Community Connection - April 22, 2026 - Tina Cosby joined by James Patterson Contributing Analyst - Rep Andre Carson - Maurice Dunn and BIshop Dr Leonard Scott - Community Connection With Tina Cosby

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
There's a threat to our internal security and there's espionage
there obviously, but you know, the FBI told the American
public years ago the greatest threat to our internal security
is coming from white supremacist organizations. And we just saw
what happened with the Southern Poverty Law Centers and them
fundling money to the Kukus Klan, and on their list,

(00:23):
they've got some institutional black organizations that they deem to
be a threat. And I'm saying, you can't find a
black person or go on the black community without seeing
the presence of these great organizations.

Speaker 2 (00:38):
It's it's ridiculous to me. So anytime you.

Speaker 1 (00:41):
Have a Southern Poverty Law Center having the five percent
nation that Gods and earths on their list, it's not
a credible organization to me.

Speaker 3 (00:50):
Okay, well, congressmen, I appreciate that update. Onto the campaign,
as I was saying earlier, it's it's quite a crowded field.
There's a fight, as some people would describe it for
indiana seventh US Congressional district seat that you've held for
the past eighteen years. You have challengers Denise Paul Hatch,

(01:10):
Destiny Wells, and George Hornado.

Speaker 4 (01:13):
I think, yeah, George Tornado.

Speaker 3 (01:16):
And you know, one of your challengers was just here yesterday,
and you know, ask her why she wanted why was
she asking for a vote? Her destiny wells of course,
and she as challengers do they go after the incumbents.
And she said that it's time for a change, that
you've been there long enough and there needs to be

(01:37):
some fresh blood or new blood. What do you take
how do you respond to that and what are your
thoughts on that argument?

Speaker 1 (01:45):
Well, you know, this is a democracy. People have a
right to run, people have a right to critique. But
the facts of the facts. Since I've been in office,
I brought over billion dollars back to Indianapolis. That wasn't
just formulaic, it was me advocated on behalf of this

(02:06):
money in the place Wadline. We have senior members on
committees who live in port districts and cities, and I
have to make the case money for Indigo, the cultural trail,
have made investments in organizations like Fathers and Families, Overdose, Lifeline, Voices,
Boys and Girls Club, And you know, I've been a

(02:29):
critical part of bringing money back for our sidewalks, roads rails,
broadband access. I've had twenty two pieces of legislation signed
into law since I've been in the office. There are
members of Congress who've been in office longer than me
and haven't had one piece of legislation signed. And they
spew out these these these these this misinformation, and you know,

(02:53):
we don't need a fresh face with old ideas, we
don't need uh uh a new presentation. But they're still
supporting systems and philosophies that undermine and undercut our community.
And I think that has been the trick for so long.

(03:13):
You know, for many people, seniority.

Speaker 2 (03:17):
Is in the system.

Speaker 1 (03:19):
It's those relationships. So the kind of the kind of.

Speaker 2 (03:26):
How many times have.

Speaker 5 (03:31):
Well, there, yeah, I think your phone, are you inside
a tunnel or something?

Speaker 1 (03:37):
Yes?

Speaker 2 (03:37):
Can you hear me? Now?

Speaker 4 (03:38):
I can't, we can now very well?

Speaker 2 (03:40):
Yes, okay.

Speaker 1 (03:41):
How many times have you seen in your space someone
come to radio one or wherever and they want to
take you out and you've seen them come and go
and then they have an appreciation for what you do.

Speaker 2 (03:55):
Now.

Speaker 1 (03:56):
It's the interesting thing about this is that I still
have colleagues come to me and say, well, my daughter
is your age, my son is your age, and you
know it has become a popular thing to talk about
data centers, of which I support the moratorium bill because
I feel like it should be halted until these data
centers have shown that they're willing to make investments in

(04:18):
our community. They're not going to cause an additional burden
on on rate users, They're not going to cause an
additional dream on our infrastructure, and they're not going to
contribute to the destruction.

Speaker 2 (04:32):
Of our environment.

Speaker 1 (04:33):
And the thing is, many of these candidates never even
thought about Martindale Brightwood. Let alone would walk through Martindale Brightwood.
I always talk about me being arrested at seventeen because
we were being surveilled by law enforcement. I was a
young activist arrested outside of a moth myself and another

(04:55):
young man that was in Brightwood. That was twenty fifth
and Sherman's. The library is there now is that there
was a liquor store.

Speaker 2 (05:03):
Then.

Speaker 1 (05:04):
I can remember going to the old library in the
Strip Mall. My family's church is in Brightwood on thirtieth Street.
Shout out the Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church, Reverend Bailey across
from the Old Zoo, and everyone knows. I went to
Manuel Orlington and Tech. But I also went to school

(05:27):
on Martin Dale Street, Saint Rita, And so I'm not
I didn't you know, I went to school not in Martinsville,
but on Martin Dale, And so I didn't grow up
in a sundowntown. I grew up in Naptown. And so
my orientation and my reference point isn't from a sundowntown.

(05:48):
And I'm trying to now become urbanized and fit in,
and those old ways pop out every now and then.
I don't present myself as yeah, so I come from
the people.

Speaker 2 (05:59):
I come from the village.

Speaker 3 (06:00):
Okay, all right, Well, Congressman Carson, a couple of things.
We have a caller that has a question, but we
also before the caller, listener who couldn't stay on called,
and we'll go to the listener that couldn't stay on first.
And the caller's question was what is he going to
do about the snap cuts? And then we'll go to
the phone lines are what are you going to do
about the snap cuts? Is the question from the listener

(06:22):
who could not stay on the line.

Speaker 1 (06:25):
Well, one of the things that we've been doing, we've
been we've been pushing the administration because Democrats are not
in power. We've been trying to work with Republican colleagues
who want to be bold enough to restore all funding
for a so called entitlement program to their previous level.
We've seen the administration make these cuts, and now the

(06:46):
Republicans for standing and unity with Donald Trump because they
don't want him playing in their election efforts. They're hurting
their own constituents and so as we've seen with SNAP cuts,
as we've seen with all of these so called entitlement programs,
even Social Security and just received a pola, they want

(07:07):
to dismantle all of these programs and divert our taxpayer
dollars to bolster Trump's billionaire friends. SNAP is absolutely critical.

Speaker 2 (07:20):
You know.

Speaker 1 (07:21):
One of the things that happened in the very big,
ugly bill which was signed into law last year is
that we saw these significant cuts. We saw you know,
funding cuts from one hundred and eighty billion dollars and
that's going to last for almost a decade, and you're

(07:41):
going to have stricter work requirements, particularly for people from
fifty five to sixty four parents with children who are
over fourteen fifteen. They're now required to work twenty hours
a week to receive benefits. Now, the abuses that they
cite are very small. The abuses that they cite, they

(08:02):
want to present a black face to them or a
Latino face to them, and.

Speaker 2 (08:07):
That's just incorrect. Uh, it's going to have a huge impact.
We're going to see greater food insecurity, We're.

Speaker 1 (08:14):
Going to have a higher demand for food banks to
be president of our community, which we funded.

Speaker 3 (08:18):
So the question was what what is your role going
to be in making sure that it's protected as much
as possible.

Speaker 1 (08:25):
Well, our role, our role has always been activism. We
have we've worked with activists on the ground to push
the administration and push Republican legislators to join us in
in in reversing these very dangerous cuts that were in
the big Ugly bill are My response has been legislative,

(08:45):
legislatively with my colleagues and a Democratic minority to urge
Republicans to join us in restoring these cuts. And many
of the lawsuits that we have which we've been winning
in federal courts, have been a part of this. So
it's through active litigation and legislation. And our hope is
that by God's grace and permission, I went along with Democrats.

(09:07):
We regained the House, and we could reverse the very
destructive and harmful cuts that have not only impacted urban centers,
but they've affected rule America too. So many of these
Republicans represent these constituents who are hurting as well under
this very dangerous crime syndicate.

Speaker 3 (09:24):
Okay, three one seven for eight zero thirteen ten three
one seven for eight zero thirteen ten. Our guest, Representative
Andre Carson. I've been representing Indiana seventh US Congressional District
for the past eighteen years, running for reelection, asking for
your vote, and taking your concerns, calls, and questions. So
let's go back to the phone line. Matt, you have

(09:45):
a question for Representative Carson.

Speaker 6 (09:48):
Yes, thank you, Congress Macarson for all you do. I
saw your notice yesterday or last week on the Damien Center,
which is a great organization.

Speaker 2 (09:56):
Thank you for getting those funds.

Speaker 6 (09:59):
Can you guys tell some more in detail some other
stuff and projects you come that they aren't as you
know on the front page of the news.

Speaker 2 (10:08):
Absolutely.

Speaker 1 (10:08):
In fact, I'm supporting an amendment next week on the
Farm Bill, the Annual Farm Bill, which would effectively repeal
all the cuts to the Big Ugly Bill. So I
wanted I want to I wanted to cite that. But yes,
you know, as I said, I have, I have had
twenty two pieces of legislation signed into law.

Speaker 7 (10:30):
UH.

Speaker 1 (10:31):
Some of that includes the Duck Boat Safety Act. We
lost an Indianapolis family due to a deadly accident uh
in in in Missouri a few years ago. We want
to impose greater security.

Speaker 2 (10:48):
Measures at amusement parts.

Speaker 1 (10:51):
My Secondary Barrier Act requires that secondary barriers be placed
on aircraft. We know what happened and during nine to eleven,
we don't want to see it again. And so I've
met with pilots, I met with the airline industry, and
that bill passed UH not too long ago. And so

(11:12):
now aircraft will will be required to have a secondary
barrier for passengers to improve their safety. And you know,
I think, I think, what I what I what I
what I probably should do more is really talk more
about these accomplishments because they often get get overlooked. My

(11:35):
Financial Literacy Bill, UH is something you know. There there's
a there's a there was a young soldier.

Speaker 2 (11:40):
Named Chance Keysling. His parents, Janet and Greg Keysling.

Speaker 1 (11:45):
They run Recycle Force, which is a wonderful re entry
program Previously, UH at any presidential administration would not send
a letter of condolence or recognition from the White House
if a soldier died in the line of duty in
combat through suicide. I worked with Congressman Dan Burton at

(12:06):
the time, and we were able to reverse that measure.
And so now if a soldier is killed, regardless of
being in theater or through suicide, their family will get
a recognition. And imagine the heartbreak that already comes from
losing a relative in war, let alone suicide and shame
associated with it, but to not even get an acknowledgment

(12:29):
from the from from the White House. So that was
one of the first pieces of legislation that I ever
had passed, and I'm very proud of those accomplishments.

Speaker 3 (12:42):
UH three zero thirteen ten. Brionna, you have a question
for the Congressman.

Speaker 8 (12:48):
Yes, Congressman, thank you so much for taking questions today.
I know some people who have gone to the Congressional
black Hawk in boot camp, so I want to say
thank you so much for your investment in young black lead.
But I'm also curious you are some of the other
ways we can get young people involved.

