Latest / Breaking The Meta / Georgia House District 127: The Army Officer Targeted for a Music Video
Transcript
- Breaking The Meta: Hello everyone and welcome to Breaking the Meta. My name is Mike Winson. Today we are sitting down with Channing Vonte Taylor, who is running for Georgia House District 127. Hello Channing, how are you doing today? TDO: I'm doing pretty good, how you doing? Breaking The Meta: I'm doing great. I'm looking forward to hearing more about you and what you're hoping to do for your district. ⁓ To start, would you mind giving us a little just background on who you are and then why you decided to run ⁓ for a seat in the first place? TDO: Okay, yeah, sure. So my name is Channing Von Taylor. The reason why I go by Channing Von T. Taylor is because I'm also a music artist, a blogger, an actor, and most people know me by Von T. Are more specifically to the niche of my group is TDO Von T. The discriminated officer Von T. And I've been in this area for, you know, 11 years. I've been a Georgia resident for 32 years. I'm an Army veteran, deployed to Iraq. ⁓ I mean, I've done every, all of my schooling has been in Georgia. I love Georgia. I'm from Sacramento, California, but I grew up in Georgia. And ⁓ when my music career started to blow up, when I started to take off while was at the duty, I was actually discriminated against for my music video. ⁓ Ironically and unfortunately it happened right here in the county that I'm running in. And ⁓ I was a commissioned officer. This was my ⁓ Fort Gordon, Fort Eisenhower. whichever one individuals want to pronounce it, was my final duty station. ⁓ They ended up trying to kick me out because of my ⁓ music video. They ended up hitting on a website called World Star. Got over a million views and then all of a sudden I was enemy of the state. And I was harassed and... ⁓ Breaking The Meta: course. TDO: And then I was ⁓ bullied by the military here. this was, ⁓ if individuals aren't familiar, this is before George Floyd passed away. I was going through this stuff way before George Floyd had passed away in that unfortunate incident in Minnesota. ⁓ And then when he passed away, ⁓ they kind of fell off. at the meantime, ⁓ when that happened... with everything that happened with the military, ended up ⁓ losing my house. I lost my pets. I lost ⁓ most of my furniture and assets and most of everything that I gained in I and extorted all of my legal fees. I made my money on legal fees. And then I became homeless here in this district, right here ⁓ in this county against the... ⁓ And it was during the time period where the same person who's running the county was actually in charge and I had appealed to. ⁓ all of the systems that they have, the mayor of Roe Town, the mayor of Augusta, the military, appeal systems, none of them worked. Nobody would help. All the systems that were supposed to be in place for Americans to keep, ⁓ all of their, you know, the things they worked hard for after I had successfully, honorably retired out of the military. None of those systems worked for me and I ended up a transient out here, pushed on the edge of the city, kind of living out of my truck and taking bird back. graphs out of a grocery store. ⁓ just trying to figure out how I was going to get gas in my tank so I could make it to my VA appointments. And so my time period of being homeless, I say all that to say my time period of the struggle when all of this stuff was going on. I got a chance to connect with a lot of individuals and veterans ⁓ in this district that were not represented. They're not looking for, not taken care of. ⁓ And it's kind of just like ⁓ the system just kind of kicked them to the side, whether that be their own doing. Breaking The Meta: Yeah. TDO: our system that we live in here in my district. And ⁓ once I got myself back together, I created an organization called. AMAG. AMAG means Americans Make America Great. And once I was able to finally get the benefits that I was owed, I took the money and instead of disappearing, I created a movement and then I traveled across the world all of 2025 and promoted positive images of America of what to counter what they see. on the news and headlines today. And then once it gained enough traction, I brought that back here to the same district. I never left anywhere and I didn't bail and leave the people in this community. I stayed right here with the individuals who felt like they were forgotten about. Got myself back together, got me a small place, something I could afford. ⁓ And then I took Americans Make America Great directly to counter Make America Great again to the feet of the individuals here in the community. And I started to get involved in online social media influencing. And I started to promote a lot of businesses and companies in the area and started trying to highlight the area that I'm from and bringing out small businesses and kind of individuals here. and it kind of took off from there so when I decided to run I wanted to run because I know what it's like to not be able to afford where you live. So affordability was one of my key goals. Protecting children because God knows the children are