An interview with a protester who witnessed the aftermath of the shooting leads to a tip that changes the entire investigation.

We Keep Us Safe is part of Focus, a dedicated documentary channel from KUOW Puget Sound Public Radio in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR network.

Get in touch with the team by email at [email protected]. Support KUOW and projects like this by donating at kuow.org/donate/focus.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What really happened the night Antonio Mays Jr. was killed? Protesters claim he was attacking CHOP and they had to defend themselves. But new evidence from that night turns everything we thought we knew about the shooting upside down.

We Keep Us Safe is part of Focus, a dedicated documentary channel from KUOW Puget Sound Public Radio in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR network.

Get in touch with the team by email at [email protected]. Support KUOW and projects like this by donating at kuow.org/donate/focus.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Who was Antonio Mays Jr.? What was he up to at CHOP? A deep dive into Antonio’s last few weeks leads to perplexing rumors, new details about the night he was killed and conversations with the people whose lives were changed by his death.

We Keep Us Safe is part of Focus, a dedicated documentary channel from KUOW Puget Sound Public Radio in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR network.

Get in touch with the team by email at [email protected]. Support KUOW and projects like this by donating at kuow.org/donate/focus.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After police retreat from their precinct, protesters begin occupying roughly eight blocks of Seattle. It's their attempt at a police-free world. But as rumors spread, fear and paranoia take over, setting a dangerous stage for Antonio Mays Jr.'s arrival.

We Keep Us Safe is part of Focus, a dedicated documentary channel from KUOW Puget Sound Public Radio in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR network.

Get in touch with the team by email at [email protected]. Support KUOW and projects like this by donating at kuow.org/donate/focus.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the summer of 2020, protests are happening all across the country. But Seattle is different. A confrontation between protestors and police outside a precinct leads to the birth of CHOP. A thousand miles away, Antonio Mays Jr. hears about what’s happening in Seattle. He was shot and killed there three weeks later.

We Keep Us Safe is part of Focus, a dedicated documentary channel from KUOW Puget Sound Public Radio in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR network.

Get in touch with the team by email at [email protected]. Support KUOW and projects like this by donating at kuow.org/donate/focus.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When 16-year-old Antonio Mays Jr. was shot and killed inside Seattle's CHOP protest zone in 2020, protesters claimed self-defense. For years, that version of events went unchallenged. Reporters Sydney Brownstone, Will James and David Gutman investigate what really happened the night Antonio died.

We Keep Us Safe is part of Focus, a dedicated documentary channel from KUOW Puget Sound Public Radio in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR network.

Get in touch with the team by email at [email protected]. Support KUOW and projects like this by donating at kuow.org/donate/focus.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“You let Tom Hudson off the hook."

That was one of the first things Paul (not his real name) said to host Isolde Raftery during their first conversation earlier this year. He wanted her to know about his own experience with Hudson, which included years of manipulation and molestation.  

And that wasn’t all. Paul also recounted harrowing details about Hudson’s death, puncturing the narrative Isolde held true for so many years. 

In this final episode of Adults in the Room, we uncover how extensive Tom Hudson’s crimes were … and how little we really understood about his death. 

CONTENT ADVISORY: This episode includes graphic descriptions of sexual abuse, drug abuse, and suicide, and includes a slur for gay men. 

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741-741. Please take care while listening.  

KUOW only allows sources anonymity on rare occasions. You can read our entire ethics policy, which details how we approach anonymous sourcing, here. 

Get in touch with the team by email at [email protected]. Support KUOW and projects like this by donating at kuow.org/donate/focus.

Adults in the Room is part of FOCUS, a dedicated documentary channel from KUOW Puget Sound Public Radio in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR network. It is hosted by Isolde Raftery. Original reporting by Isolde Raftery, Jeannie Yandel, and Will James. Our producers are Will James and Alec Cowan. Our editor is Jeannie Yandel. Music by BC Campbell. Additional music by Alec Cowan.  

Special thanks to King County Sexual Assault Resource Center, Phyllis Fletcher, John Bancroft, Mary Mills, and Levi Pulkkinen. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The team behind Adults in the Room is hard at work on an Epilogue episode, set to release later this summer.

In the meantime, the team recently gathered for a live event to discuss behind-the-scenes moments and decisions from the series—including interviews that didn't make it into the final episodes, the continued challenges of addressing grooming and childhood sexual abuse, and audience questions.

KUOW's Libby Denkmann was joined by Ella Hushagen, host Isolde Raftery, producer Alec Cowan, and editor Jeannie Yandel. 

Get in touch with the team by email at [email protected]. Support KUOW and projects like this by donating at kuow.org/focus.

