13 Stories That Aren’t About Trump That Explain 2018

What it was like to live in the US in this tumultuous year.

Campus Cops Are One Answer To School Shootings, But There’s No Proof They Work

Dozens of school resource officers have been accused of crimes involving the students they were hired to protect. Joshua Spratt was one of them. Read it here.

—Albert Samaha

Suicide Is On The Rise In The US, And Muslims Aren’t Immune

It’s hard enough dealing with the suicide of a loved one, but for a lot of Muslim families, that’s just the beginning of the heartache. Read it here.

—Hannah Allam

A College Student Who Took Back Her Rape Claim Faces A Year In Jail For False Reporting

The unusual prosecution has been praised by men’s rights groups, but Nikki Yovino’s confession has raised questions about how police treat women who report rape. Read it here.

—Tyler Kingkade

Cops Had A Warrant To Arrest A Stalker. Nine Days Later, He Was Free, And She Was Dead.

“They blew it off as a boyfriend–girlfriend spat,” Rosemarie Reilly’s mother told BuzzFeed News after filing suit against police. Read it here.

—Ariane Lange

Sapelo Islanders Have Survived Persecution And Slavery. Can They Survive Tourism?

A federal lawsuit accuses the government of trying to drive the descendants of enslaved Muslims from the place they call home to make way for wealthy weekenders. Read it here.

—Hannah Allam

What It’s Like For School Shooting Survivors To Watch The Parkland Protests

Not every kid who’s lived through a school shooting has the same cause to advance. For some, this is their chance to march in memory of classmates killed years ago. Others will avoid the protests altogether. Read it here.

—Tyler Kingkade and Jessica Testa

A 17-Year-Old Was Told He Couldn’t Attend High School, Even Though He’s A US Citizen

Older students have the right to a public education, but we found that immigrant teens are being excluded from schools in several states. Read it here.

—Zoë Kirsch

We’re Shocked. We Mourn. Then We Move On, Until The Next Hate-Fueled Attack.

A suspected hate crime that killed two black people at a grocery store was quickly overtaken by more hate-fueled violence. “We’re so bombarded.” Read it here.

—Jessica Testa

Sex Tourists Say They’re Going To Mexico To Escape #MeToo

“They say they’re more free here than over there. They say that just by looking at a woman, you can get sued.” Read it here.

—John Stanton

The Woman Who Said R. Kelly Abused Her Refuses To Be Silenced

For Jerhonda Pace, who accused musician R. Kelly of abusing her when she was a minor, watching #MeToo take down powerful men has been bittersweet. “What about R. Kelly’s victims? What about us? Nothing happened for us.” Read it here.

—Jim DeRogatis

An 18-Year-Old Posted A Rap Online. Then He Was Arrested For Threatening A School Shooting.

Michael Schmitt’s rap song was crude, but was it a crime? “They painted me as a school shooter, and that’s terrifying,” said the 18-year-old, who’s been on house arrest since March. Read it here.

—Tyler Kingkade

Why Fatal Police Shootings Rarely Lead To Convictions

After fatal shootings, police officers may lose their jobs, but they rarely get prison time. This cop walked away with a settlement. Read it here.

—Albert Samaha

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