Liz Rizzo introduces Liz, an author and close friend of comedian Rusty Warren, noting that the interview takes place on Rusty’s birthday, March 20th. Rusty Warren was a pioneering female comedian known for her “naughty” but clean comedy, achieving seven gold albums starting in 1958. Her work, which discussed intimate topics, was ahead of its time and laid the groundwork for future female comedians like Ellen DeGeneres and Lily Tomlin, who acknowledge her influence. Despite her success, Rusty never achieved mainstream recognition on television or radio due to the controversial nature of her material, which was often banned. This era was dominated by men, and Rusty faced pressure to compromise her integrity, refusing to engage in inappropriate advances to advance her career in places like Vegas.

David McClam discusses the high-profile legal battle of rapper Afroman against the Adams County Police Department, exploring themes of artistic freedom, privacy, and the justice system. This episode highlights how a police raid transformed into a viral musical saga and a significant First Amendment case.

00:00 Welcome & Host’s Personal Updates

03:39 Afro Man’s Police Raid

06:14 Raid, Music, and Racism Claims

12:47 The Lawsuit and Privacy Debate

17:05 Defamation Claims and Court Battle

20:05 First Amendment and Artistic Expression

25:00 Trial Proceedings and Officer Testimonies

35:44 Legal Arguments and Rap Music Interpretation

43:47 The Verdict and Judge’s Controversial Ruling

50:05 Implications and Closing Remarks

• Examine the details of the no-knock warrant served at Afroman’s Ohio home in August 2022, prompted by questionable informant testimony.
• Discover how Afroman used his home security footage to create a viral album, “Lemon Poundcake,” featuring songs directly addressing the raid and the involved officers.
• Analyze the officers’ lawsuit against Afroman, citing invasion of privacy and emotional distress, and Afroman’s defense rooted in First Amendment rights.
• Consider the broader implications of the verdict on freedom of speech, privacy in the digital age, and the accountability of public officials.
• Understand the controversial post-verdict ruling by Judge Jonathan Hine regarding court costs, despite Afroman winning the case unanimously.

• Wall Street Mafia by Ben Skull: Listen to the book HERE
• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988

Some stories rearrange how we see predators, survivors, and the slow work of becoming whole. This conversation with psychotherapist and survivor Nikki Eisenhower does exactly that. She breaks down how grooming hides inside everyday kindness—bedtime rituals, small errands, gentle touch—especially when a child is starved for warmth. That’s what makes it so dangerous and so easy to miss. Nikki also opens a window into repressed memory, explaining how the body sealed off what a child couldn’t bear and how a later trigger brought it all back with painful clarity.

We get into the hard parts few shows cover: what happens when a survivor finally speaks and the family closes ranks; how abusers use “sleepwalking” and other scripts to fog the truth; and why pressing charges in non-homicide cases can feel sloppy and disheartening. Through it all, Nikki offers language and tools for listeners who need more than sympathy. She lays out how to rebuild boundaries you can actually enforce, how to use intuition as a compass, and how inner child work can return choice and safety to the present. This is healing without platitudes—practical, compassionate, and fiercely honest.

The second half of our talk turns to love after trauma. We explore the brain’s pull toward the familiar, the traps of love-bombing and victim-flipping, and the everyday habits that signal a healthy partnership: direct communication, clean repair, and a willingness to learn. Nikki’s path—from chaos to a relationship built on clarity—shows that peace is not a miracle; it’s a trainable state. If you’ve been waiting for a guide that meets you where you are and helps you move toward calm, connection, and self-respect, this conversation is for you.

If the episode resonates, share it with someone who needs practical hope, then subscribe and leave a review so more listeners can find these tools. Your story can help someone else start theirs.

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Cover Art and Logo created by Diana of Other Worldly

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A request for edible food, basic medical care, and protection from abuse should not be radical. Yet at Attica in 1971, those simple demands collided with a system built for control, and the result was deadly. We walk through the facts of the uprising with clear eyes—from the roots of overcrowding and neglect to the stalled negotiations and the order to retake the prison by force. The outcome was catastrophic: 39 people were killed, including 10 hostages, and autopsies later proved the hostages died from police bullets. No officers were held accountable, and the official narrative crumbled under the weight of evidence.

