How To!: End Political Violence (From an Ex-Gang Leader)
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Slate Podcasts
4.5 • 6K Ratings
🗓️ 16 January 2023
⏱️ 36 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In the wake of the anniversary of the January 6th insurrection, and now similar riots in Brazil’s capital, we’re picking up our conversation about how to reduce political violence. In the first episode of our two-part series, we heard from Dr. Rachel Kleinfeld, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. This week, we’re talking with Curtis Toler, director of outreach at Chicago CRED. After joining his first street organization at the age of 9, Curtis went from a gang leader to a violence interrupter. He talks about how to reach people entrenched in cycles of conflict, how to get to the peace table, and what Congress (and all of us) can learn from his success on the streets of Chicago.
Resources:
A Savage Order: How the World’s Deadliest Countries Can Forge a Path to Security by Rachel Kleinfeld
An Ex-Gang Leader’s Advice for Deescalating Violence in Politics by Amanda Ripley
If you liked this episode, check out: “How To Talk Politics With Your Dad (Without Yelling) Part 1 and Part 2.”
Do you have a question without an answer? Send us a note at howto@slate.com or leave us a voicemail at 646-495-4001 and we might have you on the show. Subscribe for free on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey everyone, it's Mary Harris, and it is a holiday weekend, which means I've got something a little special for you. |
| 0:12.8 | Instead of the regular show, I'm going to play you one of my other favorite slate podcasts, how to. |
| 0:18.3 | It's a show that finds solutions to the problems all around us with the help of the smartest |
| 0:22.1 | people in the room. Their latest episode is a timely exploration of how to prevent political |
| 0:28.1 | violence. You only have to look at what happened in Brazil over the last couple of weeks, |
| 0:32.8 | or what happened at our own capital two years back to know that political violence is a pressing |
| 0:38.8 | issue around the world. In this episode, How To Host Amanda Ripley talks with an ex-gang |
| 0:45.0 | leader from Chicago, who now works as a violence interpreter. He's got a bunch of surprising ideas |
| 0:50.9 | for how politicians and we the people can lower the temperature on our politics. |
| 0:56.2 | So check it out. |
| 0:59.1 | I could remember sitting and watching the TV. |
| 1:04.0 | This actually happened, you know, at the Capitol right in front of our own eyes. |
| 1:08.3 | And it seemed like it couldn't be stopped. |
| 1:10.4 | You know, I frequent the Capitol, you know, sometimes, and I see all this security, right? |
| 1:15.1 | And just for that to be able to happen was really, really scary. |
| 1:22.7 | Welcome to how to. I'm Amanda Ripley. |
| 1:26.7 | Today we're going to continue our deep dive into how to prevent |
| 1:30.6 | more political violence, which if you haven't noticed, continues to be an urgent concern, |
| 1:36.4 | both here and abroad. Chaos in Brazil. As thousands stormed the country's capital protesting October's |
| 1:43.3 | election results. |
| 1:44.6 | Supporters of far-right former president. |
| 1:46.5 | Last week, we heard from Dr. Rachel Kleinfeld. |
... |
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