December 12, 2023 • 29 mins
Erica Ford Says “I’ve Seen More S**t In Politics Than I Did On The Streets” + More
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
What's up with Angela Yee And I have somebody who
I've been wanting to talk to for quite some time.
I know, we keep on discussing it, but you were like,
the time is right now.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
I'm Erica Ford is here.
Speaker 3 (00:16):
The time is right now.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
The time is right now.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
And I love every time I see you when you
say I just got some good news, because it feels.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Like that happens a lot.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
And you know we met while you you are, you
still have life Camp, you created life Camp, but that's
your baby. And December thirty, first I saw you said.
Speaker 3 (00:32):
You're transitioning from running the day to day operation. So
I will no longer be the executive director. I will
no longer be hiring people, I will no longer be
signing time cards. I will no longer be like you're
supposed to be at work doing this, like all of
that day to day stuff. I'm no longer going to
(00:53):
be doing that, which is an extreme. Like anybody who
runs a business knows what day to day are operation is,
and it's a lot. It has taken a toll on me,
but I put in my time. You know, it's twenty
two years, twenty three years.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
I don't even remember, which is amazing to have and
stuff for people who are listening who maybe don't know
Life Camp, you know, shame on you, but can you
tell people what life Camp is?
Speaker 3 (01:21):
Way up with life Camp. We are a not for
profit organization based in Jamaica, Queens, but has footprints across
the nation, across the world. Really, we are one of
the leading or the leading violence prevention organization in the nation.
That's right, I said it, Erica Ford fact Check. Anybody
(01:41):
who wants to dispute, give me a call. But we've
worked from the hood to the White House. We've been
able to move billions of dollars across the United States
to help people start up these businesses, to hire formally
incarcerated men and women at a very high scale, and
you know, really reduce violence across the nation and help
(02:05):
change and transform a lot of young people's lives in
a lot of communities.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
And when people see you, they love you, you know,
because peace is definitely something that I always see you
talking about the weekend where there was no gun violence,
no guns in New York, you know, which is a
major feet with.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
A major feet And imagine, right, just imagine like if
you had a weekend, you sold a lot of coffee
or a lot of juices. Right, you're gonna look at
what happened that weekend. How do we keep it going right? Right?
This city? Right, it doesn't most places don't do that.
They don't invest and keep growing what works. Right, We
(02:44):
really have to cultivate what works. Although the city is
doing stuff and you know, supporting the work, but we
have to be scientists. We've got to really hone in
on what works and expand it and expand it. And
in most of the area in which the CMS sites,
there's several sites in each borough. We got true to
(03:04):
Life in Staten Island. We got Brag and released the
Grip in the Bronx and several others. We got Saved
in Harlem. You know, a lot of folks Operation hood
Man up in Brooklyn, and a lot more. We're in Queens.
One hundred suits is in Queens. But it's like it's
all over five boroughs and then we're all over the state. Right.
(03:26):
We just did a training with a practicum that we
did a partnership with the University of Chicago, and so
we're training folks who are starting this work on leadership
from around them. So we had thirty eight folks from
twenty one different cities training them how to do this
work in a real sense right the practicum. And then
while we were in the practicum, we found out that
our graduation for these folks are going to be at
(03:49):
the White House on February sixteenth.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
That's huge, that's huge. Yes, that's amazing, asfolks who.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
Have been incarcerated for twenty thirty years, sixteen years, you know,
and so now come home and be able to do
this work and then on top of it, be able
to graduate at the White House right when you none
of them.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
That's going to be such a surreal moment for so
many people and for their families.
Speaker 3 (04:10):
Yeah, so you come and to celebrate with us.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
Oh, I would love to let me put that on
my calendar because that does sound great. And when people
were talking about defund the police, you know, that's something
that I feel like was something that you've been having
those conversations about.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
I know, the messaging for some people got a little loss.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
But it's also allocating money because when you started doing
this work, it wasn't like there was a budget. Right here,
we want to give you money to get an RV
so you grow around.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
It wasn't like that, right.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
It took me fifteen years to get that RV and
to advocate for that RV. I started doing this work
December twelfth, nineteen eighty seven. It's going to be thirty
six years in a week, yeah, that is in a
week now that our city and realize that, and in
joining the December twelfth movement, it made me realize that
(05:01):
it's something more to myself. We have to dedicate our
lives to something more than ourselves. And so there was
no violence prevention, there was no CVR. We was marching
to the crack house, closing the crack house, you know,
and really organizing. And what motivated me even more to
work with the young people was seeing what happened when
(05:21):
their parents went to jail, when their parents were killed
in this crack epidemic. And so you know, I started
and never looked back and never looked back.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
And even when you talk about like kids and their parents,
even for you thinking about you know, your father and
your relationship or lack of being able to have one,
you know, with your father, that probably I mean definitely
impacts how you feel about government, how you feel about war,
how you feel about you know, a lot of different things,
(05:52):
even in some times, in ways that you don't realize
at first.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
No, that's a fact, right. And this year was a
true awakening year for me twenty three because you know,
when I got sick and I don't know what the
hell is going on? You just I'm sitting by myself.
I'm you know, I literally had to sit down and
rest because I totally depleted my nervous system, right. And
(06:15):
in sitting down, I'm looking at my life. I'm looking
at my journey, and I'm saying, you know, my father
was in the Vietnam War and died, and that is
inside of me. And then the anger, like people say,
why are you angry? I'm angry because my father was
killed sensusly. And then these kids are still being killed sensusly. Right.
And we're and people will say, we're not in a
(06:37):
war in New York City, right, But people who are
getting stomped out by the police or you know, shot
down in their hood, we're at war. They're trying to survive.
They're in flight or fight mode, right. And that brings
your nervous system to a space that is unhealthy. Right.
You wake up every day in a war zone.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
That's not healthy when you wake up and go outside,
like let's go fight, you know what. I'm trying to
fight to stay alive, to be able to make it home.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
Right. I was watching the news yesterday and all these
folks are talking about the attacks that they had on
the train, right, which I don't take the train anymore,
right because I don't have the capability to like look
all over the like you're.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
In a war zone, and when you're on that train
and then the doors closed and you're in between stops,
you just don't. And you know it's funny because I
really did. I haven't taken the train since the pandemic.
But I'm like, the traffic is a congestion price and
is coming, yeah, I know, and the trains are really
because I was trying to figure out what is this
going to mean? Because fifteen dollars to be driving in
(07:39):
the city, on top of any other tolls you might
have to pay, on top of paying for parking.
