Empire City: The Untold Origin Story of the NYPD

New York’s Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted and charged by the federal government with corruption, wire fraud, bribery and more. Could we have predicted what kind of mayor Adams would become based on the culture he was a part of in the NYPD? Chenjerai and attorney John Teufel, who has investigated police misconduct, discuss the implications of the indictment and the significance of a former cop becoming the mayor. From Wondery, Crooked Media and PushBlack. Empire City is made with a commitment to ensure the stories of those who were and are still impacted by the NYPD are always part of the stories we tell ourselves about the Police, about America, and about Democracy. Voices & References: John Teufel: https://www.johnteufelesq.com/ [https://www.johnteufelesq.com/] DOJ’s Indictment of Adams: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/new-york-city-mayor-eric-adams-charged-bribery-and-campaign-finance-offenses [https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/new-york-city-mayor-eric-adams-charged-bribery-and-campaign-finance-offenses] See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

"Woop! Woop! That’s the sound of da police! Conscious and Frankie welcome Dr. Chenjerai Kumanyika – host of Empire City: The Untold Origin Story of the NYPD. Dr. Kumanyika’s podcast is a deeply personal tale of his relationship to policing, the history of the NYPD and its long reaching impact in police departments across the nation. Are the police truly functioning as designed? Does their origin begin and end as slave catching patrols? Today’s conversation brings humor and depth to the exploration of that fraught history. Listen to Black History, For Real [https://wondery.com/shows/black-history-for-real/]on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen early and ad-free on Wondery+.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

The NYPD loves to show off its diversity, but it often hides how hard and long it fought that diversity. Chenjerai takes us back in time to the real story of how the NYPD got its first Black cop – and how decades later, Black cops went to war with the NYPD’s union to push for civilian oversight of the police. But how effective is reform if the police are still only accountable to themselves?  From Wondery, Crooked Media and PushBlack. Empire City is made with a commitment to ensure the stories of those who were and are still impacted by the NYPD are always part of the stories we tell ourselves about the Police, about America, and about Democracy. Voices & References: Edwin Raymond: https://x.com/edwinraymondnyc [https://x.com/edwinraymondnyc?lang=en] Khalil Gibran Muhammed: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/faculty/khalil-gibran-muhammad [https://www.hks.harvard.edu/faculty/khalil-gibran-muhammad] Natalie Cherot: https://nataliecherot.com/ [https://nataliecherot.com/] Andrew Darien: https://directory.salemstate.edu/profile/andrew.darien [https://directory.salemstate.edu/profile/andrew.darien] An Inconvenient Cop: My Fight to Change Policing in America https://www.amazon.com/Inconvenient-Cop-Change-Policing-America/dp/0593653165 [https://www.amazon.com/Inconvenient-Cop-Change-Policing-America/dp/0593653165] The Watchmen: https://www.hbo.com/watchmen [https://www.hbo.com/watchmen] The Congress of Racial Equality: https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/congress-racial-equality-core [https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/congress-racial-equality-core] Follow Empire City: The Untold Origin Story of the NYPD on the Wondery App or wherever you listen to your podcasts. You can binge all episodes early and ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/empire-city/ now.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

New York’s police start to realize that beating up and arresting immigrants is making them distrustful of cops. In response, a police chief has an idea, borne out of his time colonizing the Philippines: control the population by recruiting local community members to police their own people.  From Wondery, Crooked Media and PushBlack. Empire City is made with a commitment to ensure the stories of those who were and are still impacted by the NYPD are always part of the stories we tell ourselves about the police, about America, and about democracy. Voices & References: Asad Dandia https://www.newyorknarratives.com/our-narrative [https://www.newyorknarratives.com/our-narrative] Matt Guariglia https://www.matthewguariglia.com/ [https://www.matthewguariglia.com/] Daniel Czitrom https://www.mtholyoke.edu/directory/emeriti-retired-faculty/daniel-czitrom [https://www.mtholyoke.edu/directory/emeriti-retired-faculty/daniel-czitrom] Albert Samaha https://www.albertsamaha.com/ [https://www.albertsamaha.com/] New York Narratives https://www.newyorknarratives.com/ [https://www.newyorknarratives.com/] Follow Empire City: The Untold Origin Story of the NYPD on the Wondery App or wherever you listen to your podcasts. You can binge all episodes early and ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/empire-city/ now.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

It’s like clockwork: every 20 years or so, a corruption scandal forces the NYPD into the hot seat. But how did this cycle begin? To find out, we go back over a century ago to the very first investigation into the police where the NYPD is put on trial like never before. From Wondery, Crooked Media and PushBlack. Empire City is made with a commitment to ensure the stories of those who were and are still impacted by the NYPD are always part of the stories we tell ourselves about the police, about America, and about democracy. Voices & References: Carol Safir Daniel Czitrom https://www.mtholyoke.edu/directory/emeriti-retired-faculty/daniel-czitrom [https://www.mtholyoke.edu/directory/emeriti-retired-faculty/daniel-czitrom] Cait Murphy Bill Williams, descendant of Clubber Williams Leslie Cornfeld  Scoundrels in Law: The Trials of Howe and Hummel, Lawyers to the Gangsters, Cops, Starlets, and Rakes Who Made the Gilded Age https://www.amazon.com/Scoundrels-Law-Lawyers-Gangsters-Starlets/dp/0061714283 [https://www.amazon.com/Scoundrels-Law-Lawyers-Gangsters-Starlets/dp/0061714283] Follow Empire City: The Untold Origin Story of the NYPD on the Wondery App or wherever you listen to your podcasts. You can binge all episodes early and ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/empire-city/ now.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].