National Network for Equitable Library Service

For a century, US activists have tried to reform the police. Lawyer and organizer Derecka Purnell details what pushed her and a generation of activists to the idea of abolishing the police. She argues that police cannot be reformed and invites readers to envision new systems that address the root causes of violence. Abolition is not solely about getting rid of police, but a commitment to create and support different answers to the problem of harm in society and, ideally, eliminate harm in the first place.