Speaker 3 (07:44):
I'm gonna have to pay it.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
But you can't like think about people who are like
another fifteen dollars on the top of everything else I have
to pay every day.
Speaker 3 (07:53):
That's a that's and that's the war, right, that's the violence,
because why do we have to pay, right, why are
we living in these conditions where I gotta drive seventeen
miles to get quality food? Right? Right? Our kids you
gotta lie about your address to put them into school
in another district.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
That's a crime, right, and you can potentially We've seen
people go to jail.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
But it's not a crime to miseducate me, right, It's
not a crime to put me in a special ed
class and give me thorizine and whatever them other drugs
that they give the kids during school hours because they uncontrollable.
I was in detention as a kid all the time.
I was in trouble all the time. They said I
talked too much obviously, Oh I talk for a living now.
(08:37):
You weren't able to cultivate my leadership, my greatness, right.
Instead of you cultivating my greatness, you punish my greatness.
Made me feel like I was doing something wrong. But
I was a leader, right, And so I used to
get beat in school like you used to have me
stay with my hands up, and they used to beat
me with a ruler, had me stand like in Catholic school,
it was torture, and so so when I think back, right,
(09:01):
all of this is part of the trauma that I
went through. I was ducking bullets as a teenager. When
we go out to parties, we were shootout. We were
in mass shootings and didn't know we were in mass and.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
Then everybody runs and you don't. Yeah, I mean I
definitely have been in those times, were on the.
Speaker 3 (09:16):
Cars and everything, and you're watching your friends die right
there next to you, you know, And all of this
had a traumatic impact on my life. But I never
stopped to say, you know, I was in a mass shooting.
You know, I just kept going, right, We just keep going.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
And it took you, being sick, to really sit down
and think about all of those things. And you know,
and I know last time I saw you, we were
talking about the marijuana licensing because you were one of
the first right to get a license in New York.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
But that did not mean that battle was over.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
So can you talk to me about that process because
and you bought this amazing merch for me, Cushion Kemmick,
And what the process has been for you guys to
even get to the point where you can open up
just ansory or a lounge or anything.
Speaker 3 (10:02):
We have been in this process for over a year now,
and and folks were moving for the landlords are racists
here in New York City. They're racists. We will get
to a point where we're getting ready to sign a
lease and then we don't want to do cannabis, right,
and so they take us for a three month process,
(10:22):
and then we don't want to do cannabis. Right.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
You didn't know that when we first started talking, right,
But we talked for three months.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
Right when we signed the loy You didn't know that.
Now we're getting ready to in the middle of negotiating
a lease, and now you want to say you don't
want to do cannabis right. Then the other one was like, oh,
I got a mortgage and we can't do like you
didn't know you had a mortgage with like you know,
and it's so many different things that have happened to
us on the road that it's not an accident. Right.
(10:48):
And then we get into this lawsuit with these MSOs
who want to be the dominant force in the city,
plain and simple. They wanted to be the first ones
to go, so they slowed down the process and they
waited for now all you know, licenses is open. Anybody
could apply.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
So even being one of those first people to get it,
now it's like, what was the that was expensive? Also
the whole process too, because aside from all of that, right,
how much like people say, okay, we're going to give
these licenses to people who were formally incarcerated for marijuana, right,
and they'll be given some type of press.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
And the communities that were impacted. So we were getting equity, right,
but it costs each one of those spaces that we
had to do a security plan, we had to get architects,
we had to do all of these different designs, we
had to you know, people had to work, right, and
so we're paying people, but there's no money coming in
for this, right. And so so now this the beginning
(11:48):
of last week, the injunction was finally lifted. The judge
sign all the card licenses are back in place, and
actually for twenty today there's a meeting that allows us
to know what the new rules are and everything else. Right,
and so we're in the motion now we are you know,
are we're in the motion to open up and look
to open up real soon.
Speaker 2 (12:08):
Do you have a location yet?
Speaker 3 (12:10):
I'm not going to say we have a because I
don't want no more here. We're in the city, That's
what I can say. We're in the city, and so
we look forward to opening up so that we can
provide equity, right, so that we can when we talk
about quality food, we'll be able to provide quality food.
We'll be able to provide a twenty four hour state
(12:30):
of the art center in our community, right and help
other people who are doing this same kind of work
in giving back to what it is. But because we
need equity, you know, we can't, you know, And so
all of those who are listening to the end of
the year, if you need a foundation to donate to
because you don't spent too much or got too much money,
like I be here. I've been here in fact, Joe
(12:52):
talking about all that money he made life campin dot
com backslash.
Speaker 1 (12:56):
Donate Joe, like you know, we need you can be
running day to day at life Camp.
Speaker 3 (13:01):
So there's two young ladies, OK, they're going to be
the co executive directors. You know, I'm not saying that
I'm not. You know what, I had to get two
or three people to replace me.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
But that's you know, you started it. You created it.
Speaker 1 (13:13):
You founded it, and it was a lot of work
for you to be able to do that. But now
hopefully you know funding budget and we went.
Speaker 3 (13:22):
From five thousand dollars to a five million dollar.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
Budget, so you should be hired to coed.
Speaker 3 (13:28):
And but five million dollars is not a lot of
it's not enough, right, it's not because when you look
at trying to give somebody a decent salary, right, and
then provide we pay our kids to participate in program
because we know young people need to be paid, want
to be paid, right, and so they're in our work
programs right. And then all of the other programs that
you have. And then space right, rent for space. Just
(13:51):
like the police have a fleet. We need a fleet
so we can respond events like so all of these
things cost money and a lot of people will be like, yo,
I represent the streets. Yo, I'm about to streets. But
the streets needs help. The streets is crying for help, right,
and so how do we put the money? Boys and
Girls Club, the YMC, they ain't helping the kids that
we help, right, And so we really need people to
(14:14):
support our work, to give back to Life Camp, to
volunteer for Life Camp, and continue that work and support,
which is why we partner with paper Planes.
Speaker 2 (14:24):
Yep, right, I saw you with Lauren London. It was
her birthday too.
Speaker 3 (14:28):
I got on my Lauren London protect your piece outfit
right now?
Speaker 2 (14:32):
Okay, we like it. That's cute. I love that. I
think she's amazing.
Speaker 1 (14:36):
It's amazing just the way that she's always been because
I do know Lauren London personally too, even you know,
before Nipsy, but even seeing how she keeps his legacy alive,
but just her as a human being. She's never thirsty
for attention. You know, she does what she does. Mind
to business.
