Welcome back to this brand-new, investigative, in-depth, exposé exclusively featured on Light 'Em Up.

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Without fear or favor, we shine the antiseptic light of the truth on any topic that we undertake and report on.

Tonight, we examine the officer involved shooting of Michael Jones — by our very own Akron Police Department in the early morning hours of August 17th outside of a Duke and Duchess gas station, in Akron, Ohio. The 15 second unnecessary struggle took Jones' life and re-opened deep wounds between the people and the police in Akron.

Jones, a 54-year-old black man, was shot at point blank range and killed by an APD Officer during an altercation inside a U-Haul Rental Truck.

In a Light 'Em Up Exclusive Visual Investigation we've analyzed the body worn camera (BWC) of the officer involved shooting — frame by frame, meticulously we've rolled back the footage of the fatal traffic stop to examine the causes and consequences of the "officer created jeopardy" in this specific case.

With Miami Dolphins Wide Receiver Tyreek Hill in the news for being dragged out of his car in Miami Gardens, FL — this fact pattern put the issue of excessive force and officer created jeopardy at the forefront of countless discussions.

Our learning objectives for this intense episode — which may very well save your life or that of a loved one — will be to drill down on:

— The fact-pattern in the killing of Michael Jones
— Reasonable, Articulable, Suspicion (RAS)
— and introduce to you the concept of "Officer Induced Jeopardy".

In the realm of criminal law and law enforcement, the term Reasonable, Articulable, Suspicion holds significant importance. It serves as a critical legal standard that determines whether law enforcement officers have sufficient grounds to justify various actions, such as: stopping individuals, conducting searches or making detentions. If you are under arrest, you must be told of the charge you are in custody for and immediately read your Miranda rights.

Understanding RAS is crucial for both law enforcement officials and individuals to ensure a balanced approach to justice.

To help you better to understand we'll delve into the:
— Concept of RAS
— Its legal significance
— and its impact on various aspect of law enforcement practices.

As case studies we'll discuss 2 cases regarding the concept of "Officer Induced or Officer Created Jeopardy".

"Officer Induced Jeopardy" involves situations in which police officers unwisely put themselves in danger and then use deadly force to protect themselves. It can include the actions of officers who, without sound justification, willingly fail to take advantage of available tactical concepts like distance, cover and concealment, willingly abandon tactically advantageous positions by moving into disadvantaged positions without justification — or act precipitously on their own without waiting for available assistance from backup.

Grave tactical errors such as:

— walking into the path of a moving car
— reaching into the window
— jumping onto a moving vehicle
— then using lethal force to defend against the danger — as appears to have been the case in the killing of Michael Jones.

We'll interrogate the "final frame" approach found in Graham v Connor where the U.S. Supreme Court says, "courts should not second guess the "split second" judgements officers make in the heat of the moment".

Vehicle stops happen more than 50K times a day on average across America — by far the most common interaction between the police and the public, which disproportionately impacts drivers of color.

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Welcome to this incendiary, probing, brand-new installment of Light ‘Em Up.

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In this intensive episode we’ll investigate and unpack the cold-blooded killing of Sonya Massey — a 36-year-old mother of two and resident of Springfield, Illinois. Ms. Massey was concerned for her safety and called law enforcement to her home for protection.

Sonya Massey, was fatally shot in the head by the now terminated and criminally charged former Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Sean Grayson in her own kitchen over a pot of water that was heating on the stove.

Today, with all the tangible evidence from a multitude of past deadly incidents with law enforcement — the argument could be made that it no longer seems safe for individuals of color and/or anyone who may be “spiraling downward” in the grips of a mental health crisis to call law enforcement for any assistance.

When a person is stuck in the unrelenting grip of a mental health crisis and they are rapidly spiraling downward — they need help, compassion, empathy and understanding. They don’t need to be shot in the face and killed.

Law enforcement simply is not trained to properly handle such emergencies. A crystal-clear example of this was what happened to Daniel Prude in Rochester, NY.

Far too often the fact pattern turns out to be identical to the last senseless killing.

The officer dispatched to the call shows up on the scene:

— terrified (having little direct exposure to those who don’t look identical to him)
— short on time
— short on patience
— and far too often short on the requisite racial sensitivity for the communities they are charged with protecting and serving
— short on the requisite “humanity” one needs to see people who need help as people, not as constant and potential threats

Many aspects of this case are perverted. This case serves as a textbook example of “officer induced jeopardy”.

