Vernon T. Bateman joins the show to discuss the latest developments in his fight for exoneration.

This week's Naptown Breakdown highlights a recent Mirror Indy/Indy Star investigation uncovering that, for more than a decade Mayor Joe Hogsett, used no-bid contracts that benefited his friends and those with ties to the Democratic Party. Hogsett won his first term as Mayor with a proposal called “Disclose Indy," which directly targeted then-Mayor Greg Ballard, a Republican whose non-competitive bidding practices were regularly covered in the press at the time. In 2015 he promised that "betray the public trust, you deserve to be punished to the fullest extent of the law." Disclose Indy also included a two-term limit for the Mayor. Guest co-host and organizer Lindsey Holtgrave sheds additional light on the situation before turning to the recent inspiring anti-ICE protests. She highlights positive developments in the movement over the past two years, particularly in terms of the people's consciousness and leadership.

Artist, author, and community advocate Vernon T. Bateman joins co-host Derek Ford to discuss a major breakthrough in his fight for freedom. On January 13, the Lake County Prosecutor's Office headed by Bernard Carter admitted the State tried and convicted Bateman in 1998 without any evidence tying him to the alleged "crime." This contradicts trial testimony from the Prosecution's witnesses during the trial. Shockingly, however, the Judge sided with the Prosecution and denied Bateman's motion for DNA testing to confirm his innocence. Nonetheless, the State's admission they sent Bateman to jail for 30 years without any DNA evidence is a major step forward. Sign the petition to support Bateman here!

Finally, this week's Circle City Shout Out goes to the youth of Minneapolis, the country, and here in Indianapolis for walking out to protest ICE, even without any legal rights to do so. However, young people have always been at the forefront of social change and even revolutions. When Karl Marx and Frederick Engels wrote The Communist Manifesto, they were only 29 and 27 years-old respectively. Leila Khaled was just 15 when she joined the Arab Nationalist League and at age 23 was the first woman to join the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, or PFLP. Huey P. Newton co-founded the Black Panther Party when he was 24.

That’s why we view everything here as an opportunity to train a new generation of fighters and activists. And we have several ways to do so this week. So shout-out to the youth eager to learn how to best fight for justice and to those willing to teach (and learn from) them!

Events:

Capital Class: Session 4 (virtual) Heart and Heritage: New Hispanic Cultural Hub Debuts with Group Show Circle City Sangha Sunday Liberation Center Yoga

Show Notes:

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