#RolandMartinUnfiltered - Seattle Police Reform, Kamala Harris at Black Star Gate, DeShayla Harris Lawsuit, TX State Edu Bills

Episode Date: March 29, 2023

3.28.2023 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: Seattle Police Reform, Kamala Harris at Black Star Gate, DeShayla Harris Lawsuit, TX State Edu Bills Today, Seatle Washington's Mayor announced the joint filing of a new compliance agreement between the City of Seattle and the United States Department of Justice as the Seattle Police Department prepares to transition into the next phase of sustained reform. We will explain the remaining steps to achieve a total case settlement in Seattle. A Virginia Family of a woman killed by police the same night a police officer shot and killed Donovon Lynch is suing The City of Virginia Beach for $50M. We will speak with family Attorney Justin Fairfax about the federal wrongful death and gross negligence lawsuit filed by the estate of DeShayla Harris. Texas is trying to whitewash history with brand-new education-limiting State senate Bills. We will speak with Texas NAACP Education State Chair about what is being done to protect how history is taught. The descendants of the Muscogee Creek Freedmen get their day in court. Attorney Damario Solomon-Simmons, the lead attorney and member of Justice for Black Creeks Coalition, will join us to give us an update on the case.  Vice President Kamala Harris takes an emotional tour of Ghana's slave castle. We'll hear what she had to say about the Cape Coast slave castle that was active during the transatlantic slave trade that forcibly removed millions of Africans.  In our Marketplace segment will show you how to get your kids into healthy skincare routines with a grandmother and granddaughter team who created a skincare line for kids. We will speak with the creators of Skye Monroe Skincare about the importance of early skin care. It's Time to Bring the funk on Roland Martin Unfiltered streaming live on the Black Star Network. Let's go. 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. Let's put ourselves in the right position. Pre-game to greater things. Start building your retirement plan at thisispreetirement.org. Brought to you by AARP and the Ad Council. I know a lot of cops. They get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no.

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

This kind of starts that a little bit, man. We met them at their homes. We met them at their recording studios. Stories matter, and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. 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. Tuesday, March 28th, 2023, coming up on Roland Martin Unfiltered, streaming live on the Black Star Network. The Seattle Police Department and the Department of Justice announce the next phase when it comes to police reform

in that particular city. We'll tell you about those details. In Virginia, the family of a woman who was killed by police, the same amount of police officers shot and killed Donovan Lynch, they're suing the city of Virginia Beach for $50 million.

We'll talk with the family's attorney, Justin Fairfax, about this wrongful death lawsuit. Texas continues to push forward bills that are anti-race when it comes to education. We'll talk with the Texas chair of the NAACP about what is happening in the Lone Star State. Also, the descendants of the Muskegee Creek Freedmen get their day in court. Attorney Demario Solomon-Simmons, who was a member of the Justice for Black Creeks Coalition, will give us an update on their particular case.

And also, Vice President Kamala Harris continues her tour in Ghana, an emotional visit to a slave dungeon there in that particular African nation. And in our marketplace segment, we'll show you how to get your kid into healthy skincare routines with a grandmother and granddaughter

who created their own skincare line. It is time to bring the funk. I'm Roland Martin, unfiltered, the Black Star Network, let's go. He's got it. Whatever the mess, he's on it. Whatever it is, he's got the scoop, the fact, the fine. And when it breaks, he's right on time.

And it's rolling, best belief he's knowing. Putting it down from sports to news to politics. With entertainment just for kicks, he's rolling. Yeah, it's Uncle Roro, y'all. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's Uncle Roro, yo, yeah, yeah, it's rolling, Martin, yeah, yeah, yeah, rolling, it's rolling now, yeah, yeah, he's funky, he's fresh, he's real, the best, you know he's rolling, Martin, now. The Department of Justice continues their aggressive focus on police reform and consent decrees, announcing today with the city of Seattle that they have agreed to a number of items that Seattle has moved forward with. They also, of course, have detail on the remaining steps to be completed for a full settlement of the case. Of course, the consent decree with Seattle was implemented in 2012.

It was to ensure that police services are delivered to the people of Seattle in a manner that fully complies with the Constitution and laws of the United States, effectively ensuring public trust and officer safety and promotes public confidence. According to release from the Department of Justice, the use of force occurs in less than 1% of all police encounters with the public. The federal monitor also found that 99% of all use of force incidents were consistent with SPD policy, a standard that they said exceeds constitutional requirements. Seattle's Bruce Harrell is adding three additional staff specialists to the officer of inspector general for public safety to continue evaluating the department's compliance. Now, of course, what we've seen with this Biden Department of Justice is totally different than what we saw under Donald Trump,

where you had the attorney general there, Jeff Sessions and Bill Barr, frankly, complaining about aggressive measures of the federal government to hold police accountable. I'm pulling my panel right now. Dr. Mustafa Santiago Ali, a former senior advisor for environmental justice at the EPA. Randy Bryant, DEI disruptor. Dr. Larry J. Walker, assistant professor for the University of Central Florida. The thing here, Mustafa, again, when you look at this DOJ, the civil rights division being led by Christian Clark under Attorney General Merrick

Garland, again, very aggressive in challenging police departments, putting folks in jail who commit wrongdoing. And so you see what happens when elections have consequences, where this DOJ, far more focused on ensuring that the rights of citizens are being protected, as opposed to Donald Trump and Republicans who want to give cops free reign to do whatever they want. Yeah, you know, we see now that we have an active DOJ, which is important because it is focused on accountability and making sure that folks know that they're going to have to do better. My grandmother says, when you know better, do better. We now have seen time and time again the injustices that have happened, and that's why we need an active DOJ that makes sure that it is engaging and holding people accountable.

When this happens, we see that there are less infractions. We see that there are departments like there in Seattle that continue to work on trying to get better and making the investments that are necessary to make that become a reality. And then, of course, we see across the country those police departments that are not evolving, and we see the problems that still continue to exist. Again, the key is oversight, Randy, and also accountability, and that's what's important. Again, this first consent decree was put in place in 2012 under President Barack Obama. Now we go forward 10 years, and typically these consent decrees last about 10 years.

We've seen other consent decrees last about 10 years. We've seen other consent decrees in New Orleans, Philadelphia, Cleveland, a number of different cities. And again, this is a stark contrast because Donald Trump, Sessions, and Barr, they wanted no oversight. They felt that the cops' morale was going down because of consent decrees. No. How about them, if they weren't beating folks and violating civil rights, then you wouldn't have a consent decree. Right.

No, it's just so happy to have that. I'm so happy that we have a Justice Department that is actually doing what you expect to be done. They are holding these police departments accountable, and we see what happens magically when all of a sudden you know that you're being watched. You see that there is change. And I hope that they continue to make changes. While you're not seeing the extensive force, and that has gone down quite dramatically,

you still are seeing where a disproportionate number of people of color, the way they're phrasing it, are still arrested. We're still seeing that. Although it's down to 1%, even in that 1%, there are more minorities who are getting in trouble. And another thing I really noted was how they have really done a fantastic job of diversifying the police department. So in 2019, they started hiring more people of color. And I'm using their term because I prefer black, but people of color generally, they're saying they hired. And I believe that has also attributed to the decrease in some of the wrongdoings that have been done on that police force.

You know, Larry, I often again, when I'm traveling across the country, I'm talking to people. And when I hear people say, oh, nothing is being done, they're not being held accountable. Well, these are examples. I think part of the problem is the Biden White House. Look, we got the press release, obviously, from the DOJ. The Biden White House, it doesn't do enough to trumpet the successes of this Department of Justice when it comes to holding police accountable because they don't want to appear to be soft on crime. But the reality is this is what black voters, Latino voters, young voters, young white voters have been demanding. Rowan, several times on this show alone, we've talked about the DOJ stepping in with these

consent decrees and taking other steps to hold law enforcement on the individuals responsible. But you're right. I know we've talked about this before, that, you know, the White House doesn't really do a good job of publicizing this. But we know if you look at polling numbers in terms of when it comes specific to law enforcement, that in our times, communities, particularly black and brown communities, want to feel safe in our communities, but they don't want to ensure that law enforcement is following the rules and regulations that they should be abided by,

particularly when it comes to the issues relating to our constitutional rights. But we know that doesn't happen, and it hasn't happened for decades. And I know we've also talked about Kristen Clark and all the wonderful work she's done since she was confirmed by the U.S. Senate and doing what we expected her to do, to hold individuals responsible, who are treating minoritized communities like they're enemies of the state instead of treating them like U.S. citizens. But this is, once again, another great example of DOJ under the Biden administration going in and taking the necessary steps to make sure law enforcement understands that you're going to be held accountable for your actions.

And then we're also, Roland, we could also, I think it's a piece we're missing here, is that this could save those jurisdictions millions of dollars. Philadelphia, Baltimore, Seattle, these other cities and locales have put out millions of dollars every year to address these lawsuits. So these consent decrees, in many respects, could save them money. Indeed. All right, hold tight one second. At the bottom of the hour, we'll talk with Justin Fairfax about a lawsuit that he is filing against the city of Virginia Beach for actions of cops here in a shooting the same night Donovan Lynch was shot and killed. We'll talk to him in about 15 minutes. Coming up next, though, we'll talk about Vice President Kamala Harris, her visit to one of the slave dungeons. They call them castles. I call them slave dungeons in Ghana as she continues her week-long tour in Ghana as well as to other countries in the motherland. Folks, if you're watching on YouTube, be sure to hit that like button. We easily want to hit 1,000 to 1,500 likes every single show. It impacts our algorithm. Don't forget to download the Black Star Network

app, Apple phone, Android phone, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV. You also, of course, can watch us on Amazon News. If you go to Amazon Fire, you click Amazon News. You can see our 24-hour streaming channel. You can also say Alexa Play News from Blackstar Network. You will hear the audio from our show as well. We also want you to support us in what we do by joining our Bring the Funk fan club. Send your check and money orders to PO Box 57196, Washington, DC, 20037-0196. Cash App, Dollar Sign, RM Unfiltered.

