April 6, 2025 • 28 mins
News anchors Mike Stevens and Vanessa Tyler join Ramses Ja and Q Ward on today's program to review the top stories from the past week.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's been another busy newsweek, and we like to review
the major stories of the week here on the Black
Information Network. Today, we are joined by Black Information Network
news anchors Vanessa Tyler and Mike Stevens to discuss this
week's major stories. This is the Black Information Network Daily Podcast.
I'm your host ramses.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Jah and I'm your host Q Ward.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
All right, welcome back to the show, Vanessa and Mike. Vanessa, Uh,
I hesitate to ask, but uh, how's things going in
your world? Oh?
Speaker 3 (00:33):
Boy, hasn't been busy in the news and we're all
watching the stock market right now.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
But yeah, absolutely very busy. Oh sure, sure, Mike, man,
what's the latest? All's good? Man less glad.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
To hear it. All right, well, let's get to the
news then, all right. First up, some call it grand standing,
while others felt this week's record setting speech by US
Senator Corey Booker is the type of black leadership that's
been sorely missing from the Democratic Party as a whole. Vanessa,
there's a lot to unpack with this, sorry, so let's
start with you tell us more about Senator booker speech,
and then Mike and Q we'll get your thoughts.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
Next.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
I just want to start saying. First, Rams, is that
New Jersey Senator Corey Booker has always been a great speaker.
I've been covering him since he was the mayor in Newark,
always very passionate. But for twenty five hours he made history.
He's still on the Senate floor and told whoever was
(01:26):
listening what Trump and Doge are doing and how it
will harshly affect everyone. And it was a good look.
You know why, because he broke the racist record set
by the late South Carolina Senator strom Therman.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
Kind I kind of love that, Mike. Let's get your thoughts.
Speaker 4 (01:45):
Yeah, you know, politicians are in general and in general
are are hard to trust. That many of them, over
the years say one thing in public something else in private.
I full disclosure. I met Corey Booker and strom Therman
over or a period of years, and I've always found
Corey Booker to be very sincere, at least the appearance
(02:08):
of it. I don't know him personally, but he always
comes across as someone who does things for the right reasons.
I don't think he was grand standing at all. I,
as Vanessa said, I would say he was being passionate.
He's trying to fix some of the mess the countries
now in. If he's just doing it just to get attention,
(02:29):
you stand there for an hour or two, but not
twenty five hours. And you know, Senator strom Thurman did
his filipbuster for twenty four hours against black people, against
black civil rights, and so I really feel like Corey
Booker did this for not only Black Americans, but for
the country.
Speaker 5 (02:50):
You you know, we don't have to win every fight,
but it just feels good to see someone fighting for us,
whether he's victorious, whether legislation changes from this, whether or
not there's anything tangible that we can touch that happens
(03:10):
for it or from it. His presence, his defiance, his
indefatigable nature, the twenty five hours of just speaking up
for so many different groups and against so many different
kind of cruel, awful decisions being made by the administration.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
Bravo.
Speaker 5 (03:32):
You know, I was starting to feel discouraged, like no
one was going to stand up for us. And I'll
take that as a good start. I'll applaud him, and
the next time we see him, I'll hug him a
little bit tighter because it meant a lot to me.
I know, it meant a lot to you as well,
that he even made that gesture, made that stand and
(03:52):
stood up to me, that it felt like he stood
up for us. Up next, another example of police behaving
badly toward black women. Service this week in my home
state of Michigan. Mike, give us the latest details on
this story. Vanessa in ramses, you guys are up next.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
All right.
Speaker 4 (04:13):
So, yeah, this is in Melvindale, Michigan, near Detroit. So
you know there's a lot of black people driving through
this town off the interstate. But it's the kind of
place you don't want to be in either after sundown
maybe or at all when you have officers like Lieutenant
Matthew Ferman around. He is the latest example of oh
(04:37):
allegation against him against mistreating black people over and over
and over again, using his badge as a way to
do horrible things. In this case, he pulls a black
mother out of a car and tasers her in front
of her children. He claimed he did it because he
was in fear for his own safety. That's a common
phrase that a lot of officers use to excuse, you know,
(05:01):
excessive force. So what did this woman do that made
such a conflict that made him get so enraged against her.
She wasn't an escaped felon, she didn't rob anybody, she
had an expired registration. Really, we've seen so many of
these types of things, including against other black women and
(05:22):
children who have done nothing wrong. And the crazy thing
is because of his actions. One report says, over the years,
he's been suspended, fired, sued, criminally charged, but he's still
a comp now and he's overseeing other cops, which is
one reason why that George Floyd Justice and Policing Act
(05:45):
could have been a big help. It would keep these
kind of bad actors from doing the same things over
and over and over again.
Speaker 5 (05:55):
Unfortunately, being from Detroit, I've heard that officer's name before
and it's never for anything good.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
Believe me, Vanessa, your thoughts.
Speaker 3 (06:03):
Wow, I read an article in Atlanta Black Star. It
scared me to death, and that is that this cop
is still on the street. How Lieutenant Furman went over
the top with that black mother with her frightened black
children in the car is not the first time. Furman
has a history, a long, one, documented one, all against
(06:27):
black people.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
Mike.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
As you mentioned, Melvindale, a Detroit suburb eighty seven percent white,
five percent black, so maybe this time, maybe it will
move the needle. And again, like you said, why those
registries are important because if he gets let go there,
he may go somewhere else and carry the badge and gun. Scary, scary,
(06:54):
and like the article ran in which we all know
we report on this all the time, he is not
the only that does that kind of flashing the using
the power of the badge and the gun for his
racist behavior. It's just horrendous.
Speaker 6 (07:11):
So, as I mentioned, being a Detroit native, familiar with
that community and unfortunately have heard this officer's name before
attached to stories similar to this, So many officers throughout
our nation use the power, the authority, and the position
of that badge and that gun to weaponize.