Speaker 2 (14:53):
Happy to see her out there working too and back.
Speaker 3 (14:56):
Yes, yesterday was her birthday, so hopefully.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
She had birthday and so yeah, so talk about the
the the partnership you have with Plane paper Planes.
Speaker 3 (15:06):
So we partner. They have a slogan greatness as a process,
and we have a slogan Piece as a lifestyle, and
we wanted to bring those two entities together to help
transform young people's minds. When you look at Emery who
came out and you know, helped a lot of formally
incarcerated men as well and women learn from him and
(15:28):
see him and his what he did for planes and
how it is now grow to and the same thing
we want to do with people on the question of
pieces a lifestyle, because in order to really have greatness,
you got to have peace in your life. You can't
be when you talk about Lauren London, right, it's to
protect your peace, like she is serious about protecting her peace.
(15:48):
And that's how we want most people to be, and
that's why we want them to join the movement. You
can there's very few crowns left, given one of the
last to Angela Ye right now she gona, but it's
it's we're gonna have more merch come out together. We're
gonna continue to do events and push the two missions right,
(16:12):
because the mission is more important than the actual material.
The material supports the work and you know, the different
ways that we can connect to organizations or entities or
corporations to build a message and to bring where young
people go to show because young people don't like to
be part of something that's not cool.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
Right, right, Listen, no one does right right.
Speaker 3 (16:35):
Even though even though we're all dead Nick fans, but
they keep losing, you know, we still support the next
right and.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
The nets you know, Ioklyn Nets.
Speaker 3 (16:45):
But they winn't know, ain't they represent New York City.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
I always have higher hopes for us, but you know,
maybe this year is a year. But okay, go ahead.
Speaker 3 (16:55):
But now we just really want people to support Life Camp.
We want them to join and help us build this
to a whole other level. And that's why we're going
you know, national working with folks. Training, That's what I'm
gonna be doing a lot of now, Okay, training, especially
training women in this work. And because I know, as
a black woman doing this work, I was constantly you know,
(17:17):
all of the above, and so I want to give
some of the stuff that I learned to other women
who are stepping into this field.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
See, And so I want to discuss also because you know,
obviously you work closely with the White House, and I'm
sure that's had a lot of ups and downs for
you too. And people talk about politics so much right
now as we're getting ready to see what's going to happen.
You know, certain things are very scary to me when
we look at who's in the White House.
Speaker 2 (17:46):
But also local government.
Speaker 1 (17:47):
We know matters a lot, and you work a lot
with local politicians, and so what would you say to
people now who are listening. When it comes to people
don't trust politicians, People have issues with the whole voting process.
People also need to know how can I change policy,
because you guys have been able to get policies change.
I saw recently they introduced something about, you know, not
(18:09):
putting people in confinement, salitary confinement, you know, and a
lot of things are a long process to get done.
And change does not happen overnight at all. And when
it comes to government.
Speaker 3 (18:19):
You're absolutely correct. And the White House just offer a
White House Office of Violence Prevention, which is something that
we've been working on for a very long time. And
I would say stay with it, right because what else
are you going to do? Right? When we talk about
the judges, people talk about they don't want that people
to go to judge to jail, but we vote the
DA's it, but we're not voting right. And so if
(18:42):
you don't like the DA vote.
Speaker 1 (18:46):
And you can also make your voice be heard the
people around you. You can run, you can tell somebody
else to run, you can advocate for somebody who's running
that you would support.
Speaker 3 (18:55):
And if you're not in the process, you're standing on
the outside watching the product and it's impact in your
life either way, and so why not be an active
participant in your life? Right? And So I don't believe
that voting is the end all and the be all
to what we have to do, but it is a
part of the process, and you have to participate in
the process. I think that it is important for us
(19:17):
to vote and vote the right people, because if we voted,
we could change elections. We have yes, yes, and we
have you know, and in most communities, because all politics
are local, most communities five hundred people could change the
way to vote swings, right and so, and most of
the people from eighteen to forty four are not active voters,
(19:41):
right and so I remember when I first started doing
this work, a politician said to me, you know, if
it wasn't for you, Erica, we wouldn't be doing nothing
with those folks because they don't vote, they don't support
our they don't financially support us. We don't owe them
not because we don't even have an interaction. There's no
they don't even exist.
Speaker 1 (19:59):
So your issues an issue to us because it don't matter, yeah.
Speaker 3 (20:02):
Correct, correct, So we have to be an active participant.
So I would urge people to get their children involved
in voting, to educate them about who are the politicians.
I would have urged parents to come out to their
children's school and let their voices be heard. Even if
you're calling or your facetiming somebody, but be active because
these people are controlling your life, in your children's life,
(20:25):
you know. And just as we're on a note, you
have to be active in your child's life. You got
to know who and what they're talking about. Right, Yes,
you have to make fake pages on social media.
Speaker 1 (20:39):
Too much access now to you don't have any idea you.
Speaker 3 (20:42):
And it's dangerous. People are being killed from social media right.
People are being raped from social media. People are being
kidnapped from social media. You have to protect your children
and the only way you could do that is being
an active participant in their life, you know, and at
means checking their rule. If you're paying the phone bill,
(21:04):
check their phone you can.
Speaker 1 (21:06):
Like it's like, Terrey is it here? She's I've known
her since she was very young. Her mom used to
always have her and she would be places doing. Do
you have you ever had an interview with Erica Ford?
Speaker 3 (21:18):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (21:18):
Okay her, but her mom is very active and making
sure Like when I met her, she probably was like fourteen, yeah,
fourteen years old and you know, now in college and
doing the thing and amazing, and so she's up here
just kind of like soaking in the knowledge, but she's
very active.
Speaker 2 (21:35):
But to see how active her.
Speaker 1 (21:37):
Mom was and making sure she was there again and
getting them done.
Speaker 3 (21:42):
Yes, yeah, yes.
Speaker 2 (21:44):
But that's inspiration. That's an inspiration.
Speaker 3 (21:46):
You You, if you're not active in your child's life,
somebody else is going to be active in your child's
life and you have to. You have to. I've you know,
I've heard parents say like I don't want to get
them mad or they didn't want me to, but I
would rather than be mad at me and alive then
me standing over a casket and talking about what I
should have, would have or could have did, you know?
Speaker 2 (22:08):
You know?
Speaker 1 (22:08):
And I think about how many things you must have
seen in almost forty years of the work that you've
been doing. When you talked about being sick and thinking
about like the trauma that you have, but the things
that you've witnessed that has to be really heavy.
