Police Brutality: An Anthology

by Arthur Doye

Book Overview

Ignited by the infamous shooting of Amadou Diallo, unarmed and innocent, at the hands of New York City police officers, journalist Jill Nelson was moved to assemble this landmark anthology on the topic of police violence and brutality: an indispensable collection of twelve groundbreaking (Ebony) essays by a range of contributors--among them academics, historians, social critics, a congressman, and an ex-New York City police detective. This important...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393321630
• ISBN13: 9780393321630
• Release Date: May 2001
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 266 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.5" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Police Brutality An Anthology Edited By Jill Nelson

Outstanding! People who say this book is one sided must be living on the comfortable side; therefore, they have trouble seeing the truth. I have been out of the police business for several years, and I guess I had sort of fallen into a "read no evil, see no evil" trance. This book, along with Blue VS Black by John L. Burris, has given me a jolt back to reality. You can bet I will be doing more reading on this subject! There is police brutality in this country, Folks, and it is more frequent and involves more officers than we want to believe. Even the ones not swinging the sticks or spraying the pepper spray (among the many possibilities) are usually watching or walking away without taking any actions to prevent it. And yes, the brutality is being brought to bear upon Blacks and Hispanics far more frequently than to others. Just spend several years in a police locker room, as I did, and you will come to know the depth of the problem. Not only is racism carried out against people of color on the streets, it is carried out against police officers of color as well. I am the author of Blackjack and Jive-Five, a book about INTERNAL police racism. I lived the story. I know!

Reality Hits Home

This is Efrem B. Martin I am the author of It's Time To Come Correct, An African American Perspective on the Juvenile Justice System, Economics and African American Boys. Thank you Jill Nelson you come correct and you come hard with this book about the reality of criminals in blue. Society better wake and start addressing these criminals, dirty cops which I believe are 90% of all law enforcement agencies don't care or represent any interest in the Black community. Peace Jill Nelson, for knowledge is power!

A Brilliant and Necessary Work

In the wake of such extreme incidents of police brutality in the cases of Amadou Diallo and Abner Louima in New York City, and general heightened awareness of police misconduct nationwide, it is an understatement to simply say that this book is timely. However, beyond being timely, this work provides a brilliant historical overview of police brutality that the more recent victims and protestors need in order to connect them to the larger struggle that individuals like myself have been battling for decades. Along with connecting the young to the old, probably the most powerful element of Nelson's work is how it connects police brutality to the overriding issue of institutionalized racism in America.Not only is this book a must read, it's a must study for anyone concerned with equality for all.

Required Reading

This book is a must read for anyone who cares about the quality of justice in our society. Nelson and the contributing authors make their case in compelling fashion, and with the undeniable ring of truth. Incisive, well-written, and carefully measured, Nelson has compiled a devastating critique of U.S. police brutality towards blacks, and an equally powerful critique of the white complacency that allows it to happen. This isn't a rant. It is tightly controlled writing, and the collective work of the authors never sacrifices it justifiable dismay for loose indignation. Nelson's contributors also have thoughtful, pracitical suggestions for pulling ourselves out of this condition. From the introduction: "Essays examine the roots of the police presence in African-American communities from the era of slavery until today, as well as the ways in which race and crime are framed and how the racialization of crime justifies and perpetuates racial brutality."I'd love to see her next book examine the brutalities of the Texas prison system.