The dangers of "progressive policing" as told through a study of Portland, Oregon.
Policing the Progressive City tells the story of how Portland's "law and order" has been shaped for over two hundred years by business interests, political climbers, and social campaigners--as well as its history of mass resistance to police brutality. With meticulous research and expert storytelling, Kristian Williams exposes how the city's progressive veneer enables its police to weather scandals, co-opt critics, and refurbish its reputation through carefully limited reforms. Time and again, the record reveals the Portland Police Bureau's legacy of racism, violence, and exploitation, even in one of America's most loudly liberal environments.
Reviews:
"A searing and masterful case study of the history and politics of policing. An essential read for anyone who wants to understand the true nature and function of the police institution and why we should be doing everything we can to dismantle it." --Alex S. Vitale, The End of Policing
"A gripping narrative of how people in the Portland area became subject to police rule over two hundred years. ... This book is essential for abolitionist study." --Dean Spade, Love in a F*cked Up World
"By focusing on how progressive policing has, in fact, reinscribed the legitimacy of the police ... Williams has provided a much needed and well-considered warning. ... Now more than ever, Williams's words are urgent in the fight against fascism." --Jessica Pishko, The Highest Law in the Land
About the Author:
Kristian Williams has been writing about and organizing against the police since the mid 1990s. He is the author of seven books, including Our Enemies in Blue: Police and Power in America and lives in Portland, Oregon.