 Hello black So 154 You know, it's been a lot of tears lately tears over corporations leaving Oakland tears over affected officials But you know, we're gonna try and ground y'all and some reality was going on on the ground in Oakland and give you all an analysis of the conditions and some of the factors that is a Making things shake in Oakland. So should be a good episode, you know, again, we're gonna stick to the Facts of the the facts the best we can and give you all analysis So hopefully y'all think with us not like us, you know, I'm saying at least what we thinking together I'm trying to grant gain a better understanding of all the factors that play why it's happening and Being able to understand most importantly, how do we build programs for decolonization to where we can actually Govern ourselves and control our reality day in and day out as a people Yeah, before we get started though, definitely, um That's like a few housekeeping things we want to so, you know, I'm not gonna organize it It's like a few housekeeping things real quick. You don't keep the warehouse clean doors locked Yeah, I want to shout out The new blog that we've launched I mean if you've been following people's programs for at least the last like three years I would say you might have been keeping up with some of the writings and Analysis that we provide VR medium, but what we're trying to do now of VR medium and our actual magazine that we've done to like hard Well, I guess a hardcover issues for And yeah, we've turned it into a blog and Excuse me. It is our hope that uh We can be more consistent with Getting content and analysis all but if you go to free to people press calm right now We have like we have a digital magazine that we did for Black Radical Month and that features a Story written by a boss that highlights a community initiative that we've Launched last month and have another event coming up this month that we'll be able to highlight soon But that feature story of that magazine Has a piece written by a boss that highlights Roderick's barbecue in East Oakland Shout out to everybody who pulled up to our first community business initiative and bought some merch You know if you haven't got any merch yet and you want to get some go to peoples programs our comedy to Merch collaboration with them and free bread. Mm-hmm. So yeah, we've been trying to again Which which we'll talk about throughout this episode is just a lot of the discourse that's been happening around You know corporations leaving and I guess like this propaganda around Oakland not being safe for businesses, which you know It's never as black and white as people want to make it and we'll try to provide analysis We will provide analysis on that but We've been trying to get people to wrap their heads around like what is a community business versus business in the community, right? Like would you in and out which we'll talk about what does in and out do for the for the community? What does Denny's do for the community? What do some of these more smaller places that have left? What if they actually do for the community? besides take our money and say I'll shop with black businesses as a Marketing tool for them, but they really don't shop local You know, they don't really care anything about the community or the black women community further than they on pocket books Period right and then again also in that digital magazine. We just have a bunch of art from Local artists we got some poetry in there. We got a great piece. Yeah, I wrote a piece Supplements talked about in the podcast and probably what we're going to talk about today So make sure y'all tap in with that piece as well and then Organizer a member of people's programs. Diani also has a piece. They wrote connecting The genocide in Gaza to some of the genocidal conditions here in West Oakland So it's just a lot of analysis on there So I would say go to free to people press calm go to Instagram and follow our Instagram so y'all can keep up with just like the latest writings and analysis and as always go to patreon.com backslash hella black podcast and share You know the power as many people as possible I've been help us from this help us from the podcast help us find what we is doing, you know So I'm not everybody who's been doing it. You know I'm saying so tell a friend Tell a friend to become a patron a hella black, you know, I'm saying we kicking that real Speaking that truth to new african struggle. Yeah, there are a lot of great podcast out there, but Yeah, I mean, you know, I got something I'll listen to for to get analysis, but I would say like objectively speaking There tends to be a gap and Really understanding like what this means for the oppressed new african nation even on some of these more, you know Black or new african or african podcast that claim to be about pat africanism, but you know reject our political line as a Nation within a nation in our right to sovereignty So I was over a colonial position Colonized position as a domestic colony in the so-called United States of America So if you if you respect the idea of sovereignty for Africans here in America, I think this podcast might be the only Platform where you can get that international national understanding of How, you know, Western imperialists have prevented us from having self-determination in sovereignty And so yeah, while I think that there are some great podcasts out there I think we have a niche in a lane that we feel well and I Just wish that we would I don't know which cuz you know that I'm gonna listen I'm gonna think about what Ross says where he says, you know, don't try just do So I was gonna say I wish we could record more. Yeah record more. So I Yeah, we gonna record more we keep saying and we're gonna keep putting out there. But again, also, you know when you're running a Chidra organization and that's your first and main priority and of course media is a priority from a cadre organization And getting information out to the masses of people But you know, sometimes you might set your intention to record in the morning And if something happens that needs your immediate attention within the organization Then your whole day has to change, you know, I'm saying then you have other obligations in the day And you know the podcast doesn't get recorded I'm speaking to a very real situation to why we recording, you know today on Sunday March 3 2024 1115 p.m. Her a.m. So, yeah, it's been a week But regardless, I think again, I would just encourage all to keep listening to the power We listen to episodes me myself even the podcast that I listen to I've uh, I listen to them over and over again to fully gain understanding and I cannot Echo the sentiment enough of how grateful I am that we've been able to get this much support over the last 2016's we did our first podcast So it's about to be eight years. What was our first episode like October or something like the fall of I'd have to scroll all the way back Yeah, I was it was it was a sunny day. I remember that we see the walk down Ashby Yeah, we go on almost eight years. So I'm just I'm grateful for all your support Eight-year hella black June 1st I mean the organization might be seven years old Been doing something. I'll probably listen to some of these episodes and cringe I know I would I found one of my notes from like 2017 around like analysis Capitalism like you can just tell I was just talking It is so wrong like Yeah, I will say though. There's some episodes you feel me That we actually are analysis Ended up proving to be true. You know I'm saying some of you don't want to go off a show If I get your editorial approval my brother Delete delete delete But we go back to episode two. We just you know, we was talking about JZ's the Cornel West the Van Jones, you know in the neoliberal class you feel me and You know a lot of what we were saying then proved to be True in the moment and continues to be true today, you know, so there is a lot of game there There is a lot of game primitive analysis, you know, but uh permanent permanent again You could also I think that's the what some might say a the vulnerable part of being a podcaster You can go back and listen to every episode So, you know, you know, you listen to a newer episode. Oh, damn But if you think about it, you go from episode two then you listen to tell us the Italian by what that's pretty insane