October 21, 2025 • 60 mins
School is in session! This week, Theo speaks with Felicia Rangel-Samponaro of the Sidewalk School, an organization that provides services from food and necessities to policy advocacy to education to unhoused immigrants living on the Mexican border. Felicia's journey to this crucial work, and how the Sidewalk School has had to adapt to protect their participants during increased ICE kidnappings and violence, is not one to be missed.
Follow Felicia and the Sidewalk School here:
https://www.sidewalkschool.org
https://www.instagram.com/thesidewalkschool/?hl=en
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Previously on Whedian House.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
So I was really looking into things, and I saw
about the lack of justice in society. And they added
the words under God to the Pledge of Allegiance in
nineteen fifty four. It wasn't in there before. And I said,
this is a betrayal of our constitution, the separation of
church and state. And so I refused to salute the flag.
And that's the first time that anybody actually tried to
(00:29):
expel me from anything. But that was just the beginning.
I'm very aware of what it's like to be against
the authorities that have or seemed to have all the
power and you seem to have none. That's what my
experience was, and I had to fight my own fear
in order to just keep going.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
Welcome to Whedian House. I'm your host, Theo Henderson. This
is our fiftieth episodes since joining iHeart Podcasts. This is
a milestone for the show and we are looking forward
to the next fifty. Before we get into unhoused news,
let's revisit a few moments from some of my favorite
interviews from the last to the episodes.
Speaker 4 (01:26):
Vast majority of our precious human beings, imprecious fellow citizens
are there because they're dealing with the effects of a
deeply unjust capitalist system that puts a priority on profit
rather than satisfying human need.
Speaker 5 (01:42):
Well, my name is Cindy McAllister. I've been coming to
see you that for about a year and a half.
Now I don't have my time here, and I try
to be a friend to everybody who I know who
comes here. I try to be a positive attitude and
I'm a class of friends just because I'm a nice person.
Speaker 6 (02:00):
I believe it's going to get worse.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
Why because of the rates.
Speaker 6 (02:11):
With all an people don't want to go to work,
and how are they going to pay for their rent,
for their insurance, for their daycare, you know, for the
needs when the.
Speaker 7 (02:23):
Ladies cleans this building on the night shift. She has
emailed the mayor countless time we need a better system
in place. She sees the folks that are laying there
all night long, who are asking for help, who want
to shelter red, who want housing.
Speaker 8 (02:45):
Coming from a British perspective, I'm very minthful when everyone
always wants to point the finger America because obviously under
Trump it's really really bad. But I think it's quite
a dangerous game because it makes other countries get away
with it. I think it's quite important to be aware
(03:06):
of what's going on. But also I really love the
podcast because I find there's actually quite a lot of joy.
Speaker 4 (03:14):
It comes down to do we have what it takes
to acknowledge the rich humanity and creativity Beach and every
one of us, including our precious unhoused brothers and sisters.
Speaker 6 (03:23):
And siblings.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
And now unhoused news Before we be good, I want
to issue a content warning for this story. This is
very graphic audio. The world can show up in ways
you don't expect. No one could have told me I
(03:52):
would be reporting on a story so infuriating and heartbreaking
as this one.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
Well twenty twenty five is trudging along.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
In May twenty twenty four, TikToker Natalie Reynolds played a
cruel prank on a mentally ill unhoused woman at Ladybird Lake.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
In Austin, Texas.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
The prank was to get the unhoused woman to jump
into the lake for twenty dollars.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
You were going, you shoulda jump.
Speaker 9 (04:19):
In right now.
Speaker 7 (04:20):
I'm gonna jump in with my shoes on O gotedy? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (04:22):
Ready?
Speaker 3 (04:24):
The issue is the unhoused woman could not swim.
Speaker 5 (04:28):
You said it was okay, You said he wanted to swim.
Speaker 6 (04:30):
You told me to jump in.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
I didn't tell you to jump in.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
Yet, the prankster did not care and convinced the unhoused
woman to jump in the water anyway.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
I got well, only she literally died. No, sup, seriously,
don't stop.
Speaker 10 (04:46):
Please are actually freaking me out?
Speaker 9 (04:48):
Please.
Speaker 3 (04:50):
The unhoused woman begged for help out of the water,
given that she couldn't swim.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
I'm sorry, I didn't know. She said she's drowning.
Speaker 6 (04:59):
She she's no.
Speaker 3 (05:03):
I did it.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
I swear I did it. Let's go.
Speaker 3 (05:07):
Reynolds walked away, laughing with her crew as the unhoused
woman became more agitated, repeating she couldn't swim. In the end,
the crew and Reynolds left. The woman got into a
car and drove away.
Speaker 1 (05:26):
Nah this is bad. Wait, this is really nice.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
Reynolds began to panic, but the damage was already done.
The only consequence for Natalie Reynolds was a permanent band
on TikTok, deflection of blame and tears. Plenty of tears,
indicative of people avoiding responsibility for their actions. The world
(05:53):
is increasingly becoming unkind to unhouse people in myriad ways.
This brand of attack on un house people suggest that
demonizing the unhoused is socially acceptable and even encourage during
vis presidency.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
And that Sun House News.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
When we come back, we'll chat with Felicia Nielle Sapernaro
from the Sitewalk Schools. Welcome back to Weedian Howse I'm
Theo Henderson. One of the things about cruelty in the
time we live in are its connections to the Trump presidency,
(06:37):
something my guest today knows well. Felicia Ranielle Sanperniro is
one of the directors of Sitewalk school who works alongside
fellow staffers primarily asylum seekers living in Reynosa, Mexico, to
meet the deeds of vulnerable asylum seekers of all ages
at the Mexican border. This work ranges from rapid response
(06:59):
to policy the advocacy to offering free math, English, science
and gym classes.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
To children on a weekly basis.
Speaker 3 (07:07):
I got to speak with Felicia about her journey to
this work and why it's more necessary than ever.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
Here's our talk.
Speaker 9 (07:16):
Hello everyone, So, my name is Felicia Ronhill Samponaro, and
I'm one of the directors and foundaries of the Saltwalks School,
and the Sidewalk School has worked with the unhoused population
for six years straight.
Speaker 10 (07:31):
But it's very specific because.
Speaker 9 (07:33):
We work with immigrants on the Mexico side who live
inside of encampments.
Speaker 1 (07:40):
Yeah, on a house immigrants if.
Speaker 9 (07:41):
You meant yes, And a lot of people don't know
what an encampment is.
Speaker 10 (07:47):
I've learned that over the years.
Speaker 9 (07:49):
So for me and the work I've done, an encampment
is usually a park and it's where about five thousand
people all live like they're homes. They build kitchens outside,
they go to the bathroom in different places. We try
to get borta potties out there, and then access to
clean water is very important, especially on the Mexico side.
(08:12):
We've worked inside of eleven encampments over these six years.
Speaker 10 (08:16):
In Matamorris and in Reinos.
Speaker 9 (08:19):
And I'm gonna be honest with THEA when you contacted
me about working with the unhoused population, I never put
it in that context, even though I've worked in eleven encampments.
I guess because it is immigration and it's somehow seems
separate from me for some reason, but it's not. It's
(08:41):
the same thing. And the community built within the encampments.
I don't know if people realize it's like a small
city or town that comes together to protect each other
and help each other. But that's what I do. I say,
that's my introduction cool.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
And one of the things that I went to be honest,
I had been unhoused over eight years, and I had
to take a broader look because I was dealing from
houseesiness from the perspective of my own story and for
you know, a little to tell you a little bit different.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
I was stabbed out in the streets.
Speaker 3 (09:12):
I had recovered from very major surgery, but I became
in house due to another medical emergency. I was in
a coma, and these different things that happened to me
to think that it's just one way or was one understanding.
When people found out I was un housed, they always
tried to attribute it to substance usage or mental illness,
(09:34):
and then that was always used to throw me off,
Like you can become out of house. You don't have
to have any of that going on at all. You can,
like you know, another person I interviewed, gabro his wife.
She had terminal brain cancer. They weren't doing anything nefarious
or anything illegal. They just was trying to put all
their money in and trying to do chemo and all
the necessary things to keep her alive. But that didn't work.
(09:56):
She passed away. He couldn't support himself. The medical bills
were powered up up and he ended up living on
the streets right in front of the building he was
a super in. So it's like these kind of stories
don't make mainstream media, you know, all of a story
like Gloria who was fleeing domestic abuse and couldn't stay
in shelters because.
Speaker 1 (10:15):
She had a son.
Speaker 3 (10:17):
Many shelters don't allow mixed siblings to stay at the places,
so she couldn't take a son and a daughter there,
so she had very limited recourses, so she had to
live out in an encampment with her children.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
You know. So these things opened my eyes as well.
Speaker 3 (10:31):
It's like this is it is not the simplistic people
don't want help, like Fox News was making this point
that you accept the help that they had or you
go to jail. I think that this you know, it's
just very linear, very binary, very black and white, and
people do understand there's so much nuances with it. There's
so much judgment that ordnances and laws and restrictions into
(10:54):
a chokehold that house people are paralyzed into one direction
or another. But that might not be applicable to getting
him out of the situation. So you know, but I'm
very glad that you understood the expansiveness of what houselessness is.
So what inspired you to start working with the unhoused immigrants.
Speaker 9 (11:13):
It was actually during Trump's first term, is when the
Cydewalks Bill started, when he started metering and leaving families
living on a bridge for a couple of days or
a couple of weeks. And then from that, from like
twenty five people living on a bridge, he created them
outa Morrison Canton where five thousand people lived for two years.
Speaker 10 (11:35):
And most Americans aren't aware of that.
Speaker 3 (11:37):
No, they were not, because I wasn't. Yeah, so this
is why I was. So I'm so glad that you
came on. I recently did an episode about the unhoused
immigrants here in Thermo, California. I don't know if you
know the situation that's going on out there. It's pretty
direct as well. They had shut down a couple of
farms because they were running up on them why they
(11:58):
were out there working andtching them. And one of the
residents was telling me about the difficulties of families now
having to choose between two people working into one in
case that one of them gets snatched.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
Their kids are not left orphan.
Speaker 3 (12:12):
So these realities are ongoing, but they're manifesting in different ways.
Speaker 1 (12:17):
So just to set that out there.
Speaker 9 (12:19):
Yeah, So let me also say, before I started doing
this work, I also had a very narrow view of
what it meant to be homeless and whether or not
you stayed in the shelter. So the sidewalk school, we
actually built a shelter. We built it in Reinosol, Okay. Yeah,
and we built it because shelters do have rules. Sometimes
(12:39):
they can only take single women. Sometimes it's only the
mother and the child. The father can't live there. Sometimes
rarely it can be the whole family. But then there's
a time limites, Like there's so much that goes into
you accepting help because you're possibly leaving a family member
outside of that shelter fending for themselves, and that's really hard,
(13:01):
especially when a child's involved with the kid to be like,
my dad's on the street for them to go to
sleep every night because now they're worried about their dad
every day. But I mean, there is a whole lot
that goes into being unhoused, and it took me a
while to learn all of that, but I've learned it,
and I wish I could share it more with everybody.
(13:22):
But it was very eye opening for me because you
come at it as a privileged American and working on
the Mexico side. And I do say privileged to American because
I've seen Americans throw fits because there's no AC and
I'm like, you're outside, lady, where.
Speaker 10 (13:41):
Do you want the AC to be? Are they had
to go to the bathroom?
Speaker 9 (13:45):
Will you have a choice hold it? Or you can
go over there behind the tree where everyone else has
to go. They want bottled water, I'm like, we're in
an encampment. Where are you going to get bottled water from?
So I've seen many Americans over these years upset about
the conditions they're volunteering in.
Speaker 10 (14:03):
You're not even living there, you're just here for an
hour or two.
Speaker 9 (14:06):
So it is a privilege American to me standpoint you're
coming into when you're helping un housed. And with that
being said, I do thank everyone for coming out there
volunteering your time.
Speaker 10 (14:18):
But my bigger thing.
Speaker 3 (14:19):
Is I hope you're learning some you know, I think too,
that's one of the things that we I think I
can agree with. It's like the perspective of house or
you because Americans that are living inside, they don't understand
the difficulties is and how hard it is to navigate.
For example, like when I was unhoused and living in
the park, how you have to structure your day in
(14:41):
such a degree that you don't get your belongings taken
from you. You don't when you and it stays there
and when you come back. For example, if we've got
to go to a doctor's appointment or a place that
doesn't allow you to bring all of your belongings, and
if you don't have a storage facility or somewhere the
story or stuff like I used to leave it in
the park in order for me to do the ne
(15:01):
necessities that I need to do, or have a gr
meeting or get my general relief for getting food or
going to the doctor, it becomes much more a task,
you know. It's not like, for example, if you were
to go run out to run an errand you have
a house, you got your things set up, you are
comfortably well unless you got someone kicking the door, take everything,
(15:23):
but reasonably know that it will be there when you
come back. That is such a gamble when you're unhoused,
when you're trying to deal with the city hostility and
then be hostility or just people that are also in
a dire or desperate position, that seems something that you
have and take your stuff too. So it becomes very
difficult as an eye opening kind of thing. But also
(15:45):
when you're meaning also with volunteers, it's such a new
thing to them. They are not understanding like how to
navigate it into that world because you're taking your entire
world with you or you're trying to keep your entire
world safe or secure in such a way that's very
different from a house perspective.
Speaker 9 (16:05):
Right, So I'm glad you brought up volunteers inside the
encampment America volunteers. You see it taken advantage of constantly
by the people living inside the encampment. So and many
times they've been told like don't give cash out, like
why are you doing that? And when they would give
out thousands of dollars to somebody living inside of an
(16:27):
encampment and then learned that they've.
Speaker 10 (16:28):
Been taken are scammed.
Speaker 9 (16:31):
They wanted to be mad at the person living inside
the encampment, And I'm like, why are you mad at
this person? This person's living outside. They're trying to survive.
You gave money that was on you, grown adult American,
you decided to do that.
Speaker 1 (16:49):
Well.
Speaker 3 (16:49):
Also, I want to push back on that as well,
because whereas from the perspective of unhoused people, unhouse people
are trying to survive. The second thing, almost importantly, I
don't look too much of asconsint people wanting to help
financially because I've got help financially. Many of the house
people do. But the thing of it is are you
giving money in order for some kind of return or
(17:10):
are you giving it from a perspective that you're giving
it out of a sense of generosity. What I find
will us sometimes with house people is this sense of gratefulness.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
And I'll give you an example.
Speaker 3 (17:22):
They'll come with bottled water, they'll come with food, they'll
come with clothes, and then they'll have a camera pushed
you to your face. Now, yeah, well this is and
then they want you to be grateful appropriately on camera.
And that's and it's you know that includes money too.
It's like, OK, and it's so exploit of that.
Speaker 1 (17:46):
That is where I wrote a line.
Speaker 3 (17:49):
I'm like, you know what, if you're not giving this
out of generosity, I don't if you are down on
your luck or you need twenty bucks and you are
un housed, and I give you twenty bucks, that's an investment.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
I don't care to have a camera there.
Speaker 3 (18:02):
I don't care if you don't pay me back or not,
because chances are you may not be able to pay
me back. But the point of it is something forth
a camera and making you act like a placeful sealed
for approval.
Speaker 1 (18:14):
That is where I draw a line.
Speaker 3 (18:15):
Or when I'm trying to feed unhouse people and you're
showing these people's faces, not knowing their story, and I
take exception where there are people out there that do that,
particularly where there are domestic violent victims are out there.
You don't know who's watching this video. They see their
person that they're trying to escape from. You're feeding them
or you know, trying to do these exploitive backpadding kind
(18:39):
of activities. You don't know how you're endangering someone by
doing that. That's that's my acception to it.
Speaker 9 (18:45):
So let me say, on the Mexico side, there are
organizations over there, and so if you're volunteering on that
side of the border, you're with an organization. So if
you want to donate money, don't made it to the organization.
That way, you know it's going to you know, feed
clothes by water. So when you go outside of that
(19:08):
and you're starting to give out cash, what they do
on the Mexico side is they want to take pictures
and videos inside of these people's home.
Speaker 1 (19:15):
Oh yeah, that's another thing.
Speaker 9 (19:16):
Yeah right, and so it's like you wouldn't like people
go into your home take pictures and videos, but you
feel as if you can. So the Sidewalk School, we
don't take volunteers because me and.
Speaker 1 (19:27):
Victor weren't going to put over there, I understand.
Speaker 9 (19:33):
And also I'm the only black director of it, of
an organization on the border. It's only me, and it's
me and one other woman, her name is Gurline Joseph.
We're the only two, and so I wasn't gonna play
with anybody like that. But yes, when they give out money,
they feel as if they can take pictures of people,
go on their homes, videotape them as if they owe
(19:55):
them something, and they owe you absolutely nothing. You came
here saying you wanted to And then when we talk
about taking pictures, this is something I'm proud Victor and
I have always done. We don't allow pictures of children's faces.
Speaker 1 (20:10):
Our children at all. That's a big rule for me.
Speaker 3 (20:13):
When I was out on the street, I don't even
want to even have even have any inclination there as
a child out there because of the reason I say that,
And I just have to interject on that, because there
is thembies out there that will contact CPS and I've
seen it happen to have their kids remove, so they
don't even get that opportunity. I'd rather have the unhoused person,
(20:35):
if they have their children, they don't be on the
camera at all because it's too dangerous. Particularly you got
too many mean spirited, vindictive people that will separate the
families on purpose for that.
Speaker 9 (20:45):
We actually are in school on the Mexican side, and
so we deal nothing but with children.
Speaker 10 (20:51):
But you want to receive our kids' faces.
Speaker 9 (20:53):
Anywhere because they're in Mexico where there are cartels are real,
and kidnapping it's very real.
Speaker 1 (21:00):
Child trafficking is real as well as Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 9 (21:03):
All of that is real on the Mexico side. And
so that was the other issue. When you're giving money
to people they feel as if they can take pictures
and videos of their child and then they get their
profile picture.
Speaker 1 (21:16):
Oh that sucks.
Speaker 9 (21:18):
And I was just like, what did you ask the
mom or dad? Can you and no, it's okay, but
it's not okay.
Speaker 1 (21:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (21:26):
Yeah, even if even just on the off chance that
that a parent would say okay, I would, that's just
still it opens up too much. Like I said, you know,
I've seen too many families get separated or get targeted.
Speaker 1 (21:39):
Because they have children and they're on the house on
the street.
Speaker 3 (21:41):
I had to run one with the family were torn apart,
their daughters were snatched from because they knew that the
child was on the street.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
I wouldn't. It's just something I don't think that'd be
just that's.
Speaker 9 (21:52):
A power dynamic there, yes, that most Americans do not
understand when they come walk into this situation with their
nice clothes on and going to these encampments, there is
a definite power dynamic and they have it and as
they're saying, oh, this is okay, and this person's.
Speaker 10 (22:09):
Going along with it.
Speaker 9 (22:10):
Many times we looked over and the parent the child
looked very uncomfortable and it's like, okay, stop, did you ask?
Speaker 10 (22:18):
Like Victor and I.
Speaker 9 (22:19):
Were kind of different that way. And I know any
volunteer listening to this now will be like the Cylowalk
School didn't want us there, and we want you there.
We just want you to be respectful of everybody and
understand the dynamics you're stepping into.
Speaker 3 (22:34):
Absolutely, I totally agree, and I'm glad you brought that up,
because they don't in California particularly. You know, my own
experience is of knowing how kids could be exploited. Also
how nimbi's because we call thembi's here, is not in
my backyard. And these are proponents that don't want unhouse
people anywhere in their community. They'll claim that they want
(22:56):
shelters built, but they don't want them in the neighborhood.
They claim they want people to get help, they just
don't want to get the help in the neighborhood. They
claim they want to have the unhouse fed, they just
don't want them fed.
Speaker 1 (23:07):
In our neighborhood. I mean they.
Speaker 3 (23:09):
Literally have coffer running up, try to give tickets, throw
away food.
Speaker 1 (23:12):
They'll do anything they possibly care, but.
Speaker 3 (23:14):
They have to supposedly emit this gracious kind of spirit
that they want to show that they care about on
the house people.
Speaker 1 (23:22):
They just don't want to see them.
Speaker 3 (23:23):
You know, if you see the encampment there on the
way to school and or they'll paint the pictures that
unhouse people at any moment is going to just spring
out and attack you as they believe they're going to
snatch the poacher. And I always have to say, it's
so ridiculous. The unhoused people are living in the campus
right there. You see them every day. Do you think
(23:44):
that if they run out and nashally attack you, that
you're not going to call the police and they're not
going to find out that your encampment is standing right there.
So it's like it's just leading them exactly to the
place that they are going to be attacked. Do you
think they're going to stand there and stay there or
they're going to just attack because for no reason at all. No,
So their belief system is like unhouse people are the
(24:05):
boogeyman too. Elderly women and children. It's a very big
thing here.
Speaker 9 (24:11):
It's weird the fear that Americans have of the unhoused population.
And I kind of wonder where it kind of gets
thrown into all of us, like to be scared of
this population, because I don't know, it's just a it's
a weird thing. I think most Americans have. They were
just scared of unhoused people for some reason. But like
(24:32):
I said, I've worked inside of love and encampments and
it truly is a community and often a very loving community.
But just like any town or city, there's fights, there's
you know, drama, but then also many nights like they
would play dance music and everyone would get up dancing
(24:52):
and it was like the happiest thing ever and we
were so happy to be there and it was just
one wonderful And this is an unhoused population, but there's
happiness in it, there's joy in it, there's sadness in it.
Speaker 10 (25:07):
It's just like anybody else in the world.
Speaker 9 (25:10):
You just have to take time and I guess walk
outside of your comfort zone.
Speaker 10 (25:15):
But it's unfortunate that people do have a fear.
Speaker 3 (25:19):
So you say you're working on the Mexican border side.
Have you noticed any intensity from the border patrols or
the law enforcement agencies over there against the encampmental there
or what's your eyes telling you or what you're saying
out there?
Speaker 9 (25:34):
So now we're on the US side because once the
administration came into office ruffhyd Okay, yeah, he cut off
us eight all around the world, oh wow. And so
we were forced to come back on the US side,
which is how y'all know me through my Instagram because
now I have the energy to focus on that.
Speaker 10 (25:54):
So we still do actually have a school in Madam
Morris for the kids.
Speaker 9 (25:58):
There aren't a lot of people on the border anymore.
Nobody wants to come to the US. They're actually going
in the other direction to other countries. Nobody wants to
come here. And that was really hard for us. Like
I said, we worked with like ten thousand people at
one time. There was one time in Reinosa we had
(26:18):
seven encampments. We would visit every day just to make
sure people were okay. But all that's done, he's gotten
rid of all of that.
Speaker 3 (26:28):
I know I'm speaking into the future and I'm not
saying that whole demand passes away soon. But if it
happens or he when this term is up, will you
guys return, because I don't think if there is going
to be another president, the next president is going to.
Speaker 1 (26:44):
Let that stand.
Speaker 3 (26:45):
Will you go, guys, go back and resume those kind
of activities.
Speaker 1 (26:50):
We would love.
Speaker 9 (26:50):
So right now we're doing legal observing here on the
US side. Okay, I'm the one that records people's disappearances
once they step outside of the courtroom where I live,
and that has gotten kind of hard. I don't know
if you saw the video posted the other or yesterday,
I've been getting followed recently by law enforcement in my city.
Speaker 1 (27:12):
No, I haven't seen that.
Speaker 3 (27:12):
When I saw the previous one you had, which is
why I reached out to you, I'm like, okay, I
got to have her talk about this stuff.
Speaker 1 (27:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 9 (27:20):
Yeah, So I was followed yesterday at Alta beauty store.
That was It kind of actually made me laugh when
I saw the sheriff park next to my park because
I knew he was there for me.
Speaker 10 (27:32):
But my crime is helping unhouse people.
Speaker 9 (27:36):
That's my crime, and that part should discuss everyone. But
that's why Victor and I are being followed now by
law enforcement because we spent six years helping the unhoused
and making sure they have food and clean water and
medical care, and we built a shelter and now we're
being villainized by our government for doing so.
Speaker 3 (27:58):
Oh, like I said, we just in the first year.
It seems like it's been forever. But it's it's it's
so it's not unimaginable that he would be capable of this.
It's just unimaginable that people would vote this this tyrannical.
Speaker 1 (28:13):
Yeah, I just we already we already knew what the
person was like.
Speaker 3 (28:17):
It's just like it makes me really look at the
the thinking process of our society or you know, or
the lack of empathy or I don't know if it's
lack of intellect or poor educational opportunities, a lack of
critical thinking skills. I mean, as an educator, I'm just
like sometimes at a miss because I also remember how
it happens with budget cuts when we were going to
(28:39):
pre Trump and when they were eliminating basic classes like Civics,
And I was telling one of my producers, I'm like, well,
you couldn't graduate elementary or high school if you didn't
understand the basics of your civics of local, national, you know,
and executive. You just it was no way possible. You
(29:02):
have to pass that test. You have to know about it.
You had to know people of Congress, you had to
know the difference between the three branches of.
Speaker 1 (29:09):
Government, what that role.
Speaker 3 (29:11):
And it's like now when you hear residents or citizens
talk now I said this, there's no way you could
have passed, could have got out of high school without
knowing this. That they must not be doing this because
you can, you know, and it's so easy for people
to get taken advantage of or things that get over
on them when you don't have someone centered in understanding
(29:32):
they you know, did jet some floats some of you know,
the local politics you know, you know, societal impact of
ordnances or when you hear people say, you know, and
I take exceptions to some of the extreme leftist viewpoint
about voting, I says, you know what our people were,
the people that they worked the hardest for to make
(29:54):
sure that we didn't vote. If it was not a
big deal about voting, then why I did doing so
much much of their power to stop it and block it.
I was thinking, you know that that is the lynch
prian of the society. That's the lynch prion of what
we as black people fought for. You know, they killed
us because we started to read, you know, and understanding
the impact of that. And I don't think you know,
(30:16):
some of the people that are joining the movements understand
that very key crucial point that you know, how the
society is basically created and or decelerating advances that we
fought for, and that last election was one prime example
of that. The second thing was the issue with the
(30:37):
anti blackness that's been going on into it, but we.