Speaker 5 (07:30):
Their hatred toward those who they are supposed to serve
and protect. Far too often stories like this are reported on,
but the idea of accountability has escaped us in so
many cases, and as you all pointed out, the administration
getting rid of registries that let us know about bad
(07:52):
actors and other agencies giving bad actors a chance over
and over again, there's not much that would discourage racist
officers and racist law enforcement officials from weaponizing their power
to bully and cause harm, to marginalize people, people of color,
and in a disproportionate amount black people.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
You know, I I thought that I had heard his
name before, but it wasn't Matthew Furman. It was Mark Furman.
A for those that are not familiar with Mark Furman,
do yourself a favor. Google Mark Furman and you'll see
exactly what I'm talking about. But for those of us
(08:38):
that remember the O. J. Simpson trial, that that name Furman,
that that conjures up some feelings, right. Dave Chappelle famously
was making a joke on I believe it was at
the Chappelle Show. It's like Furman German, Furmin German, you know,
so as to compare like the history of Nazi Germany
(08:58):
to you know, a racist police officer, Mark Kerman. So anyway,
you know, when we were talking about the history of
this officer, Matthew Furman, he was already facing consequences for
a similar police brutality incident that had taken place a
(09:21):
few months prior. The gentleman at the center of that
brutality case is named Drakar Williams. And I was able
to see that video as well, and it was the
same sort of aggressive police tactics, like as soon as
there's a little bit of a crack in the armor there,
he will exploit it. As soon as someone stands up
(09:42):
for themselves, as soon as someone asks for clarifications, soon
when someone as soon as someone pushes back to say, hey, look,
you're wrong about that, then he will immediately escalate it.
I mean, I think that we all have seen the
same video, so we clearly see him hiding behind the
badge and using that little gap. And you didn't follow
(10:05):
my lawful command. I'm now fearing for my life and
then escalating the situation and making it physical. And one
of the things that you and I we always ask
on Civic Cipher is how do the police officers get
to be brave and scared all the time? Like you
get to pick one land or the other one, right,
(10:27):
because if you're scared, all this makes sense and we
get to say that you're, you know, the scared people
that protect America. But if you're brave, then be brave, right.
But that's you know, neither here nor there. The truth
of the matter is that you showed up with a
gun and a taser and a nightclub and police training
and you know, physical fit, and I'm picking up my
(10:47):
daughter from cheerleading. You want to talk about how you're
afraid and you get to justifiably be afraid in front
of a judge, and you have a whole system that
supports you toward that end, and you're afraid of me.
Don't insult me now. I do want to share a
(11:07):
comment from.
Speaker 2 (11:10):
Alicia Cook.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
She said something in an interview after the incident. She said,
this is a quote. I love law enforcement. I have
friends that are officers. My grandfather's a retired cop. I've
never experienced what I've experienced with him, unquote. And so
she's not an anti police individual. She just came face
to face with the reality of the situation for a
(11:35):
lot of black people, and a lot of black people
that never get to tell their stories, and a lot
of black people who, you know, maybe they never get
the the body cam footage or it wasn't recorded or whatever,
and so there's nothing to accompany what it is that
they're saying, so no one ever believes him, or it
doesn't get counted in statistics, or maybe it does, but
(11:58):
you know, people don't pay attention to it. So she
unlike me, says she loves law enforcement, and I, you know,
famously don't. It's not a thing for me. I don't
call them. I don't hope I don't ever need to,
but you know whatever. And then the last thing I'll
say is that, you know, for those that do end
up watching the video, there was a moment of her
(12:22):
you know, you could argue, folks that will see this
from the opposite side would argue, Okay, well, she did
not listen to.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
What he said when he said it right.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
But my belief, based on everything that I was able
to hear every time he wasn't screaming over her as
she was asking for clarification, was that she was trying
to state, Hey, if my tags are expired and the
car doesn't have insurance, the car is not in motion
(12:51):
and it's not on the street, it's in a parking lot.
I'm here to pick up my daughter, so you know,
I can leave the car. Like you know, she didn't
say this, but this is what I'm thinking that her
line of thinking was going. So she was trying to
get that type of clarification, I believe. So this is
why there was that pushback. She's trying to communicate with
the officer. There's no need to do anything crazy. We
(13:14):
can leave the car here. It's not my car. I'm
borrowing it from my friend who's in the hospital. I
had no idea about the tags. I'm not actively harming anyone.
I'm not even actively committing a crime because I'm in
a parking lot. The car is not in motion. I'm
not on a public roadway.
Speaker 7 (13:30):
Right.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
So as she was trying to get that clarification, the
police officer went, look, if you ever want to look
in the eyes of the devil, watch that video.
Speaker 2 (13:45):
I'll leave it there. Black Black, piece of the planet.
Speaker 7 (13:49):
I go by the name of Charlamagne of God, and
I can't wait to see y'all at the thirty ann
old Black Effect Podcast Festival.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
That's right, Yeah, number.
Speaker 7 (13:55):
Three, Baby, black Car, Black Rose More Black CEO be
coming back to pull me in y'all on Saturday. We're
twenty six in Atlanta, hosted by none other than Mandy
B and Weeezy. That's right, Decisions, Decisions. The Black Effect
is bringing some of the biggest and best podcasts in
the world to the stage.
Speaker 2 (14:10):
A one day only.
Speaker 7 (14:12):
Ready, we got the R and B Money Podcast with
Tanking Jay Valentine, we got the Woman of All Podcasts
with Saray Jay Roberts, Good Mom's Bad Choices, neckd.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
Sports with Carrie Champion, and.
Speaker 7 (14:22):
The Trap Nerds podcast were more to be announced. And
of course it's bigger than podcasts. We're bringing the Black
Effect Marketplace with black owned businesses, plus the food truck
court to keep you fed while you visit us. All right,
if all myspiring podcasters, we got something for you too.
