Podcast/Blog
A Conversation With Law Enforcement
Elevating Men cast- A.L. Johnson, Loren Jones, Andrew Boykin, Leron Barnes, and Mike Patton
Special Guests
Unnamed member of law enforcement, Jay (former law enforcement officer), Tommy
The officer who was on the show couldn’t show his face because at the time there was serious tension between the community and the police force. Several officers were asked to join this panel, but they all declined. This was a very heavy conversation.
For balance, we started off asking the officer who happened to be a white man if he felt any additional pressures or dangers policing in this current environment. He shared that he feels prejudged by his uniform and people assume he may be biased. He said that from his perspective escalation in an interaction isn’t based on race but rather based on overall compliance.
We discussed body cams and how it’s also wise for us as citizens to have our own video record of our interaction with law enforcement. Andrew Boykin shared his fear of an upcoming road trip through rural America. He expressed the fear felt by black men even in just routine interactions. It’s hard to watch all of the brutality that goes on without internalizing those images. We have seen many videos where black men were clearly non-provoking but were still harassed and/or killed.
How to Develop Boys into Better Men
Elevating Men Cast: Andrew Johnson, LeRon Barnes, Andrew Boykin, Loren Jones II
On this episode of Elevating Men, we discuss how we as men need to better develop and prepare our young boys when it is their time to take their rightful place as men in their families and communities.
Show highlights:
“That’s the reason we created Elevating Men. We want to combine experience with real, intentional conversations that create the impact we want to see.”
“As a man, if you speak Greek and a boy speaks French then learn French so you can teach him Greek.”
“The next generation is a result of the current generation.”
Tap into the episode to catch more gems that can help you ELEVATE!
Men’s Rights In Divorce, Custody, and Child Support
Elevating Men Cast: A.L. Johnson, Loren Jones, Leron Barnes, and Andrew Boykin
Attorney Stacy Shaw- Stacy is a seasoned attorney who’s practice advocates for men’s rights. She also is a grassroots activist that shines a spotlight on injustices within our communities.
Show highlights
Stacy Shaw gave us some serious insight into the family judicial system. Her take is that many men give up and don’t pursue their best interest because they feel the legal system is against them. This is a fatal flaw because when we don’t pursue our rights it looks as though we aren’t interested in being good parents so the system comes down even harder on us. The judicial system's stance is that it’s usually in the best interest of the child to be in a joint custody situation spending time 50/50 with both parents but, a lot of men don’t take advantage of that opportunity. Also, whenever possible we should look into mediation with the mother of our children versus going through the costly legal system.
Men's Mental Health- Iron Sharpens Iron
Elevating Men Cast: A.L. Johnson, Loren Jones, Leron Barnes, and Andrew Boykin
Show Highlights- On this episode we discussed the importance of choosing our circles wisely, the mental effects of police brutality of black men in America, and finally we discussed harmful stress coping mechanisms men fall victim to.
We listened to an interview DMX did where he shared the story of the moment he became addicted to drugs. At the age of 14, he made a choice that would impact the rest of his life. As a man, your friendships will either sharpen you and make you better or drag you down and cause you harm. The saying is true, you will become the average of your 5 closest friends, whether it’s positive or negative.
Police brutality continues to have crippling effects on the mental health of black men in America. We shared personal stories of how a cop’s negative perception of black men affected us directly at some point. We shared situations of police interaction that made us fearful, angry, and affected our mental state.
