November 3, 2024 • 50 mins
Prepare yourself for a riveting conversation with Zeek Arkham, a law enforcement officer unafraid to challenge prevailing narratives. Zeek unpacks his journey of courageously speaking out on social media to offer an authentic take on policing and conservatarian views, revealing the pressure of addressing grievances within the Black community. He shares insights on the importance of truth-telling, despite backlash, and the frustrations with unfulfilled political promises in Democratic strongholds like Chicago. Together, we explore how voting patterns persist amidst economic dissatisfaction and the necessity of making decisions grounded in facts over emotions.
Our dialogue extends to the realm of modern activism and media influence, where Zeek offers a unique perspective on how these forces shape public perception. We candidly discuss the impact of media bias on narratives surrounding political figures and racial incidents, using personal anecdotes and historical comparisons to highlight the challenges of today's socio-political landscape. Through this lens, Zeek reflects on the perceived exploitation of racial issues by prominent activists, drawing attention to the need for genuine connections and unity amidst societal divisions.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Zeke Arkham (00:00):
So here I am.
I'm now full of all this angerand I'm putting on a clinic or
so I think for my family.
You know my granddad's therewho actually marched for
Washington, my great granddad'sthere who I told you his history
, and I remember my, my greatgranddad just put his hand on my
hand to stop me and he goesalways be the last person in the
(00:20):
room to call something racist,because if you call everything
racist, then nothing is racist.
But if you save that accusationfor when it really counts,
it'll be so much more powerful.
And then he just startedtalking about something else,
Like just stop me right there,Dead in my tracks.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Welcome to Courageous Leadership with Travis Yates,
where leaders find the insights,advice and encouragement they
need to lead courageously.
Travis Yates (00:50):
Welcome back to the show.
I'm so honored you decided tospend some time with us today.
Remember to check out oursponsor of today's episode,
safeguard Recruiting.
They're owned and operated bylaw enforcement for law
enforcement.
They have the solutions to yourrecruiting needs.
You can check them out atsafeguardrecruitingcom.
I'm excited about today'sspecial episode Election 2024.
(01:15):
And I couldn't think of anyonebetter to bring on the show than
Zeke Arkham.
Zeke's a police officer,bodybuilder, political
commentator, but, moreimportantly, he's a husband and
he's a father.
He's one of the mostinfluential voices on social
media when it comes to politics,culture and the state of our
union, and I'm honored to havehim, zeke.
(01:35):
How are you doing, sir?
Zeke Arkham (01:37):
I'm good man, I'm good.
Thank you so much for the intro.
Thank you.
Travis Yates (01:40):
Well, man, thanks for doing it.
And you're in law enforcement.
You have this big voice onsocial media.
It's a voice that I think manypeople probably recognize, and
I'm glad you're able to put aface to it and to hear you talk
to us today.
But you weren point for youright where you made a decision
(02:08):
that you needed to startspeaking out.
It's a courageous decision wetalk about courageous leadership
here all the time and it'scourageous because it's not easy
.
It's courageous because you getattacked verbally mainly, but
so you probably had to make thatdecision, knowing the
consequences.
But was there an event whereyou made the decision to go?
I'm going to be.
I'm going to do something morethan just complaining to my
(02:28):
friends or family.
I need to start speaking out.
Zeke Arkham (02:32):
Well, I mean, yeah, basically I was on social media
, I was on my personal Facebookpage and I was very political,
talking to my family and friends.
I'm sure a bunch of themprobably had me muted because
they didn't want to hear aboutit anymore.
Friends, I'm sure a bunch ofthem probably had me muted
because they didn't want to hearabout it anymore.
But I kept hearing that Ishould take my views to a bigger
stage just because I had a lotto say.
And I looked around and I sawthat there was really no one
(02:53):
else with my perspective.
You know, you had other guysout there who you know.
You had Brandon Tatum out there, who is a cop, you know, who's
a black man who was giving aperspective on law enforcement,
who's a Black man who was givinga perspective on law
enforcement.
But there was no one really inthe Northeast.
I'm New York born and bred.
I work for a tri-state agencynow, but I was out there in the
(03:18):
streets.
I was out there putting myhands on people and I figured
you know what, let me get outthere and start telling my story
.
So I started telling my story,just from my perspective, and
everyone always asks you know,how did you get such a large
following?
And my answer to them is alwaysI have no idea.
You know, I just startedposting and more and more people
(03:38):
started tuning in, and that'swhere it started.
You know, I just figured therewas a lot of lies and
misconceptions out there as faras policing goes.
A lot of people who presentedthemselves as law enforcement
experts really had no idea whatthey were talking about.
So I decided to just get outthere and start telling the
truth.
No, there's not racism in thelocker room.
(03:59):
No, there aren't good copshiding in the corner while the
bad cops are openly plotting thenefarious deeds.
Like you see in the movietheaters, you know, um, you know
, there's this whole bigmisconceptions as far as
policing goes, as far as being aconservatarian goes, and and I
just just decided to tell mystory, just to really put the
truth out there there's no mytruth or your truth, there's the
(04:21):
truth.
So I figured it had to be toldand that's what I started doing.
Travis Yates (04:26):
Well, I, for one, am thankful you're doing it.
I wrote an article aboutBrandon way back in 2015 when
nobody knew who Brandon Tatumwas, and that thing went pretty
crazy.
Next thing, you know it'shistory, right.
So Brandon's doing very wellout there and he's also a voice.
But, Zeke, you resonate with somany people and I got to tell
you.
You probably didn't understandhow dangerous this truth is,
(04:47):
because, I have to agree withyou, you just call balls and
strikes Right.
You're just saying how it is.
Why do you think so many peopleget upset by that?
Zeke Arkham (05:12):
I think, because there's sort of an unspoken
social order where you're notsupposed to go against, quote,
unquote your people, especiallyin the Black community.
You're not supposed to saythings that sort of, I guess,
dispel the victimhood narrative.
I remember I'll tell you astory I had a girlfriend way
back in high school and she wasAsian and I was complaining to
her about another person who wasBlack and I was complaining to
her about another person who wasblack and I remember an older
black person or an older blackwoman pulled me aside and was
like but you're not supposed toput our business out there to
(05:33):
other people.
And I was like, yeah, but thisis my girlfriend.
Yeah, but you're not supposedto.
So I think there's sort of asocial order where you're not
supposed to put the grievancesout and say, hey, listen, your
house is dirty, clean it.
And that's basically what I doon a daily basis.
I don't fall for the victimhoodnarrative.
I don't fall for the.
You know I have to blame all ofmy problems on things that my
(05:55):
great, great, great grandparentswent through.
You know, slavery isn't amillstone around my neck I have
to carry.
You know, I don't carry thatchip on my shoulder.
I'm out here the same aseveryone else, getting up,
putting my boots on, going towork, coming back home.
Have a family I got to takecare of, have a daughter I want
to see, be safe, have dreams,aspirations.
(06:17):
I guess I appeal to everyonejust because I'm taking race out
of it.
I mean, except for when itcalls for it.
I have no problem callinganyone on their BS, but my story
is the same as everyone else's.
I'm no different.
I think that's what resonateswith a lot of people.
Here's this guy who isn'tfalling for the victim narrative
.
He's this guy who's just outthere talking about how he likes
(06:38):
to barbecue on the weekends.
And I got to go to mydaughter's dance recitals and
I'm bored for half the daybecause, you know, I'm just
waiting for my daughter to geton stage.
You know I'm talking about thesame things as everyone else and
I'm doing it from a blue collarperspective, which is, you know
, what a lot of people identifywith.
So I guess that's where a lotof people just identify.
Travis Yates (07:11):
And I think that has been.
What is so troubling to me isseeing the divide in the country
, the divide coming frompoliticians and the media,
mainly because, unfortunately,there's people that still
believe what the media tellsthem, still believes what
politicians tell them, and I'mlike you, zeke.
I've traveled around thecountry.
This divide doesn't reallyexist.
Black, white, asian, you nameit.
Everybody's just trying to getalong or trying to go to work or
trying to raise their family,but the media and the narrative
and the messaging is so opposite.
I had a seminal event, uh, andit was I can't remember the year
, but it was george bush'ssecond term when, uh, he beat
(07:33):
john kerry on the whole floridadebacle, but that the election
night I was at work.
I'll never forget where I wasbecause I didn't realize some of
the things you just talkedabout, zeke.
At the time I'd been on sevenyears on.
The police department thoughtI'd been around the block.
I clearly hadn't.
I'm in a booth at a pizza placeand I'm eating with a friend of
mine on duty and there's aAfrican-American family behind
(07:56):
me mom, dad, kids that aresitting there and the TV's on
with the election, and the mom'sturns to the entire family and
says we cannot have George Bushwin.
If George Bush wins he's goingto try to come for all of us,
the entire black race may end.
And he starts going down thislitany of things and I thought
to myself what world have I beenin?
(08:18):
Because I got to tell you, zeke, you're at a disadvantage.
I can vote for whoever I wantto vote for and nobody's really
going to get mad at me.
I don't think people realize inthe black community to vocally
say you're going to vote for theRepublican Party.
That doesn't garner you a lotof favor and I think that is so
unfortunate.
I'll just be clear with you.
(08:39):
I think that is sad that inAmerica that is there Like
people should be able to votefor whoever they want to vote
for and not worry aboutrepercussions.
What's your thoughts on that?
I agree.
Zeke Arkham (08:51):
There's no set rule saying I have to vote for
someone just because themajority of Black folk are
voting for that person.
There's no set rule, at leastin my mind, that says I have to
think, speak and act a certainway just because I'm Black.
No, I do what I want to do.
I go out there, I vote how Iwant to vote.
I listen to whatever music Ifeel like listening to.
I speak, talk, act, think theway I want to.
(09:14):
Just because I'm free.
I'm a free man.
I do what I want to do.
That's something I impress uponmy daughter.
That's something that when Imentored and I had a lot more
time I could mentor kids fromthe community I worked in I
would do such a thing.
Hey, listen, man, there's noset rule that says you have to
do something, and that's justthe message I spread to everyone
(09:35):
.
That's the message whenever Ipost, whenever I do my podcast,
whenever I do my video rants.
That's something that I sayover and over and over again and
thankfully, a lot more peopleare starting to wake up and a
lot more people are starting tosay hey, listen, I don't have to
vote for this person justbecause they share a skin tone
(09:56):
with me, or because they share amelanin count with me, or
because we have a commonancestor somewhere in Africa or
who knows?
Whatever you don't have to dothat you go out there.
You do whatever you have to doand thankfully, a lot more
people are waking up.
It's refreshing to see because,honestly, the narrative that I
have to do something becauseit's the black thing to do or
it's because it's the quoteunquote right thing to do is
(10:20):
tiring.
I remember again in my personalFacebook page where I used to
rant and things to my family, Ihad a cousin of mine say you
know what you got to remember?
You were black before you werea cop.
And I didn't really at the timeI didn't know how to respond to
that.
I knew it was wrong, I knew itwas a logical fallacy, but I
didn't know how to respond tothat.
So I brought to someone who Irespect and I respect his views
(10:42):
and his opinion, and thishappens to actually be a white
guy.
I brought this to him, you know,just having a heart to heart,
and he said yeah, that may betrue, you were black before you
were a cop, but the truth isalways the truth, regardless of
race or occupation or anythingelse, and that was something
that always stuck with me.
The truth is always the truth.
The truth transcends your raceor your career, what you think
(11:04):
is the right thing to do, LikeOprah says, you know your truth.
No, there's the truth and ittranscends everything, and
that's always the right side tobe on.
Travis Yates (11:12):
Yeah, and I guess it attacks people's worldview,
right, if you thought a certainway, because I've turned around
that booth and tried to talklogic, they would not have heard
of it, right?
So I guess truth, when itattacks the worldview, people
want to defend that, Right, theywant to defend that worldview.
But I think that's why yourvoice resonates, zeke, is, you
are a free man.
You're speaking what a lot ofpeople, quite frankly, in the
(11:32):
black community believe, butyou're speaking out about it.
