The Response

In this episode of The Response, we explore a devastating and ongoing story of environmental disaster, Indigenous resistance, and corporate exploitation in Brazil. This powerful installment brings listeners face-to-face with the catastrophic failures of Vale, a multinational mining corporation, and the resilient efforts of the Kamakã Mongoió people to protect their sacred land and water. The episode features a compelling conversation with journalist, filmmaker, and community organizer Allen Myers, whose recent article for Shareable,  Modern Day Colonialism and the Disastrous Fate of an Indigenous Water and Land Protector, offers a chilling look at the ongoing struggles in the region. Myers shares insights from his 2022 trip to Brumadinho, Brazil, where he witnessed the enduring scars left by a 2019 dam collapse and the fight for justice that followed. In January 2019, a toxic dam operated by Vale in the State of Minas Gerais failed catastrophically, releasing 12 million cubic meters of sludge into the surrounding environment. The disaster claimed 272 lives and decimated the livelihoods of countless others. This was not an isolated incident—just four years earlier, the Mariana dam collapse, also operated by Vale, caused Brazil’s worst environmental catastrophe. Despite warnings and inspections highlighting structural vulnerabilities, Vale failed to act, prioritizing profits over safety. For the Indigenous Kamakã Mongoió, the collapse was not just a distant tragedy but a direct assault on their way of life. Chief Merong, a prominent leader of the tribe, emerged as a steadfast protector of his community's land and water, standing against the encroachments of Vale. He and other Kamakã Mongoió have faced threats, harassment, violence, and even death for their resistance, a chilling manifestation of what Myers calls “modern-day colonialism.” While the subject matter of this episode of The Response is tragic, it’s also a call to action. Myers draws parallels between the disasters in Brazil and the 2018 Camp Fire in Paradise, California, highlighting the universal dangers of corporate negligence and environmental exploitation. Both of these stories serve as stark reminders that disasters exacerbated by greed are not inevitable but preventable. Resources: Survivors for Peace www.allen-myers.com Donate to The Response Episode credits: Hosted and executive produced by Tom Llewellyn Produced and edited by Paige Kelly Theme Music by Cultivate Beats Follow The Response on Twitter and Instagram for updates, memes, and more. Our entire catalog of documentaries and interviews can be found at theresponsepodcast.org — or wherever you get your podcasts. The Response is an award-winning podcast series produced by Shareable exploring how communities respond to disaster — from hurricanes to wildfires to reactionary politics and more. Want to help spread the word? Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify — it makes a huge difference in reaching new people who may otherwise not hear about this show.

11/21/24 • 35:38

On this episode of The Response, we're joined by Arvind Dilawar, an independent journalist who has recently written a piece for Shareable about the union supplying Palestinian journalists with safety gear amid the ongoing Israeli genocide. His articles, interviews, and essays on everything from the spacesuits of the future to love in the time of visas have appeared in The New York Times, Time Magazine, The Daily Beast, and elsewhere. He was also formerly a columnist at Pacific Standard. In the following conversation, Arvind illuminates the dire situation in Gaza and the challenges journalists face amid the turmoil. Arvind reports back on his conversations with journalists on the ground in the West Bank and shares the story of the protective equipment library that has been set up by the Palestinian Journalist Syndicate (PJS) to provide journalists with the essential tools they need. Arvind also highlights how journalists face increasing repression for covering Palestine, both in the US and abroad, and the impact of media censorship and biased narratives on the perception of the Israeli occupation of Palestine, particularly among Western outlets. Join us as we uncover the crucial role of independent journalism in times of crisis and how we can collectively support those documenting the reality of the frontlines. Resources: Life-Saving lending library: Union supplies Palestinian journalists with safety gear amid ongoing Israeli genocide If you would like to support journalists in Gaza so that they can continue their work, please make a contribution to the IFJ’s International Safety Fund with the comment “For the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate.” Episode credits: Co-hosted and executive produced by Tom Llewellyn Co-hosted, produced, and edited by Paige Kelly Theme Music by Cultivate Beats Follow The Response on Twitter and Instagram for updates, memes, and more. Our entire catalog of documentaries and interviews can be found at theresponsepodcast.org — or wherever you get your podcasts. The Response is an award-winning podcast series produced by Shareable exploring how communities respond to disaster — from hurricanes to wildfires to reactionary politics and more. Want to help spread the word? Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify — it makes a huge difference in reaching new people who may otherwise not hear about this show.

5/9/24 • 34:37

On this episode of The Response, we get to the heart of reproductive justice with Rafa Kidvai, the director of the Repro Legal Defense Fund at If/When/How. The RLDF champions the rights and freedoms of people criminalized for their pregnancy outcomes, offers bail support, and stands as a bastion for strong defenses in the face of criminalization, spanning from miscarriages to self-managed abortions.  Rafa shares insights into the organization's holistic approach, emphasizing the critical support they provide through litigation, a helpline for those fearing criminalization, and ensuring clients receive the best possible defense.  Join us as we explore interconnected struggles, the challenges of surveillance, and the power of community in the fight for reproductive justice. Resources: If/When/How Repro Legal Defense Fund No Body Criminalized Podcast How to Become a Lawyer without Going to Law School Episode credits: Co-hosted and executive produced by Tom Llewellyn Co-hosted, produced, and edited by Paige Kelly Theme Music by Cultivate Beats Follow The Response on Twitter and Instagram for updates, memes, and more. Our entire catalog of documentaries and interviews can be found at theresponsepodcast.org — or wherever you get your podcasts. The Response is an award-winning podcast series produced by Shareable exploring how communities respond to disaster — from hurricanes to wildfires to reactionary politics and more.

