The Breakdown with Shaun King

Last weekend, Fort Worth police officers shot and killed 28-year-old Atatiana Jefferson in her own home. She was in her house playing video games with her nephew. Since Saturday, the police officer who shot Atatiana was arrested and charged with murder. It's a horrible tragedy, and on today's episode, Shaun breaks down the nuances of this case. He also reports on three people who made an important...

Los Angeles County is the most populous county in the US and, while it should be a trendsetter for reform, it is the nation’s largest jail system. LA is the perfect example of why this country so desperately needs progressive district attorneys because Los Angeles DA Jackie Lacey is the opposite. Today, Shaun breaks down just how awful DA Jackie Lacey’s track record is on justice reform and the co...

When a sitting United States President looks at Congress and says that he or she simply will not do what Congress asks, then we are in crisis. That’s exactly what happened on Tuesday afternoon when Donald Trump declared that he will not participate in the  impeachment process. Today, Shaun breaks down just how dangerous this action is, and what  the implications are. Learn more about your ad choic...

Joshua Brown, a father of three young children, was brutally murdered last Friday. As you may know, Joshua was a key witness in the murder trial of Amber Guyger. Ten days after he testified, he was targeted and shot to death outside of his home. Today, Shaun breaks down this open investigation to explain exactly what happened in the courtroom when Joshua testified and how it changes our understand...

The United States does not have one justice system or one legal system. We often talk about changing the system, but in reality, we have 30,000 micro systems. Each micro system has its own set of rules, laws, and politics, which is simultaneously great news in our fight to change the status quo, as well as horrible news. Today. Shaun breaks down what this means. Learn more about your ad choices. V...

Due to the North Star moving into new offices, we will not be able to record a new episode for today. We are working around the clock today and through the weekend to complete the move. Thanks for checking in and have a great day! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today's episode, Shaun unpacks and explains the 10 year prison sentence that was handed down to Dallas police officer Amber Guyger. He also addresses some of the fallout the verdict including the direct reactions of the family, the judge and a bailiff in the courtroom.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just hours ago, Amber Guyger received a guilty verdict for the murder of Botham Jean. No verdict can make up for the loss and pain that the family has suffered, but even this version of justice is  virtually unprecedented. On today's episode,  Shaun breaks down what makes this case different from the countess other cases that have been denied guilty verdicts by America's legal system. Learn more a...

The case for impeachment is all over the news, and Trump's reaction has been extreme. Today, Shaun breaks down the case for impeachment in the context of Trump's entire presidency and highlights the gravity of his "Civil War" comments. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The murder trials of the police officers who murdered Botham Jean and Anthony Hill are both underway right now. Shaun breaks down why these two cases are SO  important in the fight for justice. We all need to be watching and listening to how these two trials go down. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Remember the 5 children that we told you about who were being charged with a murder that they didn't commit (ep. 89)? After that episode, thousands of you made phone calls and wrote emails. Well, largely because of you, those murder charges have been dropped. In the last 95 episodes of this podcast, we've learned a lot about what makes our Action Steps truly work. We know that the calls we ask you...

So many of the stories we hear in the news are horrendous. But too often, we don't investigate the root causes of the stories we're outraged by. So, after reporting instances of young children being arrested on our last two episodes, Shaun digs into the root cause of these stories. He breaks down his theory that events like this only happen in the United States because of the abundance of guns her...

All over the country, black girls and boys as young as six are being arrested for minor behavior problems. On today's episode, Shaun continues his conversation on this issue by focusing on how schools nationwide are failing to implement systems and structures that better support these children. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The United States may be the only nation in the world where a 6-year-old child could be handcuffed, arrested, put in a police car, finger printed, and jailed over a tantrum they had in class. And that is exactly what happened last week in Orlando, Florida.  This case exposes exactly what the school to prison pipeline looks like and on today’s episode Shaun digs into the extent to which Black girls...

Last week, several white students brutally assaulted a 12-year-old Black boy in a locker room at their school. Today, Shaun digs into the case and breaks down the dynamics at play between parents, children, and schools. It’s not enough to watch these horrible videos and to be outraged. We need to learn from them about how to intervene and stand up for justice in an everyday way. Learn more about y...

Since Flip the Senate launched one month ago, we have seen mass shootings, natural disasters, and the abysmal reaction of our government to each of these tragedies remind us how urgent our mission is to Flip the Senate in 2020. Today, Shaun reveals the next four candidates who we are going to push for and fight for because they're the right people to win their state!! Let's do this!! Learn more ab...

Colin Kaepernick played his last game in the NFL 924 days ago simply because he had the nerve to have a silent, peaceful protest against police brutality and systemic injustice before each game. This season Shaun is continuing his personal boycott of the NFL, and on today's episode, he breaks down why. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shaun gets asked one questions more than any other -- "How do I change the world?" To give you an answer, Shaun needs to ask you an even bigger question: What are you going to fight for? Making a conscious, honest decision about what you're going to fight for is not simple. It's complicated and personal. And all of us need to make that decision to make real meaningful change. In this unscripted ep...

After last week’s devastation in the Bahamas, tens of thousands of people are now homeless and evacuations have begun. Last night, when hundreds of men, women, and children arrived to the United States, they were ordered away. They had the proper documentation, but they were told that US Customs and Border Patrol had issued the order to not let them in. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit mega...

Have you heard of the murder rule? Most countries in the world have gotten rid of this rule. But not only is the rule still in place in most states in the US, but right now, five teenagers may face life in prison for a murder that they did not commit because of this rule. We have action steps at the end of this episode so that we can come together and intervene. Learn more about your ad choices. V...

If you don’t care about the climate crisis, it might be the case that you don’t fully understand what’s ahead and how it impacts every single one of us – particularly the most marginalized nations and communities of the world. We need all hands on deck.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Did you know that it is against the rules of the United States Congress for members to call the President, or the words and actions of the President, racist? It’s true. Let’s change them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A 7 person panel of experts took a deep dive into every dollar Shaun King has ever raised as a leader in the Black Lives Matter Movement including 5 years of his tax returns, 10 years of banking, and every single fundraiser Shaun has ever participated in.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Breakdown is not just here to change the news, it's here to change the world. On today's episode, Shaun goes back over our first four months to celebrate all of the hard fought Action Step victories that we've had together - including two that actually start today! Together we're making the world a better place!! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Police in Colorado Springs shot teenager De’Von Bailey repeatedly in his back as he ran away from them. What do the laws say about this? And what can we do about it? On today’s episode Shaun dives in to the unique dangers of being Black, armed, and confronted by American police. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices