This month I have two articles out about policing.
The first, appearing in Against the Current, is an examination of policing and violence — both the violence cops face and the violence they use. I look at the narratives we build around particular instances of violence, the ways they serve to legitimize or delegitimize the use of force, and the emerging crisis in policing. My article focuses especially on the West Coast states, but since it came out there’s been a nationwide spike in attacks on the police.
The second is a review of three books, one about the criminal justice system and two about marriage. (They are: Queer (In)Justice by Joey L. Mogul, et al.; Beyond (Straight and Gay) Marriage by Nancy Polikoff; and the anthology Against Equality: Queer Critiques of Gay Marriage.) In the review, I compare two elements of the mainstream gay rights agenda — appeals for police protection and the demand for marriage rights — and point to the queer critiques of these demands and the institutions involved. The review is in the February issue of In These Times.