#RolandMartinUnfiltered - Full approval for Pfizer vax; Rev. Jackson, wife COVID positive; Biden may Extend Afghan mission

Episode Date: August 24, 2021

8.23.21 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: FDA grants full approval for Pfizer vax; Rev. Jackson, wife test COVID positive; Louisiana Attorney General tells parents how to bypass mask mandates in schools; AFL-CIO elects a woman as president; Should Biden may extend Afghan mission? Civil Rights legend and inspiration for the Montgomery Bus Boycotts, Lucille Times, has passed away; Haiti's government says some 600k need aid after 7.2 quake; R. Kelly trial continuesSupport #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.

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

We met them at their homes. We met them at the recording studios. Stories matter and it brings a face to it. 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 podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

Sometimes as dads, I think we're too hard on ourselves. We get down on ourselves on not being able to, you know, we're the providers, but we also have to learn to take care of ourselves. A wrap-away, you got to pray for yourself as well as for everybody else, but never forget yourself. Self-love made me a better dad because I realized my worth. Never stop being a dad. That's dedication.

Find out more at fatherhood.gov. Brought to you by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Ad Council. so there's tuesday august 24 2021 coming up a robert martin unfiltered broadcasting live from los angeles buster rhymes says f mask what the hell is he talking about? The non-scientist and non-doctor makes crazy comments in front of an audience. I will deconstruct how asinine and stupid and dangerous those arguments are. Also on today's show, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has resigned. The new governor of New York, its first female, is sworn in. We'll tell you what she said about her first day. Also, we'll talk about the infrastructure deal.

Democrats have cut a deal with moderates in the House to get that passed. We'll discuss that as well. In addition, North Carolina folks who are incarcerated, huge voting bill. That was actually a huge voting decision that was decided by a judge that would tell you about it. And also, Bakersfield, California Police Department. Folks, yes, federal monitors coming in after a years-long investigation showing massive issues in that department. It is time to bring the funk on Rolling Mark Unfiltered.

Linen suit style. Let's go. I just believe he's knowing, putting it down from sports to news to politics, with entertainment just for kicks. He's rolling, it's Uncle Roro, yo. It's Rolling Martin, yeah. Rolling with rolling now. He's funky, he's fresh, he's real, the best, you know he's rolling. Martin. Martin.

Martin. All right, folks, we're broadcasting live here in Los Angeles, California, where, of course, we are shooting a variety of one-on-one interviews. And so glad to be with you. I can't wait to share those with you. Anthony, what are you doing? I don't know what you're doing. Let's go.

We're here in L.A. We've been talking to a lot of different people. I can't wait to bring those to you, folks. And but let's talk about Busta Rhymes and COVID, folks. Talk about some crazy comments. I got to break this thing down for you and show you. Y'all just play what the hell he said before an audience. It's just just stupid comments. Go. I'm trying to take our civil liberties away. Feels good to be back outside. We outside for real.

It's called the God-given right of freedom, right? No human being is supposed to tell you you can't even breathe freely. Fuck your mask. I'm not saying some of y'all might feel differently, but fuck your mask. I can't rhyme to you with a mask on. We can't eat food with a fucking mask on. We can't even see each other smile with a mask on. Damn, yo. I come from a time where before I used to even want to holler at a chick, I used to have to do shit with my face to let her know that I'm into her.

Only that energy gets blocked when your mask is on. Energy is important, and we are all conductors of fucking good energy. We also gotta be clear when a motherfucker trying to give you bad energy, you can tell from only the expression on their face. I wanna see your face. Fuck your mask. I'm sorry I got a little political and shit.

I miss my people. We gotta talk. We can party, but we gotta talk. We gotta communicate. We gotta establish new understandings. Fuck that. I ain't going through that shit again. And make sure y'all prepare too. If anything came out of this motherfucker,

it was a lot of learning. I learned so much shit in this little time off. Thank you for the one thing that came good out of this fucking shutdown. I have become more empowered. And this energy right here is unfuckwinnable. They can't fuck with us when we're together like this. All right. Given us their clueless and uninformed, uneducated, utterly ridiculous, nonsensical, asinine, as backwards perspectives on COVID.

Let me try to be as clear as possible. This shit is pissing me off. Because what we are witnessing are people who have significant platforms who sound about as dumb as Donald Trump about injecting bleach and sunlight into your body. And it's going to come out of your body. Busta Rhymes, you are a rapper. You are a successful rapper. You are one of the best rappers. But you don't know shit about science

or medicine. Do I respect your rap game? Yes. When I saw you at the NBA All-Star Game in Houston and you dapped me up and you said respect OG, same to you. But on this topic,

you don't know what the hell you talking about and so when you stand in front of audiences stand in front of black people and say these absolutely ridiculous things

and we're having to deal with people who are dying who are dying. Who are literally dying. Who are in ICUs right now. And you talk about front mask? What the hell are you talking about so here's what I'm going to do

I did this with Kanye and I'm going to do this right now with you Buster I'm about to show you Buster what we call a Roland Martin unfiltered deconstruction so cue it up and when I tell you to stop it, stop it. Hit play. In the last 15 fucking months, COVID could suck a dick. We are strong.

All these little weird ass government policies and mandates suck a dick. Stop. Stop. Come back to me. Listen. He just said all these weird ass government policies. Buster, you have traveled overseas. You have traveled to the motherland. When you travel to the motherland, you had to get a series of shots or you could not have gone into that country.

Um, that's called government policy. You, Buster, took a series of shots or you could not have gone to elementary school. That's government policy. Press play. The liberty's away. Feels good to be back outside. government policy press play now it's called the god-given right of freedom no human being can tell you this that's a lie buster when you go into a restaurant you have to put on a shirt otherwise we gonna see your gut

your chest your, your biceps. You're going to put on a pair of pants. You're going to put on shoes. You just can't walk into any place and dress however the hell you want to do. You abide by that. You were on that stage last night. You didn't have any pants on. Will they let you walk on that stage with all of your God-given rights and freedom? Will they let you walk on that stage butt naked talking to the crowd? Nope.

Press play. You can't even breathe freely. Fuck your mask. I'm going to say it. Some of y'all might feel differently, but fuck your mask. I'm going to say it. Some of y'all might feel differently, but fuck your mask. I can't rhyme to you with a mask on. We can't eat food with a fucking mask on. We can't eat with the mask on the policy buster

is you can take your mask off to eat I was on the airplane flying here to LA the rules on the plane say keep your mask on, except when you are drinking and except when you're eating. How hard is it to take your mask off, eat, put it back on?

I can't see your smile with a mask on. Okay, let me further unpack that press play all of that energy gets blocked when your mask is on energy is important and we are all conductors of fucking good energy Let that energy get blocked when your mask is on. Energy is important. We are all conductors of fucking good energy. Stop. Stop. He just said,

when I see a sister and I want to holler at her, I'm showing my face. Energy is important. How we conduct energy. Buster! If your ass dead, you ain't got no energy. If you laid up in the hospital, intubated, ventilator, your ass ain't got no energy.

So, which one you want? Dead? No energy. Mask? Energy. Which one you want? I mean, this really isn't hard. Buster, you work it out, all buff. If somebody is smoking a cigarette in your face and they are blowing smoke in your face. Are you going to say, wow, I like your energy.

Your energy is wonderful. Your energy is great. You're going to say, hell no, put that damn cigarette out. Y'all might be asking, why am I so hot? Why am I so upset? Why am I so bothered? who are literally lying to people, who are leading them like lambs to the slaughter because they are so upset because, oh my God, I have to wear a mask.

