I was in March of 69 to September 73. Now, what advice would you give these young veterans coming out of these war zones trying to adjust back to society? Well, the first thing they got to realize that when they come out to war zones, that they have been in a place that they would never thought they was going to be in the first place. And they have been changed from the person they was when they went in there. Or when they come out. Many of them are mentally ill. And many of them just have to keep doing what Fred was saying. You know, make sure you file for your benefits and everything. And also, veterans got to stop depending on the governments all the time. Because veterans got to help veterans. Veterans that are getting benefits should be helping veterans that do not have a benefit. Veterans that are homeless. Veterans that are laying out on the street. Veterans that are sleeping on the street that I see most of the everyday where I'm at. So, I realize that when a young brother come out, it's easy to get frustrated. And the one thing they should never get frustrated, they ended up in jail houses or penitentiaries or on drugs or something like that, you know. Okay. That's my brother Rashad Waleed Muhammad talking about how important it is for veterans to file for all of their benefits. And for our young people to do all you can to stay out of the prison industrial complex. We will hear more about the veterans later on in our show. Welcome to the Coon Round Report. May the peace and blessings of the life-giving creative spirit be upon you and upon your family. My name is Melvin Ishmael Johnson with my co-host Earlene Anthony coming at you live from Skid Row Studios. I'll call in numbers. 800-893-9562. Listen to us live or download our show and any past show by Googling in skidrow.la and hit Coon Round Report. Also watch us live by hitting live video. Now this week on the Coon Round Report, we will hear some creative voices from the community with my in-studio guests, Isaac Clay and Victoria Quinton. Ah. From the cast of The Watson Goes to Birmingham 1963. And also Bobby Buck will premiere his monthly show that he will be doing on the Coon Round Report the third Monday of every month. We will talk to him and his guests in details later on in the show. But first we have on the line Darcelle, lead dancer from the classic hit TV show Solid Gold. And we'll hear from her. And we'll hear from her. And we'll hear from her. And we'll hear from her. And we'll hear from her. And we'll hear from her. And we'll hear from her. And we'll hear from her. And we'll hear from her. And we'll hear from her. And Glenn Leonard from the legendary singing group The Temptations. Darcelle and Glenn, welcome to the Coon Round Report. Thank you. Thank you very much. Hi, Earlene and Melvin. Yeah, Earlene, she's at a neighborhood council meeting tonight. But hey, I'm here so glad to hear your voice again. Yes. Look, before we get into talking about the great event you have coming up this weekend, I would like to ask the two of you. you, what is the number one thing that you learned as a member of the Solid Gold and you, Glenn, as a temptation that you would pass on to these young people trying to follow in your footsteps? Well, this is Glenn. I guess the thing that I would want to pass on to young aspiring artists is it takes severe dedication, hard work, commitment, and you can't let anybody discourage you. You have to be dedicated. And if you got skill, then you don't automatically make it just because you got talent or ability. It takes a lot of work. And so I would say to any young artist who wants to make it in this business, you got to be dedicated. You can't let anything stand in your way. And I would say that make sure it's passion, what you're doing. Because if it's... If it's passion and it's something that you just wake up in the morning and got to do, go to bed doing it and you just love it, then go for it and be committed to it and give it your best shot and be on time. And be perfect about everything you do because you can always be replaced in this business or in life, period. So get it, hit it, and give it your best shot and do it like you sleep and eat and like you're the only one in the world that's doing this. Okay. Okay. Thank you very much for that information. Now, let's talk about the event. Can you tell our listening audience about the event that's coming up this weekend, this Friday, November 22nd? Yes. This Friday, we're going to have a soulful night at the Phoenicia. The address is 34... I'm sorry, 343 North Central Avenue in Glendale. The telephone number is 818-9... 956-7800. And again, it's the Phoenicia restaurant. There will be dinner, dancing, music. And Glenn was coming in town because we're getting ready to have a new baby, a new grandchild. So he says, I'm going to come and see my grandbaby. And I said, well, while you're here, can you do a concert? So he said, of course I would for you. So I said, okay, well, I'll get some solid gold dancers and we'll put on a concert. And just invite people out for a celebration and a soulful night at the Phoenicia. So yes, Glenn's going to be in concert. I'm going to be dancing. We got belly dancers. We got other musicians coming out. And we're just going to have a soulful night. Yeah, and it sounds like a reasonable cover charge to get up in there, too. Yeah, it's $15 at the door and dinner and drinks when you get in. So it's like a beautiful evening. And why not? Mm-hmm. Okay. You're going to see two legends at work again. We just talked about it. We haven't performed together in the last 25 years. Oh, wow. We met Glenn on the Midnight Special. We got married. We were married for 30 years. We had two beautiful children. And look, we're back together again, getting ready to go have a soulful night at the Phoenicia. Yeah, I remember that Midnight Special. Yeah. Yeah. One man check. Now, Glenn, let me ask you this. Do you think we will ever see groups like The Temptation emerging and creating music like the original Temptations in the groups like that? You probably won't see that type of group anymore. I mean, it's a whole new generation. And they have their own expression, their own style. And, you know, it's a lot of great music out there. Mm-hmm. But, of course, most of these young artists today are standing on the shoulders of groups like The Temptations, The Supremes, The Spinners, all the great groups from back in the 60s. They paved the way. So, you know, it's a joy to see all the young talent that's coming up. And everywhere I go, somebody's saying, you know, first time I heard The Temptations, I decided that's what I wanted to do. So that's, you know, that's certainly a very, very wonderful thing, a wonderful feeling, to know that you can inspire somebody to their dream. Mm-hmm. Okay, then. Let's have a final comment from both you and Darcelle, and then give us the information again. Okay. Well, I, again, would invite all of you to come out and have a soulful night because we can't have a good time if you're not there. So we want you to come on out and enjoy this historical moment. Mm-hmm. Yeah, and it's going to be great food. Just a great time to meet people and share the joy of the holiday. So everybody, one and all, come on out. All right. And can you give us that information one more time? November 22nd. The show is at 8 p.m. It's the Phoenicia Restaurant. The address is 343 North Central Avenue, Glendale, Maryland. Glendale, California. I'm sorry. I'm talking about Glendale, California. I'm from the States. I bounce around. I bounce around. I don't know. I just met Glendale, Maryland. I don't know. But it's Glendale, California. Yes. Wonderful. 