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BZ & DZ sit down with local activist Devorah Phillips to talk about the fascist riots at the Capitol on 1/6.

Watch this episode on YouTube 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: Ten Minutes of ADHD-ing or What a 1930s Anti-War Novel Has to do With Neurodiversity Reframing ADHD Links: Total Spectrum Counseling Twitter

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 Support my work on Patreon Subscribe on Substack 48hr Virtual Music Festival Event Page Livestream will be broadcast on my Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter Snow White Zombie Apocalypse Issue #3 Kickstarter

BZ Douglas moderates a panel discussion with local activists about who they're voting for up and down the Cuyahoga County ballot, and how they feel about their choices. Panelists: Mariah Crenshaw - Chasing Justice, LLC Kareem Henton - Black Lives Matter Cleveland Keith Wilson - Cuyahoga County Progressive Caucus

Today's episode contains bombshell revelations that have the potential to shake Ohio law enforcement to its core. My guest is Mariah Crenshaw of Chasing Justice LLC. According to her research, a significant portion of officers in the state ("40-60%" in her opinion), are currently operating while designated as "cease function" according to Ohio Revised Code 109.803 and Ohio Administrative code 109:2-1-12.  Crenshaw has widened her focus to EVERY DEPARTMENT IN THE STATE. Requesting 10s of thousands of records, cataloging, annotating, organizing, databasing, and preparing materials that could be used in lawsuits all over Ohio.

(Audio fixed, if there's an audio gap in the intro, re-download the episode) Today my guest is Tim Tolka, author of Blue Mafia, which is best described by the closing line of the first chapter: “This is the story of two police departments, their turbulent relationship with the local community, and how a 'crazy' lawyer risked everything to bring in a higher authority.” Blue Mafia has many lessons for other cities in Ohio and across the nation. It is also a harrowing tale of how the gears of our legal and civic machinery can chew up activists, lawyers, and victims of police violence. https://timtolka.com/ https://twitter.com/TimTolka https://twitter.com/BlueMafiaBook ********* Brian "BZ" Douglas is an independent movement journalist and podcast producer. All work is 100% reader/viewer supported.  Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/bzdug Newsletter: https://bzdouglas.substack.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/bzdug Podcast: "BZ Listening" on all the podthings

Today the show is returning to its roots, showcasing criminally overlooked grassroots artists, with one my favorite acts and friends from NYC, Jadon Woodard. We talk about his origins in music, the ups and downs, and his days free-styling on the trains of NYC alongside Charley Crockett as part of "The Train Robbers". This episode contains tracks from Jadon’s brand new album, “Late to the Party”, along with some audio from Train Robbers circa 2013. Spotify Instagram Twitter Facebook https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqAkm5Tx4jI

Today I am interviewing members of the People's Archive of Police Violence in Cleveland. I first learned of them while covering a Black Lives Matter Cleveland "Defund the Police" protest on the fourth of July, where volunteer Emily Forsee spoke about the importance of documenting police brutality. In this episode I’ll be speaking with Emily and two of the creators of the archive Carol Steiner and Keith Wilson, to discuss some of the work they've done, why they're doing it, and how you can help. When I interview musicians, I typically intersperse four or five songs throughout the interview. Today I'll be doing the same thing but using stories from the archive, specifically the 2015 People's Tribunal on Police Violence collection. You will hear the stories of Alicia Kirkman, Brenda Bickerstaff, Clarence Jones, and Bernadette Rolen. Visit archivingpoliceviolence.org or @policeviolence_cle on Instagram for more info. Support my independent journalism: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/bzdug Newsletter: https://bzdouglas.substack.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/bzdug

Here's a teaser of my very first guest appearance on another podcast: Stoner Morning Show. The host, Shawn Wickens, is an old friend of mine from my improv days in NYC. Last year he mentioned on Facebook that he wanted advice on how to start a podcast, and I told him everything I learned in exchange for him being a guest on my show.  I can’t thank him enough for returning the favor so that I can talk a bit about the work I’m doing now, how I came to do it, how I will be doing it, and why I think it’s important. Support my work: Follow on Twitter Become a Patreon Supporter Subscribe to my free newsletter