As if the whole damn world is going to end because you got to put a mask on. Now here's what I find to be interesting. Oh my God. I can't even bust the rhymes. You did an interview with the drink champs and admitted that you almost died because of bad health habits. You're the same Busta Rhymes who admitted you almost died as a result of bad health habits.

Huh, this was your quote. As a result of bad health habits. Huh? This was your quote. Quote, you kind of stopped giving a fuck about a few things. Hmm. That's what you said. Quote, I just started drinking and smoking crazy. Eating crazy. And I got out of shape really bad. According to this story, the rapper went from about 267 pounds to 340 pounds.

Buster admitted it got to a point where he started to hear it revealing I had oh my god quote I had breathing issues I ended up on two blood pressure medicines I wasn't really driven to do anything outside of what I had to do to take care of my family. Hmm.

You said, Buster, that your son had to pull you aside. To discuss your bad healthy habits. Quote. My son was so scared of how he was going to hurt my feelings by having this conversation with me directly that he had to tell someone else to tell me. That shit fucked me up. I just felt like I was letting my son down. I felt like I was letting a lot of people down. Buster revealed, quote, from his doctor,

your polyops grew so big that it blocked 90% of your breathing passage. And if I send you home tonight and you sleep under the AC and catch a cold and that last 10 percent of breathing of your breathing passage gets blocked up, you are going to die tonight. In that moment, Buster knew it was time to change his way and make his health a priority. Buster, do you zoom in? I can't for some reason, my matter of fact no no I got it let me just do this right here do y'all see my Instagram do y'all see my phone if you see my phone switch to it this is

a post of Busta Rhymes from October 22nd, 2020. This is what it reads. Don't ever give up on yourself. Life begins right now. My dedication is different. I would never put out an album and not be in the best shape of my life. Respect myself too much and I respect y'all too much. I'm only here to inspire.

Buster, that's you right there. That's your gut right there. But then you got into shape. Now Buster, I need you to explain to me if you put that out pre-COVID, how in the hell are you then going to complain about wearing a mask when you admitted you previously had breathing problems. See, this is what we call the desire to be truthful to your audience, not lead them astray, not run them

amok, but I but I but I gotta go ahead and and and say this buster. Do I need to remind you? You put out an album and this is the album cover. Y'all, this is how crazy this stuff is y'all this is the album cover of a buster album the album is called extinction level event two the wrath of god let me repeat that it's's called Extinction Level 2, The Wrath of God. This is the album cover. A man wearing a mask. so but Buster you put this out you called it

extinction level 2 sounds to me like God was actually trying to send you a message, Buster, to remind you of what you did. Because what you are doing right now, Buster, is you, by virtue of that rant you are it the wrath of God, then shouldn't godly people listen to the godly doctors and scientists who are trying to save people? That's what you might want to do. Let me bring in my guest right now because I need them to weigh in on this.

And Buster, if you are watching this video, I want you to hear. This is Dr. Christy McDowell. She is a microbiologist and CEO and founder of Baby Scientist Inc. She is not a rapper. She is a microbiologist, a trained scientist who went to school and the bars that she is about to drop Buster deals with science and COVID. Joseph L. Graves, Jr., professor of biological sciences at North Carolina A&T University. The bars that he is going to drop, Buster, will explain to you the Delta variant and why masks matter in stopping the transmission. And then we have Dr. Alexia Gaffney, MD, an infectious disease specialist who Buster is going to drop some bars to explain to you when you were born. So let me start first with you, Dr. McDowell. When you hear entertainers who have become Google physicians make statements like this publicly,

that then spreads across the world, explain why it makes your job harder in trying to convince folks not to play games with COVID. my soul when I hear entertainers and other people who have mass followings say ignorant things such as Busta Rhymes. And I was telling my students today about wearing a mask and getting vaccinated. Think about it. You know, I'm not a gambler, but when I do go to the casino and I lose a little money, I'm upset, $20, $40. But think about it. If you don't get the vaccine, you're gambling with your life. There's no way to leave with a tear and sad. And maybe you can borrow some money, but you cannot borrow another life. OK, and masks protect you from spreading it as well as getting it from someone else. And Buster said COVID can suck his genitalia. Well, let me tell you what's going to suck something if you don't get the vaccine, that virus. It's going to suck the oxygen out of your body

to the point where the cells in your lungs are destroyed. You won't have the amount of oxygen that your body needs to oxygenate your blood, which in turn oxygenates your other organs in your body, which in turn allows you to live. So if you don't have the oxygen to oxygenate your blood and your organs, what's going to happen? They will eventually shut down. And I read today one of the doctors from Alabama. She got real candid with the people. She said, if you get on the ventilator, you won't come off. I mean, it's as real as it gets. You're gambling with your life. You want to live. You want to die. You make the choice. It's that crucial. It's that crucial.

And it really angers me when I hear these Google scientists out here spitting this verbiage that is not correct. And like I told my students today, stay in your lane. If your lane is rapping, be the best rapper. If your lane is science, stay in the lane of science. But don't be out here trying to do the job of someone else that you are not educated to do. And that and that's. That's what I want to impart. I want to go back. I want to go back to Joseph Graves. We've had you on since last year. You explained to people last year that if they did not wear masks, did not social distance, did not get vaccinated, that we are going to see these variants take place. And then you said if they continue to do it, it's going to get deadlier and deadlier and deadlier. And so when you what what would you say to Buster Rimes after listening to what he what he articulated that has now gotten millions of views across this country?

Roland, it's one thing to do stupid things that put your own life at risk. And certainly, you know, I don't have the right to tell Busta Rhymes how to live. It is an entirely another thing when you take a public platform and you use your celebrity to get up there to tell other people that it's OK in the middle of the deadliest pandemic since 1918. Those people who die because they listen to his video are going to be on his soul. And he's going to have to answer to God for his actions, the things that he said in public, the irresponsible behavior. And one thing I wanted to say, so people understand just how dangerous COVID is. I was in a very high level meeting at noon today where scientists that I know and respect were calculating how many virus particles it takes to establish a COVID infection in an individual. Turns out it takes only three. Now, why does wearing a mask help?

Because it reduces the number of viruses that get to you. The more viruses that get to you, the higher the likelihood that at least three of them can end up establishing an infection in your body. So people who think that they can go around and they can ignore the safety precautions they're doing just as the last speaker described. They are gambling with their lives and the lives of their loved ones and even people they don't know. And that's not freedom. That's a license. And you do not have a license to take other people's lives because of your own stupidity. um dr gaffney we are seeing and we have seen how black people have been adversely impacted by covet 19 in a moment i'm

going to talk to butch graves uh ceo of black enterprise the federal government has failed to ensure that adequate dollars are coming to Black-owned media for us to be able to educate our people. Talk about what we have witnessed from the beginning of COVID and how Black people have been more adversely impacted by COVID than anybody else? Yeah. So black people entering into American healthcare systems are more likely to receive disparate healthcare than our white counterparts. We are more likely to be taken care of in healthcare systems that are underfunded, under-resourced, don't have access to experimental therapies, which, you know, for anybody who does not yet

know, when you enter into a hospital setting for COVID-19 infection, the therapies that you get are considered experimental. They're emergency use authorized, right? So for everybody who's running around screaming they're not getting a vaccination because the vaccine is not FDA approved or because the vaccines are experimental and they don't want to get experimented on, you know, it's the same guidance that we have for the treatments that we're using for COVID-19 infections. So let's just get that out of the way. We as a people, we're more likely to be overweight or obese for cultural reasons, for socioeconomic reasons, because of living in food deserts and things like that. We are more likely to have the comorb the air quality is poorer, and that has contributed to adverse outcomes from COVID-19. So while our white counterparts were in hospitals where, when they went on the ventilator and died at rates of 15 and 20 percent on the high end,

when Black folks and brown folks and Indigenous folks went into the hospital in the earliest parts of the COVID-19 pandemic, they died at rates as high as 88%. Okay. And so I say all the time, I use me as an example, I as a woman in a black body have zero interest in getting in, affected with COVID-19, going in the hospital and expecting the people there who are going to give me bias care, who's going to give me disparate care, who may not fight like hell to keep my black ass alive. I'm not placing myself in their hands and hoping that I come out on the other side of it alive. You know, I've seen what it looks like for someone who's hospitalized on a ventilator for 30 days, 60 days, 90 days, things that we would never ever consider doing in the past to keep somebody alive. And they come out paralyzed. They come out with loss of organ functions, come out with, you know, cognitive dysfunction, inability to think, inability to breathe on oxygen, inability to work.

