#RolandMartinUnfiltered - Ronald Greene's Family Wants DOJ Charges, FedEx Fires Driver, Creating Clean, Safe Drinking Water

Episode Date: August 23, 2023

8.22.2023 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: Ronald Greene's Family Wants DOJ Charges, FedEx Fires Driver, Creating Clean, Safe Drinking Water  Civil rights attorney Ben Crump and the family of Ronald Greene are calling for federal civil rights charges against the law enforcement officers who beat the black motorist to death, then tried to cover up his death.  Attorney Crump is here to explain why Greene's family demands the Department of Justice to step in.  The black Mississippi FedEx driver who two white men shot at gets dealt another blow after a judge declares a mistrial.  FedEx fires D'Monterrio Gibson after denying his request to work from home.   We'll tell you which two of the 19 indicted in Georgia for trying to overturn the 2020 election turned themselves in before Friday's deadline. And in today's Marketplace, we'll meet the man trying to ensure the world has clean, safe drinking water.  The founder of The Moses West Foundation will be here to explain how he turns air into water.  Download the Black Star Network app at http://www.blackstarnetwork.com! We're on iOS, AppleTV, Android, AndroidTV, Roku, FireTV, XBox and SamsungTV. The #BlackStarNetwork 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.See 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. 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 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'm Candace Kelly sitting in for Roland. Here's what's coming up on Roland Martin Unfiltered streaming live on the Black Star Network. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump and the family of Ronald Green are calling for federal civil rights charges against law enforcement officers who beat the black motorist to death

then tried to cover it up. Attorney Crump is here to explain why Green's family is demanding that the Department of Justice step in. FedEx fires the black Mississippi FedEx driver that two white men shot at while he was delivering packages. This is yet another blow as a judge declared a mistrial for the driver's shooters. And we'll tell you which two of the 19 indicted in Georgia for trying to overturn the election turned themselves in before Friday's deadline.

In today's Marketplace, we'll meet the man who is trying to ensure that the world has clean safe drinking water the founder of the Moses West Foundation will explain how he turns air into water it's time to bring the funk on Roland Martin unfiltered streaming live on the Black Star Network. Let's go. Whatever the piss, he's on it Whatever it is, he's got the scoop, the fact, the fine And when it breaks, he's right on time And it's rolling Best belief he's knowing Putting it down from sports to news to politics With entertainment just for kicks

He's rolling It's on go-go-go, y'all It's rolling, Martin, yeah, it's Uncle Roro, y'all. Yeah, yeah, it's Rollin' Martin. Yeah, yeah, rollin' with Rollin' now. Yeah, he's funky, he's fresh, he's real the best. You know he's Rollin' Martin now. Martin! The family of Ronald Green, the black man killed by Louisiana State Police, there are calls for federal civil rights charges against the men who caused his death.

Flanked by civil rights attorney Ben Crump, Green's family, still waiting for justice in his murder, said the Department of Justice should indict the man responsible for Green's death. In July, a judge ruled that two of the five indicted ex-state troopers, John Peters and Dakota DeMoss, will no longer face obstruction of justice charges. Now, several other felony charges still stand, including the most severe charge of negligent homicide against Master Trooper Corey York. Today, York's request to have his entitement

dropped was heard. He claims his rights for self-incrimination were violated. The family believes the state needs to do more and wants the federal government to take over. Greene died on May 19, 2019, after an encounter with the former Louisiana State Troopers following a high-speed chase in Union Parish. Police told his family he died because of a car crash during that chase, and since his death, Greene's family has filed a wrongful death civil lawsuit against the Louisiana State Police.

They're seeking payment for all of the medical and funeral expenses. Joining me now is civil rights attorney Ben Crump. Ben, thank you so much for being with us today. Thank you for having me and thank you for covering this important case. Absolutely. So I know that today at the press conference, we heard from a number of people. What was key, obviously, to this press conference is that you want the federal government to step in. What are some of the things that you would like to see happen because the federal government steps in? They certainly have more powers to do what they need to do to bring justice to this. Yeah, the federal government has a different standard that gives them more latitude than the state of Louisiana.

And we have far more confidence in the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division than in the local Louisiana officials, law enforcement officials, who work hand in hand with these troopers who brutally, brutally killed Ronald Greene. It is just as horrific of a killing by police as the officers in Memphis, Tennessee five officers that killed Ronald Green in Louisiana were white police officers versus the officers who killed Tyree Nichols was black police officers. And therefore, we are arguing that we need the Department of Justice to come in just like they did with George Floyd, just like they did with Ahmaud Arbery, just like they did with George Floyd, just like they did with Ahmaud Arbery, just like they did with Breonna Taylor. And we have to have them come in

on Ronald Greene because his killing was just as horrific as all the others. And one of the points that was certainly brought up at the press conference by his sister was that she was the one who got the first call. When she got that call, she was told a lie in terms of how he died. She was told that he crashed through a window during the police chase. This turned out not to be the case. I want to talk a little bit about the specific charges that you would like to see being leveled against the police officers? And really, what are the chances that you think it will actually make a difference

when it comes to police enforcement and the way that they need to make changes? Well, I believe just like with George Floyd, just like with Ahmaud Arbery, who was killed by quasi-police officer, retired police officer, Mike Michaels, that it sends a chilling effect once you have the federal government who has a lot more authority to come in and say, if you lied to us, that's a crime.

If you were there and ate it and abetted it, well, that's a conspiracy. I mean, there's so many things that the federal government can do. They can look at it from a racial perspective. I mean, once the feds get involved, what is the percentage of 95% conviction rate versus the state of Louisiana, which, you know, it's tragic. This is the very first time that they have ever indicted police officers for killing a black man in the state of Louisiana. And so that's why his mother Mona and his sisters Deneo and Alana are fighting so hard not to let their brother's death get whitewashed and swept under the rug in Union County, Louisiana. They're saying, no, we need the Department of Justice to come and do justice. I mean, it's not a very difficult ask when you look at the video. As we said at the press conference, we don't need to say no more. Just look at the video. I mean, you got a police officer confessing.

And you're talking about setting precedent, really, when we look at this being the first case, potentially, that the Department of Justice could take on and indict people on this level. What would you say are the next steps and how, what are your feelings about the Department of Justice getting involved? And I guess the fact, the idea that that will even happen at all. Well, I know Ronald Green's family is coming to the march on Washington, which is going to be on Saturday. And then, Candace, he's going to have a huge rally on the stakes of the courthouse stairs in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on the eve of his birthday on September 27th.

And we know a lot of national figures are coming in to Louisiana. And we know that all the local activists are coming in demanding justice for Ronald Green. We have to say his name every time we say Tyree Nichols' name because his video was just as bad. Now, I want to talk a little bit about what the family is actually demanding, what you're demanding as an attorney in this case in terms of monetary damages, in terms of anything else that you would ask of the court system in this case. Well, I'm working with a great team of lawyers. It's always a team effort. And just like we demanded $500 million in the killing of Tyree Nichols, in many ways,

I think this is worse than Tyree Nichols. Just as bad when you look at the facts that Ronald Green said, I was just scared. I don't want to hurt Ronald Greene said, I was just scared. I don't want to hurt nobody. He said, I'm your brother. And they still savagely beat him to death while he was in handcuffs. And they put him in shackles and they punched him and kicked him. And then you can't forget that video where he said he beat the living out of him. That's very analogous to Tyree Nichols when the police officer in that case,

I beat the H-E-W-L out of him. I was hitting him with haymakers and everything. And you got police officers not only killing a black man on video, but then you got them talking about it in their own voice. How can we be, what more of a smoking gun can we give you, America? You know, this is something obviously that has been your life's work. You have been on the ground on so many of these cases. We've talked about Cop City, for example, the training facility in

Atlanta. And I wanted your feelings about places like Cop City and places that call themselves training centers. And ultimately, what is the training that you think needs to change and happen so that these types of things don't happen as much or at all? Well, I think we have to put people over politics and we have to pass the George Floyd Justice and Policing Act because we have to have police officers have systematic implicit bias training, but then also when they use excessive force and violate the constitutional rights of black and brown people disproportionately, we have to make sure that there's some federal guarantees that say you will be put in jail for doing this. And that's what we are lacking right now. We have to make

sure that we have for the first time since Lyndon Baines Johnson's Great Society legislation in the 1960s, substantive police reform. We have not had it, and it's now past time that we have it. How many more hashtags? Think about from Trayvon Martin to now, with Tyree Nichols. How many hashtags have black people had to put on the boy to show America that there are extrajudicial killings by police officers. And it's disproportionately unjustified when it comes to black and brown people. All right. Well, Ben Crump, I believe that you were staying with us after the break. I'm going to check in on that. But this is Roland Martin unfiltered on the Black Star Network. And we will be right back after this break. Thank you.

I know a lot of cops and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops call this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that Taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company

dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1. Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th.

Add free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Lott. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives.

This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug ban is. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got Be Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer

Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Karamush. What we're doing now isn't working and we need to change things. Stories matter and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast

season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. Here's the deal. We got to set ourselves up. See, retirement is the long game. We got to make moves and make them early. Set up goals.

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We're about to see the rise of what I call white minority resistance. We have seen white folks in this country who simply cannot tolerate black folks voting. I think what we're seeing is the inevitable result of violent denial. This is part of American history. Every time that people of color have made progress,

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

This is white fear. Up next on The Frequency with me, Dee Barnes. The shooting of Megan Thee Stallion and the subsequent trial of Tory Lanez. Megan has been treated like the villain. The experience that Megan went through is something that all Black women face when we are affected by violence. This is something that's called massage noir.

There's a long history of characterizing Black women as inherently bad in order to justify our place in this society. Next on The Frequency with me, Dee Barnes. Hey, what's up? It's Tammy Roman. Hey, it's John Murray, the executive producer of the new Sherri Shepherd Talk Show. It's me, Sherri Shepherd, and you know what you're watching, Roland Martin Unfiltered.

