BMP (Buffalo Music Players) BREAKING EPISODE: Alicia Huff and NO KINGS

This Saturday, a nationwide protest is coming once again to the streets of Buffalo and beyond. Our guest was Alicia Huff, a longtime protester, came to BMP to tell us about the use of our freedom of protest, how to prepare and what is at stake.

It's a quick episode followed by a great song by Velvet Bethany called "Creeps" because they all are.

BMP Sponsors are:

Captain Tom & the Hooligans

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SHIANNE WAXING STUDIO

Theme for the Shianne Waxing Studio Commercial was Conducted & Composed by Philip Milman

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:00

After a long day, it's hard to turn off. That's why I go to Mammoth Cannabis on 212 Ohio Street. Their stuff I have you laid out flatter than a mammoth's foot. From flour to pre-rolls, vaporizers to concentrate. You can rest assured that something big is waiting for you at Mammoth Dispensary. Just keep in mind, if you smell cereal from the General Mills factory nearby, they can't help you. You have to go home and get a bowl yourself. It's a dispensary, not an eatery after all. It's the B and P podcast. If you are artists, no matter discipline, we'll help you out. Don't believe in gatekeeping, we all gotta eat, and this is our way of helping out. If your rocking can do it, I sure can. I've never fucked a stool, so I've got the upper hand. If your rocking can do it, I sure can. I've never fucked a stool, so I've got the upper hand.

unknown 1:44

It's the BMP pocket.

SPEAKER_01 1:48

Hello, listeners. This is the BMP Podcast. I'm your host, Benjamin Joe. And I am Max. And with us today is a very valued guest, community member, Alicia. Um would you like to uh say your name and uh why you're here?

SPEAKER_00 2:01

Yeah, my name is Alicia Huff, and I'm here because I'm really passionate about Buffalo. Um, really want to advocate for the city, for the people that live here, and just you know, be a voice to so many that are going through a lot right now, myself included. So I'm so happy to be here and thank you guys for having me.

SPEAKER_01 2:20

We want to support the cause as much as anybody. Um perhaps you can tell us a little bit of what how it's hurting yourself and other people that you know, like what the situation, like set the stage for us. What's going on?

SPEAKER_00 2:30

Um so I feel like being a part of politics and and talking about Buffalo, it's been ingrained. I'm born and raised here. Um, all throughout high school I was very involved, but it wasn't until the 2016 election that really changed everything for me in terms of my outlook on so much in life. Um, throughout college, you know, being a part of local groups on my college campus at Ferdonia. Um and when I graduated in 2019, I came home. Um, as we all know, the following year COVID happened, but also we all know about COVID.

SPEAKER_01 3:01

Try to forget about it. Try to forget about it.

SPEAKER_00 3:02

It's crazy to think it's six years, but um that summer we also saw some of the largest protests that this head country has seen in a very long time. Um, George Floyd being murdered in uh Minneapolis, Minnesota. And that for me sparked and changed everything. Um, me and my friends, we decided to put together a small group based out of Hamburg. And that entire summer, all we did was boots on the ground, um, being out in the streets, going to protest. Um, we were at the protest where I believe, I don't know if you guys remember, but that old man that was pushed by the police at one. I remember that one. I saw it. I was there for the protests. Um I vividly remember being at the protest. I was with my mother, my stepfather, both my older brothers, and um myself. And I remember the everything beforehand was very it was like a calm before the storm. I I always tell people, and it was, you know, people were there, we were protesting, people were talking. Um, and when we were going to march, you slowly just saw the presence of police force just get a lot heavier. Um and by the time we had came back from the loop that we had done from uh I think we went up Delaware and went all the way down and then came back up, or yeah, or um, whatever that street is. Um, and when we came back, there were snipers on the buildings. There were way more police there than when we had left. Um, there were tanks, there were men with um those like police shields. I don't know exactly. Oh, yeah, call it gear. Yeah, like right gear. Yeah, absolutely. Um, I don't know to this very day, I don't know if it was a protester, I highly doubt it, or the police officer, but you saw you heard the sound of what sounded like bullets, so people immediately started freaking out. Um, there's a lot of chaos ensuing, and people are now getting angry because now nobody knows who the aggressor is, but everybody's aggressive. Um, and you know, you saw everything that occurred with the gentleman being pushed, you know, and he wasn't even trying to be unruly, he was just honestly trying to get the officer to see like this is unnecessary, like this is not needed. Um, and you know, he was pushed to the ground and it went viral. But for me that summer, um, it changed everything. Me and my friends, we got over 200 people registered to vote that summer. Oh, yeah, it was it was great. Um, from new voters who had just turned 18 to people who had just weren't activated until that summer. Um, and it was really great that, you know, a couple of kids um from Buffalo, from Hamburg, Amherst, we were all over, came together to make that happen.

SPEAKER_01 5:31

So that is very cool. Thanks. Very cool. Thank you. I know we're here to go and talk about the uh the big protests that's happening on the twenty eighth. So across the country's over three thousand rallies, I think, have been organized across the United States and a big one in DC. Yeah. Which should bring in basically over a hundred thousand people. And I think across the country more than there were seven million that were there in October for the last No Kings protest.

