And I could be AI. Like the not the concept. But the actual photo. It's what phones do now.
Posts by Peter Moskos
Pete Hegseth: God, I wish I was a hitman in Pulp Fiction.
Barack Obama and Zohran Mamdani: Boy, it would be fun to be Mr Rogers.
I was out shoveling show for the city of New York during the blizzards. You're welcome.
It was both miserable and very satisfying work from 8pm to 4am.
Is there any research on if police "legitimacy" in NY increased after all the changes promising that benefit? Starting with the end of excessive SQF, to drug legalization, bail reform & limitations on use of force. (I suspect not, because I think the concept is flawed. But IDK.)
Want more pigeons? I've decided to turn my (previously never used) instagram account into a pigeonfluencer extravaganza. www.instagram.com/nycpigeonflu...
I'll be on Katie Couric's substack live at 5:30PM eastern (1 hour from now)
substack.com/@katiecouric
As a reporter, I carried the home phone number of Maryland's chief district judge in my wallet. The Hon. Dennis Sweeney would, on an ask, explain to recalcitrant desk sergeants and shift lieutenants that he would hold them in contempt if they denied the public the face sheet of any shooting report.
I don't support the mission of this adminstration
Did I block you on twitter?
It doesn't
They really think they're going to covert people to their beliefs by shouting loudly in their faces. It's absurd. And they're hurting a good cause. This shit does real damage to the one party in America that is not Trump's.
I see other people saying the story isn't a big deal (Nichols points out it was the 5pm CNN lead story) and besides, in classic gaslighting, nobody is even supporting disrupting religious services.
Here's a voice of reason (pointed out to me on twitter, mind you) bsky.app/profile/radi...
I searched for "church protest," and the results are pretty scary.
Is there anybody on bluesky saying it's actually bad (both morally and politically) to go into churches -- even ones with people you really really disagree with -- and interrupt and protest? I haven't looked too hard, granted, but I can't find anybody saying, uh, actually, no, _don't_ do this.
Yes. Per 100k, for the respective (white and black) populations
Charts I made of the homicide rate for whites and blacks, going back to 1968. (2025 is an estimate)
I have a new blog post on murders being down in most cities. It's happening nearly everywhere. It's still not a "trend."
qualitypolicing.com/murders-down...
I've confirmed that San Francisco, Bridgeport, Baltimore, Chicago and Philadelphia hit the lowest levels since before 1970 this year. New Orleans tied 2019 for the lowest since 1970. Still waiting on data from the other cities but likely to check out.
"Peter Moskos’s Back from the Brink is both oral history and urban epic."
2026 starts strong! "Urban epic" sure has a nice ring to it.
From Michael Fortner's review of "Back from the Brink," just out today in the Washington Monthly. Positive _and_ insightful!
washingtonmonthly.com/2026/01/01/h...
Perhaps. My flock has grown from 10 to 20 to 30.
(But the real problem is someone just dumps a bunch of food at the 30th avenue subway stop. And those pigeons are not "my flock")
Pigeon Pic of the Day
Why yes, for those who prefer to listen, my book "Back from the Brink" *is* available on audio. And yes, it does make a great Christmas present for yourself and your loved ones. And all for the low low price of $21.49! Or buy a ten pack for just $214.90 and give them out like candy. amzn.to/3MONwfW
If you like ambient sound or any sound, check this out: mynoise.net
It's a great website. (It's so great it's in the acknowledgement of my book "Back from the Brink." I honestly don't think I could have focused enough to write it without "Japanese Garden")
I have come to appreciate how generous CUNY is with the sabbatical. After every six years of teaching, it's a full year at 80% pay or a semester sabbatical at full pay.
Almost half of the non-European population of New Zealand is Maori. There's no way to pretend that this kind of racial thinking in that context is anything but exterminationist.
Great book review of "Back from the Brink" (my book) by Richard Day in "A City that Works":
"A dark, funny and insightful oral history covering the inner workings of the department. It’s also deeply inspiring. It’s hard to recommend highly enough." citythatworks.substack.com/p/book-revie...
I just did!