No to Metrofraud and Terror at River North!

This week, Pastor Denell Howard and Ms. Faye Johnson join the show to discuss the struggle against Metrobloks' proposed data center and who the real criminals are in U.S. prisons.

Our Naptown Breakdown starts with the recent admission by local energy monopoly AES that they imposed outrageous "deposit fees" on customers who already had trouble paying the prices they set. Tyler Fenwick of Mirror Indy reports that one woman was charged nearly $800 before a customer service representative cleared the matter up. Yet she still owed almost $200. Meanwhile, a recent study found the majority of workers in the U.S. couldn't come up with $500 for an emergency, up from 56 percent in a 2017 study. To put that in perspective, Jeff Bezos "earns" $8 million in a single hour. It's no wonder consciousness is changing on a mass scale, even here in Indiana. Last week, people packed a BMV hearing in support of transgender rights and our right to change our gender on state-issued IDs. WFYI obtained written public comments before the first public hearing, which included 1,674 pages of emails in support of that right and only 19 in favor.

Pastor Denell Howard of Hovey Street Church of Christ joins co-host Dani Abdullah for an update on the struggle against Metrobloks and all data centers in our communities. After defeating Google’s data center, Metrobloks tried to squeeze in by claiming their “smaller” and “sustainable.” However, Metrobloks hasn’t built a single data center and they won’t be, at least not in Martindale Brightwoood. Howard and Abdullah highlight the racist forces at play while calling for multinational unity in what is sure to be an ongoing and broadening fight to protect our communities.

Our “Dispatches from Behind the Wire” segment returns this episode. Co-host Derek Ford speaks with Ms. Faye Johnson about a near-deadly November 2 attack by Correctional Officers at River North “Correctional” Facility that put her son Christopher in the infirmary. She was notified about the attack by another inmate, Timmy, who detailed how four guards and a goon squad fired rubber bullets, beat, and used mace against her son because he didn’t want to eat raw chicken. Faye, a nurse at a local hospital, has seen first-hand how guards treat prisoners. She’s witnessed prisoners enter her hospital dead on arrival or in immense pain while guards refuse to let the patient speak and laugh at their injuries while claiming “no one saw what happened.” Chris is in the infirmary with Shaka A. Shakur, and Faye and Derek discuss how, despite the best efforts of health care workers there, the inmates have to band together to help one another do the most basic things, like use the restroom.

This week’s Circle City Shout Out goes to transgender freedom fighter Connie Thompson. If you’ve come to PSL events in the past, you’ve likely seen Connie. She organized our first drag show fundraiser and past Trans Day of Remembrance events and was the lead organizer for Hope Packages during 2021-2023. While Connie left the Party to pursue her acting career, she’s still a comrade and activist, adding to the liberation of our people through the arts. She is currently filming for a project called Nyarlathotep and she was most recently in the live performance of “Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors.”

Events:

Don’t forget to stop by the Liberation Center now located at 1619 Prospect St. for the Fonseca-Du Bois Gallery’s Trans Day of Remembrance event Thursday from 6-9. On Saturday, join Circle City Sangha at the Center at 9:30 am for their weekly mindfulness meetup. Later that day, Indy Hope Packages will be assembling and distributing their political direct-aid packages at University Park on Meridian St from 1:00 – 3:00 pm.

While Saturday is the New York City premiere of the new documentary about Shaka A. Shakur at The People’s Forum, the worldwide release is set for Thursday, De