Curtis Eller is a banjo player, songwriter and rock & roll singer who's songs describe a dreamlike vision of American history where all points in time have collapsed into one. A twenty-year show business veteran, Eller has developed a devoted international following with his band, The American Circus.
I'm giving away two tickets to see Curtis in Cleveland on Saturday, July 15th at the Wizbang Circus School and Theater. To enter, just share this episode and follow Curtis on social media and send a link to your post or a screenshot to bzlistening@gmail.com. All Patreon supporters will automatically be entered. The winner will be announced on July 12th.
Links to follow and support Curtis Eller:
https://curtiseller.bandcamp.com/
https://www.patreon.com/curtiseller
https://twitter.com/CurtisEller
Songs used in this episode:
Jimmy Falun Gong is the pseudonymous host of the podcast “Programmed to Chill”, which describes itself as a show about “business, crime, parapolitics, and esoterica”. Jimmy does multi-part deep dives into the history of intelligence agencies, who financed hitler, the industrialists who profited and persisted after WWI and II, international spycraft, and it only gets darker and weirder from there. He’s got a wry and dry dry style of breaking down his research on dark and slippery topics that I enjoy quite a bit.
We talk about our paths to paranoia, why more people should be more paranoid and attentive to local issues, some of his podcast’s greatest hits, the origins and reasoning for Jimmy’s cheeky alias, and much more.
P2Chill Links: https://linktr.ee/ProgrammedtoChill
Unedited episode available to Patreon supporters: https://www.patreon.com/bzdouglas
I recently watched the excellent video essay, "A Modern Anarchism Part 1" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ag9EcQsqP_8), and immediately reached out to the creator, Anark, to schedule an interview. On today's episode, we dive right into discussing how we each came to adopt anarchy as our political identities, how we practice anarchy individually, and then swim around in some philosophical waters as we envision the many facets of a modern anarchism.
Anark's video is described as follows:
"This video is the first in a several part series where I am developing a modern synthesis of anarchism. It is not intended as an introduction to anarchism, but instead a broad coverage of anarchist ideas, discussing the state, Capital as Power, kyriarchy, the mega-machine, queer anarchism, Black anarchism, social ecology, decolonial ideas, and much more... Here we will lay out the anarchist mode of structural critique and apply this theory of power to a variety of hierarchical power structures."
Follow and Subscribe to Anark:
https://www.youtube.com/c/Anark
https://www.patreon.com/Anark
https://twitter.com/AnarkYouTube
It's time for a review of 2021 and what the major events of the last year mean for us going forward in 2022.
Original Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swh9G2qxlsc
*** PANELISTS ***
Contraband
https://www.thecontrabandwagon.com/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoqBnhnfqzB6GFPdode6pbg
Progressive American
https://progressive-american.com/
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheProgressiveAmerican
https://twitter.com/conor_politics
Brenton Lengel
https://twitter.com/BrentonLengel
https://www.youtube.com/user/Despanan
Mustache Bob
https://twitter.com/MustacheBob2
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUYQqszpbFSIvFKWPNcE9pg
My guest today, the first of the new year, is Nico Walker, author of the novel, Cherry. The book is a fictionalized account of an unnamed character who follows a path very similar to Walker’s own life story. He joins the army at 19, serves in Iraq as a medic, spirals into heroin addiction as he deals with crippling PTSD, and finally sets off on a spree of bank robberies.
This interview actually came about because Nico reached out to me a few weeks ago following the publication of my investigation into Tony Viola’s wrongful prosecution. Walker was Viola’s cellmate a decade ago, and the two have kept in touch over the years.
On today’s show, Walker and I discuss Iraq, the spirals of addiction, the futility of the drug war, and the frustrating tragedy of Viola’s case.
+++ SUPPORT +++
Likes, Shares, and Subscribes are free, and they help with the Algorithm gods!
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/bzdug
Substack: https://bzdouglas.substack.com
PayPal: https://paypal.me/bzdouglas
This Friday I’ll be doing a livestream year in preview and Q&A on YouTube, Twitch, and Twitter Spaces. I’ll preview some of the stories I’m looking into, and share some ideas on other projects I’m hoping to produce.
A meta discussion of my latest story investigating allegations of prosecutorial misconduct against Dan Kasaris and Mark Bennett.
Read the full report here: https://bzdouglas.substack.com/p/unreliable-witnesses-suppressed-evidence
Please support my independent journalism by becoming a paying Substack subscriber or Patreon supporter.
The story of Tony Viola told in the press up until now leaves one with the impression of a devious criminal who was defrauding banks out of nearly fifty million dollars through a complicated mortgage fraud scheme with a cast of shady operators. If the news coverage was to be believed, the affable, honorable, and generous person Viola’s friends and family all knew was merely a facade hiding a duplicitous, unscrupulous, greedy monster.