You know, we got informative panels and you can go
to the career corners, play foot of one on one
time with industry leaders. Tickets on sell now, tap in
(14:43):
at Black Effect dot Com, Flash Podcast Festival.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
Black Information Network news anchors Vanessa Tyler and Mike Stevens
are here with us discussing this week's major stories. All right,
Next up, Civil rights icon Al Sharpton stopped by the
Breakfast Club earlier this week and got into a heated
exchange with Charlemagne and God about Trump and the focus
of the Democratic Party. I want to piggyback my thoughts
on this story too, But of course we're going to
start with you, Vanessa, and then we'll get to Mike
(15:12):
and Q afterwards. But Vanessa tell us about Al Sharpton's
comments on the Breakfast Club.
Speaker 3 (15:17):
Well, I think Reverend Sharpton Charlemagne disagreement has a lot
to do with the whole shock and awe. Trump was
ready this time because it was all planned out for
him for years, so he moved in and he moved fast.
Of course, many thought that two candidates could not even
compare when you talk about VP Kamala Harris and Trump,
(15:39):
but the American people, many who aren't complaining now voted
him in. The Democrats just need to come up with
the best plan. That's all in a unified one.
Speaker 4 (15:52):
Mike, Yeah, what I would have to say is not
so much about that particular conversation. But just as Vanessa
alluded to going forward, and both Charlemagne and Al Sharpton
said this, Democrats have to take a different route. It's
probably gonna have to be different people if they want
to move forward politically. Probably not Kamala Harris. I think
(16:15):
the country on both sides of the aisle and in
different racial groups are looking for political leaders who are
going to be more moderate and not so extreme and
can get things done. I mean, it's it's like a
stalemate in Washington. I mean, a couple of things get
pushed through because one side has a few more votes
(16:36):
than the other. But as far as meaningful legislation and
working together, it's not happening. In years, going back to
Bill Clinton and Gingrich America, polls showed the Americans wanted
their politicians to get, you know, to work together. But
it's it's more polarized than ever now. And as as
(16:56):
you said, you know, many of the Republicans voted for
Donald Try now sorry that they did. So it may
be a Corey Booker or a Wes Moore or someone
else who can have more of a unifying effect going forward.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
Yeah, yeah, you.
Speaker 1 (17:13):
Know, I think that there's there's definitely something there. I
don't want to solely blame Democrats.
Speaker 7 (17:27):
We are.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
The people that shape this country shaped and for those
of us that didn't vote, this is for you that side.
And I don't want to jump in front of Q
because I know this is a major talking point that
Q brings up a lot of times when we have
these conversations. But that side there, they have a base
(17:50):
that is very very solid, and for whatever reason, racism,
they are going to cast their votes the same way
no matter what. Now, that's not all of them on
that side, but that is a huge chunk of them.
And then other people will just simply ignore the racist
aspect and say, look, these are the benefits to me.
That other side does not provide these benefits. So I'm
(18:10):
still going to vote my vote the same as I
always did, and my dad and my granddaddy.
Speaker 2 (18:14):
And so forth. Right, So that's that side. They are
doing what they're doing no matter what.
Speaker 1 (18:19):
It's moderates and it's really us Democrats that will we
have a little bit more in the way of liberties
when it comes to casting our votes. You know, we
are more likely often enough to vote for independence, and
(18:41):
we are more likely to become disillusioned with the entire political.
Speaker 2 (18:44):
Process and so forth.
Speaker 1 (18:47):
And so it's on this side that, you know, really
we end up shaping the outcomes of the political arena
by whether or not we're willing to participate in it.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
Level.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
Now, with that in mind, if we cripple the Democrats
repeatedly and they are not able to get everything done
because we have not shown up even back when in
two thousand and in two thousand and four, in two
(19:20):
thousand and eight, you know, we could have, you know,
we could have shown up in greater numbers and voted.
And on this side, we're less likely to vote. I
remember reading a statistic back then that said that, you know,
people of a more liberal philosophy are less likely to
vote than people of a more conservative philosophy. So imagine
(19:45):
what we would have done if we would have given
all the levers of government to Barack Obama or given
all the levers of government to Joe Biden. So there's
some of the responsibilities on us to voters.
Speaker 2 (19:59):
But Democrats, they're not blameless.
Speaker 1 (20:02):
And this is I think why Charlott Mane was pushing
back against Al Sharpton Democrats. You know, as long as
Nancy Pelosi is profiting off of you know, the stock
market and she's insider trading and that sort.
Speaker 2 (20:17):
Of stuff, it just makes the whole thing look bad.
Speaker 1 (20:21):
Right And as long as you know, and our as
much as we make fun of Mitch McConnell and his
archaic dinosaurs, you know face, you know, holding on to
power in our government. You know, we have people on
our side to do the same thing. You know, and
you know, for us to say that, you know, everything
(20:45):
is you know, stems from like racism and every you know,
white men are bad, you know, that sort of stuff.
Even though though that's not what we're saying, or even
though it's factually true, it doesn't translate all to voters.
Voters really want to know. And Charllemane actually told me this,
so you told it to me and Q on this show.
(21:06):
But you know, voters want to know. Listen, I need.
I have thirty dollars in my account and it's got
to last me two weeks. What is the government going
to do about that? Because the only thing I'm worried
about now is not the government. I'm not worried about
what's happening in across town. I'm not worried about what's
going on with the police. I'm worried about how to
get more money in my bank account. So if a
politician is talking about that, as far as my life
is concerned, then they got my ears. And so a
(21:27):
person like Donald Trump can say, hey, let me put
my name on the stimulus checks. Hey, hey, you know whatever,
And you know it's that way of thinking, right, And
I'm not saying that Democrats should be deceitpl and all
that sort of stuff because that's not the game that
we should ever play in the United States of America
for any party. But knowing how far Donald Trump can
(21:49):
bend the rules means that now we all know that
whoever we put in the office next can do the same,
and we need to hold them accountable. I don't have
any complaints with Kamala Harris. I don't have I have
complaints with Democrats. I have a lot more complaints with
the Republicans. But Kamala Harris, she got the ball, she
ran the play, and she didn't she didn't score, but
(22:11):
she did what she was supposed to do. So I
think that's where Al Sharpton was kind of pushing back
against Charlotte Mae, my bad you. I didn't mean to
jump in front of you, but you know, I know
I probably said a lot of what you might say too,
but you know we're.