Speaker 3 (22:21):
Also, Yeah, I've definitely witnessed a lot. It's definitely heavy,
and it's it's still it's not getting light, which is
the sad part. Right when you look back. I've been
watching some of them old movies, and you look back
at us as black folks in America, we were always sharp.
We will control our community. We controlled the economy in
(22:42):
our community. And now we've switched through, you know, and
so we we They make us believe that we don't
have the power to control ourselves, right, And I think
that if we slow down and work together and stay
focused on what is important, which is your children and
as a as a community, we can resolve a lot
(23:03):
of the issues. You know, because when you when you
look at things that in other people's community, it is
because they stand up together and don't let it happen
in their community. And so we need to follow suits.
Speaker 2 (23:17):
How many people have tried to make you run for office?
Speaker 3 (23:21):
And I did it once. I did it once I
felt victim, and that was when.
Speaker 1 (23:26):
I felt victim. But you know, at the same time
that could.
Speaker 3 (23:30):
Have so so you know, I'm saying we should vote
and other people should run. But don't get me twisted.
That is a game. That is a like you know,
that's a whole other conversation at another time. But they
you know, what power do you really have? Right? And
(23:51):
then you're so indebted to the people who got you
in office.
Speaker 2 (23:54):
Listen, Hill Harper is running right.
Speaker 3 (23:56):
Yes, I believe in hill hoppers, but the.
Speaker 1 (23:59):
Stuff he's going through, and it's like I had this conversation.
I wasn't gonna say anything. It's like shocking, yo, Angela.
Speaker 3 (24:06):
I've seen more shit in politics than I did on
the streets.
Speaker 2 (24:09):
Wow. I believe people.
Speaker 3 (24:11):
When I ran for office, people's lives were threatened, their
funding was taken away. One lady, they harassed her so
much she had a heart attack and died. Right, I've
seen that what has happened in politics. Politics is a
dirty game. It is a dirty.
Speaker 1 (24:29):
Game, and some people feel like they can get in
there and clean it up, and they don't know.
Speaker 3 (24:33):
It is no they getting there and get it, you know.
I remember one lady said, the more good I did,
the more black balled I got right, right, right, And
that's and you know, I've been black balled a whole lot,
you know, but I stayed focused on the mission, right,
and that's these young people, right, that's these young that's
our future, right, and so we owe it to our children.
(24:55):
It is our inherent right to live free of violence.
It is our inherent right live free of all of
these human rights violations. And the only way we could
do it is by being an active participant. So if
you don't know how to do that, join life camp,
you know, volunteer, life campinc dot com, donate, or join
an organization near you. There's a lot of organizations that
(25:18):
are really active in doing this work all over the nation, right,
So like, if you don't know one, hit us out.
We'll direct you to one in your local organization. But
you've got to do something right.
Speaker 2 (25:30):
Well, I'm excited to partner around some things. Yes, you
know coming up.
Speaker 1 (25:34):
I have some brainstorming ideas already. But that's important to
me also, And so I just wanted to make sure
that we had you up here. Life camp dot org,
life Campinc. Dot com, Live Campinc dot Com. Okay, life
campinc dot com. Let's make sure everybody goes on there
and donates. And like you said, it is the end
of the year. People need those I gotta get my
money here exactly, Okay to life campink dot com and
(25:57):
the irs.
Speaker 3 (25:57):
Because it's going somewhere.
Speaker 2 (25:59):
It's going somewhere, so why not let it do some
great things.
Speaker 3 (26:01):
Exactly, exactly and thirty six years. I don't think that
I need to prove that I'm doing not taking people money.
Like it's never been about money for me. If it
was about money, I would be working someplace else.
Speaker 1 (26:12):
I've never heard anybody say anything negative about you, like
from all the people that I've seen you working with,
And you've touched a lot of lives and you've managed
to bring in a lot of people who may otherwise
have not participated.
Speaker 3 (26:24):
Correct, you know that's the people I work with, the
people that don't nobody else want to work because we
can't throw our kids away.
Speaker 2 (26:30):
Yeah, absolutely not.
Speaker 1 (26:32):
All right, So we're going to be watching also for
a cushion chemic because that's important too. Very you know,
the cannabis company, the cannabis industry billions of dollars, billions
of dollars, and.
Speaker 3 (26:43):
We're not the ones making those money.
Speaker 1 (26:44):
And also the fact that it was something that was
criminalized for so long and now we look at people
talking about the health benefits of it and the medicinal
part of it.
Speaker 3 (26:56):
But let's not over say when you say criminalize, that
means people will to jail people to people died, people's
families was disrupted. And so where's the real equity, right,
where's the real equity? And I need New York State
to work harder to give folks equity for this, this
business that is supposed to give equity to communities and things.
(27:18):
And shout out to Chris Alexander, who is the head
of ocm's. He's in there bobbing and weaving and punching
back and fighting to maintain. But it's a lot of work.
It's a lot of work, It's true.
Speaker 1 (27:30):
And when you have a criminal record, there's so many
things that you can't do, or so many things that
are harder to accomplish correct in many different ways when
it comes to housing, when it comes to work, even
getting your real estate license or getting license in many things.
Speaker 3 (27:42):
And those are all the people who are making the money, right,
they are the ones who are still getting paid because
the real estate, the lawyers, the accountants, the bankers, right,
they're all getting paid through this. The contractors. Yeah, it's
all big, you know, And it's do we go to
politics again?
Speaker 2 (28:03):
Well, you know what, we've seen some things happening.
Speaker 1 (28:05):
I saw the announcement about next year as far as
people's records right, Yes, that what was the new law
slate Yes.
Speaker 3 (28:12):
Qean slate acts. Shout out to my girl Sheena Mead.
She has a clean state, but people's records will be
an expunge and New York State has had, you know,
good expongent stuff and good laws in it. But we
got to keep keep going.
Speaker 2 (28:28):
But it does show you.
Speaker 1 (28:29):
Like I said, it's slow, but things can happen, but
people do have to actively participate and push for those
things and know what you're asking for, yes, you.
Speaker 2 (28:37):
Know as well, and don't settle for us exactly.
Speaker 1 (28:40):
Well, Erica, for always a pleasure talking to you, and
I cannot wait for us to figure out some more
things that we could do. And for good news because
every time I see what I love is when you're like,
we just got some good news today, we have some
good news on the way. So that attitude is definitely
protecting your peace and.
Speaker 2 (28:55):
We want to protect you also.
