Episodes
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Welcome to this electric, super-charged, high voltage brand-new episode of
Light âEm Up!As season 5 will soon be a rap and in the books, please tell a friend that lives overseas about us!
We are now actively being downloaded in 115 countries.
We expose and tell the truth in a world filled with confusion and bold-faced lies.
We delve into the facts not the fiction about: TASERS âConducted Energy Devices (CEDâs) also referred to as Conducted Energy Weapons (CEWâs): A weapon that is deemed to be âless than lethalâ and has been touted as saving lives and reducing civilian shootings, but in reality, carries the heavy baggage of a complicated past that Iâve personally observed being deployed in a punitive, wanton and capricious manner.
Weâll investigate:
â how law enforcement is said to deploy this weapon and how they often truly deploy it in reality.
Weâll examine:
â several case studies
â the CEW policy of The Akron Police Department (as one of its officers recently fired a TASER at an alleged person of interest riding a bicycle)
â the NYPD and its use of the TASER throughout the capital of the world, New York City
â and peel back all of the critical layers of the onion as to whether these devices can increase the incidence of death from its use.
Have you ever been tased?
From reputable law enforcement officers, Iâve been told that you lose control of your bowels and bladder for about a week following being tased.
The TASER is an acronym for, believe it or not, (Thomas A. Swiftâs Electronic Rifle), named after a favorite book of the inventor John Cover who developed the device in the mid 70âs. Cover was a NASA physicist.
The hand-held device can be used to incapacitate a person by transmitting a 50K volt electric shock delivered through two, small, barbed darts intended to penetrate clothing, puncture the skin and remain attached to the target.
The darts are connected to the main unit by a thin insulated copper wire and deliver a modulated or controlled electric current designed to disrupt voluntary control of muscles, causing temporary neuromuscular incapacitation (NMI).
If the heart is a muscle and it is governed by the electrical system of the human body, why couldnât this device affect the heart muscle? In peer reviewed research in the scholarly journal âCirculationâ from The American Heart Association â an article focused on: TASER: Electronic Control Devices Can Cause Cardiac Arrest in Humans.
In more than 1 instance, it has. The TASER is a branded name which can also be used as a stun gun by pressing it directly against the targetâs body, thereby administering an electric shock. Similar to a âcattle prod on steroidsâ.
Many in the law enforcement community stand firmly behind the Taser and disagree vehemently that officers are cavalierly using Tasers on people who are passively resisting.
However, the fact pattern shows instance after instance where officers have deployed this weapon -- even when they face little danger -- as a means to subdue unarmed people or in a punitive nature for those already in police custody.
You be the judge. Watch this video. Officer Used Stun Gun on a Migrant Holding a Toddler, video shows.
Tune in to hear ALL of the shocking and electrifying details and mucho, mucho mĂĄs.
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Welcome to this brand-new episode of Light âEm Up!
Tell a friend that lives overseas about us! We are now actively being downloaded in 114 countries.
On this investigative, educational and impactful edition of Light âEm Up â we expose and tell the truth in a world filled with confusion and misinformation.
We delve into the facts not the fiction about: Protecting your Constitutional & Civil Rights and educating you on topics that weâre betting you rarely hear or know much about but should know everything about.
We drill deep on:
â Pretextual traffic stops (something weâve given great attention to here on Light âEm Up)
â Section 1983 lawsuits
â and as a case study we examine Whren v U.S. (517 US 806 (1996), a landmark Supreme Court decision that relates directly to how law enforcement interacts with the public today.
With a fine-tooth comb, we examine the details as to what exactly is going on in Cleveland, Ohio as the Division of Police, which is currently under DOJ (consent decree) oversight, continues to allegedly cheat, stretch, break and violate the law by intentionally stopping and searching black drivers at much higher rates than white Clevelanders.
We explore âWhen cops become robbersâ: When law enforcement officers use their badge and authority to âgameâ the citizenry as they violate the spirit and letter of the law.
We tell the story of the Tenaha, TX Police Department, whose officers were (allegedly) intentionally using their authority to âshake-downâ the good people passing through their city limits. The lead officer directly involved literally expressed the intention of using âthe money that they get from thugs âfrom a newly created drug interdiction program to pay the townâs bills.
A class action lawsuit asserted that their pretextual traffic enforcement scheme was bogus and was designed solely to enhance the city financially and the defendants personally.
Especially for you, we have exclusive audio of the Rehnquist High Court as the attorney on behalf of the petitioner (Whren), Lisa Burget Wright, argues their position before the high court on April 17th, 1996.
Whren vs U.S. says that âa stop or search that is objectively reasonable is not diminished by the fact that the officerâs real reason for making the stop or search has nothing to do with the validating reasonâ. (Meaning that it is acceptable for an officer to make up a reason to stop you.)
We explore and define a §1983 lawsuit, which provides an individual the right to sue state government employees and others acting under the color of state law for civil rights violations.
For your education and empowerment, we explore §242 of Title 18, which makes it a crime for a person acting under color of any law to willfully deprive a person of a right or privilege protected by the Constitution or laws of the U.S., and we provide crucial insights as to what your rights are when you are stopped by law enforcement. And we delve into pretextual traffic stops: What are they, and how they are used against you.
We also offer a âKnow Before You Goâ pre-travel safety check-list that will help limit your potential exposure and hopefully reduce the likelihood of being pulled over for any legitimate or pretextual moving traffic violations.
Finally, we review an in-depth analysis of what more than 17,000 traffic stops in the City of Cleveland has exposed in and among the CDP (Cleveland Division of Police) as it initially appears that they disproportionately pull over Black drivers with much more frequency than white motorists.
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Welcome back to this brand-new, explosive, visionary, investigative edition of Light 'Em Up.
We're currently being actively downloaded in 114 countries, globally.
Thank you for your unwavering, constant support.
Without fear or favor, we shine the antiseptic light of the truth on any topic that we undertake and report on.
On this episode we focus on and explore emerging ways of addressing critical issues in the criminal justice system and policing â drilling down on and beginning a focused conversation as to:
Rethinking how law enforcement is deployed and all too often traffic stop by police.
Public safety has long been treated as the near-exclusive province of law enforcement agencies.
Police are tasked with countless challenging and many dangerous duties, including but not limited to:
â Responding to active crime scenes
â 911 calls for service (that are made all the more unpredictable by the prevalence of guns on our streets and gun ownership in the U.S.)
â People who are in the grips of a mental health crisis
â Domestic violence situations
The most common 911 calls include: business checks, disturbances, suspicious persons, and complaints.
Simply put, the police are over-tasked and vastly undertrained to deal with a myriad of complex issues that 21st Century Policing encounters and demands â especially those that center around mental health.
The risk of being killed while being approached or stopped by law enforcement in the community is 16 times higher for individuals with untreated serious mental illness than for other civilians.
For the safety of the public and law enforcement officers equally, we have to begin to re-think, re-examine and re-engineer these concepts, whether it be the biased enforcement of traffic laws by police which drive racial disparities in the criminal justice system or topics like weâve covered in the past such as âDWBâ or Driving While Black in America.
