
Ashlee is joined by Civil Rights activist and founder of the Black Lives Matter New York City chapter to discuss the 2nd Amendment, living in the Bronx & outside perceptions on hunting as well as his upcoming first hunt in MS, an alleged racially charged incident that recently occurred to him and his group as they were teaching gun safety to a group of beginners at a PA state-owned gun range & how to handle similar situations that may occur.
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Ashley
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Ashley
Hi everyone, thanks for joining today's Origins foundation podcast. We have a special guest for you, someone who is outside the box of our normal guests. We have a noted civil rights activist. He is a highly respected and highly controversial leader in the community. His name is Hawk Newsom and he is the founder of the New York City Black Lives Matter movement. He's an interesting choice to have on our podcast today because we normally have guests in and around the hunting and conservation community. Hawk did not grow up hunting. In fact, he has never gone hunting. Both of his parents grew up hunting in the south from different states in the south, but Hawk grew up in the Bronx and has never had an opportunity to hunt. He, however, is going to join me in Mississippi in December on his very first hunt. And he's excited about it, having learned about it growing up his entire life. So through this episode we explore Hawk's thoughts on hunting from the outside looking in. We also learn about his thoughts and beliefs on guns as a registered Democrat and noted civil rights leader. And I think you'll find some of his opinions and beliefs on gun rights and gun ownership and the Second Amendment very compelling because those are actually outside the box for his party. We also talk about an incident that happened to Hawk and some of his friends and people he was helping teach gun safety to on a gun range recently in Pennsylvania. And honestly, it's pretty troubling. It was an incident that Hawkins portrays as a racist incident where he experienced what he describes as discrimination. And I think if you listen to him, you will also believe that that is actually what occurred. We walk through that incident and this episode was filmed several weeks ago and at the time we were trying to resolve what happened at that gun range amicably with the Department of Natural Resources. And so we did not name that state agency at the time, but had reached out to them to try to figure out exactly what their stance would be and if they could try and help us resolve it and come to some resolution. And frankly, I was disappointed in their response. I do have to say that the boating commission was very responsive, very, very concerned and, and hated to hear about the incident. But then when we talked to the Department of Natural Resources, I felt like we got pawned off down to a lower level supervisor who did not give any credit to Hawk's description and claims. And he did not know. And we didn't know at the time of our podcast that they did have on the microphones. And we came to find out later that they did. And everything that he described turned out to be true. Even going so far as a lady who was not part of their party walked over and asked why are you harassing these people? And even though the DNR supervisory game warden acknowledged that that did in fact happen and that's caught on camera, he still didn't think that there was any an issue. So I'm sure other people have had troubling incidents occur out there and we describe that this probably happens more often than we think. So this is a compelling episode. I hope you enjoy it. It's different for us. Haack has grown to be a friend of mine. Even though we have so many different beliefs, I love the fact that we can agree to disagree about different things and there's a lot that we do agree on. So I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for joining us.
Hawk Newsome
So there's a reason why I started.
Sponsor/Advertiser Voice
Blood Origins and that reason is simple is that I wanted to convey the truth about hunting.
Hawk Newsome
It brings awareness to non hunters that it's. It's more than just killing animals.
Ashley
How do I start it? Brittany?
Hawk Newsome
My name.
Ashley
Does my hair look okay?
Sponsor/Advertiser Voice
My name is Mike Axelrod. Start again.
Hawk Newsome
Yeah, I hated it too.
Sponsor/Advertiser Voice
Braxton, you said something in the car to me. You said that you were living on borrowed time. There's a perception around who hunters are, what we're supposed to be. And a few feminist that works for a nonprofit that is a hunter that has only eaten wild game for the last 20 years is likely not the thing that people think about when it comes to a hunter.
Ashley
All right, my friend. I am so excited to have you on today.
Hawk Newsome
Right on.
Ashley
This is a treat. So we are unlikely to friends we have struck up a. Well, I would, I would Characterize it as a growing friendship.
Hawk Newsome
Absolutely.
Ashley
That we have developed over Instagram. But basically, yeah, I started following you. I mean it's probably been a couple years now and just watching your posts and I like a lot of what you post and you stand up for a lot of people that can't stand up for themselves and don't stand up for themselves. And I just admire and respect and, and you, you go against the mainstream a lot. And so I am going to, for everyone listening folks out there, I've got Hawk Newsome on with me and it's an honor. Hawk is a New Yorker. He was. You were raised in New York, right?
Hawk Newsome
The Bronx. Yes, indeed.
Ashley
In the Bronx. But you have southern roots which we'll talk about. And I am a southerner. I was raised in Memphis and you know, we come from different backgrounds. But that's what I love about the fact that you and I can talk to each other and have respectful discourse and I, you know, just, just really I'm so excited to have you on today. So.
Hawk Newsome
Absolutely.
Ashley
Can you just give us a little bit, tell us a little bit about yourself. So for people who are listening, just tell us a little bit about yourself.
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Hawk Newsome
Right?
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Hawk Newsome
Good luck. Okay. I think as a Christian, the ultimate goal that we can achieve is to be a servant, right? So I can, I'm, I'm. I fathom myself as a servant of God and a servant of humanity, right? Me being a black person and identifying with my experience here as a black American, right? I fight for the rights of black people. But when you fight for the rights of black people, it's kind of like a trickle down effect, right? Because when black people get the right to sit on the front of the bus or voting rights, it kind of like everybody walks through that door with us. So it's like de facto, you know. I'm a human rights activist. I was born and raised in the Bronx. My father and my mom are both southerners who migrated to New York from the South. They met at Roosevelt High School, actually during a protest. My dad was leading a protest for African American Studies class, and they did a walkout, and my mother was looking out the window, and he was like, girl, what you doing up there? We out here protesting. And she joined and, you know, the rest is black history. Yeah, yeah. You know. Yes, indeed. So I founded, along with my sister, I founded Black Lives Matter New York. I would say we became one of the three most recognizable and. And impactful Black Lives Matter groups. We also founded Black Opportunities, which is more social, let's say it's more holistic. Right. So under the umbrella of Black Opportunities, we fed over 70,000 people. Right. We've had just initiatives and community gatherings and decrease the violence programs. And I guess the crown jewel is we founded a school in the South Bronx, a Montessori school called Wildflower New York Charter School, which it' grades pre K through 5. And our fifth graders are out reading most high schoolers in the state of New York.
Ashley
That is fantastic. That is unbelievable. And so you and I both are very strong Second Amendment advocates.
Hawk Newsome
Right.
Ashley
And right to carry arms is a fundamental right of being an American. And so this is a little bit outside the box for an Origins foundation podcast. Because you're not a hunter. Not because you don't want to be a hunter, but because you grew up in the Bronx. I mean, you are in the city, but you have extensive firearms training. You advocate for the Second Amendment. You. And you actually go farther than that. You take groups out and you help train them. You do firearms training, and you do firearm safety classes. And so you want to make sure that people know what they're doing if they're going to. If you're going to carry guns. Yeah. So can you just talk a little bit about that?
Hawk Newsome
So you want me to dive deep on this one?
Ashley
Well, let. Just, Just tell me about. Tell me about taking people and, you know, okay, kind of tell me about. Because, look, we'll just. We'll just go ahead and dive in here. Like, you and I have talked about this off. Off camera and had conversations. You're a Democrat, I'm a Republican, I'm a moderate. Both of us think that there are areas in which our parties have gone off the rails 100%. There are both. Both of us have different beliefs maybe that stem a little bit apart from our parties, things we agree with, things we don't agree with. And your party isn't necessarily the staunchest Second Amendment historically.
