If It Ain't Fixed Don't Break It

Want to understand Alabama? Start in Camp Hill. This is a story about radical legacies intertwined with faith, chronic disinvestment, climate crisis, and the future of Alabama.  Please support us on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/ItAintFixedPod SOURCES * Kelley, Robin D. G. _Hammer and Hoe: Alabama Communists during the Great Depression_. Chapel Hill, The University Of North Carolina Press, 2015 * Dilawar, Arvind. "A More Perfect Union. [https://www.laphamsquarterly.org/roundtable/more-perfect-union]" Lapham's Quarterly, 16 Apr. 2020 * Wilson, Claire M. "Camp Hill - Encyclopedia of Alabama. [https://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/camp-hill/]" Encyclopedia of Alabama, 20 Mar. 2024 * Siri Hedreen. "Camp Hill Fights to Uplift Black Communist Legacy Buried by Racism and Red Scare [https://www.alexcityoutlook.com/news/camp-hill-fights-to-uplift-black-communist-legacy-buried-by-racism-and-red-scare/article_94b18f44-b5ba-11ec-993c-af35080e76fd.html]." Alex City Outlook, 6 Apr. 2022 * Marlow, William. "Camp Hill Fire Station, 100-Year-Old Church Damaged in Storms. [https://www.alexcityoutlook.com/news/camp-hill-fire-station-100-year-old-church-damaged-in-storms/article_ae5a38a0-cf14-11ed-bc4f-27ac876ad9b4.html]" Alex City Outlook, 30 Mar. 2023 * West, John.  'An Invisible Disaster' - Camp Hill Needs Your Help after Hailstorm Damages over 400 Houses. [https://oanow.com/news/local/an-invisible-disaster-camp-hill-needs-your-help-after-hailstorm-damages-over-400-houses/article_41b2af00-d592-11ed-a960-573b1311e4d2.html]" Opelika-Auburn News, 7 Apr. 2023 * Hedgepeth, Lee. "Camp Hill, Alabama, Faced an Undeclared Disaster. Then Came the Dadeville Shooting [https://www.treadbylee.com/p/camphill]", Tread by Lee Hedgepeth, 20 Apr. 2023 * Cason, Mike. "Dadeville Reacts to Arrests in Deadly Shooting: "Children Killing Children [https://www.al.com/news/2023/04/dadeville-reacts-to-arrests-in-deadly-shooting-children-killing-children.html]." Al.com, 19 Apr. 2023 * Chapoco, Ralph. "Investigator: Guns Drawn at Dadeville Party after Speaker Fell to Floor [https://www.alabamareflector.com/2023/04/25/investigator-guns-drawn-at-dadeville-party-after-speaker-fell-to-floor/]" Alabama Reflector, 25 Apr. 2023 * West, John. "Camp Hill Residents Plead for Help after FEMA Denies Them Assistance [https://www.oanow.com/news/local/people-dont-care-camp-hill-residents-suffering-from-storm-damage-feel-forgotten/article_91092c62-f420-11ed-93a8-430b19ba2512.html]." Opelika-Auburn News, 18 May 2023 * Stephenson, Jemma. "One Year Later: Dadeville and Camp Hill Still Recovering from Storm, Mass Shooting [https://www.alabamareflector.com/2024/04/15/one-year-later-dadeville-and-camp-hill-still-recovering-from-storm-mass-shooting/]" Alabama Reflector, 15 Apr. 2024 * Murphy, Abigail. "First Lynching Memorial Established for Tallapoosa County [https://www.alexcityoutlook.com/news/first-lynching-memorial-established-for-tallapoosa-county/article_abcb0a2e-34d0-11ef-83e6-1fe8e2c313f1.html]." Alex City Outlook, 29 June 2024 LEARN MORE EJI National Memorial for Peace and Justice [https://legacysites.eji.org/about/memorial/]  Phil Dowdell Legacy Foundation [https://www.phillegacyfoundation.com/]  Video interviews with residents: * Visiting Camp Hill [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4i5ZMkdOqs]  by Alabama Values   * From Resilience to Restoration: Camp Hill [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWK6gzpUYRE] by the People's Justice Council

What happens when one of the structural issues in Alabama is a physical building? Meet the dysfunctional Alabama State House. Unlike every other state, Alabama lawmakers do not meet in the capitol building. Instead, they use the State House: a moldy leaking thorn in the side of lawmakers, activists, and the general public. Is there any hope of fixing it?  Please support us on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/ItAintFixedPod SOURCES:  https://web.archive.org/web/20080111045310/http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=75&ResourceType=Building [https://web.archive.org/web/20080111045310/http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=75&ResourceType=Building] https://web.archive.org/web/20121001053217/http://www.archives.state.al.us/capital/capitals.html  https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/onthisday-bloody-sunday [https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/onthisday-bloody-sunday]  https://aldailynews.com/new-state-house-larger-committee-rooms-more-live-streaming/ [https://aldailynews.com/new-state-house-larger-committee-rooms-more-live-streaming/] https://ahc.alabama.gov/AlabamaStateCapitolHistoryFacts.aspx#:~:text=The%20legislature%20continued%20to%20meet,officers%20returned%20to%20the%20capitol.  https://www.al.com/news/2024/12/crazy-things-can-happen-bronner-warns-of-alabama-state-house-construction-delays-trump-tariffs-raising-costs.html [https://www.al.com/news/2024/12/crazy-things-can-happen-bronner-warns-of-alabama-state-house-construction-delays-trump-tariffs-raising-costs.html] https://alabamareflector.com/2023/07/11/alabama-pursuing-nations-first-new-statehouse-in-nearly-five-decades/

What happens when the people in power double down on breaking things instead of fixing them? Introducing "If It Ain't Fixed, Don't Break It", a podcast about people, politics, and Alabama. Hosts Zephyr Scalzetti and Faye Hobbes take listeners on a journey each week to humorously break down the structures, the policies, and the people in power who've made Alabama the way it is today.  Along the way we'll be interviewing Alabamians, discussing current news in the state, and opening the door a little wider to the weird insular world of Alabama politics.  So grab your favorite seat, make sure your tea is sweet, and tune in to "If It Ain't Fixed, Don't Break It".  This podcast is ad free and entirely supported by our listeners. Please support us at patreon.com/ItAintFixedPod [https://www.patreon.com/ItAintFixedPod] to get bonus episodes and other perks.