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.
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Engaging history-telling with a beat
Sep 28
I’m learning so much from this podcast. I knew about Central Park’s but never heard of Seneca Village. The narration style is excellent. A constant background beat undergirds a flowing story that weaves historical facts, primary source quotes, and the narrator’s personal reflections.
A story from a particular frame
3 days ago
The historic content is genera good. This podcast has a very particular framework from which is operating from. As a vehicle for that framework it’s a decently produced podcast. The issue is that framework is not always valid, nor truthful. This is very clear in episode four. This is a let down because this could be a very sober and deep look at how the NYPD was founded, its flaws, and what it should be. It doesn’t quite do that. That is in part a result f the framework it approaches the topic.
solid but not great podcast
4 days ago
Interesting podcast overall. It’s not very nuanced journalism, as the narrator only gives his perspective and sometimes without much context. I felt this way particularly when he spoke out Israel and the arrests from the encampment protests - it’s not that I fully disagreed with him, but he gave ideological viewpoints as fact, which I don’t love. Still, worth the listen overall.
Ready for the abolition follow up!
Sep 28
The history explored here gives a lot of meaningful context to our present situation. Although focused on NYPD, it’s easy to see this as a microcosm of policing in the US. My takeaway is that knowing the history directly challenges the idea of reform bcs the system has always worked in favor of the powerful at the expense of everyone else. I loved his interview w Ruth Wilson Gilmore and want to hear more about the abolition movement and politics.
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- CreatorWondery | Crooked Media
- Years Active2K
- Episodes9
- RatingClean
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