Hawk Newsome
Oh, God, no. I think we're the cognizant center. Right. And we're the cognizant Center. Because we are all fully aware of the fact that the powers that be want to keep us fighting. Right? The leaders of these parties want us at each other's throats, but we fully understand that everyday Americans could come together and figure some stuff out for ourselves. And we are not just going to go along with everything just because our party does. Like, we're Americans. We're not sheep, right? We're shepherds, right? So we just won't be led into whatever, right? So me being a shepherd, being a leader, I get, you know, what happens to black civil rights activists, right? They get killed, they get murdered, they get assassinated. So there came a time when I received thousands of death threats. And I looked up and these weren't just like regular dudes threatening me, like, you know, some kid with a mullet driving around a muscle car who might shoot on his farm. This was these, these people were like Navy SEALs. They were like Army Rangers. Like, you know, you're a threat and I'm going to neutralize you. And, you know, my, my, my, my experience with firearms. I knew how to shoot, but I didn't know how to shoot. I knew how to point and aim. I didn't know how to hold a firearm. I didn't know, you know, anything. So I said, these people are really serious, so I need to be serious about defending myself. I went down to Texas, of course, to get my training on a ranch. Right?
Ashley
Yeah, they know how to do it down there 100%.
Hawk Newsome
And believe it or not, you know, we are VLM. But it was a, it was a deputy sheriff. Yeah, it was a cop who gave us our training. And, you know, nobody better.
Ashley
I mean.
Hawk Newsome
Yeah, yeah. And he used to, he used to run trainings in the Army. I forget what his capacity was, but he's like legit, a monster. He has a. His name's Tactical Carl. He has a huge social media following.
Ashley
Tactical Carl. I love that. I mean, just the name alone. We're all going to have to go follow Tactical Carl now.
Hawk Newsome
No, you have to. He wears like these Hawaiian shirts with, like aks. It's like palm trees and aks on him. It's crazy, but I love him. He was like a little black GI Joe man, you know what I mean? He's definitely a character, you know, and he's well known in the community. So at first it took us two months because he's a cop on blm. So it was a conversation similar to this, where we found common ground and we were safe and we found a space where we both Felt safe. And then we could proceed with the training. And he taught us everything from A to Z, you know, from just, you name it, how to. How to heal the wound. He taught us pistols. He taught us shotguns. He taught us, you know, ars. He taught us what guns are trash. And it was constant drilling. Right, because you pick up a lot of bad habits, you know, and your bad habits could. He always talks about the little blind special needs kid who you could shoot if you don't shoot properly. That's our. And so that's our biggest mistake. A blind, special needs.
Ashley
Nobody wants to shoot a blind special need. Kiss.
Hawk Newsome
Exactly. Right. So you better know what you're doing so you can hit your target and not hit that blind special need kid.
Ashley
Right, right.
Hawk Newsome
Yeah.
Ashley
Yeah. That's a good avoidance tactic, I think.
Hawk Newsome
Right on. So, so, so once we learned. My thing was, I started bringing people out to Texas and training them so they could go back their, you know, their communities and people in their communities. And I think once people know how to appreciate and respect firearms, you know what I mean, then we'll have and respect the power of them. I think if people really understood there'd be less crime in our community, there'll be less, you know, violence. Me personally, when we start talking about violent crimes and violence, we have to talk about economics. Right. And better schools and giving people job skills. So when I talk about a holistic approach, I want people to be able to protect themselves, but also how to sustain themselves.
Ashley
Right, right. And, you know, we, you know, you live in a much, much, much, much larger city, but I live in Jackson, Mississippi, and we have some of the same issues. I live in the city and we have some of the same, you know, historically economically disadvantaged areas, continual economic distressed areas, and the crime is in those areas. I mean, it's tied to economics. But. But we have to have the continued conversation around firearms, around guns, around gun safety, because, look, they're not going anywhere. Guns are not going anywhere. And historically, when Democrats are in power, gun sales go up, ammo goes up. I mean, because they're. They're scared they're going to be taken away. So that actually only drives, I guess, the fever.
Hawk Newsome
They had these programs in our community. It's like, come here, dog. My dog just scratching up on her for no reason. Killer. Yeah. This little, tiny, tiny, little, little, tiny, little killer. He thinks he's a lion. But in my neighborhood, they'll do things like these elected officials, like trade in your gun. We'll give you a $150 gift certificate. It's like, for me, it's insane because, you know, we talk. Right. So for people who were enslaved on American soul to give back their guns is the most asinine thing I've ever heard of. Like, if anybody should be scared of government overreach, it should be people who were slaves on this land. You know what I mean?
Ashley
Right, Right. Well, and for anyone that lives in a dangerous community, I mean, if your crime rate's high, the last thing you're going to do is turn over your right to protect yourself. You're just not going to do it. I'm not going to do it. Like, you're not going to do it. I mean. And I mean, I assume if they're doing that publicly, people are going to know who's turning in their gun. So who's sitting there a sitting duck?
Hawk Newsome
Yeah, but that's what it is. Like. Like, one of the things tactical call taught us was to be hard to kill. Right. And we talk about soft targets. You don't want to be a soft target. I might be one of the biggest, blackest advocators for female women to own guns. You know what I mean? Like, particularly black women. And you have these, like. And what we saw the last six, eight years was the number of black female gun ownership skyrocket. Right. Like, you got to protect yourself. You got to protect your family. Like, this is a reality. Anybody. I don't understand why people would tell you not to protect yourself. Now, these things, when I say these things, you know, your Kamala's, your Joe Bidens, your Pelosi, they get so, so mad at me. But, I mean, who's going to protect me? Them? Like, let's be realistic, right. If things went crazy, Right, Right. The Democrats are going to give speeches. They're not going to protect me in my community. They're going to give speeches and tell me, like, I don't want to get into it because I'm far from a conservative, but I have my gripes with the party, you know what I'm saying? And I don't feel protected by them, so.
Ashley
Right, right. That's just one area where you diverge. But. But you. But, you know, you're. You're still. You're strong with the party on a lot of things, and so they can't be mad at you for just disagreeing on an issue here and there. You also encourage your party to work across the aisle, which I think is. I think it's admirable. But back to. Back to Second Amendment, back to shooting Back to hunting. And you know, the mission of Origins foundation is to convey the truth about hunting and fishing and conservation. And you live in New York, which has historically and is actually trying to do it right now. So the federal government has certain regulations regarding the importation and exportation of different types of what they call trophies. Everybody calls them trope, we don't really like to call them that, but they call them trophies. But New York takes it a step farther and they try to enact even stricter regulations. And in fact there's a bill right now, I just pulled it up and I'm going to pull it up on my phone so I don't get it wrong. But right now they have a piece of legislation to ban the sale of Senate Bill 50001450 14. And then it's assembly counterpart is a 1616, it's called the Big Five African Trophies Act. Proposes to prohibit the importation, possession, sale, transportation, processing, trade and display of parts or products from the six African species, African elephant, lion, leopard, black rhino, white rhino and giraffe. And so it imposes enforcement authority. So including search and seizure, authorizes criminal penalties, including imprisonment, up for two years violations of this act. It, it does have some exemptions, so items already in New York before the law's effective dates. If you have a certificate of possession, items in museums, of course, because I mean, hello, the Smithsonian has all sorts of these things and then heritage transfers, the heirs or trustees under strict conditions. So it's still active right now. It's in committee. It hasn't become law yet, but they've passed similar laws in the past. They banned ivory and rhino horn sales in 2024. So they have these bills that they, they've passed. And so I just am curious about your thoughts on this. You and I have talked a little bit before about the fact that in Africa we have all of these countries and, and it's hard, it's hard for us as Americans to understand things like hunting any of those species. Frankly, a lot of money goes into it. People spend big dollars to go over there and hunt and people go crazy. I mean, like, you shouldn't kill those animals. That's terrible. Blah, blah, blah. Not understanding that that money sustains those communities and goes to, you know, provide jobs for the people over there and it builds schools and it gives scholarships to them and it puts wells in the ground in those communities and that those communities actually want the hunting and that it's these European countries and America to a little bit of a lesser extent, honestly than the European countries. But we're, we're complicit in it. I mean we, we vote along with them and these different cities, regulations and saying, you know, you may have 200,000 elephants in a country the size of Texas. I mean think about that. 200,000 elephants, the country size, trampling your crops and killing your children and you know, destroying your houses, but you can't do anything about it. Sorry. And so, and, and nor are we going to take them, can't ship them our way. So, and so here we have New York saying I know where you can't. If you go over there and you spend a hundred thousand dollars and you kill one of these species that they try to regulate, old sick, can't import it either. So like what's the point? Like people aren't gonna go kill those things if they can't bring back.
Hawk Newsome
Yeah, yeah.
Ashley
I mean I'm just like, what? It doesn't make sense to me. And even though I don't want to go kill a black rhino, like, you.
Hawk Newsome
Know, I'm always rooting for the animals, right? So, so like when people are taking pictures next to doped up cheetahs and the cheetah reaches up and slaps them, like in Thailand, you know how they tranquilize them and the cheetah wakes up and snatches somebody or the elephant swipes somebody with a trunk. I always root for the animals, right? But I'm not anti hunting, you understand what we're saying? I like when the animals get theirs and I don't mind hunting. I guess what I focus on is the exploitation element, right? I'll give you a perfect example. When you have people who take those, take those trips to Africa and they're like, look at me dropping a Tylenol in a little starving African's mouth. But look at me feeding this little starved little frame water I hate, right?
Ashley
Yeah, yeah.
Hawk Newsome
I call it poverty porn, you know what I mean? So for me, I think if the people are benefiting from it, right? So it's not some European dude who just came and bought acreage and he's allowing people. No, I want Africans who, it's their land to benefit from this form of tourism, right? Because from what I, what I understand, if, if you don't have hunting, then you're going to have to tear down the trees and convert it to farmland or you're going to have to mine the land and it's going to be harmful to the environment. So as long as the people are benefiting from it, as long as the people want It. I don't have a problem with it. And I think America has a way of overstepping.
Ashley
Right.
Hawk Newsome
I think a lot of white folks have a problem of telling people what's best for them. And even in my activism, I sometimes have to take a step back and say, is this what I want? Do people want certain things that I would say, like abolish the police. Right. People who are in the communities are like, well, I think we need them. But what I have to explain to them is we need to understand how to police ourselves. Right. So Second Amendment. We need to arm ourselves and we need to deal with the criminal element ourselves. That type of deal. Right. So it's even. I use myself as a perfect example. Sometimes I got to slow down and listen to the people I represent. So we can't go in there and tell those folks, you know, what to do if the African folks want to do it. And like I said, I'm anti exploitation. If the animals are plentiful. And like you told me about the elephants and how they trample crops and they trample people if there's too many elephants. Yeah, go ahead and mitigate the situation. So I'm all for it. If you want to keep a trophy of it, as long as it's not an endangered species, I'll fight with it. You know what I mean? Like, yeah, yeah, I'm sorry. So what do you use instead of trophy?
Ashley
Well, so that's a really good question. So this debate is going on around the world right now amongst the conservation and hunting community because the phrase trophy hunting has developed such a negative connotation, because when someone goes over there or even here, like say, for instance, okay, so you're gonna come down and you're gonna hunt deer with me, right? So we're gonna try to get you a buck. We're definitely gonna get you a doe, but. Okay, I think we might even get you both. But if you. Let's say you kill a buck.
Hawk Newsome
Yes.
Ashley
You're gonna want to. You're like, we're gonna. You're gonna get the meat and you're gonna. You're gonna take all that meat back, and you are. You say you're gonna give it away. You're gonna want to keep all that meat.
Hawk Newsome
I'm gonna eat some. I'm eating. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Ashley
You're gonna want to fill your freezer with that meat and give it to your friends and give it to your family and. But you're also. You're. What are you going to want? You're going to want to do something with that.
Hawk Newsome
I want those antlers, I want to clean them out.
Ashley
Exactly. Like you're going to want to keep the mount, you're going to want to keep the. And get it mounted on your wall because I mean, you're proud of what, you're proud of what you did.
Hawk Newsome
That's what I did, yeah.
Ashley
Yeah.
Hawk Newsome
So I actually have, I have a necklace. It's Mongolian wolf chief. Right. I was out in Amsterdam giving a speech and I got presented with an award and I was just hanging out with like these artists and one girl was like indigenous and she was like, I feel compelled to give this to you. I feel like these were made for you when they were created. And she gave them to me and I wore them until the necklace popped. But I still have them in a black. I gotta restring them.
Ashley
That's really cool. Yeah, you need to get those restrung.
Hawk Newsome
Absolutely. So what do you tell people who this is part of their heritage, this is part of their culture. They can't do it.
Ashley
It is, it is. And, and so if someone goes over to Africa and kills one of these species or if they're over here, or if they're in Alaska, wherever they are, and so every part of that animal is used. They're going to use the meat, they're going to use the hides, they're going to use every part of it. And, and so all that remains is is the head or a trophy. Is it bad that that person wants to keep that and mounted as like. Because that's the only part that can arguably be, you know, kept. And that's the part that over there that the Africans are like, we don't want that part. That, that's useless to us. So you're gonna, you're gonna pay us to hunt. We can hunt all the time. And so whatever. So you're gonna pay us to keep the most useless part of the animal. Okay, yeah. Take it like, that's great. And give us all of the parts that are worth something to us. And so to me it's a win. Win. But the anti hunting community has, I mean, just been brilliant at their marketing rhetoric. And so this whole trophy hunting, trophy hunting, it's blood sport. It's. We're only going over. I mean, I hate that term, you know, to satisfy your blood sport. Well, you know what? So our, the Origins foundation used to be called Blood Origins. And originally before that it was going to be called in the blood because. Yeah, look, when we were created, when we were made, we were hunters and gatherers. Yes, it is in our blood. It's in.
Hawk Newsome
I'm just sick of like, okay, if you have a reasonable qualm. Okay, if you have reasonable qualms, a historic beef, Right? Like, black people have a historic beef. Fine. Listen to black people. You know, they help. They built the country for free. Listen to black people. But now you have all of these other groups, Right. Who are pretty much forcing their will on everybody. And I think enough is enough, Right. And without just going crazy and getting this podcast abolished. Right. I'm not gonna go into how you're.
