Ep. 105: A Sex Worker's Worth (ft. Ron T. Kim)

Here's a really special episode for our listeners. We were going to split this up into a free and bonus part, but after the recording session we decided the entire conversation should be made free for all. New York State Assemblyman Ron T. Kim, representing New York's 40th District (incl. Flushing) joins us in an actual professional studio to talk about a spectrum of political issues which boil down to a single question: what are people worth in this world? From student debt cancellation, rejecting tax subsidies for Amazon and other megacorps, sex worker's right, revolutionizing criminal justice, and of course Andrew Yang and UBI. We discuss at length Yang Song, a sex worker who was victimized repeatedly by police before falling to her death during a police raid on her place of work. We also talk about the new generation of politically activated Asian American youth, and why indifference and inaction are no longer viable options. Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/planamag TWITTER: Ron T. Kim (@rontkim) Kasie (@kasefiles) Teen (@mont_jiang) Diana (@discoveryduck) Mark (@snbatman) Oxford (@oxford_kondo) REFERENCED RESOURCES: Jane Doe Ponytail (NYT's irresponsible take on Yang Song case) https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/10/11/nyregion/sex-workers-massage-parlor.html The Appeal's Yang Song Archives (responsible reportage on Yang Song) https://theappeal.org/tag/yang-song/ Ron Kim's legislation denying tax subsidies to Amazon https://qns.com/story/2018/11/13/queens-assemblyman-introduces-legislation-block-amazon-subsidies-favor-student-debt-relief/ Jacobin's coverage of the Tenant Rights Bill https://www.jacobinmag.com/2019/06/new-york-housing-tenants-universal-rent-control Sanders' student debt jubilee https://www.politico.com/story/2019/06/24/bernie-sanders-2020-student-loan-debt-forgiveness-plan-1296863 Tiffany Caban concedes https://www.democracynow.org/2019/8/7/headlines/progressive_insurgent_tiffany_caban_concedes_to_melinda_katz_in_queens_da_race SUBMISSIONS & COMMENTS: editor.planamag@gmail.com EFPA Opening Theme: "Fuck Out My Face" by Ayekay (open.spotify.com/artist/16zQKaDN5XgHAhfOJHTigJ)