We ended up taking a bit of an unexpected pause due to the dynamics around police criticism given the officer deaths in March. In this episode we discuss how the officer deaths were politicized to further consolidate power and resources for police as an institution, and examine how institutional failures of police may have even led to these officer…

We’re unraveling the current situation with policing downtown, where the province has deployed 12 sheriffs to the already heavily policed Chinatown area and self-identifying “liberal” politicians are more openly pro-police than ever. We also got to talk with an anonymous worker in the nonprofit sector, who shared some thought-provoking insights abo…

We’re diving into some ways that our system of governance tries to control or eliminate threats to their power. From a deliberately inaccessible public civic engagement process amid budget deliberations, to local pundits endlessly pushing for a return to the status quo when we never left in the first place. Oumar interviewed Calgary community organ…

The theme of this episode is our society’s comfort with silent racism and covert discrimination. We’re diving into the fourth police budget increase of the year so far, the police DNA phenotyping scandal, Alberta's new premier, and the announcement that the provincial province will be providing $187M towards homelessness and addiction supports. Oum…

Edmonton’s city council recently committed to funding the Chinatown Healthy Streets Operation Centre, a $15M hub meant to deploy additional officers into Chinatown. The vote passed overwhelmingly, with a number of councillors expressing valid opposition but voting in favour anyway. We had a chance to interview Edmonton city councillor Michael Janz …

We're turning our focus to the devastation inflation that we've all be facing throughout this year. We're taking a look at a new study from the University of Calgary that outlines why inflation hits low-income households especially hard, record profits that companies like Loblaws are making during this time, and some incredibly cringe advice that t…

We interviewed Ashlynn Chand about some great reporting she did on Amazon’s union-busting at the Nisku warehouse. We discuss our government’s alignment with corporate interests at the expense of workers and how politicians co-opt working class struggles. And we even detail some recent victories in the labour movement in Alberta.…

Oumar and Nicholas discuss the recent school shooting in Texas and its relevance to Edmonton’s school resource officer program. We also discuss the violence and challenges in Chinatown, as well as the tendency from politicians and the community to support further enforcement of the same system that causes those challenges.…

Canadian media is terrible when it comes to holding powerful institutions accountable and challenging the status quo. In this episode we’re talking about the media’s failure of students criminalized by the School Resource Officer Program, and examples of how both independent and traditional media can be shaped by toxic work environments and politic…

Black History Month has always been more or less a joke, but it was especially terrible this year. We’re looking back on this especially unfortunate February, from revelations that the Edmonton Police Service owns a plane (!) and is gearing up to purchase yet another, to the Calgary Police killing of community member Latjor Tuel. We also brought ba…

The Edmonton Police Service budget continues to be increased, for the second time in a row since the killing of George Floyd and supposed calls for police accountability. We break down the recent history of police funding in Edmonton and the complicity of media and politicians in this cycle of growing police power. We also had a great discussion wi…

With the recent federal election in Canada and local election in Edmonton, we continue the thriving era of neoliberal politics that leaves harmful institutions unchecked, despite everything that has come to prominence in public discourse since we started the show. We had a chance to interview Edmonton's new mayor Amarjeet Sohi to dig a bit deeper i…

The Community Safety and Well-Being Task Force was formed by Edmonton city council last summer in response to protests and hearing on anti-Black racism in the city. Oumar talks to task force member Irfan Chaudhry about the recent release of the task force’s recommendations, the nature of committees in creating change or exposing hypocrisy, and the …

We’re seeing a lot of performance politics these days, particularly from our elected leaders who fancy themselves progressive. This allows them to evade criticism from media, would-be allies, and others in power while they remain complicit in systems of anti-Black violence. Oumar talks to Celina Caesar-Chavannes, former Liberal Member of Parliament…

Though we are increasingly aware of how carding and street checks disproportionately impact Black and Indigenous communities, we are decreasingly aware of the myriad of ways in which we are constantly surveilled. Oumar talks to Harsha Walia (BC Civil Liberties Association) about algorithmic policing, WIST, and the insidious nature of technological …

Our communities have been calling to defund the police for decades. But despite a wealth of research, lived experiences, and successful examples of divestment from police, our local government continues to increase the police budget while cutting community services. Oumar talks to Batul Gulamhusein about the complicity of our municipal politicians …

It’s plainly obvious that the most vulnerable people are the most heavily policed. Along with a lack of mental health and addiction supports, this creates a cycle where vulnerable populations remain in poverty or enter our punitive justice system. Hannan and Oumar talk to Shima Robinson, an organizer at the recently-closed Pekiwewin camp, about pol…

Phone cameras and social media have given Black people a way to expose the oppression our communities face at the hands of police. Police violence is nothing new, but the fact that it seems new to some is a testament to how our predominantly white media organizations have failed to challenge those in power, failed to treat Black people with dignity…

As a podcast that strives to properly communicate the experiences of Black Edmontonians, it’s been difficult to produce content with only one voice. Today we’re introducing a co-host, Hannan, who will bring important perspectives and talents to the project! Hannan and Oumar discuss their goals for this podcast and the importance of editorial freedo…

After a failed school board motion to suspend Edmonton’s school resource officer (SRO) program, police will remain in schools this September. Bashir talks about his obstacles in uncovering information about the program, while Oumar meets with a teacher who provides exclusive insight into her horrific experience with an SRO.…

Sifa Ngeze was involved in a vehicle accident in 2018. When her husband, Jean-Claude Rukundo, arrived to check on her, police pinned him to the ground with one officer's knee on his neck. Sifa and Jean-Claude reflect on this traumatizing experience in the aftermath of George Floyd's murder and the calls for police accountability. We spoke again to …

Oumar speaks with Moe Tesfay about his experience of police mistreatment as a veteran and local business owner. Tom Engel recounts his 20 years as Chair of the Criminal Trial Lawyers Association Policing Committee, and explains the lack of police accountability from our current systems of politics and law.…

Oumar and Bashir meet at Dickinsfield Junior High and discuss how this upbringing shaped their relationship to policing in Edmonton. Avnish explains his work in the legal field and why police accountability is necessary for building safer communities.By Is This For Real?