Speaker 2 (22:22):
Here, So yeah, I don't have much more.
Speaker 5 (22:29):
Just you know, it's hard to be moderate when you
have to stand opposite Donald Trump.
Speaker 2 (22:35):
Yeah, like you almost have.
Speaker 5 (22:38):
To go extreme the other direction because of how far
extreme he's gone. But I'd echo everything that you just said,
and I don't. I don't think the audience needs to
hear it again. So we'll close out this week's show
with a new update involving the trial of the white
Buffalo supermarket mass shooter. Mike, let's hear more about the
(23:00):
story from you and then Vanessa and ramsas you guys
can close us out.
Speaker 4 (23:05):
Oh, was horrible when it happened, and it's horrible now
people when people come from outside the community and target you,
And that's what happened in this case. Peyton Jendron killed
ten black people. Excuse me not, he killed He murdered
ten black people at a Buffalo, New York supermarket. This
(23:25):
wasn't an accident. He planned it out. He targeted them
just for the color of their skin. He pleaded guilty
a couple of years ago to state charges including domestic
terrorism motivated by hate. He's serving a life sentence without
the possibility of parole, but he also has a federal
trial coming up, and he faces the possible death penalty
(23:48):
with that. So now he says, because of the publicity
and so many black people who would possibly be on
the jey, he wouldn't get a fair trial. Again, the
federal trials to start later, they shar so he's asking
for that to be moved somewhere else, a change of venue, Vanessa.
Speaker 3 (24:06):
You know, I was thinking about this, Okay, So it
happened in Buffalo. If anyone knows the New York state,
New York State is a huge state, so Buffalo is
like a world away from New York City. He wants
this case tried in New York City, right? I wonder
if he and his legal team wanted a larger TV
(24:26):
market for this race case to get the attention of
Trump and Mega and who knows, maybe he was angling
for some type of pardon, because you know, once they
get a sniff that this is a race case, the
attention is different. I mean, we already know they kind
(24:48):
of threw out there getting rid of, you know, helping
out George Floyd's murderer, killer cop Derek Chauvin. So you know,
I'm just saying, because he wants to come New York City.
There are a lot of black folks on the jury's
here as well, so you know, who knows what they're angling?
Speaker 1 (25:09):
Yeah, I I That's that's an interesting element to consider
because up until now I had, you know, based on
what I had read, Uh, you know, they simply didn't
feel like they could get an impartial jewelry jury pool
together for the trial, and they used words like, you know,
this population in Buffalo is segregated and all that sort
(25:30):
of stuff, So whatever his defense is on is crazy.
But you know that that's another angle I hadn't considered.
Speaker 2 (25:40):
You know, when when.
Speaker 8 (25:41):
I I'm supposed to follow the news very closely, and
you know, Q and I have a rule that usually
one of us will read a story or watch a
video and the other one won't because we don't want
to overwhelm ourselves.
Speaker 1 (25:56):
I know that I'm an emotional person. I feel these stories,
and I know that you know, q Is is very similar.
Speaker 2 (26:06):
We all are.
Speaker 1 (26:06):
We're human beings, and you get a little bit of
this stuff. You carry a little bit of it with you.
And there's so much heartbreaking stuff. And I remember seeing
a video of a woman who was weeping, wailing in
the courtroom, just laying into this shooter. She was like,
you know, I'm doing this from memory, so forgive me
(26:27):
if I if I don't have it exact, but she
was basically saying that, you know, you killed my sister.
I talked to her on the phone every day. She
was seventy two years old and you blew out the
back of her head, And then where how do I
heal from that?
Speaker 2 (26:41):
Where do I go from here?
Speaker 1 (26:43):
And just imagine a woman wailing, and you know, Q
and I say it, and we'll say it as often
as they haven't, like in an audience. Black women are
as close to God as we'll be on this planet.
I believe that to be very, very true. And for
us to hold this figure, this image in such a
high regard, to see reduced to you know, just a
(27:03):
puddle of her former self, I'm sure is just gut
wrenching and heartbreaking. And for this guy to say, look,
I need to get a different trial so I can
get more favorable circumstances, it feels crazy. And then you
know what you say, Vanessa, Well, they're hoping that he
can get a pardon. It feels crazy to be living
(27:24):
in this timeline. It feels crazy. You know, no one's
denying that it was him, no one's denying what he did,
no one's denying the pain.
Speaker 2 (27:34):
So let's figure out a way to get a better defense.
Speaker 1 (27:38):
Like, the best defense you can get for this guy
should be like, look, let's not kill him. But you know,
if he's seeking a pardon. Whoever is in charge over there,
whoever is kind of like remotely has a modicum of decency,
should immediately shut that down and put him away forever
and teach everyone else who might follow in his footstep.
(28:00):
So a lesson, and you know, we'll leave it there.
So with that in mind, thank you both very much
for your time and your insight. Once again, Today's guest
or Black Information Network News anchors Vanessa Tyler and Mike Stevens.
This has been a production of the Black Information Network.
Today's show is produced by Chris Thompson. Have some thoughts
you'd like to share, use the red microphone talkback feature
(28:20):
on the iHeartRadio app. While you're there, be sure to
hit subscribe and download all of our episodes. I'm your host,
Rams's Jaw on all social media.
Speaker 6 (28:29):
I am q Ward on all social media as well.
Speaker 1 (28:33):
And we'll be hosting another episode of Civic Cipher this
weekend on a station near you. For stations, showtimes and
podcast info, Jeck Civiccipher dot com and Jonas Monday. As
we share our news with our voice from our perspective
right here on the Black Information Network Daily podcast
It's been another busy newsweek, and we like to review
the major stories of the week here on the Black
Information Network. Today, we are joined by Black Information Network
news anchors Vanessa Tyler and Mike Stevens to discuss this
week's major stories. This is the Black Information Network Daily Podcast.
I'm your host ramses.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Jah and I'm your host Q Ward.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
All right, welcome back to the show, Vanessa and Mike. Vanessa, Uh,
I hesitate to ask, but uh, how's things going in
your world? Oh?