818-956-7800. Okay. Thank you very much. And a shout-out to Glendale. I know she's listening out there, too. I know. I will tell her. Thank you, Melvin. Good talking with you, Melvin. Thank you very much. Okay. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Okay. Thank you, Darcelle. Thank you. Thank you, Glenn, from the classic hit TV show, Solid Gold, and Glenn Leonard from the legendary singing group, The Temptations. Now, last Thursday, November the 14th, 2013, some students from UCLA Community Service Commission came down to Yousef and Gladys Park to interact with the Skid Row community and pass out 300 hygiene kits. Here's a short five-minute clip from the visit. Melvin, it's Mel Johnson for the QMRAM Report. So glad to have these students coming out from UCLA to meet with these great community members. And I'm going to start over here on this end. And would you tell us your name and what you major in? My name is Noelle, and my major is biology. My name is Aniza. My major is neuroscience. My name is... My name is Brittany, and my major is psychology. My name is Jamie, and my major is biochemistry. My name is Catherine, and my major is psychology, too. My name is Mark. My major is business economics. My name is Lacey, and my major is neuroscience. My name is Lizette, and my major is biology. Okay. Where's the other students? What's your name and what you major in? My name is Sabrina, and I'm a history major. My name is Karima, and I'm a communication studies and psychology major. Yeah, so glad to have the other students right here. Hi, my name's Amanda, and I'm a political science major. Yes. And look, let's get the name of all the community members right here, right quick. Derek. And right here? Rafael. Community Center Emergency Room Project, Rafael. Okay, we have right here... Hi, I'm Suzette, and I'm here with Community Coalition as well. And right here? Sahila. Sahila. So who we have right here? Sahila. Sahila. Oh, and let me go right around here right quick. We have Johnny Boyd. Well, sure. My name is Liz with Community Center Project, Emergency Room Project. All right. My name is Kevin. I'm part of the Youth Leadership Development Project. We use it. Yes. My name is Miranda. I'm also with the Youth Project. Okay. My name is Tatiana. Okay. Yeah, so glad. Did I miss anybody? Right over here at the door. The namer. I'm Prophet Montgomery. Prophet Montgomery. Earlene. I'm going to hit Charles last. Earl, Drama Stage. Yeah. Okay, so we're going to be handing out these kits in a little while, and then we're also right here. Andrea Ross from Drama Stage. Cool, Ron. Yes. We got you there. Yes. Okay. And then there's Brother Charles. He's going to tell us a little about Youself and what they do in the community, and then we head on out to the park. All right. Yeah. So my name is Charles Porter. I work with United Coalition East, and where you are right now, this is our meeting space. And you met some of our young coalition members, so we have a youth leadership program. It's actually participatory action research, and they're looking at ways to change the community and make the Skid Row neighborhood better for everyone. Our focus is on drug prevention, but when we talk about prevention, we're not telling, you know, just teaching people to say no to drugs. But we're also looking at the community. We're not talking about drugs. But we're looking at what are factors in the community that contribute to neighborhood problems, that contribute to addiction, and how can we change them. So in the past, we've looked at cleaning up hotels, liquor stores, doing neighborhood cleanups. And we're looking at now also targeting the local parks, Gladys Park, which we're about to go into right now, and San Julian Park, and just creating safe spaces. Because in this neighborhood, there's a lot of just single units, and people don't have social space, communal space. Okay. And so we're trying to create a lot of sacred spaces to us. And so we want to make sure we reclaim them for all community members and try to fill the parks with positive activities that help promote wellness and interconnectedness and the sense of community and value, you know, and respect. So those are some themes that we try to promote. Culture is a main part of that. You know, we try to incorporate culture in everything we do. And so people are connected to their history and who they are, sense of identity, sense of, you know, leaving some contribution for the people that come after you and also learning the wisdom of your ancestors. One other thing I would say that in this neighborhood, there's a whole lot of resources here, a lot of very wise people and a lot of stereotypes about Skid Row that will be shattered the more time you spend in Skid Row, you know, because you have people that have done everything. I've met people here that were supermodels. I saw their little portfolios. I've met people that are very, very smart. I've met people that are very, very smart. I've met people that cover shots. What? Doctors, lawyers. Former NFL players, doctors, lawyers. So you know, some people have this view that, oh, these poor people never had a chance. But throughout life, sometimes people, they just, you know, fall into hard times and everyone needs a chance to get their life back in order and figure out who they really are. So as students, you have the opportunity to figure out who you are, what you want to do and, you know, find the best way to partner with people that are already moving to make their neighborhood better. And our goal here is to partner with community members to improve the neighborhood. And we're more partners as opposed to just coming and telling people what to do. You know, we listen to community members and we learn from the community members and we just try to inspire change and work together and treat people like we're family, you know, treat people with respect and dignity and demand that the community treat each other as well. Okay. And then we're going to head out here. Okay. So I'm just waiting for Jamie to quickly tell