The People's War Radio Show, Episode #27: The shooting of L.A. Sheriffs in Compton - response to legacy of police violence?

On September 12, 2020, a gunman opened fire on two Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputies at the Willowbrook Blue Line Transit Station in Compton California. 

The deputies were taken to the nearby St. Francis Medical Center in the neighboring city of Lynwood. Outside of the hospital, protestors gathered, not in support of the officers but in support of the community, chanting, “We hope they die.”

As we record this program, there have been no arrests in the case. Many residents assume that this attack on the police were in response to a series of recent police killings and to the decades of police containment and abuse against the black community of Compton and Los Angeles.

In this episode we talk with two community activists about the existence of gangs operating inside of the L.A. Sheriff's Department, the allegations that the recent killing of a black bicyclist was a gang initiation test and the "no comment" response of the black community to offers of "snitch money" in the case of the shooting of the 2 Sheriff's Deputies.

• Tasha Williamson is a celebrated activist and powerful advocate of justice against white power in police departments. She is co-founder of Hotels Vouchers for all and San Diego Compassion Project. In early 2020, she ran for mayor of San Diego winning over 25,000 votes. Tasha Williamson has fought in courts, on the streets, in city hall, in front of city official’s residence to expose the relationship between the policies of violence and imprisonment against Africans and the corruption within these departments.
• Alfred Durr, a father of 6 children born and raised in Compton, California. A former standout athlete, Alfred has seen the best and the worst of life in Compton, California. Currently, Alfred is the co-host of the podcast CoolTalk where they discuss everything from sports to politics. Alfred is a fierce advocate for the African working class on everything from his opposition to gang profiling to his support for healthy eating and exercise.