Outsider Within introduces guest Dr. Brad Lehman, Assistant Professor at VCU’s L. Douglas Wilder School and former police officer/sergeant, to discuss the gap between ethics training and real-world decision-making in criminal justice. Lehman describes realizing in his first week of patrol that academy and classroom preparation did not equip him for nuanced community, cultural, and human situations, and he emphasizes situational, relational teaching that adapts to learners’ experiences. The conversation addresses distrust of police, especially Black community members, and the need to lean into honest discussions about history, systemic issues, and terms like “thin blue line,” “protect and serve,” and culture blindness. Lehman highlights procedural justice and community listening, and he notes growing concerns about federal policing and immigration enforcement. He concludes that policing training should include deeper community and historical understanding alongside legal instruction.

In this episode of Outsider Within, we speak with Dr. Anastasia Berg, a UC Irvine philosophy professor and author of a New York Times op-ed, about why basic AI use is harmful for students. Berg argues that AI influences students’ linguistic and cognitive development, undermining mastery of concepts, interpretation, inquiry, and communication, with implications for self-governance and democratic participation. She warns that AI and other technologies can reduce attention spans and worsen inequalities, hurting underprivileged students the most, while elite institutions maintain “real” literacy. Berg suggests creating AI- and technology-scarce times and spaces within K–12 and higher education, so students can first develop core skills that, in turn, support responsible AI use.

In the aftermath of the murder of Minneapolis resident, US citizen and poet, Renne Good, at the hands of an ICE paramilitant, we talk with internationally renowned critical scholar, Dr. Shirley Steinberg, and immigrant advocate and immigration scholar, Dr. William McCorkle, about the political and social ramifications of her death. This podcast originates at ODU, and we recognize all the good that Renee contributed amid the tragedy of her loss, and to celebrate a life that was truly a brilliant light, not only at ODU but within her family and community.

A note from the hosts and producers:

As we were preparing this episode to air, ICE/CBP murdered another American citizen, Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a Veteran’s Administration ICU nurse, while he was assisting another protester. Mr. Pretti was shot in the back while restrained on the ground, posing no threat. We dedicate this episode and our efforts to his memory and the legacy of his care and quiet strength. May we always be prepared to make good trouble in the face of tyranny and oppression.