us about what the group is about here. These two here, these two leaders of the group. So we're from the Community Service Commission at UCLA and we're just a kind of an overarching umbrella organization for a bunch of different service projects. And we put on like small scale programs and large scale programs to get people involved in long term service. That basically sums it up. Okay then. So let's head out to... Okay. That's a special thanks to the students from the Community Service Commission on the campus at USC who also hosted Drama Stage Coon Rhyme performance, Nail Heads, a play about the homeless last Tuesday, November the 12th, 2013 at a dinner on the campus of UCLA. Thank you very much. Now I'm delighted to have with us in the studio, actor Isaac Clay and assistant stage manager, Victoria Quintana. So glad to have you here. From the cast of the play, The Watson Goes to Birmingham, 1963, based on the book by Christopher Paul Curtis and directed by Stephen Cisneros. The play is being performed at the La Mirata Theater for the Performing Arts, Thursday, November the 21st, 2013 at 7 o'clock pm. Thank you. Thank you. And for more information for him, it's being produced by the Phantom Project Theatre Group. For more information, www.phantomproject.com. Isaac, Victoria, welcome to the Coon Rhyme Report. Hello. Thank you. Thank you. Good to be here again. Let's start with Victoria. Tell our listening audience a little about your background and how did you get involved with this play. Well, I went to school at USC and I studied theater there. So, I mean, I've been doing theater since I was 14 or 15, and mostly my background is in stage management. And so in graduating and looking for other types of theater jobs, I did end up being employed at a different theater company. But looking for theater jobs that would allow me to stage manage at the same time was kind of a difficult task because it's so time consuming. And luckily, just doing research online, I was able to find through, I think, through an email server that LACN, they post different job postings and things like that for arts-related jobs. And I found the Phantom Theater Project, Steve's posting, looking for stage managers and assistant stage managers. And so because of time, I was like, well, then I can do the assistant stage management position. And that would allow me to be a little bit more flexible. And I went down there for an interview, and that was it. So it was pretty much just research and figuring out what could fit my schedule and what I was going to be allowed to do there, too. What are some of the duties of the stage manager? Of the stage manager? The stage manager runs the whole show. So the stage manager will know exactly what's going on when and what cues are supposed to be called when. And so, you know, lighting and sound and anything else you can think of that happens. On stage, that has to be cued. That's a stage manager's job. For me, for this show in particular, being assistant stage manager, I assist the stage manager with anything that he needs help with in terms of props or getting any of those cues in line and discussing with him, you know, what goes where in terms of those. When you literally turn pages in the scripts and need to know what happens technically on stage. How about you guys? Tell us a little about. Your background and how did you get involved with this particular play? Well, I came out here in Los Angeles and quite a few years ago in touring company of a Broadway musical called Raisin, which is a musical version of Raisin in the Sun. And we were supposed to just be here for a few weeks and reopen on Broadway, but it didn't quite happen like that. So I decided to stay here. And I'm. I've done quite a few plays and did some soap opera general hospital for a while. And I was with you in drama stage. Come on. I really appreciate you giving me the role of Marcus Garvey in Catch the Tiger. That was a very challenging role. And I remember I opened my big mouth and told you that once you gave me the part, I said, and I remember the character had like 15 monologues and dialogue with the actors and actresses. And I said. And I remember the character. And I remember the character. the first day of rehearsal I have everything memorized and then I realized, what did I say that for? Man, that's too much to memorize. But it worked out. I had everything memorized on the first day, so I really appreciate that you give me that. We also produce your play Heaven. Heaven can't wait no more. You gotta be abundantly correct and say no more. Yeah, and that's if anybody wants to see that, then go to YouTube, type in Heaven can't wait no more, and then but know that I'm not mispronouncing the word, I'm saying no more, and just pull up Isaac Clay's One Man Show, and that's about the last days, about Jesus coming back and us getting our act together before he comes back, and I appreciate you never mentioning that, because I don't plan on letting that just lay by the road, and I plan on doing that again with my five musicians that you introduced me to. Well, I knew Al already, but the other four guys you introduced me to. So, but back to um um um um um um um! How did you get involved with this play? Okay, I did another play out in La Mirada Theater for the Performing Arts about 13 years ago called Goldilocks, hip-hop version of Goldilocks. And I had such a nice time with those people. Everybody was so polite. I mean, really, the children, everybody was polite. I was like amazed. Plus the Lakers had won the championship at that time, so it was a very happy time. And I had a good job at a place called La Louisiane, which you've probably been there before, and they're good gumbo, but it's not the real thing. But anyway, that's beside the point. But, um, yeah, things were going real good for me. I remember there was an opera singer. She played my wife. She played Mama Bear. We had the big, we had big fake bear noses. And I was so scared, because she's a great opera singer. I had to do a duet with her. But I said, I'm not going to be afraid. I'm going to hold my own. And I held my own, and she complimented me. She said, Bear knows. I was so happy. So I always wanted to get back out there. They called me to audition for this, I'm sorry, I can't think of the name of the company. Steve Cisneros, he knows the people. But, um, they wanted to come do a country western show, but I couldn't make it. Well, let me ask you this then. That particular theater, how large is it? 1,300 seats? Yeah. 1,300 seats. Yeah, it's huge. It's huge. It's huge. It's huge. It's huge. It's huge. 1,300 seats. It is very well kept. Very clean, very professional technically. It's up to date. Before we talk about the play, I want to read just a little something about the bombing. Can you read that for us, Victoria? Yeah. The 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama was bombed on Sunday, September 15, 1963, as an act of racially motivated terrorism. The explosion at the African American church, which killed four girls, was a major terrorist attack. The bombing at the African American church, which killed four girls, marked a turning point in the United States' 1960 civil rights movement and contributed to support for passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Although city leaders had reached a settlement in May with demonstrators and started to integrate public places, not everyone agreed with ending racial segregation. Bombings and other acts of violence followed the settlement, and the church had become an obvious target. The three-story 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama had been a rallying point for civil rights activities through the spring of 1963 and was where the first! 