Shoe Leather is an investigative podcast that goes behind the scenes of forgotten stories that shaped New York City. Go along with the team as they knock on doors and track down the people who were at the center of the news.

This season we are focusing on the events leading up to the Tompkins Square Park Police Riot that began the night of August 6, 1988. Prior to that night, people living in the neighborhood had complained that drug dealers, the unhoused and “punks” had taken over the park. In response, local government officials ordered a 1 a.m. curfew to be enforced by police. A rally to protest the curfew was held that night and violence ensued. Police officers openly beat protestors and bystanders. More than 100 complaints of police brutality were filed with the Civilian Complaint Review Board.

Find out what really happened that night, and how it forever changed the Lower East Side.