Ear Hustle: The Loop Ep. 4 – Where’s the Conflict?
Podcast: Ear Hustle (Radiotopia)
Hosts: Earlonne Woods & Nigel Poor
Date: November 19, 2025
Episode: The Loop Ep. 4: Where's the Conflict?
Main Theme
This episode explores the dynamics, daily routines, and emotional landscape of the girls unit at Crossroads Juvenile Center in Brooklyn. The hosts delve into the challenges these young women face—ranging from the monotony of institutional life, to interpersonal conflict, trauma, and the fluctuating relationships between siblings incarcerated together. Through interviews, candid conversations, and the lens of Drama Club improv sessions, the episode unpacks how conflict manifests in such a closed, high-stress environment and what it says about both the girls’ resilience and the limitations of the system meant to help them.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
Life in the Girls Unit: The Relentless Loop (04:09–08:08)
- Routine and Stagnation: The girls’ daily routine is monotonous—marked by meals, idleness, minimal activities, and extended downtime. Yaya B. (“Big Yaya”) describes the schedule in detail, underscoring the psychological toll of repetition:
“It's the same routine every day. Wake up, eat breakfast…watching TV, coloring…Lunch…More of the same…Then dinner. Same thing. Lock in for showers. And the next day, it’s the same thing.” (04:09) - Isolation: With usually only 3–5 girls to over 100 boys, the unit is tight-knit but tense, amplifying interpersonal issues.
- Lack of Escape: The girls cannot be separated when conflicts arise, unlike boys, due to limited space:
“When the boys have issues…we can move you to another hole. For girls…we can’t move you. They all have to make it work together.” (16:36)
The Role of Programs – Drama Club (07:53–11:07)
- Drama Club as Relief: Programs like Drama Club, led by facilitators like ‘Tiny’ and Cesar, offer rare excitement and emotional outlet.
Yaya: “…for them to be able to come and give us something to look forward to…by the time you get back to that hole, you in that good spirit.” (08:08) - Conflict as Curriculum: Improv exercises often devolve into real-life tension, highlighting the realness (and rawness) of conflict: “Cesar’s actually trying to do something really interesting here. He’s trying to teach them to listen to one another instead of just screaming at each other…but it’s kind of hard to tell if that lesson’s landing.” (11:00, Nigel Poor)
Tension and Conflict Among the Girls (13:05–16:49)
- Intensified Pettiness: Staff and residents alike agree that conflicts among the girls can be relentless, personal, and resistant to mediation.
“They fight each other, curse at each other…the way they talk to one another is so disrespectful…jealous of one another…they don’t let go of nothing.” (13:03–16:49, Yds Harden) - Vulnerability: Passive girls risk being ostracized:
“If we're not there to protect them, they would [get eaten alive]…Some girls here, they're bullies.” (14:25)
Trauma and the Search for Stability (15:05–16:25)
- Deeper Issues: Many girls arrive already carrying trauma, unstable housing, or neglect. “Some of them, this is a stable environment. I did have one who told me, ‘I’m happy here. You guys treat me nice. I eat.’…It was sad, but you can’t stay here.” (15:32)
- Arrested Development: Earlonne and guests discuss how incarceration stunts personal development and maturity:
“When you’re in prison, you don’t age like people in society…you might be physically older, but mentally you’re still 17.” (25:01)
Sibling Dynamics: Big Yaya & Little Yaya (18:41–28:33)
- Parallel Journeys, Emotional Distance: The episode follows the complex, shifting relationship between Big Yaya (incarcerated since 16, now 19) and her younger sister, Little Yaya, recently re-arrested. Both feel distance has developed:
- Big Yaya: “You been locked up for three years, about to be four. Girl, you don’t know me…Who the hell am I?” (25:40)
- Little Yaya: “I be in my own world anyway…We lose each other every day.” (36:02)
- Protective Instincts versus Independence: Big Yaya wrestles with wanting to protect her sister but realizing:
“Lately I be, like, she don’t need me. She let it be known.” (27:44)
The Effects of Conflict on Relationships and Mental Health (19:40–23:00)
- Escalating Drama: Fights can emerge over trivial matters (e.g., colored pencils, hair), but even after fights, grudges linger.
- “Girls will continue, even after y’all fight, they want to still keep going…They fighting over nothing.” (19:59)
- Impact of New Arrivals: After a gang sweep, the population of the girls unit doubles, increasing stress and “arguing girls.”
“Last time we left, it was about five young ladies. How many is it now?” — “11…It’s bad. Very bad.” (21:38)
Individual Stories: Little Yaya’s Return, and Kensley’s Isolation (24:00–45:35)
- Revolving Door: Little Yaya, who had succeeded on the outside with Drama Club, is now back at Crossroads, highlighting the challenges of reentry and systemic gaps.
