Disarm, Defund, Dismantle: Police Abolition in Canada

by Shiri Pasternak (Editor), Kevin Walby (Editor), Abby Stadnyk (Editor)

Canadian laws are just, the police uphold the rule of law and treat everyone equally, and without the police, communities would descend into chaos and disorder. These entrenched myths, rooted in settler-colonial logic, work to obscure a hard truth: the police do not keep us safe.

This edited collection brings together writing from a range of activists and scholars, whose words are rooted in experience and solidarity with those putting their lives on the line to fight for police abolition in Canada. Together, they imagine a different world—one in which police power is eroded and dissolved forever, one in which it is possible to respond to distress and harm with assistance and care.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, Canada, Social Justice, History, Activism

212 pages, Paperback

First published April 4, 2022

About the author

Shiri Pasternak is an Assistant Professor in Criminology at Ryerson University in Toronto. She is the author of the award-winning book Grounded Authority: the Algonquins of Barriere Lake Against the State, published by the University of Minnesota Press in 2017, about the Algonquins’ rejection of the federal land claims policy in Canada from the perspective of Indigenous law and jurisdiction. Pasternak is also the Research Director for the Yellowhead Institute, a First Nations-focused think tank based in the Faculty of Arts at Ryerson University.

Reviews

[Dasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great little collection. The authors cover a diverse range of topics through a diverse range of perspectives and methods. I really liked the inclusion, for example, of a short comic. The layout of the book helps to push the narrative of dismantling and challenging normative power structures.

[Cass (only the darkest reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciated the range of voices that are featured in this collection, but it reads more like a beginners guide to abolition.

Since it was an essay collection, I felt like a lot of the same information was repeated, which can become a little tedious when reading front to back. Saying that without minimizing the trauma of these pivotal events and movements.

I also maybe naively was hoping for more perspectives talking about the steps and programs beyond abolition. What does the future of abolition look like in practice?

The essays talking about the harms and policing narratives inherent in social work was an incredible piece, and the essay regarding the negative effects of anti-trafficking rhetoric on the wellbeing and safety of sex workers was work the title price alone.

Overall, a book I'd definitely recommend to friends who are new to the abolition movement.
3.5 stars rounded up.

[Haileymark · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping for something a little more in depth, but the essays were interesting in that they came from an array of perspectives including prisons, unions, sex work, social work etc. This collection also felt very of its time in that it was compiled much closer to BLM during covid (which in some ways was a more hopeful time for those advocating for change.)

[Holly Denson-Camp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some notable bits:

Ch.6 Lets Talk About Police in Our Unions

“But police are not workers, not in the way that matters most. Workers are members of the working class, while the police were founded to serve and protect the interest of the ruling class.”

“If labour unions want to be in solidarity with Black people, they can’t be working with state security forces, which are constructed at their very core to be anti-Black.”

“Rather than fighting for the common good, police associations are narrowly focused on protecting their own ability to operate with impunity.”

Ch.8 Canada is a Bad Company

“What is the difference between being above the law or an enforcer of the law if your role is to uphold a colonial legal order, invented to justify dispossession.”

Ch.18 We Are Like Waves

“No amount of evidence will ever be enough - because the problem isn’t an absence of evidence of police brutality, but the active production of narratives to justify it.”

[Jacob Wren · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I’d say foundationally, what prison is for is a way of controlling and managing threats to the established order, and that can take various shapes. Oftentimes black market economics and forms of economics that happen outside of that taxable and legible economy get criminalized. So do people’s attempts at doing various kinds of street justice or dealing with things in their own way without relying on the violence of the police get criminalized. So do a whole suite of other things, and one of those things is various forms of political struggle that are determined to break with that liberal democratic container, because one of the reasons that democracy is a resilient system for carrying out oppression and exploitation is that it contains its own critique. It has a lot of ability to suck back in people who see the violence going on and swirl them around inside this process and use it to add to its own strength, even as it tries to flatten out the contradictions and oppressions that aren’t important to its goals at that moment. And its goals typically just involve accumulating wealth and producing inequality.

