden, what is the strategy moving forward? But again, it's not, again, I'm used to these speeches. So we're all like, you know, again, where's the strategy moving forward? But again, it's not, again, I'm used to these speeches, so we're all like, you know, again, where's the strategy? Where do we go forward? But there really is an answer, is not an answer,

unless it's coming from the White House itself. Where is it, Ben? I haven't seen it, Ben. I don't think they have one. I think their strategy is actually the big lie. And you can notice in that clip that the biggest applause came when they said the big lie, when Joe Biden said the big lie. And I understand the nature of messaging. I think that is their strategy. This is the reason I'm pointing it out. I think their strategy is to name it the big lie. It is

the big lie. We get it. That's important. But that is not enough to push back against what these Republicans are doing across the country. And if the very best of these people who are ever doing this strategery, in the words of George W. Bush, whoever is putting this together, if you all don't have more than the ability to call it the big lie, then we've already lost this fight. Mustafa, we know it's the big lie. It's been the big lie since the night Donald Trump lost. And in fact, it's been the big lie since that Saturday, since Joe Biden was declared the winner. So we know it's a big lie.

But the big lie is causing Republicans to still pass the bills. You can call it the big lie. Republicans to still pass the bills. You can call it the big lie. They're still passing the bills. I mean, you can call it black folks and Latin folks and young people ain't going to get a chance to make sure that their vote is actually counted and utilized to make change happen. You can label anything you want to label it.

You know, the reality is you got 16 months, and then we're going to be voting in the midterms. So what you're going to do? It's real simple. I mean, a number of folks have shared with the president statesmanship is not something that the current Republican Party is interested in, whether on the federal level or the state level. So let's just be very clear about that. So if you understand that, then Reverend Barber and a number of others have shared with us what you got to do. So you got to make sure that you tell Sinema and that you tell Manchin that we are going to make sure

that when it comes to voting rights, that we are going to change the rules around the filibuster, and we expect you to get in line. and we expect you to get in line. And we expect you to get in line because if you don't, we're not going to have to worry about resources going to all those programs that you say that you care about and all the programs that we care about. So the reality is either we are going to honor and respect the vote

and make sure that all the folks who did all that work as we move toward the midterm, that it's going to pay off. Because if you don't, here's what's going to happen, Roland. If the folks who got put in the office for a particular reason, there was a set of agenda, if you are not going to make sure that that agenda can go forward by making sure that you're honoring the vote, then folks are not going to show up, you know, the way that they did before because they're going to stop believing in the process. So you have the opportunity to actually change that. So call it out.

I have no problem with, you know, these bipartisan and collaborative actions that people are interested in that, but they're just not. So you know what to do. So let me show y'all something, and this is why, for me, this speech was problematic. All right, go to my computer, please.

Okay. All right. Top right-hand corner. Y'all see that? It says begin with. So I'm going to do this here. I'm going to type in Senate. One reference.

It says, last month, Republicans opposed even debating, even considering for the People Act, One reference. It says, last month Republicans opposed even debating, even considering for the People Act. Senate Democrats stood united to protect our democracy and the sanctity of the vote. We must pass the For the People Act. It's a national imperative. That's the only reference, United States Senate. All right.

So let me try this here. Okay. Let me click this here. All right. Let me type this here. OK, let me click this here. All right, let me type in cinema. Nothing found. OK, so let me type in mansion. Nothing found.

OK, let me type in. Let me go back. Sorry about that. Let me type in. Let me go back, sorry about that. Let me type in, let's see here. Okay. Let me type in filibuster. Nothing found. Teresa, if you're going to give a speech on voting rights in Philadelphia,

and you make no mention of Christian cinema, on voting rights in Philadelphia. And you make no mention of Kyrsten Sinema. You make no mention of Joe Manchin. You make no mention of filibuster. What the hell are you doing? I think we're encouraging the big lie. I think we are still, you know, pandering to whatever democratic base that, you know, the president is doing.

But I think he also wants to be seen as bipartisan, so, or just neutral, really, in this stance. I mean, you know, people left there saying, you know, we went there saying President Biden is going to lay it out. But I also think people left saying, what next? So it's just unfortunate. I think this is a real opportunity. It happened. Go back to my computer, please.

Ben, I typed in Supreme Court, and I see a reference of Donald Trump and his folks going to Supreme Court three times. Then he mentioned the Supreme Court decision in 2013. And then just two weeks ago, their decision, again, talking about that whole deal, that Supreme Court. So let me put in here Arizona. OK, Arizona, one match. They mentioned him, the audits being conducted in Arizona. Now, the Supreme Court case actually came out of Arizona. So, again, I'm sorry, if you're going to stand up,

if you're going to stand up and give this big speech on voting rights, if you don't discuss the elephant in the room, and I'm not talking about Republican Party, you can't discuss this if you don't deal with the reality of the filibuster and the two people who are blocking it.

What in the hell does the White House, what do they want us to do? Because here's the deal. I've been to the rallies. I've been to the events. I've been to the events. We covered, we streamed right here, went live when the Poor People's Campaign, when they were in West Virginia. Black Voters Matter, Caravan, beginning on June 19th,

all the way to the nation's capital, from Mississippi all the way here, ended on June 26th. All those things have happened. I have seen actions. They were on the Supreme Court steps on Monday. These things have happened. I'm still trying to get the White House to understand what more do they want us to do as opposed to Biden. Do y'all have, Ben, have you seen any, any story saying Biden calls Sinema and Manchin to the White House for a meeting? Yeah. cross the finish line on voting rights, because there's absolutely no way they're going to be

able to allow 2022 to come around without this being rectified or else. That's game. That's the ballgame. Republicans are playing for keeps. And because I know Democrats know that I'm with Teresa on this, they better have a strategy. But I think part of that strategy is, is that they want us to be so happy with this manufactured fight that they have a squ. But I think part of that strategy is, is that they want us to be so happy with this manufactured fight that they have a squabbling over right now, when they know what they have to do, they know what they had to do for a very long time. And they have us going to the wire on the very fundamental right to vote. And then they want us to be satisfied and pay no attention to all the other things that they did not get accomplished between now and the midterms,

unless they do otherwise. That's the strategy I think the Democrats are employing. I mean, again, Mustafa, the people have done their part. We have discussed this issue over

and over and over and over again. Now, here's my deal. If you don't want to call out Manchin and Sinema, then just simply come out and say, hey y'all, they ain't changing they mind. They are not going to end the filibuster. That's it. They are not going to end the filibuster. That's it.

They are not going to do it. Say that. But don't give me this bullshit of we need y'all to do more. Like what? Like what? That's the problem I have. As if there's something more that we can do. I know what we're going to do.

We're going to register folks for 2022. We're going to beat the bushes to throw out every single Republican who stands with Donald Trump. But don't sit here and play me and act like it's on us when we already know the deal. There are two people who are standing in the way of ending the filibuster. Two. That's it. Nobody else. Cinema Mansion. Just come out and

say it. Yeah, come out and say it. And also just have real talk. You know, we all been around Washington too long. We know when somebody putting a veneer over top of stuff. If you tell me that you're going to fight for me, you know, when you're asking for my vote, then that's exactly what I expect you to do. And you got to be clear with folks. I often tell folks, I don't care if you're a Republican or an independent or a Democrat.

If you're not willing to stand up and do what's right for my community, then there's no way that you can get my vote. And that also means have those tough conversations with Senator Manchin and Senator Sinema that you will not receive the resources that are necessary for your next run. I don't know why folks can't be honest with folks. If you're not willing to stand in solidarity for these things which are basic rights, we're talking about basic rights. If you're not willing to do that,

then you don't deserve, you don't deserve our vote, and you don't deserve our dollars. Because we know what the outcome is going to be in 16 months if you don't get it together. So this is not difficult. The formula is very clear. It's not like that you got to know some advanced mathematics about what's going on.

It's one plus one equals making sure that voting rights is protected. If you're not going to do that, then you're not serious about the job that you hold. And again, here's the deal. Here's the deal. President Joe Biden cannot make

Sinema and Manchin do what he wants them to do. What I need, Ben, I need to actually hear Biden say, I am calling Manchin and Sinema to the White House. I had a meeting with them. I implored them to end the filibuster, to pass the For the People Act and the John Lewis Act.

And they told me no. Folks, I tried for two hours. They would not budge. Fine. Say that to me. It's the classic foil. Kirsten Sinema and Joe Manchin are set up there to be the bad people because they have enough years between now and their next

election. And I just can't come to any other conclusion. I try to give Democrats the benefit of the doubt. I try to extend them the offer of good faith. But they're not dumb people by long. They have too many degrees behind their names. They have too many dollars behind their names for them not to know this. And because I know they know this, I believe they are playing a game with us so that we

will celebrate when voting rights are protected. But I'm sorry, I thought we took care of that in 64-65. Well, first of all, anyone that was never protected in 65, because it was 25 years' sunset provision that was placed on it. But the thing here, Teresa, is what people are

saying. Just level with folks. Again, this is real simple. Okay? And we know what the deal is. You don't want to piss off Sinema and Manchin because you want their vote for your infrastructure bill and for other stuff as well. But hey, if you come out and say, look, I did everything I could.

These two ain't budging. We got to move on. I get it. I mean, I totally get it. If it's dead, say it's dead. But don't sit here and play this game here. But if you're going to do it, Teresa, if you're going to do it, you're going to go to Philadelphia, go there and tell the people in Philadelphia, fight the Republicans and the legislature in Pennsylvania. If you're going to do it, go to Texas and say, Democrats, you were five seats away in 2020 from regaining, taking over the Texas House.

I am here to help raise money for you to win back the Texas House in the next election in 2022. Go to Arizona. See, if you're going to do it, go ahead and say two Democratic senators in D.C. are not going to end the filibuster, so the only way we're going to move ahead

is if we take back some state houses and some state senates and win more Senate seats. Damn it, just say it. And then that's the game plan. That's the game plan I think you're looking for. And I think that's the game plan people are wanting. So when we have some of these individuals

that have been on the ground doing the work, you know, going to their local senator and asking them, Joe Manchin, and asking, you know, how can we move forward, having those discussions. We didn't have Black leaders. We didn't have every leader, you know, here under the sun trying to find a common ground. But I think the most important part you said, Roland, had to do with what is the Office of the Presidency saying, and are they having those meetings, and what is the results from there? So we haven't heard anything from there.