â Police in the U.S. conduct more than 20 million traffic stops per year
â Some 42% of African Americans say that police have stopped them just because of their race
â 59% of the U.S. public believes that this practice of racial profiling is widespread
â 81% disapprove of it â or at least express the concept that they do
Civilian first responders dedicated to traffic and road safety can better serve communities by resolving traffic and safety issues without the potential for punitive law enforcement action.
Racial profiling is a significant policing and social problem. We all witnessed how fast the police incident with Miami Dolphins star wide receiver Tyreek Hill escalated quickly from the body worn camera of the officer on scene.
To mitigate the risk of harm to both the police and the public, many municipalities have tasked unarmed, non-law enforcement responders to address nonviolent social and medical issues such as mental health crises or have narrowed the scope of police discretion and duties in traffic enforcement.
How many times have we seen in the past where a citizen is pulled over for a minor traffic infraction and it has escalated into a deadly encounter?
â An expired registration
â A crack in a windshield
â Littering
It happens every day, donât be fooled!
Click here to see the list of the top jurisdictions that have first responder programs across the U.S.
Tune in for ALL the explosive details and follow our sponsors Newsly & Feedspot.We want to hear from you!
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Welcome back to this brand-new, investigative, in-depth, exposé exclusively featured on Light 'Em Up.
We're actively being downloaded in 114 countries, globally.
Thank you for your unwavering, support.
Without fear or favor, we shine the antiseptic light of the truth on any topic that we undertake and report on.
Tonight, we examine the officer involved shooting of Michael Jones â by our very own Akron Police Department in the early morning hours of August 17th outside of a Duke and Duchess gas station, in Akron, Ohio. The 15 second unnecessary struggle took Jones' life and re-opened deep wounds between the people and the police in Akron.
Jones, a 54-year-old black man, was shot at point blank range and killed by an APD Officer during an altercation inside a U-Haul Rental Truck.
In a Light 'Em Up Exclusive Visual Investigation we've analyzed the body worn camera (BWC) of the officer involved shooting â frame by frame, meticulously we've rolled back the footage of the fatal traffic stop to examine the causes and consequences of the "officer created jeopardy" in this specific case.
With Miami Dolphins Wide Receiver Tyreek Hill in the news for being dragged out of his car in Miami Gardens, FL â this fact pattern put the issue of excessive force and officer created jeopardy at the forefront of countless discussions.
Our learning objectives for this intense episode â which may very well save your life or that of a loved one â will be to drill down on:
â The fact-pattern in the killing of Michael Jones
â Reasonable, Articulable, Suspicion (RAS)
â and introduce to you the concept of "Officer Induced Jeopardy".
In the realm of criminal law and law enforcement, the term Reasonable, Articulable, Suspicion holds significant importance. It serves as a critical legal standard that determines whether law enforcement officers have sufficient grounds to justify various actions, such as: stopping individuals, conducting searches or making detentions. If you are under arrest, you must be told of the charge you are in custody for and immediately read your Miranda rights.
Understanding RAS is crucial for both law enforcement officials and individuals to ensure a balanced approach to justice.
To help you better to understand we'll delve into the:
â Concept of RAS
â Its legal significance
â and its impact on various aspect of law enforcement practices.
As case studies we'll discuss 2 cases regarding the concept of "Officer Induced or Officer Created Jeopardy".
"Officer Induced Jeopardy" involves situations in which police officers unwisely put themselves in danger and then use deadly force to protect themselves. It can include the actions of officers who, without sound justification, willingly fail to take advantage of available tactical concepts like distance, cover and concealment, willingly abandon tactically advantageous positions by moving into disadvantaged positions without justification â or act precipitously on their own without waiting for available assistance from backup.
Grave tactical errors such as:
â walking into the path of a moving car
â reaching into the window
â jumping onto a moving vehicle
â then using lethal force to defend against the danger â as appears to have been the case in the killing of Michael Jones.
We'll interrogate the "final frame" approach found in Graham v Connor where the U.S. Supreme Court says, "courts should not second guess the "split second" judgements officers make in the heat of the moment".
Vehicle stops happen more than 50K times a day on average across America â by far the most common interaction between the police and the public, which disproportionately impacts drivers of color.We want to hear from you!
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Welcome to this incendiary, probing, brand-new installment of Light âEm Up.
Weâre currently being actively downloaded in 1âŁ1âŁ3⣠countries globally! Thank you, for your constant support!
In this intensive episode weâll investigate and unpack the cold-blooded killing of Sonya Massey â a 36-year-old mother of two and resident of Springfield, Illinois. Ms. Massey was concerned for her safety and called law enforcement to her home for protection.
Sonya Massey, was fatally shot in the head by the now terminated and criminally charged former Sangamon County Sheriffâs Office Deputy Sean Grayson in her own kitchen over a pot of water that was heating on the stove.
Today, with all the tangible evidence from a multitude of past deadly incidents with law enforcement â the argument could be made that it no longer seems safe for individuals of color and/or anyone who may be âspiraling downwardâ in the grips of a mental health crisis to call law enforcement for any assistance.
When a person is stuck in the unrelenting grip of a mental health crisis and they are rapidly spiraling downward â they need help, compassion, empathy and understanding. They donât need to be shot in the face and killed.
Law enforcement simply is not trained to properly handle such emergencies. A crystal-clear example of this was what happened to Daniel Prude in Rochester, NY.
Far too often the fact pattern turns out to be identical to the last senseless killing.
The officer dispatched to the call shows up on the scene:
â terrified (having little direct exposure to those who donât look identical to him)
â short on time
â short on patience
â and far too often short on the requisite racial sensitivity for the communities they are charged with protecting and serving
â short on the requisite âhumanityâ one needs to see people who need help as people, not as constant and potential threats
Many aspects of this case are perverted. This case serves as a textbook example of âofficer induced jeopardyâ.
As we press deeper, farther and wider weâll uncover the ever-expanding and troublesome issue of âWandering/Roaming Copsâ.
Wandering/Roaming Cops are law-enforcement officers fired by one department â sometimes for very serious misconduct, who then shortly thereafter find work in another agency.
A perfect example of this would be Timothy Loehman, who shot and killed 12-year-old Tamir Rice in Cleveland, Ohio.
The defendant, Former Deputy Sheriff Sean Grayson, had not one, but two previous DUI convictions and a history of personnel problems, but was still hired by the Sangamon County Sheriffâs Office.
Through an extensive number of exclusive Freedom of Information Act Requests (FOIA) weâve obtained the:
đ„ direct audio of Sonya Masseyâs mother, (Donna Massey) calling 9-1-1 emergency dispatch providing the dispatcher with advanced notice about her daughterâs mental state.
đ„ the last extensive communication from Sonya Massey as she called 9-1-1 emergency dispatch to notify them of a âprowlerâ at or nearby her home.
đ„ the troubling, gruesome, audio from the body worn camera video in the kitchen where Ms. Massey was fatefully gunned down.
