Skyscraper Jails on Party Girls

Zhana and I visited our friends the Party Girls to discuss Skyscraper Jails and lots of other stuff. Check it out here!

Skyscraper Jails on the Antifada

Zhana and I paid a visit to our old friends at the Antifada to discuss Skyscraper Jails, the NYS prison guards' strike, and more. Check out there episode here.

City Time with Richard Hunsinger

David Campbell and I sat down with former political prisoner Richard Hunsinger for a wide-ranging interview about City Time, Rikers, and Hunsinger's own experiences in the feds. Read it at Hard Crackers, here!
 

Upcoming Skyscraper Jails Events

Zhana and I will be coming to your town to talk about Skyscraper Jails! Assuming, that is, you live in the following places:

March 20th

NYU Prison Education Program

with Mon Mohapatra

20 Cooper Square, 4th Floor, Manhattan

5pm 

 

March 21st

Brooklyn Jail Support

120 Schemerhorn Street, Brooklyn

9pm

March 22nd

Ask a Punk

Brooklyn

2pm

 

March 22nd

INDEX Space

roundtable with NYC abolitionist organizers

120 Walker Street, 3rd Floor, Manhattan 

6pm 

March 23rd

Making Worlds Bookstore

210 S 45th St, Philadelphia

4pm

 

March 29th

Redbud Books

408 W. Kirkwood Ave, Bloomington IN

7pm

 

April 16th

Governors State University 

with Jack Norton and Abby Cunniff

1 University Parkway, University Park IL 

2:30pm

 

Hope to see you there!

Skyscraper Jails

Zhana Kurti's and my new book Skyscraper Jails: The Abolitionist Fight Against Jail Expansion In New York City is out today from Haymarket! Buy it here. 

From the publisher:

A damning account of the latest transformation in mass incarceration, revealing how powerful nonprofits and so-called progressives used the language of social movements to build new jails.

In Skyscraper Jails, scholars and organizers Jarrod Shanahan and Zhandarka Kurti detail how progressive forces in New York City appropriated the rhetoric of social movements and social justice to promise “downsized” and “humane" jails. The principal advocates of these new jails were not right-wing politicians, but prominent city activists and progressive non-profit organizations.

 Advance praise includes: 

"In this view of New York City politics from the street, Jarrod Shanahani and Zhandarka Kurti cut through the double-speak of carceral humanism that elites used to turn the Campaign to Close Rikers into a plan to build new skyscraper jails. Real estate developers and politicians make New York City hospitable to more jails, but so do the philanthropists, nonprofit service providers, professors, and the architects who celebrate modern and even 'green' jail design. But Rikers is not just a toxic complex of buildings. Rikers is built on the toxic social relations of capitalism. This, as Shanahan and Kurti tell us, is what we must confront."   

—Naomi Murakawa, author, The First Civil Right: How Liberals Built Prison America

 

“Skyscraper Jails is an invaluable resource for anyone looking to fight carceral state expansion from a deeply rigorous, anti-capitalist, and revolutionary standpoint. Kurti and Shanahan show how our struggles can be documented, studied, and written about in ways that offer tangible lessons for the future. And for abolitionists committed to bringing about the closure of Rikers and reclaiming the city, Skyscraper Jails is necessary reading on the specific liberal contexts and organizations from which the borough based jails plan emerged and which continue to have profound impacts on policing, incarceration, and social control in New York City.”   

—Mon Mohapatra, organizer with Community Justice Exchange and No New Jails NYC

 

“I have fought against jails in my community for years and I have lived this history. Skyscraper Jails has the audacity to expose the truth about nonprofits and how they have sabotaged our work as revolutionary abolitionist organizers. This book is a must read for anyone who wants to be involved in the hard work of breaking down prison walls and fighting to build another world.”  

