Davey D opens the segment by zooming out from the recent arrests of journalists and framing them as part of a broader crackdown on dissent. He brings in two guests who have been on the front lines of state repression for years: G1 from Rebel Diaz and Pastor Mike McBride of Live Free USA. Davey points to Ferguson as an early “test run” for tactics now reappearing, and asks G1 to compare what’s unfolding today with repression he has witnessed in Ferguson and in Chile.
G1 argues the current wave of journalist arrests is doing two things at once: creating distraction from bigger political and economic crises, and normalizing attacks on journalists so repression feels routine. He contrasts the treatment of establishment media with the targeting of independent reporters, and stresses that the most extreme examples of this normalization have played out internationally, especially against Palestinian journalists. He and Davey also highlight a recurring tactic of “ocular trauma” where protesters are shot in the eye with so called nonlethal weapons, connecting it to global counterinsurgency training.
Davey then shifts to Pastor Mike’s faith lens, naming how liberation oriented clergy are increasingly framed as enemies while armed Christian nationalist forces are treated as the “real” believers. Pastor Mike pushes back hard, describing Christian nationalism as a heretical political project tied to global authoritarianism. He says dissent is not optional for faith communities, it is basic discipleship. Churches and faith institutions, he argues, should function as safe houses and organizing hubs that build solidarity and protect targeted communities.
From there, the conversation turns practical and strategic. Pastor Mike stresses the need for operational unity between local organizers and national support, and argues movements should carry connected demands across cities, including calls to defund or abolish ICE. G1 adds that repression has a long legal runway, from the Patriot Act forward, and cites examples in Chicago where dismissed cases still led to ICE targeting. Both guests return repeatedly to the same solution: build local networks of mutual aid, communications outside corporate platforms, and community level cohesion that can withstand escalation.
As they close, Davey raises Ohio and the targeting of Haitian immigrants through shifting legal status, warning against normalizing detention as “just the system.” Pastor Mike urges sustained relationship building through a Love Free campaign rooted in congregations and community dinners. G1 ends by insisting the fights are linked: ICE, Cop Cities, Palestine, and economic austerity, and the antidote to gaslighting is organized connection with your neighbors.
Hard Knock Radio is a drive-time Hip-Hop talk show on KPFA (94.1fm @ 4-5 pm Monday-Friday), a community radio station without corporate underwriting, hosted by Davey D and Anita Johnson.
