High Crimes and History The High Crimes Team

The clearing of #BLM protesters in D.C. on 06/01 shocked the world. What you may not know is that the Park Police have a long history of disorganization, violence, and a lack of oversight. This department in disorder is just one case study of the systemic lack of police accountability in the United States today.

The past two months of hiatus has had Trevor and Katie swearing up a storm, so we thought this would be a good time to delve into a more lighthearted episode on the history of swearing, why we swear, and how swearing has been criminalized in history. From Vikings to Shakespeare, the English language has evolved to keep ahead of criminal codes involving swearing. It’s time to find some new, strange, or funny words to put on your list.

NOTE: This episode contains offensive language, including racial, sexual, and religious words that are not censored and may be offensive. Listen discretion is advised.

The world has turned upside down in a manner of weeks. As COVID cases rise, the economy falls, and society grinds to a halt, Trevor has a surprisingly optimistic message – the end is NOT nigh. History teaches us that pandemics are era-ending, but they’re also era-beginning. We look at pandemics throughout history to gauge the economic, psychological, and sociological consequences of disease, and what we can do to make the transition.

Friday 3/20 we’ll drop another normal episode. Stay tuned.

How do you take 500 ordinary men and train them to kill 83,000 human beings? In 1942 Poland outside the village of Jozefow, the men of the Nazi Reserve Police Battalion 101 found out that all it takes is a single push.

We take some time to delve into a common listener question we get – why is Western history so violent? Trevor dives into the systems of justice, honor, shame, religion, and entertainment that helped fuel a fascination with violence that still exists today. Tying all these systems together is the example of the execution of Damiens in 1757, the pinnacle of the spectacle of suffering and the beginning of the end for many of these systems.

The gunfight of the O.K. Corral didn't end with the Earp brothers and Holliday riding into the sunset. They had been charged with murder. In a preliminary trial, the twists and turns of the prosecution and defense helped craft the legend of the Earp brothers. But at what cost? As you'll find out, the Earp brothers aren't the heroes in this story.

Due to some difficulties, the episode is up Wednesday as opposed to our usual Monday. Our apologies!