Speaker 0 00:00:00 And you're listening to KFI community radio, the twin cities, and beyond 90.3 FM and HD K fai.org. It, you just heard democracy. Now. They air Monday through Friday, high noon central standard time. It's a one o'clock, which is time for the locally produced public affairs. And it's Friday. That means it must be catalyst or a weekly show politics and culture. We're continuing our candidate series for the special election. And we're also talking about peace stock because even though there's COVID piece stock is going on, it's our summer pledge drive kickoff. So while you're listening to one of the many great local artists, we'll be featuring today, make your plans to KPI community
[email protected]. And, uh, my copilot here, Rico Morales.
Speaker 1 00:00:58 Hello, good afternoon, everyone. It is 88 degrees in, it feels like it's 95 outside with the heat index and the humidity added together. There's going to be a possibility of some slight storms later on this afternoon,
Speaker 0 00:01:11 And really brutal this weekend. I'm having Houston flashbacks. Well, we're continuing our series a because of this special election, that's coming up August 11th for the city council seat in ward six, which also includes the wonderful Westbank where KFC is located and, um,
Speaker 1 00:01:30 1808 Riverside Avenue,
Speaker 0 00:01:32 Minneapolis, zip code five, five, four, five, four center check or money order. Now I'm old time. I'm old school. I'm not do a PayPal. What the hell is that?
Speaker 1 00:01:41 Right? We used to have people walk their donations down
Speaker 0 00:01:46 And you still could. You just have to wear a mask
Speaker 1 00:01:49 Mask and drop it off.
Speaker 0 00:01:51 That's right. Uh, right here on the West bank, Cedar Riverside. Um, so our first guest today is of dear Zak B he affectionately known as B. He, um, he's also known around here at Quebec cause he's the host of the shows. Some Molly link airs Tuesday was the only of our immigrant programs in English. It just fulfills a dream I've had for years that we could hear from more of our new neighbors.
Speaker 1 00:02:19 I'm a foreign language. And in there,
Speaker 0 00:02:22 Yeah, there was at least some, there are some elements of English to help the rest of us, get to know each other better. A B he's done all kinds of things in the community. And he's going to tell us about a little of that and what inspire is inspired him in that work to run for the Minneapolis city council ward six. Welcome to, uh, KFA IB. You're on the other side of the mic now.
Speaker 2 00:02:46 Yes. You know, it's really feels kind of weird to be on the other side of the Mike sometimes. Thank you for having me. Hi Nicole. I'm good. Thank you. And I really appreciate all the help when I was starting my radio at the cafe I radio, but somebody link radio started with a different name. I remember I used to come in Fridays one. O'clock like, you know, this time and, uh, the name was, uh, Somali radio. That speaks English.
Speaker 1 00:03:23 No. Yeah,
Speaker 2 00:03:25 It was funny for a while then after a few months, it wasn't funny. So we changed it to somebody link radio. Okay.
Speaker 1 00:03:31 So what are you, uh, is this your first time running for candidacy seat?
Speaker 2 00:03:36 Yes, I started, you know, living in the community for 24 years and working in the community. This is the, my first time I was famous off to helping other candidates and, uh, uh, organizing in the community to really vote. I started with the community, asking the community to vote. Um, long time ago, back in 1996, seven hours. I think the board was about 60 people who could vote for 40 now, thousands of people can vote. So I was famous for not running, but for helping candidates that I supported their candidacy to really door knock and get the boat out for them. It's weird that I'm running right now and I'm still doing the same thing.
Speaker 0 00:04:17 Um, part of what I think is interesting is that you have been this sort of community advocate from the ground up on the, for the Somali community, but because it's so diverse here and there's so many different communities, you know, the university nearby, um, yeah,
Speaker 1 00:04:36 Or a more Eritrean Ethiopian East Africa
Speaker 0 00:04:39 Plus native American community. African-American, uh, economically there's a very, you know, poverty to working poor neighborhood. Um, so could you say some of the work that you've done in this 24 years? Uh, cause it seems like, probably could tell of your bio. You've just done so much advocating around different issues from the ground up, if you will, and very neighborhood focused.
Speaker 2 00:05:07 Thank you for the opportunity. Um, you know, uh, it's been a, quite a journey, uh, of advocacy and organizing now providing services, but, uh, in, um, in that timeframe, uh, it really evolved, uh, from different issue to a different, uh, to another issue. Um, I remember when the community was new, uh, interpretation, uh, translating documents, um, um, uh, navigating help helping the community on new Americans, helping them to navigate the system. Uh, it's not easy. It's actually very, very difficult, more difficult than the language barrier. So the cultural barrier of understanding how things work like a blind for health card, uh, accessing health care, um, and thoughts of that, uh, East Africa, um, access in healthcare, you know, you don't need a healthcare, uh, you don't need, uh, uh, health, uh, documents. So like, you know, um, I plan to be involved in that plan.