4/10/24 • 37:15

For our first episode of 2024, we interviewed noted disasterologist and previous guest, Dr. Samantha Montano. We discuss the impact of climate change on disasters and the need for better disaster management and planning. We also explore the difference between emergencies, disasters, and catastrophes. And highlight the importance of community involvement in all stages of disaster management. We’ll wrap things up with a review of recent changes to FEMA's individual assistance program and touch the role of journalism in bridging the gap between public expectations and government actions in disaster response. Resources: “Disasterology: Dispatches From The Frontlines of The Climate Crisis“ Samantha’s monthly newsletter Samanth's twitter Episode credits: Hosted and produced by Tom Llewellyn Edited by Paige Kelly Theme Music by Cultivate Beats Follow The Response on Twitter and Instagram for updates, memes, and more. Our entire catalog of documentaries and interviews can be found at theresponsepodcast.org — or wherever you get your podcasts. The Response is an award-winning podcast series produced by Shareable exploring how communities respond to disaster — from hurricanes to wildfires to reactionary politics and more.

2/6/24 • 33:19

For our final episode of The Response this year, we interviewed three mutual aid organizers from Orlando, FL, Hartford, CT, and Bvlbancha (aka New Orleans, LA). Gabbie Barnes is the founder of FREE HART Closet, a worker-owner at the People's Saturday School, a mutual aid organizer, and a Library of Things Fellow. Rachel Kinbar is an organizer with Central Florida Mutual Aid, Orlando DSA, the operations director for Beautiful Trouble, and is a participant in both the Emergency Battery Network Co-Lab and a Library of Things Fellow. Ida Aronson is an active member of the United Houma Nation and organizes with Bvlbancha Collective, Imagine Water Works, and Bvlbancha Radio among other mutual aid projects, and was a participant in the Emergency Battery Network Co-Lab. While they each are working on several unique projects, they are connected by their dedication to their communities and their participation in our SolidarityWorks program. Together, we discuss the current threats to their communities, both political and environmental, the ways they are collaborating with others to develop community-led solutions, and how they find joy in their life and work despite the many challenges they face. We’re in the middle of our end-of-year fundraiser and could really use your support. If you appreciate this show and are in a position to donate, please contribute today: www.shareable.net/donate. Check out the resources below to learn more about all of their projects: SolidarityWorks Emergency Battery Network Toolkit Mutual Aid Hartford (MAH) FREE HART Closet The People's Saturday School Central Florida Mutual Aid Beautiful Trouble Bvlbancha Collective Bvlbancha Radio Imagine Water Works How To Set Up An Open Mesh Network in Your Neighborhood Meet Freifunk, the German group that aims to provide free internet to all "The Food Conspiracy Cookbook" Urban Recipe (Food Distribution Co-op) Episode credits: Hosted and produced by Tom Llewellyn Edited by Robert Raymond Theme Music by Cultivate Beats Follow The Response on Twitter and Instagram for updates, memes, and more. Our entire catalog of documentaries and interviews can be found at theresponsepodcast.org — or wherever you get your podcasts. The Response is an award-winning podcast series produced by Shareable exploring how communities respond to disaster — from hurricanes to wildfires to reactionary politics and more.

12/12/23 • 56:19

On this week’s show, we’ll be turning our focus towards the Solidarity Economy and what is meant by 'Resist & Build'.   Joining us for this conversation is Emily Kawano, Co-Director of the Wellspring Cooperative Corporation and Coordinator of the United States Solidarity Economy Network, Matthew Slaats, co-director of the Solidarity Research Center and the founder of the Virginia Solidarity Economy Network, and Edget Betru, an attorney who is on the boards of Community Movement Builders and the Organization for Human Rights and Democracy in Atlanta.   Together, we unpack what 'Resist & Build' looks like in practice, discuss the necessity of cross-movement dialogue and collaboration, and explore pathways for scaling up (and arguably, more importantly, scaling out) the solidarity economy.   Resources: Resist & Build US Solidarity Economy Network Virginia Solidarity Economy Network Community Movement Builders Organization for Human Rights and Democracy People’s Network for Land and Liberation Wellspring Cooperative Corporation Solidarity Research Center Stop Cop City Solidarity The Response: Stop Cop City with Jesse Pratt López & Nolan Huber-Rhoades Episode credits: Produced and hosted by Tom Llewellyn Edited by Robert Raymond. Theme Music by Cultivate Beats Follow The Response on Twitter and Instagram for updates, memes, and more. Our entire catalog of documentaries and interviews can be found at theresponsepodcast.org — or wherever you get your podcasts. Want to help spread the word? Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify — it makes a huge difference in reaching new people who may otherwise not hear about this show. The Response is published by Shareable.

11/28/23 • 59:51

On today’s show we brought on Mohamed Shehk, Campaigns Director for Critical Resistance and member of the Arab Resource and Organizing Center here in the Bay Area.  In this conversation we talk about some of the recent actions taking place to support the struggle for Palestinian liberation, including recent actions aimed at stopping military cargo intended for Israel from leaving docks in Oakland and Tacama. We talk about the role of direct action in our movements, the horrific situation in Palestine, and some of the ways you can get involved. This is Robert's last interview with The Response! You can follow him and his work at Upstream. Resources: Critical Resistance Arab Resource and Organizing Center The Palestinian Youth Movement US Campaign for Palestinian Human Rights Palestine Legal Our episode with Pedro Mancilla of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and Anchor Brewery: Labor Battles and the Beer Industry For more on police abolition check out our episode: Mutual aid and police accountability with Tha Hood Squad Upstream's episode: Palestine Pt. 1 with Sumaya Awad Episode credits: Produced, hosted, and edited by Robert Raymond. Co-produced by Tom Llewellyn Theme Music by Cultivate Beats Follow The Response on Twitter and Instagram for updates, memes, and more. Our entire catalog of documentaries and interviews can be found at theresponsepodcast.org — or wherever you get your podcasts. Want to help spread the word? Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify — it makes a huge difference in reaching new people who may otherwise not hear about this show. The Response is published by Shareable.  

