Between The Lines - The Rev. Dr. Brad Braxton: Seeds of Change Found in the Ashes of Baltimore's Uprising (Week Ending May 15, 2015)

Award-winning Investigative Journalist Robert Parry (1949-2018)

Award-winning investigative journalist and founder/editor of ConsortiumNews.com, Robert Parry has passed away. His ground-breaking work uncovering Reagan-era dirty wars in Central America and many other illegal and immoral policies conducted by successive administrations and U.S. intelligence agencies, stands as an inspiration to all in journalists working in the public interest.

Robert had been a regular guest on our Between The Lines and Counterpoint radio shows -- and many other progressive outlets across the U.S. over four decades.

His penetrating analysis of U.S. foreign policy and international conflicts will be sorely missed, and not easily replaced. His son Nat Parry writes a tribute to his father: Robert Parry’s Legacy and the Future of Consortiumnews.

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The Resistance Starts Now!

Between The Lines' coverage and resource compilation of the Resistance Movement

"The man who predicted Trump presidential win now says Trump impeachment could happen," AM Joy with Joy Reid, MSNBC, Jan. 21, 2018
"Sketchy Kazakh money finds its way into Trump dealings," The Rachel Maddow Show, MSNBC, Jan. 15, 2018
"Red flags seen in many Trump real estate deals," The Rachel Maddow Show, MSNBC, Jan. 15, 2018
"Secret Money: How Trump Made Millions Selling Condos To Unknown Buyers," BuzzFeed, Jan. 12, 2018
"The Scandals of Donald Trump: Presidential Edition," The Atlantic, May 15, 2017
"Here's what we know so far about Team Trump's ties to Russian interests," Washington Post's ongoing compilation
"What Comey Was Investigating, Explained," The Moscow Project, Center for American Progress

"Donald Trump's Financial Ties to Russian Oligarchs and Mobsters Detailed In Explosive New Documentary from the Netherlands," Dutch TV documentary, Alternet.org, May 12, 2017
Ongoing compilation of Trump's creeping authoritarianism," MotherJones.com
Full resource list ...

SPECIAL REPORT: "The Resistance - Women's March 2018 - Hartford, Connecticut" Jan. 20, 2018

Selected speeches from the Women's March in Hartford, Connecticut 2018, recorded and produced by Scott Harris

SPECIAL REPORT: "No Fracking Waste in CT!" Jan. 14, 2018

Jen Siskind Jennifer Siskind, local coordinator for Food and Water Watch, describes the campaign to stop fracking waste in Connecticut, which so far has led to fracking waste bans in 34 towns around the state. Interviewed by Richard Hill on Mic Check, WPKN Radio, Bridgeport, CT

SPECIAL REPORT: "Resistance Round Table: The Unraveling Continues..." Jan. 13, 2018

Lindsay Kanaly The panel discusses Trump's long history of racism and the Republican voter suppression juggernaut confronting Democrats leading up to the 2018 elections. Special guest: Lindsay Kanaly, a lead organizer of the Women's Marches planned for Jan. 20, 2018. Panel: Scott Harris, Ruthanne Baumgartner and Richard Hill on Resistance Roundtable, WPKN Radio, Bridgeport, CT.

SPECIAL REPORT: "Capitalism to the ash heap?" Richard Wolff, Jan. 2, 2018

Richard Wolff, Economics professor Richard Wolff declares U.S. capitalism to be beyond repair and suggests the need for a radical alternative. Interviewed by Richard Hill

SPECIAL REPORT: Maryn McKenna, author of "Big Chicken", Dec. 7, 2017

Maryn McKenna, investigative journalist and author of Big Chicken, talks about the widespread use and dangers of antibiotics in commercial poultry, beef and fruit production. Interview by Bill Duesing, Richard Hill and Guy Beardsly on WPKN's Organic Farm Stand.

SPECIAL REPORT: Nina Turner's address, Working Families Party Awards Banquet, Dec. 14, 2017

Nina Turner, president of Our Revolution, talks about the fight ahead for progressives as she receives the Working Families Organization Award for Exceptional Leadership Towards Advancing Progress. The event was held in Meriden, CT. Produced by Richard Hill.

SPECIAL REPORT: Mic Check, Dec. 12, 2017

Working Families Party of CT talks strategy and issues for 2018.
Lindsay Farrell, executive director of the Working Families Party of Connecticut, discusses the state's electoral landscape and lays out the issues and strategies that could lead to progressive victories in 2018. Interviewed by Richard Hill.

SPECIAL REPORT: Resistance Roundtable, Dec. 9, 2017

Disturbing developments in the Trump/Republican Agenda
Focus on the tax bill, destruction of our public lands, North Korea and Trump's private CIA. Panel: Scott Harris, Ruthanne Baumgartner and Richard Hill. Special guest: Jo Macallero of Rise and Resist.

