Stacy Horn

In 1967, President Johnson established The Kerner Commission to determine the reasons for riots that had erupted throughout the nation. Their conclusion was breathtakingly simple. America is a racist country. “Segregation and poverty have created in the racial ghetto a destructive environment totally unknown to most white Americans . . . White institutions created it, white institutions maintain it, and white society condones it.”

According to Johnson’s committee, among the most serious problems, in a long list of them were the police, unemployment, and housing discrimination. Racism in America was so bad and so systemic, that only a “compassionate, massive, and sustained” effort could even begin to address it. The Commission had found that complaints of police brutality were shockingly legitimate.

5 years later, 10-year-old Clifford Glover was shot in the back in Queens by police officer Thomas Shea. Shea claimed that he and his partner, who were in plain clothes and driving an unmarked car, had stopped Glover and his step-father to question them about a taxicab holdup. The step-father said the officers never identified themselves, and they took off running, thinking they were about to be robbed. Lending credence to his claim, the step-father had run and flagged down the first patrol car he saw and cried, “They’re shooting my son.”

The officers who’d chased and killed Clifford would give several versions of their story, until seemingly landing on the one they felt was the most plausible: the 4th grader had pointed a gun at them. No gun was ever found. At the trial, jurors were played a recording of Shea’s partner, Walter Scott, saying over the radio, “Die, you little fuck.” The voice wasn’t his, Scott claimed. The indifference to Clifford’s imminent death was shared. When Sergeant Thomas Donohue took the stand he testified that as he stood over Clifford, the boy said, “I’m dying.” Without a measure of kindness or compassion for the frightened child he answered, “That’s right … you’re dying.” Shea was acquitted.

The picture is of an article in the Daily News.

“By narrowly focusing on East New York, Horn … accomplishes a rare feat: making white-collar crime and government malfeasance the riveting centerpiece of a work of true crime.” —The Nation. For review here.

My book at Barnes & Noble!

“Horn unspools a fast-paced and at times crackling yarn about the Brooklyn prosecutors and F.B.I. agents who pursued predatory lenders and brokers, as well as the bought-and-paid-for federal officials who enabled them. . . . The Killing Fields of East New York is a compelling reminder of the catastrophic consequences of white-collar crime.” ―New York Times

“The Killing Fields of East New York is a dense and fascinating read, laying bare so many of the issues that continue to plague America’s cities and the ways in which race and class are wielded against people who strive to create healthy communities. The subject matter is sad, dark, frustrating, and complex, but Horn’s coverage shines a much-needed light.” ―BookReporter.com

A picture of Wyona Street in East New York, Brooklyn. This street is featured in my book.

All the details have been worked out and I now have a link for the launch event for my new book, The Killing Fields of East New York, which will take place on February 6, 7pm at The Strand Bookstore. The event will consist of a conversation between myself & my publisher Gillian Flynn (author of Gone Girl & many other great books) followed by a Q&A & book signing.

If you already have a copy of the book (or plan to borrow a copy via the public library, it’s $10 (plus tax and a fee). Otherwise, it‘s $34.51 (that includes a copy of my book, the tax and a fee).

Click here to buy a ticket.

My new book, the Killing Fields of East New York is included in the New York Times 20 Books Coming in January! “Blending the vividness of true crime with original investigative journalism, Horn tells the story not just of one neighborhood, but of an avoidable—and tragic—crisis.”

The picture is a section of Unity Plaza. When the murder rate in East New York was at an all-time high, the housing police referred to these projects at The Slaughterhouse.