I want to bring in my panel to discuss the Ronald Greene family's demand for the Department of Justice to step in and charge the men responsible for his death. I'm joined right now by Randy Bryant, DEI disruptor out of Washington, D.C., and also joining me is Dr. Drew Brown, professor of African American Studies, Sociology and Criminology and Law from the University

of Florida. Thank you very much for being with us today. Dr. Brown, I wanted to start with you. I mean, we have been here before. I wanted to know your take about the press conference and the fact that this would be the first time that this type of a case would be

brought through the Department of Justice in Louisiana. Certainly, we know that there have been other events like this that have gone on in Louisiana. And I just wanted your thoughts on this case so far. Yes, thanks for having me. And it definitely should be brought to this level. I think we've seen too many of these incidents where something drastic has to be done. I think it's completely appropriate that civil rights charges be brought. I think we see very much similarities between, as Brother Crump alluded to, we see a lot of similarities between Ronald Greene and Tyree Nicol. But also, when we talk about Ronald Greene's case and the cover-up that happened,

this reminds us of Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker in Mississippi, where they had a police cover-up as well that came to light. And so when we talk about legislation and we talk about things that have been said in the rhetoric, even by President Biden, a lot of the legislation that he was sort of pushing was to ban certain moves like the chokehold and other moves. And really, we need to demand legislative legislation, substantive legislation that provides transparency and accountability. And that, I think, will lead us to holding these police officers more accountable. And that's really what we're working towards. Randy, I want to go to you.

It seems to me that, as I said, we've been here before, but a lot of the power that people hold falls within the community. The press conference today, they spoke for over 35 minutes about what they wanted and took people through the story of Ronald Green and his death. What are your thoughts about the fact that the people in the community and the people who are on the ground, really in so many ways,

are the ones that have been keeping this particular case alive, and that's what is necessary in order for these cases to continue to survive. Yes, it's an absolute shame that we have to take justice into our own hands, but this is certainly not new for us, and I believe we're prepared to do so. I had the pleasure to be on this show a few, I guess a few months back,

and Ronald Green's mother was on the show, and I heard her determination, and I was very clear that she was not going to let this case rest until those murderers stood trial. She was not. And she talked about how, you know, how the story has changed and evolved. And she had to learn about updates on the news. I mean, the cover up has been as bad as the crime. And so it's unfortunate that we're here, but I'm happy that we have someone like Mrs. Green pushing the efforts because I have no doubt that she will see this to the end.

I felt her determination when we talked with her. To think that this happened back in 2019 and here we are in 2023 and still chasing for some sort of real accountability, some sort of real justice, is sad. But clearly, they need some oversight. And Randy, I want to stick with you for a moment in that, as you said, this is 2019. It took two years for the video to actually even come out, which again speaks to this idea that there are people who are on the ground that have to be driving the front seat, in the front seat, to make sure that evidence comes into fruition,

that information is brought to the attention of the public, and that something like this is kept alive. What are your hopes? Because we've been talking about training throughout the week and Cop City. What are your hopes in terms of what might change for training in terms of police officers that are out in the street serving the community today? I've done this work for a long time,

and of course I do believe training is important. One, it needs to be much more intensive. It needs to be continuous. They need to be reminded of lessons because we have to realize that these are people, all of us, have been raised in a society that was divided and based on white supremacy and racism. And so those lessons don't just go away because someone like me comes and does a three-week

course for, you know, three hours that week, a week. So it needs to be where they're constantly being reminded of what's acceptable and unacceptable, but no amount of training will work if there are not consequences. I could, you know, train people on how to drive and tell you what the speed limit is, but I promise you that people will speed if they did not get tickets, right? You know how to do the things right, but there needs to be some accountability. It needs to be where at least people don't feel as if they can continue in with their professions. They still sometimes, oftentimes,

just get placed on office duty. They still get salaries. And also, I don't want to see the states always paying for what these individual officers do, but the individual officers losing their pensions. It has to hurt. You have to have consequences. That's the way we've done with every other thing from sports to corporate America. There must be consequences. Dr. Brown, when we talk about the federal government getting involved in cases like this across the country, it has been happening. It has been happening for years. What are your thoughts about whether or not

it has been having any effect? The federal government seems to be kind of the last way for people, for the justice system to try to work. If it's not working legislatively, we can go to the federal government, go to the executive branch and make that happen. But do you have confidence and faith in the federal government getting involved in order to see any type of real change? Yeah. So it's not a matter of do I have confidence or

faith? We can just look at the facts. And the facts of the matter is that it is not progressing fast enough. Yes, there are some instances and some statistics that show that it is crawling to an improvement. However, it is not going fast enough. We're still seeing a large amount of these cases where we see all-white officers brutalizing black men and women. And it's really not even just all- white officers. We've seen in other cases that it is a police culture that is producing these brutal assaults on black and brown folks, whether it be men or women. And I think that there are certain things that the government is trying to do, but obviously it's not enough. The money that is costing cities because of these instances is ridiculous, that seems to not even be working, right? There needs to be more that should be done, can be done, if we're going to

cause a massive change in this. I am somewhat skeptical whether these small sort of changes that we are seeing is going to lead to an overall culture change in policing. I don't think that's going to happen. What needs to happen is very drastic changes in how we deal with police brutality. Randy, we talk about training and Dr. Brown talked about disrupting, disrupting this culture of police officers that people say certainly is in place. And we've seen either white or black. It doesn't matter. The outcome is the same in terms of who the perpetrators might be in these types of cases in your line of work what would you say are some of the things that that different places

police officers across the country need to learn and change about the culture how they are trained to make them better on the ground. What is the culture, do you suspect, that is causing these types of things to continue to happen? The culture is very much wrapped around bad guys and good guys. If we even look at what we see on television shows and movies, they think that the police officers think that they're the good guys, and certain people are the bad guys. And they're not seeing people as whole people, as individuals that may make a mistake or maybe just looking in, you know, being at the wrong place or the wrong

time. They see people as criminals. And unfortunately, that is very much aligned with race. I mean, it has been shown study after study how people just see black people and feel a sense of fear. So, of course, you can justify shooting somebody if you say I felt fearful. And you can say that you were feeling fearful simply by a person, a black person existing, right? And so the training must include where we are putting people in situations, giving them scenarios where they are able to see us as whole human beings, because quite frankly I don't think that they do. They're seeing a stereotype in their minds.

You know, a lot of police programs oftentimes now have police officers that are either from a neighborhood or where they have, where they're spending more time within the neighborhoods so they can get to know people and at least have experiences. You see racist incidents decrease the more experience that people have with people that are different than them. So being put into places where you're dealing with difference and you're not just basing all of your decisions off of immediate reactions based on your racist biases would definitely help us see, I believe, some improvement from what we're seeing today. And, you know, Randy, when I was speaking to Ben Crump about changes and Cop City and training facilities, yeah, I think a lot of people have to understand, and my question to you is that it takes time, right? So that even if training is put into place,

the effects that we're going to see are going to be perhaps longer-term effects. In your estimation, how long does it take to possibly change or shift a culture inside of a police department? It depends on if we go back to that accountability. I promise you, people work much more quickly when it's something that affects their bottom line, when it's something that hurts them personally. Let them see a fellow police officer get into severe trouble for abusing his power. And I promise you,

and I'm talking about real trouble, where financially he's hurt, where he loses his job, where he is, you know, publicly shamed. That's when you see change. That's when we see real change. So, again, that is why it is so important for the federal government to come in and say, even without us asking them to come, saying, you know, we are looking at what the rates are right now. We're not happy with what we see. Just as we do with the USDA or anything else, there's got to be heavy accountability. And don't get me wrong, things are improving, especially under Biden, but it's certainly not where we need to be. It's going to have to be where there has to be personal accountability and personal consequences. I'm going to throw

this over to Dr. Brown. You're vigorously shaking your head. I want you to jump in here. Yes, because I think that when it talks about changing the culture and whatnot, ideally, we would want to see people's hearts and minds changed. But the fact of the matter is that that isn't going to happen for a lot of police officers. That isn't going to happen in quick enough time. But we can, as was said, have caused sort of personal accountability, making sure that we're hitting folks in their pension, making sure that there are consequences. You might not change your heart.

You might not change your mind against how you view black people. But you are certainly going to change the way you police based on you wanting to hold on to your money. You know, Dr. Brown, before we go to break, we've talked about Mississippi and the officers that turned themselves in for for beating two two gentlemen. And I was wondering, what what is your sense? Just being a black man in the world, driving a car these days, has it changed a little bit? Kind of your sense and sensibilities being behind the wheel, your firsthand experience, has it changed because you felt a little bit? I know a lot of cops and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution.

But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1.

Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st, and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th.

Ad-free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glod. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives.

This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug ban. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill.

NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Caramouch. What we're doing now isn't working and we need to change things. Stories matter and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of

the War on Drugs podcast season 2 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. We asked parents who adopted teens to share their journey. We just kind of knew from the beginning that we were family.

They showcased a sense of love that I never had before. I mean, he's not only my parent, like he's like my best friend. At the end of the day, it's all been worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives. Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. Visit AdoptUSKids.org to learn more. Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. That there has been a change that you made reference to,

that it might be a little bit better, or none of that is something that we should be discussing at this point. Absolutely not. It hasn't changed. I think what has changed, though, is that we do see some support from Black communities. We do see the Benjamin Crumps coming to the aid of black people. We do see protesters and rallies and social media coming to the support of black people. But does that cause me to feel safe when I get pulled over by the police? Absolutely not. I really just feel like I have a stronger community behind me, but I'm still in danger. Yeah, you mentioned hashtags.

