Derecka Purnell

Derecka Purnell is a lawyer, writer, organizer, and author of Becoming Abolitionists: Police, Protests, and the Pursuit of Freedom. She is also a Guardian columnist.

Demanding Justice for the Living

Derecka Purnell discusses her new book Becoming Abolitionists, how she came to join the movement against policing and prisons, and what a just world looks like.

  • Derecka Purnell
  • nia t. evans

Police Violence Is a Disability Justice Issue

More than half of disabled people experience long-term poverty, increasing the chances of violent police encounters.

  • Derecka Purnell

Reclaiming the Power of Rebellion

Derecka Purnell interviews historian Elizabeth Hinton about her new book and how talk of “riots” discredits Black political demands.

  • Derecka Purnell
  • Elizabeth Hinton

What Does Police Abolition Mean?

Abolition is not about transforming the police; it is about transforming the nation.

  • Derecka Purnell

A Reading List for Radical Political Action

  • Derecka Purnell
  • Boston Review

Building Black Futures

Our demonstrations should make us smarter.

  • Derecka Purnell
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