SPEAKER_05 5:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:53

But um it's it's it's expected to break that that record as well. Absolutely. Uh before before we get into like the march that's happening this Saturday, can you just tell us a little bit how does it feel to go and be going to these protests? Like, is there anything that people should know that like you know, a newbie? Like I I, for instance, I have not been to a protest since the Afghanistan war.

SPEAKER_00 6:10

Yeah, wow. Um, I I always tell people to almost be like overly prepared a little bit. Um, I always I turn off my location when I go, um, so I cannot be tracked. Um, if I can, I leave my phone at home. I advise people if they feel comfortable to do that. Um, I also write my parents or people that I know their phone numbers on my arms in case anything were to happen to me. Um I wear all black when I go, I wear a mask to cover myself. Um, I try to, I'm very covered in tattoos, so I try to cover as many identifying markers in my body. And some people um they might say this is too much, they might say it's overkill, I say it's not enough. Um, you always have to be prepared going into these situations. It's a lot um physically, it can be a lot mentally, emotionally. Um, and I I definitely tell people to just go in with an open mind. Um, if you can bring a first aid kit. Um I carry a backpack, in my backpack, I'll I'll bring other things with me that I I don't want to say, but you know, I I make sure that I'm prepared, I make sure that I'm safe, and if I'm going with people, I also make sure to inform them of how they can make themselves safe. So that's what I tell anyone. Um, take what you will from that information, but that's kind of what I do every time.

SPEAKER_01 7:23

I'm curious because the No Kings protest has been known to be like the biggest peaceful um like protest ever in our history. I'm just wondering, like, yeah, it you say you have to go and protect yourself, but this is a peaceful protest. Like, what what could go wrong?

SPEAKER_00 7:37

Um, we are peaceful. Um, but I know that others might not be. And I I always my parents always taught me, don't always say like, oh, I wish I would have or I should have done this. Um, I'm not going there to cause any harm, but I'm also gonna go there to protect myself. And if things I'm not wishing or hoping any of that happens, but if something does take the turn, I need to make sure that I am comfortable and I'm prepared. Absolutely. Um, there are people and I I've gone to um I think there was a a protest uh last summer in June. Yeah, I went to that one and I didn't I went with a big group of friends. It was my birthday, and so I didn't do any of that. I didn't wear any of my stuff, and it was fine and it ended up being okay, but I also just like I don't feel comfortable when I don't go like that because I know that things can go wrong, and we are always peaceful, but others might not be. And especially the heightened environment that we were living in, the country that we were living in, it can really turn for a worse.

SPEAKER_01 8:42

So, um, real real quick, what what what is your beef with the with the Trump administration? Like, I think we all know that it's hard to go and like, but like for you, like, is there any particular issue that that really stands out? For me, it's the ICE immigration.

SPEAKER_00 8:54

Yeah, absolutely. Um, ICE is definitely at the forefront. Um, it's at the very top of my list. But also our LGBT are trans youth right now. You know, if you look at what you know what's going on, they do not believe that trans people are people, they do not believe that they have a right to be here. Um, and I strongly, as somebody a part of the LGBTQIA community, I I stand with my brothers and my sisters and my allies and my non-binary babies. Um, I have a huge bone to pick with that, and I really, really, really urge um anybody, if you consider yourself an ally in any form, you should be speaking out, you should be using your platform, you should be advocating for people because there are those that are scared to speak up, that are scared to leave their homes, that are scared to live their everyday lives. But definitely for me, I would say ICE um and definitely everything that's going on with our LGBTQ community that's happening right now.

SPEAKER_01 9:46

Absolutely. Well, I have two family members who are trans women, and they and it's been really hard for them to get out of the house. Yeah. It's been really hard. And um, you know, I mean, we all have to go and like I'm not trying to be transphobic or anything like that, but I will say, like, you gotta go and live your life without fear. And this this administration is not making that easier.

SPEAKER_00 10:05

No, not at all. Not not even remotely close. And you know, everything that's going on with ice, I was talking to a colleague of mine at work, and she's very into animals, and she herself said California, she runs a not-for-profit here in Buffalo. Um, in California, they are in a crisis when it comes to the pets that are there because when ice is coming and they are kidnapping these people, these the animals that they took care of, who's there to take care of them? Yeah, there's no one. There's no one there. So neighbors or you know, other loved ones are going there and they might not be able to care for the animals. So they call their local animal shelters, their SPCAs, they're all full.

SPEAKER_05 10:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 10:41

And then they're euthanizing these animals because they don't have space.

SPEAKER_01 10:47

Wow, it's like the ripple effect.

SPEAKER_00 10:48

It is that people don't think about.

SPEAKER_01 10:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 10:51

They don't think about. And she was saying, you know, she has non-for-profits that she works with, and they literally don't have anywhere to put, and it's thousands of animals. It's so many that they they have no choice but to euthanize them, and it's really sad. And it's it's terrible, and and again, I don't think that the man that is in charge even cares about that, even think about it.