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We'll be right back. Hatred on the streets, a horrific scene, a white nationalist rally that descended into deadly violence. You will not replace us. 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 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. Here'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 resources, they're taking our women. This is white fear. Coming up on the next Black Table, a conversation with Professor Howard W. French on his new book, Born in Blackness,

covering 600 years of global African history and helping us understand how the world we know today is a gift from Black people. There could have been no West without Africa and Africa. That's on the next Black Table with me, Greg Carr, only on the Black Star Network. Hi, I'm Teresa Griffin. Hi, my name is Latoya Luckett and you're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. Thank you. Să ne urmăm în următoarea mea rețetă. All right, folks. Thousands gathered in Black Star Square today to hear Vice President Kamala Harris address folks there in Accra, Ghana.

A lot of those folks were students from the various universities. And this is what a portion of what the vice president had to say. We live streamed her speech on the Black Star Network. You can go to our app or go to our YouTube channel to hear the full speech. Here is some of what she said. In South Africa, part of the world's largest radio telescope is under construction, which will help answer some of the biggest questions of humanity, about galaxies, about gravity. In Tanzania, plans are underway to build the first facility of its kind on the continent to process minerals that go into electric vehicle batteries.

We see water-based farming in Kenya, battery energy storage systems in Malawi, and fintech startups in Nigeria. African ideas and innovations shaping the world, all of which fuel our optimism and hope. Yet, we must also be candid about the challenges. From security concerns in the Sahel to droughts and floods exasperated by the climate crisis and barriers to economic growth, both on a macro and micro level. We must tackle these challenges and find ways to accelerate opportunity, growth and stability. And I believe we must be intentional to make progress in three key areas. the empowerment of women, digital inclusion, and good governance and democracy, all of which are a focus of my visit to the continent and going forward. Folks, I'm quite familiar with Black Star Square when I was there for the year of return in 2019. They actually let me go to the top of the Black Star Gate there.

And, of course, guys, show the photo. What are we doing? Thank you. Can we pay attention? There we go. There we go. So, yeah, so quite familiar with that. And, of course, our Black Star. And that's the Black Star Square. Name also comes from, first of all, of course, Marcus Garvey.

His cruise line was called the Black Star Cruise Line. The Black Star Gate was erected by Kwame Nkrumah in 1957. It was dedicated, and it was dedicated for the independence of Ghana. And so it is the second largest square in the world behind Tiananmen Square. And so that's where many of the major events actually take place there across all across all across uh ghana this is a photo here that i shot of the gate at night when i was there in 2019 and you'll see there of course when it was uh erected um and uh are y'all seeing it okay there we go all right then. So you see that's actually called Black Star Gate. The idea is that Ghana will be the gateway to Africa.

After the vice president finished speaking there, she then went to visit Cape Coast, one of the slave dungeons there, of course, where Ghanaians, that was their final place on the motherland before they were being shipped across. 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 Lott. And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast.

Yes, sir. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. I'm Greg Glod. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. 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 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 this is pre-tirement.org brought to you by aarp and the ad council the atlantic to various countries including the united states, and Vice President Harris reflected on those who walked through the door of no return, never to see their family and their homeland again. was immensely powerful and moving. When we think about how human beings were treated by the hundreds of thousands in this very place that we now stand. The crimes that happened here. The blood that was shed here. There are dungeons here where human beings were kept, men, women, and children. They were kidnapped from their homes, not really sure where they were headed, and they came to this place of horror.

Some to die, many to starve and be tortured, women to be raped before they were then forcibly taken on a journey thousands of miles from their home, to be sold by so-called merchants, and taken to the Americas, to the Caribbean, to be an enslaved people. We don't know the numbers who died on their way to this place, the numbers who were killed during that passage on the Atlantic. The horror of what happened here must always be remembered. It cannot be denied. It must be taught.

History must be learned. And we must then be guided by what we know also to be the history of those who survived in the Americas, in the Caribbean, those who proudly declared themselves to be the diaspora who then came out of, in often many situations, odds that were designed to break them, to demoralize them, to create systems and situations that were to make them feel like less than humans, less than full human beings. But yet they survived. And they tell another history, a history of endurance, a history of faith, a history in believing what is possible, a history not only that tells about the ability that each individual has to survive but to thrive. And so all these stories must be told.

All these stories must be told in a way that we take from this place the pain we all feel, the anguish that reeks from this place. And we then carry the knowledge that we have may gained here toward the work that we do in lifting up all people, in recognizing the struggles of all people, of fighting for, as the walls of this place talk about, justice and freedom for all people, human rights for all people. So that's what I take from from being here. The descendants of the people who walked through that door were strong people, proud people, people of deep faith, people who loved their families, their culture and carried that innate being with them through all of these periods went on to fight for civil rights fight for justice in the United States of America and around the world and And all of us, regardless of your background, have benefited from their struggle and their fight for freedom and for justice. Thank you.

Randy, I'm not sure what other networks are doing when it comes to covering her visit. I don't care. I don't watch them. Literally, I don't watch any of them. But beyond, obviously, the speech in Black Star Square and also this visit here, this is also about meeting with African leaders, Ghanaian leaders, business folks as well, because the reality is this year, seven of the 10 fastest growing economies in the world are African. Africa is the youngest continent as well. And so the future opportunities lie there. So there needs to be a better relationship between the continent, 54 countries, and the United States and the rest of the world.

Yes. I'm so moved, actually, by her speech. Roland, you don't know this, but we were staying at the same hotel. I would see you walking around when we were in Accra at the year of return. And, you know, I've really. Yes, yes, yes. You didn't speak to me. No, I'm just kidding. My brother was working. I know. I know. I know. And so I and I've stood exactly where she, our vice president, was standing. And it was obvious that she was impacted. And I don't see how you could go and not be impacted.

I'm sure she has seen a lot. But when you go there and you are literally the floors are the feces of our ancestors because it is so thick, because it wasn't as if they were allowed to be excused to go to the restroom or anything. So they were living, our people were chained and living in filth. When you really are there, it does change you. You cannot leave that place unchanged. And so I believe that that will actually even bolster her efforts to ensure that we're recognizing these countries in Africa that should be recognized as viable countries that we can do business with, that are worthy. And just that has so much impact. You know, I oftentimes ask people, what is your first memory of where, from where you come? And, you know, I was talking about the Susan Struthers

commercials of them just showing Africa, because, you know, of course, Africa is shown to be a country and not a continent, and how that deal, how that affects the self-esteem of all of us. And so recognizing that that is not, we are way more than that and showing that's who we are and what we come from and in spite of, who we are in spite of, I think is quite powerful. And she really did a plug for CRT right there. She did not hold back. She really, really did a plug right there for CRT. Larry. It is moving. And the other thing is, Roland, can we stop with questions about where the VP is? Well, I'm always hearing these on social media, people asking where the VP is, even though she's been doing the work. And listen, you know, sub-Saharan Africa is a sleeping giant. You talk about the demographics in terms of age, the youth of many of the countries in Africa.

But in terms of the long-term economic growth, the other thing that's important in terms of age, the youth of many of the countries in Africa. But in terms of the long-term economic growth, the other thing that's important in terms of why the United States has been slow to recognize the importance of the continent and the countries there are individuals we often disagree with on economic and military issues. Russia and China certainly have begun to put a footprint in many of the countries in Africa. So it's important, first of all, in terms of the symbolism of the VP going to Ghana. And I know she's going to visit several other countries, but also in terms of offering a counter to say the United States can be a friend, particularly considering all those of the diaspora who are currently currently living in the country as a counter to China and Russia and their efforts, once again, to strengthen their foothold in many countries in Africa. But she delivered a great message. I think the emotion she showed was sincere, because obviously we talk about the door of no return. And like I said, our ancestors were, as Kylie talked about, living in that filth and then transported thousands of miles

and then brought to a foreign nation with a different environment, being forced not to speak their language. I'm glad she showed the emotion she did because it's important for leaders to also be vulnerable in situations like this. But I'm glad she's there. And once again, we can silence all the doubters about all the work she's doing and where she is. Mustafa. Yeah, you know, we've all, for those of us who have been there, it's a spiritual experience when you are in those dungeons, as Randy shared and others as well. This is smart strategically also. You know, the continent of Africa is about $3.4 trillion

GDP. Ghana, $77 billion. And Africa, the continent of Africa is the richest when you look at the natural resources that exist inside of each and every one of the countries that are there, from gold and diamonds, uranium. I can go on and on and on. So we should strengthen our strategic partnerships with all those countries that are in Africa if we're serious about making the 21st century one that is more filled with justice and equality. And that means that we have to build the bridges and strengthen the bridges between our country and Africa. And that particular point that you make right there, Mustafa, I think is a critical one because it does speak to the infrastructure needs that are there.