And yet we will go out into the world and, you know, jump outside of our lanes, as was said, speak about things we have no idea about and not respect the consequences of these decisions and these lies that we, that we're spreading. Black folks cannot afford to be a part of this whole anti-vax conversation and this anti-mask BS. We want cake, we want ice cream. We want sprinkles. We want whipped cream. We want a cherry on top. And the reality is we can't have all of that. Under the best of circumstances, we're still going to die more than our white counterparts. So we have to do everything possible to protect ourselves. So if you don't want to wear a mask, maybe you should stay home. If you don't want to get a vaccine, then maybe you should keep a mask on and stay home. If you don't want to get a vaccine, then maybe you should keep

a mask on and stay home. But we can't be in a position where we're telling people, don't wear a mask, come out, be in the crowd, eat at the restaurant, smile at the cute chick, and spread some COVID virus and not worry about the consequences. Because running around with no mask, unvaccinated, doing what we want to do is the equivalent of putting a blindfold on, taking a loaded gun and just aiming. And at some point you're just going to hit somebody. And we have, like you said, we have to live with the consequences of the things that we said. We have to live with the consequences of our actions and the stakes are incredibly high. Life is on the line and Black folks and brown folks and indigenous folks are

going to be more disproportionately impacted by this in the short term and in the long term. And then we're kidding ourselves if we think we can play the same games that our privileged counterparts get to play. We just can't. Folks, this is a, if y'all see my iPad, go ahead and go to it. Kelly Reinke posted this today. This is what she said. On the left, fitness coach Bill Phillips pre-COVID. On the right, 70 pounds lighter, barely surviving COVID-19 after deciding not to get the vaccine. He's getting discharged from St. Anthony Hospital on Wednesday with a new outlook on life and the shot.

This is how he looked before COVID and how he looked on the right after COVID. That right there explains what we're dealing with. He lived, but trust me, he is not going to have the same quality of life that he had before. I want to thank our three doctors and scientists for coming on. I want it, and we're going to keep doing this because what I am not going to do is I am not going to cede any ground to Busta Rhymes to tank to anybody else who put stuff out there sure you may not have millions who watch this show and who watch this video but

there's no way in hell I'm going to be given a platform and not use it for the good of black people and allow this nonsense and to young black people who listen to rappers y'all better understand if your ass gets sick and die from covid buster rimes will not be paying your funeral bills that's right that's right folks i appreciate it thanks a lot. Yes, go ahead. Go ahead. I just want to encourage all of the people, if you do get sick and you find yourself in the hospital, please ask for the the the drug remdesivir, the monoclonal antibody. Ask for an infusion of that drug. They don't give it to people that look like us. And I had a friend who I told to ask for it, and the nurse was really surprised that she knew about it. And she was like, how did you know about it? She said, because I have a friend that's a scientist. So I want everyone else out there, if you have a loved one who is sick, tell them to ask for that monoclonal antibody infusion.

It will save their life. All right, folks. Again, I appreciate it. Thank you for your expertise and your knowledge. And that's why we're going to keep putting again our black experts out here so our people can hear from actual experts. We appreciate. Thanks a lot. All right. I want to I want to I want to bring up right now Butch Graves, who is the CEO of Black Enterprise. Y'all have heard me on this show talking about the lack of advertising dollars and things along those lines. And I dare say one of the reasons why you are we're having to deal with what Buster said. It's because last year, in fact, we're going to take this thing even before I was talking to congressional black caucus members in September and October of 2000 and 19. And I was telling them, y'all, this covid thing is coming down the pipeline. We got to make sure that our people, that the dollars are going so we can talk to our community, help our community. Kept saying it over and over and over again. Well, and I said, don't wait for these contracts.

What's going to happen? Well, guess what happened? We went into 2020. We saw exactly what happened. I'm sorry. I said this conversation 2020. My apologies. And then we go into 2021. These things happening. And so here we are. We are now in the midst of fighting a massive disinformation campaign. And part of that is because the advertising agencies that were in control of the hundreds of millions of dollars that went out to people, those dollars have not flown to black-owned media. Butch Graves, CEO of Black Enterprise, they published a story last week detailing what they call the failure of the Biden administration to confront this issue. And Butch, again, I fundamentally believe that had we been

fully respected and had folks come to us early on, we could have been able to do a much broader outreach to talk to folks and drive the messaging home so our people understood all the the intricacies of this problem and so when we get frozen out and the money goes to black targeted media and it goes to complex and it goes to bt then it goes to our heart radio and it goes to biocom cbs and it goes to cnn and it goes to msnbc all these other companies and then they come back and go, oh, black people have low vaccination rates, and we're sitting there going, we tried to tell your asses that. Yeah, Roland, it was actually interesting to listen to your three previous guests, the doctors on the show, because what they're giving and articulating is the scientific reasons of why

COVID-19 is so important and so important for black people to take. Quite honestly, it would have been different if from the very beginning of this process, the Biden administration had done what they said they were going to do, which is to make sure that the information itself was disseminated in a fair and practical manner. And knowing that African-Americans are disproportionately receiving poor health care and the most at risk, that's what should have been focused on. Instead, what happened is the money got through a whole bunch of other nonsense that took place, goes into a general contracting place where a general market agency distributes the money and distributes the money to the people that they have relationships with, not black-owned media, who reaches the most black people, and therefore, what are people getting educated by? They're getting educated by what you just articulated a moment ago.

If the spokespeople for health care for black people in this country end up being bused around, we're in a world of hurt. We're in a world of trouble. And that's what's taking place. People are getting the information from barbershops, beauty salons, and celebrities who have no degree in science and oftentimes are ill-informed on everything having to do with this. This is a process that can be solved quickly. This can be done simply by making the investment. And it almost gives you the impression that it's purposeful, as if we don't want the information to get it, because there is no other reason for it not to happen. I don't get what has transpired. We understand what locked out means. up and said we're going to step in and fix this and make sure that the next x number of months we

are we are crowding the black airwaves with please take the vaccine all right i've got friends and or family who suffered through covert 19. i've had friends who didn't take the vaccine and unfortunately met an untimely death. And I've had friends who've taken the vaccine and caught it after the fact and have been able to recover, but at least had a chance to recover. If you never took the vaccine and you got this latest strand and show up at the hospital, you might as well be calling your local funeral home at the same time. There is no coming back from this. It is that serious. And somehow or another, it's still not being taken serious. We've got to get in. We've got to get the attention of the Biden administration immediately and say this cannot continue to go on. Have you heard from anyone with the administration since you all published your piece?