Speaker 1 (13:06):
Thank you well, We thank you that's a great question.
So every year, our campaign sends young up and coming
leaders to a political boot campus, like a week long
over a week long to teach them about the political process,
how to run for office, how to be a campaign manager,

(13:26):
how to support a candidate, how to be a proper activist,
how to become more engaged because oftentimes we don't have
the and as a result, we've sent When I said
young people, I mean we sent them. In fact, one
of our boot campers is now the city council president.

(13:48):
Another one of our boot campers is a township trustee.
Another one of our boot campers is a township constable.
And so we have a lot of boot campers who
are now elected officials. Another boot camper, Ashley Gerbertz, she's
now the seventh district chair through state party. We have

(14:08):
another boot camper, brother Alex, is the vice chair of.

Speaker 2 (14:11):
The state Party.

Speaker 1 (14:12):
And so the kinds of investments that we've been able
to make have yielded some results, and we want to
continue that. I mean, it's something that I've committed myself
to to investing in young leaders. We have a great team,
team Carson, and we're committed to investing in the next
generation of young black leaders. Absolutely, so I'm glad that
was raised. But also there are volunteer opportunities. One of

(14:34):
our former interns is now a trustee in Fort Wayne
in Allen County, and another one of our staffers as
a state representative. Shout out to Blake Johnson. He used
to be our comms director. So helping out with our staff,
volunteering or even going to the boot camper many ways
in which we invest in young people.

Speaker 3 (14:56):
Jeff, you have a question for the Congress Jeff, you
have a question? H m hm are you there, Jeff? Okay,
let's go to is Jeff not there?

Speaker 9 (15:11):
It's it came up.

Speaker 10 (15:14):
This is sad, It's.

Speaker 3 (15:18):
Okay, go ahead, go ahead, okay, yes, Sam, you have
a question for the Congressman, Well, I.

Speaker 9 (15:25):
Want a commendation. I think that what you're doing is great.
I think you're the best that we have as a
hope for the Democrats.

Speaker 10 (15:37):
This is something that I would like to see, and
I've talked with our friends and families others. We like
for you guys to speak up when the president lies,
because when there's silence and it seems like okay saying
you need to come back to come back him.

Speaker 7 (15:56):
At his own words.

Speaker 10 (15:57):
This is saying and it's not true.

Speaker 9 (16:00):
Another thing he talked, you know, cutting off in A
friend of mine shared something that.

Speaker 7 (16:05):
Was really great.

Speaker 10 (16:05):
I'll try to I'll send it to you about the
self security. Sub security isn't.

Speaker 9 (16:10):
As a welfare. No, you don't get the same check.
And people don't know that. The young people don't know this.

Speaker 10 (16:18):
Inform us, inform us and.

Speaker 9 (16:20):
Remind us when he wants almost cut this, well, you're
cutting off the system that had all season in the
poor house, I could say, because I was one of
the fifties all people and what was called the poorhouses
because they didn't have anything after they left work, and
that that is not a welfare thing. Anything you get

(16:40):
in medicare and all that is something you.

Speaker 4 (16:43):
Put in in terms.

Speaker 5 (16:44):
Of the fighter.

Speaker 9 (16:45):
You need to share that with people because not everybody knows. Like,
inform us that education this is for you, and make
it like this is what is already in place for you.

Speaker 4 (16:56):
And you know what saying not mean. Yeah, thank you,
thank you for the complue.

Speaker 3 (17:00):
Because one of the other points I guess of criticism
that was made by your opponent yesterday was that the
Democrats in Washington in Congress are playing it politically safe
and not meeting the moment that the Democrats as a
whole are playing a different kind of politics that the

(17:21):
other side knows it has no interest in. They've created
their own side of politics. So it kind of goes
to what Sam was saying, inform us, let us know,
we need to see you find So what is it?

Speaker 5 (17:32):
You know?

Speaker 4 (17:32):
How do you answer that? What do you say to that?

Speaker 1 (17:36):
Well, Democrats are speaking out. I mean, you know, with
their caucus of over two hundred, I get what she's.

Speaker 2 (17:42):
Saying very very clearly. I've been speaking out.

Speaker 1 (17:45):
There's so many of us who have been speaking out. Unfortunately,
you know, Trump is a very masterful marketeer, and whenever
the criticism rises, the controversy becomes overwhelming, there's another scandal, there,
another controversy. As a war to divert our tension away
from dissenting voices like myself and others, I've called for impeachment,

(18:07):
plain and simple. What's happening is illegal. The community project
funding submissions that happened this year for Rafael Health Center.

Speaker 2 (18:16):
I made the pharmacy.

Speaker 1 (18:18):
I and my teammate the adult and Child mental health.

Speaker 2 (18:21):
We made the clinic.

Speaker 1 (18:22):
In Garfield Park. We just submitted that Belmont Beach in Hallville.
We just submitted that Belmont Beach in Hallville. Great history,
just submitted that. And those things get drowned out, you know.
So we try to tell our story. We tell our
story through through through great programs like this, through TV,
through social media, through in person events. And I just

(18:45):
think that Donald Trump and he's tried. He was a
bit successful in his first term, but in this term,
not as much success, not as successful because the fourth
of the state and the media has gotten better. The
difficults is that many of his build are tying up

(19:05):
and silencing true objective journals.

Speaker 2 (19:11):
Uh, we're.

Speaker 1 (19:20):
Free to be m best coverage, and I think that's unfortunate.
But by the way, I'm introducing a new bill tomorrow.
It's called the AI Data Center Site Selection Transparency Act.
It's called the AI Data Center Site Selection Transparency Act,
and it requires you know, early disclosures to the public

(19:41):
on all data centers. It exposes like you know, key
impacts such as electricity use, water consumption, cooling demands, and
even environmental impacts. You know, all violations would be considered illegal.
So I just want to put that out there because.

Speaker 4 (19:58):
Okay, thank you for that comment. Jeff. We'll go back
to you.

Speaker 2 (20:02):
Are you there, hello, can you hear me?

Speaker 4 (20:05):
Yes? Go ahead. Do you have a question for the congressman?

Speaker 2 (20:07):
I got two quick questions.

Speaker 11 (20:09):
One with all these new revelations about this administration of
of heavy drinking cash Btail, the Secretary of Labor cash
Mittel being the head of the FBI, and sexual miscondit
within this administration, we understand that there's a lot of
shenanigans go with the Secretary of Labor. Also, if we
do get a speaker her team, Jefferies, the issue a

(20:31):
war crimes?

Speaker 5 (20:32):
All right, this is illegal war We all know that.

Speaker 2 (20:35):
You know, Uh, Petere Hanksake blew up a school with
a bunch of young schoolgirls. He knews a war crime,
but he did it anyway. He bragged about it. Said,
what is the chances you guys bringing war crimes?

Speaker 5 (20:47):
Uh charged against these bums?

Speaker 11 (20:50):
You know, hey, we got a bunch of drunks running
the show, these guys drinking on the job.

Speaker 2 (20:54):
Whatever you guys know it.

Speaker 5 (20:56):
Are you guys wanting to call them out?

Speaker 4 (20:58):
Okay?

Speaker 2 (21:00):
Absolutely?

Speaker 1 (21:00):
You know if you remember their brother Steve Bann and
Trump's right hand man said a few months ago that
his biggest fear is for Democrats to regain the House
because if and when Democrats regained the House, you're going
to see a series of investigations and they're going to
go to jail. He said that, And you know, I

(21:22):
think he has met the war crimes standard, the test
we're talking about, you know, hostage taking, torture, you know,
prohibited weapons in international conflicts, targeting civilians, all of these things.

Speaker 2 (21:40):
And I think that he's the test because it.

Speaker 1 (21:46):
Was really defined by the Geneva Convention in nineteen forty nine.
But you know, prisoners of war, wounded soldiers, as you know,
humanitarian and medical workers. We've seen that, and so he's
met the threshold if we regained the House in November.

Speaker 2 (22:03):
It's on.

Speaker 4 (22:04):
It's on.

Speaker 3 (22:05):
Okay, final question, and then we'll go back to you, James,
real quick, and then Congressman will let you go ahead
and request the votes.

Speaker 4 (22:13):
Okay, James, Yeah, Marvin, go ahead, you have a question
for the Congress.

Speaker 2 (22:19):
Yes, good afternoon everyone.

Speaker 12 (22:21):
Congressman Carson, you went to school with my you know,
my grandmother, Ms. Reynolds very well, but I wanted to, uh,
just say, you know, when you look at everything that's.

Speaker 2 (22:33):
Going on, I don't want you all to.

Speaker 1 (22:34):
Spend too much time if.

Speaker 12 (22:36):
And when the Democrats retake the House investigating this krook.
We knew he was a crooked. The Americans knew, people
knew he was a crook when they when they elected him.
So my thing is slowing some of this uh damage.

Speaker 2 (22:51):
And you know, I watched the Janet Hagar interviews with
the former president.

Speaker 12 (22:55):
So what I want to ask you, because I continue
to be optimistic and I think we'll get on the
other side of this is an American as an American
outside of just being a congressman of Congressman Carson, do
you still continue to be optimistic about the idea of
democracy in our country?

Speaker 2 (23:12):
And that's my question. Thank you.

Speaker 4 (23:14):
You are sure.

Speaker 1 (23:16):
That's a phenomenal question. I do you know, I think
that our democracy is a work in progress. This is
a collective enterprise. I think far too often we see
people run for office and they make it about themselves
and what they will do and how they're gonna change.

Speaker 2 (23:33):
No one likes being told what to do.

Speaker 1 (23:36):
If you are on the school board, if you are
if your brother James, if you're Andre Carson, if you're
the mayor of the governor, the township trustee, the constable,
whoever you are a citizen, which is more important than
all of them. This is a collective enterprise. There are
no big eyes in little youths. It takes all of

(23:57):
us to make this democracy work.

Speaker 2 (23:59):
Is it perfect? No?

Speaker 1 (24:01):
But is it the best democracy that we've seen in
recorded history? Absolutely? And so that requires critiques. It requires
introducing legislation that may not be perfect, but we have
an opportunity to go back and make necessary corrections. Does
it mean that legislators always get it right.

Speaker 13 (24:19):
No.

Speaker 1 (24:19):
When you have hundreds of legislators trying to get things done,
you're going to have that many personalities, that many emaos,
that many local interests, that many regional interests. And it
takes negotiating across the aisle and within your party caucus
and really trying to get things done. And so I
say that to say, as someone who is on a

(24:41):
very important platform, I thank you. I thank the constituents
for showing up and voting for me so we can
have twenty two bills passed in the law. I thank
you for not believing the hype. You know, there's a
I think low on this Center for Effective Politics. Well, Nancy, Oh,

(25:01):
the first black president would not have gotten healthcare passed
were it not for Nancy Pelosi, our beloved first black
president would have never had Wall Street regulatory passed were
it not for Nancy Pelosi. And Nancy Pelosi is listed
at the bottom of that list that my opponent brings up.
You know who's second to Nancy Pelosi on that list,
hay Keen, Jeffries. So that list is bogus. The methodology

(25:25):
that they used is bogus. Remember in the nineteen twenties
and thirties, there were scientists who used methods and means
to say that black people were inferior, our brains were
smaller through union.

