This episode of Momentum, hosted by Race Forward Chief of Staff Karla Bruce, examines the enduring policy failures and systemic harms of over-policing—connecting the legacy of former Chicago police commander Jon Burge’s “Midnight Crew” to the current federal deployment of National Guard forces across U.S. cities.

In this episode, Race Forward’s Director of Root Solutions for Public Safety Alex Frank talks with John Pineda — Deputy Director and founding member of the MILPA Collective — about how communities from Minneapolis to Los Angeles are redefining public safety. Together they reflect on the lasting impact of state control, surveillance, and militarization, and the ways communities have responded through cultural organizing, resilience, and healing.

As we build momentum for the 2025 Just Narratives for Multiracial Solidarity convening, this November in St. Louis, we’re honored to lift up an episode of the Solidarity is This Podcast, originally produced by Solidarity is This, an initiative of the Building Movement Project. This episode–hosted by Adaku Utah–explores the vital work of building multiracial solidarity in a moment of growing backlash against racial justice.