Unnamed Speaker 6
Appearances
All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg
Presidential Debate Reaction, Biden Hot Swap?, Tech unemployment, OpenAI considers for-profit & more
I too was on the phone throughout much of the debate. My phone really never stopped buzzing throughout. And the universal reaction was somewhere approaching panic. The people who were texting with me were very concerned about President Biden seeming extremely feeble. seeming extremely weak.
Legends of Avantris
Icebound | Ep. 24 | Passage of Rime
Yeah. Do you think I haven't felt cold before? Nice job.
Legends of Avantris
Icebound | Ep. 24 | Passage of Rime
There's no other way to say this. There's no other way to say this. I don't know how to say this. I'm about to faint.
Legends of Avantris
Icebound | Ep. 24 | Passage of Rime
I just landed my Wyvern in Orgrimmar. I'm gonna jump off the bank for a couple hours. One creature smashes into the front.
Legends of Avantris
Icebound | Ep. 24 | Passage of Rime
Is this a crime? Is this a crime? Is this a crime? Is this a crime? Is this a crime? Is this a crime? Is this a crime? Is this a crime? Is this a crime? Is this a crime? Is this a crime? Is this a crime? Is this a crime? Is this a crime? Is this a crime? Is this a crime? Is this a crime? Is this a crime? Is this a crime? Is this a crime? Is this a crime? Is this a crime? Is this a crime
Legends of Avantris
Icebound | Ep. 24 | Passage of Rime
Yes. Mr. Stabiscotch? What? That was a fine offering.
Legends of Avantris
Icebound | Ep. 24 | Passage of Rime
And here I thought you were getting altruistic on me, Mr. Staviskos. Only half altruistic. Always have a backup plan.
Legends of Avantris
Icebound | Ep. 24 | Passage of Rime
Mr. Fireblossom, if you wouldn't mind keeping a fire, keeping a flame for light, we'll go in and we'll listen, and we'll be careful.
Legends of Avantris
Icebound | Ep. 24 | Passage of Rime
Mr. Yorner, give me some leverage on the other side. I'll hop back down. If anyone else wants to help push,
Legends of Avantris
Icebound | Ep. 24 | Passage of Rime
Queenie, can you sense if we're heading towards anything bad?
Legends of Avantris
Icebound | Ep. 24 | Passage of Rime
Don't tell me you're getting seasick, Mr. Yorneir. Get over the back. That is a sheet of ice. This is easy.
Legends of Avantris
Icebound | Ep. 24 | Passage of Rime
It's probably the religious trinket of one of the other tribes that serve the princess.
Legends of Avantris
Icebound | Ep. 24 | Passage of Rime
Have you heard of any underground trolls? I suppose I have heard of trolls that live underground.
Legends of Avantris
Icebound | Ep. 24 | Passage of Rime
Are they solitary and not in gigantic colonies? I look like a light bulb.
Legends of Avantris
Icebound | Ep. 24 | Passage of Rime
I need to get a chain from Yancor. Queenie, Tyshan, are you alive?
Pablo Torre Finds Out
The Fake Sports Scandal Taking Over Fox News
That was a single issue for many voters who, yes, realized they had been indoctrinated by the mainstream media when the reality was so clear when it's facing you. And when that person facing you is holding a sword.
Pablo Torre Finds Out
The Fake Sports Scandal Taking Over Fox News
You're telling me that who was disqualified was the person who dared to stand up for protecting biological women in sports? Why wasn't that other individual disqualified?
Pablo Torre Finds Out
Share & Swear & Tell with Jessica Smetana and Kevin Clark
Jess has me shook because now I don't know whether I can say b**** or not.
