The decision to have an independent lawyer and limited subpoena power for Tampa’s citizen-led police review board could come down to a ballot initiative for city residents. Tampa’s City Council workshopped a massive overhaul to its much-criticized citizen review board Wednesday. It will vote to adopt the ordinance in May. LISTEN: After nearly five and… Read more »
Hillsborough legislators talk protest bill, budget priorities with Tiger Bay
Read MoreBlack Lives Matter Activist attacked by ‘community patriot’ at New Port Richey council meeting
Read MoreFloridians gather to protest senate bill exempting felons and workers under 21 from $15 minimum wage
Read MoreFlorida Legislative Black Caucus unveils ‘fair and just’ police reforms, cites BLM movement as signal for change
Read MoreColin Kaepernick, Ben & Jerry’s team for West Tampa mural supporting social justice
Read MoreFlorida lawmakers call for reform after DOJ report finds ‘systemic’ sexual abuse in women’s prison
Read More"Civil Rights, Civil Liberties, and Social Justice" on Morning Energy
Read MoreTampa police review policy pushed to 2021 following citizen pushback
Read MoreIn Florida, budget woes won’t get you out of accessibility responsibilities
Read MoreMan who pulled gun on St. Pete Black Lives Matter protesters identified, but charges haven’t been filed
Read MoreTampa attorney, lawmakers announce suit to block ‘All Voters Vote’ Amendment 3 from general election
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Radioactivity Wednesday: Leaked messages show far-right group’s plans for violence in Portland
October 7, 2020 Good Morning, welcome to Radioactivity. I’m Rob Lorei. The summer of 2020 has seen the city of Portland, Oregon, become a symbol and a venue for the further, dramatic polarization of the United States. More than a hundred nights of intense protests against police violence by left-wing activists have led to further… Read more »

Trump supporters gather in Downtown St. Pete to counter Black Lives Matter activists in tense, but peaceful night
One week after a counter-protester pulled a gun during a Black Lives Matter march in downtown St. Petersburg, activists and counter-protest groups again clashed in St. Pete Saturday. With an increased police presence, no violence broke out, but tensions ran high. Listen: When the flames wouldn’t catch, Gary Snow grabbed the Nazi flag from the… Read more »

Hillsborough State Attorney won’t file charges against activist who jumped on hood of car that drove through June protest
The Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office said it will not file charges against an activist who jumped on the hood of a car as it drove through a June protest in Tampa. His attorney said he shouldn’t have been arrested in the first place. Listen: Jason Stuart Flores might not be facing prison time any… Read more »

St. Pete protesters supporting Breonna Taylor face threats from police supporters and more vehicles after viral video
Before they marched, they prayed. Protesters marched with renewed vigor this week after a grand jury in Kentucky chose to not bring charges against officers who killed Breonna Taylor. Listen: After four straight months of near-daily, peaceful marches, tensions were among the highest they’d been Thursday night. Wednesday, a Tampa Bay Times reporter tweeted a… Read more »

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Pasco Black Lives Matter leader to plead not guilty on police battery charge, activists say he’s being targeted
A Black Lives Matter activist in Pasco was arraigned Friday on charges he battered a New Port Richey police officer in July and obstructed the officer without violence. Marlowe Jones will plead not guilty to the charges and maintains he, and other activists, are being targeted by New Port Richey police. Listen: Despite facing a… Read more »

Tampa protestors show support for Jacob Blake, call for police reform
Protesters gathered in Tampa Friday to show support for Jacob Blake, an unarmed Black man killed by police in Kenosha Wisconsin last week. Demonstrators gathered to protest ongoing police killings of Black people and violence against protestors. Listen: Dolores Bartels said before this year she’d never been scared to be alive. But as police killings… Read more »

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Black Lives Matter, other activists, respond to beating of Jae Passmore with Rally in Tampa park
Dozens of activists gathered in Tampa’s Lykes Gaslight Park Friday morning in response to the arrest and beating of prominent Black Lives Matter activist Jae Passmore. The smell of burning sage mixed with palpable frustration as Passmore led chants calling for the ousting of Tampa Police Chief Brian Dugan and Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, who… Read more »

Tampa activists pressure City Council on police reform
Dozens of speakers turned out at Tampa City Council’s public comment this morning at the Tampa Convention Center, where meetings have been recently moved to accommodate social distancing. The focus of many of the comments was in support of a recent movement to fire Tampa Police Chief Brian Dugan, called #dumpdugan. Residents poured out their… Read more »

Civil liberties group warns about face recognition system considered by Florida law enforcement departments
Civil liberties advocates are warning about powerful face recognition software that could be coming to a police department near you. The Tampa Bay Times is reporting that about a dozen law enforcement agencies in Florida have tested or purchased a facial recognition system from a company called Clearview AI. WMNF interviewed Nate Freed Wessler, a… Read more »

The local leaders of the effort to pass the ERA; A new documentary explores the Taser related death of a South Florida teen
Radioactivity with Rob Lorei Listen Here: Or follow this link and select 12/10/19 from the drop down menu: Radioactivity: Interviews & Live Call-In The first part of this program was videotaped and put on our WMNF News Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/WMNFNews/ Intro: Good morning, welcome to Radioactivity. Congress first approved the Equal Rights Amendment in… Read more »

Neglected African American cemeteries are a haunting testament to perpetual racism
The Robles Park Village government housing project that sits atop Zion Cemetery is falling apart. Apartments are riddled with dangerous mold. Leaks and structural issues disturb the residents. Many are without air conditioning to ward off the deadly summer heat. Daily life is a struggle, and now there’s a spiritual fervor in the air. Since… Read more »

Judge stops parts of Tampa’s same-sex ‘conversion therapy’ ban
Free speech or harmful action? TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — A federal magistrate is stopping the enforcement of a portion of Tampa’s ordinance prohibiting same-sex conversion therapy for minors. The U.S. magistrate judge issued a preliminary injunction on Wednesday. Magistrate Judge Amanda Arnold Sansone’s recommendation then goes to the US District Court, which then decides whether… Read more »

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American History You Should Know
The subtitle to David Treuer’s latest book, Heartbeat Of Wounded Knee, explains the American history you should know: Native America From 1890 To The Present. Sadly, as Treuer meticulously shows in over 500 pages the history of Native Americans is the history of the United States. David Treuer grew up Ojibwe on a reservation in Minnesota,… Read more »