—Lisa Ortega, organizer with Community in Unity and Take Back the Bronx

 

"I urge you to embrace the insurrectionist anti-liberalism so generously unfurled in Skyscraper Jails. Blending grounded analysis, critical storytelling, and historical study, Shanahan and Kurti identify the emergence of a ‘progressive’ 21st century counterinsurgency regime in New York City and beyond. These pages demystify the coalescence of philanthropic, nonprofit, academic, and Democratic Party actors and social media influencers who have weaponized the terms of ‘social justice’ and ‘abolition’ to advance reformist expansions of carceral warfare. Skyscraper Jails is an indispensable tool for identifying new-and-old enemies of serious liberationist praxis—a painful though necessary task in this moment of proliferating cooptation, opportunism, and confusion." 

—Dylan Rodríguez, Critical Resistance founding collective and Distinguished Professor, University of California    

 

"Jails are instruments of crisis management, class containment, and counterinsurgency. In their examination of New York City as a laboratory for neoliberal governance and innovations of carceral violence, Jarrod Shanahan and Zhandarka Kurti interrogate the alliance of philanthropic, non-profit, and governmental forces attempting to rescue the legitimacy of incarceration through deploying the vernacular of social justice. At once a sober assessment of the terrain of struggle and a searing argument that, whether decrepit island or gleaming tower, jails are central sites of racialized class war, Skyscraper Jails lays out the urgent stakes of this central battle for an abolitionist future." 

 ―Judah Schept, author of Coal, Cages, Crisis and Progressive Punishment

Skyscraper Jails Release Events

Zhana Kurti's and my new book Skyscraper Jails: The Abolitionist Fight Against Jail Expansion In New York City (Haymarket, 2025) is almost here. Celebrate its release with us March 11th at 7pm at Pilsen Community Books in Chicago! More information is available here. You can also tune in to Haymarket's Youtube channel on March 13th, at 5pm ET for the online release, featuring our friend Dylan Rodríguez! Click here to register.

 

Update 3/17:  The video of our event with Dylan Rodríguez is now available to watch here! Thanks to Haymarket and to Dylan for a great time.

City Time in Inquest

The activist-scholar Josh Davidson has written an excellent review of City Time for the publication Inquest. Read it here. Thanks to the author for his time and generosity.

New York State Prison Guard Strike

To make sense of the New York State prison guard strike, I sat down with Andrea Morrell, a scholar of the upstate system, for a discussion now available on Truthout. Check it out here.

City Time Back in Urban Matters

Another excerpt from City Time has appeared in Urban Matters. Check it out here!

City Time on Pod Damn America

David and I had a great time on Pod Damn America discussing City Time. Check out the episode here!
 

The Old Mole

The Lake Effect Collective has made a cool zine out of a piece of writing I first circulated in late 2014 on the Ferguson rebellion and emergent Black Lives Matter movement, called "The Old Mole Breaks Concrete." Check it out here!

City Time on the Antifada

David Campbell and I appeared on the Antifada podcast to discuss our book City Time. The episode is here. Subscribe to their Patreon for bonus content, including an additional episode of material from our interview. 

City Time in the New York Post

City Time received a two-page spread in today's New York Post. It can be read online here, and like everything in that newspaper, ought to be taken with a grain of salt.

City Time in Urban Matters

A new excerpt of City Time is available now at the Center for New York City Affairs' publication Urban Matters. Check it out here!

City Time Release and Tour

City Time is out today on NYU Press. You can buy a copy here.

Here is some advance praise for the book:

"A riveting portrayal of everyday life at the jail. The authors’ unhurried cataloging of seemingly endless quotidian deprivations fascinates. Readers will be rapt."  

-Publishers Weekly, STARRED

 

"Engrossing, intimate... [Campbell and Shanahan] are deft and balanced collaborators, writing with academic rigor, as well as humor and compassion." 

