The People w/ David and Pham: Recent Episodes
The People w/ David and Pham
THE PEOPLE aims to provide y’all with the knowledge to make informed decisions as Angelenos. When you tune in, expect to hear local stories often ignored by mainstream media, meet your community leaders who work towards making us a more equitable society, and learn about current and upcoming events that challenge the status quo. We are here to uplift and amplify your voices, so join the conversation because we want to hear from YOU 🙌🏼 | Hosts: David Kim and Christina Diễm Phạm
This episode marks the SEASON FINALE of The People w/ David and Pham! We’ll break for the remainder of summer and will return later this year. In Episode 18, Trinidad Ruiz of the Los Angeles Tenants Union hangs out with us to chat about the eviction moratorium, organizing with tenants, tenant rights, collaborating with tenants unions outside of Los Angeles, LAMC 41.18, and more. Y’all can find out more about LATU at latenantsunion.org 🏡 Headlines in this weekend’s program: the federal eviction moratorium, an update on the Hyperion Water Réclamation Plant sewage spill, harassment allegations against New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, and Mike Pak’s resolution with Forever 21 following unauthorized use of the Koreatown graphic. Community spotlight includes: J-Town Action and Solidarity’s $10K fundraiser, Westside L.A. Tenants Union yard sale, and ending police associations with Black Lives Matter: Los Angeles.
We welcome Abby Austin from Sunrise Movement L.A. and Amir King from Sunrise Youth L.A. to talk about Sunrise Movement, the Green New Deal, the Civilian Climate Corps, their recent action at Senator Dianne Feinstein’s office, and so much more. Y’all don’t want to miss out on the incredible work they’re both doing. Headlines include: an update on COVID-19, Ed Buck, whistleblower Daniel Hale, the Atlanta hate crimes from March, and LAMC 41.18.
Cerise joins us in a follow-up conversation to talk about “A Tradition of Violence,” her 15-part investigative series (w/ @knockdotla) on the history of deputy gangs inside the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (@lasdhq). We last spoke to Cerise about three months ago, and a lot has happened since then, including #GoogleLASDGangs popping up around town, public reception of the series, LAX Police Chief Cecil Rhambo’s candidacy for Sheriff in 2022, and more. Headlines in Episode 16 include: LAX Police Chief Cecil Rhambo running for Sheriff, 17 million gallons of sewage spilling into Santa Monica Bay, and an ethnic studies GE requirement at community colleges in CA. Community Spotlight: March for Mely — Albert Corado (@digitalash) joins us to share details about March for Mely this Sunday 7/18. Mely was murdered by @lapdhq at the @traderjoes in Silverlake three years ago on 7/21/18. The Corado family continue uplifting Mely, alongside other families of people who have been killed by the cops in L.A.
In Episode 15, we welcome Di Barbadillo back to the show to talk about the sweeps happening in Venice Beach, Sheriff Alex Villanueva’s abysmal “outreach” to the unhoused, the L.A. City Council’s anti-camping ordinance, and more. Headlines include: An update on the humanitarian crisis in Tigray (@omnatigray), Greenpeace U.K.’s investigation on Exxon (@greenpeace), a protest at Wi Spa, and the aftermath of the LAPD fireworks explosion in South L.A. Community spotlights include: A climate-focused rally at Senator Dianne Feinstein’s office (@sunrisemvmtla @sunrisemvmt_lb @sunriselayouth), a belated World Series celebration for the Dodgers at @thegreyhoundbarandgrill), and the weekly “End Police Associations” rally (@blmlosangeles).
