Hot Seat: Media Monday “Justice for Robert Brooks Rally” with Shana Dahlin 1-13-25
By Ron Klopfanstein, with photography and reporting by Brian Lazore, sound engineering by Jonathan Brooks “DJ J-Easy,” and in-studio recording and photography by James Hale.
Visit our show page for more on the Hot Seat: Media Monday. Scroll down for a video version and a podcast version of this episode, and a news report filed from the event on Saturday and highlight reels and contact information for this episode’s guests.
In this Hot Seat: Media Monday, Shana Dahlin, an organizer for the Central New York chapter of Citizen Action and one of the organizers of Saturday’s “Justice for Robert Brooks” rally in Utica, discusses the event and advocacy efforts to protect the rights of people who are inmates in the New York State Department of Corrections. Robert Brooks was an incarcerated person at the Marcy Correctional Facility who was beaten to death by corrections officers on December 9th. Citizen Action of Central New York is online at Facebook.com/CitizenActionCNY, Instagram.com/citizenactioncny/, and Citizenactionny.org.
Also, in the studio, photographer/videographer/podcaster Brian Lazore joins host Ron Klopfanstein to discuss the concerns and challenges of covering sensitive issues in the media. Ron Klopfanstein and Brian Lazore covered the event for 95.5 FM “The Heat,” and audio clips from their reports air throughout the broadcast.
Photo gallery by Brian Lazore from the Justice for Robert Brooks rally, January 11, 2025 in Utica, NY. Lazore Photography is online at Facebook.com/Lazorephotography, Instagram.com/lazorephotography, and Lazorephotography.smugmug.com/
Senya Bekuy of Citizen Action of New York on how the culture of the correctional system led to the beating death of Robert Brooks
Jenero Brown of Citizen Action of New York on the brutal conditions he experienced while the New York State prison system incarcerated him.
Robert Lucas, President of Voice of the Voiceless, on the brutal conditions he experienced while the New York State prison system incarcerated him.
Lukee Forbes, executive director of We Are Revolutionary on the brutal conditions he experienced while the New York State prison system incarcerated him.
Jonathan Brooks/ DJ J-Easy is a online at Facebook.com/easyatm315, Instagram.com/j_easy315/, and https://on.soundcloud.com/XGKd3e4AZeNtrD2X9
James Hale is online at Instagram.com/instanteon, Tiktok.com/@jimh1138, and https://bsky.app/profile/instanteon.bsky.social
Ron Klopfanstein is an award-winning multimedia investigative journalist, news and features editor, and creative content producer for the Utica Phoenix digital platform and 95.5 FM “The Heat” broadcast and streaming. He also hosts Hot Seat: Media Monday every Monday at 5 pm, broadcast on 95.5 FM and streaming at 955TheHeat.com. Like him at Facebook.com/ReadRonKlopfanstein, Follow him at Threads.net/@RonKlopfanstein, Instagram.com/RonKlopfanstein, Tiktok.com/@ronklopfanstein, Twitter.com/RonKlopfanstein, and subscribe to his channel at YouTube.com/@RonKlopfanstein. Read all his work at Muckrack.com/ron-klopfanstein. NOW at BLUESKY Bsky.app/profile/ronklopfanstein.bsky.social
