Empire City: The Untold Origin Story of the NYPD

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Empire City: The Untold Origin Story of the NYPD

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The police tell us they are here to protect us. But what if their original purpose was something else altogether? Peabody Award-winning host Chenjerai Kumanyika takes listeners on a journey to uncover the hidden history of the largest police force in the world – from its roots in slavery, to rival police gangs battling across the city, to everyday people who resisted every step of the way. As our society debates where policing is going, Empire City: The Untold Origin Story of the NYPD explores where the police came from. From Wondery, Crooked Media and PushBlack. 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. 

Episodes

  1. EPISODE 1

    They Keep People Safe

    Chenjerai takes us back to the summer of 1835, when Black New Yorkers are being kidnapped and sold into slavery in the south. But their friends and families can’t call the cops, because it turns out the kidnappers are the cops…can a group of Black resistance fighters stop it?  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:  Mariame Kaba: https://mariamekaba.com/ Jon Wells: https://www.jonathandanielwells.com/ Wilbur Miller: https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/history/people/_emeriti/miller.php The Kidnapping Club: Wall Street, Slavery, and Resistance on the Eve of the Civil War: https://www.amazon.com/Kidnapping-Club-Street-Slavery-Resistance/dp/156858752X The Congress of Racial Equality: 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 and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    43 min

  2. EPISODE 2

    If It Bleeds It Leads

    Before the NYPD existed, New Yorkers strongly opposed the idea of an armed police force – until a powerful news publisher changed everything. After a grisly murder takes place, the city’s newspapers sensationalize the story, blame the cops, and a new force is born. But will these cops work to solve the case or will they spend their days hunting something–or someone–else?  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: Ed O’Donnell https://edwardtodonnell.com/ Greg Young https://www.boweryboyshistory.com/about-us Alan Singer https://www.hofstra.edu/faculty-staff/faculty-profile.html?id=1412 Wilbur Miller https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/history/people/_emeriti/miller.php Jon Wells https://www.jonathandanielwells.com/ Mariame Kaba https://mariamekaba.com/ The Bowery Boys podcast https://www.boweryboyshistory.com/bowery-boys-first/bowery-boys-podcast 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 and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    43 min

  3. EPISODE 3

    What’s Done Can Be Undone

    New York’s power-hungry mayor weaponizes the police to help him control the city – and bulldoze a thriving Black community for his own real estate profits. The state, fearing that the mayor and his police have become too strong, wage a war for control – and create their own rival force.  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: Jeff Broxmeyer https://www.jeffbroxmeyer.com/ Mariame Kaba https://mariamekaba.com/ Leslie Alexander https://drlesliealexander.com/ Gregg Simmons https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4206025/ 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 and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    41 min

  4. EPISODE 4

    They’ve Got Weapons

    Horrific race riots erupt when New York City starts to draft soldiers into the Civil War. A mob of white people, who resent fighting for emancipation, direct their rage at the Black community as well as the police… and all hell breaks loose. The NYPD pushes for more firearms – but will they use them to protect New York’s most vulnerable, or subdue them?  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: Ed O’Donnell https://edwardtodonnell.com/ Kamau Ware https://kamauware.com/ Kevin McGruder https://antiochcollege.edu/team-members/kevin-mcgruder/ Daniel Czitrom https://www.mtholyoke.edu/directory/emeriti-retired-faculty/daniel-czitrom Black Gotham https://blackgotham.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 and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    47 min

  5. EPISODE 5

    The Moral Crusade

    Officers in early New York didn’t just police the city’s vice economy; they profited from it. But when America’s first professional vice fighter Anthony Comstock strong-arms the NYPD into enforcing his vision of morality, he also transformed how and what we police.  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: Amy Werbel https://www.fitnyc.edu/creative-nexus/faculty/directory/werbel-amy.php Bill Williams, descendant of Clubber Williams Jennifer Wright https://www.jenashleywright.com/ Lust On Trial: Censorship and the Rise of American Obscenity in the Age of Anthony Comstock https://www.amazon.com/Lust-Trial-Censorship-American-Obscenity/dp/0231175221 Madame Restell: The Life, Death, and Resurrection of Old New York’s Most Fabulous, Fearless, and Infamous Abortionist https://www.amazon.com/Madame-Restell-Resurrection-Fabulous-Abortionist/dp/0306826798 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 and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    40 min

  6. EPISODE 6

    The Rotten Orchard

    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 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 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 and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    40 min

  7. EPISODE 7

    The American Problem

    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 Matt Guariglia https://www.matthewguariglia.com/ Daniel Czitrom https://www.mtholyoke.edu/directory/emeriti-retired-faculty/daniel-czitrom Albert Samaha https://www.albertsamaha.com/ New York Narratives 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 and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    38 min

  8. EPISODE 8

    Stay Dangerous

    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 Khalil Gibran Muhammed: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/faculty/khalil-gibran-muhammad Natalie Cherot: https://nataliecherot.com/ 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 The Watchmen: https://www.hbo.com/watchmen The Congress of Racial Equality: 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 and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    48 min

  9. EPISODE 9

    Black History, For Real: NYPD's Secret Story | For Real, For Real

    "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 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 and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    42 min

  10. 26 AUG

    Introducing: Empire City: The Untold Origin Story of the NYPD

    The police tell us they are here to protect us. But what if their original purpose was something else altogether? Peabody Award-winning host Chenjerai Kumanyika takes listeners on a journey to uncover the hidden history of the largest police force in the world – from its roots in slavery, to rival police gangs battling across the city, to everyday people who resisted every step of the way. As our society debates where policing is going, Empire City: The Untold Origin Story of the NYPD explores where the police came from. From Wondery, Crooked Media and PushBlack. Follow Empire City: The Untold Origin Story of the NYPD on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge all episodes early and ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App or on Apple Podcasts. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    3 min

  11. 1 NOV

    Bonus Episode: The Fall of Eric Adams

    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/ DOJ’s Indictment of Adams: 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 and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    24 min

  12. 4 NOV • WONDERY+ ONLY

    What to Listen to Next: Black History, For Real

    In this show, we dive straight into the history you didn’t get in school. We’re talking about the untold stories, the overlooked legends, and everything in between. Like the first Black woman on the FBI’s Most Wanted list (yeah, she was a Black Panther) or the African king who gave away so much gold he crashed Cairo's economy. That’s right—this is history without the whitewash. We’re bringing you all the facts, no cap, and mixing in narrative storytelling, candid conversations, and a little tea to keep it real. Listen early & ad-free on Wondery+ now.

    6 min

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The police tell us they are here to protect us. But what if their original purpose was something else altogether? Peabody Award-winning host Chenjerai Kumanyika takes listeners on a journey to uncover the hidden history of the largest police force in the world – from its roots in slavery, to rival police gangs battling across the city, to everyday people who resisted every step of the way. As our society debates where policing is going, Empire City: The Untold Origin Story of the NYPD explores where the police came from. From Wondery, Crooked Media and PushBlack. 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. 

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