Yeah, you know, so hey Just me by my progress We are eight years here eight years, you know So appreciate all your support regardless like I was saying whether you're able to be a patron or not In terms of this episode, right like a boss was a loon to trying to provide some analysis On Yeah, it's a local issue, but National and you know, so international as well, right? So yeah, I just say we find ourselves like in a very backwards and conflicting moment on a local national international level especially with it being an election year, right and the in the fascist like saying any and everything to Secure their political and economic interest like this is the time of year where it's like And yeah, you're also seeing like the different fronts of fascism as well You know the different sectors of it That might even be beefing with each other and who's the best fascist? It's it's it's a It's wild like especially even on like the YouTube ads and stuff with all the different like senators and Like I don't know County Supervisors like these People at each other's is wow, and they just like saying anything, you know, but it's a It's also it's just a wild time because they're like playing on people's emotions And really playing on people's fears, you know, cuz you It's fear is emotions for sure. It's the hyper-sensualization of it But there's also real things happening. You know I'm saying so but it's the way it's being manipulated by You know right wing By people who probably might utter the words and even call themselves progressive It's being manipulated for Certain economic reasons and certain political reasons, you know I'm saying like things are being used for certain Games, you know I'm saying like it's a dirty game. That's being played It's a very dirty game being played It's basically like who wants to control the police at this aspect, especially in the city of Oakland It's like who wants to control the police? No, you can't you know Sam want to be side-by-side with them No controlling these pigs We can look at so let's look at a we're gonna use one specific situation one recent situation To provide this historical and contemporary analysis, right? So what happened with? in and out recently Well, you know Some You've seen it even just go viral even on Instagram even amongst like people like that. I fall. Oh my god in and out It's going is leaving man Oakland, bro. We got to do better Bay Area, man We got to do better like in and outs even leaving like this is insane Right. So in and out which is owned by a right wing evangelical billionaire Decided to close his doors In East Oakland by the airport citing crime and safety concerns The business itself has been Economically very successful. It's always a line, you know I'm saying it wasn't because the economic reasons is what they're claiming Or rather because of crime rather because of safety concerns because they said, you know Windows have been broken in and cars have been broken in over there and the owner Who's a right wing evangelical billionaire who supports the so-called state of Israel? Decided to say oh, we're gonna move out of Oakland, right? I think we have to understand the certain right wing goals of that right where Oakland in many ways is becoming this political punching bag by the far right and an election year where You know, it's accused that the Democratic left isn't tough on crime Which is just a joke in itself because we know Joe Biden put more police into the streets than Trump the fund of the police more than Trump Right, we could even say the The mayor of Oakland shang Tao has put in you know voted for more police academies You know has been pro-police has even said it out of her own mouth that she's in solidarity with the Oakland police and For the Oakland police department, right? But you're seeing this right-wing campaign of you know attacking quote-unquote The Democrats because what they want is the right wing control So for me, I I personally my analysis on this is that this is a part of the game that is being played right of creating over since the sensationalization of a crime And when you do that, you're putting fear into people, right? You're putting fear for a political objective of wanting to turn Oakland into this Right wing tough on crime City post the abolition movement, right? So she says okay, we're closed We're closing down our in and out because of the crime and safety then everyone gets on that say Oakland got to do better and then the funny parts in is when you know you have these so-called organizers and Pastors coming together and say hey We are going to pray for the city of Oakland at the In-N-Out Burger parking lot Well, you can't make some of this stuff up like like simpsons like this is really like some simpsons meet South Park meets boondocks of People coming to the parking lot of In-N-Out the right wing evangelicals Some of the black clergy in Oakland and the Oakland NAACP all coming together At the In-N-Out parking lot to lead a prayer circle because we are quote-unquote mourning the loss of In-N-Out praying I mean they did like Praying in front of a corporation isn't saying that is like that is the most like Just even from a theological perspective like that is like You praying in front of the In-N-Out like that is like literally worshiping capitalism Like okay, I understand prayer but to say to use this moment a political moment That is being funded by the right wing Evangelical see that's political though. Maybe you know, you know, I don't know these some of these people are smarter I know exactly what they're doing and doing that in front of the In-N-Out parking lot, right? So that is a of a In-N-Out that's owned by a right wing evangelical who supports Israel There's some nasty things going on Right with an agenda of doing what? Increasing the public's presence in the city of Oakland That's what the goal is You know, so it's again when we hear organizations like the NAACP in Oakland It's not surprising if you look at the history of the NAACP. I mean, it's 2024 He's still running around calling ourselves colored people not seriously like Like seriously, that's just that's just insane But this is the same organization that was in the front of the courthouse demanding A police officer to be reinstated as the chief of police Armstrong Right, so we're dealing with a Class of people who claim to be activists, right? Who claim to be in the community who claim to be organizers who actually have a very much pro-police? Agenda want to see the militarization of the police in Oakland want to see tough on crime police and wanting them to see essentially Pat Downs and you feel me Armed raids and you know, essentially you're calling for the killing of any person who does any type of property related crime Like this is what's happening right now. Yeah we're seeing neo-liberalism at a at a very high stage right because even if you think I think it was a it was Axeful gospel that was a part of the right like acts has a long history of community service, right? This is where we had our free COVID testing right, but this is what neoliberalism does right it will push civil and human rights while simultaneously Pushing the privatization of all sectors of society You know when you have the privatization of all sectors of society You're going to have the police to come and protect the wealth the interests of the wealthy That's just what happens when neoliberalism so I think I Think it's where it's like that that very murky line where some people know better and some people don't Because then you have some real church going folks who are like here I want to pray for the city because it's like you said earlier. We've been saying like things are bad here like it's just It's bad. It is bad, but we we're gonna talk about why it's actually bad And we're gonna talk about the role that some of these Corporations some of these people have played what what is in and out care about community safety What have they done? How many backpack giveaways have they done? How many grocery giveaways? How many kids kids eat free today? Have they done they don't do anything but take money from the people That's all they do and I really be We'll see how this plays out in a couple years But I wonder like what that real estate is gonna be used for it to later on, you know like these they look decades Oh for sure No, I mean