not being protected with the current administration and current laws that are in place right now. And that's not just for pedophilia. That is all across the board from schooling all the way to homeless kids and kids that are displaced not to their own doing. And then economic growth because I know that this is a working city and for the longest it was hard for me to be able to get ⁓ any kind of income coming in because I was also trying to get disability because I was owed those benefits and in the meantime I was not able to work and so I know a lot of individuals are going through the same thing of watching jobs disappear around here ⁓ and I've talked to a lot of them so I ran off of those three things I decided to join because I wanted to bring hope and balance back to Georgia. Breaking The Meta: That's awesome. As you're walking around and talking to people of your district, what are the constant pain points? What are the things that most people struggle with in your district that they need help from you in Georgia's state house? TDO: So from from my experience and talking to individuals in the community I would say that the biggest thing out of all three all three is the affordability It's just it's difficult to survive here It's just difficult to thrive and take care of your kids a lot of people just want to just just want to go back to a time when politics were born It's something you see on TV and you might pay attention to it. And then maybe you go back to your life or you go back to barbecuing. A lot of people are back to your family that's visiting from out of town. A lot of people just want to get back to where they can just take care of their family and their kids and not have to worry about whether or not I'm going eat today or whether or not I'm going put gas in my gas tank. And so when I talk to lot of individuals, is the biggest commonality. And that's not even amongst just Democrats. That's Democrats, Republicans. and indifferent, everybody is having a hard time. Just, God forbid we wake up the next day and something else, you know, your AC unit breaks down or your truck has a, your truck or your car has an engine problem because you can't afford it. Breaking The Meta: Yeah. Yeah. And I'm assuming that this war in Iran and the loss of the ACA subsidies have not helped your district at all. TDO: At all. Like, I mean, you run into people at the ⁓ local gas stations and, you know, that's, that's, it shouldn't be a point where you dread, you know, leaving your home, you know, just because you know that you need, you need gas and that essentially is going to be somewhere around, you know, a bill that you receive ⁓ every month. And that's difficult for us already. It's already hard enough to ⁓ just maintain a job, first of all. And then secondly, to just handle the regular stresses in life, this war is not helping out at all. Breaking The Meta: Yeah. So you mentioned that Republicans and Democrats are both sides are struggling to be able to pay for just necessities of life. Have you noticed as you're walking around and talking to people that may have been historically conservative that you're that they're opening up a little more, especially after everything this administration has done over the past year and a few months, even before what's happened in Iran. Have you noticed that there's been a little bit more openness to talking with you and anyone with a D next to their name that there may not have been two or three years ago? TDO: Absolutely. I can say that getting out in my community and going to meetings like board of commissioner meetings, freedom to read meetings about library. ⁓ and just regular town hall meetings that I've been going to here, there is a huge portion in my community, Republican or Democrat alike, that just feel forgotten about. There is a, and I don't know if big politics is paying attention to that, but there is a huge portion of Americans that feel like we're left in the middle of a bad divorce right now. ⁓ And I was one of them. ⁓ Breaking The Meta: Mm. TDO: And so I have a lot of Republican friends who are super conservative and I have a lot of, ⁓ you know, super, super, super dedicated Democrat friends. And the read across the room is the same. I talk to all of them and they just want, they want something that works. They want something that works. Breaking The Meta: Just as a side, know obviously international politics wouldn't be something that is specifically a part of your job if you get in as the state house, but as someone who is a veteran, what has been not just your thoughts, but your interactions with other vets, seeing what this administration has been doing around the world and what veterans are what. military member, current military are being asked to do. How does that make you feel as a veteran? What are the kind of conversations you're having with other veterans regarding what's going on right now? TDO: So I actually have a really good connection with the veterans here in my community and that's also because, you know, with me also being a veteran, having to fight a lot of those systems that were in place before the Iran incident