Dane Undivided

In episode 3 of The Lyon’s Den, retired Madison Detective Bruce Frey sits down for a full-length interview focused on the now infamous Meadowlands Apartments on Madison’s far East Side, where drugs, gunfire, brawling, harassment, and other crimes have spiraled out of control. The first phase of this massive complex opened to renters in late 2022. With alarming speed, it has devolved into a frightening trap for residents and a major boondoggle for law enforcement. Problems have also rapidly spread out from the Meadowlands to surrounding neighborhoods. Frey, who lives near the Meadowlands, has helped draw significant public attention to this ugly and dangerous situation. He also has extensive past law-enforcement experience in successfully partnering with residents to reduce crime in troubled Madison neighborhoods. Frey is extremely well-placed to share insights on what’s unfolded at the Meadowlands to date, why it’s happening, and how to arrive at the right solutions. SHOW NOTES: Indianapolis-based KCG Management's web page for the Meadowlands https://www.kcgcompanies.com/portfolio/the-meadowlands/ KCG Management's initial pitch to the City of Madison for the Meadowlands Apartments: https://www.cityofmadison.com/council/district/districtfiles/district3/documents/The%20Meadowlands%20-%20Neighborhood%20Meeting%208_8_19.pdf Madison Planning Commission approves Meadowlands Apartments over objections of area residents: https://captimes.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/madison-plan-commission-approves-east-side-affordable-housing-complex-over-resident-concerns/article_8be34c6d-c67a-5708-8b93-8ea1cba2c6ad.html KCG' February 2021 Invitation to Bid for development of the Meadowlands Apartments: https://www.wheda.com/globalassets/documents/tax-credits/emerging-business-program/solicitation-for-bids/meadowland-solicitation-of-bid.pdf Local news reporting shows a steady stream of stories on the problems at Meadowlands, starting in at least March 2023, including the City of Madison declaring the complex a public nuisance in April: March: https://www.wkow.com/news/increasing-police-activity-leads-madison-apartment-complex-to-be-declared-chronic-nuisance/article_d6f18ddc-c9cd-11ed-9fa8-c301afc07173.html April: https://captimes.com/news/community/madison-m-block-housing-complex-declared-chronic-nuisance/article_c6ec9609-a382-5ac0-a17e-dcb2b4db3a81.html https://captimes.com/news/community/150-police-calls-7-in-one-day-life-at-madisons-m-block-apartments/article_64ddd9d5-acf2-5aea-8724-4a87fc44a131.html May: https://www.nbc15.com/2023/05/05/its-wrecking-my-nerves-madison-mom-moves-family-hotel-after-fearing-safety-meadowlands/ June: https://captimes.com/news/community/how-two-madison-affordable-housing-projects-took-a-turn-for-the-worse/article_7195d9b0-e808-5df3-94ca-3d9a385eaefb.html August: https://captimes.com/news/community/troubled-meadowlands-apartments-to-be-focus-of-meeting/article_a4c7649b-d145-594e-bfdc-1f2f80c43764.html https://www.channel3000.com/news/weve-messed-up-city-property-manager-hold-meeting-on-nuisance-meadowlands-apartments/article_50a9fdb4-47ad-11ee-a0e5-a7c019a4afe2.html Note: While KCG certainly has much to answer for, they're not wrong about how hard it is to evict people here. It tends to be a very long and arduous process. September: https://www.nbc15.com/2023/09/13/madison-single-mom-fears-familys-safety-meadowlands-apartment/

Dane County leaders regularly tell us just how we should love our neighbor. But who do they mean when they use the term "neighbor," and what does their definition of love actually accomplish? In this episode of Test All Things, We'll consider a time-tested 1st-Century parable that defines what it looks like to be a true neighbor, then dig deeper to understand who our neighbor actually is. Only in providing ourselves with solid definitions of the terms "neighbor" and "love" can we accurately determine how well Dane County leadership's version stacks up...and whether we should follow it. SHOW NOTES: Luke 10:25-37 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+10&version=NIV Matthew 5:43-47 (accidentally referenced as Matthew 5:44-48) https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+5&version=NIV Bumper music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/monument-music/travel-in-the-ocean License code: ZNKR4QOHSNHSUSAQ

We all know Dane County crime is exploding. But do you have the facts on just how badly things have deteriorated at some of this county's apartment complexes? In this second episode of The Lyon’s Den, we’ll briefly look at one apartment complex on Madison’s East Side, It’s the perfect prelude to our soon-to-be-released interview with a retired Madison police officer, who’ll have a lot more to say on this topic. NOTE: We apologize for the audio quality in this episode. We’ll have the issues resolved by the next episode. Thanks for bearing with us! Bumper music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/cruen/raw-power License code: 6P5BQFK1JTVLTBYW