Ben Crump mentioned hashtags and hoping that we do not have to have so many hashtags in order to make a point in order to save somebody's life. All right, Roland Martin, Unfiltered. We'll be right back after this break. You're watching the Black Star Network. Stay with us. You go into a barbershop in a 700 credit score neighborhood, black or white, they're talking about their ideas and they're talking about how they're going to move on those things. You go to a barbershop at a 500 credit score, equal brilliance, but bad culture,

they're talking about other people. Go to a winner's barbershop, here's what I'm doing. You go to the barbershop where people feel defeated, they're talking about other people, either celebrities or people they admire, but also often, I don't like Joe, I don't like Roland Martin. Let me tell you something, I don't like Joe. I don't like, you know, I don't like Roland Martin. Let me tell you something. I don't understand

people. How could you not like anything here you see? You should just be like, this is amazing. It's cool. You may not even like how he does it or how I do it, but it's like, you know what? They're succeeding. They're killing it. All you should be is, that's fantastic.

But if I don't like me, I'm not going to like you. If I don't feel good about me, it's hard for me to feel good about you. If I don't respect me, don't expect me to respect you. If I don't love me, I don't have a clue how to love you. And here's the big one. If I don't have a purpose in my life, I'm going to make

your life a living hell. I'm Faraji Muhammad, live from L.A. And this is The Culture. The Culture is a two-way conversation. You and me, we talk about the stories, politics, the good, the bad, and the downright ugly. So join our community every day at 3 p.m. Eastern and let your voice be heard. Hey, we're all in this together, so let's talk about it and see what kind of trouble we can get into. It's the culture. Weekdays at 3, only on the Blackstar Network.

Hey, what's up? Keith Turner in a place to be. Got kicked out your mama's university. Creator and second producer of Fat Tuesdays, an air hip-hop comedy. But right now, I'm rolling with Roland Martin. Unfiltered, uncut, unplugged, and undamned believable. You hear me? The Mississippi Black FedEx delivery driver who says two white men shot and chased him has been fired.

According to DeMontario Gibson's attorney, Carlos Moore, FedEx fired his client because he did not accept a part-time non-courier job with the company offered in mid-July. Gibson provided RMU with a copy of the email informing Gibson of his termination. Your employment with FedEx was terminated effective July 26, 2023. Attempts have been made to deliver your letter and accompanying documents on July 31, 2023, and delivery will be reattempted today. In order to make sure you have received this communication, I have attached a copy to the mail. Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have. Moore released this statement. FedEx has shown its true colors. It has never cared about my client's black life. How could any employer be so insensitive and tone

deaf and fire a dedicated employee after he almost lost his life working for the company? I look forward to holding FedEx accountable in a court of law for intentional infliction of emotional distress for sending Mr. Gibson back to the same very dangerous route the very next day after the attack by the cases. It was Thursday that Judge David Strong declared a mistrial against the father and son, Brandon and Gregory Charles' case, because of errors by Brookhaven Police Department

Detective Vincent Fernando, who admitted under oath that he did not give prosecutors or defense attorneys a videotaped statement police had taken from the victim. Now, um, the cases, they're charged with attempted first-degree murder, conspiracy, and shooting into Gibson's vehicle while he was simply making deliveries. Luckily, Gibson was not physically harmed in the incident. I'm joined by my two panelists, but we have one more panelist, Jesse Hamilton McCoy, clinical professor of law, supervising attorney for the Duke Law Civil Justice Clinic.

I tell you, this is something a lot of legalese, I want to kind of back into it, because the mistrial was really important in this. And this doesn't mean that these defendants can't go to trial again. They probably will. But you have a mistrial, and it is an interruption of the process. Can you explain a little bit about what a mistrial actually means and the fact that this

mistrial had everything to do with the fact that evidence, this time a videotape, was not turned over to all of the parties? And that was for Jesse. I apologize. Oh, that's all right. Thank you for being with us. Thank you for having me. So typically a mistrial occurs when there is some item of trial that did not occur in an appropriate fashion. And in this case, it sounds like the prosecutor did not turn over a piece of evidence that was previously demanded. Typically with a mistrial, if prejudice is not attached, there'll be an opportunity to pursue once again. However,

it does bode some concern with the fact that the prosecutor didn't turn over a document or an item that was requested. This is Mississippi. This is a small town in Mississippi. I'm not really sure what the relationships there may be, but there are always things to consider and issues to be concerned about whenever you see situations where prosecutors aren't fulfilling their due diligence. Right. And in this case, actually, it was the police, but really at the same time, you have attorneys that represent the police. And he took the stand, this officer, and said, I didn't turn over a videotape. You know, a lot of people are saying, how strategic, how timely that this happened at this particular time. And I'm wondering, have you been hearing the same, Jesse, in terms of, was this something to really throw the case?

Because it seems like something as simple as a videotape, which is very basic in terms of evidence that one needs to kind of hand over during discovery, it seems like something everybody would know about. Could this have been something a little more strategic and underhanded? It could be. I mean, there's no real way of knowing kind of what the viewpoint is. I will say just usually because we are dealing with a small town in Mississippi, I will always be concerned when the process doesn't work the way that it is designed to work. However, you know, as long as prejudice is not attached, there hasn't necessarily been evidence presented yet that will bar the inability for the prosecutor to bring the case once again.

So, you know, all eyes are on this, Dr. Brown, especially because of the fact that here's a young man who was shot at. He took a non-currier position. They would not let him work from home. So then they fired him. Certainly smells like a lawsuit to me. One of your thoughts on that, Dr. Brown? Yeah, I definitely think that this is a miscarriage of justice, the way that the police just failed to turn over key evidence. It is a small town, like was said. And so we can't help but think that there has to be some sort of alternative motive around why that evidence wasn't given up by the police. And then just the fact that when FedEx fires Mr. Gibson, I truly do believe that all of, with the context of the case and all of that stuff

and the reason why they fired him, I found it to be completely inappropriate. I think that, I hope that in his civil suit towards FedEx, he ends up being awarded a heavy sum. I think this is I think if if if anything is going to be delivered, I hope justice gets delivered. Randy, it seems to me like FedEx, they need to watch themselves because they fired someone who was fired at by a gun, did not allow him to work from home. This lawsuit, in terms of intentional affliction of emotional distress that is being threatened, it actually seems, I would imagine, that FedEx wouldn't be too surprised. But it is surprising that they would even go to this,

through this process, and not keep this young man employed at the very least. Very bad PR decision. I'm assuming that someone at a lower rank based in that area of the country did make this decision, and it was not, people didn't pay attention. Now that it is public, I promise you

that at the corporate offices, and I believe in Tennessee, are like, oh my goodness, because this is a PR nightmare, which I don't think any company would want this hanging over their heads. What it says to me, though, that is worthy of consideration is what they expect of black people in this country. You know, you hear about hostile workplaces, and I've seen many people that are given, you know, leaves of absences for, you know, name calling or things

like this. But a black man is expected to be shot at. And they didn't just shoot at him. I mean, they cornered him where he could not move. They came out, he parked his truck in a way that this gentleman could not move. They trapped him and then started shooting at him, right? Which has got to be extraordinarily traumatic. But it's like Black people are not allowed to experience the full range of emotions. Like this gentleman is not allowed to be fearful and have trauma and need therapy and need time off from work. He is expected, like many other Black people day after day, when we receive much less, but microaggressions, to go back to work and to smile and act as if we are okay.

And that is not okay whatsoever. Yeah, Randi, it's interesting that you mention all those facts. And I will add to that that he was in a UPS uniform. I'm a FedEx uniform. Um, the car wasn't FedEx, but that prompted these two men to get out guns and go after them. And, you know, I'm just speaking to what you're saying

about the fear that people have automatically of black men, black people often, when they are doing their job or having a picnic or just being whoever they are in whatever setting they are in. Right. And the van had FedEx on three sides of it. So it wasn't as if it was just a white anonymous van. It did say FedEx on three areas in the van, sides of the van. So they very much knew this was a FedEx delivery person, and I believe went hunting, literally for the fun of it, from a place of anger, and that they would get off by something

that I believe is a purposeful cover-up. I mean, this is what someone's job is to do, right? This is the job is to hand over evidence. So I cannot believe that this case, they forgot something so major, right? But yeah, this FedEx, it is, I will tell you this, I don't know what's going to happen in the criminal case, but I guarantee you FedEx is going to have to run it. Okay. Oh yeah, absolutely. You know, I want to ask our professor of law here from Duke, Jesse, you give you give this fact pattern to someone on an exam. What is the outcome that you're expecting your students to write about? That's going to be the right answer in terms of FedEx being responsible for intentional affliction of emotional distress here. Well, the true result from this most likely will be a confidential settlement on the part of FedEx because they're going to try to avoid the PR nightmare.

It's blatantly obvious that this was a move that was very insensitive. On top of that, if it's true what his attorney says, that they scheduled him for the exact same route in which his life was just put in jeopardy, that is the very definition of what intentional infliction of emotional distress is. So I would guess that somebody sitting on high at FedEx is going to triage this situation and provide a financial settlement that will be sufficient and ask for confidentiality in signing the release. Yeah, I would say that they better be on their P's and Q's, Dr. Brown. What is your take on all of this, especially the part, you know, that this is a young man who they wouldn't give him his job back, not even at home when a lot of people are still at home post-COVID.

He could have done something at home is my guess. Yeah, I mean, this shows that when it comes to particularly black working class people, a lot of these companies feel like their lives are expendable. And I mean, if I was working for FedEx, I might even find my own suit. I'm traumatized. Right, right. Let's go through this. And then you're going to then put me on that route?

No. I think some other suits would come after that. And so I do think that, you know, I agree FedEx was, FedEx misstepped to say the least in this PR wise, they're going to take a hit, a major hit. And so I really, I do, my heart and my concern really does go out for Mr. Gibson and the other FedEx workers and other mail carriers for that matter. We've seen this happen a number of times where they're in a position where they're in someone's private property or on someone's private property just doing their job. And people are shooting at these people, cornering them, questioning them in an aggressive manner. And these are people that are just doing their job.

Jesse, I think that Dr. Brown brings up a very important point in that if I'm a FedEx worker and you're allowing this to happen to one of my coworkers, I'm feeling traumatized. I'm feeling like I'm a part of that experience because I could be next. And if I am next, I will not have a secure feeling that FedEx, you are going to protect me or that you're going to protect my financial security, that you may ultimately fire me. And when we talk about that and we look at all of the people that could potentially really be a part of this case, it really is more than just about this one plaintiff. Certainly. Now, of course, you know, FedEx is going to have a voice in this, too. And they're

going to say, well, it wasn't our intent to cause harm or intentional infliction of emotional distress to everyone collectively. But some states do have an additional tort called negligent infliction of emotional distress. That's right. And perhaps that is the catch-all where other people will be able to advance claims. Renita, I'm sorry, Randy, I wanted to talk to you just about FedEx, its responsibility. You talked about this is a terrible PR move. What would have been the right move on FedEx's part? One, keep him employed.

Ask him how you could provide services. Say that you as a company care about your employees and you're going to provide therapy to this valued employee for however long he needs it. Send a, you know, you want to show that you care about your employees. And, I mean, he had to have been covered through insurance. So to ensure he's getting the therapy he needs and he has the time to recover, because a mental injury, trauma, can be just as detrimental to someone as a physical injury. So they should have provided care for their employee, without a doubt. And what I would do as well, everyone mentions a good point,

and to send a message out to all of your employees on what you're going to do to ensure that they're as safe as possible. Because I would feel shaken as well, like, oh, my goodness. Right. You know, I didn't know that I was putting my life at harm because I'm delivering somebody's, you know, air fryer or whatever is being delivered. Absolutely. And so, absolutely, they need to ensure that they make their other employees feel safe on the job. And that is the takeaway. It seems to be a very strong case that this young man has against FedEx. And he's already in a case causing more infliction of emotional distress on top of the case that was determined to be a mistrial. Companies do need to understand that what happens to one employee, you have to make other employees feel good about who they are in the workspace because it might be them next.

All right, roll the mark. I know a lot of cops and they get asked all the time. Have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes, but there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country,

cops call this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1. Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes

of Absolute Season 1. Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st, and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Ad-free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English.

I'm Greg Glod. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man.

We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars,

Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug ban is. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Sh Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug man. Benny the Butcher.

Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Karamush.

What we're doing now isn't working and we need to change things. Stories matter and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real.

Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. 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 taylorpapersceiling.org. Brought to you by Opportunity at Work and the Ad Council. And Unfiltered, we'll be right back here on the Black Star Network.

Stay with us. This is a genuine people-powered movement. There's a lot of stuff that we're not getting. You get it. And you spread the word. We wish to plead our own cause to long have others spoken for us. We cannot tell our own story if we can't pay for it. This is about covering us. Invest in Black-owned media. Your dollars matter. We don't have to keep asking them to cover our stuff.

So please support us in what we do, folks. We want to hit 2,000 people, $50 this month, raise $100,000. We're behind $100,000, so we want to hit that. Your money makes this possible. Checks and money orders go to P.O. Box 57196, Washington, D.C., 20037-0196. The Cash app is Dollar Sign RM Unfiltered. PayPal is R Martin Unfiltered. Venmo is RM Unfiltered. Zelle is Roland at RolandSMartin.com. On the next Get Wealthy with me, Deborah Owens, America's Wealth Coach, have you ever had that million dollar idea and wondered how you could make it a reality? On the next Get Wealthy, you're going to meet Liska Askalise, the inventress, someone who made her own idea

a reality and now is showing others how they can do it too. Positive, focusing in on the thing that you want to do, writing it down and not speaking to naysayers or anybody about your product until you've taken some steps to at least execute. Lease Scott, ask a lease. On the next Get Wealthy, right here, only on Blackstar Network. Hey, what's up, y'all? I'm Devon Franklin. I'm Dr. Robin B., pharmacist and fitness coach, and you're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. All right, let's go to Georgia.

Two of the 19 indicted in Georgia for trying to overturn the 2020 election have turned themselves in. According to Fulton County Jail's online database, Scott Hall was booked this morning. The Georgia bail bondsman is charged with illegally seeking access to voting machines in Coffey County, Georgia. To search for evidence, they were rigged. Now, John Eastman also turned himself in today. The former Trump advisor wrote a memo proposing how then-Vice President Mike Pence could challenge President Joe Biden's victory by rejecting key Electoral College votes. Eastman says he's ready to defend himself

on every count of the indictment. The team and I will vigorously contest every count of the indictment. The legal team and I will vigorously contest every count of the indictment in which I have been named and also every count in which others are named for which my knowledge of the relevant facts, law, and constitutional provisions may prove helpful. I am confident that when the law is faithfully applied in this proceeding, all of my co-defendants and I will be fully vindicated. All right, now all eyes are on Trump because Trump says he's going to turn himself in on Thursday. Trump and his cronies were indicted on 41 counts, including racketeering, violating the oath of office and forgery. Fulton County District Attorney Fannie Willis is giving them until Friday to surrender to authorities. I want to, of course, bring my panel in on this. Randy, I want to talk to you first

because, you know, he turned himself in, $100,000 bond. He is the mastermind, the engineer, and he is still saying that the election has been stolen. Your thoughts on that? How do I say this in a way that's appropriate? I mean, they're nuts. They're nuts. And the thing is, I believe they believe the reality that they have been sold and wrapped up in their minds. I believe he believes that the election was stolen. You know, regardless of how much he sees to prove the opposite, they, you know, Trump, if he is nothing else, is a master manipulator.

And you, he has people who are very weak, who are, you know, the white fear that, you know, Roland wrote his book about and are clinging to this mastermind to save the world, to save the country as they want it to be. And I believe he believes himself. I don't even... I don't know how to say anything intelligent about it. It's not. For you, it just doesn't make sense.

I'm sorry? I said for you, it just doesn't make sense. You can't make sense of it. Anyone who reads, I mean, it cannot make sense. There's no one who could look at the evidence and who just has spent some time because I wanted to understand. Because I said maybe I'm missing something. And I really do. My job is to look at all sides of an issue. Anyone who reads anything and they cannot believe that the election was stolen rightfully.

They cannot believe that the election was stolen rightfully. They cannot believe that. So these people, one by one, Dr. Brown, they're turning themselves in. Trump is expected on Thursday. As they turn themselves in, more and more people are looking at this indictment. When you read this indictment, it tells a very, very big, large picture as to what happened, not just with Trump, but for everyone. It tells a story. You have to go get your coffee in order to sit down to take this in.

I want to ask you, what are your thoughts about the indictment, the way that it was written, and the fact that all of these people are going to be tried in concert, not an easy task, but had to be done according to Fannie Williams because she wanted everybody to see the whole racketeering picture. Yes, I think she's done a good job of kind of building these cases. But just to kind of step back for a minute, I feel like that any claims at this point of the 2020 election was stolen, to me, sounds just flat out ridiculous. The election

has been extensively investigated, and multiple courts, including the Supreme Court, has dismissed claims of widespread voter fraud. But in addition to being necessary for justice, these indictments, they also hold a symbolic significance. They force us to confront the reality that those who fell for the circus show and the baseless claims and conspiracy theories surrounding the 2020 election were extremely misguided, that those individuals that placed their trust into these folks were spreading falsehoods and potentially misguiding them, not potentially, they were misguiding them deliberately.

And so I think that that raises questions about sort of where we are and how this misinformation can extremely manipulate an entire sort of culture within America. And so, yes, it did have to be a sort of methodical approach to these indictments. And I can kind of say that's what seems to be going on. I want to stick with you for a quick answer. Do you think that, like Eastman, Trump will also say, I still think that this election was stolen? What are your thoughts about that? I'll stick with you, Dr. Brown. Absolutely. I mean, like I said before, what I think is somewhat necessarily irrelevant, we can look at the facts. And the fact is that

he rolls with a policy or philosophy to never admit anything of guilt, never admit that he was wrong in anything. And so because of that, he will continue to do that. That's just who he is. It's the history of his rhetoric. And so regardless of what anybody thinks, we can look at the facts that that is what's probably going to happen. Jesse, certainly everyone's learning about this whole idea of racketeering and not just in the context of mobsters. If we recall, racketeering was also used when it came to R. Kelly and he's sitting behind bars. So this is something that finding has used many times before with great success. What do you think about the success in this particular case and

where this racketeering charge could possibly go? Well, first off, this is the Georgia statute for racketeering, which is much broader than the federal statute. On top of that, we do have audio evidence of Trump encouraging election officials to go back and find him votes. So I think, I don't want to say that anything is open and shut, particularly as it relates to Trump. But I think that if there were an open and shut case to be made, this is certainly one that would do that. I also want to caution people. I think that we are approaching a very slippery slope. The reason why Trump and his cohort continue to say that this election was rigged and all those things is because they are attempting to insult the American intelligence. They don't want you reading the indictment. The indictment is about 98 pages long. And if you read it, it lays out clearly exactly what Fannie Willis thinks has happened.

They want you to believe that facts don't matter. They want you to believe that the only thing that matters is what you are told. And for a lot of people who may have some concerns about the direction that the country is in or what the country is starting to look like. They cling to it. And what I'm really concerned about is we've seen time and again the system not necessarily work out the way it's supposed to. We're dealing with a president that encouraged people to overthrow the government, and yet

he's still walking around free, even running for president again. So I think we have to be very cognizant about the system and the way that it's supposed to work. But we also have to be cognizant to read things and not just listen to speak about it. Randy, he rallied his base. He put forth potentially in this indictment, it was a part of a scheme, Trump, of putting together fake electors for seven states. He asked Vice President Pence, let's give it a go.