Adults in the Room is part of FOCUS, a dedicated documentary channel from KUOW Public Radio in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Thank you to everyone who made this event possible, including Ella Hushagen, host Libby Denkmann, producers Alec Cowan and Hans Twite, editor Jeannie Yandel, event manager Charlotte Duren, and marketing associate Carina Bolaños Lewen.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A surprise archival interview with a former Garfield High School principal reveals that the teacher abuse problem at the school extended beyond Tom Hudson. Isolde discovers that the district received numerous credible allegations of temper outbursts and sexual harassment about her Garfield journalism teacher, Dave Ehrich, but kept him in the classroom until his retirement in 2019.

As Isolde looks into the district’s recent history addressing repeat allegations against teachers, she finds more examples of teachers who were physically and sexually abusive towards multiple students, but were still allowed to keep their jobs.  

After a conversation with Ella and former Garfield classmate Rosie Bancroft, Isolde sits down with the superintendent of Seattle Public Schools to ask why predators are given multiple chances to stay in the classroom, and how he intends to make schools safer for kids. 

This episode includes an explicit description of a sexual act, and discussion of sexual harassment. Please take care while listening.

Get in touch with the team by email at [email protected]. Support KUOW and projects like this by donating at kuow.org/donate/focus.

Adults in the Room is part of FOCUS, a dedicated documentary channel from KUOW Puget Sound Public Radio in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR network. It is hosted by Isolde Raftery. Original reporting by Isolde Raftery, Jeannie Yandel, and Will James. Our producers are Will James and Alec Cowan. Our editor is Jeannie Yandel. Music by BC Campbell. A special thank you to Ella Hushagen, without whom this project would not be possible.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Isolde looks through records on Mr. Hudson from Seattle Public Schools, she comes across a document describing a photograph of Hudson and two students at a mountain lake near Seattle. All three of them are naked.

Isolde learns that back in 1994, before she attended Garfield, this photo spurred a separate investigation into Hudson's relationship with students. But ultimately, records say the boy told investigators it was no big deal. 

Years down the line, that changes. Isolde finds an email from the same boy, now an adult, claiming he was ready to go on record about how Hudson abused him. While interviewing other Post 84 members, Isolde discovers the student’s identity and interviews him. His account of grooming and abuse matches with Ocean Mason's ... with a surprise revelation. 

Today, he, Ocean, and Jonathan Hill know that Tom has influenced who they are, for good and for ill. So how do they make sense of that influence now? 

This episode includes graphic descriptions of animal cruelty and sexual abuse. If you or someone you know needs support, text the word HOPE to 64673. If you live in King County, you can contact the King County Sexual Assault Resource Center at 888.998.6423. Please take care while listening.

Get in touch with the team by email at [email protected]. Support KUOW and projects like this by donating at kuow.org/donate/focus.

Adults in the Room is part of FOCUS, a dedicated documentary channel from KUOW Puget Sound Public Radio in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR network. It is hosted by Isolde Raftery. Original reporting by Isolde Raftery, Jeannie Yandel, and Will James. Our producers are Will James and Alec Cowan. Our editor is Jeannie Yandel. Music by BC Campbell. Additional music by Alec Cowan.  

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As adults, Isolde and Ella start re-investigating the question of Mr. Hudson’s guilt. For years, they've wondered if they spread unfounded rumors that drove Mr. Hudson to take his own life. 

Isolde digs out a brown manila envelope containing the school district's records on Mr. Hudson, which she requested shortly after college. She tracks down the original school district investigator from 1999, Eddie Hill Sr., and the widow of Garfield's interim-principal at the time, Cheryl Chow. Both reveal things Isolde never knew ... but not about the extent of Hudson's misconduct with students. 

Isolde realizes she must reach out to former members of Post 84. She meets with one former member, hoping they will connect her to others. Instead, they reveal a deeply held story of abuse. 

This episode includes graphic descriptions of sexual abuse. If you or someone you know needs support, text the word HOPE to 64673. Please take care while listening. 

Get in touch with the team by email at [email protected]. Support KUOW and projects like this by donating at kuow.org/donate/focus.

Adults in the Room is part of FOCUS, a dedicated documentary channel from KUOW Puget Sound Public Radio in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR network. It is hosted by Isolde Raftery. Original reporting by Isolde Raftery, Ella Hushagen, Jeannie Yandel, and Will James. Our producers are Will James and Alec Cowan. Our editor is Jeannie Yandel. Music by BC Campbell. Additional music by Alec Cowan. A special thank you to Ella Hushagen, Maria Coryell-Martin, and the King County Prosecutor's Office.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.