đ„ Finally, Light âEm Up was extremely fortunate to receive a sound bite from the Governor of Illinois, the Honorable J.B. Pritzker â specifically on the Massey tragedy.
Donât move a muscle. Tune in to hear the shocking, sickening facts of this case.
In a time of uncertainty, facts provide clarity. Follow our sponsors Newsly & Feedspot here:We want to hear from you!
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Welcome back to Light âEm Up!
Directly from your support, we are actively being downloaded in 1âŁ1âŁ3⣠countries! Thank you so much!
There is so much trouble in this world. The threat vectors are endless.
This riveting, in-depth episode turned out to be one of our more educational, intensive and acclaimed episodes among our 80+ binge-worthy catalogue of work, now spanning 5 seasons.
With this new episode, we delve into the vast, intricate and complex process of radicalization â specifically, radicalization that leads to violence or violent radicalization (VR).
Radicalization is defined as: The process of supporting or engaging in activities deemed by others as in violation of important societal norms such as the killing of innocent civilians.
VR is a significant and growing threat domestically and worldwide.
VR can be understood as âan individual or collective process whereby normal practices of dialogue, compromise, and tolerance between groups/individuals with diverging interests are abandoned and one or more groups/individuals engage in violent actions to reach a specific (political, social, religious) goalâ.
In a context of increased social polarization, Violent Radicalization is affecting both majorities and minorities, targeting different forms of âothernessâ:
â racial
â ethnic
â religious
â political and
â gender-related as well.
This process is influenced by a myriad of inner-connected push factors.
đđąđđĄ đđĄđąđŹ đđ©đąđŹđšđđ đšđźđ« đ„đđđ«đ§đąđ§đ đšđđŁđđđđąđŻđđŹ đŹđĄđđ„đ„ đđ:
Weâll examine and define: Radicalization.
đ„ Drill down into some of the pathways towards becoming radicalized.
đ„ Ask why does an individual turn to violence as a means of achieving his or her desired goals?
đ„ Discuss some of the strategies to attempt to prevent radicalization.
đ„ Weâll expound on the concept of âotheringâ.
đ„ Providing background and context to help you better understand the concept of radicalization.
đ„ In a world built upon and bent on exposing your devaluation, weâll examine how the process of socialization can lead to the use of violence.
đ„ Interrogate how does the quest for personal significance constitute a major motivational and driving force that may push individuals towards radicalization and violent extremism.
đ„Weâll present empirical evidence consistent with our premise and discuss its implications for policies of preventing radicalization and in the hope of deradicalizing an individual or individuals.
Fact: 4 U.S. Presidents have been killed by gunfire. Political violence is nothing new in the U.S., or globally. This is a problem that isnât going away any time soon.
Youâll be out of breath after you tune in to hear ALL of the explosive details as we investigate those things that are done in the darkness. We expose them by shining the antiseptic bright light of the truth upon them.
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Welcome to this brand new, fact-revealing episode of Light âEm Up.
We're actively being downloaded in 113 countries! Thank you!
As promised, weâd be there when there was any update of significance in the 2023 case of the mysterious death of Crystal McCrory Jones in Oak Grove, Louisiana.
We're very fortunate again to speak with Jana Guyewski Latigar (Crystal's sister).
The fact pattern shows:
đ„ Within 1 hour and 45 minutes, the cause of death was ruled a suicide.
đ„ Two days prior to her death â the Ring Doorbell Camera was cut off.
đ„ Crystalâs husband Tony Jones at one time was employed by the âinvestigatingâ agency (W. Carroll Parish Sheriffâs Office).
đ„ Law enforcement supervision allowed a friend of the deceased womanâs husband to âinvestigateâ the case.
đ„ Argument has been proffered that Tony changed his story multiple times as to his whereabouts on the day Crystal died.
đ„ Shortly after his wifeâs death, Tony vigorously tried to collect on a $63K group life insurance policy.
In early May, our guest, Jana, traveled to our nationâs capital to advocate on behalf of her deceased sister and others who have suffered a similar tragedy.
The purpose of the trip was to discuss and examine the inconsistencies in the Homicide Victims Family Rights Act of 2021 (sponsor Rep. Eric Swalwell D-CA) and to bring awareness to how the Act does nothing for families who wish to seek a new set of eyes on their loved onesâ investigations that are ruled an accident, undetermined or suicide.
This bill establishes a framework for immediate family members of a murder victim under federal law to request a review of the victim's case file if the crime was committed more than 3 years prior, the murder was investigated by a federal law enforcement entity, all probative investigative leads have been exhausted, and no likely perpetrator has been identified.
Law enforcement can argue whatever it wishes â working to save face doesnât take any criminals off the streets.
Members of the Oak Grove community have expressed (some more quietly than others) that this case is tremendously sad and tragic on multiple levels.
It's a case plagued with far more questions than answers â because the authorities who should be actively seeking the answers are not.
Theyâve shared that due to what theyâve described as the "impotent, bungled investigatory management process and the apparent piss-poor procedures, policies and practices in place within the West Carroll Parish Sheriffâs Department (from the outset), there still has been no resolution, nor any modicum of justice for the victim, family or anyone â nor do they feel there will ever be any resolution or justice meted out". This case breaks their hearts.
A death investigation is supposed to answer lingering questions, not generate more uncertainty.
No matter who you are or what you do in life, if your spouse is dead in your home under any circumstances you can expect to be considered a suspect. That never happened for Crystalâs husband in this case. Why?
Who cancelled the Ring Doorbell Camera contract and why?
Was this coincidence or evidence of pre-planning, conspiracy or an attempt to cover the tracks of a murder?
Who approved a former colleague of the husband to catch this case?
Why the rush to judgement? What was the hurry?
Optics matter! The truth matters!
Seriously? â there arenât a ton of suspects in sleepy little Oak Grove, Louisiana.
Is a murderer walking the streets freely?
Join us as Jana delivers her deeply heart-felt, powerful remarks that she graciously delivered in Washington, DC.
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Welcome back to this exclusive, probing, fact-finding, comprehensive investigative edition of Light âEm Up âŠ
We are currently being actively downloaded in 1âŁ1⣠3⣠countries, globally.
We shine the antiseptic light of the truth on the multi-billion-dollar world of sports betting and the criminality that far too often surrounds these actions.
Actions that most recently have encircled and swallowed more victims from ALL of the Major Sports Leagues:
⟠Major League Baseball,
đ The National Basketball Association,
đ The National Hockey League,
đ The National Football League ⊠and beyond.
Weâll dig into the crimes investigated by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the probe centered around Major League Baseballâs mega super star Shohei Ohtani of Japan and The Los Angeles Dodgers and his former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara, now a convicted felon.And weâll probe into the most recent lifetime ban of the San Diego Padres infielder, the Venezuelan Tucupita Marcano, as the 24-year-old was found to have bet on and against his former team.
These and many other scandals have sent shockwaves throughout the major league sporting community and raised questions about the integrity of the sports and have started to create a negative perception that the games are not âon the levelâ.