Pablo Torre Finds Out
Share & Swear & Tell with Jessica Smetana and Kevin Clark
Well, I thought that part was funnier. No? Jess has me shook because now I don't know whether I can say bitch or not.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
Because Mike Mike was the first of many things. Leslie and Mike's first kid, first nephew of her siblings, first grandkid for her parents and Mike's parents. He was totally indulged. Leslie says he had two of everything. Two car seats, two high chairs, two strollers, two bassinets. Life was good.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
Mike Mike was really funny, even as a baby. And one of his early passions was his love for animals.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
Mike, Mike, and Spike were always together. He loved his dog.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
When junior year of high school started, Leslie's mom watched Mike Mike while Leslie went to school. But eventually, her mom had to prioritize work, which meant Leslie had to figure out what to do with her baby. She decided the best thing would be to move out of her mom's house to live with Big Mike and his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Brown. They were incredibly supportive grandparents.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
With Leslie living with them, Mrs. Brown found someone to watch Mike Mike during the day, allowing Leslie to focus on academics again.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
The world knows Mike Brown because of August 9th and the protests that followed his murder. But for Mike Brown's mother, Leslie, May 20th is where she always begins his story.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
Leslie had tried her hardest to stay in school and be a good mom. Leslie's mom and the Browns were trying to help her out with Mike Mike, but it just wasn't working. She had to focus on her son because at the end of the day, taking care of Mike Mike and being the best mom possible was the most important thing in her life. It changed her tremendously. Leslie's cousin Kiki again.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
Leslie switched her focus from school to looking for work so she could support herself and Mike Mike. She didn't want to live with the Browns forever. Her relationship with Big Mike wasn't going well. They were growing apart as their priorities shifted and Leslie's mental health was floundering.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
Big Mike was physically abusive to Leslie on multiple occasions, she says, even in front of his parents. In her book, Leslie says that Big Mike would apologize afterward. He'd hold her in his arms, but she started to view him and their relationship differently.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
After Leslie enrolled Mike-Mike in preschool, Leslie moved out of the Browns' house and back in with her mom. Leslie was ready to move on, physically and emotionally. But just as she was starting to feel she could, Leslie learned she was pregnant again. At age 19, Leslie gave birth to a girl, Deja, the second kid between her and Big Mike.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
Deja was born on April 22, 1999. Leslie was overwhelmed with love. Mike was almost three and jumped all around the day his new sister was brought home, making sure she was okay.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
Leslie managed to catch up with him and take Deja from his arms before anything bad happened. She scolded him for scaring her, but Mike, with his sweet, sweet eyes, responded by saying how much he loved Deja. From that day on, Mike was always protective of Deja, and the two of them were inseparable.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
But a new kid couldn't fix what was broken in Leslie's relationship with Big Mike. When Deja was one, Leslie attempted to get her own apartment and really distance herself from Big Mike.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
Leslie didn't want to live with Big Mike, but she needed the money. And they agreed that when Leslie went to work during the day, Big Mike would watch the kids. The arrangement didn't actually work very well.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
Leslie could no longer live with Big Mike, free rent or not. And he eventually moved out. Throughout all of this, the moving, having another kid, the emotional and physical ups and downs, Leslie always did everything she could to take care of her kids. And that meant working. Since Big Mike wasn't adding to the pot, she says it was up to her to bring home a paycheck.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
Mike Mike stepped up at home to support his mom. He was good at taking instructions over the phone when she was at work. In middle school, he helped clean and cook for the family, doing laundry sometimes or making dinner. Mike Mike also perfected cooking Saturday breakfast, which was a spread of pancakes, eggs with cheese, sausage, and deep-fried bacon.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
For work, Leslie did a little bit of everything. She did passenger transportation at the airport, worked at a nursing home, a fancy hotel, a few fast food jobs, home health care. She even worked at grocery stores like the St. Louis-based chain Schnucks.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
Straub's is a fancy gourmet food store. Leslie worked in the deli. She made dips and salads, and she was good. So good, they named a roast beef sandwich after her. The Leslie.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
It was at Straub's where Leslie met longtime friend Belinda.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
In the same way that Ms. Sanders was Leslie's school mom, Belinda was Leslie's work mom. She remembers Leslie working so hard while juggling parenthood.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
Leslie eventually gave up the other jobs, and Straub's became her full-time gig. She was a hard worker, but her kids remained the priority. If the school called because something was wrong, she didn't hesitate to step away from work.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
Like when the nurse at Mike Mike School called Leslie and said he was complaining about a headache. That was the start of multiple health episodes at school. And at age 14, Mike Mike was diagnosed with hypertension or high blood pressure, which, when left untreated, can lead to other serious problems like heart attack or stroke. Leslie was scared.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
From Lemonada Media and Campaign Zero, you're listening to Still My Baby. This is the story of Michael Orlandis Darion Brown.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
Leslie helped Mike Mike get his diet and hypertension under control. This meant he had to give up cooking his Saturday morning breakfast spread for his family. As Leslie was managing all of this and work, she met another man. Though she had been able to end things with Big Mike when the domestic abuse got really serious, cycles aren't easy to break.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