Speaker 3 (28:56):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (28:58):
All right, it's way up with Angelague Erika
Speaker 3 (29:00):
Bord Well, Kay
What's up with Angela Yee And I have somebody who
I've been wanting to talk to for quite some time.
I know, we keep on discussing it, but you were like,
the time is right now.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
I'm Erica Ford is here.
Speaker 3 (00:16):
The time is right now.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
The time is right now.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
And I love every time I see you when you
say I just got some good news, because it feels.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Like that happens a lot.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
And you know we met while you you are, you
still have life Camp, you created life Camp, but that's
your baby. And December thirty, first I saw you said.
Speaker 3 (00:32):
You're transitioning from running the day to day operation. So
I will no longer be the executive director. I will
no longer be hiring people, I will no longer be
signing time cards. I will no longer be like you're
supposed to be at work doing this, like all of
that day to day stuff. I'm no longer going to
(00:53):
be doing that, which is an extreme. Like anybody who
runs a business knows what day to day are operation is,
and it's a lot. It has taken a toll on me,
but I put in my time. You know, it's twenty
two years, twenty three years.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
I don't even remember, which is amazing to have and
stuff for people who are listening who maybe don't know
Life Camp, you know, shame on you, but can you
tell people what life Camp is?
Speaker 3 (01:21):
Way up with life Camp. We are a not for
profit organization based in Jamaica, Queens, but has footprints across
the nation, across the world. Really, we are one of
the leading or the leading violence prevention organization in the nation.
That's right, I said it, Erica Ford fact Check. Anybody
(01:41):
who wants to dispute, give me a call. But we've
worked from the hood to the White House. We've been
able to move billions of dollars across the United States
to help people start up these businesses, to hire formally
incarcerated men and women at a very high scale, and
you know, really reduce violence across the nation and help
(02:05):
change and transform a lot of young people's lives in
a lot of communities.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
And when people see you, they love you, you know,
because peace is definitely something that I always see you
talking about the weekend where there was no gun violence,
no guns in New York, you know, which is a
major feet with.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
A major feet And imagine, right, just imagine like if
you had a weekend, you sold a lot of coffee
or a lot of juices. Right, you're gonna look at
what happened that weekend. How do we keep it going right? Right?
This city? Right, it doesn't most places don't do that.
They don't invest and keep growing what works. Right, We
(02:44):
really have to cultivate what works. Although the city is
doing stuff and you know, supporting the work, but we
have to be scientists. We've got to really hone in
on what works and expand it and expand it. And
in most of the area in which the CMS sites,
there's several sites in each borough. We got true to
(03:04):
Life in Staten Island. We got Brag and released the
Grip in the Bronx and several others. We got Saved
in Harlem. You know, a lot of folks Operation hood
Man up in Brooklyn, and a lot more. We're in Queens.
One hundred suits is in Queens. But it's like it's
all over five boroughs and then we're all over the state. Right.
(03:26):
We just did a training with a practicum that we
did a partnership with the University of Chicago, and so
we're training folks who are starting this work on leadership
from around them. So we had thirty eight folks from
twenty one different cities training them how to do this
work in a real sense right the practicum. And then
while we were in the practicum, we found out that
our graduation for these folks are going to be at
(03:49):
the White House on February sixteenth.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
That's huge, that's huge. Yes, that's amazing, asfolks who.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
Have been incarcerated for twenty thirty years, sixteen years, you know,
and so now come home and be able to do
this work and then on top of it, be able
to graduate at the White House right when you none
of them.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
That's going to be such a surreal moment for so
many people and for their families.
Speaker 3 (04:10):
Yeah, so you come and to celebrate with us.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
Oh, I would love to let me put that on
my calendar because that does sound great. And when people
were talking about defund the police, you know, that's something
that I feel like was something that you've been having
those conversations about.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
I know, the messaging for some people got a little loss.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
But it's also allocating money because when you started doing
this work, it wasn't like there was a budget. Right here,
we want to give you money to get an RV
so you grow around.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
It wasn't like that, right.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
It took me fifteen years to get that RV and
to advocate for that RV. I started doing this work
December twelfth, nineteen eighty seven. It's going to be thirty
six years in a week, yeah, that is in a
week now that our city and realize that, and in
joining the December twelfth movement, it made me realize that
(05:01):
it's something more to myself. We have to dedicate our
lives to something more than ourselves. And so there was
no violence prevention, there was no CVR. We was marching
to the crack house, closing the crack house, you know,
and really organizing. And what motivated me even more to
work with the young people was seeing what happened when
(05:21):
their parents went to jail, when their parents were killed
in this crack epidemic. And so you know, I started
and never looked back and never looked back.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
And even when you talk about like kids and their parents,
even for you thinking about you know, your father and
your relationship or lack of being able to have one,
you know, with your father, that probably I mean definitely
impacts how you feel about government, how you feel about war,
how you feel about you know, a lot of different things,
(05:52):
even in some times, in ways that you don't realize
at first.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
No, that's a fact, right. And this year was a
true awakening year for me twenty three because you know,
when I got sick and I don't know what the
hell is going on? You just I'm sitting by myself.
I'm you know, I literally had to sit down and
rest because I totally depleted my nervous system, right. And
(06:15):
in sitting down, I'm looking at my life. I'm looking
at my journey, and I'm saying, you know, my father
was in the Vietnam War and died, and that is
inside of me. And then the anger, like people say,
why are you angry? I'm angry because my father was
killed sensusly. And then these kids are still being killed sensusly. Right.
And we're and people will say, we're not in a
(06:37):
war in New York City, right, But people who are
getting stomped out by the police or you know, shot
down in their hood, we're at war. They're trying to survive.
They're in flight or fight mode, right. And that brings
your nervous system to a space that is unhealthy. Right.
You wake up every day in a war zone.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
That's not healthy when you wake up and go outside,
like let's go fight, you know what. I'm trying to
fight to stay alive, to be able to make it home.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
Right. I was watching the news yesterday and all these
folks are talking about the attacks that they had on
the train, right, which I don't take the train anymore,
right because I don't have the capability to like look
all over the like you're.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
In a war zone, and when you're on that train
and then the doors closed and you're in between stops,
you just don't. And you know it's funny because I
really did. I haven't taken the train since the pandemic.
But I'm like, the traffic is a congestion price and
is coming, yeah, I know, and the trains are really
because I was trying to figure out what is this
going to mean? Because fifteen dollars to be driving in
(07:39):
the city, on top of any other tolls you might
have to pay, on top of paying for parking.
Speaker 3 (07:44):
I'm gonna have to pay it.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
But you can't like think about people who are like
another fifteen dollars on the top of everything else I have
to pay every day.
