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Fiasco: Vigilante

By: Leon Neyfakh, Prologue Projects
Narrated by: Leon Neyfakh
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State & Local True Crime Violence in Society
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  • Trailer

    Trailer
    Jul 27 2023

    In 1984, as a New York City subway train made its way downtown, a white man named Bernhard Goetz shot four unarmed Black teenagers he believed were going to rob him. The shooting and its aftermath came to embody the widespread fear of crime that reigned supreme around the country during the 1980s.

    The twist: Goetz became a cause célèbre, a folk hero to many who declared they were sick and tired of crime. His vigilantism was applauded, while his victims - Darrell Cabey, Troy Canty, Barry Allen, and James Ramseur - were marginalized and attacked in the press. This six-part series offers a panoramic but intimate view of how this era-defining story unfolded, giving voice for the first time to key players, and immersing listeners in the gritty, paranoid world of ‘80s New York City.

    From the co-creators of Slow Burn, Fiasco is a narrative podcast that transports listeners back to the day-to-day reality of America’s most pivotal historical events. Using original interviews and archival footage, host Leon Neyfakh brings to life the forgotten twists and turns of the past while shedding light on the present day. This propulsive examination of history urges us all to re-think not only the events that change us, but how we are changed by these moments.
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    1 min
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  • Episode 1: Fear City

    Episode 1: Fear City
    Jul 27 2023
    After a shooting on the subway, a gunman is on the loose - but even as police conduct a manhunt, some New Yorkers defend the perpetrator as a hero.
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    43 mins
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  • Episode 2: If It Bleeds

    Episode 2: If It Bleeds
    Jul 27 2023
    The New York tabloids scramble to find out everything they can about the subway shooter. Then, America meets Bernhard Goetz.
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    44 mins
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Fiasco: Vigilante
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  • Fiasco: Vigilante
  • Trailer

About the Host

Leon Neyfakh is the host of Fiasco and co-creator of Slow Burn. Before starting Prologue Projects, he was a reporter for Slate, The Boston Globe, and The New York Observer. He is the author of the book The Next Next Level.

What listeners say about Fiasco: Vigilante

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A Fantastic Review That Is Prescient Today

This is a completely unreal story, and the clips from the courthouse are beyond incredible.

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Excellent podcast

Really enjoyed! The research and interviews were brilliant. The story leaves you with a better idea of what really occured!

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Great introduction

Narrator sounds like a journalist. The beginning introduction of this story went straight to a news outline. I'm interested to listening the next chapter.

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Fear City

I enjoyed this piece it's quite interesting. I did live in the latter part of the seventies in Staten Island and I would take the ferry into Manhattan Island it's quite an interesting story about the vigilante and other things that were happening. What the police was trying to solve a crime of self-defense. Mr Gatts getting off of all the charges, except having an unlawful weapon.

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Straight-up excellent

Always love hearing about something I lived through and realizing that I didn’t understand it at all. Bravo, Leon and team.

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4 people found this helpful

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Profile Image for Tada2021

Well Done

Fiasco never disappoints. This is real journalism. This piece was well researched and incredibly engaging. I appreciate the sensitivity given to the victims. They were victims of a vigilante. Leon is probably the best narrator… his cadence is perfect.

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Excellent

Well researched and very compelling. Great audio clips and interviews. I knew very little about this case before listening as I was a child in 80s. I appreciate the education. Another great Fiasco podcast.

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Profile Image for Omar Javed

Excellent well researched

Timely well researched piece of storytelling. The Fiasco series continues to provide thoughtful series on historical content that continues to echo today. Crime will always have many layers and viewpoints and this story is the latest example where narratives and rushes to judgement often obscure the actual human beings involved.

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Love it

More narrative long form audio please. Well done overall and looking forward to the next season.

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8 people found this helpful

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Profile Image for Sue N.

A vivid description of FEAR & FREEDOM

I grew up in London in the 50s and thought I knew what it was like living in a big city until I arrived in New York at the end of the 80s.
Time Square was lively, vibrant , noisy and exciting 24/7. The subways were completely the oppposite - dark & dank.
Steam drifted up through grates in the sidewalks forming a moist hiss from the subterranean vaults. The stations were boiling hot in the summer and freezing cold in winter. The trains were dirty and usually smelled foul with cigarette buts on the floor cans in the corners. I was told by friends never to use them after dark because of the muggings and violence by street gangs no matter which station you were headed for. I remember always getting a yellow cab in the evenings even though I coudn't really afford one - and walking only next to the lights of stores after getting out.
This podcast took me back to those days - always in a state of uncertainty - never quite sure what was going to happen next (good or bad).
Listening to this I kept asking myself if it has changed that much - what would happen today if/when a white person decided to kill 4 black kids out of fear and become a hero?
Do we feel free today in 2023 to walk the streets and enter the subways at night - as a woman - I don't.
Great listening - opens a Pandora's Box of questions - well produced - highly recommend the experience.

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3 people found this helpful