Issues like deed theft and gentrification are widely discussed topics in Brooklyn. But rarely are they played out on the national stage.
"East New York," a new police procedural television show on CBS, is grabbing the attention of national audiences by doing just that: discussing real issues in real time.
The series, which is already one season out and has got an 88% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, stars Amanda Warren as Deputy Inspector Regina Haywood, an officer who’s recently been promoted to the position of commander of the NYPD’s 74th Precinct in East New York.
On the show, Haywood balances maintaining a solid reputation as an officer with the struggles of being a Black woman in a career traditionally dominated by white men.
The show hopes to separate itself from other well-known police procedurals by making an effort to tell specific stories that are true to East New York, points out one of the show's writers.
“I was very familiar with the goings on of southeastern New York and places like that," Patrick Coker, a TV writer, told BK Reader. "And I was able to bring that to the table.”
Coker, who was born and raised in Bed-Stuy, is the driving force behind the accuracy of the show’s storyline. He attended Brooklyn Technical High School and eventually graduated from Brooklyn College. After graduation, he coached speech and debate at the college for eight years.
Coker first got into TV writing after graduating from Long Island University with his master's degree in TV and filmmaking with an emphasis on directing. Since then, Coker and his writing partner Adam Wiesen have written for several shows.
Before "East New York," the pair served as head writers on the BET drama “Tales.” their own personal stories are largely based in big cities and focus on urban life, Coker said.
“My whole thing is that if we're telling these people's stories, let's tell them correctly,” Coker said. “I really pushed for stories about gentrification.”
Gentrification is a recurring theme on the show along with deed theft. Deed theft is a process in which homeowners are duped into signing away ownership of their homes.
“We tried our best to keep the show New York-centric and to add that New York flavor, so it's different from a lot of other cop shows where you could tell that they were doing a generic New York.”
One of the biggest challenges in writing the show is giving a fair portrayal of the good and bad in both the police force and everyday citizens, Coker said. By focusing on the experience of a Black woman in the police force, Coker said, he hopes the show can show people that the experience of being a police officer is not the same for every cop.
“The way she pushes for her character to be true to what a woman of color in that position would go through is just inspiring,” Coker said about Warren’s performance. “They have the same problems that society has. A police department is a microcosm of our society.”
Though Coker has had considerable input on "East New York," he said there’s still a long way to go for diverse representation in writer’s rooms.
“I think you're getting more representation, but it isn't enough," Coker said.
“I would like to see more people — people of color and women telling the stories of people of color and women — I think that would help with the accuracy of portrayals.”
As for feedback from residents, Coker, who still lives in Brooklyn, said he gets texts and calls from fellow New Yorkers all the time, mostly to jokingly point out that scenes purported to be set in East New York are actually being shot in neighborhoods like Bed-Stuy.
He’s even heard from friends in the police force, who’ve shared mixed but mostly positive opinions.
“A lot of police officers nowadays don't want to be seen as occupying force. They want to be seen as part of the community. And we would love for that change to happen,” Coker said.