happened, before. this administration got completely out of control. The system was already had cracks in it that we were trying to sustain and kind of balance out ourself. The read across the room that I'm getting from veterans, they're nervous. They're scared about their benefits. They're scared about what's gonna happen because of certain disabilities that they have ⁓ that they may not get compensated for, that they have absolutely no way to take care of it. And then afraid that if their benefits get taken Breaking The Meta: Mm. TDO: because of medication then they still don't have the funds to take care of what they're supposed to take care of because the know medications are not receiving compensation for what happened to you doesn't fix the problem it just gives you medication it's not like it's gonna fix it so if you stop taking the medication which some of them have threatened to do you know because they don't want their benefits taken because it still ultimately happened to them while they were active duty and I feel the same way so ⁓ Veterans are nervous. have a very, a very, ⁓ very good connection with the veterans of the downtown Augusta affairs and the downtown, the uptown Augusta VA here. All well known. I actually have a Facebook group that has about 30 something thousand members in it right now, which was for originally it was for soldiers to both voice their opinion and veterans to voice their opinions about things that they would be otherwise silenced or shunned upon. It was supposed to be created for a space for them to be able to Breaking The Meta: Wow. TDO: talk because just getting out here I'm actually going to the VA tomorrow to talk and meet with some more veterans just so I can kind of get a little bit more information on what makes veterans nervous right now. Breaking The Meta: Yeah. So let's do a little bit of future casting. So. November comes along and you've won, congratulations. ⁓ January ⁓ comes along and you're sworn in. What are the first things you do? What is your main focus going forward at the beginning, right when you get into office? TDO: So the first thing that I really want to take care of ⁓ as soon as I get in, we're talking about day one hit the ground running. The first thing that I want to do is I want to get a list of what the community's concerns were. I want to see what the people who have been in charge been able to see this whole time that hasn't got fixed. For me, coming from a military background and being... Serving in the military for 18 years and becoming an officer in. I like to know what my subordinates issues are so I can make their job easier. And if I don't know that, then I don't know exactly what to attack. So what I need to see is what my predecessor has done while I. before I got there. And that's like with anything, with any change of command or any change of leadership, you want to go in there first and you want to see what the last person has done and what they haven't done. So then maybe I can get some answers to some of the stuff that hasn't gotten done yet before I tackle anything else. A lot of that comes from trying to figure out what's happening to taxpayers dollars and trying to figure out is their money actually going to fixing that new bridge? Is their money actually going towards these organizations that they paid their taxes Breaking The Meta: Mm. TDO: into. And if I can figure that out, the avenue that I want to take first is I want to see under the person who's in charge, what hasn't gotten done. So that maybe the problem is the person that was in charge, maybe it was the person that was working for the person in charge. And so maybe if I can get involved in that, then maybe right from the jump, I can see some stuff change. Breaking The Meta: Yeah. That goes really well into my next question, which in some ways I feel is probably the most important question right now. One of the things that a lot of voters have with our current state of politics, regardless of whether you're Republican, Democrat, conservative, progressive, whatever, is this idea of accountability or the lack thereof when it comes to our politicians. What does accountability mean to you? What does being held accountable by your district look like? TDO: So what that means to me is, and it's actually ties into one of the main points, probably the most important point that I have on there. It may not seem that important to some people now, but it's going to be important. And it's always been important in the forefront of my brain is protecting children. Children are the future. They see everything that we do. Holding somebody accountable for their actions is important. I don't care what job you're working for or who you're working for because kids brains are a sponge and they soak that up. So when we have leaders that are not accountable for their actions and then we have children who and as we know, I'm an 80s baby. So coming from the 80s, I know that my Breaking The Meta: Mmm. TDO: My parents taught me not to lie, not to steal, not to cheat somebody. And so we grew up off of those and those are the same disciplines that we. carried into the military and that