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Notes from America with Kai Wright

How NYPD ‘Kettled’ the Spirit of Reform

Notes from America with Kai Wright

WNYC Studios

News Commentary, Politics, History, News

4.41.5K Ratings

🗓️ 24 May 2021

⏱️ 49 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

New Yorkers reacted to George Floyd’s murder with mass protests demanding police accountability. NYPD met them with targeted violence and abuse. On June 4, 2020, a few hundred people gathered in the South Bronx neighborhood of Mott Haven to protest the murder of George Floyd. They were met with overwhelming force -- in an event that has come to represent NYPD’s steadfast refusal to accept public scrutiny. WNYC’s Race and Justice Unit has been reconstructing what happened that night, from the vantage point of two dozen protestors who were present. Editor Jami Floyd tells the story her team found. Jami also introduces us to an active-duty officer who says racism is hard-wired into NYPD’s culture. He’s part of a group of Black and Latinx officers who have sued the department, and he charges he’s been met with extreme retaliation. Finally, The Greene Space will be hosting a Town Hall on the One Year Anniversary of the Mott Haven Protest on Friday, June 4th, 2021. You can find more information here. Special thanks to WNYC/ Gothamist reporters Gwynne Hogan and Jake Offenhartz for on-the-scene recordings from last summer’s protests. Companion listening for this episode: Why Cops Don’t Change (Apr 19, 2021) A retired NYPD detective says the force’s stubborn, insular culture was built to last. And Elie Mystal explains a 1989 Supreme Court ruling that made killing “reasonable.” The Secret Tapes of a Suburban Drug War (Mar 1, 2021) A cop in Westchester, NY, was disturbed by what he saw as corruption. He started recording his colleagues -- and revealed how we’re all still living with the excess of the war on drugs. “The United States of Anxiety” airs live on Sunday evenings at 6pm ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts. To catch all the action, tune into the show on Sunday nights via the stream on WNYC.org/anxiety or tell your smart speakers to play WNYC. We want to hear from you! Connect with us on Twitter @WNYC using the hashtag #USofAnxiety or email us at [email protected].

Transcript

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0:00.0

This is the United States of Anxiety, a show about the unfinished business of our history and its grip on our future.

0:08.0

No place in America has protected protests more than New York City.

0:11.0

And we will continue to do so whatever someone's views,

0:14.0

but it has to be nonviolent.

0:15.1

Now instead of dispersing the crowd,

0:17.4

like they usually do, police trapped them there.

0:20.4

We were told that if we walked on the sidewalks we would be able to go home.

0:24.1

We walked on the sidewalk. What did they do? They lined up and they locking everybody up.

0:28.2

For what?

0:30.2

For what?

0:31.2

The point there's anyone that is on the street during this curve that probably already be arrested for five different offenses

0:38.0

Commissioner Shay said that the NYPD quote had a plan which was executed nearly flawlessly.

0:44.8

You don't rat on fellow police officers or else.

0:47.7

If you see something, say something, has to apply to police two. Welcome to the show.

0:55.4

Welcome to the show.

0:59.2

I'm Kay Wright.

1:00.8

So last week we started talking about the New York City mayoral race. This is a huge

1:05.6

huge election given all the very serious stuff we're facing as a city. Voting

1:10.4

starts in the Democratic primary on June 12th, and well, anything is possible in politics.

1:15.6

The winner of that primary is very likely to be the next mayor of the nation's largest city.

1:20.7

So that election is top of mind for our team and we've decided to focus particularly on policing.

1:26.3

NYPD is the largest most expensive police force in the country by far.

...

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