Speaker 3 (07:53):
That's a that's and that's the war, right, that's the violence,
because why do we have to pay, right, why are
we living in these conditions where I gotta drive seventeen
miles to get quality food? Right? Right? Our kids you
gotta lie about your address to put them into school
in another district.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
That's a crime, right, and you can potentially We've seen
people go to jail.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
But it's not a crime to miseducate me, right, It's
not a crime to put me in a special ed
class and give me thorizine and whatever them other drugs
that they give the kids during school hours because they uncontrollable.
I was in detention as a kid all the time.
I was in trouble all the time. They said I
talked too much obviously, Oh I talk for a living now.
(08:37):
You weren't able to cultivate my leadership, my greatness, right.
Instead of you cultivating my greatness, you punish my greatness.
Made me feel like I was doing something wrong. But
I was a leader, right, And so I used to
get beat in school like you used to have me
stay with my hands up, and they used to beat
me with a ruler, had me stand like in Catholic school,
it was torture, and so so when I think back, right,
(09:01):
all of this is part of the trauma that I
went through. I was ducking bullets as a teenager. When
we go out to parties, we were shootout. We were
in mass shootings and didn't know we were in mass and.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
Then everybody runs and you don't. Yeah, I mean I
definitely have been in those times, were on the.
Speaker 3 (09:16):
Cars and everything, and you're watching your friends die right
there next to you, you know, And all of this
had a traumatic impact on my life. But I never
stopped to say, you know, I was in a mass shooting.
You know, I just kept going, right, We just keep going.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
And it took you, being sick, to really sit down
and think about all of those things. And you know,
and I know last time I saw you, we were
talking about the marijuana licensing because you were one of
the first right to get a license in New York.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
But that did not mean that battle was over.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
So can you talk to me about that process because
and you bought this amazing merch for me, Cushion Kemmick,
And what the process has been for you guys to
even get to the point where you can open up
just ansory or a lounge or anything.
Speaker 3 (10:02):
We have been in this process for over a year now,
and and folks were moving for the landlords are racists
here in New York City. They're racists. We will get
to a point where we're getting ready to sign a
lease and then we don't want to do cannabis, right,
and so they take us for a three month process,
(10:22):
and then we don't want to do cannabis. Right.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
You didn't know that when we first started talking, right,
But we talked for three months.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
Right when we signed the loy You didn't know that.
Now we're getting ready to in the middle of negotiating
a lease, and now you want to say you don't
want to do cannabis right. Then the other one was like, oh,
I got a mortgage and we can't do like you
didn't know you had a mortgage with like you know,
and it's so many different things that have happened to
us on the road that it's not an accident. Right.
(10:48):
And then we get into this lawsuit with these MSOs
who want to be the dominant force in the city,
plain and simple. They wanted to be the first ones
to go, so they slowed down the process and they
waited for now all you know, licenses is open. Anybody
could apply.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
So even being one of those first people to get it,
now it's like, what was the that was expensive? Also
the whole process too, because aside from all of that, right,
how much like people say, okay, we're going to give
these licenses to people who were formally incarcerated for marijuana, right,
and they'll be given some type of press.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
And the communities that were impacted. So we were getting equity, right,
but it costs each one of those spaces that we
had to do a security plan, we had to get architects,
we had to do all of these different designs, we
had to you know, people had to work, right, and
so we're paying people, but there's no money coming in
for this, right. And so so now this the beginning
(11:48):
of last week, the injunction was finally lifted. The judge
sign all the card licenses are back in place, and
actually for twenty today there's a meeting that allows us
to know what the new rules are and everything else. Right,
and so we're in the motion now we are you know,
are we're in the motion to open up and look
to open up real soon.
Speaker 2 (12:08):
Do you have a location yet?
Speaker 3 (12:10):
I'm not going to say we have a because I
don't want no more here. We're in the city, That's
what I can say. We're in the city, and so
we look forward to opening up so that we can
provide equity, right, so that we can when we talk
about quality food, we'll be able to provide quality food.
We'll be able to provide a twenty four hour state
(12:30):
of the art center in our community, right and help
other people who are doing this same kind of work
in giving back to what it is. But because we
need equity, you know, we can't, you know, And so
all of those who are listening to the end of
the year, if you need a foundation to donate to
because you don't spent too much or got too much money,
like I be here. I've been here in fact, Joe
(12:52):
talking about all that money he made life campin dot
com backslash.
Speaker 1 (12:56):
Donate Joe, like you know, we need you can be
running day to day at life Camp.
Speaker 3 (13:01):
So there's two young ladies, OK, they're going to be
the co executive directors. You know, I'm not saying that
I'm not. You know what, I had to get two
or three people to replace me.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
But that's you know, you started it. You created it.
Speaker 1 (13:13):
You founded it, and it was a lot of work
for you to be able to do that. But now
hopefully you know funding budget and we went.
Speaker 3 (13:22):
From five thousand dollars to a five million dollar.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
Budget, so you should be hired to coed.
Speaker 3 (13:28):
And but five million dollars is not a lot of
it's not enough, right, it's not because when you look
at trying to give somebody a decent salary, right, and
then provide we pay our kids to participate in program
because we know young people need to be paid, want
to be paid, right, and so they're in our work
programs right. And then all of the other programs that
you have. And then space right, rent for space. Just
(13:51):
like the police have a fleet. We need a fleet
so we can respond events like so all of these
things cost money and a lot of people will be like, yo,
I represent the streets. Yo, I'm about to streets. But
the streets needs help. The streets is crying for help, right,
and so how do we put the money? Boys and
Girls Club, the YMC, they ain't helping the kids that
we help, right, And so we really need people to
(14:14):
support our work, to give back to Life Camp, to
volunteer for Life Camp, and continue that work and support,
which is why we partner with paper Planes.
Speaker 2 (14:24):
Yep, right, I saw you with Lauren London. It was
her birthday too.
Speaker 3 (14:28):
I got on my Lauren London protect your piece outfit
right now?
Speaker 2 (14:32):
Okay, we like it. That's cute. I love that. I
think she's amazing.
Speaker 1 (14:36):
It's amazing just the way that she's always been because
I do know Lauren London personally too, even you know,
before Nipsy, but even seeing how she keeps his legacy alive,
but just her as a human being. She's never thirsty
for attention. You know, she does what she does. Mind
to business.
Speaker 2 (14:53):
Happy to see her out there working too and back.
