Hey, good Tuesday afternoon everybody welcome to our 40 'clock show in the cage and tomorrow for tomorrow's studios. there's some days where you you put the gear away and you just have a conversation in the dugout about life because sometimes there's so many important more important things than playing the game of ball. they get in our way and I had the opportunity to do that as as a teacher and a coach, many times to set the gloves down. Take our hats off and let's talk about what's really going on in the world, which is really important to us and today is one of those days. we don't feel like having a ball and glove in my hand because we need to talk about some life issues today that are paramount to us all and we have some really good guests to talk about that. There'll be a great for for today's lineup kick over the Brent really quick in the basement studio Brents maybe give us a quick hello and introduce our guest Brent. how you doing sir. Hi everybody. Thank you so much for tuning in today. we're going to jump right into a very important and valuable discussion. The incredibly sickening acts of violence that have happened to african-american sisters and brothers around this nation. it is hard to watch, but it needs to be discussed today. We are honored to have our guests today, Rob Johnson and Womble Rob Johnson is the co-founder of Best Man Community Group of Mentorship program designed to help young men with professionalism and networking skills. Robb now helps lead at the statewide initiative, getting African Americans and people of faith registered to vote and more importantly out to the poll to it. Voices be heard through their vote and now lambe is the former Iowa chair of the Andrew Yang campaign, the former chair of Iowa's third Congressional District in the state and the state Central Committee member. I'll send it back to Eddie for this important conversation with Rob and hey. thanks for that Brent and Robyn. I welcome to our show today. I'm glad to have you both hard episode. We usually come in a little more a bit especially after Memorial Day holiday. We'd like to talk about something more uplifting but that's not the case. I think a lot of us had a chance to to to see images or video of a a black man in Minneapolis who seems to be Held in a position that ultimately cost him his life for police officers have been fired for that but we seem to be coming across to a recurring theme over and over and it seems to be even worse right now because we had an incident here in Polk County. We had an incident in Johnson County. obviously we saw what happened in Atlanta. we had an incident in New York as well today we're or yesterday I believe when we're a woman threaten somebody just because the color of their skin to call the police to see something like this pretty much happened to. That person as well but here we are and we need to have conversations so to figure out how we can work our way through it how we can help to make tomorrow better than today for all Americans, especially our black brothers and sisters and siblings. So Rob I was you see what's happened. we talked briefly your thoughts. you know well. First of all. Thank you Eddie for having me on today in huge shout out to you definitely endorsed your candidacy for. The state Senate, before I even address all of this stuff, I just want to say to the African-Americans to our black community. I understand that today is hard that this is tough our employers people across the world people across the country. Expect for you to show up to do your job today, even though it's been mentally. Hurting physically draining on you to watch the murder and the savagery that is taking place on people that look just like you So Eddie Thank you for giving me the opportunity to to address the audience today and allow me to apologize because I'm angry and I'm not just angry to the fact that that this keeps happening and I'm angry to the fact that we don't have a solution. We don't know how to fix the problem right and I'm not just angry at the fact that this that this White woman in New York New exactly that, by saying to the police, I'm going to tell them that african-american male is threatening me. she knew that was an alarm set off by the police Department and so she was hoping that what happen. To our good brother, George Floyd Georges down in Minneapolis right there on 30 - eight in Chicago Street. She was hoping that what happened to him that the police would show up and do to Chris Cooper, a Bird watcher who just simply ask her to put her dog on a leash and then Addie a black folk were expected to show up to work today be focused. On the task when the only thing in the news, when the only thing that we can see is somebody that look like us who have just been victimized and firing those police officers is nothing firing. That woman is nothing those police officers should be brought up on charges of black woman knowing what she was trying to do. She should be charged with attempted murder. I wanna address this real quick the situation that happened here in Des Moines with Dow Jones is sickening to my stomach. You have a a young African-American male walking down the Street to visit whomever he wants to visit and just like my good friend, Cameron Middlebrook said. That's not illegal. We're whomever he wants to visit and then attacked because somebody says you're somebody who tried. Robbs if I walk outside with that mask on to protect himself from Colbert, 19 with his stocks, if somebody deems him as a threat, we are sending a signal that it is okay for people to shoot and kill him if my nephew who's seven years old, is playing a little rough with another kid in the Park parent can show up and shoot him. Because of the color of the scheme. So Eddie Thank you for being one of the politicians who showed up for mister Juan Jones and his family. I can't speak on behalf of the family. I can only speak on behalf of myself who is a who is a registered voter. Because there are other people who should have been there are other candidates and elected officials who should have been there because black issues can no longer be ignored. We will not show up just because you are a Democrat or just because you