Speaker 2 00:06:08 Uh, if your city has a, you know, a small hospital or you have to, when you get sick, you go there. But in here, everything depended on paperwork. So in the beginning we were helping the community to deal with the paperwork, the bureaucracy, how to apply for a program, how to apply for healthcare, how to apply for affordable or the section eight or low income housing. Um, so everything involved in paperwork, eligibility criteria, all these things that would need to the community then, uh, the community then jobs were important. Um, often finding home, uh, uh, on low income apartments or a place to rent to stay with your family, to have a roof over your head, then jobs, uh, accessing ESL programs, uh, accessing, um, um, a, of children in public schools of back then we didn't have that many of charter schools. Um, so from that to having, um, you know, having your own business, uh, the biggest business the community had back then was driving. Cats dandy, turned into one Oh, and a lot of stores, grocery stores, um, restaurants, uh, serving the community. Uh, we got our own cultural food or food items that they are familiar with. A lot of, um, East African community, overwhelming majority, um, uh, to my understanding are most of them. So, uh, hello, um, Ghostery or kosher food, what's important to them. So that's what prompted a lot of, a lot of stores to serve those needs.
Speaker 1 00:07:48 And mr. V, thank you very much for all that. And you've done a lot of this work with people, helping them, helping them to rise up and helping them to, to, uh, advance their lives and their careers. I've seen that and I've know that cause I've, I've actually sort of seen you in the community, giving tours in the West bank, giving physical walking tours, when we could do that. Also you've been supportive and helpful to the, to the families of people who lost loved ones in your community. You've been donating and giving supplies. So how, how do you, what do you feel is your first, uh, obstacle or your first challenge to this candidacy? What, what do you think is going to be difficult? And what do you think you would like to do? And your first, if you were elected,
Speaker 0 00:08:36 I guess I want to ask a different question. I don't understand the point of asthma obstacles. We all know the American political system. You don't got money. That's hard. You're not a white guy. That's hard. What I want to ask, given everything that you were just saying, be he about the, on the ground world you were doing for an immigrant community is just to start off because I think there is some bias against the immigrants running for office, tell listeners what it is, the strings you feel that you would bring to the city council because of all the work you've done on the immigrant community, that all of us could benefit from that. There is something really unique and important and empowering from doing this work for an immigrant community that you would bring that would help all of us be better represented.
Speaker 2 00:09:31 Yes. Um, you know, the misunderstanding of the needs of immigrant community is really huge. Um, the, um, the roots of immigrant community destiny take, when they arrive in the country, I need basic things like, you know, affordable housing on low income housing or jobs or this, but also they need, they grow on, they become part of that fabric in our society and they need what everybody else needs. They need to reach chase that American dream. They need to have those opportunities of trainings to train, to give them opportunities, to get skills, to find a better union patient jobs that are by paid viable job wages. So people can raise, um, uh, eventually buy their own home. You know, uh, they want their children to be educated like everyone else with, uh, education that has a quality. Uh, they want that at schools that are libraries, they need security and a safe neighborhoods. Uh, they want to grow into the American fabric. Like
Speaker 0 00:10:34 All this stuff you're saying, this is stuff that communities of color have been denied, whether they're immigrant or not. This is the stuff, low income, Kim Houston tonight.
Speaker 2 00:10:43 Yes. Yes. You know, there are, there are programs that I have in mind that we can help low income families, you know, um, w C there, there are a lot of petitioners are leaders who think a lot of the low income families, uh, whether they're people of color or, or white or, or immigrants, they, they, the programs we do all the time, it's a program that helps them stay where they are, which is good to sustain their life. But also what we are missing is that they need, uh, a ladder for them to come up and realize the dream is we all have to raise our children in safe neighborhoods to own our homeless, eventually to have a better job, some trainings to also contribute to society. So it's not just that we want this community that they wanted to be to stay there, to keep them stable.
Speaker 2 00:11:44 Exactly where they are forever. It's just that they need to grow like everybody else. Everybody was, everybody was immigrant in this country. One point. So, you know, they also need to build their own wealth. You know, that's what I'm talking about. I'm talking about live only fighting gentrification and racism and discrimination and police brutality against this communities. But also we need to take the conversation further. What about the future? What about their children? What about us? Baby boomers are maybe homeless are retiring 20, 20, 40. We will have a labor shortage. So think about, you've got in some communities like East African community, 20% of unemployment in the African American community, eight to 9%, um, uh, the Latino community. I mean, if American community, or I'll just give you an outstanding unemployment on, uh, on all the challenges. And then you have the baby boomers retiring and the whole estate would be short of labor. We have to import labor while this communities are here already. So why not the programs that train our communities on, give them all those skills to replace them.
