Kristian Williams, Our Enemies In Blue: author tour.

A message from my friend, Kristian Williams:

I'm about to go on tour to promote my book, Our Enemies in Blue. The book is a history of the police in the U.S., paying particular attention to their role in preserving race and class inequalities. So if you live near one of the cities listed below, and you'd like to hear me talk about that, please come to the reading. It's always nice to see some friendly faces in among all the strangers. April 18 -- Los Angeles -- 7pm at Flor Y Canto, 3706 N Figueroa Ave April 19 -- Santa Rosa, California -- 7:30pm at Free Mind Media, 546 Pacific Ave (just off Mendicino) April 20 -- Oakland, California -- 7pm at AK Press, 674-A 23rd Street (Between MLK and San Pablo, near the 19th St. BART) May 2 -- Washington DC -- 7pm at the Brian Mackenzie Center, 1426 9th St. NW May 3 -- Baltimore -- 7pm at Red Emmas, 800 St. Paul Street May 5 -- Philadelphia --- 7pm at Robins Bookstore, 108 South 13th St. May 8 -- New York -- 7pm at Blue Stockings, 172 Allen Street May 9 -- Amherst -- 6pm at Food For Thought, 106 N Pleasant St May 10 -- Montpelier, Vermont -- 7:30pm at Black Sheep, 4 Langdon St May 12 -- Boston -- 7pm at Lucy Parsons, 549 Columbus Ave May 14 -- Philadelphia -- 7:30pm at the A-Space, 4722 Baltimore Ave May 26 -- Richmond, Virginia -- 7pm at Chop Suey, 1317 W. Cary St.

As you can tell from the title, the book has a certain far-left perspective. However, Kristian uses excellent research and statistics to back up his points; I am not as far left as he is politically, and every time my more moderate self started to say, "But what about..." he addressed my objection satisfactorily. He makes some good points in the book - uncomfortable to hear, but good points nonetheless - and has some illuminating insights on policing and race.

Kristian is a brilliant man. I have known him since we had a Milton study group together in college, and his research and rhetorical skills are formidable. His interest in and dedication to social justice is a defining focus of his life, and he lives much closer to his ideals than almost anyone else I know. I have insane amounts of respect and affection for him.

In sum, if this sounds like something that might interest you, buy the book! (Amazon and Powells have it too, but supporting small presses directly is good for you.) And go see Kristian read.