SALE ON NOW! PROMOTIONS

Close Notification

Your cart does not contain any items

Their End Is Our Beginning

Cops, Capitalism, and Abolition

brian bean Charlie Aleck

$34.99

Paperback

Forthcoming
Pre-Order now

QTY:

English
Haymarket Books
29 July 2025
A deeply reported analysis of the connections between policing and capitalism, centering global lessons of revolt and resistance

Where do cops come from and what do they do? How did ""modern policing"" as we know it today come to be? What about the capitalist state necessitates policing? In this clear and comprehensive account of why and how the police-the linchpin of capitalism-function and exist, organizer and author brian bean presents a clear case for the abolition of policing and capitalism.

traces the roots and development of policing in global capitalism through colonial rule, racist enslavement, and class oppression, along the way arguing how police power can be challenged and, ultimately, abolished. bean draws from extensive interviews with activists from Mexico to Ireland to Egypt, all of whom share compelling and knowledgeable perspectives on what it takes to-even if temporarily-take down the cops and build a thriving community-organized society, free from the police. The lessons they offer bring nuance to the meaning of ""solidarity"" and clarity to what ""abolition"" and ""revolution"" look like in practice.

is an incendiary book that offers a socialist analysis of policing and the capitalist state, a vital discussion of the contours of abolition at large, and the revolutionary logic needed for liberation.
By:  
Illustrated by:   Charlie Aleck
Imprint:   Haymarket Books
Country of Publication:   United States
Dimensions:   Height: 190mm,  Width: 133mm, 
ISBN:   9798888903735
Pages:   200
Publication Date:  
Audience:   General/trade ,  ELT Advanced
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming
Introduction: Suspicious Persons Chapter One: Origins of a Violent Order: Where cops come from? Chapter Two: “Bullies in Blue Suits”: What cops do? Chapter Three: The Police State and its Functionaries Chapter Four: The Fire Always Rages: International Lessons of Revolt and Resistance Chapter Five: Revolutionary Abolition

brian bean is a Chicago-based socialist organizer, writer, and agitator originally from North Carolina. They are one of the founding editors of Rampant magazine. Their work has been published in Truthout, Jacobin, Tempest, Spectre, Red Flag, New Politics, Socialist Worker, International Viewpoint, and more. They co-edited and contributed to the book Palestine: A Socialist Introduction, also from Haymarket Books. is a Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations artist based in Zhigagoong (Chicago), traditional territory of the Three Fires Council. They enjoy working in fiber arts, film, illustration, and collaborating on projects that bridge creative arts with political history and education.

Reviews for Their End Is Our Beginning: Cops, Capitalism, and Abolition

Praise for Palestine: A Socialist Introduction “The book connects the past to our present and, despite the daunting odds before us, sustains a commitment to a socialist future where all of us are free because all of us are free.” —Noura Erakat, author of Justice for Some “A crucial reminder that Israel’s settler-colonial project is not merely a historical event that we can move past, but an ongoing reality backed by successive western administrations.” —Ahmed Abu Artema, Palestinian journalist and peace activist “This urgent book will offer a new generation of activists lessons on why, to fight capitalism and apartheid today, we need to fight like Palestinians.” —Tithi Bhattacharya, co-author of Feminism for the 99% “From critical analysis of organizational matters to the very complex issues of gender and secularism, this book is a must read for anyone whose socialism has brought them to care and act on behalf of Palestine and the Palestinians."" —Ilan Pappé, author of Ten Myths About Israel ""Provides an entry-point for new activists to understand a conflict whose history has been so deliberately obfuscated, alongside a rich well of analysis on complex political questions. Awad and bean's book should be widely read, and its socialist, bottom up vision of transformation acted upon.” —Hadas Thier, author of A People's Guide to Capitalism “The contributions within this book not only offer an understanding of Palestinian realities, they also provide insight into themes such as Diaspora and the search for belonging, and reflect the voices of all those who wish to return home in dignity, justice, and freedom."" —Mariam Barghouti, Palestinian American writer “Essential reading for anybody interested in understanding the past, present, and future of the Palestinian liberation struggle.” —Eric Blanc, author of Red State Revolt


See Also