logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2024
40m 31s

What’s Done Can Be Undone | 3

Wondery | Crooked Media
About this episode

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 listen to new episodes early and ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting https://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.

Up next
Sep 2024
They’ve Got Weapons | 4
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 – bu ... Show More
46m 53s
Sep 2024
They’ve Got Weapons | 4
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 – bu ... Show More
46m 53s
Sep 2024
The Moral Crusade | 5
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, ... Show More
39m 58s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2025
Operation Greylord: Chicago’s Corrupt Courts
In 1979, prosecutor Terry Hake made a bold choice. He agreed to go undercover for the FBI and report on widespread corruption in the Chicago courts. As he navigated a world of bribery and backroom deals, Hake risked everything to take down some of the most powerful figures in Coo ... Show More
40m 35s
Feb 2025
The Sordid Saga of President Trump and Mayor Adams
<p>The sweeping federal corruption charges against Mayor Eric Adams seemed to spell the end of his career. Then he got a sudden reprieve from President Trump — but as the terms of that support became public, an extraordinary blowback ensued.</p><p>Nicholas Fandos, who covers New ... Show More
26m 16s
Jan 2025
Listen Now: We Came to the Forest
Vienna is working a delivery job when she hears about Cop City, a massive police training facility planned for Atlanta. She decides to join the activists trying to stop construction. When Vienna arrives in the South River Forest, she quickly finds a community, a cause and a love ... Show More
6m 2s
Aug 2025
The Subway Vigilante Shooting (1984) w/ Leon Neyfakh [Archive Favorite]
<p>It’s August 1st. This day in 1996, a judge ruled that Bernie Goetz still owed his victims millions of dollars in damages as a result of the “Subway Vigilante” incident some twelve years earlier.</p><p>Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Leon Neyfakh to discuss the subway shoo ... Show More
31m 9s
Oct 2024
Encore: Theranos | The Race to Publish | 3
<p>An investigative journalist looks into Theranos, and is shocked by his discoveries. Elizabeth Holmes tries to fend off the potentially devastating story.</p><p><br></p><p>Need more American Scandal? With Wondery+, enjoy exclusive seasons, binge new seasons first, and listen co ... Show More
40m 59s
Oct 2025
The Birmingham Six | Bombshell | 3
<p>In a desperate gamble, journalist Chris Mullin tracks down the real Birmingham bombers and tries to convince them to confess on camera. Can he get the scoop of his life, and finally force the police to reopen the case into the Birmingham Six?</p><p>Do you have a suggestion for ... Show More
53m 10s
Jul 2025
Murder in Mississippi: The Medgar Evers Assassination Case
For decades, justice for civil rights leader Medgar Evers remained out of reach. Assassinated in his own driveway in 1963, his killer walked free after two all-white juries refused to convict him. But the story didn’t end there. Nearly 30 years later, long-hidden government docum ... Show More
37m 3s