On seasons 1 and 2, we took a deep look into policing and criminal justice in America. This season on The Untold Story, we go even further, with three investigations of injustice happening in your own backyard. From executive producer Jay Ellis and Lemonada Media, this season covers how we can fix the humanitarian crisis happening at Rikers Island; why your tax dollars are funding software that leads to over policing in our most vulnerable communities; and the racist roots of the debunked medical term excited delirium. Host Travon Free talks to real people who have experienced the effects first-hand, as well as lawyers, organizers, and city officials who are all part of the effort to answer the question: How can we hold our most powerful institutions accountable?
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Submit ReviewHey listeners! We’re dropping in your feed today to give you the first full episode of Lemonada Media’s brand-new show, Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
On the premiere episode of Wiser Than Me, Julia sits down with the one and only Jane Fonda. With a career spanning over six decades, Jane – now 85 years old – hits all the highlights: staying fit at any age, fantasizing about funerals, getting heckled on set by Katharine Hepburn…and something about a fake thumb.
The first two episodes of Wiser Than Me are out now, with new episodes each week. To hear more, head to https://lemonadamedia.com/show/wiser-than-me-with-julia-louis-dreyfus/.
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We’re dropping in your feed today to let you know that Last Day is back! But we’re doing things a little differently this time around, and we want to give you a sneak peek of what’s to come. Last Day is and has always been a show about the moments that change us, fundamentally and forever. So, each week, we’ll be bringing you a new story about someone’s “last day” — who they were before, and how they’ve found a way to exist in the after. We’ll laugh. We’ll cry. We’ll share real conversations with real people who have lived through turning-point days they’ll never forget, and have wisdom to share from the other side.
The first new episode of Last Day is out now, with more episodes releasing every week. To hear more, head to https://lemonadamedia.com/show/lastday/.
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We’re dropping in your feed today to let you know about a new Lemonada Media series, DISCARDED. DISCARDED tells the story of a modern-day Erin Brockovich, set on the Mississippi River in an area known as “Cancer Alley.” Her name is Sharon Lavigne, her community is St. James Parish in Louisiana, and her fight is to keep out one of the largest plastic manufacturing companies in the world. In this investigative four-part series, hosted by Emmy award-winning journalist Gloria Riviera, we unwrap the complex world of plastic through the lens of Sharon's story. Because plastic is everywhere - it has advanced our world, but it has damaged our environment. So, we take a look at what’s next for all of us and how we can learn from communities like St. James to make a difference in our own backyards.
In this clip of episode one, you’ll be introduced to The Sunshine Project, which is a $9.4 billion proposed petrochemical plan that would sprawl across 2,400 acres of St. James Parish, Louisiana, pushing up against the community that has lived and died there for generations. Lifelong resident Sharon Lavigne becomes an accidental activist after trying to save her community and its history.
This series is presented in partnership with Only One, the action platform for the planet. Only One is on a mission to restore ocean health and tackle the climate crisis in this generation — with your help. Visit only.one to learn more and get involved.
To hear more of Discarded, head to https://lemonadamedia.com/show/discarded/
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From Futuro Investigates and Latino USA —in partnership with Lemonada Media—“USA v. García Luna” tells the story of the most powerful Mexican government official ever to face trial in the United States for his alleged ties to the infamous drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
Peniley Ramírez has one obsession: Genaro García Luna, Mexico’s top security official from 2006 to 2012. For years, Peniley broke news of his alleged corruption in Mexico and the U.S.. Yet, García Luna seemed untouchable. That is, until his name was brought up by a former cartel leader during Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán’s U.S. trial. Now, he faces his own trial. In this episode, Peniley dives into the latest with her new friend Maria Hinojosa. Over a bottle of tequila, they raise questions about what García Luna's upcoming trial says about the role of the U.S. in the “war on drugs.”
To hear more of the series, head to: https://link.chtbl.com/USAvsGarciaLuna
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There has been a lot of media coverage around recent spikes in violent crime. A LOT. Even though overall crime rates are at historic lows, many people are feeling unsafe and want solutions. Most people also want to tackle our country’s incarceration crisis while addressing public safety concerns. As it turns out, these things go hand in hand. Join us for this special live event between Lemonada Media and The Just Trust to hear from executive directors of three leading criminal justice reform advocacy organizations – a former Police Lieutenant, a former federal prosecutor, and a social worker focused on drug law reform – about the intersection of safety and criminal justice reform in this moment. We’ll ask questions like “what really makes communities safer?” (hint - it’s not more prisons), and “what myths do we need to bust about justice reform?”