I do sense a swell of peoplethat aren't buying into this
narrative, right, and I thinkit's people like yourself and
Brandon and others that had thecourage to speak out to make
other people feel like, ok, Ican do this, I can do this or
that, but the vast majority ofAfrican-Americans still vote one
way.
(11:52):
That's certainly they're right.
But I've always been amazed atthe, the reasoning, because when
you look historically, thingsdon't oftentimes, they're just
not.
The promises are false.
Right, the promises are false,and I'm not saying Republicans
could improve it.
I think some of the policiesand ideas definitely can improve
(12:13):
it.
But I look at a city likeChicago.
You know they voted Democrat, Idon't know.
60 years and the city is justgetting worse and worse and
worse.
Does it ever?
Is there ever like a triggerthat says, okay, nothing's
getting better.
Every four years we getpromised this, but it's
nothing's getting better?
Maybe we should think adifferent way.
(12:34):
Sometimes it takes someone likeyou to make them think that,
but people will?
People come to this on theirown, based on this like how bad
does it have to get?
How bad does it have to getbefore people change their mind?
We're liable to see it tomorrow, tuesday, that people are going
to vote based on how bad it is.
What's your thoughts on that?
Zeke Arkham (12:54):
Honestly, I wish I had more of an answer for you.
You know, because me personally, looking at it, you know.
If you destroy things and screwthings up royally for eight
years, why would I then turnaround and want to vote for your
predecessor or someone thatyou're endorsing, or someone
that you're saying, yeah, youknow what, vote for this guy.
He's going to do the exact typeof job I've done.
(13:16):
Why would I do that?
You know?
Why wouldn't I vote for the guywho turns around and says you
know what?
Vote for me.
What have you got to lose?
Things are already bad.
What have you got to lose?
Things are already bad.
What have you got to lose?
That makes sense to me.
You look at what Biden has doneover the past four years and
you look at Kamala Harris, whois sitting right next to him as
(13:36):
he was doing it, and you havepeople who complain about how
high the gas is or how expensivegroceries are or how high the
mortgage rates are.
You have people who areactively complaining about that,
who still want to turn aroundand vote for the same person who
directly contributed to that,and they look for ways.
They do mental gymnastics inorder to somehow justify why
(13:57):
they're voting for this person.
I don't understand it.
I don't get it.
But maybe it's not for me tounderstand.
Again, maybe it's just like youknow what.
I'm not supposed to understandit.
It's not supposed to make senseto me.
I look at things logically.
I look at things through a lensof the truth.
I don't vote based on feelings.
I don't do anything, except forwhen it comes to family issues
(14:20):
do anything when it comes tofeelings.
I look at facts, I look atlogic, I look at what's the
sensible thing to do goingforward, and the sensible thing
to do would be to vote for theperson where, during his time in
office, gas was cheap,groceries weren't as expensive,
mortgage rates were lower,unemployment was down.
(14:41):
You got to look at these things.
You got to look at themsensibly.
I don't care about feloniesthrough a weaponized justice
system.
I don't care about what someonedid in their personal business.
I care about what they did forthe country while they were in
charge.
If you look at Trump love him orhate him while he was in charge
(15:01):
, things were pretty good inthis country.
Things were pretty good aroundthe world, and then, as soon as
Biden showed up, you have Russiaacting out.
You have China acting out.
You have terrorists in theMiddle East acting out.
Do you think Kamala Harris isgoing to go there with strength
and confidence?
She can't do one of her ownrealities with strength and
confidence.
She can't attract 200,000people to a venue like Madison
(15:24):
Square Garden by herself.
She's got to get Beyonce tohelp her out.
She's got to get Taylor Swiftto help her out.
She's got to get people who areshowing up for the Beyonce
concert.
And then afterwards, you know,here are a couple of words from
the person you're supposed to behere to see.
No, trump shows up and Trumpcan pack someplace like Madison
Square Garden on his own.
(15:44):
No-transcript.
Travis Yates (16:07):
Yeah, I was cracking up last week when her
surrogate was floating to themedia that she's in negotiations
with Joe Rogan.
I looked at my wife and I saidshe can't do Joe Rogan, she
can't sit there for three hoursand have a conversation.
I go.
They're just throwing that outthere to make it seem like
they're trying.
I go, there's no way they'regoing to do it.
Of course they aren't going todo it.
(16:33):
And, Zeke, I'm obsessed withwhat makes people courageous and
, whether you want toacknowledge it or not, you are
unique in that you're willing tostand boldly on the truth, no
matter the consequences andmaybe the consequences are just
people call you bad names, butthere's still consequences.
Right being in law enforcement,there can be consequences,
telling the truth, and so I'mobsessed with people that have
your character and the thingsinside of you, because when you
(16:54):
talk about I mean, you remind meso much of myself, and I've
been in plenty of troubletelling the truth.
In fact, one of the bigprinciples those have been
paying attention to us here atCourageous Police Leadership is
it's facts over emotion.
You must make decisions basedon facts, because emotion rarely
anything good comes of it.
You just mentioned that.
What do you think it is aboutyou that makes you different?
(17:15):
Whether you know it or not, youare different.
There's very few Zeke Arkhamsout there.
Was it how you were raised?
Was it your education?
What do you think it is insideyou that makes you go?
I've got to stand for the truth, no matter what.
Zeke Arkham (17:29):
Honestly, I don't think anything really makes me
different.
I think people just see a lotof themselves in my posts, that
I'm saying things that they'rethinking.
That's why I said the thingabout the truth is just people
recognize the truth.
You don't have to bend to thetruth.
You don't have to do mentalgymnastics in order to justify
the truth.
You don't have to sort mentalgymnastics in order to justify
(17:50):
the truth.
You don't have to sort of workyour way around.
The truth is just there.
You put it out there.
I think what makes my storyunique is that I'm telling a
story from someplace where I'veactually been.
I've actually been in policelocker rooms.
I've actually spoken to copsall around the country.
I've actually been in placesthat people only see on TV.
I'm actually able to tell thetruth of what goes on in these
(18:14):
things, and I'm not saying itbecause someone told me.
I'm not saying it because Iread it in a book somewhere.
I'm not some professor who I'mthinking about what could
possibly happen.
I have this perfect scenario inmy head and I'm going to say
this and I think that this ishow it should be.
No, I know things go sideways.
Any cop can tell you yeah, youcan talk about it in a classroom
(18:35):
, you can describe what youthink should happen.
You can go on based on what yousaw in a movie somewhere, but
until you're actually on scene,you have no idea what's going to
happen.
You have no idea.
You'll have no clue as to whatit takes to actually solve that
crime, to bring everythingtogether so that you can get
(18:56):
someone to justice.
I remember I had training inAlabama and I knew nothing about
Alabama at the time.
Here I am, this New York guy,the city slicker, who had only
really traveled to a couple ofspots in the South and I had
training in Alabama.
My first thought was oh my Lord, there's going to be places I
can't go to.
There's going to be sundowntowns, there's going to be all
(19:19):
kinds of things happening.
I'm going to get called allkinds of names.
And I got in the plane, I getdown there and I found out that
these were some of the nicestpeople I've ever met in my life.
I'm hanging out with some ofthe instructors who were native
people from Alabama, who weresome of the coolest people I've
ever met.
At the last night they invitedus out to a barbecue at one of
(19:41):
their houses and I, to this day,remember that night just
because it was one of the besttimes I've ever had.
You're sitting there, you'reeating barbecue, you're talking
to people from around thecountry, you're talking to
people from other countries, andI just want to recreate that
time.
Every time I talk to people or Ihave a podcast and I'm talking
(20:04):
to someone from a different partof the country, or I'm talking
to someone who may not eventhink the same way I do, but you
know, we can agree on certainthings I just want to recreate
that because it was such a coolmoment, such a great time, and I
learned that day that Ishouldn't judge people based on
where they come in from or theirbackground or, you know, if
they were raised differentlythan I am.
(20:25):
You know, you, just what bringsus all together is that we're
Americans.
And if you love this country,if you're a patriot, if you want
the best for this country, ifyou have children who you just
want to leave them a bettercountry, even if you have nieces
, nephews, stepchildren,whatever, and your goal is just
to leave them a better country,or even if you have no one and
(20:46):
you look around and you justwant to do the best thing by the
country, great.
That's the foundation we canstart on.
That's the foundation we canbuild a friendship on.
And we're not going to agree oneverything, but you know what
we can agree on on some things,and that's the best part of it
well what you just described.
Travis Yates (21:04):
I mean, I think I've got a few years on.
You have more than a few.
That's kind of how things were,man, like growing up in the 80s
and and starting my career inthe early 90s, and that was kind
of how it was.
I I think it switched in 2011,2012.
It's been a good decade now,where you don't have to agree
(21:25):
with everything the other personsays.
You can still get along.
You have more in common thanuncommon.
You could vote for one person,I could vote for the other.
We can be on opposite sides ofthe aisle.
You could be gay, I could bestraight.
We could still get along.
What happened in this countryto where you now have to hate
the other person if they don'tagree with everything?
You have to say or or or.
You know the.
(21:45):
The word inclusivity means youbetter agree with me, or else.
I mean.
What do you think happened withthat phenomenon?
Zeke Arkham (21:52):
I think what happened is what I call the rise
of the activist.
All of a sudden, everyone wasan activist.
All of a sudden, you were anactivist for this.
You were an activist for that.
You know you have to be anactivist for I don't know
children in Rwanda.
You had to know somebody, youhad to become an activist.
And I remember I read anarticle.
(22:13):
I don't remember who wrote thearticle or where it was from,
but basically the person whowrote the article said that
people nowadays are in aposition where they need
something to fight for.
A good friend of mine, leonidasJohnson, has a book where he
described St George the Dragonslayer, where the legend of St
George was that he was the bestdragon slayer out there and he
(22:36):
wound up slaying all the dragonsout there.
So there were no more dragonsto slay.
So now he finds himself to beirrelevant because all the
dragons are gone.
So now, in order to getrelevancy, everything became a
dragon.
If there's a broken windmill,that's a dragon.
If the well ran dry, that's adragon.
(22:56):
Now, everything, he madeeverything a dragon.
And that's basically what'sgoing on now with kids in the
Gen Z generation, and everyonewants to be an activist They'll
create problems in order to bethe one who solves them.
Activists, they'll createproblems in order to be the one
who solves them.
And even if there are noproblems, even if you have a
great life, even if you'recomfortable, you have to create
(23:17):
a problem because now you haveto be the one to fix it.
It's no longer something where,in the generation of my parents
or grandparents, there was acivil rights struggle, where
they were bona fide, fightingfor rights that they didn't have
.
That's kind of how I red-pilledmy mom.
I said, ma, what rights don'tyou have right now that white
people have, that anybody elsehas, what rights don't you have?
(23:39):
And my mom actually really hadto think about that because, as
someone who grew up during thecivil rights struggle, she was
used to just having thatperspective and she had to think
about it and she said you'rekind of right, there's nothing
I'm fighting for.
I said, yeah, ma, so why havethis stance?
And she kind of got red-pilledoff of that and that's usually
(24:02):
just what I tell people nowadayswhat rights are you fighting
for right now?
We're not talking aboutindividual racism, because
people are allowed to beindividually racist or have
whatever biases they have fine,but what systemic biases, what
systemic racism is out therewhere you have to overcome this
hurdle.
Now they're not lynching peoplein the South anymore.
The Klan is a joke nowadays.
(24:25):
There is no real whitesupremacist group out there or
any sort of supremacist groupout there where now you have to
actively fight them, becausethey're actually out there
trying to kill you.
What's out there?
Nothing.
So stop turning everything intoa dragon.
But you have these activistsout there who now want something
to fight for, who needsomething to fight for, because
(24:47):
they want to give themselvessome sort of relevancy.
And that's where everythingstarts to fall apart.
Because you gave people like AlSharpton a renewed voice, you
gave Sean King a voice, you gaveall these other people the
Rachel Dolezal, all the you knowman you're.
Travis Yates (25:01):
Sean King cracks me up the idea that he's got me
blocked on social media, so Ihave no idea what he says.
Now the guy that dumb can makea dollar drives.
I mean, that's the beauty ofAmerica.