are a Republican or just because you give eloquent speeches. We're going to show up for who shows up for us. So thanks for Robb, I appreciate it showing up has always been important and I keep telling folks we also need to act and when we talk about that, hopefully we'll be able to do that at some point in this conversation and we won't solve solve all the problems at least have a conversation. I get a chance to talk to mister Jones and I congratulated him for his for his strength the ability to to to stand up and and support his son but also. I told him I'd be pretty angry I'd be pretty vengeful if that happened to my child and he's just he's demonstrated a remarkable amount of strength and in a way that he's handled the situation still love me defending his child, but also being very God like at the same time as the kind of strength we could really use today and out of leadership that both at the federal sometimes a state level some of the rhetoric the the people are using so take a chance to visit with them. and and everybody and and and the two of you and a chance to visit with and and and with representative suad and and many others that this experience is something that I feel bad that the community continues to have to endure over and over again and and and the weight of that I've had people on my staff. I've already pretty diverse staff as well that that also feels the pain. That wakes up and sees that and sees that could easily be them and I look at it. I said. I can't be me only because of the color of my skin. That's that I don't. I wouldn't be in that position. If I for some checks, I ended up in that position. If I force some checks, I went up in in the position running down the Street for a Sunday jog or I wanna end of the in that position if I was out and it came across somebody's walking their dog and it's got to be a point where we can change hearts and minds and policies we need to do some work right there. what's my. Real quick Eddie My good friend Pastor Seth of Brooks Community Church in Minnesota. He got online today and he said laws don't change laws don't change people. We have a heart issue. We have a heart issue in the country and we have a leadership and we need leaders to lead by example to start trying to change the hearts of people. And from changing the heart, it leads to better laws and it leads to better policy because our heart, our hearts are in the right place. That's pretty good. That's pretty good. All I know you're you're pretty angry as well but to talk to us a little bit how you doing once again, I also wanna Echo Robbs saying thank you for being there in person. it really does mean a lot. Community and for all you consistently done you know within the black community, I wanna thank the other people who showed up you know online and in person, as well as the volunteers of many different races who showed up on that day to help support the Justice for Kwan event. But you know I've been sitting here thinking about two separate things and number one is we are right now faced with an extremely deadly issue, a global pandemic and we constantly talk about flattening the curve and is that curve heading in the. Direction Well right now. Unfortunately, we are facing another curve as well that is heading in the wrong direction. We are facing an increased curve of racial violence of bigotry of hatred and unfortunately, I have to sit here and spend half of my life wondering is my daughter gonna be okay is my wife is gonna be okay other activist community like my good friends. Rob Johnson, Cameron Middlebrooks Isaiah Thomas A. Do some up with these may be okay, or will they suffer from violence just for being out and being in the community? you know one of the things that made me sick is when we saw that one doctor who was beaten and subdued by police because he was a black man and he was there trying to help people that is disgusting to me because here is somebody who was a pillar of his community and unfortunately was being attacked just because of the color of his skin. So this is a curve that we have not yet done to face and it is. Getting worse and you know when I think about one of the things that I had mentioned at the Park, the other day when we were at Evelyn Davis Park is that you know darkness Cannot drive out darkness Only light can drive out darkness and hate cannot drive out hate Only love can drive out hate and in this case, what I need to see is people to understand that this is not just a black issue. It is affecting us in tearing us apart the mental stress. And Rob can tell you the stress that we face every day just waking up saying am I gonna suddenly be the victim of violence because I'm black. I'm walking into Walmart to buy you know pop for my family so we can have a wonderful, you know Memorial Day and I suddenly gonna be the victim of violence because I'm a black man and somebody sees me you know, I have to think about that. but this is not just a black issue. This has to be in Everyone issue everyone has to be involved. In the fight for civil Justice and for equal rights and so that we can actually live in a community where we can all feel safe. We can all feel better when we decide that you know Justice is not just something that we are fighting for the black community that everybody has to get involved in this. that's when we're going to see real progress and I must be honest. I'm sick and tired of feeling scared for myself, My family and my loved ones wondering who might be. Next victim of somebody that happens like this that young man, his father said, something you know that made me really choke up inside that could have been anybody's boy, but it should not have been anybody's boy who faced that sort of brutal incident. And then the fact that we saw after that, you know there was a young lady who had to face you know a racial threats and violence in Iowa City. You know we hear about the man in new-york we hear about the individual in Minneapolis and I have it at this point time say I'm angry and I get the chance to say enough is enough. everybody should stand up it. cannot just be me and my brother, Rob and Cameron everybody at this point in time should stand up. It is just too much. Bye. So