Speaker 4 (25:37):
Absolutely.

Speaker 1 (25:37):
So you can doctor numbers and make up anything you
want to make up, but the proof is in the
putting one billion dollars back to the state and the
city and twenty two bills passed. And I'm proud to
serve our community with distinction. I'm not from a sundowntown.
Your brother Andre is from downtown.

Speaker 3 (25:55):
There you go, okay, James, we have less than a
minute of your already.

Speaker 5 (25:59):
Yeah yeah, yeah, Congressman, Cars and hang on. I know
you're probably walking to a meeting or something important, but
just say right there, I want I don't want to
lose your signal. Uh, get that that AI Data Center
Transparency Act that you're going to introduce. This and this
is a question. Do you oppose the data centers that
are that are stirring up opposition here the one in

(26:20):
Martin Dale, bright Wood and also Decatur Township in which
those people are looking at filing a lawsuit. Do you
oppose those? Can you tell us that.

Speaker 1 (26:30):
Yes, anytime a data center wants to come into a
community and the communities against it and they've not made
the case, get out of there. You have to make
the case before the community. What's it going to do
for jobs? Is it gonna is it gonna raise our
utility bills?

Speaker 2 (26:45):
I just had a disputes. I want to go for
my own bill. I'm like, oh, I'm going to see
how's of this damn.

Speaker 1 (26:50):
I If it causes an undue burden or rate users,
If it's disruptive to the environment, that the community doesn't
want it, and you are failing to make the case,
then you probably shouldn't do it. You should probably regroup
and come up with a new strategy and a promise
to meet these standards that my bill cease to do.
So if you've not met these standards that are listed

(27:13):
in my bill, which by the way, i'm I'm I'm
dropping tomorrow, then I don't think so. You know, I
support a moratorium, which basically means pausing all construction, even
in the seventh Congressional district. And like I said, you know,
my bill requires early disclosures to the public on all
new data centers. I want to talk about, you know,

(27:35):
what water consumption looks like, the cooling demands, environmental impacts.
I just saw where there was some data center who
they're operating off of gasoline. I know, not all data
centers are crazy equally, and the race are so high
it's causing damage.

Speaker 2 (27:52):
To that community.

Speaker 4 (27:53):
Yeah, yeah, thank you, all right, well, thank you congressman.

Speaker 3 (27:58):
I do believe you ready, you've already inserted that elevator pitch.

Speaker 4 (28:03):
I heard it. I heard it in there.

Speaker 3 (28:05):
But if people want to find out more, want to volunteer,
want to know more, your website.

Speaker 1 (28:11):
Andre Carson dot com. Andre Carson dot com three one
seven two two six ninety four one hundred three one
seven two two six ninety four hundred three one seven
two two six ninety four hundred three one seven two
two six ninety four hundred all.

Speaker 4 (28:24):
Right, and to get out the vote messages.

Speaker 1 (28:27):
Yeah, get out the vote. This is your democracy. You're
a part of this. When we win, the country stays
and preserves, and when we lose, Donald Trump will take
over and bring us back to the good old days
that were not the good old days for you and me.
So vote, vote, vote. We have to leverage our voting block.

(28:50):
Don't vote for people who come and want to bootscoop
buddy and put your boots on the ground and do
the electric slide when it's convenient. But any other time
they would ride down Martin Martindale or go through Brightwood
a Sherman Drive. They just want your vote. Stick with
what you know. I'm not from a sundown town. I'm
from n town and I represent the people and I

(29:10):
love you and it's an.

Speaker 2 (29:11):
Honor to serve.

Speaker 1 (29:12):
Thank you, get control our community and control our democracy.

Speaker 3 (29:15):
All right, Thank you, Congress from Carson, and we'll be
talking with you.

Speaker 4 (29:18):
Good luck to you. We'll be right back with more
right after this.

Speaker 13 (29:23):
Let's get back to the conversation. It's Community Connection with
Tina Cosby, brought to you by Child Advocates, a champion
for justice, opportunity and well being for children, on Praise
Am thirteen ten ninety five point one FM.

Speaker 3 (29:39):
And we're back with Community Connection James Patterson, our contributing
analysis with us of course, our producer Eric Garns.

Speaker 4 (29:45):
Eric and James.

Speaker 3 (29:47):
This this seventh US congressional district from the state of Indiana.
It's it is heating up. I mean, he's quite animated.
He's quite animated.

Speaker 5 (29:57):
He is. I mean, you know, he hasn't had a
really I mean he's been he's been opposed before, but
he hasn't had a real you know of seeming like
probably a little better finance finance challenger. So Andre knows
how to campaign. He sees him incumbany. He's been there
several years in several terms. So you know, you're kicking
in it. Yeah, he's kicking it into another gear. You're right,

(30:20):
he is.

Speaker 3 (30:20):
I'm feeling the next gear, but I mean can't what
kind of gear do you need to get into though?
If you think about it, when you won all your
previous elections by eighty five percent, I mean, I think
that's the average. I was looking at an eighty five percent.

Speaker 4 (30:36):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, so's.

Speaker 5 (30:37):
He's who's been on who you're who you're facing and uh,
you said you had Destiny Wells on yesterday. I mean
she's also uh, you know, run for several offices.

Speaker 3 (30:47):
And he has she had, and both of them state
most of them stay wide. She ran for secretary of State,
she ran for attorney general. Yeah, and then she also
ran for the president of the DIM credit the State
Democratic Party, which is which she did.

Speaker 4 (31:04):
Not win that either. And I was my question of her,
was you, you know, you've won.

Speaker 3 (31:08):
For several state wide offices. What's why Washington now? And
you know she yeah, she answered it. But yeah, there's
also Denise Paul Hatch and George Tornado. Uh I think
it's Tornado h r any deal. People pronounce his name
so differently. That's what Tina's going to.

Speaker 5 (31:26):
Uh.

Speaker 4 (31:26):
But yeah, so this is a this is a good
one to watch.

Speaker 3 (31:29):
I think it's going to be you know, he's got
some competition, it's going to be competitive.

Speaker 5 (31:32):
But yeah, Hernando Fellow, Yeah, that Hernando. I've seen his
ads and stuff, you know, online social media, and yeah,
he's another one given it a good effort.

Speaker 3 (31:46):
So, like you said, I think that competition is good
because I think people people get the best, they get
the best of the candidate, that of all the candidates,
they get the best because they're all competing.

Speaker 5 (31:58):
And so, and who's the other.

Speaker 4 (32:02):
Destiny Wells and George Tornado.

Speaker 5 (32:06):
Carnado, Cornado O H O R N E.

Speaker 3 (32:10):
Ed oh thirty five degree in government education policy from
Cornell and Harvard.

Speaker 4 (32:15):
So he's heavy league.

Speaker 3 (32:19):
Yeah, president, he's president of Tornado's Strategies consulting firm. Of course,
Destiny Wells. And then we have Denise Paul Hatch, former
constable for Center Township.

Speaker 4 (32:34):
Uh so there, Yeah, there's several.

Speaker 5 (32:36):
Yeah, I mean they might think he's vulnerable, you know,
but they.

Speaker 3 (32:41):
May you know, a lot of folks think the mayor
is vulnerable. They think the Democratic Party is vulnerable for
the mayor's office. Uh uh and probably ripe for you know,
a Republican to step in there. There's a lot of
thoughts to that as well. So I think that's why
so many are coming out swinging. And that's again, that's
a good thing for everybody concerned.

Speaker 4 (33:02):
Everybody's fighting, which is good. James, very quickly. The weather.
What do we got, I know, we didn't get a
chance to do it.

Speaker 5 (33:09):
Weather outside is funny, just a little you know, before
the calendar time.

Speaker 2 (33:22):
Right.

Speaker 5 (33:23):
Yeah, but I don't have to tell anyone who's been
outside today that we have a beautiful day out there
to enjoy excellent weather we're having experiencing today. But a
little caveat you know, on what I just said. It
might be interrupted by some isolated some possible isolated showers

(33:44):
this evening, but it shouldn't impact everybody, And looks like
it's going to be just north of US northern counties,
maybe Boon, maybe Hamilton, you know, some of the northern counties.
But you know, a shower or two may find its
way wanders way down here into the city. Seventy four
degrees as we came on the Hot Show today. Uh,

(34:08):
and we'll rise a few more degrees to the upper seventies.

Speaker 2 (34:12):
Uh.

Speaker 5 (34:13):
In all you guys, we'll expect a stretch of excellent
weather for the next six seven days. Okay, Well, yeah,
we've got coming before we go back sea.

Speaker 3 (34:25):
Yeah, can we squeeze mister Russell in here?

Speaker 9 (34:29):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (34:30):
Yeah, okay, Yeah, let's mister Russell go ahead. How are you,
mister Russell?

Speaker 4 (34:37):
Are you there?

Speaker 1 (34:39):
Oh?

Speaker 14 (34:40):
Hold on here, Tina, hang on a side, let's do this.

Speaker 4 (34:43):
Okay, yeah, I got the bill, must be on. Okay,
you got the bell? What's the bell?

Speaker 7 (34:50):
The bell rings when you're on it does?

Speaker 4 (34:52):
I didn't know that. I don't know that new system. Okay,
ring the ring of.

Speaker 5 (35:00):
Okay, okay, tinah, Yeah, you're doing you right.

Speaker 7 (35:07):
Two or three things that folks might want to know
that you probably already knows that Michael Jackson, the Michael
Jackson film will be opening at im X over the
State Museum property. Uh Friday, I think is the opening,
and that might be uh uh some tickets that might

(35:28):
be available to give away, you know on the show.

Speaker 3 (35:31):
So where we're gonna get them, where we're gonna get
the stakes, where we're gonna get the tickets?

Speaker 4 (35:39):
Who's gonna give him to this? I will get them away?

Speaker 7 (35:45):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (35:46):
I think that movie, isn't it called Michael? Yeah? And
I already heard about that, mister Russell. My sister told
me today. But mister Vallery said, hey, you're going to
that movie on Friday, I know, you know, yeah, try
to go. Yeah.

Speaker 12 (36:02):
Well, well, you know they had a big opening it
at Gary west Side High School.

Speaker 7 (36:09):
Yeah. Yeah, so didn't.

Speaker 4 (36:11):
They go to Roosevelt though, I don't think they went
to West but west Side is west Side is hosted,
okay school.

Speaker 7 (36:17):
Now it's the biggest.

Speaker 4 (36:18):
It's the biggest one. Yeah, gotcha.

Speaker 7 (36:20):
But but anyway, Uh, I just want to mention, uh,
the ads that have been running on the TV. You
might have noticed they've got Senator Carson. You know, they
lifted him as Sentator Carson. So maybe just something that
is in the wind later, you know, because the way

(36:42):
things are shaping up, that might be something he might
want to look into, uh at the next senatorial Like.

