Podcast / American Prestige / Aug 6, 2024

Police and the Empire City

On this episode of American Prestige, Matthew Guariglia on policing in New York.

The Nation Podcasts
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Here's where to find podcasts from The Nation. Political talk without the boring parts, featuring the writers, activists and artists who shape the news, from a progressive perspective.

Police and the Empire City w/ Matthew Guariglia, Part 1 | American Prestige
byThe Nation Magazine

On this episode of American Prestige, Danny and Derek are joined by Matthew Guariglia, senior policy analyst at the Electronic Frontier Foundation and visiting scholar of history at Emory University, for a two-part discussion on the history of policing in New York City. They explore NY policing as a case study for how the state studies people in order to inform policy, its initial function in the mid-19th century, the largely Irish and German makeup of the force at the time, the force’s interaction with different communities, how gender and race informed the force during the Progressive Era, the NYPD’s international presence and colonial aspects, the formation of “ethnic squads,” and more through the early 20th century.

Matthew's book is Police and the Empire: Race and the Origins of Modern Policing in New York.

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On this episode of American Prestige, we’re joined by Matthew Guariglia, senior policy analyst at the Electronic Frontier Foundation and visiting scholar of history at Emory University, for a two-part discussion on the history of policing in New York City. We explore NY policing as a case study for how the state studies people in order to inform policy, its initial function in the mid-19th century, the largely Irish and German makeup of the force at the time, the force’s interaction with different communities, how gender and race informed the force during the Progressive Era, the NYPD’s international presence and colonial aspects, the formation of “ethnic squads,” and more through the early 20th century.

Matthew’s book is Police and the Empire: Race and the Origins of Modern Policing in New York.

The Nation Podcasts
The Nation Podcasts

Here's where to find podcasts from The Nation. Political talk without the boring parts, featuring the writers, activists and artists who shape the news, from a progressive perspective.

The Political Power of Police Unions w/ Stuart Schrader / American Prestige
byThe Nation Magazine

Danny and Derek speak with historian Stuart Schrader about the history and political power of police unions in the US. They discuss the rise of police unions in the 1960s, their relationship with organized labor, resistance to the civil rights movement and affirmative action, the role of race in policing, bipartisan support for policing and the 1990s crime bills, the growing political influence of the Border Patrol union, and the future of police reform and abolition.

Get your copy of Stuart’s book Blue Power: How Police Organize to Protect and Serve Themselves.

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Derek Davison

Derek Davison is a writer and analyst specializing in international affairs and US foreign policy. He is the publisher of the Foreign Exchanges newsletter, cohost of the American Prestige podcast, and former editor of LobeLog.

Daniel Bessner

Daniel Bessner is a historian of US foreign relations and is the author of, among other books, Imperialist Realism.

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