Heather Ann Thompson with Andrea Elliott: Fear and Fury

Join Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Heather Ann Thompson and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Andrea Elliott for a conversation about crime in New York, the politics of law and order, and her new book, Fear and Fury: Bernie Goetz, the Reagan Eighties, and the Rebirth of White Rage. In 1984, a white man named Bernhard Goetz shot four Black teenagers in a New York City subway car. His brutal crime — and the public’s polarized reaction to it — revealed an insidious white rage and resentment in the shadows of our culture. Intensified by politicians and tabloid media, a disturbing celebration of vigilantism took hold as a fully legitimate form of justice, fracturing American race relations — and uncannily presaging the politics of the Trump era. Drawing from never-before-seen archival interviews, legal files, and more, Heather Ann Thompson sheds new light on the social and political conditions which set the stage for these events. Fear and Fury is the remarkable account and searing indictment of a crucial turning point in American history. In celebration of the book’s launch, hear Thompson and Elliott talk about the case — its decades-long reverberations, how it set the stage for the politics of resentment and vigilantism that have defined our own political moment, and what it can teach us about the extreme edges of law and order. Recorded Feb 12, 2026 at the 92nd Street Y, New York. Your support helps us continue creating online content for our community. Donate now: http://www.92NY.org/Donate Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/92ndStreetY Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/92ndStreetY TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@92ndstreety Archives: https://www.92ny.org/archives