The U.S. Sports betting industry set a record with nearly $11 billion in 2023 revenue.
This huge year represented 44.5% year-over-year increase from 2022, which previously held the record.
According to the American Gaming Association, 38 states and D.C. have legalized sports betting.
Only Utah and Hawaii have completely banned all forms of gambling.
We explore and investigate:
⊠The Chicago White Sox (dubbed the Black Sox due to the scandal) of Major League Baseball and the plan to fix the 1919 World Series.
⊠Jontay Porter (in the NBA),
⊠Tucupita Marcano (Venezuelan Infielder of The San Diego Padres in Major League Baseball),
And we report on Major League Baseball Rule 21 which states: âAny player, umpire or club or league official or employee, who shall bet any sum whatsoever upon any baseball game in connection with which the bettor has a duty to perform, shall be declared permanently ineligible.â
We probe into the signs and symptoms of a gambling problem and the behaviors that stem from âchasing your betsâ. If you or someone you know may have issues with compulsive gambling 1-800 GAMBLER can provide educational resources and help to try to curb these harmful activities.
Gambling takes many forms, but itâs always about taking chances. Thereâs typically money or other possessions on the line, and whether itâs the lottery, slots, or cards â winning or losing is always random.
Problem gambling â or gambling addiction â involves the compulsion to take chances that are capable of damaging personal, family, or vocational pursuits. Unfortunately, the loved ones of the gambler are often affected as much as the gambler. Itâs estimated that between 4 and 6 million Americans can be considered as having a gambling problem.
For each of these, there is a family who is also suffering. Donât suffer! Get help!
Tune in for ALL the explosive details and follow our sponsors Newsly & Feedspot here:We want to hear from you!
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Currently we're being downloaded in 113 countries! Thank you!
With the May 3rd, 2024, shooting and killing of Sr. U.S. Airman Roger Fortson in his off-base home in Fort Walton, FL, by an Okaloosa County Sheriffâs Deputy, we shine the antiseptic light of the truth in this deep, thorough and investigatory episode of Light âEm Up on the killing of black men in their homes by law enforcement.
Click the link to view the available Body Worn Camera footage + extra coverage on the Fortson case.
This isnât a topic anyone is talking about or wants to hear â these are precisely the topics we cover. In a time of uncertainty, facts help guide and educate.
The cold hard facts bear out evidence that the 2nd Amendmentâs âRight to keep and bear armsâ as well as the Castle Doctrine DO NOT apply equally nor consistently for individuals of color as it does for Caucasians. Note well: (The Castle Doctrine is a common law principle which states that individuals have the right to use reasonable force, including deadly force, to protect themselves against an intruder in their home.)
In this episode weâll unpack the:
⊠Actions taken by the Deputy Sherriff before, during and after the 6 shots he emptied into Mr. Fortson. Weâll examine what crucial dispatch and on scene information he had when he responded to the call.
⊠Examine similar fact-patterns in the cases of Amir Locke, asleep on the sofa in his cousinâs Minneapolis, MN apartment, Donovan Lewis (in his home in Columbus, Ohio) and the âOpen Carry Rightsâ of young 12-year-old Tamir Rice (in Cleveland, Ohio).
⊠Introduce you to a little-known concept of âdispatch primingâ (where the 9-11 dispatch officer âprimesâ the officer with information which can lead to âmistake of factâ deadly confrontationsâŠas in the Tamir Rice shooting death with the Cleveland Division of Policing.
The fact remains: Good intel saves lives; bad intel gets people killed.
⊠Weâll review closely the language of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Graham v. Connor, 490 U.S. 386 (1989) which is used daily to determine the legality of every UoF (Use of Force).
It's imperative that every person understands and comprehends the key components of the legal holding of this case, so much so that that we will itemize them verbatim in our âShow Liner-Notesâ for this episode here.
⊠Weâll expose the harsh history of many of the founding U.S. states on how they perceived black people as âpropertyâ and spoke unequivocally regarding their ârights, privileges and immunitiesâ to access to firearms.
This isnât argument nor conjecture, but the real-world fact pattern that we are faced with. We feel like we constantly ask this same question: Where do we go from here? Why do we keep coming back to this again and again? Will anything ever change?
The most recent effort in the U.S. House, The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020, is just as dead as its namesake.
We truly believe simply because this bill bears the name of George Floyd, no Republican will vote for it. It would be political suicide to do so. There seems to be no hope for it passing.
Tune in for the explosive details. Follow our sponsors Newsly & FeedspotWe want to hear from you!
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When we last spoke with our special and honored guest, we were being actively downloaded in 104 countries. Now, it's 112!
Welcome to this edition of Light âEm Up.
We provide you with the facts, never the fiction â we have an exclusive in-depth interview with one of our law enforcement subject matter experts who has served in the capacity as a high-ranking police administrator with a smaller, rural police department in the State of Mississippi just for you!
Again, he speaks candidly on the promise of his anonymity, delivering the unvarnished truth that you rarely get when the topic is ways to improve the process and processes of law enforcementâs service delivery with the public. Law enforcement can be very guarded with the information that it shares with the public. While they are public servants â far too often they hold the public in contempt and it shows with the levels of trust among many communities, especially of color.
We dig deep and draw down on the civilian complaint process as it relates to law enforcement and the public. Have you ever filed a complaint or wanted to do so against a police officer? A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction.
Filing a complaint is a means of governmental redress â and one of the most basic tenants at the root and foundation of our 1st amendment constitutional rights. The receipt of a complaint should trigger the Internal Affairs process â so a smartly crafted internal protocol is essential.
Our special guest stressed the fact that âthe complaint itself serves as a crucial piece of documentation and it becomes a discoverable public record which can be subpoenaed if necessaryâ.
"A complaint forces the hand of police supervisory officials to make a statement as to whether they approve of or sanction the official actions taken by their officers under the color of authority."
This process shines an intense, antiseptic light which examines the internal standards, policies, practices and procedures upon any given law enforcement agency. Conducting a thorough, accurate, relevant objective and timely investigation into every complaint can never be a bad thing â regardless of its ultimate outcome or the conclusions sustained.
The transparency, honesty and openness of the Minneapolis, MN, Chief of Police, Medaria Arradondo helped to assist him in keeping his job for 2 full years following the explosive, deadly actions taken by former MPD officer Derek Chauvin resulting in the death of George Floyd.
To do otherwise in the complaint process is highly risky behavior which can easily and quickly prove to be a death knell for the officer, department, city and Chief of Police.
The public should be encouraged that filing a complaint:
- Helps to make police brass aware of a given situation so that they have an opportunity to correct any alleged improper behavior.- Generates evidence in order to provide the best look at capturing a moment in time into what the current state of affairs are within the department.
- Can help shine an antiseptic light on and weed out the bad apples before it is too late, as one bad apple can spoil it for the entire bunch.
Itâs unfortunate but reality that in todayâs society â where everyone is a photojournalist and law enforcement is under an intense eye of scrutiny â you can be collectively judged by the actions of the least of you.