Speaker 1 (30:40):
That's the copy for another day. I can get it.
You know.
Speaker 3 (30:47):
I say this because there was such an explosion, rightly
so about the injustices that was going on in Gaza.
And then there's the linkage between the black community and
gossas and how we are into conected. But what I
took exception on was when Kamala Harris was going for
president and they're blaming her because she was at the
(31:09):
time vice president. She had you know, again, this is
why I started to question. I says, how is it
that we don't understand how the government is set up?
Speaker 1 (31:18):
She's vice president, she ain't the damn president.
Speaker 3 (31:21):
So who's going to be the one that signature is
going to be on most of the legislation and fighting
is going to be the president, not the vice president.
But also here is where I say exception with these
protesters going to her book tour but has no smoke
for the app but the I was going to cuss,
but the ignoramus that it's currently sitting in office. Why
(31:45):
are you not doing that to them? Why aren't you
finding out where he goes mar Lager or whatever hell
and pop up and do what you're doing to her?
That part I take exception was because I feel it
has that strain of anti blackness and and and sexist too,
but we don't want to talk about that. But I
just am been observing that you got all the smoke
(32:08):
for a private citizen because of all intensive purposes.
Speaker 1 (32:11):
She's a private citizen.
Speaker 3 (32:12):
There's not nothing she can do but wave a book around,
you know, a sling a little snot and say you know,
she's sorry, But that is not going to bring attention
like it would have if you put your foot up
into again put you know, just putting the fire where
it needs to be.
Speaker 1 (32:29):
Now, why is it their intensity not fair?
Speaker 3 (32:32):
And why is it that all of a sudden, everyone
is capitulating a cow towling to meg l manya col monster,
And like I said, that's just an observation that I have.
Speaker 9 (32:44):
So let me say, I think, so I'm an older lady,
I'm more sure.
Speaker 1 (32:50):
Not bless your heart, you're younger than me.
Speaker 3 (32:53):
But thank you for that, thank you for that older
using that No, oh, thank you for that dog that
gave me a person. So here that Haley, I'm in
my thirties now.
Speaker 9 (33:09):
But let me say, growing up for me, I put
this distance between like Jim crow Era and being like ten,
and my grandmother was alive and well, and it wasn't
until I became more of a teenager young lady and
my mom was like, what are you talking about. My
(33:31):
mom had to sit up at the top of the
balcony when she went to the movies when she was
a young They used.
Speaker 1 (33:36):
To call it the buzzes roost.
Speaker 9 (33:38):
And so she was like, Felicia, this was during my lifetime.
And picking cotton that was during my mother's lifetime. So
I do think like we have like, oh, this was
hundreds of years ago. No, it was it was very
recent that we were able to get the rights well
that we used to have, because he's taken them all
(34:00):
away again. But the rights we have for those few
years and now they're being taken away. And my mother
and my grandmother, they all fought during that time. They
were out there protesting too, so I could have a
better life. And I do have a child. And I
remember telling him like two weeks ago, I never thought
(34:22):
you would live through this bullshit. And I was so
sad from my child because when I'm gone, he's still
gonna have to put up with what's happening today.
Speaker 10 (34:31):
That's going to roll over to my child's entire life.
And I never thought that would happened to my kid.
But here we are.
Speaker 9 (34:38):
Our rights are being stripped away by this person, and
everyone seems to be cool with it, like the people
who are in power, the other people who look like
him seem to all be okay with all of us
losing our rights.
Speaker 10 (34:57):
I was surprised to find it.
Speaker 9 (34:58):
What's his name, Bessett, Scott Besset or whatever. Yeah, the
treasury guy or the money guy. I can't think. I
think it's like Scott Bessett or something.
Speaker 10 (35:07):
I didn't know he was gay.
Speaker 3 (35:08):
Or Johnson also Johnson, he's also yeah, but he's I
believe he's closeted, but that's yeah.
Speaker 9 (35:13):
But the other guy's openly gay, and he's like one
of Trump's right hand men. And I'm like, you're a
gay man up here doing this.
Speaker 3 (35:23):
And trying to eliminate the lgbtt i's rights and things
like that. You know, there's a lot of internalized homophobia
in the community, just like it's a lot of internal
anti blackness in our communities. Due yes, you know, we
have people that force us, you know, the vomit in
our mouth a little bit. These are you know, so
(35:44):
they are in every kind of every kind of crew.
Speaker 1 (35:47):
We got a long ride.
Speaker 3 (35:48):
It feels like it's been four years, and it's like, God,
how much more of this mattness that we going to
be able to take?
Speaker 9 (35:54):
This week?
Speaker 10 (35:54):
I don't know if your account was affected.
Speaker 9 (35:56):
They went after us and all of our collaborators spending accounts. Yeah,
everyone went down for sometime this weekend, either twelve hours
or the entire weekend.
Speaker 10 (36:07):
Like myself, I just sat back on yesterday.
Speaker 3 (36:10):
Well I had taken a break, so and maybe that
had probably court inside it the time that they did.
Speaker 6 (36:15):
So.
Speaker 1 (36:15):
Oh man, I didn't know that.
Speaker 3 (36:16):
Yes, they didn't like y'all talking about this the hero huh, Nope.
Speaker 9 (36:20):
I got a warning and then this morning they were like,
if you do it again, we'll just terminate your account.
But the thing about Charlie Kirk was the clip they
were talking about was the one that Jimmy Kimmel did
that got his show canceled. I just put an excerpt
of what he said, which was really nothing, and that
is what got my account suspended this weekend.
Speaker 1 (36:41):
Dang.
Speaker 2 (36:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (36:43):
When we come back more with.
Speaker 3 (36:45):
Felicia, Welcome back to Weedian House. Let's get back into it.
Here's the rest of my talk with Felicia Ranielle top Andero.
Speaker 9 (36:59):
Let me just say so, where near one of this presidency,
I fully expect next year for Americans to be unhoused.
Oh yeahs who never thought they would be unhoused because
inflation it's killing me and I live in one of
the poor parts of the US. But my electricity bill
went up by like one hundred dollars and that's not food, Like,
(37:23):
oh my gosh.
Speaker 1 (37:24):
But by this.
Speaker 9 (37:25):
Time next year, I completely expect there will be more
Americans un housed, probably than any other time Besides I
guess Vietnam War or something. Maybe I don't know, but
he's going to run this country into the ground. And
he has shown he's going to run this country into
the brown.
Speaker 3 (37:44):
And I would have add on to that, there's going
to be a lot of unhoused Republicans that's going to
be saying that going to be shocked that they're unhoused.
And you know, one of the things and I don't
I have very limits of sympathy for because they voted
for this monster, this orange puppet into this place. But
the point of it is that they're going to have
to juggle the realities of being un housed and how
(38:07):
they're going to juggle it. It's going to be very
telling because they can't blame the immigrants because he's in
ran off and down to everybody in the country, so
he can't blame that.
Speaker 1 (38:16):
And then the two you know, black people gonna get
the stray again.
Speaker 3 (38:20):
They gonna blame us because like you know, for Stu
kind of way we came here to make them but
house it calls them to be out on the street.
But because he's gonna twist it some way that we're
going to be at the blame of it.
Speaker 9 (38:32):
So I completely agree it's never going to be the
Republican's fault even though they voted for this and they're
watching the prices and everything go up.
Speaker 10 (38:41):
I do post like today, I posted two interviews from.
Speaker 9 (38:44):
Farmers who openly said they voted for him and they're Baker.
Speaker 3 (38:49):
And would vote for him again because he was thought
they was okay hurting other people, but when but then
it started hurting them and everyone. He gets punching the air,
they're slinging snod and falling down ugly, crying off the.
Speaker 1 (39:00):
Wall and all that kind of you know, I'd like, well.
Speaker 9 (39:02):
Well, if this man's about to lose his family's farm
that's been passed now from generation to generation, it's like, well,
what do you want us to do about that? I mean,
you going for it. And then you also said you
don't want brown people here, so you got rid of
all of your workers like you wanted to happen everything
you wanted to happen.
Speaker 10 (39:22):
So why are you on your crying on DV.
Speaker 3 (39:24):
And then get upset, you know, because we don't share
the tear with them, Like well, you know, my mother
used to say, scratch it behind and get glad.
Speaker 9 (39:32):
But then wants to pay Americans eleven dollars an hour
to be out in the hot sun doing back breaking
work and no health insurance, no water breaks.
Speaker 10 (39:41):
Yeah, no Americans going to do that.
Speaker 1 (39:44):
And not only that too. And that's the thing too.
Speaker 3 (39:45):
The reason they were able to get this type of
work was because of these deplorable conditions, not that the
community should be entitled to that. Like even in Therma California,
when I went out there, I will tell you here
my own perspective with like got to get out there
early any morning. He had to be there in there
like five or six because it's brutal to be out
there picking produce or picking anything.
Speaker 1 (40:08):
In that heat.
Speaker 3 (40:09):
And then what they have this whole operation set up
so by noon that you wasn't out into the you know,
the beating sun. And it's like it just goes to
show you the dynamics to nuances that these same hateful
people don't understand or don't care. They just was delighting
and hurting someone else, don't w as they wasn't hurt.
(40:30):
And that's one of the things why in our communities
we are always blaming other other poor, other vulnerable community
members for our own situation instead of blaming where the
blame should be.
Speaker 9 (40:42):
You know, yes, yes, you need to point ups.
Speaker 3 (40:50):
Yes, because it's not it's not a drag queen, Uh
go out here making you unemployed, or it's not a
drag queen unhoused person jumping out and reading kindergarten stories
to your kids is going to corrupt them into becoming
something else. It's just this is the reality is that
we are focusing on the wrong people and the wrong
(41:12):
systems that are in place. I agree, but again it
goes back again too because I'm not educated.
Speaker 1 (41:17):
Is it because.
Speaker 3 (41:18):
We are not educated well, or we just have people
that are resistant of it. Because there's a movement we
were talking about in school when we were teaching, the
anti intellectualism movement. It was like anytime someone had the
appearance that they were intellectual, that they read books, that
they would be able to critically think and speak about it,
(41:39):
people sneered and poo pooled it and made it say it,
you know, And then that's why many of the conservatives
switched intellectualism with common sense. And usually their idea of
common sense is with hateful rhetoric or a very myopic
kind of understanding of complex situations.
Speaker 10 (41:56):
So now I agree.
Speaker 9 (41:57):
Let me say so, since I've worked over Mexico for
years and I've met people from all over the world. Actually,
I'm going to say it's our educational system here in
the US, because people from other countries speak at least
two languages, if not more, and they know things about
the US where I probably have never heard of the
(42:19):
place you've come from because that was never taught to me.
I've learned more in six years by working on the
border than I learned my whole life in school because
I was exposed to so many things.
Speaker 10 (42:32):
I mean, and it's absolutely wonderful.
Speaker 9 (42:34):
If you can step outside of your comfort zone, you're
rewarded a hundred times over. You're going to learn so
many things about yourself, about the world, about other people.
But I'm going to say this is the US education system.
It wants us to think this one very narrow way,
like we're the greatest country in the world, and that's it.
Speaker 10 (42:57):
You only need to know English.
Speaker 9 (42:58):
You don't need to know about all these other countries
and you're good well.
Speaker 3 (43:02):
Also too, there's an emphasis on the lack of empathy
and the upsurd of joy, on people's pain and misery, like,
for example, if there is anyone outside of the uniformity
of white then they are open gang to be insulted, ridiculed, othered,
and it's going to be accepted. And you see that's
(43:23):
going on now. I just seeing this eclip where there
was on the show I believe this guy's name is
Myren or whatever, and he started saying the N word,
and it was very telling that majority of people got
up and walked out, but then there was a maybe
two or three black men just sat there while he
(43:43):
was disparaging black women, and it was very disturbing but
also very indicative. In order to stay in the graces
of white supremacy or basically being the lab dog or
white supremacy, you have to inure yourself or you have
to divorce yourself from the ugliness of what the messages
(44:03):
are such as that, such as the fact that people
are running around snatching forcibully families or throwing down people,
shooting people because they want their families to stay together,
or they're doing things the right way, but that still
doesn't trigger empathy.
Speaker 1 (44:20):
That still triggers joy or happiness.
Speaker 3 (44:23):
Like there's this podcast called The Necessary Podcast and the
Father is just the most violence human being vioreless boomer
that I've seen in a long time. He gets a sick,
sadistic joy out of seeing people harmed or getting heard
about people harmed, and his son is trying to educate him.
But I'm like, if someone's hard as black as that,
(44:45):
or has divorced the reality of people's humanity, there's not
any more dialogue to be had. You know, you just
have to just say, Okay, you're just an unrepented racist
that delights in harming other people. What kind of transformative
kind of conversation that we need to have because you
don't want to change you like that.
Speaker 10 (45:07):
So I do have that experience. So I'm Mexican and.
Speaker 1 (45:11):
Black, yes, yes, And so.