He asked people to, you know, for votes, what, we need to find some votes. He tried, according to this indictment, many, many things in order to make this a victory for him. What is your take on how you think a jury might receive all of this evidence that they need to sort through? Well, just as my brother said, you would think that, because if you do read the indictment, it is so clearly laid out to really paint a clear picture of this entire scam. But what we've seen, because, you know,

Trump was brilliant in that he really rigged the system and who he put in place as far as judges, who he put in place just throughout the court system. So I'm very concerned about what a jury will see. If this were, if I were watching a television show or something, I would say, oh, we know how this is going to end. But this is like some sci-fi stuff that we're in now, you know, that I can't predict. This is not even a drama anymore. This is some fantasy, sci-fi, you know, things that's happening. And so I really don't know. I never,

I've gotten with Trump in his presidency, and, you know, since he came to be in office, I really am not surprised by anything anymore, because I was so consistently disappointed. Just to maintain my own mental health, I always have to leave it that anything is possible. But the sister did such a beautiful job of outlining how, you know, that someone like me who does not have a law degree can understand it if they would take the time to read it. And so it should be just open and shut. There's so many examples of what he did, like you stated, that I just don't see how he cannot be found guilty. But, again, we're in a sci-fi movie. You make a very good point in that if you read this indictment,

you read Jack Smith's indictment, they don't write it in the regular legalese that we are kind of accustomed to. They tell a story so that everybody can really understand, which certainly is important, especially when we're talking about debates coming up and we're talking about the election coming up. These debates, I think, will prove to be very, very interesting. Trump will not be there, Dr. Brown. But what are your thoughts about how this indictment and what Trump is going through, even though he's not on the stage during these debates that are coming up,

how do you think that will play into this or at all? Of course, he is going to be with someone else, an unnamed Fox host, so he will have his day. But how do you think all of that will intersect during the debates? Certainly, while he won't be there in person, his presence will certainly be felt. People, they will be talking about Trump, right? He is the front runner for the GOP. When it comes to these indictments and things like that, I think that

Trump is really using a lot of this to bolster himself and his followers, right, his constituency, and that this allows them to push that narrative that everyone is against us, that our backs are against the wall, that it's, you know, we need to rally ourselves and fight for our lives as we know it as Americans and our identity. So he's really using this. And I think that the reason why the indictment was written the way that it was is to sort of combat some of that, to make sure that Trump isn't the only one that's talking in somewhat, you know, I would say regular layman terms, I guess, and non-legal terms. He's not the only one doing that, that the way this is written can also be posted on social media

for everyone to understand and to interpret. And so I think it's a good move in that case. I do think that Trump is going to continue to say the same things that he's been saying and use this to help his own cause and his own case for his base. And we've seen that his base is sufficient enough, or has been. Oh, yeah. His base he can rally up very easily, especially with all these indictments, using it as really a part of his campaign strategy. Jesse, you have seen lawsuits come and go.

I'm wondering, is there a point that you think that ultimately Trump may fail in his efforts to use the legal system, the lawsuits, the indictments? And we're not just talking about these four lawsuits. We're talking about other lawsuits outside of these four indictments that we've heard about. Do you think that all of these the legal process will always play in his favor or do you think he will reach a breaking point? That's an interesting question, because I would have thought we would have reached a breaking point before we got here. So what I'll say is, you know, some good points have already been brought up about look at who he's appointed for federal positions. But this is state court. And in state court, until he, you know, I'm sure he's going to file a motion to try to remove it to federal. But in state court, I think he has much less of an opportunity. Now, I want to be clear because there's also been some reports about people within his group who have published addresses of the grand jury members who indicted him.

There are very nefarious tactics that have been used to try to deter or dissuade. And somebody's got to be a jury for the case. So, you know, people are going to be nervous about putting their information up or even participating in the process, which may play a factor. But I think, you know, one of the things that always stands out to me is the way that he has already been able to circumnavigate certain things that the regular person wouldn't be able to do. Like for instance, they have a report date for criminal charges, for felonies. They have a report date. Anybody else just gets picked up. There's no.

He obviously already has his people galvanized for the $200,000 bond that he's going to have to pay. So the process is going to look a little different, but ultimately he still has to have his day in court. It's going to be with a state judge who's not necessarily impacted by any of the federal policies that he has implemented. And we shall see. That's right. We shall see. Listen, as you said, a little special treatment there, something that Trump would say, that's actually par for the course. I should get this special treatment. But tick tock for Trump waiting for Thursday. If he does have until Friday, certainly Roland Martin Unfiltered will be on the case.

You are watching Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. We'll be right back after these messages. I know a lot of cops, and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them.

From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multibillion-dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st, and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th.

Ad-free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Lott. And this is season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives.

This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne.

We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug thing is. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Karamush.

What we're doing now isn't working, and we need to change things. Stories matter, and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeart radio app, Apple podcast,

or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple 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 taylorpapersceiling.org. Brought to you by Opportunity at Work and the Ad

Council. Hatred on the streets, a horrific scene, a white nationalist rally that descended into deadly violence. White people are losing their damn lives. There's an angry pro-Trump mob storm to the U.S. Capitol. We're about to see the rise of what I call white minority resistance. We have seen white folks in this country who simply cannot tolerate black folks voting. I think what we're seeing is the inevitable result of violent denial. This is part of American history.

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

On a next A Balanced Life with me, Dr. Jackie. Summer is flying by and back to school is just around the corner. And fall is here. That's right. A new season is upon us. On our next show, we talk about jumping into action and putting procrastination in the rearview mirror. That's on a next A Balanced Life with Dr. Jackie here on Black Star Network. I'm Faraiq Muhammad, live from LA, and this is The Culture. The Culture is a two-way conversation. You and me, we talk about the stories, politics, the good, the bad, and the downright ugly. So join our community every day at 3 p.m. Eastern and let your voice be heard.

Hey, we're all in this together. So let's talk about it and see what kind of trouble we can get into. It's the culture. Weekdays at 3, only on the Black Star Network. Next on The Black Table with me, Greg Carr. The United States is the most dangerous place for a woman to give birth

among all industrialized nations on the planet. Think about that for a second. That's not all. Black women are three times more likely to die in this country during childbirth than white women. These healthcare systems are inherently racist. There are a lot of white supremacist ideas and mythologies around black women, black women's bodies,

even black people that we experience painless, right? Activist, organizer, and fearless freedom fighter, Monifa Akinwole-Bandele from Moms Rising joins us and tells us this shocking phenomenon, like so much else, is rooted in unadulterated racism. And that's just one of her fights. Monifa Bandile on the next Black Table here on the Black Star Network.

Hello, we're the Critter Fixers. I'm Dr. Bernard Hodges. And I'm Dr. Terrence Ferguson. And you're tuned into... Roland Martin Unfiltered. One month before student loan payments resume, enrollment for President Joe Biden's new student loan repayment plan begins.

Biden says this is the most affordable student loan plan ever. You know I'm a firm believer in education beyond high school and that should be a ticket to the middle class, not a burden that weighs people down for decades to come trying to pay their debt. On day one of my administration, I promised to fix the problems of the existing student

loan program that hurt borrowers for much too long and I'm proud we're keeping that promise. We've already approved over $116 billion in debt cancellation for 3.4 million Americans, no matter how many lawsuits, challenges, or roadblocks Republican elected officials or special interests try to put in our way. Today, I'm proud to announce a new program called the SAVE Plan.

It's the most affordable student loan plan ever. And here's how it works. To pay back that loan, you had to pay 10% of your discretionary income. That's all the income available to you after you pay for food, housing, and all your basic needs. Under my new plan, we're reducing that payment to just 5% of your disposable income. That's going to save the typical borrower around $1,000 a year. It's going to give borrowers a little bit more breathing room. And if your annual income is less than $30,000 a year. It's going to give borrowers a little bit more breathing room.

And if your annual income is less than $30,000, your monthly payment will be zero until it gets above $30,000. As long as you pay what you owe under this plan, you'll no longer see your loan balance grow because of unpaid interest. Under the SAVE plan, monthly payments are based on your income, not your student loan balance. And here's how you can enroll in the SAVE program.

Visit studentaid.gov slash save and submit an application. It takes about 10 minutes to fill it out. And if you're eligible for the SAVE plan, sign up now so you can lower your monthly payments in advance of payments resuming this fall. I've said it before and I'll say it again. As long as I'm president, my administration will never stop fighting to deliver relief to borrowers and bring the promise of college to more Americans. And that's a commitment. All right. So here's how it goes. Pay attention. Undergraduate borrowers payments will be reduced from 10 percent of their

discretionary income to 5%. And people with both graduate and undergraduate loans will pay a weighted average somewhere between 5% and 10% of their income, depending upon the original principal balances. The plan will also work to eliminate remaining interest. That's good news for a lot of people, meaning that as long as you make your monthly payment, your loan balance won't grow as a result of unpaid interest. Student loan payments have been paused since March 2020, but interest is set to begin accruing again on September 1st, and payments will start again in October. Now, to find out if you're eligible for the SAVE plan, go to studentaid.gov website. Now, listen, this has been a long time coming. This is something we heard on the campaign trail of Joe Biden.

And for years, he worked on this, ultimately went to the Supreme Court, his original plan, and now he is here with the SAVE plan. You have millions of people who were already in limbo before they had applied for his original plan, and then they were told that plan is no longer because of the decision by the Supreme Court. Do you have any faith in this particular plan, Randy? Because it seems as though a lot of people have been waiting with bated breath

and thought that they were, you know, going to get in, and then all of a sudden their dreams were smashed. I do. I do have faith in this plan. I don't believe that he would move it forward if he didn't have great confidence that it could continue to be because of the fact that already he's had something that he put out there that, you know, did not pass, that failed. So I do believe, I feel hopeful about this plan. And I'm happy to see it. I mean, this plan affects, you know, Black people more than anybody. I mean, we have at least $25,000 more in debt, the average Black person than the average

white person, when it comes to student debt. So it's really important in our community and affects our financial health. So I do hope it pushes through, and I feel hopeful that it will. Dr. Brown, do you know people, I'm sure, who are affected by this and are kind of waiting for this to happen so that they can actually have some type of relief? There are a lot of moving parts here in terms of the numbers and where you might fall in. But it seems as though if this plan is carried out, some people, well, actually millions, will get some relief. Yeah, I can almost guarantee that we all know people that are going to be affected by this. But man, oh, man, has this thing been a mess.