Speaker 3 (00:33):
Boy, hasn't been busy in the news and we're all
watching the stock market right now.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
But yeah, absolutely very busy. Oh sure, sure, Mike, man,
what's the latest? All's good? Man less glad.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
To hear it. All right, well, let's get to the
news then, all right. First up, some call it grand standing,
while others felt this week's record setting speech by US
Senator Corey Booker is the type of black leadership that's
been sorely missing from the Democratic Party as a whole. Vanessa,
there's a lot to unpack with this, sorry, so let's
start with you tell us more about Senator booker speech,
and then Mike and Q we'll get your thoughts.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
Next.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
I just want to start saying. First, Rams, is that
New Jersey Senator Corey Booker has always been a great speaker.
I've been covering him since he was the mayor in Newark,
always very passionate. But for twenty five hours he made history.
He's still on the Senate floor and told whoever was
(01:26):
listening what Trump and Doge are doing and how it
will harshly affect everyone. And it was a good look.
You know why, because he broke the racist record set
by the late South Carolina Senator strom Therman.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
Kind I kind of love that, Mike. Let's get your thoughts.
Speaker 4 (01:45):
Yeah, you know, politicians are in general and in general
are are hard to trust. That many of them, over
the years say one thing in public something else in private.
I full disclosure. I met Corey Booker and strom Therman
over or a period of years, and I've always found
Corey Booker to be very sincere, at least the appearance
(02:08):
of it. I don't know him personally, but he always
comes across as someone who does things for the right reasons.
I don't think he was grand standing at all. I,
as Vanessa said, I would say he was being passionate.
He's trying to fix some of the mess the countries
now in. If he's just doing it just to get attention,
(02:29):
you stand there for an hour or two, but not
twenty five hours. And you know, Senator strom Thurman did
his filipbuster for twenty four hours against black people, against
black civil rights, and so I really feel like Corey
Booker did this for not only Black Americans, but for
the country.
Speaker 5 (02:50):
You you know, we don't have to win every fight,
but it just feels good to see someone fighting for us,
whether he's victorious, whether legislation changes from this, whether or
not there's anything tangible that we can touch that happens
(03:10):
for it or from it. His presence, his defiance, his
indefatigable nature, the twenty five hours of just speaking up
for so many different groups and against so many different
kind of cruel, awful decisions being made by the administration.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
Bravo.
Speaker 5 (03:32):
You know, I was starting to feel discouraged, like no
one was going to stand up for us. And I'll
take that as a good start. I'll applaud him, and
the next time we see him, I'll hug him a
little bit tighter because it meant a lot to me.
I know, it meant a lot to you as well,
that he even made that gesture, made that stand and
(03:52):
stood up to me, that it felt like he stood
up for us. Up next, another example of police behaving
badly toward black women. Service this week in my home
state of Michigan. Mike, give us the latest details on
this story. Vanessa in ramses, you guys are up next.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
All right.
Speaker 4 (04:13):
So, yeah, this is in Melvindale, Michigan, near Detroit. So
you know there's a lot of black people driving through
this town off the interstate. But it's the kind of
place you don't want to be in either after sundown
maybe or at all when you have officers like Lieutenant
Matthew Ferman around. He is the latest example of oh
(04:37):
allegation against him against mistreating black people over and over
and over again, using his badge as a way to
do horrible things. In this case, he pulls a black
mother out of a car and tasers her in front
of her children. He claimed he did it because he
was in fear for his own safety. That's a common
phrase that a lot of officers use to excuse, you know,
(05:01):
excessive force. So what did this woman do that made
such a conflict that made him get so enraged against her.
She wasn't an escaped felon, she didn't rob anybody, she
had an expired registration. Really, we've seen so many of
these types of things, including against other black women and
(05:22):
children who have done nothing wrong. And the crazy thing
is because of his actions. One report says, over the years,
he's been suspended, fired, sued, criminally charged, but he's still
a comp now and he's overseeing other cops, which is
one reason why that George Floyd Justice and Policing Act
(05:45):
could have been a big help. It would keep these
kind of bad actors from doing the same things over
and over and over again.
Speaker 5 (05:55):
Unfortunately, being from Detroit, I've heard that officer's name before
and it's never for anything good.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
Believe me, Vanessa, your thoughts.
Speaker 3 (06:03):
Wow, I read an article in Atlanta Black Star. It
scared me to death, and that is that this cop
is still on the street. How Lieutenant Furman went over
the top with that black mother with her frightened black
children in the car is not the first time. Furman
has a history, a long, one, documented one, all against
(06:27):
black people.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
Mike.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
As you mentioned, Melvindale, a Detroit suburb eighty seven percent white,
five percent black, so maybe this time, maybe it will
move the needle. And again, like you said, why those
registries are important because if he gets let go there,
he may go somewhere else and carry the badge and gun. Scary, scary,
(06:54):
and like the article ran in which we all know
we report on this all the time, he is not
the only that does that kind of flashing the using
the power of the badge and the gun for his
racist behavior. It's just horrendous.
Speaker 6 (07:11):
So, as I mentioned, being a Detroit native, familiar with
that community and unfortunately have heard this officer's name before
attached to stories similar to this, So many officers throughout
our nation use the power, the authority, and the position
of that badge and that gun to weaponize.
Speaker 5 (07:30):
Their hatred toward those who they are supposed to serve
and protect. Far too often stories like this are reported on,
but the idea of accountability has escaped us in so
many cases, and as you all pointed out, the administration
getting rid of registries that let us know about bad
(07:52):
actors and other agencies giving bad actors a chance over
and over again, there's not much that would discourage racist
officers and racist law enforcement officials from weaponizing their power
to bully and cause harm, to marginalize people, people of color,
and in a disproportionate amount black people.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
You know, I I thought that I had heard his
name before, but it wasn't Matthew Furman. It was Mark Furman.