I would argue that it's time for the White community to stand up and and really do something that's meaningful because that's been kind of a missing link for far too long especially to get out of leadership and for some reason I'm more afraid either either some leadership actually perpetuates us some of this by undertones and and and comments that they make and I'm talking about Donald Trump in particular. there's some people that. I become an accomplice because they don't say anything and I think about Joni Ernst and and and and Kim Reynolds and and and others, and maybe there's some on the Democratic side too. So I can't just point out folks on the other side of the aisle, but I think politicians and leaders at the local state and federal level they need to stand up and speak up and too often their coach. I gotta tell to the coach often not to say anything because it might harm them in the future. I've been talking about that from the outset that we need leaders with the moral courage that aren't afraid to have the cruiser convictions to speak up and speak out and we can sure use that kind of leadership because your analogy was a great one. the curve will not bend it will continue to progress upwards and we'll continue to have these these these incidents that happen and then every time we ask when will that be the last one and it won't be the last one. So as Rob mentioned that we go out and change some hearts and and then I think they're. To be some policies or Robb, and I think those policies have to be driven from our hearts that we make sure that police officers every police officer in this country has a body cameras and and in the next two years or less that we're doing more diversity training that we're doing more training and having conversations about how do we take somebody who is a forger and make sure that that person is end up dead on our streets or some we pull over for for for some other incident and that that person does not. End up dead from from that interaction and and we need to have real conversations about how do we how do we make sure that happens that we do Bend the curve the that's not happening across our country and a meaningful way And then having a conversations again about how citizenss in our everyday life. how do we treat each other in our communities? so we have some work to do we really do well some of these people. Oh sorry, no go ahead. Just it reminds me of something one of my. Said to me, you know with some of these people who as Rob said they may show up every once in a while and give a pretty speech or show up in an event reminds me of what my pastor used to call Christmas Christians the type of Christians who only show up to church on Christmas and then think well I'm good for the rest of the year. Look I was here. I wore my best suit. I'd behave really well, but that doesn't count you need to be there every day we need to see people in our community, not just when it's election time, but at other times. And those off we're struggling when there are issues happening, we need you not to just to be Christmas Christians. We need you not to just be you know individuals who are running for office. We need you to be individuals who are committed to actually showing up for actual quality and Justice and not just showing up because it's Martin Luther King Day. Congratulations. You showed up at this particular ceremony. That's great. What have you done in the previous 11 months leading up to this month? You know I'll really said it best. It's a. We're this dependent and it's not just a coro Pss. This is a pandemic. Professor Jennifer Harveys said at the rally that he's calling on her White brothers and sisters to not just stand in solidarity but to take action and I echo those sentiments today because I don't need people to write a long post about how much you grieve with the African-American community. I don't need people to say that they empathize and sympathize with what we are going through and the struggles in which we. Face every day, but in the book of Amos, he says, let Justice roll down like streaming war Mm-hmm. Very clear that that's exactly what we need in these situations. We need a fair Justice system. We need fair and equal treatment under the law. We need police officers to treat black people with the same respect that they treat our other White counterparts. We need fair housing, We need fair economic policy. We need fair clean air. We need fair clean groceries clean water. Sanitation we need fairness in this country and racism is running rapid and Cameron was right, he said. at the rally. it did not start with Barack Obama and it did not start with Donald Trump if you're not start it, but we are dealing with an issue and so I don't need you to just post on Facebook. I don't need you to just get up in your predominantly Caucasian churches and just talk about it, but we need action. We need you on the front line. We need you call in the mayor's office. The police Department's calling the district attorneys and we need you to vote for people who are going to put policies in place that protect people like us. Amen Rob And all you had all the key points on the policies when it comes to housing and education and economic security, but a small business owners about our climate and environment and impacts the minority impact is greater than anywhere else. I wish are Justice system Dich a lot of work and some care, and it does need the White community to stand up and the doctor did a great job on on Sunday or Saturday. Sorry during that conversation set a spot on we're gonna need White America to finally step up in a meaningful way. cuz silence is is is just as deadly as the action that people are taking so we need to not be silent any longer. We need to stand up and speak up and whether that's with your votes. With your voice pressing on the policy makers out there, we need to be doing that you know I do wanna say Kimberly Graham came to the event on Saturday. I went to my head to Kimberly for showing up she's been doing a good job showing up in the community because she does care so I don't don't wanna overlook her come and see us. you know what whether whether you are in Sunny California whether you're in a mountain in Montana, whether you're in the. In Louisiana, whether you're on the Beach in Florida or whether you're in the big city of New York or whether you're in the heartland, like Denver or Chicago or Nebraska or Arkansas, or I we need people from across this country. This is not just an Iowa. This is not just a Southern issue. This is not just. In New York, this is not just an LA issue or a Chicago issue. We need people everywhere so that Justice can roll down like streaming one and as I just rolls down, we need to make sure that we are having the ability to enforce that Justice. so we we definitely need to have an independent inquiries. for what happened in Minneapolis. We'll continue to happen and develops in in Brunswick. And Georgia with the the the murder there what what happened in New York what's going on in Johnson County recently hopefully we get some some Justice for the Kwan Jones as well and we find some some opportunities to make that happen and we do not need to make sure there's any kind of cover-up or any hints of that and again as somebody that's running for office, I wanna make sure that we're not allowing that to happen and we're raising our voices for that to make. They're they're a fair hearings fair opportunities for us to get to the bottom of what happened and your right. Robb. The firing is the baby is not enough but it's a way better than what we did a handful of years ago when we had a similar situation in New York, and suffocated a young man as well for Steven cigarettes and it took way too long for us to at least have any kind of a remedy for that anything that indicated to the communities of color that there were some action taken. That would help not allow that to happen again, so we need to make sure we're having more and more action. we need to make sure that we're allowing those independent investigations to take place leaning on the N double ACP the ACLU and another really solid organizations to make sure that they're providing the oversight to make sure that those those investigations inquiries are allowed to take place and take place swiftly because people deserve to know what's happening sooner than later, especially in the communities of color that feel this PTSD that I'm I'm sensing as I talk to some of my my black friends today the the the PTSD is real out there and and I feel for the community as I mentioned just the way they wake up in the day and the pressure that's felt Robb. I know you gotta run a I'll give you a chance to jump in one more time and then we'll we'll head over to Al. I just wanna say now is the time for a call to action. huh. and what does that look like That looks like people getting involved That looks like people voting. It looks like people making phone calls. it looks like people are not being silenced and not just making a Facebook post but putting in real action. Real actionable steps do things like join the NAACP Join Lula because you're black and Brown brothers and sisters need help fighting for Justice. They need help pushing. Things that affects their community, please remember that young man on the ground in Minneapolis couldn't have been me that could have been a aubry could have been me Shaun Reed could have been me Michael Brown and countless of others could have been me. Thanks for joining us Robb, I really appreciate it. What do you? what do you sense for action? other than voting right now calling who we calling who we're talking to who we're asking for what it's not just a matter of of voting as you say Eddie. That's absolutely true. but as Rob talks about it's coming and joining things like the NAACP Lulac, the Asians You-know-who coalition and also Iowa Democratic Black Caucus being involved. And those organizations cuz as I say we are stronger and we will be able to address the situation when we finally work together. if you think that civil rights is just a black issue, then you are very wrong and you're not only going to perpetuate the cycle. you know when you are somebody who thinks that is horrible and you do not stand up and say that is wrong. That is horrible. that should not happen. You're just as capable as the people who have performed perform that action, I'm sick and tired of individuals who I live literally. Next door to my church if you can like look through my window there, you can see that is my church and I go to church with some wonderful people. However, there's some individuals who have never condemned some of these acts who have never spoken out against that and said, you know what maybe I support Donald Trump, but this was wrong. That is wrong when you do not stand up and say that is absolutely wrong. I do not support that in my mind that makes you an individual who does indeed support that and if anger. Into my soul, when I think that there are people out there who are good, You know, I was talking to a state representative who's a good friend of mine somebody who also happens to have endorsed you Ron Smith and I was talking about you know what do you know of of certain Republican representatives who would stand up against this? and he says there may be, but I'm not sure because I haven't heard them say it And that angers me, you know you should not be worried about whether you're gonna win the next to the next election that you should be worried about standing up for what is right and it's not just. Matter of like Rob, said, writing a nice Facebook post or giving a good speech, but you also have to come to our community. come to our churches come to organizations that serve our community and don't just prescribe what you think should happen but talk to people in a collaborative manner. Find out specifically. what are the issues? How can we address them? What are your ideas work together with us. That is one of the things that we want when we say a call to action come and be. Of our community work with us to help create solutions. don't just tell us what you're going to do. I know that I've been married for 26 years because I've never said to my wife well, this is exactly what I'm gonna do cuz that wouldn't work out any day of the week, But when I work with her and say honey, what are we gonna do? How are we gonna face this