New York, NY – New Yorkers across the state face a vote on Nov. 7 on whether or not to have a Constitutional Convention, a process which occurs every 20 years. The last time a vote occurred for a so-called “Con Con” was in 1997. In the current political climate, unions and workers fear that all protections that were won in past Constitutional Conventions, most of which were gained during the New Deal, could be peeled away due to the intervention of lobbyists and financing from corporate influences.
New York, NY – Over 35 people gathered at the historic Riverside Church in Harlem, Feb. 13 to show solidarity with Rasmea Odeh. Odeh is a 68-year-old Arab American Chicago community organizer and women’s leader. She faces sentencing for an immigration violation in Detroit on March 12. The Department of Homeland Security and U.S. prosecutors singled her out because of her political views and activity opposing wars and military occupations.
Tampa, FL – On Oct. 25, the Tampa Committee to Stop FBI Repression held a solidarity event to support the Holy Land Five on the corner of Fowler Avenue and 56th Street, which is within the heart of the Muslim community here. Members of the local chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) were also there to show their support, as well as other members of the community. People waved signs reading, “Charity is not a crime!” as the busy rush hour traffic slowed down and drivers showed their support.
Boca Raton, FL – The final presidential debate, held at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida, was met with a large protest. Dream Defenders, a statewide network fighting for the youth in brown and Black communities, organized the event. Over 200 students and community members from across the state came to demand that the two candidates stop ignoring the issues effecting African American, Latino and other oppressed nationality communities. Police arrested 15 of the protesters for blocking off the intersection of Yamato Road and Military Trail.
Tampa, FL – At the University of South Florida, Oct. 8, about 30 students gathered outside of Cooper Hall to protest on the 11th anniversary of the war in Afghanistan. Six speakers from Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) spoke to the crowd about the impact this war has had on the students across the United States, and on the targets of U.S. wars abroad. After the protesters listened to the speeches made by the students and various community members, they marched to the C.W. Bill Young Building, which houses the ROTC program on campus. The building is named after Congressman Bill Young, whose anti-worker and anti-student policies sent many young people from poor communities to fight wars for members of the 1% – such as him.
The advances of the Cuban revolution have brought real improvements to people’s lives. A report made by the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), titled “Progress for Children: A Report Card on Nutrition,” gave the resilient island country a nod for being the only country in Latin America and the Caribbean to have eliminated malnutrition for children. The report also noted that the Cuban government has vowed to eliminate poverty and reach complete environmental sustainability by 2015, a year which approaches with great strides toward this end already taking place. This is a huge victory for Cubans, as they have faced over five decades of unjust blockade by the U.S. government and constant threats from hurricanes and other natural disasters.
Tampa, FL – About a dozen activists gathered outside of Sam M. Gibbons United States Courthouse here, Sept. 24, to mark the second year anniversary of the FBI raids against anti-war activists in 2010. These events and the subsequent grand jury investigation amount to nothing more than a witch hunt, with the aim of interfering with the anti-war movement. The protest demanded an end to the federal investigation of the peace activists.
Tampa, FL – On Sept. 11, members of various student and community groups gathered at the University of South Florida (USF) to commemorate the millions of victims affected by the conflicts sparked by the U.S. after the attacks on this day eleven years ago. The gathering was organized by Tampa Against the War on Terror and was supported by the campus chapter of Students for a Democratic Society. It came before a counter-protest in downtown Tampa, against a hate group that was seeking to ban the Council on America-Islamic Relations from speaking in Hillsborough County Public Schools.
Tampa, FL – Organizers for the Coalition to March on the RNC gathered for a press conference here, at Perry Harvey Senior Park, August 22 to give an update on their preparations for the August 27 march on the Republican National Convention. The press conference included speakers from organizations participating in the protest, along with several dozen members of local and international media.
