Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Legalization for All (L4A) Network.

Milwaukee, WI – On Thursday, March 23, members of the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, families who have lost loved ones to police violence, and members of the public attended the most recent Fire and Police Commission Policies and Standards Committee meeting. After a special session in February, this regular Policies and Standards Committee meeting revisited the proposal for a standard operating procedure, or SOP, related to the public release of footage related to critical incidents.

Los Angeles, CA – With chants of, “We are the union, the mighty, mighty union – fighting for justice, respect and fair wages,” 30,000 SEIU and UTLA teachers and service workers in Los Angeles went on strike from March 21 to March 23. Los Angeles Unified School District and SEIU’s contract expired in 2020, and, after three years of negotiations hitting dead ends, they decided to strike, and they are determined to win better wages, healthcare and staffing.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from New Orleans Immigrant Rights Action.

Arlington, TX – On Wednesday, March 22, the Progressive Student Union rallied over 60 students and community members at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) student center to protest the pause of diversity, equity and inclusion policies on campus. The students also rallied against bills that the Texas legislature recently proposed which seek to forbid transgender athletes from competing in events with accordance to their gender identity, and ban critical race theory and diversity, equity and inclusion policies in higher education.

Austin, TX – On Wednesday, March 22, members of Austin Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) gathered on a busy street, Speedway, on the University of Texas-Austin campus to speak out against the judicial attack on the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA).

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine

Washington, DC – On Saturday, March 18, several thousand people gathered at Lafayette Plaza in front of the White House to protest ongoing U.S. wars and interventions. The rally was organized and attended by the Answer Coalition, United National Antiwar Coalition, Codepink, Veterans for Peace, Black Alliance for Peace, Students for a Democratic Society, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Workers World Party, and Socialist Unity Party, amongst many other organizations. First the crowd heard speeches from various organizers of the rally.

Interview with Professor of Economics Masao Suzuki

In 2023, there have been many announcements of layoffs by technology firms. This is a result of what the media calls post-COVID normalization. But this “normalization” has also shown that many technology companies that boomed during the pandemic were in fact overproducing and building new capacity too quickly, forcing them now to scale back. In the past ten days this slowdown in the technology industry spilled over into the banking system, triggered by the failure of Silicon Valley Bank, based in Santa Clara, California. Soon after the failure of SVB on Friday, March 10, regulators shut Signature Bank in New York. First Republic bank, headquartered in San Francisco, had to borrow $30 billion from other banks, under the direction of the Federal Reserve. The crisis even spilled overseas, as the troubled Swiss banking giant Credit Suisse was forced to sell itself to the even larger Swiss bank UBS. Fight Back! News sat down with Professor Suzuki to ask him about this crisis. Fight Back!: How is the failure of Silicon Valley Bank related the crisis unfolding in the technology industry?

Milwaukee, WI – On Tuesday, March 21, members of the Justice for Brieon Green Coalition picketed in front of the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office. The picket was originally planned to pressure Sheriff Denita Ball after she failed to hold the promises she made to the coalition – allowing members to tour the county jail and upload the standard operating procedures to the website for public access.

Milwaukee, WI – In solidarity with the protest in Washington D.C. on March 18 that saw organizers from all over the country descend on the capital, the Milwaukee Anti-War Committee (MAC) hosted a rally downtown to demand peace in Ukraine and reflect on the 20th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Despite the frigid weather, members from the MAC, Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) came together to speak on the need to end imperialism and touched on the destructive history of U.S. economic and military interventions abroad.

Minneapolis, MN – To mark 20 years after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, a coalition of Minneapolis anti-war, peace and social justice groups held a protest on Saturday, March 18 as part of a national day of anti-war actions. The protest was held in the very busy Uptown neighborhood of Minneapolis. Hundreds of people driving and walking by and using public transit saw the visible anti-war statement. The Minneapolis event was called in solidarity with a national anti-war protest in Washington DC at the White House on March 18. That day saw protests being held in other U.S. cities as well.

Los Angeles, CA – At 4:30 a.m. on Tuesday March 21, over 30,000 school workers in the Los Angeles Unified School (LAUSD) including food service workers, custodians, special education assistants and many more job titles will walk off the job on a strike. The workers are members of SEIU Local 99, also known as Education Workers United.

Brooklyn, NY – The New York Community Action Project (NYCAP) hosted an International Women’s Day rally outside of the Barclay Center on Sunday, March 19.

Los Angeles, CA – On March 15, the United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA) and SEIU Local 99, which represents cafeteria workers, bus drivers, custodians, teacher assistants and other education workers, held a massive rally at Grand Park in Downtown Los Angeles. The action culminated with the announcement that UTLA and SEIU Local 99 would go on a joint three-day strike, the first in the two unions’ history, from March 21-23.

Denver, CO – On March 15, students at Auraria Campus in Denver gathered to voice support for a resolution that would prohibit their campus police from obtaining military weapons from the Pentagon’s 1033 Program. The resolution comes after a yearlong fight led by Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) to pressure administration to agree to the ban.

Milwaukee, WI – Neither the snow nor the rekindled Saint Patrick’s Day parade was enough to keep 100 people from celebrating International Women’s Day with the Milwaukee International Women’s Day (IWD) Coalition this past Saturday, March 11. Attendees gathered at Dontre Hamilton Park and marched through the streets towards Village Church, where endorsing organizations tabled and delivered speeches.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the influential Greek labor organization, the All-Workers Militant Front (PAME). Thursday 16 March, ALL ON STRIKE! All at the strike rallies of the unions across the country! In Athens 11:30am at the Propylaea! OUR LIVES ARE NOT A COST – OUR LIVES HAVE VALUE!

New Orleans, LA – On March 11, protesters took to the streets to demand the release of Venezuelan diplomat and political prisoner Alex Saab. The march began at Armstrong Park, where activist Simon Miscenich of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization spoke on the details of Alex Saab’s kidnapping and impending trial.

Los Angeles, CA – On March 12, more than 50 people gathered at Salazar Park in East Los Angeles to rally with Centro CSO for its 6th annual International Women’s Day commemoration. Speakers included leaders from CSO’s different committees – education, police accountability and immigration – who explained the importance of women’s liberation to their work.