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 focus@kuow.org. Support KUOW and projects like this by donating at kuow.org/donate/focus.

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 focus@kuow.org. Support KUOW and projects like this by donating at <a href="https://www.kuow.org/donate/focus">kuow.org/donate/focus</a>.

New Season "We Keep Us Safe" starting September 21, 2026.

In the summer of 2020, sixteen-year-old Antonio Mays Jr. traveled a thousand miles to join the racial justice movement of his generation. He arrived in Seattle during the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest, known as CHOP. Less than a week later, he was shot and killed there. The case remains unsolved. In this eight-part series, first published on NPR’s Embedded, KUOW’s Will James and The Seattle Times’ Sydney Brownstone track down key figures and eyewitnesses from the night of the shooting and surface crucial evidence that has never been made public.

We Keep Us Safe is a joint production of KUOW, The Seattle Times, and NPR’s Embedded.

Focus is KUOW’s home for immersive audio documentaries. Each season zooms in on a single story that challenges commonly held narratives about life in the Pacific Northwest and reveals something bigger about American society. Series include Adults in the Room and the Peabody-nominated Lost Patients.

New Season "We Keep Us Safe" starting September 21, 2026.
In the summer of 2020, sixteen-year-old Antonio Mays Jr. traveled a thousand miles to join the racial justice movement of his generation. He arrived in Seattle during the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest, known as CHOP. Less than a week later, he was shot and killed there. The case remains unsolved.&nbsp;In this eight-part series, first published on NPR&rsquo;s&nbsp;Embedded, KUOW&rsquo;s Will James and The Seattle Times&rsquo; Sydney Brownstone track down key figures and eyewitnesses from the night of the shooting and surface crucial evidence that has never been made public.
We Keep Us Safe&nbsp;is a joint production of KUOW, The Seattle Times, and NPR&rsquo;s Embedded.
Focus is KUOW&rsquo;s home for immersive audio documentaries. Each season zooms in on a single story that challenges commonly held narratives about life in the Pacific Northwest and reveals something bigger about American society. Series include Adults in the Room and the Peabody-nominated Lost Patients.

Focus: We Keep Us Safe

EPISODE 1: 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: Who Killed Antonio Mays Jr.?

“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 focus@kuow.org. 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. 

&ldquo;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.&nbsp;&nbsp;
And that wasn&rsquo;t all. Paul also recounted harrowing details about Hudson&rsquo;s death, puncturing the narrative Isolde held true for so many years.&nbsp;
In this final episode of Adults in the Room, we uncover how extensive Tom Hudson&rsquo;s crimes were &hellip; and how little we really understood about his death.&nbsp;
CONTENT ADVISORY: This episode includes graphic descriptions of sexual abuse, drug abuse, and suicide, and includes a slur for gay men.&nbsp;
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.&nbsp;&nbsp;
KUOW only allows sources anonymity on rare occasions. You can read our entire ethics policy, which details how we approach anonymous sourcing, <a href="https://www.kuow.org/ethics-policy#sourcing">here</a>.&nbsp;
Get in touch with the team by email at focus@kuow.org. Support KUOW and projects like this by donating at <a href="http://kuow.org/donate/focus">kuow.org/donate/focus</a>.
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 <a href="https://www.kuow.org/people/isolde-raftery">Isolde Raftery</a>. Original reporting by Isolde Raftery, Jeannie Yandel, and Will James. Our producers are Will James and <a href="https://www.kuow.org/people/alec-cowan">Alec Cowan</a>. Our editor is <a href="https://www.kuow.org/people/jeannie-yandel">Jeannie Yandel</a>. Music by BC Campbell. Additional music by Alec Cowan.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Special thanks to <a href="https://www.kcsarc.org/en/">King County Sexual Assault Resource Center</a>, Phyllis Fletcher, John Bancroft, Mary Mills, and Levi Pulkkinen.&nbsp;

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. 

Adults in the Room: The Ultimatum

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 focus@kuow.org. Support KUOW and projects like this by donating atkuow.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.

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&mdash;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.&nbsp;
Get in touch with the team by email at <a href="mailto:focus@kuow.org">focus@kuow.org</a>. Support KUOW and projects like this by donating at<a href="https://donate.kuow.org/donate/focus"> kuow.org/focus</a>.
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 <a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/libby-denkmann">Libby Denkmann</a>, producers <a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/alec-cowan">Alec Cowan</a> and <a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/hans-twite">Hans Twite</a>, editor <a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/jeannie-yandel">Jeannie Yandel</a>, event manager <a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/charlotte-duren">Charlotte Duren</a>, and marketing associate <a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/carina-bolanos-lewen">Carina Bola&ntilde;os Lewen</a>.

The team recently gathered 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.

Adults in the Room Live: A behind-the-scenes look at an investigation 25 years in the making

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 focus@kuow.org. Support KUOW and projects like this by donating atkuow.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, andWill James. Our producers are Will James andAlec 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. 

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&rsquo;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.&nbsp;&nbsp;
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.&nbsp;
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 <a href="mailto:focus@kuow.org">focus@kuow.org</a>. Support KUOW and projects like this by donating at<a href="https://donate.kuow.org/donate/focus"> kuow.org/donate/focus</a>.
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 <a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/isolde-raftery">Isolde Raftery</a>. Original reporting by Isolde Raftery,<a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/jeannie-yandel"> Jeannie Yandel</a>, and<a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/will-james"> Will James</a>. Our producers are Will James and<a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/alec-cowan"> Alec Cowan.</a> Our editor is Jeannie Yandel. Music by BC Campbell. A special thank you to Ella Hushagen, without whom this project would not be possible.

A surprise archival interview with a former Garfield High School principal reveals that teacher abuse was more pervasive than Tom Hudson.

We Keep Us Safe: Who Killed Antonio Mays Jr.?

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