-Kirkus Reviews

 

"David Campbell and Jarrod Shanahan offer an up-close study of the banality and brutality of short-term incarceration at Rikers Island. Their methodical analysis of the relationships, routines, economies, and architectures of the infamous jail is punctuated by vibrant and evocative insights into the sensory experience of incarceration – the smells, sights, sounds and tastes of the quotidian depravities, degradations, frictions, and resistances that marked their 'city time.'"

-Judah Schept, co-editor of The Jail is Everywhere: Fighting the New Geography of Mass Incarceration

 

"As the notorious Rikers Island is on the verge of closing, City Time provides a timely and invaluable archive written by two men who have experienced its everyday life from inside. This exceptional document, which unveils the meaninglessness of short-stay imprisonment, is a must-read for anyone who wants to reflect on carceral punishment." 

-Didier Fassin, author of Prison Worlds. An Ethnography of the Carceral Condition

To celebrate, co-author David Campbell and I will be appearing at the following book events later this month. Hope to see you there!

January 14

Center For Brooklyn History 

128 Pierrepont Street, Brooklyn

6:30pm

January 15

The Wooden Shoe

704 South St, Philadelphia

7pm

January 16

Red Emma's

3128 Greenmount Ave, Baltimore

7pm

January 17

Small Friend Records & Books

1 N. Lombardy St., Richmond

7pm

January 19

Woodbine

585 Woodward Ave, Ridgewood

4pm (note the early time)

January 20

Tiny Raccoon Books

277 Railroad Ave, Sayville, NY

7pm

January 21

Loyola University (Lakeshore)

6430 N. Kenmore Ave, Chicago
Cuneo Hall, Room 109

6pm

January 22

Governors State University

1 University Parkway, University Park, IL

Social Justice Building

4pm

City Time in Hellgate and Gothamist

Today City Time was featured in Hellgate, in an excerpt available here (hop the paywall here), and Gothamist, where our upcoming event at the Center for Brooklyn History was listed as one of the "11 Totally Free Things to Do in NYC This January." Thanks!
 

Locked Together

The first published excerpt from City Time is now available at Ill Will. Check it out here!

City Time in Kirkus Reviews

My and David Campbell's forthcoming book City Time has received a thoughtful review in Kirkus Reviews. Check it out here, and look out for the book in January! We will be announcing a mid-January book tour shortly.

Triumph of the Swill

On Friday I watched Donald Trump simulate the act of fellatio in a packed basketball stadium in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and wrote an essay for Hard Crackers reflecting on the enduring strangeness of MAGA and what it can teach us about American society. Read it here.

City Time in Publisher's Weekly

Very excited that my and David Campbell's forthcoming book City Time (NYU Press, 2025) has received a starred review in Publisher's Weekly. Check it out here, and look out for the book in January!

NYC Event 9/20: Opposing Carceral Design

I am honored to have been invited to participate in the Borough Based Liberation project, a month of programming against the skyscraper jails in NYC. 

On Friday, September 20, I will appear on the panel "Opposing Carceral Design," alongside Tomie Arai (Chinatown Art Brigade), Mei Lum (W.O.W. Project), and the indefatigable abolitionist researcher Mon Mohapatra. 

The event is at 6pm, at 127 Walker Street in Chinatown. Tickets are free and can be found here. 

Hope to see you there!

Three Way Fight Reviewed in Fightback

The Australian publication Fightback has published a highly engaging review of Three Way Fight (Kersplebedeb and PM Press, 2024), the recent edited anthology in which Zhana and I appear. Part one can be read here, part two here.

Three Way Fight at Pilsen Community Books

I'm excited to be celebrating the release of Three Way Fight: Revolutionary Politics and Antifascism at Pilsen Community Books, at 6pm on August 10th. 

Zhana and I will appear alongside editor Xtn Alexander, fellow contributor Michael Staudenmaier, and local eccentric Liz Simmons. More info can be found here. 

Always support PCB, and see you there!

The Future Belongs to the Mad

To mark the release of George Miller's Furiosa, I have an essay on the history and enduring cultural significance of the Mad Max franchise. Read it now at Hard Crackers.

