The Police and Military Wage War on Black People All Over the World

Intellectual Disability and the Death Penalty, US Uses Taiwan for Its Cold War Drive, Dave Chappelle’s Netflix Comedy Special Falls Flat

In this episode of By Any Means Necessary, hosts Sean Blackmon and Jacquie Luqman are joined by Robert Dunham, the Executive Director of the Death Penalty Information Center to discuss the controversy surrounding the execution of Ernest Lee Johnson, an intellectually disabled man who was convicted of murder in Missouri, how this case further exposes the brutality of the death penalty and states’ wielding of it, the growing shift in attitudes against the death penalty among the public and politicians alike, and the disproportionate use of the death penalty against working and poor people of color and the most vulnerable in our society.

In the second segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by K.J. Noh, a geopolitical analyst, a member of Veterans for Peace, and senior correspondent with Flashpoints on KPFA to discuss tensions between the US and China over military activities concerning Taiwan, how the new orientation of the US toward Taiwan plays into the cold war drive against China, Taiwan’s historical use as a pawn against the People’s Republic of China, and how China’s actions are leveraged to attack China and defend the neoliberal world order.

In the third segment, Sean and Jacquie discuss Dave Chappelle’s unfunny Netflix comedy special “The Closer,” his bizarre, victim-blaming comments on the #MeToo movement, how his humor aimed at the LGBTQ community compares to racist jokes, and how the discourse of acrimony between the LGBTQ and Black communities is flawed.

Later in the show, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Netfa Freeman, Coordinating Committee member with the Black Alliance for Peace, organizer with Pan-African Community Action, and host of Voices with Vision on WPFW 89.3 FM to discuss efforts to end the use of the qualified immunity defense to protect police officers from civil suits, how the militarization of police is the consequence of imperialism abroad, especially in Africa, the connections between policing in capital exposed in the corporate financing of police foundations, and the incessant American decline.

We'd love to get your feedback at [e-mail]