We can't just complain about China investment there if we are not doing an equal amount of investment here. All right, folks, hold tight one second. Go into a break. We'll be back on Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. A lot of these corporations or people that are running stuff push black people if they're doing a certain thing. What that does is it creates a butterfly effect of any young kid who... 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 One, 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 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 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 are 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 know, wants to leave any situation they're in. That's the Ad Council. put money into it. So that's definitely something I'm trying to fix too is just show those other avenues. You don't got to be a rapper. You don't got to be a ball player.

You can be a country singer. You can be an opera singer. You can be a damn whatever, you know? Showing the different avenues and that is possible and it's hard for people to realize it's possible

until someone does. On the next A Balanced Life with me, Dr. Jackie, re-entry anxiety. A lot of us are having trouble transitioning in this post-pandemic society and don't even realize it. We are literally stuck between two worlds in purgatory. How to get out of purgatory and regain your footing and balance. What emotions they're feeling and being able to label them because as soon as you label an emotion, it's easier to self-regulate. It's easier to manage that emotion. The next A Balanced Life on Blackstar Network. I'm Bill Duke.

This is DeAlla Riddle and you you're watching Roland Martin, Unfiltered. Stay woke. Să ne urmăm în următoarea mea rețetă. សូវបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបា� Să ne vedem la următoarea mea rețetă! Well, folks, the shenanigans in Texas continues like in Florida as well. The Texas State Senate, they've introduced several bills which are aimed to alter the way people view, remember, and recite American history. They penalize schools that focus on teaching about race, gender, or ethnicity on social, political, or religious beliefs. The Texas Senate bills are an all-out assault against DEI in education by allowing parents to erase parts of history they deem unacceptable and who is hired to teach in Texas. Kimberly Yancey is the Texas NAACP Education State Chair. She joins us right now.

And Kimberly, this sort of reminds me, so there's a couple of stories that just came I'm going to talk about the story of a student who was objected to how race was being taught in the government class and so the class was canceled. Another parent objected to a movie about Ruby bridges because she said the kids, the white kids are going to be made to feel bad because of language

use. I mean, this is exactly what happened. I mean, this is exactly what happened. about Ruby Bridges because she said the white kids are going to be made to feel bad because of language use. I mean, this is exactly what my book White Fear is all about. I have been telling

people this day was coming where white folks are so scared to death of the changing demographics that they want to keep anything, any real American history from being told. And so these bills are about giving parental rights,

but literally they can object to anything. You are absolutely correct. And hats off to you about your book. Listen, they are creating that incubator of hate in Texas. We know that Texas has more African-Americans now than any other state in the nation. And you're right. Everything that you have been warning us about, Rowling, is actually coming to fruition. So we ask for your prayers and solicitation.

And listen, our hashtag is hashtag we got time. So in Texas, we are fighting. We're going to Austin, April 2nd through the 4th to advocate and fight for our history and for our children. So, but here's the deal. Republicans control the governor's mansion, the Texas House and the Texas Senate. How do you stop this? Well, we are appealing to the hearts and humanity of rural Republicans because the Senate Bill 1, Senate Bill 8, Senate Bill 16, 17, and 18 will impact rural Americans, not just people of color.

We know now that Texas is 54 percent black and brown. Texas is a majority minority state. But we are concerned that they are not ready to tell the full story of America. But we are appealing to all Texans to understand that we are unapologetically American and our history is American. And so that's why we're fighting. And let me just—I'm sorry. No, go ahead. Go ahead.

Okay, so what I want to say, even though we're a 54 percent majority minority, Texas has the ninth largest economy in the world. Our economy is the same size as Russia. And these stats are based on Texas leading economist Ray Perriman. And Ray Perriman has said that even though Texas is 54 percent majority minority state, Latinos only own 5.6 percent of the wealth of Texas. Afro-Americans only own 1.8% of the wealth of Texas. So what is black excellence if we do not have access to capital? So if you begin to strip away our access to education, not only are you now economically

raping us, but you are also educationally trying to rape us as well. So we need to stand up and speak up or shut up. But hashtag, Roland, we got time today. Well, look, I keep telling people they can expect these things to happen all across the country. And so be prepared because that is going to be the case. Kimberly, good luck with what was happening there in Texas. And again, this is why people have to vote. You can't have 75 percent of young Texans last year and not go to the polls and now complain about what the legislature is doing. If you don't vote, you got no say so. Elections matter. You're absolutely right. I am so grateful

for the work that you are trying to do. I'm just hoping that people are listening. But it's now is the time to act. We are very concerned about what is happening in Texas. But we need people to speak up and get involved. All Americans. I tell people, Roland, I'm unapologetically American. I love being an American woman and I will fight for my rights. And I tell people all the time, when you're an American, you don't have to ask for anything. You don't have to tiptoe or creep.

It belongs to you. We need to chase our dream and chase the American dream of opportunity and chase the American dream of freedom and liberty. And that's what we're doing here in Texas, and we're prepared. Hashtag, we got time. All right. Keely, we appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Thank you, Roland. Have an amazing day.

I got about 90 seconds before I got to go to break Randy, Larry and Mustafa. So about 30 seconds each. Larry, I'll start with you. I'm going to keep Singleton blue in the face and about that. Anybody out there who's listening, if you do not vote, shut the hell up.

You can't complain about what Republicans are doing in Florida and Georgia and Texas if you didn't go to the polls. You contributed to them being in power. You're right, Roland. And so a couple quick things is we've got to get young folks to have the vote. We've got to give them candidates that talk about policy issues that impact young people and get them out to the polls. And then we have to push back on these anti-bike policies. The last thing I want to make is that remember when people want to dismiss Florida and Texas, they say, well, that's their problem.

They're two of the most populous states in our nation. And as my colleague just mentioned a few minutes ago, there are hundreds of thousands of black folks in both those states combined. Look, Mustafa, you've got Republicans who are Mississippi, one of 10 states refusing Medicaid expansion. Hospitals are falling apart. The health care system is falling apart and they don't don't care in those places. This is, I mean, again, for people who want to act like, I mean, look, I did an interview with Vlad TV. I got all these dumbasses who are on the message boards. Oh, you sitting there trying to get us to vote for Democrat. You should regret supporting Biden.

Well, what the hell? You wanted me to support that fool Trump being back in place? I mean, people are just stupid when it comes to this. They literally act as if there's this imaginary person out there who may run who's not a Democrat or Republican. And so it's not like I want to have one choice. But the other choice, it is obvious how they want to destroy black advancement. And that is today's Republican Party. Yeah. Your vote is your power. Your vote is tied to everything that goes on in your life, from health care to transportation, to jobs, to the justice system.

And if you say you can't find somebody who you want to vote for, then run for office yourself. That's what I always mention to folks when they start, you know, sharing that there's nobody worth voting for. Why aren't you stepping up? Run on the local level or the county level and then get the experience to run on the state or the federal level. Randy, and again,

of all the people, they're just sitting here like, well, you know, what they're doing. They are exercising power. And if you keep not voting and they keep getting reelected, they will keep exercising power. Absolutely. They are literally taking what power we do have. Our vote is our power. That's what we have.

And people are just giving it away. I don't understand how anyone can excuse apathy. And when they have power, they're stripping us of our history. They're stripping our children of any knowledge of who they are and what roles they have played in America. Indeed. All right, folks, got to go to break. We come back. I'm going to show you some of the visit of our year return in 2019 with a nine-part series on our app.

We want to show you some of that. Top of the hour, Justin Fairfax will be here talking about their lawsuit against City of Virginia Beach for a shooting in Virginia. All of that on Roland Martin Unfiltered, the Black Star Network. Don't forget, folks, hit the Like button if you're watching on YouTube. I see you all commenting. Hit the Like button and also give us a Like and a Share on Facebook and our app as well.

We'll be right back. When you talk about blackness and what happens in black culture, you're about covering these things that matter to us, speaking to our issues and concerns. This is a genuine people-powered movement. There's a lot of stuff that we're not getting. You get it. 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 DollarSignRMUnfiltered. PayPal is RMartinUnfiltered. Venmo is RMUnfiltered.

Zelle is Roland at RolandSMartin.com. Pull up a chair, take your seat. The Black Tape with me, Dr. Greg Carr, here on the Black Star Network. Every week, we'll take a deeper dive into the world we're living in. Join the conversation only on the Black Star Network. Hello, everyone. I'm Godfrey and you're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. And while he's doing Unfiltered, I'm practicing the wobble. 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 Lott. And this is season 2 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 thing is. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Sh 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 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 reach them. Let's put ourselves in the right position, pregame to greater things. Start building your retirement plan at thisispreetirement.org, brought to you by AARP touched the motherland. I visited Ghana in July 2008. It was an amazing time in the world.

A month later, Senator Barack Obama would accept the Democratic nomination for president. And people of African descent all over the world were excited. I took time off from my duties at TV One and CNN to speak at a technology conference in Accra, Ghana, and to visit several places during my 10-day journey. Eleven years later, numerous black celebrities and influencers were visiting Ghana and other African nations, which Ghana dubbed the Year of Return,

marking the 400th commemoration, the beginning of people of African, marking the 400th commemoration, the beginning of people of African descent in the United States. The goal was to complete the circle and reunite the African diaspora. Some called it nothing more than tourism bounty for Ghana and other African nations.

For many people of African descent, represented a spiritual, cultural, and historical journey to link the past with the present. Let it resound, not as the rolling sea. Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us. How you doing? You good? All good.

