Today on Hard Knock Radio, we bring you a special edition of Rootwork on KPFK. Guest host Thandisizwe Chimurenga of Black Liberation Media sits down with Kali Akuno of Cooperation Jackson for a timely and urgent conversation on grassroots survival, resistance, and self-defense in an era of deepening authoritarianism.
Part of the ongoing Build and Fight Formula series, the discussion examines how communities can organize, protect themselves, and build power as federal authority expands in alarming ways. Akuno challenges listeners to think critically about recent executive actions taken by President Donald Trump—moves that critics warn signal a dangerous consolidation of state power.
Among the developments discussed:
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Sudan: Akuno also pointed to the ongoing catastrophe in Sudan, where U.S. and international power dynamics, arms flows, and geopolitical neglect have fueled a brutal conflict, leaving millions displaced and highlighting how imperial interests often exacerbate humanitarian crises.
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Gaza: The conversation further addressed Gaza, where unwavering U.S. political, military, and financial support for Israel amid mass civilian casualties illustrates how state violence abroad is normalized, justified, and connected to systems of repression at home.
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Military deployment for immigration enforcement: In June 2025, Trump authorized the use of National Guard and active-duty troops to protect ICE facilities and personnel from protesters—an unprecedented escalation of military involvement in civilian immigration enforcement.
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ICE budget windfall: A Republican-led Congress passed a sweeping immigration and border enforcement spending package, allocating $160 billion to ICE, dramatically expanding the agency’s reach, capacity, and surveillance power.
Organizations including the Brennan Center for Justice and People’s World have described these actions as part of an authoritarian “playbook”—not the creation of a new military force, but the political misuse of existing institutions operating under legally ambiguous authority.
This conversation places these developments within a broader framework of grassroots resistance, offering listeners tools to analyze state repression, anticipate its impacts, and organize collectively in this moment of profound political crisis. The Build and Fight Formula is a multi-part political education program focused on the radical transformation of society. Kali Akuno, co-founder and executive director of Mississippi-based Cooperation Jackson, leads the series in partnership with Rootwork.
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.