Today we’re sharing the first episode of 'Hush,' an investigative podcast from Oregon Public Broadcasting focused on uncovering the buried truth about critical stories in the Pacific Northwest. This series looks at the case of Jesse Lee Johnson, a Black man who lived for 17 years on Oregon’s death row for a crime he says he didn’t commit, and tries to understand why the state tried for so long to kill him.

Follow and listen to more episodes of “Hush” here: https://www.opb.org/show/hush/

If you’re in a mental health crisis, call the Suicide &amp; Crisis Lifeline at 9-8-8.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Our Watch Presents: Hush

Today we’re sharing the first episode of “The Youth Development Center,” a series from New Hampshire Public Radio. This podcast from the creators of "Bear Brook" and “The 13th Step” dives deep into how New Hampshire became the center of one of the largest youth detention abuse scandals in the country. This episode follows the story of Andy Perkins, a man who remained silent about his experiences at the Youth Development Center for decades. Then, he saw something on the news that made him realize he wasn't alone. 

Follow and listen to more episodes of “The Youth Development Center” here: https://link.chtbl.com/ch14Qgb_?sid=KQED
 
Click here to read the companion digital story made in collaboration with The Pudding.
 
If you have suffered abuse and need someone to talk to, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673. If you’re in a mental health crisis, call the Suicide &amp; Crisis Lifeline at 9-8-8.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Our Watch Presents: The Youth Development Center

Get a behind-the-scenes peek at the reporting for On Our Watch: New Folsom as Ayesha Rascoe, host of NPR’s The Sunday Story from Up First, speaks with Sukey about the season and the wider context of this kind of journalism.

Resources
If you are currently in crisis, you can dial 988 [U.S.] to reach the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
SAMHSA National Help Line
988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Helpline
US Health and Human Services
Warmline Directory

Whistleblower resources
The Lamplighter Project
The Signals Network
EMPOWR
Whistleblowers of America
Government Accountability Project
National Whistleblower Center
Whistleblower Aid

Listen to the original broadcast on NPR's The Sunday Story.
Episode Transcript
Find more information at our website.
If you have tips or feedback about this series please reach out to us at onourwatch@kqed.org.  
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

BONUS: Sukey on NPR’s The Sunday Story | S2: New Folsom

On Our Watch was made possible by the passage of a groundbreaking law enforcement sunshine bill in 2018. Today we talk to California State Senator Nancy Skinner, who co-authored the state’s “Right to Know Act," about the legacy of her landmark bill, ongoing obstacles to transparency, and the need for accountability in California prisons.

Learn more about Sen. Skinner's work on law enforcement transparency, including The Right to Know Act (SB 1421) and SB 16, by visiting her webpage. The California Reporting Project, a coalition of newsrooms, provides insights into how these open-records acts are being implemented.

Mental health resources
If you are currently in crisis, you can dial 988 [U.S.] to reach the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
SAMHSA National Help Line
988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Helpline
US Health and Human Services
Warmline Directory

Episode Transcript
Find more information at our website.
If you have tips or feedback about this series please reach out to us at onourwatch@kqed.org.  
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

BONUS: Right to Know | S2: New Folsom

Reporting on prisons from the outside is often difficult; it’s a closed and secretive world. But there is also important reporting being done by people who are inside prison, which comes with dangers of its own. Sukey and Julie sit down with two formerly incarcerated journalists, Rahsaan Thomas and Jesse Vasquez, to talk about the challenges and opportunities of prison reporting.

Rahsaan Thomas is the Executive Director of Empowerment Avenue and a producer at Ear Hustle.
Jesse Vasquez is the Executive Director of the Pollen Initiative and former Editor-in-Chief of the San Quentin News.

Mental health resources
If you are currently in crisis, you can dial 988 [U.S.] to reach the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
SAMHSA National Help Line
988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Helpline
US Health and Human Services
Warmline Directory

Episode Transcript
Find more information at our website.
If you have tips or feedback about this series please reach out to us at onourwatch@kqed.org.  
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

BONUS: “The Prison Beat” | S2: New Folsom

Sukey sits down with Mary Inman and Poppy Alexander, two whistleblower attorneys who talk about the cost of speaking up, and unpack the playbook that employers use to keep people quiet. They also discuss a shift in thinking that can protect both whistleblowers and their organizations.

Mental health resources
If you are currently in crisis, you can dial 988 [U.S.] to reach the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
SAMHSA National Help Line
988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Helpline
US Health and Human Services
Warmline Directory

Whistleblower resources
Whistleblower Partners, LLP (where Mary and Poppy are partners)
The Lamplighter Project
The Signals Network
EMPOWR
Whistleblowers of America
Government Accountability Project
National Whistleblower Center
Whistleblower Aid

Mary Inman was profiled in the New Yorker piece, "The Personal Toll of Whistleblowing."
Episode Transcript
Find more information at our website.
If you have tips or feedback about this series please reach out to us at onourwatch@kqed.org.  
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

BONUS: The Whistleblower Playbook | S2: New Folsom

After his son’s death, Valentino Rodriguez Sr. waited for the warden of New Folsom prison to call him. That call never came. In our season finale, we walk through the gates of New Folsom to ask the warden for answers. We also get a rare glimpse inside the world of correctional officer discipline and hear from Sgt. Kevin Steele in his own words. 