Right there, Sean King can makea living.
To be honest with you, man, ohman.
Zeke Arkham (25:18):
No, listen.
In a righteous society, hewould be broke.
Al Sharpton would be broke, butyou know what, though, I mean.
But Booker T Washingtondescribed that way back during
his time.
He said there's a class ofBlack person who they profit off
of racism.
I'm paraphrasing, of course,but they profit off of racism.
Sean King, who's a writer,isn't that much of a writer.
(25:40):
I've read his stuff that hasnothing to do with race.
He's not a good writer at all,but he needs to profit off of
race.
Al Sharpton has spent hisentire life profiting off of
race.
All these other people TariqNasheed, all of them profit off
of race.
They need racism to be a thing,so it gives them some sort of
(26:01):
relevancy.
If I were to snap my fingerstoday and say you know what?
All racism is gone, thesepeople would fight with
everything they had to bring itback.
So this is what we're dealingwith right now, and this is why
things are so divided.
Travis Yates (26:15):
Yeah, I kind of called that probably 10 or 15
years ago.
When you know you look aroundand you go, man, things are
pretty, pretty good.
I mean, you know it was veryhard to find, like I said,
there's individual races, but itwas sort of really you had to
look and I told my wife I go.
This is the most dangerous timebecause there are people that
(26:35):
profit off this, that have tokeep this going.
So you're going to see thehoaxes.
You're going to see the noosein the NASCAR that ended up not
being a noose.
You're going to see the JesseSmollett's.
You're going to see all thisstuff continue to happen and
that is extremely unfortunate.
You said something a fewminutes back, zeke, and I know
why.
You have your own podcast, man,you are good, so I'm glad you
can take over for me one day,for sure tomorrow.
(26:56):
But you talk about the civilrights era and the kids today,
the.
You talk about the kids todayneeding to be activists.
They literally have no clue.
I set my kids down every MartinLuther King day and we watched
Selma together as a familyIncredible movie.
I recommend it for everybodyand I'll never forget the first
(27:16):
year my kids watched that.
I mean, my oldest is 24, sothey're not too young.
They looked at me.
They said this happened, likethey have no idea.
No idea, and I would assumethat's all.
All.
Everybody in that generationlike the idea that there is
inherent issues in this country.
When you look back to whenthere were extreme inherent
(27:37):
issues, I had to explain to themyeah, you, why some blacks were
different water fountains.
They couldn't go and of coursethey.
We watched a jackie robinsonmovie about 100 times one of my
heroes, that and frederickdouglas not.
A Jackie Robinson movie about100 times one of my heroes, that
.
And Frederick Douglas Not a lotof people know about Frederick
Douglas, one of the greatestorators of our time.
But the kids today, you'reright, they almost have to
manufacture it because theyliterally the uneducation of
(27:59):
what we have come from.
The idea that we're having thiskind of conversation, zeke
after the history of thiscountry, says how great this
country is, is it not?
Zeke Arkham (28:10):
I mean, listen, here's a story I love telling.
I tell it every chance I getjust because it shows the wisdom
of the past compared to thepresent.
But my great granddad grew upin 19, I forget the year, I
think 1930s, 1920s Virginia inNorth Carolina, where he
experienced bona fide racism Imean like racism that I've only
(28:34):
read about in books.
And I remember I just graduatedfrom college and I thought I'm
putting on a clinic for myentire family.
You know I graduated fromcollege.
I'm full of all kinds of angerand activism.
You know myself.
You know I fell victim to itbecause I had a couple of
professors who made it theirbusiness to make sure that we
were all activists.
I had two in particular whoyour final grade was based on
(28:58):
how angry you were when writingyour final paper on activism and
things like that, activism andthings like that.
So they made sure you graduateda certain way and thinking a
certain way.
So here I am.
I'm now full of all this angerand I'm putting on a clinic or
so I think for my family.
You know my granddad's therewho actually marched for
Washington, my great granddad'sthere who I told you his history
(29:20):
, and I remember my, my greatgranddad just put his hand on my
hand to stop me and he goesalways be the last person in the
room to call something racist,because if you call everything
racist, then nothing is racist.
But if you save that accusationfor when it really counts,
(29:40):
it'll be so much more powerful.
And then he just startedtalking about something else,
like just stop me, right Dead inmy tracks.
You know, and I'll admit, for aweek I was butthurt, for a week
.
Travis Yates (29:52):
What a powerful statement, man.
What a powerful statement, yeah, of course.
Zeke Arkham (29:56):
But this is.
You know, for a week I was maduntil you know you get that
voice in the back of your mind.
Like this guy experienced bonafide racism, the likes that you
don't have.
You have no idea what it'sabout.
So who are you to tell himwhat's racist and what isn't, or
what he should be mad about?
And I think at that moment Ijust I stopped.
(30:19):
You know, that was the lasttime I ever unnecessarily called
something racist.
Travis Yates (30:25):
And well he, he was a prophet.
Sadly, we're in those timesright.
The racism thing doesn't evenaffect anybody.
Now, I mean, zeke, who wouldhave known then that you'd be
called a white supremacist onTwitter, right?
Who would have known that?
Zeke Arkham (30:41):
Oh, I get called a Nazi.
I get called a black, whitesupremacist all the time.
Crazy man so much that.
It just, you know, my greatgranddad was right.
It means nothing.
Now you know, and that'sactually a huge insult to people
who experience bona fide racism, because now, if they're
(31:02):
calling something out, it'signored.
So these people, theseactivists, are doing a
disservice to people who areactually experiencing it.
Travis Yates (31:10):
Yeah, I made the mistake of pointing out a Roland
Fryer study one time, and, man,you'd have thought the world
was ending when I did that.
It's a peer-reviewed research,fellas, that did not matter for
sure.
But Zeke, the source of this,how much do you put on the media
?
I mean, I'll tell you my pointof view first.
I think that if we ever have,if we ever look back in America
(31:32):
and talk about the democracy wewant, we want to wear which I
hope doesn't happen it will bebecause of the media.
I think they're probably trulyone of the most horrific stains
on our society today, the waythe mainstream media acts.
I put a lot of this on the media.
You know people, kids areinfluential, people watch the
news.
I mean, they're clearly.
(31:54):
It's a brainstorming mechanism,right, or a brainwashing
mechanism, and the CIA has beeninvolved in this through the
years.
We won't go down that track,but the CIA has been embedded
inside the mainstream media forthe last 50 years in this
country to send out certainmessages and people fall for
that.
So I don't I put more blame onthe messengers than I do, the
people that receive the messageand get fooled, so to speak, but
(32:14):
I put a lot of this, what wejust talked about on the media.
What about you?
Zeke Arkham (32:19):
Oh, absolutely.
Joseph Goebbels, who was AdolfHitler's minister of information
, would be astounded at what isgoing on today.
Even him, because he was the, Iguess, the godfather or
grandfather or whoever of usinga state-controlled propaganda.
But it's nothing like what goeson today.
(32:40):
I think my wife was astoundedto look at the fact that 90% of
the coverage towards Trump hasbeen negative and over 90 has
been positive towards KamalaHarris.
They definitely are puttingthemselves into this struggle.
They're definitely puttingsomeone as the good guy, as the
bad guy.
(33:00):
I mean, just look at when awhite cop happens to shoot a
Black perp.
The white cop could doeverything correctly, but the
media is still going to put outthere a white cop.
They'll make sure theyhighlight and bold his race.
A white cop shot a black unarmedperson.
When people ask me about this,my response back to him is
(33:23):
always hey, listen, I'm six foottwo, I'm 275 pounds.
I work out a lot, you know.
You would say I'm stronger thanthe average person walking
around out there.
If I get into a fight with acop who's 5'10", 170 pounds and
I'm pummeling him, it's going tohurt.
(33:43):
And if he pulls out his gun andshoots me as a last resort
because there's no stopping me.
He's justified my opinion, youknow.
But what the media does?
They say, oh, this white copshot this black person.
And then they'll get my picturefrom high school, where you
know I'm sitting there, you knowjust everyone.
(34:05):
And if they could put an angelhalo around my head and some
wings, they would do so, or they, you know.
They go out and they find thepeople who are closest to me and
go.
No, he was a great person.
He was such a wonderful, lovingperson.
This shouldn't have happened tohim.
No, look at Mike Brown.
He had literally just finishedrobbing someone when he got shot
Like literally just finishedrobbing someone.
(34:25):
You look at the rest of theseperps out there who get
themselves shot by cops.
They're not good people, butthey go out, they find their
high school picture or they findtheir wedding photo.
You know they get.
You know he was such awonderful.
No, he wasn't.
He was a criminal.
Travis Yates (34:42):
you know Well it's so maddening because, I was
teaching a college class justthe other day and I went through
all the litany of lies.
You know Breonna Taylor andMichael Brown and you thought I
mean these kids had never heardthat.
And what frustrates me is isthat there's not a debate there.
I mean, I'm quoting grand jurytestimony from Breonna Taylor.
(35:02):
I mean, there's noaccountability, like they can
sit there and turn thisnarrative on.
It's, of course, debunked ayear later, two years later.
Every year we still broughtMichael Brown's birthday from
all the politicians and theyknow it's a lie.
They know it's a lie andthey're able to keep doing it
(35:24):
and it's done so much damage.
Zeke, going back to roland fryer, he's shown that there have
been more african-americanskilled with deep policing.
Uh, based on this narrative.
Deep policing comes from amedia narrative.
Um, they call it.
The ferguson effect was theother thing.
They call it.
But um, I don't have anyanswers other than convincing
the public.
You've got to stop watching themainstream media.
(35:44):
You have to stop watching themainstream.
In fact, anybody that'slistening to this or watching
this that has a question.
When they get sued fordefamation, do you know how they
get out of it?
They say it's opinion.
So your mainstream mediachannels you're watching.
They don't even admit in court.
It's news.
They say it's their opinion, sothey're protected.
That's how they can get awaywith doing all this.
They couch it as opinion.
The problem is they don't startoff by saying this is my
(36:06):
opinion.
They say it's the news and Idon't know an answer, because I
think they've killed themselves.
Most people don't trust themedia.
I don't know how they're inbusiness.
Obviously, podcasts like yoursand others are much more popular
, but they're still in businessand they're going to be financed
by the people that want tofinance it.
So they'll probably be around.
But the only answer I know,zeke, and I'm sure you've told
(36:32):
others you've got to stop.
You've got to stop watchingthis.
You know I tell my kids hey,don't ever get your news from
one source.
Figure out the truth.
You have to watch,unfortunately, multiple
newscasts to do it and divedeeper into it, because they're
lying to you predominantly.
But the damage they're doing Ijust need our audience to know
and you've said it's a in lawenforcement in our country is
insurmountable.
The damage they've done.
Zeke Arkham (36:47):
Well, you look at what's going on in major blue
cities across America in Chicago, la, new York, baltimore, st
Louis.
You look at what's going on inmajor law enforcement
departments, and they're allhaving staffing problems because
no one wants a job anymore.
You look at the militarythey're having staffing problems
because no one wants that job.
So what are we going to do?
(37:07):
We have no military, you haveno police.
What are you going to do?
I said this last week on mypodcast.
Actually, do you know how manypeople would just would crap
themselves if there was anactual purge?
Do you know how many peoplewould if the government just
said hey, listen, we have nomore cops, so from 7 pm to 7 am,
(37:31):
we're not answering any phonecalls.
You can call 911 all you want.
We can't show up until the nextmorning.
Do you know how many peoplewould panic themselves into the
worst conniption they've everhad in their lives because
there's no cops?
Well, guess what?
This is what you're pushingyourself towards when you vote
for people like Kamala Harris,who had her Minnesota Freedom
(37:52):
Fund, when you vote for Tim Walz, who allowed his state to burn
because people were riotingduring the BLM Summer of Love
riots of 2020, when you electthese Democrat socialists who
run on an anti-cop platform.
This is what you're voting for.
You're voting for a potentialpurge.
(38:13):
People don't realize that.
They think there's always goingto be cops they can just pick
on and beat up on and protestfor and walk down the street and
think that they're fighting forjustice.
