John Jay College's Future of Public Safety Initiative invites you to five events this fall, including an all-day convening of cities leading the way on public safety transformation, a lecture on public safety and police legitimacy in NYC, a webinar on cutting-edge research on gun violence and book talks on the politics of policing and the challenges of working on Rikers Island.
32nd Lloyd George Sealy Lecture
Thin Line Between Justice and Vigilantism: Public Safety, Police Legitimacy and the Search for Trust
Elliot Williams delivers the keynote, drawing on his book Five Bullets: The Story of Bernie Goetz, New York's Explosive '80s and the Subway Vigilante Trial That Divided the Nation. A book signing follows the program.
On a dirty New York subway car on December 22, 1984, Bernhard Goetz shot Barry Allen, Darrell Cabey, Troy Canty, and James Ramseur, four teenagers from the Bronx, at point blank range. Goetz claimed they were going to mug him; the teens claim that one of them had simply asked for five dollars.
Crime was at an all-time high. So was racial tension. Was Goetz, who was white, a hero who finally fought back? Or a bigot whose itchy trigger finger seriously wounded three unarmed black kids and condemned a fourth to irreversible brain damage? By the time Goetz went on trial for quadruple attempted murder, the “Subway Vigilante” saga had become a global sensation, and New Yorkers across race and class were split over whether he deserved decades in prison…or a medal.
In Five Bullets, Elliot Williams vaults back to gritty 1980s Manhattan and reexamines the first major true-crime story of the cable news era. Drawing on archives and interviews with many main characters, including Goetz, Williams presents a masterful and vivid tale that also tells the origin stories of larger-than-life figures: Al Sharpton, a polarizing young local activist rocketing to national prominence; Rudy Giuliani, a rising-star prosecutor with an important decision to make; the NRA, which needed a poster boy for its transition from hunting club to political juggernaut; and Rupert Murdoch, whose new purchase, the New York Post, grew his empire by keeping a scary story in the headlines.
A shocking account of a pivotal moment in our history, Five Bullets demonstrates why, in order to understand today’s debates about race, crime, safety, and the media, it’s imperative to reflect on what went down in the subway four decades ago. As Williams’s powerful narrative reveals, it was not just Goetz on trial, but the conscience of a nation.
Other events in this series
Tuesday, November 3 | 1:00–2:30 PM ET
Virtual
Webinar: Public, Private & In Between: Rethinking Safety, Violence & Access to Support
Scholars whose research examines violence and safety across public and private spaces discuss what their findings teach us about safety, access to resources, and how people navigate systems that have not always been designed to serve them.
Tuesday, November 3 | 4:30–5:45 PM
9th Floor Conference Room
Book Talk: Blue Power: How Police Organized to Protect & Serve Themselves
Historian Stuart Schrader discusses his new history of police unions and the rank-and-file movement that reshaped the politics of American law enforcement.
Thursday, November 12 | 5:00–6:30 PM
Moot Court
Book Talk: Forgotten Law Enforcement: Behind the Gates with Correctional Staff at Rikers Island Jail
Dr. Simone Martin-Howard offers an insider's view of the people who work inside Rikers Island, drawing on in-depth interviews with correctional staff.
Tuesday, November 17 | Full Day
Gerald W. Lynch Theater
National Summit: All In: Leading the Community Safety Revolution
A full-day national summit showcasing cities driving innovation in community safety, featuring government leaders, advocates, and community organizers working to build comprehensive, coordinated models for safety.
ReimaginePublicSafety@jjay.cuny.edu
John Jay College educates fierce advocates for justice, a calling that demands robust debate, rigorous inquiry & respectful dissent. Consistent with this commitment, we support academic freedom & convene conversations reflecting multiple perspectives. The views expressed at events held at John Jay belong to the speaker(s) & do not represent the opinion of the college.