Speaker 1 00:13:01 And so some of that, some of that training is, is, is actually happening in your, in the community, through your involvement and through your volunteering and helping people connect, connect to the programs, the job skill trainings at emerge at the Cedar Riverside community center for, for, for GED and for driver's licenses, that that's some of the stuff that you've done.
Speaker 2 00:13:22 Yes, actually, I, since I don't have the resources, I had opportunities to partner with organizations that really wanted to train the community. So I partnered with a nurse community development in see Riverside at the Cedar Riverside opportunity center, excuse me. And, um, we've been fortunate enough to bring free trainings like nursing GED. If you don't have a GED, or if you haven't done your GED or finish your high school, there, there were opportunities for a woman to get GED within the high rises, within dev what they live in Cedar, Riverside, just to come down with type of class. And
Speaker 0 00:14:02 You would take this to, I mean, this capacity to like partner up with a different organ system organizations and expand the skillset to address other communities unmet needs. I mean, how are you going to bring this to the city that the priorities should be for all these underserved communities, not only the immigrant community, this is one of the criticisms I hear out in the world. Somali people always only represent Somali people. They don't care about the rest of us. They won't represent the rest of us. And yet, from what I know of you in the community, you seem like a bridge builder that you're always kind of connecting different communities. So I think the question Rico was trying to get to is, so how are you going to bring this 24 years of, to get to address unmet needs, but going beyond that for job training and helping all kinds of people who are being excluded, move up, move forward as you put it.
Speaker 2 00:15:05 Yes. You know, uh, as a matter of fact, it was not only for Somali community or East African or immigrants' community, it's a public or bill, uh, programs. Uh, and the way we do is I, because I built relationships with, um, other members of the community. For example, I worked with Lisa Columbus and, um, all the flowers in the African American community and also in the North side in many other people, I also work with, uh, other organizations. So I really bring an outreach reach out to, um, to everyone, whether it's on social media, on the radio, on TV or to, or talking to people one on one. So it's not actually limited to Somali community or East African community. No, it's for everyone. It's a public dollars and that's for everyone. So I do a big effort to reach out to everyone. As a matter of fact, I would award is the most diverse ward in the city. So it's Westbank. So it's either they have a site. Um, and I reach out to a lot of students
Speaker 0 00:16:11 That I've lived in this ward for 30 years. It's incredibly diverse, which is why I love it. So,
Speaker 1 00:16:16 And mr. B here, how would you hold the, the Minneapolis police department accountable, if you're on the city council, how would you give more sort of say more teeth to the, to the, uh, police oversight committee?
Speaker 2 00:16:31 You know, um, I just want to tell you, I also have a great, uh, history of really trying to work with the NBD police department over the years, as we have suffered also police brutality, uh, young people in this community have so long being complaining about police brutality, uh, is the way, uh, this was served with was not always, uh, in a dignified way. The way this community was treated by the department was not always in a unified way though. There has been a lot of efforts from the MPD or also from the community to really solve issues together. I create an atmosphere where these people are serving unprotected, like everyone else, um, um, uh, in a dignified way.
Speaker 1 00:17:16 So how would you, how would you hold them accountable? How would you hold the, the police oversight community, the police oversight community
Speaker 2 00:17:24 Maybe? Well, we have tried so many things I reform has been very difficult to reform the police department. That is really a history I can testify to. I thought of it, but right now the city council voted to defund the department. Why do I support the fund? The word defund has so many meanings and so many receptionist to so many different people in the world and in the city, the way I see it defending the department is to it's a defending is a weapon. It's a tool that's much more stronger than the reformers. We have tried so long that the police union has really stopped on challenging and <inaudible>.
