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pink_distro's review against another edition
4.0
read this for an AWESOME class im in,, great short book. a lot of it is classic police/prison abolition content, but the lenses and modes of analysis hes using are profound and they very beautifully and critically expand what abolition is:
1) he clearly and deeply links policing and prisons to the plantation, enslavement, and colonization,, drawing on the work of Christina Sharpe and Saidiya Hartman to great effect.
2) following this^, his analysis is about policing as a GLOBAL mechanism of controlling Black people and protecting property. uses barbados, kanada, and amerika all throughout his analysis as well as discussing nigeria, france, and south africa. i learned so much and i wish more abolitionist texts had this grounding.
3) of course the emphasis on the necessary abolition of property. he explores both the relationship between policing & property and between Blackness & property. he talks about the increasing privatization of everything in life that policing enforces,, and the ways that Black life is still brutally structured by the original social position the west forced onto it, which is that of being property, or breathing & working commodities as he puts it.
i also love how he ties today's riots and uprisings to the long and steady legacy of global Black revolt against enslavement. 4 stars just bc it felt like he repeats himself sometimes and some other random things abt his writing style that weren't my cup of tea.
1) he clearly and deeply links policing and prisons to the plantation, enslavement, and colonization,, drawing on the work of Christina Sharpe and Saidiya Hartman to great effect.
2) following this^, his analysis is about policing as a GLOBAL mechanism of controlling Black people and protecting property. uses barbados, kanada, and amerika all throughout his analysis as well as discussing nigeria, france, and south africa. i learned so much and i wish more abolitionist texts had this grounding.
3) of course the emphasis on the necessary abolition of property. he explores both the relationship between policing & property and between Blackness & property. he talks about the increasing privatization of everything in life that policing enforces,, and the ways that Black life is still brutally structured by the original social position the west forced onto it, which is that of being property, or breathing & working commodities as he puts it.
i also love how he ties today's riots and uprisings to the long and steady legacy of global Black revolt against enslavement. 4 stars just bc it felt like he repeats himself sometimes and some other random things abt his writing style that weren't my cup of tea.
cass393's review against another edition
5.0
A really succinct, well researched, and IMO persuasive pamphlet on what the abolition movement is all about and why many view the abolition of police as a necessary next step. At the very least, I learned a lot about what exactly people mean when they call for it, and that it’s not as wild a concept as one might think. A great starting point for exploring this concept.
seeseamus's review against another edition
5.0
An excellent introduction into abolitionist politics. Rinaldo does a fantastic job at clearly outlining the relationships between people, property, and the carceral state, and how this relationship creates an economy that values material assets over human lives.
This topic is extremely complex, and there is much more to say about it than is mentioned in this book. Still, it provides a great base, and also provides great resources for further exploration.
Abolition should not be a scary word–it simply means accepting that all things can be learned and unlearned, and that what is now does not have to always be.
This topic is extremely complex, and there is much more to say about it than is mentioned in this book. Still, it provides a great base, and also provides great resources for further exploration.
Abolition should not be a scary word–it simply means accepting that all things can be learned and unlearned, and that what is now does not have to always be.
blueelectricfish's review against another edition
5.0
Well thought out and well written I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and getting more insight into what a world that has abolished the police and abolished property might look like.
A perfect intro to the subject, short and compelling!
A perfect intro to the subject, short and compelling!
marireadstoomuch's review against another edition
4.0
Smart, concise, accessible. Draws together a lot of thought in a small space, and the Canadian perspective (included alongside US and UK, most centrally) is really interesting. 4.5 stars.
elleryff's review against another edition
5.0
Meticulous and electrifying, On Property is a succinct call for and urgency of abolition. The deep reflection on ethics of care is profound; no more timely than during the COVID 19 pandemic. Strongly recommend.