Pennsylvania, we have our own issues with the Republican Party, as it is. Obviously, they are in the majority right now in the Senate and in the House. So there is some very interesting elections coming up in the next two years that we have to prepare for. But you're right. Even, you know, as we have a Democratic president, there could have been some of that leadership and some of that, I think, reauthorization of authority in the Democratic Party that could have resonated a bit more. So I think there was a lot of missing elements, especially if we wanted to do a national, you know, unification type of speech. But again, we're missing the ball here because there is no strategy.

But again, I think that strategy always starts and stops with the office of the presidency. Well, let's go to our guest. Texas Democrats flew in from the state yesterday. They flew in to keep the Texas House from having a quorum. Well, Republicans are not happy at all. Texas Governor Greg Abbott says he is going to call a special session after special session until the election.

He doesn't care. He says he will also have all of these Democrats arrested as best that he can. Yeah, that's literally what he said, of course, on Fox News. Joining us right now are two of those Texas Democrats. They are here in Washington, D.C. You have State Representative Ron Reynolds, and also we have State Representative Jasmine Crockett, both of them with the Texas Legislative Black Caucus. Glad to have both of you here. So I was just talking about, again, the speech the President gave today. So I just want to get both of you your thoughts on that speech. Sure, talked about voting rights, but the reality is people want to see action.

Did you hear action? Did you hear a game plan? I'll start with you first, Representative Crockett. Daggone it, I was hoping you were going to start with... Ladies first. You know, it's hard for me to... First of all, I appreciate your guess that you just interviewed with. It's hard for me to take a hard stance that would involve me being too critical of an administration that I'm asking for help from.

Right. I just can't. I don't know what the conversations are behind the scenes. If I was wearing my layperson hat, I probably would say that I would have liked to have seen more, you know, and that's because what I'm dealing with is, you know, a governor that is akin to a tyrant. He's like, I'll do whatever because we're going to get these bills passed, right? Like he want to do whatever it takes to make sure that he suppresses votes. And so I would like a little bit of that vigor. Like, we're going to do whatever it takes. We're not going on break that we're supposed to be coming up on. Like, y'all are going to get something done because these legislators have left their families. They have risked, you know, being arrested. They can't even go back home right

now. Like, I would like to see that. But, you know, everybody has their own style. But it's hard for me because we are doing everything within our power. And I'm unaware of obviously everything the White House is doing. But I think I would have personally liked to see a little bit, a little bit more. Representative Reynolds, again, what people are looking for, they are looking for that plan of action. They're looking for, okay, what's next? I just walked through it. I walked through the entire speech here. I went through it.

I didn't see any mention of mansion, any mention of cinema, any mention of filibusters, heard none of that. And so we see what is ahead of us. We see, you know, what's going on. This is akin to somebody saying, we're going to repossess your car if you don't pay this. It's real simple. Either I come up with the money to pay for it, or my car getting repossessed. Okay. There's no third alternative out there that's going to magically appear. The bottom line is this. Two Democratic senators are stopping the ending of the filibuster. You can't get past that. It ain't happening. They already tried to vote on it. OK, you didn't get Republicans who sided with the Democrats. Simple as that. So the only option is to end the

filibuster to pass these two bills. That's it. And so the White House has agreed they're gonna meet with all of you. And first of all, has it already happened or is it a plan? But what's the plan nationally? And what are y'all telling Senate Democrats? Well, Fred, first of all, it's good to be back on your show, a great alpha man and a great Texan. I agree with my colleague, Representative Crockett. And today we did meet with the White House. We met with Vice President Kamala Harris just before we got on your show.

We had a great conversation with her, and I believe that she is a woman of action and a great part of our divine nine. I agree with you that we wanna see strong rhetoric and action from President Biden. I believe that he is leading. I believe that he's trying to manage that delicate balance to push, as those civil rights leaders met with him recently and pushed him and nudged him

to get to what he did today in Philadelphia. But we know that there's a delicate balance where he doesn't want to isolate or ostracize Manchin and Sinema because he doesn't want to risk pushing them to the other side. The Republicans are salivating to get them over to their side. But we know for a fact if we don't stand now and get passage of H.R. 1 and H.R. 4, then our democracy is at stake. And more than likely, we're going to lose the House and the Senate in the midterm. So Republicans are not playing fair. They don't want to do any bipartisan support. When we passed the pivotal Voting Rights Act of 1965, which made it possible for me and Representative Crockett and so many others whose shoulders we stand on to hold public office today because it ended Jim Crow laws. If we don't be

careful, they're going to take us back to those dark days. That's what the Republican leadership is trying to do. So damn with bipartisanship. It's time, as Majority Whip Clyburn said, to make an exception for the Voting Rights Act and get a filibuster, get the 50 senators and the vice president to break the tiebreaker and pass H.R. 1 and H.R. 4. I want to see the president come a little stronger. Maybe he's waiting to get them behind closed doors, but damn it, it is time to move this legislation forward. Representative Crockett, Jeff Bennett of NBC tweeted this.

Senator Joe Manchin says he will meet with the Texas Democrats, asked if he would support a carve-out in the filibuster just for voting rights legislation. Manchin wouldn't answer, saying only that he's anxious to meet with the legislators via NBC's Hill team. Listen, that's something. I mean, when you think about what happened the first time we got here, when we first came up, he was like, I'm not doing HR1. I'm not doing it. I mean, it was no, no, no, no, no. To the extent that, you know, he did an op-ed around where he stood on that. The fact that he didn't say no flat out gives me hope because he is, he has never been

shy about saying no on these issues. You know, I believe that we were able to move the needle last time because we were able to tell him and his team exactly how bad things were. But at that time, we had killed the bill. We didn't know if we would officially be called back in. We didn't know what a new bill would look like. Well, now we have a new live bill. In fact, we've got two new bills, a Senate bill and a House bill. They're not identical. And so, you know, now we can say, listen, we did all that work. We tried to work with them. We went back because he appreciates bipartisanship. We did everything that we could. But out of almost 500 people that testified on Saturday, only 80

something of those people testified in favor of that bill. The other 400 testified against that bill. Do you think that that mattered when it came down to the vote? It didn't matter. Not one iota. They did not care. And so seeing this and being able to say, listen, we tried it your way. And even when you look at the legislation that's being passed in these other states, I'm sure that those lawmakers tried it your way, but they are all being passed upon a partisan line. So it's time for him to show up for us, and I'm hoping that he's going to show up for us.

And I'm okay if the carve-out is just for this, but it's just that necessary right now. You talked about Governor Greg Abbott, who just continued to lie and lie and lie. Representative Reynolds, here's the governor lying today on Fox News. Last 30 days, and the governor calls him, and I will continue calling special session after special session, because overtime is going to continue until they step up to vote. But Laura, I have to point this out. The thesis that they are operating under is completely false because what the Texas law does doesn't hinder anybody's ability to vote. In fact,

interestingly, what Texas is seeking to do is to add additional hours to vote. Texas has 12 days of early voting and the hours of which will be expanded. And we will ensure that hours are expanded on election day also. So their entire thesis is completely wrong. And compare early voting in Texas with early voting that we have in Delaware. Texas has 12 days of early voting. Delaware has zero days of early voting. Why am I picking on Delaware? Because that is where the president himself voted in the last election. And if anybody wants to talk about voter suppression, they should be talking about Delaware, not Texas. We have special sessions that last 30 days.

And the governor calls him and I will continue. He doesn't want to talk about how they're severely curtailing drop boxes, how they're severely curtailing how you can vote. He was on Fox News on Chris Wallace on Sunday just acting a fool, saying, oh, that if you're doing drive-through voting in Harris County, you could have your employers in the car, and they could be sitting here making you vote the way they want you to vote,

and, you know, there's the sanctity of the ballot and all kind of nonsense like that. Roland, you know, to be quite honest with you, there was once a time that I had respect for Governor Abbott, but I have no respect for him. Maya Angelou said it best. When people show you who they are, believe them the first time. He showed me that he is praying at the Trump altar.

He is perpetuating the big lie with his own secretary of state that he picked, said that there was no election fraud. Absolutely none. So what he's doing is nothing more than on a political stage pandering to the far right, the same people that stormed our Capitol on January 6th, those same people. Those are the French people that he's catering to, not like Representative Crockett said, the overwhelming majority of Texans that said, this is not what we want to do. The same people who are going to be disenfranchised, who look like us, black and brown folks, those are the people that they don't care about. They don't care about Black Lives Matter. They care about the far right that's going to be voting in the

next Republican primary. Those same people that believe Donald Trump's big lie, even though they know it's not true. And so I'm going to speak truth to power, like Representative Crockett, and we're here in D.C. demanding, asking, pleading, begging, whatever it takes, getting down on a knee, asking Sinema and Manchin, because it does go down to those two.

We met with Senator Booker today, who's all on board with us. We know that the other Democrats are ready to roll and pass this legislation. So we're playing to them with everything that we have. Our country is at stake. And just like a pivotal moment in 1965, when Lyndon Baines Johnson of Texas signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965, history will remember those who were on the wrong side of this issue. And I urge and plead with those two U.S. senators to do the right thing for the sake of our democracy. Panel, got questions. Mustafa, your question for our two Texas reps. What is it that you would want from all of us out here to better be able to support you there in Texas

as you are trying to make real change happen? Yeah, you know, I think that you're doing exactly what we need. This issue has to stay on the forefront. All of you are involved in the media. You know what the cycle normally looks like. The news cycle goes like this. And so the fact that we're keeping this up is really starting to educate people because you've got to continue to say it over and over and over before people really start to get it. So number one, we need to make sure that we keep the pressure up and make sure that we're

keeping people informed. Number two, we really need the public to get involved. You know, it's not just us elected officials. There's only so many of us that are elected. We need the people to lobby and say, hey, this is what we need. At some point in time, we can move that needle if the people put enough pressure. So, you know, I want people making phone calls. I want people to establish protests. I want people sending emails. All those things that happen to us all the time, that honestly does make a difference. And we obviously need your support as well. Support your candidates that are actually doing right by you. Support your elected officials that are doing right by you. Because it's not easy.

