Police Violence in America
Notes on police violence
No charges against US Park Police in 2017 shooting death of Bijan Ghaisar
By Harvey Simpkins, 16 November 2019
US Park Police in Alexandria, Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C., gunned down the unarmed 25-year old in his vehicle after he was the victim of a minor traffic incident.
Hundreds protest police violence in Brooklyn, New York subway
By Josh Varlin, 4 November 2019
Recent incidents of police violence in the subway system, connected to the crackdown on “fare evasion,” have fueled growing anger among workers in New York City.
New York City police kill five in less than a month
By Fred Mazelis, 30 October 2019
Behind the killings is the undoubted rise in social tension, the product of unprecedented inequality, along with decaying conditions affecting the working-class.
Trump makes fascist appeal to police in Chicago
By Barry Grey, 29 October 2019
The U.S. president doubled down on his efforts to rally support within the police and military for dictatorial methods and the use of state violence against immigrants and the working class as a whole.
The police murder of Isiah Murrietta-Golding
By Tom Carter, 26 October 2019
The epidemic of police brutality in the US, which enjoys the full backing of the state, is a product of a social and economic system in deep crisis.
Video shows Fresno police officer shooting unarmed 10th grade boy in the head
By Tom Carter, 24 October 2019
After Isiah Murrietta-Golding’s body drops to the ground, another police officer yells, “good shot.”
Fort Worth, Texas police officer charged with murder after shooting woman in her home
By Jacob Crosse, 15 October 2019
Atatiana Jefferson was shot through the window of her home early Saturday morning, while playing video games with her nephew.
Key witness in trial and conviction of police officer Amber Guyger murdered in Dallas
By Kevin Reed, 8 October 2019
Joshua Brown was killed two days after the sentencing of the officer to ten years in prison for the September 6, 2018 off-duty shooting death of Botham Jean in his own apartment.
Former Dallas police officer found guilty in off-duty shooting of neighbor
By Aaron Murch, 2 October 2019
The conviction marks the first time a Dallas police officer has been found guilty of murder in more than four decades.
Sacramento, California killer cops return to work 18 months after murdering 22-year-old Stephon Clark
By Dan Conway, 28 September 2019
The two Sacramento, California, police officers who fatally shot unarmed Clark 20 times last year returned to work Thursday after no federal civil rights charges were brought against them.
Orlando, Florida police officer fired after arresting two six-year-old school children
By Casey Gold, 24 September 2019
School resource officer Dennis Turner was fired from his position in the face of widespread outrage Monday, not for brutalizing two children, but for making the arrests “without the approval of a commanding officer.”
National Football League continues blacklisting of Colin Kaepernick
By Alan Gilman, 23 September 2019
Despite one-fifth of starting quarterbacks unable to play because of injuries, the National Football League owners continue to refuse to give Colin Kaepernick a tryout, let alone hire him.
Voices from Ferguson, Missouri five years after the police murder of Michael Brown
By Zac Corrigan, 22 August 2019
Residents spoke about life in a country where the police kill with impunity to defend a capitalist social order based on historic levels of inequality.
New York Police Department fires cop who killed Eric Garner
By Sandy English, 20 August 2019
The NYPD fired officer Daniel Pantaleo over five years after he choked to death Staten Island resident Eric Garner.
Police violence the sixth leading cause of death for young men in the US
By Gary Joad and Kate Randall, 20 August 2019
There were only 22 days in all of 2018 in which someone was not shot dead by police.
Outrage as Colorado police returned to duty after shooting 19-year-old in the back
By Kayla Costa, 17 August 2019
The officers involved in the murder of De’Von Bailey, the 537th person killed by police in the US this year, have already been returned to active duty.
Five years after police murder of Michael Brown
Police have killed 5,000 Americans since Ferguson protests
By Niles Niemuth, 10 August 2019
Despite popular protests and increased scrutiny in the aftermath of Michael Brown’s killing, US police officers have continued to kill at a rate of more than 1,000 people per year.
