People's City Propaganda

We were fortunate to have Orisanmi Burton join us to discuss his highly acclaimed book - Tip of the Spear: Black Radicalism, Prison Repression, and the Long Attica Revolt . We breakdown archival war, the methodological approach Orisanmi developed for writing Tip of the Spear , delve into counterinsurgency and its use by the carceral warfare state, learn how letter writing is a language of liberati...

On the night of May 2, 2024 a 40 year old man named Yong Yang was suffering a mental health crisis in the Koreatown neighborhood of Los Angeles. His parents, scared for their son, called LA County mental health services to get him help but instead of rendering aid they called the LAPD who killed Yong Yang within minutes of their arrival.  Albert, whose sister Mely was killed by the LAPD in 2018, s...

For episode 19, we sat down with Cerise Castle to speak on one of her latest offerings "I wrote the history of LASD gangs. Then the sheriff's department started surveilling me". We also get some insight on how the catalyst for their surveillance "A Tradition of Violence - The History of Deputy Gangs in the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department" came to be. Other subjects discussed include what c...

We're back off hiatus! For our 18th episode, we kept the conversation in-house for what we are calling People's City Corner. You'll hear from People's City Council organizers Jason Reedy, Albert Corado and Ricci Sergienko as we recap what they witnessed at the USC, UCLA and CSULA encampments. We also get into why you should shut the fuck up when it comes to the pigs and what might be on the horizo...

For our 17th episode, it's an ALL Blackity Black pod. We chop it up with Maraky Alemseged from Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI) and speak on a wide variety of topics centered on Blackness.    This pod covers some of BAJI's groundbreaking reports on CBP's policing of the George Floyd uprising and the Darien Gap. We also speak on the difference between a sanctuary city and a freedom city,...

For our 16th episode, we conversed with the powerful duo of Zen Sekizawa and Mario Correa, organizers and artists with the collect ive, J-Town Action and Solidarity. We cover the genesis of J-Town Action and Solidarity, their efforts to fight back against gentrification in Little Tokyo, and the role art can play within the movement.  Our candid conversation delves into the Atomic Cafe, Zen's famed...

For our 15th episode, we chopped it up with Rob Quan to breakdown every Los Angeles City Council race for this Tuesday's primary.     Paul Krekorian is termed out, so who's in the running to replace him? Will Nithya Raman withstand a well funded challenger in Ethan Weaver? Does Heather Hutt actually have what it takes to win an election? Will Staffer B aka John Lee survive a late challenger in Ser...

For our 14th episode, we talked with writer and organizer Kris Rehl about the upcoming March 5th primary. We dive into the 3 Board of Supervisors races, the District Attorney's race, and why you should VOTE NO ON PROP 1 with recommendations from Kris' outstanding and thorough voter guide that covers every race and measure for LA voters with an emphasis on local issues.     Kris Rehl is a writer an...

For our 13th episode, we conclude our candid conversation with veteran organizer and movement elder Baba Akili. We speak about his time as National Organizer for Jesse Jackson's presidential campaign, the lessons learned as field coordinator for Harvey Gantt's Senate campaign and his time working in Carol Moseley Braun Senatorial Campaign who would become the first Black women ever elected to US S...

For our 12th episode, we sat down with veteran organizer and movement elder Baba Akili to discuss his 52 YEARS of organizing. We cover the first organization he ever joined - NIA and his time organizing with Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers. He would later co-found the United Domestic Workers Union, one of the few unions started by people of color. We also examined his time with Neighbor t...

For our 11th episode, Albert sits down with the founder of Polo's Pantry, Melissa Acedera, to talk about both of them losing a parent at a young age and then losing a sibling later in life. They also get into grief, loss, and how it effects and inspires the work they do in movement spaces. Follow us on twitter @pplscityprop and @pplscitycouncil. Follow Albert on twitter: @digitalurn Follow Melissa...

For our 10th episode we're joined by Ndindi, Carla, and Bunny to discuss LA mayor Karen Bass's homelessness program/pr stunt, "Inside Safe" and all of its failures. This episode was hosted by Ricci Sergienko and Albert Corado. Follow us on twitter @pplscityprop and @pplscitycouncil.   Did you like our theme song? That's the homie Adam Smith. We are so thankful for this gift. Please support Adam on...

For our 9th episode we are joined by Ambrose Brooks S. and Janet Asante from Justice LA to discuss the fight to close Men's Central Jail, the LA County Board of Supervisors, and the human rights abuses and deaths that have taken place at Men's Central Jail over the years.   This episode was hosted by Ricci Sergienko, Phillip Kim, and Albert Corado. Follow us on twitter @pplscityprop and @pplscityc...

For our eighth episode, we finish our insightful conversation with Jacob Woocher, author of the groundbreaking series LA's War on Public Housing. In this final segment, we discuss the last 5 parts of his series exploring the public housing projects of Rancho San Pedro, Dana Strand, and Jordan Downs. We also ask our guest some general questions about public housing. Be sure to check out the first p...

For our seventh episode, we sat down with Jacob Woocher, author of the groundbreaking series   LA's War on Public Housing and dove into one of Los Angeles's most important (and some would say forgotten) battlefields - public housing.   We ask Jacob some background questions on the series and explore the first 5 parts of it including public housing projects in Jordan Downs, Pico Aliso, and Normont...

For our sixth episode, we decided to keep it in house and recorded an all People's City Council episode. PCC organizers Jason Reedy, Albert Corado and Phillip Kim dove into a wide variety of topics from the fake abolitionist Hugo Soto-Martinez to racist Kevin de Leon. We got some clarity on KDL's assault on Jason on December 9th and discussed the ongoing targeting by the LAPD of Jason and what man...

For our fifth episode, we sat down with Debt Collective organizers Dr. Richelle Brooks, Manny Galindo, and Sparky Abraham. The Debt Collective has it's roots in the Occupy Wall Street movement. Since then (2012), Debt Collective has focused on building a "debtors union" with the intent of wielding our collective power to abolish debt. You may have some questions "what is debt abolition?" What kind...

For our fourth episode, we sat down with renowned Chicano organizer, Cruz Becerra. Cruz co-founded the Brown Berets and La Junta, is a Vietnam War veteran, and a Chicano through and through. He helped organize the Chicano Blowouts in March 1968 and was part of the East LA 13 who beat felony conspiracy charges as a result of them. We cover a wide variety of elements within the Chicano movement from...

For our third episode, we sat down with the legend Hamid Khan to discuss his upbringing, his early days as an organizer, and the organization he founded, the Stop LAPD Spying Coalition. The Stop LAPD Spying Coalition is a community organization that works to build community power toward abolishing police surveillance.   Tap in with the work of the Stop LAPD Spying Coalition by following them on so...

Our second episode is on the WGA Strike. The Writers Guild of America has a little over 11,500 members who write and produce the TV and films that entertain the world. They are in the midst of their 6th strike and we dive into why they are on strike, what's at stake, and why they need your support!   This episode was hosted by Jason Reedy and Phillip Kim and we were joined by Olga Lexell and Kyra...

Welcome to People's City Propaganda, a podcast about LA politics! On our first episode we are joined by Melissa Acedera, founder of Polo's Pantry, and Dr. Robin Petering, founder of Lens Co, to discuss the history of The Robinson Space, a mutual aid and political education space that we all helped found.