We all made a sacrifice that none of us saw coming when we swore in for the 87th session. And so we need to know that you're behind us, that you're supporting us. Some of my colleagues are talking about some of the negative telephone calls that they're getting and how upsetting it is, the things that they say. Sometimes you never know what a good word could do to somebody on a bad day. I would just briefly add. Go ahead. I would just real briefly add that we need people just like Fannie Lou Hamer,

ordinary citizens, didn't have a title, that were just sick and tired of being sick and tired to make some good and necessary trouble, to make sure that you're voting, to make sure that you're using your social media platforms to keep this conversation going and to by any means necessary, stay woke. Don't let this be the next news cycle and then something else happen, another unarmed Black man

gets shot, and then you're on to the next. We need to stick to this until Congress does the right thing. So make sure you stay the course. We can't just start this, have a get excited, and then we go on to the next one. We need to stay on this until we get it fixed. Otherwise, they're going to continue to suppress votes all around the country. It may happen to Georgia one day, Arizona the next day, Texas, and then they're going to go for all the other states where Republicans are led. Eventually, they'll take over this country. So we need to continue to fight and do everything we can to speak truth to power. Mustafa, Teresa, Teresa, your question.

Thank you, representatives. I just had a question regarding the relationship between some of the actions that has already been brought to the White House. So has the Biden administration been helping in terms of communicating with the senators who are filibustering this bill? Like, has there been communication that you guys can share? I will say that we met about three weeks ago, three, four weeks ago with the Vice President Harris in the Rose Garden.

And again, we've met with Vice President Harris today. We have not had direct communication with President Biden, but we have met with his team and his surrogates. And I can tell you that they've been very helpful with messaging. We've met with the Vice President's communication team, Simone Sanders, who's phenomenal, and others who are helping us with messaging. They're helping us with resources. And so we believe that there is a good coordination

and they're doing what they can. We would like to see them do more, of course, but they are making good faith efforts. I believe that they've extended an olive branch in a hand and they're giving us additional tools to use from a meeting we had with Vice President Harris today that we're going to use going forward. So there is an ongoing assistance and dialogue. We're on the same page. In fact, Vice President Harris mentioned it in her speech yesterday when we broke quorum that she was supportive of us. Vice President, I mean, President Biden said it when it initially happened that he was supportive of it. So they're using their platform.

They have the bully pulpit. They can help shape the narrative. And they have given some great assistance. And I'm very grateful for the assistance that they've given. We want them to continue to help us. And we desperately need all the help that we can receive at this time. Ben, your question. Yeah, Representative Crockett, as you were speaking, it made me think of the domino effect

and the severity, actually, as both of you were speaking, the domino effect and the severity of them not acting and securing our right to vote. Could you just kind of play out very quickly what you've seen in Texas and how deadly serious Republicans are in Texas about seizing power by any means necessary? What happens if the Democrats don't protect our vote? Well, first of all, we're in a redistricting year. I'm sorry. They're trying to call me for an interview. We're in the middle of a redistricting year. And so what we're going to have is we're going to have these crazy lines that are going to be gerrymandered. We're going to lose seats in the U.S. Congress. We're probably going to lose

seats as well as in the statehouse. And we may lose potentially one Senate seat as well, even though we know that the majority of the growth has been in the urban areas, which tend to trend more democratically. And so what we're going to see is the power grab that they're after. We don't know when, if ever, we will get a hold of really getting back to having real representation that represents the people in the state of Texas. They are going way too far. Representative Reynolds, can you answer the question? Yeah, the only thing I would add is that we,

I don't want to be Debbie Downer, but the bottom line is there's going to be a lot of dark days ahead if we don't get this right. We're already dealing with ridiculous things like constitutional carry, which is permanent carry, which they pass. We're already dealing with them effectively ending a woman's right to choose. We're already dealing with a great pandemic that we didn't do anything to help people that, you know, we still need the nation in the number of uninsured with no Medicaid expansion, one of 12 states. We still don't have a livable wage. So there's so many issues. So it's going to get worse if we don't get this fixed,

because you're going to see more and more Republican recalcitrance. You're going to see more and more of fringe elements, this ridiculous notion of critical race theory. So there's going to be so much damage done to black and brown communities, underserved communities, marginalized communities, and I'm very concerned about

the future of the state of Texas if we don't get this right now. All right, then. Representative Ron Reynolds, Representative Jasmine Crockett, we certainly appreciate it. Thanks a bunch. And we'll keep staying on top of this issue. We appreciate it. All right, folks.

Got to go to a break when we come back. More on Roland Martin Unfiltered, including... Well, we'll just smack the Republicans around a little bit more so. The sister who created the whole go lay down craze, yeah, she's going to join us right here on Roland Martin Unfiltered. Can't wait to talk about that. And plus, other news of the day.

We'll be back in a moment. I believe that people our age have lost the ability to focus the discipline on the art of organizing. The challenges, there's so many of them and they're complex. And we need to be moving to address them. challenges, there's so many of them and they're complex and we need to be moving to address them.

But I'm able to say, watch out Tiffany, I know this road. That is so freaking dope. George Floyd's death hopefully put another nail in the coffin of racism. You talk about awakening America, it led to a historic summer of protest. I hope our younger generation don't ever forget that nonviolence is soul force, right? Hi everybody, this is Jonathan Nelson. Hi, this is Cheryl Lee Ralph,

and you are watching Roland Martin, Unfiltered. Well, Oklahoma teachers could face suspension from the State Department of Education for teaching critical race theory. The Oklahoma State Board of Education passed House Bill 1775, a bill banning teaching one's race or sex is inherently superior to another and that anyone by virtue of their race or sex is inherently racist, sexist or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously. The new legislation implements the suspension of any school employee that violates House Bill 1775.

Schools that fail to comply will be downgraded to accredited with deficiency status and be given one year to rectify the issues. Meanwhile, on an appearance on the Fox News, America reports, well, the former governor of South Carolina, Nikki Haley, she puts out a call to action for every governor of the United States to ban critical race theory curriculum funding in public schools because the white nationalists are doing what they do.

And they don't know anything about color. If she's white, you're telling her she's bad. If she's brown or black, you're telling her she'll never be enough and she'll always be a victim. That is harmful for the very well-being of our children. I mean, I remember getting teased on the playground when I was younger in rural South Carolina. And my mom would say, your job is to show them how you're similar, not how you're different. We don't need to go and do what's happening on college campuses now to our children in kindergarten. Every governor in the country needs to ban funding for critical race theory. Governors can decide this.

They decide which money they take from the Department of Education. Don't take this money. This will have effects that will go long-lasting into our kids. They don't need to be judged from the second they walk into school. They don't need to be told which label they are when they walk into the school. We need to treat kids as the opportunities they're going to be to fix America, not break them before they start. All right. Folks, let's be real clear here. hear it. Nikki Haley is full of crap. Full of crap. What I need y'all to understand, and I've been telling y'all, and see

y'all gotta understand the Republican strategy. They sit in a room and concoct bullshit. They then circulateated amongst their people. They then forced mainstream to talk about it, and then mainstream falls for the okey-doke to try to have a sensible conversation, but they ain't sensible.

You always got to say, wait, where is this coming from? Judge Judd Legum, a writer with the Popular Information Newsletter, they've uncovered who's actually funding critical race theory, which, you know, he's a hysteria. Now, he's going to join us tomorrow, but what he breaks out is that it's a hedge fund dude out of Florida who gave a significant amount of money to the Manhattan Institute. Why does that matter? Well, because Christopher Ruffo, the dude who started this whole thing,

guess where he's a fellow? The Manhattan Institute. And so what then happens is Fox News, conservative radio, conservative digital begin to pick it up, talk about it. Then Fox News begins to amplify it. And so earlier I was laughing because Joe Concha, who calls himself and he posted this clip that I just could not help but laugh about because he went on Fox News today and said, oh, that critical race theory is going to become a huge issue in the 2022 and the 2024 election. Let's just be real clear. Joe Concha is a right-wing hack. That's what he is.

And he's been trying to get him a gig at Fox News for the longest. And so he went on talking about this here. And I just got to show y'all again, listen to what he had to say. But I want to break down for y'all what poor little Joe didn't mention. All right, listen to this. Meanwhile, Joe, you warn in a new column that CRT could cost Democrats heavily at the polls. Here's what you wrote. From a political perspective, Democrats should be horrified.

It certainly will be a top issue for the foreseeable future. Critical race theory is coming to a school near you. The teacher unions are insisting on it. It also has the full backing of the Biden administration. The disconnect with parents is profoundly stunning and politically suicidal. So, Joe, when people say, well, it's not exactly a course in schools across America, what do you say? I say if the teachers union is getting millions of dollars into a war chest to make sure that this does get taught, then yeah, it absolutely will be part of the curriculum and a major part of it. And look, if this was college, Harris,

and it's an elective, something that a student chooses to take, then we're not talking about this right now. Fine. Go right ahead. But the fact that five, six, seven year olds are being taught critical race theory, they don't even understand it. They don't have a concept of it. I have a five and a seven-year-old. I know. And look at the polling. Recent Harvard-Capps-Harris, six in ten voters said children should not be taught that America is, quote, structurally racist, unquote. YouGov economists, same.

Recent poll, six in ten American voters have an unfavorable view of critical race theories. But the teachers' union, you know, they know better, just like they knew better in keeping schools closed and doing the irreparable damage that we just talked about to students in the process, according to the studies that we're seeing now. And now we're seeing, Harris, more than 50 school board recall efforts this year already. We're barely halfway through 2021. That's five times higher than other years. This will be a huge issue in 2022 and 2024. And Nikki Haley is right. And Governor Ron DeSantis in Florida, for example, he's already banned critical race theory from being taught in schools in the Sunshine State, Harris. Joe Concha, no one can cover that much territory

like you in just a few seconds. Great to have you on the program. Thanks for watching. Actually, a lot of us actually can cover three subjects in five minutes and 18 seconds, Harris. Ben, I want to start with you. You listen to the absolute bullshit from Joe Concha. And Harris, for some reason, doesn't want to actually provide any semblance of facts. Concha sat there and goes, oh, five and seven-year-olds are being taught. Where, Joe? Where? You're lying. Then we talked about, oh, these 50 recall efforts. Now, here's what's interesting. Joe Concha is a media slash political columnist for The Hill,

owned by a huge Donald Trump supporter, far right winger. What Joe Concha did not say, which you might want to say, Joe, if you're a so-called media reporter, is how the very network that pays you, Fox News, where you were having this discussion, they're the ones who've actually amplified critical race theory more than anybody else. The numbers don't lie. You can show over the last 90 days how Fox News has made more than 4,000 mentions of critical race theory. What this is about is stoking white fear. And this is what they do, Ben. This is how the right plays the game. And so, we talked about

it yesterday. Rich Lowry. Hey, let's use this as an opportunity to take over school boards. Control the curriculum. That's what the game here is. And so, we see exactly what's going on. And he knows it's BS. He knows it's a lie. He knows BS. He knows it's a lie.

