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@avitale’s “The End of Policing” is an amazing, comprehensive, succinct, & compelling treatise on policing in America. Perhaps one of the most relevant books for this moment. In every possible way, modern policing is the wrong answer to every important question. @VersoBooks 1/
Police don’t really do what most Americans think they do, they grew out of incredibly problematic & racist prior institutions, & have absorbed the responsibility for “fixing” (i.e., abstractly responding to) a myriad of social problems that hierarchical institutions create. 2/
I’ll still keep recommending Kristian Williams’s “Our Enemies in Blue”, which focuses a bit more on the history and theory of policing in America, but this is now my new favorite to recommend to folks interested in the subject. 6/
Unsurprisingly, police respond poorly to mental illness, homelessness, drug use, sex workers, school children acting out, & immigrants. Why? Police are punitive by nature, yet these social issues require nuance, understanding, generosity, patience, & consensus-building. 3/
As a final aside, my partner was also super interested in reading “The End of Policing”, too, so we essentially read it in shifts, using two bookmarks. Then, my partner’s mom became interested in it, as well. For awhile, we had three bookmarks. That’s how good it is. 5/
Some interesting, representative quotes, drawn from the last chapter: “Powerful political forces benefit from abusive, aggressive, & invasive policing, & they are not going to be won over or driven from power by technical arguments or heartfelt appeals to do the right thing.” 7/
“Ending the War on Drugs, abolishing school police, ending broken-windows policing, developing robust mental health care, and creating low-income housing systems will do much more to reduce abusive policing.” 8/
“We don’t have to put up with aggressive and invasive policing to keep us safe. There are alternatives. We can use the power of communities and government to make our cities safer without relying on police, courses, and prison.” 9/
“We must break these intertwined systems of oppression. Every time we look to the police and prisons to solve our problems, we reinforce these processes… We should demand safety and security—but not at the hands of the police. In the end, they rarely provide either.” 10/
The book’s style mirrors @brianinthegong’s writing approach of describing the problem, presenting alternatives, and then honing in on the best possible solution. In that way, “The End of Policing” is very practical and clear about what ought to be done. 4/