As hosts, we connect Attica’s truths to the present, where many facilities still struggle with health care, safety, and pervasive racial disparities. We talk about how punishment has eclipsed rehabilitation and why dignity is not a privilege but a baseline for any legitimate system. You’ll hear why reform must center independent oversight, humane standards for food and medical care, education and mental health support, and grievance processes that actually work. We also challenge a stubborn myth: that more force equals more safety. History, data, and lived experience tell a different story.

This is a sober, human account that asks us to care about people we are taught to ignore. It’s about accountability that reaches all the way to the state, not just the incarcerated. If you value justice that heals rather than harms, this story matters. Listen, share with someone who still thinks abuse is a deterrent, and join us in pushing for a system that protects life and makes communities safer. Subscribe, leave a review to help others find the show, and tell us: what does real accountability behind bars look like to you?

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The year I spent defending my best friend. The TRUTH is HERE

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Cover Art and Logo created by Diana of Other Worldly

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Panic can make a city certain, and certainty can turn a theory into a conviction. We revisit the Central Park Five—now known as the Exonerated Five—to unpack how five teenagers were funneled from marathon interrogations to headlines that branded them predators, and how DNA evidence and a prison confession finally cracked the story New York believed. Along the way, we trace the mechanics of false confessions, the power of media framing, and the political voices that amplified fear over facts.

I walk through the timeline: a jogger attacked in 1989, a city on edge, and investigators extracting statements from kids without parents or lawyers present. We examine why juveniles are especially vulnerable to coercive tactics, how suggestive questioning plants “facts,” and why a signed statement can mislead juries more than any other form of flawed evidence. Then we follow the unexpected turn—an incarcerated man’s admission corroborated by DNA—that led to vacated convictions, even as some public figures and the survivor continued to dispute the truth.

This story also lives beyond courtrooms. We talk about the human cost: years of youth erased, families strained, and the long road of reentry. Some of the men turned their pain into purpose through advocacy and public service; others still wrestle with trauma that exoneration cannot erase. From there, we get practical about reform—recording all interrogations, banning deceptive tactics on minors, ensuring immediate access to counsel, strengthening conviction integrity units, and teaching media literacy around crime reporting—so the next crisis doesn’t repeat the same script.

If you care about wrongful convictions, juvenile justice, and how race, media, and power shape what we call the truth, this conversation will challenge and inform. Listen, share with someone who still doesn’t know the full story, and leave a review to help more people find the show. Your voice can push these reforms from idea to action—what change do you want to see next?

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The year I spent defending my best friend. The TRUTH is HERE

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The Witch Hunt Of Lanny Hughes

Cover Art and Logo created by Diana of Other Worldly

Sound Mixing and editing by David McClam

Intro script by Sophie Wild From Fiverr & David McClam

Intro and outro jingle by Jacqueline G. (JacquieVoice) From Fiverr

A prison built on a former plantation. Three men who dared to organize for dignity. A system that answered with isolation instead of justice. We take you inside the story of the Angola Three—Herman Wallace, Albert Woodfox, and Robert King—and trace how solitary confinement became a weapon used to silence voices that challenged abuse, corruption, and racial terror behind bars.

We unpack how thin evidence, recanted testimony, and contradictory forensic reports produced swift convictions that endured for decades. From 23-hour lockdowns to years without human touch or sunlight, we examine what prolonged isolation does to the mind and why it persists as a tool of control. The journey from accusation to release—29 years for King, 41 for Wallace, 43 for Woodfox—shows how power can bend process and how resilience can still break through. Their story connects true crime, civil rights, and prison reform, revealing the human cost of policies that prize order over truth.

Along the way, we discuss the history of Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, the influence of the Black Panther Party’s call for dignity, and the broader question of what safety really means inside a prison. We explore evidence standards, oversight, and the urgent case for limiting or abolishing long-term solitary confinement. If you care about criminal justice, mental health, and human rights, this conversation offers context, clarity, and a path toward change. Subscribe, share with a friend who cares about reform, and leave a review to help more people find these stories and keep the pressure for accountability alive.

