What A Day - We Won't Build This City

Episode Date: June 6, 2023

Hundreds of people crowded Atlanta’s City Hall yesterday to give public comment ahead of a city council vote over the proposed police training facility that activists call “Cop City.” The vote would decide whether or not to allocate $31 million in public funds to help build the facility, which has drawn widespread opposition.Another group of Latin American migrants arrived in Sacramento on a chartered jet Monday morning – the second flight of migrants to land at the state’s capital in the past three days. While no one has publicly taken responsibility, California officials believe Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is behind the unannounced flights.And in headlines: military officials have an explanation for the sonic boom heard across the Washington, D.C. area over the weekend, hundreds of journalists working for the largest newspaper chain in the country walked off the job, and Spotify announced a new round of layoffs.Show Notes:What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastCrooked Coffee is officially here. Our first blend, What A Morning, is available in medium and dark roasts. Wake up with your own bag at crooked.com/coffeeFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

It's Tuesday, June 6th. I'm Josie Duffy Rice. And I'm Traevel Anderson, and this is What A Day, where we are happy to report that it's now safe to completely forget Maddie Healy's name. Fortunately for me, I never even bothered to learn it, so... Sorry to this man, but I still don't know who he is either. No clue. He'll be fine. On today's show, military officials have an explanation for the sonic boom heard across the D.C. area over the weekend.

Plus, hundreds of journalists working for the largest newspaper chain in the country, walked off the job. But first, yesterday, the Atlanta City Council was set to vote on whether or not to allocate $30 million to building Cop City, a massive police training facility outside of Atlanta. That vote comes after years of active pushback and opposition from activists and many in the community. It also comes amidst a number of recent concerning incidents involving Atlanta police and city officials. As of record time on Monday, the vote had not yet happened because public comment from the community was still going strong. Yeah, I've been seeing all of the tweets, the IG lives from the public comment section. Tell us a little bit more about this facility, Josie.

We've talked about it on the show, but what are the basics here? Yeah, so Cobb City would be an 85-acre police training facility. Large, a big one. The proposed site of the facility is the Wilani Forest, which is what it sounds like, a forested area of Atlanta that would be, of course, at least partially destroyed to build this facility. It's in a largely black, largely poor part of town. And the pushback against the facility has existed for years, ever since it was proposed. But in recent months, the swell has really grown. As we covered on the show back in January, an environmental activist protesting cop city named Tortuguita was shot 57 times and killed by cops. The cops initially claimed they shot

at them first. However, a report by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation found that they had been sitting with their hands up when they were killed. That killing came in the midst of increased police aggression, including arresting about 40 protesters for domestic terrorism. We've already stated on the show how this claim of domestic terrorism is wild. Wild. Here does not even make sense. None. It's a very aggressive move by a historically aggressive police department. And if that wasn't enough, there's been more bad behavior by city officials more recently.

Last week, residents learned that Cop City is actually expected to cost taxpayers a total of $60 million, double what officials had claimed. That's in addition to the $60 million funded by philanthropic and corporate donations, quote unquote, which is police unions, police foundations, you know, some others, but lots of cops in there. Then, as we covered on the show, last Wednesday, a SWAT team showed up to the door of three Atlanta organizers with the Atlanta Solidarity Fund, a mutual aid and bail fund. The officers had their guns drawn. They proceeded to raid the home. And then they eventually arrested the three activists for charity fraud and money laundering.

It's a very normal thing to do to show up to someone's house dressed in full tactical gear with guns to raid their home like many cops when they're accused of charity fraud. That's normal, right? Wow. No, it's giving excessive is what it's giving. Yes. It's giving excessive. This is part of a series of many questionable choices on the part of law enforcement and public officials in the city. If I'm being generous, I, they had to send a message and stated, quote, at some point, they've got to give up talking about the protesters.

Yikes. It's always interesting when these folks are caught on tape. Right. Telling us their true feelings. Right. Like y'all don't even use code words. Y'all just say it. You don't even use code words anymore. So you mentioned that as we go to record, the vote hasn't happened yet, but what's likely going to happen? The vote will likely be pushed to later today, given that public comment is expected to last into the night. The expectation has long been that the city council would vote for the facility. That's what most people are expecting,

but I guess there's always a chance that they decide to surprise us. But no matter what, it's clear that it's a very, very unpopular decision for local officials. And I would not be surprised if local elected officials really pay a price at the ballot box for deciding to vote for Cop City. On Monday, the line for public comment trailed outside of City Hall and down the block, according to people in attendance. And it lasted from morning into the evening. Resident after resident spoke about the other ways that Atlanta could desperately use that money. As of record time, public comment is still going. So here's a clip from Robel Awaka speaking to the city council about Cop City. On our way to daycare in the morning, we sing songs as I try to avoid the potholes that have been there for years. I drive by neighbors waiting at bus stops with no benches,

