![]() ![]() ![]() "In a tightly constructed monograph filled with reform suggestions, Vitale decries the evolution of police agencies as tools of the white establishment to suppress dissatisfaction among the have-nots. In this regard, The End of Policing should be considered compulsory reading for those interested in the future of the police. Each of the chapters is well-suited to use in an academic setting as the basis for an extended study of the issues raised. Given the importance of the argument, the book can be readily defended as a basis for further research and debate. Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice This convincing critique of law enforcement underpins Vitale’s view that ‘any real agenda for police reform must look to replace police with empowered communities working to solve their own problems’. Rather, Vitale argues that policing is ‘a tool for managing deeply entrenched inequalities’ that are organised along the intersecting terrains of race, class, gender and sexuality. Impressively researched and thoroughly readable, The End of Policing shatters the myth that police in the US protect and serve the population through their handling of social issues like homelessness, unemployment, drug use and violence, as a way to create a ‘better’ society. ![]() We need to restructure our society and put resources into communities themselves, an argument Alex Vitale makes very persuasively. Unfortunately no increased diversity on police forces, nor body cameras, nor better training, has made any seeming difference. In any case, what’s happened since has been more abuses, more killings of unarmed citizens, and no reforms to date. Remember Ferguson? Who among my peers in the literary world was up for supporting the rioters? I wondered too. What I Can't Live Without by Rachel Kushner. The End of Policing offers a compelling digest of the dynamics of crime and law enforcement, and a polemic against the militarization of everything. We could have made different choices regarding how we set about securing the public against the array of threats that confront it, and - refreshingly, at this moment of general despair - Vitale believes we still can. The End of Policing ’s great strength lies in demonstrating that if the shape of American policing is historical, it is also contingent. Shuck the Police: Are We Done with Traditional Law Enforcement? LA Review of Books ![]()
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