This essential investigation into the cycle of brutality and corruption within the Oakland Police Department, both of which have manifested in policing across the United States, is also a critical call to action in the vein of State of Emergency and Police State.
Over the last sixty years, more has been done in Oakland, California, to reform policing than in any other American city—and yet, Oakland has failed to reign in the tendencies of its police to prey upon, rather than protect, its communities. Why is this, and what does it mean for both the city and the country?
A timely investigation by two award-winning reporters, The Riders Come Out at Night is the authoritative account of the Oakland Police Department’s troubling history of violence, secrecy, and mismanagement, reflecting why reform has been an elusive goal for the entire nation. From the toxic atmosphere within police culture to the corruption of city hall and through on-the-ground reporting and exclusive interviews, this portrait of a city—and a nation—in crisis features the actions we need to take to finally and effectively improve policing in the United States.
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“This sobering investigation traces efforts to reform the police department in Oakland, California, making clear the appalling nature of the abuses that were once commonplace, as well as the obstacles to change.”
— New York Times Book Review
“This book is as thrilling as the best noir fiction, bringing the authors’ eye for story and detail to the urgent debate around police brutality.”
— Whiting Foundation, 2021 Creative Nonfiction Grant Jury“Two of the best police reporters in Oakland’s recent history have put together a meticulously researched and enraging account of a police force rotten to its core.”
— Shane Bauer, author of American PrisonBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Ali Winston is an independent reporter covering criminal justice, privacy, and surveillance. His work has been rewarded with several awards, including the George Polk Award for local reporting in 2017. He is a graduate of the University of Chicago and the University of California, Berkeley. You can follow him on Twitter @AWinston. Darwin BondGraham has reported on gun violence for the London Guardian and was an enterprise reporter for the East Bay Express. His work has also appeared with ProPublica and other leading national and local outlets. He holds a doctorate in sociology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and was the co-recipient of the George Polk Award for local reporting in 2017. You can follow him on Twitter @DarwinBondGraha.
Robin Miles, named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine, has twice won the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration, an Audie Award for directing, and many Earphones Awards. Her film and television acting credits include The Last Days of Disco, Primary Colors, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Law & Order, New York Undercover, National Geographic’s Tales from the Wild, All My Children, and One Life to Live. She regularly gives seminars to members of SAG and AFTRA actors’ unions, and in 2005 she started Narration Arts Workshop in New York City, offering audiobook recording classes and coaching. She holds a BA degree in theater studies from Yale University, an MFA in acting from the Yale School of Drama, and a certificate from the British American Drama Academy in England.