SPECIAL REPORT: On Tyranny - one year later, Nov. 28, 2017

Professor Timothy Snyder, author of the highly acclaimed resistance manual On Tyranny, discusses his book and offers a fresh assessment of the state of our beleaguered republic. Timothy Snyder, history professor at Yale, is introduced by Stanley Heller, administrator of Promoting Enduring Peace, a Connecticut-based organization that sponsored this event at the United Church Parish House in New Haven on Nov. 28. A brief interview with Snyder conducted by WPKN radio producer, Richard Hill, follows his talk.

SPECIAL REPORT: Mic Check, Nov. 12, 2017

Lynne Ide, director of program and policy with the Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut, talks about the current state of health care coverage in Connecticut. Interviewed by Richard Hill, WPKN radio producer

SPECIAL REPORT: Resistance Roundtable, Nov. 11, 2017

Focus on the Republican tax plan, the just-released autopsy on the Democratic Party, and Internet censorship by Google, Facebook and Youtube. Including an interview with Hilary Grant, a lead organizer with Action Together Connecticut, who discusses the local results of the recent election, with hosts Richard Hill, Scott Harris and Ruth Baumgartner WPKN producers

SPECIAL REPORT: Rainy Day Radio, Nov. 7, 2017

Two leaders from Redneck Revolt, an anti-racist, anti-capitalist movement, talk about their work organizing with white working class people in Suffolk County, New York. Interviewed by Richard Hill, WPKN radio producer

SPECIAL REPORT: Rainy Day Radio, Nov. 7, 2017

Bruce Gagnon, coordinator for the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space, describes the extent of -- and motives underlying -- the vast US network of military bases around the globe. Interviewed by Richard Hill, WPKN radio producer

SPECIAL REPORT: Resisting U.S. JeJu Island military base in South Korea, Oct. 24, 2017

Joyakol, South Korean peace activist and singer, discusses the crisis on the Korean peninsula and focuses on the resistance to the U.S. huge military base being constructed on Jeju Island. The event was sponsored by the Greater New Haven Peace Council and this audio was recorded by Richard Hill, WPKN producer.
Joyakol discusses Americans' biggest misconceptions about the conflict between North and South Korea and the U.S., Interview by Richard Hill, WPKN producer.

SPECIAL REPORT: John Allen, Out in New Haven

John Allen, founding director of the New Haven Pride Center, Connecticut, talks about his new LGBTQ television show, Out in New Haven, which presents a range of political and cultural issues to the community. Interviewed by Richard Hill on WPKN's Rainy Day Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2018.

2017 Gandhi Peace Awards

Promoting Enduring Peace presented its Gandhi Peace Award jointly to renowned consumer advocate Ralph Nader and BDS founder Omar Barghouti on April 23, 2017.

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THANK YOU TO EVERYONE...

who helped make our 25th anniversary with Jeremy Scahill a success!

For those who missed the event, or were there and really wanted to fully absorb its import, here it is in video

Jeremy Scahill keynote speech, part 1 from PROUDEYEMEDIA on Vimeo.

Jeremy Scahill keynote speech, part 2 from PROUDEYEMEDIA on Vimeo.

Between The Lines on Stitcher

Between The Lines Presentation at the Left Forum 2016

"How Do We Build A Mass Movement to Reverse Runaway Inequality?" with Les Leopold, author of "Runaway Inequality: An Activist's Guide to Economic Justice,"May 22, 2016, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, The City University of New York, 860 11th Ave. (Between 58th and 59th), New York City. Between The Lines' Scott Harris and Richard Hill moderated this workshop. Listen to the audio/slideshows and more from this workshop.

Listen to audio of the plenary sessions from the weekend.

JEREMY SCAHILL: Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker "Dirty Wars"

Listen to the full interview (30:33) with Jeremy Scahill, an award-winning investigative journalist with the Nation Magazine, correspondent for Democracy Now! and author of the bestselling book, "Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army," about America's outsourcing of its military. In an exclusive interview with Counterpoint's Scott Harris on Sept. 16, 2013, Scahill talks about his latest book, "Dirty Wars, The World is a Battlefield," also made into a documentary film under the same title, and was nominated Dec. 5, 2013 for an Academy Award in the Best Documentary Feature category.

Listen to Scott Harris Live on WPKN Radio

Between The Lines' Executive Producer Scott Harris hosts a live, weekly talk show, Counterpoint, from which some of Between The Lines' interviews are excerpted. Listen every Monday evening from 8 to 10 p.m. EDT at www.WPKN.org (Follows the 5-7 minute White Rose Calendar.)

