Who The Police Protect Poem by David Welch

Tyler was a real happy man,
looking down at his phone,
the mayor said, "We need less police,
their crimes are so well known."
They'd not arrest if you stole less
than a thousand from a store,
and decided, for the ‘oppressed, '
no cash bail anymore.
This was just great for Tyler since
three times he'd seen the slam,
and now they wouldn't raise a fist,
he had run of the land.
He and his boys would rule this town,
this small west coast city,
since the cops couldn't do their job,
they could steal things, scott-free.

And steal they did, for weeks on end,
whatever store they chose,
TVs, jewelry, prescription drugs,
entire racks of clothes.
He'd tell his boys, "Be at this place, "
they'd strike at the same time,
if any employee stopped them,
they'd get charged with a crime!
He had the wits to wear a mask,
so none could see them online,
people clucked at the videos,
to Tyler that was fine,
since those bougey folks had no balls,
had not the nerve to take,
when confronted by men like him
they did nothing but break.
So his men feasted on the town,
while the pundits declared,
"We cannot blame them for all this,
we gave them only despair! "

For several months they did quite well,
Tyler staked out his turf,
lived rich off all he had taken,
no care of who he hurt.
His boys strutted and ruled the roost,
high on power and girls,
the few cops left had not the strength
to harm his little world.
But something else soon came about,
something he'd not foreseen,
the businesses just up and left,
no longer making green.
One by one until none remained,
just store-fronts now empty,
Tyler tried robbing local folk,
but few had much money.
The others boys within the gang
grumbled at the whole thing,
Tyler felt all could come apart
if cash he could not bring.

But the solutions came real quick,
he had no fear because
if the cash wouldn't come to him
he'd go where the money was:
the suburbs, just outside of town,
those places had the goods,
his friend Maurice had stole car,
they'd go steal what they would.
They drove out to a cul-de-sac
one warmish July night,
broke into some old woman's crib,
stole everything in sight.
She was too scared to dare fight back,
she whimpered to the news,
but Tyler knew the cops would fail,
now too weak and too few.
The returned there a week later
and hit a family,
the father was away at work,
the boys went on a spree.
Took turns with the mom and daughter,
took their jewelry and drove off,
even kicked the man's old Black Lab,
when it cried out, they scoffed.

It went up on the internet,
people argued in vain,
some said, "Monster, " some said, "It's good
that ‘the rich' know their pain! "
Tyler ignored all the hoopla,
knew nothing would be done,
all cops were bastards, after all,
he had already won.
When nobody came after him
he knew that this was true,
but in his 'hood' several strange things
soon came into his view.
His boys would see some SUVs
too nice for this ghetto,
then his friend Maurice was shot down,
a head shot, brutal blow.
Two days later it was Andrew,
his throat cut from within,
then Marco was killed in his bed,
his face slashed to a grin.
One by one all his boys went down,
Tyler grew so afraid
he even went to the police,
they cared not what he'd say,
there were too few to walk those streets,
resources too far stretched,
Tyler retreated to his crib,
afraid that he'd be next.

He kept his last four brothers near,
their pistols well in hand,
then one night poor Rico was sniped
near where Tyler did stand.
He and his boys jolted to life,
three guns riddled his walls,
another man was hit by slugs,
to the ground he did fall.
They raced off from the crossfire,
to the hallway they ran,
only to see, at the far end,
a large and armored man.
His shotgun spoke and cut them down,
Tyler shrieked out and fell,
he heard many footsteps coming,
how many, he couldn't tell.

He saw the man who had shot him,
a stern look on his face,
with a military bearing,
his eyes a focused hate.
The others didn't look so tough,
just like middle-class dads,
but the guns they held were no joke,
and right now one seemed glad.
"This is the one who raped my girls, "
said one with an AR,
the stern one said, "You all did well,
better than most, by far.
The quick training did lots of good,
these thugs were not prepared,
and this bastard is still alive,
this human filth looks scared."
The AR-guy stalked up and looked
with a face cruel and grim,
he had no need for trials as
he aimed the guy at him.
Tyler could only cry as he
placed a foot on his neck,
in his last thought he understood
just who the police protect…