No, have not heard from anyone prior to. We heard that they were going to quote before this, they were going to put this out as you had, that they were going to, in fact, make sure that black owned media was was an important part of what they were going to do. Not heard from someone beforehand, not heard from anybody since that time. And quite honestly, at this point, it is literally irresponsible what the Biden administration is doing, because what they're basically doing is trying to take their head and bury it in the sand and pretend they're spending more time worrying about the Afghan refugees, which is a problem. And no one's saying they should be worried about that, rather than their own people in this country, black, who are literally dying by the thousands by the day because they don't have the information, the necessary information,

on taking the vaccine and what it means to be educated on COVID-19. And the thing here is, and I walk some folks through this. First of all, I had a conversation with a consultant, a black consultant who was hired by Fors Marsh, the advertising agency that represents the Department of Health and Human Services, the CDC and others. And we were told point blank that by the time we submitted our proposal in April, nearly all of the money had already been spent. Now, I found that to be interesting because we were not told that when we submitted the proposal. And then we were told that they did what they call spray and

pray. And they just spread the money around and prayed it work and said to us, we now have to have a targeted approach. Why is that laughable, Butch? Because the proposal that we submitted was a targeted approach. And so that's the games that are being played. And here's the deal. I got no problem saying it. I met with the Biden administration in the first 60 days and said this is going to be a problem. Made it perfectly clear to Susan Rice, Cedric Richmond, and others. I made it, I spoke directly to them and said this advertising issue was going to be a problem. Give us a shot. We're going to make, get this fixed. We are now in August and it hasn't been fixed. And people keep coming up to me, oh man, why you keep begging for

money, talking about the whole deal? Because it's simple. The money is being spent, but it ain't going to our people. And you see the numbers, we are the ones who are disproportionately affected more than anybody else in this country. Well, you know, I'm offended by the fact that someone would say to you that you're begging. You're not begging for anything. These are taxpayers dollars of which we're taxpayers. We deserve to get a commensurate amount of the budget that is being spent on advertising that is directed to us. That is not a gift. That's not you begging. That's getting what we deserve. And frankly, we deserve a lot more. But that's not what's taking place. They have taken their head and put it in the sand. And by the way, this is not about just COVID-19, right, Roland, as we've

talked about before. This is about all of their government contracts where they're advertising and going out to the to the general market and the black market at the same time. What happens is that I don't care if it's a U.S. Army commercial, if it's an armed forces commercial, if it's the Census Bureau, you name it, go right on down the line. It goes all the way back. This goes back more than 20 years. In 2000, in the year 2000, in October, Clinton signed an executive order mandating that black owned media had to participate at a fair level with general market media as relates to government contracts. In that 20 years since that time, it has not been enforced. It didn't matter if it was a Republican administration, a Democratic administration, whomever it was. It has never happened. Why?

How is it possible you get away with it? You get away with it because no one is stepping up and saying, I care. You met with them in the first 60 days and they've ignored you. They've ignored you, told them what needed to happen, and they've ignored that. It's almost as if they've forgotten who put them in office in the first place. So I'm through. My patience is zero with listening to just give us the time. Time's up.

Now step up and do the right thing. Do what you're supposed to be doing and help us to educate African Americans on the need for vaccine and what must be done so we can solve this problem together. Butch Graves, CEO of Black Enterprise, we appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Appreciate it, brother. Talk to you. I want to pull in my panel right now. Mustafa Santiago Ali, Ph.D., former senior advisor for environmental justice at the EPA.

Teresa Lundy, she is principal founder of TML Communications. Lauren Victoria Burke, who is with NNPA. Glad to have all of you back. Glad to have you back on the show, Lauren. We were praying for you. Many people out there, of course, sent resources, helping you with your breast cancer battle. So glad to have you on the show with your commentary. I got to start with, Lauren, I'll start with you.

We'll do it with Busta and also the advertising as well. Again, the reason I'm linking these two, him speaking last night at a concert in St. Louis, Missouri, and the thing that I find to be interesting, here's Busta on stage talking about St. Louis. Clearly, he had no conversation with Mayor Tashara Jones about how COVID impacted black folks in St. Louis. How black folks in St. Louis have been fighting these crazy rabbit Republicans who've been against mask mandates. They've been against vaccines. They've been against everything. And they're saying, we can't just let black folks just sit here and die because y'all tripping on this stuff this is why we this is why we have to counter that level of madness yeah it really is sad i don't know where why we ever got into this uh habit of

listening to celebrities when it comes to really serious matters that are complex and particularly medical matters uh i mean to me if your if your name is not Anthony Fauci or Dr. Hilton or something, I don't know why anybody would listen to Busta Rhymes as you outlined, Roland. And, you know, it is sad to think that somebody with that type of platform and that type of the type of attention you can get would use it to basically spread misinformation, which has become a dominant theme and a dominant factor in the last, you know, four or five years dealing with Donald Trump and everything else. But it's dangerous.

I mean, it literally actually is dangerous. And we already had before today, of course, a certain level of misinformation has been moving through the COVID story this entire time. And people who have become sort of Google experts, et cetera, that's been dangerous. Now you add on to that somebody who's a celebrity with a major platform who doesn't find out the facts before speaking. And, you know, the deep irony to that is that he, of course, has had health issues as well. So it just absolutely none of it makes any sense. And on the very day, by the way, that Anthony Fauci, Dr. Anthony Fauci came out and said that we probably

would be dealing with COVID through the rest of this year into the spring of 2022. I don't know who else was shocked by that, but I was shocked by that because I had my head in this thing being under control this fall. Well, wrong again. And you know, celebrity culture, you know, we all understand that what gets clicks on the websites is celebrity, is sports, is money. I think those are the three biggest categories that get clicks. And people have to be careful with what they say, to say the least. But this is a particularly dangerous thing, you know, in particular.

And it's sad to see, quite frankly. You know, the thing that is, and I know there are some people who might say, Teresa, man, y'all making too much of this whole deal. You're giving this too much attention. No, fact of the matter is Buster was number five trending on Twitter earlier today. If you look at this video, if you add up the compilations of different people posting it, you're now talking about it being in the millions. And so that's what happens when you put stuff out like this, because there are impressionable people who are watching, paying attention, who are listening, who then go, yeah,

you know what? I agree with that. Damn a mask. And so what happens? They then go into stores and they go to restaurants and they choose not, you know, not to wear one, not realizing that it is there to offer protection, not just for you, but also your family and those around you. Yeah, I totally agree. I think that conversation around COVID-19 and the education behind it has to be taken seriously. other celebrities use their platform and utilize their voice against a pandemic, which again shows the lack of education and the science thereof. So it does show from the Biden administration that the need is greater and is higher in order to make sure that the funding pot for organizations that are looking to get some of those ad dollars makes sense for communities of color specifically, because if we're having celebrities, either if they're from the past or from the present, but they have a large following with a large influence, then I think there is a need to i mean again if it's not up to the venue owner to turn off the mic when they're talking this nonsense but or to censor some of this nonsense where it is killing millions of

americans then there is a need to currently invest those dollars and those cents into communities to help them better educate themselves because again some some of these communities do not have cable, right? And so their only form of, you know, in terms of outside communications could be YouTube and YouTube TV, along with these other social platforms, cable may not be an option. And thus, if that scene of Busta Rhymes is coming on and they're talking about energy, which is science. And so you are articulating a scientific view, but then you are degrading and saying F the science at the same time. I mean, Buster knows better. You know, some folks will give a pass and be like, well, maybe he just don't know better.

