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Founder of Cat Ladies for America, comedian, and angry optimist, Blaire Postman, conducts real-talk, claws-out interviews with people trying to make things suck less in new and different ways.
hey gritty Kitties
welcome to another episode of "Catty Chats"
Today we are talking to Oye Owolewa
who is running for DC City Council at large seat
he first came to my attention
because he was doing a lot of work
protesting the new ice headquarters
that is slated to be constructed in the 8th Ward of Washington DC
and they've been going through a lot of their own special struggles
because they have fewer rights than other states or counties
or even cities president of the United States
is the head of the National Guard of Washington DC
and you can remember perhaps
how that is a problem when you have things that happen like say
January 6th this episode is coming out the day of the DC primaries
which in Washington DC
the democratic primary is pretty much the election
so if you are listening to this on Tuesday
June 16th in the morning and you haven't voted yet
go out and vote a little housekeeping for the podcast
we are going to be interviewing Gabi Soto
whose husband Martin
has been imprisoned first in Delaney Detention Center in Newark
New Jersey and now in the Elizabeth
New Jersey detention center for many
many months he was also one of the leaders of the recent hunger strike
and labor strike that has been going on by the detainees there
that's going to come out on June 23rd
and then for the next two weeks
we're going to have some best of
as well as some
like excerpts that you didn't see before from past interviews
because we are building
up to our next season
on Sunday July 12th is
our next
"Catty Chats Live"
which is our
monthly live stream
we're gonna be
focusing on attacks
on trans people
and especially how they affect voting rights
and immigration
and citizenship rights
and that'll
be our episode that comes out july 14
unless some shit happens
in which case you may
see some new stuff
if some shit goes down like
if they start putting Donald Trump's name back up
on the Kennedy Center I will be there again
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_____________
I'm so excited to finally get to interview doctor
Oye Owolewa
the shadow rep for Washington d C
and we'll get into why it is a shadow rep
and I'm gonna call you rep Oye for this like
like the kids do uh
rep oye
how you doing today
I'm doing amazing Blaire
thanks for having me
you are running for the city council at large in DC
and also
you are the shadow representative in the house of representatives
of the United States Congress
for the district of Columbia
oh hey
why are you the shadow representative and not just the representative
that's a great question
it always comes up when people hear that I'm the shadow representative
so in DC because we're not a state
we have a delegate who is the congresswoman
Eleanor Holmes Norton
we also have a role called the shadow representative
and that role is to fight for DC statehood
it's a place holding position for once
the district would become the 51st state
and my typical role within that is to go to Congress
get other Congress members to support DC statehood
and also go across the country
which I've done in other states
to introduce and even pass pro dc statehood resolutions
I have been a resident of Washington DC
I've been a voter in Washington DC
I say that with air quotes
cause they only let you vote with like
training wheels on in DC can you explain how why
there are people in Washington
DC paying federal income tax
and all sorts of other taxes that go to the federal government
who are full fledged citizens of these United States
but do not have representatives in Congress who can actually vote
right so people in DC
we feel like we're second class citizens
because we pay the highest in taxes
and we don't have congressional representation
with that voting rights
what that means is that we're literally paying for wars
we're paying for national things
and we don't have a vote that currency of oh
pine on how we spend that money
Supreme Court justices and beyond
but statehood doesn't just impact voting rights
it's also impacts our daily lives
whether it's the way we pass laws locally in the council
whether it's our control over our National Guard
funding from the government
and even push back against the president who deploys ice
the National Guard and beyond on us here in the district
so it's no longer just a voting rights issue
it impacts every single fabric of our lives
here in the nation's capital
it's a it's a human rights issue right
because when you say that
you do not have control over your National Guard
for example
listeners and viewers of this podcast may recall January 6th, 2021
that uh
National Guard troops had to be called in in a
in a very odd it this wasn't a process that was in place
didn't think we were going to need it
for National Guard troops to come in from Maryland and from Virginia
because you guys could not just call out your own National Guard
