No More Police

A persuasive primer on police abolition from two veteran organizers “One of the world’s most prominent advocates, organizers and political educators of the [abolitionist] framework.” —NBCNews.com on Mariame Kaba In this provocative call to action, New York Times bestselling author Mariame Kaba and writer, attorney, and organizer Andrea J. Ritchie detail why we should get rid of police and how we can create true community safety in their stead. They explore the many ways police fail to prevent or solve crime, instead causing harm themselves; demands to defund the police, a key strategy advanced by modern police abolitionists; and the many failures of contemporary police reforms. Kaba and Ritchie are themselves personally engaged in movements to end police, prison, and gender-based violence, so are able to offer a view from the ground to illuminate the lessons of the past two decades—of organizing toward a world without policing. Centering survivors of state, interpersonal, and community-based violence, and highlighting uprisings, local campaigns, and community-based projects, No More Police makes a compelling case for a world where the tools required to prevent, interrupt, and transform conditions fueling violence in all its forms are abundant. Part handbook, part road map, No More Police calls on us to turn away from systems that perpetrate violence in the name of ending it, toward a world where violence is the exception and safe, well-resourced and thriving communities are the rule.