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!