I’m Justin Glawe, author, independent journalist and researcher.
My first book will be published in the spring of 2025 by the University of Georgia Press. It’s called If I am Coming to Your Town, Something Terrible Has Happened, and documents through raw and gritty scenes and characters the everyday violence, widespread unrest, and political upheaval of the last decade of American life. I write a newsletter called American Doom. It’s an ongoing chronicle of stories from the dark side of the American character through my eyes as a reporter on the ground amidst all the daily madness. You can subscribe here. You can also view some of my recent stories at various publications below.
I began my career in journalism a decade ago at my hometown newspaper, the Peoria Journal Star, writing about crime and daily life. From there I moved to the Bemidji Pioneer in Northern Minnesota, where I continued to report on crime as well as issues affecting the Native American community, primarily homelessness. After a brief stint in North Dakota, I set out as a freelancer in 2013.
I was in Ferguson for weeks following the death of Michael Brown and continued writing about police shootings across the country for the next two years before switching to covering national breaking news events for The Daily Beast, VICE, Esquire and others. In 2014 I moved to Chicago and covered violence and police shootings — in addition to writing about my beloved Chicago Cubs — before moving to Texas in 2016.
For two years in Texas I covered immigration and the border extensively, often reporting from Juárez and El Paso. Now, I’ve relocated to Savannah, Georgia, where I’m lucky enough to write about whatever strikes my interest. In addition to journalism I also conduct research on behalf of clients, specifically diving into records obtained via laws like the Freedom of Information Act.
Recent work
Inside a controversial auction of Gullah-Geechee homes: ‘This land needs to be protected’ - The Guardian
‘Nothing changed, just the players’: anger after vote threatens Gullah Geechee community - The Guardian
Republican promoters of election fraud falsehoods approve ballot hand-counts - The Guardian
A Black prosecutor was elected in Georgia – so white Republicans made their own district - The Guardian
The killing of Ahmaud Arbery served as a horrific backdrop to the Black Lives Matter protests that have consumed the nation. I drove to the small, coastal town of Brunswick to look into the case for The Daily Beast.
In September 2020, I travelled back to Juárez to pay homage to my friend and colleague, the longtime photographer and journalist Julián Cardona. You can read my remembrance of Julián at InsideHook.
Following the spring killings of spa workers in Atlanta, I went there to speak to the women and men who work in these quiet and often overlooked places. “America is getting worse,” one told me for my story in New York.
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In Minneapolis for The Daily Beast, I found tension between Black protesters and White rioters.
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I also found residents who said they’d been threatened for supporting the Black Lives Matter movement.
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Through it all, I tried to get to the bottom of rumors — since partly proven correct — that white supremacists and other agents provocateurs were behind some of the destruction.
Peoria Is a Pizza Destination
Take a pizza pilgrimage to Illinois, and see how my tough Midwestern hometown keeps cranking out the good stuff. Read it at Heated Mag.
High Times' New Owner Has a Plan. Or Does He?
Adam Levin wants to turn the iconic magazine into the world's biggest cannabis brand. Whether he can pull it off is the question. Read it at InsideHook.
Why I love this city where Americans aren’t always welcome
It involves Taquito Mexicano’s al pastor, a secret beverage called chucho, and the Wise Man of Juárez. Read it at Heated Mag.