am I summarizing that correctly
correct so most states
or every state
the commander in chief of the National Guard is their governor
now as you can imagine
DC not being a state we don't have a governor
so the actual chief commander in chief of the National Guard
is the president so
at the time
where the mayor was trying to utilize National Guard resources
to protect the capital we had a president in Donald Trump
who was actively engaging with the insurrectionists
and did not deploy the National Guard for hours on end
and LED to a lot of destruction
even someone dying at the capital
seems like a really problematic Lupo
I live in Maryland I live in Baltimore
I have lived in DC
when we have issues with ice
for example we can have senator also Brooks
Senator Van Holland for example
has been extremely loud and out in front about all things
regarding abuses by ice you guys don't have anybody doing that for you
who has a vote in a committee
that might apply the pressure that is needed to get oversight
or investigations or even to pass or not pass certain laws
is is that fair
correct you know
in Congress a vote is like currency
like you said before to be able to trade votes for certain projects
to be able to get appropriations when you need to
throughout legislation
and even to protect yourself and protect the community from ice
when you're on certain committees or have those relationships
make a huge difference
the fact that DC has a delegate which doesn't have voting rights
and no voting senators in the Senate
really put us in a bind and in harm's way
to the point that now that Trump is deploying ice in DC
we're not able to fight back the same way as folks in Maryland
and even beyond like in Minnesota
able to fight back so it's just a consequence of not being a state
and that's why we're pushing forward to become the 51st state
if you had one wish for DC and voting
what would it be
so if I had one wish for DC
it would be to become the 51st state
and if we were to be the 51st state
what would I use that one vote for
I believe we need to expand the Supreme Court
and put term limits on the Supreme Court
right now the current construction of the Supreme Court
has been manipulated by President Trump
to be almost his personal defense system
and that's not good for the American people
so if we're able to have the Supreme Court reform
that people are looking for
whether it's term limits whether it's expanding the members
that I believe we'll have better uh
outcomes when it comes to things that show up before the Supreme Court
as a healthcare worker I also believe we should have Medicare for all
because having a single payer healthcare system
is the only way we're able to reduce cost and improve outcomes
other countries like Canada
has done it and DC right now
pays the highest in healthcare out healthcare expenses
and we're not even nearly close to the top in outcomes
people have heard of these two 87G agreements
it's essentially an agreement by various police departments
it's different in every state
how it works how that yeah
we'll do we'll do ICE's work for him
we'll we'll look for people's citizenship when they're in jail
or they're pulled over or whatever the case may be
now I am happy to say that Maryland just made these illegal
although
the sheriffs of nine counties are now suing the state for that
does the council
have enough control over its own police department to do that
and could they still be deputizing
could the federal government still be deputizing like
I don't know the Park Police
I mean it's possible
I know and the City Council were able to have oversight
and they're supposed to we passed a law
basically to end their partnership
and to provide more transparency in terms of body cameras on officers
when there's ice activity
and beyond but we also need to make sure we're protecting our citizens
by providing ample legal services
I did an immigration town hall last year
a year and a half ago and the folks didn't want to talk to me
they want to talk to the attorneys in the room
because this White House has been violent against them policy wise
and these folks wants professionals
who can keep up to date with the ever changing policies coming out
this White House but last but not least
we have to hold our business partners accountable
we should not have our business partners developing ice
headquarters in Southeast DC
doing business with ice and in HSI and beyond
we should have our business partners
who collect billions of dollars in DC money every single year
hold the line for us
and choosing our dignity and our respect over their profits
let's talk about that for a second
when we are talking about the DHS new headquarters
is that correct what's the plan with that
and then what could the City Council do
and you know some people might say I uh
I want this headquarters here cause it's gonna help this
you know I own a deli
and there's gonna be more people here for lunch
so I let's start with the first part
what is happening with this DHS headquarters and where is it located