even with the you know the Walmart closing over there and you know, especially if you think about it like From a real estate perspective, we know that's real estate wars going on Right, especially if we look right over at the Coliseum, you know, I'm saying the parking lot over there and How much money and they want to develop, you know, if you think about it, they want they are letting these things happen for a reason They're not wanting to solve certain things for a reason, right? They want resources to be taken away because if we look at if we just understand the history of the development of Oakland Especially if you go back in the tales of the town when we talk about 7th Street, right? We talked about even gentrification, right a part of gentrification is the actual resources extraction from the community, right? To where then those resources are them bought up and then new quote-unquote Developments happen that isn't for the people who've been living there in general, right? it ain't no secret that You know, they want DP Stokeland to be hyper developed and to be redeveloped It's like one of the last one of the last claves of like real African new African community What you feel me the you know brown folks out there is you know, I'm saying and it's like a real it's a real hood Mm-hmm, you know, so if that's part of the war and you think about the Oakland airport Mm-hmm similar to how you would think about the post office on 7th Street Now they want to be able to redevelop and we're gonna start hearing the about the 98th corridor You know, I'm saying to where they're gonna want to build, you know nice hotels and extravagant shopping and build a nice mall over there or something because Part of their public infrastructure development over that in the area has been saying that's what they want to do Right, you don't see the development of e1 for and the way the lanes are shifting for no reason Is this they focus they're making their preparations to turn The land into something that is more beneficial for the upper class in the bourgeoisie They're gonna be removing a certain demographic of people and if we recognize what demographic of people are based on the based on We have to understand this. I'm gonna get into this a little later But I'm gonna say it now we have to understand this as a war on black youth Which Oakland has historically done when you talk about the black Panther Party, right? Well, we can even talk about this This moment where this tough on crime resurgence is a byproduct of the defund the police movement In which you saw Oakland public schools and Oakland youth really Oakland youth in the Mbop the black organizing project right remove all usd school police Oakland Unified School is your school police, right? So this is youth leading these movements, right? And this is this is a response. This is a response to that again It goes back to our episode where we talked about containment strategies and counter insurgencies because if you understand Down to a science how social movements work, especially in the United States of America Oakland in many ways is an epicenter what happens in the city of Oakland Essentially is gonna cause shockwaves throughout the whole nation, you know So if you're able to contain revolution if you're gonna be able to contain rebellion in the city of Oakland and Dictated for to move in a certain desired direction of the state There's a reason why everything in Oakland is happening at this moment, right? Because as the United States acts in the most in its imperialist fashion as its Conditions here at home are gonna get worse Why are they putting in cop cities, right? So we got to understand the development of The development and the development of containment strategies, right and trying to Stop any type of you know, rebellions from existing, right? Because if you know what happened in online with the the assassination and the murder of Oscar Grant in the way that sent shockwaves throughout the nation that we still is You know, they're trying to still contain now in 2024 Which led to you know the black lives matter and of course all the contradictions within that but that had a That was a significant epoch to where they was a we got to contain this look even look at last I'll set down the port shut down the port preventing weapons from being shipped we can look at the role that You know black folks in Oakland during a one night we can still consider South Africa a part-time regime You know black setting down the force. It's just like historically the role that Black youth the black community of Oakland has played in shaping national international politics that's that's that's what's going on here, but again if if The thing that the media does a great job doing is like getting people caught up in moments and making these moments seem like they appear out of thin air You know, like that's what they do a good job of doing is like how I Sensualization through their own. How do we get here capitalist direction? That's that's that's a little go X you've seen in Union Square They're saying they're shutting down Macy's and now they're trying to do the same thing and people don't realize they're shutting down 150 Macy's nationwide People don't go shop at stores like that anymore. That's just the part of the shift of the economy Why is there no blockbuster? Did blockbuster shut down because of crime? You feel me 150 Macy's nationwide, but of course because we're in the Bay Area It's in San Francisco and there's all this talk around, you know, Bippin and robberies They're gonna politicize it into a certain direction because they want San Francisco to become Shit, excuse my language Florida in some ways, you know, I'm saying they wanted to become this like right wing Right wing city You know or they recognize servant if they recognize that people don't fully understand the depths of What some of these corporations serve as a like the damn near corporate real estate moguls Realistic like these people just be owned in hella land and they'll sell it when it becomes the most profitable And I do agree with the sentiment of like Oakland me to do better But I don't think starting at and praying in and out is the start I don't think like that's not gonna change the culture, you know, like yeah We could collectively agree that a code needs to be developed in the city of our collective We can agree to certain things, right? We could agree that change needs to be made, but it's falling Falling into a right wing Evangelical campaign campaign about praying in front of the city and praying in front of in and out is that part of it? Is that part of the solution? We should have been praying at these schools and they were shutting these down We should have been praying at Mack when it was left on the water and students was getting cancer We should be praying on the corner as Masses of new Africans sleep on the street as if we're gonna pray for some I don't think that that ain't it and I'll even shouldn't be praying you praying in front of a place that offers you some mediocre French fries and a mediocre burger Bro, people was crying over and they beat ain't even halal people was crying over Denny's leaving I'm okay It can't be nobody from here because we used to go to Denny's after functions and they was racist as fuck Didn't even want to serve niggas What y'all talking about? like Y'all don't even eat at these some what will come on me. What are we talking about? He's like I even seen an article that came out was like a long time 53-year-old Oakland diner is shutting down. I'm like y'all are talking about Denny's a corporation They got like you would think these things somebody lowest the pike on him Denny's Denny's was good couple, you know, we gotta There is changes that needs to be made and the first change will be to recognize The true causes The true causes because right now we only looking at the effects and by now looking at the causes, you know So speaking of causes, can you tell us about some of the conditions? I got us to this point number one How we frame things on this on this podcast is recognizing that everything is a byproduct of An economic system and economic motives. So this is why you hear us talk a lot about Colonization, which is an economic effort you hear us talk a lot about capitalism, which is an economic system that has social Political