Mental health resources
If you are currently in crisis, you can dial 988 [U.S.] to reach the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
SAMHSA National Help Line
988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Helpline
US Health and Human Services
Warmline Directory

Whistleblower resources
The Lamplighter Project
The Signals Network
EMPOWR
Whistleblowers of America
Government Accountability Project
National Whistleblower Center
Whistleblower Aid

Episode Transcript
Find more information at our website.
If you have tips or feedback about this series please reach out to us at onourwatch@kqed.org.  
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

8. Last Stand | S2: New Folsom

We get to listen in on confidential interviews conducted by Sgt. Kevin Steele before his death. Plus, we finally get to see surveillance footage from inside the B8 unit that sheds new light on the murder of Luis Giovanny Aguilar.

Editor’s note: After this episode first aired on April 2, 2024, CDCR finally located Valentino Rodriguez’s supplemental report about the murder of Luis Giovanny Aguilar that we reference in this episode. Their public records team was initially unable to find it. However, the agency said the report was exempt from disclosure.

Resources
If you are currently in crisis, you can dial 988 [U.S.] to reach the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
SAMHSA National Help Line
988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Helpline
US Health and Human Services
Warmline Directory

Episode Transcript
Find more information at our website.
If you have tips or feedback about this series please reach out to us at onourwatch@kqed.org.  
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

7. “We Don’t Do Coincidence” | S2: New Folsom

The team digs deep into the homicide of Luis Giovanny Aguilar—the murder in the day room that Officer Valentino Rodriguez was tasked to write a report about, and that had consumed Sgt. Kevin Steele up until the last day of his life. We track down each of the men who took part in the stabbing to find out: did officers also play a role?

Resources
If you are currently in crisis, you can dial 988 [U.S.] to reach the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
SAMHSA National Help Line
988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Helpline
US Health and Human Services
Warmline Directory

Episode Transcript
Find more information at our website.
If you have tips or feedback about this series please reach out to us at onourwatch@kqed.org.  
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

6. The Day Room | S2: New Folsom

Valentino Rodriguez Sr. is on the treadmill one morning when he gets a call—Sgt. Kevin Steele is dead. Val Sr. has lost not only his friend, but his partner in their shared quest to find the truth. A meeting with the FBI provides few answers, even as new questions arise about why a second whistleblower from New Folsom has lost his life.

Resources
If you are currently in crisis, you can dial 988 [U.S.] to reach the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
SAMHSA National Help Line
988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Helpline
US Health and Human Services
Warmline Directory

Episode Transcript
Find more information at our website.
If you have tips or feedback about this series please reach out to us at onourwatch@kqed.org.  
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

5. End of Watch | S2: New Folsom

How did Sgt. Kevin Steele go from being a true believer in the institution of New Folsom to writing an explosive memo hoping to tear it down? We sift through video evidence, interrogation tapes and internal reports to find glimpses of his transformation. But when he feels his reports of corruption are ignored—he takes an even more drastic step.

Resources
If you are currently in crisis, you can dial 988 [U.S.] to reach the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
SAMHSA National Help Line
988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Helpline
US Health and Human Services
Warmline Directory

Episode Transcript
Find more information at our website.
If you have tips or feedback about this series please reach out to us at onourwatch@kqed.org.  
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

4. "Foul Play" | S2: New Folsom

Valentino’s unexpected death just days after a confidential meeting with the prison’s warden leaves his grieving father with a tangle of questions and suspicions. When law enforcement and prison leadership fail to act, Val Sr. finds an ally in Sgt. Kevin Steele, a senior officer who’d taken Valentino under his wing. The two men have a shared mission–to find justice for Valentino. 

Resources
If you are currently in crisis, you can dial 988 [U.S.] to reach the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
SAMHSA National Help Line
988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Helpline
US Health and Human Services
Warmline Directory

Episode Transcript
Find more information at our website.
If you have tips or feedback about this series please reach out to us at onourwatch@kqed.org.  
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

3. Superhero | S2: New Folsom

Consumed with stress and fed up with how he’s being treated, Valentino Rodriguez reaches a breaking point at work. A veteran officer and mentor to Valentino starts looking into the murder that happened in the dayroom. Valentino and Mimy get married, then Valentino goes in for a final meeting with the warden of New Folsom. 