Three Way Fight Book Out Now

I am honored that a dialogue Zhana and I held with critic Tobi Haslett has appeared, alongside dozens of indispensable entries, in the anthology Three Way Fight: Revolutionary Politics and Anti-Fascism (Kersplebedeb and PM Press, 2024). Pick up a copy here, and support Three Way Fight!

The Horror of Police at Red May

Red May is here again! On Friday, May 24th, Zhana and I will be in dialogue with police scholar Travis Linnemann, discussing his books Meth Wars and The Horror of Police, at 4pm PDT.

You can watch our discussion, live or later, at this link.

Viva Red May!

The Jail is Everywhere

I have a review of the new essay collection The Jail is Everywhere (Verso, 2024) in the Nation. Check it out here!
 

Loren Goldner Presente!

To mark the recent passing of the great theoretician and political mentor Loren Goldner, I appeared on the Antifada podcast along with some of Loren's longtime comrades and friends to reflect on his life and legacy. Click here to listen.
 

Berlin as a Community Space vs. Berlin as a Business

After the beloved Chicago queer nightclub Berlin closed late last year, I sat down with a lead organizer in the club workers' union, which was being unfairly blamed for Berlin's demise. 

Read our discussion now on Hard Crackers: Chronicles of Everyday Life, and say no to pink-washed union busting!

Eric Adams' New York

On the evening of Thursday, February 22nd I will be appearing on the plenary panel of NYC DSA's 2024 organizing conference, entitled "Eric Adams' New York." Register for the conference here for the location. Hope to see you there!

On the Cosmonaut Podcast

I had a great time speaking about Captives and related history with Isaac and Jack on the Cosmonaut podcast. Thanks to them for having me! Check it out here.

The Undertow

I have a review of Jeff Sharlet's The Undertow (Norton, 2023) up now at Three Way Fight. Check out the review here, and preorder the excellent Three Way Fight book here!

Tip of the Spear

I have a review of Orisanmi Burton's excellent new book Tip of the Spear (University of California Press, 2023) in the Los Angeles Review of Books. Check it out here.

Captives Reviewed in Journal of Urban History

The historian Aaron Bekemeyer has written an excellent review of Captives alongside Stuart Schrader's indispensable Badges without Borders (University of California Press, 2019), for the Journal of Urban History. It can be read here. Thanks to the author for his time and attention.

Stop Cop City on Under the Tree

Thanks to everyone who made the Stop Cop City benefit at Pilsen Community Books a big success! We raised roughly $2,500 for the RICO defendants. 

A recording of this memorable night, featuring me, Zhana, and a bunch of other great comrades, is now available on the podcast Under the Tree with Bill Ayers. 

It can be heard here.

George Floyd Uprising in Los Angeles Review of Books

The writer Jamie Peck has penned an excellent review of The George Floyd Uprising (PM Press, 2023), an edited anthology in which Zhana and I appear, for the Los Angeles Review of Books. Thanks to the author for her attention and generosity.

Check out the review here. 

This essential volume can be purchased here.

Stop Cop City

On Sunday, November 12th, I will join a stacked lineup of authors and activists to raise money the people facing RICO charges for their righteous fight against Cop City in Atlanta. This reading will be held at Pilsen Community Books in Chicago. 

For more information, or to register to attend this event online, click here.

 

Iowa Bluffs

I have a new essay reflecting on settler colonialism, financialization, and the enduring appeal of Trumpism, based on attending a Trump rally in the Mississippi River redevelopment haven of Dubuque, Iowa. Read it now in Hard Crackers: Chronicles of Everyday Life.

A Brilliant Red Thread at Pilsen Community Books

On Wednesday, October 11th at 7pm, Zhana and I will be appearing at our favorite bookstore, Pilsen Community Books, to discuss Don Hamerquist's excellent new essay collection A Brilliant Red Thread. For more on this book, check out my recent review in the Los Angeles Review of Books.

