The war between Israel and Hamas has a lot of people talking and it has an equal, if not greater, amount of people not talking ... at least not publicly.  In the Black/African American community, there has been a lot of the later. Why? That's a question no one individual or groups of individuals can answer as if there is a homogeneous Black community in which one persona or consortium can speak for. But, however, there is a deeper issue within the conflict that some Black Americans are speaking to, and on this episode of The Offshoot, Rev. Graylan Hagler of the historic Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ in Washington, DC is talking. 

The war between Israel and Hamas is one that needs the attention of Black/African Americans purely for the fact that there is a humanitarian crisis at hand, said Rev. Hagler.  Palestinian children, women, civilians of non-Jewish and non-Muslin faiths, along side people in the Jewish community and Palestinian community, are becoming casualties of the war.  Though the war is taking place thousands of miles from any city within the U.S.A., any city with a large Black population, Rev. Hagler, said what is happening in Israel could happen in the States, hence the need to be aware and pay attention to what the war is all about.

Land, said Rev. Hagler, is what the war is all about, and land is a topic most Black Americans can identify with. Additionally, he points to extremism.  Even in 2023, there are new stories, particularly coming out of the southern part of the States, in which the land of Black people was taken.  Hagler speaks to this and much more on this episode of The Offshoot.  He provides a bit of history and he draws a correlation to activities in this country ... particularly the Insurrection of January 6.

With seven children, Bridget Desmukes and her husband, Jeffrey, wanted to give all their offsprings the best education.  They wanted to ensure that their children learned about the world, business, the economy, languages and other cultures. Additionally, they wanted their children to have positive social experiences with other children and educators while at school.  They had their children in the District of Columbia Public School system, which for a while seemed to support their children's needs. 

The support was not quite there. Some of the children were being bullied, and they were not getting the medical support they needed to manage their sickle cell anemia. On top of that, the educators were not recognizing and challenging their kids intellectually.  Those things, and much more, prompted  Bridget and her husband to remove their children from public schools and to educate them at home.  

Bridget is an advocate for homeschooling, nurse life, a wellness coach and a mental health counseling student, and for a few year now, all seven children, have been getting a unique home education that includes learning foreign languages, advanced math and reading, critical thinking, and economics.  The children are very bright, and Bridget comes on The Offshoot podcast to share what it is like to homeschool her children.  She is an advocate for homeschooling who has been able to advance her children's education beyond that of children in public schools.  

Should more parents home school their children? Hear what Bridget has to say on this episode on The Offshoot.  With a passion for helping young women overcome the stereotypes, she speaks to the pros and cons, the joys and challenges of homeschooling. She wants her children and all children, especially young Black girls, to embrace their strengths and individuality. That's part of her homeschooling curriculum.  Homeschooling is growing in popularity, and if you're unsure about public school versus home school, listen to this episode of The Offshoot.

In some major U.S. cities, there appears to be a reduction in crime, but in the nation's capitol, Washington, DC, crime continues to rise.  From gun violence to robberies, carjackings and blatant theft, DC seems to be plagued with a surge in crime that one could argue is reminiscent of the city's crime wave in the 1990s.  Washington, DC 5C07 Commissioner VJ Kapur has been trying to address and combat crime in his part of the city, and he answers the question, why elected officials can't reduce crime?

Kapur is a first-term commissioner serving in a part of northeast DC that is experiencing rapid residential growth, business development, and an increase in crime. On this episode of The Offshoot, Kapur not only answers the question about politicians not reducing crime but he also offers solutions. He has put forth a proposal that he states will reduce crime, improve traffic flow, and make streets safer for families.  The cliche is all politics is local. There's also the adage no man is an island.  Kapur acknowledges that solving/reducing crime is not a one-man job, which is why he explains reducing crime in DC is going to require elected officials to change some priorities.

August 2023 marks 50 years of Hip-Hop/Rap music, and over the corse of those 50 years, the genre of Black/African American music has grown to become a global powerhouse.  Across the planet, Hip-Hop/Rap music is the dominate sound on various radio and streaming music platforms. Travel to practically any country, and you'll hear Hip-Hop/Rap being performed in various languages by various cultures, but in every iteration, there still remains the essence of Black/African-American people ... The Culture.

On this episode of The Offshoot podcast and aggregate, Hip-Hop/Rap recording artist Devin The Ripper provides his  perspective on the history of the genre, and his talks about his career in the world of Hip-Hop and Rap.  Additionally, he expels on the future of Hip-Hop/Rap music - siting its decline due to corporate oversight and unauthentic performers.  But there is optimism.  Devin The Ripper explains that storytelling, the root of Hip-Hop/Rap music, will be the thing to keep the genre thriving for another 50 years. 

About Devin The Ripper:
Devin Denzel Davidson, known professionally as DEVIN THE RIPPER, is a Maryland native, born into a world of music. His father Quentin ‘Footz’ Davidson was a founder and the drummer for the well renowned Go-Go band Rare Essence. Devin turned to music as a means to creatively and emotionally express himself after the tragic murder of his father in 1994 and later the murder of his brother in 1999.Devin always had a love for music and Hip-Hop in particular. While living in Los Angeles to pursue his acting career, he naturally transitioned into music; recording his first song, "Lee Mack Freestyle." Once he decided to pursue music, he wanted his sound to reflect the culture of the DMV area, making it fitting for him to move back and reside in Southeast, DC, the same place his father rose to musical prominence.In August of 2020, Devin would release his highly anticipated debut album 'One Day It'll Make Cents' with lead singles '10 Toes Down' and 'Hustle SZN'. In July 2021, he released his second album 'No Fllights to Waldorf' which featured Jadakiss on the lead single 'What A Day'. Devin has a way of using his hard hitting delivery and vivid storytelling to charm listeners, which has led to him being recognized as one of the DMV's most lyrically-inclined. His musical influences include Rare Essence, NaS, Backyard Band, Nipsey Hussle and 2Pac.