Speaker 2 00:18:12 So I believe if we use the word fund to change that we can, we would be able to change the department, but that itself is not clear. We need a clear process that includes town halls, uh, transparency for the community to decide what kind of fits a cavity, a pattern, or the police department. If we will have one or an agency that was a glacier, what is it going to look like if we don't decide that as a community? I don't think right now, the funding is a word that we can take some money away from them in order to pressure them to change. But there are a lot of people who also see it as overnight or this month of the department. Well, we have seen what happened in the past. We have seen the looting. We have seen the violence as we speak right now, the violence in the city has propped up a cost tracking, um, shooting homicide, every time of violence
Speaker 0 00:19:20 Stop for a second. I feel kind of confused now. Um, there's been enough. I've done reporting on this issue a long time. We all know the problems with the Minneapolis police department. We all know that defund scares a lot of people, especially with the uptick of violence. My understanding is you see defunding as leverage for change. What I want to hear from candidates is specifics. What are the concrete reforms you want? Do you want us to have fewer police and use that money towards other stuff like mental health crisis teams? Do you want a different way to get accountability? Do you want different discipline? I wanna, I'm at a point where I've heard police accountability as a campaign slogan for 30 years, I want to hear concrete. What are one or two concrete ideas from you about how we can change policing? I understand we should have town hall halls, community input, but as you're a candidate, do you have a couple of concrete proposals that
Speaker 2 00:20:28 Yes I do. Yes, I do. Well, we all know there are so many things that are not supposed to be policing. Mental health is a big issue and mental health is not something that can be cured or with, by a police officer. We know where it is to lead us to death, led us to bliss, um, a mirroring, an innocent person, domestic issues, all those things. They need to be funded and we need social workers and mental health workers to deal with that. And we need that money from the police departments. And we need to take that, uh, responsibility from the police department. We want the police department, we don't want the police department to deal with mental health crisis. We don't want them to deal with minor issues, uh, family conflict, domestic issues. We don't like the police department to deal with that. We want social workers, mental health workers, counselors, to deal with that. Definitely. We need to fund that when we fund the department, but of course there are certain areas that the police need to deal with.
Speaker 0 00:21:42 Thank you. We all know that violent crime is suck. The police should deal with, I don't think you get a lot of debate there from people. What would you do about the encampments in the parks?
Speaker 2 00:21:54 Well, that is, uh, something that's really big upper yard for me when it comes to housing, you know, uh, as we all know, um, almost half of those, uh, uh, people in the County have jobs, uh, but they couldn't afford to pay the rent and increase the rent. The rising rent is really one of the biggest issues that's creating homelessness.
Speaker 0 00:22:20 How do we solve it again? I, if I sounded patient it's, cause I don't want to have a lot of time spent talking about the problem we've been talking about. I want to hear concrete solutions. What would you push as a policy to begin to address this ridiculous homelessness based on wages are low. Rent keeps going up and the city doesn't seem to have a policy to address the housing crisis. What are your ideas?
Speaker 2 00:22:52 Well, two ways. One is a policy and one is what are we going to do right away? So let me come back to that. What are we going to do right away? But the policy in the future is, first of all, we need to have a cap on the rent we need. Yes, yes. We need to have that. We also need to create, um, not affordable housing, but to <inaudible> low income housing, because that's the only way we can get people into housing. How can you have someone who might have a mental health issue who is, uh, who's a candidate in a, in a bottled water or other camps? How can you take that person into a home? Uh, if you say affordable, if you say, well, that restaurant that's a workout for example, or their cat or their job can afford to, to rent your place.
Speaker 2 00:23:41 So we need to have a low income housing. That's a one rent cap on the ranch is another one. And also income. There are a lot of tricks online income when development is taking place and they say, we're going to have 20% or 10% of this building of this development. We're going to make it low income. We need to look at the fine prints. How long is it going to be low income? Sometimes they say only five years after five years, no model of income in that building, maybe two years, maybe two years. So we need to look all the fine drinks on the policies that have in place in housing that has caused this problem in the first place.
Speaker 0 00:24:19 Yes. Thank you so much on that deal. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you, mr. Bihi. Well, you know, we're running at a time. We have another guest. I do want to encourage people to remind people that, uh, deers that B he is also a cafe host on Somali link airs Tuesday 6:00 PM in English. Um, a wonderful show and wonderful way to get to know your new neighbors. Um, the special election for ward six, Minneapolis city council seat, August 11th. Um, and um, if you go to be here for ward six on Facebook, you can find out more. And we're also hoping to have candidate forum posted soon online that has all the candidates. Um, mr. BAE, do you have a website do that? I'm somehow missing.
Speaker 2 00:25:09 Yes. Yeah. My website is B he B I H I e.com,
Speaker 0 00:25:18 H I e.com
Speaker 2 00:25:21 D I S H I E as in elephant.com.
Speaker 0 00:25:26 Okay. Well thank you so much. And again, a be here for ward six on Facebook. There's some wonderful of film on their video forums. Uh, we so appreciate you being part of this. You've contributed to the community and it takes a lot of heart to run for public office. We really appreciate you. Thank you. And also that Somali links, Tuesday 6:00 PM right here on cafe. We in our summer pledge drive pledge of support
[email protected], or drop a check or money order in the mail. K F FAI one eight zero eight, Riverside Avenue, Minneapolis, Minnesota, five five, four, five, four. We'll be back in a minute cause it's time for a peace stock. Uh, Dave Logston salon time, peace activists with the Minnesota chapter 27 of veterans for peace. We're so glad to have you here, Dave.
