Fight Back! News

News and Views from the People's Struggle

Gabriel Miller

By Gabriel Miller

Participants in the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression conference.

Chicago, IL – 500 organizers convened at the Chicago Teacher’s Union Hall from Friday, November 14 through Sunday, November 16 for the 52nd anniversary national conference of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR).

The conference was the fourth of its kind since the refounding of NAARPR in 2019. It showcased the tremendous growth of the organization and its fighting capacity since its original founding in 1973 out of the movement to free Angela Davis. 530 people registered for the conference, representing 31 NAARPR branches and affiliate organizations.

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By Gabriel Miller

Rally kicking off the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression conference.

Chicago, IL — 900 activists from across the country gathered at the Chicago Teachers Union Hall, Friday, November 14 for a rally on the opening night of the National Conference of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR).

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By Gabriel Miller

Chicago protest demands release of surviviors of police torture. | Fight Back! News/Kaya Rial

Chicago, IL- A dozen protesters gathered on Friday, September 19 outside the 50th Anniversary Gala of the Illinois Humanities nonprofit, a celebration for which Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker had been named an honorary co-chair. The protesters rallied and chanted to demand that Pritzker use his executive power to grant clemency for hundreds of petitioners with credible claims of police torture and wrongful conviction.

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By Gabriel Miller

A group of workers and supporters hold signs that say, "Mausers Teamsters on Strike!"

Chicago, IL – 150 striking workers at the Mauser Industrial Packaging facility in Little Village were joined on September 8 by activists from the Coalition Against the Trump Agenda (CATA) to support the months-long strike campaign for a decent contract.

Stronger protections against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are top of the priority list for the striking workers of Teamster Local 705, 90% of whom are Latino immigrant workers. Other key demands include fair wages to keep pace with inflation, consistent hours and breaks on the job, and employer-provided uniforms to protect employees from bringing toxic chemicals home to their families.

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By Gabriel Miller

Chicago protest demands justice for the wrongfully convicted.  | Photo: Alec Ozawa/Fight Back! News

Chicago, IL – Over 30 protesters rallied in downtown Chicago, outside the office of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, to demand he grant executive clemency to all incarcerated survivors of police torture and wrongful conviction. The protest was organized by the Campaign to Free Incarcerated Survivors of Police Torture (CFIST), a grassroots campaign led by survivors of wrongful conviction and their loved ones.

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By Gabriel Miller

Chicago listening session featuring Mayor Brandon Johnson.

Chicago, IL – Over 400 community members from the South Side of Chicago gathered March 30 for a community listening session featuring Mayor Brandon Johnson.

After more than two months of attacks on Chicago from the White House, the mayor spoke and answered questions about his platform and in defense of the city.

The listening session was held at the Trinity United Church of Christ, an historic civil rights church in the Washington Heights neighborhood on the South Side.

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By Gabriel Miller

Frank Chapman and Kevin Jackson at town hall meeting.

Chicago, IL – Over 150 survivors of wrongful convictions, their family members and community members gathered on a cloudy Saturday afternoon, March 22, for an action-focused town hall meeting. The event was organized by the Campaign to Free Incarcerated Survivors of Police Torture (CFIST) and aimed to strengthen the movement to free all survivors of wrongful conviction and end the system of police torture that has made Chicago the torture capitol of the United States.

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By Gabriel Miller

Meeting of the newly appointed Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability.  | Staff/Fight Back! News

Chicago, IL – Chicagoans demanded action to stop police crimes on Thursday, June 30, at the first official meeting of the newly appointed Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA), a citywide body charged with holding the Chicago Police Department accountable.

50 community members, organizers, police district councilors and family members of those lost to police violence showed up at Saint Sabina Church on the Southside to demand an end to pretextual traffic stops and so-called “tactical teams.” Nine of the ten speakers who gave public comments raised the demand to end these racist police practices which have caused the murders of Dexter Reed and Reginald Clay Jr among many others, as well as the daily harassment of Black and brown people.

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By Gabriel Miller

Coalition for Justice in Palestine March in downtown Chicago

Chicago, IL – Over 1000 people rallied and marched from the Israeli Consulate through downtown Chicago on March 16 calling for an end to U.S. aid to Israel’s genocide in Palestine and an immediate and unconditional ceasefire. Irish flags rippled in the wind alongside Palestinian, Yemeni and South African flags on Saint Patrick’s Day weekend, as the afternoon demonstration highlighted the connection between Ireland and Palestine’s history of struggle and the need for solidarity against colonial oppression.

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By Gabriel Miller

Chicago press conference demands City Council vote down an FOP-aligned arbitrator's decision.

Chicago, IL – In Chicago, the movement to stop police crimes is demanding city hall act to block the most recent attempt by the Fraternal Order of Police to undermine police accountability. Chicago organizers, district councilors and alderpersons spoke in a press conference Thursday September 14, to demand the Chicago City Council vote down an FOP-aligned arbitrator's decision to give officers accused of serious misconduct the choice of behind-closed-doors arbitration instead of going before the Chicago Police Board.

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