A for those that are not familiar with Mark Furman,
do yourself a favor. Google Mark Furman and you'll see
exactly what I'm talking about. But for those of us
(08:38):
that remember the O. J. Simpson trial, that that name Furman,
that that conjures up some feelings, right. Dave Chappelle famously
was making a joke on I believe it was at
the Chappelle Show. It's like Furman German, Furmin German, you know,
so as to compare like the history of Nazi Germany
(08:58):
to you know, a racist police officer, Mark Kerman. So anyway,
you know, when we were talking about the history of
this officer, Matthew Furman, he was already facing consequences for
a similar police brutality incident that had taken place a
(09:21):
few months prior. The gentleman at the center of that
brutality case is named Drakar Williams. And I was able
to see that video as well, and it was the
same sort of aggressive police tactics, like as soon as
there's a little bit of a crack in the armor there,
he will exploit it. As soon as someone stands up
(09:42):
for themselves, as soon as someone asks for clarifications, soon
when someone as soon as someone pushes back to say, hey, look,
you're wrong about that, then he will immediately escalate it.
I mean, I think that we all have seen the
same video, so we clearly see him hiding behind the
badge and using that little gap. And you didn't follow
(10:05):
my lawful command. I'm now fearing for my life and
then escalating the situation and making it physical. And one
of the things that you and I we always ask
on Civic Cipher is how do the police officers get
to be brave and scared all the time? Like you
get to pick one land or the other one, right,
(10:27):
because if you're scared, all this makes sense and we
get to say that you're, you know, the scared people
that protect America. But if you're brave, then be brave, right.
But that's you know, neither here nor there. The truth
of the matter is that you showed up with a
gun and a taser and a nightclub and police training
and you know, physical fit, and I'm picking up my
(10:47):
daughter from cheerleading. You want to talk about how you're
afraid and you get to justifiably be afraid in front
of a judge, and you have a whole system that
supports you toward that end, and you're afraid of me.
Don't insult me now. I do want to share a
(11:07):
comment from.
Speaker 2 (11:10):
Alicia Cook.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
She said something in an interview after the incident. She said,
this is a quote. I love law enforcement. I have
friends that are officers. My grandfather's a retired cop. I've
never experienced what I've experienced with him, unquote. And so
she's not an anti police individual. She just came face
to face with the reality of the situation for a
(11:35):
lot of black people, and a lot of black people
that never get to tell their stories, and a lot
of black people who, you know, maybe they never get
the the body cam footage or it wasn't recorded or whatever,
and so there's nothing to accompany what it is that
they're saying, so no one ever believes him, or it
doesn't get counted in statistics, or maybe it does, but
(11:58):
you know, people don't pay attention to it. So she
unlike me, says she loves law enforcement, and I, you know,
famously don't. It's not a thing for me. I don't
call them. I don't hope I don't ever need to,
but you know whatever. And then the last thing I'll
say is that, you know, for those that do end
up watching the video, there was a moment of her
(12:22):
you know, you could argue, folks that will see this
from the opposite side would argue, Okay, well, she did
not listen to.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
What he said when he said it right.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
But my belief, based on everything that I was able
to hear every time he wasn't screaming over her as
she was asking for clarification, was that she was trying
to state, Hey, if my tags are expired and the
car doesn't have insurance, the car is not in motion
(12:51):
and it's not on the street, it's in a parking lot.
I'm here to pick up my daughter, so you know,
I can leave the car. Like you know, she didn't
say this, but this is what I'm thinking that her
line of thinking was going. So she was trying to
get that type of clarification, I believe. So this is
why there was that pushback. She's trying to communicate with
the officer. There's no need to do anything crazy. We
(13:14):
can leave the car here. It's not my car. I'm
borrowing it from my friend who's in the hospital. I
had no idea about the tags. I'm not actively harming anyone.
I'm not even actively committing a crime because I'm in
a parking lot. The car is not in motion. I'm
not on a public roadway.
Speaker 7 (13:30):
Right.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
So as she was trying to get that clarification, the
police officer went, look, if you ever want to look
in the eyes of the devil, watch that video.
Speaker 2 (13:45):
I'll leave it there. Black Black, piece of the planet.
Speaker 7 (13:49):
I go by the name of Charlamagne of God, and
I can't wait to see y'all at the thirty ann
old Black Effect Podcast Festival.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
That's right, Yeah, number.
Speaker 7 (13:55):
Three, Baby, black Car, Black Rose More Black CEO be
coming back to pull me in y'all on Saturday. We're
twenty six in Atlanta, hosted by none other than Mandy
B and Weeezy. That's right, Decisions, Decisions. The Black Effect
is bringing some of the biggest and best podcasts in
the world to the stage.
Speaker 2 (14:10):
A one day only.
Speaker 7 (14:12):
Ready, we got the R and B Money Podcast with
Tanking Jay Valentine, we got the Woman of All Podcasts
with Saray Jay Roberts, Good Mom's Bad Choices, neckd.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
Sports with Carrie Champion, and.
Speaker 7 (14:22):
The Trap Nerds podcast were more to be announced. And
of course it's bigger than podcasts. We're bringing the Black
Effect Marketplace with black owned businesses, plus the food truck
court to keep you fed while you visit us. All right,
if all myspiring podcasters, we got something for you too.
You know, we got informative panels and you can go
to the career corners, play foot of one on one
time with industry leaders. Tickets on sell now, tap in
(14:43):
at Black Effect dot Com, Flash Podcast Festival.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
Black Information Network news anchors Vanessa Tyler and Mike Stevens
are here with us discussing this week's major stories. All right,
Next up, Civil rights icon Al Sharpton stopped by the
Breakfast Club earlier this week and got into a heated
exchange with Charlemagne and God about Trump and the focus
of the Democratic Party. I want to piggyback my thoughts
on this story too, But of course we're going to
start with you, Vanessa, and then we'll get to Mike
(15:12):
and Q afterwards. But Vanessa tell us about Al Sharpton's
comments on the Breakfast Club.
Speaker 3 (15:17):
Well, I think Reverend Sharpton Charlemagne disagreement has a lot
to do with the whole shock and awe. Trump was
ready this time because it was all planned out for
him for years, so he moved in and he moved fast.
