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414
September 10, 2010

Right to Remain Silent

Stories about people who have the right to remain silent, but choose not to exercise that right—including police officer Adrian Schoolcraft, who secretly recorded his supervisors telling officers to manipulate crime statistics and make illegal arrests. The Village Voice series that broke Schoolcraft's story, written by Graham Rayman, is here.

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  • Transcript
looking4poetry

Prologue

Ira introduces this week's show, which includes two stories of people who speak up when most people would keep quiet. (1 minute)

By

Ira Glass
Act One

The First Rule of the Apple Store: Don't Talk About the Apple Store

One day, Joe Lipari had a frustrating encounter with a worker at the Apple Store. And then Joe did what a lot of us would do: He vented. But he vented in a way that ended up having some serious repercussions. Producer Ben Calhoun tells the story. (16 minutes)

By

Ben Calhoun

Song:

“You, You're Awesome” by Do Make Say Think
Act Two

Is That a Tape Recorder in Your Pocket, or Are You Just Unhappy to See Me?

For 17 months, New York police officer Adrian Schoolcraft recorded himself and his fellow officers on the job, including their supervisors ordering them to do all sorts of things that police aren't supposed to do. For example, downgrading real crimes into lesser ones, so they wouldn't show up in the crime statistics and make their precinct look bad. Adrian's story first appeared as a five part series in the Village Voice, written by Graham Rayman. (41 minutes)

By

Ira Glass

Song:

“Officer” by The Pharcyde

Related

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312: How We Talked Back Then
May 12, 2006

Act Two: Internet

In this show, at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Ira and David Hauptschein explored this now utterly quaint question: Are people having experiences on the Internet they wouldn't have anywhere else? Several hundred listeners sent in samples of what they were finding on the Internet.
110: Mapping
Sept. 4, 1998

Act Two: Hearing

Jack Hitt visits Toby Lester, who has mapped all the ambient sounds in his world: the hum of the heater, the fan on the computer.
244: MacGyver
Aug. 15, 2003

Act Three: So Crazy It Just Might Work

The story of an FBI sting that involves gangsters, G-men, and lots and lots of people who want to work in the movies.

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July 3, 2015

Abdi and the Golden Ticket

A story about someone who's desperately trying – against long odds – to make it to the United States and become an American.

75
Sept. 12, 1997

Kindness of Strangers

A locksmith tells the story of an act of kindness he committed, hoping for a small reward. That, and other stories of kindness in New York City.

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This American Life is produced in collaboration with WBEZ Chicago and delivered to stations by PRX The Public Radio Exchange.

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