Kaepernick Book Says ‘Abolishing Police’ Only Way to End Racism

Colin Kaepernick announced Tuesday he will publish a book arguing for the abolition of the police and prisons “in order to eradicate anti-Blackness.”

The announcement: Kaepernick, a former San Francisco 49ers quarterback turned racial justice activist, said on Twitter that the anthology will be his publishing house’s first release when it comes out in October.

• “Abolition for the People: The Movement for a Future Without Policing and Prisons” was reportedly edited by Kaepernick and includes contributions from the likes of convicted murderer Abu-Jamal Mumia and radical communist Angela Davis.

…& features the work of over 30 contributors plus a reader’s guide, infographics, & cover art by Emory Douglas.

I'm proud to have edited this collection & hope it adds to the chorus of voices calling for a world without & beyond policing & prisons. #AbolitionForThePeople

— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) May 11, 2021

“The omnipresent threat of premature death at the hands, knees, chokeholds, tasers, and guns of law enforcement has only further engrained its anti-Black foundation into the institutions of policing,” Kaepernick quoted himself on Instagram as saying.

• “In order to eradicate anti-Blackness, we must also abolish the police. The abolition of one without the other is impossible.”

The context: Calls to defund or abolish the police went mainstream amid nationwide Black Lives Matter protests following the May 25, 2020 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody.

• But the movement to “defund the police” has proved extremely unpopular with Americans and is seen as a political liability by many Democrats.