Speaker 3 (14:56):
Yes, yesterday was her birthday, so hopefully.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
She had birthday and so yeah, so talk about the
the the partnership you have with Plane paper Planes.
Speaker 3 (15:06):
So we partner. They have a slogan greatness as a process,
and we have a slogan Piece as a lifestyle, and
we wanted to bring those two entities together to help
transform young people's minds. When you look at Emery who
came out and you know, helped a lot of formally
incarcerated men as well and women learn from him and
(15:28):
see him and his what he did for planes and
how it is now grow to and the same thing
we want to do with people on the question of
pieces a lifestyle, because in order to really have greatness,
you got to have peace in your life. You can't
be when you talk about Lauren London, right, it's to
protect your peace, like she is serious about protecting her peace.
(15:48):
And that's how we want most people to be, and
that's why we want them to join the movement. You
can there's very few crowns left, given one of the
last to Angela Ye right now she gona, but it's
it's we're gonna have more merch come out together. We're
gonna continue to do events and push the two missions right,
(16:12):
because the mission is more important than the actual material.
The material supports the work and you know, the different
ways that we can connect to organizations or entities or
corporations to build a message and to bring where young
people go to show because young people don't like to
be part of something that's not cool.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
Right, right, Listen, no one does right right.
Speaker 3 (16:35):
Even though even though we're all dead Nick fans, but
they keep losing, you know, we still support the next
right and.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
The nets you know, Ioklyn Nets.
Speaker 3 (16:45):
But they winn't know, ain't they represent New York City.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
I always have higher hopes for us, but you know,
maybe this year is a year. But okay, go ahead.
Speaker 3 (16:55):
But now we just really want people to support Life Camp.
We want them to join and help us build this
to a whole other level. And that's why we're going
you know, national working with folks. Training, That's what I'm
gonna be doing a lot of now, Okay, training, especially
training women in this work. And because I know, as
a black woman doing this work, I was constantly you know,
(17:17):
all of the above, and so I want to give
some of the stuff that I learned to other women
who are stepping into this field.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
See, And so I want to discuss also because you know,
obviously you work closely with the White House, and I'm
sure that's had a lot of ups and downs for
you too. And people talk about politics so much right
now as we're getting ready to see what's going to happen.
You know, certain things are very scary to me when
we look at who's in the White House.
Speaker 2 (17:46):
But also local government.
Speaker 1 (17:47):
We know matters a lot, and you work a lot
with local politicians, and so what would you say to
people now who are listening. When it comes to people
don't trust politicians, People have issues with the whole voting process.
People also need to know how can I change policy,
because you guys have been able to get policies change.
I saw recently they introduced something about, you know, not
(18:09):
putting people in confinement, salitary confinement, you know, and a
lot of things are a long process to get done.
And change does not happen overnight at all. And when
it comes to government.
Speaker 3 (18:19):
You're absolutely correct. And the White House just offer a
White House Office of Violence Prevention, which is something that
we've been working on for a very long time. And
I would say stay with it, right because what else
are you going to do? Right? When we talk about
the judges, people talk about they don't want that people
to go to judge to jail, but we vote the
DA's it, but we're not voting right. And so if
(18:42):
you don't like the DA vote.
Speaker 1 (18:46):
And you can also make your voice be heard the
people around you. You can run, you can tell somebody
else to run, you can advocate for somebody who's running
that you would support.
Speaker 3 (18:55):
And if you're not in the process, you're standing on
the outside watching the product and it's impact in your
life either way, and so why not be an active
participant in your life? Right? And So I don't believe
that voting is the end all and the be all
to what we have to do, but it is a
part of the process, and you have to participate in
the process. I think that it is important for us
(19:17):
to vote and vote the right people, because if we voted,
we could change elections. We have yes, yes, and we
have you know, and in most communities, because all politics
are local, most communities five hundred people could change the
way to vote swings, right and so, and most of
the people from eighteen to forty four are not active voters,
(19:41):
right and so I remember when I first started doing
this work, a politician said to me, you know, if
it wasn't for you, Erica, we wouldn't be doing nothing
with those folks because they don't vote, they don't support
our they don't financially support us. We don't owe them
not because we don't even have an interaction. There's no
they don't even exist.
Speaker 1 (19:59):
So your issues an issue to us because it don't matter, yeah.
Speaker 3 (20:02):
Correct, correct, So we have to be an active participant.
So I would urge people to get their children involved
in voting, to educate them about who are the politicians.
I would have urged parents to come out to their
children's school and let their voices be heard. Even if
you're calling or your facetiming somebody, but be active because
these people are controlling your life, in your children's life,
(20:25):
you know. And just as we're on a note, you
have to be active in your child's life. You got
to know who and what they're talking about. Right, Yes,
you have to make fake pages on social media.
Speaker 1 (20:39):
Too much access now to you don't have any idea you.
Speaker 3 (20:42):
And it's dangerous. People are being killed from social media right.
People are being raped from social media. People are being
kidnapped from social media. You have to protect your children
and the only way you could do that is being
an active participant in their life, you know, and at
means checking their rule. If you're paying the phone bill,
(21:04):
check their phone you can.
Speaker 1 (21:06):
Like it's like, Terrey is it here? She's I've known
her since she was very young. Her mom used to
always have her and she would be places doing. Do
you have you ever had an interview with Erica Ford?
Speaker 3 (21:18):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (21:18):
Okay her, but her mom is very active and making
sure Like when I met her, she probably was like fourteen, yeah,
fourteen years old and you know, now in college and
doing the thing and amazing, and so she's up here
just kind of like soaking in the knowledge, but she's
very active.
Speaker 2 (21:35):
But to see how active her.
Speaker 1 (21:37):
Mom was and making sure she was there again and
getting them done.
Speaker 3 (21:42):
Yes, yeah, yes.
Speaker 2 (21:44):
But that's inspiration. That's an inspiration.
Speaker 3 (21:46):
You You, if you're not active in your child's life,
somebody else is going to be active in your child's
life and you have to. You have to. I've you know,
I've heard parents say like I don't want to get
them mad or they didn't want me to, but I
would rather than be mad at me and alive then
me standing over a casket and talking about what I
should have, would have or could have did, you know?
Speaker 2 (22:08):
You know?
Speaker 1 (22:08):
And I think about how many things you must have
seen in almost forty years of the work that you've
been doing. When you talked about being sick and thinking
about like the trauma that you have, but the things
that you've witnessed that has to be really heavy.