Ashley
Not gonna get us abolished. Look, we take on controversy. We take on controversial issues all the time, okay? I mean, like, really digging into why anti hunters are hunters. And I think there's people all over the board. I mean, who knows? There's. There's like, these high school kids that don't even know who they are, and they're, you know, who. Who knows? And so they're just. Let's see. Pictures of cute animals, and they're like, I love animals. Don't go kill them. And then they're walking down and, you know, eating whatever from McDonald's and listen. Ignoring where those animals.
Hawk Newsome
Yeah.
Ashley
Came from.
Hawk Newsome
It's. It's so weird.
Ashley
So go ahead.
Hawk Newsome
It's a losing argument on black people because we love fur. I don't know what it is about black people. Maybe it's. Maybe it goes back to Africa, right. When these kings had. Yes. So according to my fox in my mink in the closet. Right. And I think I bought mine because. Have you ever seen 300? The movie 300?
Ashley
No, but my husband has. He loves.
Hawk Newsome
Of course. And your son should have. Right. They're old enough.
Ashley
Yeah, they think they are.
Hawk Newsome
Yeah. It's one of those movies, right. And he went. They sent him out into the wild to survive. In his last test was this huge black super wolf, right? It was like the baseball ever. He killed it. And when he came back as a king, he had the fur in a wolf's head on, like. Yeah. So I think that's why I had to go out and buy black fur. I blame it on the movie.
Ashley
I mean, and Brad Pitt wore that big bur. That bear coat. And Legends of the Fall, you know, he's all in the bear. And wasn't Leonardo in that? Yeah. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, it's manly. We don't. We. We need to normalize men wearing fur again. Like, I'm all about the furs and leathers. So, you know, they're bringing it back on. They're bringing it back to Fashion Week because they've started eradicating invasive species and turning them into leather. And so all of a sudden, these liberal fashion brands that were like, no, no, no, it has to be fake, which is made of horrible chemicals for the environment. I mean, it's like straight up PFAs, like the worst of the worst for the environment. They have replaced animal skins with this terrible stuff. All of a sudden it's okay because they can use things like python and things like that.
Hawk Newsome
I wore my python boots last night, Carp.
Ashley
Okay, well, you know what? That's good for the environment, so keep wearing those python boots. But yeah, so all of a sudden they're like, oh, it's okay. So it's coming back. It's on New York Passion Week. And so London is lifting its band on. They've had. London Fashion Week has had a ban on exotic species, lifting it this next time and allowing these invasives. Only the invasives. So. But yeah, so it's kind of cool.
Hawk Newsome
It was really bad here. So my guy, his name is Daniel, Daniel's Leather. It's in the city, right? He's. He sells to all the celebrities. Mary J. Black, all these people with like these full lengths insane cults. And it got so bad I can't say their names. But certain celebrities who shop there are like faux fur. And I'm like, you lying?
Ashley
Oh, no, they shopping.
Hawk Newsome
It's like, I'm going with my fur.
Ashley
Do not have to do that.
Hawk Newsome
It's hilarious. Me and my sister sit back and laugh at it all the time. And it's like really broke. Really?
Ashley
And you're like, oh, that's faux fur. You won't mind if I, like, put something on it, right? Because you can just.
Hawk Newsome
And they're like singing national anthems and then hashtag, faux fur. And then the guy has a picture of him buying the coat on Instagram. Right? It's amazing.
Ashley
That is amazing. Okay, so let's talk about. You're going to come down and go hunting with me.
Hawk Newsome
100% first time.
Ashley
Okay. We're going to get you down to Mississippi. So do you have any, like, are. Is there anything you're. What do you. What do you think is going to be like, or.
Hawk Newsome
Okay, I think there's going to be a rattlesnake every place I step.
Ashley
That is so funny. Okay, well, we do have rattlesnakes in Mississippi, but we don't see them very often and not that often during deer season because it's colder weather. And so they go in, you know, to kind of hibernate. But now this summer, you got to worry about it a little bit more. They're outstanding themselves, but you are not going to have to worry about that. And I'm sure you have a good pair of boots or just get yourself a good pair of snake boots.
Hawk Newsome
It'll be fire.
Ashley
And plus you'll be up in a stand. So I'm not going to take you through anywhere that is even, even close to having a lot of rattles face.
Hawk Newsome
So, I mean, I want to live a little dangerous.
Ashley
You do want to. Okay.
Hawk Newsome
The thing is, I get concerned, but I have to conquer those fears. Yeah, right?
Ashley
Yeah.
Hawk Newsome
Yeah. So I never forget. I went to the mountains. Right. I forget the Appalachian. I went to the mountains. It was this men's retreat. It was insane because somebody sent me that. It was like, you need this. And when I get off, I'm like, there's like these special forces mercenary type dudes and then there's these dudes in suits. So it was like all these killers and CEOs and businessmen, and they took us to the woods and they made us cry and do these Indian ceremonies. So they let us find a quiet space.
Ashley
Deep personal development.
Hawk Newsome
Absolutely. And these are like. And I felt good because it wasn't like. I'm not gonna say soft, but they weren't your real like, tree hugger hippies, which I have a lot of friends who are. These were type A alpha males. Right. And I'm like, that's good. We're comfortable, right?
Ashley
Yeah.
Hawk Newsome
So I'm in. I'm in the woods and it's like. It's definitely bears up there. And I'm by myself. And, you know, you got to scream. Some guys were like. There was waterfall. A waterfall there with sheets of ice on it. Guys all punching the ice. And, you know, I went to find a spot and I was scared that a bear was going to maul me for like the first 15 minutes. Right. But I got past it.
Ashley
Right.
Hawk Newsome
And then I did my scream and my little warrior thing. But it was cool.
Ashley
That is cool. That is cool. Is that something publicly that people can go attend?
Hawk Newsome
Yes. It's called Every man is Every Man.
Ashley
That sounds really, really cool.
Hawk Newsome
Like, it's. Listen, it helped me grow. I like, release some stuff from childhood.
Ashley
Yeah.
Hawk Newsome
You know what I mean?
Ashley
Yeah.
Hawk Newsome
And it was powerful. So, you know, the first few minutes, you have to walk around this room. Like, there's like 50 of us walking around a room. And whenever you. They make us stop you gotta tell somebody a secret about yourself. So this is first 30 minutes.
Ashley
Okay.
Hawk Newsome
So you're already disarming yourself. Right. And of course you're not gonna give up too much of the goods, but eventually you get to confront some stuff.
Ashley
Yeah.
Hawk Newsome
You know, and it's, it's, it's, it's super cool. It's super cool.
Ashley
I think it's so important for men to be around other men and a safe space and just get to have that time. And especially outdoors, like in the wild. I encourage my husband. Go fishing with your friends, go hunting with your friends. Like, I don't need you all the time. I don't want you around here all the time. Like, he comes back better for it. We're better for it. Like, men need to be out. Men need to be in the woods or outside with their buddies. Like, guys, all boys. I feel like God made us that way. It's just, you know, one of those things. That's how you were created. Y' all were created to be that way.
Hawk Newsome
100.
Ashley
Okay, so we'll talk about something a little bit serious right now. And I want to talk kind of just generally about it, but you had a not pleasant, I would characterize it as a bad, really bad, downright racist experience recently on a shooting range. Stayed on shooting range.
Hawk Newsome
Yes.
