Join Burns Chair Vince Warren and author Derecka Purnell for a discussion of Purnell’s book, Becoming Abolitionists. Drawing from her experiences as a lawyer, writer, and organizer initially skeptical about police abolition, Purnell charts her journey to her realization that the police were a placebo. The book spans not only Purnell’s experience, but also a long history of social movements rooted in rebellion and revolutionary love that pushed a generation of activists towards abolition, from Ferguson to South Africa, from Reconstruction to contemporary protests against police shootings. Becoming Abolitionists shows that abolition is not solely about getting rid of police, but a commitment to create and support different answers to the problem of harm in society, and, most excitingly, an opportunity to reduce and eliminate harm in the first place. A complimentary copy of Purnell’s book will be provided to the first 75 CUNY Law students to register and attend in person.