Speaker 3 00:26:23 Yeah, I've uh, I've actually moved. I'm moving down and up. I'm the, uh, national vice president of, uh, uh, veterans for peace, 140 chapters and, uh, chapters in Okinawa, Ireland, Spain, England. And I'm the, uh, vice president, which shows us how the Peter principle, as we recall, the Peter principle, you rise to the level of your incompetence. So
Speaker 0 00:26:48 I don't don't want these just too modest.
Speaker 1 00:26:51 That's a lot of reading to do 140 chapters.
Speaker 3 00:26:54 Yeah, well, you don't want one of the things I, I, I, I've been trying to go get in zoom conferences and I've getting as many zoom conferences. So I've been all over the world from the comfort of my own living room, which is nice.
Speaker 1 00:27:09 So there's a website. Is it a veterans? VFP what's that way?
Speaker 3 00:27:13 Well, the national website is a veterans for peace.org, which is just one word veterans for peace.org. Very simple. And if you do go to that website, you'll find all kinds of different campaigns that national campaigns were involved with. And you'll find information about our upcoming national convention, which will be, I'll talk about a little bit, but first phrase stock, first of all, fleeced, we are going to talk about PE stock and PE stock is tomorrow,
Speaker 0 00:27:46 July 18th, Saturday, July 18th
Speaker 3 00:27:49 For 1:00 PM. And it's not too late to register. You know, I was just on the zoom call with them this morning and they have over 300 people registered for P stock tomorrow.
Speaker 0 00:28:06 <inaudible>, they'd never is too many people so that you registered too late, online. It's unlimited. She said about what P stock yesterday thought it was one of the most fun things that, um, our Minnesota chapter came up with was this sort of festival, uh, for stopping war every year. And we all miss it, was it down in red wing, outside of that.
Speaker 3 00:28:31 And uh, this year it will be virtual. And although in some ways it's never replaced as being there in person and having the music and the food and, and the comradery that goes with being a person. However, it's going to be 95 degrees tomorrow, humid. He didn't exit over a hundred and the hobgoblin Byron, very charming place, very big.
Speaker 1 00:29:01 It wouldn't be us.
Speaker 3 00:29:03 And would that be invited time? Uh, Norman Solomon, an annual basis, Mitch got on everybody would be like
Speaker 1 00:29:10 Falling asleep,
Speaker 3 00:29:12 The short kids, but the, uh, um, yeah, so, so, uh, being virtual is not bad and I'll normally you get maybe what, 70, 80 people who sign up for P stock and it will cost you 30 bucks, $35, and you traveled an hour, we'd take the peace bus down, a not air conditioned piece bus down to red wing. And instead, instead, we're going to have 300 people. And, and the advantage is I think if you've, if you've done any zooming at all and I've done a lot of it is that, that the zooming, uh, advantage is there's an intimacy. I ride a CLI ironically, uh, in a computer age, uh, at electronic convention or meeting tends to be more intimate than, uh, if you're say, if you're in an audience and there's somebody who is doing a poetry reading, well, it's either somebody who doesn't speak into the microphone or the microphone's malfunctioning, or there's some kind of distraction. Somebody goes, leaves or comes in and slams the door.
Speaker 1 00:30:25 Oh, I accidentally unplugged the microphone or something. Yeah.
Speaker 3 00:30:28 And, and so, so, uh, we found that during our Memorial day, um, uh, online zoom conference is, is that you, you really get to listen to the, to the poetry, listened to the songwriters and listening to the speakers cause they're right there. And if I was facing 300 people and speaking, which I do a little bit, uh, during peace doc, I would be extremely intimidated and look it out and see in 300 people this way I look at, I guess, who I see, I see myself
Speaker 1 00:31:03 And that's the best looking person in the room. Right.
Speaker 3 00:31:05 Well, I thank you for saying that. I wasn't going to say that myself, but, um, so anyway, uh, P stock P stock vfp.org,
Speaker 1 00:31:16 And that is there a Minnesota chapter,
Speaker 3 00:31:18 It's the amendment as the Redway chapter that hostess and bill have Bernanke does an amazing job. Every year. I talked to somebody in, uh, a New Jersey chapter on a zoom call.
Speaker 1 00:31:32 What are some of the topics that you cover at peace stop? Oh God. Oh my God. All kumbaya and campfires or
Speaker 3 00:31:41 Telling ya we have ourselves a time. No, actually we, we, the program consists of, of, uh, introduction. We'll have, uh, Tom roadblock, a strong Buffalo or Yachty hotel then, uh, we'll do, uh, the welcoming to Lakota country. And he usually does a, uh, either a poem or, or, uh, he's usually good. You've heard. I don't know if you've ever heard. Yeah.