Speaker 9 (45:13):
My mom is black and she was born in a
little black town. My mom and my grandmother she was
born there as well, are some of the most racist
people that.
Speaker 10 (45:24):
You would be like, what y'all are together? It's like, yeah,
we're together.
Speaker 9 (45:27):
She raised me. But I mean, over the years, especially
with my grandmother, because the words she would use were awful,
even back when I was a teenager, we would have
to have these conversations of what's appropriate, what's not appropriate,
and it wasn't until she was actually dying she stopped
calling one of my friends who is Chinese, the Asian man,
(45:47):
and start calling him by his name because he would
change your diaper. And then she was like, oh, well,
thank you for coming, Kevin, and I was like, oh, okay,
so now you're but she was dying.
Speaker 1 (46:00):
I was just going on a way to glory. Here's
our way. Yeah.
Speaker 10 (46:03):
Also, where I live is predominantly Hispanic.
Speaker 9 (46:06):
My hope though, is always that people can't understand what
is happening because where I lived, it used to be
blue and it turned red.
Speaker 10 (46:15):
It's ninety five percent Latin people. Where I live ninety percent.
Speaker 9 (46:19):
And to see this whole city boat for Trump, I
was shocked. I was shocked. And now as this is
going along and he's kidnapping people from our little city.
Victor and I actually went to a political thing like
two weeks ago, and in there everyone was applauding Trump
(46:40):
at this event, and Victor and I were the outcast
because we were like, y'all are crazy, what are you applauding?
He's kidnappy people. But to see all of these brown
people say, no, he's only kidnapping.
Speaker 10 (46:54):
The criminals I'm like, are you serious?
Speaker 9 (46:57):
Where we live, they're going to construction sites every day
and they're taking the whole crew, the whole construction crew.
So nothing but criminals going to work every day a
construction site.
Speaker 2 (47:07):
No.
Speaker 3 (47:08):
This is the argument that they keep saying that I
hear is if you were here, or you do things
the right way. I don't know if you ever heard
the right way argument. Okay, here in California, I don't
know where. Maybe they don't do it any other place,
but they were showing up at the courthouses where people
were going in the right way for court dates, quarter
(47:31):
appointed tasks, and duties, and they were going there doing
it the right way and still getting snatched and put
of their families.
Speaker 1 (47:39):
How do they explain that, because.
Speaker 3 (47:41):
You know, everyone claimed that these criminals, but these people
are going in on the correct legal pretenses. That's not
get there running around here like the MS thirteen or
five year old MS thirteen sell eliminade and then all
of a sudden they're being arrested.
Speaker 1 (47:57):
That's not what's happening.
Speaker 3 (47:58):
That's why I always here and I'm like, how could
you justify that? This is what you guys claim that
they're supposed to be doing and they're getting snatched.
Speaker 10 (48:07):
Well, so I went to court today because we do.
Speaker 9 (48:09):
I do the recordings down here, Yeah, I do make
the recordings public. And what I hear is, oh, it's
not happening here. I'm like, I just recorded somebody kidnapping.
It's happening here.
Speaker 3 (48:22):
Yeah, yeah, or what happened recently in Chicago. And for
those that don't know, that would happened in Chicago in
the middle of the night around twelve they had black
Hawk helicopters descend it in the black section of town
and repel down do explosive gas predades and with zip
tying naked children and zip tying families that had nothing
(48:43):
to do with immigration at all. They just said to
take three hundred people but ended up I think arresting
like thirty something people or whatever. And they wasn't just
looking for ice illegal immigrants. They were on a witch
hunt to go in and as aggressively as possible make
it sound like it's like a black Hawk down. It
warranted such a vociferous response from the mayor and onlookers
(49:07):
because I don't know about you, like usually when it's
like twelve or something like at night. I'm usually trying
to power one down or I'm getting ready to you know,
because I do I'm a night out, get my movie
selection together, or what I'm going to be watching, and
you know, everyone's really trying to taper down. But to
imagine that going on in the middle of the night,
hearing these explosions, people kicking indoors and causing such of
(49:31):
such disquiet among the community, I don't know how they
can reconcile that, because that's more than just you know
the intensity of criminal illegal immigrants. It's like there's something
else that's driving this or like provoking.
Speaker 10 (49:43):
It's terrorizing black people and brown people.
Speaker 6 (49:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (49:47):
Yeah. So my other thing.
Speaker 9 (49:49):
Is whenever I do hear black people say, oh, it's
only the Mexicans, and it's like no, no, no, no.
Speaker 1 (49:56):
So I can tell you Chicago. It was deliberately.
Speaker 3 (49:59):
I'm I'm born and raised in Chicago, and I know
the area is so the South Side is majority black people.
So they were the argument they flying with me because
and there were a lot of the black people argument
like dude, we're just sitting in house or we're just
getting ready to go to bed, and you know, you
got kids, you know, having them up that later or
and things like that got kids screaming and throwing all
(50:20):
that tear gas. Though it's just made it sound like
the whole community. And that's again the similarity, like how
they do with unther housed people and have a group
of people to make it sound like at any moment
that they're going to attack ice workers and they're not
even thinking about them.
Speaker 1 (50:35):
They're sitting out.
Speaker 3 (50:36):
You know, you know that these people are everyday citizens,
are working hard and minding their own business and just
wish to be left alone. But yet you project that
narrative that this is a war torn country or there's
a war cun city that you know, we act like
we're in the days of Matt Max.
Speaker 1 (50:52):
And I'm telling my age.
Speaker 3 (50:53):
But the original Matt Max where they had the Thunderdome
with Tina Turner and the Mel Gibson, that kind of
dystopian look that they try to pay doubt to be.
Speaker 9 (51:02):
So yeah, So I do watch these interviews and I
never understand whatever a MAGA reporter agrees with him about
how it's now safer in DC's safer in Portland. I'm like,
what do y'all? You just want the streets stript of
people if it's only Maga people. And then but the
thing is, even if it was only Maga people, someplace
in that group, there's gonna be the underdog. There's gonna
(51:25):
be somebody all Maga people pick on and say, oh,
we don't want you here, You're wrong. It's never ending.
When you have that type of hate, You're always gonna
find somebody who you think you're better than. Yeah, And
that's like what's happening now. And it hurts to see
anybody black, brown, white, yellow, whatever agree with what's happening
(51:46):
because he is just literally terrorizing people. That's it. And
he's starting with brown, moved over to black. He will
keep going down the line. He'll eventually make it to
white people.
Speaker 3 (51:57):
Well, but he was on the South Korea and the
Koreans at the height. I don't even remember in Georgia
where uh, the George all of them were. They were
not illegal aliens, So let's pook that on the record.
They were not criminals, they were not MS thirteen. They
were not running around jumping out at your families at
any opportunity. They were in a factory, working, minding their business,
(52:20):
contributing to society. Trying to help the society, and this
is how we treated them.
Speaker 1 (52:25):
And so that's the message.
Speaker 3 (52:26):
And even after all of that that's been expressed, there's
still people like that father from necessary conversation that looked
on gleefully excited that these were people were being attacked
and and and it brings joy to him to see
other people hurt people. It's like there is a psychopathy
(52:47):
there that I just cannot reconcile, Like, why would you
be okay harming people? What glee? What joy did you
get out of that? Because that shows you don't realize
how harmful is until it.
Speaker 1 (52:58):
Happens to you.
Speaker 9 (52:59):
So I agree with you.
Speaker 3 (53:02):
Yeah, I've been, like I said, this has been such
a worldwiod turn of events here, and I just wanted
to know what do you see yourself at the Sidewalk
School doing to maintaining or getting to keeping the word, going,
going to fires, going with your organization.
Speaker 9 (53:19):
So we're going to continue recording people's disappearances by I
like Victor's now running for office okay here where we live,
thirty fourth District. We are definitely going to continue to
work to help people and hopefully bring people together. The
Sidewalk School in some form will always go on. That's
(53:41):
a definite that Victor and I agreed on a long
time ago. We believe in hope, we've believed in kindness
and having an open mind and just listening to somebody
else to see, you know what I mean. It will
continue on the sidewalk school will definitely continue on, but
probably here the way things are going the US side,
because I do believe the unhoused population is going to
(54:05):
skyrocket within the next year. I do think that, and
people are going to need help and how do you
get resources and all that other stuff, and we will
be here to help them.
Speaker 3 (54:15):
Oh that sounds like you know a plan? Do you
have any plans for let's say, for examples, because I know,
even as I was an unhoused member myself, people that
blame other community vulnerable communities instead of understanding the reality
that the one percent of the transgender or LGTDI community
(54:36):
is not the reason why you're unhoused.
Speaker 1 (54:38):
Are there?
Speaker 3 (54:39):
It is going to be any literature or is there
going to be any way of trying to create a
program to start to educate people to the realities of
what their situation is. Because it's easy to blame someone
that you can see every day because it makes you
feel better shifting the blame instead of shifting the blame
on the ignoramus that's in the White House of sixty
hundred Pennsylvania.
Speaker 9 (54:59):
But you know, so that's a that's an interesting thought
because on the Mexico side, we actually had housing for
the LGBTQ community because they did have a hard time
inside the encampments, so we did have to rent airbnbs
so they could be safe. Here on the US side,
I mean, that's a very interesting idea. Vict and I
(55:20):
would definitely talk about it because yes, it's still needed,
and it's still like today when they were talking about
transgender people and they wanted to impeach the judge because
she called the woman by her pronoun She is a woman,
but biologically she was born a man, and Cruz wanted
(55:40):
to impeach the judge because the judge used her correct pronouns.
When I saw that, I was like, that's I mean,
what do you care? Like, why does that bother your
life in your world?
Speaker 1 (55:54):
That's the point.
Speaker 3 (55:54):
It's like, the point is the focus on the nebulus
or the irrelevant in order for someone to feel good
and like you know, in our communities, particularly sometimes in
the black community. I take exception two is the negating
or the insulting of the community and using the Bible,
which is another the Christian nationalism movement. Is that something
(56:16):
that we didn't really talk on, but that charish, judgmental
thing that it flows through many of the Christian nationalists
and they use it to justify their hatred and then
cover it up with you know, hate to sin, belove
the center. But that's very hard to distinguish when you
say hurtful things.
Speaker 9 (56:36):
So yeah, but when you listen to them talk, because
my thing is, what do you so, what is the problem?
And the stuff that they name has nothing to do
with you, sir m'am nothing to do with you exactly.
So why are you, I mean, why are you like
dragging this on? And I feel as that people were
really paying attention to the reasoning they have for this
(56:59):
hatred of people the LGBT community. You would hear, oh,
this is dumb, This has nothing to do with anything.
I have a whole thing about the US and how
the ideas we put up on each other that you
know that have been going on one hundreds of years now,
But it's really easy for people to stay inside their
(57:21):
comfort zone, especially if you're white, because you're privileged. So
why would you why would you want to listen to
me and what you know my life and how I
view things. You have no reason to do that, and
our society does not push other Americans to do that.
Speaker 10 (57:36):
It's very you worry about you.
Speaker 9 (57:38):
You get to the top by yourself, whereas in other
countries they've worked together as groups, they help each other.
I've seen it now on the Mexico side, with different cultures.
It's very different from the American culture. Victor and I
are usually like the outcast because we're like, well, why
do can't we just do this?
Speaker 10 (57:55):
And it took me time to learn that's American culture.
Speaker 9 (57:58):
Other cultures you help each other, you're there for each other,
you watch each other's kids. Our culture is very different,
and it worries me that other Americans won't see that
before it's too late, Like step outside of your comfort zone.
You will be surprised, but it's a pleasant surprise. It's
a really good thing when you do that. And you
(58:21):
may not agree in the end, that's fine too, but
at least you got to give it a chance. Instead
of no, it's just this way and it's not just
not just one way.
Speaker 1 (58:31):
Very true.
Speaker 3 (58:31):
Well, it looks like the time is flown with this interview,
and I really enjoyed talking with you. I'm going to
have to invite you back here and they get to
continue on to maybe do a panel with a couple
other thinkers that are dealing with houselessness and intersecting ways.
And I want to thank our listeners for taking the
time and patience to really open their mind, expand their outlook,
(58:55):
and also to the support that I've been getting with
me voting on the Signal Award the Listener's Choice, and
I want to thank the people that voted, and I
wanted to thank the listeners that have been listening to
me from the beginning when I lived on the streets
and was doing this show on the phone to now
working partnership with iHeart. Also, we're coming up on the
(59:17):
end of the first season and I can't wait to
start on the second season. I've got renewed and I
want to express that good news as well, and let's
make sure we thank Milicia for coming in and talking
with us as well.
Speaker 10 (59:29):
Thank you, Bye THEO.
Speaker 3 (59:31):
Thank you, thank you so much to Felicia for her
time and insight. You can learn more about her work
with the Sidewalk School and follow her on Instagram at
the links in the description, and thank you for listening in.
If you have a story you like to share, please
(59:54):
reach out to me at Weedianhouse at gmail dot com
or whedian House on Instagram. Our tails end for the
fiftieth time with iHeart May we again meet in the.
Speaker 1 (01:00:04):
Light of us A step Willian Howes is a production
of iHeart Radio.
Speaker 3 (01:00:10):
It is written, hosted, and created by me Theo Henderson,
our producers Jamie Loftus, Haille Fager, Katie Fischer, and Lyra Smith.
Our editor is Adam Wand, our engineer is Joe Jerome,
and our local art is also by Katie Fisher. Thank
you for listening.
Previously on Whedian House.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
So I was really looking into things, and I saw
about the lack of justice in society. And they added
the words under God to the Pledge of Allegiance in
nineteen fifty four. It wasn't in there before. And I said,
this is a betrayal of our constitution, the separation of
church and state. And so I refused to salute the flag.
And that's the first time that anybody actually tried to
(00:29):
expel me from anything. But that was just the beginning.
I'm very aware of what it's like to be against
the authorities that have or seemed to have all the
power and you seem to have none. That's what my
experience was, and I had to fight my own fear
in order to just keep going.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
Welcome to Whedian House. I'm your host, Theo Henderson. This
is our fiftieth episodes since joining iHeart Podcasts. This is
a milestone for the show and we are looking forward
to the next fifty. Before we get into unhoused news,
let's revisit a few moments from some of my favorite
interviews from the last to the episodes.
Speaker 4 (01:26):
Vast majority of our precious human beings, imprecious fellow citizens
are there because they're dealing with the effects of a
deeply unjust capitalist system that puts a priority on profit
rather than satisfying human need.
Speaker 5 (01:42):
Well, my name is Cindy McAllister. I've been coming to
see you that for about a year and a half.
Now I don't have my time here, and I try
to be a friend to everybody who I know who
comes here. I try to be a positive attitude and
I'm a class of friends just because I'm a nice person.
Speaker 6 (02:00):
I believe it's going to get worse.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
Why because of the rates.
Speaker 6 (02:11):
With all an people don't want to go to work,
and how are they going to pay for their rent,
for their insurance, for their daycare, you know, for the
needs when the.
Speaker 7 (02:23):
Ladies cleans this building on the night shift. She has
emailed the mayor countless time we need a better system
in place. She sees the folks that are laying there
all night long, who are asking for help, who want
to shelter red, who want housing.
Speaker 8 (02:45):
Coming from a British perspective, I'm very minthful when everyone
always wants to point the finger America because obviously under
Trump it's really really bad. But I think it's quite
a dangerous game because it makes other countries get away
with it. I think it's quite important to be aware
(03:06):
of what's going on. But also I really love the
podcast because I find there's actually quite a lot of joy.
Speaker 4 (03:14):
It comes down to do we have what it takes
to acknowledge the rich humanity and creativity Beach and every
one of us, including our precious unhoused brothers and sisters.
Speaker 6 (03:23):
And siblings.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
And now unhoused news Before we be good, I want
to issue a content warning for this story. This is
very graphic audio. The world can show up in ways
you don't expect. No one could have told me I
(03:52):
would be reporting on a story so infuriating and heartbreaking
as this one.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
Well twenty twenty five is trudging along.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
In May twenty twenty four, TikToker Natalie Reynolds played a
cruel prank on a mentally ill unhoused woman at Ladybird Lake.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
In Austin, Texas.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
The prank was to get the unhoused woman to jump
into the lake for twenty dollars.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
You were going, you shoulda jump.
Speaker 9 (04:19):
In right now.
Speaker 7 (04:20):
I'm gonna jump in with my shoes on O gotedy? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (04:22):
Ready?
Speaker 3 (04:24):
The issue is the unhoused woman could not swim.
Speaker 5 (04:28):
You said it was okay, You said he wanted to swim.
Speaker 6 (04:30):
You told me to jump in.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
I didn't tell you to jump in.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
Yet, the prankster did not care and convinced the unhoused
woman to jump in the water anyway.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
I got well, only she literally died. No, sup, seriously,
don't stop.
Speaker 10 (04:46):
Please are actually freaking me out?
Speaker 9 (04:48):
Please.
Speaker 3 (04:50):
The unhoused woman begged for help out of the water,
given that she couldn't swim.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
I'm sorry, I didn't know. She said she's drowning.
Speaker 6 (04:59):
She she's no.
Speaker 3 (05:03):
I did it.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
I swear I did it. Let's go.
Speaker 3 (05:07):
Reynolds walked away, laughing with her crew as the unhoused
woman became more agitated, repeating she couldn't swim. In the end,
the crew and Reynolds left. The woman got into a
car and drove away.
Speaker 1 (05:26):
Nah this is bad. Wait, this is really nice.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
Reynolds began to panic, but the damage was already done.
The only consequence for Natalie Reynolds was a permanent band
on TikTok, deflection of blame and tears. Plenty of tears,
indicative of people avoiding responsibility for their actions. The world
(05:53):
is increasingly becoming unkind to unhouse people in myriad ways.
This brand of attack on un house people suggest that
demonizing the unhoused is socially acceptable and even encourage during
vis presidency.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
And that Sun House News.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
When we come back, we'll chat with Felicia Nielle Sapernaro
from the Sitewalk Schools. Welcome back to Weedian Howse I'm
Theo Henderson. One of the things about cruelty in the
time we live in are its connections to the Trump presidency,
(06:37):
something my guest today knows well. Felicia Ranielle Sanperniro is
one of the directors of Sitewalk school who works alongside
fellow staffers primarily asylum seekers living in Reynosa, Mexico, to
meet the deeds of vulnerable asylum seekers of all ages
at the Mexican border. This work ranges from rapid response
(06:59):
to policy the advocacy to offering free math, English, science
and gym classes.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
To children on a weekly basis.
Speaker 3 (07:07):
I got to speak with Felicia about her journey to
this work and why it's more necessary than ever.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
Here's our talk.
Speaker 9 (07:16):
Hello everyone, So, my name is Felicia Ronhill Samponaro, and
I'm one of the directors and foundaries of the Saltwalks School,
and the Sidewalk School has worked with the unhoused population
for six years straight.
Speaker 10 (07:31):
But it's very specific because.
Speaker 9 (07:33):
We work with immigrants on the Mexico side who live
inside of encampments.
Speaker 1 (07:40):
Yeah, on a house immigrants if.
Speaker 9 (07:41):
You meant yes, And a lot of people don't know
what an encampment is.
Speaker 10 (07:47):
I've learned that over the years.
Speaker 9 (07:49):
So for me and the work I've done, an encampment
is usually a park and it's where about five thousand
people all live like they're homes. They build kitchens outside,
they go to the bathroom in different places. We try
to get borta potties out there, and then access to
clean water is very important, especially on the Mexico side.
(08:12):
We've worked inside of eleven encampments over these six years.
Speaker 10 (08:16):
In Matamorris and in Reinos.
Speaker 9 (08:19):
And I'm gonna be honest with THEA when you contacted
me about working with the unhoused population, I never put
it in that context, even though I've worked in eleven encampments.
I guess because it is immigration and it's somehow seems
separate from me for some reason, but it's not. It's
(08:41):
the same thing. And the community built within the encampments.
I don't know if people realize it's like a small
city or town that comes together to protect each other
and help each other. But that's what I do. I say,
that's my introduction cool.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
And one of the things that I went to be honest,
I had been unhoused over eight years, and I had
to take a broader look because I was dealing from
houseesiness from the perspective of my own story and for
you know, a little to tell you a little bit different.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
I was stabbed out in the streets.
Speaker 3 (09:12):
I had recovered from very major surgery, but I became
in house due to another medical emergency. I was in
a coma, and these different things that happened to me
to think that it's just one way or was one understanding.
When people found out I was un housed, they always
tried to attribute it to substance usage or mental illness,
(09:34):
and then that was always used to throw me off,
Like you can become out of house. You don't have
to have any of that going on at all. You can,
like you know, another person I interviewed, gabro his wife.
She had terminal brain cancer. They weren't doing anything nefarious
or anything illegal. They just was trying to put all
their money in and trying to do chemo and all
the necessary things to keep her alive. But that didn't work.
(09:56):
She passed away. He couldn't support himself. The medical bills
were powered up up and he ended up living on
the streets right in front of the building he was
a super in. So it's like these kind of stories
don't make mainstream media, you know, all of a story
like Gloria who was fleeing domestic abuse and couldn't stay
in shelters because.
Speaker 1 (10:15):
She had a son.
Speaker 3 (10:17):
Many shelters don't allow mixed siblings to stay at the places,
so she couldn't take a son and a daughter there,
so she had very limited recourses, so she had to
live out in an encampment with her children.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
You know. So these things opened my eyes as well.
Speaker 3 (10:31):
It's like this is it is not the simplistic people
don't want help, like Fox News was making this point
that you accept the help that they had or you
go to jail. I think that this you know, it's
just very linear, very binary, very black and white, and
people do understand there's so much nuances with it. There's
so much judgment that ordnances and laws and restrictions into
(10:54):
a chokehold that house people are paralyzed into one direction
or another. But that might not be applicable to getting
him out of the situation. So you know, but I'm
very glad that you understood the expansiveness of what houselessness is.
So what inspired you to start working with the unhoused immigrants.
Speaker 9 (11:13):
It was actually during Trump's first term, is when the
Cydewalks Bill started, when he started metering and leaving families
living on a bridge for a couple of days or
a couple of weeks. And then from that, from like
twenty five people living on a bridge, he created them
outa Morrison Canton where five thousand people lived for two years.
Speaker 10 (11:35):
And most Americans aren't aware of that.
Speaker 3 (11:37):
No, they were not, because I wasn't. Yeah, so this
is why I was. So I'm so glad that you
came on. I recently did an episode about the unhoused
immigrants here in Thermo, California. I don't know if you
know the situation that's going on out there. It's pretty
direct as well. They had shut down a couple of
farms because they were running up on them why they
(11:58):
were out there working andtching them. And one of the
residents was telling me about the difficulties of families now
having to choose between two people working into one in
case that one of them gets snatched.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
Their kids are not left orphan.
Speaker 3 (12:12):
So these realities are ongoing, but they're manifesting in different ways.
Speaker 1 (12:17):
So just to set that out there.
Speaker 9 (12:19):
Yeah, So let me also say, before I started doing
this work, I also had a very narrow view of
what it meant to be homeless and whether or not
you stayed in the shelter. So the sidewalk school, we
actually built a shelter. We built it in Reinosol, Okay. Yeah,
and we built it because shelters do have rules. Sometimes
(12:39):
they can only take single women. Sometimes it's only the
mother and the child. The father can't live there. Sometimes
rarely it can be the whole family. But then there's
a time limites, Like there's so much that goes into
you accepting help because you're possibly leaving a family member
outside of that shelter fending for themselves, and that's really hard,
(13:01):
especially when a child's involved with the kid to be like,
my dad's on the street for them to go to
sleep every night because now they're worried about their dad
every day. But I mean, there is a whole lot
that goes into being unhoused, and it took me a
while to learn all of that, but I've learned it,
and I wish I could share it more with everybody.
(13:22):
But it was very eye opening for me because you
come at it as a privileged American and working on
the Mexico side. And I do say privileged to American because
I've seen Americans throw fits because there's no AC and
I'm like, you're outside, lady, where.
Speaker 10 (13:41):
Do you want the AC to be? Are they had
to go to the bathroom?
Speaker 9 (13:45):
Will you have a choice hold it? Or you can
go over there behind the tree where everyone else has
to go. They want bottled water, I'm like, we're in
an encampment. Where are you going to get bottled water from?
So I've seen many Americans over these years upset about
the conditions they're volunteering in.
Speaker 10 (14:03):
You're not even living there, you're just here for an
hour or two.
Speaker 9 (14:06):
So it is a privilege American to me standpoint you're
coming into when you're helping un housed. And with that
being said, I do thank everyone for coming out there
volunteering your time.
Speaker 10 (14:18):
But my bigger thing.
Speaker 3 (14:19):
Is I hope you're learning some you know, I think too,
that's one of the things that we I think I
can agree with. It's like the perspective of house or
you because Americans that are living inside, they don't understand
the difficulties is and how hard it is to navigate.
For example, like when I was unhoused and living in
the park, how you have to structure your day in
(14:41):
such a degree that you don't get your belongings taken
from you. You don't when you and it stays there
and when you come back. For example, if we've got
to go to a doctor's appointment or a place that
doesn't allow you to bring all of your belongings, and
if you don't have a storage facility or somewhere the
story or stuff like I used to leave it in
the park in order for me to do the ne
(15:01):
necessities that I need to do, or have a gr
meeting or get my general relief for getting food or
going to the doctor, it becomes much more a task,
you know. It's not like, for example, if you were
to go run out to run an errand you have
a house, you got your things set up, you are
comfortably well unless you got someone kicking the door, take everything,
(15:23):
but reasonably know that it will be there when you
come back. That is such a gamble when you're unhoused,
when you're trying to deal with the city hostility and
then be hostility or just people that are also in
a dire or desperate position, that seems something that you
have and take your stuff too. So it becomes very
difficult as an eye opening kind of thing. But also
(15:45):
when you're meaning also with volunteers, it's such a new
thing to them. They are not understanding like how to
navigate it into that world because you're taking your entire
world with you or you're trying to keep your entire
world safe or secure in such a way that's very
different from a house perspective.
