On a busy evening in downtown Cincinnati, chaos erupted. Videos quickly surfaced online showing a man in a white T-shirt being thrown to the ground and repeatedly kicked. Nearby, a woman was struck so hard she lost consciousness. Dozens watched. Many filmed. But only one person called 911.

In a political environment already strained by division, another disturbing example of rhetorical escalation recently resurfaced to help us illustrate where we are as the American Empire decays. Jeffrey Miller, chairman of the Erlanger-Elsmere Independent School District in Kentucky since 2016, posted the following: “I’d be ok with the NRA if these psychos were just once the victims of a mass shooting. WINK WINK: please shoot Republicans.

As we stand on the precipice of significant social, political, and technological changes, the future of protection and personal security may look very different from what we know today. While we cannot predict with certainty exactly how the landscape of violence and conflict will evolve, the trends we’re already seeing indicate that we are on the cusp of a major shift.

If you're watching closely, you’ve seen the trend: political ideology is turning violent, and people in power are being hunted—not debated. This isn’t some theoretical “what if.” The threat environment has changed, and if you’re a public-facing figure, business owner, or leader, you are no longer shielded by your title, neighborhood, or good intentions.