Hatred, Domestic Violent Extremism (DVE) & Just Who Are The Proud Boys?

01/06/22 • 37 min

Happy New Year to each and every one of you!
We ended 2021 being downloaded in 84 countries – what a fantastic accomplishment!
Thank you so much for helping to pave the way for us to reach this tremendous milestone.
We’re extremely proud and excited to launch Season 3 with this episode! This by far is our most ambitious episode with so many new features for our exclusive elite members and subscribers! Thank you to Apple Music & Pandora for this unique opportunity!
In a time of division, facts unite. In a time of uncertainty, facts provide clarity. We know that the truth dies in the darkness.
As we continue to shed light on difficult topics and as we approached the 1-year anniversary of the brutal attack on our Capitol and democracy – we focus the intense light of the truth on Hate and Domestic Violent Extremism (DVE), with a special focus on The Proud Boys.
From Pittsburgh to Poway and Charlottesville to Charleston, HATE – and its divisive nature --seems to be everywhere. HATE seems to permeate the very fabric of this country. HATE has always “sold well” and been a foundational characteristic of this country. HATE has a firm grip on our society: From slavery and the slave trade; to the genocide of Indigenous peoples, and the Indian Exclusion Act; to The Chinese Exclusion Act; to Executive Order 13769, titled “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States”, a.k.a. the "Muslim ban" by ex-US President Donald Trump, which was nothing more than an Executive Order to discriminate.
I truly felt and still feel to this day that this country is “closer to Civil War than it ever was since April 4th, 1865, when the Civil War ended”.
Sadly, HATE crimes have been growing in number in recent years in the U.S. The FBI says that HATE crimes are at their highest levels since 2008. More murders which were motivated by HATE were recorded than ever before.
The Southern Poverty Law Center has reported that there are at least 838 Hate Groups in America. The Proud Boys are one of them. In this episode, we define exactly what a HATE crime consists of. We explore just who are The Proud Boys, what they believe, what are some of the things they have done.
The attack on The U.S. Capitol on January 6th was born from HATRED and it came from within – it wasn’t from a foreign entity or power – it was “home grown domestic terrorism”.
In a sea of an enraged, blood-thirsty, violent mob of seditionists, all Trump supporters -- members of The Proud Boys descended on the Capitol with their guns, bats, knives and shields. The neofascist Proud Boys, who claim to be “past the point of peace and crazy enough to actually do something about their perceived wrongs”, had an outsized impact and effect on much of the violent chaos and mayhem that we witnessed on January 6, 2021.
Light ‘Em Up takes an in-depth look at an insurrectionist mentality that is becoming normalized and more popular in our country. A new type of political movement that has emerged from the rabid right has extreme violence at its core. Its proponents are emboldened to commit violence, and it is coming from the mainstream, which includes white collar workers: lawyers, doctors, business owners and architects, soccer moms and homemakers. Tens of millions of Americans say they are willing to use violence to “change things” according to their way of how they feel things “should be”.
We share in-depth information that only “Light ‘Em Up” had exclusive access to.
As we mark the 1-year anniversary when democracy was on the brink of collapse. we learn from history – that we don’t learn from history. And America and Americans have a very short memory.
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Previous Episode

undefined - Thank you for another FANTASTIC Year! Downloaded in 82 countries & growing! We take a deep dive on the criminal justice system, crime scene investigation & leadership.

Thank you for another FANTASTIC Year! Downloaded in 82 countries & growing! We take a deep dive on the criminal justice system, crime scene investigation & leadership.

Hey! As we reach yet another milestone – of broadcasting in 82 countries – we put a delicate bow on our 2nd season – another fantastic year of investigational journalism.

The truth is hidden; it must be pursued!

We delivered a record 18 episodes in this calendar year (with a line-up of fantastic guests)!

While this year saw us expand our global footprint – which has been humbling and exciting to watch – this year was not without its challenges, as well.

I need to thank our team of editors, our research team and our legal team – because we’d be lost, lost, lost without you, collectively.

As we push forward into our 3rd season the bar is going to be set even higher.