The bottom line is that the criminal justice system impacts all of us, and we all have a role to play in making it better – in every city, in every state, regardless of who is in the White House or the Governors’ mansions. Join us as we break down some of the most urgent strategies for change, and how unlikely allies across sectors are leading the way.
This is a sponsored episode by The Just Trust, a philanthropic venture that is 100% dedicated to powering criminal justice reform, state by state and across the country. Visit TheJustTrust.org to learn more.
Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.
Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.
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In this episode, host Travon Free uncovers the racist roots of the debunked medical term “excited delirium.” A study from Maryland in 2017 found that excited delirium was referenced in 11 percent of cases where someone died in police custody. And when these cases go to court, the concept of excited delirium can be used to argue that the police did nothing wrong. How did TASER, a couple of doctors and a handful of so-called experts take a meaningless psychiatric term and get it picked up by police departments, medical professionals and courtrooms all over the country?
The Untold Story is a Lemonada Media original and is presented by Campaign Zero. This episode is produced by Nicolle Galteland with production help from Hannah Boomershine and Priscilla Alabi. Supervising producer is Kristen Lepore. Production intern is Jala Everett. Fact checking by Steve Crighton. Music, sound design and mixing by Hannis Brown. Engineering from Andrea Kristinsdottir. Executive producers are Jessica Cordova Kramer, Stephanie Wittels Wachs, DeRay Mckesson and Jay Ellis. You can find host Travon Free on Instagram and Twitter: @Travon.
Resources:
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Can you hear the difference between a firework and a gunshot? ShotSpotter says it can. It's a private sector company that uses microphones to detect gunfire and alert police to the scene. The company says it’s a powerful tool to stop gun violence, but critics say it’s an excuse to overpolice some of our most vulnerable communities. How did this technology with questionable accuracy lead to million-dollar contracts with police departments across the country? Travon walks us through the case of Silvon Simmons, a man falsely accused of shooting a cop, all because of an eight-second audio file from ShotSpotter. Plus, conversations with a former 911 operator and a city councilmember in Durham, NC, about the fight against ShotSpotter.
The Untold Story is a Lemonada Media original and is presented by Campaign Zero. This episode is produced by Hannah Boomershine with production help from Nicole Galteland and Priscilla Alabi. Supervising producer is Kristen Lepore. Production intern is Jala Everett. Fact checking by Steve Crighton. Music, sound design and mixing by Hannis Brown. Engineering from Andrea Kristinsdottir. Executive producers are Jessica Cordova Kramer, Stephanie Wittels Wachs, DeRay Mckesson and Jay Ellis. You can find host Travon Free on Instagram and Twitter: @Travon.
Resources:
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Rikers is a pretrial detention center and while people await their day in court, the conditions at the island are simply inhumane due to violence, overcrowding and inadequate medical care. Rikers is scheduled to close in 2027 but at the rate we're going, eighty more people might die on the island before the jail is shut down. How do we untangle this culture of perpetual violence at Rikers? And could an intervention called a federal receivership make conditions more humane for the people who live there? Host Travon Free uncovers why a receivership might be the only solution that could actually make things better for people right now.
The Untold Story is a Lemonada Media original and is presented by Campaign Zero. This episode is produced by Nicolle Galteland with production help from Hannah Boomershine and Priscilla Alabi. Supervising producer is Kristen Lepore. Production intern is Jala Everett. Fact checking by Steve Crighton. Music, sound design and mixing by Hannis Brown. Engineering from Andrea Kristinsdottir. Executive producers are Jessica Cordova Kramer, Stephanie Wittels Wachs, DeRay Mckesson and Jay Ellis. You can find host Travon Free on Instagram and Twitter: @Travon.
Resources:
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From executive producer, Jay Ellis, and Lemonada Media, season 3 of The Untold Story drops October 25. Host Travon Free talks to real people about the injustices happening in your own backyard.
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The Letter is a new original true crime podcast hosted by award-winning journalist Amy Donaldson. This 8-part narrative series tells the story of the brutal murder of Zachary Snarr, which took place in Salt Lake City, UT, on August 28, 1996. The Letter weaves a story of forgiveness, guilt, and what happens after the headlines die down and the real story begins.
On Zach Snarr’s last day alive, he got up early to help his father at work, he cleaned the kitchen for his mother and he made his sister laugh. But on August 28, 1996, the 18-year-old never came home from his date with Yvette Rodier at a reservoir outside of Salt Lake City. Instead, two police officers and a chaplain came to ring the bell. It was every parent’s nightmare, a devastating loss that rocked a community and shattered lives. But Zach’s mother, Sy Snarr, finds hope from a most unlikely place and it comes in the form of a weekly phone call. Get more information and photos on our website, theletterpodcast.com.
