Police Brutality: An Anthology

The 12 essays in this provocative anthology aim to show the pervasiveness of the problem. The contributors--prominent academics, activists, writers, and a retired black police officer--trace the roots of police presence in African American communities from slavery to the present and demonstrate how the racialization of crime has justified and perpetuated police brutality.

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 and valuable book" (Emerge) places a centuries-old issue in much-needed historical and intellectual context, and underscores the profound influence police brutality has had in shaping the American identity.