We know that we have to dig deeper and spread ourselves farther and wider to capture and keep our highly-valued listeners' attention. I’m confident that the team collectively is up for this challenge.

As we close out this calendar year, we want to express our most sincere and humble appreciation to every listener who has taken time from your busy schedule to be part of our listener family – and to our underwriters and sponsors, especially InnisFree Beauty Products.

Hey! The truth is powerful and the truth is under attack.
Here is our complete catalogue. Here is our last episode.

We know that our stories and our voices matter and the truth is worth defending!

We’ve been able to accomplish so much advocacy on the part of so many in the criminal justice system.

We push forward – always forward; never backward!

And we remember “Justice comes to those that fight ... not those that cry!”

Thank you! Peace be with you in 2022!

Stay safe!
I’m Phil Rizzo

The Executive Producer

You’ve got Light 'Em Up.

Stay tuned for Season 3, upcoming!

If you have a show idea or would like to be a guest on the show – contact me at: [email protected]
From all of us here at Light 'Em Up we wish you and your family a Happy New Year!

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Next Episode

undefined - Comply or Die: Driving While 𝘽𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠: "DWB in America": Racially-motivated Pretextual Traffic Stops; Initial Contact with Police that Turns Deadly.

Comply or Die: Driving While 𝘽𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠: "DWB in America": Racially-motivated Pretextual Traffic Stops; Initial Contact with Police that Turns Deadly.

As we launch this explosive new episode, we are now being downloaded in 85 countries!
We're excited to be working with a brand-new sponsor and expanding our global footprint with every strategic move that we undertake. Thank you so much for your continuing support!
As we look forward with anticipation to the month of February's celebration of Black History - it is with a great pride that we deliver this impactful investigative journalism to you!
After months of research, exhaustive interviews and digging through court records and police reports, on this edition of Light ‘Em Up we focus on pretextual traffic stops made by law enforcement that disproportionally impact minorities and individuals of color, often called “DWB” (Driving While Black). Pretextual policing is the practice of stopping someone for one reason (often a minor traffic violation) in order to conduct investigations unrelated to the reason for the stop.
Pretextual policing has historically been used to enforce laws based on stereotypes, with police acting on implicit and explicit bias to stop and search people who “looked suspicious”. Once stopped, individuals and their vehicles are often searched, or “tossed” in hopes that police will find illegal items such as drugs or weapons.
For minorities and individuals of color, a traffic stop can be a life and death experience. It shouldn’t be this way. People are dying daily from these contacts with police.
Light ‘Em Up’s investigative research team has uncovered that over the past 5 years, police officers have killed >400 drivers or passengers who did not have a gun nor a knife, who were not under immediate pursuit for a violent crime - a rate of over 1 person per week.
As we all know too well - among the most glaring recent examples of a pretextual stop gone wrong is the matter of Daunte Wright. This case drew national attention. Daunte Wright, moments before he was fatally shot in Brooklyn Center, MN, told his mother that the police had stopped him because he had an air freshener hanging from his rear-view mirror.
Sandra Bland was arrested and taken to jail – where she subsequently died - after being pulled over for failing to use a turn signal when changing lanes.
Philando Castile did everything right, yet he was shot and killed, nonetheless.
With this episode we want to aide in your critical thinking on this topic to help educate the public and empower you to know the essential ingredients that go into the threat behind being a person of color pulled over for a pretextual traffic stop. As you drive to work, for recreation, visiting family or friends - having the knowledge in this episode is imperative to the overall understanding of pre-textual traffic stops by police.
We share in-depth and exclusive insight from our Social Justice, Peace & Reconciliation Correspondent, Mr. Heyward R. Prude lll and his experience with pretextual contact with police.
We examine the foundation of these stops, which originate in the 1996 case Whren v U.S. This case presents a question about when seizures of motorists are unreasonable within the meaning of the 4th Amendment. It has had a profound impact with severe implications, especially to individuals and communities of color.
You don't need to be a person of color to listen to this episode – you only need to be human; this subject should matter to everyone that loves justice.
With this, we continue our focus on delivering the truth without compromise – empowering you with the necessary knowledge to keep you and your family as safe as possible from a pretextual police stop.
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