Finishing the Fight for Freedom: Making "Across Enemy Lines"

Ahead of the global debut of the documentary, "Across Enemy Lines: Shaka A. Shakur" and the release of Shaka's book, Manifestations of Thought, Cecilia Gomez interviews NPR co-host Derek Ford, who co-directed the film and helped edit the book.

This week's Naptown Breakdown focuses on housing, policing and patriarchy, and the upcoming grand opening of your new Indianapolis Liberation Center. Bracing for a loss of $10 million in federal grant money for long-term housing projects, city leaders are playing the victim. In fact, in 2018 they released a report about "ending homelessness in 2023." The City-County Council entertained the infamous "Sit-Lie" Ordinance, which would have criminalized homelessness, the same year.

Co-hosts Dani Abdullah and Ford send their solidarity and love to the family of Amanda S. Jones who, on November 24, was killed by an abusive partner. Jones' families says she had been trying to leave the abusive relationship for a while, filing multiple police reports and obtaining a restraining order. Relatives say Amanda told officers more than once “you’ll not do something till somebody’s dead." Less than nine hours after Amanda called the police, she was murdered.

While the city leaders and cops don't care about the masses, the groups and volunteers at the Indianapolis Liberation Center dedicate their time, energy, money, and other resources to struggling against the rotten systems that cause so much suffering in our lives. That's why we're excited to invite everyone to the grand opening of your new Liberation Center this Friday, December 5 between 5:00 - 10:00 am. We’re not only celebrating our new headquarters where activists, organizers, collectives, and organizations can collaborate and extend their capacity; we’re celebrating the next chapter in our mission to create a world without exploitation and oppression.

Cecilia Gomez, a leading organizer with the Indianapolis Liberation Center, joins the show this week to interview Ford about the documentary on Shaka A. Shakur he co-directed and about the forthcoming book by Shaka Ford helped edit. The two discuss the significance of Shaka's life, theory, and organizing; the process of editing the book throughout numerous disruptions to Shaka's ability to communicate, and more.

This week's Circle City Shout Out goes to Devon Rush from Live Free Indiana, which is the home to the Black Church Coalition, Validus Movement, and Indy Action Coalition. Devon previously worked at Mental Health for America, putting in work around the clock to make it possible for incarcerated parents to spend time with their children who were in Child Services. Most of Devon's work is behind the scenes; it's not glamorous and he's not in it for any recognition. He's an unsung hero of Indianapolis. Shout out to Devon Rush!