Right now at the time of this interview, we’re in the middle of a historic wave of prisoner protests happening within Ontario. There have been hunger strikes in at least four facilities in recent weeks against the intensification of conditions within prison, supposedly in response to the Coronavirus. There’ve been some inspiring gains, like prisoners in our local jail here in Hamilton, the Barton jail, were able to force the prison system to reinstate visits and discard certain pre-made meals that were being considered especially objectionable. That is a huge win. I think it also is understanding that we’re in a moment when there’s going to be repression, and I think that’s true on the outside too. Struggles go through crests and troughs, and sometimes when a struggle’s at its highest moment, people think it’s going to go on forever and our power’s just going to keep growing. But actually when you’re at the top of that peak, it’s actually when you’ve started to already come down, and that process of descending, of decreasing support, also means increasing isolation for the most active elements. So I think it’s time for us to begin paying even closer attention to what’s going on inside and not being content with these gains we have made, and actually watching for what happens next because the repression is coming."

– Anonymous, from Narratives on Carceral Abolition: Tami Starlight, Moka Dawkins, and Anonymous as told to the P4W Memorial Collective by Linda Mussell, in the book Disarm, Defund, Dismantle: Police Abolition in Canada edited by Shiri Pasternak, Kevin Walby and Abby Stadnyk

[Scott Neigh]

A collection of pieces by organizers and scholars who have been part of the movement in Canada in the last two years to defund the police and work towards police and prison abolition. I interviewed one of the editors and one of the contributors recently, so check that out for more details: https://mediacoop.ca/node/119048. I won't add much here, except to say that it is an easy and interesting read. In capturing some of the thinking being done by this important movement in this important moment in book form, I think it is making a useful contribution to the struggle. My only gentle critiques would be that it feels like it repeats some of the basics across multiple contributions in a way that isn't really necessary, and I wish the balance it strikes between scholarly and more grounded organizer-y engagement – and, yes, I recognize that a number of contributors fit both categories, but I'm thinking more here about the character of the pieces rather than the identities of the writers – was more towards the latter. Still, it is full of good stuff, and an important read for anyone wanting to understand contemporary social movements in Canada.

[Emily Sams-Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m currently working on my MSc dissertation which will analyze abolitionist perspectives of the way universities handle sexual violence disclosures in Canada, and it felt like reading a treasure trove of content. This book’s collection of essays covers a vast array of issues from a multitude of voices/perspectives. I absolutely loved this book and think everyone should read it, especially folks involved in left-leaning/progressive movements. There is so much to be learnt from this book!

[Belle · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a great & insightful book with very important ideas and topics discussed. My only complaint comes with how short the chapters by each writer were, as it made it hard to connect more with their ideas as they were kept relatively concise. This left me with a decent bit of questions. Regardless, this is a great read especially for somebody new to the concept of abolition in a Canadian context.

[Aj Jansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful book regarding the colonial roots of the carceral system - specifically policing but also the colonial roots of social work. Lots of great examples and important points.

[Jennifer M · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 A worth while introduction to the arguments for abolishing policing and carceral systems of justice, specifically within the context of Canada. It’s this context that provided the most value to me - while not all the ideas were new and at times I wished the essays would go one step further (no fault of the collection’s, just targeted to a slightly different audience), I truly appreciated taking broader ideas and arguments I’ve engaged with before and having them applied to the historical and current day systems of the country I live in. All that said, I also would have appreciated some essays that moved beyond the primarily urban context or even beyond the Toronto/Ontario context (there is some discussion of Winnipeg, Montreal, and Vancouver, with brief mentions of other regions). The nature of a collection like this also leads to some repetition, especially in the set up of the essays which tend to cover some of the same ground before proceeding to their particular topics/arguments, so my recommendation would be to read in pieces rather than at once. At a personal level, I took away the most from the essays discussing labour unions, sex work, and social work respectively.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want to learn about police abolition, especially in a Canadian context, this is the book for you. The essays are short and accessible, the ground covered is vast, and the takeaways are many. Because of the essay format, the book was a little repetitive in places, but I feel like I have a much better understanding of police abolition (and sex work, and social work) than I did three days ago!

