Breaking the Silence, host Jake Tjapkes sat down with Jordan and Dorian, a young couple from Georgia whose lives were upended by an encounter with the child welfare system. Their story exposes the complexity, contradictions, and emotional toll that families can experience when navigating investigations and interventions by Georgia Department of Family and Children’s Services (DFCS).

This is not a story about neglectful parents. It is a story about how systems, when poorly coordinated and lacking compassion, can become a source of trauma themselves.

When a city claims to regulate “noise,” but ends up regulating speech, something far more serious is happening.

In this episode, Jake Tjapkes takes a firm stand against the newly passed noise ordinance in Grand Rapids, Michigan—an ordinance that, in practice, threatens First Amendment rights, civil liberties, and community welfare by silencing peaceful, audible speech in public spaces.

This is not a partisan issue.
This is not about one message or one group.
This is about what happens when government prioritizes comfort over constitutional rights—and how the voiceless are always the first to suffer.

Jake breaks down:

• Why public sidewalks are constitutionally protected spaces
• How vague “noise” laws become tools for speech suppression
• The connection between civil rights, community welfare, and free expression
• Why silence imposed by government is never neutral

This episode is a call to courage—for city leaders to uphold the Constitution, and for citizens to refuse quiet compliance when fundamental rights are at stake.

Because silence protects no one.

In this episode of "Breaking the Silence," host Jake Tjapkes welcomes Patti, an educator, author, and podcast host, to discuss her lived experience with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). Patti shares her journey from working in child welfare to becoming an advocate for FASD awareness, highlighting the importance of understanding and supporting individuals with neurodevelopmental disabilities. The conversation delves into the challenges faced by those with FASD, the misconceptions surrounding the disorder, and the need for systemic change in social services.