Hey California, Are You Okay?

Hey California, Are You Okay?

The New Surveillance State: What’s Going on with ICE in California City? Before we dive into today’s conversation, it’s worth noting one of the more uplifting political stories coming out of California. Reality TV star Spencer Pratt is OUT as a potential mayoral candidate for Los Angeles after a third-place finish in the Los Angeles mayoral race after initially competing for a runoff spot. The Trump-backed candidate built much of his campaign around frustration with the city’s political establishment and support for aggressive immigration enforcement, but as more ballots were counted, progressive candidate Nithya Raman overtook him for second place. Whether you agree with Pratt or not, his decline highlights something many politicians are learning the hard way: in Los Angeles, public anger over housing, affordability, and homelessness does not automatically translate into support for expanded ICE operations or hardline immigration policies. That brings us to today’s guest. Award-winning journalist, Ben Camacho, has spent years documenting the machinery of immigration enforcement in California. His reporting often focuses not on the headlines, but on the systems quietly expanding behind them. First, we’ll discuss his investigation into CoreCivic and California City, which revealed how the private prison giant sought to maintain operations at an ICE detention facility despite legal questions surrounding permits and state law restrictions on immigration detention facilities. The reporting raises important questions about the relationship between local governments, private prison corporations, and federal immigration enforcement. Then we’ll turn to an even broader issue: surveillance. Ben’s reporting on Flock license plate reader technology explores how massive amounts of vehicle location data are being collected, stored, and shared among law enforcement agencies across the country. Supporters argue these systems help solve crimes. Critics warn they are creating a growing surveillance network with limited public oversight and few guardrails around how data is used. Together, these stories tell a larger story about modern power. Immigration enforcement is no longer just about detention centers. Surveillance is no longer just about cameras. Increasingly, both are becoming part of the same infrastructure that's built on data collection, information sharing, and expanding state capacity. The question isn’t simply whether these tools work. The question is who controls them, who watches them, and what happens when systems built for extraordinary circumstances become permanent features of everyday life. NOTE: After doing some research, it seems to be ‘unclear’ as to how many Flock cameras there are. I saw reports of 80,000 all the way to 106,000 in use currently. Source: InkFree News cited well over 100,000+ FOLLOW NATALIE substack: https://substack.com/@factsoverfearnatalieb instagram: https://www.instagram.com/@nataliebencivenga/# tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nataliebencivenga threads: https://www.threads.com/@nataliebencivenga podcast via spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/47JYsn9LQchErS3cnHP2YF podcast via apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/facts-over-fear/id1855901950 FACTS OVER FEAR Let's dismantle the fear that is used to divide us surrounding the issues impacting the people and talk facts. ABOUT NATALIE Natalie Bencivenga is a socially-conscious journalist working towards building equity in our communities through storytelling. Her goal is to inspire, educate and activate people to become catalysts for positive change. Join her for transformative conversations that uplift and challenge the ways in which we perceive the world. Let's turn this moment into a movement – together.