Yeah, yeah. Kudos to Biden and his administration for doing what they could right now to help those that are just drowning in student debt. I hope that additional student loan forgiveness programs are implemented soon, because, I mean, we could all use some relief from the financial burden of higher education. But as was said, black people in general, black students, are disproportionately affected by things like this. Even once they graduate and enter into the workforce, they're more likely to experience unemployment,

underemployment, which makes paying off their loans even tougher. So while this new repayment plan is a step in the right direction, we have to keep in mind and make sure we do keep in mind that it's important to acknowledge and address the systemic inequalities that put black people at a disadvantage before, during, and after college. And hopefully someday we can even get to a place in this world where education is fully accessible for everyone, regardless of race or socioeconomic status. Absolutely, because these days when you go get a job, well, they are asking

for those college degrees and people are working to get graduate degrees in order to increase their salaries. I think what's interesting, Jesse, is that studies have shown that many, many people, I think it's about 40%, they actually have these loans and didn't finish school. So they cannot take advantage of their completed academic journey

to get those higher salaries. They're just paying off this loan, perhaps with lower salaries. And I think that that had a lot to do with kind of the decisions that have been out there. What are your thoughts about this plan and the hope that I'm sure millions of people across the country are having today? Well, first, I always like to give credit where credit is due. When the Supreme Court ruling came out about his original student loan plan, the decision is very awkward, and the group bringing

the action, there's questions about whether or not they even had standing to do that. But the Supreme Court has decided the way they did. So President Biden could have easily folded it all up and said, OK, well, I'm not going to work on student loan reform at all anymore. But that's not what he did. What he did was say, I'm going to honor the commitment that I made to the American people and I'm going to present another plan. So whenever you see these plans presented, what you always want to look at is in the first couple of months of the rollout, who challenges the plan? Right. And so right now, it sounds great. Anytime that you're reducing the amount of discretionary income from 10% to 5%, as far as loan repayment goes, you're giving

people a little extra money in their pocket. But just because he puts a plan out there, as we've seen before, doesn't necessarily mean that people in Congress will support it, doesn't necessarily mean that there's not some agency gathering up folks to oppose it and to file a court action to stop it. And I want everybody to understand that there are certainly people who capitalize off of you being in debt, right? So they are going to work very hard to make sure. Also, there are people who know everything that we discussed earlier about the groups who are benefiting primarily in entering the middle class through education. In a perfect world, education would be free, but in America, education is a commodity and

not necessarily a right extended to all. And so as long as it's commoditized, there's always going to be a price tag to it, and it's also always going to be used as a gatekeeping function to prevent or avoid so many people getting through the door. Interestingly enough, this has become a partisan issue. Republicans calling it a scheme. Republicans calling it despicable. People saying, what about me? I paid off my loans. I should be benefiting from this. I can kind of understand that one myself. When we talk about this, Randy, we are talking about more money, hopefully, that is being put into the economy, ultimately,

because there are people who pay in the four digits a month. They are paying a mortgage on their loans because they cannot, but they cannot make those payments. I just wanted to talk to you about the economy and what this could potentially do to the economy, because this has been one of the points that Biden and Vice President Harris have been making. Right. If any time you can give people more income, more disposable income, you're going to help the economy. When you reduce the debt and what their monthly payments are, we Americans like to spend and we will spend it outside.

And so this could be great for the economy. I just wanted to say one thing. When we talk about this debt and how schools should be accessible to everybody, let's just not forget that colleges at one point, several were free. And when, like in California, but when minorities started going, all of a sudden they wanted to charge money, right? And so it has always been used, this charging people money, colleges, creating debt in certain communities has always been a way to block access for us for years. And so this is just a continuance of that. And so I do like the fact that Biden was dedicated to making this change. And it will help overall. It will help people personally, but on our country's level, it should strengthen the economy. All right. Everything from CRT, affirmative action,

loans, when it comes to education, it really has been on the chopping block. And it's certainly something that we'll be paying attention to in the future as these stories unfold. You are watching Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network, and we'll be right back after break. I know a lot of cops and they get asked all the time. Have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes, But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission.

This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st, and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Ad And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast.

Yes, sir. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves.

Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug thing is. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. Got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Caramouch.

What we're doing now isn't working and we need to change things. Stories matter and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content,

subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. Here's the deal. We got to set ourselves up. See, retirement is the long game. We got to make moves and make them early. Set up goals. Don't worry about a setback. Just save up and stack up to reach them.

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. You go into a barbershop in a 700 credit score neighborhood, black or white, they're talking about their ideas and they're talking about

how they're going to move on those things. You go to a barbershop in a 500 credit score, equal brilliance, but bad culture, they're talking about other people. Go to a winner's barbershop and a 500 credit score, equal brilliance, but bad culture, they're talking about other people. Go to a winner's barbershop, here's what I'm doing. You go to the barbershop where people feel defeated,

they're talking about other people, either celebrities or people they admire. But also often, I don't like Joe. I don't like Roland Martin. Let me tell you something. I don't understand people. How could't like, you know, I don't like Roland Martin. Let me tell you something. I don't understand people. How could you not like anything here you see? You should just be like, this is amazing.

It's cool. You may not even like how he does it or how I do it, but it's like, you know what? They're succeeding. They're killing it. All you should be is, that's fantastic. But if I don't like me, I'm not going to like you. If I don't feel good about me,

it's hard for me to feel good about you. If I don't respect me, don't expect me to respect you. If I don't love me, I don't have a clue how to love you. And here's the big one. If I don't have a purpose in my life, I'm gonna make your life a living hell. Up next on The Frequency with me, Dee Barnes. The shooting of Megan Thee Stallion and the subsequent trial of Tory Lanez. Megan has been treated like the villain. The experience that Megan went through

is something that all Black women face when we are affected by violence. This is something that's called massage noir. There's a long history of characterizing Black women as inherently bad in order to justify our place in this society. Next on The Frequency with me, Dee Barnes. Hello, I'm Paula J. Parker.

Trudy Proud on The Proud Family. I am Tommy Davidson. I play Oscar on Proud Family, Louder and Prouder. Hi, I'm Jo Marie Payton, voice of Sugar Mama on Disney's Louder and Prouder Disney Plus. And'm Jo Marie Payton, voice of Sugar Mama on Disney's Louder and Prouder, Disney+. And I'm with Roland Martin on Unfiltered. Brandon George has been missing from Camden, Delaware, since June 16, 2023. The 13-year-old is 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighs 160 pounds with black hair, brown eyes, and a scar on his forehead. Anyone with information about Brandon George should call the Dover, Delaware Police Department at 302-736-7111.

In Texas, a federal judge rules against certain provisions of election laws passed two years ago as the Republican Party sought to tighten voting rules after former President Donald Trump's loss. U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez struck the law that required male voters to provide the same identification number they use when they register to vote. He ruled the requirement violates the U.S. Civil Rights Act because it led to people being unable to cast ballots because of something unrelated to whether or not they were registered. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clark says the ruling sends a clear message that states cannot impose unlawful and unnecessary requirements that disenfranchise eligible voters.

A New York jury convicts a white man for trying to kill a Black Lives Matter protesters in 2020. On Monday, Frank Cavalluzzi was found guilty of nine counts of attempted murder and other charges after a two-week trial for threatening peaceful demonstrators on June 2nd, 2020, during a wave of protests over the murder of George Floyd. Now, Cavalluzzi, he threatened protesters wearing a glove with serrated blades and then got into his SUV and tried to run them over. He faces up to 25 years to life in prison for each of the attempted murder charges and will be sentenced in October.

On Monday, a Georgia sheriff pleaded guilty to groping TV judge Glenda Hatchett. Blakely County Sheriff Christopher Cody pleaded guilty in Cobb County State Court to a misdemeanor of a charge of sexual battery. He was sentenced to a year of probation. He also resigned from being a sheriff, a position that he'd held since 2017.

Judge Hatchett says she was so stunned when it happened that she froze when the man grabbed and squeezed her breast last year at a hotel during a law enforcement conference. All right, Roland Martin will be right back right here on the Black Star Network. blackness and what happens in black culture we're about covering these things that matter to us speaking to our issues and concerns this is a genuine people-powered movement a lot of stuff that we're not getting you get it and you spread word. We wish to plead our own cause to long have others spoken for us. We cannot tell our own story if we can't pay for it. This is about covering us. Invest in black-owned media. Your dollars matter.

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Hey, what's up, y'all? I'm Devon Franklin. It is always a pleasure to be in the house. You are watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. Stay right here. All right, I want to bring the panel in to talk about some of the headlines that we were talking about. I want to first talk about that federal judge who ruled that provisions of election laws passed two years ago to tighten the voting rules after former President Donald Trump's loss. I wanted to go to the panel and start with you first, Randy,

and talk about the ruling and how Kristen Clark said it herself that this was a message that states really cannot impose unlawful and unnecessary requirements that disenfranchise voters. Seems like a win, not a lot of win when it comes to voter suppression overall when we were hearing the headlines, but this is something that is in favor of the voters that are often disenfranchised. That was for Randy. We really need to pay attention to all of the laws that are coming up and the cases that are going up in these counties because, you know, after, I always tell people, and I think it's important to note, we would win every election if we turn out. If Black people show up for election, we very much

have the power to decide how an election goes. The problem is, it's really all of, and I can't call it anything else but cheating, all that goes on prior to work or stand in line for four or five hours, or create laws that are so just arbitrary, like you must have your voter registration number, it must match, the numbers must match. Like who keeps up with that information? It's hard enough just to keep up with our social security numbers. So all of these little requirements they're putting on to make it where they can throw out a lot of votes where they already did. Right. To make it where the votes don't count. So they can find any little thing to say, you know what, that vote is not valid. We get to throw it out. And so it's I'm so relieved to see that people are paying attention and that people are challenging these laws that are absolutely bogus and really are designed to get away of our democratic system. A little bit of progress, would you say, Jesse, when we look at this particular law, because there are just dozens of states across the country that

have passed laws that have, that are suppressing voters and they're doing so quietly and not so quietly, but the numbers are up there. What are your thoughts about this little win? Well, it's always good to see that the Voting Rights Act still matters, right? There's been so much done to carve out every exception, largely based and premised on this concept of voter fraud that we still haven't yet seen. But that talking point is out in the atmosphere. And for so long and for so many people, there's just not been a way to challenge it. This is nothing but like modern-day poll taxing. And I think about more so in this case how much it took to get this group of people to fight a case at the federal level, because that's the other thing.

