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Understand the Police Reform Movement
Learn more about the movement for sweeping changes to policing in America.
Published on July 28, 2020
To Protect and Serve: How to Fix America's Police
Norm StamperFormer Seattle Police Chief Norm Stamper reveals where American policing has gone wrong in “To Protect and Serve,” and lays out structural changes that would put power back in the hands of the people and their communities. If you’re wary of the police being abolished but acknowledge that they perhaps need to be reformed, this is a helpful book to better imagine that future and take steps to make it a reality.
The End of Policing
Alex S. VitaleCriminologist Alex Vitale has been the go-to person for those trying to understand what “abolish the police” actually means. This book from 2017 lays out Vitale’s arguments for why simple reforms won’t work in the long run, suggesting that the better solution is to reallocate the police budget to programs that provide and care for, rather than punish, communities in need of help.
Beyond Survival: Strategies and Stories from the Transformative Justice Movement
CSPtradeA collection of essays about what has (and hasn’t) worked to reduce crime, help those with mental health issues, provide better education to communities of color, and more in lieu of increased policing. If you’re looking for preventive rather than punitive solutions, this is a great place to start.
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
Michelle AlexanderMichelle Alexander makes her case that the War on Drugs created a new racial caste system in a highly readable and compelling book. This provocative work has shifted how we think about civil rights and prison reform, and has led the push for the decriminalization of marijuana and other soft drugs.
Unwarranted: Policing Without Permission
Barry FriedmanYou might’ve seen people on social media warn protestors not to bring their phones to the protests, so that the police couldn't easily track everyone’s movements. Tracking technology and the prevalence of public video cameras are just a few of the new ways police can unjustifiably spy on even law-abiding citizens, Barry Friedman argues. “Unwarranted” shows why everyone should be concerned by police overreach.
Nobody: Casualties of America's War on the Vulnerable, from Ferguson to Flint and Beyond
Nobody: Casualties of America's War on the Vulnerable, from Ferguson to Flint and Beyond
Marc Lamont HillSandra Bland. Freddie Gray. Michael Brown. Eric Garner. Trayvon Martin. George Floyd’s death was just the latest in a long list of tragic incidents of police brutality against people of color. This book reveals the failings in the system that perpetually keep Black people spinning in a cycle of deadly disempowerment.
The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America
Richard RothsteinThis hard-hitting and deeply researched history exposes how governments across the country (local, state, and federal) created racially divided neighborhoods. Richard Rothstein shows how troubling polices from the past continue to affect our cities — and our justice system — today.