Speaker 1 00:32:07 We've had them, we've had them on there.
Speaker 3 00:32:09 Yeah. And, um, so he'll be doing the interview doing that. We do the statement of purpose, uh, by, uh, bill has introductory remarks. Um, Mike McDonald, our current president of the local chapter here we a week out of the we're the, the big brothers and sisters of that right wing chapter, is there a small chapter, but so we helped to promote it and, uh, and money or finance or whatever he needs. Is there theme for this year, every year where, uh, where's the truth that's should be the theme of the, uh, the catalyst program is where's the truth. It's actually, and we have enormous Solomon and, uh, Andrew Bacevich, uh, will be our, our kiddos.
Speaker 0 00:32:57 And for those who don't knows, tell folks who these folks are. Norman Solomon, I would say to people regularly writes wonderful essays on truth out and common dreams, two different progressive websites. Um, can you say anything more about Norman Solomon? I know.
Speaker 3 00:33:15 No, I, I, I think I've, I I'm familiar with them. I, I don't think I'm anxious to hear him speak myself and, uh, basically, which I've heard speak. He's really good.
Speaker 0 00:33:25 Yeah. Andrew, Bacevich a retired army Colonel, I believe. Um, also as a military historian teaches at Boston college, I think, I think I choose to interview him twice. He writes brilliant books. He speaks with blunt clarity, no BS, really sharp guy. And he's written a number of books that I would highly recommend, uh, because he seems to go to really disentangle a lot of foreign policy nonsense.
Speaker 3 00:33:57 Yeah. And, um, I was gonna say, uh, I talked to the New Jersey chapter on a zoom call and he's like, how'd you get, how did you get ed basement? We tried to get together. I said, that's bill, haberdasher working his magic. I don't know how he does it, but he's gotten, he's got everybody, everybody down there and know in a years they've done it. So almost 20 years now. And they, they started off with, as, as pig stock, which was very unfortunate. We forget that I never went down. Then when they had, they had the pig, I don't know if they stuffed an Apple in his mouth or not, but, uh, I, yeah, Pixar, I never really appealed to me. And it's very, uh, um, uh, not real vegan friendly, uh, Muslims and observant Jewish people. So get rid of the pig.
Speaker 3 00:34:59 And, uh, but they, uh, they started caught a peace doc, which is much better. So anyway, um, they got that right. And that they'd been going into hobgoblin barn, which they won't be doing this year. So we'll have, I think Davis Watson from world beyond war might be making a brief. He won't be one of the featured speakers, but I think he will be, uh, coming and he's on the program for a few minutes, but, uh, there's so much going on nationally right now and locally. And, and what veterans for peace are trying to do is make that connection between what we're doing in where our military and our defense budgets and how it affects and doesn't affect what we're doing in the city. So Dave, how can we create peace or how can we help make peace in our lives, in our community right now today?
Speaker 3 00:35:58 Yeah. I'm so glad you asked that question and I didn't even prompt you, you know, the Rico has pretty good. I didn't read my cue cards. Right. So, uh, yeah, there is a group, uh, uh, and it's a terrific, uh, website is called money for human needs.org, just one word money for human needs.org. And just like the name implies, uh, basically it talks about, uh, campaigns to cut, uh, military spending and the refocus that money into our cities. And just like when I played basketball every day at racket park, uh, like I did this morning, there's a nice little and Catlin of people, uh, with their tents in Brackett park and it's, uh, the new normal, uh, and in terms of homelessness and, and w uh, we need the money to be come back into our economy and not be spent, uh, supporting, uh, Saudis bombing Yemen, uh, not supporting billions of dollars going to the Israeli apartheid government, not supporting, uh, the war in Afghanistan that goes on forever, not supporting all these military basis, not supporting all these expensive weapons systems that come cost trillions of dollars that come online and they can't, they can't shoot straight.
Speaker 0 00:37:26 Uh, and I don't know if, either of y'all know this, I just heard this, uh, Minnesota Congresswoman representative Ilhan, Omar. I think she's joining joined forces with Senator Bernie Sanders. She's proposing a bill that would cut 10% of the U S military budget. Of course, this is the part we can see, which is around $700 billion a year. There's that we actually get more, but that's the part they let us see cut 10% of that, and then have it be focused to the communities of color and low income communities, which have been starved of resources.
