New NPR Series: "We Keep Us Safe" from the Embedded podcast

0:00Support for this podcast and the following message come from Allianz Travel Insurance. Your flight? Booked. Your lungs? Suddenly battling bronchitis. Travel Insurance helps protect your travel budget so you can book again once you feel better. Learn more at AllianzTravelInsurance.com. Hi, Intercated listeners. Darian Woods here, here to let you know about a new investigative series from NPR's Embedded podcast. It digs into the unsolved killing of a Black teenager at a Black Lives Matter protest, who's responsible for the shooting, and how did an idealistic protest occupation turn into a circle of silence?

0:40In their search for answers, the reporters track down key eyewitnesses and surface crucial evidence that's never been made public. Here's the trailer. Back in 2020, a remarkable experiment took place. After an intense standoff with anti-police brutality protesters, police abandoned their own precinct. Protesters stayed and started occupying about eight city blocks in the middle of Seattle. There's several hundred people being completely peaceful. It's like a block party. They set up tents. There was free food, a mutual aid station, a stage for speeches and music. I want my world to change. I want my world to change.

1:22It evolved into this community. They called it CHOP. The Capitol Hill organized protest. A place with no police. It was their attempt to build a better world. For a moment there, it was utopia. But protesters feared an attack from right-wing activists. Taking my group down around City Hall to monitor the group of the Proud Boys. Some protesters appointed themselves CHOP security, began walking around in tactical gear, carrying guns. I'm not very familiar with firearms. AR-15. That's an AR-15. AR-15. And then one night, a jeep drove into the camp. Shots are fired. Shots are fired, Joe. Shots are fired.

2:04Protesters thought they were under attack and shot at the jeep. Move out the way! Oh, Jesus. Oh, Jesus. Out the way! Out the way! After the shooting ended, one of the jeep's passengers was dead. 16-year-old Antonio Mays Jr. That night, protesters saw him as a threat. But his dad, who taught him what it means to be Black in America, says his son was there for the cause. To be honest, if it meant that I'd have my son back, I wouldn't teach my son Black history because I want to have him back right now. That's the man they have with Black history. Six years later, the case remains unsolved. And no one has been able to explain how this place built to protect Black life ended up killing a Black teenager.

2:53I'm Will James. And I'm Sydney Brownstone. For more than a year, we've been investigating what happened that night, sifting through rumors. He put in work for the streets, I guess. That's what they were saying. That's why he got killed. Digging up new witnesses. Is someone chasing you? Oh, yeah, for sure. In a car chasing you? Yes, like multiple cars. And uncovering never-before-seen evidence. See this right here? That's a long gun out of the front seat. Holy ****. Listen to We Keep Us Safe, a new true crime series from NPR's Embedded podcast, The Seattle Times and KUOW.

3:37Find Embedded wherever you get your podcasts or at npr.org slash embedded. This message comes from Edward Jones, where they believe rich means opening yourself to new possibilities. That's why your dedicated financial advisor meets you where you are, helping you move forward with confidence. Let's find your rich. Edward Jones, member SIPC. This message comes from Schwab. With the new Schwab Teen Investor Account, teens can gain hands-on investing experience and build positive money habits. It's an account co-owned by you and your teen, so you can monitor and engage with the account while your teen learns how to invest and manage money.

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