The Department of Homeland Security has a campus
on Saint Elizabeth's West Campus
that's in Southeast DC three blocks away from my home
and about four or five years ago
the Inflation Reduction Act provided about $288 million
for a redeveloped headquarters on that site
and one of our main business partners in DC
Clark Construction was awarded that project
and they're going to be involved with developing and recreating
that ice headquarters now
it's not a detention facility
but this is where a lot of the people that work for ice
will be working at now
this is the issue since the Inflation Reduction Act was passed
and Donald Trump came back to the White House
we seen ice be brutal against DC residents
kidnapping folks tearing the communities apart
eroding public trust with MPD based off of their relationship
with ice and in my opinion
we should see Clark Construction leave that deal
they get $3 billion from DC and DC related areas every year
that's about 42% of the annual revenue
yet they decided to stay with this deal
and we haven't heard any council member talk about this
mayor is not talking about this
I believe somehow maybe the information is suppressed to the press
to the news because when I reach out to the news about this
they asked me for receipt
they asked me for more evidence
and I had to provide that for them
you know that's a sign it when you're like
oh I
I am the hero I am
I am looking for when the press is saying like hey
we're coming to you because you are
from what we can tell the expert on this subject
as you know DC is pretty much against uh ice
you know there's not too many people that support what ice is doing
and the biggest obstacle we're facing is just public awareness
so we have staged protests
we have done demonstrations
and now we're activating DC residents about this issue
because if more DC residents knew about this
they will be screaming about this
and put pressure on those in office
and those who are involved with this deal to reconsider
so when this ice headquarters
if it were built right
there would be ice agents coming in and out of it all day
and is it in Ward 8 is that right
it'll be word 8 correct
so for people who do not know
quite frankly word 8 is not entirely
nobody's a monolith but that is a heavily black and brown populated
especially historically but even now
with all the gentrification and all the like
Uber fancy condos that nobody can afford going up
that is a black brown neighborhood
you know in Ward 8
and to me that feels uh
threatening to me to have that in my
if I am in that situation
that feels extra threatening
that these people are coming in and out every single day
right where I live like on my block or two blocks over
is that the feeling of those who are kind of aware of what's happening
or am I putting something on it that's not there
yeah it's
it's extremely concerning
cause number one
had this been put in Adams Morgan
where I used to live
right
right
they're putting it where the people who are economic
you know historically less economically advantaged are
and they ain't no white people there that much
there's you of course everywhere
it's much like when there's
you know environmental racism
when they're putting factories
you know somewhere
where there's people who do not have the resources to fight big
legal fights and so forth
and so therefore that's why you have these higher rates
of asthma and other diseases
in a lot of you know
historically black neighborhoods
brown neighborhoods in all over the country
and so this is sort of like psychological or social pollution
right so we're putting this right there
the most intimidating organization you can imagine
is being put right with the people who can fight at least
right
absolutely and it's not just gonna be a terror
against the non cisgender community
you're talking about the National Guard
you're talking about other federal agents now walk
walking the streets of Ward 8
and we already seen the studies of law enforcement
thinking that a black 14 year olds
and 18 year old 19 year old
and now you're putting the precipice on young black kids in Ward 8
on how to handle themselves around federal agents
many of them who are masked up
many of them are driving unmarked vehicles
it just creates an app an absolute risk of disaster in our community
like I said this is three month
three blocks away from my house
this is not something hypothetical
this is around my way and I just
I'm very concerned about the implications of our future
here in Southeast DC
I mean a lot of what they do
the cruelty is the point and all of that
all the lawsuits let's go back and Sue Eugene Carol and all that sort
you know Leticia James
and all of that all of that psychological warfare
and this is just one way more way to do it
so um
the what do
what do we do about Clark
I mean what do we do
like let's say
whether or not you're on the City Council
let's because you've been
you're not on the City Council yet
not yet
but you've been doing stuff
what have you been doing and how can people help you
join you get involved
I appreciate that question
