The Scoop with Tanya Flanagan

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This is a Kun V studios original program. The content of this program does not reflect the views or opinions of 91.5 jazz and more the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, or the Board of Regents of the Nevada System of Higher Education.

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Good morning, and thank you for joining me for the scoop with Tanya Flanagan, I'm so happy you decided to wake up and start your day with me here on the scoop, where we talk about life, joy, funny moments, trending topics and so much more. We promise to keep you in the know and find out what you know. So let's get started.

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You Good morning Las Vegas, and welcome to this Sunday Morning Edition of the scoop with me. Tonya Flanagan, as always, I want to say thank you for waking up and joining me here on 91.5 Kun V jazz and Moore public radio here on the beautiful campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, I am always trying to bring you what I hope is an interesting conversation with people that you might otherwise not have the opportunity to meet, or in some cases, you might meet them, but I hope that this setting allows you a chance to learn something about them that you did not know. And today, as we gear up for Labor Day in our great city. So much going on around the valley. The trending topic right now is just, I mean, politics is so in the air, and public service and public servants are in the spotlight. And so this morning, I wanted to shine the light on yet another one, because I think it's a great way to get to know who these people are as individuals, and why they are choosing to do what they do, and things of that nature. So this morning, I am very excited to welcome to the show a dear friend I've known for a while and worked on different projects with Jessica Smith and Peterson. Good

Unknown Speaker 1:59
morning. Thank you so much, Tanya, thank you all for having me.

Unknown Speaker 2:06
Thank you for coming and spending some time with me. You are currently a chief deputy defender in the Clark County Public Defender's Office. Yes,

Unknown Speaker 2:15
yes, I

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am so that means you are an attorney.

Unknown Speaker 2:19
I am an attorney.

Unknown Speaker 2:23
Let's talk about that, because you are, I know you've been with the Office for five years,

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so seven years august 1 was my seven year anniversary. Well, congratulations

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on a little late on your happy anniversary, but congratulations on that, because I know it takes dedication to do any job. As a young woman, you're also a mother, you're a wife, so you wear a lot of hats, and you're looking to wear yet another hat, yes. So what? Let's introduce that hat. And what is that hat?

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So I am currently running for Las Vegas Justice of the Peace department. For it is a special seat during a special election, but I will be on the November 5 ballot during our general election. Wife, mother, Judge, is the hat that we are vying for.

Unknown Speaker 3:22
I like the way you said it. It sounds heavy. Is the crown we wear, right? Yes,

Unknown Speaker 3:28
yes, it is. It is definitely not only heavy, but it is also a privilege to be able to to wear this crown, or at least attempt to wear this crown, it requires a grounding and a sense of self, but it also requires to get out of your head and to put your best foot forward shine as brightly as you can and be yourself, because people can see People who are not themselves.

Unknown Speaker 4:01
This is true. Authenticity is very much the key to getting to know people, and allowing people to get to know you, this journey that you're on, who you are and where you come from. I always find it interesting to dig a little bit into the life a person has lived that has brought them to a place. So growing up, everything you know, where did you grow up? And what was that part like, that like? At what point did you know I want to be an attorney?

Unknown Speaker 4:34
So I am the baby of five. My mother is currently 80 years old. She just celebrated her 80th birthday in February, and both she and my father were sharecroppers back in Louisiana. So dad was born in 1941 my mother was born in 1944 and you're like, you look pretty young. How did that happen? Well, they. They had their first three kids between 1965 and 1970 and then decided somewhere around 1986 to have another kid, and then 1990 to have me. So I have a very interesting background. So

Unknown Speaker 5:18
you have a 20 year old yes sibling, i

Unknown Speaker 5:21
Yes, yes. That is a 20 year

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spread. That is, I would love to talk to your 80 year old mom and ask her, what were you thinking like, okay, and so the similarity that we share in that space is not as close as that, but my dad thought my mother was crazy. Oh, when after the first child was eight years old, and she said, and the second child was seven years old, I want a little girl, that's right? And he looked at her and said, you know, there's like, zero guarantees this is going to be a girl, right? And he's looking like, Yeah, well, we're eight years and seven years down the line. These kids can read, they won't talk, read, play games, do whatever, on their own. And here you come talking about, I want a little girl. And so, you know, by faith, she wanted a little girl, and the blessing that she received a little girl. But 20 years to think my grandmother was more like that, because when my mother was having my brother, my oldest brother, my grandmother had only had her last child, like, maybe five years before that. So my aunt is like, five years older than my brother. I'm five

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four years older than my eldest niece. Yeah, I'm for changing diapers. Trying to figure out, why don't I get the Barbie Jeep,

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baby? You had a real live Barbie.