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How is that tied into this particular incident? The story's told from the perspective of a young boy, Kenny, who lives with his family actually in Flint, Michigan. And he's got a younger sister and an older brother. And their family is kind of, the older brother is kind of the troublemaker. So they decide, the parents decide that he has to go learn his lesson with his grandma in Birmingham. So that's really what the story is, is this family's relationship developing as they travel to Birmingham and in Birmingham, talking to grandma, learning who grandma lives with, and then this bombing happens while they're there. So there's a bombing scene, and that's something that you'll see at the show. And very artistically, it's very, very gorgeous. But basically, Kenny ends up kind of going through this episode, dealing with the bombing. And his sister's also a young girl. And so comparing her to the girls who were affected by this, and the many other people that were affected by this, but it's definitely something that they were all affected by, being in the city and not knowing what it's like to live in Birmingham at that time. Now, this is the answer. And that happened probably before you was born. Yes. Definitely before you was born. That's fine. But we do have incidents similar to that, that's happening now among your generation, like the Trayvon Martin situation, the young lady that was just killed in Detroit, Michigan, and stuff like that. How do you compare the two, one that you read about and one that you're experiencing now? I'd say that I think that stuff that happened before I was born, it was harder to hide, I think. And it was more, it's a huge statement to make a bombing on a church, and it's very intentional. And I think that as we've progressed, I guess, you know, progressed and however much we have, stuff that happens like Trayvon, it's something that has been ingrained in society as far as how we cope with things. So obviously this being targeted by racial motivation in 1963, the Klan intentionally wanted to show people what they thought about African-Americans at the time. While I think today it's more so of an underlying effect, on people who don't necessarily even know that they have this, that they have racial motivation in them, you know? And I think it's very obvious to a lot of folks that it is, it is there, but it's hard to tell folks when it's not as in your face as the bombing of a black church, you know, in public. Okay. I see, you want to, let me, let me ask you this then. How about the Panton Project Theater Group? Can you tell us, our listening audience, a little about the organization? I know they've been around for a while. That's producing this play. Yeah. And the director. I believe he started, he actually started this, this theater company. I want to say it was when he was 17 or 17 years ago. I think he was 17 or 16. There we go. So he was, he was pretty young when he started this, and I think it was geared towards youth. And he was. So he's still a youngster now. Yeah, so he runs it himself. Nobody would listen to him when he would, would go and present his ideas and about different projects. They look at him and laugh and, because they would see his resume and they say, wow, this kid is brilliant. But then this little kid come bopping in the door and say, what's this run? You know, but he wouldn't give up. Mm-hmm. Okay, we're going to come back. Can I just say one thing? Yes. I want to add this, this is very important to add to this. You can feel the history in this play because they played the music from this time, like yakety yak. And what I really liked, that was what, I was at a rehearsal. I was watching out the young kids, because mostly kids in this play. And they really was getting into this music. If I could think of some of the songs besides yakety yak. Save the Last Dance for me. What else? Straighten Up and Fly Right. Straighten Up and Fly Right. Yeah, stuff like that. And I said, man, so you can feel the history. Mm-hmm. That's good. Oh, also, if I can add one last thing, just because I also think it's important that, we also have a morning show, but that's for the schools. And that's what's really important too about this project and this theater group is that they know, they've picked up on what the schools are reading and they're able to transfer it to theaters so that the schools can come see. And these youth who haven't been able to experience theater before can come see and compare the books that they've read in class. This is required reading in the schools. Yeah. Okay. A little later on in the show, we're going to open up our round table to an in-depth discussion about the church bombing. Let us know if you have any questions. We're going to be back with you in a minute. Thank you. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Let us move on to, now we'll come back to our discussion and for the round table, but on Saturday, November the 16th, 2013 at the Vortex, the second annual military stand down was held. Here are some comments. Yeah. Hi. Hi there. My name is David McKnight and I want to welcome everybody to the stand down that we're presenting to you Saturday, November the 16th. We'll be providing eligibility screening for substance abuse treatment, hygiene giveaway, and lunch will be served, a continental breakfast and so forth. So we hope that you come down. We're glad that you're here. We'll have counseling and all like that. Now me, I'm an actor. I do movies and television. You may have seen me in the five heartbeats, Hollywood Shuffle, JD's Revenge and many other movies, television over the years. I'm also a veteran. I'm a veteran and I was in the medical corps attached to, infantry in Germany, pre-Vietnam. So we're here for you and we welcome all of you all to come out and we hope that you'll benefit from the services that we'll be providing. Thank you all for coming. Hey, this is Jeff Norman from the Veterans Project. So