Police in the state have long flirted with radical right-wing vigilantism.
Guns
Posted inJuly 1, 2020: 'I am here fighting for my life and future children'
Western police are geared up for war
But who’s the enemy?
Posted inJuly 1, 2020: 'I am here fighting for my life and future children'
There’s already an alternative to calling the police
A 31-year-old program in Eugene, Oregon, is a model in de-escalating situations that could end with law enforcement violence.
Posted inJune 1, 2020: Dissent at a Distance
American violence in the time of coronavirus
Author Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz puts armed ‘reopen’ protests in their historical context.
Posted inDecember 9, 2019: Crossing to Safety
Where does ‘the West’ begin?
When it comes to the myths and images of the West, Fort Worth, Texas, has created a cottage industry.
Posted inArticles
In the aftermath of the Las Vegas shooting, investigators try to heal
At the coroner’s office, mental health issues arise in the wake of tragedy.
Posted inArticles
In New Mexico, schools struggle to address a teen suicide crisis
Sixteen-year-old Aurra Gardner ended her life after her mother repeatedly asked school counselors for help.
Posted inArticles
Eco-fascism featured in El Paso terrorism suspect’s alleged manifesto
The racist rant calls for mass killings to make America more ‘sustainable.’ Other terrorists have done the same.
Posted inArticles
Gun-safety debate reaches Montana’s Supreme Court
The politically charged case could give cities the power to curb high rates of gun violence.
Posted inArticles
20 years after the Columbine shooting, its brutality is routine
Have school shootings become part of the American psyche?
Posted inApril 15, 2019: Scene of the Crime
Country-life shooters; moose acceptance; Phil Lyman’s unpaid debt
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Posted inMay 27, 2019: Public Pushback
Militias, MAGA activists and one border town’s complicated resistance
How Arivaca, Arizona, became a magnet for anti-immigrant activists – and what locals did next.
Posted inArticles
The stories that defined the West in 2018
The year in essays, analysis and investigations from across the Western U.S.
Posted inArticles
Denver cop with tattoo resembling militia group logo killed tribal citizen in 2015
Officer Michael Traudt says he is not a member of the Three Percenters.
Posted inOctober 15, 2018: Nature Retreat
Conspiracy theories inspire vigilante justice in Tucson
How one man’s imagined discovery of a sex-trafficking camp in the Sonoran Desert gained life online — and in the real world.
Posted inArticles
‘No trespassing’ laws create personal playgrounds for the wealthy
Westerners must fight for the right to roam in the age of ‘stand your ground’ laws.
Posted inArticles
Hunters and anglers need to get the lead out
Lead ammunition and fishing gear poison ecosystems — and dinner tables.
Posted inArticles
With a pardon, Trump perpetuates Bundy standoff
Clemency for Oregon ranchers convicted of arson fans anti-federal flames.
Posted inArticles
What gun shops can do to help prevent suicide
Montana’s arms dealers could learn from a model in New Hampshire.
Posted inJune 25, 2018: Little Weed, Big Problem
Aridity heads east; a geyser wakes up; activists young and old
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.