Do you find yourself checking your thoughts, attitudes, beliefs, or actions because you're afraid of what other people in Dane County will think of you? If so, you're likely experiencing the impacts of a social cartel. What is a social cartel? How does it operate? And what makes us susceptible to the pressures they impose? Host Aletheia offers some possible definitions and answers. Recognizing the existence of social cartels and how we become subject to them is the first step in breaking free of them. Show Notes: A working definition of the term social cartel: cooperation between people or groups to mediate and direct public expression of thoughts, attitudes, beliefs, and actions, in order to advance a moral code that masks not only an agenda of control but also one or more aspects of objective truth. Mechanisms for reinforcing the agendas of social cartels include virtue signaling, public shaming, public labeling or classification, tribalism, isolation, and cancelation. A helpful discussion of social cartels in relationship to the history of racism in the U.S.: http://lorenzo-thinkingoutaloud.blogspot.com/2015/06/cause-and-context.html Full text of John Taylor Gatto's 1991 speech, "The Seven-Lesson Schoolteacher": https://www.wanderings.net/notebook/Main/SevenLessonsTaughtInSchool Bumper music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/monument-music/travel-in-the-ocean License code: ZNKR4QOHSNHSUSAQ

One thing that most Dane County residents can agree on is that crime is quickly rising in our extended community. The problem isn't just in Madison anymore. In this introductory episode of the Lyon's Den, the Lyon explores some recent stories from local news outlets, shares the troubling overall grade CrimeGrade.org assigns to Dane County, and poses some important questions about your safety and the protection of your rights in the Greater Madison area. RELEVANT LINKS: Man Arrested 3 Time in One Week in March https://madison.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/man-arrested-for-3rd-time-in-a-week-after-woman-finds-him-in-her-downtown/article_7a760fc5-6d38-5a76-87ff-3c746e7afeef.html Middleton Dealership Employee Dies in Shooting over Vehicle Sale https://www.nbc15.com/2023/03/21/middleton-dealership-employee-dies-shooting-over-vehicle-sale/ Shots Fired Outside East Side Bowling Alley https://www.nbc15.com/2023/03/21/gunfire-reported-outside-madison-bowling-alley/ Individual Arrested for String Wire Across Madison Bike Path https://www.channel3000.com/news/police-arrest-man-accused-of-stringing-wires-across-madison-bike-path/article_fd6e9d12-d326-11ed-a29d-df7dd56db5f1.html Woman Sexually Assaulted on Oregon Rotary Bike Trail https://www.nbc15.com/2023/04/05/250k-cash-bond-set-suspect-dane-co-bike-path-sexual-assault/ Middleton Police Seeking Man Who Exposed Himself to Woman in Laundromat https://www.channel3000.com/news/middleton-police-trying-to-identify-man-who-reportedly-exposed-himself-at-laundromat/article_7bf920c8-d57d-11ed-865f-cf93e8754089.html Officers Injured in Arresting Predator Who Sexually Assaulted Woman and Attacked Two Men https://www.nbc15.com/2023/04/11/2-madison-officers-hurt-sexual-assault-arrest/ Dane County's Crime Grade: https://crimegrade.org/safest-places-in-dane-county-wi/ Bumper music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/cruen/raw-power License code: 6P5BQFK1JTVLTBYW

Dane County, WI, promotes itself as a friendly and tolerant place. Yet division reigns supreme here. However you identify politically, step out of line, and you're likely to be attacked, depersonalized and told you're "not a good neighbor." How do we go about infusing real relationship and neighborliness into a county that desperately needs it? In this brief, introductory episode, host Aletheia discusses a simple way to establish meaningful dialogue and build real relationship by asking honest, friendly questions. Bumper music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/monument-music/travel-in-the-ocean License code: ZNKR4QOHSNHSUSAQ

Open Records Requests are one of the most powerful grassroots tools available to the Wisconsin citizen activist who wants to obtain greater transparency and accountability from state and local government. Yet, most people don't even know they can request information from government. This video gives you the basics you need to understand: 1) What an Open Records Request (or ORR) is 2) The basis for ORRs in State Law 3) The proper method of writing and submitting ORRs in order to provide greater transparency government accountable. By visiting the resources page on our website, you can also access and download a free supplementary PDF, entitled, "A Crash Course in Open Records": https://www.daneundivided.com/resources The PDF answers additional questions and provides further valuable insights and tips for writing, submitting, and troubleshooting open records requests. Other resources referenced in this video include: Chapter 19 of the Wisconsin State Statutes, which covers public records and property: https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/19/ii/21 A Table of Contents for the online version of the Wisconsin State Statutes: https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/prefaces/toc The Wisconsin State Legislature's page for downloadable PDF Chapters of the Wisconsin State Statutes: https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/Statutes/Statutes Wach for more resources, blog posts, and upcoming podcast episodes from Dane Undivided on our website: https://www.daneundivided.com