Speaker 3 00:38:08 Yeah. And by the way, I think I was, uh, Barbara Lee from Oakland is, uh, uh, and Mark, uh, Pokemon, or, uh, I forget his name from Wisconsin. They are the co-sponsors of that bill, but it will happen of course, is, is involved with that as, as the rest of the squad. Yeah. Yeah. So, yeah,
Speaker 0 00:38:28 That would directly impact communities in our own city. Absolutely. Um, we're having a conversation with Dave Loxton, long time activist
Speaker 3 00:38:36 Of the Minnesota chapter 27 veterans for peace now promoted to vice president of the national organization. We're talking about peace stock. What does that website again is, is very simple. Uh, P stock VFP likes the, as a veterans for peace vfp.org
Speaker 1 00:38:58 Stark, VFP orgy similar to KFH that orgy where you can donate and support financially, the fundraiser that we're having right now, we started it today. We'd like to get some donors, some financial donors that money does not come to us. That money goes directly to pay for the bills to operate this worldwide radio station, community volunteer radio station for 42 plus years. We've been volunteering and doing this work. So go ahead, click on that button, if you can do it safely at home. And it's very secure and it's private and we'll, you know, I don't make any money. I'm always a volunteer. That's just what I do.
Speaker 3 00:39:43 Yeah. We're a volunteer organization. None of the people you hear producing these shows let's make it a nickel. So truly a labor of love. You can also, if like me, you're technologically challenged and trapped in the 20th century, you can send a check or a money order to K F AI, one eight, zero eight, Riverside, Minneapolis, Minnesota, zip code five, five, four, five, four. You look at the catalyst page on Facebook, all this information is there on, um, today's edition, July 16th. I mean, 17th, no 17th. Yeah. I would, I would like to chime in, I am a sustaining member and you can become a sustaining member, you know, what's cool about sustaining member. It could do it like 10 bucks a month. They don't, for me, that's a couple IPS at the, at the local bar, which I can't go to now, but I can, I don't, I don't go to, but, but yeah, I think that, uh, that, uh, it's, it's a pretty painless way of doing that.
Speaker 3 00:40:46 We, we do a similar thing with, uh, uh, with the veterans for peace, where you can become a sustaining member. I say, you know what, that's pretty painless. Just, yeah, I've been a sustaining member for, I don't know, 15 years or something a long time. It's a very painless way. Thank you, Dave. Um, we need this voice and because I say this, uh, where would you get, where would I be welcomed behind? I talk him all this, uh, you know, this left wing nonsense that I talk, if, if there was no cafe I wounded and voices for peace. You know, when the, when the run up to the U S war on Iraq, 2003, uh, the media analyst group fair fairness and accuracy and reporting, they did a study looking at all the main street papers
Speaker 0 00:41:34 And TV news, even the other, uh, nonprofit radio network. And they looked at what was the percentage of voices that were not pushing to go to war that we're actually advocating not going to war. It was somewhere between one and 3%. So we are part of the 1% in a good way, Kathy, is that you could hear these voices and, but, well, Rico and I are willing to come in here every week for free. The electric company is not, the landlord is not that we need to work to help. So make up pledge
[email protected] or send their money into our station. Yes, Dave. So, yeah, and I totally agree. Cause I mean, this is an amazing service at KVI doesn't and we we've done wave projects. Uh Oh yeah. And it's a terrific way to get your way. Project is our community access hour where you too can do radio we'll PR KFI, we'll provide you with an engineer that you come up with. All the content looks like you've got some folks who pled.
Speaker 1 00:42:44 Yeah. I just want to say thank you to Ron. Thank you for helping out and doing, being the staff members here. Thank you to Mason for helping out and being the staff members here. Thank you to Mike, Mike, and, and KJ and Ellen and Jay and Steven and Nicole. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much. Wonderful. Yeah. Yeah. That's all of my friends. So thanks. That's it. I'm all done. Thank you so much.