I mean, any adult and not even any adult, any teenager in our country knows how deadly this virus is. They've seen, you know, your aunties, your grandparents, and now children's lives being taken. So he knows better. You know, the question is, you know, are you, do you, I don't want to say do you love Black people, because I'm sure that Buster does. So I'm not going to put that on him. But I'm going to say, are you your brother and sister's keeper? Because if you truly are, then that means that you are going to do everything in your power to keep our people protected. And when you don't do that, you know, then it really creates this situation because we've seen these false narratives. I remember when COVID was first, you know, starting to get some attention and your show was one of the early

shows talking about it. And I remember the false narratives that were out there at that time. You know, if you were a person because you had melanin in your skin that you couldn't get COVID. And then all these other false narratives that were traveling around that made our people less aware and less protected. So, you know, Buster knows that he has to do such a better job and actually living up to that platform that he has. God has blessed you. So you're supposed to use your blessings to actually help to uplift folks, to make sure that folks are protected. And when you don't do that, unfortunately, it can be taken away as well. So I hope that he gets educated.

I hope that he also speaks out about it. Because here's the thing that we're not talking about. You had all these folks that were in the crowd that were co-signing on everything that Buster was saying because he's seen as somebody who's influential. So you got to use your power in such a better way. We've seen how power has been used to create very devastating situations inside of our community. So you got to use your power when you're a person of color and hopefully others

to actually to do better. It is sad. It is irresponsible. It is absolutely reckless. And again, look, I got Busta Rhymes music on my iPod. I listen to Busta Rhymes rapping.

I will never listen to Busta Rhymes rapping. I will never listen to Busta Rhymes talking about science and medicine. The thing I go back to is, Busta, you trusted the doctor who told you that if you sleep under an air condition you may die how is it that you listen to the doctor when it came to your life but now you want to ignore doctors who are trying to save millions folks got to go to break we come back we'll have some breaking news the house passes the John Lewis advancement Act'll also talk about the infrastructure bill. Before we do that, here's a word from my partners at SEEK.com. All right, folks, if you want to get a couple of the products of Seek.com, Black-Owned Company, founded by Mary Spiel, they have these amazing 360-degree headphones,

tremendous sound, the bass is incredible, and so they also have their virtual reality headsets. You place your phone into it. You can see the VR content at Seek.com, C-E-E-K.com, or you can watch 360 degree videos. All you got to do is go to Seek.com, use the promo code RMVIP21. RMVIP21. You can actually get those products. And then when you purchase one of them or both, those portions of proceeds comes back to us here at Roland Martin Unfiltered. So we certainly thank Mary Spio and Zeke for being a partner with us here at Roland Martin Unfiltered.

We'll be back after this break live from Los Angeles. 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, and 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.

Football bans and one of the best fan experiences in the country. The Cricket BX Swag Challenge kickoff returns to Atlanta on August 28th, along with special guests. College game day. Then Alcorn State takes on North Carolina Central with conference bragging rights on the line. Center Park Stadium is the place to be on August 28th.

Come tailgate all day before enjoying a primetime matchup on the gridiron. You don't want to miss this. Check out me at swagchallenge.com for more information. On August 28th, 1963, my father led a march on Washington. He had a dream. He had a dream. A dream. I have a dream. That one day, this nation would rise up. Rise up. Rise up. Rise up. And live out the true meaning of its creed. If we're a government of the people.

By the people. For the people. The people. Then we can't make it easier for some people to vote. And harder for others. Voting rights are under attack across America. And we are ready to rise up. On August 28, 2021.

August 28. 58 years to the day after my grandfather led the March on Washington. People all over America. In Atlanta. Washington, D.C. Miami, Houston, Phoenix, and cities and towns across the country will join together in the same non-violent, non-partisan spirit of Dr. King to tell our elected officials we won't wait any longer. We need federal voting rights protections for every American. Every American.

Every American. We need it now. Join us at MarchOnForVotingRights.org. And on August 28th, march with us. March with us. March with us. March with us. And tell your elected officials if they stand for democracy.

It's time to walk the walk i'm chris at michelle hi i'm chaley rose and you're watching roland martin unfiltered All right, folks, welcome back to Roland Martin on the filtered breaking news. The House just passed the John Lewis Voting Act. It was a vote of 219 to 212. Not a single Republican actually voted for this. This obviously is important. The issue we still have, though, is what happens in the United States Senate. Mustafa, voting rights advocates have been pushing for this issue, but the bottom line still is if you do not get Arizona Senator Christian Sinema

as well as Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia off of their butts to end the filibuster, it's a bill that passes in the House but goes nowhere in the Senate. That's the fight that we still have is to hold these folks accountable. I mean, if you're a Democrat, act like a Democrat. If you don't want to be a Democrat, switch parties and let people know exactly who you are and what you stand for and which policies that you're going to get behind. You know, this is so incredibly important i mean we know the sacrifices that john gave uh throughout his life and also pushing to make sure that folks actually have the opportunity to be able to vote in a fair and equitable process

and this helps to restore you know some of the things that have been stripped away by the supreme court case but as we get to the senate that that's why, folks, you got to use your power. You got to pick up the phone. You got to call. And when you see folks that are actually up there that are rallying and getting arrested, you know, if you have the ability to show up, then you got to show up because this is so critically important because if we don't make sure that this gets passed and the For the People Act, then all the things that we continue to fight for are actually in dire straits. So I'm glad that the House did this. You saw, as you said, Roland, that no Republicans supported this. That in itself sends a very clear message about where

they are. But, you know, the fight now is in the Senate. Lauren, what actually is this bill? Does it have any teeth? Yeah, it's a $3.5 trillion bill that has some climate change money in there. It's got health care. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, Lauren, that's the infrastructure bill. I'm talking about the John Lewis voting bill. John Lewis bill. Sorry. Sure. Preclearance. It basically has preclearance in there. And frankly, I was wanting Nancy Pelosi to throw that bill out there and have these people, these eight so-called moderates, explain why they would be blocking that. Because if you're a member of the Democratic Party, this is the whole ballgame. As so many of your other guests have said, you know, voting rights activists have said a million times, if you don't fix the voting system in the country, the Democratic Party

is in huge trouble. You know, we have the Republicans changing the law to make it harder to vote. So the John Lewis bill effectively restores preclearance and fixes what John Roberts broke in 2013. So why you would be fooling around with a bill that would interfere with that, I have absolutely no idea, particularly if you're a member of the Democratic Party. That made no sense whatsoever. Just that piece in there, to say nothing of the infrastructure money and everything else that's in there. So yeah, that bill fixes what the Supreme Court did. Effectively, it makes, it forces states to, who have had a history of effectively, you

know, making it harder for people to vote, it basically restores preclearance. And that, without that, everything that was worked on 1960s is sort of moot, frankly. But, you know, I guess, you know, we can't complain because I guess, you know, we just saw a huge victory for the president today. But at the same time, they do have to step it up, their arguments for voting rights. Because I really think that to say that this is a pivotal moment with regard to voting and the party, the Democratic Party in particular, and Donald Trump coming back into power possibly if the Republicans get what they want, they're effectively, you know, fooling around the voting system and in some cases, I think, cheating. I mean, when you're installing things into law that would make it possible for some,

you know, some official, some local official to decide an election, what do you think that they're planning to do? This sort of reminds me, too, that Jane Mayer recently wrote a piece in The New Yorker on what is funding all of these efforts against voting rights, which was an extremely frightening piece, quite frankly. And the Republicans are laser focused on making it hard to vote. And frankly, I think they're laser focused on gaming and creating a system where they can cheat and steal an election. And if you're not awake to that by this point, I don't know

what's going on. Unless Manchin and Sinema are going to switch parties, which Mustafa just referenced, I don't understand what they're thinking as this bill goes toward the Senate. This thing here, Teresa, that cracks me up. So this here is a graphic that Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick put out about their BS voter integrity bill. Go to my iPad, please. He just put this out. Election integrity bill. Easy to vote, hard to cheat. Your employer must give you time Go to my iPad, please. He put you just put this out. Election integrity bill. Easy to vote. Hard to cheat. Your employer must give you time off to go vote.