The man she was in a new relationship with also put his hands on her. When they first got together, he made her feel important. In her book, Leslie said he was attentive, caring, and giving. Most importantly, he also looked out for Mike Mike and Deja. She went on to have two more children with him, Andre and Jazzy. And sometimes things were really good, but often they were not.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
Sadly, domestic abuse was not new to Leslie. Growing up, she witnessed her mother and other women in her family endure abuse. And even at one point thought that's just what a relationship was.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
Leslie did everything she could to shield her kids from the abuse she experienced with their fathers. She didn't want that to affect their relationships with them. For that reason, Leslie sometimes sent the kids away to stay at their grandmother's house for a few days so her injuries could heal. She was embarrassed and ashamed, and she didn't want anyone to know what was going on.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
After years and years of accepting the cycle of abuse she was born into, she was ready to finally take control.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
And Leslie did find that something better. That's after the break.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
Leslie met her husband Louis at Straub's. They worked there together. Belinda remembers that time fondly.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
To tell the story properly, though, we have to go back to the beginning. It all began before Louis' job at Straub's even started.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
Leslie was not used to that kind of attention. Someone incapable of looking away when she was nearby? For that reason, she vividly remembers Louis' first day of work. She was, as usual, at the deli where things got busy at lunchtime.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
It's the story of his family, as they were before he died, and as they are today, still piecing things back together through their grief. And it's the story of his mom, Leslie, or as many call her, Nettie Poole.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
And they stayed happy. So they talked about taking things to the next level.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
Well, those three years passed by and Lewis didn't forget what they agreed on. He was ready to do something about it.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
Because it was a courthouse wedding, Leslie and Louis talked about eventually having a reception, throwing a big party to actually celebrate. What they didn't know is that three months later, Mike would be murdered and everything would change. It's been more than 10 years and they still haven't celebrated that special day. Two weeks after Leslie and Louis tied the knot, Mike Mike turned 18.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
Before his birthday barbecue, Louis cut Mike's hair in the kitchen.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
That day, they talked about Mike's future. Mike asked Louis how long he would have to go to school to become a computer programmer. And when the haircut was done, Lewis assured Mike that even though he had married his mom, Mike was still the man of the house. Lewis also said that he'd always be there for Mike, no matter what. The two of them had a connection, and Lewis said Mike made him laugh.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
Lewis brought a calm to the household. He was never abusive and helped carry the financial load, two things Leslie hadn't ever experienced in a serious relationship. He fit seamlessly into their family, and Leslie loved that Lewis connected so well with her kids. After Mike turned 18, he was nearing the end of his senior year in high school.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
Leslie had always emphasized the importance of education and graduating, even though she didn't get the chance to do that herself.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
Here's the thing. We shouldn't actually know Leslie's name or her nicknames. Same with Mike Brown. Because they should both be living life as normal, everyday people. That's all Leslie wanted. But her life veered far from normal on August 9, 2014, when her son was murdered.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
A lot of Mike's academic struggles stem from having a learning disability and ADHD. He received extra help and resources through an Individual Education Plan, or IEP. But Leslie says Mike was also gifted in his own way. He was a techie and often tinkered with electronics and computers.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
At school, Mike was part of an alternative program that allowed him to catch up on the credits he needed to graduate. While in this program, Mike was staying with his dad and didn't go to school for two weeks, leading to Leslie being charged with truancy. When she found out, she took matters into her own hands and made sure that she got Mike back on track.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
Leslie doubled down on her expectations. She remembers talking to the principal, Ms. White.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
Mike Mike graduated from Normandy High School in the spring of 2014. Leslie was beyond proud. Things were finally starting to feel right, to feel good. Leslie was married, working a job that she enjoyed doing, that she was good at. Her kids were thriving. Mike's health issues were under control. And he had just graduated from high school.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
That summer, after he turned 18, an official high school graduate, Leslie let him stay at her mom's house on Canfield Drive and just hang out, which is not something he normally did, but she thought he deserved the free time. After the summer, he'd start the next chapter of his life. On August 7, 2014, Leslie spoke to Mike on the phone.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
More than 10 years later, with the world having moved on, Leslie is still Mike's mom, fighting to bring him justice and longing for the normalcy they once had, those everyday mundane moments.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
Leslie didn't know it at the time, but that utterly mundane conversation was the last time she would ever speak to her firstborn child alive. Their final conversation was totally commonplace and devoid of anything sentimental or meaningful.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