situation? I know that the solution is not only gonna be better, but it's gonna be longer lasting when everybody buys into it. So that's what I need people to do who are watching this or who. No friends who hears this message Tell them join these organizations vote for leaders who really care about this community, the people who have actually shown up and that includes individuals who were there this past Saturday and then make sure that you get involved in these organizations so that you can hear what people are talking about. I encourage everybody in the world to join the Iowa Democratic Black Caucus. Whether you're black, Brown White Green purple whatever you may be because if you care. The black community and what's focusing what's happening with us, then you're gonna listen on that phone call to what we're discussing what is hurting us. What is helping us who are champions and that our community and what our struggles and that's what we need people to do to get involved. So I'll tell you there's a lot of people that are White, that probably didn't know that they could join the NAACP or Lela or other Organization. so we wanna make sure we have already done so we'll go post the Iowa Black Caucus information the N double ACP of Iowa the lack of. A links on our sites and encourage you to share those and Google join them nominal fee and become part of the Organization go to their annual events and their and their semi annual events. hear the stories hear the actions going on and participate in that action would be a good step to take and I gotta tell you for a lot of people don't know what they can do other than be angry and there's a lot of helplessness out there so some folks can do some. And some leadership and again that's something that that you and Rob and camerons Isaiah and others and and others have done a good job rise up in Waterloo folks in in in in the quad cities area and other places, so we need to continue to to raise those voices. No doubt about it from a leadership standpoint and give people some something meaningful that they can grab onto and then go to as well. cuz I think there's there's more people who would like to do something if we maybe help them along the. Part of community organizing a place where I came from to give people some direction and then and then get them over the hump of their fear of of volunteering and and and giving back so and we can all work on that. I look forward to doing that as your United States Senator we get a chance to make that kind of run so I wanna Thank you guys for jumping on and have this conversation We need hours of this conversation. This is a a half hour deal. This is this is A chance for us to talk endlessly day in and day out week in and week out about this very important issues that are in front of us today and what you just said there with me. It's it's an endless conversation. It's continuous conversation and then you're absolutely right about that. Eddie and you know that anger is just that when you get the note of that as I said before it's that love because I love is what we need to build collaborations and collaborate. And working together is what's going to fix this anger pops to the surface. Unfortunately it does, but it ended. It's building those collaborations with different people, different groups and different organizations that can make it possible. but thank you for you know your continuously being there you know again and again and I do appreciate that very much Eddie Nope glad to be here. I'm so so thankful that I had the opportunity to meet such wonderful people that have a passion for Justice and one of the reasons why we're not making much progress is because we have we do have too many people that allow a pedal fear out there and deception. And and and misleading ways of dishonesty and again that's at the highest level the highest level in this in this country, and that's what's so concerning. so we wanna talk about hope instead of that fear we're gonna talk about Justice instead of fear as well and those two things should be able to win out at the end of the day they love she gets us to the right kind of policies that we need to have and the right type of action. We have so thanks for jumping on Rob thanks for being on as well. we'll circle back. Very soon, you guys have a great day. Alright, brother Brent back to you. Brett folks were incredibly honored to have on a Womble and Rob Johnsons today for this important conversation again Sickening events recently, Georgia Des Moines Minneapolis. we've put in two phone calls to Des Moines Police Department to see what the latest is on Mister Jones and the folks that were involved in that we'll keep you posted as soon as we hear more program note this evening, we'll be back at 70 'clock. have a conversation about the veterans and farming here in Iowa But again. To just incredibly grateful, tombo mister Johnsons for joining us today and I'll send it back to Eddie to close on today show Thanks so much I'm again a chance of time. Sometimes we set our gloves and bats aside and we chat about real life issues and I wanna make sure we can continue to have these conversations because they're more important than the ball games we play these real-life games that are out there. I have life and death implications and we. Seen them here in our in our community here recently and across the country so I encourage everybody to go Join those organizations find other organizations you can join that will allow you to speak up for Justice and fight for Justice in a meaningful way and if we do that together on the sums of all those parts will allow us to make tomorrow better than today for our black community for our Latino Brown community for other communities that are left behind. they're discriminated against just for an identity that they have. So we got some work to do. I look forward to being part of that work every single day and why we took a step back in the last few days. I'm looking forward to stepping forward and make it more better than today. We'll see you back at 70 'clock for our show tonight. we're talking about veterans issues and others as well. So we'll see you back, then until that time stay safe. We'll see you soon.