He knows it. He knows it. But Joe wants to play the cute little game, and he doesn't want to deal with facts. He's lying. Hmm. I'm thinking back to the interview that we just had, that you just did with Representative Jasmine Crockett,

and she said that she would like to see some of that energy fighting for our rights that we see coming from Republicans. Similarly, we're dealing with a breed of politician that, quite frankly, is just sociopathic. These people are dangerous, and they will stop at nothing to get political power for their agenda. They do not care about democracy. They don't care about truth. Nikki Haley sat there with the straightest face, with the biggest, caringest, most look of concern and made it seem like critical race theory was the number one problem in this country and she knows she's full of shit. That's a problem. That was our former ambassador to the United Nations. They have too much power to be this level of sociopath. See, the reason I'm calling it what it is, Mustafa,

is because you have to fight fire with fire. Every time one of these Republicans starts going, your teeny-weeny grace theory, shut up, you're lying, you're an idiot. You're lying, you're an idiot. You're lying, you're an idiot. Yeah, but my daughter, when? Show me what was said. Show me what was taught. When?

It's not policy. No, they're liars. See, what they want is, they want these in-depth conversations. They want, that's why when Joanne Reed had Christopher Rufo on, that's what they wanted. It didn't matter she made Rufo look like a fool. They wanted to be able to say, we forced you to actually discuss it in depth on your show because it lends more credibility to them. My deal is not we ain't doing it. We're going to call this what it is, and that is white fear. And what they're doing is they know they need white people angry,

turning out in these local elections. That's all what this is about. And so when you just follow the money, this far right-wing hedge fund billionaire out of Florida has given millions of dollars to the Heritage Foundation and the Manhattan Institute and what they do is they put these people on television just like Heather McDonald

and other racist, every time there's a police story, and guess where she's a fellow? The Manhattan Institute. That's what it is. They use the money going to these right-wing think tanks, tax deductions as well,

to feed this BS, and Fox News gladly presents the lies as the so-called truth. It's all a part of strategy, and that's what we hope folks really understand, that there is a strategy about disinformation, about trying to plant these types of things in fertile ground, and that means that you've got to continue to water it all the time, and that's

why we have to rip it out, and that's why we have to call it for what it is. And when you don't do that, because, you know, they have the AM radio stations and they have Fox News and they have a number of these other new networks that continue to repeat the same lies over and over and over again, people start to believe, well, there must be some truth there because I continue to hear it on the radio and see it on TV. And that's why folks have to call it out. You also got to understand the rest of the game. So Nikki Haley, who is positioning herself for 2024, you know, for either the number one or number two position,

you watch how she evolves into, you know, some of these more negative types of things that they continue to push out. They do it the same thing that we saw with voter fraud. So when you say, well, show us where the voter fraud is, they never can do it. It's the same thing with CRT actually being taught to younger kids. And here's the last part. You know, CRT came into being in the mid-1970s. So you got 50 years and it never, people never grabbed hold of it the way that they have now because we're now in this political season where folks need to create these boogeymen or boogie women, whatever you want to call it, so that you can get people all riled up.

And they don't mind stoking the fires. They don't mind what comes out, these negative actions. We've seen these PTA meetings and these other meetings that are happening with high school officials and other, not too far away, in Loudoun County, where people was bugging out and acting crazy and talking about they didn't want their kids taught this kind of stuff, even though their kids was never taught it. So you just got to understand the game.

Well, but Teresa, it's understanding the game and knowing how to fight in the game. And that's the deal here. And so you've got to be willing to sit here and fight fire with fire. Again, you can't reason with stupid. You can't try to be, oh, let's have common sense. No. You've got to be able to say, that's a lie.

And you're lying right now. And you're still lying. That's what you have to do. You have no choice. You have to counter that. And what I'm trying to get people to understand is they are desperate, they are desperate, desperate for a red wave.

Understand what this is all about. They cannot fight Democrats on the economy. They cannot fight Democrats on the rollout of the COVID vaccine. They cannot fight Democrats when it came to the other bills. What they are doing is, we got to figure out, man, a cultural flashpoint. Yeah. Ooh, this critical race theory, yeah. That's what it is. And so we're going to just say it's being taught everywhere. It's all over the place.

It's critical race theory. It's left and right. It's in the trees, it's in the schoolhouses. It's being taught on the playgrounds. And the people on the left don't fall for the damn banana in the tailpipe. Don't give them what they want. You're absolutely right. For the last four years,

Donald Trump has been president, there has been a very concise message to implore the non-truth and the big lie that has been gearing across these networks that are supposed to be our trusted news networks. And so we have seen, you know, new developments and outpour of rhetoric that has been coming across that, you know, white people are just essentially, you know, the victim in all this. But when really history just kind of just lays it out what it is. Now, if it's being taught in our schools, and I think that's part of the portion of where Nikki Haley and the rest of the Republican Party and also the right has been really hinging on, is that, you know, it's basically not their fault that African-Americans and immigrants have been going through this

stuff, and it's just not their fault. But really, it is. And I think now that all these conversations in terms of reform and change is happening, I think it's really kind of, I think the direction of the Democrats is now trying to take that level eye and say, listen, you guys, we're trying to fix it, but we can't move past it because we still have some of these hurdles. We're still going backwards in some of these laws that we're saying we need you to pass. So if you're saying you're sorry and you want something better, then I think part of it is that you guys actually have to say, yes, you know, we're going to stop this filibuster. We are going to pass voting rights.

We're all going to make sure that, you know, there's health care for our kids. So there's so many things that can happen, but there is a deny of the process of admittance, really, from the Republicans that are saying we're not at fault. Again, what you don't do is you don't let people dictate the terms of the conversation. When these folks were in Loudoun County, Ben, the superintendent said it's not being taught here. No, but they kept going. And that's where you go, it's not being taught here. You're lying. You're lying. You're making it up. You're being fed BS by Fox News.

That's why you're here. See, now granted, folks don't want to go there. They don't want to upset their feelings. But we have to understand what exactly, what you have here. You have to understand if I'm dealing with somebody who I know is crazy, I'm not about to sit here and try to have a logical conversation. I'ma deal with crazy like I deal with crazy. And what we have to understand is, crazy is driving the Republican Party.

Crazy is listening to Donald Trump. Crazy is listening to Donald Trump. Crazy is who's supporting them. Crazy who's backing critical race, who's all this critical race theory nonsense. That's what's going on. And look, y'all, here's what's so crazy, Ben. I have spent more years of my professional career in black media than anywhere else. Ran three black newspapers,

founding editor of blackamericaweb.com. News editor of Savoy Magazine. Produced a major broadcast in cable network in the election special in 2000. Oh, 11 years at TV One. No, 11 years at Tom Joyner. 13 years at TV One. All black-owned.

News director of the black-owned radio station. Ben, do you know when I heard about critical race theory? I don't know. Three months ago. on radio station. Ben, do you know when I heard about critical race theory? I don't know. Three months ago. Out of all the black, y'all, y'all can't find nobody else in America who has done black radio, black television, black newspaper, black digital, all of them.

And all this time, critical race theory ain't never come up in not now conversation. So these white folks actually think that I'm going to fall for this okie doke, that oh my God, it's taking over the world. No, Ben, this is what's angering them. Everybody listen to me real clear. What's angering them were conscious white people who saw George Floyd murdered

and they said we can't be silent. That is what is causing the uproar. Yeah. I'm rolling. So it's such a malicious thing. Insidious is the word I'm looking for.

It's such an insidious technique that Republicans are employing here. They've created the specter of something for their people to be afraid of. But they've also created they have us defending is from a position of nobody's teaching critical race theory, which is true. I would rather do what you said, Roland. You said don't let them set the terms of the debate. Here's the other thing. Listen, even if they were teaching critical race theory, y'all children need to learn it, right? There's enough white supremacy in this country for us to be teaching critical race theory

every single day of the week and twice on the weekends. So not only are they not going to have me afraid of the specter of the boogeyman that they created of critical race theory, they're also not going to make me afraid of the fact that America needs to address white supremacy at the root. Yeah, but I just want us to understand you don't get sucked into somebody else's BS.

You see it for what it is and then say, nah, we're not playing that game. Nope, it's not going to happen. Sorry, not going to happen. So I see everybody understand, I ain't debating critical race theory. I'm not going to debate it. I'm not going to debate some foolishness

that is not being taught in elementary school, middle school, high school. Hell, it ain't being taught on the undergrad level in college. No, that's because by even having the debate, you're actually playing right into their hands. All right, let's go to New York, folks, where a New York police officer is on administrative leave

after punching a black woman in the throat. In this video, Officer Rory Spain is dragging and then punching Tyrena Edmonds in the throat while trying to detain her. Officers were called to Walmart for reports of a fight between five to six people. Once they arrive on the scene, employees allege they were pepper sprayed and threatened by Edmonds and her sister. Yeah, watch this. Watch this. Yo, that's fucked up. Now, she is charged with second-degree attempted assault of a police officer,

fourth-degree criminal mischief, second-degree harassment, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, and obstruction of governmental administration. Yeah. And then, of course, he was not too particularly happy that the cameras were rolling on him. Teresa, that's why I keep telling everybody, always have your camera. You got to do me a favor. Again, shoot this way so we can have full screen,

not this way. So shoot horizontal, not vertical. Horizontal, not vertical. Teresa. Yeah, it this way. So shoot horizontal, not vertical. Horizontal, not vertical. Teresa? Yeah, it's horrible. Again, you know, we're being treated like animals, thrown down like we don't pay any taxes, thrown down

like we are inhuman. For the officer just to be on leave again, this is again, it's... It's disgusting, you know? I mean, like, they would not do this if this was a Walmart inside of the suburban area. Like, they are throwing these young women around like they are animals.

And again, it's just, it's so disgusting because, again, people wonder why activists and groups and Black, brown, white people are calling to defund the police and other areas of law enforcement because apparently training is not at the forefront of every decision. Like, this is, it's horrible. It really is. It's like, how many discussions do we have to have? And again, if the tape wasn't rolling, what would be the, what would happen? What would happen?

Would we even see this? You know, or would the eyewitness testimony even be in the report? Yep. I mean, that's really, that's why, look, you got to have cameras rolling at all times when these things happen. And yeah, you can't convince me. The cop, oh yeah, let's see the cop punch a white woman in the throat in Walmart. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, this is Rory Spann.

