Minority of One

Charles Boyd

Minority of One is a podcast that focuses primarily on history and politics (and how the two connect). Civil rights and civil liberties issues are particularly emphasized. Charles Boyd is a historian, writer, dog dad and Harry Potter fan. Politically, he identifies as a left libertarian.

  1. 06/19/2024

    The Greatest NYPD Cop You've Never Heard Of: The Progressive Policing of James Fyfe

    In this episode, I interview Dr. Candace McCoy, a prominent criminologist, about her late husband, Dr. James J. Fyfe. After working as an NYPD cop during the 1960s and 1970s, Fyfe earned a PhD in criminal justice and became an outspoken advocate of police reform, testifying in many police misconduct lawsuits on behalf of the plaintiffs. Among his top concerns were excessive force and racism within law enforcement. In this capacity, he was instrumental both in ending the longstanding policy in most police departments of allowing officers to shoot fleeing, unarmed suspects as standard protocol and exposing the New Jersey State Police for racially profiling nonwhite drivers. 0:00-1:10: Intro 1:11-9:40: Candace's background, how she and James met, and why he was a true "gentle giant" 9:41-25:55: James's childhood, family, how James strove to prioritize nondiscrimination and protection of human life as a patrolman, what he called "separate trigger finger," and elective vs. non-elective shootings, my own "72 hour rule," and when lethal force can be necessary for police to use 25:56-38:37: How James helped end the "fleeing felon rule" and his relationship with Chief Patrick Murphy 38:38-51:22: Why James didn't testify in suits against the NYPD and broke with many fellow progressives on the shooting of Amadou Diallo and the problems with Broken Windows policing 51:23-57:25: The need for better police training and the use of force continuum and why it's important for both teachers and cops not to escalate unnecessarily 57:26-1:07: Why James believed root causes of crime were important, Candace's take on "defund the police" and the drug war and how she thinks James might have viewed these issues. 1:07-1:24: How James helped bust the New Jersey State Troops For Racial Profiling; closing remarks

  2. 06/17/2022

    Racial Profiling-How We Got Here, Where We Are, And Where We May Be Headed-Part 2

    This episode is the 2nd part of my series on the history, current status, and possible future of racial profiling. It covers the history of racial profiling from the mid 1990s to the late 2000s. In this episode, you'll learn: how local and state police departments, U.S. Customs, taxi services, and TSA were all engulfed in various controversies over the issue, with the New Jersey State Police ending up in the eye of the storm of a time; how the drug war and civil asset forfeiture made the problem harder to address; discussions over racial profiling in the 2000 Presidential Election; the surprising reason a Weekly Standard columnist criticized Rudy Giuliani on race issues; how the End Racial Profiling Act gained and then lost momentum right before and after 9/11; and attempts to address the issue in a post-9/11 world. You'll learn about dogged foes of racial profiling such as John Lewis, Amo Houghton, Jeffrey Goldberg, Randall Kennedy, Danny Glover, Larry King, Robert Francis, Frank Lautenberg, Jon Corzine, Russ Feingold, Laura Murphy, and then-state legislator Barack Obama. You'll learn about the villains of the conflict such as Christine Todd Whitman, Strom Thurmond, Alan Keyes, George F. Will, Heather MacDonald, National Review, and the Weekly Standard's William Tucker. And you'll learn about the people like George W. Bush and former NYPD and U.S. Customs Commissioner Ray Kelly whose views and legacy on racial profiling are tough to suss out. You'll learn about cops who defended racial profiling, such as Steve Young, Gary McLhinney, and Bernard Parks. And you'll learn about cops who stood against racial profiling, such as James Fyfe, Aaron Campbell, and (despite his flaws) Eric Adams.

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About

Minority of One is a podcast that focuses primarily on history and politics (and how the two connect). Civil rights and civil liberties issues are particularly emphasized. Charles Boyd is a historian, writer, dog dad and Harry Potter fan. Politically, he identifies as a left libertarian.