Of course, many thought that two candidates could not even
compare when you talk about VP Kamala Harris and Trump,
(15:39):
but the American people, many who aren't complaining now voted
him in. The Democrats just need to come up with
the best plan. That's all in a unified one.
Speaker 4 (15:52):
Mike, Yeah, what I would have to say is not
so much about that particular conversation. But just as Vanessa
alluded to going forward, and both Charlemagne and Al Sharpton
said this, Democrats have to take a different route. It's
probably gonna have to be different people if they want
to move forward politically. Probably not Kamala Harris. I think
(16:15):
the country on both sides of the aisle and in
different racial groups are looking for political leaders who are
going to be more moderate and not so extreme and
can get things done. I mean, it's it's like a
stalemate in Washington. I mean, a couple of things get
pushed through because one side has a few more votes
(16:36):
than the other. But as far as meaningful legislation and
working together, it's not happening. In years, going back to
Bill Clinton and Gingrich America, polls showed the Americans wanted
their politicians to get, you know, to work together. But
it's it's more polarized than ever now. And as as
(16:56):
you said, you know, many of the Republicans voted for
Donald Try now sorry that they did. So it may
be a Corey Booker or a Wes Moore or someone
else who can have more of a unifying effect going forward.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
Yeah, yeah, you.
Speaker 1 (17:13):
Know, I think that there's there's definitely something there. I
don't want to solely blame Democrats.
Speaker 7 (17:27):
We are.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
The people that shape this country shaped and for those
of us that didn't vote, this is for you that side.
And I don't want to jump in front of Q
because I know this is a major talking point that
Q brings up a lot of times when we have
these conversations. But that side there, they have a base
(17:50):
that is very very solid, and for whatever reason, racism,
they are going to cast their votes the same way
no matter what. Now, that's not all of them on
that side, but that is a huge chunk of them.
And then other people will just simply ignore the racist
aspect and say, look, these are the benefits to me.
That other side does not provide these benefits. So I'm
(18:10):
still going to vote my vote the same as I
always did, and my dad and my granddaddy.
Speaker 2 (18:14):
And so forth. Right, So that's that side. They are
doing what they're doing no matter what.
Speaker 1 (18:19):
It's moderates and it's really us Democrats that will we
have a little bit more in the way of liberties
when it comes to casting our votes. You know, we
are more likely often enough to vote for independence, and
(18:41):
we are more likely to become disillusioned with the entire political.
Speaker 2 (18:44):
Process and so forth.
Speaker 1 (18:47):
And so it's on this side that, you know, really
we end up shaping the outcomes of the political arena
by whether or not we're willing to participate in it.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
Level.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
Now, with that in mind, if we cripple the Democrats
repeatedly and they are not able to get everything done
because we have not shown up even back when in
two thousand and in two thousand and four, in two
(19:20):
thousand and eight, you know, we could have, you know,
we could have shown up in greater numbers and voted.
And on this side, we're less likely to vote. I
remember reading a statistic back then that said that, you know,
people of a more liberal philosophy are less likely to
vote than people of a more conservative philosophy. So imagine
(19:45):
what we would have done if we would have given
all the levers of government to Barack Obama or given
all the levers of government to Joe Biden. So there's
some of the responsibilities on us to voters.
Speaker 2 (19:59):
But Democrats, they're not blameless.
Speaker 1 (20:02):
And this is I think why Charlott Mane was pushing
back against Al Sharpton Democrats. You know, as long as
Nancy Pelosi is profiting off of you know, the stock
market and she's insider trading and that sort.
Speaker 2 (20:17):
Of stuff, it just makes the whole thing look bad.
Speaker 1 (20:21):
Right And as long as you know, and our as
much as we make fun of Mitch McConnell and his
archaic dinosaurs, you know face, you know, holding on to
power in our government. You know, we have people on
our side to do the same thing. You know, and
you know, for us to say that, you know, everything
(20:45):
is you know, stems from like racism and every you know,
white men are bad, you know, that sort of stuff.
Even though though that's not what we're saying, or even
though it's factually true, it doesn't translate all to voters.
Voters really want to know. And Charllemane actually told me this,
so you told it to me and Q on this show.
(21:06):
But you know, voters want to know. Listen, I need.
I have thirty dollars in my account and it's got
to last me two weeks. What is the government going
to do about that? Because the only thing I'm worried
about now is not the government. I'm not worried about
what's happening in across town. I'm not worried about what's
going on with the police. I'm worried about how to
get more money in my bank account. So if a
politician is talking about that, as far as my life
is concerned, then they got my ears. And so a
(21:27):
person like Donald Trump can say, hey, let me put
my name on the stimulus checks. Hey, hey, you know whatever,
And you know it's that way of thinking, right, And
I'm not saying that Democrats should be deceitpl and all
that sort of stuff because that's not the game that
we should ever play in the United States of America
for any party. But knowing how far Donald Trump can
(21:49):
bend the rules means that now we all know that
whoever we put in the office next can do the same,
and we need to hold them accountable. I don't have
any complaints with Kamala Harris. I don't have I have
complaints with Democrats. I have a lot more complaints with
the Republicans. But Kamala Harris, she got the ball, she
ran the play, and she didn't she didn't score, but
(22:11):
she did what she was supposed to do. So I
think that's where Al Sharpton was kind of pushing back
against Charlotte Mae, my bad you. I didn't mean to
jump in front of you, but you know, I know
I probably said a lot of what you might say too,
but you know we're.
Speaker 2 (22:22):
Here, So yeah, I don't have much more.
Speaker 5 (22:29):
Just you know, it's hard to be moderate when you
have to stand opposite Donald Trump.
Speaker 2 (22:35):
Yeah, like you almost have.
Speaker 5 (22:38):
To go extreme the other direction because of how far
extreme he's gone. But I'd echo everything that you just said,
and I don't. I don't think the audience needs to
hear it again. So we'll close out this week's show
with a new update involving the trial of the white
Buffalo supermarket mass shooter. Mike, let's hear more about the
(23:00):
story from you and then Vanessa and ramsas you guys
can close us out.
