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In this episode of 'Wait, What Is That' Podcast, hostsBrandon and Katie discuss the Peekskill Riots of 1949 with John Scott Bennett,a filmmaker who has chronicled this significant yet under-discussed event inAmerican history. The conversation centers on the riots that erupted duringconcerts by Paul Robeson, an African American singer, actor, and civil rightsactivist, who faced violent opposition from the Peekskill community and the KuKlux Klan. Bennett, a history graduate from Manhattanville College, sharesinsights into local history, how the riots were a reaction to Robeson'spolitical stance, particularly his support for the Soviet Union, and how theseevents have been systematically erased or undermined in local historynarratives. The episode also explores Robeson's legacy, his subsequentblacklisting, and the broader implications for civil rights and historicalmemory. 00:00 Introduction and Hosts Introduction 00:32 Introducing John Scott Bennett 01:24 The Peekskill Riots: A Historical Overview 02:40 Paul Robeson and His Impact 04:11 Discovering Local History 08:26 The Ku Klux Klan's Influence 11:19 Economic and Social Tensions 13:59 Paul Robeson's Legacy and Struggles 36:51 The First Peekskill Riot 40:49 Catholics Fight Back Against the Klan 41:25 The Jewish Summer Camp Incident 42:27 Obstacles in Documenting Peekskill History 43:34 The Peekskill Museum Controversy 45:34 Paul Robeson's Struggle and Legacy 57:52 The Decline of the Klan 01:03:15 Community Response and Support 01:04:25 Creating the Documentary Series 01:07:32 Personal Reflections and Future Plans

Kamel Jamal speaks of his love for Palestine and devotion to its liberation in a quietly sad yet solid voice after completing one of his toughest days as a chef for one of his restaurants, Beacon Bread Company. During the early summer days of May 2021, after families in the Palestinian neighborhood, Sheikh Jarrah in East Jerusalem, banded together to protest their scheduled displacement by occupying Israeli forces, the world awoke to the plight of Palestinians and their inability to survive in Palestine, as homes are demolished by their occupiers, electricity is limited, water is supplied undrinkable, and packages are confiscated. All of which is nothing new, but more people started paying attention.

As the City of Beacon considers a smoking cannabis ban on its public parks, Katie and Brandon discuss if people even want to smoke cannabis in public parks and if the smoke should be allowed to drift. Now that New York State has made smoking cannabis legal - partly in the name of removing racial discrimination from enforcement - the once-criminalized aroma can be all around us. Can people re-wire their brains to not associate negative thoughts with smoking? Does regulating open-air of cannabis take a step backward from attempting to remove discrimination? To Attend The Public Comment Meeting On 8/2/2021: PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the City of Beacon City Council will be holding the City Council Workshop and Meeting of August 2, 2021, in the Courtroom at 1 Municipal Plaza, Beacon, NY 12508. The meeting will simultaneously be streamed via Zoom. The public can attend in the Courtroom, or access the meeting via Zoom at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88375353313?pwd=ZUNRTkkzdXJpbU5uQWlXeTlvSytKQT09 Webinar ID: 883 7535 3313 Passcode: 544508. To the extent internet access is not available, the public can attend and comment via telephone by dialing + 1 929 205 6099 and entering the Webinar ID: 883 7535 3313 Passcode: 544508. PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE, that the City Council Meeting of August 2, 2021, at 7:00 pm can be accessed live at  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvPpigGwZDeR7WYmw-SuDxg

Brandon and Katie’s first Disney discussion was so riveting, Katie’s sister wanted to come onto to the show to voice her very strong opinions about why she’s not a Little Mermaid Fan, her questions about Elsa from Frozen, and why Hans as a duplicitous character is allowed to make an appearance at all.