The purpose of taking a complaint isnât to win an argument with the complainant â it is to better understand the situation that is being contested and evaluate how the law enforcement agency is functioning as the information is filtered up the chain of command.
Everything has a cost, even the truth.
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Welcome to this intensive, no holds barred, educational episode of Light âEm Up!
Weâre working to tirelessly to expand our global footprint beyond 111 countries!
Tonight, we are honored to have back one of our all-time most honored guests.Our especial guest, Dr. Sandy Womack, Jr. -- who is no stranger to Light âEm Up -- is our tried-and-true source and resource who can unpack all of these hot and pressing topics for us and provide great clarity and wisdom to them to aide understanding.
Dr. Sandy Womack Jr. is a servant leader with over a generation of successful experience in urban education. Heâs an NCAA All-American wrestler with a doctorate in educational leadership, author, principal, district administrator, equity trainer, motivational speaker, and urban school turnaround specialist.
We ask the same question to Dr. Womack as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. asked in August of â67 when he addressed the 11th Annual Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in Atlanta, Georgia before over 100 Black leaders â âWhere do we go from here?â
Weâve reached a critical inflection point as we examine several crucial issues that currently impact the nation, and Black America specifically, in 2024.
He tackles the critical topics of:
â Race & politics: In 2024, the impact of Blacks being the 3rd largest group in America as it relates to political power.
â The black youth and what might its collective future look like; violence & the impact on the perception of Black youth, âKilling them before they growâ
â as well as the intersectionality of the future of a public education, funding and race, examining the question: Is a public education in danger of becoming obsolete?
Some 55+ years after The Kerner Commission got it right, yet no one listened, poverty, crime and inequality still infect our society. (President Lyndon Johnson constituted the Kerner Commission to identify the genesis of the violent 1967 riots that killed 43 in Detroit and 26 in Newark, NJ). We are still, all these years later, plagued by the same issues.
A riot is the language of the unheard. America still has failed to hear many things and act upon the defaulted promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned.
We are in an extended period of post-mortem reflection following the time during which racial justice protests were at their most intense.
We now have to ask ourselves:
â What has changed? And what hasnât?
â Have power and privilege truly been disrupted?
â Has oppression been alleviated?
â What will be the legacy of this moment where we saw global protests in the wake of the killing of George Floyd ⊠has it all been for nothing?
Dr. Womack stresses the fact that there can be no testimony without a test. He went on to say that âI canât be who I need to be if youâre not who you need to be.â And that the interconnectivity and focusing on what unites versus what divides is what is crucial for our collective advancement.
Womack stated that âPoverty is a huge cause of a variety of different things that impact upon the U.S.â and that âeducation is economic developmentâ.
Through the education of the future of the world, our youth, he works in an indefatigable manner to change the heart of people and bring the focus back to faith, hope and love.
Tune in to hear a wealth of his wisdoms â we guarantee without a doubt that you will learn much. Follow our sponsors Newsly & Feedspot here:We want to hear from you!
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Thank you for tuning in! Our global footprint has now reached 111 countries!
On this expanded, investigative episode we shine the antiseptic light of the truth on a 2019 murder case out of the state of Michigan. The People v Cabrera.
We are honored to sit down with Sarah Cintron, the mother of Juan Cabrera.
Juan was convicted of premeditated intentional murder at the age of 18 by a jury that only took 120 minutes to decide on a charge that mandated him by statute to serve Life in Prison Without the Possibility of Parole (LWOP) for a murder where the actual video evidence in the case did not in any way, shape or form show the face, clothing, nor any single, solitary identifying physical characteristic of the shooter. (View the video that the jury used in its deliberations here for yourself.)
How do you reach a unanimous determination of âbeyond a reasonable doubtâ with âevidenceâ such as this?
Material witnesses perjured themselves in statements given to police prior to trial and on the witness stand. Two material witnesses identified two totally different suspects other than Juan as being the shooter.
Two other key witnesses were given ENORMOUS sentence reductions, ultimately receiving probation on serious other felonies for their âalleged truthful testimony and cooperationâ against Juan.
Stemming from the lying and colluding witness statements of party attendees, law enforcement put out a âBOLOâ looking for a man named Claudio Estrada Jr., who wasnât even in the state of Michigan when this crime took place.
One witness was permitted to communicate with other witnesses via Facebook Messenger during her police interview â in front of a female member of the Ottawa County Sheriffâs Department.
Juanâs defense trial attorney (Chris Kessel, now the Michigan assistant attorney general) admitted under oath that he âreviewed the video evidence submitted by the prosecutor but did not conduct a frame-by-frame review of the videoâ.
When your client is on trial for his life, why not do so?
There were serious questions and concerns about a âconflict of interestâ on the part of Juan's attorney, due to the fact that during his trial he took on another extremely high-profile case (the Flint, MI Contaminated Water Cases) working for the same State of Michigan that was trying to put his client away for life.
What do you do when the police immediately suffer from âtunnel visionâ and âlock onâ to a suspect who they think and believe committed a crime? When this occurs â it's close to impossible to get them to look at or pursue any other suspects.
States across the nation generally have laws prohibiting people from making false police reports â with our special guest, we ask and examine â the question:
What do you do if the police are the ones furthering the false claims and advancing those claims with shoddy investigatory practices that have produced nothing but lies from liars â from the witness stand and in their sworn affidavits and official reports?
Sarah provides tremendously helpful insight and important awareness as to how you can navigate such choppy waters.
Just after midnight on February 16, 2019, a group of teens gathered at a hotel to celebrate the belated birthday of a mutual friend.
Two of the party attendees have a verbal altercation in the hallway right outside of the room. A fight ensued. All hell breaks loose, and lives are changed forever.Tune in to hear the rest of the shocking details.
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Weâre honored that youâve joined us! Thank you!
Weâre currently being downloaded in 111 countries!
We deliver the facts ⊠not fiction, covering every story with integrity and passion.
In this explosive, follow-up, investigative interview, we further shine the light of the truth and drill deeper, farther and wider with Jana Guyewski Latigar (the sister of Crystal McCrory Jones).
⊠We have word that KNOE News Channel 8 has a team of investigators actively working this case and will soon have an investigative report on the fact pattern regarding Crystalâs mysterious, untimely and shocking death.
⊠We've uncovered shocking details regarding the Forensic Pathologist in this case â and devastating errors that led to the exoneration of the West Memphis Three.
On February 9th, 2023 in the sleepy town of Oak Grove, Louisiana, (population: ~2,275), Crystal was found dead in her home from what was reported to be a âself-inflictedâ gunshot wound to the head.
The West Carroll Parish Sheriffâs Office (WCPSO) had this case âsolvedâ in 105 minutes â less time than it takes to drive from Oak Grove to Shreveport, LA.
From the initial deputy being notified by WCPSO to perform a âwelfare check on the deceasedâ â law enforcement would've had to find Crystalâs body; secure the crime scene, gathering, bagging and tagging all relevant evidence; canvass the neighborhood; track down any and all investigatory leads; interview any/all relevant suspects; complete all investigative written reports, while preserving the chain of custody ⊠in under 2 hours!
