Leid Stories

Leid Stories - 05.12.15

Yielding to the Duopoly: Is There A Left Left?

The 2016 presidential election is picking up steam. That doesn’t seem to be the case, however, with an organized opposition to the six-of-one/half-dozen-of-the-other kind of politics we’ve been having for a long time now. It appears we’re still stuck with the Republican-Democrat duopoly. Even big labor and heretofore populist and left-of-center movements and organizations seem to be adapting.

“Is there a left left?” That’s the question Leid Stories poses to listeners today.

Leid Stories - 05.07.15

In Baltimore and Chicago,  Fancy Footwork on Police 'Reforms';
A Scholar Tackles White Historiography

The mayors of Baltimore and Chicago yesterday did some fancy footwork on the matter of bringing their respective police departments in line. They cleverly
staged news events that made it appear that they were hands-on in responding to their cities' demands for closer oversight of their police departments,  when in fact they were passing the buck.
Baltimore's Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake asked the Justice Department to probe her city’s police department for civil rights violations, and Chicago's Rahm Emanuel announced a $5-million "reparations" fund for victims of police torture.
Leid Stories explains why the cities' chief stewards refuse to take their out-of-control departments head on.
Noted Caribbean scholar-historian and  novelist Jan Carew tackles white-supremacist historiography, focusing on the Seminole Wars.

Leid Stories - 05.06.15

Struggling Detroiters Repel New Taxes
The High Cost of Police 'Reforms'

Still under the yoke of bankruptcy, Detroiters yesterday voted down a measure by the city to offset corporate tax breaks with new taxes for residents. Proposal 1 went down in flames, but the city continues to bank empty lots and foreclosed homes for future sale to real estate interests, and 25,000 homeowners face water shutoffs this month.
Abayomi Azikiwe, our correspondent in Detroit, reports.

Its routine now, especially in the aftermath of particularly egregious conduct by police officers, for public officials and advocates alike to call for "reforms." But the evidence is showing little, if any, movement on what is widely acknowledged as a national crisis.
Meanwhile, the toll climbs, and African American and Latino communities inordinately bear the brunt of the lethal consequences of police misconduct and excessive use of force.
Leid Stories says these targeted communities not only must press their demands, they should play a leading role in defining and deciding what "reform" means.

Leid Stories - 05.05.15

El Cinco de Mayo: Steeped in the Battle Against Slavery

It’s perhaps one of America's most misunderstood commemorative days, but El Cinco de Mayo should be one of its most widely celebrated. 
Advertising campaigns would have us believe it's about tacos, guacamole and beer, but in fact El Cinco de Mayo is steeped in a protracted struggle by conjoined Native, African and Spanish-speaking peoples in the Americas against European imperialism and the genocidal policies that accompanied it.
Dr. David E. Hayes-Bautista, author of "El Cinco de Mayo: An American Tradition," explains the hidtorical significance of the commemorative day.
Hayes-Bautista is a professor of medicine and director of the Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture at the School of Medicine, UCLA.

Leid Stories - 05.04.15

Baltimore: A Legal Primer on Cop Indictments in Freddie Gray Case

Baltimoreans rejoiced last Friday after State's Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby announced the indictment and arrest of six police officers allegedly connected to the death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old local man, while in their custody after an illegal arrest April 12.
Gray, who suffered a severed spinal cord and crushed voice box among other injuries, died a week later. His death touched off a series of protests locally and nationally, including a rebellion in Baltimore that was quashed by martial law.
Indictment of the police officers, however, is no guarantee of convictions in the case, says our guest, "Attorney at War" Alton H. Maddox Jr. There are major legal obstacles to overcome,  he says, noting that the Baltimore Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 3, the officers' union, has already asserted that the officers did nothing wrong. 
Maddox, an expert on police-brutality and wrongful-death litigation, provides a legal primer on the case.

Leid Stories - 05.01.15

Free Your Mind ... and Ours, Too!
Now is the time for all good folk to come to the aid of each other. Put forward your best thoughts, analyses and ideas about issues and events of the week and keep us all grounded. 
It's "Free Your Mind Friday" on Leid Stories, the best open forum on the planet. Call in (888-874-4888; it’s free!) and dazzle us with your insights. 

Leid Stories - 04.30.15

Making Their Bones in Baltimore (Part 2)

The crisis in Baltimore has become a  backdrop for media hounds, political pundits, talking heads and just about every variety of sound-byte opportunist. Yet the systemic problems that are the Gordian knot around the embattled city are again being given short shrift. 
Even the "liberal" media are fully engaged in providing "coverage" that has more to do with sensationalism, stereotype and self-promotion than getting at the root of systemic problems that belie claims of social, political, economic and racial progress in America. 
Leid Stories tackles the issue head on.

Leid Stories - 04.29.15

Making Their Bones in Baltimore

The crisis in Baltimore has become a  backdrop for media hounds, political pundits, talking heads and just about every variety of sound-byte opportunist. Yet the systemic problems that are the Gordian knot around the embattled city are again being given short shrift. 
Even the "liberal" media are fully engaged in providing "coverage" that has more to do with sensationalism, stereotype and self-promotion than getting at the root of systemic problems that belie claims of social, political, economic and racial progress in America. 
Leid Stories tackles the issue head on.

Leid Stories - 04.28.15

Heartfelt Thanks for Your Support - Distorting the Truth About Baltimore
Utrice expresses thanks for the outpouring of love and support after yesterday's program.

A deliberate effort is being made to distort the crisis in Baltimore. Utrice explains why.

Leid Stories - 04.27.15

A Life-Changing Experience
An upset stomach turns out to be something that lands Utrice in the hospital undergoing a battery of tests that yield a somber diagnosis. 
She shares the experience with listeners.