Fight is on to stop his deportation

New Hope, MN – Protesters packed the June 12 city council work session in New Hope, a suburb of Minneapolis, to demand that the city fire police officer Andy Lamers. Until recently, in addition to his job in New Hope, Lamers also had a part-time job as a police officer with Metro Transit, which operates public transit in the Twin Cities area.

Milwaukee, WI – This evening, June 12, 50 people gathered at the site of last night's police shooting on Milwaukee’s lakefront. Two African Americans, who had been pulled over and allegedly tried to drive away, were shot at least a dozen times by an on-foot officer. This happened at one of the busiest intersections on Milwaukee’s lakefront, in broad daylight, and was witnessed by hundreds of Milwaukeeans.

Milwaukee, WI – At dusk on the evening of June 11, a Milwaukee police officer shot, in front of hundreds of beachgoers, two unarmed African Americans who were driving a vehicle down the lakefront. Both individuals were in a car that had been pulled over. When the police told them to get out of the car, they allegedly tried to drive away. Then, another police officer who happened to be walking by on foot fired around a dozen bullets into the windshield of the vehicle, hitting the driver and his girlfriend and causing them to crash into a nearby vehicle. There were hundreds of witnesses, with the shooting happening right next to the busiest beach in the city. A massive crowd quickly gathered and dozens of police were called to the scene. Within an hour, the police had cordoned off the street nearly a mile in each direction, and had cordoned off the streets on the bluffs overlooking the shooting scene.

Chicago, IL – In an historic vote, members of ChiACTS Local 4343, the union of charter school educators in Chicago, voted overwhelmingly to unify with the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU), June 9. CTU members will vote on unification with ChiACTS this fall. Ballots from union charter schools were counted after the close of the Friday school day. Final vote counts of the 1,000-strong union were 671 in favor and 130 against unifying – or about 84% of voting members supporting unification.

St. Paul, MN – More than 400 people demonstrated at the Minnesota State Capitol building, June 10, to protest the ‘anti-sharia rally’ organized by the anti-Muslim hate group, Act for America (ACT). The small anti-Muslim rally included several white supremacist and neo-Nazi groupings.

Minneapolis, MN – A row of chairs reserved for the University of Minnesota Board of Regents sat empty while university unions held their own public hearing on university budget, June 8.

Minneapolis, MN – The Minnesota chapter of CAIR, the Council on American Islamic Relations, held a press conference, June 9, at Bethany Lutheran Church in Minneapolis to show unity on the eve of ACT for America’s national “March Against Sharia.”

Jacksonville, FL – Four of the five activists beaten and arrested by police at an April anti-war protest spoke out at a press conference, June 5, held outside the Duval County Courthouse. Dubbed the 'Jax5' by supporters, the activists discussed the favorable outcome of their cases and announced a campaign for community control of the police in Jacksonville. It marked the first public statement by the Jax5 since their arrest nearly two months earlier.

St Paul, MN – Hundreds will join “Protest Anti-Muslim Bigotry: Oppose Racists at the Capitol” to challenge a rally planned by the anti-Muslim hate group, Act for America (ACT), June 10, 11 a.m. at the Minnesota State Capitol building. The University of Minnesota chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) issued the call, now joined by the Anti-War Committee and some 20 organizations, including religious organizations like Jewish Voice for Peace, to, “outnumber, drown out the racists, and rally as a progressive community to appreciate our religious, racial and national diversity and oppose these kinds of anti-Muslim and racist actions in the future.”

Lincoln, RI – Nearly 400 food and beverage workers at Rhode Island’s Twin River Casino announced Wednesday afternoon, June 7, that they have voted to authorize a strike. The vote followed a rally in the Rhode Island state house last week, where Twin River workers announced their readiness to strike. The workers are members of UNITE HERE Local 26. The union’s bargaining committee announced that the results of the vote were 327 voting to authorize a strike to just 5 ballots cast in opposition.

Houston, TX – Assembling at the Guadalupe Plaza, angry family members and supporters marched through downtown Houston, June 7, demanding justice for John Hernandez.

Miami, FL – On June 25, at 5 p.m., protesters will take to the streets of Doral, Florida in front of U.S. Southern Command to demand that Trump shut down the torture prison at Guantanamo Bay once and for all. The march coincides with the International Day in Solidarity with Victims of Torture and will mark the 15th year since the first detainees were sent to the U.S. prison facilities in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Since then, 779 men have been sent to Guantanamo Bay without trial and have been jailed without ever having been officially charged with any crime.

“The UPS operations manager held a meeting and asked who wanted to pray. After we raised our hands, he said that he would replace all of us”

Minneapolis, MN – The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN) today announced the filing of a lawsuit in state court, June 1, against UPS Mail Innovations and Doherty Staffing Solutions for firing multiple Muslim employees who wanted to pray during their break times, after previously having allowed them to pray.

Jacksonville, FL – Around 30 members of the Northside Coalition and the Jacksonville Progressive Coalition (JPC) rallied in downtown Jacksonville, June 1, for community control of the police. Northside Coalition leader Ben Frazier spoke on why we need more police accountability in the city of Jacksonville.

Minneapolis, MN – About 100 people gathered at the Minneapolis federal building, June 1, to demand “Trump out now.” Organized by the Resist from Day One Coalition, speakers from the environmental, labor, student and immigrant rights movements blasted Trump’s policies.

Providence, RI – Over 100 Twin River Casino workers gathered inside the Rhode Island state house on the afternoon of Tuesday, May 30. The workers, who are members of UNITE HERE Local 26, gathered there to announce that they are prepared to strike if necessary to win a fair contract. The union represents nearly 400 food and beverage workers at the Lincoln, Rhode Island casino.

Minneapolis, MN – Organized by the Resist from Day One Coalition, a Trump Out Now protest has been set for 4:30 p.m., June1, at the federal courthouse in downtown Minneapolis (4th Street and 4th Avenue).

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

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, on behalf of its imprisoned General Secretary Ahmad Sa’adat and all of its prisoners in the occupation prisons and its cadres and members in Palestine and exile, saluted Oscar Lopez Rivera on his liberation after nearly 36 years in Israeli prisons.

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

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, on behalf of its imprisoned General Secretary Ahmad Sa’adat and all of its prisoners in the occupation prisons and its cadres and members in Palestine and exile, saluted Oscar Lopez Rivera on his liberation after nearly 36 years in Israeli prisons.

Chicago, IL – Union educators at Passages Charter School signed off on a tentative agreement Wednesday night, May 24, for their first contract since unionizing a year ago, narrowly averting what would have been the first strike of a charter operator in U.S. history.