Yeah, well, guess what, when noone wants the job anymore and
there are staffing problems,like what's going on in a lot of
commands I'm talking to acrossthe country, I have cops
reaching out to me from acrossall over the country saying,
(38:35):
yeah, I've worked doubles andtriples because there's no one
else to be there to replace meand take my place.
I'm turning out roll calls thatI used to be able to turn out
20 cops out into the streets.
Now I'm lucky if I have 10.
You know when you have people,you know when you have
departments who are facing thesekinds of staffing problems, all
(38:56):
it does is backfire on yourcommunity.
But keep voting these.
Keep voting the AOCs in therewho openly hate cops.
Keep voting.
You know these.
The rest of these Democratsocialists out there who run on
these anti-cop platforms.
Keep voting squad members inthere who have more sympathy
towards the robber than theperson they robbed.
(39:18):
Keep voting for these judgeswho think that these hardened
criminals just need a warm fuzzyand a hug.
Keep voting for them, becausethe purge right now is on TV,
but it can definitely wind up atyour doorstep if you keep
voting the way you vote.
Travis Yates (39:34):
Yeah, if you don't think leadership matters, there
actually is communities rightnow in this country, one of them
being in St Louis, where thepolice don't even respond, and
it's coming.
You have more and moremunicipal agencies that are
having to contract withsheriff's departments because
they can't handle it.
There's a sense of this, steve.
That's being done on purpose,right, when you talk about
defund police, when you use thefederal government to do consent
decrees to run cities, 14 ofthe top 20 most violent cities
(39:57):
are ran by the Department ofJustice as we speak.
My fear is it's being done onpurpose to destroy the
profession.
So then guess what the federalgovernment does?
Oh, we have your answer.
It's called a national policeforce or whatever.
That's when it really happens.
You follow the history of NaziGermany.
That's how they were able toaccelerate that.
(40:17):
They.
They decommissioned many of thelocal agencies.
They made a national policeforce.
I go on and on.
Very spooky, but we haven'teven gotten to the election.
Let's get to it real quick.
Donald Trump, kamala Harris,it's tomorrow, man, everyone's
nervous, everybody has anxiety.
I think what troubles me moreso much is grown adults just
flat out lying.
I mean, you look at the hoaxesthey've done on Donald Trump.
These are hoaxes that you couldliterally watch a 15 second
(40:39):
soundbite and immediately gowell, that's a lie.
I mean they just they justturned up.
I just saw on MSNBC they'retalking about another russia
hoax.
Right, this is russia hoaxnumber three.
What is going on in people'sheads, zeke?
I mean because clearly it'salmost half the country.
Clearly it's almost half thecountry.
I hope it's not half thecountry.
I hope it's about 49.9 of thecountry and 51.1 is voting the
other side.
We'll find out tomorrow.
Why are people being so dupedand just falling for these lies?
(41:04):
Is it a self-confirmingprophecy?
They just hate Donald Trump.
So, whatever is said about him,they're just going to jump on
it, because you know the finepeople hoax, the bloodbath hoax,
the Russia hoax.
There's more hoaxes, but that'sall the Democratic Party is
leaning on.
They're not telling us whatthey're going to do.
They just keep coming back tothese hoaxes and the media has
their back.
Zeke Arkham (41:29):
What?
What do you think is going onwhere people are so easily just
falling for this?
Because it's like you said, themedia is out there putting out
a certain narrative.
You know, I've talked to myfriends, my family, about the
actual facts out there and theydon't believe it until I have to
show them receipts.
No, he didn't say there weregood people on both sides when
talking about actual whitesupremacy almost riots and
(41:49):
protests that were taking on inCharlottesburg, virginia.
Travis Yates (41:52):
He actually disembowels white supremacy in
the sentence before that.
Yeah, to say that.
Zeke Arkham (41:57):
Yeah, but the media cuts it down to literally a
three second soundbite andthey're trying to make him look
like he's on the side of thesewhite nationalists.
Like he's on the side of thesewhite nationalists, you have a
comedian who shouldn't have evenbeen invited to Madison Square
Garden, but makes a joke, andnow, all of a sudden, they're
trying to attribute it towardsDonald Trump.
No, trump didn't say that andhis people disavowed the joke.
Travis Yates (42:23):
Yeah, hinchcliffe was up there like five hours
before Trump.
He was like the opening guyfive hours before the president
went up and I can guarantee youDonald Trump does not know who
Tony Hinchcliffe is.
Zeke Arkham (42:32):
I guarantee you that she's actually intelligent
and would have something to say.
But again she turns around,she's a huge liberal and calls
it a white supremacy rally atMadison Square Garden.
(42:52):
But yeah, okay, I didn't knowByron Daniels was a white.
Byron Donalds excuse me, was awhite supremacist.
I didn't know Vivek Ramaswamywas a white supremacist.
I didn't know all the Jewishpeople and Hispanic people and
Black people and Asian peopleand everybody else who showed up
, all the different ethnicitieswho showed up to Madison Square
Garden were all whitesupremacists.
(43:13):
I didn't know white people whodon't have a racist single bone
in their body were whitesupremacists.
So this whole narrative has tostop.
People don't look up factsanymore.
Like I tell people all the timelisten, I'm not an influencer.
I don't want to be aninfluencer.
I want to try to point you inthe right direction of where you
can get your facts from, butdon't let my opinion be what you
(43:38):
see as fact.
You have to go out there andlook it up for yourself.
That's exactly what I did.
I went out there and I lookedit up for myself.
That's how I came to myconclusion.
I want people to go out thereand look at things for
themselves.
Don't trust one source.
Don't look at Fox.
Don't look for something that'sjust going to back up your
point of view.
Look at different views.
Look at why people feel the waythey feel.
(43:59):
Look at what this person ispresenting as facts and see if
be your own fact checker.
Don't look at Snopes.
Don't look at Politifact.
Don't look at anything else.
Look at the facts that are infront of you and make the
decision for yourself.
If you're calling an MSG rallywith a bunch of different
ethnicities a white supremacistrally, there's something wrong
with you.
Travis Yates (44:20):
We didn't even know that there was a 1939 rally
at the Madison Square Gardenuntil the Until the media tells
us that Actually I did because Ido read a lot of history.
Okay.
Zeke Arkham (44:32):
Excuse me, so I actually knew about that.
But what people don't know isthat Woodrow Wilson screened
Birth of a Nation, which isbasically a love letter towards
the Ku Klux Klan.
At the White House, peopledon't go at Woodrow Wilson like
that.
What I do know is that Lyndon BJohnson was a racist.
What I do know is that he's theone who stopped the original
(44:55):
Civil Rights Act, which had alot more teeth.
Travis Yates (44:58):
The Democratic Party stopped it.
Zeke Arkham (44:59):
The Democratic Party yeah, they didn't vote for
it, no, but he directly stoppedit because he didn't want to
destroy his party.
And then he came out withanother civil rights act that
didn't have as much of a bite toit.
So a lot of people don't knowthat, but a lot of people, you
know they like to think oh well,the party switched, oh well,
this happened.
Travis Yates (45:18):
Oh, that's the craziest one right there.
So yeah, there was obviously.
I don't know what you'retalking about.
That's the craziest one to me,everybody about.
That's the craziest one to me,everybody abraham lincoln,
republican on.
But it's justified by thisweird party switch.
Explain that to our audience,because that's the craziest one
I've ever heard.
Zeke Arkham (45:34):
Well, apparently at some point in time no one can
actually point out when thishappened, but apparently at some
point in time democrats lookedat republicans.
Republicans looked at democratsand went, hey, uh, do you mind
if we pull one of these moves?
And everybody agreed and shookon it.
And if you were a Democrat,you're now a Republican, if
you're a Republican, you're nowa Democrat.
Travis Yates (45:54):
And of course they say that because Republicans
championed abolishing slavery,Republicans championed the Civil
Rights Bill.
The Republicans championed allof this.
So the only way you can justifythis now is this weird switch
thing right.
Zeke Arkham (46:07):
Yeah, In my opinion , some dummy came out and said
it and it just took off.
Crazy.
My thing is did a coupleDemocrats become Republicans?
Sure.
Did a couple Republicans becomeDemocrats?
Sure.
I'm not going to dispute that,but to say there was a party
switch where they all kind oflooked at each other and went
yeah, we're going to you know,yeah, this whole logic thing I'm
(46:29):
going to take your office, youtake mine.
We're going to do all this.
That didn't happen.
Travis Yates (46:35):
See, this whole logic thing has gotten you in a
lot of trouble, I know, but Iwant to put it in a pill and
give it to people.
Man, I really love it and we'reget down to it.
Man, tomorrow's a big day.
Give me your, give me yourprediction.
Give me your prediction.
We'll live forever in historyon podcasts, right?
What do you think is going tohappen on Tuesday?
Zeke Arkham (46:53):
I think I have to believe Trump's going to take it
.
I have to believe that justbecause I'm looking at the early
numbers, they look really goodfor Trump.
I'm hoping he does a full sweepof every swing state out there.
I can see they're alreadytrying to cheat.
It's already out there.
But I think the problem withwhat they did in 2020 is that
they can't replicate it in 2024without people catching on early
(47:18):
and going hey, hey, what'sgoing on here?
And people getting themselvesway more involved.
The problem with when you beatsomeone in a fight is that if
they're smart, they learn fromit.
Now, do I think the GOP haslearned from it?
No, do I think regularAmericans have learned from it?
Yes.
So regular Americans are goingto be way more vigilant this
(47:40):
time and look at any kind ofshenanigans and fully way
they're going to be like, hey,listen, we're not going to have
this go on.
So I think Trump is going totake it.
I think Trump is going to win.
I have to believe that becauseif we're looking at four years
of Madam President, kamalaHarris which I almost threw up
saying just now if we're lookingat four years of that, this
country is screwed.
(48:02):
The rest of the world isscrewed, and if people are
foolish enough to vote forKamala Harris, then they better
be ready for what comes alongwith it.
We're talking about World WarIII.
We're talking about Russiabeing bolder.
We're talking about China beingbolder.
We're talking about North Koreabeing bolder.
We're looking at terroristsbeing bolder.
We're looking at a worldwideeconomic disaster.
(48:25):
People are going to have tounderstand what comes along with
a Kamala Harris presidency.
If you want to save thiscountry, if you quite literally
want to save this world, votefor Trump.
Travis Yates (48:36):
Well, and you're not mixing words there, and
you're correct.
What people don't understand isif you think censorship is bad
now, if you think using DLJ togo after political opponents is
bad now, if you think thatthere'll ever be a fair election
ever again, vote for thatperson.
Kamala Harris yeah, put her inoffice, because you've already
seen what they've done with somepower.
You give them all the power.
(48:57):
I mean you've got the DLJ rightnow fighting Virginia to let
illegals vote.
I mean they're showing youeverything they're going to do,
which is pretty crazy.
I'm going to give my predictionreal quick, zeke.
You can call me and laugh at meif I'm wrong.
I say Trump takes six of theseven swing States and he picks
off a surprise.
That's what I'm going to say.
(49:18):
There's going to be a surprisestate.
He's going to pick one of thoseoff.
That's my prediction.
Uh, zeke, harkin, man, I, Iknow we talked about a lot of
stuff.
I, if I didn't say it already,I want to say I appreciate your
boldness and courage.
You don't see it that way.
That's the way creative peopleare.
They just who you are.
But that's what we're trying todo here.
We need people to stand up, notfor a political party, not for
(49:42):
a person free.
And my faith tells me there isone truth.
There's not multiple truths,there's no my truth.
There is one truth you are alight in a sometimes can be a
very dark, dark world, sir, andI certainly appreciate you.
Thank you for being here.
Zeke Arkham (49:56):
Thank you so much for having me.
I really appreciate your words.
Thank you so much.
Travis Yates (50:00):
And before we forget, where can people reach
out to you at?
Where are you at?
At?
How can they contact you?
Zeke Arkham (50:05):
uh, on twitter or x , excuse me x.
Uh, zeke arkham.
Z e e k a r k h a m.
That's my main social mediaplatform.
I'm also on instagram samehandle, zeke arkham where I do
my video rants.