This would be amazing if it happened. In fact, it DID NOT happen this way! Police reports were strewn with misspelled words and inaccuracies, timelines of the spouse that donât match up. Premortem bruising was ignored and overlooked â which is a clear indication of a pre-death vicious struggle.
⊠What was the hurry? Why the rush to judgement?
⊠Why the hostile, combative responses from the Sheriff when family members of the deceased simply sought information into the death of their loved one? Isnât it normal for a devastated family to have questions, to seek answers?
In this exclusive interview Jana sheds personal insight from her trauma-informed experience on courageously, (slowly) working her way through the life-altering grief stemming from her sisterâs death. She shares insightful coping strategies for anyone dealing with similar traumas.
Also:
⊠We talk about Complicated Grief, which can occur as a result of the traumatic and unexpected death of a loved one. We explore the Cycle of Grief. Everyone experiences grief â it is part of our human experience.
⊠Other residents of West Carroll Parish have shared their concerns that thereâve been other cases that were quickly ruled a âsuicideâ when the facts weren't so clear.
Follow Justice for Crystal McCrory Jones (the Facebook Group honoring Crystalâs life and memory) and sign the Change.org petition which seeks to press law enforcement officials to re-open an investigation surrounding her mysterious death.
Tune in and be educated and empowered!
đđźđŹđđąđđ đđšđŠđđŹ đđš đđĄđšđŹđ đđĄđđ đđąđ đĄđ, đ§đšđ đđĄđšđŹđ đđĄđđ đđ«đČ!
Note well: All persons are innocent unless proven otherwise in a court of law.
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Welcome to this explosive episode of âLight âEm Upâ â actively being downloaded in 108 countries!
Thank you so much for your enormous response to our previous multiple record-setting episode!
As we continue to speak truth to power and shine an intense spotlight on the error-filled autopsy report and the unsubstantiated claims of the coroner, as well as the shoddy, crooked, backwoods investigational practices of the West Carroll Parish Sheriffâs Department and the shady, collusive actions on the part of the 5th Judicial Circuit District Attorney Ms. Penny Douciere â we offer this brand new fact-based, investigatory episode to you.
We submit that those involved in the âinvestigationâ of this case willfully have chosen to look the other way. THAT is a text-book definition of corruption and a dereliction of official duty under the color of authority. We ask, why? Why wouldnât the Louisiana State Police open an investigation? Why the rush to judgement on the part of the coroner?
On February 9, 2023 in Oak Grove, Louisiana (population 1,441), Crystal McCrory Jones was found dead in her home from what was reported to be a âself-inflictedâ gunshot wound to the head.
Her husband, Tony Jones (who reportedly at one time was an employee with the same W. Carroll Sheriffâs Department charged with âinvestigatingâ the case) was reported to be the last person who saw her alive, at or around 8 am on the day of her death.
Within 1 hour and 45 minutes of the knowledge of Crystalâs death, the case was ruled to be a suicide.
The fact pattern shows that there was extensive bruising on her hands, inner thighs, and a fingernail was broken off of her left hand: evidence of a pre-mortem struggle.
Bruising is bleeding into the surrounding tissue and there's no bleeding if the heart isn't pumping. Bruising is indicative of clear signs that there was an intense struggle, before she died â as once the heart stops pumping blood --- there can be no bruising.
As education is always a foundational pillar of Light âEm Up, in this fact-packed episode we drill down on:
⊠What is a medico-legal death investigation â and why it is of the utmost importance that it takes place in a timely, professional and painstakingly thorough manner. It didnât!
We define:
⊠What an autopsy and autopsy report are, the cause and manner of death and criteria for determining a suicide.
We ask:
⊠Who called in a âwelfare checkâ on Crystal in her home, and why? Were they trying to establish an alibi?
We investigate:
⊠The difference between a suicide and a homicide.
We highlight:
⊠specific Louisiana laws governing coronersâ duties, autopsies and investigations â which expose officials as derelict in their duty.
We clarify:
⊠the 4 major problems in conducting death investigations.
⊠And we instruct on the 5 objectives of an autopsy and a ton of other compelling aspects of this mysterious case.
How is it that every aspect of the criminal justice system and those officials charged with honoring their oath to protect and serve and do their sworn duty failed Crystal?
Crystal loved life â her presence blessed everyone who encountered her.
The sad truth is that if this can happen to her â it can happen to you!
Weâre in this fight! Weâll continue with this case until we see some form of âjusticeâ delivered to Crystal's surviving family members.
Follow this link to the Change.org petition for Crystal as well as the Facebook page remembering her here.
All persons are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.We want to hear from you!
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Thank you for joining us! Weâve now penetrated 108 countries globally, đšđ§đ„đČ because of YOU!
This case stunk from its inception.
Tonight, we explore the death of Crystal McCrory Jones, a sweet mother of 2 and a friend to all who were blessed to know her.
Youâve heard of homicide, defined as the unlawful killing of one human being by another. Weâre betting you may not have heard as much about uxoricide. The killing of oneâs wife. Youâll have to determine for yourself, but there are very suspicious details.
We were very fortunate to sit down with Jana Guyewski-Latigar (the sister of the deceased).
On February 9, 2023, in the sleepy town of Oak Grove, Louisiana, (2020 Census population: 1,441), Crystal was found dead in her home from what was reported to be a âself-inflictedâ gunshot wound to the head.
Within 1 hour & 45 minutes, cause of death was ruled a suicide.
Here are just a few more of the highly suspicious facts:
⊠Two days prior to Crystalâs death, the Ring Doorbell Camera to her home was cut off. Coincidence, or evidence of pre-planning or conspiracy?
⊠Fact: Her husband, Tony Joe Jones, was an employee of the West Carroll Parrish Sheriffâs Department â the department charged with âinvestigatingâ the case.
⊠No matter who you are or what you do in life, if your spouse is dead in your home, under any questionable circumstances you can expect to be considered a suspect.
That never happened in this case. Why not?
⊠There is argument that Tony changed his story as to his whereabouts and specific location on the day Crystal died.
⊠Google Location Data place him near the home, consistent with and in conjunction to the time of death initially listed on Crystalâs Death Certificate.
⊠The Parish Coroner initially changed the time of death from 10:35 AM to 5:05 PM, why?
⊠Shortly following his wifeâs death, Tony vigorously pursued efforts to collect on a $63K group life insurance policy.
⊠Soon thereafter, facts show that the husband had Crystalâs body cremated. Was this evidence of a âguilty mindâ, establishing the necessary legal âmens reaâ in an effort to destroy any physical evidence or prevent any hope of a 3rd party, independent forensic exam of the body?
⊠Upon Crystalâs death Jana and Crystalâs surviving family members were denied an investigation into her sisterâs death by the Louisiana State Police Department. Why?
⊠Why the rush to judgement with so little, if any, investigation?
Help to give her life and legacy a voice. Help to solve Crystalâs murder. Tune in and hear the rest of the salacious details.
