Naptown People’s Radio

Independence for Whom?

In 1852, Frederick Douglass delivered a speech on the 76th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence titled, “What, To The Slave, Is The Fourth Of July?” This week’s episode of “Naptown People’s Radio” asks a series of similar questions 173 years after Douglass’ speech: What, to Black/New Afrikan people, prisoners, women, immigrants, and all oppressed people is the Fourth of July?
Co-hosts Dani Abdullah and Derek Ford are joined by Stephen Lane, treasurer of the Indiana Black Librarians Network and New Afrikan political prisoner Shaka A. Shakur to answer these questions 249 years after the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.
Our Naptown Breakdown dissects the Democratic Party’s public act of misogyny against fellow Councilor Crista Carlino, the only woman to call for Mayor Joe Hogsett’s resignation and to take Councilors Samuel Osili and Ali Brown to task for their role in protecting his administration. The Republican Party, meanwhile, remains curiously silent. Why are they refusing to exploit these fractures for their own gain? The media is already looking to the 2027 Mayoral elections, identifying Osili  Prosecutor Ryan Mears as likely candidates. Mears is currently prosecuting a Black woman who was brutalized for seeking medical treatment at Eskenazi Hospital last July. His office has repeatedly dragged the ordeal out in an attempt to wear the victim, veteran and mother Jada Trainor, down.
Stephen Lane joins the show after returning from the July 1 nationwide sick-out in support of immigrant rights, as the Supreme Court denies millions of migrants due process by granting Trump the authority to deport them to third countries. Lane discusses the background to the day of action, how he and his fellow Haughville residents resisted the IMPD’s attempts to pit Black and Latino neighbors against each other and, after looking back to the 2006 immigrant rights uprising, what’s next for the struggle.
Shaka A. Shakur details the  little-known Interstate Compact—or the “modern-day Fugitive Slave Act”—that deprives prisoners of due process by allowing states to essentially kidnap inmates and transfer them across the country. Indiana used the Compact against Shakur in December 2018 in a failed attempt to hamper his organizing efforts, shipping him to Virginia where he remains captive to this day.
Dani and Derek inform listeners what they can do right now to defend Jada Trainor against bogus charges and how they can build a statewide anti-racist and anti-war struggle before Dani dedicates their Circle City Shout out to Jauston Huerta (a/k/a Jok or TheKingTrill), a founding member of the Liberation Center, Director of FOCUS Initiatives LTD., an abolitionist re-entry program, and Director of "The Pendleton 2: They Stood Up."
Show Notes:
Call Now! Demand Mears Drop Bogus Charges Against Jada Trainor: https://indyliberationcenter.org/trainor-phone-zap/
Attacked by Cops in 2024, Jada Trainor Waits for Day in Court: https://indyliberationcenter.org/trainor-interview/
ANSWER Indiana to Build New Statewide, Coordinated Anti-War Movement: https://indyliberationcenter.org/answer-statewide/
Sold Off the Plantation: The Fugitive Slave Act Today: https://www.shakashakur.org/sold-off-the-plantation-the-modern-fugitive-slave-act/
TheKingTrill: https://www.youtube.com/@thekingtrilltv6728
Indiana Black Librarians Network: https://indyliberationcenter.org/ibln/
International Potluck: https://indyliberationcenter.org/international-potluck/
Sick of ICE: https://sickofice.org/
The Indianapolis 2027 Mayoral Race has Already Started as Hogsett’s Grip Fades: https://www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/2025/06/25/indianapolis-2027-mayors-race-is-open-season-as-hogsetts-grip-fades/84320101007/
Indiana AID: https://www.indianaaid.org/
The Pendleton 2 Defense Committee: https://www.pendleton2.com/
To learn more, stay updated, and get plugged into the socialist struggle visit PSLIndianapolis.org. If you're interested in joining the PSL visit PSLweb.org/join. To get involved in the movement, visit the Indianapolis Liberation Center (online at IndyLiberationCenter.org), a home we share with other progressive organizations in the city, including the Indiana Black Librarians Network, Arte Mexicano en Indiana, Cultivate Indy, the Shaka Shakur Freedom Campaign, and others!