Speaker 9 (16:05):
Right, So I'm glad you brought up volunteers inside the
encampment America volunteers. You see it taken advantage of constantly
by the people living inside the encampment. So and many
times they've been told like don't give cash out, like
why are you doing that? And when they would give
out thousands of dollars to somebody living inside of an
(16:27):
encampment and then learned that they've.
Speaker 10 (16:28):
Been taken are scammed.
Speaker 9 (16:31):
They wanted to be mad at the person living inside
the encampment, And I'm like, why are you mad at
this person? This person's living outside. They're trying to survive.
You gave money that was on you, grown adult American,
you decided to do that.
Speaker 1 (16:49):
Well.
Speaker 3 (16:49):
Also, I want to push back on that as well,
because whereas from the perspective of unhoused people, unhouse people
are trying to survive. The second thing, almost importantly, I
don't look too much of asconsint people wanting to help
financially because I've got help financially. Many of the house
people do. But the thing of it is are you
giving money in order for some kind of return or
(17:10):
are you giving it from a perspective that you're giving
it out of a sense of generosity. What I find
will us sometimes with house people is this sense of gratefulness.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
And I'll give you an example.
Speaker 3 (17:22):
They'll come with bottled water, they'll come with food, they'll
come with clothes, and then they'll have a camera pushed
you to your face. Now, yeah, well this is and
then they want you to be grateful appropriately on camera.
And that's and it's you know that includes money too.
It's like, OK, and it's so exploit of that.
Speaker 1 (17:46):
That is where I wrote a line.
Speaker 3 (17:49):
I'm like, you know what, if you're not giving this
out of generosity, I don't if you are down on
your luck or you need twenty bucks and you are
un housed, and I give you twenty bucks, that's an investment.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
I don't care to have a camera there.
Speaker 3 (18:02):
I don't care if you don't pay me back or not,
because chances are you may not be able to pay
me back. But the point of it is something forth
a camera and making you act like a placeful sealed
for approval.
Speaker 1 (18:14):
That is where I draw a line.
Speaker 3 (18:15):
Or when I'm trying to feed unhouse people and you're
showing these people's faces, not knowing their story, and I
take exception where there are people out there that do that,
particularly where there are domestic violent victims are out there.
You don't know who's watching this video. They see their
person that they're trying to escape from. You're feeding them
or you know, trying to do these exploitive backpadding kind
(18:39):
of activities. You don't know how you're endangering someone by
doing that. That's that's my acception to it.
Speaker 9 (18:45):
So let me say, on the Mexico side, there are
organizations over there, and so if you're volunteering on that
side of the border, you're with an organization. So if
you want to donate money, don't made it to the organization.
That way, you know it's going to you know, feed
clothes by water. So when you go outside of that
(19:08):
and you're starting to give out cash, what they do
on the Mexico side is they want to take pictures
and videos inside of these people's home.
Speaker 1 (19:15):
Oh yeah, that's another thing.
Speaker 9 (19:16):
Yeah right, and so it's like you wouldn't like people
go into your home take pictures and videos, but you
feel as if you can. So the Sidewalk School, we
don't take volunteers because me and.
Speaker 1 (19:27):
Victor weren't going to put over there, I understand.
Speaker 9 (19:33):
And also I'm the only black director of it, of
an organization on the border. It's only me, and it's
me and one other woman, her name is Gurline Joseph.
We're the only two, and so I wasn't gonna play
with anybody like that. But yes, when they give out money,
they feel as if they can take pictures of people,
go on their homes, videotape them as if they owe
(19:55):
them something, and they owe you absolutely nothing. You came
here saying you wanted to And then when we talk
about taking pictures, this is something I'm proud Victor and
I have always done. We don't allow pictures of children's faces.
Speaker 1 (20:10):
Our children at all. That's a big rule for me.
Speaker 3 (20:13):
When I was out on the street, I don't even
want to even have even have any inclination there as
a child out there because of the reason I say that,
And I just have to interject on that, because there
is thembies out there that will contact CPS and I've
seen it happen to have their kids remove, so they
don't even get that opportunity. I'd rather have the unhoused person,
(20:35):
if they have their children, they don't be on the
camera at all because it's too dangerous. Particularly you got
too many mean spirited, vindictive people that will separate the
families on purpose for that.
Speaker 9 (20:45):
We actually are in school on the Mexican side, and
so we deal nothing but with children.
Speaker 10 (20:51):
But you want to receive our kids' faces.
Speaker 9 (20:53):
Anywhere because they're in Mexico where there are cartels are real,
and kidnapping it's very real.
Speaker 1 (21:00):
Child trafficking is real as well as Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 9 (21:03):
All of that is real on the Mexico side. And
so that was the other issue. When you're giving money
to people they feel as if they can take pictures
and videos of their child and then they get their
profile picture.
Speaker 1 (21:16):
Oh that sucks.
Speaker 9 (21:18):
And I was just like, what did you ask the
mom or dad? Can you and no, it's okay, but
it's not okay.
Speaker 1 (21:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (21:26):
Yeah, even if even just on the off chance that
that a parent would say okay, I would, that's just
still it opens up too much. Like I said, you know,
I've seen too many families get separated or get targeted.
Speaker 1 (21:39):
Because they have children and they're on the house on
the street.
Speaker 3 (21:41):
I had to run one with the family were torn apart,
their daughters were snatched from because they knew that the
child was on the street.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
I wouldn't. It's just something I don't think that'd be
just that's.
Speaker 9 (21:52):
A power dynamic there, yes, that most Americans do not
understand when they come walk into this situation with their
nice clothes on and going to these encampments, there is
a definite power dynamic and they have it and as
they're saying, oh, this is okay, and this person's.
Speaker 10 (22:09):
Going along with it.
Speaker 9 (22:10):
Many times we looked over and the parent the child
looked very uncomfortable and it's like, okay, stop, did you ask?
Speaker 10 (22:18):
Like Victor and I.
Speaker 9 (22:19):
Were kind of different that way. And I know any
volunteer listening to this now will be like the Cylowalk
School didn't want us there, and we want you there.
We just want you to be respectful of everybody and
understand the dynamics you're stepping into.
Speaker 3 (22:34):
Absolutely, I totally agree, and I'm glad you brought that up,
because they don't in California particularly. You know, my own
experience is of knowing how kids could be exploited. Also
how nimbi's because we call thembi's here, is not in
my backyard. And these are proponents that don't want unhouse
people anywhere in their community. They'll claim that they want
(22:56):
shelters built, but they don't want them in the neighborhood.
They claim they want people to get help, they just
don't want to get the help in the neighborhood. They
claim they want to have the unhouse fed, they just
don't want them fed.
Speaker 1 (23:07):
In our neighborhood. I mean they.
Speaker 3 (23:09):
Literally have coffer running up, try to give tickets, throw
away food.
Speaker 1 (23:12):
They'll do anything they possibly care, but.
Speaker 3 (23:14):
They have to supposedly emit this gracious kind of spirit
that they want to show that they care about on
the house people.
Speaker 1 (23:22):
They just don't want to see them.
Speaker 3 (23:23):
You know, if you see the encampment there on the
way to school and or they'll paint the pictures that
unhouse people at any moment is going to just spring
out and attack you as they believe they're going to
snatch the poacher. And I always have to say, it's
so ridiculous. The unhoused people are living in the campus
right there. You see them every day. Do you think
(23:44):
that if they run out and nashally attack you, that
you're not going to call the police and they're not
going to find out that your encampment is standing right there.
So it's like it's just leading them exactly to the
place that they are going to be attacked. Do you
think they're going to stand there and stay there or
they're going to just attack because for no reason at all. No,
So their belief system is like unhouse people are the
(24:05):
boogeyman too. Elderly women and children. It's a very big
thing here.
Speaker 9 (24:11):
It's weird the fear that Americans have of the unhoused population.
And I kind of wonder where it kind of gets
thrown into all of us, like to be scared of
this population, because I don't know, it's just a it's
a weird thing. I think most Americans have. They were
just scared of unhoused people for some reason. But like
(24:32):
I said, I've worked inside of love and encampments and
it truly is a community and often a very loving community.
But just like any town or city, there's fights, there's
you know, drama, but then also many nights like they
would play dance music and everyone would get up dancing
(24:52):
and it was like the happiest thing ever and we
were so happy to be there and it was just
one wonderful And this is an unhoused population, but there's
happiness in it, there's joy in it, there's sadness in it.
Speaker 10 (25:07):
It's just like anybody else in the world.
Speaker 9 (25:10):
You just have to take time and I guess walk
outside of your comfort zone.
Speaker 10 (25:15):
But it's unfortunate that people do have a fear.
Speaker 3 (25:19):
So you say you're working on the Mexican border side.
Have you noticed any intensity from the border patrols or
the law enforcement agencies over there against the encampmental there
or what's your eyes telling you or what you're saying
out there?
Speaker 9 (25:34):
So now we're on the US side because once the
administration came into office ruffhyd Okay, yeah, he cut off
us eight all around the world, oh wow. And so
we were forced to come back on the US side,
which is how y'all know me through my Instagram because
now I have the energy to focus on that.
Speaker 10 (25:54):
So we still do actually have a school in Madam
Morris for the kids.
Speaker 9 (25:58):
There aren't a lot of people on the border anymore.
Nobody wants to come to the US. They're actually going
in the other direction to other countries. Nobody wants to
come here. And that was really hard for us. Like
I said, we worked with like ten thousand people at
one time. There was one time in Reinosa we had
(26:18):
seven encampments. We would visit every day just to make
sure people were okay. But all that's done, he's gotten
rid of all of that.
Speaker 3 (26:28):
I know I'm speaking into the future and I'm not
saying that whole demand passes away soon. But if it
happens or he when this term is up, will you
guys return, because I don't think if there is going
to be another president, the next president is going to.
Speaker 1 (26:44):
Let that stand.
Speaker 3 (26:45):
Will you go, guys, go back and resume those kind
of activities.
Speaker 1 (26:50):
We would love.
Speaker 9 (26:50):
So right now we're doing legal observing here on the
US side. Okay, I'm the one that records people's disappearances
once they step outside of the courtroom where I live,
and that has gotten kind of hard. I don't know
if you saw the video posted the other or yesterday,
I've been getting followed recently by law enforcement in my city.
Speaker 1 (27:12):
No, I haven't seen that.
Speaker 3 (27:12):
When I saw the previous one you had, which is
why I reached out to you, I'm like, okay, I
got to have her talk about this stuff.
Speaker 1 (27:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 9 (27:20):
Yeah, So I was followed yesterday at Alta beauty store.
That was It kind of actually made me laugh when
I saw the sheriff park next to my park because
I knew he was there for me.
Speaker 10 (27:32):
But my crime is helping unhouse people.
Speaker 9 (27:36):
That's my crime, and that part should discuss everyone. But
that's why Victor and I are being followed now by
law enforcement because we spent six years helping the unhoused
and making sure they have food and clean water and
medical care, and we built a shelter and now we're
being villainized by our government for doing so.
Speaker 3 (27:58):
Oh, like I said, we just in the first year.
It seems like it's been forever. But it's it's it's
so it's not unimaginable that he would be capable of this.
It's just unimaginable that people would vote this this tyrannical.
Speaker 1 (28:13):
Yeah, I just we already we already knew what the
person was like.
Speaker 3 (28:17):
It's just like it makes me really look at the
the thinking process of our society or you know, or
the lack of empathy or I don't know if it's
lack of intellect or poor educational opportunities, a lack of
critical thinking skills. I mean, as an educator, I'm just
like sometimes at a miss because I also remember how
it happens with budget cuts when we were going to
(28:39):
pre Trump and when they were eliminating basic classes like Civics,
And I was telling one of my producers, I'm like, well,
you couldn't graduate elementary or high school if you didn't
understand the basics of your civics of local, national, you know,
and executive. You just it was no way possible. You
(29:02):
have to pass that test. You have to know about it.
You had to know people of Congress, you had to
know the difference between the three branches of.
Speaker 1 (29:09):
Government, what that role.
Speaker 3 (29:11):
And it's like now when you hear residents or citizens
talk now I said this, there's no way you could
have passed, could have got out of high school without
knowing this. That they must not be doing this because
you can, you know, and it's so easy for people
to get taken advantage of or things that get over
on them when you don't have someone centered in understanding
(29:32):
they you know, did jet some floats some of you know,
the local politics you know, you know, societal impact of
ordnances or when you hear people say, you know, and
I take exceptions to some of the extreme leftist viewpoint
about voting, I says, you know what our people were,
the people that they worked the hardest for to make
(29:54):
sure that we didn't vote. If it was not a
big deal about voting, then why I did doing so
much much of their power to stop it and block it.
I was thinking, you know that that is the lynch
prian of the society. That's the lynch prion of what
we as black people fought for. You know, they killed
us because we started to read, you know, and understanding
the impact of that. And I don't think you know,
(30:16):
some of the people that are joining the movements understand
that very key crucial point that you know, how the
society is basically created and or decelerating advances that we
fought for, and that last election was one prime example
of that. The second thing was the issue with the
(30:37):
anti blackness that's been going on into it, but we.
Speaker 1 (30:40):
That's the copy for another day. I can get it.