Iâve witnessed a lot of examples of bad policing throughout my careerâ having spent many years as an investigator. THIS case may very well be the worst example of unprofessional, shoddy, backwoods, good olâ boy, overt and intentionally corrupt actions on the part of law enforcement to cover up a murder that evidence suggests that perhaps one of their own may have been involved in â that I have ever heard of in my life.
Note: All persons are innocent unless proven otherwise in a court of law.
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Happy New Year! Weâre excited to be launching Season 5 of Light âEm Up!
With brutal wars raging in Gaza and Ukraine â and allegations of âconflict zone sexual violenceâ being lodged by all parties involved in these conflicts, we turn our intensive journalistic spotlight on and focus the âheat of the truthâ on the Secret War Crime â that isnât secret at all: One of the most shameful consequences of conflict and war, âGender Based Violenceâ, also referred to as GBV.
The practice of raping the women of a conquered group in war has remained a feature of warfare from the earliest records to the present.
GBV refers to any harm or suffering inflicted on a person because of their gender. It is used as a weapon of war designed to create fear, terrorize and humiliate populations, and undermine and destroy the social fabric and cohesion of communities.
Just like domestic violence, GBV can take many forms such as physical, sexual or psychological abuse and can affect anyone, regardless of age, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation. GBV happens to men and boys as well as women and girls.
This type of victimization is known to impact tremendously on the psyche of survivors and carries with it grave risk factors for emotional, mental, physical, and psycho-social wellbeing.
GBV can also increase the risk of:
HIV infection and other sexually transmitted diseasesunwanted pregnanciesunsafe abortionsmaternal mortality and many other devastating outcomes.The Rome Statue of the International Criminal Court recognizes that ârape and other forms of sexual violence by combatants in the conduct of armed conflict are war crimes and can constitute genocide when it is committed with the intent to destroy in whole or in part, a targeted groupâ.
A boisterous Op-ed in the New York Times declared that the âGender Based Violence of October 7th Must Not Be Ignoredâ and it is incumbent upon all of us to use our voices to ensure that it isnât ignored, not only in Israel, but globally.
Rape is a serious violation of human rights and a war crime.
As our mission is to always be âtrue to the truthâ weâve tunneled deep and investigated two specific conflict war zone cases of GBV for this episode.
The first is the grotesquely brutal, terror-filled story of Mary, who was forced to witness the vicious killing of her husband and two sons -- ages 5 and 7 -- by the rebel soldiers in South Sudan. She thought nothing could be worse than seeing that. Then, the soldiers yanked her 10-year-old daughter Nyalaat from her arms and turned their perverted, deviant, sexual behaviors on the little girl.
When the soldiers were done, all she could see was blood. Nyalaat died shortly thereafter. Mary immediately wanted to die as well after witnessing this cruel sight. The soldiers attacked Mary, taking turns with her. She said it happened to all of those in the camp: little girls, women, grandmothers, they didnât care.
The intimate nature of sexual assault (especially during war and conflict) often means that horrors such as this often go undocumented, sanitized out of history books and glossed over in news accounts that focus solely on casualties and refugee numbers.
Rape is a weapon even more powerful than a bomb or a bullet. Rape victims may appear to the community like someone who is cursed. After rape, no one will talk to you; no man will see you as being a human being. It has been likened to a living death.
Tune in as we bring you this fact-based, educational account of the brutality and reality of gender-based violence that occurs in global conflict and war zones.We want to hear from you!
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As we close out another fantastic year filled with one accomplishment after another for âLight âEm Upâ ⊠which included new sponsorships ⊠and new underwriters -- we wanted to focus on what is most important to us other than searching out the truth.
We wanted to take some special time to recognize you, our listeners for your TSL (time spent listening) to us throughout this past year.
We thank you for another fantastic year of growth and achievements and express our appreciation for your wonderful engagement and your role in helping us grow to 107 countries globally as we close out Season 4.
We never thought this kind of success would be something that we could attain, and we never were concerned about our growth at the inception of this project.
Initially we set out to tell the truth about topics of importance in the U.S. criminal justice system --- and look what it has become!
We have been able to advocate for so many people.
The corporate plan is to take the remainder of the year off in order to rest for a week or so, recover and enjoy some quality time with our families.
We then will begin the process for Season 5 of Light âEm Up where we strive to achieve new goals and break even more records with the reach of our podcast.
Also, to add more sponsors and underwriters.
The truth is under attack â and the truth is worth defending!
We have labored tirelessly to dig deep, vast and wide to bring you a special insight that you really wonât find anywhere else regarding the U.S. criminal justice system.
We are loyal, consistent and dedicated to you, our listeners. We are truly here for you and because of you!
Our commitment to you here on Light âEm Up is that weâve endeavored to tackle topics that have a real impact in your daily lives.
Weâve worked tirelessly to try to be the âVoice of the peopleâ.
Please consider joining our Criminal Justice Foundation Justice Rolls Down and its page found on Facebook as well as our worldwide presence on YouTube at: Rizzo's Protective Group.
Here is our complete catalogue. Here is our last full episode of the year regarding the war that is presently raging in Gaza.
This advocacy piece irritated a lot of people but was wildly popular and downloaded at a record (for us) and at a tremendous rate/amount.
Thank you to Feedspot â online at Feedspot.com as we are featured in their top 60 poll of the 60 Best Criminal Justice Podcasts. Visit their blog at www.Feedspot.com or simply follow this link: Best 60 Criminal Justice Podcasts You Follow in 2023 (feedspot.com)
And for all your news and current affairs check out our friends at Newsly by visiting https://newsly.me. Use the promo code L1GHTEMUP to launch your 10% savings.
We thank you and we look forward to you joining us in 2024!
Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad! Buon Natale & Happy Hanukkah, and a Happy and Prosperous New Year to each and every one of our listeners.
You'll hear from us early on in January 2024.
Thank you!
Phil Rizzo
Executive ProducerWe want to hear from you!
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Welcome to the 70th episode of Light âEm Up! Weâre excited and honored that youâve joined us! We know your podcasting options are vast.
As we air our final full-length, explosive episode of 2023, just like the 3 Wise Men â we come bearing very exciting news. Light âEm Up is actively being downloaded in 107 countries globally!
Tonight, as the war continues to rage on in Gaza â we provide an intense, investigative journalistic focus on âTerrorism and the Terroristic Threatâ â with a special focus on the war in Gaza and the barbaric October 7th terror attack in Israel â which caught its citizenry, the Israeli government, its defense forces (the IDF) completely and utterly by surprise, unaware and ill prepared as was the case with the terror attacks here, in the U.S., on 9/11/2001.
Hamas leaders say they launched the attack on Israel because they believed the âPalestinian cause was slipping away, and that only violence could revive itâ.
In an assault without recent precedent in its complexity and scale, the militants crossed into Israel by land, sea and air, according to the Israeli military, leading to some of the first pitched battles. The attack, which was clearly meticulously planned â used rockets, paragliders, boats, motorcycles, other vehicles, and whatever other means they could use.
