Motive WBEZ Chicago
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- Society & Culture
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Chicago gangs: Real people. Real stories. A way forward. The new season of Motive explores violence on the streets of Chicago and the former gang members working to stop it.
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1: After The Gunfire
Former gang members are out on Chicago’s streets trying to slow the relentless violence. A man shot 11 times hides with his kids at home.
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2: De/Escalation
Sirenzo Strong spends his work days trying to talk to gang members in Chicago’s East Garfield Park neighborhood. Part of his turf is the site of a former housing complex, Rockwell Gardens. When former residents return to the old neighborhood, so do the old gang allegiances and grudges.
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3: Underpaid And Underappreciated
Gunshot victim Joey struggles to get police to arrest the man he believes seriously wounded him and killed his neighbor. Meanwhile, low-pay and job insecurity make it harder for anti-violence workers to do their jobs and build a life for themselves.
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4: Getting In And Getting Out
The gang murder of 7-year-old Jaslyn Adams shook Chicago and affected many of the anti-violence workers on the West Side. As former gang members they sympathized with Jaslyn’s dad, Jontae, his desire to spend time with his daughter and how that put her at risk of violence. Jontae still struggles with the guilt. And when he decided to help police catch his daughter’s killers his gang friends turned on him.
**Content warning: This episode contains uses of the n-word. -
5: Collateral Damage
A 14-year-old boy whose father was wounded in a gang shooting faces down threats of violence and the temptations of joining a gang. Meanwhile, a person who killed one woman and wounded another will avoid criminal charges.
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6: Aftermath
Anti-violence worker Cecilia Mannion confronts her desire for revenge after the car her kids are riding in is shot up 20 times. Meanwhile outreach workers in Garfield Park are trying to slow a string of shootings stemming from the theft of an $8,000 necklace. And Joey finally goes to the police station to make an identification, but there are problems.
Customer Reviews
Superb podcast, fascinating and disturbing
The professionalism and tone of the journalism is truly excellent. I love the way the stories are the women’s own and the presenter makes the point about language used. The deep exploration of the reasons for not reporting was brilliant and insightful. This is great storytelling of events that need to be disseminated wide and far. I can’t wait for the next episode.
Well researched and written but…
…the presenter’s vocal fry at the end of each sentence is distracting.
Excellent
As a Brit sometimes I find a US accent difficult to listen to, both series have not trouble me in that way. The content is very detailed, and I like the slow burn nature of the podcast