This is the officer right here on administrative leave. That's his mugshot, Mustafa. Yeah, I'm always baffled by these police officers and the training that they, it doesn't take a lot to be able to restrain somebody after you have them handcuffed with their, you know, with their hands behind their back. You know, I studied martial arts since I was, been six years old. And if you have proper training, you can make sure that you're restraining someone without

actually hurting them. So you know, it just goes to their first reaction in many instances is violence, right? And even with our women, they continue to do these types of actions that are unacceptable in every other community. All right. Absolutely. Ben, your comment. It was just too much to look at. And, Sister Teresa, I felt you as you were having to watch it again, just the way they disrespect our humanity, particularly the humanity of black women. There's no way that they would ever do that to a white woman, ever.

Folks, in Texas, a former Houston police officer faces criminal charges accused of telling his colleagues to shoot an unarmed black man fleeing a traffic stop. Lucas Vieira was indicted by a Harris County grand jury in connection with the 2019 arrest of 34-year-old Andre Howard. Officers pulled Howard over for expired car registration, and during the arrest, Howard was handcuffed and searched before he began to run. In the police body cam video, you can hear Vieira yelling, just fucking shoot his ass,

before the officer allegedly began to beat Howard over the head with a pair of handcuffs. Listen. Just fucking shoot his ass! Shoot his ass! Bop! Bop! Bop! Bop! Motherfucker. Motherfucker. Motherfucker. All right, bro. You got it.

You got it, bro. You got it. You got it, bro. Vera's indictment comes three months after Howard filed an excessive force lawsuit against the officers. Howard sued alleged as the other officers watched Vieira degrade and abuse him and did not intervene. Indefinitely suspended in April, Vieira is facing a felony charge of aggravated assault by a public servant. Indefinitely suspended. Not fired, but indefinitely suspended. Day one of the trial of alleged predator Ed Buck began with a jury selection process.

Buck is accused of luring and giving fatal doses of narcotics to two black men who died in his West Hollywood apartment in 2017 and 2019. The potential jurors faced a day of questioning. Here are a few of the proposed inquiries filed in Los Angeles federal court. The defense and the prosecution may ask, have you had a close friend or relative die of a drug overdose?

Do you have any strongly held personal beliefs or opinions regarding prostitution? Do you believe that any adult who wants to pay for sexual activity with another adult should be able to do so? Do you hold any strong personal beliefs or opinions regarding homelessness? Do you hold any strong personal beliefs about individuals who may have broken the law and are cooperating with law enforcement by testifying? Once a jury is seated, the trial is expected to last 10 days. Buck is facing charges of running a drug den, persuading others to travel for prostitution, and providing fatal doses of methamphetamines to two black men, Jamel Moore and Timothy Dean. The 66-year-old wealthy

Democratic donor is facing life in prison if he is convicted. Let's go to Florida where there's a crazy story. A man who was planning to hire an assassin to kill his ex-girlfriend and some of her family members wanted to pin the crime on Black Lives Matter protesters. He's now pled guilty for murder for hire. 51-year-old Daniel Slater blamed his ex-girlfriend's family for sabotaging their relationship, so he hired a hitman to kill them. As Black Lives Matter protests swept the country last year,

Slater thought it would be a good idea to have the hitman spray-paint Black Lives Matter at the scene of the crime to throw police off. Slater thought he had found the right person to carry out the job, but the associate he hired turned out to be an undercover FBI agent. Slater could serve up to 10 years in prison. Lord, I mean, do we just blame Black Lives Matter for everything, man? Everything. Everything. I don't know. I don't have anything to add, Roland.

I mean, at this point, is Black Lives Matter responsible for killing the Haitian president? I mean, this is how these folks are operating, Mustafa. Just, I mean, it's crazy. I mean, we got a long history of folks blaming black folks when they do wrong. You know, it's amazing. You go back to Emmett Till, way before Emmett Till, you know, to the Central Park Five. You'd be a black birder in Central Park and white folks would make something up. So this is this is, you know, this is a reoccurring theme because we are always the fall guy.

Because then people say, hmm, well, maybe, you know, even if it's completely ridiculous. So, you know, that's why, you know, we got to always make sure there's real strong analysis when folks are accusing folks of certain things. And then sometimes it's just such foolery that you just got to shake your head, but you got to stay engaged because we got way too many folks inside of prisons and jails for crimes that they didn't do. And this is just a part of that narrative. It's unbelievable what you have. Of course, we got a long history, Teresa, of white folks pinning their stuff on black folks. You had, of course, Stuart in Boston.

You had, remember the crazy white woman who drowned the kids in South Carolina and said it was a black man trying to carjack her? I mean, again, that's what happens. All right, blame the black person. Yeah, because, you know, we were, again, if we want to kind of compare it to critical race theory, we're seen as the one who's defenseless and poor and you know, feel like that we don't have any defense. And our defense is a rookie out of law school. So, yes, it is easy to of those who are wrongfully incarcerated,

and they're coming out daily because of the false accusal that has led them into prison. Now these people are coming back, getting their just due. And it's on the behest of taxpayers. So taxpayers are not only paying to keep them in, they're also paying upon their release. And I do believe it is the fault of individuals who choose not to follow the law and hold themselves accountable. And I surely hope he has to meet the Black Lives Matter chapter in prison.

All right, y'all. Yesterday, we told you about these fraudulent cash app accounts. Folks, if you have them right here, you have, of course, these are fake accounts. These people have been stealing money from our fan base. I've had several people who have tweeted me today who actually gave to one of these accounts. So our actual cash app, folks, is dollar sign RM unfiltered. So what they did is they put our Cash App in their name,

but the actual, but when you give, it's really the one that's on the bottom. So dollar sign RMUNF, fake. RMUNFI, fake. RMUNFIL, fake. RMUNFILTERE, fake. Now I have been emailing corresponding with Cash App, with Square. They have not moved expeditiously.

These accounts are, as we speak, I'm going to check right now, they are still active. And I don't understand what the hell the problem is, why they can't shut them down. A lot of people have been reaching out to me complaining about it. And, in fact, they're using, and, in fact, again, three of these are using our actual logo. And so that's what is going on here for some reason. I don't know why they haven't moved in them at all. And so until further notice, we're not promoting Cash App. We're not using it.

We're not promoting Cash App. We're not using it. We're not giving that out. If y'all want to support us here at Roland Martin Unfiltered, you can safely contribute to us on Zelle. Use Roland at RolandSMartin.com or Roland at RolandMartinUnfiltered.com. You have Venmo, which is RM Unfiltered, but you also have PayPal, which is RMartinUnfiltered. Again, PayPal, RMartin Unfiltered. Again, PayPal, RMartin Unfiltered. Venmo is RM Unfiltered.

Zelle, there are two emails you can use. Roland at RolandMartin Unfiltered.com. Roland at RolandSMartin.com. If y'all want to support what we do here on the show, please contribute in that way. Alright, y'all want to support what we do here on the show, please contribute in that way. All right, y'all, coming up next, our Marketplace by Nextdoor. We'll talk with a black entrepreneur about his business and how Nextdoor is expanding the opportunities. That is next right here on Roland Martin Unfiltered. White supremacy ain't just about hurting black folk.

Right. You've got to deal with it. It's injustice. It's wrong. I do feel like in this generation, we've got to do more around being intentional and resolving conflict. You and I have always agreed. Yeah.

But we agree on the big piece. Yeah. Our conflict is not about destruction. Conflict's going to happen. Before Till's murder, we saw struggle for civil rights as something grown-ups did. I feel that the generations before us have offered a lot of instruction.

Organizing is really one of the only things that gives me the sanity and makes me feel purposeful. When Emmett Till was murdered, that's what attracted our attention. Hi, I'm Kim Burrell. Hi, I'm Kim Burrell. Hi, I'm Carl Painting. Hey, everybody, this is Sherri Shepherd. You're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. All right, folks. Kids Cubed is on a mission to introduce youth to science through hands-on learning and fun. In communities of color, kids seldom have access

to resources required for science experiments and educational tools such as the internet or computer access. Ahmed Mohammed, creator of Kits Cubed, wants to make science both fun and affordable. He is one of the business owners who is on the app Nextdoor, and he joins us right now in our Marketplace segment, sponsored by Nextdoor. Their purpose is to cultivate a kinder world where neighbors can rely on one another,

where all feel welcome. All right then, Ahmed, so first of all, when did you start this business? What's up, Mr. Martin? I started Kids Cubed April of 2020. That's when I was babysitting my younger niece and nephew when they told me that they hated science. So when they told me that, I went to my room and I designed experiments for us to do with stuff we could find around the house. We made a potato battery, a sundial. We did experiments with leaves from the trees in the backyard. And they loved the experiments. And the joy that they felt is that I wanted to share with other children like them, other children in my community. And that's how Kids Cube got started. So obviously we were in the middle of the pandemic

and so you had lots of time at home and they had lots of free time as well. Yes, that's very true. Going online, the schools and teachers were still shuffling, trying to figure things out. So that left a lot of free time to explore other avenues, other interests. And for me, that was starting a company. And so how do you then begin to assemble the kits? I mean, are they all prefabricated? You do them individually. Then how did you then begin to build the business? So for me at first, it was just like buying. So I designed the experiments and I buy all the materials from like suppliers. And then I would actually put them together myself, like in my room. Like I would just tear up my room or downstairs.

I would have my mom or my sister help me in the house. It's just a mess. But we would just put together these experiments. And in each experiment, I mean, each kit has three experiments and has all the materials that students need to actually conduct the experiments. And it has instruction manuals that we design also. And I was just, I went on Nextdoor, actually. Nextdoor was the first platform that I used to get the word out there. I would just go in my neighborhood and sell these kits.

And as I sold more, I was able to purchase more materials to make more kits and give them out to other children. And I would just keep building on top of that. And I was able to hire more materials to make more kits and give them out to other children. And I would just keep building on top of that. And I was able to hire more and more people, which has been a steady growth. So are you giving the kits away or are you selling the kits? A little bit of both. So the idea behind Kits Cubed is that the students and families who can afford to buy the science kits do buy the science kits and then the money that we generate from that and from donations and from grants since we're a non-profit that goes towards bringing science kits to schools and students who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford them so um so so it's april 2020 uh so now we're talking about 15 months or so. And so how many kits have you sold and what do they cost?

So each kit costs $15 on our website. I think one of them, like our newest one, the model lung is only $10. But for the most part, they're all $15 with three experiments in them, hence the name Kits Cubed. And we've been able to, we've been sold thousands of these, thousands of these, thousands of these on the website and we've been sold thousands of these, thousands of these, thousands of these on the website. And we've distributed tens of thousands across the country. Really?