But, uh, if you really want toreach out to me, anybody who
wants to contact me twitter'sexcuse me, x is is the way go,
(50:27):
because I do most of my trashtalking right there.
Travis Yates (50:31):
All right, thank you so much, sir, and if you've
been watching, if you've beenlistening, thank you for doing
that.
And just remember, lead on andstay courageous.
Speaker 2 (50:40):
Thank you for listening to Courageous
Leadership with Travis Yates.
We invite you to join othercourageous leaders at www.
travisyates.
org.
So here I am.
I'm now full of all this angerand I'm putting on a clinic or
so I think for my family.
You know my granddad's therewho actually marched for
Washington, my great granddad'sthere who I told you his history
, and I remember my, my greatgranddad just put his hand on my
hand to stop me and he goesalways be the last person in the
(00:20):
room to call something racist,because if you call everything
racist, then nothing is racist.
But if you save that accusationfor when it really counts,
it'll be so much more powerful.
And then he just startedtalking about something else,
Like just stop me right there,Dead in my tracks.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Welcome to Courageous Leadership with Travis Yates,
where leaders find the insights,advice and encouragement they
need to lead courageously.
Travis Yates (00:50):
Welcome back to the show.
I'm so honored you decided tospend some time with us today.
Remember to check out oursponsor of today's episode,
safeguard Recruiting.
They're owned and operated bylaw enforcement for law
enforcement.
They have the solutions to yourrecruiting needs.
You can check them out atsafeguardrecruitingcom.
I'm excited about today'sspecial episode Election 2024.
(01:15):
And I couldn't think of anyonebetter to bring on the show than
Zeke Arkham.
Zeke's a police officer,bodybuilder, political
commentator, but, moreimportantly, he's a husband and
he's a father.
He's one of the mostinfluential voices on social
media when it comes to politics,culture and the state of our
union, and I'm honored to havehim, zeke.
(01:35):
How are you doing, sir?
Zeke Arkham (01:37):
I'm good man, I'm good.
Thank you so much for the intro.
Thank you.
Travis Yates (01:40):
Well, man, thanks for doing it.
And you're in law enforcement.
You have this big voice onsocial media.
It's a voice that I think manypeople probably recognize, and
I'm glad you're able to put aface to it and to hear you talk
to us today.
But you weren point for youright where you made a decision
(02:08):
that you needed to startspeaking out.
It's a courageous decision wetalk about courageous leadership
here all the time and it'scourageous because it's not easy
.
It's courageous because you getattacked verbally mainly, but
so you probably had to make thatdecision, knowing the
consequences.
But was there an event whereyou made the decision to go?
I'm going to be.
I'm going to do something morethan just complaining to my
(02:28):
friends or family.
I need to start speaking out.
Zeke Arkham (02:32):
Well, I mean, yeah, basically I was on social media
, I was on my personal Facebookpage and I was very political,
talking to my family and friends.
I'm sure a bunch of themprobably had me muted because
they didn't want to hear aboutit anymore.
Friends, I'm sure a bunch ofthem probably had me muted
because they didn't want to hearabout it anymore.
But I kept hearing that Ishould take my views to a bigger
stage just because I had a lotto say.
And I looked around and I sawthat there was really no one
(02:53):
else with my perspective.
You know, you had other guysout there who you know.
You had Brandon Tatum out there, who is a cop, you know, who's
a black man who was giving aperspective on law enforcement,
who's a Black man who was givinga perspective on law
enforcement.
But there was no one really inthe Northeast.
I'm New York born and bred.
I work for a tri-state agencynow, but I was out there in the
(03:18):
streets.
I was out there putting myhands on people and I figured
you know what, let me get outthere and start telling my story
.
So I started telling my story,just from my perspective, and
everyone always asks you know,how did you get such a large
following?
And my answer to them is alwaysI have no idea.
You know, I just startedposting and more and more people
(03:38):
started tuning in, and that'swhere it started.
You know, I just figured therewas a lot of lies and
misconceptions out there as faras policing goes.
A lot of people who presentedthemselves as law enforcement
experts really had no idea whatthey were talking about.
So I decided to just get outthere and start telling the
truth.
No, there's not racism in thelocker room.
(03:59):
No, there aren't good copshiding in the corner while the
bad cops are openly plotting thenefarious deeds.
Like you see in the movietheaters, you know, um, you know
, there's this whole bigmisconceptions as far as
policing goes, as far as being aconservatarian goes, and and I
just just decided to tell mystory, just to really put the
truth out there there's no mytruth or your truth, there's the
(04:21):
truth.
So I figured it had to be toldand that's what I started doing.
Travis Yates (04:26):
Well, I, for one, am thankful you're doing it.
I wrote an article aboutBrandon way back in 2015 when
nobody knew who Brandon Tatumwas, and that thing went pretty
crazy.
Next thing, you know it'shistory, right.
So Brandon's doing very wellout there and he's also a voice.
But, Zeke, you resonate with somany people and I got to tell
you.
You probably didn't understandhow dangerous this truth is,
(04:47):
because, I have to agree withyou, you just call balls and
strikes Right.
You're just saying how it is.
Why do you think so many peopleget upset by that?
Zeke Arkham (05:12):
I think, because there's sort of an unspoken
social order where you're notsupposed to go against, quote,
unquote your people, especiallyin the Black community.
You're not supposed to saythings that sort of, I guess,
dispel the victimhood narrative.
I remember I'll tell you astory I had a girlfriend way
back in high school and she wasAsian and I was complaining to
her about another person who wasBlack and I was complaining to
her about another person who wasblack and I remember an older
black person or an older blackwoman pulled me aside and was
like but you're not supposed toput our business out there to
(05:33):
other people.
And I was like, yeah, but thisis my girlfriend.
Yeah, but you're not supposedto.
So I think there's sort of asocial order where you're not
supposed to put the grievancesout and say, hey, listen, your
house is dirty, clean it.
And that's basically what I doon a daily basis.
I don't fall for the victimhoodnarrative.
I don't fall for the.
You know I have to blame all ofmy problems on things that my
(05:55):
great, great, great grandparentswent through.
You know, slavery isn't amillstone around my neck I have
to carry.
You know, I don't carry thatchip on my shoulder.
I'm out here the same aseveryone else, getting up,
putting my boots on, going towork, coming back home.
Have a family I got to takecare of, have a daughter I want
to see, be safe, have dreams,aspirations.
(06:17):
I guess I appeal to everyonejust because I'm taking race out
of it.
I mean, except for when itcalls for it.
I have no problem callinganyone on their BS, but my story
is the same as everyone else's.
I'm no different.
I think that's what resonateswith a lot of people.
Here's this guy who isn'tfalling for the victim narrative
.
He's this guy who's just outthere talking about how he likes
(06:38):
to barbecue on the weekends.
And I got to go to mydaughter's dance recitals and
I'm bored for half the daybecause, you know, I'm just
waiting for my daughter to geton stage.
You know I'm talking about thesame things as everyone else and
I'm doing it from a blue collarperspective, which is, you know
, what a lot of people identifywith.
So I guess that's where a lotof people just identify.
Travis Yates (07:11):
And I think that has been.
What is so troubling to me isseeing the divide in the country
, the divide coming frompoliticians and the media,
mainly because, unfortunately,there's people that still
believe what the media tellsthem, still believes what
politicians tell them, and I'mlike you, zeke.
I've traveled around thecountry.
This divide doesn't reallyexist.
Black, white, asian, you nameit.
Everybody's just trying to getalong or trying to go to work or
trying to raise their family,but the media and the narrative
and the messaging is so opposite.
I had a seminal event, uh, andit was I can't remember the year
, but it was george bush'ssecond term when, uh, he beat
(07:33):
john kerry on the whole floridadebacle, but that the election
night I was at work.
I'll never forget where I wasbecause I didn't realize some of
the things you just talkedabout, zeke.
At the time I'd been on sevenyears on.
The police department thoughtI'd been around the block.
I clearly hadn't.
I'm in a booth at a pizza placeand I'm eating with a friend of
mine on duty and there's aAfrican-American family behind
(07:56):
me mom, dad, kids that aresitting there and the TV's on
with the election, and the mom'sturns to the entire family and
says we cannot have George Bushwin.
If George Bush wins he's goingto try to come for all of us,
the entire black race may end.
And he starts going down thislitany of things and I thought
to myself what world have I beenin?
(08:18):
Because I got to tell you, zeke, you're at a disadvantage.
I can vote for whoever I wantto vote for and nobody's really
going to get mad at me.
I don't think people realize inthe black community to vocally
say you're going to vote for theRepublican Party.
That doesn't garner you a lotof favor and I think that is so
unfortunate.
I'll just be clear with you.
(08:39):
I think that is sad that inAmerica that is there Like
people should be able to votefor whoever they want to vote
for and not worry aboutrepercussions.
What's your thoughts on that?
I agree.
Zeke Arkham (08:51):
There's no set rule saying I have to vote for
someone just because themajority of Black folk are
voting for that person.
There's no set rule, at leastin my mind, that says I have to
think, speak and act a certainway just because I'm Black.
No, I do what I want to do.
I go out there, I vote how Iwant to vote.
I listen to whatever music Ifeel like listening to.
I speak, talk, act, think theway I want to.
(09:14):
Just because I'm free.
I'm a free man.
I do what I want to do.
That's something I impress uponmy daughter.
That's something that when Imentored and I had a lot more
time I could mentor kids fromthe community I worked in I
would do such a thing.
Hey, listen, man, there's noset rule that says you have to
do something, and that's justthe message I spread to everyone
(09:35):
.
That's the message whenever Ipost, whenever I do my podcast,
whenever I do my video rants.
That's something that I sayover and over and over again and
thankfully, a lot more peopleare starting to wake up and a
lot more people are starting tosay hey, listen, I don't have to
vote for this person justbecause they share a skin tone
(09:56):
with me, or because they share amelanin count with me, or
because we have a commonancestor somewhere in Africa or
who knows?
Whatever you don't have to dothat you go out there.
You do whatever you have to doand thankfully, a lot more
people are waking up.
It's refreshing to see because,honestly, the narrative that I
have to do something becauseit's the black thing to do or
it's because it's the quoteunquote right thing to do is
(10:20):
tiring.
I remember again in my personalFacebook page where I used to
rant and things to my family, Ihad a cousin of mine say you
know what you got to remember?
You were black before you werea cop.
And I didn't really at the timeI didn't know how to respond to
that.
I knew it was wrong, I knew itwas a logical fallacy, but I
didn't know how to respond tothat.
So I brought to someone who Irespect and I respect his views
(10:42):
and his opinion, and thishappens to actually be a white
guy.
I brought this to him, you know,just having a heart to heart,
and he said yeah, that may betrue, you were black before you
were a cop, but the truth isalways the truth, regardless of
race or occupation or anythingelse, and that was something
that always stuck with me.
The truth is always the truth.
The truth transcends your raceor your career, what you think
(11:04):
is the right thing to do, LikeOprah says, you know your truth.
No, there's the truth and ittranscends everything, and
that's always the right side tobe on.
Travis Yates (11:12):
Yeah, and I guess it attacks people's worldview,
right, if you thought a certainway, because I've turned around
that booth and tried to talklogic, they would not have heard
of it, right?
So I guess truth, when itattacks the worldview, people
want to defend that, Right, theywant to defend that worldview.
But I think that's why yourvoice resonates, zeke, is, you
are a free man.
You're speaking what a lot ofpeople, quite frankly, in the
(11:32):
black community believe, butyou're speaking out about it.
I do sense a swell of peoplethat aren't buying into this
narrative, right, and I thinkit's people like yourself and
Brandon and others that had thecourage to speak out to make
other people feel like, ok, Ican do this, I can do this or
that, but the vast majority ofAfrican-Americans still vote one
way.
(11:52):
That's certainly they're right.
But I've always been amazed atthe, the reasoning, because when
you look historically, thingsdon't oftentimes, they're just
not.
The promises are false.
Right, the promises are false,and I'm not saying Republicans
could improve it.
I think some of the policiesand ideas definitely can improve
(12:13):
it.
