Broken Class

177: with Isiah Wagoner, BLM activist & Mayoral candidate

Isiah Wagoner is a Black Lives Matter proponent and a write-in candidate for Eugene Mayor. He is a father and lifelong Eugenean whose actions have been met with both significant admiration and significant criticism this year. 

We chat about being hit by a car (3:35), picking and choosing amendments (7:24), Blackness, masculinity and media (15:32), recognizing criticisms, gender and trans inclusion (22:16), terminology and self-education (33:33), Kamala Harris and Black leaders' scrutiny (47:22), mixed-race lineage (55:28), Isiah's music taste (1:01:21), Mayor Lucy Vinis, rap, and Kendrick Lamar (1:04:31), Mayoral platform ideas (1:07:48), qualifications and task force appointment (1:16:54), rehabilitation, opportunity and wages (1:19:20), ACAB (1:29:52), Justice in Policing Act of 2020 (1:36:38), and more.

The discussion is on video at https://youtu.be/qnaGxjx319s.
Isiah's campaign website: https://www.isiahwagoner.com

176: with Eliza Kashinsky, City Council candidate

Eliza Kashinsky is running for Eugene City Council in Ward 1. In a rare feat against an incumbent seeking re-election, she advanced to the November general election in May. Eliza's deep knowledge and approachable nature demonstrate why 33% of voters chose her, amongst 6 candidates.

We chat about homes and property regulations (1:02), Ward 1 politics (9:30), Lightning Round! Municipal Terms (17:15), Delayed solutions (22:24), Diversity and racial justice (26:35), Approachability (35:18), The Fibers of History mural (37:31), Secularism and non-theism in government (42:50), Eliza's music taste (48:43), and the inevitable hip-hop question (50:35), before my debut of some new bars (54:26). 

The discussion is on video at https://youtu.be/nYiPy4vv-LM.
Eliza's campaign website: https://www.electeliza.com

175: with Peter Feliciano, musician & podcast host

Peter Feliciano took his musical and comedic talents from the Bay Area to the Big Apple in 2019. We thoroughly disagree on some social and political issues, but we love the hell out of each other. If Pete had not invited me on episode 51 of "Conservatish with Peter Feliciano," I doubt I would have started my own podcast at the time that I did. We share our differing views on identity politics, Asian jokes, responsibility, "If All Lives Matter, where's your mask?", his album, NYC life, and more. The discussion is on video at https://youtu.be/j2hpMDdWZSs. 

Pete's podcast (where I join him on Ep. 51 and 118): https://conservatish.libsyn.com. 

Pete's album: https://spoti.fi/37PhQym. 

 

174: with Julian Outlaw, rapper

Julian Outlaw is a hip-hop artist from Houston, Texas' Third Ward. Without Julian's voice, I would never have known about the late George Floyd's contributions to hip-hop, specifically through H-Town's chopped and screwed movement. RIP Big Floyd!

We chat about bluegrass and commonalities (1:24), New York culture (4:18), racism in affluent spaces (9:57), a rare take on the 2016 election (13:13), Yang's sanity, #8CantWait, #8toAbolition, and policing (16:09), gangs and school funding (22:06), BIG FLOYD and the Screwed Up Click (28:16), Houston's slab lines (32:13), school board issues and teaching (40:41), officer Graveline and school cops (48:13), Asians and Black lives (58:45), good ally Dan Radcliffe and bad ally Drew Brees (1:03:21), basketball heroes (1:07:29), and more. The discussion is on video at https://youtu.be/WoA2szNfR4A. 

Support Julian Outlaw, and check out his work! http://smarturl.it/thelameoutlaw

173: with Candice King, housing liaison & former City Council candidate

Candice King is a tenant liaison with Homes for Good, as well as a recent City Council solidarity platform candidate with a background in economics. In the midst of the dual crises of violence against BLM protestors and the ongoing global pandemic, we chat about:

Economic growth (2:17), food deserts (11:20), marketing and race (18:11), incrementalism (24:59), left/right dualism (33:12), a racially insensitive Democrat (34:28), our responsibility to George Floyd's daughter (46:49), having more than we need (53:21), elections as shallow enfranchisement (58:45), intergenerational community-making (1:05:43), white skin (1:11:23), loneliness origins and the rap album "Everything's Fine" (1:15:02), punk rock (1:20:37), drums from Africa (1:27:14), and more.

The discussion is on video at https://youtu.be/gW62Ex68Qso. 

172: with Brooklyn Wetzel, education activist

Brooklyn Wetzel brings wisdom on self-directed education, through her experiences as facilitator, a parent, and an activist. We start the episode talking about racial justice in the context of recent violent events. 

The discussion is on video at https://youtu.be/9ee5fDyPzFk.