Visitors of FreeTonyViola.com will find a much different story. It’s a scrappy but fairly polished little website managed by Viola himself, setup with the express purpose of providing journalists and lawmakers with evidence of Viola’s innocence by exposing the flagrant prosecutorial misconduct he has endured.
Several local and national journalists have quietly taken an interest in his case, but have either been intimidated by the possibility of litigation, too busy to thoroughly vet Viola’s claims, or stymied by editors and publishers.
Visit https://bzdouglas.substack.com to read the full story.
My interview with LaTonya Goldsby and Kareem Henton, President and Vice President of Black Lives Matter Cleveland. We discuss this local organization's history, and the important work they are doing in Cleveland and the surrounding areas to help the Black community, demand for justice for victims of police violence, and push for major reforms policing in our area.
A major topic of discussion is the potential impact of the passage of Issue 24, which would establish meaningful citizen oversight of the Cleveland police through an amendment to the city charter.
** Links to follow and support BLM Cleveland **
https://www.blmcle.org/
https://www.facebook.com/BLM216
https://twitter.com/blm_216
https://www.instagram.com/blm_216/
https://linktr.ee/BLMCle
** More about Issue 24 **
The Amendment:
https://clevelandcitycouncil.org/ClevelandCityCouncil/media/CCCMedia/Documents/Charter-Amendment-by-Init-Petit-CPRB-4-20-2021.pdf
Citizens for a Safer Cleveland:
https://safercle.org/
I have been approved to utilize the Video Podcast feature on Anchor.fm, so to test it out I'm posting my full report on Vincent Belmonte's killing by East Cleveland Police officer Larry McDonald. If your podcast app doesn't support video, you can watch the report on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8R0yFss27M
On January 5th, 2021, Vincent Belmonte was killed by East Cleveland police officer Larry McDonald. McDonald was pursuing Belmonte on foot and claims that Belmonte turned, pointed his gun, and threatened to shoot McDonald. We can only take McDonald’s word on this, because he shut off his bodycam moments before this alleged threat from Belmonte occurred. Based on information currently available to the public, the case hinges entirely on believing McDonald and ignoring the physical evidence. Based on McDonald’s and the East Cleveland Police Department’s reputations, there is no reason to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Mariah Crenshaw of Chasing Justice, LLC has been tracking officer training closely for nearly 3 years now. Prior to that, Crenshaw assisted the Department of Justice in their administration of the federal consent decree that was imposed on the city of Cleveland.
For the first “Monday with Mariah”, she joined me in my home to go over some details about Larry McDonald and the East Cleveland police that didn’t make it into my report. That conversation organically moves into a discussion about the investigation and legal actions Chasing Justice is engaged in regarding officer training.
Taking the podcast back to its musical roots today with NYC-based alternative band, Believe in Ghost! On today's show we talk about their new EP, "BOO!", their musical origins, how they navigated the pandemic, and the beef behind their new song "Keep in Touch"
I covered a Shontel Brown campaign event this weekend, and captured her having a "Please Clap" moment all her own.
(This audio is from the YouTube report, which provides more detail, but functions perfectly as a podcast. https://bit.ly/shontel-brown)
Joining me is Dr. Richard Montgomery, who shares his reactions to Shontel Brown's stump speech.
Dr. Montgomery former mayoral candidate for the city of Euclid, as well as an activist who follows Cuyahoga county politics very closely.
I was first referred to Dr. Montgomery while working on the documentary series State of Injustice, about the systemic abuses of the Euclid Police Department, and the failures of that city’s mayor and city council to hold them accountable.
+++ SUPPORT MY WORK +++
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/bzdug
Substack: https://bzdouglas.substack.com
PayPal: https://paypal.me/bzdouglas
### FOOTNOTES ###
"What Cuyahoga County Residents Need to Know about Shontel Brown and her Campaign for Congress" by Keith Wilson
https://bit.ly/shontel-brown1
"Shontel Brown outraises, outspends the field in Cuyahoga Council District 9 Democratic primary" by Andrew J. Tobias, Cleveland.com
https://bit.ly/shontel-brown2
"Former Cuyahoa County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora Convicted of Racketeering" - FBI.gov
https://bit.ly/shontel-brown3
"Marcia Fudge issued Hatch Act warning over political remarks at White House" by Sabrina Eaton, Cleveland.com
https://bit.ly/shontel-brown4
"Fudge reprises Friends for Fun at Frederick’s" by R. T. Andrews, realdealnews.com
https://bit.ly/shontel-brown5
“Former deputy of Cuyahoga County auditor sentenced to prison for bribing Frank Russo and Jimmy Dimora” By James F. McCarty, The Plain Dealer
https://bit.ly/shontel-brown6
“Shontel Brown must resign as Cuyahoga County Democratic Party chair” by Editorial Board, Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer
https://bit.ly/shontel-brown7
“Shontel Brown Approved Major Contract, Then Contractor Backed Her Campaign” by Matthew Cunningham-Cook, Sam Allard for The Intercept
https://bit.ly/shontel-brown8
“Nina Turner Opponent Shontel Brown Is Low-Key Pleading for Super PAC Support”
by Ryan Grim, The Intercept
https://bit.ly/shontel-brown9
Armond Budhish on Racism
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3Oq18AbSMI
Shontel Brown YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCARuPiqBoGzDt0cYfKYJKGg
Secretary Marcia Fudge Visits Lock 3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d29iyW8_EWg
Peanut Butter Jelly Time on Green Screen
https://bit.ly/pbjellytime
Tim Collingwood is a local actor, playwright, stage manager, arts advocate, and activist. On this episode, we discuss his experiences and perspectives in activism as a person on the autistic spectrum.
