America’s Brutal Society
US Navy SEAL acquitted of murder and other war crimes by military jury
By Kevin Reed, 3 July 2019
Edward Gallagher was acquitted of the most serious charges against him, including the unprovoked murder of a wounded teenage ISIS soldier, by a military court martial.
Outrage over manslaughter charge facing Alabama woman who miscarried after shooting
By Fred Mazelis, 3 July 2019
The case of Marshae Jones is part of the escalating attacks on abortion rights and the criminalization of the poor.
Washington Post’s Richard Cohen comes to the defense of Linda Fairstein, overseer of the Central Park Five prosecution
By Kate Randall, 3 July 2019
Cohen gushed over Colin Powell’s infamous February 4, 2003 presentation of lies at the UN that formed the justification for the Iraq War.
US Border Patrol agents joke about immigrant deaths in secret Facebook group with 9,500 members
By George Marlowe, 2 July 2019
A report by ProPublica revealed that Border Patrol agents used a secret Facebook group to make sadistic and violent jokes about immigrants as well as members of Congress.
House Democrats give $4.6 billion for Trump’s concentration camps
Ocasio-Cortez plays critical role in ensuring passage
By Eric London, 28 June 2019
House Democrats voted for a Senate bill that exposes the critical role of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other “progressive” Democrats in facilitating Trump’s crackdown on immigrants.
No more lies!
The way forward in the struggle against the poisoning of Flint
the WSWS editorial board, 28 June 2019
The following statement is being distributed to a community meeting in Flint Friday night.
No to concentration camps in America!
By Eric London, 26 June 2019
Hundreds of millions of people around the world are sickened by Trump’s sadistic crimes against immigrants, which have exposed the rot at the core of American capitalism.
Horror across US-Mexico border with multiple parents, infants dead
By Eric London, 25 June 2019
Over the weekend, two young parents and four young children died crossing the desert in separate instances while Mexican police shot a young migrant in the head.
Oregon legislature shut down by right-wing militia threats
By Kayla Costa, 25 June 2019
The Oregon State Capitol building in Salem was shut down after right-wing militias made violent threats in defense of 11 Republican senators who fled the state to prevent a vote on a carbon-emissions bill.
Biden under fire over comments about working with segregationist senators
By Patrick Martin, 21 June 2019
The controversy has put the spotlight on the role of Southern Democrats in defending racial discrimination well into the 1970s.
Three incidents of police brutality spark outrage across US
By Jessica Goldstein, 19 June 2019
Each incident exposes the systematic brutality that workers in all areas of the US suffer at the hands of police on a daily basis.
Mistrial in case against “No More Deaths” volunteer charged with aiding immigrants
By Meenakshi Jagadeesan, 13 June 2019
Scott Warren was arrested for providing food, water and shelter to two undocumented immigrants.
Minneapolis police officer sentenced to over 12 years in prison for murder of Justine Damond
By Anthony Bertolt, 13 June 2019
A month-long trial in April resulted in Noor being found guilty of third-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter.
Alabama governor signs chemical castration bill into law
By Jessica Goldstein, 12 June 2019
The mandate, ostensibly to protect children from rape, follows the recent enactment of an Alabama law that prohibits abortion in the vast majority of sexual assault and incest cases.
Biden drops support for abortion-funding restriction after political firestorm
By Patrick Martin, 7 June 2019
The leading candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination had sought to stake out a right-wing position on access to abortion.
Three immigrants die in US custody in three days
By Niles Niemuth, 6 June 2019
Immigrants are being subjected to inhumane treatment all along the line, guaranteeing that there will be more deaths in federal detention centers across the US.
By Kate Randall, 3 June 2019
Shooter Dwayne Craddock had worked as a certified professional engineer in the city’s public utilities department for about 15 years and was not previously known as a violent individual.
“It’s immoral. It’s unethical. It’s torture”
US uses solitary confinement as weapon against detained immigrants
By Meenakshi Jagadeesan, 1 June 2019
An International Consortium of Investigative Journalists report documents the widespread use of solitary confinement by the US government against detained immigrants.
At least 12 dead in Virginia Beach mass shooting
By Bryan Dyne, 1 June 2019
Mass shootings in America are a product of mounting social inequality at home and unending wars abroad.
Democratic governor signs Louisiana fetal “heartbeat” abortion ban
By Kate Randall, 31 May 2019
Louisiana is the fifth state to pass bans on abortions based on detection of a fetal heartbeat, following Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi and Ohio.
Chicago police kill bipolar man inside his home
By Andy Thompson, 28 May 2019
Myles Frazier was shot and killed after he barricaded himself in his home in the Woodlawn neighborhood on the city’s south side.
US federal prisoner dies after more than 35 years in solitary confinement
By Kate Randall, 27 May 2019
The dehumanizing conditions of solitary confinement described by Dickens in 1842 have been replaced in the 21st century with its “modern” version, used widely in the US prison system.
Supreme Court justices battle over execution delays
By John Burton, 20 May 2019
In opinions last week, the three most extreme right-wing Supreme Court justices lashed out at two fellow members of the five-vote right-wing bloc.
Alabama abortion ban: Back to barbarism
By Patrick Martin, 16 May 2019
The purpose of the law is to give the new right-wing majority on the US Supreme Court the opportunity to overturn Roe v. Wade.
After shouting “I’m pregnant,” woman fatally shot by Texas police officer
By Marcus Day, 15 May 2019
Video recorded by a bystander and posted to Snapchat quickly went viral, prompting widespread outrage at the horrific killing.
Guatemalan boy detained by US Border Patrol dies after succumbing to illness
By Kevin Martinez, 3 May 2019
The 16 year old, who has not been named, is the third immigrant child to die in government custody in just five months.
Another school shooting claims two lives at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte
By Jessica Goldstein, 3 May 2019
The shooting at UNCC is only the latest deadly mass shooting in the United States.
US military set to loosen rules for troops operating along southern border
By Genevieve Leigh, 27 April 2019
The Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security are clearing the way for Trump to escalate his anti-immigrant program amidst silence from Democrats.
Massachusetts judge and court officer charged with helping immigrant evade ICE officer
By Kevin Martinez, 27 April 2019
Newton District Court Judge Shelley Richmond Joseph and former trial court officer, Wesley MacGregor both face up to 20 years if found guilty of obstructing ICE.
US Navy SEAL officers attempted to cover up evidence of war crimes
By Josh Varlin, 27 April 2019
Navy SEAL officers told lower-ranking soldiers not to report war crimes, including the murder of civilians and a wounded teenager in Iraq.
Amid mass beheadings, Wall Street scrambles for Saudi profits
By Bill Van Auken, 27 April 2019
With the blood of 37 men decapitated in public squares barely dry, top financiers rushed to Riyadh in search of deals with the ruling monarchy.
Rising death toll in San Diego jails
By Norisa Diaz, 20 April 2019
Within the short span of six weeks, four people have died while in custody in San Diego, California jails.
Twenty years since the Columbine High School massacre
By David Walsh, 19 April 2019
The Colorado event, in which two high school seniors shot and killed 12 of their fellow students and one teacher before committing suicide, represented something qualitatively new and disturbing in American social life.
In 3 A.M. ruling, Supreme Court allows Alabama execution to proceed
By Dan Conway, 13 April 2019
For the second time in as many weeks, the US Supreme Court has ruled that the execution of a death row inmate can proceed despite claims that the method of execution, lethal injection, will cause intense pain and suffering.
Arrest made in connection with church burnings in Louisiana
By Aaron Murch, 12 April 2019
The son of a white sheriff’s deputy faces charges of setting fire to three black churches.