SPEAKER_01 11:12

Oh, I highly doubt it. Highly doubt. Terrible first. I think we've we kind of figured that out for the city. Absolutely. I'm surprised I I have not met a true Trump supporter that has not told me out now that they're just like, yeah, I don't like him anymore.

SPEAKER_00 11:24

Yeah, um, it it's disgusting, you know. The children that come home from school that are ripped from school, um, to have no one there for them, to have their mother, their father, their siblings, everyone. It's it is creating a long, long-term effect of generational trauma, of of ripping families, of just unnecessary cruelty that is happening, and it's it's so sad that everyone is everyone in positions of power are at blame because you guys are doing nothing when so much could be done. Um, you cannot play this by the same rules as someone that doesn't care for the rule book.

SPEAKER_03 12:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:04

There's no rule book when it comes to him. So why are we playing by the rules when he clearly has said the rules don't apply to me? I don't I don't follow them.

SPEAKER_03 12:10

Yeah, he's freestyles.

SPEAKER_00 12:11

He's freestyled, yeah. He just he throws caution into the air. It doesn't matter for him. So I don't understand why, you know, the house and and all these people and our politicians, and what are you guys doing?

SPEAKER_01 12:24

Yeah, it's at any level. It's very much like this emperor has no clothes. Yeah. And like, and that's what the system is. I read this earlier, it's not my own thought, people. Don't give me that much credit. But I did hear no one really believes in the system. We all know it's it's falling apart, it doesn't exist, might as well not exist, but we all are pretending that the emperor has clothes on and that it does that it is functioning on as on on a way in a way that is normal.

SPEAKER_00 12:45

Absolutely. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:47

Yeah. Hey, we're running out of time, but um maybe you can tell us a little bit about the the marches this week.

SPEAKER_00 12:53

Absolutely. So this Saturday, uh March 28th, uh at the Niagara Square, that we are doing a well not we, but I hope to be there, um a No Kings protest. Um come be there, make signs, uh, bring your friends, bring your loved ones. But definitely if you are someone that's doesn't agree with this administration, doesn't agree with what's going on right now, you should definitely come down um 11 a.m.

SPEAKER_01 13:13

So 11 a.m. And we're we're at right at Niagara School. Yep, right in the circles. Right by the big city hall.

SPEAKER_00 13:18

Yep, right in front of City Hall. You literally will not be able to miss it.

SPEAKER_01 13:22

Absolutely. And um, I I did ask you before you came on the show to come on with the band idea and like let's let's let's end let's end the the the uh the the the uh the podcast today with uh a shout out to a local band. Is there anybody that you've listened to kind of like well, a lot that lives in the area?

SPEAKER_00 13:39

There is this, I not a band, but there's this girl. Her name's fine, yeah. Uh I believe her name is Alison. She's having a show actually.

SPEAKER_01 13:46

Oh, Velvet Death.

SPEAKER_00 13:48

Yeah, she's having a show at Milky's actually this Saturday. Um I saw her at Porch Fest actually last year. I got to one of the houses I was walking by, I got to hear her. Um, so she's actually having a show, I believe, this Saturday at Milky's. So I like her music whenever she pops up my TikTok. Yeah. Yeah, I love her. So yeah, I would say that's my little shout-out.

SPEAKER_01 14:05

All right. Well, well, BMP listeners, thanks for listening. I know it's been a short podcast, but I hope it's been useful to you. See you at the uh the the protest on the 28th if you feel so inclined. Uh, in general, thank you for listening to the BMP podcast.

SPEAKER_03 14:18

May the sauce be with you guys. Alright, bye. Bye. This just then, a double scoop of bad news. Man, life just isn't letting up. I feel like the walls are closing in, and I don't have a way to stop it. I wish there was somewhere I could go. Some place where I could just get away from everything and just be creative.

SPEAKER_02 14:48

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SPEAKER_03 15:12

Wow, that sounds great. I'll check it out.

SPEAKER_02 15:15

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SPEAKER_03 18:00

The bringer of life, the bringer of unimaginable joy, the cause of catastrophic destruction. Knowing that you have something so powerful, wouldn't you want the best to take care of it? Pardon me for saying this. I am just a humble announcer. But if I had a coochie, I'd probably get it waxed at Cheyenne's waxing studio on 830 Elmwood Ave. You have power in between your legs. So why not have it taken care of by the best? Don't believe in gatekeeping. We all gotta eat, and this is our way of helping out. Benjo's the host, Ben Max the cult. We try our best, so here we go. Like, why you got a podcast? Everybody got done. To be quite honest, I'm got a job. Looking at prospects like a one going rock. Thank Joe for the pot. I'm not designed for crime. I'm too pretty for present. But talking off the dome, I'm finna make a kill. If Joe Rogan can do it, I sure can. I've never fucked a stool, so I've got the upper hand. If Joe Rogan can do it, I sure can. I've never fucked a stool, so I've got the upper hand.

unknown 19:38

It's the B and B pocket. It's the B and B pocket.