White Dude Dreads - Third Space Indy LIVE with Jesse Brown

White Dude Dreads - Third Space Indy LIVE with Jesse Brown

Jesse Brown is a City-County Councilor for District 13 on Indianapolis' Near East Side and one of the loudest progressive voices in local government. Recorded live at Patina Art Gallery & Alley Cat Ceramic Studio in front of a crowd for Third Space Indy's one-year anniversary, Michael sits down with Jesse to talk about his unlikely path from punk anarchist to elected official, the frustrations of fighting a rubber-stamp city council, and why a better world is actually possible. Sponsors: City Rising (cityrising.org) Proformus Urban Planning & Design Intro music: Scared Rabbit by Jennasen Timestamps 0:51 — Welcome & sponsors (live at Patina Art Gallery & Alley Cat) 3:03 — Happy birthday, Third Space Indy 5:32 — Introducing Jesse Brown 6:32 — Who is Jesse Brown? 9:49 — Pike Township to Irvington 11:52 — Cathedral High School and dreadlocks 13:55 — Turning down Princeton 15:28 — The Sam Masarikia Scholarship 17:00 — Teaching 19:52 — Salting at the Westin Hotel 25:08 — On Burnout 28:13 — Late Intro 30:52 — How local government fails to build community 37:26 — What is a third space to you? 40:33 — A third space that no longer exists 42:22 — If you were a plant, what plant would you be? 44:15 — Q&A: How do you grow good villagers in a third space? 49:33 — Q&A: What's missing from leftist organizing in Indianapolis? 54:21 — Q&A: Cronyism and city contracts 1:02:09 — Q&A: How do you actually follow through? 1:06:01 — Q&A: What's giving you hope today? 1:06:45 — Q&A: Is Indiana any closer to legalizing marijuana? 1:10:34 — The Socialist Party of Indiana and building a new ballot line 1:15:42 — Where to find Jesse Brown

Food for the Soul with Danielle Guerin

Danielle Guerin is the founder and executive director of Soul Food Project Urban Farm, a nonprofit with four urban farm sites across Indianapolis. Michael sits down with Danielle at one of her farms in Irvington to talk about growing food and growing people, food deserts, the true meaning of food access, and finding healing through farming. Sponsors: City Rising (cityrising.org) Proformus Urban Planning & Design Intro music: Scared Rabbit by Jennasen Timestamps 0:44 — Intro 1:43 — Meet Danielle and the Soul Food Project 4:40 — Growing up in a food desert without knowing it 6:02 — The four farms and what each neighborhood needs 7:09 — Why a grocery store doesn't always solve a food desert 11:28 — Farm Visibility 13:09 — How Soul Food Project got its name 16:25 — Building community at the farm 19:47 — Volunteering and what a shift actually looks like 21:47 — Tips for starting your own garden 22:53 — What keeps Danielle going 26:24 — On Indianapolis 29:52 — How farming helped heal Danielle's relationship with food 34:11 — "What is a third space to you?" 37:08 — A third space that no longer exists 39:10 — Center Point Brewery 40:00 — Question from previous guest 42:48 — What's on Danielle's mind 44:07 — Soul Food Project 10 years from now 46:17 — How to find Soul Food Project

Fostering Black Joy with Nigel Long

Nigel Long is a DJ, community organizer, and lifetime Indianapolis native known as DJ Grapevine. Michael sits down with Nigel at the Cloud Underground studio inside Morning Star a part of Flanner House in Northwest Side of Indy. Michael and Nigel talk about Black joy in Indianapolis, the origins of Grapevine, and why community is always work worth doing. Sponsors: City Rising (cityrising.org) Proformus Urban Planning & Design Intro music: Scared Rabbit by Jennasen Timestamps 0:44 — Intro 1:56 — Who is DJ Grapevine? 3:03 — Growing up in Devington 5:28 — Flanner House and historically Black neighborhoods 7:17 — The origins of Grapevine 13:42 — Community investment without government support 14:06 — Music and his grandfather's influence 23:32 — Gang Gang and his role in Indianapolis 24:32 — Black: A Festival of Joy 30:22 — The Brick by Brick Campaign 36:36 — Canned questions

Staying On Message with Andrea Watts

Third Space Indy Live Show on May 23rd, 2026: oneyear.thirdspaceindy.com Andrea Watts is an advocate, consultant, and former city government bureaucrat working to improve Indianapolis's built environment through her work at Health By Design. Michael sits down with Andrea at Canal Bistro in Broad Ripple to talk about walkable cities, the politics of infrastructure, Arab American identity, and what it means to fight for the city you're stuck loving. Sponsors: City Rising (cityrising.org) Proformus Urban Planning & Design Intro music: Scared Rabbit by Jennasen Timestamps 1:07 — Intro 3:51 — How Michael and Andrea met 5:52 — Health By Design and the built environment 6:29 — How Indianapolis has changed 10:14 — From city bureaucrat to advocate 13:19 — The Walton family model and attracting talent through livability 16:16 — Building connections through shared passion 19:22 — Why Andrea never moved to New York City 21:44 — Drive Less April challenge 25:01 — Why it's hard not to drive in Indianapolis 28:09 — IndyGo, transit frequency, and the privilege of flexibility 33:23 — Arab American Heritage Month and Lebanese identity 35:41 — Canned questions 38:47 — 16th & Monon street mural 42:21 — Lost third spaces 49:15 — Carmel's walkable infrastructure 52:56 — Friday Field Trips series 55:15 — The Walk and Bike Summit 57:41 — Question for the next guest: What's on your rider?

Learning Jewish Geography with Ethan Rosuck

Ethan Rosuck is a meteorologist at Fox 59 and CBS4 in Indianapolis. Michael sits down with Ethan at Chicago Beef and Dog Company in Irvington to talk about building friendships in a new city, Jewish identity and culture, Indianapolis's local food scene, and what it's like to love your niche career. Sponsors: City Rising (cityrising.org) Proformus Urban Planning & Design Intro music: Scared Rabbit by Jennasen Timestamps 0:43 — Intro 1:46 — Ethan's career as a meteorologist and moving to Indianapolis 5:22 — Being the instigator of friendship and community 11:43 — Turning 30, relationships, and slowing down 20:41 — Jewish geography, cultural identity, and bagel snobbery 34:10 — Indianapolis's local food scene: Side Door Bagels, Bohdi, and supporting local 44:49 — Canned questions 45:17 — What is a third space? 49:03 — A third space that no longer exists 54:26 — Question from previous guest Jay Grillo 1:00:41 — Question for the next guest 1:01:23 — Where to find Ethan