Brandon and Katie are BACK! It’s been an entire pandemic (for Dutchess County…several parts of the world are continuing to get crushed). To grease our wheels, Brandon breaks into song to Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and Katie ends the segment by singing the Little Mermaid’s “Part Of Your World.” What started as a planned pod about Disney presentations of female and family values, turned into an improv jazz session, if you will, covering random but important topics, including (but not limited to): Brandon’s experience taking the vaccine. He was afraid and walked out at first. He returned, got the J&J, and had an epiphany. Aliens and NPR. Mother’s Day and the actual possible meaning of it - a new discovery? And how TV dinners relate to that. Door Dash, and how it’s helping, but hurting restaurants when customers don’t understand how the 3rd party delivery apps work and blame the restaurants for late food. It’s the app! Call the app! Ease up on the restaurants. Katie’s conspiracy theory about space trash and Russia. Palestine-Israeli conflict escalated this week. We touch on the topic, to try to begin to understand it. Lion King. The original animated by Disney. Bringing it back to the original intent of this podcast. Part II will revisit the other movies we wanted to discuss. But listen to this one first!

Brandon and Katie meet back up after a long hiatus of winter to chat about the time in between. While normally recording from their Shed Studio, with COVID on the rise, which found its way into Katie's home, they are recording from their respective cars - Studio Cars! Because it's cold outside. In true "Wait, What Is That?" fashion, Brandon and Katie ponder life's big questions, including super heroes who's special powers are also their weaknesses (now that Katie has COVID antibodies, and who knows what else left behind), as well as how best to respond to a white person is outwardly supportive of BLM, but in private discussions, mocks it.

In the summer of 2020, Beacon experienced protests down Main Street in the name of Black lives for several weekends in a row, followed by educational experiences, usually in Memorial Park. Supported by businesses down Main Street with signs in windows and staff and owners standing outside with fists raised, a young Beaconite Justice McCray led a drumbeat to break the silent segregation that has blanketed this nation since the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. Justice is not alone - an organic grouping of people called Beacon4Black Lives formed, grew, spread out, and defined their purpose in changing the community to be safer and more comfortable for Black and Brown's people living with white neighbors who historically have made the rules. This episode explores what inspires Justice and where he sees his work going.

Police reform and reflection is on the minds of everyone, including children. One example of confronting police influence is in children’s programming. For a minute, the long-loved cartoon Paw Patrol, which is a show that follows a boy named Ryder and a crew of pups who go on rescue missions in the community, was rumored to be canceled when police programming such as “Cops” was actually deemed to go off the air. The rumor was so strong, that even President Trump himself thought Paw Patrol was going off the air, and had his press secretary Kayleigh McEnany lament it at a press conference (USA Today had to correct her and his false statements). Hearing the mis-information back in Beacon, 8-year-old Cole Martin fact checked the White House, and found that USA Today and many other newspapers also fact checked the president to correct him and Kayleigh, proving that Paw Patrol was in fact on the air, and thriving. Brandon and Katie sit down with Cole Mitchell Martin, who is Katie’s son, to discover: Why he loves Paw Patrol. Cole’s true feelings about Optimum now that the cable and WIFI go out all the time. Cole’s true feelings about Remote Learning, that he felt “pain” when Optimum kept going out, and how he hopes to return to the classroom. What Cole notices about YouTube shows he follows. Get into the mind of an 8-year-old these days, to see how this one approaches everyday things.

Ali T. Muhammad was born and raised in Beacon, NY, walking every day down a literal pathway between prison and public school, as his home was on the grounds. Brandon and Katie catch up with Ali to hear about his perspective and experience with Black Lives Matter protests and experience sessions throughout the Hudson Valley.

Segueing into a different city department now, we interview Reuben Simmons, who is involved in community outreach and programming in Beacon, and worked his way up to being promoted as Beacon’s Highway Superintendent, until he wasn’t. His is the only job demotion you might see in LinkedIn. We look into why, what happened, and what is currently happening.

BAM. Our next interview was with current Mayor Lee Kyriacou. During Randy’s interview, and during the 1st biggest BLM protest in Beacon, we learned that Lee spearheaded the look-see into Beacon’s Police Department in the early 2000s, which resulted in a federal investigation. We wanted to learn more about that.

Well HELLO. Our first interview is with the former Mayor of Beacon for 2 terms: Randy Casale. A born and bred Beaconite who knows everything about everything Beacon. Everything. Go Listen

Have you ever noticed that house on the corner of Cross Street that is a storefront window? Brandon remembers when it was a deli and he went there daily on his way to and from the old Beacon High School. This picture is unrelated but will do for now.

Brandon and Katie record their first podcast. Not sure what they were going to talk about. And then Brandon brought the Brooklyn Donuts. Which are from Connecticut. And go…