Fear and Fury: The Reagan Eighties, the Bernie Goetz Shootings, and the Rebirth of White Rage by Heather Ann Thompson
Many thanks to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor and
NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of Heather Ann Thompson’s
detailed and compelling new book Fear and Fury: The Reagan Eighties, the Bernie Goetz Shootings, and the Rebirth of White Rage. I was floored by the
events in this book, and I’m glad that Thompson has re-examined the facts of
this case, including the lives of Goetz’s victims, James Ramesuer, Darrell Cabey,
Barry Allen, and Troy Canty. While Thompson’s book accomplishes many things,
one of the most important is to humanize these victims who were degraded and
criminalized for being young Black men in NYC not only by the violent judgement
of Bernie Goetz, but also by the emerging NYC tabloid press, The NY Post,
which was acquired by Rupert Murdoch in the late 1970s. Thompson details how Reagan’s
cultivation of white resentment through targeting civil rights and poverty initiatives
from the 1930s through the 1960s led to his election and mandate to cut government
waste, with the unstated consequences of easing taxes for the aristocracy and
corporations. Whether it was magical thinking or just a kind of splashy
statement that would silence critics, the trickle down economics never
happened, and income inequality worsened as those in big cities and those who
lived below the poverty line saw reductions in services and aid that helped
with everything from accessing food, housing and education. Sound familiar? In
reading this, it was hard to stomach the ways that conservatives have
repurposed Reagan’s failed ideas, ignoring the damage it wrought to all
Americans, but in particular the injustices and inequalities that deepened for
Black Americans. However, while Thompson draws parallels between society and politics
in America today and America 40-45 years ago, the main focus of this book is on
how this context set the stage for the kind of vigilantism that Bernhard Goetz
was allowed to perpetuate on 4 Black teenagers in a NYC subway in 1984.
While I don’t remember when this even occurred, I do
remember some aspects of the trial, which occurred significantly after it
happened. I also think that Wu-Tang Clan’s “Clan in da Front” helped to remind
me about “Bernhard Goetz what he deserves,” shouting out the kind of injustice and
violence that was a part of being young and Black in NYC in the 80s and 90s.
Regardless, it was shocking to learn more about this case and the way that it
played out in the media, which ended up shaping not only public opinion, but
also that of the jury. A majority of the book details the actual shooting, its
aftermath, and the trial, which took place nearly 3 years after the shooting.
Thompson’s research and retelling lets us know about the lives of both the
teenage victims and their shooter. It was interesting to learn about Bernie’s
own troubles with authority, his inability to hold a job, and his disgust with
NYC. Although his family moved to Orlando after his father was revealed to have
inappropriate relationships with young boys, I was surprised that Bernie never moved
there since he seemed to really despise the city. Furthermore, Thompson shares
the challenges that the boys experienced as NYC slipped into debt and in
particular the Bronx experienced a series of fires in the late 70s. The city takes
on its own important role in Thompson’s book, noting how crime, cuts, politics,
economics, race, and growing diversity with urban flight all played roles in heightening
tensions and distrust among different groups of people. In fact, as Thompson
presents the shooting and the trials of Goetz, we see how biases and beliefs
were already shaped based on the perceptions of the events, rather than the
actual evidence or outcomes. I was shocked to see the ways that these boys were
convicted in public without any kind of trial. There was no presumption of innocence
for them, and yet, the man who actually pulled the trigger, who shockingly went
back to shoot Darrell Cabey, telling him he didn’t look so bad, was applauded,
rewarded, and treated as a hero in the city, although not by all. The boys were
repeatedly referred to as criminals, violent thugs, whose intention was to rob,
yet they were not even tried or charged with any crimes. It was shocking, but also
not surprising in the examination of the history of white rage and vigilantism,
which Thompson presents more recent examples of Trayvon Martin, Ahmaud Arbery,
and most recently Jordan Neely, whose killer was invited to watch the Army Navy
football game with the president and vice president. Thompson also mentions
other prominent extrajudicial killings, including acquitted murderer Kyle
Rittenhouse, to show how Goetz’s trial and acquittal on more serious charges
wasn’t a bug, but rather a feature of the American justice system that often
allows for violence and a wide berth of “self-defense” for some citizens, but
not others. Thompson’s book helps to highlight how Goetz’s trial was conducted
not just in the courtroom, but also in the court of public opinion, and helped
to leverage the kind of white rage and fear that presented him as a sympathetic
figure to many in NYC, rather than the violent, paranoid thug he was.
The entire book was shocking, especially when we consider
the consequences of Goetz’s decision to shoot these boys, and how it impacted
their lives, as well as the lives of those around them. Darrell Cabey, who was
paralyzed and as a result of injuries to his spine and lungs, experienced
oxygen deprivation that led to brain damage, is given the most attention in the
book. However, all of the boys experienced physical and psychological consequences
as a result of Goetz’s violence. In one of the most shocking moments of the
book, Thompson details Cabey’s family’s attempts to sue Goetz in civil
litigation mainly to help cover costs of the constant care required for him.
Darrell was not only paralyzed, but had limited memory, which required help
with daily tasks and bodily functions. Goetz, now serving as his own lawyer,
requested to depose Cabey (and his mom), believing that Cabey was faking his injuries
and brain damage for money. It’s hard to believe that someone who purposefully
shot an unarmed teen, leading to paralysis and brain damage, would be so cynical
and callous. What was even more shocking was that the judge, after several
reports from physicians detailing Cabey’s mental capacity, would allow this
deposition to occur. I’m curious to learn other’s perspectives on how utterly
inhumane and degraded Goetz is after thinking that someone would fake brain
damage for money.
In addition to Goetz’s disgusting behavior, it was also shocking
to learn that he not only went on the run for more than a week after the
shooting, fleeing to New Hampshire, but also that he eventually turned himself
in, making a full confession after waiving his right to counsel. Despite
acknowledging the boys posed no real threat and that he intended to violently
harm and kill these boys, Goetz was acquitted of murder. Thompson provides a
postmortem that goes through the jury’s reasoning, based on interviews and one
of the jurist’s memoir of the trial. I won’t get into those details, but it was
shocking to see the kinds of inferences they make to lead to an acquittal. Thompson’s
book is a shocking, but important read today, especially as violence, both institutional
and physical, continues to escalate. In the last section, Thompson details the more
modern analogues for the Goetz shooting and trial, and how other cases and more
recently racial violence and white rage have been increasing under Trump. While
it’s not the main focus in the book, it does serve an important reminder and as
a warning about how marshalling this kind of resentment and rage can have
violent and dire consequences. Truly an important book to read in 2026. Highly
recommended!
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