The Breakdown with Shaun King

You can't make this up. The NYPD failed in its most basic duties on every level of this mass shooting, but somehow found a way to act like they solved it. They damn sure didn't. Let me unpack and explain how it all went down. In fact, victims might be suing the NYPD for their gross incompetence Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As I recorded this podcast, 24 hours after the mass shooting in New York, the perpetrator is still on the loose a dozen people are still in the hospital, and the city is dealing with the real trauma of it all. And what has become clear is that it was a catastrophic security failure for the NYPD - not one of budgetary needs, but of extreme incompetence. They have a budget of nearly $11 BILLION per...

I planned on talking about something totally different today, but while I was prepping for the podcast, a mass shooting happened on the subway train in Brooklyn. I'll unpack and explain what we know so far and put it into context with what it means to live in one of the most violent countries in the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week police in Grand Rapids, Michigan shot and killed a young Black man named Patrick Lyoya - a Congolese immigrant and father of 2 young girls. Both the family and a local county commissioner who saw the body camera footage have said that police put a gun to the back of Patrick's head and shot and killed him execution style. I believe them. Of course, police and prosecutors are stalling by r...

I am nothing but elated over the confirmation of the brilliant Ketanji Brown Jackson onto the United States Supreme Court. It's a huge, historic deal. And we should celebrate. Period. We also need to understand that she is about to walk into perhaps the most conservative Supreme Courts in the entire history of this country. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On April 4th, we ran a classic episode from our friends Allan Boomer and Tiffany Hawkins of The Momentum Advisors titled "Is Your Money Racists?" I need a couple more days to recover from my recent neck surgery so the team at The North Star is going to run a great action oriented follow-up to that Episode. We hope you enjoy! The terms "ESG", "socially responsible" and "impact investing" are ongoin...

Yesterday, I not only announced my next book, a memoir called Lemons and Stones, I also announced that we are launching our own fully independent Black owned publishing company, The North Star Publishing. Today I want to unpack and explain why we're going this route and what it means for us. It won't be easy, but nothing worth doing ever is. Let's GO! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaph...

When you contribute to your retirement savings do you know what your investments are contributing to? Are your investment dollars circulating wealth into the communities that matter to you the most? Unfortunately, the answer is probably: NO. And the worse news is that your retirement and investment dollars are likely supporting companies and institutions that would rather support immigration, pris...

Yesterday we shared our first 5 ways to defund the police and make America safer at the same time. Today, we conclude with the final 5 ideas.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For today and tomorrow's episode, we revisit episodes 287 and 288. In them, Shaun breaks down a list by Alex Vitale on 10 ways we can safely defund the police.  Alex Vitale is one of Shaun's favorite scholars in the country on how and why we must defund the police. Of the 10 ways Alex suggested that we defund the police, Today Shaun breaks down the first five.  Learn more about your ad choices. Vi...

For today's episode, we revisit our 33rd episode. In it, Shaun King breaks down Joe Biden’s comments from 2019 defending his 1994 Crime Bill. To understand what the implications are of defending this bill, Shaun needs us to understand that mass incarceration in America was designed and planned to criminalize Blackness. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Yesterday Joe Biden announced that he's asking Congress for $32 BILLION more for American police in the name of fighting crime, but here's the thing, they don't need even $1 more. They are swimming in money from coast to coast. The NYPD alone has an annual budget over $10 billion - which is more than most countries spend on their entire military. And here's the thing - America's safest neighborhoo...

Description: Yeah, that happened. It was real. And today I want to ask some hard questions and share some concerns I have. People have breaking points and you don't know when they are going to reach theirs, but when they do, it might be ugly. I am deeply afraid that everyday people are going to try what Will tried, but find out that they will actually go to jail for it and that people will normall...

Today I'm going to be a bit nerdy/wonky and talk about metrics, by asking the question of "How do we measure success for Black America?" What are the outcomes and numbers we should be able to agree really show whether or not we're moving in the right direction as a people? Is it home ownership? Is it college education? Is it the number of people killed by police or incarcerated? Is it wealth? I ca...

Today is a super short episode of The Breakdown. WAY too many of us are saying Kamala wrong (I'll pronounce that for you today as well), but let's take 10 seconds to learn how to say and spell the name of the new nominee to the Supreme Court - Ketanji Brown Jackson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Yes, it's exciting that a Black woman could be on the Supreme Court, but for many of us in the justice community, NOTHING is more exciting to us than the fact that she is a former public defender. I'm all for ethnic and gender diversity, but America's courts also need an essential type of legal diversity that is woefully missing. The overwhelming majority of judges in America are former prosecutor...

Nearly 4 million women and children have now fled Ukraine as refugees - including tens of thousands of African students that barely escaped the war. And as colleges and universities have started to open up their doors, it struck a painful nerve with some. Let me try to unpack and explain this, because 2 realities are true at the same time... African refugees fleeing war need a safe place to live a...

After being accused by dozens of women across the country of sexual misconduct and assault, the Cleveland Browns just made Deshaun Watson the highest paid player in the NFL. I have some thoughts. Let me unpack and explain the case. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s throwback episode of The Breakdown, the final episode in a 3 part series explaining the leading Supreme Court cases that make police brutality functionally legal in the United States, Shaun gives us action steps and solutions for how we make police brutality illegal. It won’t be easy or quick, but it’s necessary.  If you haven't already, go listen to Wednesday & Thursday's episodes to h...

Yesterday on The Breakdown, we went all the way back to our 12th episode where Shaun began a series on the legality of police brutality. Today, we bring you part two of that series. In it, Shaun unpacks the Supreme Court case, Graham v. Connor - and explains how it is now used alongside of Tennessee v. Garner to protect police from being held responsible for their brutality. Learn more about your...

For Today's episode of The Breakdown, we are going way back and replaying our 12th episode. In it, Shaun King begins the first of a 3 part series on why police brutality is functionally legal in the United States by unpacking the Supreme Court cases that currently protect even the worst officers in cases of police brutality. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The world can be an ugly place, but when that ugliness comes, I have some measure of peace because I'm consistent in what I speak out. I can speak out on the war crimes of Putin and Russia because I also speak out on the war crimes of the United States. But that's because I have a worldview - a philosophy - a guiding way I see and interact with the world. And when you don't have one, you ultimatel...

Today is the 25th anniversary of the tragic murder of Biggie Smalls. And I just want to reflect on how special he was, how much I loved him growing up, where I rank him as a rapper - and I want to dream out loud on who and what he would've become. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Yesterday Mitch McConnell announced that he is going to block something that was WIDELY expected to have bi-partisan support. During the pandemic, a policy was enacted to pay for school lunches across the country. It's popular from coast to coast with conservatives and liberals alike. And Democrats wanted to renew it. But Mitch shocked everybody and said he's blocking it. Let me explain what's evi...

Charles Ryan did something that would be a literal death sentence to every Black person in America. After a 911 call was made of shots fired, police in Tempe, Arizona showed up at Ryan's home, only for him to point his loaded gun straight at them. Instead of killing him in a hail of bullets like police did to Amadou Diallo for showing police his wallet, police didn't fire a single bullet at Charle...