The protests that have swept the United States and the world in recent weeks after the police murder of George Floyd have been unlike anything we have seen in at least half a century. And they show no signs of slowing down.

“Defund the police” has emerged as a central demand at these protests. Criminologist Alex Vitale has long made this case, especially in his book The End of Policing (which you can download for free from Verso here).

Last week for Jacobin’s YouTube series “Stay at Home,” deputy editor Micah Uetricht interviewed Vitale about the basics of defunding the police, how policing has always been a key component of our economic system, and why the ongoing protests are cause for serious optimism in dark times.