we carry through our American businesses and practices. That's what keeps the fabric of America sewn together and it keeps us way ahead of most other countries because we have that. We lose that, then we lose the fabric of what actually makes us the United States in our culture. So I think that holding individuals accountable is absolutely important. Breaking The Meta: having looked the Georgia legislature and what they have done up until this point, what kind of things do you hope to change about how, if anything, about how the legislature works that isn't currently working? TDO: So what I would like to change about the legislator is the legislation that would get passed is that ⁓ the people who put you in place there, that is the collective voice of the community. If it's a problem and it's something that the community is bringing up, I want legislation to be able to get that passed because if they are not able to... then obviously there's a flaw somewhere. And if it's a flaw, coming from being a soldier, I'm trying to figure out what that flaw is and to get it fixed. And if legislation is not getting done, then I need to figure out another way to get it done or figure out why it's not working. Why that what we have voted for to get fixed, why can't I cross these barriers? I feel like, like I tell people all the time, ⁓ I the world and I do this stuff with AMAG, Americans Make America Great. I say AMAG is AMAG, and one of my fans coined that on Instagram. AMAG is AMAG, Americans Make America Great is a movement against greed. So if legislation is not passed, I can almost guarantee my bottom dollar, and I'm not rich, that at the end of that rainbow, there's somebody who's filling their pockets with something, the reason why legislation is not working. Breaking The Meta: Yes. Yep. ⁓ Channing, so for everyone that has listened up until this point and heard everything that we have talked about, what are one or two things that no matter what you would want them to come away with knowing about you and your campaign? TDO: If they come away from anything, I want them to know that it's never going to end with the campaign. Even if for some unforeseen reason I lose, even if I lose, I still fight for the community. I'm not going anywhere. I put on a uniform once, I'll put on a uniform again, and I'll keep fighting for the people. I don't care if I make money or if I got zero dollars in my pocket, I'm still going to be there for them. Breaking The Meta: For anyone that wants to learn more about you or support you whether through volunteering or financially, where can they find you? TDO: So they can find me on. votevon1278.com and for people who know COVA1278 they get that but also ironically it's district 127 so it kind of works both ways. 1271278 so votevon1278.com there on that on my website they will be able to see the three priorities in which I'm fighting for. They will have the option to donate if they wish which we are always welcome to donations to help push the hope and balance back to Georgia and then also Breaking The Meta: Yeah. TDO: There's a section that's on there, you can tell me what's on your mind, and you can sign up to volunteer. All in one. And at the bottom of my website, you can go check out all of my music platforms and my personal website if you're interested in all of that. I make all kinds of music and have been involved in all kinds of stuff, so it's just one stop shop for an entertainment hub and the volunteer to get back involved in your community. Breaking The Meta: There you go. Channing Von T. Taylor. I appreciate you sitting down and talking with us. I look forward to seeing what you can do for your district. ⁓ For everyone else that has listened this far, thank you so much for hanging out. Please like, subscribe, hit all those buttons down below. It makes it possible for me to keep doing what I'm doing, which is interviewing amazing people like Channing Von T. Taylor right here. ⁓ These people are trying to do some amazing stuff. They're trying to fix problems. They're trying to be held, they wanna be held accountable. They wanna break that status quo of where we have been in for decades in this country. And the only way we can do it is if we give these people the kind of name recognition and visibility that breaks through the barrier of the millions upon millions of dollars that the people that are living in our political system right now are using to try and make sure that they can't be seen. So please watch, share, subscribe. TDO: you you Breaking The Meta: not just to me, but to Channing and every one of these other candidates stuff, watch and share their content. It helps them get their word out. It helps them get the kind of visibility. And for those of you that might be new to this podcast, know that Breaking the Meta is about having hard conversations when necessary, fighting to break the status quo and the idea that all people, no matter your race, religion, gender or identity deserve rights, respect, dignity and safety. Channing, again, thank you so much for being here and everyone else will see you next time on Breaking the Meta. Bye guys. TDO: you Absolutely.