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I had a real live Barbie. You had a

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real live doll. That's what you had. Yes, always so funny to me. I just think it's super cool. And the funniest part to me, though, is whenever my aunt gives my cousins, like her nephews, a directive, you know how back when you grew up, because we're from Mississippi, okay, so when your aunt says, jump, it's like, how high, right? Yeah. So it's funny to me, because she can call one of them and make them do something. And I just sit back and watch because it's so funny to watch grown people jump to it with somebody that's like, two years older than them, told them to do something. Like, you can't ask a question. You can't question whether it makes sense. You can't say you don't want to do it. Move XYZ. Well, you know, Auntie says, and she that is always it's pure comedy to me to watch. I'm like, That's so funny. So youngest of five, yes, 20 year spread, and this attorney bug hits you when so

Unknown Speaker 7:50
elementary school, you know, I was, I was a little awkward. If you have older parents, who are, you know, 50 and 60, you're kind of weird. Well, maybe not weird. You're weird. You're a little different, you know, old so, you know, they're like, why my dad was a big James Brown fan. My grandmother would come and babysit, and we're watching Walker, Texas Ranger. And you know, I'm dealing with other elementary school kids, and you get bullied for that,

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because you're a little different. So I'm becoming an attorney

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so I could put you away. But what I realized is that the people who are advocating who were really good with their words, because I knew early on words use your words were important, because they were using theirs and it was hurting like that.

Unknown Speaker 8:44
But get some better, bigger words, bigger words.

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But I wanted to to always advocate for myself, and I didn't want other people to feel bullied. So I I became an advocate, and naturally gravitated towards being a lawyer and going to law school and then becoming a public defender, because I advocate for folks who cannot afford private counsel. And I'm doing it every day, every day, every week, and it's a muscle that started when I was about six, and it's continued,

Unknown Speaker 9:21
that is really an awesome way to turn what could have been viewed as a negative into a positive, you know, because that's not always how a child responds to bullying, like I went through the teacher's pet syndrome because, you know,

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These are my favorite teachers. I'm smart,

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so when you go through that kids do like they pick on you all the time, it's just a constant fight. And it's not the school is the fun it is, but there's a part of it that you're just gonna get the rub all the time, and so it's how you inspire. In spite of and what you decide to do. And it's just that's funny because, yeah, I was going to law school too. So I get

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like, Okay, I got these words.

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I remember getting a scholarship at the end of high school from the AKAs alpha, kappa, alpha. And the lady who was speaking was a member of sorority, which is, of course, my sorority now, but she was a judge. And I was like, I want

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to be that. That's right.

Unknown Speaker 10:29
And then I fell into this journalism thing, and so now I've got a degree in that, but a path was directed. God has other plans sometimes, um, you know, so that's cool. Now you specifically chose to fight for the underdog, if you will. Yes, and I think that continues to show in so many different spaces, because you talked about advocacy and fighting for others. You did some Urban League young professionals work too. Yes. Now remind we share that in common as well. Yes, as I'm sitting here talking to you, I'm realizing the spaces and the some of the you know, similarities that we share,

Unknown Speaker 11:08
yeah, so I, you know, I moved here back in 2016 so election year, okay? And it right at then, it was just my husband and myself or my fiance at the time. Now, my husband and I needed community. I thrive in community. I'm like a plant, like, Where are the people that are gonna keep me grounded and help me grow? And someone said, Hey, you should really get involved in the Las Vegas Urban League young professionals. I'm like, oh, okay, so I go to a meeting at the Pearson Community Center. I believe it was President Sydney sales at the time, and it was a packed like room, like, I think it was like 4045, people, different industries, different backgrounds, natives, folks who had just moved there, folks who had been there for 10 plus years. And I grew that, that familial base, that grounding base, being a part of the Urban League, and that, like, led me into different community spaces. It led me into, you know, it's like, I can be a public defender. That's what I do professionally. But what do, how do you be in community with people right outside of you're getting paid for this? And the Urban League was the space because I was looking for it, I yearned for it, and I found it, and they welcomed me with welcome like warm and arms and warmth, arms,

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open arms. It was like free legal advice.

