Description
Book Synopsis: Challenges to racialized policing, from early reform efforts to BLM protests and the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder
The eruption of Black Lives Matter protests against police violence in 2014 spurred a wave of police reform. One of the places to embrace this reform was Minneapolis, Minnesota, a city long known for its liberal politics. Yet in May 2020, four of its officers murdered George Floyd. Fiery protests followed, marking the city as a national emblem for the failures of police reform. In response, members of the Minneapolis City Council pledged to “end” the Minneapolis Police Department. In The Minneapolis Reckoning, Michelle Phelps describes how Minneapolis arrived at the brink of police abolition.
Phelps explains that the council’s pledge did not come out of a single moment of rage, but decades of organizing efforts. Yet the politics of transforming policing were more complex than they first appeared. Despite public outrage over police brutality, the council’s efforts faced stiff opposition, including by Black community leaders who called for more police protection against crime as well as police reform. In 2021, voters ultimately rejected the ballot measure to end the department. Yet change continued on the ground, as state and federal investigations pushed police reform and city leaders and residents began to develop alternative models of safety.
The Minneapolis Reckoning shows how the dualized meaning of the police—as both the promise of state protection and threat of state violence—create the complex politics of policing that thwart change. Phelps’s account of struggles over what constitutes real accountability, justice, and safety in Minneapolis offers a vivid picture of the possibilities and limits of challenging police power today.
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Discover the gripping story of the Minneapolis Reckoning: Race, Violence, and the Politics of Policing in America. This thought-provoking book explores the challenges faced by cities in their efforts to address racialized policing, from early reform initiatives to the explosive protests that followed George Floyd's tragic murder.
Minneapolis, known for its progressive politics, became a focal point for police reform after the Black Lives Matter protests erupted in 2014. However, the city faced a reckoning in May 2020 when four officers mercilessly took the life of George Floyd. These events triggered a series of fiery protests, exposing the failures of past reform efforts.
In her groundbreaking book, Michelle Phelps unravels the complex journey that brought Minneapolis to the precipice of police abolition. She highlights the fact that the call to "end" the Minneapolis Police Department by the City Council was not a knee-jerk reaction, but the culmination of decades of tireless organizing. Despite widespread public outrage over police brutality, the council encountered significant opposition, even from Black community leaders who sought more police presence for protection against crime while still supporting reform.
Though the 2021 voter rejection of the ballot measure to dissolve the department might seem like a roadblock, Phelps explores how change continued to manifest on the ground. State and federal investigations fueled calls for police reform, while city leaders and residents began crafting alternative safety models.
In The Minneapolis Reckoning, Phelps unveils the complex and dualistic nature of the police force as both a symbol of state protection and a source of state violence. By examinining struggles over accountability, justice, and safety, this book presents a vivid portrayal of the challenges and possibilities of confronting and reshaping police power in today's society.
Are you ready to delve into the pages of The Minneapolis Reckoning? Explore the intricate web of politics, race, and policing that defines our modern world. Take the first step towards understanding the complexities and limits of challenging police power today. Buy Now!
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