11/14/23 • 36:05

Today, we’re cross posting "A Roundtable on Palestine-Israel" from our friends at The Fire These Times podcast as a bonus episode for listeners of The Response.   The Fire These Times Co-hosts, Joey Ayoub and Daniel Voskoboynik are joined by Dana El Kurd, Orly Noy, and Yair Wallach to think through this moment, process their grief together, and articulate alternative visions for both peoples.   After listening to several inflammatory takes for the past month, this was exactly the conversation that we needed to be a fly on the wall for. We hope you learn or feel something new while listening as well.   Resources: Medical Aid for Palestinians | Adalah | Al-Shabaka | Gisha | Hamleh | Hamoked | The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel | Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Centre (JLAC) | MIFTAH: The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy | Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) | Defense for Children International-Palestine (DCI-P) | Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) | Women's Centre for Legal Aid and Counseling (WCLAC)   Episode credits: Presented, hosted, and co-produced by Tom Llewellyn Edited by Robert Raymond Theme Music by Cultivate Beats Follow The Response on Twitter and Instagram for updates, memes, and more. Our entire catalog of documentaries and interviews can be found at theresponsepodcast.org — or wherever you get your podcasts. Want to help spread the word? Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify — it makes a huge difference in reaching new people who may otherwise not hear about this show. The Response is published by Shareable.

11/8/23 • 82:08

After a statement about the war in Palestine, we’re in conversation with Stephanie Rearick, a founder, and Director of the Madison Mutual Aid Network Cooperative and Humans United in Mutual Aid Networks, or HUMANS for short, which is a new type of networked cooperative ‘creating means for everyone to discover and succeed in work they want to do, with the support of their community’.   Stephanie talks about how mutual aid has changed since the pandemic began, how to create networks of Care that can actually support members of our communities long term, the new tech stack that they’re creating to support mutual aid work to scale, and what it means to live a POSHtarity Lifestyle. Resources: Mutual Aid Network Humans at Home Call for a Ceasefire in Gaza Jewish Voice for Peace Call for Ceasefire in Gaza Mutual Aid and the Movement to Stop Cop City Episode credits: Presented, hosted, and co-produced by Tom Llewellyn Edited by Robert Raymond Theme Music by Cultivate Beats Follow The Response on Twitter and Instagram for updates, memes, and more. Our entire catalog of documentaries and interviews can be found at theresponsepodcast.org — or wherever you get your podcasts. Want to help spread the word? Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify — it makes a huge difference in reaching new people who may otherwise not hear about this show. The Response is published by Shareable.    

10/31/23 • 59:46

Summer might be over for us in the Northern Hemisphere — but things are still heating up in the US labor movement. A ground-swell of labor action continues to heave and crack the crust which had been slowly hardening on the surface of the radical fires dormant under neoliberalism. The latest news in the ongoing strike wave comes out of the United Auto Workers Union, where workers at a number of plants have walked out and are engaging in a historic “stand-up” strike — fighting for better wages and better working conditions. To talk about the strike, the labor movement more broadly, and the current state of the class war between workers and capital, we’ve brought on Teddy Ostrow, a labor and economics journalist and host of the podcast Upsurge. In this conversation Teddy talks about what it’s been like out on the UAW picket lines, the revitalization and re-radicalization of the labor movement, where the labor movement in the United States is headed, and much more. Resources: The Upsurge Podcast When Auto Workers Stand Up, Here's How to Stand with Them, Labor Notes Episode credits: Hosted, edited, and produced by Robert Raymond Presented, edited, and co-produced by Tom Llewellyn Theme Music by Cultivate Beats Follow The Response on Twitter and Instagram for updates, memes, and more. Our entire catalog of documentaries and interviews can be found at theresponsepodcast.org — or wherever you get your podcasts. Want to help spread the word? Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify — it makes a huge difference in reaching new people who may otherwise not hear about this show. The Response is published by Shareable.  

10/16/23 • 58:05

Anyone who's been in a disaster and experienced the initial government or major nonprofit response may have noticed that there's a lot of waste involved. From the thousands of single-use water bottles and throw-away medical supplies to the constant churning of diesel and gas-powered generators, there’s just really no other option. But what if there was? Would it be adopted? How could these large disaster response institutions even know that things could be done differently? That’s where Footprint Project comes in. Since 2017 they've been proving that it's possible to respond cleaner and build back greener by deploying 200+ kW of mobile solar and 600+ kWh of mobile battery storage on more than 20 disaster response and recovery missions, to provide emergency clean power access to over 28,000 people in some of the hardest hit communities following disasters. Today on the show, we’ve brought on Footprint Project’s Operations Director, Will Heegaard, who shares the genesis stories for how he got involved in disaster response work and the impetus behind launching the organization. He also unpacks the importance of building resilient communities and the role he feels that state agencies should play in disaster relief. And for those listeners who just completed our Emergency Battery Network Co-Lab (or are planning to check out the course recordings and Toolkit that are soon to be on our website), stick around for the full conversation to hear Will’s advice on how to build power in your community. Resources: Footprint Project Episode credits: Hosted and co-produced by Tom Llewellyn Presented, edited, and co-produced by Robert Raymond Theme Music by Cultivate Beats Follow The Response on Twitter and Instagram for updates, memes, and more. Our entire catalog of documentaries and interviews can be found at theresponsepodcast.org — or wherever you get your podcasts. Want to help spread the word? Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify — it makes a huge difference in reaching new people who may otherwise not hear about this show. The Response is published by Shareable.

