Tune into the Black Light Mass Incarceration Podcast to listen to Emancipate NC’s own Dedan Waciuri and host Cierra Cobb discuss the violent underpinnings of capitalism, as well as the cruel and improper charges against La’Dainian Fuller in Gaston County, NC. They discuss the inceptions of capitalism and how formations of oppression today derive from the vestiges of U.S. settler colonialism and the labor exploited through the enslavement of African people. They discuss issues such as how knowledge is obfuscated in a manner that discourages folks from connecting the violence and roots of capitalism with the current-day carceral state.
“A lot of the issues that we face today are due to the system of capitalism… and the system of capitalism was created off the backs of enslaved Africans and the genocide of indigenous people in the country and created a lot of the wealth that is circulated today,” states Dedan.
Cierra and Dedan discuss connections between capitalism and contemporary police violence, such as in the case of La’Dainian Fuller. La’Dainian, who was only 15 years old at the time of the incident, placed a police officer in a headlock after he witnessed the officer kicking and abusing his twin brother. The incident occurred as the twins attempted to ride their bikes home, and police stopped and detained them due to street closures for a fireworks show. The police officer suffered minimal injuries, yet La’Dainian was charged as an adult with “Attempted Murder.”
To learn more about his case and these historical connections tune into Black Light Mass Incarceration Podcast!