While Trump cries crocodile tears over massacre victims
ICE rounds up nearly 700 immigrants in sweep through Mississippi poultry plants
By Norisa Diaz and Patrick Martin, 8 August 2019
The Trump administration has given its real response to the fascist massacre in El Paso, Texas by carrying out the largest immigration raid since Trump entered the White House.
16 Shots: Documenting the Chicago Democratic Party’s cover-up of the police murder of Laquan McDonald
By Michael Walters and Kristina Betinis, 3 August 2019
Through powerful interviews with family members, witnesses, attorneys, city officials and activists, the timeline of the murder and cover-up is reconstructed.
Video shows Dallas, Texas police joking as a 32-year-old man dies in their custody
By Benjamin Mateus, 1 August 2019
Disturbing body camera footage was only released after all charges were dropped and the three officers who killed Tony Timpa in 2016 returned to active duty earlier this year.
US attorney general directs Bureau of Prisons to reinstate federal death penalty
By Kate Randall, 26 July 2019
The order by William Barr targeting five federal prison inmates of the death penalty for federal inmates sets the stage for the execution of inmates on federal death row for the first time in 16 years.
Florida police officer charged with planting drugs during traffic stops
By Matthew Taylor, 23 July 2019
Eight Floridians serving prison sentences have been released and had their cases dismissed due to the charges against a Jackson County, Florida sheriff’s deputy.
US investigators identify 70 current and former immigration agents in far-right, racist Facebook groups
By Kevin Martinez, 19 July 2019
The announcement came after several Facebook groups connected to Customs and Border Protection agents were discovered to contain vulgar and sexually explicit posts.
US Justice Department will not bring charges in 2014 police murder of Eric Garner
By Erik Schreiber and Fred Mazelis, 18 July 2019
The failure to charge Daniel Pantaleo in Garner’s death is an endorsement of lethal police violence against the working class, under conditions of growing social unrest.
Seventeen-year-old girl fatally shot by police on California freeway
By Alan Gilman, 13 July 2019
Hannah Williams was shot and killed after being involved in a minor traffic accident with a police vehicle in Fullerton, California.
UN human rights chief denounces “outrageous conditions” for immigrants in US concentration camps
By Josh Varlin, 10 July 2019
Indicating that the US government has no intention of heeding Bachelet’s statement, DHS has requested another 1,000 National Guard troops on the border between Texas and Mexico.
Building the infrastructure of a police state
Detroit’s facial recognition surveillance system exposed
By Kevin Reed, 9 July 2019
The poorest large city in the US is being used as a testing ground for invasive surveillance technologies in preparation for coming eruptions in the class struggle.
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.
Social media investigations unearth hundreds of police officers in the US involved in fascist or racist groups
By Jacob Crosse, 29 June 2019
Investigations conducted by Reveal and the Plain View Project confirm the presence of openly far-right officers in police departments.
Facial recognition technology and the US military-intelligence apparatus
By Kevin Reed, 27 June 2019
The banning of facial recognition software by major California cities has exposed the advanced use of biometrics and artificial intelligence by the domestic surveillance state and the Pentagon war machine.
Pete Buttigieg’s town hall debacle: A Democratic Party “golden boy” unmasked
By Jessica Goldstein, 25 June 2019
Working class residents of South Bend, Indiana, heckled Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg, the city’s mayor, as he stammered through empty promises to address police brutality.
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.
Police murder in Memphis
By Barry Grey, 15 June 2019
The conditions in Memphis exemplify the economic and social conditions behind the reign of police violence in working class communities.
NYPD disciplinary trial of cop who killed Eric Garner concludes
By Sandy English, 15 June 2019
Final briefs were submitted in the NYPD’s trial of Daniel Pantaleo, the officer who choked Eric Garner to death in Staten Island in 2014.
Protest erupts in Memphis, Tennessee after US marshals kill 20-year-old Brandon Webber
By Warren Duzak and Patrick Smith, 14 June 2019
The killing prompted about 100 protesters to take to the streets Wednesday night to vent their anger and demand justice.
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.
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.
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.
Cell phone video from Sandra Bland’s 2015 traffic stop made public
By Anthony Bertolt, 10 May 2019
The video renews attention to her death in police custody and raises questions over the way it has been withheld for nearly four years.
