Highlands Bunker

In late June, a six-year old girl was found walking down the side of the Coastal Highway near Lewes, Delaware. While she was luckily unharmed, Alondra Fuentes's story shows how some of our day-to-day systems from education to policing are not treating everyone equally. Alondra's family and Erika Gutierrez join Rob in the virtual bunker to talk about how that day went down, and how there has been no accountability since then.Show Notes:The WRDE story on this incident

Former Delaware State News reporter and new public affairs manager at Planned Parenthood of Delaware Matt Bittle joins Rob in the bunker to talk about the past legislative session, disagreements with Republicans, and the role of nonprofits in our politics.Show Notes:Full Mark Twain letterMatt's announcementAbolish the SenateStephanie Bolden selling out her constituentsElon Musk in WilmingtonSpiros Mantzavinos's LinkedIn

Tye, Rob, and Karl recap the 2021 legislative session, talking about the win and the many losses of the year, what they mean, and what needs to be done going forward.Show Notes:News Journal session roundupDelaware Constitution Article VIII, 10a and 11a on raising taxesWhy legal weed failed

History professor and Middle East expert Djene Bajalan joins Rob in the virtual bunker to talk about how the right distorts class politics, how racism and nationalism can be used to undermine universal programs, and then a bit about Turkish politics and the Kurds.Show Notes:Professor Bajalan on The Majority ReportSome of Professor Bajalan's previous writings on Turkey/The KurdsThis is Revolution podcast

Welcome to the Delaware Justice Team, a collaboration between Highlands Bunker, the Delaware ACLU, and the Delaware Call to talk about the work that is being doing around various civil liberties issues.Today, Claire Snyder-Hall and Dwayne Bensing join Rob in the virtual bunker to talk about the For the People Act, where the state legislature has succeeded and failed on voter registration and absentee voting, and what's happening with redistricting.Show Notes:Delaware Poor People's Campaign call for a Third ReconstructionClaire's op-ed on the For the People ActAutomatic voter registration billSame-day voter registration billAbsentee voting constitutional amendmentCommon Cause DelawareACLU-DE's Voting Rights Coalition

The government has said the pandemic is over, so the Bunker is back open. Jordyn Pusey, Kirsten Walther, the band Workstudy, and Jess Scarane all join Rob in the bunker to talk about a wide variety of topics from legal weed to Network Delaware to college labor practices.Show Notes:John Carney's position on hazingChange Agent JourneyWorkstudy on SpotifyDem-A-Thon 2021FOIA BillJohn Carney weed interview

Campaign to End Debtor's Prison co-coordinators Meryem Dede and Lynne Kielhorn join Rob in the virtual bunker to talk about the issue of fines and fees, how it affects Delaware, and how we can change them.Show Notes:Campaign to End Debtor's PrisonOur previous episode on fines and feesNCAJ Fines and Fees IndexBrennan Center StudyTask Force Letter

Tye, Karl, and Rob convene in the virtual bunker to talk through the Darius Brown situation, the latest BPG developments in Wilmington, Israel and Palestine, and what to expect for the rest of the 2021 legislative session.Show Notes:The Darius Brown situationBPG's new hotelRiverfront EastElla Baker Black Organizers Group

The American Prospect executive editor David Dayen joins Rob in the virtual bunker to talk about Chris Coons, and how he is trying to use his influence in the Biden White House to protect corporate power around the world, and how the Biden administration can actually improve things.Show Notes:NYTimes Article on Chris CoonsChris Coons Working to Install Business-Friendly Candidate for Key Patent PositionExecutive Action TrackerThe government actually helping workers

Welcome to the Delaware Justice Team, a collaboration between Highlands Bunker, the Delaware ACLU, and the Delaware Call to talk about the work that is being doing around various civil liberties issues.Today, Shannon Griffin and Melva Ware join Rob in the virtual bunker to talk about the recent education equity lawsuit, how education money should actually be spent, and dive into issues from school choice to standardized testing to SROs.Show Notes:ACLU-DE Education EquityMore on the education equity lawsuitTen Dimensions of Education Resource EquityBlack History Education billSupport the Delaware ACLUSupport the Delaware Call