Speaker 4 (23:05):
Oh, was horrible when it happened, and it's horrible now
people when people come from outside the community and target you,
And that's what happened in this case. Peyton Jendron killed
ten black people. Excuse me not, he killed He murdered
ten black people at a Buffalo, New York supermarket. This
(23:25):
wasn't an accident. He planned it out. He targeted them
just for the color of their skin. He pleaded guilty
a couple of years ago to state charges including domestic
terrorism motivated by hate. He's serving a life sentence without
the possibility of parole, but he also has a federal
trial coming up, and he faces the possible death penalty
(23:48):
with that. So now he says, because of the publicity
and so many black people who would possibly be on
the jey, he wouldn't get a fair trial. Again, the
federal trials to start later, they shar so he's asking
for that to be moved somewhere else, a change of venue, Vanessa.
Speaker 3 (24:06):
You know, I was thinking about this, Okay, So it
happened in Buffalo. If anyone knows the New York state,
New York State is a huge state, so Buffalo is
like a world away from New York City. He wants
this case tried in New York City, right? I wonder
if he and his legal team wanted a larger TV
(24:26):
market for this race case to get the attention of
Trump and Mega and who knows, maybe he was angling
for some type of pardon, because you know, once they
get a sniff that this is a race case, the
attention is different. I mean, we already know they kind
(24:48):
of threw out there getting rid of, you know, helping
out George Floyd's murderer, killer cop Derek Chauvin. So you know,
I'm just saying, because he wants to come New York City.
There are a lot of black folks on the jury's
here as well, so you know, who knows what they're angling?
Speaker 1 (25:09):
Yeah, I I That's that's an interesting element to consider
because up until now I had, you know, based on
what I had read, Uh, you know, they simply didn't
feel like they could get an impartial jewelry jury pool
together for the trial, and they used words like, you know,
this population in Buffalo is segregated and all that sort
(25:30):
of stuff, So whatever his defense is on is crazy.
But you know that that's another angle I hadn't considered.
Speaker 2 (25:40):
You know, when when.
Speaker 8 (25:41):
I I'm supposed to follow the news very closely, and
you know, Q and I have a rule that usually
one of us will read a story or watch a
video and the other one won't because we don't want
to overwhelm ourselves.
Speaker 1 (25:56):
I know that I'm an emotional person. I feel these stories,
and I know that you know, q Is is very similar.
Speaker 2 (26:06):
We all are.
Speaker 1 (26:06):
We're human beings, and you get a little bit of
this stuff. You carry a little bit of it with you.
And there's so much heartbreaking stuff. And I remember seeing
a video of a woman who was weeping, wailing in
the courtroom, just laying into this shooter. She was like,
you know, I'm doing this from memory, so forgive me
(26:27):
if I if I don't have it exact, but she
was basically saying that, you know, you killed my sister.
I talked to her on the phone every day. She
was seventy two years old and you blew out the
back of her head, And then where how do I
heal from that?
Speaker 2 (26:41):
Where do I go from here?
Speaker 1 (26:43):
And just imagine a woman wailing, and you know, Q
and I say it, and we'll say it as often
as they haven't, like in an audience. Black women are
as close to God as we'll be on this planet.
I believe that to be very, very true. And for
us to hold this figure, this image in such a
high regard, to see reduced to you know, just a
(27:03):
puddle of her former self, I'm sure is just gut
wrenching and heartbreaking. And for this guy to say, look,
I need to get a different trial so I can
get more favorable circumstances, it feels crazy. And then you
know what you say, Vanessa, Well, they're hoping that he
can get a pardon. It feels crazy to be living
(27:24):
in this timeline. It feels crazy. You know, no one's
denying that it was him, no one's denying what he did,
no one's denying the pain.
Speaker 2 (27:34):
So let's figure out a way to get a better defense.
Speaker 1 (27:38):
Like, the best defense you can get for this guy
should be like, look, let's not kill him. But you know,
if he's seeking a pardon. Whoever is in charge over there,
whoever is kind of like remotely has a modicum of decency,
should immediately shut that down and put him away forever
and teach everyone else who might follow in his footstep.
(28:00):
So a lesson, and you know, we'll leave it there.
So with that in mind, thank you both very much
for your time and your insight. Once again, Today's guest
or Black Information Network News anchors Vanessa Tyler and Mike Stevens.
This has been a production of the Black Information Network.
Today's show is produced by Chris Thompson. Have some thoughts
you'd like to share, use the red microphone talkback feature
(28:20):
on the iHeartRadio app. While you're there, be sure to
hit subscribe and download all of our episodes. I'm your host,
Rams's Jaw on all social media.
Speaker 6 (28:29):
I am q Ward on all social media as well.
Speaker 1 (28:33):
And we'll be hosting another episode of Civic Cipher this
weekend on a station near you. For stations, showtimes and
podcast info, Jeck Civiccipher dot com and Jonas Monday. As
we share our news with our voice from our perspective
right here on the Black Information Network Daily podcast
Popular Podcasts
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy And Charlamagne Tha God!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Decisions, Decisions
Welcome to "Decisions, Decisions," the podcast where boundaries are pushed, and conversations get candid! Join your favorite hosts, Mandii B and WeezyWTF, as they dive deep into the world of non-traditional relationships and explore the often-taboo topics surrounding dating, sex, and love. Every Monday, Mandii and Weezy invite you to unlearn the outdated narratives dictated by traditional patriarchal norms. With a blend of humor, vulnerability, and authenticity, they share their personal journeys navigating their 30s, tackling the complexities of modern relationships, and engaging in thought-provoking discussions that challenge societal expectations. From groundbreaking interviews with diverse guests to relatable stories that resonate with your experiences, "Decisions, Decisions" is your go-to source for open dialogue about what it truly means to love and connect in today's world. Get ready to reshape your understanding of relationships and embrace the freedom of authentic connections—tune in and join the conversation!