As we press deeper, farther and wider we’ll uncover the ever-expanding and troublesome issue of “Wandering/Roaming Cops”.

Wandering/Roaming Cops are law-enforcement officers fired by one department — sometimes for very serious misconduct, who then shortly thereafter find work in another agency.

A perfect example of this would be Timothy Loehman, who shot and killed 12-year-old Tamir Rice in Cleveland, Ohio.

The defendant, Former Deputy Sheriff Sean Grayson, had not one, but two previous DUI convictions and a history of personnel problems, but was still hired by the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office.

Through an extensive number of exclusive Freedom of Information Act Requests (FOIA) we’ve obtained the:

💥 direct audio of Sonya Massey’s mother, (Donna Massey) calling 9-1-1 emergency dispatch providing the dispatcher with advanced notice about her daughter’s mental state.

💥 the last extensive communication from Sonya Massey as she called 9-1-1 emergency dispatch to notify them of a “prowler” at or nearby her home.

💥 the troubling, gruesome, audio from the body worn camera video in the kitchen where Ms. Massey was fatefully gunned down.

💥 Finally, Light ‘Em Up was extremely fortunate to receive a sound bite from the Governor of Illinois, the Honorable J.B. Pritzker — specifically on the Massey tragedy.

Don’t move a muscle. Tune in to hear the shocking, sickening facts of this case.

In a time of uncertainty, facts provide clarity. Follow our sponsors Newsly & Feedspot here:

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Welcome back to Light ‘Em Up!

Directly from your support, we are actively being downloaded in 1⃣1⃣3⃣ countries! Thank you so much!

There is so much trouble in this world. The threat vectors are endless.

This riveting, in-depth episode turned out to be one of our more educational, intensive and acclaimed episodes among our 80+ binge-worthy catalogue of work, now spanning 5 seasons.

With this new episode, we delve into the vast, intricate and complex process of radicalization – specifically, radicalization that leads to violence or violent radicalization (VR).

Radicalization is defined as: The process of supporting or engaging in activities deemed by others as in violation of important societal norms such as the killing of innocent civilians.

VR is a significant and growing threat domestically and worldwide.

VR can be understood as “an individual or collective process whereby normal practices of dialogue, compromise, and tolerance between groups/individuals with diverging interests are abandoned and one or more groups/individuals engage in violent actions to reach a specific (political, social, religious) goal”.

In a context of increased social polarization, Violent Radicalization is affecting both majorities and minorities, targeting different forms of “otherness”:

— racial
— ethnic
— religious
— political and
— gender-related as well.

This process is influenced by a myriad of inner-connected push factors.

𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞:

We’ll examine and define: Radicalization.

💥 Drill down into some of the pathways towards becoming radicalized.

💥 Ask why does an individual turn to violence as a means of achieving his or her desired goals?

💥 Discuss some of the strategies to attempt to prevent radicalization.

💥 We’ll expound on the concept of “othering”.

💥 Providing background and context to help you better understand the concept of radicalization.

💥 In a world built upon and bent on exposing your devaluation, we’ll examine how the process of socialization can lead to the use of violence.

💥 Interrogate how does the quest for personal significance constitute a major motivational and driving force that may push individuals towards radicalization and violent extremism.

💥We’ll present empirical evidence consistent with our premise and discuss its implications for policies of preventing radicalization and in the hope of deradicalizing an individual or individuals.

Fact: 4 U.S. Presidents have been killed by gunfire. Political violence is nothing new in the U.S., or globally. This is a problem that isn’t going away any time soon.

You’ll be out of breath after you tune in to hear ALL of the explosive details as we investigate those things that are done in the darkness. We expose them by shining the antiseptic bright light of the truth upon them.

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Welcome to this brand new, fact-revealing episode of Light ‘Em Up.
We're actively being downloaded in 113 countries! Thank you!

As promised, we’d be there when there was any update of significance in the 2023 case of the mysterious death of Crystal McCrory Jones in Oak Grove, Louisiana.

We're very fortunate again to speak with Jana Guyewski Latigar (Crystal's sister).

The fact pattern shows:
💥 Within 1 hour and 45 minutes, the cause of death was ruled a suicide.
💥 Two days prior to her death — the Ring Doorbell Camera was cut off.
💥 Crystal’s husband Tony Jones at one time was employed by the “investigating” agency (W. Carroll Parish Sheriff’s Office).
💥 Law enforcement supervision allowed a friend of the deceased woman’s husband to “investigate” the case.
💥 Argument has been proffered that Tony changed his story multiple times as to his whereabouts on the day Crystal died.
💥 Shortly after his wife’s death, Tony vigorously tried to collect on a $63K group life insurance policy.

