Minneapolis, MN – Well over 50 people attended an emergency protest in Minneapolis on Saturday, February 27, to speak out against the Biden administration bombing of targets in Syria two days earlier.

Tallahassee, FL – On February 23, at the Leon County Clerk of Courts, the Tallahassee Community Action Committee (TCAC) held an outdoor press conference to amplify demands of the #Tally19 – activists arrested last September during and in the days following a Black Lives Matter protest to condemn a grand jury decision that let three Tallahassee killer cops walk free.

Austin, TX – On February 21, a crowd of around 50 people gathered in front of the Homeless Memorial Tree, a local landmark that bears dog tags with the names of 256 homeless people who died in Austin in 2020 alone. In the wake of Winter Storm Uri, community members gathered to participate in the Street Memorial ATX Arctic Week of Crisis, an event organized by Stop the Sweeps Austin, Human Kindness/House the Poor, and The Challenger Street Newspaper. They gathered to mourn the lives lost after unprecedented freezing temperatures wrecked the state, and to express outrage over the city’s inaction in providing any meaningful aid.

Fort Lauderdale, FL – A dozen activists from the South Florida area joined together outside of the Federal Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday afternoon, February 20, to denounce U.S. sanctions and any U.S. aggression against Iran, and to urge President Biden to rejoin the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action without any added stipulations.

Bessemer, AL – As workers at Amazon’s Bessemer, Alabama warehouse have begun voting by mail on whether or not to join the Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), Amazon is pulling out all of the stops to try to coerce them out of voting for the union. They are trying many tactics straight out of the age-old union busting playbook and have forced workers to attend anti-union meetings, even in violation of Amazon’s own social distancing policies.

Sheriffs disrupt press event, anti-protest law denounced

Tallahassee, FL – On February 11, several Tally19ers planned an 11 a.m. press conference downtown at the Clerk of Courts across from the Capitol, in support of Tally19er Ben Grant, who is the only one still facing felony charges. Grant was due in court that morning.

Denver, CO – On Saturday, January 20, the Denver Peace Council and Students for a Democratic Society gathered at the Colorado state capitol for a roadside protest against U.S. sanctions on Iran. The protest was called for as part of a national day of action by the United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC)’s youth committee, Youth Against Empire.

A Texas weather emergency spiraled out of control on February 14. This emergency has resulted in over 60 deaths, power outages affecting millions, and more than 13 million currently without access to water. What led to the emergency can be blamed mostly on natural gas and coal companies like Comstock Resources Inc, who sought only to make profits during the crisis. These companies never properly maintained these plants and, when the temperatures in Texas dipped, the plants froze and became inoperable.

New York, NY – Between February 8 and March 29, over 6000 Amazon warehouse workers in Bessemer, Alabama, are voting on joining the Retail, Wholesale Department Store Workers Union (RWDSU). On Saturday, February 20, there was a national day of action called by the Southern Workers Assembly, with actions taking place in over 50 cities across the country.

Chicago, IL – The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) has waged a one-sided class war against municipal transit workers. This has gone on for decades. These workers include bus operators, mechanics, bus cleaners, clerks, supervisors, flagwomen and flagmen, customer service representatives, and train operators. Their jobs are thankless. These workers have been on the receiving end of pay cuts, garbage healthcare options, and worsening workplace safety issues. They are represented by the Amalgamated Transit Union Locals 308 (trains) and 241 (buses).

Grand Rapids, MI – Outside the stagehands union IATSE Local 26 headquarters in Grand Rapids, union members and youth activists attached big signs to their cars saying “Amazon needs a union!” and “Solidarity with Amazon!” They gathered in the freezing cold on February 19 for a press conference and car caravan to three Amazon centers, including a giant new one promising to employ 1000 workers.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the text of remarks by Frank Chapman of The Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR), given at the February 19 with the Grassroots Alliance for Police Accountability (GAPA).

St. Paul Park, MN – The Teamsters at Marathon Refinery in Saint Paul Park have now been locked out for more than 28 days and the two sides remain far apart. Negotiations resumed on February 15 and February 17, but the Teamsters saw little movement from management.

St. Paul, MN – On February 17, members of the Climate Justice Committee (CJC) held banners over Interstate 94 and held a banner and signs to drivers on the Snelling bridge in Saint Paul as a part of their week of action targeting President Biden. The banners said things like “2050 is too late! Climate justice now!” “The U.S. military is the #1 polluter” and “Climate justice now, not 2050.”

Bracebridge, ON, Canada – Workers at mining supplier Fenner Dunlop have been locked out of their jobs after turning down a final contract offer, which included drastic changes to sick day provisions.

Milwaukee, WI – Despite bitter cold, on February 16 protesters demanding a people’s agenda gathered outside the Pabst Theater where President Joe Biden was hosting his first event outside Washington, DC since being inaugurated.

Restore the $600 per week unemployment supplement!

San José, CA – On February 13, the Northern California Unemployed Committee (NCUC) held its first protest in San José. The protest was called for the day after the IRS began accepting 2020 tax returns, to demand that the federal government stop taxing benefits for the unemployed. The protest also called for the restoration of the $600 weekly unemployment supplement.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following February 15 statement from the Communist Party of the Philippines.

Milwaukee, WI – President Joe Biden will be traveling to the Pabst Theater in downtown Milwaukee at 7 p.m. on the evening of February 16 for a CNN Town Hall. The trip will mark one of the new president’s first times away from Washington, D.C. While Biden is speaking to an invite-only crowd inside the confines of the Pabst, a coalition of various organizations in the city will be rallying across the street outside city hall.

Chicago, IL – After midnight on Wednesday, February 10, the Chicago Teachers Union officially certified ballot results ratifying an agreement between the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) and Chicago Public Schools (CPS) that will provide a framework for returning to in-person learning in Chicago Public Schools. The vote to ratify the agreement passed by just over a two thirds majority. However, the union has been clear that they do not feel that this plan is what the teachers or students and community deserve. They say it is disgraceful that the Chicago Public School System could not delay reopening for a few weeks to ramp up vaccinations and preparations in schools, and that the mayor and CPS leadership were willing to do even further harm to the school district to maintain their posture. They say this is a stain on the record of the administration.