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The year I spent defending my best friend. The TRUTH is HERE

We Are Not Afraid Podcast

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Musical Album

The Witch Hunt Of Lanny Hughes

Cover Art and Logo created by Diana of Other Worldly

Sound Mixing and editing by David McClam

Intro script by Sophie Wild From Fiverr & David McClam

Intro and outro jingle by Jacqueline G. (JacquieVoice) From Fiverr

A voice that could quiet a room—and a business mind that unsettled an industry. We dive into the life and legacy of Sam Cooke, exploring how a singer famed for smooth, intimate delivery became a blueprint for artistic power through ownership, entrepreneurship, and a fearless civil rights stance. From gospel roots to pop stardom, Cooke didn’t just cross over; he rewrote the rules by controlling his masters, launching his own label, and refusing to perform for segregated audiences, proving that creative freedom and economic autonomy can move culture forward.

We also confront the night that still troubles history: Cooke’s 1964 death at the Hacienda Motel, ruled a justifiable homicide despite conflicting accounts and a rushed process that left no trial and few answers. The questions have outlived the headlines. Was he targeted for being loud in song—or dangerous in a quieter, deeper way, by modeling Black economic independence at the height of the civil rights movement? When “A Change Is Gonna Come” arrived weeks later, it felt less like a release and more like a signal that truth finds its way, even when a voice is cut short.

Along the way, we connect Cooke’s fight to today’s debates over masters, catalogs, and the value creators deserve in the streaming age. We unpack why ownership shapes legacy, how control influences messaging, and why artists from Prince to the present trace their strategies back to foundations Cooke helped pour. If you care about music history, civil rights, and the business behind the art, this story resonates far beyond a single night in Los Angeles.

If this moved you, share it with a friend, subscribe for more, and leave a review with the one insight you’re taking away. What question about Sam Cooke’s life or death still keeps you thinking?

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Follow Our Family Of True Crime Shows

The year I spent defending my best friend. The TRUTH is HERE

We Are Not Afraid Podcast

Extinguished With David McClam & LaDonna Humphrey

Musical Album

The Witch Hunt Of Lanny Hughes

Cover Art and Logo created by Diana of Other Worldly

Sound Mixing and editing by David McClam

Intro script by Sophie Wild From Fiverr & David McClam

Intro and outro jingle by Jacqueline G. (JacquieVoice) From Fiverr

A freight train stop in 1931 Alabama turned into one of the most consequential legal battles in American history. We revisit the Scottsboro Boys case—nine Black kids, no physical evidence, and death sentences—and unpack how rushed trials, media frenzy, and racial bias created a blueprint for injustice that echoes into the present day.

We walk through the facts: the arrests on the rails during the Great Depression, contradictory testimony, medical exams that didn’t match the accusations, and all-white juries that moved faster than the truth. From there, we track two Supreme Court turning points that reshaped criminal justice—the right to effective counsel and the requirement for inclusive juries—while naming the cost the boys paid as years of their lives disappeared behind bars. Legal milestones matter, but they didn’t make these children whole, and that tension drives our reflection on what justice should look like when the system gets it wrong.

Drawing a direct line to the Central Park Five, we explore how public panic and headline pressure can still drown out evidence. We examine the power of narrative, the danger of speed over care, and why wrongful convictions persist when officials resist admitting error. Along the way, we offer a clear, human lens on reforms that can stop the cycle: rigorous defense from day one, transparent evidence rules, full-recorded interrogations, and real accountability when bias taints the process. This is a sober, urgent reminder that innocence is not always a shield—and that protecting it requires more than faith in the system.

If this conversation moves you, subscribe, share this episode with a friend, and leave a review to help more listeners find these stories. Your voice helps keep truth louder than fear.

DON'T FORGET TO RATE, COMMENT AND SUBSCRIBE

JOIN ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA BY FOLLOWING THE LINKTREE

Follow Our Family Of True Crime Shows

The year I spent defending my best friend. The TRUTH is HERE

We Are Not Afraid Podcast

Extinguished With David McClam & LaDonna Humphrey

Musical Album

The Witch Hunt Of Lanny Hughes

Cover Art and Logo created by Diana of Other Worldly

Sound Mixing and editing by David McClam

Intro script by Sophie Wild From Fiverr & David McClam

Intro and outro jingle by Jacqueline G. (JacquieVoice) From Fiverr