What turns neighbors into enemies? What makes cruelty feel permissible? And how does music push back? In this episode, Dropkick Murphys founder Ken Casey and Yale psychologist Phillip Atiba Solomon use the band’s new song “Citizen I.C.E.” to explore identity, policing, propaganda, and the psychology of dehumanization. It’s a sharp, urgent conversation about punk, power, and the systems that teach people who belong—and who don’t.

Read the full transcript of this episode: http://singforscience.org/transcripts/dropkick-murphys-citizen-ice-phillip-atiba-solomon-public-safety-scienceFor further reading and listening:
Dropkick Murphys - Citizen I.C.E. (feat. Haywire) (Official Music Video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSrDkRm7_78
Why Minnesota Was a Wake-Up Call by Phillip Atiba Solomon for Time Magazine https://time.com/7380603/minnesota-ice-wake-up-call/
To Protect the Next George Floyd, We Must Remove the Threat of Police Violence from Everyday Life by Phillip Atiba Solomon for Time Magazine
https://time.com/5956701/george-floyd-justice-police-reform/
The Root Cause of Violent Crime Is Not What We Think It Is by Phillip Atiba Solomon for New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/12/opinion/crime-policies-cities.html
Ken Casey: ‘I’m Not Going to Shut Up’ by Jeffrey Goldberg for The Atlantic
https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2025/07/ken-casey-dropkick-murphys-donald-trump/682984/
Dropkick Murphys: 30 Years of Fighting Nazis, Now Taking on Trump | On Offense with Kris Goldsmith
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVcWLObekRU
About the Guests:
Ken Casey
Founder and vocalist of Dropkick Murphys, known for blending punk rock with themes of working-class identity and social justice.
https://dropkickmurphys.com/
Phillip Atiba Solomon
Professor at Yale University and co-founder of the Center for Policing Equity, focusing on data-driven approaches to public safety and equity.
https://policingequity.org/

Dropkick Murphys: Citizen I.C.E (Public Safety Science with Phillip Atiba Solomon)