Unknown Speaker 12:49
I did provide legal advice from time to time. I did, I did,

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but you know it I and I appreciate that you said that because, as the founding president of the young professionals, the initial the reason, part of the reason for starting it. And Sydney did a tremendous job. I remember the regional conferences. She, you know, we had put that in place at a level, and she pulled it all together. And the intention was to give people this space to come together and find exactly what you found and the different relationships. I mean, like it was a dynamic room of just people from so many professions and backgrounds, but yet, it was a place if you didn't have anyone and you were here from somewhere else, in a room where you could find trust and people who had similar likes and interest to yours, to give you people to spend your downtime with, like family away from family, like home, away from home.

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And I have two stories to that, so I remember talking to you, Tanya, and you're like, I was a part of the National Urban League young professionals board, which made me apply for a position on the national board. It was right before covid, and I ended up becoming the national secretary for the 2020. Yes, you spoke to us multiple times, but there was one time where I'm like, You know what? I think there needs to be representation from Las Vegas and from the West Coast. And I applied, and I didn't originally get it. They're like, hey, you know, we went with someone else. I said, Okay, that's fine. I remember standing in the parking lot doing a phone interview, because that was another community event. I said, All right, well, you know, really think about me and how life works. The person who was then the Secretary, couldn't continue the rest of the term, so they said, Hey, if you have the time and you are interested, we would love to have you. So I then served on the National Urban League young professionals board. That is awesome. And then the second story from Urban League is that we had President Virginia Johnson, who I met when I first started in the program, and for this particular office, running for judge, you have to file. So I filed on the last day. And my family, because they're out of state, weren't able to come. My husband said, hey, I'll take off work and I'll come with you. And I'm thinking that I'm going to be in this elections office by myself. I walk in and I see my friend Jessica, my friend Nia, and I see Virginia. And so I filed, you know, with friends that I've met in Las Vegas, but I've also filed with someone who I've grown to know and love and care for from their

Unknown Speaker 15:47
belief. That's really neat. So if we get known, you know, be it all it was

Unknown Speaker 15:54
like a Friday. I know better. I know. I know.

Unknown Speaker 15:58
Filing. Look, filing party, party for filing I

Unknown Speaker 16:02
know, but that's that's the relationship that I was able to build and have expanded on.

Unknown Speaker 16:09
That's nice. I want to say, thank you for being a part of the organization. It's always near and dear to my heart from time I was a little eight year old little girl going to my brother's job with him that he got through the Urban League in Phoenix, and my eight year old self tagged along every day. Times were so different, like, literally, he took me to his job, sister who went to his job. But I think you just have, like, these really neat stories. And I wanted to just look give people a chance to hear who you are and some of the experiences that have shaped you, because a person wanting to be on the bench has to have had a varied life experience and the empathy and the sympathy for others, and where does that come from, to have an ear that is open to the facts and then looks at, you know, the law and examines those things against one another. I believe I'm describing this accurate perfectly, so that there's fairness and there is coming from a journalism background. I used to say this about the newsroom. If you didn't have a staff that was reflective of your community, you do a disservice to the stories that you're telling, because you if you only have one type of person in these spaces, which, for a long time, newsrooms were white men, so if you don't have people of different backgrounds, of color experiences, you don't have sensitivity to the stories or to the people that Those stories are about. And I think there's the crossover of that and that different people come into courtrooms every day, and if you don't have the opportunity, and I'm not saying they're all going to land in front of you, right, but you just need the balance. But at least in that space. Now there's a conversation that a colleague could have, confidentially, you know, at a certain level, that allows you, not specific to this, but maybe however that works, to apply consideration and thoughtfulness and thoughtfulness when you're you know, after the deliberations occur, and the ruling comes back, and however that