Head to https://link.chtbl.com/TheLetterPodcast to listen to the second episode.
Researched and reported by Amy Donaldson
Written by Amy Donaldson and Andrea Smardon
Production and sound design by Andrea Smardon
Mixing by Trent Sell
Special thanks to Nina Earnest, Becky Bruce, KellieAnn Halvorsen, Ryan Meeks, Ben Kuebrich, Josh Tilton and Dave Cawley
Main musical score composed by Allison Leyton Brown
With KSL Podcasts Executive Producer Sheryl Worsley
For Lemonada Media, Executive Producers Jessica Cordova Kramer and Stephanie Wittels Wachs
And Executive Producers Paul Anderson and Nick Panella with WorkHouse Media.
The Letter is produced by KSL Podcasts and Lemonada Media in association with WorkHouse Media.
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For far too long, the United States has put mental healthcare on the back burner. Through enormous advocacy and the initiation and rollout of the 988 hotline, a theoretical lifeline is now at the fingertips of every American. But in a country with a deep history of criminalizing mental health, will 988 live up to its potential? Today, Stephanie explores how 988 came to be, along with all the promise and peril it carries. Weekly special correspondent Zak Williams shares his personal mental health journey, how stigma impacted his father, Robin Williams, and how the actor’s death inspired him to become a mental health activist. We also meet Congressman Seth Moulton, mental health advocate Keris Myrick, Executive Director of the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline John Draper, and Director of the Sozosei Foundation Melissa Beck.
Listen to more of Call for Help by visiting https://link.chtbl.com/CallForHelp.
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The producers of this series wanted to share another Lemonada Media series with you as a resource in the wake of the recent Supreme Court verdict.
In this special breaking-news edition of In the Bubble with Andy Slavitt, Andy helps you understand the impact of yesterday's Supreme Court decision on Roe v. Wade. As health clinics in several states halt abortion procedures due to the decision, Andy gets reaction and action items from Caitlin Cruz, a reporter from Jezebel who covers reproductive rights; Grace Howard, an expert on reproductive law; and Renee Bracey Sherman, a reproductive justice activist protesting outside the Supreme Court. Find out what the ruling means, where to seek help if you or someone you know is worried they could be prosecuted for their actions, and how to support those in need.
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The producers of this series wanted to share with you another Lemonada Media series that they know you’ll love. V Interesting is hosted by V Spehar - who is out from under the desk and into your ears! They're starting off by sharing some of the headlines you may have missed this week, including exactly who’s rewriting the national reading curriculum, how Biden may have actually started the U.S. student debt crisis, and how people feel about returning to the office after working remotely during the height of the pandemic (spoiler alert: not great!) Then, a conversation with Jules Suzdaltsev, a Ukrainian-born journalist and creator of the hit TikTok show, “Good Morning, Bad News." V and their news bestie discuss how Jules has navigated the ever-changing media landscape, why news outlets are censoring graphic content, and how citizen journalists are using social media to teach us about events like the war in Ukraine.
Follow Jules’s work on TikTok at @goodmorningbadnews and on Twitter at @jules_su.
Keep up with V on TikTok at @underthedesknews and on Twitter at @VitusSpehar. And stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.
For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.
Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium.
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The producers of this series wanted to share another Lemonada Media show with you that they know you will find helpful in a critical moment where the country feels as if it’s spinning out of control. It’s called Last Day. In this award-winning series, Lemonada co-founder and author Stephanie Wittels Wachs confronts massive epidemics with humanity, wit, and a quest for progress. Now, back for a third season, Last Day grapples with guns in America, asking: How can we live safely in a country with more guns than people?
As Americans look for solutions in the wake of this week's unimaginable shooting in Texas, the Last Day team asks: Who does the Second Amendment protect? In this episode, they trace its racist roots, learn why a former firearms executive blames the gun industry for sowing fear, division, and maybe even anarchy in our country, and take a look at how we ended up in this culture of fear, mass shootings, and other acts of violence.
To hear more Last Day, head to https://link.chtbl.com/LastDayPodcast
Resources:
To learn more about the people and organizations featured in this episode and access critical information about suicide and violence prevention visit: https://lastdayresources.simvoly.com/.