How's it going? What's up, man? How you doing? I'm all good. Good. Good to see you, man. Good to see you. All right.

Absolutely. How you doing? Good to see you, too. I wanted my trip not to be driven by celebrities and influencers. All right. Absolutely. How you doing? I wanted my trip not to be driven by celebrities and influencers, so I bypassed many of the other trip offers that were available and accepted the one with Desmond and Sheena Meek, grassroots activists in Florida who led the passage of Amendment 4, which restored the voting rights of formerly incarcerated people in that state.

The connection is something I could never have imagined. I'm trying not to get emotional and let my eyelashes fall off on this TV screen because I know all you millions of viewers are watching. But even tonight, it's just been a missing piece of history that is missing from our education system back in the States. Our people just don't know. I feel like when you know where you come from, you know where you're going. And I definitely have clear direction more on my purpose, what we need to do as a people,

as black people, how we help our motherland here. And it just feels good to be home. Our group united at JFK Airport in New York City on December 19th for our 10-day trip to Ghana. Our excitement was undeniable. All right, so we're on the plane here. About to take off. We're all seated. There's one back there. See one back there. So we're getting ready for this train to Accra.

Ten days and we'll be there. It's going to be running big time. So really looking forward to it. Our Ghanaian trip was organized in conjunction with the Godbox Foundation. We sat down at the year of the story committee on the board. So really looking forward to it. Our Ghanaian trip was organized in conjunction with the God Box Foundation. We sat down at the year of student committee on the board, trying to hold the significance to it of what the 400 years meant. From the moment we cleared customs, our trip was off to a fast start. Oh! Instead of landing and immediately going to the hotel,

the God Box Foundation arranged for our group to begin our year of return at night. We traveled from Accra to Cape Coast, where the Cape Coast Slave Castle, I call it a dungeon, is located. That's where we start. The ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ ੈ I'm going to go and see if I can find a place to stay. I'm going to go and see if I can find a place to stay. I'm going to go and see if I can find a place to stay. I'm going to go and see if I can find a place to stay.

I'm going to go and see if I can find a place to stay. I'm going to go and see if I can find a place to stay. I'm going to go and see if I can find a place to stay. I'm going to go and see if I can find a place to stay. I'm going to go and see if I can find a place to stay. I'm going to go and see if I can find a place to stay. I'm going to go and see if I can find a place to stay. I'm going to go and see if I can find a place to stay. I'm going to go and see if I can find a place to stay. ʻOʻoʻoʻoʻuʻuʻuʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻiʻ So, now that we've done that, we're going to go down and you have to touch the water.

That's our ancestors. The ancestors are here, like I told you. You go, you touch them, you let them know that you're here so that they can give us the blessing before we go inside the door. So if you can. Come down. Bless us. Hey! That's me, the brother who made the movement in Florida. That's him about to walk down into the water as well. I'm so excited. I'm so excited.

I'm so excited. I'm so excited. I'm so excited. I'm so excited. I'm so excited. I'm so excited. I'm so excited. I'm so excited.

I'm so excited. I'm so excited. I'm so excited. I'm so excited. I'm so excited. I'm so excited. I'm so excited. I'm so excited.

I'm so excited. I'm so excited. I'm so excited. I'm so excited. I'm so excited. I'm so excited. That's me, the brother who had a member in Florida. That's him about to walk down into the water as well. So that's what several of them keep asking me to take my shoes off. I realize that I'm live with the show. So what's happening is there's literally no water. You can see it here. This is the castle here.

This is the castle here. This. Let it go. Let it go. Thank you. Wait, I got you. Oh, shit. I ain't nothing to you. I ain't nothing to you. I ain't nothing to you.

I ain't nothing to you. I ain't nothing to you. I ain't nothing to you. I ain't nothing to you. Oh, shit. I ain't nothing to you. This actually is never done. This is done with the God Box Foundation and the God Box tours because we want to have a spiritual experience with the people. It's not just a regular tour. It was definitely a wild fact that as I walked out I didn't know what I was going to do, what to expect of it. But as my feet touched the water I just felt to open up my whole spirit, just open up my

whole spirit and receive whatever God wanted me to receive through my ancestors. And just letting them know that they didn't die in vain, that, you know, the fight goes on, the journey goes on, and we're going to carry that journey, especially as representatives of black women in America. All right, folks, that was most of part one of our special. And so, again, you can see all nine parts by going to our OTT app, the Black Star Network. You can also go to our YouTube channel as well uh folks coming up next we'll talk about a lawsuit

filed against the city of virginia beach for a shooting that took place uh there uh involved a woman who was uh who was a shot and killed and of course when donald lynch was shot so we'll talk about that with justin fairfax uh and don't forget we've got our marketplace segment in our second hour as well so all of that we'll be talking about don't forget download our marketplace segment in our second hour as well. So all of that we'll be talking about. Don't forget, download the Blackstar Network app, Apple phone, Android phone, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV. And of course, you can also check us out on our 24-hour streaming channel on Amazon News platform. Just simply go to Amazon Fire, click Amazon News. You can check out the channel and you can tell Alexa. Alexa Play News from Black Star Network.

You get the audio as well. We'll be right back. Hi, I'm Dr. Jackie Hood-Martin, and I have a question for you. Ever feel as if your life is teetering in the weight and pressure of the world that's consistently on your shoulders? Well, let me tell you, living a balanced life isn't easy. Join me each Tuesday on Black Star Network for Balanced Life with Dr. Jackie. We'll laugh together, cry together,

pull ourselves together, and cheer each other on. So join me for new shows each Tuesday on Black Star Network, A Balanced Life with Dr. Jackie. We're all impacted by the culture, whether we know it or not. From politics to music and entertainment, it's a huge part of our lives. And we're going to talk about it every day right here on The Culture with me, Faraji Muhammad, only on the Black Star Network.

I'm Deborah Owens, America's Wealth Coach, and my new show, Get Wealthy, focuses on the things that your financial advisor and bank isn't telling you what you absolutely need to know. So watch Get Wealthy on the Blackstar Network. I'm Chrisette Michelle. Hi, I'm Chaley Rose, and you're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. 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 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 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. The mother of a woman who was killed in the March shootings at the ocean front two years ago is in the city of Virginia Beach, and she wants answers. 28-year-old Shaila Harris was killed on March 26, 2021 in one of three separate shootings. Harris was a bystander at the scene of the shooting. The $50 million lawsuit alleges police failed to protect civilians during the shootings

and that an officer may have fired the bullet that killed DeShayla. Virginia Beach Police Department maintains there's no evidence linking an officer or an officer's service weapon to her death. Justin Fairfax, former Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, represents the family and joins me now. I'm glad to have you here. So you had to make the allegation. What's the linkage? Well, you know, we have not gotten any answers. This family has for two years cried out for justice. The city of Virginia Beach will not turn over the ballistics report that they have done in this case. We know that one exists. The families asked for it. Myself and Thomas Martin, my co-counsel, have asked for it.

They've denied us for two years. If there's nothing in the ballistics report that would be harmful to the statements that they have made, why not turn it over? No one can give us an answer as to why they have not turned it over. And so the statute of limitations would have run out on last Sunday. And so myself and Thomas Martin filed a $50 million lawsuit last Friday to, one, get accountability, answers, justice, and truth for this family. We, of course, also represent Donovan Lynch. We got a $3 million settlement in that case. And as we litigated, we found out a whole bunch of things that were not yet known. So if you don't have transparency, if you don't have the truth out, this is one of the vehicles for you to get to the truth.

What was her proximity to the shooting of Donovan Lynch? They were relatively close. I mean, you're talking about probably within about a block away. And so, again, what we've said in the lawsuit is that, you know, one, we don't have these answers. Two, you know, while the city may make certain statements about what it does and does not know, we also deposed Chief Newtigate.

I did personally, the chief of the Virginia Beach Police Department, and he told us under oath that he didn't know who killed DeShayla, even after two years. And so we want answers. And so... Is there an open investigation into a shooting? Well, they keep telling us that things are under investigation, but here's the problem.

If you do that for the two years past statute of limitations, you can investigate forever and never give a single answer to this family. And then after two years, they don't even have the ability to sue, to use the court system, to get people under oath, to get records like a ballistics report. They keep withholding from this family for two years inexplicably. They won't answer that question. And so we need to hold governments and people accountable when they are not transparent, particularly when someone has died. Deshala Harris was an exceptional young woman, 28-year-old African-American woman who should be alive today.

And the fact that we don't have answers as to why she's dead is why we filed this lawsuit. So if there's an investigation, you would think that none one of these happened. They stay in contact with the family. Exactly. So they provided no information to the family about this case? Almost none.