9/19/23 • 62:34

On today’s show we’re continuing our ongoing Disaster Dispatch series with a deep dive into the Maui wildfires. Earlier this month a series of wind-driven wildfires in Hawaii, predominantly in Maui, led to widespread devastation and destruction, killing at least 115 people and leaving 850 others missing in the town of Lāhainā. These numbers are estimated to actually be much higher as the search to find and identify victims remains painstakingly slow.  To tell us more about what happened and what the community response has been, we’ve brought on Nicole Huguenin. Nicole is based in Maui and is the co-lead of Maui Rapid Response, an ahupua’a-based citizen disaster response team that’s part of a much broader community response ecosystem working all across the island to provide relief and mutual aid to residents of Maui.  Resources: Maui Rapid Response Maui Rapd Response on Instagram Help Maui Rise Donation Google Doc ʻĀina Momona Kāko'o Haleakalā Tamara Paltin Mauna Medic Healers Hui Kanaeokana Episode credits: Hosted, produced, and edited by Robert Raymond Presented by Tom Llewellyn Theme Music by Cultivate Beats Follow The Response on Twitter and Instagram for updates, memes, and more. Our entire catalog of documentaries and interviews can be found at theresponsepodcast.org — or wherever you get your podcasts. Want to help spread the word? Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify — it makes a huge difference in reaching new people who may otherwise not hear about this show. The Response is published by Shareable.

8/29/23 • 46:00

This summer has truly turned out to be a hot labor summer, with a number of high-profile labor actions stretching across industries and across the country, from the streets of Hollywood to the shop floors at UPS — things are heating up.  With that said, there is a story that hasn’t hit headlines in the same way as some of these other actions and confrontations. And that’s the story of Anchor Brewery in San Francisco. You might have seen their Anchor Steam beer in the beer aisle before, or heard about their unionization campaign that took place in 2019 after this locally beloved brewery was bought by a giant beer conglomerate, Sapporo. That unionization campaign was successful, but recently, Sapporo abruptly, and controversially, closed Anchor Brewing down. Now, some of the workers at Anchor who don’t want to see this centuries-old institution stripped for parts, want to turn the brewery into a worker-owned cooperative. This is really a sort of David and Goliath story, and to tell it, we’ve brought on Pedro Mancilla, who led the Anchor Brewery tour program, is a member of the ILWU Local 6 Warehouse Union, and is part of the team working on the cooperativization campaign.  Pedro has an almost encyclopedic knowledge of beer and beer history, and he begins by giving us a sort of virtual tour of the San Francisco brewery’s history and also a bit of San Francisco labor history. He then talks about the union, the struggles with Sapporo, the effort to convert Anchor into a worker cooperative, and also, how local Bay Area beer producers and enjoyers are coming together in an act of true solidarity to stand behind the workers that have been the backbone of this historic brewery.  Resources: Anchor Brewing Union Stand Together to Save Anchor Brewing Company! Solidarity Ale Release at Enterprise Brewing in San Francisco Project Equity Episode credits: Hosted, produced, and edited by Robert Raymond Presented by Tom Llewellyn Theme Music by Cultivate Beats Follow The Response on Twitter and Instagram for updates, memes, and more. Our entire catalog of documentaries and interviews can be found at theresponsepodcast.org — or wherever you get your podcasts. Want to help spread the word? Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify — it makes a huge difference in reaching new people who may otherwise not hear about this show. The Response is published by Shareable.

8/22/23 • 50:28

All across the globe, temperatures are rising, and thanks to the most recent report published by the International Panel on Climate Change and recent U.N. projections, we know that even if we do make sweeping cuts to emissions, we’re still on course for a catastrophic temperature rise of 2.7 degrees Celsius by the year 2100. That means, the record-breaking floods, droughts, storms, wildfires, and heatwaves we’re currently seeing, or for many of us, directly experiencing, are just the beginning. Global warming is not just some distant thing to worry about in the future — it’s here. Right now. Although cataclysmic events like hurricanes and wildfires tend to monopolize most of the headlines on climate change, as paltry as it is to begin with, climate news coverage hardly ever focuses on the less flashy impacts. Things like heatwaves, for example, might draw some attention if they’re record-shattering — but oftentimes, the impacts of long-lasting higher temperatures are not covered in any depth by mainstream news outlets. In this episode of The Response, we’re going to focus on an issue that isn’t talked about hardly enough: energy poverty. When temperatures rise to the point where they become dangerous, what happens to people who can’t escape the heat? As temperatures continue to soar and extreme heatwaves become the norm, a lack of resources to stay cool — so, having access to things like air conditioning, for example, — is a huge issue across the world. This is especially true in southern Europe, a region that experienced a series of record-breaking, climate-fueled heatwaves this past summer. Episode credits: Written, produced, and edited by Robert Raymond Narrated by Tom Llewellyn Theme Music by Cultivate Beats Additional music by Belong, Fugazi, and Chris Zabriskie Cover illustration by Kane Lynch This episode features: Eleni Myrivili, Chief Heat Officer for the City of Athens (the first person to hold this title – recently featured in New York Times). Lidija Živčič is the senior expert at the FOCUS Association for Sustainable Development and a coordinator at EmpowerMed. Mònica Guiteras, a member of the Alliance Against Energy Poverty in Catalonia, and Engineers Without Borders.   Martha Myers, energy poverty campaigner at Friends of the Earth Europe and the coordinator of the Right to Energy Coalition. Follow The Response on Twitter and Instagram for updates, memes, and more. Our entire catalog of documentaries and interviews can be found at theresponsepodcast.org — or wherever you get your podcasts. Want to help spread the word? Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify — it makes a huge difference in reaching new people who may otherwise not hear about this show. The Response is published by Shareable.

8/7/23 • 39:26

On our last show, a couple of weeks ago, we talked about Land Back with David Cobb — specifically, we discussed moving the idea of land back from a metaphor to a reality, by focusing on a specific case in northern California where the city of Eureka actually gave 200 acres of land back to its original stewards, the Wiyot tribe.  On today's episode, we're going to continue the conversation, and, in a way, pull back from the specific policy examples of land back and look at it as an idea again, specifically, as a revolutionary ideological framework that exists as a part of Marxist thought, a continuation of Marxism-Leninism — what has been called decolonial Marxism. To do this, we've brought on Lakota activist and political educator Sungmanitu Bluebird. Sungmanitu grew up in both Detroit and on Pine Ridge reservation and is currently based in Michigan's upper peninsula.  Sungmanitu’s work synthesizes Marxism with Indigenous knowledge and decolonial Marxist theory and practice. They are a former member of the Red Nation, a mutual aid movement builder, and an organizer with the Chunka Luta Network, a project meant to push decolonial Marxism-Leninism as described by the Guyanese Marxist academic, writer, and educator, Walter Rodney. Resources: Chunka Luta Network Land Back: A Yellowhead Institute Red Paper Decolonial Marxism:Essays from the Pan-African Revolution by Walter Rodney Questions about the LandBack movement, answered, High Country News Absolutely epic: Blackfeet release wild buffalo on tribal land, Independent Record This new wildlife sanctuary will be unlike any other part of the U.S. — and it’s 6 times the size of Yosemite National Park, The Cool Down Follow The Response on Twitter and Instagram for updates, memes, and more. Our entire catalog of documentaries and interviews can be found at theresponsepodcast.org — or wherever you get your podcasts. Want to help spread the word? Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify — it makes a huge difference in reaching new people who may otherwise not hear about this show. The Response is published by Shareable.

7/25/23 • 58:10

The idea of Land Back — a growing movement to return occupied land to the Indigenous people that it rightfully belongs to, often exists as a metaphor for us. It can feel like the discussion around land theft and genocide by settler-colonists in the United States is often limited to land acknowledgments or statements of solidarity — both of which are important. But what about the most important element in these discussions — actually giving the land back?  Today on the show, we’ve brought on David Cobb, a ‘people’s lawyer,’ self-proclaimed revolutionary, and advancement manager for the Wiyot Tribe’s Dishgamu Humboldt Community Land Trust in Northern California. Who are the Wiyot tribe and what is their history on the land we call Humboldt County? What is the ongoing response to the attempted genocide of this Indigenous community which took place almost two hundred years ago — a horrifying and all-too-common event in the history of the settler colony which is the United States? And how has the city of Eureka worked with the Wiyot tribe to rematriate land — to actually enact the practice and policy of land back, taking it from a metaphor to a reality? These are just some of the questions we’ll explore in this conversation. And along the way, we’ll touch on community land trusts, the global push for a social and solidarity economy, the People’s Network for Land and Liberation, the reality of end-stage capitalism, and how you can identify and support the Indigenous peoples on the land you inhabit today.   Resources: Dishgamu Humboldt Community Land Trust Native Land Digital (find out whose ancestral tribal lands you are living in) The Honor Tax Project Legal Tools for Land Return (from Sustainable Economies Law Center) How to give the land back (Shareable) Follow The Response on Twitter and Instagram for updates, memes, and more. Our entire catalog of documentaries and interviews can be found at theresponsepodcast.org — or wherever you get your podcasts. Want to help spread the word? Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify — it makes a huge difference in reaching new people who may otherwise not hear about this show. The Response is published by Shareable.

7/11/23 • 65:51

Today on the show we’ve brought on Alex Press, a staff writer at Jacobin Magazine, to explore labor power — specifically, looking at how the strengthening of the labor movement through unions, strikes, and other workplace actions, are serving as a response to not only the harms inflicted by neoliberalism, but also, how these institutions and actions can serve as direct responses to climate change-fueled disasters.  It’s been said that one of the best disaster responses is an organized workplace. In this episode, we’ll explore what we mean by that, take stock of the current labor landscape in the United States, and discuss how unions, strikes, and other forms of labor power can serve as ways to strengthen our collective and solidarity-focused muscles in a world of neoliberal capitalism. Resources: In Obama’s Working, There is No Way Out, Alex Press’s piece in Jacobin Citations Needed — News Brief: 2000s Zombie Neoliberalism Lives On in Obama's New Netflix Doc The Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee Follow The Response on Twitter and Instagram for updates, memes, and more. Our entire catalog of documentaries and interviews can be found at theresponsepodcast.org — or wherever you get your podcasts. Want to help spread the word? Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify — it makes a huge difference in reaching new people who may otherwise not hear about this show. The Response is published by Shareable.

6/27/23 • 38:16

Last week, the skies over much of the east coast of the United States were orange, red, and almost entirely blacked out in some regions. Smoke from wildfires raging up north in Canada blew down to engulf many major U.S. cities in an apocalyptic glow that left New York City with the worst air quality in the world.   For those of us in California, seeing the apocalyptic images from the east coast going viral brought us back to the many times over the last decade that we experienced the same thing — wildfires raging from northern parts of the state like the Camp Fire in Butte County that completely incinerated the town of Paradise, or the fires in southern California, or Sonoma County, or the Santa Cruz Mountains — there’s too many to really keep track of.   Here in California, one of the many impacts of wildfires that we know all too well has been the loss of power — of electricity. PG&E, the scandal-ridden investor-owned electric utility that operates much of northern California’s grid, has not only been found guilty in the last several years for some of California’s most destructive wildfires. The company has also come under scrutiny for its implementation of rolling blackouts during wildfires, which it claims it does to protect dry landscapes from power lines that could overheat and spark deadly fires. PG&E’s power lines are notoriously poorly maintained and downed trees around power lines have been the direct cause of some of the most deadly and destructive wildfires in California’s history.   These massive power shut-offs have led to all sorts of auxiliary disasters over the years and have left millions of Californians without power during some of our most vulnerable times — amidst scorching heat wages and raging wildfires.   In this context, the People Power Battery Collective in the Bay Area launched a program to provide backup power during emergencies and increase the general understanding of energy access, consumption, and needs. On today’s show, we’ve brought on People Power Battery Collective members Kansas, Crystal, and Yasir to talk about their project in the context of climate-fueled disasters and community mutual aid.   Today’s episode is part of a new series we’re launching called “How-to-Respond” — where we’ll go deeper into the mechanics of community-led disaster response and mutual aid initiatives so that folks can replicate and adapt these efforts in other communities.     This ongoing series is a part of Shareable’s overall programmatic transition to a renewed focus on empowering people and communities to move from the point of inspiration to action. This week, we’re launching SolidarityWorks, a new program designed to “Empower Communities for Collective Liberation.” Over the coming years, we’ll join forces with a broad range of partners to create localized social infrastructure initiatives packed with creative solutions, tools for solidarity, and a deep embrace of the communities we collaborate with.   The first example of this program is actually the People Power Battery Collective. After working with them a couple of years ago on a how-to guide so other groups could adapt their model, we’ll now be partnering with them on a free course to directly support more communities to create battery collectives of their own. Resources: People Power Battery Collective People Power Solar SolidarityWorks Emergency Battery Collective Learning & Action Cohort Follow The Response on Twitter and Instagram for updates, memes, and more. Our entire catalog of documentaries and interviews can be found at theresponsepodcast.org — or wherever you get your podcasts. Want to help spread the word? Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify — it makes a huge difference in extending our reach and broadening our audience. The Response is published by Shareable.

6/14/23 • 53:52

Today on the show we’ve brought on Lee Shevek, an anarchist, writer, and domestic violence researcher. Pride Month is just around the corner and we thought it would be a good time to take a deep dive into the reactionary politics side of this show — namely, the attacks from the right wing and from the state against our transgender comrades. States like Texas, Florida, and Missouri are on the frontlines of this politicized aggression, which is being waged by the forces of right-wing reaction, but is often accomplished with the complicity, and sometimes even with the approval, from more liberal-leaning state and media institutions. In this episode, we investigate the state of anti-trans and transphobic reaction in the United States more broadly and explore how trans communities and their allies are responding.We also get into what anarchism teaches us about these struggles — specifically, what we can learn from this political philosophy about trans issues and gender issues more broadly, and why it’s more important than ever for anarchists and those on the left to support trans people in their struggle for liberation from reactionary forces. Resources: Lee Shevek's writing on Medium (Butch Anarchy) Lee Shevek on Twitter and Instagram Follow The Response on Twitter and Instagram for updates, memes, and more. Our entire catalog of documentaries and interviews can be found at theresponsepodcast.org — or wherever you get your podcasts. Want to help spread the word? Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify — it makes a huge difference in extending our reach and broadening our audience. The Response is published by Shareable.

5/30/23 • 41:08

Today on the show we’ve brought on Daniel Baryon, an anarchist and organizer who runs the Youtube channel Anark.  When we talk about horizontal power structures, for example in the context of grassroots mutual aid response, we're talking about a concept situated within a very specific theoretical framework. Likewise, when we explore the concepts of "prefiguring" the new world within the old — practicing solidarity and mutual aid— for example, we're also talking about concepts that have unique theoretical underpinnings. Perhaps, then, it could be helpful to explore the theories behind the themes that we talk about a bit more, to help ground and place ourselves within historical traditions that stretch to the present.  This is what we're planning on doing in this new, ongoing series on theory. We're keeping it casual for now, so just expect to see a few episodes here and there in the coming months, but our first dive into the theory framing this show is going to be today's episode on anarchism. Specifically, we’ll explore what anarchism is and isn’t; how many of the themes of this show — things like disaster collectivism and mutual aid — come out of anarchist theory and practice; we’ll give some examples of anarchism in action; and explore what we can learn from this rich and beautiful tradition in terms of radical transformation and revolution in our modern world. Resources: Anark YouTube Channel Daniel Baryon on Twitter Follow The Response on Twitter and Instagram for updates, memes, and more. Our entire catalog of documentaries and interviews can be found at theresponsepodcast.org — or wherever you get your podcasts. Want to help spread the word? Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify — it makes a huge difference in extending our reach and broadening our audience. The Response is published by Shareable.

5/15/23 • 46:14

On this episode of The Response we’ve brought on Joey Ayoub, a Geneva-based writer, researcher, activist, and host of The Fire These Times podcast, which asks the questions: How do we build the new in the shell of the old? How do we tackle global warming and its associated crises? How do we build bonds across nation-states and groups? How do we make it easier to imagine the end of capitalism than the end of the world? Resources: The Fire These Times on Patreon and Substack. Episode credits: Host, producer, and editor: Robert Raymond Host and executive producer: Tom Llewellyn Theme Music: “Meet you on the other side” by Cultivate Beats Make sure to follow The Response on Twitter and Instagram for updates, memes, and more. Our entire catalog of documentaries and interviews can be found at theresponsepodcast.org or wherever you get your podcasts. Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The Response is a podcast series from Shareable.net.

5/2/23 • 59:05

Today on the show we’ve brought on Breya Johnson, an abortion doula, reproductive justice organizer, writer, curator, and the Deputy Director of Organizing at Girls for Gender Equity.   Since the Dobbs decision was passed last year, we’ve continued to see the right wing’s assault on legal abortion and bodily autonomy escalate. Most recently through a ruling by a Trump-appointed, anti-abortion Federal Judge in Texas that intends to revoke the FDA's approval of the abortion pill mifepristone — part of a 2-part medicinal cocktail used in self-managed abortions — the most common form of abortion in the United States.   This ruling is perhaps the most outrageous ruling since Dobbs, and in this episode, we’ll explore the attacks from the right on legal abortion and their implications more broadly. We also explore what self-managed abortions are, everything you need to know about how they work and where you can access abortion pills, and we also explore what a broader framework of reproductive justice looks like and how we can get there.   Resources:   Breya Johnson on Twitter and Instagram Find your local abortion fund: Abortion Funds Abortion Pills: Plan C Pills, Just the Pill, Aid Access The Response’s 2-part audio documentary on abortion: Abortion access and reproductive justice in a post-roe landscape Episode credits:   Host, producer, and editor: Robert Raymond Executive producer: Tom Llewellyn Theme Music: “Meet you on the other side” by Cultivate Beats Make sure to follow The Response on Twitter and Instagram for updates, memes, and more. Our entire catalog of documentaries and interviews can be found at theresponsepodcast.org or wherever you get your podcasts.   Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.   The Response is a podcast series from Shareable.net.