Kareem Henton joins me today to discuss what first roused him to activism, how BLM functions as an organization nationally and locally, and what his greatest hopes and fears are for the outcome of this national protest movement. A lot has happened since my last episode. Let’s see: Bernie dropped out, a global pandemic broke out, which caused the economy to fall off a cliff, a national uprising against the police is in full swing, and on a personal note, as of last Friday I am officially a published journalist. For the story behind that story, check out my interview with Brent Lengel on his YouTube channel. BLMCLE: https://www.facebook.com/BLM216/ https://www.paypal.me/blmcle Other orgs that need support: The Bail Project Cuyahoga County Jail Coalition Northeast Ohio Black Health Coalition If you have any extra cash to spare, please consider supporting me on Patreon. I’ve decided to take the leap and quit my full-time job as a web developer in order to pursue journalism as a new career, and the only way I can pull it off and remain completely independent is with your support

On today's episode I interview local delegate and organizer for the Bernie campaign, Devorah Phillips. We chat about what led her to becoming a Bernie Sanders supporter, our recollections of the 2016 campaign, the lessons learned and ongoing frustrations with the primary process, and what a delegate does and how to become one. Most importantly, we discuss the benefits of canvassing, not just for the candidate, but for yourself and your neighbors Go to events.berniesanders.com to join the movement, take our government back from the wealthy, and make some history.

Today I’m going to do something a little different, which might draw in some new listeners, but that’s not the point. The point is for the weeks remaining before the Ohio primary on March 17th, I am going to devote this podcast to advocating for Bernie Sanders. Listeners will know that I’ve taken quite a long stretch between episodes recently. A big part of the hiatus has to do with my Bernie journey, going from donor and online-only supporter to an active volunteer that makes calls, performs data entry, and finally this weekend door-to-door canvassing. Initially, I thought I’d make this episode all about my longer Bernie journey, how I first became aware of him, and what his candidacy means to me. Instead, I decided I’d kick things off by talking about the my first weekend canvassing. Find a Bernie event near you: http://events.berniesanders.com/

Today my guest is painter, musician, and all around creative person, Atomic Houdini.  The podcast is still officially on break, but I wanted to chat with Atomic Houdini about his upcoming art show / release of his album Dandelion Fireworks. He’ll be displaying fourteen paintings based on each song from the album, the first five of which you’ll hear in this episode. That show will be going up on Saturday, February 29th at Negative Space from 4:30 to 7:30. For more info, click here. Facebook  Instagram Soundcloud

An improvised attempt to explain the present state of and future plans for the podcast.  If I had to put it into bullet points: I'm putting more time into volunteering for Bernie Sanders The fuckeditude of the world at large has had me rattled A random opportunity came up for me to perform in an incredible new play as part of CPT's Entry Point Shoutouts and love to all the Patreon supporters and my wife Deb The podcast will go on, but the frequency and subject matter is going to vary a bit more. Bullet Point that I'm very curious to see if anyone read Happy 2020!  :party-hat: :mushroom-cloud: :fire: :fire: I believe the official slogan is "Worst Year Ever"

I first saw Justus performing a couple weeks ago at the McFarland Manor November show. On today's episode, I chat with him about his creative process, how he became "big in Algeria", his terms of success, and the lessons he's learned navigating Spotify's playlist algorithm. Justus has a new track Risky debuting today, December 11th, on Spotify. Listen thru until the end of the episode to hear it, and be sure to add it to your playlists if you dig it! Follow Justus Online: Instagram Spotify

