One Man, A Street Fellowship, and the End of Violence in Inner-City America
by David M. Kennedy
Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Sep 2011
320 pages
Genre: History, Current Affairs and Religion
Publication Information
Gang- and drug-related inner-city violence, with its attendant epidemic of incarceration, is the defining crime problem in our country. In some neighborhoods in America, one out of every two hundred young black men is shot to death every year, and few initiatives of government and law enforcement have made much difference. But when David Kennedy, a self-taught and then-unknown criminologist, engineered the "Boston Miracle" in the mid-1990s, he pointed the way toward what few had imagined: a solution.
Don't Shoot tells the story of Kennedy's long journey. Riding with beat cops, hanging with gang members, and stoop-sitting with grandmothers, Kennedy found that all parties misunderstood each other, caught in a spiral of racialized anger and distrust. He envisioned an approach in which everyone - gang members, cops, and community members - comes together in what is essentially a huge intervention. Offenders are told that the violence must stop, that even the cops want them to stay alive and out of prison, and that even their families support swift law enforcement if the violence continues. In city after city, the same miracle has followed: violence plummets, drug markets dry up, and the relationship between the police and the community is reset.
This is a landmark book, chronicling a paradigm shift in how we address one of America's most shameful social problems. A riveting, page-turning read, it combines the street vérité of The Wire, the social science of Gang Leader for a Day, and the moral urgency and personal journey of Fist Stick Knife Gun. But unlike anybody else, Kennedy shows that there could be an end in sight.
"The problem has in no way been eliminated - and Kennedy emphasizes the drastic consequences when the programs falter - but progress is undeniable. A valuable text - not just for the solution, but also for the refreshing philosophy behind it." - Kirkus Reviews
"Starred Review. Warning against the country's "orgy" of incarceration, which disproportionately targets black males in America's most vulnerable neighborhoods, this heartfelt book shows what can happen when police, gangs, and communities come together to address some of America's most intractable social problems." - Publishers Weekly
"Kennedy's ideas extend beyond community policing and serve to revolutionize the entire criminal justice system." - Garry F. McCarthy, superintendent of Chicago police
"The good news about the drug- and gang-related violence epidemic is that it can be controlled and substantially reduced. As proof, you only have to read David Kennedy's wonderful new book Don't Shoot… Now being tried in over 70 communities, David's campaign is expanding to have the national and international impact it deserves." - Bill Bratton, chairman of Kroll, former chief of police of the Los Angeles Police Department
"Don't Shoot is a work of moral philosophy that reads like a crime novel - Immanuel Kant meets Joseph Wambaugh. It's a fascinating, inspiring, and wonderfully well written story of one man's quest to solve a problem no one thought could be solved: the scourge of inner city gang violence… This is a vitally important work that has the potential to usher in a new era in policing." - John Seabrook, author of Flash of Genius
"David Kennedy's work helped Cincinnati revolutionize the way that we think about policing our community. His passion for solving the never-ending cycle of violence is evident in every conversation with him. We have found that by engaging offenders with a strong, unified, community message telling them that the violence must stop and offering them an alternative life, we can have a meaningful and lasting impact in our community. David's work is a must read for Mayors around the country confronted with the scourge of gun violence in their cities." - Mark Mallory, mayor, Cincinnati, Ohio
This information about Don't Shoot was first featured
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
David M. Kennedy has spent much of the last 25 years on the ground in the country's most dangerous neighborhoods, working with communities to find solutions to crime. The director of the Center for Crime Prevention and Control and a professor of criminal justice at John Jay College, Kennedy has received two Webber Seavey awards from the International Association of Chiefs of Police, two Innovations in American Government awards from the Kennedy School of Government, and a Herman Goldstein Problem-Oriented Policing Award. His work has been used as a model or source for safety and drug intervention initiatives by the Clinton and Bush administrations, and by the Bureau of Justice. He also tours regularly to speak to groups that have included U.S. Congress, Scotland Yard, the National District Attorneys' Association, and the National Conference of Mayors. Kennedy lives in Brooklyn, New York.
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