In our 67th episode since starting in June 2025, we’re starting to experiment with new formats. In this episode, co-hosts Dani Abdullah and Derek Ford focus solely on local news, covering the most pressing facing our people right now from a radical but objective angle. The word “radical” comes to us from the Latin word “redix,” which means “root.” In addition to understanding the problems addressed, then, they also discuss their root causes, posing ways to begin eliminating the scourges of racism and police terror immediately. We want to inspire listeners to join us in taking collective action and make these solutions a reality.

Naptown Breakdown:

This week’s Naptown Breakdown introduces the critical matters in the remainder of the episode. First up is the removal of racist CEO Lucas M. Davis from Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, a global organization with 135,000 active members in 600 chapters across nearly 100 countries but headquartered here in Indianapolis. Leaked communications reveal Davis expressing a desire to own Black people, sexualized references to slavery, and a Davis saying, “You need to learn your place, n*****,” to a Black colleague.

It’s no wonder, then, that a Mirror Indy report on the hospital-to-prison pipeline found that Eskenazi Health police arrested an average of 2-3 people per week between 2020-2025, with 96 percent arrested for non-violent offenses. After a decades-long lobbying campaign by the Indiana Hospital Association, hospitals can now have their own police departments that have little to no oversight. Now the Association is pushing to expand the jurisdiction of these police forces.

Last up is how, despite repeated pledges to be “transparent,” the IMPD continues protecting corrupt and killer cops by shrouding them in secrecy. The people’s movement forced Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears to take action and charge four current and one recently-employed cop on charges of fraud, official misconduct, and stalking. Even as Mears stated “this is definitely just the beginning” of the charges, acknowledging the rampant abuse of the cameras, Terry continues defending them as essential tools for “public safety.” If Mears, Terry, and the local Democratic Party establishment had any concern for public safety, let alone transparency, wouldn’t they have released the full unedited body cam footage of the three officers—Donald Meier, Jessica Dickinson, and Michael Totten—who killed Dalys Jett on July 22? Wouldn’t there be a single killer cop who they charged, tried, and convicted in prison right now?

Throughout their analysis of the root causes of and solutions to the above, Dani and Derek note how we can find the IMPD’s transparency in their actions and how the nature of policing in the U.S. requires that cops remain “above the law.” In response, they insist our demands need to focus on taking away their power and authority by defunding and disarming the police. Dani clarifies what these demands look like in action: that defunding the police means funding the things our people need—including mechanisms that actually prevent crime, such as the numerous community-based violence interrupter programs that are never funded because they challenge the power of the cops.

Dani and Derek also briefly touch on a recent victory by PSL Indianapolis that forced the IMPD to comply with a long-standing public records request, which revealed disgusting details about the cops who killed Dalys Jett. You can see for yourself at www.MaskOff12.com.

Show Notes:

Mask Off 12
Jada Trainor’s Victory against Eskenazi Health Police and Mears
Jada Trainor Wins Victory against Medical Racism and Police Terror
Attacked by Cops in 2024, Jada Trainor Waits for Day in Court
Petition: Justice for Dalys Jett!
The Black Briefing with Dalys Jett’s Family
Support Naptown People’s Radio
Indy Liberation Store
Indianapolis Liberation Center
PSL Indianapolis
Party for Socialism and Liberation

Events:

Thurs: Reading Angela Davis with Comrades
Fri: “See What I Mean?” First Friday with Jourdain Brown
Fri-Sat: Indy Liberation Store at Proof 2026
Sat: Circle City Sangha Mindfulness Meetup
Sun: Reading with Comrades: “Socialist Reconstruction”
Sun: Emancipatory Motions: Yoga for Liberation

Photo Credit: Davanta R. Scruggs and Jae Henson.