and ideological manifestations. So why you hear us talk about imperialism, right? Because we understand how economics Governs all ass all aspects of life. So there's just a few stats that I would That I'll speak to to help us grasp the economic we've Economic situation We find ourselves in right again, so if we can do this we can talk about we can understand the causes We can see very simple how we got to these effects Again, that first cause being capitalism, right? Capitalism as a social economic and political system where the means of production, right? The land the tools the hours the jobs are all decided by a few wealthy elite, right? In that system creates the following economic conditions, right where you have 70% of people on food assistance programs working full-apart time 70% of people on food assistance programs. They either work full-apart time 53% of people sleeping in shelters Work full-apart time. This is a national stat, right? You have the cost of basic goods eggs bread meat Have gone up 76% since 2020 So when they talk about how all these billionaires I remember like all the stories I was like all these billionaires and millionaires that will be made over during 2021 2020 2020 2021 That's because the cost of basic goods have gone up. Have gone up, right? Wages have been stagnant Since the night late 1970s for over half a century wages have been stagnant So as the cause so your wage might go up, but so do the cost of living, right? it says that Workers spend nearly half of their income on rent people spend nearly half of their income on rent, right? then there's this situation where People love talking about the Biden that these Democrats love talking these Democratic fascists love talking about how Think it's like 14 million jobs have been created under the Biden administration. What what are the quality of jobs though? If we talk about 70% of people who had that with that work our own food assistance programs 53% of people sleeping in shelters have worked full-apart time. What quality of jobs are we getting? Right in Oakland The we have Oakland has a 4.2 billion dollar budget for the next two years. That's larger than some country's GDPs The city bro has a 4.2 billion dollar budget That's larger than some countries GDPs The OPD has as a 700 million dollar budget from 2023 to 2025 Right 16% that's 16. They're 17% of the country of the of the city's budget While parks and rec student services has 40 million. That's less than 1% Right, this is the economic turmoil and like ideological backwardness that governs this city that governs this nation I Speak, you know, I say this as I myself have thousands of dollars of Medical debt From work-related stress What are we talking about quality of life? You're like in and out in console No, we're in and out being here in and out not being here. It's saying it's not doing nothing to impact the quality of our lives All right, we have to recognize that This whole situation again, we find ourselves in is a byproduct of an economic reality That thus leads to like the following political situation where you have in 2023 the police killed 1200 people There were 1600 robberies in Oakland from January to July That makes our January the June of last year that makes complete sense to me when you look at again The economic situation niggas is broke niggas is hungry Right people sleeping on the streets. What do you expect humans people working and can't even pay rent? What if we can't afford rent but is working because there isn't a living wage in the city of Oakland There are hundred and eight eighteen homicides last year like this this when we look at again the Economic situation. This does not catch me up. This is just seems like simple one plus one equals two. Yeah It's gonna happen because of that. It's just a reality when people are Degraded every day by the system that they find themselves in how can you not become that? And you see it every day Even sometimes you'll hear from people back. Oh, you know, they ain't broke. They don't need it But what happens? All right, let's take that for example, if that's actually true, right But what happens when the society is all basing consumerism when every single day you are pumped at And you're seen as less less worthy if you don't have the newest thing You don't have the nice clothes if you don't have the nice jeans if you don't have nice shoes Right, so you're talking about a society that is consumerist where your value is determined based off of the clothes That you wear based off of the car that you was driving You feel me? So someone can't afford to you know, quote-unquote be a part of this america They go and do something to be a part and feel like they're part of In some ways we've been dealing with these even if that is the case, you know Yeah, we've been dealing with these wild uh, like we've been having these storms right the last couple days And like there are people who have to sleep outside on the streets of this shit I'm driving past people you watching people Feel me smoke dope on the corner. I'm watching motherfuckers walk around The holes in their jeans ass out feet out like Seeing that every day and having to just keep going on my life Like what is that what is that doing to my psyche? What is it doing to the person psyche actually has to live in that and then what does it do to everyone else's psyche as well You know i'm saying like what does it do to people like living in those neighborhoods like really struggling to you feel me? It's like your life ain't valued humanity and there's a total So like why would you value humanity when everything around you isn't being valued? And no one is teaching you to value humanity either There's a total you don't have offered it for humanity, right? So we have this economic situation again where we talk about wages being stagnant 70 percent of people on food assistance programs working full of part-time You have people who sleep in shelters also working You have the cost of basic goods going up. You have people spending More than half of the income just or half of their income just on rent alone So he ain't even including food. You ain't including clothes. You ain't including gas, right? And from that you have for that for that total disregard of humanity via the economic system You're going to get a total disregard for humanity in a way that humans engage with one another, right? and then from that From that reality, right and I we mentioned some of the situations in oakland, right? And I think in another episode we should use this as an opportunity to like expand on the war for the cities that we've Been kind of alluding to right and really using like yaki and george as a basis for that analysis But for right now you get the we have to understand This as a war for the city in the world on new african youth, right? And this situation is we've already alluded to this already made this clear that we understand this as a very dire situation 1600 robberies I know it's the pigs for this is the city of oakland giving you the Data oakland police department giving you this data so in the city of oakland who are true You know the opd who'll be robbing people every hand hand, right? They hand literally robbing people every single day when they do they raise and all that you know I'm saying if you think about the civil asset for for sure that happens through quote-unquote police departments But let's just say let's just say I would say even a hundred robberies is too much I don't know you you'll utopian shit, but if I I believe if we can actually have a respect for another day Robberies could be eliminated very much have people have solid jobs and health care and for what they actually If they're human rights are protected You ain't gonna see that And you're gonna see the people stop it You understand because the culture is not developed towards one that is uh humanistic and egalitarian So we get that economic system which does creates that political situation and from that political reality you get uh Some different responses responses that you and I have been talking about, right? Some of the responses I would say are again from misunderstanding And some of these responses are from a full understanding and wanted to take advantage of the situation of the people's dire Desire for need for change, right? And so we can talk about the first part