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A review by squiggly_cj
The End of Policing by Alex S. Vitale
challenging
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Wow this was such an excellent exploration of the need and possibilities for police abolition! I found it such a great resource as someone who is newer to the movements of police and prison abolition, as it struck an excellent balance between explaining key concepts and exploring them in nuanced ways. I particularly enjoyed the author's critical and intersectional lens, exploring in meaningful detail how any discussion of police issues inherently involves issues of capitalism, racism, classism, sexism, transphobia and homophobia. I was also really struck by the chapters about the criminalisation of homelessness and of mental illness - this isn't a framing I'd been exposed to before, so I'm enjoying having this new language available.
Some of my favourite passages from the book:
The best way to avoid violence is to enhance justice at home and abroad.
The creativity of the elite at the expense of workers rights won't save us.
Communities deserve protection from crime and even disorder, but we must always demand those without reliance on the coercion, violence, and humiliation that undergird our criminal justice system.
Some of my favourite passages from the book:
The best way to avoid violence is to enhance justice at home and abroad.
The creativity of the elite at the expense of workers rights won't save us.
Communities deserve protection from crime and even disorder, but we must always demand those without reliance on the coercion, violence, and humiliation that undergird our criminal justice system.