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Seeds of Change Found in the Ashes of Baltimore's Uprising

Posted May 6, 2015

Interview with Brad Braxton, senior pastor of The Open Church, a progressive congregation in West Baltimore, conducted by Scott Harris

In a now familiar pattern, the broadcast of video images of police interaction with African-American men follows reports of abuse or death linked to law enforcement action. Such was the case in Baltimore when a 25-year-old black man, Freddie Gray, died one week after being unlawfully arrested by police on April 12. Gray’s April 19 death resulted from a severe spinal cord injury after being transported in a police van. The six officers involved in Gray’s arrest and transport had reportedly ignored his repeated request for medical help.

After Freddie Gray’s funeral on April 27, riots and looting broke out that set buildings on fire and damaged 200 businesses in the impoverished West Baltimore neighborhood where Gray lived. Following the unrest, the National Guard was deployed and evening curfews were imposed. Despite the tension, Baltimore residents continued peaceful protests against police violence, which inspired solidarity actions in other cities across the U.S.

Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby later filed charges that included second-degree murder and manslaughter against the six officers involved in Freddie Gray’s arrest. Between The Lines’ Scott Harris spoke with the Rev. Dr. Brad Braxton, senior pastor of The Open Church, a progressive congregation in West Baltimore. Here, he reflects on the issue of police violence that provoked both peaceful protest and riots – while also assessing the role poverty played in the eruption of anger witnessed in the streets of Baltimore.

THE REV. DR. BRAD BRAXTON: I think what we have seen in these last few weeks, and especially with last week's uprising, is the need for many communities in our country – Baltimore simply being one of them – to have a more complex and nuanced conversation about the multiple dimensions of violence. Now we certainly know that violence is at the center of this. The young African-American man – he could be of any ethnicity – so ultimately, we must also be mindful of the issues of the use of state force on any particular community. But there seems to be a particular concentration right through in here, these last few years, as it relates to the African-American community – both women and men. It's not just an African-American male issue.

And there are many communities saying, let's have a serious conversation about violence. What about the subtle, but nonetheless real manifestations of violence that have to do with public policies that cut off large sections of communities from resources and opportunities? So I often say, there's a form of violence – that might be lethal injection, the death penalty, state-sponsored violence – but rarely do we talk in this country about violence of suffocating poverty. And so many people have been saying, "Why are these young people acting this way, and this looting and the burning?" Not that anyone would in any way want to endorse violence. The question is, can we endorse a more sophisticated conversation about the multiple ways that communities experience violence?

BETWEEN THE LINES: As you look at the situation in Baltimore, I know the Harbor area is quite famed for being redeveloped, it's a tourist attraction of some import. But what is going on in places like West Baltimore, where your church is and where a lot of this unrest and demonstrations have occurred? What is going on in these neighborhoods that the rest of America is not aware of?

THE REV. DR. BRAD BRAXTON: In a word – and this is the word I've been using a lot in my public conversation and in my own congregation, trying to provide framework – and that is the word "nihilism," which simply means philosophy or the worldview of nothingness. When the system betrays you over and over and over again, and when you see that in fact that Lady Justice is not nearly as blind as she is said to be, and when you see that certain people can commit certain kinds of crimes and they get off and others commit much lesser offenses and yet they always have stiffer sentences and all of those disparities, then a sense of "nothingness" – again, that's philosophically called "nihilism" – can take hold of your mind and your soul.

You stop caring about anything, or thinking that anything good can happen. And so what we're really dealing with in many of our communities is the lack of tangible and intangible opportunities: education, recreation centers. I've just left a meeting of clergy where we're dealing with a particular Baltimore city neighborhood not too far from where the uprising occurred, where there are just food deserts. To be sure, we need our parents to be more present, to be sure ,we need our faith communities to be more resolute and reaching out and more socially relevant. Yes, yes, yes.

And, we must realize that the system is stacked, and has been for decades, if not centuries, against various communities. One of the things that I'd like to say is that our imagination is so often truncated that we don't believe that two things or three things can be true at the same time. So, for example, there are dozens of communities all throughout Baltimore, all kinds of neighborhoods that so appreciate the police. And, we want to make a statement about over-policing, police brutality and the need for more humane and community-oriented policing.

Both of those things can be true at the same time and some of us are committed to broadening the public discourse and not allow us to get stuck in this "either-or" that so truncates the public imagination and limits real opportunities for cross-cultural healing and understanding.

BETWEEN THE LINES: Dr. Braxton, as you look at the "Black Lives Matter" movement all across this country which launched actions this past weekend called "Black Spring," what do you believe the potential of this movement is for change?

THE REV. DR. BRAD BRAXTON: There is tremendous potential if – and I really want to underscore that "if" – if we have staying power and courage. Courage – the ability to follow truth and justice and peace wherever they may lead. Wherever the bread crumbs are leading that might lead us to truth and justice and peace, we're going to follow them at great sacrifice. So that means the courage will be necessary to have the deep, deep, conversation about the deep, deep inequities upon which the very American democracy is founded.

For more information on the Open Church, visit theopenchurchmd.org.