The polls close and you are in line. You will still be allowed to vote. You can do that right now. Y'all. Fifty five Texas counties will be required to have longer voting hours. Saturday and Sunday voting hours will be increased. Of course, what they did not tell you is that how they want to take away meaning the drop boxes. They want to stop Harris County for allowing 24-hour voting. They also don't like curbside voting, and there are other restrictions they have. Texas is already the hardest place to vote in the country, and so a nice keep attempt by Dan Patrick to lock the public, Teresa. Yeah, I thought it was a very strategic three-point plan without the other 10 facets that the people really needed to have a full analysis of the situation. Listen, I think the bottom line was the same thing Mustafa and Lauren already stated. Voter suppression is still here. Again, the Senate kind of needs to get in line. But Biden made it very clear when he was here in Philadelphia that there needs to be a clear path on both sides. And I think that could potentially happen. But it has to be, again, you know, with the right advocacy and the right leaders that say they represent the Democratic Party. And so now let's talk about what was also happening.

It looks like Democrats have cut a deal with moderates when it comes to a $3.5 trillion infrastructure bill. You had a number of moderates who were trying to scuttle the bill. They felt that it was just too expensive, but they were able to stop that from happening. This is what I find to be very interesting. Again, you have these House Democrats, Lauren, who talked about, oh, my goodness, we shouldn't be doing this, can't afford this. All these so-called fiscal conservatives, they didn't give a damn about what we couldn't afford over the last four years under Trump. Yeah, how about that? Anytime you hear a conversation about, oh, my goodness, we can't afford the money, you know that that money is going to regular, ordinary people, usually the middle class

and the lower middle class. Usually it's going to be targeted toward the poor, which we have 40 million, over 40 million poor people in the United States. And we just watched the administration... We lost Lauren there. Let me know when we get her back. Lauren, is she back? Okay, Mustafa. Mustafa, I'll go to you on this. The thing here, it looks like Lauren is back. Lauren, go ahead and finish your point

and then I'll go your point. Go ahead. Yeah, I can hear you. I can hear you. So just all I was going to say is that, you know, this talk of not being able to afford things is only is only seen when it's the middle class that we're directing the money towards. Anytime we have a war or anything else, all of a sudden it can be afforded. I mean, it's as simple as that. And, frankly, I mean, I think Nancy Pelosi should have thrown the thing on the floor and watched the eight so-called moderates vote against it, because I want to see how they were going to explain that. Fortunately, she didn't have to do that, because Nancy Pelosi, quite frankly, is probably the best speaker of the House, certainly since Sam Raver, but, like, the—one of the best speakers of the House, certainly, in American history. She always finds the votes. All that talk about, oh, she should retire. She should leave. She always gets the job done.

She got it done for Obama on health care. And she just did it again with a three point five trillion dollar bill. That is the centerpiece of Joe Biden's agenda. Mustafa, the thing I find to be interesting is I love the people who say we can't afford this, but they act as if we have another planet out there that we can substitute for the one that's currently being destroyed. Yeah, this $3.5 trillion actually puts real dollars into addressing the environmental injustices that have continued to happen inside of our country. Of course, they disproportionately hit communities of color.

And it is also very forward-thinking, because it makes significant investments in addressing the climate crisis, but also in helping us to move forward on a clean economy and the sets of jobs and opportunities that are in that space. So there really needs to be a reframing for it. All of us should make sure that we are talking about this as an investment both in the moment and toward the future. And if we don't make these investments, other countries will. And they will benefit from the sets of opportunities that are going to come from this. And just let me close with this, Roland. I worked on Capitol Hill. I handled appropriations. So I

know that the dollars exist. And it's just like Lauren said, it's about the prioritization and how you want to utilize those dollars. So it's not a question of do they exist? It's really a question of how are you going to use them? Teresa. Yeah, I totally agree. And I think how we use those dollars is making sure that we have, again, the right leadership, the right advisors, not only in the room, but also making sure that that plan is being determined by the appropriate parties. So that is bringing folks to the table that have the experience and knowing how to appropriate these dollars and cents, but also understanding that if the dollars are not appropriated effectively, the consequences thereof. So again, $3.5 trillion is a big number for a lot of people, but it has a huge investment in communities of color and, of course, the environmental protections that

surrounds it. All right, then, folks, let's talk about the R. Kelly trial. It is day five. Today, one of his accusers testified that R. Kelly groomed a male victim, and then he also forced her and the unidentified male to have sex on multiple occasions. Her name is not being identified. She's Jane Doe, one of six unnamed witnesses to testify. You might recall also last week, that was a doctor who testified after Chris McGrath, who works at Northwestern Medical, Northwestern in Chicago, testified that he had treated R. Kelly, but he flew around the world as well. But now Northwestern announced today that they're going to review the care of R. Kelly's doctor. And so he is going to have certainly some questions that he has to answer. As a result was testimony in that particular trial. Folks got to go to break.

We come back. We'll talk about HBCU students, how they are connecting. Of course, utilizing the Nextdoor app. We'll get their thoughts as well in terms of what they expect is going to happen when they come back to campus, dealing with COVID and how they're going to be sharing information. All of that next on Roland Martin Unfiltered, broadcasting here from the City of Angels, Los Angeles, California, 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. But I'm able to say, watch out, Tiffany. I know this road.

That is so freaking dope. Football bands and one of the best fan experiences in the country. The Cricket BX Swag Challenge kickoff returns to Atlanta on August 28th, along with special guests, college game day. Then Alcorn State takes on North Carolina Central with conference bragging rights on the line. Center Park Stadium is the place to be on August 28th. Come tailgate all day before enjoying a primetime matchup on the gridiron.

You don't want to miss this. Check out meackswagchallenge.com for more information. And you don't want to miss this. Check out me at SwagChallenge.com for more information. And you don't want to miss Roller Mart Unfiltered broadcasting live from Atlanta on Friday and Saturday. Friday, we broadcast it from the Atlanta Braves baseball game. We'll be talking to the commissioners of the Swag and Me Act, as well as

university presidents and other great executives. On Saturday, we'll be live from the Coca-Cola Fan Zone at the game. We'll look forward to be live from the Coca-Cola fan zone at the game. We'll look forward to also live streaming the halftime show as well as the performance after the game in the fifth quarter. Folks, you do not want to

miss the great stuff we have in store this weekend. We certainly want to thank Coca-Cola for being in partnership with us on the Swag Me Act Challenge. We'll see you from Atlanta on Friday. 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 protests. I hope our younger generation don't ever forget that nonviolence is soul force.

