Brooklyn North

by Peter McDonnell, Josh Sanburn

Brooklyn North is the true story of how four black men were wrongfully convicted of murder —nearly all connected to a once-legendary NYPD homicide detective, Louis Scarcella. Jonathan Fleming, Sundhe Moses, Jabbar Washington, and John Bunn were among dozens of innocent New Yorkers who spent decades in prison —guilty until proven innocent. This documentary follows their relentless fight to unveil an insidious pattern of police and prosecutorial corruption in Brooklyn at the height of the war on drugs and a historic peak in violent crime in the 1980s and '90s.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Crime, History

Audible Audio

First published December 3, 2020

Reviews

[Malia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brooklyn North is a fascinating, tragic and ultimately hopeful examination of wrongful convictions. It highlights the common inefficiency and bias of the justice system, in particular against Black men. We follow a number of cases connected to a well known former homicide detective, and see again and again, how corners were cut, how facts were distorted, misconstrued, omitted or made up entirely, how witnesses were coerced, and how this impacted the life of innocent men and their families who continued to fight for them. I do not get teary eyed easily when reading/listening to a book, but I did with this one, because it was such a real, human story that could not help but move you. It also details how release with parole is not enough. Without exoneration these men could not find good work, join the army, vote, and had to live not only with the fact that they unjustifiably lost years of their lives, but also had to carry the stigma of being branded a criminal and a threat to society. Of course there are many real criminals in prisons, but the fact that stories like these exist made me think about how many are innocent and also, how many were too severely sentenced due to sloppiness and corruption. Apparently, about 20,000 inmates are wrongfully imprisoned in the US. It's a sad tale that seems to be far too common. Brooklyn North sheds light on stories that deserve to be told and thus emphasizes that a significant reform to policing and the justice system as we know it, and a sincere examination of racial injustices and biases must continue to be a priority.

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[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Impressive presentation! Audible should be proud of this Original. I listened to all of it in one sitting.

There were times, as I listened that I grew teary and asked myself why I was listening to these accounts of lives. However, I am convinced this is something that needs to be considered by all the citizens of our nation, if not the entire globe. It is very timely.

Thank you everyone who worked on this audio program.

[Kylie Abecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This really hit me in the feels. Such precious lives spent wasting away somewhere they don’t belong. So many families not getting the justice they deserve. I’d be devastated if the person responsible for the death of a loved one was left to walk the streets, especially if someone innocent was sent to prison. I was gasping and shaking my head so much 😞 so many lives troubled 😟 such brave souls not giving up and continuing to fight for what is right.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is investigative journalism and the stories are told over ten episodes. It is a truly horrifying set of stories of a number of young black men wrongly imprisoned for various serious crimes and who served years of wrongful incarceration. These cases were all originally investigated and the evidence twisted or the men forced through torture to confess and one detective was responsible in all cases.

The most annoying thing is that these men lost a good part of their lives locked up and this evil man is still free and enjoying retirement. The state of New York and the taxpayers have had to pay $$ millions in compensation for his handiwork!

If you don't understand how black people feel in the USA or why they were protesting in 2020 then listen to this and watch some of the films about wrongful incarceration and maybe you might get a hint of the corruption and brutality of many of the police in the USA.

[Ursula Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a sad, yet poignant account of several young Black men who were falsely accused of crimes and sent to prison and their struggles for justice. The worst was the young man who was in a completely different city, with evidence and police corresponding interviews was still convicted when that evidence was withheld and the prosecutor hid the information that would’ve freed him from the defense. It wa dug up over 25 years later. No one was held accountable. A powerful podcast.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Audible Book was very informative and interesting, and included the voices of 4 Black men who were exonerated after serving decades in prison for crimes they weren't involved in. In at least one case, the evidence to prove innocence was never even presented to the DA. The collusion and pressure to extract false confessions was shocking. The Innocence Project was mentioned numerous times, and it is estimated that up to 1% of all prisoners currently doing time are provably innocent.

[Hilary Cockshaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook

[Jenn West · Rating 5 out of 5]

An important listen.

[Tori Steingreaber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great listen--so sad to think of those young lives that were stolen.

[Katie Lou · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing.
Heart wrenching.
An audiobook that you just HAVE to listen too.
I can't express how important a listen this is and how much listening to it broke my heart.