Stephanie Wittels Wachs is the host. Jackie Danziger is our supervising producer. Our producers are Kegan Zema and Giulia Hjort. Hannah Boomershine and Erianna Jiles are our associate producers. Andi Kristinsdottir is our audio engineer. Music is by Hannis Brown. Our story consultant is Kaya Henderson. Executive producers are Jessica Cordova Kramer and Stephanie Wittels Wachs. This season of Last Day is created in partnership with the Kendeda Fund, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Pritzker Pucker Family Foundation, Levi Strauss & Co, and Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund.
Follow Stephanie on Twitter and Instagram at @wittelstephanie. Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. If you want to continue the conversation with other listeners, please join our Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/lastdaypodcast.
By the way, we have two whole other seasons! Go listen to them wherever you’re listening right now. You can also get premium content and behind the scenes material by subscribing to Lemonada Premium on Apple Podcasts.
Want to become a Lemonada superfan? Join us at https://joinsubtext.com/lemonadasuperfan.
Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and all other Lemonada series: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.
To follow along with a transcript, go to www.lemonadamedia.com/show/lastday shortly after the air date.
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The producers of this series would like to share with you another show they know you’ll love. BEING is reality TV for your ears, an innovative new audio format like no other podcast you've ever heard. This season, it’s BEING Trans.
This week, we meet Sy, a nonbinary transgender legal assistant in Los Angeles. They transitioned after marrying their husband, Robert, and having a baby. While things seem great on the surface, Sy confesses they've been putting off having a tough conversation with Robert about their transition and how it might affect their romantic relationship. And speaking of putting things off ... on this episode, we also meet Jeff, a trans man and comedian who has been procrastinating about taking his hormone shots. He's been avoiding talking to a doctor about it, but he soon learns he may have put his body at great risk.
Subscribe to BEING Trans at https://link.chtbl.com/BEINGTrans
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In episode 1, our team travels to Montana, where cowboy culture reigns supreme, everyone is armed, and 86% of firearm deaths are suicides. There, we meet a couple that represents all the contradictions at the root of America’s gun debate: One is a suicide prevention advocate, and the other is the most adamant Second Amendment supporter we’ve ever met. Plus, our team tries out shooting some big-ass guns.
To hear the next episode of Last Day, search for Last Day wherever you are listening right now or click https://link.chtbl.com/LastDay
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In all 50 states, people caught up in the criminal justice system can becharged fines and fees for everything from the cost of police transport duringarrests, to the cost of room and board for their time behind bars. In this episode,Jay learns about the back story of how Pay to Stay policy was inspired by a killerclown. And he speaks to experts and journalists about how Pay to Stay policieslock people into a never-ending cycle of debt and involvement with the criminaljustice system.
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Host Jay Ellis is a fan of crime scene investigation TV shows - he’s even acted inthem! But in this episode, he learns that all the fancy forensic science the heroesof those shows use to solve crimes are not as good as they seem on TV. Jay speaksto experts about how forensic practices were developed and why they aren’t thereliable science they seem to be. He takes listeners on a field trip to the oneforensic lab in the country that’s getting it right and speaks with a woman whospent 13 years in prison for a crime she didn’t commit because of bad forensicevidence used against her at trial.
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Host Jay Ellis has dealt with shoplifters first-hand, back when he was a teenaged retail manager at a high-end shoe store. But he never learned about the other side of the story - what motivates people to shoplift and what happens to them if they’re caught. In this episode, Jay learns that people can become convicted felons for stealing as little as $200 in value in some states, because of Felony Theft Thresholds written into state law. Jay hears from people who have first-hand, personal experience dealing with the fallout of felony theft convictions. He also speaks to experts who unpack why these policies aren’t helping anyone. Listeners can learn more about felony theft policies in their own states, and find out what they can do to help increase felony theft thresholds at raisethethreshold.org.
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In season one of The Untold Story, host Jay Ellis (Insecure, Top Gun: Maverick, Mrs. America) took us on a journey to understand policing and its pitfalls. Now, he's back to tell you about some of the things that can happen after you get arrested. You might be aware that America's criminal justice system incarcerates more individuals than any other country. But did you know that you can have your life ruined for stealing something as small as a pair of jeans? Or that the forensic evidence used against you may not be based in scientific fact? Or that once you get out of prison, you might be hit with a large bill for your stay? The Untold Story Season 2: Criminal Injustice takes a hard look at the system we've built and asks: Does it need to be this way? And what can we do about it? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Visiting a loved one in prison is both emotionally intense and constrained by countless rules — from how much PDA is too much PDA, to what kind of candy you can eat inside. One year after California prison authorities suspended in-person visits due to COVID-19, we bring you stories from and about visiting rooms, and hear how families are adjusting to video “visits.”
Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX. Find a full list of episode credits at earhustlesq.com.
