Skull Fragments

After 24 1/2 years with the NYPD, including having served in some of the toughest neighborhoods during the most crime-ridden era in NYC history, O'Keefe writes police crime novels in the tradition of Joseph Wambagh that are based on his experiences as a cop. Hear O'Keefe talk about his harrowing career in law enforcement, including, most notably, his role at the center of the Washington Heights riot of 1992, a cataclysmic event that rocked the entire city of New York at the time. Hear O'Keefe's thoughts on policing today, and also how he transitioned from his life as a gung-ho New York cop to a retired author of crime fiction novels.

Over fifty years ago, Abiodun Oyewole and a group of fellow poets in Harlem launched a form of spoken word performance that revolutionized poetry and laid the foundation for rap and hip hop. The Last Poets, as they were known, influenced and were sampled by Biggie Smalls, Common, Kanye West, and many other hip hop luminaries. Oyewole missed the group’s seminal years while he was incarcerated for having robbed a KKK office in North Carolina. In prison, he wrote poems every day, and after his release, he resumed his life as a poet and educator. Today Abiodun supervises poetry writing workshops in prisons, and recently he and the last remaining members of The Last Poets have recorded new albums and performed around the world. 

At the age of 17, Deskovic was convicted for the brutal murder of a young woman in Peekskill, NY and sent away to prison for the rest of his life. Hear the inspiring story of how Deskovic never gave up hope: he survived a terrifying ordeal in prison, advocated for his innocence (with the help of the Innocence Project) and eventually, after 16 years behind bars, was exonerated and released. After his release, Deskovic sued the state of New York and won a financial settlement, using the money to establish the Deskovic Foundation, an organization dedicated to helping others who have been wrongfully convicted.

As a reporter for the New Yorker, Keefe has established himself as one of the best magazine writers in America on crime-related subjects. Hear him talk about the challenges of his trade, and how he was able to write The Snakehead, a non-fiction book about the criminal underworld in New York City's Chinatown, and, more recently, Say Nothing, a New York Times best-seller about 'the Troubles' in Northern Island that was shortlisted for the 2019 National Book Award and won of the prestigious Orwell Prize.

As one of the founding VJs for MTV, Fab Fab Freddy became a legendary figure in the world of rap and hip hop. He is also a visual artist and filmmaker, having recently produced and directed Grass is Greener, a landmark documentary for Netflix on the subject of cannibas. Hear Fab discuss the cultural, musical and criminal justice history of weed, and how the current movement to "legalize it," as Peter Tosh used to sing, has become a national phenomenon.

After being convicted on marijuana and hashish smuggling charges and sentenced to 25 years in prison under the 'kingpin statute,' Richard Stratton devoted himself to learning about the law in the prison library. Eventually, he filed affidavits, represented himelf in court and, after eight years of incarceration, got his conviction overturned. Hear how Stratton became a marijuana kingpin, a prisoner of the war on drugs, and a skilled legal representative for himself and others behind bars. Today he is a producer, director and writer for film and televison, and he has authored a memoir trilogy of books (Smuggler's Blues, Kingpin and In the World) about his eventful life.

The world of crime is filled with fascinating characters on all sides of the law. Who better to interview the criminals, cops, prosecutors, criminal defense lawyers, wrongfully convicted, and others caught in this uniquely American cycle of crime and punishment than best-selling author T.J. English.