Back in March, journalist Cerise Castle (@yourmajestcee) and @knockdotla released a 15-part investigative series on deputy gangs inside the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (@lasdhq). And in April, we spoke to Cerise about this project. Many developments have come to light since this series released, so we are re-airing this interview in preparation for our next two episodes, so take another listen. Also, GOOGLE LASD GANGS. Headlines in Episode 14: Venice Boardwalk sweeps, @lapdhq detonating fireworks in South Los Angeles, phasing out state-run youth prisons, stimulus checks, and the Coronavirus Delta variant. Community spotlights in Episode 14: Food bank resources (@lacommunityfridges, @polospantryla, @lafoodbank, and @chirplosangeles) and weekly Wednesday action to end police associations by @blmlosangeles.
We welcome Carlos Marroquin of @urbanpartnersla back on the show to talk about how the organization has changed now that Los Angeles has re-opened. We also talk about what that means for the community, volunteers, leadership team, and more. Headlines in this episode include: Los Angeles County eviction moratorium, closing of Men’s Central Jail in Downtown, and the closure of Bootleg Theater. Also in the community spotlight: @stoplapdspying, @answer_losangeles, @q.o.w.s., and @blmlosangeles (featuring a clip of @docmellymel speaking about Pride).
It’s another week for THE PEOPLE W/ DAVID AND PHAM, so tune into @kpfk 90.7FM Los Angeles at 10am ☺️ In today’s program, we hear from West Hollywood Councilmember Sepi Shyne on Pride, her platforms as a council member, and dismantling systemic racism. Headlines in this episode include: Juneteenth, George Gascón forms FACCT, Venice boardwalk!
We hear from Jamie Penn of The Organizer Collective Los Angeles. Learn about her work with the Collective, her life in community organizing and activism, and her first Pride as a transgender woman. Headlines in this episode include: Sheriff Alex Villanueva, Vice President Kamala Harris, and ProPublica’s expose on the taxes billionaires fail to pay. Our very own David Kim speaks about Pride month (all of June), and more!
In Episode 10, Hamid Khan of the Stop LAPD Spying Coalition joins us to talk about surveillance and data-driven policing, along with how those tactics impact different communities (Black, brown, trans, sex workers, the unhoused, etc.). We also discuss the Coalition’s work abroad, how police forces are interconnected, Palestine, and more. Headlines in this episode include: Tigray update, public banking passes the CA Assembly, and an affordable housing shortage in LA County.
In this episode, David and Pham interview one another for Asian-American Pacific-Islander Heritage Month. The co-hosts talk about their upbringings, the importance of communities, mental wellness, and more. Headlines here cover: Palestine, SB2, George Floyd one-year mark, and the 100-year anniversary of the 1921 Tulsa Massacre.
In this episode, educator and organizer Maya Suzuki Daniels joins us to talk about the teachers’ union (United Teachers Los Angeles) the importance of grassroots organizing, and more. She recently organized a petition calling on the LAUSD school board to offer support to educator parents, which worked out in their favor 👏🏼
Today👏🏼is👏🏼May👏🏼1st👏🏼That means it’s International Workers’ Day, aka May Day! In our upcoming program, MARK RAMOS, President of United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1428, joins our show to talk about all things labor unions, from how one even begins to organize a union, to workers’ rights, contracts and negotiations, and more. We also discuss workers’ recent attempt to unionize at the Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama. And beyond his role at UFCW 1428, Mark also serves as Regional Director of the CA Democratic Party.
Two things: 1) When victims or families speak out against police brutality, they are harassed and vilified by the police.; and 2) Police are NOT mental health workers. They pose more of a danger to individuals suffering from mental health crises because they fail to listen and de-escalated. In this episode of THE PEOPLE W/ DAVID AND PHAM, Christian Contreras (IG: @christian.ghc) joins to talk about his work as a civil rights attorney and co-founder of Justice X (@justicex_pda), a law group formed to protect marginalized communities and people. We also discuss the case of Isaias Cervantes, the 25-year-old man shot by deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department on March 31st, 2021. Isaias’ mother, Rose Padilla, initially called LASD for mental health support, as he lives with autism, OCD, and a hearing impairment. Isaias survived the shooting, but remains in the hospital and may be paralyzed. LASD released body cam footage of the Isaias Cervantes shooting, and it’s available via @christian.ghc’s Instagram page (https://instagram.com/christian.ghc?igshid=1v7jhs1x2tcwm). Christian represents the family of Isaias Cervantes and Isaias Cervantes.