yeah from From that political from that economic situation You get this political reality and from that political reality you get people responding in different ways, right? I think some of the And most of the responses have been tough on crime, right? Uh, but I would say that the tough on crime rhetoric is Has like two elements to it one being some people like again just uh Feeling really vulnerable scared and confused at the situation we find ourselves in and then the others capitalizing on these people's emotions emotions vulnerability and being scared, right? So yeah, when you when you're scared and miseducated it makes sense as to why Someone would be out in front of target like recall Pamela Price recall shang Tao by recognizing that these people are nothing but uh pawns for an ideology and for a system, right? But then you get the people also doesn't mean we're endorsing shang Tao No, I mean I would hope anybody who's even just heard six seconds of any of our 153 episodes What is a progressive prosecutor? And we just already told you about shang Tao and her pro police agenda for the city of Oakland in the beginning of this episode what What is I mean just ask yourself. What is uh Having these crimes prosecuted more more harshly going to do how is that going to prevent? How is that going to address the Yo rent taking up half your income How is locking people up going to address the fact that wages have been stagnant for over half a century how is locking people up We could like bipping robberies and stuff can stop right now Robbery isn't the reason why wages are stagnant robbery isn't the reason why You have to pay more than half your income on rent robbery isn't the reason why They robbing you if you talking about basic goods have gone up 76. They rob us every day We can send every single day. They rob us. You talk about getting bipped About PG&E raising their rates robbery. They rob us every day. All right, so like again, we have to ask ourselves Like we got to begin to think critically which we know society doesn't want us to do Which we know media doesn't want us to do they want to just feed you information That's why you saying like we don't even got to agree with us You're trying to give you some objectives like just to think start to think with us, right? Uh, so I think anyone who's found themselves like saying like are wondering like what can we do? We need more we need new like first thing you can do is understand the economic system and how that again Governed society, right? So we have that misunderstander misunderstood Miseducated right again recognizing that uh putting more people in jail will not address stagnant wages It will not address you having meaningful employment Then on the other side you have those who fully understand the institutions ideology of this country And how they were formed and they choose to mislead the people to buy in the capitalism and to overt policing, right? um, and like we said, that's like The very dirty and nasty work of integration um Which I want to let you expand on the next question in terms like integration I think for you see all the time Just because I follow like so many of the peers and people in the town saying Uh, what can we do to change Oakland? And I would say first and foremost the first thing you got to do is learn You you you have to learn uh Learn the history of this city Learn the history of policing in this city whether it's recruiting kkk members from the south recruiting those Fastest Jim Crow pigs from the south and bringing them up here in a response to the great migration In the response to the black community growing as a result of white flight Right like learn this history Uh and see it's you'll once you learn our history You'll see how it was like uh manifesting in present day. This is just we we talking about what's happening today is the same thing that was happening in 1950s What's happening today the same thing has happened in the 60s and 70s is just uh 21st century manifestation of it, you know um and I think lastly last thing I'll say on this is uh I think this also speaks to like the lack of creativity on The lack of like belief and creativity and maybe this is false. Maybe this is like falls on I think we have to say it falls like organizers and organizations like ourselves who claim to have a full grasp of this thing uh Like we should be motivating the people immersing ourselves in the people in a much better way to where they can start to dream outside of This things that are presented in for you know, like like you said the state Like they really believe that the only option is more police To this thing that what that isn't a byproduct of the police But it just shows you how much our development has been arrested by capitalist imperials and that even our dreams End up going back to backing the state in the system that is oppressing us Right, that's how like deep, you know what i'm saying if you think about like fanon and how he's talking about uh the psychological aspect of uh colonization Right, we are so colonized within our mentality that even our consciousness when we think we're coming up with a solution The solution is a part of our genocide and it's a part of our people's constant constant oppression That's a that's a deep issue That's a deep issue, you know, and we'll be talking about all the time We got a free on mind so ask them follow us So the question is too what you're alluding at is again, it is the responsibility of revolutionary cadre organizations if we're not getting And being amongst the people amongst the community Right Versus just being online and being in webinars being in our echo chambers We ain't amongst the people why are we gonna expect the people To act how we want them to act, you know, i'm saying or to develop a collective consciousness that is uh decolonized It's part of the problem part of the problem I want to go back to the NAACP because I feel like We did two things We kind of one let them off the hook and two I think we should uh Just give people like a historical understanding of some of the like What you can say, I guess like progressive or Yeah, some of the more Like the things they've actually done for for new africans because they do have some wins If they do have some things, uh, but it's it's important to recognize or to understand it via its historical time frame, right? Yeah, so I think my first part is like how have they become regressive as it pertains to the advancement of new africans and then What is actual advancement and how could they be contributing to that? Yeah, I think when we think about Black struggle the new african struggle in the united states of america We got to understand the historical development The epochs and how Organizations and consciousness have shifted over times right, uh, essentially There's two ideals integration or independence Right, and if you look at it from that foundation The n-w-a-c-p has never been for independence of colored people It's been for the advancements of colored people Within the structure of the united states of america within integration, right? So even if you look at the foundation of uh, n-w-a-c-p Right, you know, it wasn't exactly colored people in the founding You know i'm saying, uh So if we look at it from that realm, right? They've been tasked with essentially integrating creating policy Uh, essentially putting as malcolm would say a bandaid on a gaping wound instead of healing the wound entirely, right? Now does that mean that they haven't done, uh, things to advance civil rights to advance, uh, you know Policies that might be less Uh, you know less against star people Yes, there's been you know those like minuscule reforms like you you could say right if you just if you're being fair and objective, right? That has happened. Yeah Now at the same time You know jaleel talks about and we are all liberators. He talks about that the revolutionary forces must demand That the civil rights forces do the bare minimum. Uh, so that's what we have to hold The NAACP is to the bare minimum Right, but what happens when The bare minimum has now actually just being Essentially their bare minimum is a part of uh, uplifting the state and again, we know the national NAACP, right? Versus a local chapter Right, you know a chapter in san jose my function very differently than the chapter in oakland You