Unknown Speaker 18:23
works. And you know that that's essentially what I've been explaining to people, and they're like, Well, why are you running? I've been I like to tell people that I feel like I'm a translator. So my job is to translate someone else's lived experience to someone who has the power to control their liberty, whether they are in custody or out of custody. And what I have found in doing this work is that I have come across judges who don't understand that lived experience when they're making those decisions in making those rulings, and it was like a light bulb that clicked. Because if you said, Jessica, did you always have this thought that you were going to run for judge? I would have told you absolutely not. I would have told you absolutely not two months ago.

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Because why? Because I

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thought, hey, I'm going to be an advocate. I'm going to keep you know myself on the front line, I'm going to make sure that the person who is needing representation, they are receiving it, and is high and is quality. And one thing about running for office is that there's a saying that if you're a woman, you have to be told to run for office, or you have to be convinced to run for office. And someone said, Jessica, you know, I really think that this would be a really good position for you. And I had to really think about it. I had to think about, Do I give up being an advocate? What would my role be? How would I do that? Or how well would I be at the job? And I know I know myself as a person. I know I can. And see the good, the bad, or the in between, the gray, in situations as well as people. I am empathetic, I am compassionate, but I'm also very discerning. And I think that's a really important principle that you were supposed to have as a judge, is that you're making decisions based upon facts, upon law, and you're oftentimes so told to be neutral, but you have various lived experiences, right? They're not saying be a blank slate, but they're also not saying, like, don't, you know, put, put whatever you you take outside and put it on an individual who was coming into your courtroom, and I know that I would respect everyone who's walking into that courtroom, because I've had to interact and talk with everyone. I've talked to parents, I've talked to clients, I've talked to opposing counsel, I've talked to the corrections officers, and you develop an understanding of who they are as people, and what is fair and what is just, and what is a good result or outcome in that particular case or that particular situation. And it's not being boastful, like I really believe I embody these principles, and I would do very well if given the opportunity. So here I am on the ballot,

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ballots coming up in November, for people who just want to get to know you better, because I always like to make sure we're not up against the clock when sharing ways to learn more, Instagram, Facebook, websites, whatever it might be, but just in sharing those that information that will allow people to say, hey, I want to know more about Jessica Smith Peterson,

Unknown Speaker 21:44
so a few things. I am on Instagram. Jessica the number four judge, just pretty simple. I also have a website, so it's www dot Jessica Smith peterson.com, and you can call or you can text me and we can talk. It's on my website, but it's 702-900-5911,

Unknown Speaker 22:13
I am accessible, but I do have obligations, so if you're calling me at two o'clock in the morning, probably not going to answer.

Unknown Speaker 22:20
Give that number again, just because people aren't always ready.

Unknown Speaker 22:24
That's okay, 702-900-5911,

Unknown Speaker 22:31
I'm hoping to make you very accessible. Okay, I'm putting your number out there twice. I just something that you said about

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two months ago, from the standpoint of a woman, and especially in this season where women are, as people have said, trying to break the ultimate glass ceiling. Right? We have this woman who also will be on the ballot in November trying to crash the ultimate glass ceiling. How does that make you feel to be in this time? So,

Unknown Speaker 23:16
you know, an interesting season it is. It is definitely a different season of like, if I think about like, family structure, like, I'm the first attorney in the family, okay, now I'm the first candidate. Can't you will say judicial candidate. I've had other family members who have run for office, but this will say the first judicial candidate. And someone, you know, I was talking to them, they're like, you know, you should really do what's best for your family. I have a three year old, and I have a 10 month old, and part of being in an election is that you're going to events, you're speaking, you have to balance and juggle that family life, and two months ago, I told myself, you know, I think I'm just going to be too busy. I think it's not going to work. But it was actually my husband who said, No, it will work, because we're going to work on this together. We're going to support each other. And I think that with the past 31 days that I've been doing this, I have never felt more supported in my life. That's beautiful. My three year old said, Mom, I really want you to be a judge. No idea what a judge.

