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7 reviews for:
Beyond Cop Cities: Dismantling State and Corporate-Funded Armies and Prisons
Joy James
3.68 AVERAGE
7 reviews for:
Beyond Cop Cities: Dismantling State and Corporate-Funded Armies and Prisons
Joy James
3.68 AVERAGE
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
informative
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
informative
medium-paced
A decent book about Cop City in Atlanta and those who are fighting it. To be honest, it was just alright. I feel like the most moving and informative pieces were about Tortuguita. I’ll agree with the other reviewer that I was immediately disappointed by their characterization of the events that happened on October 7. I’m glad I finished it but it won’t be highly recommended by me either.
dark
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Racism, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Murder, Colonisation, Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Confinement, Slavery, Medical content, Grief, Gaslighting, War
fast-paced
This was disappointing. I realized we were off to a bad start when the 10/7 resistance efforts by al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, was characterized as a "raid that killed over 1,200 Israelis and foreigners" and that "all life is precious. All predatory regimes must end." No mention of the fact that the settler state employed the Hannibal Directive, in which they stop an Israeli from being taken alive by any means necessary (death of their own citizenry is included). Days after 10/7, Palestinians were dubious about the 1,200 "civilian" deaths, particularly at the hands of al-Qassam Brigades, given that they do not have ammunition that could cause the level of destruction shown. Also no conversation here about the presumed innocence of active colonizers and soldiers of a genocidal state. The fact that they allowed for propagandized death tolls to make it on to page 4 of a book about resisting state and corporate funded armies left much to be desired.
There also is very little mention of armed resistance, and I find that alarming for a book about resistance to state backed terrorism. We will wax poetic about oppressed people resisting--with words, with fists, with love, but will still find a way to "all lives matter" when the oppressed actually fight back in a way that is NOT a child throwing a rock at a tanker? I think this past year has left me too angry for this particular book to satiate my radical desires. This may be a good starting place for those who are just discovering what cop cities are but I would have liked something less introductory. All love and solidarity to those fighting against state armies and U.S imperialism, within the empire and abroad.
There also is very little mention of armed resistance, and I find that alarming for a book about resistance to state backed terrorism. We will wax poetic about oppressed people resisting--with words, with fists, with love, but will still find a way to "all lives matter" when the oppressed actually fight back in a way that is NOT a child throwing a rock at a tanker? I think this past year has left me too angry for this particular book to satiate my radical desires. This may be a good starting place for those who are just discovering what cop cities are but I would have liked something less introductory. All love and solidarity to those fighting against state armies and U.S imperialism, within the empire and abroad.