And, of course, it dwindled over time. You know, at first you get the hand-holding and the kumbaya, but then as you go along, right, and as you demand more answers, then they go silent or they just ignore your request. We have the mother. Renee Harris has filed numerous FOIA requests for information she is entitled to, has not gotten the information. Again, this ballistics report, I asked very directly, City of Virginia Beach,

why will you not give us this ballistics report after two years? Just tell us, point blank. And I can't get an answer from them. And when you can't get an answer from a government in that way and they clam up, something's usually very wrong. And so, again, in the Donovan Lynch case, myself and Thomas Martin got a $3 million settlement in 64 days. We came in, we litigated, we deposed. We got down and dug down hard to get to the truth. And that resulted in that form of justice,

which we're finalizing right now. We want to do the same thing for Shaila Harrison, for her family. So we talked about these three shootings on that particular night. And so, if the police department says that it doesn't match,

why not simply just show it? Exactly. Exactly. Show your work. Show the ballistics report. And again, it's such a massive disconnect. And they won't even answer the question as to why they won't give it to us. And so we know that it exists. The family has demanded it now for almost two years. And it is frankly outrageous that they won't give this over. And I'm glad that we're getting public attention on this. And again, it shouldn't have to take a lawsuit to get this kind of information. If this had happened to anyone

else's family, they would be demanding that exact same kind of transparency. And as you know, we've been dealing with the city of Virginia Beach and the police department now on a number of different matters, including the mass shooting on May 31st of 2019. I mean, we have spent time really getting people justice answers and transparency. It has to happen across the board and no government should feel like they don't have to answer to the people that they serve. Questions from the panel. Mustafa, I'll start with you. Yes. Well, first of all, thank you for everything that you're doing. I'm curious. The Murder Accountability Project has shared with the country that in relationship to white cases being closed with murder victims and blacks, that we're about 20 percent less. So in relationship to Virginia Beach, what types of are the cases being closed at a different rate in relationship to black cases

and white cases? You know, it's a great question and it's something that we certainly will be continuing to explore. I mean, we do know that there are some very wide racial disparities that exist in the city of Virginia Beach and throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. I mean, we do know that there are some very wide racial disparities that exist in the city of Virginia Beach and throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. I believe that the chief has testified that only about 7%, if I'm correct, of the police force is African-American. I mean, it's pretty outrageous when you talk about a very large African-American minority population. And we've seen how that impacts policing. We've seen it not only in the cases that we represent with Donovan Lynch, Tashayla Harris, and others, but we're seeing it

sort of across the board and people's trust in the system, trust in the police, trust in the government. So we need to have answers, truth, and transparency. I tell people that lies usually take a long time. And I think there's a quote that, you know, an honest person doesn't need a good memory. And so what we find is that when we get information and people are making up stories and they take forever to get to them, then usually the truth is not in there. So we just want to get to the simple, factual truth and then get justice for these families. Randy. So I would like to know, can they not be compelled to hand over the ballistics report? I mean, it seems as if you would think that they would just do it on their own.

But when they don't, there's not something that you can file to force them to do so on top of the lawsuit? Sorry, thank you for that question. That, in part, is why we filed the lawsuit, because once you're in a lawsuit, we filed it in federal district court down in Norfolk, Virginia, and once you file a lawsuit and you get through certain procedural motions, the court will grant what's called discovery using its powers to allow you to get a lot of this information. You can compel people to testify in a deposition and get them under oath, which we did in the Donovan Lynch case. You can request documents and information. And you better be certain we're requesting that ballistics report, among a number of other documents, upon discovery in this case. So the family would not even have had the ability to

get this information if they had let the statute of limitations run out on Sunday. But basically, they were being strung along for two years. And this is something else that really needs to be explored in this case and in others. What we find is you often have police departments say, we're investigating, we're investigating, we're investigating. They always do it right up until the end of the statute of limitations goes, and then you're left with no remedy. So that has to stop or laws need to change to toll those statutes

so people don't lose their rights in that process. But we're going after that Blisick's report and about all the other information to get to the truth. Larry. Yeah, I'm curious, you know, your years of experience and have you found that, you know, we've talked specifically to the state of Virginia and nationally. Do you feel like police departments are being even more so keeping this information to themselves and not sharing it? Do you think that's changed over the last couple of years? Are you seeing more of this in your work, like I said, in the state of Virginia and also your perspective nationally? Or do you think that this is consistently always happening? You know, it's a great question.

And I do like to be driven by data. I'm a public policy major at heart, in addition to my work as a lawyer. But, you know, I think we're certainly seeing that more of it is being exposed. There's no doubt about it. And a part of what my role is, and not only am I a civil litigator now, but I also used to be a federal prosecutor in the Eastern District of Virginia, and I was in the Major Crimes and Narcotics Unit. I also was a law clerk in EDVA. So I know that court very well, and I know what you can do through the

court process to get to the truth. It's often your last resort. They're really the cathedrals of our democracy. You have to use the powers of the court to be able to compel people to turn over information they otherwise are hiding. So when we see whether it is a government, a police department trying to withhold, to obfuscate, to essentially deny the rights of families to get information, particularly when the tragedy is someone being killed, then that has to be confronted and that has to be changed.

So I think it needs to be done systemically. But I know in this case that they have withheld information that this family is entitled to, and we plan to get it. We've seen this happen in other cities as well. And a lot of times when there are shootings like this here, I look at people who criticize Ben Crump. They say, well, he never wins cases. Well, first of all, he's not a prosecutor. So he actually can't try officers. So the reality is this is the only recourse families actually have when it comes to an officer-involved shooting or potentially an officer-involved shooting.

That's exactly right. So not only does it give you a chance for transparency and justice, but you're trying to make families whole who have suffered the worst imaginable tragedy that there is. Ben Crump is doing phenomenal work, and I'm so proud of what he's doing, and I'm flattered that they've made comparisons to us in Virginia and what we're doing. But really, I love Ben's work in civil documentary. He said, basically, I need to make it too expensive to senselessly murder people, particularly murder black people, because the province has been free for about 400 years, and it needs to not be. It shouldn't happen in the first place,

but behaviors don't change unless people suffer consequences, in this case financial and being exposed in terms of people who lie and don't tell the truth and who do not meet their obligations to the citizenry. Remember, police departments work for all of us. Governments work for all of us. They're not here to oversee us and police us. They're here to serve and to protect.

And so that's the function that we want them to get back to. I come from a law enforcement family. There are great people in law enforcement. But when these types of situations happen, there needs to be justice, and that's what I intend to get. All right. Justice Fred Baxter, we appreciate it. Thanks a lot.

God bless you, man, as always. Appreciate you. All right, folks, Baxter, we appreciate it. Thanks a lot. God bless you, man. As always, appreciate you. All right, folks, got to go to a break. We come back more on the show, including our Marketplace segment to a grandmother and a grandchild, open a skin care company. We'll talk to them about that. Don't forget to download our Blackstone Network app,

Apple Phone, Android Phone, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV. You can watch our 24-hour streaming channel on Amazon News. Simply go to Amazon Fire TV, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV. You can watch our 24-hour streaming channel on Amazon News. Simply go to Amazon Fire, click Amazon News, and you can watch that. Not just this show, but all of our other programming as well. You can also tell Alexa, play Black Star Network. You can hear the audio from the program. And of course, you can check out our OTT app where we have all of our content as well. Please support us in what we do. Your dollars make it possible for us to do what we do.

Our goal is to get 20,000 of our fans contributing on average 50 bucks a year, which is $4.19 a month, 13 cents a day. Check some money or go to PO Box 57196, Washington, D.C., 20037-0196. Cash app, dollar sign, RM Unfiltered, PayPal, R. Martin Unfiltered, Venmo is RM Unfiltered, Zelle is Roland at RolandSMartin.com, Roland at RolandMartinUnfiltered.com,

and of course you can also get my book, White Fear, How the Browning of America is Making White Folks Lose Their Minds. Also that you see the tax on DEI was happening with the tax against AP, African American History Studies course, as well as like in Florida, literally the banning of a movie on Ruby Bridges. I have been telling you about that. That's what the book lays out. And so you can get it at all available bookstores, Barnes & Noble,

Target, Amazon, and of course Books A Million. You can download your copy on Audible as well. We'll be right back. Hatred on the streets, a horrific scene, a white nationalist rally that descended into deadly. 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 six 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 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 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 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 this is pre-tirement.org brought to you by aarp and the ad council as capital 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 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 people.

Coming up on the next Black Table, a conversation with Professor Howard W. French on his new book Born in Blackness, covering 600 years of global African history and helping us understand how the world we know today is a gift from black people. There could have been no West without Africa and Africa. That's on the next Black Table with me, Greg Carr, only on the Black Star Network. Folks, Rodney Henry disappeared from his Memphis home on February 10th. The 13-year-old is 5 feet tall, weighs 197 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information about Rodney Henry should call the Memphis Police Department at 901-545-2677.

901-545-2677. Nashville is reeling from Monday's mass shooting. Audrey Hale used an assault-style weapon and handgun to kill three students and three staff members at the Covenant School. Metropolitan Nashville Police Department has identified the victims as Evelyn Dickhouse, 9, Mike Hill, 61, William Kinney, 9, Catherine Koontz, 60, Cynthia Peek, 61, and Haley Scruggs, 9 years old. The coveted school has about 200 students in preschool through 6th grade students and roughly 50 staff members. Nashville Police Chief John Drake held a news conference to-old female that lived in the Nashville area, we have investigations ongoing now at the residence on Brightwood Avenue. And we have made contact with the father that lived at that residence and are putting together more information.

So determined, there were maps drawn of the school in detail of surveillance, entry points, etc. We know and believe that entry was gained through shooting through one of the doors is how they actually got into the school. We will not wait. I was hoping this day would never ever come here in this city but we would never wait to make entry and to go in and to stop a threat especially when it deals with our children. Police also, folks, have released the body cam footage showing when officers arrived on the scene. Play that now.

No, locked door. Where did they go in? First floor, first floor, first floor. Hold there, y'all. Somebody hold there. Hit that door. Rifle first. Rifle first.