Yes. So you talk about your house being a mess. So how are y'all doing it now? I mean, obviously you probably had to move production out of the house. Otherwise your folks were going to go crazy. Oh, my mom's already going crazy with it. But we have a warehouse, like a little office space. Because since we're a nonprofit, we're actually fiscally sponsored by a larger nonprofit called Seneca Family of Agencies. And they put us up with an office space and a warehouse,

which we're carrying out all of our operations as of right now. And so in addition to the kits, you also have merchandise as well. Oh, yeah. Wearing one right now. And so in addition to the kits, you also have merchandise as well. Oh, yeah. Wearing one right now. All right. Got you. Got your T-shirts there. And so how have you used the app Nextdoor to build your business? I joined Nextdoor a few months ago. And really, for folks, it's a social media app which allows for you to actually connect with your neighbors, folks who literally are all around you. And so how have you used the app to actually build out your business? Right. So when I first came up with the idea of Kids Cubed and wanted people to know about it,

Nextdoor was the first platform I went to to share that idea because I felt like the people who I could most easily get to were my neighbors and I'd never actually really connected with my neighbors like that before. So I went to Nextdoor and I put out the whole idea of Kids Cubed, I linked their website, what I was trying to do, and I just blasted it to like all the neighborhoods in Oakland, California,

and people would just started reaching out that way. They reached out through Nextdoor, through email or by phone. And it was just a really great platform to connect me with other people who I wouldn't otherwise not known or talked to. So you were, so again, so starting the business as opposed to you trying to figure it out, you said, hey, let me connect with where I am. And so when you started that, when you started letting the neighbors know around you, how did it spread?

How did it spread beyond that? Well, then, you know, I posted on Nextdoor and then so different neighborhoods, different communities are talking about it. And then it spread a lot like they're reposting it on Nextdoor or then so different neighborhoods, different communities are talking about it. And then it spread a lot. Like they're reposting it on Nextdoor or it's a lot of word. People just saying it to their families or to their other friends, a lot of word to mouth information spread. So I guess that, that was a lot of it.

And then also like with Nextdoor, Nextdoor helped spread the word initially. And then we were able to get media people on it. So, like, KidsQ was then in the news. Like, we've been across different news stations, both locally and nationally. And I'd say it all started with Nextdoor. That was the first platform.

And see, that's the thing. I'm always trying to explain to people you have to take advantage of your existing networks. Whether you're talking about organizations, whether you're talking about your church groups or whatever. And a lot of people make this, I think, they go, well, you know, I don't know anybody. When the reality is if you use social media in a smart way, it allows for you to be able to build it. And for you, by starting with your neighbors, by connecting them through Nextdoor, you could actually talk to them. You can correspond with them. You can actually hand deliver these kits, if you will. And then as it begins to

build and expand, essentially word of mouth allows you to actually to get bigger. Yep. And, you know, I wanted Kids Cube to be a really community-based organization. So what better place than to start in my neighborhood? And that next door was perfect for that. Questions from our panelists. Teresa, I'll start with you. Hi. Well, one, congratulations. I think you are opening the door to many who are looking up to your product. What advice do you have for to all others who want to go to Stanford? Oh, you know, a lot of people have asked me for like advice, but it's sort of I haven't found out like the best way to put it really what to say.

But I would say my advice, if you're trying to go to Stanford, like how I am in the fall, or if you're trying to start your own company, I would say really just what's required of you is just putting in the work each and every single day and drawing in on your community and on your talents and trying to learn from as many places and people as possible. I think what allowed me to accomplish some of the things that I've been able to accomplish so far is really just learning from all of the people around me. So if I have any one piece of advice, I would say to be a sponge and to absorb as much as you can and then apply it as well all right mustafa yeah brother muhammad congratulations you know i can imagine the thousands of kids who are going to stem because of what you're doing my question for you would be over the next you know year or two years where do you see um your business going oh that's a good question. You know, we definitely have some plans for it, but I would say our most like immediate next step is we have a project

where we're going to be delivering, we're going to be donating 10,000 science kits to students in Oakland. So that's going to take some time. That's going to definitely be like a lot of our next focus. And we're just going to keep looking for ways to expand one of the ways to expand is by increasing the types of kits that we have out there so that way students are able to learn about all aspects of science more than just the four kits that we have right now uh another way is to increase to impact students through with science but through ways that aren't just science kits because yeah the science kits are fun they're cool but there's other ways you can tap into students. Like we just finished running a summer camp at the West Oakland Youth Center. It was about 60

kids. It was a week-long summer camp. And the kids love that in-person experience with a teacher and demos that they wouldn't get to try at home. So also expanding that into after-school programs or more summer programs in the next year or two and just keep building our team and keep putting science into as many students as we possibly can. Ben, your question for Entrepreneur Muhammad. Congratulations, first of all, young brother.

It's amazing what you've accomplished um and we should celebrate you for that i i'm curious when you came up with the idea where did you go to get the ideas and the schematics and and and just the entire framework for what you built and then tell us how we could support what you're doing. Okay. So it was definitely, I went a lot online and researched a lot because there's just so many resources out there. Talk to my parents. My parents are involved with business. Talk to different teachers who could give me advice

on the actual educational side of the kits. Talk to different wholesale suppliers who actually supply educational materials for other similar organizations. So I would say it goes back to what I was saying earlier with my advice on just trying to absorb from as many places as possible. So I couldn't really point out one single place. It was just a lot, a lot of mentors and a lot of teachers around me who were able to support me and this idea and this project. And I would say to support Kids Cubed, obviously one of the best ways to support us is by sharing our website, sharing our organization, www.kidscubed.com, K-I-T-S-C-U-B-E-D.com. And we're a nonprofit.

We accept donations, tax-deductible donations. So every single dollar that comes through Kitscubed is going towards providing a science kit for a student who can't afford it. So I would say those are some ways you can support us. And just following our journey, following us on Instagram, at Kitsc Cubed, just being there for us. You talked about thousands of videos, excuse me, thousands of kids you sold. So five years from now, where do you see Kids Cubed? Five years from now, I see kids. We're based in Oakland right now, but I see it spread all across the country. We've sent kids across the country, but I want us to have a chapter in every state.

And we're really, really bringing science kids to all the communities that need them. And then expanding past just the United States, globally too. Like I said, we don't want to stop until every single child has had the opportunity to explore science, because we're lacking science resources. So in five years, I just want to see... just want to see millions of kids with our science kits.

And I didn't ask this. You started, again, in the house. But how many people do you have working with you on this? How many people now working with the nonprofit? I want to say I have 15 employees officially on payroll, and then many, many more volunteers. I'd say upwards of 30 or 40 volunteers. So it's a lot.

Like I said, it's a lot of people backing this mission to bring science kits to the community. And it's also it's important to note this is all youth led. So everybody on my team is an Oakland teenager or a Bay Area teenager who either just graduated like I did, like they might be first or second year college, or they're still in high school. So it's really our mission is to introduce youth to the wonders of science through fun, affordable, and accessible means. And we also want to do that from a youth lens. All right then. Ahmed Muhammad, we surely appreciate it. Thank you so very much. Again, folks, you can go to his website. It is kitscubed, K-I-T-S-C-U-B-E-D dot com.

And we certainly appreciate it. Thanks a lot. For sure. Thank you for having me. All right, then. And folks, if you want more about the app next door, check this out. One of the most stressful days of my life was when this one got out.

I chased after her as best I could, kind of fell over and broke my wheelchair. I was able to get back home and make a post. Within about five or so minutes, I had three or four different people come into the rescue. One woman stopped traffic, just drove her right back to the house for me. It was a very emotional day. Over a period of 10 years, my neighborhood

went from being almost 98% black to being 98% white. So all of a sudden, oh, god, I'm the suspicious looking black man. I posted on Nextdoor that I no longer felt comfortable walking in this neighborhood. The response I got was hundreds and hundreds of neighbors offering to walk with me. This experience moved me and changed the way I saw humanity. At Nextdoor, we come to work every day to help cultivate a kinder world. We want to make sure that everyone has a neighborhood

to rely on. When we started this company, we felt that technology had an important role to play in bringing communities and neighbors together. We knew that having the support of your neighbors was critical. When I found out I was becoming a father, I panicked. What am I going to feed this kid? I posted, hey, any other gardeners who might have extra soil, seeds, equipment,

and they came up from everywhere. As human beings, we want a sense of safety and anything that gives us that sense of connection. You drive through a neighborhood and you see houses and bricks, but really what you have is people, business owners and entrepreneurs. We know that the locals are what keep our restaurant going. When somebody says that they enjoy our restaurant,

it brings us business. It's been really cool being able to cheer on your neighbors as they open up the next coffee shop. When Hurricane Harvey first hit Houston, I realized that Nextdoor was much more than just a day-to-day utility. It was a lifeline to the community. The neighbors have been using that Nextdoor app to coordinate evacuations. When the pandemic started, people did have the urge to help, but often they didn't know who to help or how. Our Nextdoor group took off explosively. Just after a year, we had over 1,000 members.

Nextdoor evokes a sense of pride in your neighborhood, and we know that people globally are craving for that. We posted our music video on the Nextdoor app. A lot of people in the area liked it. The people are beautiful. Let's go to the beautiful. Even with the other parts, we got to stay on the drums. I think the video meant a lot to our neighbors

because it portrays the Cascade area in a positive lighting. At the end of the day, this is a business model about people and neighborhoods and communities. Wouldn't it be beautiful to connect Wall Street to Main Street and to do well and do good at the same time? It's going to be the legacy of 2020 that Nextdoor put neighbors together for a cause and then forever.

Thank you very much. It often starts online, but we know that it continues into the real world, and that is the superpower of Nextdoor. All right, folks, all you gotta do is go to the Google Play Store, or go to the iOS store to download the app. Coming up next, time to go lay down. We'll talk with the sister who started this whole go lay down movement.

That's next in Roller Martin Filter. When you study the music, you get black history by default. And so no other craft could carry as many words as rap music. I try to intertwine that and make that create whatever I'm supposed to send out to the universe. A rapper, you know, for the longest period of time has gone through phases. I love the word. I hate what it's become, you know, to this generation, the way they visualize it. Its narrative kind of like has gotten away and spun away from, I guess, the ascension of black people. Black women have always been essential.