Right. uh the hollywood hills and so uh we are here uh in los angeles of course of the Hollywood Hills. And so we are here in Los Angeles, of course, doing a variety of interviews. And so we've been having a great time here. I cannot wait for y'all to see the great conversation that we have been having here. All right, folks, every Tuesday, of course, we have our Marketplace segment,

where we talk about black businesses and also in terms of what we are doing in terms of the technology sponsored by Nextdoor, the app that connects communities, folks in their communities. And one of the things that they have been doing is really emphasizing what HBCU students are doing, for them to stay connected when they get to their campuses. And so we want to talk about that. This, of course, is always something that's kind of important because, you know, when you go away to school, you definitely want to stay updated with your peeps from your hometown, the things that you need, things that you're looking for. I love the posts I get from people who are looking for like a farmer's market and looking where to get their hair done and looking for a handyman, something along those lines.

And so we've got three students from Tennessee State University. Glad to have them here. Joining us right now is Derek Sanders, Aubrey Sales, and Cedric Waters. Glad to have all three of you here. So, first of all, how are things going? Are you back on campus? Dr. Glennon Glover got everything straight for y'all? Yeah, we're back.

We're back. We're straight. Yes, we are back. What are y'all doing on that couch? What are y'all doing on that couch? What are y'all doing on that couch? All that moving. We're trying to scoot in the frame. Trying to make sure we look good.

Nah, y'all good. Y'all good. I'm sitting there. First of all, that's a small ass couch. That's the problem. The problem is small couch y'all got i'm saying that that that must be a borrowed couch well hopefully you can help us advocate and get our money that we're back going from the state of tennessee yes that would help us get some newer couches. Yes.

Oh, trust me. Oh, no. Look, we are the head of that. When you had that state committee that said Tennessee State was underfunded to the tune of upwards of $500 million, we certainly stand with you all. Of course, we were fighting for the folks in Maryland for the money and other states as well. And so we are a firm believer in that and helping out the Cobalt Blue and White there, Tennessee State. Talk about how you utilize Nextdoor

with connecting with your fellow students there, Tennessee State. Yes, so good evening, everybody. I am Derek Sanders, a senior English major from Cincinnati, Ohio, and I currently serve as the Student Government Association President for the 2021-2022 academic school year. And the way that we utilize the Nextdoor app here at Tennessee State University is to connect students with each other. One of Nextdoor's main focal points is connecting neighbor to neighbor. And here at Tennessee State University,

we believe in having a family. And we utilize that to share resources and opportunities amongst each other to tell about all the great things that are going on here at Tennessee State University and the surrounding communities. And so when you talk about that connection, I mean, obviously there are different ways that folks do it. They might need something. They need a ride home if they're trying to go back. And so just give me some examples, again, of how y'all have been able to utilize, again,

the app to connect, to talk, to share, to provide insight or direction or give advice and counsel. Yes. So I am Aubrey Sales, a senior political science major, minor in English from Huntsville, Alabama, and I serve as the Student Election Commission chair. And in my position, it's my role and my job to get our campus typically engaged and registered to vote.

So we make sure we use this app to notify them about events such as our TSU tailgate voter registration drive happening in our first home game. This is a way for us not only to notify students of the opportunity to be registered to vote, but also alumni in the community. And I think that's the goal of Nextdoor, not only unifying us on campus, but also unifying the community around us. And so you have somebody out there and they say, look, man, I got enough

communication tools. We might be on WhatsApp. We might be on whatsapp we might be on signal might be anywhere else I think again what's great is not just being able to connect students but also being able to connect students with black owned businesses in the area where you are yeah absolutely and also good evening everybody I am Senator Jordan Waters. I am a senior mechanical engineering major from Brooklyn, Tennessee. And I currently serve as senior class vice president for this academic school year. Definitely here at Tennessee State University, there are so many different entrepreneurs and budding black businesses that we have on campus and even in the surrounding areas. So Nextdoor is really an app that can allow

people that are new to the area or new to the school to connect with these people and find the services and the goods that they may need. Well, I think it's wonderful what Nextdoor is doing with all of you. It is some great work there. I think that really stands out. And so I look forward to being back on campus. I'm texting Dr. Glover right now. She says, and she says, Derek, you need to do a much better job as SGA president. You're slacking. I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. She said Derek Sanders is doing she said Derek Sanders

is doing an awesome job as SGA president and so and so I want to let her know and of course I look forward to being back on the camps I did y'all commencement before COVID had a good time had a good time there

and so huh we just Oh gotcha so there's a slight delay so again I appreciate y'all being on the show. Thanks a bunch and hope to see you soon.

Thank you so much. Thank you for having us see y'all. Alright then so we want to thank Nextdoor for being the sponsor of our Marketplace segment. I'm going to take a break. We're going to actually share with you some information about Nextdoor. When we come back, on the flip side, we'll talk about a couple of police cases, one out of Bakersfield, California, one out of South Carolina.

A lot of craziness. We'll give you that, and then we'll wrap this thing up. You're watching Roller Martin Unfiltered, broadcasting live from Los Angeles. Back in a moment. 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 Nextdoor app. A lot of people in the area liked it. 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. Hey, I'm Amber Stephens-West. Yo, what up, y'all? This is Jay Ellis, and you're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. All right, folks. Rolling by the unfiltered, broadcasting live from Los Angeles. A shout out to Hollywood Hills right there. And so we're glad to be here. Oh, y'all. Y'all know what time it is.

You know. No charcoal is. You know. No charcoal grills are allowed. I'm not a new... I'm white. I got you, girl. Yeah, it's illegally selling water without a permit. On my property. Whoa!

Hey! Give me your ID. You don't live here. I'm uncomfortable. Now, do y'all remember that white Army noncommissioned officer in South Carolina caught on video assaulting a black man? Let me refresh your memory. You know what? Maybe you should hang on a little longer. We'll see how it goes. Then we won't have to get the report by ourselves. What is it you're doing here? Walking. Then walk. Okay, and that's what I was doing. Well, you've been here like 15

minutes now. Let's go. Walk away. Keep walking. Walk away. Walk away right now. You need help? You got this on camera. i'm happy to help you i didn't hit you there's a difference between pushing you you were the aggressor buddy you were aggressive someone came running walk away you walk away you talking to my wife right now that's your wife walk away walk away take away. Take it out. You can walk away or I'm going to carry your ass out of here. What do you want to do? Or what? What are you going to do? Let's go. Walk away. I'm about to do something to you. You better start walking. You better start walking right now. I ain't coming after you. You're in the wrong neighborhood, motherfucker.

Get out. Get out. I live here, sir. Where? Where's your house? What's your address? Maybe we should walk you home. Walk me home?

Wrong. You want to bet what I can do? I live here, sir. Right now, you're harassing the neighborhood. I'm not harassing anyone walking through the neighborhood. I live here, sir. Right now, you're harassing the neighborhood. I'm not harassing anyone walking through the neighborhood I live in, sir. Where? Check it out. We are a tight-knit community.

We take care of each other. Well, that guy, Jonathan Pentland, has been convicted of third-degree assault. Of course, in April, Pentland threatened a black man who was walking in his neighborhood. The judge gave Pentland the option to spend 30 days in jail or pay a $1,087 fine. The Fort Jackson soldier got suspended from his post before the two-day trial. This is the kind of craziness, Lauren, we have seen since all the people emboldened by Donald Trump. You got the crazy proud boys out there. I hope he gets honorably discharged from the military and get court martialed.

