Beyond Cop Cities: Dismantling State and Corporate-Funded Armies and Prisons

by Joy James (editor)

Since 1997, the US Department of Defense has transferred more than $7.2bn in military equipment to law enforcement agencies. Furthermore, the DOD is legally required to make various items of equipment available to local police and school police departments, from flashlights and sandbags, to grenade launchers and armored vehicles. This militarisation has, unsurprisingly, been shown to unjustly impact on Black communities and is associated with increased killings by police . No wonder there have been calls to ‘defund the police’ echoing across the streets of America.

In Beyond Cop Cities, Joy James and fellow contributors take these calls one step further, highlighting the Stop Cop City movement - one of the most vibrant in the US today. Linking anti-policing and racial justice movement with radical ecological 'forest defender' activism, the Stop Cop City campaign is a grass roots movement which aims to push back on police militarisation by blocking the construction of the Atlanta’s Police Public Safety Training Center.

Sharp and concise, including the voices of key figures in the movement along with the mother of murdered activist 'Tortuguita' (shot and killed by Georgia police while protesting), this collection of vital and politically sophisticated writings capture a moment in time, demanding a safer, less brutal, future.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, Social Justice

144 pages, Paperback

Published August 20, 2024

About the author

Joy James is the John B. and John T. McCoy Presidential Professor of Humanities and College Professor in Political Science at Williams College. She is the author of Resisting State Violence: Radicalism, Gender, and Race in U.S. Culture, and her edited works on incarceration and human rights include States of Confinement: Policing, Detention, and Prisons and Imprisoned Intellectuals: America's Political Prisoners Write on Life, Liberation, and Rebellion.

Reviews

[renée · Rating 3 out of 5]

More of a zine than a novel with interview transcripts, essay, and other formats. I fundamentally agree with the book's central thesis about policing and its abuses of power. The book has interesting thoughts by a wide range of people from a Virginia prisoner to an Atlanta clergyman. Uses Atlanta's "Cop City" (officially the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center), as a starting point to explore and see how the USA functions as a surveillance/police state. Some parts are a lot more interesting than others—talks about a Black church-based bourgeoisie piked my interest alongside discussions on police manufactured gang activity to justify carceral infrastructure. Some parts were a bit too grandiose/held too much of an all-or-nothing view for my liking. For issues like these, I find people tend to fall more in "grey" areas in terms of believes and it's hard to see how this book could convince someone who didn't already agree with the author's premise. But, perhaps that is not their goal.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was less of a novel than I was expecting and more a collection of articles, interviews, case studies, etc. Interestingly put together with very valuable information, but I wish it contained more on how we are to dismantle these corruptive systems around us.

[William · Rating 3 out of 5]

As others have said, this is much more like a long zine than a cohesive book. It pulls some overviews of cop city resistance in Atlanta, as well as farther afield discussions of state sanctioned violence within the prison structure. The initial sections provide an introduction to Atlanta's stop cop city movement, as well as how it relates to the wider overlaps with police brutality, imperialism, environmentalism, etc. If you are in any way familiar with Cop City and with these types of intersectional politics, this probably won't introduce you to anything new.

Easily my favorite chapters were chapter 3 and 8. Chapter 3 details an open letter written by clergy in solidarity with the Stop Cop City movement. Reverend Matthew V. Johnson powerfully lambasts the church institution in Atlanta and the "black faces in high places" that has weaponized representation against the people. I also enjoyed chapter 8, which provided some history I didn't know beforehand. Chapter 5 consisted of an interview with the mother of murdered Weelaunee forest defender Tortuguita, which I appreciated as I knew very little about their life and family. I always appreciate attempts to humanize those who are dehumanized by state violence. Much of this book ended up rippling into my real life in the wake of Renee Nicole Good's murder by ICE in Minneapolis last week.

Chapter 6, titled Combat Police Terror, runs up against my constant problem with organizing materials. We have a lot of description, but very little prescription; that is, we outline the high-level strategic orientation of liberation, but very little time is dedicated to thinking out how it will actually function. I increasingly find myself a tactics-first person, interested in brainstorming actions to take, rather than restating our values. I get avoiding this talk about things you haven't done yet - you don't want to give away your tactics to your opponents - but some reflections on ideas that have been tried that have worked, and ones that didn't and some analysis on those tactics would be invaluable to this reader. All in all, a solid primer. 3.5 stars.

[Alise · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short collection of a few interviews and written essays. All interesting to read but it felt a little disjointed.

I think it is a pretty great text, accessible language, and I even learned something new about my local area in addition to things elsewhere.

[naia · Rating 5 out of 5]

i really loved the format of this book. you could tell it began as a zine. each chapter can exist as its own individual body of work, but come together beautifully to create something so powerful. the connection between occupied Palestine and prisons also connects to a lot of the readings i'm doing for class. i really like the blend of interviews and essays. short but effective read.

[Allan · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars
Really more of a long zine than a book, interesting read but only if you already agree with its message.