we've been doing demonstrations outside 12 New Hampshire Avenue
Northwest which is the local headquarters of Clark Construction
making a lot of noise bringing a lot of activists
but really raising the awareness of this issue
as I mentioned earlier the biggest obstacle in the situation
isn't Clark construction winning people over
is the fact that most people don't even know about it
and when people find out about it
there's gonna be a critical moment where the energy gets so palpable
that they have to decide between us and ice
and if they choose ice and that's fine
and we have to reconsider who we give contracts to
but they choose us
obviously it will be a huge detriment to the ice facility
because ice doesn't build things
they destroy things and if we can have all of our business partners
hold firm on these projects
putting us over the shareholders profits
then maybe we can create a local district that fights back
and it's not just gonna be the council alone or the mayor alone
we need everybody to stand up and fight back
and this is just the beginning of that
and we've seen that all over the country right
we're seeing it in New Jersey and my home state
unfortunately right now
I've been very involved with the folks out
with the Hagerstown and Hagerstown rapid response about the warehouse
you've seen it in Minneapolis
in Chicago in Los Angeles
in Dallas Texas
all of these places you know
out alligator Alcatraz
and these places are not in the headlines nationally all the time
but they are locally and there's people there
you know out in uh
Delaney uh
detention center in New York New Jersey
those people have been there 24 seven for about a year
and yes
they're in the headlines now
and they were before when
you know
all the representatives and the mayor of New York had been arrested
and so forth but so what you need is people power
because it's the people who make the government move
you know
it's the people who make that pressure happen to get what they want
and if the people aren't engaged
it's not gonna happen right
um and to
just to recap again Clark gets almost 50% of its income
its revenue on any given year from the Washington DC government
yeah yeah
they they are building stadiums
they building office spaces
a lot of money in the DC area
but especially in DC they're one of our biggest construction partners
so it's kind they're building even
they're even building the ballroom in the White House
like this is how big of a conglomerate they are
so you know
this is one of those David versus Goliath situations
but if we put energy together
there's nothing we can't change
if if there's about
you know however many billion coming
that has to go through the city council of Washington DC
that feels like a lot of power
and that feels like a great way to use your new seat when you
when you're elected that sounds fantastic
I think the government acts
when the people have made it extremely clear
that that is what is gonna need to happen
for people to stay in their positions and to keep on guiding stuff
so what else can the people pressure our
you know
their government in DC to be doing to make them feel more safe
we have to figure out what's going on with our MPD
I'm not sure if you heard about the recent scandal
but there is a allegation
that some of our crime statistics were manipulated right
like they were downgraded
I I do recall that that
yeah they're still investigating it
a couple of high ranking officers have already retired
or been terminated
so we have to first of all figure out what these facts are
because public health and safety is one of the biggest issues in DC
and now that we're facing this issue
everything is getting called into whack
so finding out the real data
and trying to find proactive ways to keeping people safe is critical
for me I live in Southeast DC
I'm a pharmacist
and I've been volunteering in classrooms for the past 12 years
and right now I think we need a lot more youth programs
whether it's employment whether it's just recreation
or even just uh
career exposure I think is important
and right now
we have accounts that's being a little reactive when it comes to that
so getting people to be activated
to contact their elected leadership
let them know
these are the kind of investments that we want in our budget
is really critical we just spent a billion dollars on a stadium
to bring the commanders back
but at the same time we cut people's healthcare
and we're slashing pay equity funds
and right now
we're putting all of the sacrifices on the backs of working people
so right now is our budget season
and I as well as a lot of other people
are focusing on the council doing the right thing
and putting resources back to the working class and the middle class
and not just giving corporate handouts to those who need it the most
right the trickle down thing isn't working so great right now
or ever but boy
is it not working for people right now
um and then
so I want to just talk a little bit about you
you've mentioned you are a pharmacist
you were the first federally elected Nigerian American
