Milwaukee, WI – A March 7 protest outside the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Milwaukee brought out over 300 VA employees and supporters to protest attacks on the VA workforce by billionaires Trump and Musk. It was the largest protest at the site in memory.
Ten probationary employees at the Milwaukee VA have been fired without cause since Elon Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency” began its scorched earth campaign against unionized federal workers. Government memos suggest that over 80,000 VA employees could lose their jobs if Trump and Musk’s plans are not stopped.
Milwaukee, WI – A wave of worker activity has sprung up in the past two weeks as the slow government and employer response to COVID-19 has thrown millions of workers into dangerous working conditions. Workers have organized petitions, walkouts and sickouts at dozens of workplaces this week, demanding safe working conditions and hazard pay for essential workers during the pandemic.
Milwaukee, WI – 35 people rallied outside the office of Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm, April 17, to protest his refusal to prosecute the killers of 16-year-old Corey Stingley. In 2012, the Black high school student was strangled to death by three white adult men after being accused of shoplifting.
West Milwaukee, WI – The Milwaukee Palestine Solidarity Coalition organized actions outside Target in West Milwaukee, calling on the store to drop illegal settlement products. The protest was coordinated with an international day of action organized by the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation.
Milwaukee, WI – The movement to win justice for Darius Simmons, Derek Williams, Corey Stingley, and Bo Morrison has received a boost from the national attention and outrage over the “not guilty” verdict for Zimmerman. Last week over 300 people shut down major streets in downtown Milwaukee. In similar cases over the last two years, community members led by the Occupy Coalition (Occupy the Hood Milwaukee and Occupy Milwaukee) repeatedly rallied for Derek Williams, Darius Simmons, and other local victims of racist police and vigilante murder.
Milwaukee, WI – Community members rallied in memory of Derek Williams, who was killed in the custody of the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) on July 6, 2011, two years ago to the day. Militant protests against MPD brutality and corruption have been happening regularly for over a year, and protesters routinely take over major streets for hours on end. This time however, the police response was far more aggressive, resulting in a heated confrontation on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
Decatur, TN – This past weekend, April 19-21, Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) hosted a three-day organizer training in rural eastern Tennessee. Over 50 activists shared skills and strategies as veterans and active-duty soldiers were joined by civilian ally organizations from around the country, including IVAW's partner organization Civilian-Soldier Alliance (CivSol,) One Love Movement, Students for a Democratic Society, The Poverty Initiative, Concerned Citizens for Justice, and many others.
New Orleans, LA – Students and community members confronted a pro-Israel rally titled “Declare Your Freedom” at the University of New Orleans (UNO) on Jan. 28. The event featured right-wing Zionist and notoriously anti-Arab speaker Daniel Pipes. About 30 young people were bused to the campus to support the Zionist rally.
New Orleans, LA – Community members rallied in front of the closed Louis Armstrong School in the Lower Ninth Ward here, Nov. 10, to save the building from being sold by the Orleans Parish School Board. The event was organized by A Community Voice, a group of community members who want to see the Orleans Parish rebuild and invest in the Lower Ninth Ward.
Chicago, IL – Dozens of U.S. military veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan plan to return their medals to the commanders they served under on Sunday, May 20. Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) will lead thousands of anti-war protesters from Grant Park to the site of the NATO summit in downtown Chicago. Outside McCormick Place, the veterans and service members will return their medals to NATO commanders. Veterans of the U.S.-led NATO war and occupation in Afghanistan will march side by side with the group Afghans for Peace at the head of the march organized by the Coalition Against NATO/G8.
Milwaukee, WI – Dozens of community organizations came together here, April 10, for the “Rally to Demand Justice for Trayvon Martin, Bo Morrison and Victims of Milwaukee Police Brutality.”
Milwaukee, WI – Students and community members rallied at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, March 29, to demand justice for Trayvon Martin. Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) organized the rally with the Black Student Union, AFSCME Local 82 and the support of Occupy the Hood Milwaukee and Occupy Milwaukee. 75 students marched silently across campus behind a banner that read “Justice for Trayvon.” When the march reached the student union they began chanting a call and response “Jail the killer, fire the cops! Without justice we won't stop!”
Milwaukee, WI – Hundreds of students, faculty, and staff rallied at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee (UWM) for the March 1st National Day of Action for Education rights. Members of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), AFSCME Local 82, and AFT Locals marched across campus chanting “No remorse, no regret, we wont pay our student debt!” The crowd stopped at the Chancellor's office to present the demands of the Education Rights Coalition, where they were met by members of the administration. The coalition demands include a tuition freeze, student loan debt forgiveness, and collective bargaining rights for public employee unions affected by Governor Scott Walker's union busting.
View a set of great photos by the accomplished photographer and artist, Jacom Flom, that catch the spirit of confrontation at the Sept. 3 West Allis anti-Nazi rally.
Milwaukee, WI – A dozen members of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) marched in Independence Day parades for the fourth year in a row over the July 4 weekend. The group of student and youth activists entered parades – without registering – in Whitefish Bay and Shorewood, which are in the midst of a heated recall campaign against Republican State Senator Alberta Darling.
Milwaukee, WI – Students for a Democratic Society successfully disrupted two Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) recruitment events at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM), Wednesday, March 30. SDS members questioned the CIA's involvement in overthrowing democratically elected governments, training assassins to kill civilians and trafficking drugs.
Madison, WI – Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) led a student contingent in the March 12 Madison, Wisconsin rally of 150,000. SDS chapters from Wisconsin, Illinois and Maryland marched in support of workers. Milwaukee students showed solidarity with their teachers and other campus workers, joining their buses to Madison and holding a giant banner demanding “No cuts to education!”
Photo journalist Jacob Flom has created a powerful photo essay documenting the struggle inside the Wisconsin capitol during the final hours before the State Assembly stripped public workers of the right to bargain collectively. Flom’s photographs are visual testaments to the power and determination of Wisconsin workers who will continue their fight until victory.
Madison, WI – 55,000 people – workers, students and their families – occupied the Wisconsin State Capitol Feb. 19 against anti-union legislation. It was the sixth straight day of protest. Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) led a student march through the streets with students from across Wisconsin and the Midwest. Carrying a banner that read, “Students and workers – unite and fight!” they were greeted with loud cheers as they approached over 10,000 workers on the capitol lawn.
Milwaukee, WI – On Dec. 3, the Milwaukee Activist Defense Network and Students for a Democratic Society held a protest in coordination with the national week of action to stop FBI repression. Students handed out fliers and passed a petition at the busiest intersection in Wisconsin to raise awareness of the FBI repression that is targeting activists around the country.
