Monroe Underground Podcast

Marie Brown, Damian Coleman and Ambrose Douzart discuss issues surrounding the violence and living conditions in the Parkview Apartments in Monroe, La.

William "Mark" Henderson was murdered by five Monroe, La. Louisiana police officers in August 2004. The officers shot him with over 20 rounds of Pepper Spray, over 15 bean bag shots and they fired 29 shots at him at close range from the front and back. Twelve shots missed, but 17 shots hit and killed him.    The officers were never, fired, or reprimanded by the city's Black mayor, Jamie Mayo and a grand jury refused to indict them. When sons of Mr. Henderson sued for wrongful death the City of Monroe represented the rogue cops and avoided paying anything to his family. This podcast revisits that murder with two of the attorneys that represented the family: Former State Senator Charles Jones and Rep. Fred Jones.

The Free Press is issuing 22 challenges for candidates for Mayor and city council of Monroe on April 4, 2020. They force candidates to deal with bread and butter issues that impact the lives of the poor, working people and minorities. This podcast looks at the LIVING WAGE challenge. Some candidates accepted the challenge, others danced around it, and others, especially incumbents, refused to promise to work to improve the pay of firefighters and garbage workers within their first year of office. Listen to the podcast and share it with a friend.

John White has announced his resignation as State Superintendent of Education. That will prompt a serious discussion about changing the direction of public education in the state with its heavy emphasis on accountability standards, Common Core Instruction, and dumbed-down high school diplomas. In this podcast, Sandra Lollie, president of the local Federation of Teachers Union gives reflections on what White's resignation means to the state.

On November 16, 2019,  Rolland Edwards and Lonnie Hudson will face off in a general election to elect a Police Juror for District F. Hudson was the front runner in the primary finishing first in a field of six. However, all of his opponents have endorsed Edwards. This podcast gives voters a chance to hear their views on a variety of topics of interest to the voters of the District. Listen and share with others.