Speaker 3 (36:50):
That's just poor research, it's just amateur Yeah, that's that's
just yeah.

Speaker 4 (36:55):
But anyway, so busy exactly.

Speaker 5 (37:00):
The senators in the United States, senators who voted against
this crazy idea to redistrict and cut out all democratic
representation in Washington just nine zero and no Democrats elected
the current no representation taxation without they were so they
are so uh you know, adamant uh to try to

(37:23):
defeat all those senators, those Republican senators. Uh, they will
do anything as a matter of fact, and so the
look they're hurrying up and they're making mistakes. And by
the way, I don't think they're going to be successful
because yeah, because the senators who voted against that crazy
redistricting idea, they they you know, they took a Layla

(37:44):
land and they thought, well, you know this is going
to cost me my seat. So they must have confidence
in their in their constituency.

Speaker 3 (37:51):
And what was the third Because I don't want you
to get cut off by the computer. What's your third point?

Speaker 7 (37:56):
But this shows you trump people will go to you know,
so people are watching how they do it and will
come out and refuse to let them do it.

Speaker 5 (38:08):
So, yeah, they see the hopes they do.

Speaker 7 (38:12):
But but the other thing was just wanted them to
emphasize again that the firefighters are having a big convention
downtown this week. So if you want to see some
really interesting things from the fire department, you might want
to check that out. I think the next two days
or so are going to be open to the public.
So okay, And they are the heroes.

Speaker 4 (38:33):
Love that love that they truly are. Thank you, mister Russell.
Appreciate it, really really appreciate he got it in. He
got it all in. Ye got all three of them
in there.

Speaker 3 (38:43):
But yeah, so the politics and that's just slobby.

Speaker 4 (38:47):
I can't believe that got pasted an editor.

Speaker 3 (38:50):
You know, what's the system of checks and balances in
that campaign that identify him as Senator Carson?

Speaker 5 (38:56):
That's right, Tina. I mean, they're just they're so intent
and trying to, you know, defeat those people who voted
and put you know, Trump in as you know, the
authoritarian ruler he wants to be. If he says, you go,
you vote against him, you go that they're not even
doing their research. But I'm glad we talked about or
we're talking about voting, because and you have been. It's

(39:18):
not like you haven't been. But I wanted to bring
to four of this. The voting participation so far is
pleasing because I looked at some data and it says
this as of April seventeenth, Friday, April seventeenth, last Friday,
that was the eleventh day of early voting last Friday.

(39:39):
Compared with the last midterm primary in twenty twenty two,
when only five hundred and seventy one people had voted
at that point, it was double that this time.

Speaker 2 (39:51):
Double.

Speaker 7 (39:51):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (39:52):
Well, you know one of the things that an interesting
dynamic or interesting point of information that can at Wells
Destiny Wells brought yesterday was that she had just checked
with those in the know, and her information was that
voter participation at this point was up one hundred and
twenty five percent over what it was was at the

(40:16):
last point the last primary. At this point in the
last primary, up one hundred and twenty five percent. So
she was really encouraged about that and wanted to share that,
and that was something that she had just gotten.

Speaker 4 (40:27):
So it coincides with what you just said, James.

Speaker 5 (40:29):
Yeah, oney, two hundred and nineteen people as a Friday
compared to the last mid term five hundred and seventy
one people. And get this, we need to do still
better than that. That's great because Hamilton County, Hamilton County
had eight hundred and ninety eight and twenty twenty two,
but already they've got more than sixteen hundred people who

(40:50):
have voted in Hamilton County to this point. And so
you know, I mean, we can we're doing great, up
over one hundred percent, but we can't let Hamilton County
beat us because they've got as a Friday, one thousand,
six hundred and thirty one to our one thousand, two
hundred and nineteen Hamilton County. We're gonna let them beat us,

(41:12):
let's hope.

Speaker 3 (41:13):
Not no, no, no, can't let them do that. Nope, nope, nope,
nope nope. Okay, well, you know what we have. We
got another segment coming up, got two more segments coming up,
so we'll be We're gonna take a quick break right
here and we'll be right back.

Speaker 13 (41:30):
Wtlc AMW two three six C are Indianapolis broadcasting from
the Praise Indy Indiego Studios, Indiego Boldly moving Indy Forward.
It's Community Connection with Tina Cosby, brought to you by
Child's Advocates, a champion for justice, opportunity and well being
for children on Praise Am thirteen ten ninety five point

(41:52):
on FM.

Speaker 3 (41:53):
And we're back with Community Connection heading into our second hour.

Speaker 4 (41:56):
Boy did that first one go fast?

Speaker 3 (41:58):
Ooh, it does, zipping by? And you know what, I
hope that that energy around the elections and the candidates.

Speaker 4 (42:10):
I hope that that continues all that, not.

Speaker 3 (42:11):
Only through the primary, but through the I mean I
just told it stays.

Speaker 4 (42:15):
I hope it has staying power.

Speaker 5 (42:17):
Yeah yea too, because we need them.

Speaker 3 (42:19):
Yeah yeah, we do, and we also need I'm going
to tell you what we need. Our next two guests
are going to tell us what we need more of.

Speaker 4 (42:28):
They are Maurice Done.

Speaker 3 (42:30):
He is the CEO and founder of MLD can We're
going to go to economics. We're going to go from politics, uh,
to economics, the job market, education and things of that nature,
if you will. And they're going to correct me if
I'm in the wrong area. So, but anyway, we have
mister Maurice Done, CEO and founder of MLD Consulting, Mister Dunn.

Speaker 15 (42:49):
Well here, thanks for having us.

Speaker 4 (42:52):
Yeah, and you have with you.

Speaker 3 (42:53):
We have with us Edgar Purdue Building Today's Youth. You're
the Are you the executive director of Building Today's Youth?

Speaker 16 (43:00):
I am the CFO CFO.

Speaker 3 (43:01):
Oh I'm sorry CFO bt y did I say it backwards?

Speaker 4 (43:06):
Feeling to downtexics. So for those who.

Speaker 3 (43:11):
May not be familiar with each of you and what
you do, can you introduce yourselves?

Speaker 15 (43:16):
Yes? You can?

Speaker 17 (43:17):
Okay, yeah, okay, I'm already done CEO for MLD Consulting,
And essentially what we do is we found a really
big hole in the marketplace. And what we've done is
we've worked together with bt Y to bridge that gap.
And essentially what that means is is that for the
small business to the medium sized business, they're challenge with

(43:38):
trying to get more business and make sure that they're
up to date with the most influential people as well
as processes, and so what we've done. What we've done
is we've come in and brought in a process that
allows them to learn the processes in systems in order
for them to grow and be able to compete at
a higher level in the commercial world. And so what

(44:01):
that allows us to do then is to partner with
somebody like with the organization like BTY where they have
a group of young people who want to get into
construction industry, not specifically into the trades as much as
into the management. We're going to teach the management so
that it becomes a feeding source for the management part

(44:21):
of construction, because a lot of people are focusing on
the physical part, but there's also a gap in the
management part. And so what we're doing is looking down
the road and setting up that gap or filling that
gap so that individuals are individual companies as well as
some of the major companies can now have a source that.

Speaker 15 (44:38):
Really trains them how to no whole nother level.

Speaker 17 (44:41):
We're bridging the gap that call it sometimes doesn't have
the ability to do because it's such a broad stroke
of just information. We're more specific and tied directly to
our industry and giving great opportunities to young people.

Speaker 3 (44:54):
So construction do tell Okay, that's interesting.

Speaker 18 (44:59):
Yes, Timately we're geared to look at high school students
up to early twenties where we're focusing on entry into
the construction industry management piece, and so we have a
twelve week process where ultimately we're looking at industry foundation

(45:21):
blueprint reading and looking at the overall flow and estimating
fundamentals and eventually getting into field work so that we
could eventually get them on to the management piece.

Speaker 3 (45:34):
I was going to say, the managerial piece of so
many industries and occupations seems to be overlooked a lot
because we seem to be so focused on telling our
young people get a job, get a job, you know
or whatever, and not maybe expanding that encouragement to you know,
and at you know, look at look at possibly managing

(45:55):
or above or what, because that's that's.

Speaker 4 (45:57):
Where you have more say. So I guess a lot
in a lot of times the managerial portion.

Speaker 17 (46:02):
Of it, yes, yeah, yes, And so oftentimes the easiest
are the most common track is going through college, right
and getting a degree in construction management, getting degree and
some type of level of management with a four year degree.
And what our industry typically looks at is you've accomplished
a task, You've actually went through a four year degree,

(46:25):
and you have exercise your thought process at another level.
And it doesn't, as we're seeing given today, that's not
the only path, right. Some people don't learn that way.
Some people are more hands on, and so what we
do is move out all the extra and we focus
in on the actual task itself. So by the time
you walk away from these trainings that we're providing, you

(46:47):
actually come out with a skill set that can be
immediately applied. And so and then we're partnering with some
of the bigger, biggest companies in Indianapolis and having the
conversation about how we feed their pipeline and as it
relates to the internships and as it relates to their
entry level management positions.

Speaker 3 (47:05):
So tell us about the I guess, the introductory, the
free area where you can get these young folks started.

Speaker 17 (47:14):
Yes, So all they have to do is very pretty simple,
is that they just contact our office right and our number.
The number that they should call is four sixty three
three one two eight zero zero eight. Again four sixty
three three one two eight zero zero eight. And then
all they have to do is let us know that
they're interested in the getting into the construction industry and

(47:37):
as far as construction management. We then will take them
into our intake process in terms of filling out an application,
and then we'll put them in the queue. And what
happens is is that then we'll reach out to UH
and make sure we port with our partners and coordinate
that with them, and then they start their twelve week process.

Speaker 15 (47:55):
You want to speak to.

Speaker 18 (47:55):
That, and ultimately, yeah, there will be an evaluation of
skill set to understand where they're at. And then as
we go in and do the intake process, we'll take
it to them once they're approved, and then we'll get
them into that twelve week process.

Speaker 4 (48:13):
The construction industry.

Speaker 3 (48:15):
I guess I could say here in the city of Indianapolis,
you know, the one place where I've always I used
to say all the time, because I've been there about
I had to go to work there.

Speaker 4 (48:23):
I've had to do all kinds of stuff there.

Speaker 3 (48:24):
Las Vegas tons no matter when you fly in, I've been.
I know I've been there at least ten times, maybe longer.
Other folks that I'll go there every week. Okay, well anyway,
But what I'm saying is I've been there more than
ten times, probably at various points in time. And I
have never ever landed and not seen a construction site,

(48:47):
an active construction site about something. Now a city like
that compared to Indianapolis. You know, maybe Indianapolis isn't that
busy as far as construction, but are there a number
of construction opportunities that are being mister or not adequately
accessed by some of our young people.