Minneapolis police officer convicted of murdering Justine Damond
By Anthony Bertolt, 2 May 2019
Mohamed Noor was convicted of third-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter and found not guilty of second-degree murder in the 2017 shooting.
Protests continue at Yale University over police shooting
By Tim Avery, 29 April 2019
Protests at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut and surrounding communities have continued since the shooting of two unarmed motorists by police officers on April 16.
Florida deputy’s assault on high school student caught on video
By Genevieve Leigh, 22 April 2019
The assault took place in the same county as the Stoneman Douglas school shooting last year, where officers have since been trained to use more brutal policing methods.
New video emerges of Chicago police officers tasing and beating high school student
By Jacob Crosse, 13 April 2019
The revelation of the incident which took place at the end of January has exposed yet another attempted cover-up inside the Chicago Police Department.
“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.
“Police violence is endemic to the system”
Pittsburgh high school students protest acquittal of killer cop
By Samuel Davidson, 26 March 2019
Hundreds of high school students and others took part in rally Monday in the fourth day of protests following the acquittal of the police officer who shot and killed 17-year-old Antwon Rose last year.
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.
Florida police officer found guilty in 2015 shooting of motorist
By Matthew Taylor, 8 March 2019
The conviction of Nouman Raja Thursday represents a rare example of a killer cop being held accountable by the courts.
US detains 77,000 immigrants at border in February, a 10-year high
By Norisa Diaz, 6 March 2019
The number of immigrants detained at the border hit a 10 year high in February, while employer audits and mass workplace sweeps continue to rise.
No charges for Sacramento police officers who murdered Stephon Clark
By Kayla Costa, 4 March 2019
Over the weekend, District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert announced that the officers who shot and killed 22-year-old Stephon Clark nearly one year ago will not face charges.
Florida state senator calls for National Guard to be deployed on the streets of Jacksonville in response to recent spate of violence
By Matthew Taylor, 21 February 2019
The call for martial law shows that the Democrats, no less than the Republicans, have nothing but contempt for constitutional protections and will utilize any excuse to institute police state measures.
Connections exposed between far-right group and police in Portland, Oregon
By Kayla Costa, 18 February 2019
Local journalists released hundreds of friendly and detailed texts between Portland Police Bureau Lieutenant Jeff Niiya and Joey Gibson, leader of Patriot Prayer, a local fascist group.
Uncertainty hangs over US border deal as shutdown deadline nears
By Patrick Martin, 14 February 2019
President Trump has not yet guaranteed that he will sign the deal to provide $1.375 billion to fund his planned border wall.
Protests erupt in Birmingham, Alabama after Thanksgiving Day police shooting of innocent man declared “justified”
By Shelley Connor, 7 February 2019
Bradford was shot three times from behind by the officer, whose identity has been withheld by the police.
Over a thousand federal inmates in New York City jail held for more than a week in dark, frigid conditions
By Philip Guelpa, 4 February 2019
Over 1,600 inmates at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn have been without heat and hot water, and with limited electricity and communications since a fire last Sunday.
Tempe, Arizona police officer fatally shoots fleeing 14-year-old boy in the back
By Kevin Martinez, 22 January 2019
The police claim that the youth made a move toward the officer after he stole an airsoft gun from a neighbor’s truck is at odds with the bodycam footage and the testimony of the truck’s owner.
Chicago police officer sentenced to less than seven years for murder of Laquan McDonald; three officers acquitted in cover-up
By Michael Walters, 21 January 2019
Jason Van Dyke was convicted in October 2018 of second-degree murder and 16 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm, one for every bullet he unloaded into McDonald’s body.
For fifth year in a row, US police kill more than one thousand
By George Gallanis, 7 January 2019
The relentless wave of killings is an indictment of identity politics and the pseudo-left groups who promote racialist politics as an antidote to police violence.
Behind the epidemic of police killings in America: Class, poverty and race
Part three
By Benjamin Mateus, 22 December 2018
A statistical analysis of every police killing in the United States during 2017 demonstrates that socio-economic class, not race, plays the most decisive role.