But I look at a city likeChicago.
You know they voted Democrat, Idon't know.
60 years and the city is justgetting worse and worse and
worse.
Does it ever?
Is there ever like a triggerthat says, okay, nothing's
getting better.
Every four years we getpromised this, but it's
nothing's getting better?
Maybe we should think adifferent way.
(12:34):
Sometimes it takes someone likeyou to make them think that,
but people will?
People come to this on theirown, based on this like how bad
does it have to get?
How bad does it have to getbefore people change their mind?
We're liable to see it tomorrow, tuesday, that people are going
to vote based on how bad it is.
What's your thoughts on that?
Zeke Arkham (12:54):
Honestly, I wish I had more of an answer for you.
You know, because me personally, looking at it, you know.
If you destroy things and screwthings up royally for eight
years, why would I then turnaround and want to vote for your
predecessor or someone thatyou're endorsing, or someone
that you're saying, yeah, youknow what, vote for this guy.
He's going to do the exact typeof job I've done.
(13:16):
Why would I do that?
You know?
Why wouldn't I vote for the guywho turns around and says you
know what?
Vote for me.
What have you got to lose?
Things are already bad.
What have you got to lose?
Things are already bad.
What have you got to lose?
That makes sense to me.
You look at what Biden has doneover the past four years and
you look at Kamala Harris, whois sitting right next to him as
(13:36):
he was doing it, and you havepeople who complain about how
high the gas is or how expensivegroceries are or how high the
mortgage rates are.
You have people who areactively complaining about that,
who still want to turn aroundand vote for the same person who
directly contributed to that,and they look for ways.
They do mental gymnastics inorder to somehow justify why
(13:57):
they're voting for this person.
I don't understand it.
I don't get it.
But maybe it's not for me tounderstand.
Again, maybe it's just like youknow what.
I'm not supposed to understandit.
It's not supposed to make senseto me.
I look at things logically.
I look at things through a lensof the truth.
I don't vote based on feelings.
I don't do anything, except forwhen it comes to family issues
(14:20):
do anything when it comes tofeelings.
I look at facts, I look atlogic, I look at what's the
sensible thing to do goingforward, and the sensible thing
to do would be to vote for theperson where, during his time in
office, gas was cheap,groceries weren't as expensive,
mortgage rates were lower,unemployment was down.
(14:41):
You got to look at these things.
You got to look at themsensibly.
I don't care about feloniesthrough a weaponized justice
system.
I don't care about what someonedid in their personal business.
I care about what they did forthe country while they were in
charge.
If you look at Trump love him orhate him while he was in charge
(15:01):
, things were pretty good inthis country.
Things were pretty good aroundthe world, and then, as soon as
Biden showed up, you have Russiaacting out.
You have China acting out.
You have terrorists in theMiddle East acting out.
Do you think Kamala Harris isgoing to go there with strength
and confidence?
She can't do one of her ownrealities with strength and
confidence.
She can't attract 200,000people to a venue like Madison
(15:24):
Square Garden by herself.
She's got to get Beyonce tohelp her out.
She's got to get Taylor Swiftto help her out.
She's got to get people who areshowing up for the Beyonce
concert.
And then afterwards, you know,here are a couple of words from
the person you're supposed to behere to see.
No, trump shows up and Trumpcan pack someplace like Madison
Square Garden on his own.
(15:44):
No-transcript.
Travis Yates (16:07):
Yeah, I was cracking up last week when her
surrogate was floating to themedia that she's in negotiations
with Joe Rogan.
I looked at my wife and I saidshe can't do Joe Rogan, she
can't sit there for three hoursand have a conversation.
I go.
They're just throwing that outthere to make it seem like
they're trying.
I go, there's no way they'regoing to do it.
Of course they aren't going todo it.
(16:33):
And, Zeke, I'm obsessed withwhat makes people courageous and
, whether you want toacknowledge it or not, you are
unique in that you're willing tostand boldly on the truth, no
matter the consequences andmaybe the consequences are just
people call you bad names, butthere's still consequences.
Right being in law enforcement,there can be consequences,
telling the truth, and so I'mobsessed with people that have
your character and the thingsinside of you, because when you
(16:54):
talk about I mean, you remind meso much of myself, and I've
been in plenty of troubletelling the truth.
In fact, one of the bigprinciples those have been
paying attention to us here atCourageous Police Leadership is
it's facts over emotion.
You must make decisions basedon facts, because emotion rarely
anything good comes of it.
You just mentioned that.
What do you think it is aboutyou that makes you different?
(17:15):
Whether you know it or not, youare different.
There's very few Zeke Arkhamsout there.
Was it how you were raised?
Was it your education?
What do you think it is insideyou that makes you go?
I've got to stand for the truth, no matter what.
Zeke Arkham (17:29):
Honestly, I don't think anything really makes me
different.
I think people just see a lotof themselves in my posts, that
I'm saying things that they'rethinking.
That's why I said the thingabout the truth is just people
recognize the truth.
You don't have to bend to thetruth.
You don't have to do mentalgymnastics in order to justify
the truth.
You don't have to sort mentalgymnastics in order to justify
(17:50):
the truth.
You don't have to sort of workyour way around.
The truth is just there.
You put it out there.
I think what makes my storyunique is that I'm telling a
story from someplace where I'veactually been.
I've actually been in policelocker rooms.
I've actually spoken to copsall around the country.
I've actually been in placesthat people only see on TV.
I'm actually able to tell thetruth of what goes on in these
(18:14):
things, and I'm not saying itbecause someone told me.
I'm not saying it because Iread it in a book somewhere.
I'm not some professor who I'mthinking about what could
possibly happen.
I have this perfect scenario inmy head and I'm going to say
this and I think that this ishow it should be.
No, I know things go sideways.
Any cop can tell you yeah, youcan talk about it in a classroom
(18:35):
, you can describe what youthink should happen.
You can go on based on what yousaw in a movie somewhere, but
until you're actually on scene,you have no idea what's going to
happen.
You have no idea.
You'll have no clue as to whatit takes to actually solve that
crime, to bring everythingtogether so that you can get
(18:56):
someone to justice.
I remember I had training inAlabama and I knew nothing about
Alabama at the time.
Here I am, this New York guy,the city slicker, who had only
really traveled to a couple ofspots in the South and I had
training in Alabama.
My first thought was oh my Lord, there's going to be places I
can't go to.
There's going to be sundowntowns, there's going to be all
(19:19):
kinds of things happening.
I'm going to get called allkinds of names.
And I got in the plane, I getdown there and I found out that
these were some of the nicestpeople I've ever met in my life.
I'm hanging out with some ofthe instructors who were native
people from Alabama, who weresome of the coolest people I've
ever met.
At the last night they invitedus out to a barbecue at one of
(19:41):
their houses and I, to this day,remember that night just
because it was one of the besttimes I've ever had.
You're sitting there, you'reeating barbecue, you're talking
to people from around thecountry, you're talking to
people from other countries, andI just want to recreate that
time.
Every time I talk to people or Ihave a podcast and I'm talking
(20:04):
to someone from a different partof the country, or I'm talking
to someone who may not eventhink the same way I do, but you
know, we can agree on certainthings I just want to recreate
that because it was such a coolmoment, such a great time, and I
learned that day that Ishouldn't judge people based on
where they come in from or theirbackground or, you know, if
they were raised differentlythan I am.
(20:25):
You know, you, just what bringsus all together is that we're
Americans.
And if you love this country,if you're a patriot, if you want
the best for this country, ifyou have children who you just
want to leave them a bettercountry, even if you have nieces
, nephews, stepchildren,whatever, and your goal is just
to leave them a better country,or even if you have no one and
(20:46):
you look around and you justwant to do the best thing by the
country, great.
That's the foundation we canstart on.
That's the foundation we canbuild a friendship on.
And we're not going to agree oneverything, but you know what
we can agree on on some things,and that's the best part of it
well what you just described.
Travis Yates (21:04):
I mean, I think I've got a few years on.
You have more than a few.
That's kind of how things were,man, like growing up in the 80s
and and starting my career inthe early 90s, and that was kind
of how it was.
I I think it switched in 2011,2012.
It's been a good decade now,where you don't have to agree
(21:25):
with everything the other personsays.
You can still get along.
You have more in common thanuncommon.
You could vote for one person,I could vote for the other.
We can be on opposite sides ofthe aisle.
You could be gay, I could bestraight.
We could still get along.
What happened in this countryto where you now have to hate
the other person if they don'tagree with everything?
You have to say or or or.
You know the.
(21:45):
The word inclusivity means youbetter agree with me, or else.
I mean.
What do you think happened withthat phenomenon?
Zeke Arkham (21:52):
I think what happened is what I call the rise
of the activist.
All of a sudden, everyone wasan activist.
All of a sudden, you were anactivist for this.
You were an activist for that.
You know you have to be anactivist for I don't know
children in Rwanda.
You had to know somebody, youhad to become an activist.
And I remember I read anarticle.
(22:13):
I don't remember who wrote thearticle or where it was from,
but basically the person whowrote the article said that
people nowadays are in aposition where they need
something to fight for.
A good friend of mine, leonidasJohnson, has a book where he
described St George the Dragonslayer, where the legend of St
George was that he was the bestdragon slayer out there and he
(22:36):
wound up slaying all the dragonsout there.
So there were no more dragonsto slay.
So now he finds himself to beirrelevant because all the
dragons are gone.
So now, in order to getrelevancy, everything became a
dragon.
If there's a broken windmill,that's a dragon.
If the well ran dry, that's adragon.
(22:56):
Now, everything, he madeeverything a dragon.
And that's basically what'sgoing on now with kids in the
Gen Z generation, and everyonewants to be an activist They'll
create problems in order to bethe one who solves them.
Activists, they'll createproblems in order to be the one
who solves them.
And even if there are noproblems, even if you have a
great life, even if you'recomfortable, you have to create
(23:17):
a problem because now you haveto be the one to fix it.
It's no longer something where,in the generation of my parents
or grandparents, there was acivil rights struggle, where
they were bona fide, fightingfor rights that they didn't have
.
That's kind of how I red-pilledmy mom.
I said, ma, what rights don'tyou have right now that white
people have, that anybody elsehas, what rights don't you have?
(23:39):
And my mom actually really hadto think about that because, as
someone who grew up during thecivil rights struggle, she was
used to just having thatperspective and she had to think
about it and she said you'rekind of right, there's nothing
I'm fighting for.
I said, yeah, ma, so why havethis stance?
And she kind of got red-pilledoff of that and that's usually
(24:02):
just what I tell people nowadayswhat rights are you fighting
for right now?
We're not talking aboutindividual racism, because
people are allowed to beindividually racist or have
whatever biases they have fine,but what systemic biases, what
systemic racism is out therewhere you have to overcome this
hurdle.
Now they're not lynching peoplein the South anymore.
The Klan is a joke nowadays.
(24:25):
There is no real whitesupremacist group out there or
any sort of supremacist groupout there where now you have to
actively fight them, becausethey're actually out there
trying to kill you.
What's out there?
Nothing.
So stop turning everything intoa dragon.
But you have these activistsout there who now want something
to fight for, who needsomething to fight for, because
(24:47):
they want to give themselvessome sort of relevancy.
And that's where everythingstarts to fall apart.
Because you gave people like AlSharpton a renewed voice, you
gave Sean King a voice, you gaveall these other people the
Rachel Dolezal, all the you knowman you're.
Travis Yates (25:01):
Sean King cracks me up the idea that he's got me
blocked on social media, so Ihave no idea what he says.
Now the guy that dumb can makea dollar drives.
I mean, that's the beauty ofAmerica.
Right there, Sean King can makea living.
To be honest with you, man, ohman.
Zeke Arkham (25:18):
No, listen.
In a righteous society, hewould be broke.
Al Sharpton would be broke, butyou know what, though, I mean.
But Booker T Washingtondescribed that way back during
his time.
He said there's a class ofBlack person who they profit off
of racism.
I'm paraphrasing, of course,but they profit off of racism.
Sean King, who's a writer,isn't that much of a writer.
(25:40):
I've read his stuff that hasnothing to do with race.