America the Barbaric
By Niles Niemuth, 6 April 2019
If the conditions that exist in US prisons were exposed in Russia or China, there would be a hue and cry in the press and the halls of Congress for economic sanctions and “humanitarian” military intervention.
“An excessive amount of violence, sexual abuse, and prisoner deaths”
Federal report exposes horrific levels of abuse in Alabama prisons
By Niles Niemuth, 5 April 2019
A more than two-year investigation exposed appalling violations of constitutional protections for the approximately 25,000 men locked up in facilities operated by the Alabama Department of Corrections.
US detaining immigrants under highway overpass in Texas amid renewed crackdown
By Eric London, 29 March 2019
Amidst a media blackout, the Trump administration is arresting unprecedented numbers of immigrants at the border while demanding the expansion of internment camps.
Three suicides in two weeks linked to US mass shootings
By Matthew MacEgan, 28 March 2019
Last week saw the tragic deaths of two students who survived the 2018 Parkland massacre, followed by the suicide of the parent of a girl who was killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook School shooting.
Arsonist attacks mosque in Southern California
By Norisa Diaz, 28 March 2019
An arsonist set fire to the Islamic Center of Escondido in North San Diego County on Sunday, leaving behind a note referencing the New Zealand rampage.
Indiana teachers shot ‘execution style’ with plastic pellets during school shooting drill
By George Marlowe, 23 March 2019
Teachers in Indiana were subject to a violent school shooting drill by law enforcement officials in January which left them bleeding and bruised for weeks.
Massive police presence for trial of cop in murder of Antwon Rose
By Samuel Davidson, 21 March 2019
A massive show of police force is being staged for the trial of former East Pittsburgh police officer Michael Rosfeld, who killed 17-year-old Woodland High School honor student Antwon Rose last year, shooting him three times in the back.
California governor announces moratorium on death penalty
By Alan Gilman, 16 March 2019
The 737 condemned inmates in the nation’s largest death row will have their death sentences stayed for the duration of a moratorium issued by Governor Gavin Newsom.
“I was treated like a caged animal”
Single mother and healthcare worker jailed for three days in Indiana over unpaid ambulance bill
By George Marlowe, 1 March 2019
Melissa Latronica, a single mother of three and a certified nursing assistant, was recently arrested and thrown into jail for an unpaid ambulance bill she never received.
Laid-off worker opens fire and kills at least five in Aurora, Illinois manufacturing plant
By George Marlowe, 16 February 2019
A recently laid-off worker at the Henry Pratt Company opened fire Friday, killing at least five people and injuring many others.
One year since the Parkland high school massacre: A political balance sheet
By Genevieve Leigh, 14 February 2019
One year has passed since the mass shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, which killed 17 people and sparked nationwide protests by students and youth against gun violence.
US Supreme Court clears way for execution of Muslim inmate without imam in death chamber
By Kate Randall, 9 February 2019
The Supreme Court’s 5-4 ruling openly violated the separation of church and state enshrined in the US Constitution and the high court’s jurisprudence that government may not discriminate among faiths.
Federal agents release more than 1,000 immigrants in El Paso, Texas
By Patrick Martin, 28 December 2018
The mass releases, with detained immigrants dropped at bus stations, shelters and city parks, seem to be a politically-motivated campaign by ICE agents.
The death of Felipe Alonzo-Gómez: A crime of US imperialism
By Eric London, 27 December 2018
The eight-year-old immigrant died in US custody after fleeing from Nentón, Guatemala, close to where a horrific massacre took place in 1982 during the country’s civil war.
Plead for charity or die: A blunt message from the American health care system
By Nancy Hanover, 28 November 2018
One of the ugly secrets of US medical care—the rationing of life-saving procedures based on ability to pay—was exposed by the recent experiences of a Michigan woman seeking a heart transplant.