Interview with Butch Ware: Green Party Candidate for Governor of California

Facts Over Fear: From immigration detention and political dissent to affordability, third parties, and the future of democracy, Butch Ware argues the two-party system is failing ordinary Americans. At a moment when trust in institutions is fraying, immigration enforcement is escalating, and more voters say they feel politically homeless, today’s conversation asks a bigger question: What does leadership look like when the existing system no longer feels responsive to ordinary people? Just this week, the New York Times reported that a confrontation outside an ICE detention facility in New Jersey left protesters affected by pepper spray and raised new questions about transparency, detention conditions, and what happens when elected officials themselves say they’re denied access. If a governor cannot enter a detention center in their own state, what does that say about the state of democracy in our nation? Today I’m joined by Butch Ware. He is a historian, educator, activist, former Green Party vice presidential nominee, and now a write-in candidate for governor of California. His campaign argues for universal healthcare, housing, immigrant protections and structural reforms, while also challenging ballot access rules and the dominance of the two-party system. We discuss California’s future, immigration enforcement, surveillance, affordability, abortion rights, trans rights and whether alternative political movements are filling a void the major parties have left behind. Because this isn’t only a conversation about California. It’s a conversation about power: who has it, who challenges it, and what happens when ordinary people decide the existing system no longer speaks for them. FOLLOW NATALIE substack: https://substack.com/@factsoverfearnatalieb instagram: https://www.instagram.com/@nataliebencivenga/# tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nataliebencivenga threads: https://www.threads.com/@nataliebencivenga podcast via spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/47JYsn9LQchErS3cnHP2YF podcast via apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/facts-over-fear/id1855901950 FACTS OVER FEAR Let's dismantle the fear that is used to divide us surrounding the issues impacting the people and talk facts. ABOUT NATALIE Natalie Bencivenga is a socially-conscious journalist working towards building equity in our communities through storytelling. Her goal is to inspire, educate and activate people to become catalysts for positive change. Join her for transformative conversations that uplift and challenge the ways in which we perceive the world. Let's turn this moment into a movement – together.

ICE Is Occupying Memphis

What happens when the people filming police become the people under investigation? My guest, independent journalist Nick Valencia joins me as we start in Memphis, where a federal lawsuit alleges residents were harassed or intimidated for recording law enforcement activity tied to the Memphis Safe Task Force — a sprawling multi-agency operation involving local police, federal agencies and ICE. Are Americans are entering an era where power increasingly watches citizens, while becoming harder for citizens to watch in return? Then we head to Virginia, where Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger is facing backlash after vetoing bills supporters said would make courthouses safer for immigrants and reduce opportunities for ICE detentions. The result? A growing debate inside the Democratic Party itself: What does resistance to ICE actually look like when Democrats govern? And finally, we zoom out to something even bigger: the Democratic Party’s ongoing struggle to explain what went wrong in 2024. Because all of these stories from immigration, enforcement, civil liberties, to erosion in institutional trust point to the same underlying problem: If Democrats can’t consistently mobilize voters around immigration, healthcare, housing, wages or democratic institutions, what exactly are Americans responding to instead? Let’s unpack who holds power, who gets watched, and whether either party still understands what voters are asking for. FOLLOW NATALIE substack: https://substack.com/@factsoverfearnatalieb instagram: https://www.instagram.com/@nataliebencivenga/# tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nataliebencivenga threads: https://www.threads.com/@nataliebencivenga podcast via spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/47JYsn9LQchErS3cnHP2YF podcast via apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/facts-over-fear/id1855901950 FACTS OVER FEAR Let's dismantle the fear that is used to divide us surrounding the issues impacting the people and talk facts. ABOUT NATALIE Natalie Bencivenga is a socially-conscious journalist working towards building equity in our communities through storytelling. Her goal is to inspire, educate and activate people to become catalysts for positive change. Join her for transformative conversations that uplift and challenge the ways in which we perceive the world. Let's turn this moment into a movement – together.