He's not a good writer at all,but he needs to profit off of
race.
Al Sharpton has spent hisentire life profiting off of
race.
All these other people TariqNasheed, all of them profit off
of race.
They need racism to be a thing,so it gives them some sort of
(26:01):
relevancy.
If I were to snap my fingerstoday and say you know what?
All racism is gone, thesepeople would fight with
everything they had to bring itback.
So this is what we're dealingwith right now, and this is why
things are so divided.
Travis Yates (26:15):
Yeah, I kind of called that probably 10 or 15
years ago.
When you know you look aroundand you go, man, things are
pretty, pretty good.
I mean, you know it was veryhard to find, like I said,
there's individual races, but itwas sort of really you had to
look and I told my wife I go.
This is the most dangerous timebecause there are people that
(26:35):
profit off this, that have tokeep this going.
So you're going to see thehoaxes.
You're going to see the noosein the NASCAR that ended up not
being a noose.
You're going to see the JesseSmollett's.
You're going to see all thisstuff continue to happen and
that is extremely unfortunate.
You said something a fewminutes back, zeke, and I know
why.
You have your own podcast, man,you are good, so I'm glad you
can take over for me one day,for sure tomorrow.
(26:56):
But you talk about the civilrights era and the kids today,
the.
You talk about the kids todayneeding to be activists.
They literally have no clue.
I set my kids down every MartinLuther King day and we watched
Selma together as a familyIncredible movie.
I recommend it for everybodyand I'll never forget the first
(27:16):
year my kids watched that.
I mean, my oldest is 24, sothey're not too young.
They looked at me.
They said this happened, likethey have no idea.
No idea, and I would assumethat's all.
All.
Everybody in that generationlike the idea that there is
inherent issues in this country.
When you look back to whenthere were extreme inherent
(27:37):
issues, I had to explain to themyeah, you, why some blacks were
different water fountains.
They couldn't go and of coursethey.
We watched a jackie robinsonmovie about 100 times one of my
heroes, that and frederickdouglas not.
A Jackie Robinson movie about100 times one of my heroes, that
.
And Frederick Douglas Not a lotof people know about Frederick
Douglas, one of the greatestorators of our time.
But the kids today, you'reright, they almost have to
manufacture it because theyliterally the uneducation of
(27:59):
what we have come from.
The idea that we're having thiskind of conversation, zeke
after the history of thiscountry, says how great this
country is, is it not?
Zeke Arkham (28:10):
I mean, listen, here's a story I love telling.
I tell it every chance I getjust because it shows the wisdom
of the past compared to thepresent.
But my great granddad grew upin 19, I forget the year, I
think 1930s, 1920s Virginia inNorth Carolina, where he
experienced bona fide racism Imean like racism that I've only
(28:34):
read about in books.
And I remember I just graduatedfrom college and I thought I'm
putting on a clinic for myentire family.
You know I graduated fromcollege.
I'm full of all kinds of angerand activism.
You know myself.
You know I fell victim to itbecause I had a couple of
professors who made it theirbusiness to make sure that we
were all activists.
I had two in particular whoyour final grade was based on
(28:58):
how angry you were when writingyour final paper on activism and
things like that, activism andthings like that.
So they made sure you graduateda certain way and thinking a
certain way.
So here I am.
I'm now full of all this angerand I'm putting on a clinic or
so I think for my family.
You know my granddad's therewho actually marched for
Washington, my great granddad'sthere who I told you his history
(29:20):
, and I remember my, my greatgranddad just put his hand on my
hand to stop me and he goesalways be the last person in the
room to call something racist,because if you call everything
racist, then nothing is racist.
But if you save that accusationfor when it really counts,
(29:40):
it'll be so much more powerful.
And then he just startedtalking about something else,
like just stop me, right Dead inmy tracks.
You know, and I'll admit, for aweek I was butthurt, for a week
.
Travis Yates (29:52):
What a powerful statement, man.
What a powerful statement, yeah, of course.
Zeke Arkham (29:56):
But this is.
You know, for a week I was maduntil you know you get that
voice in the back of your mind.
Like this guy experienced bonafide racism, the likes that you
don't have.
You have no idea what it'sabout.
So who are you to tell himwhat's racist and what isn't, or
what he should be mad about?
And I think at that moment Ijust I stopped.
(30:19):
You know, that was the lasttime I ever unnecessarily called
something racist.
Travis Yates (30:25):
And well he, he was a prophet.
Sadly, we're in those timesright.
The racism thing doesn't evenaffect anybody.
Now, I mean, zeke, who wouldhave known then that you'd be
called a white supremacist onTwitter, right?
Who would have known that?
Zeke Arkham (30:41):
Oh, I get called a Nazi.
I get called a black, whitesupremacist all the time.
Crazy man so much that.
It just, you know, my greatgranddad was right.
It means nothing.
Now you know, and that'sactually a huge insult to people
who experience bona fide racism, because now, if they're
(31:02):
calling something out, it'signored.
So these people, theseactivists, are doing a
disservice to people who areactually experiencing it.
Travis Yates (31:10):
Yeah, I made the mistake of pointing out a Roland
Fryer study one time, and, man,you'd have thought the world
was ending when I did that.
It's a peer-reviewed research,fellas, that did not matter for
sure.
But Zeke, the source of this,how much do you put on the media
?
I mean, I'll tell you my pointof view first.
I think that if we ever have,if we ever look back in America
(31:32):
and talk about the democracy wewant, we want to wear which I
hope doesn't happen it will bebecause of the media.
I think they're probably trulyone of the most horrific stains
on our society today, the waythe mainstream media acts.
I put a lot of this on the media.
You know people, kids areinfluential, people watch the
news.
I mean, they're clearly.
(31:54):
It's a brainstorming mechanism,right, or a brainwashing
mechanism, and the CIA has beeninvolved in this through the
years.
We won't go down that track,but the CIA has been embedded
inside the mainstream media forthe last 50 years in this
country to send out certainmessages and people fall for
that.
So I don't I put more blame onthe messengers than I do, the
people that receive the messageand get fooled, so to speak, but
(32:14):
I put a lot of this, what wejust talked about on the media.
What about you?
Zeke Arkham (32:19):
Oh, absolutely.
Joseph Goebbels, who was AdolfHitler's minister of information
, would be astounded at what isgoing on today.
Even him, because he was the, Iguess, the godfather or
grandfather or whoever of usinga state-controlled propaganda.
But it's nothing like what goeson today.
(32:40):
I think my wife was astoundedto look at the fact that 90% of
the coverage towards Trump hasbeen negative and over 90 has
been positive towards KamalaHarris.
They definitely are puttingthemselves into this struggle.
They're definitely puttingsomeone as the good guy, as the
bad guy.
(33:00):
I mean, just look at when awhite cop happens to shoot a
Black perp.
The white cop could doeverything correctly, but the
media is still going to put outthere a white cop.
They'll make sure theyhighlight and bold his race.
A white cop shot a black unarmedperson.
When people ask me about this,my response back to him is
(33:23):
always hey, listen, I'm six foottwo, I'm 275 pounds.
I work out a lot, you know.
You would say I'm stronger thanthe average person walking
around out there.
If I get into a fight with acop who's 5'10", 170 pounds and
I'm pummeling him, it's going tohurt.
(33:43):
And if he pulls out his gun andshoots me as a last resort
because there's no stopping me.
He's justified my opinion, youknow.
But what the media does?
They say, oh, this white copshot this black person.
And then they'll get my picturefrom high school, where you
know I'm sitting there, you knowjust everyone.
(34:05):
And if they could put an angelhalo around my head and some
wings, they would do so, or they, you know.
They go out and they find thepeople who are closest to me and
go.
No, he was a great person.
He was such a wonderful, lovingperson.
This shouldn't have happened tohim.
No, look at Mike Brown.
He had literally just finishedrobbing someone when he got shot
Like literally just finishedrobbing someone.
(34:25):
You look at the rest of theseperps out there who get
themselves shot by cops.
They're not good people, butthey go out, they find their
high school picture or they findtheir wedding photo.
You know they get.
You know he was such awonderful.
No, he wasn't.
He was a criminal.
Travis Yates (34:42):
you know Well it's so maddening because, I was
teaching a college class justthe other day and I went through
all the litany of lies.
You know Breonna Taylor andMichael Brown and you thought I
mean these kids had never heardthat.
And what frustrates me is isthat there's not a debate there.
I mean, I'm quoting grand jurytestimony from Breonna Taylor.
(35:02):
I mean, there's noaccountability, like they can
sit there and turn thisnarrative on.
It's, of course, debunked ayear later, two years later.
Every year we still broughtMichael Brown's birthday from
all the politicians and theyknow it's a lie.
They know it's a lie andthey're able to keep doing it
(35:24):
and it's done so much damage.
Zeke, going back to roland fryer, he's shown that there have
been more african-americanskilled with deep policing.
Uh, based on this narrative.
Deep policing comes from amedia narrative.
Um, they call it.
The ferguson effect was theother thing.
They call it.
But um, I don't have anyanswers other than convincing
the public.
You've got to stop watching themainstream media.
(35:44):
You have to stop watching themainstream.
In fact, anybody that'slistening to this or watching
this that has a question.
When they get sued fordefamation, do you know how they
get out of it?
They say it's opinion.
So your mainstream mediachannels you're watching.
They don't even admit in court.
It's news.
They say it's their opinion, sothey're protected.
That's how they can get awaywith doing all this.
They couch it as opinion.
The problem is they don't startoff by saying this is my
(36:06):
opinion.
They say it's the news and Idon't know an answer, because I
think they've killed themselves.
Most people don't trust themedia.
I don't know how they're inbusiness.
Obviously, podcasts like yoursand others are much more popular
, but they're still in businessand they're going to be financed
by the people that want tofinance it.
So they'll probably be around.
But the only answer I know,zeke, and I'm sure you've told
(36:32):
others you've got to stop.
You've got to stop watchingthis.
You know I tell my kids hey,don't ever get your news from
one source.
Figure out the truth.
You have to watch,unfortunately, multiple
newscasts to do it and divedeeper into it, because they're
lying to you predominantly.
But the damage they're doing Ijust need our audience to know
and you've said it's a in lawenforcement in our country is
insurmountable.
The damage they've done.
Zeke Arkham (36:47):
Well, you look at what's going on in major blue
cities across America in Chicago, la, new York, baltimore, st
Louis.
You look at what's going on inmajor law enforcement
departments, and they're allhaving staffing problems because
no one wants a job anymore.
You look at the militarythey're having staffing problems
because no one wants that job.
So what are we going to do?
(37:07):
We have no military, you haveno police.
What are you going to do?
I said this last week on mypodcast.
Actually, do you know how manypeople would just would crap
themselves if there was anactual purge?
Do you know how many peoplewould if the government just
said hey, listen, we have nomore cops, so from 7 pm to 7 am,
(37:31):
we're not answering any phonecalls.
You can call 911 all you want.
We can't show up until the nextmorning.
Do you know how many peoplewould panic themselves into the
worst conniption they've everhad in their lives because
there's no cops?
Well, guess what?
This is what you're pushingyourself towards when you vote
for people like Kamala Harris,who had her Minnesota Freedom
(37:52):
Fund, when you vote for Tim Walz, who allowed his state to burn
because people were riotingduring the BLM Summer of Love
riots of 2020, when you electthese Democrat socialists who
run on an anti-cop platform.
This is what you're voting for.
You're voting for a potentialpurge.
(38:13):
People don't realize that.
They think there's always goingto be cops they can just pick
on and beat up on and protestfor and walk down the street and
think that they're fighting forjustice.
Yeah, well, guess what, when noone wants the job anymore and
there are staffing problems,like what's going on in a lot of
commands I'm talking to acrossthe country, I have cops
reaching out to me from acrossall over the country saying,
(38:35):
yeah, I've worked doubles andtriples because there's no one
else to be there to replace meand take my place.
I'm turning out roll calls thatI used to be able to turn out
20 cops out into the streets.
Now I'm lucky if I have 10.
You know when you have people,you know when you have
departments who are facing thesekinds of staffing problems, all
(38:56):
it does is backfire on yourcommunity.