no shelters from the rain. We see unhoused neighbors and community members sleeping under makeshift shelters, and we see cop cars cruising our neighborhood all day, every day. I've been harassed on more than one occasion by the cops in my neighborhood. They make me feel the opposite of safe. Spending $60 million, $60 million taxpayer dollars on a new police training facility is the most heartbreaking, reckless, and quite frankly, anti-Black thing this city has ever proposed in my lifetime. Had to keep in the anti-Black. Wow. You know, you got to call it like it is, honey. Had to say it.

Well, thanks for that, Josie. Now on to an update to a story mentioned on has now been a second flight carrying migrants to arrive in California's capital. This one touched down Monday morning with about 20 people on board. All right. I bet I can guess. But do we know for a fact who is responsible for this? So no one has publicly taken responsibility yet, but California officials are blaming Florida's Governor Ron DeSantamonious. OK, and they have good reasons to. As you well know, DeSantis has been a major pain in the ass regarding a number of social issues, but especially immigration. And here's some quick background for folks. Earlier this year, he signed off on a bill

that earmarks another $12 million for a program that specifically relocates undocumented migrants from Florida to other states. That's how those flights carrying migrants to Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts last year happened, if you remember those. And when people called him out for using this money to send migrants in other states, right, folks not even in Florida, to Democratic ones, DeSantis had Republican legislators in his state create this program in his office specifically dedicated to migrant relocation with the express permission to transport folks from locations anywhere in the country. And one of the three vendors DeSantis' administration selected to carry out these relocations was Vertol Systems, a Florida-based aviation company. I bet I know where this is going.

Now, that's important info because the two flights that ended up in Sacramento appear to have been arranged by Vertol Systems, and that's according to California Attorney General Rob Bonta's office. Well, well, well. If there isn't anything less surprising on earth than Ron DeSantis spending money to do this. I also think it's a little crazy that the fiscal conservative is spending $12 million for this program, which is basically a huge troll and a lot of cruelty. But anyway, what does California's Governor Gavin Newsom have to say

about all of this? I know that they have a pretty contentious relationship. Yes, he and DeSantis have been, you know, trading barbs for years at this point, so much so that Newsom had no qualms about calling DeSantis a, quote, small, pathetic man yesterday on the Twitters. And he also basically implied that he might pursue kidnapping charges over the matter, especially as many of these migrants do not seem like they expected to end up in California. Some of them who are seeking asylum even have immigration court dates in the coming days in cities as far as New York and Chicago. So it's looking like that might be the case. Nonetheless, I'm sure that this story is not over, especially with DeSantis running for president.

Everybody, gird your loins now. So we will be here to keep you all updated throughout it all. But that is the latest for now. We'll be back after some ads. Let's get to some headlines. Headlines. If you were in the Washington, D.C. area Sunday afternoon, you may have been jolted by a loud sonic boom. It happened as military F-16 fighter jets scrambled to intercept a small private plane that flew over restricted airspace. According to officials, the business jet took off from eastern Tennessee and was originally bound for Long Island, New York. But for some reason, it abruptly turned around and ended up flying over D.C.

At least one of the fighter pilots sent to intercept the plane reportedly saw the civilian pilot slumped over in his seat and he appeared unresponsive. The plane, which was carrying four people, later crashed into a remote part of Virginia and there were no survivors. The victims include the pilot, the plane owner's adult daughter, his two-year-old granddaughter, and the child's nanny. Investigators are still looking into what caused the crash. So sad. Education officials in Afghanistan said on Sunday that nearly 80 young girls at two primary schools were poisoned and are now hospitalized. Both schools are located right next to each other in Afghanistan's northern Santurak district. The girls were enrolled in grades one through six. Under the Taliban regime,

girls and women are banned from pursuing education beyond those grade levels. Officials told the Associated Press that the girls are quote-unquote all fine now and that they're still investigating the matter. But they gave no details on how they were poisoned and who may be responsible. If this sounds familiar, you'll remember that we told you about a similar rash of poisonings in Iran last November when thousands of schoolgirls were poisoned by noxious fumes in their classrooms. To this day, there's no confirmation as to who was behind those attacks in Iran or what chemicals were used to carry them out. Haunting. I mean, just so awful. Hundreds of journalists at Gannett, the country's largest newspaper chain, walked off the job yesterday.

