Press Play with Madeleine Brand
New LA Jails, Border Violence & Bernie Released
LA County votes for new jails, abuse at the US-Mexico border, Nancy Silverton talks food, Bernie Tiede is released from prison, and William Onyeabor's legacy.
By Madeleine Brand • • 51m ListenLA County’s Board of Supervisors took a first step toward spending $2 billion on new jails yesterday, but what can they do about treating mentally ill offenders? Also, complaints of abuse and violence at the U.S.-Mexico border are on the rise. We speak to L.A. chef and brand new James Beard Award-winner Nancy Silverton, and to a music writer and DJ about the mysterious Nigerian musician William Onyeabor. Finally, a story that’s stranger than fiction: the tale of Bernie Tiede, a murderer who became the subject of a 2011 movie and has now been released from prison to live in the garage apartment of director Richard Linklater.
Banner Image: A handcuffed woman sits after arriving at the Los Angeles County Women's jail in Lynwood, California April 26, 2013. The Second Chance Women's Re-entry Court is one of the first in the U.S. to focus on women, and offers a cost-saving alternative to prison for women who plead guilty to non-violent crimes and volunteer for treatment. Of the 297 women who have been through the court since 2007, 100 have graduated, and only 35 have been returned to state prison. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson
In this episode
5 storiesLA County Supervisors Vote for New Jails
The LA County Board of Supervisors took a first step yesterday toward spending $2 billion on new jails. The money would pay for two new facilities offering better treatment for mentally ill inmates than we currently have. But should mentally ill people be sent to jail at all? The county also voted to explore alternative treatment programs.
Read the story7 minTroubled Border
More than 800 abuse complaints were filed against border patrol agents in a recent 3-year period, according to a new report from The American Immigration Council. The allegations include kicking a pregnant woman, sexual abuse and other violent assaults. Only 13 of the complaints led to disciplinary action.
Read the story8 minA Conversation with Chef Nancy Silverton, James Beard Winner
LA’s Nancy Silverton won the culinary world’s highest honor this week: the James Beard “Outstanding Chef” award. It had been 16 years since an Angeleno won that accolade. Silverton co-owns Pizzeria Mozza and Osteria Mozza with fellow chef Mario Batali.
Read the story9 minWho Is William Onyeabor?
Tomorrow night, David Byrne of Talking Heads and a group of musicians will get together at the Greek Theater to play the music of William Onyeabor. Who is William Onyeabor, you ask? He’s one of the most mysterious figures in music. He was a businessman who created his own style of afro-synth funk in Nigeria in the 70’s and 80’s.
Read the story14 minReleasing Bernie
Here’s a story that’s stranger than fiction… Bernie Tiede, a murderer played by Jack Black a few years ago in the Richard Linklater film Bernie , has been released from prison. In 1996, Tiede confessed to shooting a reclusive widow named Marjorie Nugent in the small East Texas town of Carthage.
Read the story9 min