In early May, our guest, Jana, traveled to our nation’s capital to advocate on behalf of her deceased sister and others who have suffered a similar tragedy.

The purpose of the trip was to discuss and examine the inconsistencies in the Homicide Victims Family Rights Act of 2021 (sponsor Rep. Eric Swalwell D-CA) and to bring awareness to how the Act does nothing for families who wish to seek a new set of eyes on their loved ones’ investigations that are ruled an accident, undetermined or suicide.

This bill establishes a framework for immediate family members of a murder victim under federal law to request a review of the victim's case file if the crime was committed more than 3 years prior, the murder was investigated by a federal law enforcement entity, all probative investigative leads have been exhausted, and no likely perpetrator has been identified.

Law enforcement can argue whatever it wishes — working to save face doesn’t take any criminals off the streets.

Members of the Oak Grove community have expressed (some more quietly than others) that this case is tremendously sad and tragic on multiple levels.
It's a case plagued with far more questions than answers — because the authorities who should be actively seeking the answers are not.

They’ve shared that due to what they’ve described as the "impotent, bungled investigatory management process and the apparent piss-poor procedures, policies and practices in place within the West Carroll Parish Sheriff’s Department (from the outset), there still has been no resolution, nor any modicum of justice for the victim, family or anyone — nor do they feel there will ever be any resolution or justice meted out". This case breaks their hearts.

A death investigation is supposed to answer lingering questions, not generate more uncertainty.

No matter who you are or what you do in life, if your spouse is dead in your home under any circumstances you can expect to be considered a suspect. That never happened for Crystal’s husband in this case. Why?

Who cancelled the Ring Doorbell Camera contract and why?

Was this coincidence or evidence of pre-planning, conspiracy or an attempt to cover the tracks of a murder?

Who approved a former colleague of the husband to catch this case?
Why the rush to judgement? What was the hurry?
Optics matter! The truth matters!

Seriously? — there aren’t a ton of suspects in sleepy little Oak Grove, Louisiana.
Is a murderer walking the streets freely?

Join us as Jana delivers her deeply heart-felt, powerful remarks that she graciously delivered in Washington, DC.

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Welcome back to this exclusive, probing, fact-finding, comprehensive investigative edition of Light ‘Em Up …

We are currently being actively downloaded in 1⃣1⃣ 3⃣ countries, globally.

We shine the antiseptic light of the truth on the multi-billion-dollar world of sports betting and the criminality that far too often surrounds these actions.

Actions that most recently have encircled and swallowed more victims from ALL of the Major Sports Leagues:

⚾ Major League Baseball,

🏀 The National Basketball Association,

🏒 The National Hockey League,

🏈 The National Football League … and beyond.

We’ll dig into the crimes investigated by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the probe centered around Major League Baseball’s mega super star Shohei Ohtani of Japan and The Los Angeles Dodgers and his former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara, now a convicted felon.

And we’ll probe into the most recent lifetime ban of the San Diego Padres infielder, the Venezuelan Tucupita Marcano, as the 24-year-old was found to have bet on and against his former team.

These and many other scandals have sent shockwaves throughout the major league sporting community and raised questions about the integrity of the sports and have started to create a negative perception that the games are not “on the level”.

The U.S. Sports betting industry set a record with nearly $11 billion in 2023 revenue.
This huge year represented 44.5% year-over-year increase from 2022, which previously held the record.

According to the American Gaming Association, 38 states and D.C. have legalized sports betting.

Only Utah and Hawaii have completely banned all forms of gambling.

We explore and investigate:

♦ The Chicago White Sox (dubbed the Black Sox due to the scandal) of Major League Baseball and the plan to fix the 1919 World Series.

♦ Jontay Porter (in the NBA),

♦ Tucupita Marcano (Venezuelan Infielder of The San Diego Padres in Major League Baseball),

And we report on Major League Baseball Rule 21 which states: “Any player, umpire or club or league official or employee, who shall bet any sum whatsoever upon any baseball game in connection with which the bettor has a duty to perform, shall be declared permanently ineligible.”

We probe into the signs and symptoms of a gambling problem and the behaviors that stem from “chasing your bets”. If you or someone you know may have issues with compulsive gambling 1-800 GAMBLER can provide educational resources and help to try to curb these harmful activities.