know, but if we look at specifically the NAACP in oakland, where are they championing, you know, we're talking about a moment in oakland where You know people were talking about abolish the police where organizations like bop where fighting To get in fighting and successfully getting The police out of schools and then now you have essentially the NAACP of oakland being a part of a counter A counter-insurgency in terms of defunding the police in terms of abolishing the police and now they are on the courthouse steps Saying we want more police. We want to reinstate a police chief, right just because he black just because he black Right, so we taking this colored on one. We taking. Okay. We want, you know, that that's our that's our chief we is uh Taking this uh superiority complex just you know because he's black makes him a good cop Right rather than actually looking at the very institutions And then they are saying, okay, let's bring more cops. That's our solution Right, so their advancement, you know, maybe they are A part of they it is a part of their philosophy of advancing colored people I guess that's what they're doing is advancing colored people and the structure of the united Local police. That's what they do That's there you go There's the answer, right? So for us as a I think Revolutionary cadre organization, we got to point to the contradictions And demand upon them more And up the up the ante You say you're for the people you say you're for the advancement of colored people Uh, if we look at it from a scientific standpoint black cops engage black people At a similar rate that white cops engage the black community You feel me if we look at the case of freddy gray. It was a bunch of black cops Just because you black don't mean you good Just because you black doesn't mean you ain't have that bull on You know what I'm saying? Like, yeah, there might be Small examples, but again, it's an institution. We is talking about It's the greater institution of policing that has its roots and the enslavement of africans That has its roots in protecting private property And again, and this is that time period where they want private property to be protected They want these corporations to be protected. They want the targets to be protected You feel me like the police ain't doing nothing to help you You feel me on windowgate, babe? They ain't doing nothing to help you Your business can't rob. They ain't doing nothing to help you Your business can't rob the city of Oakland ain't doing nothing to help you They might charge you to pick up the trash of the glass Right, so we have to just be real about uh These organizations and what their goals are And expose them Essentially as a part of The bourgeoisie Right, they might not even be in that class background Of being the bourgeoisie, but they're acting as you know, the the black bourgeoisie And trying to secure the interests for the black bourgeoisie in advance the black bourgeoisie to be The face of Oakland But the masses of new africans is being exploited, right? And we see this at a time period as well as post quote-unquote COVID even though COVID is still going on And I think we have to also have the understanding of the international economy and the different shifts with the wars the different shifts with Deteriorization even though my argument is that the u.s. Was already ready for Deteriorization, but there's different shifts economically happening right now There's shifts in a bunch of money is going to The Zionist a bunch of money is going to Ukraine, right? Then you have a moment in time where Incarceration rates because of COVID were going down even if it was around like one 1% you still if you're talking about 1% of you know Millions of niggas locked up. That's a big number So why now are we seeing a tough on crime? Why now are we saying lock people up? Why now? We in the middle of uh Or need that labor you need that free way for right as their Contradictions are shifting overseas as the money is shifting the profit margins are shifting. What do we need to now do now? We need to lock niggas up lock new Africans up make them forced labor. You know, we just seen that example of Things the brother name his name was Hamza. He he was locked up and you know, he worked Days in and days out and maybe made like 17 dollars. Don't don't quote me on the exact number 17 dollars he was making sense on the hour. He donated his whole paycheck to Palestine If that don't show you like a solidarity, but it also exposes that He was a slave inside of the system and a lot of these military goods is being made by people locked up So what do they want to do? They want to lock up all the kids You feel me who was quote-unquote committing crime Put them inside a prison and then force them to work Who's going to make money off of that? Take that energy off the street. Who's gonna make the money out make that money target And of course, you know, there's also the revolutionary, you know, the potential of people who have to risk it all You feel me to put food on that table. They weren't from the party A lot of the party's members was made up of people who had to you know, who was living You feel me in the quote-unquote lumping hand the foot, you know, so again, that's why you see I know what you're saying You know what I'm saying, but we look at the game that is being played, you know, I'm saying again, you know It's like chess man, you know the man they use they chess pieces They're using the NAACS a chess piece to advance a certain type of agenda in the city of Oakland I mean they even using they're using Again, they take the I'm I'm watching a lot of people being taken advantage of That's what's and they don't even know that they're being taken advantage of that That's that's that's the nastiest part, especially when uh, you you know people who have uh Given so much to this community or have taken so much from this community and they passed and like now want to right the wrongs And you know, it's like it's it's it's so many. It's a very layered situation But at the end of the day like objectively speaking While we we know who's coming out on top of this thing right now It's the fascist. It's the one it's the elite. It's the 1% like the fact that people Can the fact that these niggas get 700 million dollars The fact that the youth programs get 40 and most of that is going to like staffing It ain't no real resources being put into these being put into it, right? You ain't going to these youth community You ain't going to these youth centers and leaving with groceries every day You ain't leaving with gas cars every day. They ain't paying. You know, it's like the very basic But yeah, like not not too many material needs being met But that's why history is so important Because if we understand history, you know for in the community actually educating people You know, if we talk about even WB Du Bois as an example, he was a part of the NAACP Study his life You know what I'm saying like study his life. What did how did he die? He died of pan-Africanist He rejected. He's one of the most aside from Martin Luther King. He's one of the most praised assimilationists Was a part of the NAACP left became a pan-Africanist Decided to uh become a part of revolutionary nationalist movements So if Du Bois left back then, why are you in there now? You know, I'm saying I understand like they have the youth programs and stuff There's a good there's some other things that they do, right? But what are they pushing people to you know, I'm saying and how do we Make that shift from a colonial integrative integrative strategy to revolutionary strategy, you know That will only happen through a strong revolutionary cadres Through strong revolutionary cadres that have youth programs that have youth involved, you know, I'm saying we have to get to work This is the message to us first and foremost Yeah, you feel me? Sorry. We mad about the NAACP, but they got the youth programs going and they you know They get their kids indoctrinated and to believe in into the system. Okay. Well, we need to develop our youth programs more and Let the youth free their own mind and decide their own destiny Shalom So it's uh, you know, like you were saying it's some nasty work going on some nasty nasty work going on But you're kind of alluding to it But you know people have been using this current political