Juneteenth, Iran, and Our Collective Struggle for Freedom

Our theme this week is freedom: the struggle for it, the forces holding us back from achieving it, and the contradictions that groups inevitably negotiate on their path to self-determination, sovereignty, independence, and autonomy.
Last weekend, Naptown was filled with Juneteenth celebrations and commemorations. Despite attempts to “co-opt” Freedom Day, our Naptown Breakdown argues it represents a starting point to educate ourselves and others about the reality of the Civil War and the present state of Black people in the U.S. Locally, the state of Black oppression was recently on display in the IMPD’s recent and brutal assault on Devin Hunt. The cops had the audacity to respond to the assault, which was captured on several cameras, with a series of outright lies. We review some of those lies uncovered in an analysis (see show notes).
Lindsey Holtgrave, a lead organizer with ANSWER Indiana, joins the show for an interview about two emergency protests her group organized against war with Iran last week. In addition to discussing the role of the U.S. anti-war movement, we debunk some myths circulating about Iran and explain why we refuse to participate in Iran’s demonization. Along the way, we outline some points of unity between Iran’s struggle against U.S. imperialism and our own, including Iran’s support for the Black movement in the U.S.
Shaka A. Shakur joins the episode for his segment, “Dispatches from Behind the Wire.” In this segment, Shaka calls for prisoner solidarity, explaining why unity between prisoners and between our people on the outside and the inside is needed now more than ever.
Finally, Dani previews upcoming actions before giving our second Circle City Shout Out to Michael Torres, AFSCME Local 3395 Union President and longtime library worker.
 
Show Notes
Video Evidence Captures IMPD Assault on Devin Hunt: https://indyliberationcenter.org/impd-assault-devin-hunt
ANSWER Coalition - Indiana: https://www.AnswerIndiana.org
Shaka Shakur Freedom Campaign: https://www.shakashakur.org
Demonstrators Gather in Broad Ripple, Downtown Indianapolis after U.S. Executes Airstrikes in Iran: https://fox59.com/news/demonstrators-gather-in-broad-ripple-downtown-indianapolis-after-u-s-executes-airstrikes-in-iran
Trump is Failing at Everything. We Must Hope he Succeeds against Iran: https://www.indystar.com/story/opinion/columnists/2025/06/19/trump-iran-war-strike/84265811007
Shaka A. Shakur: Seizing on the Contradictions of Juneteenth: https://indyliberationcenter.org/juneteenth-contradictions
A People’s Victory: Racist CEO Jackie Nytes Resigns! https://indyliberationcenter.org/a-peoples-victory-racist-ceo-jackie-nytes-resigns
Public Forum Brings Shared Experiences and Support Together: https://www.indystar.com/picture-gallery/news/local/2021/07/22/indianapolis-public-library-systemic-racism-discussed-public-forum/7908151002
To learn more, stay updated, and get plugged into the socialist struggle visit PSLIndianapolis.org. If you're interested in joining the PSL visit PSLweb.org/join. To get involved in the movement, visit the Indianapolis Liberation Center (online at IndyLiberationCenter.org), a home we share with other progressive organizations in the city, including the Indiana Black Librarians Network, Arte Mexicano en Indiana, Cultivate Indy, the Shaka Shakur Freedom Campaign, and others!

People Put ICE on the Defense as Immigration Struggle Heats Up

The Pacers aren’t the only ones who beat the odds this past week. This episode features Cecilia Gomez, one of the lead organizers of the June 11 anti-ICE protest outside before the Pacers played–and won–Game 3 of the NBA Finals to discuss the revival of the immigrant rights struggle after a brief period of relative stagnation. Tune in and get behind the scenes of the largest and most disciplined pro-immigration action since 2006 and find out the real motivations behind the statement on the protest by Rick Snyder, President of the local Fraternal Order of Police.
Our Naptown Breakdown touches on Indy Pride and answers the questions other media outlets aren’t asking as the Democratic Party’s sexual assault saga continues unraveling. Find out who gets the first Circle City Shout Out and learn about this Friday’s Juneteenth event at the Indianapolis Liberation Center.
Show Notes
“Stand with Siakam, not ICE:” Indy Protests Outside the NBA Finals: https://mirrorindy.org/indianapolis-ice-protests-pacers-nba-finals-los-angeles-trump/
A Tale of Two Protests? https://indyliberationcenter.org/a-tale-of-two-protests/
Indianapolis Report Confirms the Cops, not Protesters, Started the Riots in Summer 2020: https://indyliberationcenter.org/report-confirms-impd-started-2020-riots/
Not Just Hogsett, the Whole System Needs to Go: https://indyliberationcenter.org/joe-hogsett-must-resign/
We need a Mayor who Doesn’t Protect Sexual Abusers! https://indyliberationcenter.org/brown-calls-for-hogsett-resignation/
The Truth behind FOP President’s “Praise” of Indy Anti-ICE Protest: https://indyliberationcenter.org/truth-behind-snyder/
Juneteenth with Shaka Shakur: How to Continue the Fight: https://indyliberationcenter.org/juneteenth-2025/
 