in all of these United States
it's you rep OK
tell us a little bit about your background
and you know how you wind up as a pharmacist
how'd you wind up in DC
absolutely so yeah
my mom and dad were born in a very quiet
unknown or unheard of West African country called Nigeria
just kidding we're nothing
there was nothing quiet
so anyways my parents were um
they came to the United States in 1970s
about 10 years after the um
Civil Rights Act in 1964
twenty years after the brown versus board of education
it basically gave an opportunity for my parents
to go to an integrated school at Northeast University
long story short they gave me three things
a Nigerian first name Nigerian middle name
Nigerian last name politically
nowhere to hide but they also pushed me to pursue a science career
which I became a pharmacist
and also to give back to the community
so I moved to DC fresh off of graduating in 2014
and I just started getting involved in classrooms
like I mentioned earlier we started pushing kids
the same trauma and expectation
becoming scientists and then one day
one of my patients told me to go to a community meeting to uh
to just get more involved
I went to the community meeting
it's called ANC Advisory Neighborhood Commission
and the meeting was a zoo
I mean it was disorganized
people were rude to each other
and I did what I did best
talk trash about each and every commissioner
until somebody told me if you're so much better
why don't you run so without knowing anybody in my neighborhood
still have a Nigerian name
I just knocked on every door and I ran
and I end up winning by one single vote
so if anybody says every vote matters
take a picture of this so that's what started me off
so I uh
went from AC commissioner to the US representative in six years later
I'm here now running for at large council
oh wow
every vote matters guys
every vote matters every vote matters
now did I read that you're from the Boston area
is that right
yeah born and raised in Boston Massachusetts
yeah
are you still like a Red Sox fan or whatever
hahaha
regretfully I
I shifted a little I acquired the nationals
I think
I think it's a bigger deal for me than it is for the people in DC
there's so many transplants in DC
uh in Baltimore
no no
there is one team
this is just a random question
there's a few people again largely in comedy
that I've met who are Nigerian American
they're from Boston is there
sort of a core community of Nigerian Americans in the Boston area
by any chance
there are
there are Nigerians everywhere
there is a large swath in Boston
especially because of the colleges
you know you have a lot of Ivy League schools around there
a lot of schools in the city of Boston
so people typically stay where they went to school
so it kind of create a little hub of Nigerian Americans
I got you alright
there you go
there's a lot of negative things that are so freaking real
and I am not down playing that
but sometimes we don't just want broccoli
sometimes we want ice cream
and not broccoli ice cream
real ice cream so what
you know what's a little ice cream
what could we a strive towards
I don't even know exactly what I'm asking for
but I'm asking for like this hopeful
aspirational sort of thing
but maybe also you know
something cool
no this campaign has been one that's trying to inspire positivity
fun typically nowadays
you hear about the bad things and people so down trodden
and I think DC residents if not all Americans
want something positive so we've been having neighborhood parties
block parties events where kids can come out and grab a snow cone
we've been dancing with seniors
so we really try to match the fun and positivity
we want to see in our government
in this within this campaign
so tomorrow I'm going to a block party in my neighborhood
and we're gonna be co hosting it
and it's really exciting because we wanna make sure we're smiling with
with high fiving kids and giving things
giving people something to aspire to and in a better tomorrow
so it's real fun
and we need to meet each other
yeah bring them outside
have people meet each other along
I get that sometimes we're gonna do zoom stuff
I'm for it it's convenient
there's a lot of stuff that that works for
and even if you're doing like
I coordinate with captains of our chapters on zoom
but we see each other's faces and we laugh and we talk to each other
and when we can our chapters
we get together and we have like a happy hour or we do whatever
it's about meeting the people in the area where you live
because those are the people you're gonna need to turn to first
in good times and bad
those are the people who turn out for the block party
and those are the people who help you if
you know a tree branch crashed through your roof
where can people find this positive
community stuff that you're gonna be part of over the next few weeks
and well
probably way beyond that but the next few weeks
absolutely well
we have our website vote No. 4 0 e.com
that's where you can find our upcoming events
but to be honest
we've been zigzagging around trying to bring people to
