Highlands Bunker

ACLU Legal Director and former Wilmington Democrats parliamentarian Dwayne Bensing joins Rob in the bunker to talk about the Delaware Call/ACLU lawsuit against Delaware's police, some of the other lawsuits the ACLU is involved in, and then some of his experiences with the Democratic Party in Chicago and a little bit closer to home. Show Notes: Arms shipments to Israel and @MenchOsint ACLU's vanity...

Former Delaware Public Media reporter Rachel Sawicki joins Rob in the bunker to talk about their experience in the Delaware media landscape, the parallels between the Kathy McGuiness and Bethany Hall-Long situations, and then a case study on how police violence gets covered. Show Notes: Rachel's most recent Kathy McGuiness story Esteban's police violence story

Wilmington activist Haneef Salaam joins Rob in the bunker to talk about the upcoming Justice For All edition of the monthly Positive Vibes in the Park event, the state of the 2024 elections, and the theory of an Old School vs New School Delaware Way. Show Notes: New Book from Maya Justice For All Event on 8/23

Activists James and Henry join Rob in the bunker to talk about their journey into leftist politics and advocacy for Palestine, and some of their takeaways after recent protests in Delaware and Washington DC.

Former Delaware Democratic Party Executive Director Erik Raser-Schramm joins Rob in the bunker to talk about his unique path into politics, his time in the political establishment, and why he wrote an op-ed calling out Bethany Hall-Long and endorsing Matt Meyer for governor. Show Notes: Lt. Gov. Hall-Long’s campaign team is getting shaken up — again Erik's op-ed

Oh, you thought it was just New Castle County that had horrible police unaccountability? Tye Grier joins Rob in the virtual bunker to talk about another instance of Dover police violence, and then more about the failed efforts to make change in that arena. Show Notes: Esteban Parra uses passive voice

State Representative Madinah Wilson-Anton joins Rob in the bunker to talk about this week's New Castle County Police Accountability Board meeting, and what it represents in the broader efforts to reform policing in Delaware. Show Notes: Another Day Another Case of Extreme Police Violence

The criminal legal system is back at it again as Bill joins Rob in the bunker to talk about the latest police violence from the New Castle County police department, as well as the trial of one of the arrested Palestine protesters. Then, some discussion about Delaware's favorite elderly president. Show Notes: New Castle County police beat a woman New Castle County Police Accountability Board Networ...

Wilmington Councilwoman Shané Darby and DSA co-chair Jonathan Tate join Rob in the bunker to talk about the Nathan Field anti-protesting ordinance, the trial of an actual protester, and then some talk about how organizations are handing out endorsements. Show Notes: More on the anti-protester ordinance

Former Kathy McGuiness lawyer Steve Wood joins Rob in the bunker to wrap up some of the loose ends of the Kathy v Kathy trial, the state of the corporate bar and the criminal justice system, and his objection to the term razzle dazzle. Show Notes: Washington Post report on police sexual abuse Kathy v Kathy series

As we approach our 300th episode, we go back over the story of the Highlands Bunker from the first episode recorded in late 2018 to nearly six years later in 2024. We review some of the key moments in the bunker, some of the key struggles we've focused on, the biggest goofs, and where we stand today. Show Notes: A trip down memory Saturday E01 - Proof of Concept BONUS EPISODE - Throwing Stones at...

Chance from Chancery Daily and local historian Dael Norwood join Rob in the virtual bunker to talk more about the upcoming changes to the Delaware General Corporation Law, which sailed through the senate despite opposition from dozens of leading law professors and scholars. We talk about the arguments that were made and what effects they did or didn't have on legislators. Show Notes: Karl Baker co...

Prospective stockholders Bill, Jordan, and Chance join Rob in the bunker to talk about the most important change to the Delaware General Corporation Law in decades: SB313 , which is trying to legislatively overturn a recent Chancery Court ruling banning shady stockholder agreements. We talk about how this came about and what might happen next. Show Notes: Travis Laster's LinkedIn The Chancery Cour...

Corporate nonsense is once again dominating Delaware news, so we brought in Former State Representative John Kowalko to talk about Incyte and corporate incentives, the hospitals' fight against HB 350, and the new amendments to Delaware's corporate law. Show Notes: Massachusetts Millionaires Tax Incyte expansion and incentives Jordan Howell's two pieces on the corporate bill

Governor candidate Collin O'Mara joins Rob in the bunker to talk about his previous record and residency in Delaware, his views on issues from privatization to criminal justice reform and how he actually plans to accomplish them, and the importance of having a real agenda as governor. Show Notes: Collin's Website More on the governor's forum Previous governor polls

Rep. Madinah Wilson-Anton joins Rob in the bunker to talk about Wednesday's Nakba vigil, some of the legislation going through the General Assembly right now, and the case for Collin O'Mara for governor. Show Notes: Health Care Review Board coverage Collin O'Mara website WFP Endorsement Process

Professor Samantha Simon joins Rob in the virtual bunker to talk about her book "Before The Badge", which covers modern police training and how it sets up the violent, oppositional nature of policing as we know it. First, we hear from Mike Abel and Dr. George Zahr about the history of the Nakba ahead of the Vigil to Commemorate the Nakba next Wednesday. Show Notes: Nakba Remembrance Event Comptrol...

Housing Alliance of Delaware Executive Director Rachel Stucker joins Rob in the bunker to talk about the problem of housing and homelessness in Delaware, the efforts to pass a Homeless Bill of Rights and stop a horrible Supreme Court decision, and the upcoming Housing Day of Action in Dover. Show Notes: Day for Housing Day of Action Housing Alliance of Delaware Johnson v. Grants Pass

MB joins Rob in the virtual bunker to talk about the flotilla that is about to head out from Istanbul to Gaza to break the blockade of aid that Israel has put in place. Show Notes: The Freedom Flotilla Coalition

Delaware Citizens Opposed to the Death Penalty Vice President Kristin Froehlich joins Rob in the bunker to talk about the most recent attempts to officially abolish the death penalty in Delaware, and how the morality of crime and punishment applies to the case of Anders Breivik, the far-right Norwegian terrorist. Show Notes: Delaware Citizens Opposed to the Death Penalty The Anders Breivik Story H...

County Council President candidate Val Gould joins Rob in the bunker to talk about their journey from teaching music to writing public policy, the upsides and downsides of being an introvert running for office, and what they want to do from housing to environment to policing. Show Notes: Corporate Law updates in the Call Val's website

It's a big news week for people who were previously involved in high-profile trials. We talk about two of them, as well as the state of the Delaware election and legislative scene right now, and some of the interviews we have coming up. Show Notes: Spotlight Delaware Chris Coons Interview

Disability advocate Benjamin Shrader joined Rob in the virtual bunker to talk about his path to Delaware, his disability and how it relates to the work that he's doing, and how faith and a recognition of interdependence help strengthen his politics. Show Notes: Benjamin's Twitter

Palestine activist Maryam Rahmani joins Rob in the virtual bunker to talk about her path to activism and then detailing the increasingly desperate repression that organizers and activists are facing from local law enforcement. Show Notes: Palestinian Painted Plates & the Nothing Party

Journalist Sam Stecklow joins Rob in the virtual bunker to talk about the latest ACLU lawsuit involving the Delaware Call to call for the release of more police records. Then, the crew talks about the death penalty, Jimmie Allen, and some exciting new endorsements. Show Notes: ACLU Delaware Call Lawsuit Invisible Institute , Citizens Police Data Project Jordan's Delaware Today piece