You know.
Speaker 3 (30:47):
I say this because there was such an explosion, rightly
so about the injustices that was going on in Gaza.
And then there's the linkage between the black community and
gossas and how we are into conected. But what I
took exception on was when Kamala Harris was going for
president and they're blaming her because she was at the
(31:09):
time vice president. She had you know, again, this is
why I started to question. I says, how is it
that we don't understand how the government is set up?
Speaker 1 (31:18):
She's vice president, she ain't the damn president.
Speaker 3 (31:21):
So who's going to be the one that signature is
going to be on most of the legislation and fighting
is going to be the president, not the vice president.
But also here is where I say exception with these
protesters going to her book tour but has no smoke
for the app but the I was going to cuss,
but the ignoramus that it's currently sitting in office. Why
(31:45):
are you not doing that to them? Why aren't you
finding out where he goes mar Lager or whatever hell
and pop up and do what you're doing to her?
That part I take exception was because I feel it
has that strain of anti blackness and and and sexist too,
but we don't want to talk about that. But I
just am been observing that you got all the smoke
(32:08):
for a private citizen because of all intensive purposes.
Speaker 1 (32:11):
She's a private citizen.
Speaker 3 (32:12):
There's not nothing she can do but wave a book around,
you know, a sling a little snot and say you know,
she's sorry, But that is not going to bring attention
like it would have if you put your foot up
into again put you know, just putting the fire where
it needs to be.
Speaker 1 (32:29):
Now, why is it their intensity not fair?
Speaker 3 (32:32):
And why is it that all of a sudden, everyone
is capitulating a cow towling to meg l manya col monster,
And like I said, that's just an observation that I have.
Speaker 9 (32:44):
So let me say, I think, so I'm an older lady,
I'm more sure.
Speaker 1 (32:50):
Not bless your heart, you're younger than me.
Speaker 3 (32:53):
But thank you for that, thank you for that older
using that No, oh, thank you for that dog that
gave me a person. So here that Haley, I'm in
my thirties now.
Speaker 9 (33:09):
But let me say, growing up for me, I put
this distance between like Jim crow Era and being like ten,
and my grandmother was alive and well, and it wasn't
until I became more of a teenager young lady and
my mom was like, what are you talking about. My
(33:31):
mom had to sit up at the top of the
balcony when she went to the movies when she was
a young They used.
Speaker 1 (33:36):
To call it the buzzes roost.
Speaker 9 (33:38):
And so she was like, Felicia, this was during my lifetime.
And picking cotton that was during my mother's lifetime. So
I do think like we have like, oh, this was
hundreds of years ago. No, it was it was very
recent that we were able to get the rights well
that we used to have, because he's taken them all
(34:00):
away again. But the rights we have for those few
years and now they're being taken away. And my mother
and my grandmother, they all fought during that time. They
were out there protesting too, so I could have a
better life. And I do have a child. And I
remember telling him like two weeks ago, I never thought
(34:22):
you would live through this bullshit. And I was so
sad from my child because when I'm gone, he's still
gonna have to put up with what's happening today.
Speaker 10 (34:31):
That's going to roll over to my child's entire life.
And I never thought that would happened to my kid.
But here we are.
Speaker 9 (34:38):
Our rights are being stripped away by this person, and
everyone seems to be cool with it, like the people
who are in power, the other people who look like
him seem to all be okay with all of us
losing our rights.
Speaker 10 (34:57):
I was surprised to find it.
Speaker 9 (34:58):
What's his name, Bessett, Scott Besset or whatever. Yeah, the
treasury guy or the money guy. I can't think. I
think it's like Scott Bessett or something.
Speaker 10 (35:07):
I didn't know he was gay.
Speaker 3 (35:08):
Or Johnson also Johnson, he's also yeah, but he's I
believe he's closeted, but that's yeah.
Speaker 9 (35:13):
But the other guy's openly gay, and he's like one
of Trump's right hand men. And I'm like, you're a
gay man up here doing this.
Speaker 3 (35:23):
And trying to eliminate the lgbtt i's rights and things
like that. You know, there's a lot of internalized homophobia
in the community, just like it's a lot of internal
anti blackness in our communities. Due yes, you know, we
have people that force us, you know, the vomit in
our mouth a little bit. These are you know, so
(35:44):
they are in every kind of every kind of crew.
Speaker 1 (35:47):
We got a long ride.
Speaker 3 (35:48):
It feels like it's been four years, and it's like, God,
how much more of this mattness that we going to
be able to take?
Speaker 9 (35:54):
This week?
Speaker 10 (35:54):
I don't know if your account was affected.
Speaker 9 (35:56):
They went after us and all of our collaborators spending accounts. Yeah,
everyone went down for sometime this weekend, either twelve hours
or the entire weekend.
Speaker 10 (36:07):
Like myself, I just sat back on yesterday.
Speaker 3 (36:10):
Well I had taken a break, so and maybe that
had probably court inside it the time that they did.
Speaker 6 (36:15):
So.
Speaker 1 (36:15):
Oh man, I didn't know that.
Speaker 3 (36:16):
Yes, they didn't like y'all talking about this the hero huh, Nope.
Speaker 9 (36:20):
I got a warning and then this morning they were like,
if you do it again, we'll just terminate your account.
But the thing about Charlie Kirk was the clip they
were talking about was the one that Jimmy Kimmel did
that got his show canceled. I just put an excerpt
of what he said, which was really nothing, and that
is what got my account suspended this weekend.
Speaker 1 (36:41):
Dang.
Speaker 2 (36:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (36:43):
When we come back more with.
Speaker 3 (36:45):
Felicia, Welcome back to Weedian House. Let's get back into it.
Here's the rest of my talk with Felicia Ranielle top Andero.
Speaker 9 (36:59):
Let me just say so, where near one of this presidency,
I fully expect next year for Americans to be unhoused.
Oh yeahs who never thought they would be unhoused because
inflation it's killing me and I live in one of
the poor parts of the US. But my electricity bill
went up by like one hundred dollars and that's not food, Like,
(37:23):
oh my gosh.
Speaker 1 (37:24):
But by this.
Speaker 9 (37:25):
Time next year, I completely expect there will be more
Americans un housed, probably than any other time Besides I
guess Vietnam War or something. Maybe I don't know, but
he's going to run this country into the ground. And
he has shown he's going to run this country into
the brown.
Speaker 3 (37:44):
And I would have add on to that, there's going
to be a lot of unhoused Republicans that's going to
be saying that going to be shocked that they're unhoused.
And you know, one of the things and I don't
I have very limits of sympathy for because they voted
for this monster, this orange puppet into this place. But
the point of it is that they're going to have
to juggle the realities of being un housed and how
(38:07):
they're going to juggle it. It's going to be very
telling because they can't blame the immigrants because he's in
ran off and down to everybody in the country, so
he can't blame that.
Speaker 1 (38:16):
And then the two you know, black people gonna get
the stray again.
Speaker 3 (38:20):
They gonna blame us because like you know, for Stu
kind of way we came here to make them but
house it calls them to be out on the street.
But because he's gonna twist it some way that we're
going to be at the blame of it.
Speaker 9 (38:32):
So I completely agree it's never going to be the
Republican's fault even though they voted for this and they're
watching the prices and everything go up.
Speaker 10 (38:41):
I do post like today, I posted two interviews from.
Speaker 9 (38:44):
Farmers who openly said they voted for him and they're Baker.
Speaker 3 (38:49):
And would vote for him again because he was thought
they was okay hurting other people, but when but then
it started hurting them and everyone. He gets punching the air,
they're slinging snod and falling down ugly, crying off the.
Speaker 1 (39:00):
Wall and all that kind of you know, I'd like, well.
Speaker 9 (39:02):
Well, if this man's about to lose his family's farm
that's been passed now from generation to generation, it's like, well,
what do you want us to do about that? I mean,
you going for it. And then you also said you
don't want brown people here, so you got rid of
all of your workers like you wanted to happen everything
you wanted to happen.
Speaker 10 (39:22):
So why are you on your crying on DV.
Speaker 3 (39:24):
And then get upset, you know, because we don't share
the tear with them, Like well, you know, my mother
used to say, scratch it behind and get glad.
Speaker 9 (39:32):
But then wants to pay Americans eleven dollars an hour
to be out in the hot sun doing back breaking
work and no health insurance, no water breaks.
Speaker 10 (39:41):
Yeah, no Americans going to do that.
Speaker 1 (39:44):
And not only that too. And that's the thing too.
Speaker 3 (39:45):
The reason they were able to get this type of
work was because of these deplorable conditions, not that the
community should be entitled to that. Like even in Therma California,
when I went out there, I will tell you here
my own perspective with like got to get out there
early any morning. He had to be there in there
like five or six because it's brutal to be out
there picking produce or picking anything.
Speaker 1 (40:08):
In that heat.
Speaker 3 (40:09):
And then what they have this whole operation set up
so by noon that you wasn't out into the you know,
the beating sun. And it's like it just goes to
show you the dynamics to nuances that these same hateful
people don't understand or don't care. They just was delighting
and hurting someone else, don't w as they wasn't hurt.
(40:30):
And that's one of the things why in our communities
we are always blaming other other poor, other vulnerable community
members for our own situation instead of blaming where the
blame should be.
Speaker 9 (40:42):
You know, yes, yes, you need to point ups.
Speaker 3 (40:50):
Yes, because it's not it's not a drag queen, Uh
go out here making you unemployed, or it's not a
drag queen unhoused person jumping out and reading kindergarten stories
to your kids is going to corrupt them into becoming
something else. It's just this is the reality is that
we are focusing on the wrong people and the wrong
(41:12):
systems that are in place. I agree, but again it
goes back again too because I'm not educated.
Speaker 1 (41:17):
Is it because.
Speaker 3 (41:18):
We are not educated well, or we just have people
that are resistant of it. Because there's a movement we
were talking about in school when we were teaching, the
anti intellectualism movement. It was like anytime someone had the
appearance that they were intellectual, that they read books, that
they would be able to critically think and speak about it,
(41:39):
people sneered and poo pooled it and made it say it,
you know, And then that's why many of the conservatives
switched intellectualism with common sense. And usually their idea of
common sense is with hateful rhetoric or a very myopic
kind of understanding of complex situations.
Speaker 10 (41:56):
So now I agree.
Speaker 9 (41:57):
Let me say so, since I've worked over Mexico for
years and I've met people from all over the world. Actually,
I'm going to say it's our educational system here in
the US, because people from other countries speak at least
two languages, if not more, and they know things about
the US where I probably have never heard of the
(42:19):
place you've come from because that was never taught to me.
I've learned more in six years by working on the
border than I learned my whole life in school because
I was exposed to so many things.
Speaker 10 (42:32):
I mean, and it's absolutely wonderful.
Speaker 9 (42:34):
If you can step outside of your comfort zone, you're
rewarded a hundred times over. You're going to learn so
many things about yourself, about the world, about other people.
But I'm going to say this is the US education system.
It wants us to think this one very narrow way,
like we're the greatest country in the world, and that's it.
Speaker 10 (42:57):
You only need to know English.
Speaker 9 (42:58):
You don't need to know about all these other countries
and you're good well.
Speaker 3 (43:02):
Also too, there's an emphasis on the lack of empathy
and the upsurd of joy, on people's pain and misery, like,
for example, if there is anyone outside of the uniformity
of white then they are open gang to be insulted, ridiculed, othered,
and it's going to be accepted. And you see that's
(43:23):
going on now. I just seeing this eclip where there
was on the show I believe this guy's name is
Myren or whatever, and he started saying the N word,
and it was very telling that majority of people got
up and walked out, but then there was a maybe
two or three black men just sat there while he
(43:43):
was disparaging black women, and it was very disturbing but
also very indicative. In order to stay in the graces
of white supremacy or basically being the lab dog or
white supremacy, you have to inure yourself or you have
to divorce yourself from the ugliness of what the messages
(44:03):
are such as that, such as the fact that people
are running around snatching forcibully families or throwing down people,
shooting people because they want their families to stay together,
or they're doing things the right way, but that still
doesn't trigger empathy.
Speaker 1 (44:20):
That still triggers joy or happiness.
Speaker 3 (44:23):
Like there's this podcast called The Necessary Podcast and the
Father is just the most violence human being vioreless boomer
that I've seen in a long time. He gets a sick,
sadistic joy out of seeing people harmed or getting heard
about people harmed, and his son is trying to educate him.
But I'm like, if someone's hard as black as that,
(44:45):
or has divorced the reality of people's humanity, there's not
any more dialogue to be had. You know, you just
have to just say, Okay, you're just an unrepented racist
that delights in harming other people. What kind of transformative
kind of conversation that we need to have because you
don't want to change you like that.
Speaker 10 (45:07):
So I do have that experience. So I'm Mexican and.
Speaker 1 (45:11):
Black, yes, yes, And so.
Speaker 9 (45:13):
My mom is black and she was born in a
little black town. My mom and my grandmother she was
born there as well, are some of the most racist
people that.
Speaker 10 (45:24):
You would be like, what y'all are together? It's like, yeah,
we're together.