- Kensley’s Loneliness: An 18-year-old named Kensley stands out for her deep isolation and inability to connect or find support:
- She describes the courtyard as “a trap place” (40:34), admits there is “nothing beautiful out here,” and has no family to call:
“I talk to my mom, but she don’t talk to me. She says she’s working…Is there anyone else you can call? No.” (43:09) - Big Yaya reflects: “She’s one of the reasons why I’m not a judgmental person anymore…She needs help. If I was a judge, I would send her home…this place is not to help people like her.” (44:54)
- She describes the courtyard as “a trap place” (40:34), admits there is “nothing beautiful out here,” and has no family to call:
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On Institutional Routine & Monotony:
“It's whack. Like who the hell wants to be in here? It's the same routine every day. It don't change.”
– Yaya (04:09) -
On the Drama Club’s Impact:
“Ceaser gonna make you laugh, Tiny gonna make you laugh. By the time you get back to that hole, you in that good spirit.”
– Yaya (08:08) -
On Conflict among Girls:
“They are something special. They fight each other. They curse at each other. The way they talk to one another is so disrespectful. And it’s like—‘well, this is how we talk to her. And that’s my bitch.’”
– Yds Harden (13:05) -
On Trauma & ‘Stability’ Inside:
“I did have one…why do you want to stay here? She like, 'I'm happy here. You guys treat me nice. I eat.'”
– Yds Harden (15:32) -
On Sibling Estrangement:
“She like, 'Girl, you been locked up for three years, about to be full. Girl, you don’t know me.' I was a little hurt when she said that to me, but...it’s true.”
– Big Yaya (25:40) -
On Peer Relationships:
“They fighting over colored pencil. They fight over nothing...my hair look better than yours. Unnecessary problems, unnecessary arguments. It's just a lot.”
– Big Yaya (19:59) -
On Kensley’s Experience:
“A trap place…Nothing beautiful out here…I talk to my mom but she don’t talk to me…No one else to call.”
– Kensley (40:34–43:26) -
On Incarceration Stymieing Growth:
“When you’re in prison, you don’t age like people in society…you might be physically older, but mentally you’re still 17 because you haven’t done the same things people in society do.”
– Earlonne (25:01) -
Turning Despair Into Art:
The poignant moment where Nigel and Kensley make tin-foil animals together in the yard:
“We’re trying very hard to turn something not so beautiful into something beautiful.”
– Nigel Poor (42:16)
Important Segment Timestamps
- [04:09] – Yaya describes the girls unit's daily routine and monotony.
- [07:53] – Introduction to activities in the hall, including Drama Club.
- [08:08]–[11:07] – Drama Club session, improv conflicts, and group dynamics.
- [13:05] – Staff discuss the difficulty of managing girls’ conflicts versus boys’.
- [15:32] – Discussion of trauma and the “stability” jail sometimes provides.
- [18:41]–[28:33] – Conversation on sibling separation and arrested development between Big Yaya and Little Yaya.
- [19:40]–[23:00] – Descriptions of fights and escalating drama in the unit.
- [24:00] – Little Yaya’s return to Crossroads and family separation.
- [36:01] – Little Yaya speaks on estrangement from Big Yaya.
- [40:34]–[43:26] – Kensley’s interview highlights her extreme loneliness.
- [44:54] – Big Yaya’s reflection on Kensley and the failure of the system to help her.
Tonal Highlights
- Raw, Honest, and Unvarnished: The tone remains direct and candid, echoing the real talk and gallows humor of the young women inside.
- Empathetic but Unsentimental: Both hosts and subjects express frustration, sadness, and resignation, sometimes leavened with tough love or dark humor.
- Vivid Imagery: The scenes, especially in the yard and during improv, let listeners “ear hustle”—to eavesdrop on the texture of life behind locked doors.
Takeaways for Listeners
- The girls at Crossroads are navigating an emotional minefield—forced proximity, trauma, and a system with limited means to address interpersonal conflict or developmental needs.
- Programs like Drama Club offer a brief reprieve, but the roots of conflict run deeper, often tangled with trauma and systemic neglect.
- Sibling relationships, though potentially supportive, are complicated by the ways incarceration warps personal growth and emotional connection.
- Some young women, like Kensley, fall through every social safety net and remain profoundly isolated.
- The question “Where’s the conflict?” is answered: it’s everywhere—rooted in the monotony, in the trauma, in every stunted relationship and unresolved moment.
For Further Engagement
- For more about the making of the series or behind-the-scenes content, check out Ear Hustle Plus [see website].
- Next episode: The Loop follows a young woman named Kaysha, who is not incarcerated but remains in the same “loop.” Preview at [46:18–47:19].