When A Coal Town Becomes An ICE Town

What happens when economic survival depends on immigration detention? The coal mines that once built communities across Pennsylvania are mostly gone. But in towns like Philipsburg, the need for stable work never disappeared. When one industry collapsed, another arrived. Today, the Moshannon Valley Processing Center — now the largest ICE detention center in the Northeast — represents jobs, payroll, and economic stability for many local families. For others, it symbolizes a system built around detention, profit, and human suffering. (PennLive) In this episode of Facts Over Fear, I speak with Jaime Martinez, whose work focuses on immigration detention and the experiences of people living inside these systems. We unpack the uncomfortable intersection of economics, incarceration, immigration policy, and what happens when struggling communities become dependent on detention centers to survive. Because behind every contract renewal, every protest, and every defense of these facilities lies a deeper question: What happens when detention becomes an economic engine? And what does it say about America’s transition when communities once sustained by extraction industries like coal, steel, and manufacturing increasingly rely on incarceration or detention as sources of employment? This conversation explores whether facilities like Moshannon are isolated examples or part of a larger national pattern, where economic desperation reshapes what communities are willing to accept and defend. We also examine the realities inside detention centers, public misconceptions about who is detained, the human cost of prolonged detention, and the difficult question many rural communities face: If these jobs disappear, what replaces them? This episode doesn’t offer easy answers. It asks whether economic necessity changes moral calculations and whether communities built around one form of extraction can imagine a different future entirely. A note on sourcing: This conversation draws in part from reporting by PennLive, which has published an extensive multi-part investigation into the Moshannon facility and the surrounding community dynamics. Shout-out to them! I have no affiliation with PennLive, just appreciate their work in this space. FOLLOW NATALIE substack: https://substack.com/@factsoverfearnatalieb instagram: https://www.instagram.com/@nataliebencivenga/# tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nataliebencivenga threads: https://www.threads.com/@nataliebencivenga podcast via spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/47JYsn9LQchErS3cnHP2YF podcast via apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/facts-over-fear/id1855901950 FACTS OVER FEAR Let's dismantle the fear that is used to divide us surrounding the issues impacting the people and talk facts. ABOUT NATALIE Natalie Bencivenga is a socially-conscious journalist working towards building equity in our communities through storytelling. Her goal is to inspire, educate and activate people to become catalysts for positive change. Join her for transformative conversations that uplift and challenge the ways in which we perceive the world. Let's turn this moment into a movement – together.

Grocery Prices Are Crushing Americans

Why does a basic grocery trip suddenly feel like a financial stress test? Even as economists insist inflation is “cooling,” millions of Americans are still walking into grocery stores and leaving shocked at the total. Meat, produce, eggs, coffee, snacks, and household staples continue climbing in price — while wages for many families remain painfully stagnant. According to recent federal data highlighted by PBS NewsHour, grocery costs rose nearly 3% year-over-year in April, adding even more pressure to households already struggling with rent, utilities, insurance, and healthcare costs. So what’s really happening behind the numbers? Today, I’m joined by journalist and digital strategist Bryan Vance, founder of Stumptown Savings, who has been meticulously tracking grocery prices store by store in the city of Portland to uncover what national inflation headlines often miss. We discuss why grocery inflation feels far worse than official reports suggest, how fuel costs, supply chain disruptions, corporate pricing, tariffs, and extreme weather are all colliding at once — and why so many Americans feel like they’re falling behind despite claims the economy is improving. This conversation also dives into the bigger question hanging over the country right now: At what point does inflation stop being a temporary economic story and become a full-scale affordability crisis? And maybe that’s the biggest question hanging over all of this: if people are working full-time, doing everything “right,” and still struggling to afford groceries, rent, utilities, and basic necessities, then what does that say about the state of the American economy? This isn’t just a conversation about inflation anymore. It’s about affordability, stability, and whether ordinary families can still build a sustainable, contented life in the United States. Until next time, take care of yourselves and each other. In solidarity, Natalie NOTE: This episode was pre-recorded on Zoom since Substack live was giving us technical difficulties. Sorry to anyone who was trying to join us live! FOLLOW NATALIE substack: https://substack.com/@factsoverfearnatalieb instagram: https://www.instagram.com/@nataliebencivenga/# tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nataliebencivenga threads: https://www.threads.com/@nataliebencivenga podcast via spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/47JYsn9LQchErS3cnHP2YF podcast via apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/facts-over-fear/id1855901950 FACTS OVER FEAR Let's dismantle the fear that is used to divide us surrounding the issues impacting the people and talk facts. ABOUT NATALIE Natalie Bencivenga is a socially-conscious journalist working towards building equity in our communities through storytelling. Her goal is to inspire, educate and activate people to become catalysts for positive change. Join her for transformative conversations that uplift and challenge the ways in which we perceive the world. Let's turn this moment into a movement – together.