Front page from May 1, 2008

Following the "not guilty" verdict in Sean Bell's case, more than 200 people marched through Harlem in protest, April 26, 2008 (Brian Jones | SW)

"It felt like they killed Sean all over again"

Outrage, disgust--and protest. That was the reaction of supporters of Sean Bell to the acquittal of three police officers who killed him in a hail of 50 bullets.

Welcome to the new SocialistWorker.org

With the wholesale renovation of our Web site, Socialist Worker is entering a new era.

The hidden war on democracy

The world's dominant power is waging a largely unreported war on another continent--Latin America.

What should Olympic protests focus on?

Olympic officials are trying to make sure that athletes are seen, but not heard, in Beijing.


Immigrant rights

May Day protests challenge ICE raids

Vowing not to be intimidated by a wave of raids, activists are mobilizing for May Day marches for immigrant and workers' rights.

Global food crisis

Class struggle rocks a U.S. ally

As strikes and protests play out in Egypt, one thing is certain: one of the pillars of U.S. domination in the Middle East is in for trouble.

Haiti's poor driven to the edge

A growing number of Haiti's poor have been pushed beyond endurance by price increases in staple foods.

Election 2008

Do any of them speak for working people?

The three presidential candidates

The energy wasted on campaign nonsense should lead us to ask the question the media avoid: Who are the candidates actually in touch with?

In defense of bitterness

Ordinary people, whether they live in Pennsylvania or not, have many reasons to be bitter about the condition of their lives and the world.

Do you now or have you ever known Bill Ayers?

His history as a radical antiwar activist is the real heart of the "Are you now or have you ever been a dinner guest of Bill Ayers?" attack.

The war on civil liberties

Persecution without end

Sami Al-Arian is facing another extension of his incarceration--and has been forced to take desperate action in protest.


International news

A torch that lights the way for oppression

The journey of the Olympic torch has been a public relations apocalypse--with protesters holding up a light to the hypocrisy of the Games.

Paying a high price for the Games

The Olympic stadium under construction in Beijing

Behind the 31 gleaming new Olympic venues built by China to impress the world lie repression and exploitation.

Who will control Mexico's oil?

Proposed legislation on Mexico's oil industry could create for the U.S. an "association of capitals"--privatization, by another name.

National News

Health hazard in a Harlem school

A teacher at P.S. 48 in Harlem works with students on reading skills  (Richard B. Levine | Showcase)

I teach at an elementary school in East Harlem, where we recently learned that there are high levels of cancer-causing PCBs in our building.

The death penalty

Green light for restarting executions

After a seven-month halt on executions, death penalty opponents faced a setback when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that lethal injection was constitutional.

Demonstrating for Mumia Abu-Jamal

Some 800 people flooded downtown Philadelphia to protest the recent denial of a new trial for Mumia Abu-Jamal.

Fighting for abolition in Maryland

An alternative piece of legislation has given abolitionists cause for optimism and continued struggle in Maryland.

The Labor movement

Roots of the crisis in the SEIU

SEIU members organized by union officials try to break into the 2008 Labor Notes conference (Zuma)

On the surface, the SEIU's conflict with the California Nurses Association is about an Ohio union drive, but the issues involved run deeper.

ILWU shuts down docks for May Day

Dockworkers voted to shut down West Coast ports on May 1 to protest the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

What can turn labor in a new direction?

Labor activist Jerry Tucker talks to Socialist Worker about the state of organized labor three years after the split in the AFL-CIO.

Features and reviews

No choice between the capitalist parties

The U.S. political system creates an institutional arrangement whereby only two parties are presented as legitimate options.

All the wrong conclusions

Without a critique of the war, the film Stop-Loss concludes with a supportive tone in the guise of duty to one's brothers in arms.

Activist News

East Coast CAN conference

Members from over 20 chapters of the Campus Antiwar Network gathered in April for an East Coast conference.

San Diego protesters challenge budget cuts

Teachers were among the groups of people who marched twice in San Diego to protest Arnold Schwarzenegger's budget cuts.