Blue, go. Go, go, go, go, go. Go. Move. Move. I'm with you. Go left. Straight, straight. Right here, right here, right here.

It's locked. Go. I'm with you. I'm with you. I'm with you. I'm with you. I'm with you. I'm with you.

I'm with you. I'm with you. I'm with you. I'm with you. I'm with you. I'm with you. I'm with you. I'm with you. I'm with you. I. Go stairs. Go stairs. Go. Go, go, go, go. Go, go, go. Go.

Go. Go. Ready? Go on and over. One down. Keep pushing. Go. Shots fired. Shots fired. Shots fired. Move. Right. Right, right. Push to the LPBO. Push to the LPBO.

Go right. Reloading. Clear. Move, move. Watch out, watch out. Stop moving. Stop moving. Stop moving! Watch left, watch left.

Suspect down, suspect down. Hey, hold the air. You know, one of the things that I've seen, we've seen lots of cowardice, if you will, from Republicans in the wake of this shooting. And there have been some things that have been stated that, to me, is just utterly nonsensical. Here's Senator John Thune when he was questioned about what to do. And as always, they just deflect and go, oh, it's just too soon. Watch this. It's shown that a vast majority of voters support some changes to gun laws, like universal background checks.

Are you concerned that Republicans will not step with the public by opposing these kind of restrictions? Well, first of all, in response to what happened, the horrific shooting in Nashville, we all, our thoughts are with the families of the victims, with the community. We are grateful for the quick, rapid response of law enforcement. And I think with respect to any discussion of legislation, it's premature.

There's an ongoing investigation, and I think we need to let the facts come out. Senator, I'm going to ask you, just as you're alone, should there be not some restrictions that Congress should have? Again, I mean, I think we're going to, we'll, when we get the facts in from this current investigation, we'll have a better assessment of that. But I think right now, it's just premature to talk about it. And I think right now it's just premature to talk about it. And I think there are a lot of grieving, hurting families in Nashville.

All right. I'm confused. There have been 130 mass shootings this year. But these Republicans say, oh, it's too soon. It's too soon. We can't talk about these things right now. Let me show you cowardice. Kevin McCarthy is a perfect example of that. when he was asked about this, he pretty much ran out, you know, in terms of not wanting to answer. Watch this, y'all. 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 Lott. 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 thing is. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from shine down.

Got be 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 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 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 this is pre-tirement.org brought to you by aarp and the ad council congressional action should congress take after the shooting in nashville yesterday should congress take any action on gun laws so second amendment here in the united states people are allowed to possess firearms Should Congress take any action on gun laws? What's your reaction? So, Second Amendment here in the United States, people are allowed to possess firearms. Need is in the eye of the beholder. I don't question why you need a blue suit, but you got one.

And I know we're talking about something very, very different, but the Second Amendment allows American citizens to possess firearms. So why not limit the AR-15s? Why not put a ban on that? If you're going to talk about the AR-15s? Why not put a ban on that? If you're gonna talk about the AR-15, you're talking politics now. Let's not get into politics. All right, let's not get into emotion,

because emotion feels good, but emotion doesn't solve problems. Why not ban AR-15s? Why not talk about the real issue facing this country in regards to the shooting, which would be mental health? Oh. Oh, interesting. So the Republicans say they want to talk about mental health. Okay.

That's interesting. That's real interesting. They say mental health. Do y'all recall when there was a vote? In fact, hmm, pull this up. This was from a vote. School-based mental health services. 219 Democrats voted for.

205 Republicans voted against. I'm confused, Larry. You don't support gun control. You don't want to ban the AR-15. You want to say it's mental health, but you vote against mental health. You say it's premature to talk about the Nashville shooting, but there have been 129 other mass shootings already in 2023, but they say it's too soon. Roland, you know I'm a foreign political, you know,

Capitol Hill staffer. That's just a deflect. Deflecting, and so you don't have to answer the question. So, that's all that is. But the bottom line is, this is not, these many issues are not about mental health. It's about the fact the United States has more guns per capita than any other country in the world. The other thing is, like you said, you highlighted, you showed that congressional vote when they didn't support mental health funding in schools. We need to have a conversation about culture in the United States. Particularly,

we make the connection between the history of violence in this country, guns, and also we need to talk about issues related to toxic masculinity and white supremacy. All these issues are connected to some of the challenges we have in our society relating to gun violence. But members of Congress are not ready to have that conversation. But the bottom line is that they're not interested in doing anything about issues relating to limited AR-15 and various other weapons that are not needed in streets or in homes because they don't feel like the voters that they represent will support it. But the bottom line is collectively, as we've seen from numerous studies, Americans in general support some kind of gun reform. But the bottom line is they don't, they're not brave

enough to take that step. And we can also talk about the NRA historically is rolling and really controlling what members of the Republican Party decide to do. But Roland, this has been going on for far too long. We talked about more than 100 of these mass shootings in a year. The United States far outpaces any other country in the world. So it is a cultural issue that we need to have a conversation about, but also highlight and recognize that we have far too many guns in this country. This is Republican Tim Burchett of Tennessee, Randy. If you want to hear cowardice, this is exhibit number 7,294. Three precious little kids lost their lives, and I believe three adults. And the shooter, of course, lost their life, too.

So it's a horrible, horrible situation. And we're not going to fix it. Criminals are going to be criminals. And my daddy fought in the second world war, fought in the Pacific, fought the Japanese. And he told me, he said, buddy, he said, if somebody wants to take you out and doesn't mind losing their life, there's not a whole heck of a lot you can do about it. Three precious little kids. Oh, we're not going to fix it. How do you compare young children going to school, elementary age children to war?

How do you in good conscience compare those two things? It's absolutely disgusting that these lawmakers feel no obligation to protect the most innocent in this world. Parents should not have to worry about if their child will live when they go to school, will come back alive. And it's all about power and this small part of America that is so married to this Constitution. They're always talking about the Constitution. And in no way do they care about anybody else whatsoever, because the majority of Americans have said that they want some gun reform. That woman had seven rifles, seven guns, seven.

I mean, how does that make sense? And people be okay with it? And Roland, did you see what Majorie Taylor Greene or whatever that she's just the scum of the earth said after the shooting? Yeah. Yeah. Anything that comes out of her mouth is probably worse than a sewer system.

It is. Agreed. Paul Rykoff, Mustafa, who, of course, founder of IAVA, Iraqi Afghanistan Veterans for America. This is what he said, responding to that Tennessee Republican. He said, as someone who's seen combat unlike Representative Burchett, I can tell you there's a whole lot you can do. In Iraq, we didn't just accept that suicide bombers were going to kill us. We can't accept the same about school shooters. His lack of leadership is a part of the problem. I mean, that's the deal. They don't want to do anything. They suck up to the NRA so bad that they will say or do whatever. They do not want to stop this. And again, idiots vote for these Republicans, put them in office,

and there are some NRA-loving Democrats as well who don't want to support gun control. But I even saw this stupid- ass comment from Megyn Kelly. Oh, we're not going to get rid of the guns, so we just got to deal with people and their issues. But the dad doesn't lie. When we had a ban on assault rifles, that was a drop in mass shootings. When the ban expired, shootings went up. Well, first of all, I appreciate Paul speaking out and getting those facts straight. So let's get some other facts here real quick. Guns are the leading cause of death for children and teens under the age of 18. 22 kids are actually shot each day. Of all the industrialized countries across our planet,

we have 87 percent of the kids who are killed by guns. We have an opportunity to change this dynamic, but we got to make sure that we get the politics and the money out of the decision-making that's currently going on, because people are putting profit over people and now profit over children in the sets of actions that they continue to do. So they're willing to sacrifice children so that they can continue to get the money that's coming in and so they can continue to unfortunately get reelected. But we play a role in that because once again, our vote has power. And if we allow these individuals to continue to get reelected, then we are also contributing to the loss of lives of our children, our elders and everybody else who's losing their

lives. Again, you have cowards, the Republican side, and there are some coward Democrats who stand with the NRA and they all should be called out for doing nothing as children, our children are being slaughtered in schools. Got to go to break. We'll come back. We'll get an update on the Muskegee Creek Freedmen, their fight for their rights in Oklahoma. That's next on Roller Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. A lot of these corporations or people that are running stuff push black people if they're doing a certain thing. What that does is it creates a butterfly effect of any young kid who, you know,

wants to leave any situation they're in, and the only people they see are people that are doing this. So I gotta be a gangster, I gotta shoot, I gotta sell, I gotta do this in order to do it. And it just becomes a cycle, but when someone comes around and is making other money, you know, they don't wanna push it or put money into it. So that's definitely something I'm trying to fix too, is just show there's other avenues. You don't gotta be a rapper, you don't gotta be a ballplayer.

You can be a country singer, you can be an opera singer, you can be a damn whatever, you know? Showing the different avenues, and that is possible, and it's hard for people to realize it's possible until someone does it. on the next a balanced life with me dr jackie re-entry anxiety a lot of us are having trouble transitioning in this post-pandemic society and don't even realize it. We are literally stuck between two worlds in purgatory. How to get out of purgatory and regain your footing and balance. What emotions they're feeling and being able to label them because as soon as you label an emotion,

it's easier to self-regulate. It's easier to manage that emotion. The next A Balanced Life on Blackstar Network. This is Judge Math. What's going on, everybody? It's your boy, Mack Wiles, and you are watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. All right, folks. The descendants of the Muskegee Creek Freedmen will get their day in court as they try to reclaim their tribal citizenship rights. And the Creek Nation begins next week.