4/17/23 • 43:33

Today on the show we’ve brought on Konstantin — a Parisian garbage collector and union militant. For the past two months, France has been in a state of agitation. A growing movement of workers has been engaged in protests and strikes which erupted in Paris and other cities in response to President Emmanuel Macron unilaterally raising the French retirement age from 62 to 64. You may have seen the viral images of piles and piles of garbage bags out on the streets in Paris — this is because garbage collectors in the city have been on a series of strikes to protest the new pension reform. We spoke with Konstantin about the state of the movement and what it’s been like organizing and participating in the strikes, the long string of events that have led to this current uprising, why it’s more important than ever to build class consciousness and solidarity — not just in France but internationally, and where he sees this movement headed. Episode credits: Host, producer, and editor: Robert Raymond Executive producer: Tom Llewellyn Theme Music: “Meet you on the other side” by Cultivate Beats Make sure to follow The Response on Twitter and Instagram for updates, memes, and more. Our entire catalog of documentaries and interviews can be found at theresponsepodcast.org or wherever you get your podcasts. Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The Response is a podcast series from Shareable.net.

4/3/23 • 43:44

Today on the show we’ve brought on Jesse Barnett, a musician and a co-founder of All Power Books in L.A. All Power Books is more than a bookstore: it’s a volunteer-run community space that offers a wide range of programs, from a free store with food, cleaning supplies, and menstrual products; to a free community clinic; to music classes, poetry readings, and reading groups; sewing and repair workshops; film screenings, bike repairs, the list goes on.  We spoke with Jesse about the origins of All Power Books, the importance of mutual aid and building connections with neighbors, why the left can feel so divisive sometimes — and how to avoid it — the economic and political realities of Los Angeles, and a whole lot much more. Resources: All Power Books' website, Twitter, and Instagram Jesse Barnett on Instagram Stick to your Guns Episode credits: Host, producer, and editor: Robert Raymond Executive producer: Tom Llewellyn Theme Music: “Meet you on the other side” by Cultivate Beats Make sure to follow The Response on Twitter and Instagram for updates, memes, and more. Our entire catalog of documentaries and interviews can be found at theresponsepodcast.org or wherever you get your podcasts. Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The Response is a podcast series from Shareable.net.

3/21/23 • 53:30

In this documentary episode, we take a deep dive into how communities are responding to the growing abortion access crisis in the United States, sharing the stories of those impacted and highlighting a number of radical grassroots, mutual aid, and solidaristic efforts aimed at helping people access abortion in the places where it's currently outlawed or restricted.  Abortion access has always been limited here in the United States, but since Roe v. Wade was overturned in June of 2022 and the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision held that the Constitution does not confer a right to abortion, things have gotten dramatically worse. In the face of trigger laws banning and criminalizing abortion in many states — as well as state-sanctioned harassment and targeted campaigns against people seeking abortions — the centuries-old movement for reproductive rights and justice has only grown and strengthened. This is a special re-release of this episode for International Women's Day. The episode was originally published as two separate parts but we have combined those two parts into one continuous episode. Episode credits: Series producer and writer: Robert Raymond Host and executive producer: Tom Llewellyn Theme Music: “Meet you on the other side” by Cultivate Beats Additional music: Chris Zabriskie, Do Make Say Think, and Pele Original artwork was created by Bethan Mure This series features: Julie Amaon: Family medicine physician and the medical director for Just the Pill Jenice Fountain: Executive Director of Yellowhammer Fund Gulf South Plan B: Mutual Aid organization that distributes free emergency contraception in Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas and Mississippi  Angel Jones: Recipient of medical abortion pills Laurie Roberts: Executive Director of Mississippi Reproductive Freedom Fund

3/14/23 • 58:33

Today on the show — a special presentation of a live conversation between Saket Soni and Rebecca Solnit on Saket Soni’s new book, The Great Escape: A True Story of Forced Labor and Immigrant Dreams in America.   The Great Escape is the harrowing story of how 500 disaster relief workers from India were trafficked to the United States under false pretenses and exposed to inhumane conditions while rebuilding New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.   Rebecca Solnit has described the book as being “paced like a thriller, written like a poem, and full of vivid characters who’d enliven any novel, but it’s the true story of one of the largest modern-day trafficking incidents in recent history and how Saket Soni and his crew went after the powerful perpetrators. A story as important as it is riveting to read.”   Saket Soni is the co-founder and executive director of Resilience Force, the national voice of the resilience workforce — whose labor helps us prepare for, and repair after, climate disaster. He will be in conversation with renowned author Rebecca Solnit, who wrote, A Paradise Built in Hell: The Extraordinary Communities That Arise in Disaster — a book that inspired the creation of this show and which we’ve talked about many times in past episodes.   This conversation is a recording of a live event co-organized with The Green Arcade in San Francisco on March 3rd. The Green Arcade is a bookshop featuring socially conscious nonfiction, plus select literature & kids' titles, located on Market St. Episode credits: Live recording and editing by Robert Raymond Executive production and hosting by Tom Llewellyn Theme Music: “Meet you on the other side” by Cultivate Beats Make sure to follow The Response on Twitter and Instagram for updates, memes, and more. Our entire catalog of documentaries and interviews can be found at theresponsepodcast.org or wherever you get your podcasts. Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The Response is a podcast series from Shareable.net.  