with each other I think DC needs to be more unified
we have certain blocks over here
that have similarities to other blocks
but they never meet each other
and as an at large council member covering the entire district
I want to be a mobilizer and organizer in office
I want to have northwest conversations in southeast
have southeast conversations in northeast
and bring us together
because we actually have similar issues and similar concerns
and if we attack them together
we actually save a lot of money versus being so herky jerky that we're
like we're doing right now
as a pharmacist we're trained to treat the body and not the symptom
and right now
our government treats a lot of symptoms and throws money at it
rather than collectively solve problems
that can really move our district forward
and that's part of the reason why I want to run
as a large council member
to have a pulse of the entire district
so not only bring people together in fun times
but also bring the people together and talk and think together too
OK now we're just gonna do some fun stuff
that's me
look
you're in Ward 8 but you're running for at large
so you gotta have everybody in the city voting for you
this chair
so what do you do when people are like
you know best mumbo sauce
what are you gonna do when you gotta pick a hamburger
like what's
you know what are your favorite places
how about you tell me your favorite places in Ward 8 first
oh
my favorite place to award a date is Georgina's
it's a historical place everyone will be okay with
it's called Georgina's
and I don't know
and are you a vegan or did I make that up
I am a vegan I am a vegan
okay so
so let's let's take the hamburger
you know that's sort of your generic question
like what's your
so no
like I don't know if you have like
a vegan milkshake or a vegan ice cream place
like what are some places
it doesn't have to be food
I think it's getting towards dinner time and I'm just hungry
so what are some of your favorite places in Ward 8
so my favorite places in Award a is
one is called Georgina's Players Lounge
it's a historical place that Mary and Barry used to go to for a while
it's historical it's really funny
because I actually went there one time for an event
and the uh
I don't know why I'm saying the story
but the the uh
the receipts at Players Lounge
so my treasurer was like what the heck are you doing at that night
establishment blah blah
blah blah
we're gonna get in trouble like
what are you talking about
Players Lounge so I had to educate him about Georgia's Players Lounge
let him know that we're not gonna go to jail
we were not throwing campaign money in adult establishment
it is a place for kids and everybody involved
so it was a it was a
that's one of my favorite locations
it's not just like
dice games in the back or what
you know like
yeah I took him over to the place like
this is what it is okay
I'm like yeah yeah
don't worry about it I also like Busboys and poets
I know there's a lot of them all throughout the DMV area
but there's one in Annapolis as well
so that's one of my favorite spots too
I like to end every podcast with a little claws out meow
do you have any pets
no I used to
I grew up with cats though
oh you did
I had believe it or not
I had four cats growing up
one was named Princess she came and she passed away at age 30
and then I had three cats right at one time
believe it or not
I am not joking their names were
the name was Blacky Whity and the Gray Cat
and I protested I was like
that's the worst name ever
my sister said if you got a better name
I'll give you a week week came and gone
I never had a better name
so Whity Blacky and the Gray Cat stayed
and you know
I've heard a lot like that
but also we give them
we wind up giving them these nicknames based on their personality
and that have nothing to do with their real name anyway
so it's
and also Cat Daddy's
Cat Daddy's a Green Flag
hey
maybe not every single one
but we're we are
we love our cat daddies we love our uncatted allies and um
so just everybody know he's a cat daddy
you hear have here as a candidate
that's candidate cat Daddy
that's a good sign
so we're gonna do a claws out meow
and so I just we're gonna count it down
I'm gonna do one two three
we're gonna say claws out
and then go out
I've got a lot you
Senator Van Holland I was very surprised
he did a really good job Governor Moore roared
oh
actually roared it was a whole thing
you should go watch it no pressure
okay one two three
claws out wow
meow
ha ha ha
I love it we've only met once in person for about 10 seconds
uh but I'm hoping I can get to one of your block parties
and we're gonna put your website up
if you are if you care about all issues related to ice
if you care about how your dollars are being spent
like on gilding horse statues instead of helping people have Medicare
if you care about those things
please
go to the website that we will have in the bio and the show notes and
um I wish you the very best of luck
and I have a feeling one way or the other
doesn't matter we're gonna be seeing a lot of you
sounds good and I agree