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's important that the working people work more hours to pay more taxes to keep Pasternak and his gang out of a honest job and into pushing papers. As for the police abolition, I have seen the YouTube films during the mandated shut downs: it is abolished alright. And people seem to be fine the way things are right now.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good introduction to so many people doing amazing work across all sectors of the justice system, including social work. It was clearly put together very quickly so the essays get a bit repetitive at times, but it's not the worst. I especially liked the P4W Memorial Collective piece with interviews by people who had been in prison. More of this please!!

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd highly recommend this book for the abolition-curious Canadian. It's a great introduction for those not familiar with police abolition and the essays present the reader with a variety of voices and perspectives within a Canadian context.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m considering using some of these essay in an HSP3U/C class I’m teaching next year. The essays are accessible. The essay’s are organized according to them and most importantly, Canadian stats, facts and voices.

[Clivemichael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intense exploration of an ongoing extremely sad state of affairs with suggested solutions.

[Melanie Lupin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book with powerful facts on police brutality in Canada. I just wish it was more digestible to people who aren't academically inclined!

[Ems · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely some repetition in topics but a good read. Personally was okay with it being more central/eastern canada oriented as I'm from BC and know a decent amount about actions here already...but I also feel like it could have definitely included some indigenous land defender voices from our west. Pipeline policing and criminalizing land defence wasnt talked about too much. My personal favourite chapters were the talks with trans women ex-prisoners about carceral abolition, the sex worker justice and the ones on the policing in social work.

[Alexandra Sproule · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really appreciated this discussion Abolition and Defund movements in a Canadian context - it's so valuable to have summaries of Canada-specific history and information, and to hear the arguments, actions and experiences shared by people who have been part of (and are ongoingly part of) Abolition movements in Canada. Some of the chapters felt a bit repetitive, especially near the start. I really appreciated the series of chapters in the second half of the book written about sex worker organizing & its overlap with Defund/Abolition movement. It's also important to record the history of people who have been killed or experienced violence from the police, which this book definitely does. A few chapters capture local histories of Defund work, something that is often hard to piece together through generalized internet searches and thus invaluable. I was also very moved by a speech by Kikékola Roach from 2022 which she shared in a later chapter.

[Juno · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was hoping that this book would teach me more about the statistics and arguments behind movements to abolish defund the police and prison system, but found that the book skewed very theoretical. I wish the editor of the volume had ensured that there was minimal repetition throughout the essays, each written from diverse and unique viewpoints; I found the same 1-3 sentences could be found in the beginning of nearly every essay, and this collectively almost gave the impression that police abolition is an idea from 2020 or later (which of course it is not, as many authors highlighted later in their pieces).

I appreciated the thorough reference/notes section, but for someone looking to learn lay information I found this book a bit too academic and written for someone already familiar with the arguments in question. I also found that some pieces made (valid) critiques but didn’t propose alternatives or solutions beyond sweeping theoretical frames. Others did a good job avoiding this, but it left me wondering at times “so, once we have abolished these systems, how do we move forward? What is next?”

The chapter lengths were great and made for good intervals to digest the work from the previous essay, but I almost wonder if it felt a bit repetitive because the chapters were so short and each attempted to lay the groundwork of why defunding/abolishing the police has been of more mainstream interest since 2020.

Overall it was interesting, the Canadian context/perspective was valuable, and the wide array of approaches, backgrounds, and viewpoints was a gift to this book! It definitely leaves readers with much to think about.

[Greis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read for anyone starting out in learning about abolitionist movements and an understanding of police violence in Canada. There was a lot in here that was new to me in learning about the state of police brutality in Canada especially since a lot of the racism POC experience and report in Canada go largely ignored to maintain this idea of exceptionalism as a country. Really glad that I'd read it and I think it's worth anyone's time to read.