glad to be a part of this great event. A lot of great service providers here. I want to thank all of them for participating. It wouldn't be right to single out any favorites, but let's say if anybody here happens to be a licensed veteran, but let's say if anybody here happens to be a licensed veteran, but let's say if anybody here happens to be a licensed veteran, or a licensed massage therapist, I know somebody who has a bad leg. If you would like to find out what the Veterans Project is all about, or if you want to see photos and every other kind of documentation of this great event, please log in at some point, if not every day, theveteransproject.org, or as they used to say, www.veteransproject.org. www.veteransproject.org. Okay. My name is Geza Axe. I'm an independent record producer, or a former independent record producer. I'm doing a lot of community service these days. I've aligned myself with the Veterans Project and with the Stand Down for a very specific reason, and that is that in our culture these days, we are not giving enough support to veterans who do all of this work for us, and they do a lot more than just go out and fight wars. They do all sorts of things domestically. They do all sorts of things. They do all sorts of things that are important to the communities, and so we want to support these people when they come back. A lot of times they have problems, you know, and they need help, and the government has not stepped up, so community groups and activist groups are taking up the slack, and I'm very, very much in support of that. And your contact information? My contact information is hyperactivists at gmail.com. Hello. My name is Judy Gould, and I'm a first-time volunteer for the second annual Downtown LA Veterans Stand Down event. I'm sure you are all now aware of the wonderful programs associated with this event and here to assist you. As the daughter of a living Second World War veteran, I would like to take this opportunity to welcome all and thank you for your past service and wish you well. Hi. I'm Judy Bowman. I'm part of the planning committee for the second annual Stand Down event. I'm part of the planning committee for the second annual Stand Down event. I'm part of the planning committee for the second annual Stand Down event. for the second annual Downtown Los Angeles Stand Down. November 14th, 2013. And I want to welcome everybody and say how happy I am to be able to work on this committee. I grew up as an Air Force brat traveling in the backseat of a 60's Ford station wagon when it actually had wood on the sides. So I feel like I'm part of the military because I saw the sac bases that my dad made for me. because I saw the sac bases that my dad made for me. because I saw the sac bases that my dad made for me. because I saw the sac bases that my dad made for me. dad, an original Tuskegee Airman, was assigned to during the 50s and the 60s. I work with the Robie Theater Company now, and I want to thank Ben Guillory for allowing me to take some of my time to help work with this wonderful event. If anybody's interested in getting more information about the Robie Theater Company, they can call 213-489-7402. We have an email, which is gotorobie, G-O-T-O-R-O-B-E-Y, at gmail.com. Thanks a lot, everybody. Hello, I'm LeShaw, and I'm glad to be one of the volunteers for the stand-down. I was here last year, hope to be here next year, but it's one of the major events and a good special time in my life. I have veterans in my family, a whole certain Vietnam, an old certain Iraq and Afghanistan, and I understand. I understand the importance of learning in veterans. I hope everybody come out. Stage manager, I'm also a stage manager for Drama Stage Coon Ram and the Veterans Community Theater Workshop. I'm Lloyd, and I'm speaking on behalf of Positive Light Ministries, also for Shante Duncan, who is also the secretary on the board of Positive Light Ministries. I'm David, and I'm the director of the! We're with Positive Light Ministries, and you can reach us at 951-789-1046. Our email address is positivelight at sbcglobal.net. Hello, my name is Earlene Anthony, and the Veterans Project, Roby Theater Company, Drama Stage Co-Run, Skid Row Studios, U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, and The Vortex presents the second annual Downtown Los Angeles Veterans Stand Down, and I'm excited about it. I'm a part of Drama Stage Co-Run Theater Company. This event will be held Saturday, November the 16th from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at The Vortex, 2341 East Olympic Boulevard here in Downtown Los Angeles. Many service providers will be here providing services for the veterans, and we just want to thank the veterans for the wonderful job that they are doing and will be doing. Once again, I'm Earlene Anthony. I'm with Drama Stage. My contact information is dramastage1 at yahoo.com. Please come out and support the veterans. Hello, yes, my name is Bobby Buck, and I'm here with the Action Protesters Movement, and I want to let people know that the stand down is a very, excellent project for the homeless and veterans, and it's full of connections and resources that can help people out, and it's time of need, and everybody should be happy to be involved with such a program. And with me, Bobby Buck, I'm using a social network to do promotions for all the positive action that goes on in the community of Skid Row and South Los Angeles. So you can check with me, Bobby Buck, at bobbybuck.com, that's b-o-b-b-y-b-u-c-k.com, and I can be reached at 213-293-7983. Okay, that's Bobby Buck. I'm getting ready to turn it over to Bobby Buck. He's the lead that leads us into a new monthly section of the Coon Brown Report every third Monday with Bobby Buck. But first, we have someone on the line. Who do we have on the line? Virginia. Hey, Virginia. That's my mom. Yeah. How you doing, Virginia? I'm doing wonderful. Yeah, what do you want to say to Bobby here and the guests we got here in the studio? I just want to let my son know how proud I am and how he allowed God to use him, and I thank God for the grace on his life and that he had the love and compassion to help people. Oh, that's so good. Oh, beautiful, beautiful. Yeah, but I can say happy birthday to my mom. Today is her birthday. What's her name, Virginia? Virginia. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, dear Virginia. Happy birthday to you and many more. Well, thank you. You see, I didn't sing it. I don't want to mess it up. Yes, God is good to me. 62 today. Oh, 62. He's just a baby. He's just a youngster. So, Bobby, what do you want to say to your mom? I'm going to say I apologize for all the mess, but I hope you appreciate the new success. I surely do. I'm just so proud of you, Bobby Buck. Keep on doing God's work, and you'll get rewarded in the end. Yes, ma'am. You're down there in Little Rock. Well, I mean, I'm in Little Rock. I'm in the town about 45 minutes from Little Rock. I'm in Melbourne, Arkansas. Yes, my hometown, Melbourne, Arkansas. Population is about 10,000. Yes, yes. I know where it's at. Oh, okay. It's a blessed city. Yes. Okay, then. Thank you for calling. One more comment for Bobby? Keep up the work. Let God be glorified, and keep lifting him up. Okay. I sure will. Thank you, Virginia, for calling. Thank you, all. Mm-hmm. All right, bye-bye. Bye-bye. Okay, now, before I turn it over to Bobby, can you tell our listening audience about some of the things you got planned for your monthly show? Oh, yes. I'm going to do the best I can to fit everything in, but one thing I want to be starting off with is an action called Read Off. Well, I'm going to read off a few of the organizations doing real positive actions in the community, from Skid Row to South Los Angeles. Also, I'm going to do something called Word Clear. I want to give a word out each month for people to go to the dictionary to look up the definition. There's more than one definition for each word we speak. So I want people to learn more in detail about the words that come out of their mouth. Mm-hmm. Also, I'm going to have homeless tips. Some tips could be funny. Some tips could be serious. Could be tips that can help people get by during hard times. Mm-hmm. And the rest of it's going to be interviewing people like entertainers, entrepreneurs, and movers and shakers. Okay. Okay, I'm turning it over to Bobby. But, Bob, you can introduce your guests. All righty. I guess my first guest is going to be my man, Ola Shay. He's the man that's in the play called Love on San Pedro. And go ahead and do your thing, man. How you doing? I'm great. I'm great. It's a blessing to be here. Thank you, Bobby. Thank you, Melvin. Thank you to all the guests. It's just a blessing. Like I said, it's a blessing to be here again and to be a part of this great radio station, man. Basically, as I said, I'm one of the— I'm one of the actors in the play Love on San Pedro. I play the pasta. Spirituality is a way. I feel so—like I said before when I was on here last time, I feel so blessed to be a part of this great, great, great undertaking because we're actually lifting up Skid Row members and we're telling their stories. And I think, wow, this is awesome. Matter of fact, I don't even want it to end. And I went to it before it opened. I went to the show not to laugh. It was a long time ago after the full show I seen. And it was a tearjerker. And I was in there, you know, maybe because I lived on Skid Row for almost two years. So I was actually, you know, feeling it. So, yeah, it's a very special play. So I think everybody should check it out. Yeah. Actually, the show closes November 24th. So if you all are available, playing Wednesday through Sunday, various times, you have to go to www.cornerstonetheater.org. North. And you may get some ideas for where to play. And you know what? Like I said, I'm just happy. I'm grateful for everything that's happening to me. All the good things. You know what? You never know what life is going to bring you. That's why you should just live it every day to the fullest. Because I had no idea that all this stuff would be happening to me by me just going to that audition. Because I was getting ready to give up because I'm a singer. I was getting ready to give up the singing career, giving up everything. But something told me, I call it God. It told me, go to the audition. And that's what I did. Now all this stuff is happening. And I say, thank God and thank you all for embracing me. Oh, yeah. But before we let you go, what about something coming up on Wednesday? Wednesday? For you? You got something coming up? That's one of the last days of the play. Nope. You're supposed to be something special happening? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm going to be featured in Art Bound on KCET. They did it a day in my life. And what they're going to be doing is, on their website, they're going to be printing the article about me, just about me and what I went through during that day. Oh, before I forget, I got to do a shout-out to the people who helped me read my lines, Eric Sarney and Ronan Gray, because they were, like, seriously being patient with me and helping me with my lines. And I want to say thank you to them both. All right. Shout-out to you, too, for me, Ronan. And, all right, thank you very much, Olishay. And my next guest is Mr. Ray Catraeus. And he's the man with the plan. He's the man with the health and wellness for the community. So go ahead and speak your piece. Well, hi. My name is Ray Catraeus, and I'm here to promote wellness. I know out there a lot of people want to find out about wellness. Well, we have a real opportunity for people to come and join us and help spread wellness and, at the same time, build a business for a lifetime. If you guys are interested, it's an opportunity to create reliable residual income. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.. the things that you're looking reliable residual income that could literally change your life well we have an opportunity where our company it's a family-driven company uh we're all about god first family second and there is your uh your business so if you guys want to be part of that just hit out bobbybug.com to uh get more information about the company but it's really if you want to be part of something great definitely give him a call or send him a message right on all right thank you and um is there like um some products that you want to explain to people about some things that your health is all natural for health and wellness yeah we do everything uh when it comes to the products that we we're a non-chemical company everything we do is uh non-toxic uh you'll get to see once you definitely once you try it out the product you'll definitely get to see that is something that will change your life because it's all natural. We don't use any chemicals. It's an organic company that's been around for 28 years, a billion dollar company. We're just trying to help other people out there that really want to change their life. Okay, and I know one of the products with the laundry detergent, regular laundry detergent and bleach and all this stuff is poisonous, but with these products if a baby swallows the laundry detergent, no harm will come to that child. Exactly. Most of our products do not, actually a kid could drink it, but he's not going to end up at the hospital because nowadays a lot of products out there such as, they use Clorox or use all these kinds of other chemicals and if a kid was to drink it or something, usually they end up at the hospital and that's one of the biggest risks for kids drinking something that will take them to end up at the hospital with all those chemicals out there. So we're not, we don't use any