Unknown Speaker 24:38
No, I did, but out of the mouth of Bay, out of the mountain Bay, you know, this very simple statement, and you're like, you know what? Okay, I can buy into you. You got me on it. I think it's awesome, because I was going to, I'm glad we segued into the space of talking about family, because it is, is a huge commitment and sacrifice. In time, and then the, you know, you're under the microscope, people are looking at you, trying to figure out who you are. You know, all of a sudden, you're bursting on the scene, Where'd she come from? But then even more so, you're trying to expand that territory, right? And people can see you all these places, but it's still hard, right? It's hard to reach. It feels like you're just constantly trying to cast the net wider, wider and wider, and it's exhausting, because you do have to have balance. So what would you say to someone looking at the same space that you might be looking at and trying to figure out what balance looks like. So

Unknown Speaker 25:41
I will say is that you you know yourself best. You know your capacity. You know what you can and cannot do and how far you're going to stretch yourself. I know, for me, I'm an extrovert. I love talking to people, but I also love sleep. You know, I love being able to have downtime with my mattress.

Unknown Speaker 26:07
So someone said to you, what are your top issues in this space? Yeah, what would you say here? Here's here my top five issues. Why put my name on the back?

Unknown Speaker 26:16
So one of the things that I've really been telling people is, I would love to see Record Sealing at the Las Vegas Justice Court level. So when you're in that space, if you're convicted of a misdemeanor, you can seal your record after your case close. Your case closes after one year they they changed it in the legislature. I believe it went into effect in 2017 do but you can, you can seal your record. But I would love to have a streamline, institutionalized, yearly program where you can seal your record. People will say, Well, you know, we have housing problems. We have, you know, job market issues. But one of the things I will say is that if you have this misdemeanor battery from when you're 20 and you're 45 right, that in some way affects the background checks. It affects if someone's going to hire you. It affects what types of programs or companies or organizations will hire you. You get your record sealed. You might get a better job. You get a better job, you can move to a different neighborhood. You move to a different neighborhood, you're able to get into a better school. If you have a better school, then you really shift and change the opportunities for yourself and for your family. And I think that it is so important to give people second chances,

Unknown Speaker 27:41
and if you're going to stop punishing them for the thing that they did, yes, yes, like, if they really have turned a new corner, they just want an opportunity. And some

Unknown Speaker 27:51
people come into, you know, a criminal justice system at the lowest point in their lives, and one they should come in front of a judge who is going to treat them with dignity and respect because they're coming in at that point. But also, if the courts can provide resources and provide ways in which they can best serve themselves, to best serve the community, because it's directly tied to safety, then I think that would be one of the most ideal positions that we can be in as as a state.

Unknown Speaker 28:24
I think that is very well said and this bright mind who's on the ballot? Jessica Smith Peterson, we are almost out of time, but so before we go, thank you for coming. Remind everyone of what you're on the ballot for.

Unknown Speaker 28:40
So I am running for Las Vegas Justice of the Peace department. For you may or may not be voting at the top of the ticket, down to the bottom where the judicial races are, that's where I will be. And get

Unknown Speaker 28:56
to know a little bit to know me. I hope you've enjoyed this little time that we've had together this morning to get to know Jessica, I just wanted to shine a little spotlight and just share a little bit of who you are or why, because we sometimes wonder, Who are these people who are judicial candidates. But as we do, tick out on the clock this morning, thank you once again for tuning in to the scoop with me. Thank you for being here. Tanya Flanagan, we will catch you next week. Harold 91.5k U, n, b, jazz and more. Stay safe, stay hydrated and enjoy Labor Day. I want to thank you for tuning in to the scoop with me. Tonya Flanagan and I want to invite you to get social with me. I'm on Facebook and Twitter. My name is my handle, T, a n, y, A F, l, a n, a G, A N. You can also find me on Instagram at Tanya almond eyes Flanagan, and if you have a thought, an opinion or a suggestion, don't hesitate to shoot me an email to tanya.flanagan@unlv.edu Thanks again for joining in. Stay safe and have a great week. You.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai