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

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Empire City: The Untold Origin Story of the NYPD