chemicals. Everything's organic. And that's what I love about that and everything. And so, as far as presentations, people can come to you or you come to them or however you do the presentations so people can get to check out this business. Yeah, definitely. We have, we're actually spread all over the 50 states, but if they want a presentation, we have an office in Commerce and they can come to us or we can go to them and show them they're in California. And we also do webinars if they're interested in any part. We're actually in 15 countries and right now we are, we have one of the biggest movements because one of the countries that's going to be expanding is Mexico. And it's just right now it's a revolution. I mean the company has been growing for 28 years. We really want to be part of a company that's been growing every, like for 28 years non-stop. And this year we're going to be changing history because we're already a billion dollar company and we're growing. I mean through recession we've grown. So it's an amazing way of being part of something big. Alright, thank you very much Ray. Alright, my next guest is someone I just met in person. So her name is Fanny Martinez. And let the people know exactly what you do. Here we go, mic right there. Hi, what I do, well I'll talk about my humanitarian projects. That's what I'm talking about, alright. Yes, well I discovered shipping containers being used to build exotic hotels. Yes. Well, I discovered shipping containers being used to build exotic hotels. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. and homes by a friend who just showed me a video on YouTube. And I completely became obsessed with the technology. So I used North Hollywood High School to help me collect donations. And I'm in the process of building a library using shipping containers in Africa. So for the last year and a half, two years, we were up to collecting about 150,000 books. We have donated land and have an awesome team. My nonprofit's called Children's Shorehouse Foundation. My partner's Penny Leon. And the project's name is Gift to Giving Project. I don't know if you guys know about shipping containers, but they're innovative, very affordable, eco-friendly. And in an earthquake or a disaster, you will survive in one of those. In Haiti, I built a school using shipping container, very successful. So- So I'm only trying to bring awareness that this is a solution for any housing project, clinics, homes. And so that's where we're at. We've got everything we need and now we're in the part of raising the funds to purchase containers, transport them to Africa, and then the building of the library, which this is not just a library because it's going to be huge. So it's going to facilitate as a clinic, as a training facility, as an activity center, so that's where we're at. And we're happy to be where we're at. that I came to talk about. Hey, I like what you're doing. That's what I'm talking about because we're looking for all type of people doing real positive action. Thank you. And this is the name of the game we're playing. I like that. Yeah, and you can find out more about the project by going to our website, which is www.giftofgivingproject. That's the website for the overall project. My nonprofit is childrenshorehousefoundation.org. And so we're doing great things. I'm going to get you involved with some online fundraising then. Yeah, I use Indiegogo. Indiegogo is my favorite. You know, there's Kickstarter. I'm all over social media. That's the way to go to bring awareness. And also I got to turn you on with this business that he's in with the health and wellness. A nonprofit can join for free. Oh, okay. And then you can order products at your leisure. Right. No pressure. And then you refer other people and you get your residual income. All right. Yeah, we'll talk about that later. All right, then. And the next guest. Miss Yvonne Michelle. That's what I'm going to call her. I'm here to laugh and you're all probably tired of me by now. No, no, no. I'm just always so grateful to Melvin Drama Stage, Kumran, Melvin, and Earlene so much. And I just, you know, really, I thank God for Bobby. Bobby set up my website. I mean, he's really, he's just really trying to keep me connected. Introduced me to Ray and Melaleuca. And, you know, shout out to Bobby's mother. I had my birthday on the 6th. So happy birthday to every Scorpion. You know, the bad rep we give. But we give thanks for the good Scorpios. Did you want me to do the Poetry Hour? Oh, yes. Okay. Why don't you go ahead and do your thing. You do the entertainment part. I do. So let me just cut straight to the chase. And giving thanks, first of all, to the Most High and also for this young lady. So much for her contribution. Right on. And for everyone's contribution at this table, city and worldwide, just for what they're doing to try to improve standard of living and health. And for those that are suffering. So I wrote this poem actually a few years ago about a black woman. I'm going back to the issue of the murder, extermination of black people or any subjugated person. One person suffering is everyone. So I'll let it speak to it for itself. This woman was murdered in the street of downtown Los Angeles. And this is in the last five years, not 50 years, but five years. So, you know, wake up. The writing is on the wall. This is still happening. Shouldn't happen anywhere. It's called it. It could have been me. It has been one year and some weeks since the police beat down that little black lady in the streets. Yeah, it could have been me. Y'all. It could have been me. That little black lady that the police beat to death in the middle of the streets. If anything, she should have been subdued appropriately. That could have been me. Y'all that could have been me and it should not be happening in 2013 or even 2003. I just keep on thinking that could have been me. I heard they choked her to death and later on she died while in their custody. That was a lynch. She was choked without a rope. I just keep on thinking it could have been me that the police beat down in the street. What are they trying to do? Go back to a hidden type of New World Ordered kind of a slavery with all this white supremacy. But we just love you and we're so awesome. But there's still police brutality. Where's the equity? It's like the lives of black people. Po people people. They say ugly don't mean anything. After all, she wasn't a white lady. She wasn't even a Mexican. Not that it would have been any more or less of a sin. No, I ain't hating this message. I'm simply communicating because it's not about the race. It's about the inhumanity because the police and those who choose to believe in white supremacy or the powers that be the Illuminati. When I say she was probably a number two, a crackhead or a prostitute. The police beat that little black lady in the street. For