Kingpins and Catalysts

For years, Dr. Kimberly Allen has led tough conversations about race, equity, and the systems that shape Jacksonville. As CEO of 904Ward, she has worked to bridge racial divides, uncover hard truths, and ensure that Jacksonville’s history is told honestly. But this work is personal. From the lessons she learned as a child to the racism her own children now experience, Dr. Allen’s mission is rooted in lived experience.&n...

Kim Varner spent nearly three decades as a Jacksonville police officer, following in the footsteps of his father and brothers. He worked some of the most dangerous assignments – narcotics, SWAT. He was involved in six police shootings. But nothing he did on the job could stem the violence that came for his own family. In 2015, his son Desi was murdered outside their home. In this episode, Varner shares how he found purpose af...

Artis Gilmore’s journey is the definition of perseverance. Before he was a Hall of Famer, before he was an NBA star, he was a kid growing up in a segregated town in rural Florida, living amid poverty and racial terror. But basketball was his salvation. His size, drive and commitment led him to Jacksonville University, and eventually to the school’s unprecedented – and unreplicated – NCAA championship final. ...

Mark Baughman spent his career chasing criminals—with NCIS, DEA and running undercover vice and narcotics operations. But his belief in the justice system is tempered by personal experience, and a view that shifted when the war on drugs hit home. His own son, a former addict, is now serving a 20-year prison sentence. 

In this episode, Baughman shares his story—his dedication to the rule of law, the toll his ...

For decades, Jacksonville knew Ken Amaro as the bow-tied crusader of consumer journalism—the man behind “I’m Telling Ken.” But his behind-the-scenes persona is more nuanced: passionate music fan, volunteer mediator, ordained pastor. Now, he’s taken his advocacy from the world of television into the fishbowl of politics. But does he have more power as a Jacksonville City Councilmember than he did as a r...

Dana Miller’s life story is a study in extremes. A notorious kingpin during the crack scourge on Jacksonville’s Eastside, he once embodied the drug trade’s fast money, mortal danger and, ultimately, devastating loss. Shot 10 times, imprisoned for a decade and grieving the violent deaths of his brother and nephew, Miller reached a turning point. 

Today, he’s working to repair the community he once chose ...

What happens when a band is on the cusp of global dominance—only to have it all taken away? As part of the Jacksonville-based hip-hop group Asamov, Willie Evans Jr. helped create a sound that was both distinctly Duval and poised to reshape the Southern rap landscape. 

But it never happened. 

In this episode, Willie Evans Jr. (Niam Jones) explains how a cease and desist letter derailed the band—also comp...

Ann Finnell didn’t set out to become a criminal defense attorney—but once she started, there was no turning back. From the exoneration of Brenton Butler, a 15-year-old wrongfully accused of murder, to her role in the case of accused child-killer Casey Anthony, Finnell has spent decades vigorously defending clients accused of the worst crimes and succeeding in all but one case in keeping them off Death Row.  .