In many ways, this unremarkable final conversation sums up their story, or the story they should have been able to live. In reality, Mike Mike was special in the way that your kid is special, the way that most kids are special, in the most ordinary ways that only your own family really appreciates. And if it was up to Leslie, she would have preferred their lives remain that way. Ordinary.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
Uneventful. Mundane. Because what makes their family stick out, what makes their family exceptional, the reason we all know them, is the absolute worst reason in the whole entire world. Next week, you'll hear about the tragedy of that day, directly from Mike's family.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
Thanks for listening to Steal My Baby. Now is a great time to subscribe to Lemonada Premium. You'll get bonus content like unheard clips from Leslie and some of her closest friends. Just hit the subscribe button on Apple Podcasts or for all other podcast apps, head to LemonadaPremium.com to subscribe. That's LemonadaPremium.com.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
Still My Baby is a Lemonada original podcast series created in collaboration with Campaign Zero, a nonprofit organization that develops data-driven policy solutions to end police violence in America. Learn more about this series and the work of Campaign Zero and the Michael O.D. Brown We Love Our Sons and Daughters Foundation at www.stillmybaby.org. I'm your host, Yvette Nicole Brown.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
Lisa Fu is our lead producer. Bobby Woody and Ivan Korayev are our audio engineers. Story editing by Jackie Danziger, our VP of Partnerships and Production. Production support by Hannah Boomerschein and Muna Danish. Our music is by Hannes Brown and APM. Executive producers are Stephanie Whittles-Wax, Jessica Cordova-Kramer, and Leslie McSpadden.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
Series consulting and editorial support by our partners at Campaign Zero, DeRay McKesson and Rachel Hislop, with additional support from Jaron Longmire, Kelly Davis, and Kiana Ford. If you like the show and you believe what we're doing is important, please help others find us by leaving us a rating and writing a review. And most importantly, tell your friends.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
So we're tracing her journey as a young mom who struggled to build a stable, typical life for her family, only to see it torn apart on a public stage. And as an advocate and a mother today, rebuilding after unimaginable loss. Leslie McSpadden grew up in St. Louis, Missouri in the 1980s and 90s and spent a lot of her childhood at her grandmother's house on Acme and Albertine Avenues.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
Of all her cousins, Leslie's favorite was Kiki. They're only a year apart, and they always clicked.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
That's the culture Leslie, her siblings, Kiki, and all her cousins were raised in. Granny was the matriarch of the family, and she was always in charge.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
Leslie always had her family. And even though she wasn't raised with a lot of money, Leslie says her mother always kept a roof over their heads and the lights on. And Leslie knew she could rely on Kiki to give her shoe advice when she got to buy a new pair once a year. All the togetherness happened at their granny's house.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
And it was from her house that Leslie and her siblings waited early in the morning for the first of two buses to take them to Ladue School District. So early, it was dark out. Ladue was part of the DSEG program, short for desegregation. Though the district was predominantly white, Leslie didn't feel out of place.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
There were a lot of other Black students, and she had teachers she felt close to and connected with, including one very special teacher in high school.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
Leslie says Ms. Sanders really cared for her while also keeping Leslie on her toes.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
When Leslie was 14 and just a freshman, she met a boy, Mike Brown, who we will be calling Big Mike. Kiki, Leslie's favorite cousin, is actually the one who introduced the two of them.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
It wasn't just any party. It was Kiki's Sweet 16 birthday jam, and the basement was packed. Big Mike was an upperclassman. In Leslie's 2016 book, Tell the Truth and Shame the Devil, she describes him as tall, with a deep voice, wearing dickies and a t-shirt. They danced at the party, and she gave him her number.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
Later that night, when she was home, she laid in bed excited, thinking about Big Mike maybe becoming a real boyfriend. In the weeks and months that followed, the two of them talked on the phone for hours. Sometimes Leslie would wake up tangled in the phone cord. He met her mother, she met his parents, and they became girlfriend and boyfriend.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
Even though Leslie's mom knew they were together, Leslie says she never got the sex talk, so she didn't really know how to protect herself. When Leslie was in 10th grade and missed her period, she turned to her good friend April, who brought a pregnancy test to school for her.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
As Leslie and Kiki remember it, no one in the family really took the news of Leslie's pregnancy seriously at first.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
She knew what she wanted, but being pregnant was hard. Leslie felt sick during her entire pregnancy, but continued to go to school. Her belly grew bigger and bigger, so no formal announcement was needed. She says the school let her go to the nurse for first period and gave her a key for the elevator.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
Though her mom initially didn't want her to keep the baby, she ended up being supportive throughout the pregnancy and took Leslie to all her doctor's appointments.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
Leslie knew she wanted to name her firstborn after his father. She also knew that she wanted to honor her sister or brother, depending on the sex. And since it was a boy, her brother got the nod.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
On August 9th, 2014, police officer Darren Wilson shot and killed Michael Brown on Canfield Drive in Ferguson, Missouri, setting off a 400-day uprising that captured the world.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
After his quick delivery, it felt like Leslie's whole family was at the hospital. She says it was really joyous.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
The first order of business for their new life, a visit to Granny's.
Still My Baby
Welcome to the World, Mike Mike
Leslie returned to high school her junior year a teen mom. As you can imagine, it wasn't easy. That's next after the break.