climate as a means to reassert this fascist tough on crime rhetoric And what ways Are you seeing this play out in Oakland nationally? And maybe you know, what are some of the other factors that are playing? International that is also influencing this tough on crime rhetoric. I mean in addition to like the over the top budgets Police budgets as it means to be tough on crime You're seeing again What we talked about earlier like the hyper focus on the da in the mayor, right? But like I don't know what more the da in the mayor can do to show that they actually stand with the police Besides say I'm in solidarity with the police. I think recently Pamela Price has some shit Like she would give somebody a hundred years if she could What more do you want her to do? But doesn't that just show you, you know, this progressive people were saying she's progressive a progressive prosecutor But as soon as this the you feel me the the right wing starts chirping You know, I'm saying you was bending today. We were saying nah, I'm gonna lock these new africans up too But I've shanked out saying we want more police. You have shanked out being with the governor And allowing a five-day blitz of the chp and saying here's our policy with the governor to get things better in Oakland Which means what? more police more new africans going to prison more new africans being subjugated to genocidal violence Like what what more could they possibly do to show y'all that they are tough on crime? I'm like, but they they These niggas want to take it back to you feel me 1910 like they trying to see niggas Get lynched Or for stealing it is going to be some niggas doing the lynching of other new africans They want it. They want it. They want to see niggas gonna be some colored people saying they're doing that They want to see niggas get lynched like I don't know how much more the da the mayor and the city officials can show That they support the league they support the police In mass incarceration like they got the budgets They doing the press conferences the alameda county jails are packed OPD is making the most arrest in alameda county What more do you want you want the budget to you want another 10 you on the budget for parks and recs is only 40 million What more do you want them to do you want to see people getting the death penalty for smashing grab? Is that all we want? right they They have a watch on the news clip. I was watching a news clip where it's saying towel was like, uh If you commit a crime you will be caught then like the next clip was showing the ages of the people committing the crimes like 15 to 25 it's kids Some nasty work because shane towel got some some black lackeys Some black lackeys working for her Some black lackeys doing security for her and that's what's coming out of her mouth and you stand up beside her Saying that because that's what she want to do the black youth And it is sick despicable It is it's in every sense of the word is despicable and people should be ashamed of themselves Also for fooling people to believe in that You stand up behind someone who says she's in solidarity with the oakland police who's putting the police into the streets What does that make you? pig adjacent Or pig not in uniform private pig But I mean it's just this is what we gotta call it and it's like what is the historical basis for black people supporting fascist Like what is that ever for someone who claims to be a in Doing work for the masses doing work for black liberation doing work for black power What is the historical basis for you doing this or are you trying to open up? You know a new dialect. Are you trying to you try to take us on a new path? There is no historical basis for this Like they're like, what are you doing? And you can and that's why I'm saying like we gotta start judging people strictly by their actions Not what they say because a part of neoliberalism again, like we said is to be able to push for human rights We have to push for civil rights the part of things for fascism is to say whatever you can a slight of hand tactics I'm gonna tell you one thing and do another There's no reason why I as a community organizer should be supporting someone who puts The masses of the community second via their budgets The oak 700 million dollars is going to the police. I don't know how many times I can say this What's that tells you where my priorities as a city official lies When I say I'm in solidarity with the pigs if I say I will give somebody a hundred years if I could I don't know as in all again, all we have to do is turn the history. So we need we need to If you want to see a society be better We need a society Yeah, but you give that you give the people the means to make a society better You give them jobs. You give them housing. You give them health care. You give them quality education You give them clothing You you treat them with dignity and respect so that they can go out and then Live with dignity and respect and treat themselves with dignity and respect What dignity do you have when your dignity is taken away from you? You know I'm saying like what dignity do you have day in and day out when your womanhood is taken away from you? Your peoplehood is taken away from you Your manhood is taken away from you day in and day out And we're supposed to just live live like a dignified human beings and go into these streets and act like everything is normal All of us supposed to be just happy and we're supposed to live like being fulfilled like this is this is a war I mean put it like this. They're most most of the people here There's no way you could be happy under these conditions. Some people are because I'd be around I'll be looking at them. Why you too happy. No, no, I mean like there's big I'm saying like these techies. Yeah, I'm like like true like like Working class people there's no way you're happy with the amount of hours you have to the amount of hours You're putting in and what you're getting in return Right and there are some people who just completely choose to rebel against the system Okay, you choose to stay in the house and mope and cry and eat and Just be depressed and doom scroll and then some people who choose to go and exert that energy by taking what's rightfully theirs Food money clothes shells for those are human rights and if the city won't provide it to me, I'ma go take it And that's just what it is and like I'm what they say quote I've been a victim of these things They're gonna have cars bips catalytic converters taking I will be a fool This is what happens And it's frustrating. It's for I'm concerned. I'm gonna turn you into a fascist. You feel me? That's what I'm not gonna do. You know what I'm saying I'm gonna go turn you into just a reactionary is gonna say no We got a deep in our political under the guise of what and deepen our work to be able to change and become our I'm supposed to just go even further down the scale of delusion That's what that is. I'm supposed to just go to the opposite side delusion You know, this is not gonna happen there. There are two things you could do and this like very small things like bro Just start with engaging If you really want if you want to get involved politically learn politics Like truly learn politics. Don't just see what you see and don't just post what you see other people post Don't just fall victim to someone saying something they know is going to trigger an emotional response to you Oakland, we got to do better And to do so we're putting 700 police on the streets like come on And we add in the chp, you know, and we got the alameda county sheriff and i'm saying we need that's how they get you Don't that's what they're doing. They they say they say these terms oakland We they say the things that the people on the streets are better. We are saying we need safety I want better for my family. I want better for my community. How about oakland? We invested in your well-being So here goes some universal health care all these things that have been floated around In local legislation recently universal health care should be is going to be tried in the bay area What's taking so long if y'all can get 15,000 bombs to uh, the israeli occupation forces in a matter of two months 57,000 artillery shells in a matter of three months We can't get some free healthcare. We can't get no healthcare right We can't have housing free But