So now how are you going to pay us like that? And it's not just the salary. I mean, there are a whole number of issues that have to support us as women. Yeah, but that's what we deserve. We shouldn't have to beg anybody for that. I think that we are trying to do our best as a generation to honor the fact that we didn't come here alone and we didn't come here by accident.

I always say every generation has to define for itself what it means to move the needle forward. I'm Dion Cole and you're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. Stay woke. Alright folks, yesterday I played the end of the show, this TikTok video that just went

all over the place and you can see it on TikTok and Instagram and it's all on YouTube, whatever. And this is what started this whole thing. Watch this. I'm about to go lay down. Yeah, yeah. Go lay down I'm about to go lay down I'm about to go lay down Look at your neighbor and say go lay down Go lay down, Go lay down.

Go lay down. Now, I told you all, that just led to a whole bunch of other people doing the videos. There's a 20-minute compilation on YouTube of just different people with their own variations. Some folk putting music to it. Others, there's even one where the singer major out of

Houston, he even decided to get in on his go lay down thing. I'm about to go lay down.. I'm about to go lay down. Yeah, yeah. Go lay down. Go.

Go. Yeah. Lay down. Go lay down. I'm about to go lay down. Go lay down. I'm about to go lay down. Go lay down. Go lay down. Go lay down. Go lay down.

Go lay down. Go lay down. Go lay down. Go lay down. Go lay down. Go lay down. Go lay down. Go lay down. Go lay down. Yeah. Yeah. And y'all know, of course, Keith David from Owens Greenleaf.

Y'all may not realize my man has been a long time being a big-time singer. Even he had to do a little something-something. I'm about to go lay down. Yeah, yeah. Go lay down Go lay down Go Lay down

I'm about to go lay down I'm about to go lay down. Go lay down. Look at your neighbor and say go lay down. Go lay down. Go lay down. Go lay down. Go lay down. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Go lay down. Go lay down. Go lay down. Go lay down. Go lay down. Go lay down. Go lay down. Go lay down.

Go lay down. Go lay down. Yeah, go lay down. Go lay down. All right, Jonah Huston-Gerry, Indiana, is the sister who started this whole thing and got this song stuck in folks' head. Is it Najee or Najah? Okay, you're on mute.

All right. Can't hear you. I can't hear you. Nope, can't hear you. All, can't hear you. Alright, so do this here. Are you on an iPad or a phone? What you do is disconnect your earbuds and just talk through the phone or the iPad. So go to your settings to turn your Bluetooth off. Nope, can't hear you. That means your Bluetooth is still connected. So go to your click your settings, turn Bluetooth off, and then I should be able to hear you. All right, we'll wait for that to happen here. Okay, still cannot hear her. So let's do this here. I'm gonna play it.

Are you there now? No, still not there. I'm gonna go to a quick break. We're gonna come back when I fix your audio. We back and roll the button filter. Black women have always been essential. So now how are you going to pay us like that? And it's not just the salary. I mean, there are a whole number of issues that have to support us as women. Yeah, that's what we deserve. We shouldn't have to beg anybody for that. I think that we are trying to do our best as a generation to honor the fact that we didn't come here alone

and we didn't come here by accident. I always say every generation has to define for itself what it means to move the needle forward. I'm in the world of fiction. I mean, that's what I do. I'm an actress. I spent 35 years in this business. I've been in the business since I was 14.

I was discovered in a basement theater in Philadelphia, a basement called Freedom Theater. And that's what I do, I play for a living. And I look and see that we're in a world that, I mean, it's bizarre where you can't tell the fake from the real. These people are not faking it. That's what they're going to, they're willing to put their whole lives, their family's lives, their whole, everything they've accomplished around looking pathetic and weak around a

table because this man showed up and told them that, you know, that he was the one and everybody should follow him. He didn't even have a good, he didn't even have a good argument. He's not Martin Luther King. He has no, he has no, no words. He has no, he has nothing. He's just rich and white and male. And so people wanna see that power on display

and then tell us that we're not, you know, that we're crazy, they can't do it anymore. Hey, what's up? This is Marlon Wayans. No, it's not Kenan. No, or as some of y'all say, Klig-Nan. No, it's not Damien. It's really, and it's not Damon because I do not have a bald head.

It's one of the Wayans. It's not Winans because they have been coming up. All right, folks. Now we're back. Najah, you there? I'm here. All right. There you go. All right. First of all, so how did this thing start? How did this thing start? Were you literally about to lay down and just say, let me just go ahead and sing myself to sleep? Real life, I had just got off work, worked 14 hours, came in, got on the couch, and I'm like, real talk, I'm sleepy.

So when I get sleepy, like, it's giggle time. You know what I mean? Like, this is me on the regular, and that's how it popped off. I always sing before I do anything. I can't help it. It gets me through the day, so. So you got the blanket up to your neck. You say, I'm about to go ahead and take a sleep.

I'm about to go to sleep, so let me just go ahead and record this video. And then it explodes. First of all, you dropped it when? In May? Yes. May 3rd is when i did it may 3rd that morning actually and then okay how did it build did the next morning all of a sudden did it explode overnight was it sort of there's this gradual build, when I dropped it May 3rd, me thinking nothing of it, I'm like, alright, I'm finna lay down.

But when I got up, my phone was like, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding. I'm like, what's happening? I look, and there's like people just sharing the video. By the time I woke up, I think I was over like 2,000 to

3,000 views. And they were already at probably like 100 shares. And so it died down for a minute. Then all of a sudden it shot back up again. I'm like, boy, my stomach bubbling. Like, what is happening? Like, it was ridiculous. So then after that, Bebe Dope duetted the video. It went from Bebe Dope to Beauty by Arlesha to thousands of people,

Major, Gabrielle Union, Keith David. And by that time I was real faintish. Okay, so that was, and then all of a sudden we go to June, now we in July. Now, so when did it start where other people started saying, well, what the hell, I'm gonna do a duet? It started, okay, so it started once Bebe Dope, so probably around, I say may into the beginning of june people were already dueting because when i dropped the tiktok i put duet me so people started

just randomly doing it um and then all of a sudden it just escalated and i wasn't expecting it to go this far i really wasn't expecting nothing of it because it just escalated and I wasn't expecting it to go this far. I really wasn't expecting nothing of it because it's my everyday. This is everyday. Okay. Now, was it supposed to be a gospel song or was that just you just sitting there playing around and then folks said, let's just take it to church? Yeah, it was never meant to be a gospel song. I just used a basic gospel theme

to sing it, because I'm churchy. Like, I can't help it. I'm churchy. So I was just like, you know what? I'm about to go lay down. And that's how it came out, and that's what I posted. And then, of course, it got to, folks thought, to go lay down. And that's how it came out and that's what I posted. And then, of course,

it got to, folks started adding organs. They started doing other things. I still say the most hilarious one to me, if y'all got the smoking preacher queued up, this is probably the most hilarious one to me right here. If y'all got it queued up, let me know.

Okay, y'all ain't got it queued up, that's fine. I got it queued up. So this is, I'm talking about where I just said he ignorant. Y'all go to my computer. Hallelujah. Blessed be the name of our Lord and Savior. Go lay down. go lay down. It's getting late in the evening. I know the sun is going. If you have your Bibles, turn with me to Ecclesiastes 4, 4 and 9. When you turn it over to him, you know you can just lay on down and just rest. Watch out there now.

And the Bible reads, if you have it, read it from the King James. Lay down. Get down. Get down. Get on down. Get down. Get down. Yeah. Yeah. I'm about to go. Oh, my man.

I'm telling you, I hollered when I saw it last week, probably Thursday on Sanaa Lathan's page on Instagram. And I was like, what? And then when I entered it, I saw all these renditions. I was just crying laughing. So out of all the ones that you've seen, what's your favorite? Oh, wee.

So there's one with this guy with an alcohol bottle. And he's like three different people. And it's the funniest thing. It's him and then there's a girl who does one saying after she smoked her 10th blunt. Okay, I haven't seen that one. Listen, it's on my Instagram. I will shoot it to you guys. It is hilarious.

She grabs all of these bags of chips and everything, and she's like, I'm about to go lay down with the bags of chips after she done smoked her blunts, and I fell out like hollering. Real loud. I have not seen that one. What I did see was when a producer decided to drop a beat and remix your voice.

And this is what he put out. Ooh. Lay down. Let it down. Go lay down. Ooh, yeah. Lay down, yeah. Go lay down. Lay down, go lay down.

Lay down. Cause I'm feeling it tired Being working all day and day So laid down Now, Najah, I want to hear the rest of that song. That producer, his name is Jeremy, is from Connecticut. He joins us right now on Roland Martin Unfiltered. Jeremy, how you doing? I'm great, thank you. How you doing today?

So, when you heard her sing the song, how long did it take you to say, man, I need to put something together? It was actually my fiancee's idea. She was scrolling down the sign box, and she said, babe, you should sing this. So I'm like, that's a good idea. Ten minutes later, I had the chords laid out,

and that's pretty much all she wrote. So you put that beat together in ten minutes? Pretty much, for the most part, yes. Now, uh, Anijah, uh, what, so when you heard his version, what was your response? So, when I heard his version, I honestly,

people had been flooding my DM, and I was trying and trying to get to him, and I finally saw him, I said, oh, homeboy, real hip-hop-ish real hip hop is like this is going to be amazing. So we actually actually reached out to him and we're supposed to coordinate and get together and do some work. So the singer who was in there is T-Dash. He's actually an R&B soul singer out of Houston. And folks, do we have T-Dash?

All right, y'all come on. So we're calling T-Dash right now. And so I want to pull in my panel here. We got Ben, Teresa, and Mustafa. Have any of y'all come across these Go Lay Down videos? Ben, had you seen any of these? I saw it, but I hadn't

listened to it until just now. Let me just say, you more than churchy. You got some anointment over there with the progressions and the runs and the minors and the augmenters that you had in that run at the end salutes us that is a beautiful thing and to the brother with the music I just love seeing how many

talented black people just everywhere we look we're just exuding talent so God bless y'all how about you Mustafa I hadn't seen straight fire it's like wow it also my grandma I hadn't seen it before. Straight fire. It's like, wow, this is amazing. And also, my grandmother used to say,

go lay down all the time. So I could definitely connect. Y'all are so incredibly blessed. And thank you, you know, for touching people's spirit with that and, you know, a sense of community where folks can come in and continue to build. So thank you so much. Well, Jeremy, you said that you had been, you know, a sense of community where folks can come in and continue to build. So thank you so much.