Gambling takes many forms, but it’s always about taking chances. There’s typically money or other possessions on the line, and whether it’s the lottery, slots, or cards – winning or losing is always random.

Problem gambling – or gambling addiction – involves the compulsion to take chances that are capable of damaging personal, family, or vocational pursuits. Unfortunately, the loved ones of the gambler are often affected as much as the gambler. It’s estimated that between 4 and 6 million Americans can be considered as having a gambling problem.

For each of these, there is a family who is also suffering. Don’t suffer! Get help!

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Currently we're being downloaded in 113 countries! Thank you!

With the May 3rd, 2024, shooting and killing of Sr. U.S. Airman Roger Fortson in his off-base home in Fort Walton, FL, by an Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Deputy, we shine the antiseptic light of the truth in this deep, thorough and investigatory episode of Light ‘Em Up on the killing of black men in their homes by law enforcement.

Click the link to view the available Body Worn Camera footage + extra coverage on the Fortson case.

This isn’t a topic anyone is talking about or wants to hear — these are precisely the topics we cover. In a time of uncertainty, facts help guide and educate.

The cold hard facts bear out evidence that the 2nd Amendment’s “Right to keep and bear arms” as well as the Castle Doctrine DO NOT apply equally nor consistently for individuals of color as it does for Caucasians. Note well: (The Castle Doctrine is a common law principle which states that individuals have the right to use reasonable force, including deadly force, to protect themselves against an intruder in their home.)

In this episode we’ll unpack the:

♦ Actions taken by the Deputy Sherriff before, during and after the 6 shots he emptied into Mr. Fortson. We’ll examine what crucial dispatch and on scene information he had when he responded to the call.

♦ Examine similar fact-patterns in the cases of Amir Locke, asleep on the sofa in his cousin’s Minneapolis, MN apartment, Donovan Lewis (in his home in Columbus, Ohio) and the “Open Carry Rights” of young 12-year-old Tamir Rice (in Cleveland, Ohio).

♦ Introduce you to a little-known concept of “dispatch priming” (where the 9-11 dispatch officer “primes” the officer with information which can lead to “mistake of fact” deadly confrontations…as in the Tamir Rice shooting death with the Cleveland Division of Policing.

The fact remains: Good intel saves lives; bad intel gets people killed.

♦ We’ll review closely the language of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Graham v. Connor, 490 U.S. 386 (1989) which is used daily to determine the legality of every UoF (Use of Force).

It's imperative that every person understands and comprehends the key components of the legal holding of this case, so much so that that we will itemize them verbatim in our “Show Liner-Notes” for this episode here.

♦ We’ll expose the harsh history of many of the founding U.S. states on how they perceived black people as “property” and spoke unequivocally regarding their “rights, privileges and immunities” to access to firearms.

This isn’t argument nor conjecture, but the real-world fact pattern that we are faced with. We feel like we constantly ask this same question: Where do we go from here? Why do we keep coming back to this again and again? Will anything ever change?

The most recent effort in the U.S. House, The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020, is just as dead as its namesake.

We truly believe simply because this bill bears the name of George Floyd, no Republican will vote for it. It would be political suicide to do so. There seems to be no hope for it passing.

Tune in for the explosive details. Follow our sponsors Newsly & Feedspot

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When we last spoke with our special and honored guest, we were being actively downloaded in 104 countries. Now, it's 112!

Welcome to this edition of Light ‘Em Up.

We provide you with the facts, never the fiction — we have an exclusive in-depth interview with one of our law enforcement subject matter experts who has served in the capacity as a high-ranking police administrator with a smaller, rural police department in the State of Mississippi just for you!

Again, he speaks candidly on the promise of his anonymity, delivering the unvarnished truth that you rarely get when the topic is ways to improve the process and processes of law enforcement’s service delivery with the public. Law enforcement can be very guarded with the information that it shares with the public. While they are public servants — far too often they hold the public in contempt and it shows with the levels of trust among many communities, especially of color.

We dig deep and draw down on the civilian complaint process as it relates to law enforcement and the public. Have you ever filed a complaint or wanted to do so against a police officer? A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction.

Filing a complaint is a means of governmental redress — and one of the most basic tenants at the root and foundation of our 1st amendment constitutional rights. The receipt of a complaint should trigger the Internal Affairs process — so a smartly crafted internal protocol is essential.

