Our Enemies in Blue

by Williams, Kristian

• ISBN13: 9781932360431
• ISBN10: 1932360433
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-11-01
• Publisher: Soft Skull Press

Summary

Our Enemies in Blue examines the history of police violence from a radical but pragmatic perspective. Uniting theory and practice, the book provides a resource useful to activists, scholars, and citizens concerned about the encroaching police state. Kristian Williams traces the evolution of modern police forces from slave patrols and protection rackets, critiques "community" policing, explores racism in law enforcement, and suggests strategies for combating police violence. Our Enemies in Blue shows that police misconduct isn't just a matter of "bad apples" but is a function of the very nature of policing in the United States. Book jacket.

Table of Contents

Foreword: Police and Power in America	1	(2)
ONE Police Brutality in Theory and Practice	3	(26)
TWO The Origins of American Policing	29	(32)
THREE The Genesis of a Policed Society	61	(26)
FOUR Cops and Klan, Hand in Hand	87	(34)
FIVE The Natural Enemy of the Working Class	121	(18)
SIX Police Autonomy and Blue Power	139	(32)
SEVEN Secret Police, Red Squads, and the Strategy of Permanent Repression	171	(34)
EIGHT Riot Police or Police Riots?	205	(24)
NINE Your Friendly Neighborhood Police State	229	(32)
Afterword Making Police Obsolete	261	(16)
Notes	277	(62)
Selected Bibliography	339	(26)
Index	365