The strike included workers from two dozen newsrooms across the country, and it's said to be the largest collective labor action in Gannett's 100-year history. Yesterday's walkout was planned on the same day as the company's annual shareholder meeting. The News Guild, the union representing Gannett journalists, sent a letter to shareholders last month urging them to cast a vote of no confidence against CEO Mike Reed. In that letter, the union criticized Reed for slashing newsroom staff, reducing the salaries of its remaining employees, and cutting the amount of local news content its papers run. Gannett shareholders instead ultimately approved a new compensation package for its executives, including Reid, who made about $11 million between 2021 and 2022. Susan DeCarava, the president of the News Guild of New York, called the move, quote, a slap in the face to the hundreds of Gannett journalists who are on strike. Look, first of all, we hear about

journalists like Gannett getting fired left and right who are not making that much money. So I have questions about this $11 million. And also, you could pay me $11 million to run news organizations under the ground. I do it for half, okay? I don't even need the $11 million. I'll do it for half, okay? I'll do it for half. I'm like, this is someone who has contributed directly to the complete decimation of local media. He's rewarded with $11 million. And I think that is $11 million that we could

split and be very happy. Absolutely. Also, a great PSA for folks to support your local newspaper. Support your local newspaper. That's correct. And in yet another round of layoffs, Spotify announced yesterday that the streaming company is cutting about 200 employees or 2% of its workforce. The company also plans to merge its podcast networks, Gimlet and Parcast into a quote, renewed Spotify Studios operation. staff in a memo sent yesterday morning by the head of the company's podcast division who called the move a quote fundamental pivot that will allow us to support the creator community better they love talking about pivots when people are losing jobs why do they always go to the word pivot don't say that anymore it's not working for you it's not great it's not great yesterday's cuts come after spotify announced earlier this year in january that it was laying off 6% of its global workforce. And last October, the company canceled 11 of its original podcasts. According to a federal lawsuit filed on Thursday,

a new Mississippi law could restrict free speech by requiring residents to get a permit if they want to protest near government buildings in the city of Jackson. The lawsuit was filed by the Mississippi Poor People's Campaign and several other advocacy groups in the state in an effort to block the rule from going into effect on July 1st. It is the latest legal challenge filed against several new laws passed by the state's GOP-led legislature that essentially expand the state's power over policing in Jackson, a city that residents say is already aggressively policed. Earlier this year, the NAACP successfully sued to block state officials from unilaterally appointing four state court judges

in Jackson County, a move that drew widespread outrage and protests from residents. The state's majority white and Republican legislature claims that it's just trying to lower crime, the state's majority black capital. But Jackson residents have repeatedly protested these new proposed rules, as well as the state's unwillingness to invest in the real issues the Jackson community faces, like repairing the city's struggling water system. Somehow I'm just suspicious that they care about Jackson residents. I don't know what it is. Yeah, they don't care. They just want to police their ability to protest. You know, you have to ask for permission to exercise your right to assemble.

In government buildings, it's like, that's the whole point of protesting. We're protesting you all. Now we have to ask you permission to protest you? Now we have to ask you permission to protest you? We're not going to do that. Also, just another example of a state

disinvesting in black communities over and over and over again and then claiming they really care about their safety. You don't. You don't care about their safety. Right. And we know that. And those are the headlines. One more thing before we go. It's Pride Month, y'all, in case you didn't know. And the Crooked store has a whole collection of merch to help you celebrate and fight back against the total fools who are obsessed with silencing queer joy.

Listen, I don't want to tell you how to celebrate Pride. But if you don't end up ruining at least one article of clothing by the end of the month from dancing, marching, or just being plain old fabulous, you could be doing more. So grab a t-shirt or two because a portion of the proceeds will be donated to Crooked's Fuck Bans Fund, which supports organizations working to protect vulnerable people in states targeting trans youth and the medical care they need. Head over to crooked.com slash store now to check it out. That is all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, call out an overpaid CEO and tell your friends to listen. And if you are into reading and not just the hard work of local journalists like me,

well, today is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and subscribe at crooked.com slash subscribe. I'm Trevelle Anderson. I'm Josie Duffy Rice. And stop saying the word pivot. So annoying. It's annoying. And it's actually kind of disrespectful, right?

It's extremely disrespectful. You're going to pivot away from my job? Right. Like, what do you mean? I didn't sign up for this pivot. Right. It's like breaking up with someone and saying you're pivoting. Actually.

That's not a way to communicate. Going to use that now. Don't do it. Wood A Day is a production of Crooked Media. It's recorded and mixed by Bill Lance. Our show's producers, Itzy Quintanilla, Raven Yamamoto, and Natalie Bettendorf are our associate producers.

And our senior producer is Lita Martinez. Our theme music is by Colin Gilliard and Kshaka.