A Violent Year for The Trans Community

Coming up on today’s show:

• A federal corruption investigation into the Baltimore City Police Department made its ninth arrest last week. Officer Eric Snell, who worked for three years for the Baltimore Police Department before moving to serve as an officer in Philadelphia, was charged with conspiracy to distribute heroin and cocaine. Justin Fenton, a reporter for The Baltimore Sun, has the details. 

• The Takeaway’s original series, “To Serve and Protect: Life Behind the Blue Line,” turns to the midwest. There, an officer who works the night shift reflects on the difficulties of his job, and explains why he thinks the public has no idea what police go through on a day-to-day basis.

• Following a coup last week, the people of Zimbabwe were thrown into confusion on Sunday as President Robert Mugabe refused to resign. The next step in removing Mugabe from office could be impeachment by his own party, a process that would take several days to carry out. Peter Godwin, a former human rights lawyer in Zimbabwe and the author of “The Fear: Robert Mugabe and the Martyrdom of Zimbabwe,” looks ahead to what’s next. 

• Charles Manson, one of the most infamous killers of the last century, died yesterday while serving a life sentence in prison. He was 83 years old. Manson and his follower were convicted of brutally murdering actress Sharon Tate in 1969. Jeff Guinn, the author of “Manson: The Life and Times of Charles Manson,” looks back at the killings and how Manson was able to capture an enduring place in pop culture. 

• In many states, there’s a battle underway between those trying to get creationism into science curriculums and those who want to keep it out. Kit Roane, a producer with the Retro Report documentary team, looks into science education and and why evolution in schools is under attack. 

• On the anniversary of the Mexican Revolution, The Takeaway examines a similar fight that is playing out with Mexican small plot farmers. They want to abandon the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), despite the government’s commitment to it. Franc Contreras, a correspondent with CGTN America, discusses how small-time farmers are banding together in Mexico against NAFTA. 

• Today is Transgender Day of Remembrance, a moment for the transgender community to come together and remember the lives that they’ve lost due to hate-motivated violence. LaLa Zannell, lead organizer at NYC Anti-Violence Project, examines the significance of the day, and how to respond to recent waves of violence against trans individuals.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich