News and Views from the People's Struggle
Houston, TX – Over 100 people marched through Houston's Third Ward, Sept. 24, to protest police brutality and demand justice for victims of police killings. The march began with a few speeches in front of the Martin Luther King statue in MacGregor Park, located near the University of Houston. After dozens of people had gathered, they began to march in the streets.
Houston, TX – Over 30 students at the University of Houston participated in a protest against police brutality on Sept. 16. They began with a rally in front of the MD Anderson library on campus, with signs reading, “Black lives matter,” “End police brutality” and “Stop racist killer cops.”
Houston, TX – As part of their campaign to Stop Trump, over a dozen students at the University of Houston participated in a Trump piñata bash, Sept. 10. The students gave speeches denouncing Donald Trump and the Republican agenda of racist discrimination, hatred and fear. After their speeches, they took a few whacks at the Trump piñata. It was a busy Friday, and students from all over campus gave nods of support.
Houston, TX – Over 30 people gathered in front of the headquarters of the Houston Police department, July 10, to protest the murder of Alva Braziel, an African-American man who was shot dead this week by the police. Braziel was cooperating with the police by putting his hands up, but they still shot him. The protest was also called to demand justice for Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, and all victims of police brutality.
Houston, TX – On June 17, Donald Trump will be holding a fundraiser in Houston to raise money for his campaign of racism, hatred and fear. The event will be held at the home of Tony Buzbee, a notoriously right wing lawyer who represented criminals like Rick Perry, the former governor of Texas. Buzbee's home is located in River Oaks, the most bourgeois neighborhood in town that houses the richest capitalists of Houston. Trump is charging $5000 for people to have their photo taken with him, and over $250,000 to spend an evening with him.
Galveston, TX – Students from Houston and Lufkin, Texas gathered on Galveston Island, May 22, to prepare for the Cleveland march on the Republican National Convention (RNC). On a beautiful sunny day, they got together on the beach and held a Trump piñata bash. Participants said one thing they don't like about Trump and then took a whack at the piñata. The SDS beach party was the first major activity organized by the group to prepare for its participation in the July 18 protest organized by the Coalition to Stop Trump and March on the RNC.
Houston, TX — On May 21, right-wing groups attempted to intimidate the Muslim community in Houston by holding an armed rally outside of the Islamic Daw'ah Center. The fifteen white supremacists displayed racist symbols, including the confederate flag, and chanted racist and anti-Muslim slurs. However, scores of people came out to fight back and confront the white supremacists’ message of hate and fear.
Houston, TX – Over 25 people gathered at the University of Houston, March 30, to attend a talk on the Palestinian activist Rasmea Odeh. Odeh is a 68 year old Palestinian American leader who was brutally tortured by the Israeli government in 1969, and is being targeted by the U.S. government for her political activism. She is a respected and influential activist in the Palestinian liberation movement and the government is using a bogus charge of immigration fraud in an attempt to silence her. Since she was arrested in 2013, activists all over the country have organized for justice for Rasmea Odeh.
Houston, TX – Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) are organizing events in solidarity with Rasmea Odeh this week at University of Houston. Rasmea Odeh is a 68-year-old Palestinian American woman, tortured and imprisoned by the Israeli military occupation in 1969. For the past 20 years, she lived in Chicago, serving the Arab American and American Muslim community. She is beloved by many and won multiple awards for her work with women and children. The U.S. government is targeting Odeh for political reasons. She is being charged with minor immigration paper work offences, but the trumped-up case involves the judge and prosecutor talking on and on about terrorism.
Houston, TX – Over 30 activists marched in Houston, March 13, to celebrate International Women's Day. The Autonomous Brown Berets was one of the organizations participating in the event. The main focus of the march was on Berta Caceres, a Honduran indigenous human rights activist who was recently murdered for her activism. The celebration was held in the East End, a Chicano/Mexicano neighborhood, and began with a traditional indigenous blessing ceremony.