Speaker 17 (49:08):
Definitely, definitely, I mean there's so many opportunities out there. Again,
I was just in a meeting, and again I can't
necessarily name names, but I was just in a meeting
with an executive of one of our biggest companies here
in Indianapolis, and one of the things he said is,
not only as we've confirmed that we're having challenges getting
folks into the physical part of the construction, we're definitely

(49:31):
having challenges getting them into the management side, and so
he said, we have to do something different, right, And
so what you're saying is he's saying, Maurice, your idea
and what you've put together as far as your partnership
would be BTY is really phenomenal because.

Speaker 15 (49:46):
What it does is it bridges that.

Speaker 17 (49:47):
Gap and gives us another avenue in order to gain access.
And so they're reaching even further because they're learning sometimes
when the college the college level is too late, they've
already been determined, some of them already going to other cities.
So now they're reaching even further into now high school
level and saying, hey, let's get their attention now and
start to work with them in terms of internship and

(50:09):
exposure at that level. And so we're partnering just to
kind of bring that in so that we can push
them through and give them this opportunity.

Speaker 4 (50:16):
How long have you all been in partnership?

Speaker 15 (50:18):
So it's been in for about two years now, so
they've been in business.

Speaker 4 (50:21):
Okay, everything James by all means hop in.

Speaker 3 (50:26):
I know, yeah, I know how James's mind works, and
it's going on thousand miles an hour a bit right now.

Speaker 5 (50:31):
So yeah, I mean, I just think this is a
great program. Mister Dunn. First question is for you, and
I will get to mister Purdue, but can you tell
me what is the age group that you are typically
teaching trying to recruit of young people because and then
I have a follow up on that after you answer that,
when do you have these classes? Because obviously if it's

(50:54):
people in high school or just graduating high school, if
they're still taking classes somewhere, they may not I mean
they may have to configure their schedule to get into
your classes. So what's the age group that you're typically recruiting?
And then how you know how many people are you
going to have in each cohort? There's four four weeks

(51:16):
free that then goes on to twelve weeks. So if
you could just if I did, if I made any
sense there, could you answer those questions?

Speaker 15 (51:23):
Would take take the lead on that one.

Speaker 16 (51:24):
Yes, So ultimately.

Speaker 18 (51:28):
The age group we're targeting would be high school students
primarily at the point at this moment, each cohort we're
looking to have four core horts per year, and within
each of those core hotes there would be twenty students
that we would have.

Speaker 17 (51:45):
Yeah, and as far as those location goes we we
we've done some actually we've actually done some some online,
but we so that it's more remote and allows them
to kind of have access. There are some classes that
we can't teach online of course, to kind of see
them in person and kind of read their body language
and to make.

Speaker 15 (52:03):
Sure that they got it.

Speaker 17 (52:05):
But we've also right now we're looking at a couple
of spaces that we've been working out of we're really
focusing on now. We're thinking we're going to tap into
that P thirty location off of thirty.

Speaker 5 (52:17):
We've heard a.

Speaker 16 (52:18):
Lot about that and so that's something we're.

Speaker 17 (52:20):
Considering to actually bring the program into. But the remote
majority of our class's history has been online because a
lot of what we teach you can just jump on
a computer and learn.

Speaker 5 (52:31):
And mister Purdue, is the four weeks part of the
whole twelve week class or is it separate? I mean
they do four weeks then you start in the real
twelve week So is it part of or is it separate?

Speaker 16 (52:44):
Well, it's a twelve week training process.

Speaker 5 (52:48):
Okay, yes, So the four weeks that are free, then
what their contribution or their investment in their future with
kick in After the four weeks.

Speaker 17 (52:57):
Right, So let me clarify because I think think there
might be a little bit of disconnect. So bt Y
is fully free everything, the whole twelve classes are all
free for the young people, right, and it's funded through
our foundation, right. And so what happens is we can
we partner with some of our bigger guys. We also
contribute from mld's perspective, into a foundation which then feeds

(53:21):
bt Y. So if you want to be a part
of bt Y, you don't have a pair of dime
for it.

Speaker 15 (53:25):
You just got to show up.

Speaker 5 (53:28):
Yeah, I thought I saw some beyond the undroductory level.
We offer paid courses here.

Speaker 17 (53:35):
Yeah, you're right. And so what you're now talking about
is what MLD does. We mainly focus on small businesses right,
where we customize things associated with the small to medium
sized businesses, and so we focus on actual construction companies,
and those companies we come in and.

Speaker 15 (53:53):
What we do.

Speaker 17 (53:54):
We start off with what we call a diagnostic and
we're reassessing their business as it relates to the constructions
so that we can let them know where they measure
up as it relates to the industry. Then we move
in and we do what we call it what we
call a framework, and what that means.

Speaker 15 (54:08):
Is is, hey, well here's your gaps. Let's fix those gaps.

Speaker 17 (54:11):
And then finally, if you don't have the people on
your team, we'll step in and do what's called embedded
support until you get to the place where you get
that level of professionalism. And here's the connection. So it's
really phenomenal because here's the connection. Now you have us
over here training the youth. And so what happens is
is that now as these small businesses grow, they then

(54:33):
need to fill seats, and the seats that can be
filled is through the bt Y program because we train
them so that they were able to sit in those seats.

Speaker 5 (54:43):
Yeah, you know what what does tell us? Mister real
quick now, no go ahead, What is a bt what
does bt Y? What does the acromy and stand for?

Speaker 16 (54:54):
Building today's youth?

Speaker 5 (54:56):
Building today's youth? Yeah, so, and yours is fully free.
Can you just kind of speak to the question of
manage your tea? You want to teach people on the
management side, the management piece, and and this question came
to my mind. I'm sure that there's a real big,

(55:19):
large need for I'd say, you know, minority populations in
construction management. I just I've just put I'll go out
there and say I believe that. So is that like,
is your part online? And then mister Dunn's MLD construction part?
Is that physical? Or can you kind of tell me

(55:43):
like what your part does? Are you going to place
people who are going to be able.

Speaker 2 (55:46):
To join construction firms through b t Y.

Speaker 5 (55:51):
Through through your program right away after they graduate in management?

Speaker 18 (55:56):
So ultimately a part of the twelve week processes like
weeks nine through ten and also weeks eleven and twelve,
we're dealing with field work and also career placement. And
there at the moment, there's three different paths that the

(56:16):
youth can take. That would be the project engineer, the
field engineer, and an assistant estimator.

Speaker 17 (56:25):
Yep, And I'll jump in there is on the technical
more technical side. You're right, there is a lot of
room for minorities, right, It's really a lot of room
for minorities because it's not it's predominantly not minorities right
in the management space. And so there's huge opportunities there

(56:47):
in there, and it's wanted and it's needed if you will,
and it really comes down to them just having really
a focused as it relates to our part We're partnering
with them throughout the whole time. So during the trainings,
we're involved. Whether it's online or whether it's in person,
we are partnering with them all the time because our partners, right,

(57:07):
the big companies that we're connected to, are wanting to
make sure that we give them a very clear process
and understanding so that they come in at an entry
level and then it surpasses anything that they're learning in.

Speaker 15 (57:19):
College as it relates to the direct task themselves.

Speaker 3 (57:23):
Right, So how did each of you get into your
respective areas and at what point did you realize or
recognize the void and decided to jump into action.

Speaker 4 (57:33):
I'm really curious as to how all that connected.

Speaker 18 (57:35):
So ultimately, I've been in the accounting industry for over
eighteen years. And brother Maurice and through a common friend
we met. We connected and there was a void and
there was a need and there was a gap, and
that's how I got connected with B.

Speaker 2 (57:54):
T Y and so.

Speaker 17 (57:56):
And then for me, I've been in it for over
twenty five years. I came out of I went to
Purdue University, I went to Butler.

Speaker 15 (58:05):
I mean my Butler.

Speaker 17 (58:05):
I I went to Broderpool for high school and my
mother was a painter, so I was really I've been
in construction pretty much since I was born, right, And
I initially thought I wanted to get into, you know,
being a carpenter where I actually physically did the work.
And I was challenged by one of my leaderships, one
of my mentors, my pastor, and he said, you know,

(58:26):
you probably have some more skill sets than even that,
and challenged me to go to school and go to college.
So I went and got my degree from Purdue and
construction management, and then I just start to excel, right.
I went from I went from you know, after getting
out of college, and I worked here shortly for a
construction management company to have that was a general contractor
and a construction manager. Then I went up to Washington

(58:48):
d C Works some years, and then I came back
and started my own business. And I did that for
ten years. And because I've been exposed from a three
sixty view, it showed me a very clear gap partner
with again, some of the folks that are here even
did business up to probably over over probably five hundred
million dollars worth of business with some of the bigger

(59:08):
partners here, and it really showed where are our small businesses? Key,
we're just reaching to try to get there, but they
missed the process. They just because they bootstrapped it right.
And so now we're saying, hey, we're going to help
you tighten your tighten up so that you can get
into this industry and actually excel. And by the way,

(59:28):
we're gonna then hook you up with a bunch of
folks that that are skilled, that we trained, have helped
the train to back you so you can continue to
grow and flourish.

Speaker 4 (59:37):
So you so you've been at this and had this
partnership for the last what two years?

Speaker 9 (59:42):
Is that right?

Speaker 4 (59:43):
Is it working?

Speaker 15 (59:44):
It is?

Speaker 2 (59:44):
It is?

Speaker 4 (59:46):
Give us some examples.

Speaker 3 (59:47):
Yeah, so we've probably success stories, and we all love
a success story.

Speaker 15 (59:51):
So I'll give you.

Speaker 17 (59:53):
I actually just had somebody send me the status so
I can make sure I knew these guys.

Speaker 15 (59:57):
I say questions and.

Speaker 17 (59:58):
So U what we show is we had we've got
about sixty companies that we've impacted. Some of the satisfactory
comments we've heard was mld's training helped strengthen my skills
and scheduling and sequencing, giving the tools needed then it
talks about bt y. I took a situation that was

(01:00:21):
larger than it was used to be, but I learned
how to process it and manage it well.

Speaker 15 (01:00:27):
So those are some of the success stories. But then
it goes on.

Speaker 17 (01:00:29):
It says total attendance, and it's saying that we've done
somewhere around forty forty to fifty students so far, right,
and they're all, you know, again, we're getting started versus zero.
We're getting started, and so we're just out here trying
to you know, that's at our high peak. I'm looking
at the total sum is about ninety it looks like,
but our high peak has been about forty students.

Speaker 5 (01:00:54):
James, mister Purdue, what gives you the best satisfaction of
helping these young people to not only be introduced to
this industry but grow as well.

Speaker 18 (01:01:14):
Yes too, as I as I look back at my life,
there there was mentors there for me. And so when
we're able to provide this type of resource, not only
are we helping them have a strong financial backing and

(01:01:34):
with ethics and things of this nature, but it's keeping
them out of the streets, and it's keeping them safe,
and it's giving them hope.

Speaker 16 (01:01:42):
And that's the most satisfaction that I get.