Speaker 3 (22:21):
Also, Yeah, I've definitely witnessed a lot. It's definitely heavy,
and it's it's still it's not getting light, which is
the sad part. Right when you look back. I've been
watching some of them old movies, and you look back
at us as black folks in America, we were always sharp.
We will control our community. We controlled the economy in
(22:42):
our community. And now we've switched through, you know, and
so we we They make us believe that we don't
have the power to control ourselves, right, And I think
that if we slow down and work together and stay
focused on what is important, which is your children and
as a as a community, we can resolve a lot
(23:03):
of the issues. You know, because when you when you
look at things that in other people's community, it is
because they stand up together and don't let it happen
in their community. And so we need to follow suits.
Speaker 2 (23:17):
How many people have tried to make you run for office?
Speaker 3 (23:21):
And I did it once. I did it once I
felt victim, and that was when.
Speaker 1 (23:26):
I felt victim. But you know, at the same time
that could.
Speaker 3 (23:30):
Have so so you know, I'm saying we should vote
and other people should run. But don't get me twisted.
That is a game. That is a like you know,
that's a whole other conversation at another time. But they
you know, what power do you really have? Right? And
(23:51):
then you're so indebted to the people who got you
in office.
Speaker 2 (23:54):
Listen, Hill Harper is running right.
Speaker 3 (23:56):
Yes, I believe in hill hoppers, but the.
Speaker 1 (23:59):
Stuff he's going through, and it's like I had this conversation.
I wasn't gonna say anything. It's like shocking, yo, Angela.
Speaker 3 (24:06):
I've seen more shit in politics than I did on
the streets.
Speaker 2 (24:09):
Wow. I believe people.
Speaker 3 (24:11):
When I ran for office, people's lives were threatened, their
funding was taken away. One lady, they harassed her so
much she had a heart attack and died. Right, I've
seen that what has happened in politics. Politics is a
dirty game. It is a dirty.
Speaker 1 (24:29):
Game, and some people feel like they can get in
there and clean it up, and they don't know.
Speaker 3 (24:33):
It is no they getting there and get it, you know.
I remember one lady said, the more good I did,
the more black balled I got right, right, right, And
that's and you know, I've been black balled a whole lot,
you know, but I stayed focused on the mission, right,
and that's these young people, right, that's these young that's
our future, right, and so we owe it to our children.
(24:55):
It is our inherent right to live free of violence.
It is our inherent right live free of all of
these human rights violations. And the only way we could
do it is by being an active participant. So if
you don't know how to do that, join life camp,
you know, volunteer, life campinc dot com, donate, or join
an organization near you. There's a lot of organizations that
(25:18):
are really active in doing this work all over the nation, right,
So like, if you don't know one, hit us out.
We'll direct you to one in your local organization. But
you've got to do something right.
Speaker 2 (25:30):
Well, I'm excited to partner around some things. Yes, you
know coming up.
Speaker 1 (25:34):
I have some brainstorming ideas already. But that's important to
me also, And so I just wanted to make sure
that we had you up here. Life camp dot org,
life Campinc. Dot com, Live Campinc dot Com. Okay, life
campinc dot com. Let's make sure everybody goes on there
and donates. And like you said, it is the end
of the year. People need those I gotta get my
money here exactly, Okay to life campink dot com and
(25:57):
the irs.
Speaker 3 (25:57):
Because it's going somewhere.
Speaker 2 (25:59):
It's going somewhere, so why not let it do some
great things.
Speaker 3 (26:01):
Exactly, exactly and thirty six years. I don't think that
I need to prove that I'm doing not taking people money.
Like it's never been about money for me. If it
was about money, I would be working someplace else.
Speaker 1 (26:12):
I've never heard anybody say anything negative about you, like
from all the people that I've seen you working with,
And you've touched a lot of lives and you've managed
to bring in a lot of people who may otherwise
have not participated.
Speaker 3 (26:24):
Correct, you know that's the people I work with, the
people that don't nobody else want to work because we
can't throw our kids away.
Speaker 2 (26:30):
Yeah, absolutely not.
Speaker 1 (26:32):
All right, So we're going to be watching also for
a cushion chemic because that's important too. Very you know,
the cannabis company, the cannabis industry billions of dollars, billions
of dollars, and.
Speaker 3 (26:43):
We're not the ones making those money.
Speaker 1 (26:44):
And also the fact that it was something that was
criminalized for so long and now we look at people
talking about the health benefits of it and the medicinal
part of it.
Speaker 3 (26:56):
But let's not over say when you say criminalize, that
means people will to jail people to people died, people's
families was disrupted. And so where's the real equity, right,
where's the real equity? And I need New York State
to work harder to give folks equity for this, this
business that is supposed to give equity to communities and things.
(27:18):
And shout out to Chris Alexander, who is the head
of ocm's. He's in there bobbing and weaving and punching
back and fighting to maintain. But it's a lot of work.
It's a lot of work, It's true.
Speaker 1 (27:30):
And when you have a criminal record, there's so many
things that you can't do, or so many things that
are harder to accomplish correct in many different ways when
it comes to housing, when it comes to work, even
getting your real estate license or getting license in many things.
Speaker 3 (27:42):
And those are all the people who are making the money, right,
they are the ones who are still getting paid because
the real estate, the lawyers, the accountants, the bankers, right,
they're all getting paid through this. The contractors. Yeah, it's
all big, you know, And it's do we go to
politics again?
Speaker 2 (28:03):
Well, you know what, we've seen some things happening.
Speaker 1 (28:05):
I saw the announcement about next year as far as
people's records right, Yes, that what was the new law
slate Yes.
Speaker 3 (28:12):
Qean slate acts. Shout out to my girl Sheena Mead.
She has a clean state, but people's records will be
an expunge and New York State has had, you know,
good expongent stuff and good laws in it. But we
got to keep keep going.
Speaker 2 (28:28):
But it does show you.
Speaker 1 (28:29):
Like I said, it's slow, but things can happen, but
people do have to actively participate and push for those
things and know what you're asking for, yes, you.
Speaker 2 (28:37):
Know as well, and don't settle for us exactly.
Speaker 1 (28:40):
Well, Erica, for always a pleasure talking to you, and
I cannot wait for us to figure out some more
things that we could do. And for good news because
every time I see what I love is when you're like,
we just got some good news today, we have some
good news on the way. So that attitude is definitely
protecting your peace and.
Speaker 2 (28:55):
We want to protect you also.
Speaker 3 (28:56):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (28:58):
All right, it's way up with Angelague Erika
Speaker 3 (29:00):
Bord Well, Kay
Way Up With Angela Yee News
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Angela Yee
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