In this urgent episode of The Lies We Tell, we connect the dots between two deadly lies: the anti-vaccine movement and the violent crackdown on peaceful protests in Los Angeles. What do they have in common? A warped idea of “freedom” that’s killing our kids, endangering our communities, and protecting power at the expense of public health and civil rights.
We dive into:
How a fraudulent study birthed the anti-vax movement
Who profits from fear and misinformation
How “religious freedom” has been weaponized against science
The real toll: preventable deaths, collapsing herd immunity, and public trust in ruins
And how this same logic fuels government-sanctioned violence—from school boards to the streets of L.A.
As a Marine, I was taught to defend freedom. But if freedom means letting children die and activists be silenced by the military, then we’ve forgotten what we’re actually fighting for.
This isn’t just about vaccines. It’s about what kind of country we want to be.
And whether we still have the courage to fix it.
Here are organizations doing critical frontline work to protect immigrants, reunite families, and fight for dignity and justice:
RAICES – https://www.raicestexas.org
Provides free legal services to detained immigrants and unaccompanied children in Texas.
National Immigration Law Center (NILC) – https://www.nilc.org
Advocates for immigrant rights and provides litigation support.
Immigrant Defenders Law Center – https://www.immdef.org
A Los Angeles-based nonprofit that offers legal defense for immigrants, especially children.
United We Dream – https://www.unitedwedream.org
A youth-led immigrant rights network organizing for DACA protections, deportation defense, and education access.
Border Angels – https://www.borderangels.org
Provides water, food, and medical aid along the U.S.-Mexico border and advocates for migrant justice.
Al Otro Lado – https://alotrolado.org
Offers legal services, asylum support, and family reunification at the border.
Families Belong Together – https://www.familiesbelongtogether.org
Organizes protests and petitions to end family separation and detention.
Freedom for Immigrants – https://www.freedomforimmigrants.org
Monitors detention centers and supports detained individuals through visitation and advocacy.