Behind the epidemic of police killings in America: Class, poverty and race
Part two
By Benjamin Mateus, 21 December 2018
A statistical analysis of every police killing in the United States during 2017 demonstrates that socio-economic class, not race, plays the most decisive role.
US Senate passes bipartisan criminal justice bill
By John Burton, 20 December 2018
The First Step Act will have only a marginal impact on the brutal and overcrowded US prison system.
Behind the epidemic of police killings in America: Class, poverty and race
Part one
By Benjamin Mateus, 20 December 2018
A statistical analysis of every police killing in the United States during 2017 demonstrates that socio-economic class, not race, plays the most decisive role.
Trump’s war on immigrants
Nearly 15,000 children held in detention camps across the US
By Niles Niemuth, 14 December 2018
The growth of the child detainee population and the Trump administration’s escalation of workplace raids represent an attack on the entire working class.
Four years after Eric Garner’s death, killer cop faces NYPD disciplinary hearing
By Leslie Murtagh, 12 December 2018
The New York City officer who choked Garner to death in 2014, Daniel Pantaleo, has avoided any criminal charges.
Outrage spreads over video showing police ripping child from mother’s arms at Brooklyn food stamp office
By Fred Mazelis, 11 December 2018
The young mother, after being mistreated and brutalized, is being held without bail and facing four separate charges, including resisting arrest.
Former Dallas cop indicted for murder of neighbor
By Trévon Austin, 3 December 2018
Guyger’s indictment marks the second Texas officer to be charged or found guilty of murder this year.
Three killed, eight injured in high speed US Border Patrol chase in southern California
By Meenakshi Jagadeesan, 1 December 2018
This latest tragedy must be viewed in the context of the Trump administration’s fascistic attack on immigrants.
Protests erupt after Thanksgiving police shooting of innocent man in Birmingham, Alabama
By Shelley Connor, 26 November 2018
In one video, a man screamed, as officers stood over Bradford’s body, “That boy didn’t shoot at nobody. He’s dead!” and, “They just killed that black boy for no reason…” The suspect remains at large.
Pentagon chief heads to border as first refugees from caravan arrive
By Bill Van Auken, 15 November 2018
General Mattis defended the deployment of thousands of active duty troops to confront refugee men, women and children as a “moral and ethical mission.”
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.
Chicago cop cleared in the 2012 killing of 15-year-old Dakota Bright
By Benjamin Mateus, 15 October 2018
The decision means that Brandon Ternand will not face any discipline for the murder and will be reinstated to active duty with back pay.
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.
Chicago police officer convicted of second-degree murder in 2014 killing of Laquan McDonald
By Jessica Goldstein, 6 October 2018
The trial and guilty verdict followed an attempted cover-up of the murder by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the Chicago Police Department.
Nashville, Tennessee, police officer charged in shooting death
By Zac Thorton and Warren Duzak, 2 October 2018
Tennessee has a long history of deadly police violence against fleeing suspects.
New York police officers caught running prostitution ring
By Guillaume Garnier, 28 September 2018
Seven NYPD officers were arrested this month for their involvement in the administration of prostitution rings and illegal gambling.
Trial underway in Chicago police murder of Laquan McDonald
By Kristina Betinis and George Gallanis, 27 September 2018
The defense team is relying on allegations that McDonald was a “combative” person to convince the jury he posed a threat and deserved to be killed.
ICE conducts anti-immigrant raids throughout Wisconsin
By Jacob Crosse, 24 September 2018
The families of the workers seized by federal agents have been given little information as to why they were detained or where they are being held.
Report shows that US police militarization does not reduce crime
By Erik Schreiber, 19 September 2018
The results of the study directly contradict the assertions of law enforcement officials across the country.
Portland officials fail to indict two university police for murder of 45-year-old worker
By Kayla Costa, 17 September 2018
Far from an unavoidable tragedy, the killing of Jason Washington is a direct consequence of the growing militarized police apparatus in cities and schools across the United States.
Hundreds protest fatal shooting of unarmed man in Dallas, Texas
By Trévon Austin, 12 September 2018
Off-duty police officer Amber Guyger fatally shot unarmed 26-year-old Botham Jean inside his own apartment.
