Chokehold: Policing Black Men

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Nominated for the 49th NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work (Nonfiction)
A 2017 Washington Post Notable Book
A Kirkus Best Book of 2017
Butler has hit his stride. This is a meditation, a sonnet, a legal brief, a poetry slam and a dissertation that represents the full bloom of his early thesis: The justice system does not work for blacks, particularly black men.
The Washington Post
The most readable and provocative account of the consequences of the war on drugs since Michelle Alexander's The New Jim Crow . . . .
The New York Times Book Review
Powerful . . . deeply informed from a legal standpoint and yet in some ways still highly personal
The Times Literary Supplement (London)
With the eloquence of Ta-Nehisi Coates and the persuasive research of Michelle Alexander, a former federal prosecutor explains how the system really works, and how to disrupt it
Cops, politicians, and ordinary people are afraid of black men. The result is the Chokehold: laws and practices that treat every African American man like a thug. In this explosive new book, an African American former federal prosecutor shows that the system is working exactly the way its supposed to. Black men are always under watch, and police violence is widespreadall with the support of judges and politicians.

In his no-holds-barred style, Butler, whose scholarship has been featured on 60 Minutes, uses new data to demonstrate that white men commit the majority of violent crime in the United States. For example, a white woman is ten times more likely to be raped by a white male acquaintance than be the victim of a violent crime perpetrated by a black man. Butler also frankly discusses the problem of black on black violence and how to keep communities saferwithout relying as much on police.

Chokehold powerfully demonstrates why current efforts to reform law enforcement will not create lasting change. Butlers controversial recommendations about how to crash the system, and when its better for a black man to plead guiltyeven if hes innocentare sure to be game-changers in the national debate about policing, criminal justice, and race relations.

Reviews

Praise for Chokehold:
Finalist for the 2018 National Council on Crime & Delinquency's Media for a Just Society Awards

Nominated for the 49th NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work (Nonfiction)

A 2017 Washington Post Notable Book

A Kirkus Best Book of 2017

New York Times Book Review "11 New Books We Recommend This Week"

"Butler has hit his stride. This is a meditation, a sonnet, a legal brief, a poetry slam and a dissertation that represents the full bloom of his early thesis: The justice system does not work for blacks, particularly black men."
The Washington Post

"The most readable and provocative account of the consequences of the war on drugs since Michelle Alexander's The New Jim Crow . . ."
The New York Times Book Review

"Powerful . . . deeply informed from a legal standpoint and yet in some ways still highly personal"
The Times Literary Supplement (London)

"Butler doesn't flinch from facts that many reformers prefer to avoid."
Bookforum

"A searing look at the interactions of law enforcement and black men by a former prosecutor . . . . Smart, filled rightfully with righteous indignation, and demanding broad discussion and the widest audience."
Kirkus Reviews (starred) "Paul Butler's book equips supporters of Black Lives Matter with one more important resource to curb racism in law enforcement."
Study Breaks

"Paul Butler illuminates the complexities that shape racial injustice in America with a sharp, critical, intersectional analysis that is honest and sobering. Chokehold deconstructs all of the forces that have created despair and violence in the criminal justice system but courageously posits solutions as well. An important read for anyone searching for a more just system."
Bryan Stevenson, author of Just Mercy

"Insightful reading for all genders and generations. By engaging in courageous dialogue, Paul Butler illustrates how the system is broken on purpose, and why those who believe in justice can't settle for shortsighted reform. With its well-researched, poignant answers to the most complicated questions of our day, Chokehold is a crucial read for those who want to stay woke and win."
Opal Tometi, co-founder of #BlackLivesMatter and executive director of Black Alliance for Just Immigration

"A wonderfully disturbing book that will upset everything you think you know about race and criminal justice in Americacolorful and vibrant social theory rooted in revolutionary pragmatism."
Michael Eric Dyson, author of Tears We Cannot Stop

"Paul Butler tells the unvarnished truth about the criminal justice system. Butler confronts just about everyonepolice, prosecutors, judges, black elites, liberals, and radicals. A must-read for those with a serious interest in criminal justice."
Judge Shira Scheindlin (ret.), presiding judge in Floyd v. City of New York challenging the city's stop-and-frisk program

"Chokehold speaks to the lived experiences of black men across the country who are targeted by a 'justice' system that is designed to punish themand is far from 'just' in doing so."
Michael Render (aka Killer Mike of Run the Jewels), Grammy awardwinning rapper and activist

Author Bio

A former federal prosecutor, Paul Butler provides legal commentary for MSNBC and NPR and has been featured on 60 Minutes and profiled in the Washington Post. A law professor at Georgetown University, he is the author of Let's Get Free: A Hip-Hop Theory of Justice, winner of the Harry Chapin Media Award, and Chokehold: Policing Black Men (both from The New Press). He has published numerous op-eds and book reviews, including in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, and the Los Angeles Times. He lives in Washington, DC.