Kidnapping, rape and murder by US border patrol agents
By Norisa Diaz and Meenakshi Jagadeesan, 15 November 2018
Numerous migrants, mostly women and girls, have been victims of murder, attempted murder, kidnapping or rape at the hands of US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents.
Afghanistan war veteran kills 12 at a southern California dance club
By David Walsh, 9 November 2018
Another horrible mass shooting took place in the US on Wednesday night, the 307th such episode on the 311th day of the year, according to a website that tracks gun violence.
Israeli government defends Trump in aftermath of Pittsburgh massacre
By Jean Shaoul, 5 November 2018
The spontaneous outpourings of solidarity across Jewish and Muslim communities for the victims of the Pittsburgh atrocity are anathema to the Netanyahu government.
128 years after the first US electrocution
Tennessee revives “Old Smokey,” the electric chair, for an execution
By Kate Randall, 3 November 2018
The US Supreme Court has never ruled execution by electric chair or lethal injection unconstitutional and has consistently upheld the constitutionality of the death penalty itself.
Thousands attend funerals for victims of Pittsburgh synagogue massacre
By Samuel Davidson, 2 November 2018
Pittsburgh residents who spoke to the World Socialist Web Site denounced the president’s anti-immigrant tirades, which created the climate for the deadliest act of anti-Semitic violence in US history.
Child detainees speak out: “I just wanted a hug from someone”
The view from inside America’s child immigrant detention shelters
By our reporters, 1 November 2018
The World Socialist Web Site spoke with several immigrant children recently released from child detention shelters about conditions in the facilities.
Vigils for victims of Pittsburgh shooting express anger over Trump’s racist incitements
By Samuel Davidson and Kate Randall, 30 October 2018
Vigils held across the country have charged Trump with using hate speech to incite violent attacks over the past week.
Killings at Kentucky store were hate crime, police say
By our reporter, 30 October 2018
The gunman, 51-year-old Gregory Bush, had a history of mental illness and racist abuse.
Participants in vigils for Pittsburgh shooting victims speak to the WSWS
“I don’t think the Democrats are doing anything to oppose Trump’s message”
By our reporters, 30 October 2018
WSWS reporters spoke to people at vigils in Pittsburgh, New York and Detroit.
Mass shooting at Pittsburgh synagogue
Anti-Semitic violence erupts in America
By Joseph Kishore, 29 October 2018
To understand the significance of the homicidal violence in Pittsburgh that has left 11 people dead, it is necessary to place the event in its international and historical context.
Detroit's reality: Infant corpses found piled up in funeral home
By Lawrence Porter, 22 October 2018
Police raids following an anonymous tip and a lawsuit have uncovered dozens of fetuses, several children’s bodies and hundreds of containers of human remains.
Washington state Supreme Court strikes down death penalty as “arbitrary and racially biased”
By Kate Randall, 16 October 2018
The ruling invalidating the state’s 37-year-old death penalty law makes Washington the latest in a string of states in recent years to abandon capital punishment.
The fifth death in two years
Eighteen-year-old found hanged in northern Wisconsin jail
By Jacob Crosse, 8 October 2018
The tragic and preventable deaths in Wisconsin Rapids reflect an upward trend in suicides throughout the United States’ overcrowded, backlogged and brutal jail and prison system.
After Parkland: The militarization of high schools in the US
By Alex Johnson, 29 September 2018
The following article is part of a series of articles dedicated to exposing the militarization of schools and universities.
Trump administration takes aim at immigrants who receive federal benefits
By Harvey Simpkins, 24 September 2018
Even current green card holders could be subject to the new rule and lose their status as lawful permanent residents if, in certain circumstances, they leave the country and try to return.
Four dead in workplace shooting in Maryland, the third mass shooting in the US in 24 hours
By Adam Mclean, 21 September 2018
On Thursday morning, a gunman opened fire at a Rite Aid distribution center in Aberdeen, Maryland, killing three people and injuring three more.
