Our Enemies in Blue: Police and Power in America
by Kristian Williams Author
New edition! An examination of the history of police violence from a radical, yet pragmatic and highly readable, perspective.
Written for lay readers and scholars alike, Our Enemies in Blue shows that police misconduct isn't just a matter of 'bad apples,' but a function of the very nature of policing in the United States. Kristian Williams examines the populations most often subjected to police abuse and the many forms it takes.
Exploring modern police forces' evolution from slave patrols and protection rackets, to racism in law enforcement, critiques of 'community' policing, and suggested strategies for combating police violence.
He also includes a chapter on prison economics, with an emphasis on how police have cooperated with politicians to intentionally increase the number of prisons. Practical guidance to activists, pushing for a future when we can make police obsolete.
by Kristian Williams Author
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Comments & Reviews
Seems to me like the thing to do if someone is gaining tremendous power is to make friends with them. Coming from a purely pragmatic view of course. Anyhow, I imagine that police are a neccessity no matter what kind of society you've got. We need some sort of external authority system in our organizations & lives so that things don't directly to the personal. Of course power is abused frequently, but books like this, especially with this sort of title are doing no one any good. Imagine if the Punk line was "friends to the police"... within a few years shows wouldn't be busted up anymore, stolen amps would be returned, & FBI files would ever so smaller. Just a thought.
Seldom does one come across a book so right on target as this one. Clearly framed, drawing upon a wealth of data, straightforwardly presented and reaching uncomfortable but nonetheless unassailable conclusions on every point, Our Enemies In Blue is imperative reading for anyone in the least concerned by the implications attending the rampant growth of police power and violence in the United States.