Speaker 4 (01:01:45):
The fact, who are you all talking to?

Speaker 3 (01:01:48):
If I were to say your target audience is X,
Y and Z, who is who are you all talking
directly to.

Speaker 18 (01:01:57):
We are talking to the youth, the parents, and the developers,
and we are saying we are the incubators for the
talent that lacks here as the baby boomers are exiting,
we are the incubator for the next generation.

Speaker 17 (01:02:16):
And then what MLD is focused on is a small business,
small to medium sized business doing two million to up
to about twenty million dollars, No, two to ten. Two
to ten is where our specialty is. Where they've got
a small amount of small crew, they don't have a
lot of processes, if you will, and then they're ready
to grow, they're ready to increase their sales. And then
therefore that opportunity allows us to set up a system

(01:02:39):
or help them with a system so that they can
begin to hop back, hire the bt y folks and
begin to grow their team as a whole.

Speaker 4 (01:02:47):
So go ahead, James, Well, I just want to get
this in.

Speaker 5 (01:02:50):
You have team and then you can come in. But
I just wanted to because you're welcome well, thank you.
I just wanted to well, you know, I just wanted
to say not take too much on them, but I
just wanted to say that I remember State Senator Glenn
Howard and representatives representative of Bill Crawford, you remember those,

(01:03:12):
Julia Carson, you know, and it particularly Senator Howard would say,
you know, he'd come on a show like this and
he would say, you know, I drove out on the Expressway,
I seventy east, so I drove south into Decatur Township
or Franklin Township or up in Washington Township, and I
saw construction. I saw road construction. I saw public construction,

(01:03:35):
on schools, on you know, things that are affiliated and
they have contracts with the city or with other government agencies.
And I didn't see any people of color. Yeah, so
tell me how how do we break that? How do
we get them to do that and to engage these
young people?

Speaker 3 (01:03:53):
And James, that's a that's a good question, because that's
the question I was asking before we went on the air,
you know, when we got ready to start this segment.

Speaker 4 (01:04:00):
Is that we hear so often that there's the want to,
but there's not the know how to. And then if
you know how to then there's not the access still, yeah,
you're still kind of blocked down. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 17 (01:04:16):
So here's the answer four six three three one two
eight zero zero eight. And it is called right because
what we're what we're saying to you is is that
I'm sitting with the biggest people in the industry and
I'm they're saying, Hey, the guys that are coming in,
they don't have enough information, they don't know their processes right.
And so they're saying, not only is it a challenge

(01:04:38):
with the small to medium sized businesses, it's also a
challenge is for the individuals in terms of employment. And
so what we said was, we're gonna fix that gap.
We're gonna partner with b B T Y and we're
going to make sure that we got a source to
get the young people the ability because they're in high
school and middle school and so forth and so on,
they don't have the funding to do so.

Speaker 15 (01:04:57):
So we're gonna set this up.

Speaker 4 (01:04:59):
Your exercise as in use of their pipeline.

Speaker 17 (01:05:01):
Yes, exactly, and so and we're being funded, you know,
by the construction companies. We're saying, hey, you can you
can contribute to this thing. And now it's just a
it's an ecosystem that feeds you over time.

Speaker 4 (01:05:14):
I see, I have the I have the map here.

Speaker 17 (01:05:16):
Yes, yes, over my head.

Speaker 15 (01:05:18):
Give us a call, give us a call four.

Speaker 4 (01:05:22):
Eight yeah.

Speaker 5 (01:05:25):
And so as.

Speaker 3 (01:05:28):
Is it difficult to get people to sometimes Here's the
thing that that we hear a lot too, James. When
it comes to construction industry, UH bids, contracts, jobs, all.

Speaker 4 (01:05:40):
Kinds of things.

Speaker 3 (01:05:41):
And while you know, Indianapolis is no Las Vegas, I
use that as an extreme example of construction opportunities. And
they probably have a lot of things going on out there,
but there's there's more and more taking place here, yes,
and more and more opportunities for minorities to be involved. However,
and I don't want to get political here, but it
seems like everything is political with the the incoming gubernatorials,

(01:06:04):
administration's attacks on DEI, which I would think would would
apply to minority contractors, minority contracting bid you know, a
certain percentage, you know, mandated as so, how are you
navigating that space here in the state of Indiana, Because
it's it's an all new assault on you know, not

(01:06:25):
necessarily yeah, affirmative action, yeah, diversity making not necessarily making
things equal, but making things more fair.

Speaker 5 (01:06:33):
As far as access, you're not giving an advantage on
your advantage.

Speaker 4 (01:06:37):
Not an advantage at all. Yeah, just just the access,
You're right, James, the door open.

Speaker 2 (01:06:42):
Yeah.

Speaker 17 (01:06:43):
Again, the feedback that we consistently are getting is they
need to know more information. It's not it's not the
fact that that and I understand, I understand the situation
with at Rhan, But I'm telling you from the horse's mouth,
and I speak to a lot of leaders in the
construction industry that are willing to give the opportunity, but

(01:07:05):
it's hard when they come short of the position, if
you will. And so that's where we're trying to bridge
the gap. Now, let's deal with that reality. Because have
I faced it over the industry. I certainly have. I
walked into deals and know that I lost the deal
just because they observed me and it wasn't until I
opened my mouth that they can understand all This guy

(01:07:25):
really knows some pretty know some information, right, And so
I know that that goes on. But I'm saying to
you that we're busting through those barriers right in the
way we're busting through it is challenging our young people
to come to the knowledge, challenging our small to medium
sized businesses to come to another level of knowledge that
can't be ignored if you will, because we're performing at

(01:07:47):
the same level. We're giving the same level of knowledge,
skill and ability that anybody's competing with. And so now
it's not about necessarsarily the color of your skin or
your history. Is really now about what's coming out of
your mouth and your ability to execute the task.

Speaker 3 (01:08:03):
We have a listener that called, couldn't stay on the line,
but said that she called the number that she gave
but was unable to leave a message. Either the voicemail
is full or not set up. I think full or
not set up.

Speaker 4 (01:08:16):
Okay, So if you if you have another number, oh
you'll fit. Okay, I'll fix that. Call our listener. She
he says, he's going to fix it so very quickly
before we have to to leave.

Speaker 3 (01:08:25):
So in order for young people, families that want to
get their children involved with you and your organization, what do.

Speaker 4 (01:08:35):
You what do they need to do and how do
they need to do that?

Speaker 16 (01:08:38):
Yes, absolutely with b t Y.

Speaker 4 (01:08:41):
I did not say it the other way b t Y.

Speaker 16 (01:08:44):
So yes, ultimately they will contact bt Y.

Speaker 2 (01:08:49):
B t Y.

Speaker 4 (01:08:50):
Yes, Now what's the what's the contact information?

Speaker 16 (01:08:53):
Yes, and so they will call four six three three
one two eight zero zero eight.

Speaker 3 (01:09:00):
And everything at b t Y is completely free. Everything's
correct and so that Yeah. So parents and young people
and guardians and whoever else in between. And what are
the ages that you you serve age ranger ultimately.

Speaker 18 (01:09:13):
High school students, So your first high school freshman through senior.

Speaker 4 (01:09:17):
Oh okay, yes, hit freshman through senior.

Speaker 15 (01:09:19):
And you serve small businesses.

Speaker 17 (01:09:22):
Anybody's got a small business that wants to grow their
business in the construction industry, We're looking for any anyone that.

Speaker 15 (01:09:29):
Has that or needs that.

Speaker 17 (01:09:31):
We will again start off with what we call the
diagnostic where we come in assess your business and according
to industry standards, and then we build out a program
that's customed to your company and shows you growth with
the intent that down the road you're willing to hire
some of the young people from bt Y that's been
trained to fulfill the task that you need. You can
reach us at the same number for six three three

(01:09:51):
one two, eight years or eight. We planned this so
that we made sure there was one number one clear
message to help your children grow.

Speaker 4 (01:09:58):
Alrighty, we love we love it.

Speaker 3 (01:10:00):
And I tell you what we've all been told, always
been told, James that small businesses are the backbone of
America's economy, and yeah, we need to get in there
to Yeah, let's fill them up, let's fil him up.
Thank you for offering that, and thank you for sharing
that with our community.

Speaker 4 (01:10:15):
Thank you appreciate it. And we'll be back with more.

Speaker 19 (01:10:17):
Right after this, let's get back to the conversation.

Speaker 13 (01:10:33):
It's Community Connection with Tina Cosby, brought to you by
Child Advocates, a champion for justice, opportunity and well being
for children on Praise Am thirteen ten ninety five point
one FM.

Speaker 3 (01:10:47):
And we're back with Community Connection James and Eric. At
the beginning of the show, I had a little little riddle,
a little riddle you don't remember.

Speaker 4 (01:10:58):
Oh, thank you all for listening.

Speaker 12 (01:11:05):
That was it.

Speaker 2 (01:11:05):
That was it.

Speaker 3 (01:11:06):
Yeah, A huge convention is coming to town that is
headquartered here in town.

Speaker 4 (01:11:14):
And it's not sports related sports. That's that's one of
the things. One of the things.

Speaker 3 (01:11:20):
But we also are going to be celebrating or congratulating
the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of our very own
black history, right here in the in the city of Indianapolis,
our guest, Bishop Doctor Leonard Scott, CEO and founder of
the nation's oldest black owned and operated gospel recording company,

(01:11:43):
Tyscott Music and Entertainment.

Speaker 4 (01:11:45):
And we say happy birthday, the fiftieth anniversary.

Speaker 3 (01:11:50):
Yes, wow, yes, Bishop doctor Scott is here in studio
with us as well as Sydney. Are you going to
You're gonna talk with us, Sydney Scott, go ahead, you say,
he'll talk. Well, Well, welcome, congratulate you. You were saying
we were talking in the break that you haven't been
in the building since.

Speaker 20 (01:12:13):
You said we walked in the front door.

Speaker 3 (01:12:14):
And oh yeah, it's still it's still under control. There's
still a lot more to do. So when you come
back in a month, you probably won't recognize it.

Speaker 20 (01:12:21):
It's good though, it's good.

Speaker 3 (01:12:23):
So tell us, I mean, this is you're you're so
well established in the gospel music industry, the record Tyscott Records, Tyscott.
Everybody knows you know who that is. I had no
idea that it was the fiftieth anniversary.

Speaker 4 (01:12:37):
Yeah, So tell us.

Speaker 3 (01:12:39):
How it all got started and what you're thinking and
feeling about this this fifty is silver. Yeah, this silver anniversary,
no golden golden, golden gold, golden.

Speaker 4 (01:12:51):
Silver twenty five, you got a big Okay, gold gold
is better.

Speaker 20 (01:12:56):
But you know, we started it actually to record church choir,
which was christ Church Choir back then, and I thought
that was gonna be the end of it. I had
just started practicing dentistry and I had a couple other
little businesses, and my attorney said, you know you're going
to do this music thing. You did incorporate because somebody

(01:13:16):
said you stole this song and they just wipe you out,
you know, And so that's why we actually started the company.
My partner was Craig Tyson, who was the arganist at
the church at that time, and he asked what we
wanted to call it, and I wish I could tell
you an angel came from heaven.