Fifteen prisoners die in a month in Mississippi
By Aaron Murch, 8 September 2018
The sharp spike in prisoner deaths in Mississippi underscores the brutality and inhumanity of the prison system, which now holds over two million poor and working class people throughout the US.
“This is a class issue, and it’s a social issue”
Memorial service held for six of ten children killed in Chicago Little Village house fire
By our reporters, 3 September 2018
About 200 people attended the funeral, with many traveling long distances from throughout Chicago and its surrounding suburbs.
Media smears family of victims of Chicago house fire
By George Marlowe, 3 September 2018
The press continues to demonize the victims of the Chicago house fire in the Little Village neighborhood, deflecting blame from the political establishment.
Immigrant mother sues for $40 million after child dies following ICE detainment
By Kevin Martinez, 31 August 2018
The death of Mariee Juarez is one more casualty in the Trump administration’s brutal war on immigrants.
“The politicians want to sweep this under the rug”
Hundreds gather to commemorate ten children killed in Chicago house fire
By George Marlowe and George Gallanis, 29 August 2018
While hundreds went to a vigil to commemorate and mourn the death of the ten children lost to the house fire Sunday morning, Chicago’s Democratic mayor and city aldermen declined to attend.
US prison strike enters second week amid media blackout
By Matthew Taylor, 28 August 2018
Prisoners across multiple states have continued to strike against the brutal conditions under which they are incarcerated.
Three killed, nine injured in Jacksonville, Florida mass shooting
By Matthew Taylor, 27 August 2018
The massacre at a video game tournament on Sunday was only the latest in a string of mass shootings in the US.
Former New York City jail guards union head convicted of bribery
By Josh Varlin, 24 August 2018
The conviction of former New York prison guards’ union president Norman Seabrook sheds light on a corrupt nexus of police, union and corporate-financial figures exchanging money and favors.
Hundreds of detained immigrants join US national prison strike
By Trévon Austin, 23 August 2018
Detained immigrants have linked their struggle with prisoners to protest inhumane living conditions.
Brutal conditions in US prisons drive inmates to strike
By Matthew Taylor, 22 August 2018
Prisoners have begun a 19-day strike to protest their inhumane living conditions, slave-like work regimes and sentencing laws that strip away their constitutional rights.
The brutality of borders
Mass grave revealed at Arizona Air Force bombing range
By Norisa Diaz, 18 August 2018
The treacherous deserts along the Southwest have taken the lives of tens of thousands of migrants coming to the US.
Private prison corporation CoreCivic facing multiple lawsuits for endangering Tennessee inmates
By Keisha Gibbs, 17 August 2018
Nashville-based private prison company CoreCivic continues to reap profits despite numerous lawsuits.
Nebraska carries out first execution in US using the opioid fentanyl
By Kate Randall, 15 August 2018
Nebraska authorities now have the dubious distinction of pioneering the use of the powerful synthetic drug at the center of the US opioid crisis that claimed more than 70,000 lives in 2017 for state-sanctioned murder.
Baltimore police officer resigns after video of vicious assault sparks outrage
By Harvey Simpkins, 13 August 2018
The video shows footage of the police officer throwing at least 10 punches, in about 12 seconds, at his victim's face, without any provocation.
Tennessee carries out first execution in nearly a decade
Inmate “gulped for an extended period of time” and was “choking,” “gasping”
By Kate Randall, 11 August 2018
Irick’s attorneys had argued that their client suffered from severe mental illness and that one of the drugs to be used in his lethal injection could cause severe pain.
New Orleans mayor refers to residents as “bad actors” amid looming water cut-offs
By Aaron Murch, 8 August 2018
The utility shut-offs are being implemented despite months of criticisms and complaints from residents stemming from incorrect billing and other irregularities.
Former tennis player James Blake criticizes NYC mayor for handling of false arrest in 2015
By Isaac Finn, 7 August 2018
On Wednesday Blake condemned New York City’s Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio for failing to inform him about a disciplinary trial of the cop who tackled him in front of a hotel.