https://artistecard.com/DevinTheRipper#!/videos/110353

https://artistecard.com/DevinTheRipper#!/musics/143788

https://artistecard.com/DevinTheRipper#!/videos/110354

"If we can't protect the little ones then we as humans are failing God by not allowing plans to come to fruition," says Robert Thompson, the father of 5-month-old Jeremiah Eli Thompson whose death was ruled a homicide due to blunt-force trauma to the head.  Baby Jeremiah, as Robert and his wife Melissa still like to call him, was a healthy, vibrant infant, when, along with his twin, Zachariah, was taken to the daycare facility approximately 7am on February 17, 2019. Less than two hours later, his mother, Melissa, would receive the phone call no parent wants to get .... her Baby Jeremiah was being taken to the hospital.

In this episode of The Offshoot podcast and aggregate, parents Robert and Melissa Thompson tell their story.  They talk of their great loss, their Baby Jeremiah, and they talk of the trauma that still exists.  There has been no accountability ... no one has yet to serve any prison time, despite a trail of the perpetrator who faces no repercussions.  To Robert's heartbreak, he had to come to accept that systemic racism was also on trail in this small, rural South Carolina town of Dillon.  It was an older Caucasian woman who was to face the consequences of her actions ... telling Robert and Melissa unvaried statements as to what happened; telling them of Jeremiah's alleged cough; shaking Jeremiah; the delay in calling Melissa; and the delay in taking Baby Jeremiah to the hospital.

Robert and Melissa are only now able to tell their story, to tell of the life and love of Baby Jeremiah because the gag order put on them by the government no longer has standing.  They want no parent to experience their kind of loss. "Our focus is to get the story out and have laws changed on the federal level for daycares," says Robert. "Such as ... fines for not following protocols, cameras in all daycares, better pay."  A deeply spiritual family, Robert and Melissa say they only want justice for Jeremiah.

What Robert and Melissa reveal in this episode of The Offshoot, what they reveal about missing evidence and not having an advocate, brings to the forefront disturbing accounts of systemic and racial disparities in rural South Carolina. Though neither Robert or Melissa wanted their story, the homicide of Baby Jeremiah, to be about race, they reveal a number of missteps by the law enforcement investigators, the confusing gap in the timeline for sequence of events, and the lack of work to hold anyone accountable as results of systemic racism. Their conclusion is that there were concerted efforts to keep a Caucasian woman out of prison ... she was and is still being protected.  Despite that, Robert finds solace in this Biblical quote from Jeremiah 29:11 ... "For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

After more than five years working the streets of Washington, DC as a police office for the Metropolitan Police Department, Adonis Savage says crime is much worse than what people believe and what they are told to be believe about crime by the politicians and the police leadership.  In the second part conversation with Savage, he gives a full accounting of how crime is and is not reported, specifically when it comes to juveniles. 

All across the United States of America, in big cities and small towns, with governments under GOP and democratic control, crime seems to be more prevalent than in recent years past.  People in communities across the country talk of excessive car theft, car break-ins, stolen packages, shootings, mass killings, etc. The list is long. Crime has people on edge, and they are turning to their local politicians for actions, and the politicians talk of more police officers. 

Former officer Savage, talks about what's really going on, and he explains why communities are not being told the detailed truth about crime in their communities.  He offers solutions, and he believes there is reason for optimism.  There are some good police officers out there who really want to serve the community, Savage says.  Hear what he has to say this second part edition of his appearance of The Offshoot.

Adonis Savage was a police officer with the Washington, DC Metropolitan Police Department for more than five years ... he left the police force in April 2023.  In this two-part conversation of The Offshoot, Savage explains that the apathy prevalent within police departments stems from the leadership within the police force.  Additionally, he talks about the lacks behavior of some officers, and he talks of some officers who sought professions in law enforcement only to be able to exert power over people in the communities they serve.  In part two of our conversation, he gets very granular explaining the toxic culture that existed with the Washington, DC Metropolitan Police Department. Does the toxic culture still exist? Additionally, in part two, Savage speaks on the rise of juvenile crime, and he discusses what it was like being on the front line at the U.S. Capitol building holding back insurrectionist in January 2021.

It’s happening all across the United States, in big cities and small towns, in liberal and conservative places of government … people’s cars and homes are being broken into, and in many occurrences, the perpetrators of those crimes are young children as young as age 10. The outcry from people, victims and non-victims, is growing. 

Most recently, in Washington, DC, a 13-year-old, Karon Blake, was shot and killed by a resident who alleged that Blake was breaking into cars between 3am and 4am. There was a community meeting where people called for the shooter to be named, arrested, and prosecuted, and there were loud voices shouting “justice for Karon.” Then came the voices asking, where was Karon’s parents? Why was a 13-year-old out at 3am and 4am? There were calls to hold the parents accountable. 

Sarita Curtis is a parent who had a 13-year-old son that was out at 3am and 4am breaking into and stealing cars – going on joy rides. In one incident, Sarita recognized her son in a stolen vehicle, and when he noticed that she saw him, he led her on a car chase. 

In this episode of The Offshoot, Curtis, in a very open and vulnerable conversation, tells us where she was when her son was breaking into and stealing cars during his teenage years – between the ages of 12 and 18. Curtis, in great detail, tells us what she was doing when her son was getting influenced by others. And Curtis tells us if parents should be held accountable for the criminal misconducts of their children. It’s a conversation about real people in real, everyday life situations.