The COVID-19 vaccine is now available for those ages 16 and up. If you’re in Los Angeles County, go to 👉🏼carbonhealth.com/covid-19-vaccines/los-angeles to make an appointment. In this program, Frances Tran and Jeanna Harris nerd out over the COVID-19 vaccine, and talk with us about vaccine development and distribution, their experiences in science, hesitation from community members surrounding the vaccine, and more 🤓 Frances Tran is a scientist with a PhD in molecular biology, and specializes in microbiology, molecular genetics, cell biology, and chemistry. She worked in the early stages of vaccine development and also spent time in diagnostics with the biotech company, Curative 🦠 Jeanna Harris is a Registered Nurse and oversees teams that facilitate the coordination of patient services healthcare. She represents the 54th Assembly District as a member of the Los Angeles County and state Democratic Central Committee, and serves with Urban Partners Los Angeles food bank on the weekends ✊🏽
Freelance journalist, Cerise Castle (Knock LA, The Daily Beast, Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Magazine, KCRW, Marketplace, Wondery), hangs with David and Pham to talk about A TRADITION OF VIOLENCE, her 15-part investigative series on the 50-year history of deputy gangs within the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department. Hear why she started this project, find out how much deputy gangs have cost taxpayers over the past 30 years (FYI, it’s over $100,000,000 💰💸🤯), and learn even more about the deep-rooted corruption within the LASD 👎🏼 Head over to Knock LA now to read the exceptional, 15-part series: https://knock-la.com/tradition-of-violence-lasd-gang-history/ 👀, and find us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thepeople_la?igshid=ujf5kfw7cmot 🙏🏼
[Originally aired on 4/3/21] In this next episode, David and Pham continue the conversation about Echo Park Rise Up (@echoparkriseup) and share the latest on COVID-19 vaccines. They also host @ricci_sergienko, who joins them from @peoplescitycouncil to talk about the organization, Echo Park, the cops in LA, and more. @davidkimforca and @_christinapham also share a bit of their origin story for the show 🤓
[Originally aired on 3/27/21] During this episode, David and Pham provide coverage of police violence towards protestors and the unhoused community in Echo Park. Their guest, Di Barbadillo, from the National Lawyers Guild (@nlg.la) and 3rd World Power (@3rdworldpower), joins THE PEOPLE to talk about coming together as a community to organize against white supremacy, the model minority myth, and her work with Black Lives Matter: Los Angeles. Also, catch clips of speeches by Korean-American actor, Daniel Dae Kim (@danieldaekim), and Future (@janayathefuture), storyteller and activist from BLM-LA and the BLM movement ✊🏽
[Originally aired on 3/20/21] In their inaugural episode, David and Pham talk about how unhoused community members can access their $1400 stimulus. Long-time organizer and activist Carlos Marroquin of Urban Partners Los Angeles (@urbanpartnersla) joins the team to talk about food insecurity. David and Pham also hold space for a conversation about the rise in racism and violence against the AAPI community, and feature a poem by actor-comedian, Sherry Cola (@shrrycola) ❤️ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ Here are names of the Asian hate crime victims in Atlanta: Soon Chung Park, 74; Suncha Kim, 69; Yong Ae Yue, 63; Hyun Jung Grant, 51; Xiaojie Tan, 49; Delaina Yaun, 33; Daoyou Feng, 44; and Paul Andre Michels, 54. The episode was recorded when all eight names were not yet available.
Starting March 20th, join us as we center and uplift conversations surrounding community, equality, and belonging in Los Angeles. Check us out on Instagram and Twitter: @ThePeople_LA ✌🏽