Speaker 9 (45:27):
She raised me. But I mean, over the years, especially
with my grandmother, because the words she would use were awful,
even back when I was a teenager, we would have
to have these conversations of what's appropriate, what's not appropriate,
and it wasn't until she was actually dying she stopped
calling one of my friends who is Chinese, the Asian man,
(45:47):
and start calling him by his name because he would
change your diaper. And then she was like, oh, well,
thank you for coming, Kevin, and I was like, oh, okay,
so now you're but she was dying.
Speaker 1 (46:00):
I was just going on a way to glory. Here's
our way. Yeah.
Speaker 10 (46:03):
Also, where I live is predominantly Hispanic.
Speaker 9 (46:06):
My hope though, is always that people can't understand what
is happening because where I lived, it used to be
blue and it turned red.
Speaker 10 (46:15):
It's ninety five percent Latin people. Where I live ninety percent.
Speaker 9 (46:19):
And to see this whole city boat for Trump, I
was shocked. I was shocked. And now as this is
going along and he's kidnapping people from our little city.
Victor and I actually went to a political thing like
two weeks ago, and in there everyone was applauding Trump
(46:40):
at this event, and Victor and I were the outcast
because we were like, y'all are crazy, what are you applauding?
He's kidnappy people. But to see all of these brown
people say, no, he's only kidnapping.
Speaker 10 (46:54):
The criminals I'm like, are you serious?
Speaker 9 (46:57):
Where we live, they're going to construction sites every day
and they're taking the whole crew, the whole construction crew.
So nothing but criminals going to work every day a
construction site.
Speaker 2 (47:07):
No.
Speaker 3 (47:08):
This is the argument that they keep saying that I
hear is if you were here, or you do things
the right way. I don't know if you ever heard
the right way argument. Okay, here in California, I don't
know where. Maybe they don't do it any other place,
but they were showing up at the courthouses where people
were going in the right way for court dates, quarter
(47:31):
appointed tasks, and duties, and they were going there doing
it the right way and still getting snatched and put
of their families.
Speaker 1 (47:39):
How do they explain that, because.
Speaker 3 (47:41):
You know, everyone claimed that these criminals, but these people
are going in on the correct legal pretenses. That's not
get there running around here like the MS thirteen or
five year old MS thirteen sell eliminade and then all
of a sudden they're being arrested.
Speaker 1 (47:57):
That's not what's happening.
Speaker 3 (47:58):
That's why I always here and I'm like, how could
you justify that? This is what you guys claim that
they're supposed to be doing and they're getting snatched.
Speaker 10 (48:07):
Well, so I went to court today because we do.
Speaker 9 (48:09):
I do the recordings down here, Yeah, I do make
the recordings public. And what I hear is, oh, it's
not happening here. I'm like, I just recorded somebody kidnapping.
It's happening here.
Speaker 3 (48:22):
Yeah, yeah, or what happened recently in Chicago. And for
those that don't know, that would happened in Chicago in
the middle of the night around twelve they had black
Hawk helicopters descend it in the black section of town
and repel down do explosive gas predades and with zip
tying naked children and zip tying families that had nothing
(48:43):
to do with immigration at all. They just said to
take three hundred people but ended up I think arresting
like thirty something people or whatever. And they wasn't just
looking for ice illegal immigrants. They were on a witch
hunt to go in and as aggressively as possible make
it sound like it's like a black Hawk down. It
warranted such a vociferous response from the mayor and onlookers
(49:07):
because I don't know about you, like usually when it's
like twelve or something like at night. I'm usually trying
to power one down or I'm getting ready to you know,
because I do I'm a night out, get my movie
selection together, or what I'm going to be watching, and
you know, everyone's really trying to taper down. But to
imagine that going on in the middle of the night,
hearing these explosions, people kicking indoors and causing such of
(49:31):
such disquiet among the community, I don't know how they
can reconcile that, because that's more than just you know
the intensity of criminal illegal immigrants. It's like there's something
else that's driving this or like provoking.
Speaker 10 (49:43):
It's terrorizing black people and brown people.
Speaker 6 (49:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (49:47):
Yeah. So my other thing.
Speaker 9 (49:49):
Is whenever I do hear black people say, oh, it's
only the Mexicans, and it's like no, no, no, no.
Speaker 1 (49:56):
So I can tell you Chicago. It was deliberately.
Speaker 3 (49:59):
I'm I'm born and raised in Chicago, and I know
the area is so the South Side is majority black people.
So they were the argument they flying with me because
and there were a lot of the black people argument
like dude, we're just sitting in house or we're just
getting ready to go to bed, and you know, you
got kids, you know, having them up that later or
and things like that got kids screaming and throwing all
(50:20):
that tear gas. Though it's just made it sound like
the whole community. And that's again the similarity, like how
they do with unther housed people and have a group
of people to make it sound like at any moment
that they're going to attack ice workers and they're not
even thinking about them.
Speaker 1 (50:35):
They're sitting out.
Speaker 3 (50:36):
You know, you know that these people are everyday citizens,
are working hard and minding their own business and just
wish to be left alone. But yet you project that
narrative that this is a war torn country or there's
a war cun city that you know, we act like
we're in the days of Matt Max.
Speaker 1 (50:52):
And I'm telling my age.
Speaker 3 (50:53):
But the original Matt Max where they had the Thunderdome
with Tina Turner and the Mel Gibson, that kind of
dystopian look that they try to pay doubt to be.
Speaker 9 (51:02):
So yeah, So I do watch these interviews and I
never understand whatever a MAGA reporter agrees with him about
how it's now safer in DC's safer in Portland. I'm like,
what do y'all? You just want the streets stript of
people if it's only Maga people. And then but the
thing is, even if it was only Maga people, someplace
in that group, there's gonna be the underdog. There's gonna
(51:25):
be somebody all Maga people pick on and say, oh,
we don't want you here, You're wrong. It's never ending.
When you have that type of hate, You're always gonna
find somebody who you think you're better than. Yeah, And
that's like what's happening now. And it hurts to see
anybody black, brown, white, yellow, whatever agree with what's happening
(51:46):
because he is just literally terrorizing people. That's it. And
he's starting with brown, moved over to black. He will
keep going down the line. He'll eventually make it to
white people.
Speaker 3 (51:57):
Well, but he was on the South Korea and the
Koreans at the height. I don't even remember in Georgia
where uh, the George all of them were. They were
not illegal aliens, So let's pook that on the record.
They were not criminals, they were not MS thirteen. They
were not running around jumping out at your families at
any opportunity. They were in a factory, working, minding their business,
(52:20):
contributing to society. Trying to help the society, and this
is how we treated them.
Speaker 1 (52:25):
And so that's the message.
Speaker 3 (52:26):
And even after all of that that's been expressed, there's
still people like that father from necessary conversation that looked
on gleefully excited that these were people were being attacked
and and and it brings joy to him to see
other people hurt people. It's like there is a psychopathy
(52:47):
there that I just cannot reconcile, Like, why would you
be okay harming people? What glee? What joy did you
get out of that? Because that shows you don't realize
how harmful is until it.
Speaker 1 (52:58):
Happens to you.
Speaker 9 (52:59):
So I agree with you.
Speaker 3 (53:02):
Yeah, I've been, like I said, this has been such
a worldwiod turn of events here, and I just wanted
to know what do you see yourself at the Sidewalk
School doing to maintaining or getting to keeping the word, going,
going to fires, going with your organization.
Speaker 9 (53:19):
So we're going to continue recording people's disappearances by I
like Victor's now running for office okay here where we live,
thirty fourth District. We are definitely going to continue to
work to help people and hopefully bring people together. The
Sidewalk School in some form will always go on. That's
(53:41):
a definite that Victor and I agreed on a long
time ago. We believe in hope, we've believed in kindness
and having an open mind and just listening to somebody
else to see, you know what I mean. It will
continue on the sidewalk school will definitely continue on, but
probably here the way things are going the US side,
because I do believe the unhoused population is going to
(54:05):
skyrocket within the next year. I do think that, and
people are going to need help and how do you
get resources and all that other stuff, and we will
be here to help them.
Speaker 3 (54:15):
Oh that sounds like you know a plan? Do you
have any plans for let's say, for examples, because I know,
even as I was an unhoused member myself, people that
blame other community vulnerable communities instead of understanding the reality
that the one percent of the transgender or LGTDI community
(54:36):
is not the reason why you're unhoused.
Speaker 1 (54:38):
Are there?
Speaker 3 (54:39):
It is going to be any literature or is there
going to be any way of trying to create a
program to start to educate people to the realities of
what their situation is. Because it's easy to blame someone
that you can see every day because it makes you
feel better shifting the blame instead of shifting the blame
on the ignoramus that's in the White House of sixty
hundred Pennsylvania.
Speaker 9 (54:59):
But you know, so that's a that's an interesting thought
because on the Mexico side, we actually had housing for
the LGBTQ community because they did have a hard time
inside the encampments, so we did have to rent airbnbs
so they could be safe. Here on the US side,
I mean, that's a very interesting idea. Vict and I
(55:20):
would definitely talk about it because yes, it's still needed,
and it's still like today when they were talking about
transgender people and they wanted to impeach the judge because
she called the woman by her pronoun She is a woman,
but biologically she was born a man, and Cruz wanted
(55:40):
to impeach the judge because the judge used her correct pronouns.
When I saw that, I was like, that's I mean,
what do you care? Like, why does that bother your
life in your world?
Speaker 1 (55:54):
That's the point.
Speaker 3 (55:54):
It's like, the point is the focus on the nebulus
or the irrelevant in order for someone to feel good
and like you know, in our communities, particularly sometimes in
the black community. I take exception two is the negating
or the insulting of the community and using the Bible,
which is another the Christian nationalism movement. Is that something
(56:16):
that we didn't really talk on, but that charish, judgmental
thing that it flows through many of the Christian nationalists
and they use it to justify their hatred and then
cover it up with you know, hate to sin, belove
the center. But that's very hard to distinguish when you
say hurtful things.
Speaker 9 (56:36):
So yeah, but when you listen to them talk, because
my thing is, what do you so, what is the problem?
And the stuff that they name has nothing to do
with you, sir m'am nothing to do with you exactly.
So why are you, I mean, why are you like
dragging this on? And I feel as that people were
really paying attention to the reasoning they have for this
(56:59):
hatred of people the LGBT community. You would hear, oh,
this is dumb, This has nothing to do with anything.
I have a whole thing about the US and how
the ideas we put up on each other that you
know that have been going on one hundreds of years now,
But it's really easy for people to stay inside their
(57:21):
comfort zone, especially if you're white, because you're privileged. So
why would you why would you want to listen to
me and what you know my life and how I
view things. You have no reason to do that, and
our society does not push other Americans to do that.
Speaker 10 (57:36):
It's very you worry about you.
Speaker 9 (57:38):
You get to the top by yourself, whereas in other
countries they've worked together as groups, they help each other.
I've seen it now on the Mexico side, with different cultures.
It's very different from the American culture. Victor and I
are usually like the outcast because we're like, well, why
do can't we just do this?
Speaker 10 (57:55):
And it took me time to learn that's American culture.
Speaker 9 (57:58):
Other cultures you help each other, you're there for each other,
you watch each other's kids. Our culture is very different,
and it worries me that other Americans won't see that
before it's too late, Like step outside of your comfort zone.
You will be surprised, but it's a pleasant surprise. It's
a really good thing when you do that. And you
(58:21):
may not agree in the end, that's fine too, but
at least you got to give it a chance. Instead
of no, it's just this way and it's not just
not just one way.
Speaker 1 (58:31):
Very true.
Speaker 3 (58:31):
Well, it looks like the time is flown with this interview,
and I really enjoyed talking with you. I'm going to
have to invite you back here and they get to
continue on to maybe do a panel with a couple
other thinkers that are dealing with houselessness and intersecting ways.
And I want to thank our listeners for taking the
time and patience to really open their mind, expand their outlook,
(58:55):
and also to the support that I've been getting with
me voting on the Signal Award the Listener's Choice, and
I want to thank the people that voted, and I
wanted to thank the listeners that have been listening to
me from the beginning when I lived on the streets
and was doing this show on the phone to now
working partnership with iHeart. Also, we're coming up on the
(59:17):
end of the first season and I can't wait to
start on the second season. I've got renewed and I
want to express that good news as well, and let's
make sure we thank Milicia for coming in and talking
with us as well.
Speaker 10 (59:29):
Thank you, Bye THEO.
Speaker 3 (59:31):
Thank you, thank you so much to Felicia for her
time and insight. You can learn more about her work
with the Sidewalk School and follow her on Instagram at
the links in the description, and thank you for listening in.
If you have a story you like to share, please
(59:54):
reach out to me at Weedianhouse at gmail dot com
or whedian House on Instagram. Our tails end for the
fiftieth time with iHeart May we again meet in the.
Speaker 1 (01:00:04):
Light of us A step Willian Howes is a production
of iHeart Radio.
Speaker 3 (01:00:10):
It is written, hosted, and created by me Theo Henderson,
our producers Jamie Loftus, Haille Fager, Katie Fischer, and Lyra Smith.
Our editor is Adam Wand, our engineer is Joe Jerome,
and our local art is also by Katie Fisher. Thank
you for listening.
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