Yeah, he probably will, and he should. I mean, it's like all this big, bad, fake, tough guy movie nonsense brought to life. You know, I mean, Donald Trump went to some little military school in New York and never actually served in our military. And his followers are kind of a mirror of that, although this guy did actually serve in the military. But why are you bullying somebody on the street? For what? It makes no sense. And we just keep seeing these videos over and over again. And of course, once again, just to say the cliche again, imagine what was happening before we had all these cell phone cameras. Imagine what was going on before we got

some of this bird's eye view into American life. And, you know, obviously we're a nation of 320, you know, million people. So we understand that this isn't everybody. So we have to put that into perspective. But at the same time, it is pretty incredible to watch the pettiness, you know, of some people and what they think is, quote, right. And it's amazing. The guy showed a lot of restraint because being from the Bronx, I know a lot of people who have handled that situation a lot differently. And of course, y'all, we are seeing this is not just guys like him. It's also cops here in Bakersfield, California, not far from L.A. They're changing their policies after a four-year investigation. Final officers used excessive and deadly force, conducted unwarranted searches and arrests, and policing unsupervised. The BPD, they're going to now use body cameras, collect data for California's Racial Identity Profiling Act, and work with community partners.

Kern County, which houses the Bakersfield Police Department, has a 54% Hispanic population. The police reform will now offer language services and support non-English speaking residents. 2015 found that the Bakersfield Police Department and the Kern County Sheriff's Office killed 79 people. Seventy nine people in a 10 year period between 2015, 2005 and 2015. They have the highest killing killings, police killings per capita in the country. That's why you got to have real, real action on the federal level when it comes to these police departments, Mustafa. Yeah, that's the only way that reform is ever going to happen. And that's why you've got to have, as we've talked about, a strong Department of Justice that's willing to actually reach down and hold people accountable. And then the other part of, of course, is the financial aspect of it, where, you know, when these departments and others are not going to do the right thing, we got to find ways to make sure that they are also paying the cost financially.

So it just makes sense for these departments to finally get their act together and to deconstruct the bad aspects of it and to make sure that we have 21st century sets of actions that are happening where equity and justice is actually being honored. Last story here, Teresa. Hershel Walker is filed to run for the United States Senate in Georgia against Pastor Senator Raphael Warnock. This is the same Hershel Walker who just registered last week to vote in Georgia. Doesn't live there as well, alone his wife. Oh, don't you know? Don't you know? Donald Trump, of course, has been pushing Herschel to run. Republicans in Georgia have been waiting for him.

He is seen as a god in Georgia, at the plane for the University of Georgia. But I dare say Teresa Hershey Walker is stuck on stupid and dumb as a doorknob when it comes to politics. I can't wait to see this fool in a debate with Raphael Warnock. Yeah, the irony is you likely won't see him in a debate with Warnock because we are dealing with someone who is, again, close to the president. The president, obviously, as we know, was not a good debater himself. So they are going to use the celebrity in order to get across the finish line. But again, if I know some of the communications team,

they are going to be working on his celebrity, his popularity, and again, keeping him away from any real issues and social concepts that would ultimately lead him to actually think for himself. So I think this will be a very interesting race. Unfortunately, we're going to see a lot of misinformation. So those who live in Georgia, be prepared to do your own research and education about the race, the individuals and the candidates,. Because again, when you're particularly involved in a race like this, you know, either voting or on the campaign trail, there's going to be a lot of seen and unseen, especially since we know that Donald Trump is

pushing Herschel Walker specifically. We don't know what is to come. So beware. Well, with that divorce that Herschel Walker had, the threats against his wife, multiple personalities, I'm sure Democrats are saying, oh, we can't wait for you, Hershel. Lauren, what do you think? Oh, you know, the fact that the race that we just had in Georgia involving Reverend Warnock was so close, you would think the Republicans would find somebody that's got a brain in their head. I mean, Herschel Walker, I don't know whether he took too many hits or what happened, but they love, the Republican Party loves running these dummy sort of Tommy Tuberville-style candidates

that don't really talk about anything. But typically, they do a little bit better than this. And this is going to be a disaster. This is going to be its own little sort of mini get out the vote campaign. The fact that Herschel Walker's name is on there, because once he starts talking, the votes, the Democratic side is going to come out like crazy. And I suspect it deflates the Republican side because there's nothing about him. You know, he's not going to be talking about conservative values. He's going to be a, you know, a Trumpkin. And all that stuff is, at some point, it doesn't get

too inspiring. So I just don't understand why they keep running these types of candidates. And to say nothing of what you just referenced, Roland, with the divorce and that whole mess off to the side. I mean, just him running is enough. But then there's all these appetizers waiting to be turned into commercials for that campaign. So that's going to be crazy. And then, of course, you've got his out-of-control, deranged son with his outlandish videos. I'm sure he is going to be a campaign headache. Mustafa. I'm just I'm baffled. That's all I can say. The receipts are going to kill you. The receipts are going to kill you because of some of the stuff that both you and some of your family members have done over the years.

I'm just like, why would you do this? I mean, you can't run bad candidates and have bad policies and actually expect to win. But you know what? Go ahead and throw them cards on the table. We'll go ahead and count them up. Absolutely. I want to squeeze in one last story. Good news for tens of thousands of ex-formally incarcerated in North Carolina will be able to cast their ballots. A judicial panel declared that felons with current punishments that do not include prison time can register to vote. In 2019, several civil rights groups and ex-offenders sued North Carolina, saying the 1973 law is unconstitutional by denying the right to vote people who have completed their active sentences or received no jail sentence. Actors say the landmark decision represents the largest expansion of North Carolina voting rights since the 1960s. And so certainly congratulations there in North Carolina.

Folks, that is it for us. Mustafa, Lauren, as well as Teresa, we shall appreciate y'all joining us on today's show. Folks, if y'all want to support us, what we do here at Roland Martin, please join our Bring the Funk fan club where your dollars go to make it possible for us to do what we do. Our goal is to get 20,000 of our fans annually contributing a minimum of 50 bucks each. Of course, through our various methods. Look, if you can't do 50, look, we understand. We have it where people have given us 25, 20, 10, 5 bucks.

We appreciate all of that. Some have given us more than 50. And so we've got multiple ways to do so. Cash App, Dollar Sign, RM Unfiltered. PayPal.me forward slash rmartinunfiltered. Venmo.com is forward slash rmunfiltered. Zelle is rolling at rollingsmartin.com. Rolling at rollingmartinunfiltered.com And so

that's it for us, folks. I got to go. We've got more interviews to do out here in LA tonight. And then we've got interviews tomorrow as well. Then we'll fly to Atlanta on Thursday and be broadcasting from Atlanta on Friday and Saturday.

And so that is it for us, folks. I shall see y'all tomorrow. Busta Rhymes, holler at a brother if you want to have a real conversation about COVID and masks. Come on here anytime, any day. We'll be ready for that conversation

and I'll bring some black doctors and black scientists to help you since you said the last 16 months that you took it up took advantage of COVID and learned a whole lot I don't think you learned enough. I know a lot of cops they get asked all 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. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glott. And this is season two of the war on drugs podcast. Last year, a lot of the problems of the drug war this year,

a lot of the biggest names in music and sports. It's kind of star studded a little bit, man. We met them at their homes. We met them at the recording studios. Stories matter and it brings a face to it. 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 podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. I always had to be so good no one could ignore me. Carve my path with data and drive. But some people only see who I am on paper. The paper ceiling. The limitations from degree screens to stereotypes that are holding back over 70 million stars.

Workers skilled through alternative routes rather than a bachelor's degree. It's time for skills to speak for themselves. Find resources for breaking through barriers at taylorpapersilling.org. Brought to you by Opportunity at Work and the Ad Council. This is an iHeart Podcast.