Dallas police officer charged with manslaughter 72 hours after shooting neighbor in his own apartment
By Harvey Simpkins, 11 September 2018
Texas Rangers interviewed officer Amber Guyger and told the police department to “hold off” on arresting her supposedly to investigate the matter further.
As National Football League season opens
Nike unveils ad featuring blacklisted quarterback Colin Kaepernick
By Alan Gilman, 10 September 2018
The National Football League season has opened against the backdrop of Colin Kaepernick becoming the face of Nike’s new “Just Do It” campaign and a ruling allowing his collusion lawsuit against the NFL to go forward.
090 Rahm Emanuel not seeking reelection/police killing trial
6 September 2018
New York police union offers $500 bounty to vigilantes for assisting in arrests
By Leslie Murtagh, 5 September 2018
The union for New York City police sergeants has offered a $500 reward to anyone who assists a cop in making an arrest.
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.
“We are watching and we are coming”
ICE raids North Texas factory, arrests 160 immigrant workers
By Meenakshi Jagadeesan, 30 August 2018
In one of the biggest workplace raids in the past decade, ICE arrested 160 migrant workers at a factory north of Dallas.
Former Texas police officer found guilty of murdering unarmed teen
By Trévon Austin, 30 August 2018
Prior to this year, the last time a Texas police office was convicted of murder was in 1973.
Mayor demands New Yorkers “respect police officers”
By Isaac Finn, 24 August 2018
Following the posting of a handful of videos on social media of New York City residents cursing at police, Mayor de Blasio told New Yorkers that they “have to respect police officers.”
Chicago teen dead after police chase, family disputes official report of suicide
By Matthew Verhoven, 22 August 2018
More than 120 people marched to Mount Sinai Hospital, and to the Chicago Police Department 10th District, to demand the release of the boy’s body and footage of the events.
On anniversary of fascist killing in Charlottesville
Washington police mobilize to protect handful of neo-Nazis
By Patrick Martin, 13 August 2018
Despite a massive media blitz, only a few dozen fascists rallied in front of the White House, dwarfed by thousands of counter-demonstrators.
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.
America’s unending reign of police terror
By Niles Niemuth, 11 August 2018
Four years after the murder of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri by police officer Darren Wilson sparked popular outrage over police violence, the daily onslaught of police killings in the US continues.
Off-duty Cincinnati police officer uses taser on 11-year old child
By Jacob Crosse, 11 August 2018
Eleven year old Donesha Gowdy was suspected of “petty shoplifting”.
Portland police attack anti-fascist counter-protesters at neo-fascist rally
By Alec Andersen, 7 August 2018
Police in full riot gear used flashbang grenades and pepper spray and charged a group of anti-fascist demonstrators, beating them with batons and arresting four.
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.
Mississippi: No charges for police officers who fatally shot worker in address mix-up
By Nick Barrickman, 30 July 2018
The decision to deny charges comes nearly a year after Ismael Lopez’ death sparked protests and opposition within Southaven, a suburb of Memphis, Tennessee.
Trader Joe’s manager killed by Los Angeles police in shootout
By John Burton, 26 July 2018
Melyda Corado was killed Saturday afternoon by a police officer shooting at a suspect fleeing into the store.
American justice: New York City cop who killed Eric Garner may lose vacation days
By Daniel de Vries, 24 July 2018
Daniel Pantaleo has remained on the job pending an internal investigation into the 2014 strangling death of Garner.
As protests continue, Chicago police release footage of Harith Augustus’ murder
By our reporters, 17 July 2018
The footage was released very quickly, against official protocol, as the city attempts to defuse popular anger over the shooting and police aggression towards protesters.
Protesters clash with Chicago police after police murder of Harith Augustus
By Benjamin Mateus and Kristina Betinis, 16 July 2018
Simmering anger over police violence led to protests after police harassed a local barber and shot him in the back as he tried to flee.
Use of heavy sedative by Minneapolis police under investigation
By Anthony Bertolt, 9 July 2018
Details were leaked last month from a report which details multiple instances where police directed paramedics to inject ketamine into individuals who were already restrained and/or handcuffed.
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