Speaker 15 (01:13:37):
But I said I don't know.

Speaker 20 (01:13:39):
And he said, well, what's your partner's name. I said,
Craig Tyson. He said, why don't you call it Tys
Scott m hm.

Speaker 15 (01:13:46):
And that would.

Speaker 20 (01:13:49):
Right now, that would be Scotty.

Speaker 4 (01:13:51):
That would be Scotty, Yeah, that would be Scotty Records.
So but but it worked out.

Speaker 2 (01:13:55):
Wow.

Speaker 3 (01:13:56):
So the growth of the explosion, the the high esteem,
everything that comes with it. How what how do you
explain what happened?

Speaker 20 (01:14:08):
I can look back now and just say it was
a god thing.

Speaker 15 (01:14:11):
You know.

Speaker 20 (01:14:11):
I just thought we were going to put this together,
put this record out, and that'll be the end of that.
But other artists started coming to us and can we
use your label?

Speaker 2 (01:14:20):
Label?

Speaker 20 (01:14:20):
You know, it's just like you said, it just kind
of kind of grew, and it was like a hobby
because I wasn't making no money. You know, every year
I'd sit down with the Countant and he would say,
you know, this is doing good, this is doing this record.
You need to shut that down. This is this is
draining money from everything else. And he liked the golf.

Speaker 16 (01:14:41):
You know you golf.

Speaker 20 (01:14:42):
Don't you spend a lot of money golf? And don't
you you have to if you so?

Speaker 3 (01:14:48):
Uh, you're the the artists that have recorded on your
label is a veritable virtual Who's who?

Speaker 4 (01:14:55):
Can you share some of the some of the names.

Speaker 20 (01:14:58):
Well, our first big break came with the Reverend John p. Key.
Of course at the time, he was the new artist.

Speaker 4 (01:15:06):
You know, Okay, yeah, tickets we did, Yeah, I'm sorry, go.

Speaker 20 (01:15:12):
Ahead, and so uh you know, that's that's when we
really found out, Hey, you can make money at records,
you know, if you got somebody that people want to
hear and uh and then you know, down through the years.
So this, of course Ran Sallen was a big one
for us. Right now, Anthony Brown group therapy, he's doing
pretty good. Free Babnall she's doing real good. H Colonte Gavin.

Speaker 4 (01:15:36):
So we got some you know, how do you decide who?

Speaker 20 (01:15:40):
Sometimes we pray?

Speaker 4 (01:15:41):
You know, Okay, that's a good one.

Speaker 20 (01:15:43):
You know, it's good you said that because Sam and
the artist is almost like getting married, you know, you're
really getting into a relationship, and all relationships don't work.
Really doesn't matter how how good the artist is. If
the chemistry is not right, you have a disaster.

Speaker 3 (01:16:02):
It makes sense, James, I'm sorry. I am just I'm
so excited that he's here.

Speaker 5 (01:16:08):
So yeah, well, you know, I mean I feel honored
to Yeah, doctor Leonard Scott questions I got here in
my notes that it's the upcoming You alluded to a
team of fiftieth anniversary of.

Speaker 4 (01:16:26):
The record, the recording, the recording, Yeah, and so the convention, Yeah,
the convention that.

Speaker 5 (01:16:37):
That's going to be the Convention of the Is it
the Pentecostal Assemblies of.

Speaker 20 (01:16:41):
The World's going to be in July?

Speaker 5 (01:16:43):
Can you tell us a little bit about that, like
what's the date if you know it? And what kinds
of events are going to be if you know I
might be jumping ahead, but are going to be associated
with it?

Speaker 2 (01:16:56):
The convention?

Speaker 20 (01:16:57):
Oh well, it's it's our international convention.

Speaker 2 (01:17:00):
You know.

Speaker 20 (01:17:00):
It travels around every year different places, and it's going
to be in Indiana this year. It's going to be
here in Indianapolis actually the nineteenth of July through the
twenty fifth of July nineteenth.

Speaker 4 (01:17:15):
How did it come to be headquartered here? Their main
offices down I think on Meadows Drive something like that.
How was it that that came to be that this
became a hell?

Speaker 20 (01:17:25):
Well, I tell you. Actually, the first presiding bishop I
believe the organization was started was Bishop G. T. Haywood,
who pastored the church on Fall Creek Drive there Christ Temple,
And so that was the church that we were still

(01:17:47):
called it the Mother Church, you know, Okay, And so
that's kind of and so many churches have been born
that Grace Apostolic was really Christ Temple, right, Christ church
was born out of Christ. All the all these Zion Tabernacle,
there's a bunch of them.

Speaker 4 (01:18:05):
How long ago was it was it founded?

Speaker 20 (01:18:07):
Oh over one hundred years?

Speaker 4 (01:18:09):
Over years ago?

Speaker 5 (01:18:10):
Yeah, yeah, there's been Scott. How has your faith, which
is obviously very strong, impacted the music that you've written,
that you've produced, that you've created, even in a relationship
with an artist that you signed, How has your faith
impacted the product that has been so successful out there?

Speaker 20 (01:18:35):
Oh, glory, I had a lot of stories. Well yeah, well,
before before the Lord saved me, I was in music.
In fact, music was like my God, and and and
when He saved me, I got out of music altogether

(01:18:56):
because you want to distanced yourself from something that is
gonna destroy you. And after about a year, it's like
God gave me a release and I just got into
choir and things started happening. I never I went in
a shut in, and I'd never written a song before.
And at the end of us it was three day

(01:19:18):
and night, fast and pray, you know. And at the
end of that time, you just started giving me songs.
I had a little tape recorder, so you know how
old that was. A tape recorder.

Speaker 4 (01:19:31):
I choose to believe that sold anyway, and.

Speaker 20 (01:19:35):
I just started singing these songs in it. And that's
what you know. I took to Craig and that's how
how it was born. It was like when I took
what I loved and gave it up. It's like God
took it, changed it and gave it back to me.

Speaker 14 (01:19:50):
Yeah.

Speaker 20 (01:19:51):
Wow, totally totally.

Speaker 4 (01:19:55):
Wrote was Yeah.

Speaker 20 (01:19:57):
The very first song on the tape, it was a
song it was, uh, whatever you do, do it in
the name of Jesus.

Speaker 4 (01:20:08):
And your favorite, your favorite that you compose written.

Speaker 20 (01:20:11):
Oh that's you. See, when you write a song, it's
like a baby. I mean, how many children you got?
And so somebody asked you, now, which is your favorite child?
And hopefully not listening, you know, well, you know I can.

Speaker 3 (01:20:26):
I can say my favorite son of my favorite daughter.
I have one of each, right, so but I don't
have I see what you're saying.

Speaker 4 (01:20:32):
I don't you don't you? Yeah, you don't have a favorite.

Speaker 20 (01:20:35):
So now, the song that put us on the map
was a song called feel Good. That's the first one
we recorded, and it's it's down through the Years. That's
been fifty years ago and down through the years. It
has been made kids singing in school because they put
it in a book, you know.

Speaker 4 (01:20:52):
Uh and so yeah, so how are you going to
observe the fiftieth universary.

Speaker 20 (01:20:57):
Well, we've started. There's an awards called the sol Awards.
It was in Chicago this year and we started there.
We had a number of our artists on the Sore
Awards and they allowed us to you know, talk about
fifty years. And then we'll be celebrating at the PAW

(01:21:19):
Convention on that Thursday night. We're going to do a
concert after the late night concert and some of our
artists are going to be here for that. And then
we're going to celebrate in Charlotte, North Carolina at the
Stellar Awards and some of our artists will be there
to celebrate with us. And I think there was one

(01:21:40):
of all the Double Wards. We'll be celebrated in Nashville
the Double Wards also, so you.

Speaker 4 (01:21:45):
Know how how many artists have come through in the
fifty years.

Speaker 20 (01:21:53):
Yeah, we were trying to get that together even for
the fiftieth you know, the invite them and whatnot, and
it was like, oh and then we think we got
them all and well what about something?

Speaker 3 (01:22:03):
Remember so and so yeah, so, Sydney, any thoughts, what
do you think, Sydney Scott, everybody A lot of thoughts.

Speaker 21 (01:22:11):
A lot of that's thinking about Robert Turner, the Silver
Hearts and Al Hobbes and LeHo. I'm thinking about Rodney
Bryant and CCMC. It's just from here, yeah, all right,
from here Pentecostal ambassadors, that's right, Pilocostal ambassadors, Bishop Golder.
One of the things I think about is America turns

(01:22:33):
two hundred and fifty years old this year. To be
serving in the capacity where an independent African American gospel
label is fifty years of that in a time and
climate where what you think and say and create are
as more important today than ever. It's more humbling than

(01:22:55):
anything because it really points to the purpose of how
you use your tool and the purpose of it for
the benefit of others, not just yourself, and the messages
that you convey of faith, hope, love and unity and
peace through the gospel.

Speaker 5 (01:23:14):
Yeah. Well yeah, mister Scott, that's interesting you brought that Upcott.
I think it was Sydney.

Speaker 4 (01:23:25):
Sydney the one who just both Okay.

Speaker 5 (01:23:31):
Yeah, it was great that he brought that up because
I learned that that at fifty years, it is the
oldest black owned gospel recording label in the nation, headquartered
right here in Indianapolis and Tina. Some of the some

(01:23:53):
of the people artists on their label, both national and
international following including Get This, Dietrich uh and the Voices
of Unity, Rance Allen Group of course their own Bishop
Leonard Scott today Rodney Bryant, but Shawn Mitchell, Morris Chapman, uh,

(01:24:13):
DeAndre Patterson no relation, uh and the Inner City Mass Choir.
I mean phenomenal and they are right here. That's really
I think the uh one of the key points to
this story. Yeah it is.

Speaker 3 (01:24:30):
And over over fifty years, I'm sure there's been a
lot of highs and exciting time.

Speaker 4 (01:24:35):
What still excites you about it all?

Speaker 20 (01:24:39):
Oh wow, so many exciting things. But we actually just
recently got a couple of Grammys that was.

Speaker 4 (01:24:48):
He's so humble and about it.

Speaker 3 (01:24:52):
Phenomenal accomplishments that people wait a lifetime to get.

Speaker 4 (01:24:56):
Well, yeah we got.

Speaker 20 (01:24:58):
But anyway, Morton came through on our label.

Speaker 4 (01:25:03):
Couple of fantastic Yeah, congratulations.

Speaker 20 (01:25:07):
Things continue to happen.

Speaker 2 (01:25:09):
You know.

Speaker 3 (01:25:09):
So so how would you what would you say is
the reputation of your recording, what's the reputation of ty Scott.

