Police Brutality: An Anthology

by Jill Nelson (Editor), Robin D.G. Kelley (Contributor), Richard Austin (Contributor)

A collection of thirteen essays from a variety of sources examines one of America's most serious domestic problems, investigates its historical and sociological roots, and grapples for solutions. 15,000 first printing.

Genres: Nonfiction, Race, History, Politics, Essays, Police, Sociology

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Jill Nelson was born and raised in Harlem and has been a working journalist for over twenty years. She is a graduate of the City College of New York and the Columbia School of Journalism. Her work has appeared in numerous publications, including The New York Times, Essence, The Washington Post, The Nation, Ms., The Chicago Tribune and the Village Voice. Jill was a staff writer for the Washington Post Magazine during its first years of existence, and was named Washington D.C. Journalist of the Year for her work there. She freelances and lectures widely, and writes a twice-monthly column, “On the Verge,” for NiaOnline.com and is a monthly contributor to the Op Ed page of USA Today. She was a professor of Journalism at the City College of New York from 1998 to 2003. Jill lectures widely on race, gender, politics, media, writing and other topics.

--from the author's website

Reviews

[Nichole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Police Brutality: An Anthology by Jill Nelson is not the kind of book you hope is timeless however a reading of the text nearly 20 years after its initial publishing proves just that. The anthology is broken down into different perspectives: both historical and political as well as an insider account from a former New York Police Department Officer. While each writer approaches the issue by first outlining historic police-community relations and then showing how that relationship has manifested in the present, perhaps the most purely historical endeavor is “Persecution of Negroes by Roughs and Policemen, in the City of New York, August 1900 Citizens’ Protective League.” It is a collection of statements and proofs in connection to riots following the death of a police officer. To hear in their own words the terrorization of a black community by the police is powerful. What makes it more so is that there are similar tellings and feelings today, more than a century later.

“As to the portent, the pattern of incidents clearly reflecting policies unspoken, but no less authorized, conveys the message that Black people are now, as they have been throughout the history of this country, expendable (Bell, 88).”

It is important to understand that police brutality targeted towards people of color has been the policy of law enforcement since slavery and has continued in the same manner - albeit less overtly acceptable - despite the “civil rights” gained in the 1960s.

That there is still doubt of its prevalence is heart-wrenching and quite frankly inexcusable. There is not a lack of knowledge when almost everyday the news tells another story about some black boy or some black girl or some person of color losing their life, their dignity, their freedom at the hands of the police. When an entire community is telling you that this is their reality, that this is their experience no one gets to cry ignorance and denial. To not condemn is to condone. And to condemn without action is the same.

Police Brutality makes one thing abundantly clear: that communities of color are living under a military-style occupation that won’t end on its own no matter the amount of “progress” it appears we’ve made because racism endures - in policies, in attitudes, in perceptions.

[DJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

most of the material in this anthology emphatically connects-the-dots on major themes or conclusions about police in the United States. e.g., increasingly militarized police forces operate under paradigms of war and colonialism; that police murders and assaults on Black and Latino victims in the 1990's occurred within a long historical context of police brutality and racism; that divisive fear-based political rhetoric around race and class has perpetuated a shift of public resources away from schools, services, infrastructure, and jobs, and towards police and prisons.

the very last essay is somewhat bittersweet to read- it describes increasing mass public outcry around the issue, with New York City the center of the problem... but it was published in 2000. I'd be very interested to read a post-9/11 update.

[Stefen T. · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book I used for references to a particular story that is in the pages. It was very Helpful and is still one of the books i suggest to anyone looking for a reference book on its subject police burtality.

[Mimi · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best and most thorough accounts I have seen of the history and development of the Prison Industrial Complex and its direct links to slavery and racism.

[Atar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jill Nelson’s book Police Brutality is a necessary read if you want to understand how police policies, training, and actions affect different communities. This book came out in 2000 and exactly parallels issues revolving around policing today. One can obviously see the same patterns of abuse perpetuated that, the Freddie Gray, the Alton Sterling, the Sandra Bland, the Eric Garner, and the Tamir Rice incidents proved. Over nearly twenty years and its the same insidious cycle. The book is not one sided though, there is blame spread throughout a cast of charachters, communities, policies, and police departments. While reading this book you might wonder if things will ever change. Hopefully people will continue to see what a big problem this is for our country and push politicians, states, Police dept’s, and communities to find a solution. There are some good ideas laid out in its chapters, so if Police Brutality means something to you, read this book.

[Julia Bilderback · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not get what I wanted to from this book. One section of the book went off topic and was talking about the military. Another chapter was like 20 statements back to back of statements. This wouldn’t have been so bad if they had gone into additional detail about each of these events and brought in other material relating to them, but with just the statements it was really repetitive with them just blurring together. I wanted more detail. Has someone with a background in both Anthropology and History I did like having this source material, but it was not presented well and I felt that it was incomplete. I feel like the editors needed to bring things together better and provide more detail about the cases they talked about. Layout was distracting to points they were trying to get across. Overall this book just could have been done better.

[Karen Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only read about half of the entries in this anthology--each reader will probably make a different selection, depending on your interests. I was excited to discover detailed reports & documents I did not imagine existed, and eventually selected out 3 of the pieces to use in college classes I was teaching at the time. Highly recommend for anyone interested in documented history of police brutality.

[Munir · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book 20 years ago but didn't read it until now when, sadly, it's just as relevant as ever. The book contains several essays detailing horrifying encounters with law enforcement throughout U.S. history, underscoring the racist foundation of an institution rooted in policing slaves.