Ashley
And I, I don't want to go because we're still, we're. I think they are trying to take steps to remediate and resolve that situation, and I hope that they do. And so we're not going to publicly blow it up right now, but I do want you to describe what happened. You were on this publicly state owned shooting range, doing what you do, taking a group of people, y' all had a couple of groups of people down to. They give them firearm safety training and just kind of, it was, it was bad. I mean, you, you had a very, couple of very racist game wardens that I don't know if they. You don't know if they knew who you were or didn't know, do you?
Hawk Newsome
Not sure. Not sure.
Ashley
And regardless of whether they did or didn't, it's bad either way.
Hawk Newsome
Nobody should be treated like this.
Ashley
Right.
Hawk Newsome
You know, it felt like Jim Crow.
Ashley
Yeah.
Hawk Newsome
You know, I felt like I was in the Jim Crow south in the 50s, 60s. You know, a lot of people might not agree with us when we said, you know, racism exists, but it's often when you have the opportunity to internalize things. Right. And I just want to give this a little segue. I work hand in Hand with my sister, right? And I knew sexism was a thing, but. But I didn't see it until I walk into her meetings and men are talking to me instead of talking to her at her meetings, right? And instead of people seeing her as an equal, what she is, they said, oh, you're there helping your brother. Which is horrible. So before people dismiss what I'm about to say, you should just walk a mile in these size 15s. You do it for me and you definitely understand it. So my car, we pulled up, it's very distinctive. It's a. It's a blacked out Chevy Suburban, high country. And if you know what you're looking at, you know, it's a hard car, you know, it's an armored car. So, you know, law enforcement, because of who I am, they know my car, right? And we roll up onto the range and we see our friends shooting. So we grab our gear, we change, you know, we put on our stuff, and within three minutes of getting there, we're walking over to the range and we park, we're walking over. And some. It's outdoor range. Some gang wardens jackknife their Chevy Tahoe, right? And jump out and every. People are shooting on the rifle range, People shooting on a pistol range. They walk directly to me, is super crowded. Yeah, super crowded. Super crowded. And walk directly to me. Where's your permit? Okay, here's a permit. And I already see where this is going, right? I'm like, okay, one, they're antagonizing us because of who I am, who we are to. They're antagonizing us because we're black. And they might not be used to having this many black people here. And I don't want this to be a thing, right? So we walk over and the group now, you know, we have activists with us, but we also have civilians. We have a lot of people there who are afraid of guns. Yeah, right. Who just think that.
Ashley
And your whole group isn't black, right? Didn't you say you have to like Danish and you have like other.
Hawk Newsome
No, we have multicultural grouping.
Ashley
You there, right?
Hawk Newsome
There were Danish folks there. There were Norwegian. A black Norwegian dude. We're mixed, but yeah, definitely. And he was there with his wife. It was a woman who was mixed from the uk. There was just so many different types of people there. But they came specifically to our group, to me. And as I'm presenting him with the idea, I'm like, you know, well, she's talking about my sister. She's on my permit, right? And he goes, well, I don't think that's possible, actually. According to your website, this is absolutely permissible. I don't know about that. I have to check. It's weird. When you're in these situations, you never get the benefit of the doubt.
Ashley
Right, Right. And I confirmed with legal counsel for their department, that is. Yeah, I mean, you can. You're a lawyer. We have not even told people like, you are a lawyer.
Hawk Newsome
Like, yes, absolutely.
Ashley
You did everything by the book. Like, it was a. This is, you know, this, this guy didn't even know his own regulations.
Hawk Newsome
Exactly. Right? So now folks are from my group are starting to make comments like, why aren't you over there?
Ashley
Right?
Hawk Newsome
You know those white dudes? Why aren't you checking their permits? Why'd you start here? Why are you. You bothering us? So we get through it, right? And we. It was. Sometimes when you're in these situations. Now, me, I am. I've went viral several times because I had this thing. If you treat me like a. I'm gonna be the biggest, baddest nigga you ever came in contact with. Right? If you disrespect me, then all respect for your brags and for who you are goes out the window. Because at the end of the day, I'm a human being. You're a human being. And I'm six five, 340 pounds. And if you didn't have that badge, you wouldn't say a word to me. You know what I mean? So, yeah, so let me let you know right now, I'm not afraid. And. But that wasn't where I was that day. I just wanted to shoot.
Ashley
Yeah.
Hawk Newsome
I hadn't been on a range in a few months. We're teaching people about guns. People who were anti gun, they're learning about guns. We, you know, we're having fun. So I'm like, I'm not even gonna let him bother me. So, you know, we, we run a couple of the pistols and then we go over to the rifle range. Now we had a, A Draco that was modified. It's. It's. I think it's a ftn, fmp, whatever. This trigger was, is newly legal. And you shoot it and then it springs back, right? So it releases around and then when it's, it's resetting, it releases more rounds. Right. This gun is. These triggers are amazing. And we had that on a Draco, which is a fun gun. I wouldn't say that it's a weapon that I would rely on, but it's a, It's A fun gun. And we had a couple of ars. We had some.22s, you know, and one weird. Speaking of Africa, it was an Egyptian rifle that was kind of like an antique that was really fun to shoot. And so my lawyer. One of my lawyers is out there, but he's a guy with dreadlocks and tattoos on every inch of his body. So. Yeah. The stereotypes don't necessarily apply.
Ashley
Right, Right. They don't look. That's why it's a stereotype. It's not. Not always reality. Yeah.
Hawk Newsome
It's like. Yeah. So I don't know.
Ashley
I don't always look walking down the street dressed up like a lawyer. Like, I would rather be out in the woods, honey, shooting things.
Hawk Newsome
Come on. And this is one of the reasons why I don't leave with lawyer. Right. And I have a missing tooth that I refuse to get fixed. Right. Why? Because I want to see.
Ashley
I can't tell that on the video.
Hawk Newsome
Yeah. Yes.
Ashley
But you need to replace that with a gold tooth Hawk.
Hawk Newsome
You sound like my sister. You need to get that gold, too. You sound like my sister. I definitely, definitely want to do that. I was thinking about just golden out the whole thing. You know what I mean? I wonder how it would look.
Ashley
And then you might get robbed.
Hawk Newsome
Not came off of me. No. I'm the big bad wolf. No. But I wonder how it would look with a really nicely cut suit. Right. And you just walk in, hey, doody, doody, doody. And you open your mouth and it's like.
Ashley
Maybe just keep it how you got it.
Hawk Newsome
Yeah, yeah. So, okay, here's our thing. We've been through so many rough situations that we kind of laugh through the pain.
Ashley
Right, Right.
Hawk Newsome
So this was something that really hurt. Right. But we're laughing about it because I don't want to be. I don't like the way. I mean, especially because you're helping me do something about it. You know what I mean?
Ashley
No, it's a bad. It's a bad situation that we're trying to make sure that nobody else has to go through this.
Hawk Newsome
Right on. So now we are on the range. And the problem was he didn't install the trigger properly. So every time you let it go, you have to reset the weapon and whatever. And so he's. He runs, I'm shooting. I let it go. I'm like, oh, my God, this gun is amazing. And I'm shooting it, and he's like, you. And runs down. Put the gun down. So I'm looking like. Like, is it really this serious? He's like, you let off six shots consecutive, Lee. And the rules say that you can. I'm like, okay, take it easy. You know what I mean? Like, I didn't know that this was a rule. I don't think I let off that many shots. And look back up for a second.
