Why America Must (Eventually) Defund the Police or Die

Without an intervention, the institution created to limit democracy for some is a threat to democracy at large.

A jolt from the gut startles him awake; he is gasping for air. He’d spring up in bed to inhale if he could, but some invisible weight on his chest keeps him pinned to the mattress.

Panic courses through his body from crown to gut, and he fears the Grim Reaper has slid into the room like a referee from one of those wrestling shows to give the three-count. His right-hand stutters across the white cotton sheets, fumbling for the power switch to his bedside lamp, while the other frantically clutches at the side of the bed.

The gurgling sound of his struggle to breathe rouses his wife. “Honey?” she asks, turning on her own bedside lamp. “Honey!!” she repeats, her hand on his chest as her confusion turns to dread. She calls 911.

After a couple of days in the hospital and numerous tests, the doctor descends through the fluorescent ceiling lights and plops down next to the man’s cot. His cushioned stool squeaks under his weight. “Well,” says the doctor with a satisfied grin, “It seems we’ve finally found the cause of your near-miss with death.” The paper bed liner rustles beneath the man as he braces for the diagnosis.