But keep voting these.
Keep voting the AOCs in therewho openly hate cops.
Keep voting.
You know these.
The rest of these Democratsocialists out there who run on
these anti-cop platforms.
Keep voting squad members inthere who have more sympathy
towards the robber than theperson they robbed.
(39:18):
Keep voting for these judgeswho think that these hardened
criminals just need a warm fuzzyand a hug.
Keep voting for them, becausethe purge right now is on TV,
but it can definitely wind up atyour doorstep if you keep
voting the way you vote.
Travis Yates (39:34):
Yeah, if you don't think leadership matters, there
actually is communities rightnow in this country, one of them
being in St Louis, where thepolice don't even respond, and
it's coming.
You have more and moremunicipal agencies that are
having to contract withsheriff's departments because
they can't handle it.
There's a sense of this, steve.
That's being done on purpose,right, when you talk about
defund police, when you use thefederal government to do consent
decrees to run cities, 14 ofthe top 20 most violent cities
(39:57):
are ran by the Department ofJustice as we speak.
My fear is it's being done onpurpose to destroy the
profession.
So then guess what the federalgovernment does?
Oh, we have your answer.
It's called a national policeforce or whatever.
That's when it really happens.
You follow the history of NaziGermany.
That's how they were able toaccelerate that.
(40:17):
They.
They decommissioned many of thelocal agencies.
They made a national policeforce.
I go on and on.
Very spooky, but we haven'teven gotten to the election.
Let's get to it real quick.
Donald Trump, kamala Harris,it's tomorrow, man, everyone's
nervous, everybody has anxiety.
I think what troubles me moreso much is grown adults just
flat out lying.
I mean, you look at the hoaxesthey've done on Donald Trump.
These are hoaxes that you couldliterally watch a 15 second
(40:39):
soundbite and immediately gowell, that's a lie.
I mean they just they justturned up.
I just saw on MSNBC they'retalking about another russia
hoax.
Right, this is russia hoaxnumber three.
What is going on in people'sheads, zeke?
I mean because clearly it'salmost half the country.
Clearly it's almost half thecountry.
I hope it's not half thecountry.
I hope it's about 49.9 of thecountry and 51.1 is voting the
other side.
We'll find out tomorrow.
Why are people being so dupedand just falling for these lies?
(41:04):
Is it a self-confirmingprophecy?
They just hate Donald Trump.
So, whatever is said about him,they're just going to jump on
it, because you know the finepeople hoax, the bloodbath hoax,
the Russia hoax.
There's more hoaxes, but that'sall the Democratic Party is
leaning on.
They're not telling us whatthey're going to do.
They just keep coming back tothese hoaxes and the media has
their back.
Zeke Arkham (41:29):
What?
What do you think is going onwhere people are so easily just
falling for this?
Because it's like you said, themedia is out there putting out
a certain narrative.
You know, I've talked to myfriends, my family, about the
actual facts out there and theydon't believe it until I have to
show them receipts.
No, he didn't say there weregood people on both sides when
talking about actual whitesupremacy almost riots and
(41:49):
protests that were taking on inCharlottesburg, virginia.
Travis Yates (41:52):
He actually disembowels white supremacy in
the sentence before that.
Yeah, to say that.
Zeke Arkham (41:57):
Yeah, but the media cuts it down to literally a
three second soundbite andthey're trying to make him look
like he's on the side of thesewhite nationalists.
Like he's on the side of thesewhite nationalists, you have a
comedian who shouldn't have evenbeen invited to Madison Square
Garden, but makes a joke, andnow, all of a sudden, they're
trying to attribute it towardsDonald Trump.
No, trump didn't say that andhis people disavowed the joke.
Travis Yates (42:23):
Yeah, hinchcliffe was up there like five hours
before Trump.
He was like the opening guyfive hours before the president
went up and I can guarantee youDonald Trump does not know who
Tony Hinchcliffe is.
Zeke Arkham (42:32):
I guarantee you that she's actually intelligent
and would have something to say.
But again she turns around,she's a huge liberal and calls
it a white supremacy rally atMadison Square Garden.
(42:52):
But yeah, okay, I didn't knowByron Daniels was a white.
Byron Donalds excuse me, was awhite supremacist.
I didn't know Vivek Ramaswamywas a white supremacist.
I didn't know all the Jewishpeople and Hispanic people and
Black people and Asian peopleand everybody else who showed up
, all the different ethnicitieswho showed up to Madison Square
Garden were all whitesupremacists.
(43:13):
I didn't know white people whodon't have a racist single bone
in their body were whitesupremacists.
So this whole narrative has tostop.
People don't look up factsanymore.
Like I tell people all the timelisten, I'm not an influencer.
I don't want to be aninfluencer.
I want to try to point you inthe right direction of where you
can get your facts from, butdon't let my opinion be what you
(43:38):
see as fact.
You have to go out there andlook it up for yourself.
That's exactly what I did.
I went out there and I lookedit up for myself.
That's how I came to myconclusion.
I want people to go out thereand look at things for
themselves.
Don't trust one source.
Don't look at Fox.
Don't look for something that'sjust going to back up your
point of view.
Look at different views.
Look at why people feel the waythey feel.
(43:59):
Look at what this person ispresenting as facts and see if
be your own fact checker.
Don't look at Snopes.
Don't look at Politifact.
Don't look at anything else.
Look at the facts that are infront of you and make the
decision for yourself.
If you're calling an MSG rallywith a bunch of different
ethnicities a white supremacistrally, there's something wrong
with you.
Travis Yates (44:20):
We didn't even know that there was a 1939 rally
at the Madison Square Gardenuntil the Until the media tells
us that Actually I did because Ido read a lot of history.
Okay.
Zeke Arkham (44:32):
Excuse me, so I actually knew about that.
But what people don't know isthat Woodrow Wilson screened
Birth of a Nation, which isbasically a love letter towards
the Ku Klux Klan.
At the White House, peopledon't go at Woodrow Wilson like
that.
What I do know is that Lyndon BJohnson was a racist.
What I do know is that he's theone who stopped the original
(44:55):
Civil Rights Act, which had alot more teeth.
Travis Yates (44:58):
The Democratic Party stopped it.
Zeke Arkham (44:59):
The Democratic Party yeah, they didn't vote for
it, no, but he directly stoppedit because he didn't want to
destroy his party.
And then he came out withanother civil rights act that
didn't have as much of a bite toit.
So a lot of people don't knowthat, but a lot of people, you
know they like to think oh well,the party switched, oh well,
this happened.
Travis Yates (45:18):
Oh, that's the craziest one right there.
So yeah, there was obviously.
I don't know what you'retalking about.
That's the craziest one to me,everybody about.
That's the craziest one to me,everybody abraham lincoln,
republican on.
But it's justified by thisweird party switch.
Explain that to our audience,because that's the craziest one
I've ever heard.
Zeke Arkham (45:34):
Well, apparently at some point in time no one can
actually point out when thishappened, but apparently at some
point in time democrats lookedat republicans.
Republicans looked at democratsand went, hey, uh, do you mind
if we pull one of these moves?
And everybody agreed and shookon it.
And if you were a Democrat,you're now a Republican, if
you're a Republican, you're nowa Democrat.
Travis Yates (45:54):
And of course they say that because Republicans
championed abolishing slavery,Republicans championed the Civil
Rights Bill.
The Republicans championed allof this.
So the only way you can justifythis now is this weird switch
thing right.
Zeke Arkham (46:07):
Yeah, In my opinion , some dummy came out and said
it and it just took off.
Crazy.
My thing is did a coupleDemocrats become Republicans?
Sure.
Did a couple Republicans becomeDemocrats?
Sure.
I'm not going to dispute that,but to say there was a party
switch where they all kind oflooked at each other and went
yeah, we're going to you know,yeah, this whole logic thing I'm
(46:29):
going to take your office, youtake mine.
We're going to do all this.
That didn't happen.
Travis Yates (46:35):
See, this whole logic thing has gotten you in a
lot of trouble, I know, but Iwant to put it in a pill and
give it to people.
Man, I really love it and we'reget down to it.
Man, tomorrow's a big day.
Give me your, give me yourprediction.
Give me your prediction.
We'll live forever in historyon podcasts, right?
What do you think is going tohappen on Tuesday?
Zeke Arkham (46:53):
I think I have to believe Trump's going to take it
.
I have to believe that justbecause I'm looking at the early
numbers, they look really goodfor Trump.
I'm hoping he does a full sweepof every swing state out there.
I can see they're alreadytrying to cheat.
It's already out there.
But I think the problem withwhat they did in 2020 is that
they can't replicate it in 2024without people catching on early
(47:18):
and going hey, hey, what'sgoing on here?
And people getting themselvesway more involved.
The problem with when you beatsomeone in a fight is that if
they're smart, they learn fromit.
Now, do I think the GOP haslearned from it?
No, do I think regularAmericans have learned from it?
Yes.
So regular Americans are goingto be way more vigilant this
(47:40):
time and look at any kind ofshenanigans and fully way
they're going to be like, hey,listen, we're not going to have
this go on.
So I think Trump is going totake it.
I think Trump is going to win.
I have to believe that becauseif we're looking at four years
of Madam President, kamalaHarris which I almost threw up
saying just now if we're lookingat four years of that, this
country is screwed.
(48:02):
The rest of the world isscrewed, and if people are
foolish enough to vote forKamala Harris, then they better
be ready for what comes alongwith it.
We're talking about World WarIII.
We're talking about Russiabeing bolder.
We're talking about China beingbolder.
We're talking about North Koreabeing bolder.
We're looking at terroristsbeing bolder.
We're looking at a worldwideeconomic disaster.
(48:25):
People are going to have tounderstand what comes along with
a Kamala Harris presidency.
If you want to save thiscountry, if you quite literally
want to save this world, votefor Trump.
Travis Yates (48:36):
Well, and you're not mixing words there, and
you're correct.
What people don't understand isif you think censorship is bad
now, if you think using DLJ togo after political opponents is
bad now, if you think thatthere'll ever be a fair election
ever again, vote for thatperson.
Kamala Harris yeah, put her inoffice, because you've already
seen what they've done with somepower.
You give them all the power.
(48:57):
I mean you've got the DLJ rightnow fighting Virginia to let
illegals vote.
I mean they're showing youeverything they're going to do,
which is pretty crazy.
I'm going to give my predictionreal quick, zeke.
You can call me and laugh at meif I'm wrong.
I say Trump takes six of theseven swing States and he picks
off a surprise.
That's what I'm going to say.
(49:18):
There's going to be a surprisestate.
He's going to pick one of thoseoff.
That's my prediction.
Uh, zeke, harkin, man, I, Iknow we talked about a lot of
stuff.
I, if I didn't say it already,I want to say I appreciate your
boldness and courage.
You don't see it that way.
That's the way creative peopleare.
They just who you are.
But that's what we're trying todo here.
We need people to stand up, notfor a political party, not for
(49:42):
a person free.
And my faith tells me there isone truth.
There's not multiple truths,there's no my truth.
There is one truth you are alight in a sometimes can be a
very dark, dark world, sir, andI certainly appreciate you.
Thank you for being here.
Zeke Arkham (49:56):
Thank you so much for having me.
I really appreciate your words.
Thank you so much.
Travis Yates (50:00):
And before we forget, where can people reach
out to you at?
Where are you at?
At?
How can they contact you?
Zeke Arkham (50:05):
uh, on twitter or x , excuse me x.
Uh, zeke arkham.
Z e e k a r k h a m.
That's my main social mediaplatform.
I'm also on instagram samehandle, zeke arkham where I do
my video rants.
But, uh, if you really want toreach out to me, anybody who
wants to contact me twitter'sexcuse me, x is is the way go,
(50:27):
because I do most of my trashtalking right there.
Travis Yates (50:31):
All right, thank you so much, sir, and if you've
been watching, if you've beenlistening, thank you for doing
that.
And just remember, lead on andstay courageous.
Speaker 2 (50:40):
Thank you for listening to Courageous
Leadership with Travis Yates.
We invite you to join othercourageous leaders at www.
travisyates.
org.
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