Ashley
People had been letting off.
Hawk Newsome
Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Somebody had a switch on the other end, right? And it is just like emptying a clip in two seconds, right? And then people were just letting off shots. It was a thing. Like, people were just doing it.
Ashley
Just assumed it was fine.
Hawk Newsome
It was fine.
Ashley
People were doing it. Nobody was getting in trouble.
Hawk Newsome
We're doing it. But the only person who got called out for doing it was the black dude, right? And this is what we calling call criminalizing us, right? Because everybody's committing a crime, but we are the only ones being prosecuting. Historically, black people, white people commit the same crime. White people get less harsh sentences. This is statistics. This is America. Right?
Ashley
Right.
Hawk Newsome
So if he comes to me and it's, like, super aggressive, you know, well, you can't do that. Where's your permit? And my lawyer walks over. He's like, what do you mean we can't do that? We've been. People have been doing this all day, but nobody's like, saying, those guys down there are. Have been doing it all. Because we don't move like that. So we're like, people have been doing it all day. What do you mean? So it's right there, posted on the sign. It was like this brown tin sign, right? And he walks over. He's like, show me on the sign. And the game warden. The game warden who escalated this whole situation couldn't show it. Took him about a minute or two to find it, right? And he's like, look, it's right there. They were like, okay, is it that serious? I got it. Like, I understand. It won't happen again. No. Where's your permit? It's in my phone. My phone's in a car. Do you have any weapons in your car? You've gone from game warden to police officer at a traffic stop. Like, what's really happening here? Obviously, I don't have any weapons with me. I'm from New York. Which allows you to have absolutely nothing, and you have to jump through a million hoops just to get anything. So, no, I don't have anything. And he's like, are those your weapons? You want to bring them with you? I felt like in that moment, he wanted me to claim some weapons that I legally could not own, which weren't mine anyway. And we had such a large group there. It was kind of like, you stop at different stations, right?
Ashley
Yeah.
Hawk Newsome
And so as we're going to the car, my sister's like, you can wait here. We'll be right back. You're worried about weapons. Everybody out here has weapons.
Ashley
You're at a shooting range. You're at a shooting range. Everybody has weapons.
Hawk Newsome
Everybody. And meanwhile, you know, so I go, I get my phone, and actually, he's in the. In the car. Just a phone right there. Well, we have phones for social media, content. We have personal phones, right? That's not the phone. Why are you all up in my car? Like, what do you think I got kilos in here? I'm El Chapo. Like, what's. But this is what we have to go through. Normally, I would have lost it, right? But it's like, why would you escalate a situation where you have. Sometimes you just have to handle things by the book, right? Because you're escalating. Everybody with me cares more about humanity than they do about your badge. And they hate black, white, or whoever. They hate the fact that I'm being treated like this, right? So if I start flipping out, they start flipping out. Everybody has a gun in their hand, right? It's just not a good situation. You know what I mean? So I'm doing my best to keep it calm, but, you know, folks are saying, like, why? You come straight to the black people, right?
Ashley
So literally, while you're at the car having this continued, like, he's like, where's your id? Where's your phone? You have weapons. You can hear people still unloading their clip.
Hawk Newsome
100%. 100% for what he.
Ashley
In the background for the one time you did more than six that he's just wearing you out about. They're still doing it down there.
Hawk Newsome
And you're 100%.
Ashley
And you're going, why? And your friends are like, why aren't you down there getting them? And. And he's. And he says, like, what? I can't hear. I don't know who it is.
Hawk Newsome
Or when we walk back, somebody. They were letting them off at the far end of the range, but somebody closer to us.
Ashley
Yeah.
Hawk Newsome
And it's like, bo, what are you gonna do? What are you gonna do about that? Cause I wasn't gonna say it. Right, but now you heard it. What are you gonna do about that? Well, I couldn't see who did it, really, bro. But he was spanning, like, the range is kind of sunk in. It's like this wall and a place where you could look in and look down in the range. He was standing there watching me.
Ashley
Yeah.
Hawk Newsome
Like, watching us. And he ran down. It was ridiculous. So he goes, well, I didn't. I'm like, you're not gonna do anything about that. And he goes, well, I'm dealing with you right now. And he has my phone. And I'm like, he asked me for my id. He's like, now where's your id? They never asked anybody for id. Right? And I'm like, let me get my phone. Let me get my. And he's yanking it back. Like, this isn't evidence, bro. This is like, this isn't the key to some Sherlock Holmes, Hawaii five O police mystery. Like, this is my phone. Like, you have the permit. My license is inside the case. But he's literally yanking it back. It was sophomore, right? But what I thought was, he's trying to push me into a fight. Right?
Ashley
Right.
Hawk Newsome
And I'm like, the license is in the phone. And he's like, what? It's in here. Why are you scrolling through. Why are you tempting to scroll through my pictures? Just give me my phone. And I give it to him. So now we're here. A lawyer tells me to be quiet.
Ashley
Yeah.
Hawk Newsome
And I stay quiet. He's going back and forth. He was like, well, you couldn't just give him a warning. More shots go off. His partner comes down. Brown, right? His partner. Brown goes down and addresses the guy, pats him on the back, and walks back over to us. Wait a second. So the white dude gets the pat on the back. I get followed to my car. I get antagonized. And these are. They just. It's obvious at this point how these things are being flayed. He's like, well, he handles things differently than I do. Somebody else left off more shots. Brown goes down again, comes right back. And I'm like, well, why couldn't he do that? He's like, oh, that's the way it goes. So you know what? In this moment, right, People always talk to me about these good cops, Right. I don't personally believe in that. Because if you are standing there and allowing somebody to break the law to violate someone's rights, then you are complicit. Yeah, Right. You are guilt. Just as guilty as they are. If you're covering up or you're not interjecting, your duty is to uphold the law. Right. And you protecting your partner or respecting what your partner's doing or going along with them, it's not upholding the law. So it just went on for way too long.
Ashley
And you obviously hadn't broken the law. So, I mean, he should have just said, all right, go back to your business. Don't do it again the same way he did to the other people, instead of just dragging it out because you ultimately left, right? You took a group of left.
Hawk Newsome
Yeah. I said, you know, you've ruined my day. He's like, you can stay and shoot. I don't want to stay and shoot. Can I have my ID back? No. But he's. It's like, you're antagonizing me. You won't Give me my I.D. you'll get it back after I say what I need to say. So, you know, my group is like, this is crazy. A white woman walked over and was like, why are you doing this to him and nobody else? You understand? So it was that type of situation. And he was like, it was that bad?
Ashley
Yeah.
Hawk Newsome
Yeah. You're not going to get your ID Back until I say. Until you listen to what I have to say. Where is that in the rule book? Now, I just want you to say. I want you to understand that you just criminalized a black person for something that white people are doing right here in your face. And he was like, well. And I was like, that's racist. He was like, well, I'm sorry you feel that way. Now, here's the thing. His body cam was never turned on. The reason we fought and after Eric Gardner and all those other cases we fought for body cams was so there'd be evidence of these interactions. He never turned his body camera on. That's how I believe he knew that he was on BS Is it not.
Ashley
Supposed to automatically be on now?
Hawk Newsome
You got to tap it.
Ashley
You have to tap.