Resources
If you are currently in crisis, you can dial 988 [U.S.] to reach the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
SAMHSA National Help Line
988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Helpline
US Health and Human Services
Warmline Directory

Episode Transcript
Find more information at our website.
If you have tips or feedback about this series please reach out to us at onourwatch@kqed.org.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2. Running the Race | S2: New Folsom

Soon after correctional officer Valentino Rodriguez starts working at New Folsom prison, he gets caught up in a bad incident. An incarcerated man ends up in the hospital with horrific injuries, and the prison starts an investigation. Valentino feels pressured to back up his fellow officers' version of the story, even though he thinks it might not be the truth. Then he gets an opportunity he's dreamed of-- to join an elite unit investigating crimes in the prison.

Resources
If you are currently in crisis, you can dial 988 [U.S.] to reach the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
SAMHSA National Help Line
988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Helpline
US Health and Human Services
Warmline Directory

Episode Transcript
Find more information at our website.
If you have tips or feedback about this series please reach out to us at onourwatch@kqed.org.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1. Welcome to the Family | S2: New Folsom

We’re back with a second season of On Our Watch from KQED! “New Folsom” traces the footsteps of two whistleblowers in an elite investigative unit in California’s most dangerous prison. Host Sukey Lewis and co-reporter Julie Small piece together a gripping narrative about broken promises and unwritten rules. It’s a story about who gets hurt when the system that promises to keep us safe is bent on protecting itself. New episodes drop weekly, starting February 6. 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Introducing Season 2: New Folsom

Less than six weeks after On Our Watch published an episode examining the shooting and death of Oscar Grant, California's Attorney General Rob Bonta opened an external investigation into the 12-year-old case. In a wide-ranging interview with On Our Watch's Sukey Lewis, Bonta talks about California's systemic issues in policing, his efforts at addressing them and says the Oscar Grant case remains unresolved. We also look at new police reforms promising that cops who commit serious misconduct can be stripped of their badges.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Update: Oscar Grant and the Attorney General

One of the first police shootings to be captured on cell phone, millions saw Bay Area Rapid Transit police Officer Johannes Mehserle fire a single, fatal gunshot into Oscar Grant's back as the 22-year-old lay face down on the train station platform. Now, a lawsuit filed by NPR member station KQED has forced BART to comply with California's 2019 police transparency law, and release never-before-heard tapes from inside that investigation.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Under Color of Law

Fellow officers long suspected a veteran detective in Antioch, Calif., was leaking operational police secrets to a drug dealer. For years, the department didn't act on their concerns. Even after the detective was finally fired in 2017, his record remained secret. In episode six of On Our Watch we look at the incentives departments have to investigate dishonest cops and what the secrecy around police misconduct means for criminal defendants who are prosecuted on their testimony.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Brady Rule

An officer is repeatedly disciplined for not turning in his police reports on time. A mom goes to the police asking for help with her missing daughters. In the fifth episode of On Our Watch, we look at what can happen when police don't follow through on reports of victimization, and an accountability process that doesn't want to examine those failures.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Neglect of Duty

A 16-year-old Black kid walks into a gas station in Stockton, Calif. to buy gummy worms for his little sister. When the teen gets in an argument with the clerk over a damaged dollar bill, a white officer in plainclothes decides to intervene — with force. In the fourth episode of On Our Watch, we trace the ripple effects of this incident over the next 10 years in a department trying to address racism and bias. But can the chief's efforts at truth and reconciliation work when the accountability process seems to ignore the truth?
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Perceived Threat

After his son is shot and killed by a Richmond, Calif. police officer, a father looking for answers becomes a police transparency advocate. When the files about his son's death are released, they show an accountability system that seems to hang on one question: did the officer fear for their life? And in a rare interview, we hear from the officer who pulled the trigger.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

20-20 Hindsight

One officer in Los Angeles used car inspections to hit on women. In the San Francisco Bay Area, another woman says an officer used police resources to harass and stalk her. The California Highway Patrol quietly fired both of them for sexual harassment, but never looked into whether their misconduct was criminal. The second episode of On Our Watch examines the system of accountability for officers who abuse their power for sex and exposes where that system falls short.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Conduct Unbecoming

In the small Northern California town of Rio Vista, a woman named Katheryn Jenks calls 911 for help. But after the police arrive, she ends up injured and inside a jail cell, facing serious charges. That same day, California Governor Jerry Brown signs a new law, State Senate Bill 1421, that opens up long hidden records of police misconduct, including files that might change the outcome of Jenks' case.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Good Faith

What happens to police officers who use excessive force, tamper with evidence or sexually harass someone? In California, internal affairs investigations were kept secret from the public — until a recent transparency law unsealed thousands of files. On Our Watch is a limited-run podcast from NPR and KQED that brings you into the rooms where officers are interrogated and witnesses are questioned to find out who the system of police accountability really serves, and who it protects. New episodes drop weekly, starting Thursday, May 20.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Home

Discover

Sign up for free to listen for longer

Home

Discover

Sign up for free to listen for longer

On Our Watch Presents: Hush

Mark as played

Share

About the episode

View all episodes