Curious Minds Author Talks: Inspiring ideas and in-depth conversations with the world's leading writers and thinkers.

Over the last few years, in response to videos demonstrating the brutal and often deadly tactics of law enforcement officers, calls to “defund the police” have rung out around the world. But this is not a trendy new movement: Black activists have been sounding the alarm about the dangers of policing for decades. Time and time again, history has watched as officers respond to minor calls with escalation, wrongful arrests and, in some cases, murder. And yet, policy-makers fund and endorse reform programs that have proven ineffective at curbing these actions. Why? Because most of what we know about policing is wrong. 

In Sandy Hudson’s Defund: Black Lives, Policing, and Safety for All, the long-time activist and co-founder of Black Lives Matter Canada examines the origins of commonly held ideas about policing and safety to show how police-related social policies are based more on a sensationalized idea of safety than on outcomes or data. She demonstrates the destructive effects of policing on scores of people, arguing that investment in community resources and infrastructure rather than in law enforcement is key to making us safer. Clear-eyed and hopeful yet incisive and pragmatic, Defund paves a clear path forward and demonstrates that a future without police is not only entirely possible but also necessary. 

In this rare Toronto appearance, Hudson takes to the Hot Docs stage to discuss the writing of Defund and the provocative issues it raises. Be among the first to experience one of the most urgent, eye-opening titles of the year, a book that Kirkus calls “a lucid argument for defunding—and demilitarizing—the police.” 

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Orchestra (Stage View): $18