Well, Jeremy, you said that you had been, you know, waiting for a moment. I mean, first of all, what type of music have you been producing and what has all of this actually led to? Well, I've been making music for a long time, like 14 years, and I haven't had any traction really, but this past week I gained 13,000 followers on my TikTok

from that video alone. So, you know, I'm thankful to Najee for that. Appreciate the inspiration. Thanks to everybody following me, much love. So you said you've been trying to make a go of it. One of the folks who heard your, he heard Nyjah, he heard your beat, and he put together that version is T-Dash out of Houston, and he joins us right now.

So go ahead and bring him in. And so, T-Dash, how you doing? I'm doing good. How y'all doing? I'm doing great. So have you at any point, all of this, actually before I ask that question, what were you doing when you heard Nigel sing Go Lay Down?

Then when you heard Jeremy's beat, then you said, I got to go to work. Yeah, yeah. So, you know, I had been heard. Nigel, you said Nigel, right? Yeah. Yeah, I had been heard hers. And I seen other people kind of do the, I guess, the gospel rendition of it.

And then when my mans put that beat to it, I was like, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, man. This sounding too funky right here. Man, I got to that beat to it, I was like, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, man. Hey, this sounding too funky right here. Man, I got to do something to it. Man, I got to do something to it, you know? And I was outside playing basketball, man, with the kids. And I just said, man, let me go and rock this out right quick, man. And that's what I did. Nyjah, you got anything to say?

Have you actually even communicated with T-Dash or Jeremy? No, this is actually my first time seeing him besides the video. So it's really nice to meet you, homeboy. Yes, yes, same to you, same to you. All right, so the three of y'all, any questions y'all have of one another? I'm just trying to see if y'all ready to work. We've got some work to do. Exactly.

And, hey, as soon as y'all make it happen, I'm going to make it happen. Okay, so, now, Jeremy, you the producer, they singers, what y'all going to do? So, the vision... We're going to make it happen. We're going to make a hit. The vision that I have is we're going to make it happen. We're going to make a hit. The vision that I have is we're going to make the hit.

We are going to collab with multiple people. We're going to show love to everybody's city because everybody's city has shown love to us with the Go Lay Down. So my vision is to show love to every city because every city rocking with Go Lay Down. Well, that is the case. But you do have different versions there.

Like there are some songs where they have several different versions on an album. But I gotta say that T-Dash Jeremy one, that's a little funky there. It's different from the church version. But that thing, because I'm telling you, when I heard it, I literally hit T-Dash on Instagram and said, yo, wear the rest of it. Yeah, yeah, he did.

He did. He did. And all I could say was, hey, man, I just wanted to be a part of it. It was sounding real good, man. I'm glad they did it, man. And I'm just happy to be a part of it. It was sounding real good, man. I'm glad they did it, man. And, um, I'm just happy to be a part of it. And I see everybody's asking for more of it, more of it, more of it. I'm like, Hey man, I can't do it on my own. It's going to have to be up to them, you know, if they want to do it. So, Hey, like the song say, let's lay it down.

So, uh, so, so Nigel or T-Dash or Jeremy or Jeremy, have any record labels talked to y'all? Have y'all heard from anybody? And, you know, have y'all been communicating on social about doing something? Because, you know, so how are you going to take it to the next step? step so um i've had a lot of uh dms and actually emails sent from certain uh record companies which was pretty funny but um right now uh again my vision is to gather the people when i did go lay down it wasn't um for uh putting out content or any of that thing, any of that sort. I love to sing. I love to make music. And I love the fact that there are so many people around the world joining in to push it and have fun with it and show love with it. I've been reaching out to some other people. I did reach out to J Random, the producer.

And we are supposed to talk again so we can get things started. Beauty by Arlesha, who also was a part of it. The Real T Dash, who also was a part of it. And if you get a chance, MJ Hanks put out something early this morning and I lost my mind because it was amazing. So we are definitely going to collect... You said MJ Hanks? MJ Hanks. Put it out, wait, on Instagram or TikTok?

He put it out on TikTok, and I put it out on Instagram. Okay. It's MJ H-A-N-K-S-S on Instagram. And homie, homie did it. Like, it was amazing. And I'm trying to post everybody's thing and show what everybody's done. We've had poets.

We have Ty Cage out of Detroit who's a female rapper. Like, all of these people are showing love. And so my plan is to rock with the people. Alright, well, so while we're here, T-Dash, tell folks about your new music, where they can go check it out. Yeah, so the real T-Dash, that's on IG, TikTok, Twitter. And I have a new video that's out, one of my singles called Side Chick.

That's on YouTube and everything. So y'all make sure y'all go follow me on the YouTube, which is The Official T-Dash. Go check that video out. I also have my country single out, which is called I Want It All. That's also on YouTube with the video as well. So I have four singles that are currently out. One is called Love Train featuring Paul Wall.

The other one is called Beautiful, Uplifting for the Women. And like I said, Sidechick and my country single called I Want It All. So please go check those things out, man. And let me know what y'all think. Jeremy? What you got cooking? Everybody, you can follow me on Instagram at j.random.producer,

TikTok at j.random.producer. Right now I'm just working trying to inspire people, you know, trying to make the best music possible and connect with people like mine and creatives. All right then. Wanaja, because you're in Gary, Indiana, correct? At this moment I'm in Texarkana, Texas. Texarkana. Okay. Is that where you this moment, I'm in Texarkana, Texas. Texarkana.

Okay. Is that where you're based? I'm in Texarkana. Okay. Texarkana. So you're in Texarkana. T-Dash, he's there in H-Town. And, Jeremy, you're in Connecticut, right?

Correct. Okay. All right, then. Well, look, y'all let me know what happens with this collaboration. We'd love to check it out. Y'all keep putting it out there. And it's crazy how just more versions keep coming out. And this is what Nyjah posted on her Instagram. Check it out. Go lay down. Yeah, yeah. Go lay down. Go lay down. I'm about to go lay down.

I'm about to go lay down. Look at your neighbor and say, go lay down. Go lay down. Yeah. Oh, not the, not after she smoked the 10th blunt. Okay, that was too funny there. And when you were talking about, I did, when you were talking about the other video of the brother who put,

he put the rapping video out, I did see this earlier. I did see it. So let me go ahead and play it, y'all. So check this out. I'm about to go lay down. I hope you don't mind me jumping on this beat real quick. Yeah, yeah. Go lay down. Too good to pass up.

Lay down. Just want to try something a little new this time. So I thought I got something to say with it. Lay down. Now I'm about to go start it. Lay down. I'm better. I'm better.

I'm better. I'm better. I'm better. I'm better. I'm better. I'm better. I'm better. say with it. Lay down. Now I'm about to go start laying down. I'm better. I'm better. I'm better.

Go lay down. Cause it's been a whole day. Got me walking at a work night. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'ma turn off this track. Let that Spotify play. Driving down the I-5 like it out of my way. Why is life like a never-ending test, man?

I've been studying so hard, but I don't get it, man. Multiple choice, but I check, see on everything. I need to clear my head, hope I do it while I'm resting. Everybody trying to get a little something, something as a part of this. And so, again, this thing has gotten real popular. Folks, we appreciate it. Certainly good luck. Naja, thanks for creating that.

And how many views is it up to now? I mean... We are at, I believe it's over 5.8 million views. That's crazy. That is crazy. That is crazy. Well, you created it, and T-Dash added his special

sauce to it. Jeremy, his special sauce. And so, y'all let me know when the different singles drop so we can premiere it here in Roland Martin Unfiltered. Indeed. And make sure you guys go check out the website. We're going to have the website dropping and we're going to have Go Lay Down merch

for everybody. Of course. All right. We'll be looking for it. Thanks a lot. Thank you. Thank you for having us. All right, folks. That is it for us.

Folks, this is why we love doing what we do. Y'all please support us here at Roland Martin Unfiltered. Y'all can provide us, again, every dollar you give goes to support this show, allows us to be able to do what we do. I want to thank folks who have supported us via PayPal, which is PayPal.me forward slash rmartinunfiltered. Venmo.com forward slash rmartinunfiltered. Zell is Roland at RolandSMartin.com.

Roland at RolandMartinUnfiltered.com. And as I made it perfectly clear, we are not going to be using, giving out our Cash App until folks at Square who own Cash App, until they get rid of those fraudulent accounts. They are still active. And I've made it clear. They should repay people their money who got swindled by these scammers.

And so, pull the graphic up if you got it over there. These are these fake Cash App. They're scammers. They are frauds. They are over there. These are these fake cash app. They're scammers. They are frauds. They're crooks. And we purposely are calling them out. And so please, we want you to do the same. So if y'all have the graphic over there, please pull it up. If not, I'll go ahead and pull it up right now. These are those fake accounts right here. Dollar sign R-M-U-N-F, fake. It's fraud. It's a scam. Dollar sign R-M-U-N-F-I, fake fraud scam. Dollar sign R-M-U-N-F-I-L,

fake fraud scam. Dollar sign R-M-U-N-F-I-L-T-E-R-E, fake scam. So we are not going to be giving our cash app. We're not using them at all until they get rid of the, until they shut these accounts down. And I just checked, they are still up. And I have emailed senior executives at Square. Jack Dorsey, you're the CEO of Square and Twitter. I'll hit you on Twitter. I'll hit you on Instagram. You need to respond.

I've also hit Lauren Weinberg. She's the head of global communications and marketing for Square, which owns Cash App. I've hit her on Twitter and hit her on Twitter. Have not heard back. I've hit other Square executives on LinkedIn as well. And I've made it clear I want these fake accounts shut down and people who have given money, that money should be returned to them expeditiously.

But the first thing is shut these accounts down. They're using our likeness and image to steal money from our people. And that is foul and it is wrong. Folks, right now, the voting town hall from the National Coalition of Black Civic Participation happening as we speak. So we're about to sign off. Y'all can check that out. We're streaming that right now with the voting town hall from the National Coalition of Black Civic Participation happening as we speak. So we're about to sign off. You have to check that out.

We're streaming that right now as well on Roller Mart Unfiltered. I'll see y'all tomorrow. Holla! 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

where the answer will always be no. This is Absolute Season 1, 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. Here's the deal. We gotta 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 plan at thisispreetirement.org. Brought to you by AARP and the Ad Council. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Lott. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir.

Last year, a lot of the problems of the drug war. This year, a lot of the biggest names in music and sports. This has kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We met them at their homes. 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. This is an iHeart Podcast.