3/6/23 • 55:02

Today on the show, we’ve brought on Prem Thakker, a journalist with The New Republic who has been reporting on East Palestine, Ohio. Prem’s recent piece is titled: “Life After the Ohio Train Derailment: Trouble Breathing, Dying Animals, and Saying Goodbye.”   In this episode, we’ll bring you up to date on everything happening in the aftermath of the February 3rd train derailment — from the health concerns and experiences of the residents of East Palestine, to Norfolk Southern’s bungled and oftentimes horrifying response, to what coverage of the event has looked like and why so many politicians have remained silent on the issue for so long, and to the small glimmers of hope that disasters like this can present in terms of building community strength and solidarity. Resources: "Life After the Ohio Train Derailment: Trouble Breathing, Dying Animals, and Saying Goodbye," The New Republic "The Conspiracy of the Ohio Train Derailment Is Right in Front of Us," The New Republic "Trump, Who Deregulated the Railroad Industry, Lies to the People of Ohio in His Visit," The New Republic "Death Plume" Tweet by Robert Raymond and the response to the "fact-check" by USA Today. Episode credits: Host, producer, and editor: Robert Raymond Executive producer: Tom Llewellyn Theme Music: “Meet you on the other side” by Cultivate Beats Make sure to follow The Response on Twitter and Instagram for updates, memes, and more. Our entire catalog of documentaries and interviews can be found at theresponsepodcast.org or wherever you get your podcasts. Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The Response is a podcast series from Shareable.net.

2/23/23 • 42:40

Today on the show we’ve brought on Rebecca Burns, co-author of the recent piece in The Lever, Rail Companies Blocked Safety Rules Before Ohio Derailment.   On February 3rd, 150-car train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. The train was carrying several cars of vinyl chloride, an extremely hazardous and toxic chemical used in plastics manufacturing. The derailment triggered a gigantic fireball, which, if you’ve seen pictures of it, looks like a giant, billowing mushroom cloud, which sent a plume of black smoke miles and miles across multiple counties.   After the initial explosion the town was evacuated, but residents have since been allowed to return. However, the situation is far from resolved. The extent of impacts on people living in the area, as well as on the local ecology, are difficult to imagine — and this story is not getting the attention that it deserves.   Norfolk Southern, the company responsible for the disaster, has been on the cutting edge of lobbying for industry deregulation, killing federal safety rules and slashing its workforce to dangerous levels. Incidentally, the company has also been seeing record profits.   In this Disaster Dispatch episode of The Response, journalist Rebecca Burns will explain what’s going on in East Palestine, Ohio, what the technical and political causes of this disaster are, and how disasters like this are just part of a broader ecosystem of industry deregulation and corporate cost-cutting which could serve as a death sentence for the rest of us. Episode credits: Host, producer, and editor: Robert Raymond Presenter and executive producer: Tom Llewellyn Theme Music: “Meet you on the other side” by Cultivate Beats Make sure to follow The Response on Twitter and Instagram for updates, memes, and more. Our entire catalog of documentaries and interviews can be found at theresponsepodcast.org or wherever you get your podcasts. Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The Response is a podcast series from Shareable.net.

2/14/23 • 27:12

Today on the show we’ve brought on Andy C. from Poor Prole’s Almanac to talk about a wide range of fascinating topics — from agroecology and sound ecological practices regarding the growing of food and the stewardship of land, to native seed bombing and other forms of mutual aid and disaster preparation, to the difference between right-wing prepperism and left-wing prepperism, to why building collective power and resilience is the best way to ensure that we not only survive the slow but inevitable societal collapses that have already begun — but to thrive through them and build a better world out of the ashes of the old.  Resources: Poor Prole's Almanac on Instagram and Twitter Episode credits: Host, producer, and editor: Robert Raymond Presenter and executive producer: Tom Llewellyn Theme Music: “Meet you on the other side” by Cultivate Beats Make sure to follow The Response on Twitter and Instagram for updates, memes, and more. Our entire catalog of documentaries and interviews can be found at theresponsepodcast.org or wherever you get your podcasts. Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The Response is a podcast series from Shareable.net.

2/7/23 • 58:52

For the past couple of years, the City of Atlanta, George, has been pushing forward a project nicknamed “Cop City” — a tactical training compound featuring a mock city which has been referred to as a kind of war base where police will learn military-style maneuvers. The 90 million dollar compound would be built on somewhere between 60 and 300 acres of forest in Atlanta — a space known as the Weelaunee Forest, one of the largest urban forests in the country.  As a result of this controversial and extremely unpopular development, a grassroots response has taken shape to stop “Cop City.” One of the responses has been by those known as forest protectors, forest defenders, or tree dwellers — activists who have camped out in the forest hoping to stop the clearcutting, bulldozing, and destruction of the forest from happening. On January 18th, one of these forest protectors, known by their forest name “Tortuguita,” or “Little Turtle” was killed by police during a raid in the forest.  This killing has launched the story of “Cop City” — and the grassroots movement fighting against it — into national and even international headlines. In this episode of The Response we’ve brought on two individuals who are part of that movement to break things down for us.  Jesse Pratt López is a photographer, documentarian, and organizer involved in the stop cop city movement based in Atlanta. Nolan Huber-Rhoades is a community journalist and filmmaker currently working on a documentary on “Cop City” who has also been covering the events since April of 2021.  What are the forces behind “Copy City”? What has the community response looked like — not just to the development itself but also to the brutal police response which has terrorized those protecting the forest? And how does the Stop Cop City movement bring together police abolition, climate change, land back, surveillance capitalism, and the right to protest all in one place? We explore all of these questions and more in this episode with Jesse and Nolan. Resources: The Atlanta Solidarity Fund GoFundMe for Family of Manuel "Tortuguita" Páez Terán Food not bombs Atlanta Community Movement Builders Defend the Atlanta Forest Little Turtle's War published by Bitter Southerner You can find Jesse Pratt López on Twitter and Instgram & Nolan Huber-Rhoades on Twitter and Instagram. Episode credits: Host, producer, and editor: Robert Raymond Presenter and executive producer: Tom Llewellyn Theme Music: “Meet you on the other side” by Cultivate Beats Make sure to follow The Response on Twitter and Instagram for updates, memes, and more. Our entire catalog of documentaries and interviews can be found at theresponsepodcast.org or wherever you get your podcasts. Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The Response is a podcast series from Shareable.net.

1/31/23 • 59:29