Speaker 0 00:43:14 You are the people power in this people. Power let's take a brief heartbreak is another thing that unique community radio forests. I don't want to hear the voices of dissent, peace and justice. Uh, but you need to hear the arts that are not pablum. You need to hear the arts that got some edge. Um, this is from, uh, the Minneapolis hip hop spoken, spoken word, artist, Al Quanta. And, um, I'm just going to dedicate this to all my favorite peace activists. You know who you are that could you to Dave L guantee doing his peace for peace called the mommy effect. Try this with your local military recruiter, calling it the mommy effect as if it were vertigo. Is it the face faces in the white noise, a deja VU and not something concrete like heels on hardwood. A belts made of leather all across the country. They say young men and women eager for opportunity and short on options, weightless shoulders on burden and achy for straightening hair or the groan overwhelming the rounded corners of youth, young men and women ready to cut themselves open for Apple pie and baseball, young men and women they say are being snatched away by the mothers before they can sign their names in the sand before can know this sweet
Speaker 4 00:44:32 And fitting and enlistment is down in the FBI's most wanted list is full of women in their mid forties, high rising jeans and sequenced sweaters. And they're calling it the mommy effect as if umbilical cord last. Those were crashing through recruiter's windows to greedily reclaim their cargo. These mothers, they say are bleeding. This country of its virility, crushing its warheads between thumb and forefinger. When they're calling it, the mommy effect as if it was sweet sunsetted, curses whispered and forgotten tongues through clouds of incense and swinging pocket watches and not something more concrete like Kyle, if you join the army, I'll kill you myself. The calling it, the mommy effect as if hysterical shrieking band, she's wanting to dress us in sailors, suits us, suck us back into their wounds. As if these over-protective basket cases could never fully grasp what is at stake here, but how easily we forget that mothers have never been pacifists.
Speaker 4 00:45:27 They have only fought every war ever undertaken before those Wars begin in. Long after they have ended. They only know their children's stories too well. They only understand that this ain't star Wars or Harry Potter, our mothers only know that sending their children away for red and white stripes greater good is not a sacrifice. It is a sacrifice. The ignorant spilling the blood of the innocent to a piece of fools, God Virginians thrown to the wolves and somewhere close a child is sitting in a clean air conditioned office talking to a man composed entirely of right angles. Promises are hanging on the wall, ripe for plucking than a shiny silver pen is three heartbeats away from a tangled thicket of jargon, platitudes and lovers whispers. The man is smiling, but two heartbeats from now a lean and muscled arm is going to erupt from his throat. Shattering that smile from the inside as a small woman, hair curlers, still in enrolling pin, firmly in hand climbs out of his head, like a combination of alien and Athena lightning will ricochet between her irises and with the voice for actors lower than gods. She will say you had better get your sat back in this house. The child will explode then assemble his scattered remains and obey. And the sore throat had recruiter. Won't know how to explain it, but they're calling it the mommy effect.
Speaker 0 00:46:55 And that was, Oh, guantee who is I local hip hop spoken word artist. And I really loved the idea of the mothers going in there and interfering with the military recruiters, trying to, uh, take their kids off to w to be cannon fodder. Amen. Amen, sister. Amen. Um, so P stock, Saturday, July 18th, 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM central standard time. You could find out more information at peace stock, the vfp.org
Speaker 3 00:47:34 Work org org,
Speaker 0 00:47:37 But there's also another thing coming up, which is the convention.
Speaker 3 00:47:40 Yes. And it convention, it was happening a week from Sunday. So, you know,
Speaker 0 00:47:46 The actual date because we're in online time. Second, the 2nd of July.
Speaker 3 00:47:51 Yeah. I will be going on for a week. So, uh, all the information is I go to veterans for peace.org and, uh, just one word and you can get on and get all the information you need. Program is going to be an amazing week of workshops and, and speakers, uh, and poetry well worth your money. And after to say how much it is, because we can't do that
Speaker 0 00:48:14 Well, can you find information about how they can zoom to the convention and who does special speakers and workshops, et cetera, will be there is that information,
Speaker 3 00:48:23 A veterans for peace.org,
Speaker 0 00:48:26 <inaudible> dot org. That's the national right. There you go. And chapter 27 veterans for peace is on Facebook. Um, and you always have great content there. I like to say,
Speaker 3 00:48:39 Yeah, was always good. We always got something going on. Right. And as, as, as cafe, I remember now, uh, become a sustaining member, just like me.
Speaker 0 00:48:50 Hi, Dave Loxton, our wonderful, uh, person coming in here on a regular basis does great wave projects like for vet, uh, veterans armistice day and Memorial day. You've been listening to catalyst, your weekly show, politics and culture. I'm Lydia. How, uh, my copilot legal Miralis left the room because we're about to, uh, get beyond our required number of people for social distancing. Um, but truly, um, KPI's one of the, uh, organizations in town of community culture, the arts that, um, has managed to, you know, continue in the, in the COVID and kind of keep our community connected. Um, but we need your help to do it. Uh, so pledge your support now, kpi.org, and you can also send check or money order to the station. Um, I'm going to go out with a couple of PSA, um, and then it's time for, uh, Corazon Latino. And again, music that you're not going to hear anywhere else. Where are you going to hear the diversity of Latin America? Where are you going to hear the blues? We're going to hear reggae. We're going to hear the heaviest metal on earth. I mean, if you like it, we play it. So give your support now for music arts, public affairs, news, and real
[email protected], peace out.
