Empire City - Real History and the Realities of Policing Today

Update
October 15, 2025
Five panelists seated before a brick wall, talking and laughing beneath framed artwork

The mainstream narratives tell us that police are here to protect us.

Five panelists seated before a brick wall, talking and laughing beneath framed artwork

However, as our communities have long known, police have often produced the opposite of safety. This divergence has long historical roots in the origins and political development of policing in the US. Our Advisory Board Member Chenjerai Kumanyika brought to Brooklyn a live edition of his award-winning podcast, Empire City: The Untold Story of the NYPD, cosponsored by The Action Lab, Crooked Ideas, and a range of other community partners. The conversation offered practical tools to help arm organizers in their efforts to mobilize communities against the current wave of federalized police forces invading cities, the rebranding of broken windows policing, and much more. Enjoy the photos below highlighting the lively events of the evening!

The Action Lab spark logo

Check Out The Video!

More Images

No items found.

More From This Initiative

Graphic for the Law and Organizing Academy 2026 with logos for NYU Law, The Action Lab, and Initiative for Community Power.
Report
Update
Video
Press
April 7, 2026

Law and Organizing Academy 2026

Law and Organizing Academy 2026

The 2026 Law and Organizing Academy brings together law students across New York to develop organizing skills, political analysis, and frameworks that align legal practice with movement building.

A group of people smiling and holding up photographs.
Report
Update
Video
Press
February 6, 2026

Application Live! Turkey Global Delegation

Application Live! Turkey Global Delegation

The Action Lab is organizing a learning delegation to Istanbul, Turkey from April 12-18, 2025, bringing together 30 labor organizers, communication strategists, creators, strategic funders, and movement leaders to build power and challenge oligarchy.

Poster for the film “Homegrown” with two men’s faces above a crowd at the U.S. Capitol and the text “Dismantling Racial Capitalism.”
Report
Update
Video
Press
February 5, 2026

Understanding the Conservative Movement and Homegrown Screening

Understanding the Conservative Movement and Homegrown Screening

On Thursday, February 5, we co-hosted a screening and Q&A of the powerful new documentary Homegrown at NYU.

Graphic for the Law and Organizing Academy 2026 with logos for NYU Law, The Action Lab, and Initiative for Community Power.
Report
Update
Video
Press
January 12, 2026

2026 Law and Organizing Academy Application is Open!

2026 Law and Organizing Academy Application is Open!

We invite current law students from New York-area law schools or with New York-area summer internships to apply to our fourth annual Law & Organizing Academy (LOA)

2025 Annual Report cover with a collage of images of many people.
Report
Update
Video
Press
December 1, 2025

2025 End of Year Report

2025 End of Year Report

2025 has been a jam-packed year at The Action Lab! To learn more about our year of sparking imaginations and driving change, check out our 2025 End of Year Report.

Illustration of an indigenous elder and labor activist with fist up standing behind two buses and the text COP 30 Delegation to Belem
Report
Update
Video
Press
November 16, 2025

Rivers of Care at the COP in Brazil

Rivers of Care at the COP in Brazil

In partnership with indigenous leaders and organizers, and allies from the labor movement, The Action Lab traveled to the Cop 30 in Belém, Brazil.

More Highlights

Screenshot of a Patch article covering proposed New York legislation that would require landlords to negotiate directly with tenant unions.
Report
Update
Video
Press
May 15, 2026

NYC Tenants, Landlords Would Negotiate Directly If New Bill Passes

NYC Tenants, Landlords Would Negotiate Directly If New Bill Passes

Patch reports on the Tenant Power Act, proposed New York legislation aimed at expanding tenant organizing power, collective bargaining, and landlord transparency.

Tom Morello performs at an anti-ICE rally in New York City surrounded by protesters, organizers, and signs demanding protections for immigrant communities.
Report
Update
Video
Press
May 13, 2026

Watch Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine) Rally Against ICE in NYC

Watch Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine) Rally Against ICE in NYC

BrooklynVegan highlights Tom Morello’s appearance at a New York City anti-ICE mobilization where artists and organizers gathered to protest immigration enforcement and state violence.

Rolling Stone feature image of Tom Morello speaking at a New York City protest event against ICE abuses and authoritarianism.
Report
Update
Video
Press
May 12, 2026

Tom Morello Blasts Trump, ICE Abuses at NYC Event: ‘It’s Fucking Fascism’

Tom Morello Blasts Trump, ICE Abuses at NYC Event: ‘It’s Fucking Fascism’

Rolling Stone covers Tom Morello’s appearance at a New York City protest event condemning ICE abuses, authoritarian violence, and attacks on immigrant communities.

Yellow report graphic titled “A Civil Injustice: The State of Eviction in California, 2010–2024” featuring logos for The Action Lab, SAJE, and Housing Now!.
Report
Update
Video
Press
May 11, 2026

New Report - A Civil Injustice: The State of Eviction in California, 2010–2024

New Report - A Civil Injustice: The State of Eviction in California, 2010–2024

Fourteen years of eviction court data reveal widespread inequities across California and expose how procedural failures continue to push tenants out of their homes.

Graphic announcing the report “The Way Home: Supportive Social Housing” by The Action Lab and VOCAL-US.
Report
Update
Video
Press
May 11, 2026

New Report - The Way Home: Supportive Social Housing

New Report - The Way Home: Supportive Social Housing

A new report from The Action Lab and VOCAL-US outlines a transformative vision for supportive social housing rooted in permanent affordability and integrated care.

Promotional graphic for The Action Lab’s Evergreen Initiative featuring Artists in Action Fellows Rachel “La Loca” Strauss and Stephanie “Fefi” Castedo.
Report
Update
Video
Press
May 11, 2026

The Action Lab’s Evergreen Initiative: Newest Artists in Action Fellows

The Action Lab’s Evergreen Initiative: Newest Artists in Action Fellows

Two new Artists in Action Fellows join the Evergreen Initiative, bringing podcast storytelling and visual art into campaigns for justice and community power.

top