Focus: We Keep Us Safe: Daily Summaries Delivered

We Keep Us Safe: Pocket's World

This episode of We Keep Us Safe investigates the final days and controversial death of 16-year-old Antonio Mays Jr., a Black teen killed during the 2020 CHOP protest zone in Seattle, exploring how rumors, identity, and trauma shaped the narrative around his life and death. It reveals a complex portrait of a sensitive, idealistic youth caught in a volatile moment, whose artistic spirit and political hopes were overshadowed by speculation and violence.

We Keep Us Safe: This Ain’t Coachella

This episode of We Keep Us Safe investigates the transformation of Seattle’s Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP) from a hopeful, community-driven space into a volatile zone marked by fear, misinformation, and violence, culminating in the unsolved killing of 16-year-old Antonio Mays Jr. The story reveals how internal contradictions, police deception, and escalating tensions unraveled a movement built on mutual aid and racial justice.

We Keep Us Safe: The Standoff

This episode of We Keep Us Safe investigates the tragic death of Antonio Mays Jr., a 19-year-old Black teenager from Los Angeles who traveled to Seattle in 2020 to join the racial justice protests, only to be fatally shot in the Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP) zone. The episode traces how a series of decisions by police and protesters — from the violent standoff on Pink Umbrella Day to the abandonment of the East Precinct — created the conditions that led to his death.

We Keep Us Safe: Who Killed Antonio Mays Jr.?

The podcast investigates the unsolved 2020 killing of 16-year-old Antonio Mays Jr., a Black teenager from Southern California who traveled to Seattle to join the racial justice protests at CHOP (Capitol Hill Organized Protest), only to be shot and killed under disputed circumstances. Despite years of silence and a wall of secrecy from both protesters and police, the series uncovers new evidence and challenges the dominant narrative that protesters acted in self-defense.

Adults in the Room: The Ultimatum

This episode of 'Adults in the Room' centers on a survivor’s decades-long silence about sexual abuse by a beloved high school teacher, Tom Hudson, and how confronting the truth ultimately led to personal healing and a reevaluation of collective guilt. The story reveals how one man’s courage to speak out dismantles a myth of heroism and exposes systemic failure to protect students.

Adults in the Room Live: A behind-the-scenes look at an investigation 25 years in the making

The podcast 'Adults in the Room' revisits a 1999 scandal at Seattle's Garfield High School involving a beloved teacher, Tom Hudson, accused of sexual misconduct, exploring the trauma, institutional failures, and lasting impact on students and the community, while emphasizing the importance of believing survivors and holding institutions accountable. What began as a personal reckoning for former students Isolde Raftery and Ella Hushagen evolved into a national conversation about how schools protect predators, silence whistleblowers, and fail victims—revealing patterns that persist today despite increased awareness.

Adults in the Room: Bad Apples

A surprise archival interview with a former Garfield High School principal reveals that the teacher abuse problem at the school extended beyond Tom Hudson. Isolde discovers that the district received numerous credible allegations of temper outbursts and sexual harassment about her Garfield journalism teacher, Dave Ehrich, but kept him in the classroom until his retirement in 2019. As Isolde looks into the district’s recent history addressing repeat allegations against teachers, she finds more examples of teachers who were physically and sexually abusive towards multiple students, but were still allowed to keep their jobs. After a conversation with Ella and former Garfield classmate Rosie Bancroft, Isolde sits down with the superintendent of Seattle Public Schools to ask why predators are given multiple chances to stay in the classroom, and how he intends to make schools safer for kids. This episode includes an explicit description of a sexual act, and discussion of sexual harassment. Please take care while listening. Get in touch with the team by email at focus@kuow.org. Support KUOW and projects like this by donating at kuow.org/donate/focus. Adults in the Room is part of FOCUS, a dedicated documentary channel from KUOW Puget Sound Public Radio in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR network. It is hosted by Isolde Raftery. Original reporting by Isolde Raftery, Jeannie Yandel, and Will James. Our producers are Will James and Alec Cowan. Our editor is Jeannie Yandel. Music by BC Campbell. A special thank you to Ella Hushagen, without whom this project would not be possible. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Adults in the Room: The Boy in the Photograph