Hawk Newsome
So what happens is, once they engage you, they tap it. The audio records for 30 seconds to a minute. The audio is weirdly always on, but it's activated to a minute before you tap the body cam.
Sponsor/Advertiser Voice
Okay.
Hawk Newsome
Right. And then the camera. And then the camera. You know, the camera rolls, but it was never long.
Ashley
So they have an audio recording of all this?
Hawk Newsome
No, because you never turned on the camera. It only kicks in once you tap it.
Ashley
At least that's okay. But it sounds like there were lots and lots of witnesses, so.
Hawk Newsome
Absolutely.
Ashley
So we are. We are working with this agency to get a resolution of this situation, because obviously those officers need to be reprimanded and potentially fired.
Hawk Newsome
Absolutely.
Ashley
At least the one that. That took you.
Hawk Newsome
Yeah, yeah. He definitely to be fine.
Ashley
And I mean, look it, I live in the South. I, I see this all the time. I mean, people I don't think understand. I mean, I live in a predominantly black city. The majority of our citizens are black. And yet it still occurs here. We see it, it's real. It is real. And so I would like. Because you handled that situation without it escalating. And so whether you are a black person that is being discriminated against or whether you are a white person out on some sort of public land, private land, sometimes officers overstep their bounds. I actually believe that there are a lot of good game wardens. I know a lot of them personally down here. There is a difference between police officers and game wardens and there's different types of law enforcement officers. I work with a lot of state wildlife agencies and I think that most of the game wardens I run across are trying really hard to do a good job. I know that there are exceptions to that. We all do. Everybody's encountered it. So if someone is in a situation where they feel like they are being harassed because you've dealt with this more than once, what are your tips for, you know, standing your ground, maintaining your integrity, but helping de escalate the situation? Like, how would you recommend people handle it?
Hawk Newsome
I think it could go two ways. Right. I think you can a go along, assert yourself, but keep the calm so you can get out of the situation and to everybody has a bad day, Right. Whereas if you push them, you're going to flip out. Right. And your first amendment is protected. You can definitely cursing at a cop is not disorderly conduct. It's what I'm saying is if you're having a bad day and you decide to give that same energy back to the cop, you have to know your rights. You have to know what you do.
Ashley
Yeah, right.
Hawk Newsome
You just have to know what lanes, what grounds you could cross. Like if you say somebody should beat your ass for treating people like this. Right. That's not a threat. But if you say I'm going to.
Ashley
Beat your ass, that is a threat.
Hawk Newsome
That's a threat.
Ashley
Like you can be handcuffed and thrown in that car.
Hawk Newsome
If you say exactly. Like if, if a police officer, goodness is black, white, everything in between. Because let's, let's face it, police, I don't care if you're in a trailer park. I don't care if you're on Trinity Avenue in the South Bronx. Police target and harass poor people. Right. Because there's more crime in poor areas. Right. So you have to Understand that when they approach you, they have to have a reasonably articulable suspicion that you're committing a crime. They have to be able to articulate that to you. In some places, they can't.
Ashley
So should you ask them what seems to be the problem? Like, what are you concerned with here?
Hawk Newsome
And you're well within your rights just to ask why you are bothering me. Right.
Ashley
You can say, can you turn on your camera?
Hawk Newsome
You could definitely say, have you turned on your camera? And if you feel like you are being targeted, you can ask for a sergeant now. Right. When you ask for their commanding officer.
Ashley
Now, they may ignore you.
Hawk Newsome
Yeah. They're absolutely wrong. Right. And you can sue later. Right. You can sue later. But most of the time, if you assert yourself and they're not afraid of you. Right. Then they're going to take you to jail. You can sue later. You might get a couple grand. You might get a couple grand later. Depends on how it goes. You might get beat up, you know, and you could sue later. But there's been times where I'm going to stand on principle and you could arrest me and take me to jail. Cause I'll be out later today or in the morning and I'm going to sue the crap out of you. And you're going to get in trouble because of enough interactions with me. The police are like, leave him alone. I've had cops pull me over, realize it was me, and just keep going. Yeah, you know what I mean? Get back in that car and keep going. But not everyone is treated like that. So you have to know your rights. And I'm glad you said that. Especially with kids going back to school. I'm gonna post something on my Instagram page that is shareable. And this applies wherever the Constitution applies. Listen.
Ashley
Which is all over America.
Hawk Newsome
Hello. Right. Right. So I am a fan of the Constitution. Right. I think it's one of the most. I think it's the second most beautiful doctrine ever created after the Bible. Right?
Ashley
Yep.
Hawk Newsome
And you can use it. You can use it, you can assert it. And folks really have to learn their rights. So if there's. There's two ways to go. Right. You can assert yourself calmly and you could get out of it with the ticket and you could accept its harassment and fight back later.
Ashley
Yeah.
Hawk Newsome
Or if you're just pissed off that day and you're like, if anybody messes with me today, they're going to hear my mouth. If it's that kind of day where you just don't want to have your rights, trampled on and know what you are doing.
Ashley
Right?
Hawk Newsome
You know what I'm saying? Know what you're doing.
Ashley
And look, folks out there listening, we would love to know if you've had incidents where you feel like you were unfairly treated, how you dealt with it, if you were able to de escalate the situation, we'd love to hear from you. Remember that our Google origins number is 601-790-0607. That's 601-790-0607. And just a reminder, as we're getting close to hunting season, don't go out without your license, folks. It's so easy. Now take a picture of it. Keep it saved in your phone. And most states now have a way that you can buy your license online. So get your license, be prepared, keep a copy of it. And then you can avoid so many issues when you go out there. Don't go out without your license. Don't poach. Nobody wants a poacher. I mean, it's just like driving without your license. You don't drive without your license or you shouldn't. Don't go hunting without your license. And so that's. That's all I'm gonna say about that. That's my little soapbox. But look, we. We all forget to do things, but this is your reminder. Get yourself in order before. Before the season's up. And it's up in about. Well, in Mississippi dove, season starts in eight days. So that's very, very exciting. But look, Hawk, I have been so privileged to have you on today. All right, So I have started asking all of my guests to give me. Give me two truths and a lie, and I'm going to try to guess them, and you can think for a little second about it. But I need. I need. Give me three really interesting two truths and one lie, and I'm going to see if I can guess it.
Hawk Newsome
Two truths and a lie. And that. I'm just stating them.
Ashley
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm gonna try to guess which one's the lie.
Hawk Newsome
Give me three.
Ashley
Give me three facts. Two of them are true. One of them's a lie, and I'm gonna try to pick out the lie. And. And so I'm pretty good at this, so I'm just telling you I can usually pick the lie.
Hawk Newsome
Okay. All right, cool. I loved Guns n Roses. I used to lose all my fights, including those, to the two girls. And I never voted for a Republican.
Ashley
Oh, okay. Those are hard. Okay, so the Guns n Roses things is so random that I'M gonna say that. That's the truth.
Hawk Newsome
100%.
Ashley
Okay. All right. You used to lose all your fights. You used to lose all your fights versus voting for a Republican. Never voting for a Republican. I'm gonna say you never voted for Republican is true. And that you used to lose all your fights is totally false. How'd I do?
Hawk Newsome
You ready? Okay. I voted for GWB. I voted for Bush 2.
Ashley
Really? You were a W fan?
Hawk Newsome
Yeah, yeah.
Ashley
I mean, I was a W fan.
Hawk Newsome
And it was a big riff in my household. Really? Yeah.
Ashley
Took some heat for that one, huh?
Hawk Newsome
He's the only one. And, yeah, I couldn't fight. I didn't want to fight. I didn't like conflict. Right. That's why it's weird. I grew up in the South Bronx in the height of the crack epidemic. So I got picked on so much, so I just became a monster. It was just like, oh, hell no. Raw. And I started fighting and fighting back. Yeah.
Ashley
The best part about the fact that you gave me in that quote was that you added even the girls. Like, I mean, I feel like you probably should have lost the fights to the girls. Like.
Hawk Newsome
No, no, As a gentleman, but you.
Ashley
Added that as sort of like a.
Hawk Newsome
She was the man. She was the man.
Ashley
She was a man.
Hawk Newsome
So big. She so big. I was in the fifth grade and she got left back twice. She was huge. And I wouldn't hit her. Cause she was a girl. And then she, like, knocked over my hat. It was this crazy, like, Olympics hat, this USA hat. There was, like, the craze in our neighborhood. And I went down to pick it up, and she grabbed my. The collar of my leather jacket and drove me around the schoolyard. And then like, jumped up and did knee drops on me, like. Oh, it was bad.
Ashley
My God, it was bad. You got your ass beat by a girl.
Hawk Newsome
Yeah.
Ashley
Oh, that could be your fat.
Hawk Newsome
It was horrible. It was horrible. And the funny thing was, I saw her. I was like 25. I just finished playing college ball, and I was in shape and I was like. I just wanted to drop kick her, but I couldn't. But I carried that with me. Yeah, she. Huh?
Ashley
Did she remember you?
Hawk Newsome
Yeah, she remembered me. And then when I left, she told my friend. She beat me up. Unfortunately, she's dead now. It wasn't me. Yeah, somebody else.
Ashley
Okay, that's good. That's good. We don't need you to.
Hawk Newsome
It's good. It is good. She's dead. No, I'm kidding. I'm dying. I'm sorry.
Ashley
No confessions. This is not a confessional podcast.
Hawk Newsome
It was, it was weird. And when I heard about it, you.
Ashley
Were only a little sad.
Hawk Newsome
I was like, dag, that's sad. But it was this small part of me.
Ashley
Oh my God.
Hawk Newsome
Evil person.
Ashley
You seem to still have a little bit of scar, scarred insides from that one.
Hawk Newsome
The way she dragged you me and I was like laying on the ground and she like knee dropped me like wrestling. It was one of her most embarrassing points. Well, like it was so bad.
Ashley
That is. That is hysterical. I have a very clear visual image of that now that I will carry with me if I, if I needed to pull it out in the future so.
Hawk Newsome
Or laugh.
Ashley
Yeah. So you and I are going to be having much, many more future conversations and, and we are going to keep everyone. So we're going to film the hunt down here with you. I'm so excited about it. We're going to get our dates nail down and we are going to post podcasts about it after you get your deer so you can tell everybody how you how you liked it and if you got bit by a rattlesnake or not. And so we'll post. But thank you for being on today. We have so enjoyed it and thanks everybody out there for listening.
Hawk Newsome
Thank you, Ashley. I've had a great time.
Sponsor/Advertiser Voice
Well, that's it for today. I appreciate you listening. As always, leave a review, share it with your friends, and most importantly, do what's right to convey the truth around hunting.
Trophy Ridge Representative
Join us at a Friends of NRA event where freedom, fun and firearms come together like nowhere else. With more than 600 events held across the country, there's always one happening near you. From exciting games to exclusive auctions featuring one of a kind firearms and gear you won't find anywhere else. Whether you're a lifelong hunter, a competitive shooter, or simply passionate about defending freedom, there is a seat for you. Visit friendsofnra.org to find an event near you and get ready for a night you won't forget.
Hawk Newsome
This is the Hunt Stand podcast. I'm your host, Will Cooper. Each week we bring you real hunting stories, proven strategies, and dive into the topics hunters care about most. From chasing your first whitetail to planning a western elk hunt, we cover the conversations that matter to every hunter out there. Tune in, subscribe and join the hunt only on the Hunt Stand podcast.
Episode 598 – “Hawk Newsome || Civil Rights & Guns”
Date: October 7, 2025
Host: Ashley (The Origins Foundation)
Guest: Hawk Newsome (Civil Rights Leader, Founder – BLM NYC)
This unique Origins Foundation episode brings civil rights activist and Black Lives Matter NYC founder Hawk Newsome into conversation with host Ashley, departing from the podcast’s usual focus on hunting and conservation. The discussion explores Hawk's perspective on hunting and conservation as an urban non-hunter, his passionate and somewhat unexpected advocacy for the Second Amendment as a Democrat, and his experiences—particularly a racially charged incident at a Pennsylvania gun range—that illustrate the intersection of race, guns, and civil rights. The goal: honest cross-cultural dialogue, the unpacking of common ground and differences, and a candid look at both conservation legislation and issues of discrimination in American outdoor spaces.
“We come from different backgrounds. … But that's what I love about the fact that you and I can talk… and have respectful discourse.”
— Ashley (07:33)
“I fight for the rights of black people. But when you fight for the rights of black people… everybody walks through that door with us.”
— Hawk Newsome (11:20)
“I might be one of the biggest, blackest advocators for female women to own guns… particularly black women. …You gotta protect yourself. You gotta protect your family.”
— Hawk Newsome (21:13)
“When we start talking about violent crimes… we have to talk about economics. … A holistic approach.”
— Hawk Newsome (18:28)
“If the people are benefiting from it… as long as the people want it, I don’t have a problem with it. …America has a way of overstepping.”
— Hawk Newsome (27:37–28:23)
“This debate is going on around the world … because the phrase ‘trophy hunting’ has developed such a negative connotation.”
— Ashley (29:41)
“It felt like Jim Crow. …Walk a mile in these size 15s.”
— Hawk Newsome (42:42)
“The only person who got called out for doing it was the black dude. … Everybody’s committing a crime, but we are the only ones being prosecuted.”
— Hawk Newsome (51:07)
“You have to know your rights. … If you assert yourself calmly… you get out of it with a ticket and you accept it’s harassment and fight back later. Or… you just don’t want to have your rights trampled on and know what you are doing.”
— Hawk Newsome (65:48)
“We're Americans. We're not sheep… If anybody should be scared of government overreach, it should be people who were slaves on this land.”
— Hawk Newsome (14:52, 20:49)
“Sometimes you've just got to slow down and listen to the people you represent… I'm anti-exploitation.”
— Hawk Newsome (28:23)
“I'm just sick of… groups forcing their will on everybody. I think enough is enough.”
— Hawk Newsome (33:12)
“It’s a losing argument on black people because we love fur. I don’t know what it is, maybe it goes back to Africa…”
— Hawk Newsome (34:28)
“You handled that situation without it escalating… If someone is in a situation where they feel like they are being harassed… what are your tips?”
— Ashley (60:25–61:57)
Though diametrically opposed in some views, Ashley and Hawk demonstrate how honest, cross-party, cross-cultural conversation can reveal common ground—on gun rights, conservation realities, and the importance of knowing and asserting one’s rights in the outdoor space. Hawk’s powerful storytelling and willingness to confront both personal vulnerability and systemic bias make this episode both substantive and deeply human.
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