Even if your voting rights are violated, somebody has to have the resources to bring the case. So how many people didn't have the resources and how many people in other jurisdictions aren't getting in front of a court to be able to challenge it? On top of that, voting for a lot of people is one of those things where if they can do it, they will, but if you create enough hazards

to prevent people from being able to access the ballot, they will give up and essentially concede their vote to someone else who is willing or probably doesn't have those same impediments. So I think this ruling is a step in the right direction, but I think there's a lot more that we need to do to protect that right. You know, Dr. Brown, I wanted to move on to another topic that I discussed in the headlines that has to do with this, the jury, a New York jury that convicted a white man for trying to kill a Black Lives Matter protester in 2020. And, you know, I think that this is a very interesting case because of the fact that this was a man that was using serrated blades, then got in his car to drive through and run over these people. New York, the New York jury decided that he is going to jail.

And I think this is important to bring up because of the fact that people all over the country who are protesting for so many things, this sets a good precedent, Jesse. I'm sorry, Dr. Brown, for what is to come for other cases that are coming up on dockets across the country? Most definitely. I mean, I think that this indictment, it highlights some deeply troubling patterns where Black resistance and activism is met with punishment and further resistance to their resistance. It's disheartening to witness continuous targeting and harassment of protesters like Black Lives Matter activists who are peacefully at times advocating for racial justice. And so this, you know, this conviction of this wannabe Wolverine attempting to sort

of harass and cause harm to these activists, I think it sheds light on some of the things within our society, that when Black individuals assert their right in demand for equality, they're met with backlash, violence, and often from criminals themselves. And these patterns are not isolated, right? They're not new. We've seen this thing throughout history, where we've seen countless examples of black individuals facing, you know, attack or violation or, sorry, violence for daring to challenge the status quo, right? Or, you know, from the civil rights movement to present-day protests,

we see that black resistance has been met with harsh consequences, whether it be from police brutality or whether it be from citizens that are using their creativity to form weapons. All right. Wannabe Wolverine. I like that. We're going to use, listen, he earned that, Frank Cavalluzzi. He earned that with his serrated knives on his hand. All right. We are going to leave it there and more rolling unfiltered when we come back after a break. Stay with us. I know a lot of cops and they get asked all the time. Have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes, but there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that Taser told them. From Lava for Good

and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1.

Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th.

Add free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glott. And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives.

This kind of starts that a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug ban. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote.

Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Karamush. What we're doing now isn't working, and we need to change things. Stories matter, and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two

on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, Season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. We asked parents who adopted teens to share their journey. We just kind of knew from the beginning that we were family. They showcased a sense of love that I never had before. I mean, he's not only my parent, like he's like my best friend. At the end of the day, it's all been worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives. Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. Visit adoptuskids.org

to learn more. Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. Next on The Black Table with me, Greg Cox. The United States is the most dangerous place for a woman to give birth among all industrialized nations on the planet. Think about that for a second. That's not all. Black women are three times more likely to die in this country during childbirth than white women. These healthcare systems are inherently racist.

There are a lot of white supremacist ideas and mythologies around black women, black women's bodies, even black people that we experience pain less, right? Activist freedom fighter, Monifa, from moms rising joins us shocking phenomenon like in an adulterated racism.

fights. Money for bandela table here on the next Black Table here on the Black Star Network. On the next Get Wealthy with me, Deborah Owens, America's Wealth Coach, have you ever had that million dollar idea and wondered how you could make it a reality? On the next Get Wealthy, you're going to meet Liska Askalise, the inventress, someone who made her own idea a reality and now is showing others how they can do it too. Positive, focusing in on the thing that you want to do, writing it down and not speaking to naysayers or anybody about your product until you've taken some steps to at least execute. Lease, Scott, ask a lease. On the next Get Wealthy, right here, only on Blackstar Network. Bruce Smith, creator and executive producer of The Proud Family, Louder and Prouder.

You're watching Roland Martin on Kildare. According to the World Resources Institute's Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas, a quarter of the world's population faces an extremely high water stress each year. An additional one billion people are expected to be affected by the year 2050. Extremely high water stress means countries use almost all of their water. Well, retired Captain Moses A. West is founder of the Moses West Foundation. He developed technology that pulls water from the atmosphere. Moses joins me from Chicago to explain atmospheric water generation.

Moses, I want to thank you so much for being with us today. You look like you've got a perfect setting. We're talking about water. You in front front some water. Tell me a little bit about this creation that really has just some stunning attributes to it because people, you know, don't realize if we remember back, water comes in three forms, right? Liquid, solid, gas, and you are taking that and you are actually creating water. How exactly are you doing that? Oh, thank you for having me on the show to start with. Yeah. And also, I also like walking and

talking. So this is really good for me. I just finished doing a radio show. Hey, the water in this gaseous state that we have it in the atmosphere, it's the most plentiful state. Like here I am right now next to this waterfall in Chicago, this fountain, and Lake Michigan, the air is very humid. It's going to be 109, 110 degrees tomorrow at O'Hare and Midway Airport. So that's going to mean there's a lot of water that's going to be in the atmosphere. And so what I've done is I've created a technology that allows you to pull that moisture, to condense that moisture out of the air the same way that you take a glass in the middle of the summertime and you put that cold glass, that cold bottle of Coke on the table,

you've all done it, and that bottle of Coke just continues to sweat, right? Yes. Well, that picture that you see of the machine right there pushing that water out, that machine does that using mechanical techniques that I've created over the years to efficiently pull that moisture out of the air with a lower energy consumption than you can use, than is needed to pull it out of the ground. So basically that box that you see in that picture, you can sit it right here and everybody in this park in Chicago could drink from that water for the next forever. Now, this box that we are looking at, it's solar powered, I would imagine. Absolutely. It's solar powered. But also what I did was I

the big box that you see, I put on there a generator. So it's got its own internal generator in case you don't have solar power. So basically you could take that box anywhere, you could drop it where you need it in the world, and you could turn it on and you could produce water. And we've already done that. We did it in Flint, Michigan, and we did it on the island of Vieques in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. That box that you see, go on.

Yes, yes, the box that we see? Yeah, that box is supplied the Fourth Ward in Flint, Michigan. I built two of those. One supplied the Fourth Ward with all their drinking water. We allowed people who were homeless who couldn't clean their houses to move back to their homes because we could give them one, two, 300 gallons of water a day that they needed, and then the machine would make water again. And then on the island of

Vieques, we ran it on solar power, and we produced enough water for 15,000 people to drink without the need of FEMA having to ship water in to Vieques. And we did that on solar power. And that's very important. You talked about FEMA, and when we talk about the federal government getting involved, you are really providing a huge resource, not just to places that have been struck by some type of act of nature, but when we talk about Native Americans and their inability to have access to water. There are people who have never really drunk their water from their faucets. They have lived for decades on bottled water. You are coming into places like that and you are making water accessible. And I think it's something that people take for granted, the water that we drink all day or half a bottle of water that we throw away. People around the world do not have it. Talk to me about what you did in Puerto Rico, for example,

that allowed the community to just do better and be better because of the machine that you created. Well, in Puerto Rico, when I got to Puerto Rico, their water system was already contaminated, the water that's on the island. They have to chlorinate it truly heavily to get it to be drinkable. I met some people, just a couple of stories. I met a guy who was drinking water from a pipe that ran underneath the cemetery. He was so desperate. He drank the water on the other side.

He got some kind of an intestinal problem, gastrointestinal problem. They had to cut him open to just to let it, just to let it fester out of its body. I met Tijino Indians, Native Americans, that were bleeding from their eyes, from their gums, swollen stomachs. And when we started to produce the water on the island, I had to explain to everybody that this water was already there because it was in the moisture and the humidity and the air that was around them. And so in Puerto Rico, we set the machine up and basically liquid, solid and gases, only three ways the water comes. And we produced water for the entire island after Hurricane Maria. So the people there accepted the technology, but I had to explain to that where it was coming from because

nobody believed me that it was pulling out of the air right right and you know it's a concept that i think people understand um listen i know as a black woman we understand that there is moisture in the air and we protect our hairstyles and trust me we get that we know when that moisture you go down to New Orleans, you have a different hair plan than you do when you're maybe up in New Jersey or Miami. But the bottom line is that you are correct. It affects and you can pull water from the air. How much water does this machine process,

let's say over a day or over an hour? How do you break down the gallons that it processes and how fast? 1,250 gallons of water a day. That's 5,000 liters. Wow. Wow. And as long as I'm pulling the water out of the air and people are taking it, the machine continues to fill up as you, as you empty it. If I pull out 200 gallons of water, if you sit there long enough, it'll make that 200 gallons back. So when you're removing water, it's continuously refilling the machine. It's an endless supply.

Yes, yes. Along this process, you are also eliminating food deserts. Tell me how you're doing that. Well, say like you're in a place like this in Chicago. Say you have this tree line over here. Okay, that tree line over there, say if you're not producing any water here, we have all the water in the air. Well, if I pull the water out of the air using sunlight to produce the water, then that pure water is used to grow food. That is 100% sustainable. So you're pulling the water from the air, using solar power to grow food. If you built that closed off over there, all you'd have to do is come back and just pick up the food.