171: Election Debrief with Tyger Gruber, podcast host

Tyger Gruber (Ep. 158) returns to help me debrief the results of the May 2020 primary election.

We talk throughout the show about Eugene's mayoral race (5:15), as well as brief recaps of City Council Ward 1 [Emily Semple, Eliza Kashinsky, Tim Morris, Candice King, Sean Dwyer, Liev Williams (18:13)], Ward 2 [Matt Keating, Kate Davidson (21:00)], Ward 7 [Claire Syrett, Douglas Barr, Cliff Gray (22:11)], Ward 8 [Randy Groves, Ryan Moore (23:51)], Democrats for Congress [Peter DeFazio, Doyle Canning (27:27)], County Commissioner for S. Eugene [Laurie Trieger, Joel Iboa, Sandra Bishop, Matt Moore (41:24)], for N. Eugene [Pat Farr, Andrew Ross (42:24)], District Attorney [Patty Perlow, James Cleavenger (43:58)], Eugene Mayor [Lucy Vinis, me, Stacey Westover, Zondie Zinke, Robert Patterson, Matthew Yook, Ben Ricker (44:10)], Republicans for Congress [Alek Skarlatos, Nelson Ijih, Art Robinson for OR Senate (51:23)], and we end discussing Tyger's excellent podcast, Talks with Tyger (58:42).

This was recorded at the beautiful peak of Cham-o-tee, and the video is available in 4K quality at https://youtu.be/viXXJP6FZJM. 

Be sure to check out Tyger's podcast, Talks with Tyger: https://talkswithtyger.podbean.com/

170: 64 Policy Town Hall [Livestream]

For a live audience on Election Day eve, I recorded a town hall about all 64 policies in my Eugene mayoral platform. 

TRACKLIST: [SONG 1: You Don't Know Me At All (0:33)], [NEWS: First amendment & blocking critics (2:33)], [NEWS: Facebook banning a link to my opponents' website (7:29)], [SONG 2: Eugene Needs A Mayor Who's Competent (11:31)], [64 Policy Intro (13:14)], [PILLAR I: Education (14:02)], [PILLAR II: Mental Health (27:41)], [PILLAR III: Business (38:02)], [PILLAR IV: Housing and Homelessness (46:05)], [PILLAR V: Climate (Social) (52:45)], [SONG 3 & PILLAR VI: Art (55:14)], [PILLAR VII: Climate Again (Ecological) (1:02:26)], [Wrapping up -- onward to November! (1:07:47)] 

This is viewable on video (with slightly worse audio) at https://youtu.be/0HuI3iV602U?t=393 

The policies are readable at http://hiura2020.org. Ballots are due 8pm TODAY!

169: with Zondie Zinke, writer & Mayoral candidate

Zondie Zinke is a writer, local government watchdog, and mother who is running for Mayor of Eugene. She has co-created the Solidarity Platform with four other grassroots candidates.

We chat about climate policy (2:06), speaking tough truths (6:00), establishment thinking & endorsements (11:41), public breastfeeding in Eugene (23:21), economics & organizing (27:08), decolonization (31:18), activism with music & drum circles (43:32), tepid endorsements of the Mayor, even from establishment media (48:44), city staff proposing a CET tax limit on wealthy developers (53:22), dehumanization and violence against unhoused people (58:12), fairness in neighborhoods (1:02:59), classist subsidies for “affordable housing at every level” (1:05:49), great info on all city candidates (1:10:15), wisdom from English teacher Mrs. Downey (1:11:38), and the word “slave” (1:12:32).

The discussion is on video at https://youtu.be/TcU0EEGkKgw

Zondie has been such a team player in this effort for city leadership that I will promote the website of an “opponent” for the first time: http://solidarityplatformeugene.org 

168: with Kitty Piercy, Eugene Mayor (2005-2017)

Kitty Piercy served as Mayor of Eugene from 2005 to 2017. She was only the second woman to be elected Mayor, and she served the second-longest of any Mayor.

We chat about being teachers (0:53), housing/sheltering (3:44), Oregon’s constitution (8:21), Peace Corps in the ‘60s throughout Africa (10:55), Eugene history between business and environmental interests (15:03), Council arguments devolving into sandwich-throwing (18:53), music we love (22:18), UO women’s basketball (24:20), her time at China’s 2^nd climate summit (29:41), energizing the Council (33:33), the power/authority of Eugene’s Mayor (39:22), the West Eugene Parkway (40:11), our stories with the Obamas (53:02), appreciating candidates of all stripes (1:04:47), Facebook (1:06:40), and more.

The discussion is on beautifully closed-captioned video at https://youtu.be/be9CdnodjSI. 

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