A powerful sedative called ketamine can be administered to people suspected of exhibiting excited delirium syndrome. The chapter explores the tragic case of Elijah McClain, a Black youth who was calmly walking home when police unnecessarily detained and restrained him. When paramedics arrived, they injected McClain with a large dose of ketamine. This chapter explores the use of ketamine alongside McClain's treatment during and after the police incident that led to his death. It exposes how, even after he had been declared brain dead, McClain and his family were treated as criminals. Reflecting on a wider pattern of collusion between paramedics and police in the criminalization of Black people, this chapter argues that excited delirium is not a syndrome; rather, it must be understood as the White gaze that dehumanizes Black people and enables the systemic perpetuation of racialized killings.
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