Demario Solomon-Simmons, lead attorney and justice for Black Creek's coalition, joins us now. So, Demario, what's the latest? So, all that time you've been waiting and you on mute. Hey, man, I was waiting a long time. I was trying to see how my time was. Do alphas have to hold the hands of omegas on everything? I was trying to see how nice your hat was, man. But listen, that's all good.

You got my text the other day. You didn't respond back to me on Texas A&M. But anyway, I digress. Listen, Ron, I'm here. I mean, just don't hate because you don't have swagger. I mean, I can't help you. I can't help you. I'm here because I appreciate you allowing me to take a little bit of your time

to talk about our trial that's coming up next week. I'm so excited to announce that we're going to have our trial after 43 years of Black Creek Indians being discriminated against by the Muscogee Creek Nation, divesting us of our citizenship and millions of dollars annually of benefits such as housing, health care, education, cash stipends of over 150,000 Black Creek Indians all over this nation. We're having a trial starting Tuesday, April 4th. We were so excited today for our pretrial hearing where our judge is going to allow our expert witness to move forward in this

case. We believe we're going to be successful and win, and we're going to stop one of the most blatant, destructive, nasty, disgusting discrimination actions against Black people in America that's been going on by the Creek Nation in violation of the Creek Treaty of 1866, Article 2, over 43 years. So the trial is taking place where, and will it be televised? Yeah. The trial is taking place here in Muggy, Oklahoma, which is the headquarters of the Creek Nation. And let me just give you people just a little bit of history. These five so-called civilized tribes, I put that in quotes, they enslaved African people, but they also included black people that were not enslaved, just people of African descent.

But on the Trail of Tears, which many people have heard of, on that Trail of Tears included enslaved Africans and Africans of Cretes of African descent who came from the Southeast United States, came to Oklahoma in the 1830s. From the 1830s to 1866, those enslaved Africans were enslaved by the Creek Nation. 13th and 14th and 15th Amendments. They were also forcing these slave-holding tribes, like the Creek Nation, to implement treaties that outlawed enslavement and gave their enslaved Africans or Creeks of African descent full citizenship rights. From 1866 to 1979, the Creek Nation adhered to the law. But in 1979, the Confederate members of the Creek Nation voted to kick out the Black Creeks. And for almost 44 years, we've been fighting to get our citizenship back.

I started this journey way back in 1999, Roland, and now here I am in 2023 on the edge of trial to finally get the justice that my family, friends, and community deserve. And so explain to people what the outcome would look like if you win. Absolutely. The hundred and fifty thousand plus Black Creek Indians that are all over this nation will have the ability to become rightful citizens in their nation, the Creek Nation. And what that means is, number one, you're talking about, you can't put a price tag on someone's heritage and their history and who they are. But if you want to talk about tangibles, we're talking about free health care through the federal government. We're talking about housing opportunity. They will give you housing as a Creek Nation citizen. We're talking about educational scholarships and stipends. We're talking about cash payments. Roland, during COVID,

the Creek Nation received a couple of billion dollars through the CARES Act and the COVID relief packages. Of that money, they gave each individual Creek citizen $4,500 cash. So, you know, in the United States, they gave everyone $2,000. In the Creek Nation, they gave $4,500. That is money that Black Creek Indians were owed, they should have received, and they did not receive it because of the Creek Nation's discrimination. We're talking about opportunities that come with being a federally recognized Indian. Being an Indian is not a racial designation. It's a political class that Black Creeks had going back centuries that was snatched and stolen illegally by the Creek Nation and the federal government allowing it to happen will end next week at our trial. All right.

Be in tomorrow. 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 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 thing is. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown.

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 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. 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. We appreciate it.

Look forward to see what happens next week. I appreciate you, bro. Take it easy. Peace. All right. Thanks a bunch, folks. Grammy-winning artist, Praz of the Fugees, faces federal conspiracy charges

in a D.C. federal courtroom. Best known for the 1996 album, The Score, released with his band, The Fugees, which remains one of the best-selling and most streamed albums ever. Pross is accused of allegations facing political maneuvering in international affairs as well.

Pross, whose full name is Pross Michelle, is being charged with conspiracy, witness tampering and failing to register as an agent of China. Prosecutors allege Michelle conducted an illegal plan to enlist people to attend a fundraising dinner for Barack Obama during the 2012 presidential campaign, reimbursed them $40,000 apiece using foreign sources of money for the cost of the tickets and then threatened some of them

if they came clean to authorities. She was also accused of being involved in a secret lobbying campaign to help the billionaire low lean on American justice system officials, lean on American justice officials and White House officials when his fraud scheme unraveled and to help the Chinese government secure the return of a dissident who was living inside the U.S. and developing close ties with former Trump advisor Steve Bannon.

Juror selection began on Monday, and he could spend up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted. That's a whole lot that's going on right there, and so we'll monitor that. Hey, the U.S. attorney who was involved in the case of Marilyn Mosby has been demoted. Remember we talked on the show, Scott Bolden, who was a lawyer for Marilyn Mosby, was highly critical of this U.S. attorney named Leo Wise. Well, guess what? Wise is no longer involved in this case. This came down He was a former lawyer, a former lawyer, and a former lawyer, and a former lawyer and a former lawyer, and a former lawyer, and a former

lawyer, and a former lawyer, and a former lawyer, and a former lawyer, and a former lawyer, and a former lawyer, and a former lawyer, and a former lawyer, and a former lawyer, and a former lawyer, and a former lawyer, and a former lawyer, and a former lawyer, and a former lawyer, Baltimore son. He was demoted and temporarily removed from the Mosby case. Maryland U.S.

Attorney Eric Barron, removed wives as chief of the Maryland U.S. Attorney's Office Public Corruption and Fraud Unit on March 21st, was announced in a memo. Now, he was removed from the Mosby case, but according to the story, was put back on the case. Of course, remember the judge in that case, she tried to hold Scott Bolden in contempt. The lawyers had to pull off of the case and appoint a new lawyer. And so now more drama. The case was delayed even further. And so that is what is happening there in Maryland. So we certainly will keep you up to date with what happened in the case of Maryland Mosby. All right,

folks, I'm going to pay some bills right now. We come back. We will talk, have our marketplace segment talking to the owners of a skin care company. Of course, every Tuesday we focus on black owned businesses. We'll do so in the meantime,

folks, I do us a favor. You watch on YouTube, hit the like button folks. When you, of course going to do so. In the meantime, folks, I'll do you a favor. If you're watching on YouTube, hit the Like button, folks. When you, of course, hit the Like button, it impacts the algorithm, allowing us to be able to generate more revenue. So we should easily be at 1,000 likes. I don't know why.

Almost two hours into the show, I've got to keep asking you all this here. When you log on, just hit the button. This ain't that hard. Click Like. It's real simple. Don't forget, also, download our app. You can download the Blackstar Network app, Apple Phone, Android Phone, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV. And speaking of Amazon TV, follow me over here, Anthony.

And so some of y'all have asked. Of course, you can watch our 24-hour streaming channel on Amazon News. It's not that hard at all, folks. So here's the deal. I'm in the studio right now. I got our Amazon remote. This is our live program that you're seeing right now. Why you move the camera, man?

The camera was fine. Lord have, I was going to walk in the frame. Just don't worry about it. All right, here we go, y'all. Here we go. So let's say you have Amazon Fire TV. And then what you do is you click the button. What you do is scroll right on over to Amazon News. And then you can just scroll right down. And then you see all of these networks. Yep. All the big networks, the Reuters, USA, the ABC, all of those folks. And right there, you see Black Star Network.

And so that's how easy it is to watch our content. And so you'll see that's our content right there. And so, yes, it's on delay, obviously, so it's not live as it is in the studio. But that's literally how easy it is to watch our content. You can even go up to, when you go to Amazon News. You can even scroll up here. You can go up to the top. You've got the various categories. And you see the channels right here.

These are all the channels. There are only two black-owned apps on here. You've got Byron Allen's The Griot. And then you have our Black Star Network News. But here's the deal. We're the only Black news and information channel, folks, that exists in the country. The only one. The only Black news and information network.

So, like, right now, so if you watch The Griot live right now, then let's see what they got on their network. They got a sitcom. So that ain't what we do. We cover news here on the Black Star Network. And so, again, when you look here at all of these networks here, all the major networks, like I say, they're all here. And so you see ABC, CBS, Fox News, NBC News, CBS Sports, all of the folks. And, of course, right there is Black Star Network News. And so you can watch us live.

They also have some of our previous content on the app as well on VOD. But, of course, it's our channel. So if you want to just leave it on Black Star Network News, let's say you're in the beauty shop or a barbershop, let's say you are in your office and you've got Amazon Fire, all you've got to do is just simply go to Blackstone Network News and you'll see our program running all day. No need for you to change the channel until you can watch this show,

Farajit Muhammad's show, and you can watch all the other shows we have, Deborah Owens, Jackie Hood Martin, Greg Carr, Stephanie Humphrey. You can watch Rolling with Roland, our one-on-one interviews. When we go live with speeches and news conferences, we cover all that stuff as well. And so we are truly a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week black news and network, black news and information network. We're the only one in the country, which is why your support matters. Look, I'm beating the bush to get these sponsors to support us.