Today I’m bringing a new thing to the show with my guest Shawn Wickens, who will forever hold the distinction of being the first comedian on the podcast. I met Shawn about twelve years ago, back when I was going through my improv comedy phase. He happened to be passing thru Cleveland a couple of weeks ago on his way to play a show in Louisville, Kentucky, and swung by the house to catch up. We chat about the improv scene circa 2007-8, how he came to found the Bad Theater and Film festivals, and his latest endeavor co-hosting The Stoner Morning Show with fellow comic Lex Morales, which just kicked off its own podcast this week! Be sure to check out stonermorningshow.com for all the 411 about this 420-themed show. This show is ad-free, and that’s all thanks to my Patreon supporters. I recently updated some of the benefit tiers, and anyone donating $3 or more per month is supposed to get a shoutout on the show’s footnotes for that month. Since it’s Thanksgiving this week, and I’m way overdue on the shoutouts, I’d just like to take a moment to thank my first two BZ Backers: Michael Hornsby (this months winner of the swag giveaway) and Michael McFarland (a former guest and incredible musician, artist, and producer). And lastly, my boss at Blackbird Digital Pat Walsh, who kicked in $12 month to earn himself a BZ Producer credit, and includes a plug. It’s not even hard for me to talk up Blackbird as an agency. I’ve been a web designer and developer for over twenty years, working at over a dozen international and local agencies, and Blackbird is far and away my favorite. Blackbird combines award-winning web design, acute knowledge of technology, and marketing savvy to help your organization. We specialize in developing for WordPress and HubSpot, but never shy away from working in something new if necessary. The sites we build are always set up with self service in mind, so you won’t have to come back and request help every time you want to make changes. To learn more visit Blackbird.digital, and if you sign on as a client, I'll probably be the one coding your site! If you would like to become a supporter, just click here!

Today my guest is writer Christopher Johnston, and we’re discussing his book “Shattering Silences: Strategies to Prevent Sexual Assault, Heal Survivors, and Bring Assailants to Justice”. Chris also has a new play with Playwright’s Local, Live Bodies for Sale. The show premieres tomorrow Friday November 22, and will run until December 15th. You can find more information and tickets at playwrightslocal.org. Additional links: Cleveland Rape Crisis Center Greater Cleveland’s Coordinated Response to Human Trafficking The Joyful Heart Foundation Human Trafficking at Human Scale in Live Bodies for Sale 5 Must-See Productions: Fall Theater Preview 2019

My guest today is actor and musician, Ben Paul Williams. I first met Ben about 10 years ago at a little open mic in Astoria Queens. We chat a bit about his stage career, the recent pull he’s been feeling to getting back to performing original music, and play a little catchup since the last time we spoke. So suffice to say, Ben has been one of my favorite people for quite a while. If you are in the Milwaukee area or have friends thereabouts, be sure to catch Ben at Linneman’s Riverwest Inn this Sunday, November 24th. After that, keep an eye on https://www.benpaulwilliams.com/ for more shows.

Today my guest is Cal Folger Day, a singer-songwriter that’s a bit hard to pin down genre-wise, but if I had to slap a label on her, it’d probably be “Avant Folk”, similar the band Cutleri, who I had on earlier this year. Cal is based out of Dublin, Ireland, but I met her around 2010 back when we were both living in New York City. We chat a bit about her early days in the thrall of classical music, her time in NYC, the differences between Ireland and the US, and her latest endeavor writing and performing “verbatim pop operas”, which I didn’t even know was a thing until I started doing background for this interview. I highly recommend checking out this audio documentary by “The Lyric Feature”. It chronicles the process of creating one of these operas “The Woods and Grandma”, which is based on stories of Lady Gregory, Yeats and George Bernard Shaw as told by the Gregory granddaughters Anne and Katherine. Just a reminder that this Wednesday November 13th is the deadline to sign up as a Patreon supporter at any level for a chance to win a signed copy of “Snow White Zombie: Apocalypse” by Brenton Lengel, my Halloween guest. This is the latest patron perk that I’m calling these “Swagstakes”, where once a month I choose a supporter at random to receive some swag from a guest.