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Reading for Change

An Inconvenient Cop: My Fight to Change Policing in America is Edwin Raymond’s gripping and deeply reflective account of his fifteen years within the New York Police Department.

About the Book

With unwavering candor and moral clarity, Raymond reveals the entrenched structures, racialized pressures, and unforgiving metrics that shape the realities of American policing. His story moves with the force of testimony—navigating the personal cost of resistance, the peril of speaking truth to power, and the enduring belief that justice must be pursued even when the consequences are steep.

The memoir becomes both exposé and elegy: a reckoning with history, a meditation on accountability, and a call to imagine systems capable of change. Lyrical yet unflinching, An Inconvenient Cop underscores the vital role of witness in the struggle for equity and reform.

About the Facilitators

This conversation brings together two essential voices whose experiences and expertise illuminate the themes at the heart of An Inconvenient Cop. Their combined perspectives guide participants through a deeper understanding of policing, justice, and the transformative power of truth-telling.

Edwin Raymond is native of Brooklyn, New York and recently retired NYPD lieutenant, whistleblower and civil rights advocate whose work challenges systemic racism and inequity in modern policing. He shares his experiences through public speaking, different forms of media and his memoir An Inconvenient Cop, using personal narrative to illuminate structural injustice. His commitment to reform and moral courage aligns with the Stowe Center’s mission to inspire social
justice through storytelling. Like Stowe, Raymond uses his voice to provoke dialogue, foster empathy and encourage collective action toward a more just society.

Chair of the Stowe Center’s Board of Trustees, Dr. Michael Mallery Jr. is a scholar-activist whose work centers on education, equity, and community empowerment. With more than fourteen years of experience inspiring students and educators across the country, he brings an essential lens to conversations about justice and social change. His commitment to fostering dialogue and civic engagement makes him a vital guide in exploring the memoir’s urgent themes.