As always, thanks to Lt. Sam Robinson and Warden Ron Broomfield for their support of the show.
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Written Off is a 13-part series that shines a light on young writers who found their voice inside the U.S. prison system.
“Untitled.” Written by Dee Davis. Performed by Jay Ellis. After losing loved ones to COVID this past year, Dee is now living in Vegas and finding meaning in teaching other writers of similarly troubled backgrounds.
Written Off contains mature language and themes and may not be appropriate for all listeners.
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Believe Her is true crime, upside down. In September 2017, young mom Nikki Addimando shot and killed her partner, Chris Grover. She was sentenced to nineteen years to life in prison for murder. Through rare access to police audio, a month-long trial, conversations with Nikki, and original reporting, journalist Justine van der Leun lays out the killing, the evidence, and the aftermath. As this six-part series unfolds, listeners will put together different pieces of a disturbing puzzle. One thing is clear: perception does not equal reality. Believe Her is a riveting chronicle that grapples with assumptions we make about domestic and sexual violence, the long reach of trauma, and the ways in which survival is criminalized, leaving us shocked at how far people will go to avoid seeing what's right in front of them.
From Lemonada Media and Spiegel & Grau.
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Walter Thompson-Hernández speaks with formerly incarcerated young writers whose work will be read over the course of the season by creatives like John Legend, Issa Rae, Yvonne Orji, Karamo Brown, Jay Ellis, Keke Palmer, Julio Torres, and Jesse Williams. Vulnerable poems and honest stories play out against a tailored soundtrack with original music. From Lemonada Media and Black Bar Mitzvah. The voices of those locked up in the U.S. prison system have been all but written off, but no more. These aren’t voices you’ve missed; they’re voices that haven’t been heard.
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Jay Ellis is back, exploring no-knock raids through the eyes of a family who, unlike Breonna Taylor, survived a terrifying evening of mistaken identity. Joined by experts, Jay explores a system that allows for warrants, raids, and civil-asset forfeiture. Netta and DeRay also join to share a blueprint for how Breonna’s life could have been spared.
Learn more at endallnoknocks.org and nixthe6.org
Thank you to the Cash App for sponsoring our show. Download the Cash App in the App Store or Google Play store today.
For additional resources, information, and a transcript of this episode, visit https://www.lemonadamedia.com/theuntoldstory
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It’s our solutions episode! Jay arrives at six things that have got to be eliminated in order to usher in substantial improvements to public safety and policing in America and he talks with Netta Elzie (activist, organizer and co-founder of Campaign Zero) about how she transformed her own grief, frustration and anger into steady irrefutable progress. Step one: dive in.
Learn more at nixthe6.org
Thank you to the Cash App for sponsoring our show. Download the Cash App in the App Store or Google Play store today.
For additional resources, information, and a transcript of this episode, visit https://www.lemonadamedia.com/theuntoldstory
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From the 48-Hour Rule to the Law Enforcement Officers’ Bills of Rights, Jay talks with social scientists and legal experts about a criminal justice system that offers special protections to the police that are neither offered to civilians nor backed by hard science.
Learn more at nixthe6.org
Thank you to the Cash App for sponsoring our show. Download the Cash App in the App Store or Google Play store today.
For additional resources, information, and a transcript of this episode, visit https://www.lemonadamedia.com/theuntoldstory
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Fueled with new information about the power of police union contracts, host Jay Ellis is determined to figure out if real change is even possible. So he heads to Austin, Texas where community organizers Sukyi McMahon and Chas Moore changed the course of history...in a city council chamber.
Learn more at nixthe6.org
Thank you to the Cash App for sponsoring our show. Download the Cash App in the App Store or Google Play store today.
For additional resources, information, and a transcript of this episode, visit https://www.lemonadamedia.com/theuntoldstory
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Police unions in America are powerful organizations that protect vulnerable, hard working Americans… except when they don’t. Host Jay Ellis shares his personal motivations for untangling the twisted web of public safety in America. Then, Jay calls up Campaign Zero’s DeRay Mckesson and Samuel Sinyangwe to learn more about police unions’ stranglehold on justice and security in America. Learn more at nixthe6.org
Thank you to the Cash App for sponsoring our show. Download the Cash App in the App Store or Google Play store today.
For additional resources, information, and a transcript of this episode, visit https://www.lemonadamedia.com/theuntoldstory
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Join host and actor Jay Ellis (Insecure, Top Gun: Maverick, Mrs. America) as he seeks to explore the untold story of policing. Jay’s mission: demystify police union contracts, separate truth from fiction, and deliver some concrete steps that can end violent police misconduct across the United States.
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