It's that simple. Greenhouse, water generator, solar panels, food. You don't even have to touch it. Just put little cameras in there and let all the kids around the United States see the plants grow. And this water that's generated, does it have to be processed in any way once it's gathered? Or you take it as is in terms of just what is the process that it goes through in order to make it usable if there is one? Oh, when the machine is, when the machine is, when I deploy a machine and it's fresh, it's brand new, it's clean, all the filters are clean, I can drink the water directly off the coil.

But going by federal guidelines, as you can see, everything is green. Everything is green because I make equipment for the military. So the military has this technology in use. So it goes just through basic carbon filtration. And then you can control the pH of the water by how much carbon filtration you add or subtract. You can add ozone transmitters to the water system. You can add chlorinators. You can tailor the water to what you would like to have it.

Because what you're doing is you're taking water from its pure source as you make it. So you can do with it what you want. You know, I think we really have to acknowledge just the fact that you came up with this. What is your background and when did this come to you that this was something that you should take on and then how did you actually carry out this idea from beginning to what we're seeing on the screen right now? Well, it started out as a kid growing up in Texas. We called it the land of a thousand springs. So when I was a little kid, we could actually drink water as it came out of the ground. We could jump into creeks and we could swim.

We could go fishing. So that's what I grew up with. And then in the military, I was stationed in places where we wouldn't get supplied with water sometimes. And then once in Saudi Arabia, it was so hot that I was like, if we don't get a water supply, I'm going to jump in this helicopter and I'm going to fly someplace where there is some water because we're not going to survive. It was 150 degrees. Wow. And then I lived in Australia for 11 years. In Australia, they have a thing called toilet to tap. I got back one year to, I came, I was always

coming back and forth to the States. And then I got to Australia one time and we were drinking water from the, we were drinking water that just had filtered and turned around from the, we were drinking water that had just been filtered and turned around from the toilet back to the tap. And then I saw what the drought had done to the country. I saw acres and acres of dead trees because the salt water had creeped back into the ground from the ocean because they pulled up so much fresh water. And seeing all these things, all these different situations around the world with the degradation of pure water, the degradation of our groundwater, and knowing that the atmosphere was full of water because we're always living in this humidity, I decided that, you know, I saw this little machine in Hawaii. And I said, if someone can make a little machine, I could definitely make a big one.

And that you did. And I said, if someone can make a little machine, I could definitely make a big one. And that you did. Listen, Moses, you're going to stay with us after we come back from the break. And you're going to continue to teach us about water and liquids and solids and gases. And we're going to talk to our panel. We'll have some questions for you. How amazing is this? You are watching Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network, and we'll be right back after a break with more Moses. people-powered movement. There's a lot of stuff that we're not getting. You get it. And you spread the word.

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Start building your retirement plan at thisispretirement.org. Brought to you by AARP and the Ad Council. Roland Martin, unfiltered. All right, well, we are still here. We are talking with Moses West, and he is talking to us about actually getting water from the air. I want to go to our panel. I'm sure that they're as intrigued as I am. Let me start with you, Randy. What question do you have for really this professor of water, if you will? I just first have to express how much in awe I am of you, Mr. West. This is incredible what

you've created. I'm thinking that my grandchildren will be reading about you in science class when we talk about inventors one day. So thank you for your contribution to this entire world. So how do you connect with communities? This water shortage is already evidencing itself in many areas. You mentioned Flint, Michigan. I think about what recently just happened in Jackson, Mississippi. How do communities get in touch with you to have a solution available to them? Well, when I first started out doing this, as anything in the United States, when you have a really good idea. People are sometimes here in this country are going to try to take what you have. And I've went through that. But

what I've always tried to do is I've always tried to connect with just making sure that the average man and woman on the street understands what this technology is and how it works. And so that groundswell of grassroots connections that I've made over the past 10 years has risen up and gotten to the highest levels to get you to NBC, ABC, and CBS, and CNN, and the Washington Post, just by doing humanitarian work. So mainly that's how and through my foundation, the Moses West Foundation, that's donations came through there, got me to Puerto Rico, got me to Flint, got me to Jackson, Mississippi, and helps me to educate people about this technology. Dr. Brown, question for Moses. Yeah, Moses, you know, I want to say how incredible this is. I think that,

you know, your name is Moses like the Bible, but it's more like a modern day Noah as an engineer, except for instead of an ark, you built a machine that creates water out of thin air. I think that's incredible. I mean, my question is, when is your next invention going to turn that water into wine? You could already do that. You could already make alcohol with it. He's a step ahead of you. There you go. Well, I'll just side. I think that, you know, you and your generator are important for, you know, for black people

specifically because of the positive impact that you've had in your technology, you know, looking at places that you affected like Flint and like Jackson, Mississippi, this is huge. My question is, I'm sure when you first started to create this, right, seeing the small version and having the creativity and sort of the imagination to make a large version of this type of technology, I'm sure you had some people that were very skeptical. Can you talk about some of that skepticism that people might have had as a process? I've had some PhDs come up to me and say, hey, if you run this machine, you're going to take, it's going to change the entire environment of the world. Oh, my goodness. There's no way, no way you could take all the

humidity off of Lake Michigan, off of the Pacific Ocean, making trillions of gallons of water, considering from the surface at 10,000 feet, it is nothing. That's called a troposphere. And it's nothing but a water superhighway.

The hotter the planet gets, what happens? The more water evaporates. And water, guess what? H2O is a greenhouse gas. So the hotter the planet gets, the more water that's in the atmosphere, the better these machines work. So that's one of the blowbacks that I got was people thinking that it was going to take too much water. The other blowback I got was people said this machine wouldn't work.

So if you look at every machine that I build, there's windows on the machines. Do you know why? So people can look inside that window and see the water being made because they said, some people said, oh, you just filled it up with water. Wow. Wow. Talk about the skeptics. Oh, wow. So I have to put windows on the machines. And the only thing the Marines asked me, told me to do, says, Moses, the next time you build machines for us, make bigger windows so we can have more Marines look at it at one time. Yeah. And that's, hey, listen, that's an exciting field trip for a lot of kids to see that water being made, I would imagine, too. Jesse, your question.

Mr. West, I just wanted to say, first of all, you're a genius, and I'm sure you already know that. But if you haven't heard it already, I just wanted to make sure you know. I'm curious, given the fact that there are so many corporate entities or whatnot who are involved in water. I'm curious as some of the blowback that you've gotten from some of the people who may not necessarily want you to bring what you're doing into the community. How have you handled it and what ways can we help you circumnavigate those situations? No blowback. The only blowback I've gotten is from people trying to steal it from me. Former business partners, that kind of blowback. That's it.

But so far, it's like corporations, none at all. Working closely with the United States military on the technology, if they tell me that there's something they want me to do in the way of the design of the machine, I can definitely do that. I can change that design up for them, add to it, subtract to it, make it a different size, make it harder. So with me and this technology so far, it's just been very positive because, one, I think no one thought I would ever succeed at it. That's one thing. They thought I would just kind of be a flash in the pan and go away. And so I've been at it for 10 years, and here I am, and my biggest customer is the United States military.

Moses, how long from the beginning? You said 10 years. Now it's out there. But when did your first working product hit the market, and what did it take to get venture capitalists to buy into your idea? Well, the first venture capitalists that bought into my idea actually tried to take my company from me. So I stayed away from venture capital, and I did it all with a profit from what I made within my company. And then I did things philanthropically with the Moses West Foundation,

strictly on donations from people, to get that machine to Puerto Rico and stay there. The only reason I had to come home from Puerto Rico is because the FEMA director told me, he said, Moses, you've got to be alive to create more work because I was I was working every day seven days a week 12 15 hours a day and so the tech the technology so far progressing it the way that I've done it I've done it all on my own but right now I've got I've just now brought on a managing director, and we're taking orders in right now for these large machines that you see right there for 2024. We're building some right now.

We're building a few for Peru. Wow. We're building two for Maui to go to Hawaii for the situation that they just had there to make sure that the Native Americans can stay on their land. And we're also working with the Native American Council here in the United States to build some machines for Native American homelands here as well. Moses, you mentioned Flint, Michigan earlier. You know, we don't see that in the headlines a lot.

I'm sure that you're close to the pulse of things there. What is the situation there with their water, and where did you factor into that? Well, when we were in the fourth ward in Flint, Michigan, people would donate water to Flint. And so when the water donations came in, people would announce where those were, and people would go show up to get the water. And there would be a line of cars a mile long. It would get a few cases of water. The water would run out.

Then everybody would be left out. But after we were there long enough and people understood that we were never running out of water and they didn't have to take 20 or 30 gallons of water home with them, they said well can i just come here get two or three gallons i said take as many gallon water sheds as you want every time you need water just walk over here to the machine fill it up let me show you how to do it take ownership of the machine i'll be here to help you if you need it so i sat there in my chair and then sometimes the sister tour would sit there. Latoya Ruby Frazier came out, took pictures and she did a whole job. She put it in a book, Flint in Three Acts. So Moses is actually the third act in

her book. And then so it was an easy process to get the machine incorporated into the community by giving the community ownership of the technology. And so there was no need for water in the Fourth Ward. Wow. Wow. Moses, Moses West, I want to thank you so much for being with us today. And not only just telling us about what you've been doing, but really teaching us in the process the same way that you taught those people in Flint, Michigan. You're not just history in the making. You have already made history. And I thank you so much for being with us today. Thank you so much. Good to see you, too. Thank you. All right. I also want to thank our guests today,

Randy Bryant, Dr. Drew Brown, Jesse Hamilton. Always good to speak with you. And it's always good to speak to the audience. Roland, we'll be back tomorrow. It was good being with you these couple of days. And we will see you next time here on Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. Goodbye. Goodbye.

Black Star Network is here. Hold no punches. A real revolutionary right now. Black crowd. Support this man, Black Media. He makes sure that our stories are told. Thank you for being the voice of Black America, Roland. I love y'all.

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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 one taser incorporated on the iheart radio app apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts 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

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