again, that's the game where it becomes the responsibility of us so we can say right now the that uh Crimes are a byproduct of economics Right that the only reason why if we can say that uh You know people who sleep in shelters people who sleep on the streets work full of part-time people who aren't on food assistance programs work full of part-time Go cost of basic goods are up, right? This is basically saying there people have no money, right If you have no money And everything in the world costs. What do you have to do? You have to go get money, right if there aren't any quality jobs if uh Society has treated you like you are subhuman Since the day y'all the people who look like you have touched place on this on this so-called nation Wouldn't you have a total disregard for this shit too? Wouldn't you have a bomb to get it by any means necessary? If I just excuse me at the same time they tell you you only as good as the designer you have You only as good As the restaurants you eat at the bank you can buy Shoes you have so don't get mad at the at the people for conforming to society's standards Y'all go the the the u.s. Government goes and and takes resources from people They go and rape and pillage and steal the ultimate smash and grab is in the congo They don't talk about the oh, they don't talk about the robbery of the tantalum They don't talk about the robbery of the box site they don't talk about the The 30 000 reportedly 30 000 palestinians that the us has aided in their uh slaughter What about the us death total? What about the us crimes against humanity? What about the us deaths and robbery of natural resources? What about the way that they rob you every day of your paycheck? What about the genocide of indigenous people? What about the genocide of new african people? Who policed these names? Of african people. What about the genocide of uh brown people? By the united states of america they're quote-unquote foreign policy the central intelligence agency leading coups overthrowing people overthrowing nations Causing tribal wars in east africa Launching drone campaigns What are we talking about here to me? I see I see these folks committing crimes is uh taking heed Like oh, so this is what we own. This is what we're doing. This is what I gotta do, right? This is how y'all got on you ain't allowed me in any other space You ain't I ain't never got them been able to get a job So you force them or if I do get a job. What kind of job is this? That ain't a job. I guess If you can't afford To buy food to have health care To have housing to take care of your family 21st century sharecropping This is 21st century sharecropping And the technocratic state this this some serfdom shit. This is a modern serfdom shit I get to eat after you get all your stuff together. I basically get your scraps Niggas feeding us food that ain't really food like come on. I see the youth Taking using observing everybody want to talk about being scientists if I'm 16 17 years old See how they get and I don't got shit and I've lived into some projects that ain't been uh remodeled since the 80s And I'm looking around and I ain't got shit and the people telling me I ain't got shit Then I look and they over there and they taking what they want from people who look like me Why would I respect anything? I call that I feel like these kids out here using they common sense Now we just need to guide it towards something revolutionary, but to me like It makes perfect sense why people was smashing our windows They make perfect sense to me Do I like it? No, but it makes perfect sense to me That's one plus one equal two You know the chemical warfare The lack of mental health services Like do y'all go outside to see some of the conditions they got these kids living have y'all been to some of these schools? like come on man, so I think uh We've offered a lot of you know criticisms But I think we always offer solutions and I would tell somebody like look I don't I don't we don't by no means do we have it all figured out But we at least thinking for ourselves We at least looking at the historical conditions the current conditions the development of this nation And I do believe we always are providing solutions in terms of building programs being in the community Changing the consciousness changing the ethos and we're pissing on people and telling them is raining That's number one thing they just had that they uh They got you seen the shit they was doing in terms of like who the next police chief could be and it's all these What they call a by-pock ass she like What's George say a pig is a pig What color you are Who's who's uh Who's interest are you serving? They serving the blue serving the state Serving the property protecting the corporations And realistically they're going to be protecting the white neighborhoods You feel me they're going to be protecting the transplants the techies the corporations and the people's Who who need that protection? From the the summer of 2020 or not even summer like that whole 2020 when like it was beautiful in the town And it's because everybody was getting money From that adb shit. That's what no one that's what like people who like I was what I was it was it was hearing from niggas on the streets like they was running into niggas and didn't even care How could I I'm enjoying my life Niggas is taking trips niggas eating at restaurants niggas is buying niggas is finally feeling like they like they are part of this It got some like they got it was it was It was this is like it was down, bro It was down and all the misplaced energy was are the the the anger was going towards the right people Can't nobody tell me they got my best interests as hard when they constantly put no corporations before me No, there's there's no way And then you go into the corporations and what happens what happens in cvs everything's locked up What happens in target the most basic goods is locked up You feel me that's why I say it's that lack of creativity lack of understanding like we can't even think of a world To where these niggas ain't the police do nothing around this motherfucker They do nothing. I watched somebody get bipped in front of the police two days ago They do nothing these private forces. They do nothing They just gonna shoot some unarmed person That's all they're gonna do kill some kids Taze some elderly person That's all they're gonna do rob a food truck And but yeah, what's it was crazy, you know, even if like a tear point in 2020 it was 102 murders still a lot, right But 2021 132 2022 119 2023 124 I was outside. So I know Like I was in the midst of it. I know it was things was running into niggas at airports and nothing was at the lake it was No problems, bro. It was bruh Was niggas who've been funky for years outside. So that just show you what? That the people's needs is taking care of if there's money and people is getting money and What's gonna happen? so imagine If we seize the means of production Imagine if the people isn't controlled by destiny imagine if we have housing imagine if we have Free water social services healthcare how that would transform our relations with other human beings but again Corporations these individuals with billions upon billions of dollars And we're living in what squalor to the people I think we just have to first and foremost learn again like we've been saying learn and then I'll offer you An alternative by just attending something people's programs just having just attend something Or just to just study everything we say and come back and say now here's the flaw in your shit But I'm trying to tell you it don't matter what da Is put in the place whatever mayor whatever mayor whatever police chief If the if the economic system that governs our city is still capitalism, we're going to get capital problems exact results Exploitation Inequalities hatred for humanity It don't matter if it's coming in black face blue face green face. It don't matter what color it is It's going to all be the same. It don't matter What body parts it got it don't matter what pronouns you use If it's pushing capitalism, this is what you're going to get Straight up have a black Go to our patreon patreon.com slash hell black pod Subscribe on apple podcast soundcloud wherever you get your podcast that we is that man go to our youtube be sure to subscribe You feel me for the people for the land