The armed militants infiltrated the Jewish state and murdered around 1,200 people, including 30 Americans â injured over 5,400, and captured and fled with some 230+ hostages back deep into Gaza (more than 100 hostages held in the Gaza Strip have since been released).
Itâs been said that âthe only thing we learn from history ⊠is that we do not learn from itâ.
In this episode we challenge you to think critically as we delve into and unpack:
⊠The concept and phrase: One manâs terrorist is another manâs freedom fighter.
âŠSome myths about terrorism (stemming from our usage of the Global Terrorism Database).
⊠We highlight examples of designated terrorist organizations.
⊠We ask: Does it help to label a person or a group as being terrorists? âTerrorismâ is a contested and politicized term that may be applied or rejected by different actors depending on their interests and perspectives.
⊠Weâll drill down on the main challenges of negotiating with terrorists and share some historic examples of successful negotiations that built trust through diplomacy and effective communication.
This episode proved to be one of our most challenging and ambitious episodes of the year. Iâm very proud of our team and the research behind it.
Donât forget to follow our sponsors Newsly & Feedspot here:
Merry Christmas! Feliz Navidad! Buonâ Natale! Happy Hannukah!
Thank you so much for being a loyal listener and a fan of Light âEm Up.We want to hear from you!
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On this in-depth, investigative edition of Light âEm Up we expose what we maintain is an illegal invasion of your personal privacy and an illegal search and seizure in violation of the 4th Amendment.
Picture this: During your annual physical checkup â your doctor draws near to you with the stethoscope and asks you to perform a few deep breaths â is she really listening to your lungs or is she looking for signs of extensive drug use or smelling for the use of alcohol?
This is a very odd dilemma. The doctor writes a prescription for you, and has been doing so for years. Suddenly, without advanced notice, she has an âissueâ with doing so. She says, âWe need to run a toxicology screen on youâ. A what?
You may have no clue whatsoever that your rights are even being violated â by, of all people, your primary care physician and local hospital. In an extension of the âWar on Drugsâ â as it continues to target the poor and the neediest among us, many hospitals across the country have begun drug testing their patients, especially Medicaid recipients, through urinalysis.
The 4th Amendment has been hotly debated since its ratification in 1791. How much do you know about the rights granted to you by the 4th Amendment?
Subjecting patients, especially poor patients, seeking medication for a health condition to an intrusive seizure of his/her bodily fluids is an intentional act of intimidation. Threatening to withhold essential medications from patients â the use of condescending and coercive, bullying tactics through the use of a âpain contractâ or a âcontrolled substance agreementâ â serves only to further damage the quality of care that has already been compromised due to the way insurance companies have rigged the system in their favor.
This bullying and forced compliance are completely contrary to the âdo no harmâ motto that has served as the foundational pillar of the medical profession since its inception.
Who wants to have a medical doctor who in reality is a ânarcâ â eager to âreportâ anything she observes? What benefit is it to have a âdoctorâ that violates the doctor-patient trust that is essential and at the core of quality, comprehensive care?
If patients distrust their physician, or feel stigmatized or distrusted by them, this will impact greatly upon the therapeutic relationship and deeply compromise care.
Lacking sufficient financial means should not be a criminal offense â nor should a course of action apply to only one group of people as a âsuspect classâ, treating them as if they are not âworthyâ to be afforded the same Constitutional rights as others.
At Light âEm Up â we have always fought against THIS kind of disparate treatment.
In this episode as we lobby for justice and speak truth to power, we shall:
⊠Dissect the 4th amendment and provide analysis of what the U.S. Supreme Court says about this process as we delve into what a âpain contractâ is.
⊠Examine âcontrolled-substance agreementsâ for patients on chronic opioid therapy, with a keen eye on âindifferent enforcementâ from a criminal justice perspective. Are they binding, or enforceable in a court of law?
⊠Dig into our case study: Rivers vs The Administration of Children Services (ACS) for the City of New York.
Itâs easy to turn a blind eye when the violation of rights applies to someone else. What happens when it happens to you?
Tune in - be empowered! Check here for bonus content.
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Tonight, on this provocative, incendiary and investigatory episode of Light âEm Up.
We return to the scene of the crime! Your response was overwhelmingly favorable regarding our first episode with our special guest, the high-ranking police administrator, so we invited him back to the witness stand for another episode.
With you in mind, we deliver another exclusive, in-depth, behind the scenes, âtruth tellinââ session with the Assistant Chief of a small, rural police department in the âMagnolia Stateâ.
To be clear, he's speaking on the promise of his anonymity, identified only by his title. The municipality that he serves has approximately 8,500 people with not a lot of âpass throughâ traffic in the jurisdiction. It is staffed by approximately 30 accredited officers.
Throughout his dedicated career in law enforcement, heâs always thought critically about racial disparities, especially stemming from his own personal experiences as early back as being a patrolman and from the training he was given.
He researched and authored a rigorous in-depth white paper study entitled: âSeeing Color in Police Discretionâ.
His study interrogates the question ultimately of âwhat kind of a society do we want to live inâ? It examines unconscious bias and how it may impact officer discretion and decision making. This analysis forces officers to self-reflect on why they are reacting in the style and manner that they do. This ultimately aides police to sit with and realize the consequences of their actions.
We roll up our sleeves and dig deep on:
⊠Conscious and unconscious bias and we examine how this is more so a human problem and not necessarily solely a law enforcement problem.
⊠How police officers and administrators react to claims like selective enforcement and racial profiling, and he corrects and refocuses our thinking on the fact that racial profiling is pursued under the 14th amendment, not the 4th amendment.
âŠHis in-depth analysis of several landmark U.S. Supreme Court cases that directly impact upon law enforcement and how it is constitutionally bound to carry out its duties on a daily basis with a focus on:
Whren v US â which held that âAny stop as long as it is based on a valid law or justification is a legal stop even if the reason(s) given for the stop is not the true motivationâ. Thus, paving the way for âpretextual stopsâ.
⊠Terry v Ohio, Delaware v Prouse & Graham v Connor et al.,
⊠The contentious topic of âqualified immunity.â
In 1967, the Supreme Court recognized qualified immunity as a defense to §1983 claims. In 1982, the Supreme Court adopted the current test for the doctrine. Qualified immunity is generally available if the law a government official violated isn't âclearly established.â
From time to time, it is imperative that you pinch yourself âreminding you that this is a high-ranking law enforcement administrator sharing these hard hitting, impacting truths that the majority of officers would stay silent on. He is a man of integrity, and it shows.
Because we think the world of you, our listeners, and youâve helped us grow to date to 104 countries globally, weâve included additional in-depth analysis and an expansion of the specific methodology used in the rigorous white paper study for you. You can use this link to access this exclusive, bonus content.
Note well: Email me at [email protected] in order to receive a copy of the white paper statistical study. In your request, we ask that you share with us one fact from this specific episode.
Follow our sponsors Newsly & Feedspot here:We want to hear from you!
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