Separated: Children at the Border highlights the horrific human costs of the bipartisan war on immigrants
By Meenakshi Jagadeesan, 3 August 2018
The latest PBS Frontline documentary shows the effect of family separations and traces the roots of Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy.
Florida’s “stand your ground” law under heavy scrutiny following shooting
By Matthew MacEgan, 1 August 2018
Two weeks ago, a white man shot an unarmed black man over a parking spot at a convenience store but was not arrested.
Extended-stay motel fire kills mother and five children in Michigan
By Joseph Lorenz, 30 July 2018
This tragedy underscores the desperate and dangerous living conditions confronting millions of low-income and unemployed workers across the US.
Trump administration deported up to 463 immigrant parents without their children
By Tom Hall, 25 July 2018
The admission by government lawyers raises the prospect that hundreds of parents separated under Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy might never see their children again.
Executions in Texas and Ohio
By Kate Randall, 20 July 2018
Both condemned inmates suffered traumatic childhoods, committed heinous murders, expressed remorse for their crimes, and were executed by the state.
Trump administration defends missing court deadline to reunite immigrant families
By Meenakshi Jagadeesan, 11 July 2018
In a calculated and cruel political maneuver, the administration stated that it could not release children because it could not locate or vet their parents.
Study shows 144,000 US inmates denied care for hepatitis C
By E.P. Milligan, 7 July 2018
If left untreated, the condition can potentially mean a slow and agonizing death sentence.
Boston subway rider victimized by aged train and the high cost of medical services
By John Marion, 6 July 2018
A woman stepping off a 40-year-old subway train had her leg cut to the bone, then begged her fellow passengers not to call an ambulance due to the cost.
US war on immigrants continues
Trump using separated children to force “voluntary” deportations
By Alec Andersen, 5 July 2018
The Trump administration has responded to a court-ordered “family reunification” process by forcing immigrant parents with separated children into signing a document agreeing to deportation back to their country of origin.
Killing of 45-year-old postal worker by Portland State University police draws protests
By Kayla Costa, 3 July 2018
The tragic murder of Jason Washington is a direct result of the militarization of campuses across the country.
Attacker stabs nine people at apartment complex housing refugees in Boise, Idaho
By Meenakshi Jagadeesan, 2 July 2018
According to the Boise police department, the number of victims was the most in a single incident in the city’s history.
Five killed and others injured in Annapolis, Maryland Capital Gazette shooting
By Trévon Austin, 29 June 2018
Politicians responded to the latest mass killing with typical empty platitudes and condolences.
US Supreme Court sides with anti-abortion fanatics who operate fake health centers
By Tom Carter, 27 June 2018
Yesterday’s decision is yet another victory for Christian fundamentalists and the campaign to use “freedom of religion” to undermine the separation of church and state, legalize discrimination and obstruct access to health care.
US court documents reveal
Immigrant children tied down, hooded, beaten, stripped and drugged
By Patrick Martin, 22 June 2018
US immigrant detention centers are applying the techniques of Guantanamo Bay and CIA torture prisons on teenagers and even younger children.
Hundreds rally in Pittsburgh to demand justice for unarmed teen killed by police
By Samuel Davidson, 22 June 2018
Antwon Rose, a 17-year-old Woodland Hills High School honor student, was shot three times in the back Tuesday as he ran from a traffic stop.
Survivors Guide to Prison: The American nightmare
By Joanne Laurier, 22 June 2018
This documentary exposé of the US prison and criminal justice system includes a host of celebrities commenting on the phenomenon of mass incarceration.
Mexican immigrants seek asylum amidst growing social inequality and crime
By Clodomiro Puentes, 20 June 2018
The majority are forced to make the long and risky journey to seek political asylum in the US, due to cartel-related crime and violence in Mexico.
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