Our special guest stressed the fact that “the complaint itself serves as a crucial piece of documentation and it becomes a discoverable public record which can be subpoenaed if necessary”.

"A complaint forces the hand of police supervisory officials to make a statement as to whether they approve of or sanction the official actions taken by their officers under the color of authority."

This process shines an intense, antiseptic light which examines the internal standards, policies, practices and procedures upon any given law enforcement agency. Conducting a thorough, accurate, relevant objective and timely investigation into every complaint can never be a bad thing — regardless of its ultimate outcome or the conclusions sustained.

The transparency, honesty and openness of the Minneapolis, MN, Chief of Police, Medaria Arradondo helped to assist him in keeping his job for 2 full years following the explosive, deadly actions taken by former MPD officer Derek Chauvin resulting in the death of George Floyd.

To do otherwise in the complaint process is highly risky behavior which can easily and quickly prove to be a death knell for the officer, department, city and Chief of Police.

The public should be encouraged that filing a complaint:

- Helps to make police brass aware of a given situation so that they have an opportunity to correct any alleged improper behavior.

- Generates evidence in order to provide the best look at capturing a moment in time into what the current state of affairs are within the department.

- Can help shine an antiseptic light on and weed out the bad apples before it is too late, as one bad apple can spoil it for the entire bunch.

It’s unfortunate but reality that in today’s society — where everyone is a photojournalist and law enforcement is under an intense eye of scrutiny — you can be collectively judged by the actions of the least of you.

The purpose of taking a complaint isn’t to win an argument with the complainant — it is to better understand the situation that is being contested and evaluate how the law enforcement agency is functioning as the information is filtered up the chain of command.

Everything has a cost, even the truth.

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Welcome to this intensive, no holds barred, educational episode of Light ‘Em Up!

We’re working to tirelessly to expand our global footprint beyond 111 countries!
Tonight, we are honored to have back one of our all-time most honored guests.

Our especial guest, Dr. Sandy Womack, Jr. -- who is no stranger to Light ‘Em Up -- is our tried-and-true source and resource who can unpack all of these hot and pressing topics for us and provide great clarity and wisdom to them to aide understanding.

Dr. Sandy Womack Jr. is a servant leader with over a generation of successful experience in urban education. He’s an NCAA All-American wrestler with a doctorate in educational leadership, author, principal, district administrator, equity trainer, motivational speaker, and urban school turnaround specialist.

We ask the same question to Dr. Womack as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. asked in August of ’67 when he addressed the 11th Annual Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in Atlanta, Georgia before over 100 Black leaders – “Where do we go from here?”

We’ve reached a critical inflection point as we examine several crucial issues that currently impact the nation, and Black America specifically, in 2024.

He tackles the critical topics of:

— Race & politics: In 2024, the impact of Blacks being the 3rd largest group in America as it relates to political power.

— The black youth and what might its collective future look like; violence & the impact on the perception of Black youth, “Killing them before they grow”

— as well as the intersectionality of the future of a public education, funding and race, examining the question: Is a public education in danger of becoming obsolete?

Some 55+ years after The Kerner Commission got it right, yet no one listened, poverty, crime and inequality still infect our society. (President Lyndon Johnson constituted the Kerner Commission to identify the genesis of the violent 1967 riots that killed 43 in Detroit and 26 in Newark, NJ). We are still, all these years later, plagued by the same issues.

A riot is the language of the unheard. America still has failed to hear many things and act upon the defaulted promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned.

We are in an extended period of post-mortem reflection following the time during which racial justice protests were at their most intense.

We now have to ask ourselves:

— What has changed? And what hasn’t?

— Have power and privilege truly been disrupted?

— Has oppression been alleviated?

— What will be the legacy of this moment where we saw global protests in the wake of the killing of George Floyd … has it all been for nothing?

Dr. Womack stresses the fact that there can be no testimony without a test. He went on to say that “I can’t be who I need to be if you’re not who you need to be.” And that the interconnectivity and focusing on what unites versus what divides is what is crucial for our collective advancement.

Womack stated that “Poverty is a huge cause of a variety of different things that impact upon the U.S.” and that “education is economic development”.

Through the education of the future of the world, our youth, he works in an indefatigable manner to change the heart of people and bring the focus back to faith, hope and love.

Tune in to hear a wealth of his wisdoms – we guarantee without a doubt that you will learn much. Follow our sponsors Newsly & Feedspot here:

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