Ezra's Bookshelf

Abolition for the People

by Colin Kaepernick · 224 pages · ~4 hrs

Politics & GovernmentRace & Identity

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Abolition for the People, edited by Colin Kaepernick, gathers thirty essays on police and prison abolition by scholars, activists, and organizers. Contributors include Angela Davis, Ruth Wilson Gilmore, Mariame Kaba, and many others who have shaped abolitionist thought and practice. The collection addresses fundamental questions: What would public safety look like without policing? How have prisons failed to address harm? What alternatives exist, and how can they be built? The essays range from theoretical analysis to practical proposals to personal narrative. Several pieces examine the connections between abolition and other movements, including disability justice, Indigenous sovereignty, and labor organizing. Kaepernick, whose protest against police brutality cost him his NFL career, contributes an introduction situating the collection in the moment of uprising following George Floyd's murder. The book emerged from a content series originally published by the Kaepernick-founded media company Level. Abolition for the People is valuable both as an introduction to abolitionist thought for newcomers and as a collection of important voices for those already engaged. The essays do not shy from disagreement, and readers will find diverse perspectives within the broadly shared commitment to a world without cages. Essential reading for understanding the ideas driving contemporary movements for transformative justice.

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