And so, folks, do me a favor. Simply go to, go to, you to support us and so folks do me a favor simply go to go to uh you can support us uh pull up pull it up this is how you can reach support us go to our uh say check in money orders uh peel box five seven one nine six washington dc two zero zero three seven dash zero one nine six cash shop dollar sign rm unfiltered paypal or martin unfiltered venmo is, RM Unfiltered, PayPal, RMartin Unfiltered, Venmo is RM Unfiltered, Zelle, Roland at RolandSMartin.com, Roland at RolandMartinUnfiltered.com. We'll be right back. We talk about blackness and what happens in black culture. We're about covering these things that matter to us, speaking to our issues and concerns.

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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. Rates $100,000. We're behind $100,000, so we want to hit that. Y'all money makes this possible. Checks and money orders go to P.O. Box

57196, Washington, D.C. 20037-0196. The Cash App is Dollar Sign RM Unfiltered. PayPal is R. Martin Unfiltered. Venmo is RM Unfiltered. Zelle is Roland at RolandSMartin.com. Hi, I'm Dr. Jackie Hood Martin, and I have a question for you. Ever feel as if your life is teetering and the weight and pressure of the world is consistently on your shoulders?

Well, let me tell you, living a balanced life isn't easy. Join me each Tuesday on Black Star Network for Balanced Life with Dr. Jackie. We'll laugh together, cry together, pull ourselves together, and cheer each other on. So join me for new shows each Tuesday on Black Star Network, A Balanced Life with Dr. Jackie. Hi, everybody. This is Jonathan Nelson. Hi, this is Cheryl Lee Ralph,

and you are watching Roland Martin, Unfiltered. Să ne urmăm în următoarea mea rețetă. The so all right folks as i said every single tuesday uh we focus uh on black owned businesses we featured all types of black-owned businesses here on Roland Martin Unfiltered. It's an opportunity for you to be aware of these entrepreneurs. See, a lot of times people keep talking about, oh, we need more black-owned businesses. We need this, we need that. But for us, let's actually talk to people who are actually making it happen, such as this grandmother and granddaughter. They've created a skincare line for kids. Yep, Scott Monroe Skincare features

organic products to help children, tweens, and teens establish healthy skincare regimens. Not only is eight-year-old Sky helping clear up faces across the nation, but she's also doing her part to help African students at Basics International in Ghana to have a shot at

living a good life, regardless of their background. Joining us from Orlando, Florida, are co-founders of Sky Monroe Skincare, Sky Monroe Wilson, and her grandmother, Cheryl Brown. All right, how y'all doing? We're fine. How are you? Thanks for having us on your show. All right, so how did this thing start?

Whose idea was it? Well, I'll let Skye start. So during the pandemic, me and my grandmother spent time with each other. And I saw that she had a skincare brand. So I wanted to have it too. So I told her, why don't we start our own skincare? And grandmother, you said what? Like, girl, you have your money. Well, yes well yes i mean i'm a serial entrepreneur so that's easy that was a no-brainer let's do it let's just do it so we did a lot of research and during that research we wanted to find products that were um you know gentle for younger

skin products that had um natural and ingredients. So we used nature and science and we created this brand, Sky Monroe Skin Care. So what is the difference between, let's say, skincare regimens for teens and for young adults and adults? Okay, so the products for adults are a little harsher. So we captured that market. We know there are products for adults. We know there are products for babies. So that in-between market, we captured that market for kids that would help them with their skin care routine, would help them with hygiene, just teach them, empower them. And my journey throughout life was always to empower kids through different

means. So this is definitely one means for them to be healthy, for them to be clean, feel good about themselves, feel beautiful and feel confident so that they could go out there and achieve anything they want to achieve in life. So what was the reaction from friends and family, Sky, when you and your grandmother said, you know what, we're going to do this thing? Well, we really love the skincare brand, and that's what we started with. Yeah, well, the reaction from family was, oh, we've never heard of this before we've never heard of a skincare brand for kids tweens and teens that in between to teach them you know self-care routines it was positive was definitely positive everyone was excited and so we sent it out for two years we sent it to friends and family and we used them as our little experiment and it worked out.

Everyone was just super excited about it and they started using it and they started seeing results. The vice president is in Ghana right now. So tell us about this school. How did that happen? Well, a friend of mine, her name is Patricia Wilkins. She started Basics International, and it's a nonprofit organization in Ghana where she takes the kids off the street to teach them, educate them, and give them opportunities they wouldn't normally have. I had the opportunity

to visit Ghana and visit the school. I left there loving the continent, the country of Ghana. I left there loving Ghana. However, my heart was broken because when I walked the streets of Chakra, I think that's the name of the, if I'm pronouncing it right, when I left there, my heart was broken because she only could do a limited amount of children. Her capacity at her school was limited. So we came back. When I came back, I said to Sky, my business partner, I said, well, we need to do something. So for every order, we give $1 to the school to help her on her journey to help the kids in Chakragana. Questions for our panel. Let's see here. Mustafa, you first.

Yeah, well, Sky and Joe, congratulations on your business. Sky, I'm curious, what's the coolest thing about owning your own business at such a young age. Because it's fun because I love skin care and I really want kids to enjoy it as well. Randy. I'm just so tickled at this. I mean, I was excited for my mother to take me to McDonald's and get a cheeseburger, french fry, happy meal. So I love that you two are working on this together. Skye, how do your friends at school react having an entrepreneur as a friend? Well, they really like the skincare and they bought it.

Well, that's good. Oh, fantastic. That's right. Them buying it, that's always a good thing. Larry. Yeah, so my question is, you know, it sounds like you found a niche here in this age group, and I'm wondering what has been the response from consumers so far? Exciting. It's growing daily. It's so exciting to know that people are using it and they're giving us such positive feedback and it's just

growing and we're super excited about it. All right then. First of all, in terms of sales, what do they look like since you launched? We just started not too long ago. We launched basically in February. So the sales are coming in. And we anticipate, well, we'll be going into the BBC. I'm sure you know about BBC, Black Beauty Collective Group. We'll be in the stores in Hyde Park in Chicago and we're super excited about that opportunity the sales are coming in we're excited and we

just continue to just we brainstorm all the time to see what else we can add to the collection so right now where can people access the products? On our website, skymanrowskincare.com. All right, then. Well, look, we certainly appreciate y'all joining us. Thank you so very much. Good luck as you keep building the company. Thank you. And I just want everyone to know that we didn't do this by ourselves. We had training from Trendset with Melody Bachelman. So anyone that's interested in getting into the skincare business, she's definitely a resource for everyone. I also have an etiquette book, basic table manners for

children. My life is all about empowering children, so level the playing field for children regardless of their socioeconomic condition. And then for folks who are watching our show, there's a promo code there,

Roland18, 18% discount on the products there. So folks, if you go to the website, use that promo code there, Roland18, 18% discount on the products there. So, folks, if you go to the website, use that promo code Roland18. All right, thanks a bunch to both of you. Thank you. Cheryl, thanks a lot. Thank you. All right, thank you so very much.

Larry, appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Randy, thank you so very much as well. And Mustafa, thanks a bunch as well. Randy, you always got to feel good when you're in the company of three alphas. Absolutely, absolutely. And then of course,

Justin Fairfax was here. So that was a fourth alpha on the show. I didn't want to say that when Demario was here because I didn't want him to feel so lonely. Really? Didn't seem like you cared about how he felt. Actually, I don't. Actually, I don't.

I appreciate it, folks. Thanks a lot. All right, y'all. Don't forget, support us in what we do. Download the Black Star Network app, Apple phone, Android phone, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV. And, of course, support us with your dollars. Please join our Bring the Funk fan club.

Send check-in money orders to PO Box 57196, Washington, D.C., 20037-0196. Cash app, dollar sign, RM Unfiltered. PayPal, RMartin Unfiltered. Venmo is RM Unfiltered. Zelle, Roland at RolandSMartin.com. Roland at RolandMartinUnfiltered.com. I'll see y'all tomorrow.

Holla! America rolling. I love y'all. All momentum we have now, we have to keep this going. The video looks phenomenal. See, there's a difference between Black Star Network and Black-owned media and something like CNN. You can't be Black-owned media and be scape. It's time to be smart. Bring your eyeballs home. You dig?

Pull up a chair. Take your seat. The Black Tape. With me. Oh, you dig? Pull up a chair. Take your seat. The Black Tape. With me, Dr. Greg Carr, here on the Black Star Network. Every week, we'll take a deeper dive into the world we're living in. Join the conversation only on the Black Star Network. Hi, I'm Dr. Jackie Hood-Martin,

and I have a question for you. Ever feel as if your life is teetering and the weight and pressure of the world is consistently on your shoulders? Well, let me tell you, living a balanced life isn't easy. Join me each Tuesday on Black Star Network for a balanced life with Dr. Jackie. We're all impacted by the culture, whether we know it or not. From politics to music and

entertainment, it's a huge part of our lives. And we're going to talk about it every day right here on The Culture with me, Wealthy, focuses on the things that your financial advisor and bank isn't telling you, but you absolutely need to know. So watch Get Wealthy on the Black Star Network. 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, pregame to greater things. Start building your retirement plan at thisispretirement.org, brought to you by AARP and the Ad Council. I know a lot of cops. They get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun?

Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. Listen to Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glott. And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast.

Yes, sir. Last year, a lot of the problems of the drug war. This year, a lot of the biggest names in music and sports. This kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We met them at their homes. We met them at their recording studios. Stories matter, and it brings a face to them. It makes it real.

It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an iHeart Podcast.