everybody to see. She looked just like me. The only difference is that she claimed Cuban as her nationality. I'm American, but no, I'm not proud to be. They trying to return to a hidden type of New World Ordered slavery. Max by. Oh, what? We just love you again. It's so awesome, but I'm not really feeling that after this. But I ain't tripping because then they will call me a mad bad sad angry black lady. Please tell me just what kind of fear jealousy and hatred drives them. I heard. She would be. She was beat down by she was beat down by six or seven big strong men using lies to justify and to hide the homicides and desecration of our civil rights. Tell me do I have to constantly be looking behind me daily when I'm walking down the street. She was just dancing in the street. They said she was a crackhead in that. She was crazy. That's it. I mean, they had the right to beat down that little black lady in the street for the whole community to see what they really wanted to do. Really was to instill fear. She's young. She's young. She's young. She's young. She's young. She's young. She's young. She's young. She's young. She's young. She's young. She's young. She's young. She's young. She's young. She's young. She's young. She's young. She's young. She's young. She's young. She's young. She's young. She's young. She's young. She's young. She's young. She's young. She's young. She's young. She's young. She's young. She's young. She's young. She's young. She's young. She's young. sits on America's throne. Again, that could have been me. I can hear the police ever so clearly. Let's choke it. Let's beat it down. Let's say it's a man just because we can. So what can we do? We can do whatever we want to. She ain't a number one. She's a number two. That is the code that they choose to use. And you know just what we're supposed to do. We're supposed to take everything from them, their jobs, their money, their homes, their children, and their men. And then we get to kill them. They even got some black men to commit the sin. It hurts me ever so deeply in my heart that I don't know where to start. They say it's all right. She's not pure white. It's all right. She's not snow white. Snow. Go out and kill that fag tonight, you know, bro. They would lie to justify the homicide. Just like I said, they even got some black men to commit the sin. They say she's so little. She's so ugly. She's so skinny. This roach, this witch, she really, offends me. After all, we gods, we kings, we the cream of the crop. This problem, this troublemaker, we got to stop. Please tell me, how could they say their souls receive a lie and believe that it could make them whole? Just think, that could have been me, y'all. I think about it repeatedly because I walk down the same streets daily. And I'll bet you that she was young, pretty, and sexy. Well, they say she's not supposed to be. They say she's not a white lady. She's black. She's supposed to be. She's supposed to be. She's supposed to be. She's supposed to be. She's supposed to be. She's supposed to be. She's supposed to be. She's supposed to be. She's supposed to be. She's supposed be old, ugly, lusty, musty. Tell me, what did she do? Threaten some white lady feeling jealousy and insecurity? Well, they say it was just so scary. They probably said she was an alien, a temptress, a ductress, and a tease, a devil, witch, stalker, weirdo, crazy hoe, sex demon who takes off all her clothes. Yeah, I know, because they say the same thing about me daily to justify trying to frame me. Yeah, that could have been me, y'all. That little black lady that the police beat down in the street was another that did not die, but the police sent her to jail after they beat her down after some crooked cop's lies and evil tales. Yeah, that could have been me. Tomorrow could be you. So what you gonna do to stop this abuse? Let's stop the abuse. All right. Everywhere we see it. Thank you. Right on. Thank you very much. So I guess that brings it to the end, and we gotta pass it on to Melvin Johnson. Okay, thank you, Bobby. Excuse me. Thank you, Bobby Buck. I want to get a little quick comment, closing comment from other two guests over here, Victoria and Isaac. Take about 30 seconds apiece. Ladies first. Yeah, thank you. I just, I guess I want to say that the show, the show that we're working on is a really interesting piece, so I would encourage you to come see it. Also to just, I think you really have the opportunity to learn something and also to fall in love with the characters or a character. There's somebody in there that really everybody can relate to. It's all ages. It's educational, but it's very, it's crafted very specifically. So I would say that if you want to see it in the future, I would encourage you to come see it. Okay. I would say that if you want to see an inspiring piece to learn something from, definitely come down on Thursday, Thursday night. And I can't overemphasize the music. I am playing three characters in the play. The first character I'm playing is Mr. Alums, Alums. He's the school teacher. He has to deal with some rowdy kids. And the second character I'm playing is Mr. Mitchell, the store clerk. And the last character I'm playing is Mr. Robert. Okay. Okay. So I'm playing the first character, the first character, and the second character is the first person, the grandmother's boyfriend. Okay. Thank you. And get on out there and see this great play. I wanted to just mention real quickly about the Burmese bombing in 1963. Two other people, famous people that was involved with that, with these four young ladies that lost their life was Colonel Lisa Rice and Angela Davis, who were classmates of these young ladies. Okay. Okay. Next week on the Coombran Report, we will have neighborhood council member and founder of the movie on the nickel, Wendell Blassingame and Silky D. I would like to express special thanks to our in-studio guests, Isaac Clay, Victoria, Bobby Buck, and his guests. On the line with Darcelle and Glen Leonard. Please listen to past shows of the Coombran Report on iTunes, Facebook, Stitcher, and skidrow.la. Thank you for tuning in. We'll see you next week. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Boy, oh boy. Brothers, there's only one blood. Cause it ain't no sense in us trampling on the stones. It's us down, down to the bone. Blood is thick. Waters were known well. Cousins were kept apart. Mothers were often memories. Fathers were not favorites on the farm. For he could do some harm. He could wreck the master's skin. For he, brothers, could dream. Your mama ain't no saint. Your daddy died on a shallow stream. But your uncle, Dr. King, did have a dream, my brother. And what is your real excuse? Why can't you study your lessons and stay in school? Why can't you study your lessons and stay in school? School. Cards. Cards. Cards. Cards. Cards. Cards. Cards. Cards. Cards.