No More Police: A Case for Abolition

In the wake of George Floyd’s death at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer, calls to defund the police flooded the country. Activists and police abolitionists Kaba (Abolition for the People) and Ritchie (Invisible No More) offer an impassioned and bold call to abolish police forces. According to the authors, the police are an actively harmful force; their presence adds violence into already tense situations and does not contribute to community safety or security. They posit police reform does nothing to curb the violence in an inherently violent system. The authors argue the billions of dollars annually poured into police coffers should be rerouted into community programs that build safer neighborhoods. Extensively sourced and deeply researched, the chapters are organized in such a way that readers can easily explore various topics. The authors do not offer easy solutions and acknowledge that while there are many difficulties, they firmly believe that there is a way forward to safe and violence-free communities.