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Colin Kaepernick Says He Hopes To Radicalize People On Abolishing The Police With New Book

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Ashley Carnahan Contributor
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Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick says he hopes his book will radicalize people on abolishing the police.

The book titled “Abolition for the People: The Movement for a Future Without Policing & Prisons” is a collection of 30 essays, edited by the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback himself, according to the report.

“Readers won’t find all the answers here, but we believe they will find useful and provocative questions – questions that can open up radical possibilities for a future where our communities can thrive,” read a press release from Kaepernick Publishing.

The book is intended to serve as “an introduction to abolitionist concepts, histories, and practices,” according to the press release.

The essays were originally published in LEVEL, a publication from Medium that targets minority men.

Kaepernick’s essay, “The Demand for Abolition,” argued the “central intent of policing is to surveil, terrorize, capture, and kill marginalized populations, specifically Black folks.” (RELATED: ‘F*** Reform’: Colin Kaepernick’s New Essay Series Calls For Abolishing Police Departments And Prisons)

He claimed the more he learned about the history and evolution of policing in the United States, the more he “understand[s] its roots in white supremacy and anti-Blackness.”

The former quarterback said seeking police reform, such as body cameras, more training, and police accountability weren’t enough. If he didn’t call for the abolition of police, he claimed it would make him an “active participant in reforming, reshaping, and rebranding institutional white supremacy, oppression, and death.”

Kaepernick claimed abolition was “the only way to secure a future beyond anti-Black institutions of social control, violence, and premature death.”

“Abolition of these institutions is not the absence of accountability but rather the establishment of transformative and restorative processes that are not rooted in punitive practices,” he wrote.

Kaepernick said Tuesday on Twitter the new book “builds on decades of organizing and writing against policing & prisons.” “I’m proud to have edited this collection & hope it adds to the chorus of voices calling for a world without & beyond policing & prisons,” he added.

The book is expected to be released on October 12, 2021 by Kaepernick’s publishing company.