Please enjoy this unscripted, unedited, emergency episode announcing the release of my new documentary series State of Injustice!
Our Indiegogo Campaign to fund the pilot season ends on Wednesday 3/24. For the last day, I'll be co-hosting an all day stream-a-thon from BLM Cleveland. You can catch that stream via one of the links below. We're going to have some pretty incredible guests and discussion throughout the day, so please pop by and say hi! I never hear from you lovely listeners enough.
Stream-a-Thon Links
The stream will also be running concurrently on BLM Cleveland and BZ Listening pages, but I'd really rather drive up likes and subscribes on the doc's channels.
My guest today is John Bonifaz, the Co-Founder and President of Free Speech For People. He previously served as the Executive Director and then General Counsel of the National Voting Rights Institute, an organization he founded in 1994, and also served as the Legal Director of Voter Action, a national election integrity organization.
John joins me to have a discussion about the hot topic of impeachment. We go through the arguments in the book Bonifaz co-wrote with Ron Fein and Ben Clements, THE CONSTITUTION DEMANDS IT: The Case for the Impeachment of Donald Trump.
Follow John and FSFP:
Today’s episode is taken from a video report I posted on Wednesday. It’s the story of the Cleveland Warriors, a semi-professional football team in the National Public Safety Football League, and how their management snuck Tamir Rice’s killer, Timothy Loehmann, onto the team. When black players found out and complained, they were pushed out themselves.
I am very happy to report that this morning I awoke to learn that the president and vice president of the Warriors have both resigned in the wake of this scandal.
State of Injustice
This documentary series will examine Ohio city by city, in order to expose all of the ways that the state's law enforcement departments and judicial systems are failing its citizens. The series will begin in Euclid, Ohio, with the death of Luke Stewart.
Support BZ's Work
BZ & DZ sit down with local activist Devorah Phillips to talk about the fascist riots at the Capitol on 1/6.
My guest today is Dr. Joel Schwartz, a clinical psychologist who specializes in working with adults with childhood trauma, neurologically diverse children and adults, and is a strong proponent of the neurodiversity paradigm.
I share a bit about my experience living as an ADHD'r, and learn about how understanding has evolved in the 30ish year since I was diagnosed.
Articles:
Links:
A few weeks ago I assisted the People's Archive of Police Violence in Cleveland in setting up and conducting an interview with Emanuel Franklin, father of Desmond Franklin.
On April 9, 2020, plainclothes Cleveland Police officer Jose Garcia, badge #2168 shot and killed Desmond. Garcia drove in an unmarked car, fired five shots into Franklin's moving vehicle, killing Franklin, whose car crashed into a cemetery wall. Special prosecutor Daniel Kasaris, from Ohio Attorney's General Dave Yost's office has taken the case and is currently considering whether to present to the Grand Jury. Meanwhile, Garcia remains on paid leave.
How You Can Help
If you live in Ohio, call the Ohio Attorney General's office (1-800-282-0515), and urge them to take this case to the Grand Jury to seek indictment of Officer Garcia.
If you are a Cleveland resident, call City of Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson (216-664-2000) and demand the firing of Jose Garcia by Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams for the murder of Desmond Franklin.
Don't stop there, demand that Calvin Williams be removed, and in 2021 vote Mayor Jackson out of office.
Today’s guest is technically me, as I’m re-broadcasting an interview I gave with Brenton Lengel on his YouTube channel a few weeks ago about an article I published at the end of October: "Euclid officer Matthew Rhodes and officials throughout Ohio facing charges of homicide, dereliction of duty due to non-compliance with state-mandated training"
Most Recent Video Report:
Caught on Body Cam: East Cleveland Commander Attempts to Steal Drugs Seized as Evidence
48hr Virtual Music Festival Event Page
Livestream will be broadcast on my Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter
