In the summer of 2020, America experienced one of the biggest
uprisings in half a century. After George Floyd’s murder at the
hands of Minneapolis police, angry crowds took to the streets night
after night, fighting the police, looting, and eventually burning
down the Third Precinct. The revolt soon spread to cities large and
small across the country, where rioters set police cars on fire,
sacked luxury shopping districts, and forced the president into
hiding in a bunker beneath the White House. Throughout the summer and
into the fall, localized rebellions continued to erupt in Atlanta,
Chicago, Kenosha, Louisville, Philadelphia, and elsewhere.
Written
during the riots, The George Floyd Uprising is a compendium of
the most radical writing to come out of that long, hot summer. These
incendiary dispatches—from those on the front lines of the
struggle—examine the new horizons opened by the revolt, as well as
the social, tactical, and strategic obstacles it confronted. This
practical, inspiring collection offers a toolbox for all those
actively seeking to expand and intensify revolts in the future, and
it is essential reading for everyone interested in toppling the
state, racism, and capitalism.
“Exemplary reflections from today's frontline warriors that will
disconcert liberals but inspire young people who want to live the
struggle in the revolutionary tradition of Robert F. Williams, the
Watts 65 rebels, and Deacons for Defense and Justice.” —Mike Davis,
author of Planet of Slums
and City of Quartz