Naptown People's Radio is recorded at the Indianapolis Liberation Center and produced by Dakota Fronterhouse with music by John Prysner. This episode features a clip from "Assata Taught Me" by Agent of Change (Carlos Martinez).
To learn more, stay updated, and get plugged into the socialist struggle visit PSLIndianapolis.org. If you're interested in joining the PSL visit PSLweb.org/join. To get involved in the movement, visit the Indianapolis Liberation Center (online at IndyLiberationCenter.org), a home we share with other progressive organizations in the city, including the Indiana Black Librarians Network, Arte Mexicano en Indiana, Cultivate Indy, the Shaka Shakur Freedom Campaign, and others!

The IMPD's "Listening Plans" in Perspective

This evening, the Indianapolis Police Department (IMPD) will hold its sixth "listening session" at Southeast Community Services. However, just like the first five sessions, not a single IMPD representative will be there to listen to the community or, in their words, hear our "valuable perspectives and help inform IMPD's strategic plan." Instead, the IMPD paid over $200,000 to Taylor Advising, a local consulting firm, to organize and host the events.
In this episode of Naptown News Radio, co-hosts Dani Abdullah and Derek Ford put these developments into perspective by examining current and recent acts of IMPD terror and the struggles against them. To inform the ongoing campaigns for Adam Sykes, Jada Trainor, and Eric Taylor, they look back to the 2023 IMPD shooting spree and the movement against it, as well as the historic 2020 uprisings against the War on Black America.
Joining the show this week is Aubrey Whiteman, who testified in the 2024 lawsuit against Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears and his landlord for selectively locking the doors on her and her fellow community members as they tried to have a simple conversation with the elected official.
Show Links:
“It’s the system:” Families of IMPD victims on Taylor’s resignation: https://indyliberationcenter.org/impd-victims-families-say-its-the-system 
IMPD Shoots, Kills Adam Sykes who was Defending Woman from Attackers: https://indyliberationcenter.org/impd-kills-adam-sykes 
News Round-Up: Adam Sykes and Family Uncover Hidden Evidence in Police Shooting: https://indyliberationcenter.org/sykes-news-roundup
Indianapolis Police Shooting Spree Intensifies; Victims' Communities Build a New Movement: https://liberationnews.org/indianapolis-police-shooting-spree-intensifies-victims-communities-build-a-new-movement 
To learn more, stay updated, and get plugged into the socialist struggle visit PSLIndianapolis.org. If you're interested in joining the PSL visit PSLweb.org/join. To get involved in the movement, visit the Indianapolis Liberation Center (online at IndyLiberationCenter.org), a home we share with other progressive organizations in the city, including the Indiana Black Librarians Network, Arte Mexicano en Indiana, Cultivate Indy, the Shaka Shakur Freedom Campaign, and others!

Introducing Naptown People's Radio

In this debut episode, co-hosts Dani Abdullah and Derek Ford discuss their personal histories and how and why they transitioned from being activists to revolutionary organizers. They explain what you can expect from Naptown People’s Radio each Wednesday and what they mean by saying they are "objective but partial." New Afrikan Political Prisoner Shaka A. Shakur introduces his semi-regular segment, “Dispatches from Behind the Wire.”
For more on Shaka A. Shakur visit www.ShakaShakur.org
To support the podcast and the Indianapolis Liberation Center in which the studio is located, visit:
www.support.PSLIndianapolis.org
www.IndyLiberationCenter.org/Support
To show your support while copping the latest radical tees, buttons, posters, pamphlets, and books you can’t find anywhere else in the city, check out www.IndyLiberationCenter.org/Store.
To learn more, stay updated, and get plugged into the socialist struggle visit PSLIndianapolis.org. If you're interested in joining the PSL visit PSLweb.org/join. To get involved in the movement, visit the Indianapolis Liberation Center (online at IndyLiberationCenter.org), a home we share with other progressive organizations in the city, including the Indiana Black Librarians Network, Arte Mexicano en Indiana, Cultivate Indy, the Shaka Shakur Freedom Campaign, and others!