Blue vs. Black [Hardcover]

John L. Burris (Author), Catherine Whitney (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0312203926 | ISBN-13: 978-0312203924 | Publication Date: September 13, 1999 | Edition: 1st

Many of us believe that cases of police brutality are isolated events, happening only in large cities and having no bearing on our own lives. But incidents of cop violence against minority citizens have become far too common everywhere in America, and the problem affects us all.

John L. Burris, a nationally renowned civil rights attorney, has spent the past twenty years defending the rights of minorities who have been the victims of police misconduct and excessive use of force. In Blue vs. Black he tells the true, heartbreaking stories of many of them--a young community center director who is savagely beaten by cops before the eyes of the children in his care; a woman who is handcuffed to a chainlink fence by a female officer and humiliated in front of her neighbors, simply because of a minor traffic violation; a father who is pulled over by police officers and shocked with a stun gun while his three-year-old daughter screams in the backseat of the car. These are no criminals, but ordinary, law-abiding citizens. Burris introduces us to several remarkable men and women who, by letting their stories be told in this book, demonstrate their courage in trying to repair the damaged relationships between blacks and law-enforcement officials.

Burris presents with compassion and insight a measured analysis of tensions between police and the people they are meant to protect. In this important and moving work, he offers solutions for ending the cycle of police and civilian distrust.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The horrific images of the Rodney King beating by the LAPD and the torture of Haitian immigrant Abner Louima by New York cops are the most blatant reminders of police brutality against blacks in the United States. But as Oakland-based civil rights attorney John L. Burris (who represented King) and co-writer Catherine Whitney remind us in this disturbing book, the problem is more widespread than most white Americans are willing to admit. "Our nation practices a selective blindness," they argue. "In this great and strong nation, we have all become unwitting accomplices to the continuation of the conflict."

Along with alarming statistical data, Burris and Whitney chronicle several nightmarish incidents of law-abiding African Americans at the mercy of police officers, including an Oakland community leader who raised his children to respect the police--and was then beaten senseless in front of their eyes. The authors also examine the closed "blue wall of silence" mentality that pervades police culture, reinforcing an "us against them" point of view. But, offering more than a catalog of well-justified complaints, they present a good 10-point "Blueprint for Police Reform" that includes "a dual training focus of force and communication" to supplement nonviolent procedures, as well as the denial of career advancement to officers who have racked up numerous citizen complaints. "If law enforcement is to abandon the culture that supports misconduct, silence, heavy-handedness, and disrespect," they write, "a new scaffold must be erected to replace the old." --Eugene Holley Jr.

From Publishers Weekly

A noted civil rights lawyer, Burris represented Rodney King in the suit against the LAPD that thrust the issue of police brutality into America's consciousness. With the able assistance of Whitney, he debunks the myth that the clash between cops and African-Americans is largely confined to the inner city, pointing to examples and statistics that indicate widespread abuse throughout the country. Careful to avoid listing "a catalog of horrors," Burris calmly spells out the details of several headline-grabbing incidents of police violence, such as the 1997 broomstick rape of a Haitian immigrant in a New York City police station and the 1991 savage beating by cops of the late rapper Tupac Shakur for jaywalking in Oakland, Calif. A series of lesser known situations involving average citizens sadly underscores the seriousness of police misconduct, including an incident in which a black father rushing his injured daughter to the hospital was stopped by police and assailed with stun guns before any questions were asked. Burris notes the high cost to taxpayers nationally for these violent outbursts, calling for a more effective review process to weed out rogue cops, extended investigative powers for Internal Affairs Departments that are independent of precincts and greater cooperation with those filing citizen's complaints. Though many of Burris's recommendations aren't revolutionary, this sane, practical book provides a promising call to action in the ongoing debate about this persistent societal blight.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (September 13, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312203926
• ISBN-13: 978-0312203924
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,359,808 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Middle of the Road Book, November 13, 2001

By 

Amanda Lewis-Wu (Sunnyvale, Ca United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blue vs. Black (Hardcover)

Why do I say this? Well because this book is very well intentioned and is not anti-law enforcement. What it is however is eye opening and factual. It is also an easy read and keeps the reader interested. I think this is a very good book for someone who is interested in knowing more about police brutality but has never read anything about it before. In other words a good starting point. It is very mainstream however. I still liked it but had one friend who felt it was a little to warm and fuzzy "let's all just get along" sounding and skirted some of the meatier issues and colder facts. But like I said it's a good starting point for someone just developing interest in the topic.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Blue VS Black by John L. Burris, et al, March 14, 2003

By 

Larry Murphy (Fresno, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blue vs. Black (Hardcover)

I applaud John Burris' book, Blue VS Black. The book did not shock me, probably because I had the advantage of being an insider when much of what Mr. Burris describes was going on. What does amaze me, however, is the attitude of denial expressed by the former Oakland officers reviewing the book.

I am the author of Blackjack and Jive-Five, a book that chronicles many of the internal barriers faced by black police officers as they struggled to become part of the Oakland Police Department in the early 1970s. White officers did not want them and were in no mood to accept more than just a token few-so you can imagine the furor that affirmative action unveiled. I was a white sergeant in that department, one who helped to recruit and train these fine, young black men, and one who also tried to help them assimilate into an overwhelmingly white-majority police culture. It was a brutal time for those black officers. So, this question comes to mind for those persons who criticize John Burris' book as being fictional, slanted, and self-serving:

If so many white Oakland officers could not even be civil to the black persons within their own ranks, how can the abuse of black citizens be denied??

There indeed was abuse toward blacks-both internally and externally-and it was widespread. Moreover, if I shock some by stating this, consider the fact that abuse would have been much worse had it not been for a very tough police chief during the late 60s and early 70s who would not tolerate open racism and did everything within his power to control that which was clandestine. Mine is a sad commentary, but true. It amazes me that other former Oakland officers reviewing this book can have lapses of memory about the racial issues brought forward by Mr. Burris.

I read a borrowed copy of the book, but have since purchased a copy for my personal library. I am sure I will consult it many times during my future writings.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Something to think about, February 18, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Blue vs. Black: Let's End the Conflict Between Cops and Minorities (Paperback)

I have read some of the negative reviews about Blue Vs. Black, and I completley disagree with these reviewers. I found the book to be full of insight about the things that CAN happen to citizens at the hands of those paid to protect us. The book offers material that gives the reader some serious issues to consider. I believe the author's reform solutions weren't intended to be the last word in criminal justice, but were simply meant as a starting point and spring board for others thoughts on reform. It is so easy to criticize...I read everything from, "his facts were off on the dollar amounts won by plaintiffs" to "he wrote this book to make money because he's not a good lawyer". Instead of being critical, I suggest we use this book as a starting point to focus on police/community conflicts.