Alex S. Vitale

Alex S. Vitale is an American author and professor of sociology at Brooklyn College. He is also the coordinator of the Policing and Social Justice Project at Brooklyn College. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, The Nation, The Appeal, USA Today, Vice News, and other media outlets. Vitale is the author of The End of Policing (2017), which argues for the abolition of police. Biography Alex S. Vitale is originally from Houston, Texas. In 1989, he received his Bachelor's in Urban anthropology from Hampshire College. From 1990 to 1993, he served on the staff of the Coalition on Homelessness in San Francisco, where he directed civil rights policy for the organization. He also worked on health care programs and social services programs. While in San Francisco, Vitale witnessed a national backlash against homelessness. In San Francisco, Mayor Art Agnos attempted to address homelessness with aggressive ticketing. This was followed by Police Chief Frank Jordan, who became mayor with a platform to aggressively police the homeless. As Vitale later wrote, "Despite these aggressive efforts to restore order, the number of people without a place to live continued to increase and public order remained impaired..." In 1993, Vitale moved to New York City to attend CUNY Graduate Center. During this era, he was able to observe the transition from the administration of Mayor David Dinkins, which Vitale viewed as politically liberal, to the administration of Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, which Vitale viewed as neoliberal. He observed aggressive policing and scapegoating of the homeless population under the Giuliani administration. In 2001, he received his PhD in Sociology from CUNY Graduate Center.