CROSS ROADS RADIO SHOW
WPFWFM.org , 89.3 FM, June 1, 2021
WILLIAM UNDERWOOD IS FREE: AN INTIMATE CONVERSATION WITH FATHER AND DAUGHTER: FREE TONY LEWIS,
SR: A SON HIGHLIGHTS THE STRUGGLE TO FREE HIS FATHER WHO HAS BEEN IN PRISON 32 YEARS - SPACE TOGETHER
William Underwood spent 33 years in prison. His profound statement, “There will be no reparations until we amend the constitution.” His daughter Ebony and her siblings have invested their entire young lives fighting for their Dad’s release.
WE GOT US NOW is the first of its kind, a national non-profit organization built by, led by and about children of incarcerated parents.
The passion and commitment of this loving family is contagious. Visit UnderwoodLegacyFund.com to learn about this awesome Father, Grandfather and Mentor who is challenging all who hear his story to refocus their thought processes. Also support the great work of Wegotusnow.org.
Who is Tony Lewis, Jr? Tony Lewis Jr. is a community leader and the author of “Slugg: A Boy’s Life in the Age of Mass Incarceration,” in which he discusses growing up as the son of D.C. drug kingpin Tony Lewis. Tony Lewis, Sr has been in prison for 32 years, on a life sentence for a non-violent drug offense. “Slugg: A Boy’s Life in the Age of Mass Incarceration,” has an accompanying life guide. The book opens with a letter from Tony Lewis, Jr and closes with a letter from Tony Lewis, Sr. Tony Lewis, Jr is a force to be reckoned with in Washington, DC. His unique upbringing places him in an extraordinary position to view from various lens. Visit FreeTonyLewis.com to donate and join the movement to Free Tony Lewis now! What everyone does agree is that the bolded text below must be deleted immediately from the 13th Amendment: "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction."
Mertine Moore Brown, Producer
Commentary from January 18, 2022
Producer, CROSSROADS radio show
CROSS ROADS, WPFW-FM 89.3 Pacifica Radio, is heard worldwide via the Internet @ www.WPFWFM.org, Tuesdays, 10am EST
MAULED: WHEN POLICE USE DOGS AS WEAPONS
Guests today on Cross Roads radio show are Manuel Torres, Regional Editor of The Marshall Project and Challen Stephens, Investigative Reporter and Editor, Alabama Media Group and AL.com.
In low level misdemeanors, even where there is no crime, the use of dogs is severe. One percent of all dog bites are by police dogs – either called a bite or apprehensive dog. Alabama has a terrible history of using police dogs on Black people. Certain egregious cases are settled by lawsuits. 52% of Baton Rouge police department dog bites are released on 17-year-old and younger Black boys with non-violent offenses. There are 3,500 people bitten by police dogs yearly. At this point there is not much someone can do legally. If you resist, you can be charged. And resistance is natural. Who wouldn’t react defensively?
Police use dogs as a Compliance Tool – pain compliance – using pain to get you to comply i.e. bending your arm back, pushing you against a wall – use of force. Some dogs can even bite through sheet metal. On the other hand, dogs are introduced in schools as Diplomats, presenting coloring books with their images.
A dog can make a decision how much pain is appropriate. Officers many times cannot control the dogs. Body cameras are not being used in dog bites. Indianapolis has no regulations but a huge problem with police dog bites. Unfortunately, police have Qualified Immunity, which we all need to fight to change.
Red Onion, a maximum security prison in Virginia, has two lawsuits pending, among numerous complaints filed through the years. Police dogs are used to terrorize, control and frighten prisoners. You think its bad out here, what happens in prison is triple-fold. The Washington Post wrote an article that noted numerous complaints from prisoners. A spokesperson for Rights Behind Bars argues that the practice of using police dogs to attack defenseless prisoners is “widespread” and “not only barbaric – an abject act of dehumanization-but illegal and cannot be tolerated in a just society.”
Evidence suggests a disproportionate number of police dog bite victims are Black men. Just this week, we honored Martin Luther King, Jr. Just a short 50 years ago, police dogs were unleased on Black men, women and children fighting to register to vote. Here we are, 50 years later, in a country where the Civil Rights Bill expired after 50 years, and we are still fighting for the right to vote!
For more information, visit MarshallProject.com. You may contact Challen @ cstephens@al.com. Everyone must participate in this fight! Racism is a sore that affects everyone. Democracy cannot co-exist with racism. As long as short-sighted men and women continue to treat others as less than, we will be entangled in this uphill battle.
POWER CONCEDES NOTHING WITHOUT A DEMAND. IT NEVER DID. IT NEVER WILL. – Frederick Douglass
AND THAT’S THE WAY I SEE IT!