Speaker 20 (01:25:19):
I'd like I'd like to think that part of our
reputation is integrity. That you know, we might not be
have the deepest pockets, and a lot of times that's
what the artists are looking for. Who got the deepest pockets?
Really give me a big advance? Who gonna give me
the biggest advance? But then there's a place for integrity
for you know, you can depend on it.

Speaker 3 (01:25:42):
Sydney, I don't think there's any more respected in the field. Again,
it's being quite humble, uh, the respect the level of
respect that tycho.

Speaker 5 (01:25:52):
You know, they've also got people like on their label,
Shirley Murdoch, the Anointed, Pace Sisters, Bishop Noel Jones. I mean,
they just have so many top gospel singers, and that
is a significant accomplish.

Speaker 3 (01:26:10):
It's got to be more than money good, It's got
to be more than then who's going to write the
biggest check, don't you think?

Speaker 9 (01:26:16):
I mean it is.

Speaker 21 (01:26:17):
It's about purpose, you know. And when we were in
Chicago for the Soul Awards, you know, me and Doc
was talking, He's like, well, I didn't prepare anything I'm like, yeah,
you do, and I went right to saying, you know,
out of two hundred and fifty years, you're fifty years
of that. But one of the most important things that

(01:26:38):
I was just you know, I would say God was
pointing out to me today is the fabric of those
fifty years of ty Scott and what has come through there,
worked with or associated or aligned with. When it comes
to our culture, when it comes to the artists, when
it comes to the faith and things of the church,
and then reaching people abroad, I think we're more humbled

(01:27:02):
and surprised by the impact it's had beyond what we
know when it comes to hearing from others of how
it is perceived, because perceived reality is real to you,
but it's always not the actual reality to the people internally,
you know, like sitting in the studio as a reality,
but to the perceived reality they don't understand. So when

(01:27:24):
we go out and hear these things, we're even more
I would say, maybe is God's way of encouraging us,
you know or dot when you're thinking about should I
write this check, should or not? Or should I sign
this person and you're dealing with facts, but then God
turns your attention to someone that you didn't even expect

(01:27:44):
on your radar, and they share something with you, how
what you have done or labored or sacrificed for has
impacted them, helped them change their life or sustain them in.

Speaker 16 (01:27:55):
A way that you wouldn't even imagine.

Speaker 21 (01:27:59):
Then it's like guys remind you it's the purpose, not
the percentages. And then there's some things you just move
forward that you don't logically understand, but God confirms your
step of face are validated by the testimonies you hear
from other how your music you did fifty years ago,
who you took the hands on really made an impact

(01:28:19):
to their community or your surroundings.

Speaker 3 (01:28:21):
Eric, I can't think of how many as we go
through the course of the day, how many artists that
are featured just musically that are recorded.

Speaker 4 (01:28:32):
Can you can you?

Speaker 22 (01:28:33):
I can't just so many throughout the day. Yeah, and
so many favorites too. And and the artist that James
mentioned number of my favorites, John p. Key is probably
one of my favorites.

Speaker 4 (01:28:45):
You find something in place off the EU John Peak.

Speaker 20 (01:28:48):
Look you can.

Speaker 4 (01:28:51):
Yeah, Church, Yeah, you can do that. We can do
that here, we got him, We got the we can
do I.

Speaker 3 (01:29:00):
Can do that, Dianill say yes, the any hell, I
know that you you have remained steady and with integrity
and and focus and great practic business practices, which has
led to uh not only being around fifty years.

Speaker 4 (01:29:18):
But just having the reputation that you do.

Speaker 3 (01:29:21):
What would you say has changed over the last fifty
years from the time you started to now?

Speaker 4 (01:29:27):
How would you describe that change? Or has it not
changed at all? I don't know.

Speaker 20 (01:29:32):
The whole industry has changed, Okay. When we started out,
you know, it was like you remember the forty fives
with the hole in the middle, big hole?

Speaker 5 (01:29:42):
I do.

Speaker 19 (01:29:43):
And you know what else?

Speaker 3 (01:29:44):
I remember the little plastic things that you put in
the middle of them if you just had a.

Speaker 4 (01:29:51):
Yeah, yeah it would, it would.

Speaker 3 (01:29:54):
It was a converter, I guess it was like a
plastic Yeah for the turntable, Yeah yeah.

Speaker 21 (01:29:58):
Fel the space of the hole so you can actually
put the four five down.

Speaker 4 (01:30:01):
Yes, exactly exactly. But that was just last year.

Speaker 21 (01:30:09):
I still have that a real the real cassette player.

Speaker 14 (01:30:12):
Cassetts have come back, you know, they're back, and albums too.

Speaker 20 (01:30:15):
Albums right right.

Speaker 16 (01:30:17):
There's a message.

Speaker 21 (01:30:18):
People want their souls of designed authenticity because during that
air of recording you had more analog. That was the
closest thing you can get to a live performance in
a band. But since that time music had been so
compressed that people don't realize what they're missing now that
they're discovering and they're going back to its original format.

Speaker 5 (01:30:38):
Yeah, I didn't know that analog.

Speaker 4 (01:30:42):
It is so that the changes then they've been just
mind boggling.

Speaker 19 (01:30:47):
You know, just what from LP.

Speaker 20 (01:30:50):
You know, during the l peach time you had if
you had a song you wanted, you had a bad
whole LP, you know, And it's really gone back now
to the singles, you know, because now you because of streaming,
because of downloads, you don't have to get the whole album.
You can get one song.

Speaker 4 (01:31:07):
People don't have to record a whole album either, do they.

Speaker 20 (01:31:10):
Are you doing to sign up for a streaming thing?
Streaming you don't even have to sign up if you
don't mind the advertisements coming in?

Speaker 3 (01:31:19):
What What about AI? Have you thought about that going forward?
Because I know you, I know you're you're forward thinking.
I know you are, But what what are you thinking
of AI going forward? Did you reflect on these last
fifty years it's.

Speaker 20 (01:31:33):
Going to change everything. It's going to change everything.

Speaker 4 (01:31:36):
Yeah, it's going in terms of.

Speaker 20 (01:31:38):
In terms of, uh, the artists not being real people,
you know, are the music being all.

Speaker 4 (01:31:47):
It's not good enough because the artists are.

Speaker 3 (01:31:51):
They're more than just their people their personalities. They bring,
they bring a story, they bring that's what it's all about.

Speaker 4 (01:31:59):
And AI is so cold and just simplistic, single single.

Speaker 20 (01:32:04):
I think there'll always be a place for that because
I think that people are not going to a lot
of people are not going to get into a artists,
you know, because they're not real.

Speaker 3 (01:32:13):
You know, a lot of people Well can you tell
automatically or right away an artist just a bad.

Speaker 20 (01:32:21):
Because it's too perfect, you know, it's perfect. It hit
notes like effortlessly because it's a machine.

Speaker 22 (01:32:30):
Artists that an AI artist that went number one in
gospel music recently.

Speaker 14 (01:32:35):
Really I think so.

Speaker 21 (01:32:36):
I think it's artist name, but it did. There was
a lot of Christians back about that.

Speaker 14 (01:32:41):
Christian Yeah, yeah, I don't like that.

Speaker 21 (01:32:46):
One of the things I find about I think that
it poses a challenge to artists and writers because what
I've found from some of my research is that a
lot of the input when it comes to the songs
that you hear. These are everyday people with emotions and

(01:33:08):
expressions and experiences that they are able to feed into
a system and it could regurgitate their idea and put
it into a song format. And there was a period
of time where a lot of our songs reflected the
world around us and the sentiments of people, community, society

(01:33:30):
issues and things like that, and you were able to
dress it through song. With the shift of music in
the industry, and when you see the pen changing for
the popularity, to get the bags or to speak, they've
lost the conscience. So when you hear some of these
AI records and the lyrics of what they're saying, it's
only it's such a reminder of like, if you don't

(01:33:51):
praise me, the rocks will crowd. But listen to the
people around you, because if you're the voice to interpret
the world around you, change what your pen is writing.
You do say something, it embraces the sentiments of those
around you. So it's really hearing a reflection of people's
sentiments around us.

Speaker 4 (01:34:09):
Absolutely does that make it?

Speaker 12 (01:34:10):
It makes perfect?

Speaker 4 (01:34:12):
It does, indeed.

Speaker 2 (01:34:13):
And so.

Speaker 4 (01:34:15):
As we wow, I wish we had more time, we.

Speaker 20 (01:34:19):
Got to go Yeah, we gotta go.

Speaker 7 (01:34:21):
What do you got?

Speaker 5 (01:34:21):
What you got?

Speaker 20 (01:34:22):
I got John?

Speaker 14 (01:34:23):
It was only like a four second intro though, Oh
that's all I got this man for.

Speaker 2 (01:34:30):
I know, but.

Speaker 22 (01:34:32):
It's a four second intro. That's the whole thing. Otherwise,
I let it. I let it roll all the way.
But our nephews here, Sidney, it's me.

Speaker 15 (01:34:43):
It's good to see you.

Speaker 14 (01:34:45):
It's been almost twenty five years.

Speaker 20 (01:34:48):
I couldn't see.

Speaker 4 (01:34:48):
I'm like, yeah, yeah, indeed, indeed.

Speaker 3 (01:34:51):
So for people who want to know more about the
Paul Convention and the upcoming events celebrate, well, you know
what we're gonna We're going to on some music the
rest of the week.

Speaker 14 (01:35:01):
Okay, yeah, we will.

Speaker 4 (01:35:02):
Again, we can't get it going today. We got all
new equipment, we're working buste issues. But we're going to
get it. I promise, I promise.

Speaker 2 (01:35:11):
Let me know.

Speaker 15 (01:35:11):
I'll make sure you get it.

Speaker 4 (01:35:12):
Oh okay, Okay, that sounds fantastic.

Speaker 3 (01:35:14):
So the Paul Convention is coming up in July nineteenth
through the twenty fifth, right, okay, and the celebrations of
ty Scott Records ty Scott Entertainment fifty years.

Speaker 20 (01:35:26):
The one here will be on that Thursday night of
the convention after ours type of concert at the jw AW.

Speaker 3 (01:35:35):
Okay, alrighty, thank you so much for coming in with us.
Thank you Sidney for being here with us again. I
haven't seen you since what Saint Jude I think.

Speaker 4 (01:35:42):
Yeah, it's been a little while, but do come back.
We're gonna we're gonna make improvements each and every time
we are. Indeed, thank you all so much. James, we'll
talk to you later, yes, ma'am, thank you, Oh, thank you.
And Eric, we'll talk to you in a couple of minutes.

Speaker 14 (01:35:56):
Sounds good, It sounds good.

Speaker 3 (01:35:58):
That's all the time we have for right now. Now
we'll be back tomorrow. Thank you everyone for listening for
now and for everyone here. I'm Tina Cosby and this
is community Connection.

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Community Connection - April 22, 2026 - Tina Cosby joined by James Patterson Contributing Analyst - Rep Andre Carson - Maurice Dunn and BIshop Dr Leonard Scott

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