We will screen a short video from Don and lead a discussion of the book and its many lessons. Hope to see you there!

This event will also be live-streamed by our comrades at the Michigan General Defense Committee, but advance registration is required. Please click here to register.

Midwest World History Association Conference

I am honored to be giving the keynote address at the annual conference of the Midwest World History Association, entitled "Outcasts, Pariahs, Criminals: Histories of Others and Othering," at Roosevelt University in Chicago on Friday, September 22nd. I will discuss the historical context of two recent works, Captives and States of Incarceration. 

I will also appear on a Saturday panel with my friends Abby Cunniff and Troy Brundidge, discussing our research in progress on the US prison and policing systems. For more information, check out the conference page here.

 

Organizing Against Capitalism 2023

Zhana and I are thrilled to be appearing at the Organizing Against Capitalism conference in Ypsilanti, Michigan later this month. We will discuss our book States of Incarceration, and the present moment.

Check out all the information on the conference here. Thanks to the Michigan General Defense Committee for inviting us, and hope to see you there!
 

The George Floyd Uprising Reviewed in Inquest

The author David Campbell has penned an excellent review of PM Press's George Floyd Uprising book, featuring me and Zhana alongside some great essays on 2020. Check it out here, in the publication Inquest.

Treason to Whiteness Reviewed in Labour / Le Travail

The scholars Dylan Davis and Patrick King have penned an extraordinary review of Treason to Whiteness is Loyalty to Humanity, the Noel Ignatiev reader I edited with Zhana and Geert, for the Spring issue of the journal Labour / Le Trevail. It is behind a paywall, but can be read here. Many thanks to the authors.

Interview in ArtSci

I was honored to be interviewed about States of Incarceration by the journalist Clair Naylor in ArtSci, the student publication of the college of Arts and Sciences at Governors State University. The issue is available here. Check it out!

It's Going Down

It's going down. A full recording of Zhana and my talk in Portland earlier this month is featured on this week's episode of the IGDcast. Check out the episode here. And support IGD!

Captives Reviewed in Theoretical Criminology

The scholar Angélica Camacho has written an excellent review of Captives for the journal Theoretical Criminlogy. It is paywalled but can be read here. Many thanks to the author for such a thorough and generous review.

A Brilliant Red Thread

I have reviewed the indispensable collection of essays by Don Hamerquist, A Brilliant Red Thread (Kersplebedeb, 2023) for the Los Angeles Review of Books. Check out the review here. And be sure to pick up a copy of the book here.

Red May 2023

As part of our Pacific Northwest tour, Zhana and I had the honor of appearing at the opening event for Seattle's Red May 2023! We had a great time, met some cool people, and learned a lot. 

Video of this event is now available here courtesy of Red May. Be sure to check out all their other excellent programming here.

Thanks to Red May and all the comrades in the PNW for having us. 

Coming to the Pacific Northwest

In early May, Zhana and I will be traveling through the Pacific Northwest to promote States of Incarceration. Details are as follows:

May 5th: University of Washington, Smith Hall, Room 204, Seattle, 4pm.

May 6th: Pipsqueak, 173 16th Avenue, Seattle, 4:30pm.

May 8th: Lamplighters, 211 4th Ave E, Olympia, 6pm. 

May 10: Alder Commons, 4241 NE Prescott St, Portland 6pm.

Thanks to Sean at Red May and Lucas from Chicago for setting this up.

ON STRIKE

I am proud to have spent the last four days on strike, along with hundreds of my UPI 4100 union siblings at Governors State University, fighting against austerity in higher education. We have joined two other striking Illinois State universities: Chicago State and Northeastern Illinois. For more information about this unique moment, follow our Twitter page.

 

4/18 update: After seven days out, we have reached a tentative agreement. It's a start. More importantly, this was one of the most substantive and rewarding political experiences of my life, and the lives of many co-workers... and our workplace will never be the same!