Saint Paul, MN – More than 70 immigrant rights activists and concerned community members packed the May 24 Metropolitan Council meeting at a protest called by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC). The Met Council oversees Metro Transit buses and trains as well as the Transit Police. The protesters held signs that read “Fire the cop,” “No more deportations” and “Metro Transit: Don't be Trump's anti-immigrant shock troops.”
St Paul, MN – Hundreds of trade unionists, supporters of immigrant rights, and other progressives have been filling the halls of the Minnesota State Capitol building today, May 24, after a Republican move that placed a host of anti-worker and anti-immigrant measures in finance bills. At one point more than 100 protesters assembled outside the office of Governor Dayton chanting “Veto everything.”
St. Paul, MN – On the evening of May 23, dozens of members of Minnesota immigrant rights groups occupied Governor Mark Dayton’s office in the State Capitol indefinitely to demand that he veto SF 470 – the Public Safety Budget Bill – which was passed by the Republican House and Senate the previous day. The protesters are planning to stay all night or as long as it takes to get the governor to veto the bill.
Chicago, IL – Union educators at Passages Charter School announced that they will formally strike – and hit the picket lines, on May 25, if they are unable to reach a decent contract agreement with charter management by midnight, May 24. Teachers voted unanimously to strike on May 4, but held off from setting a date in the hopes that management would move from a hardline stance that includes rock-bottom wages, elimination of maternity and paternity leave, opposition to greater financial transparency, and insufficient resources to support classrooms.
Washington, DC – The International Human Rights Defense Committee (CIPDH), a European organization of human rights lawyers and advocates, has criticized the FBI for the arrest of a Russian man, Stanislav Lisov. He has been held by Spanish police after he was arrested in January at the request of the FBI.
St. Paul, MN – Hundreds of teachers, along with supporters assembled in the State Capitol building rotunda, May 20, for a “Invest in Success Rally for Public Education.” Republicans control the state legislature, and have passed spending bills that fail to adequately fund public education. Governor Mark Dayton vetoed these bills, and observers say it is likely that education finance bills will have to wait for a special secession of the legislature.
Chicago, IL – AT&T workers in Chicago walked off the job and hit the picket lines today, May 19. Not minding the rain and recent cooler weather, many workers chanted, “No contract, no phone!” and “No raises, no peace.” The strike which involves AT&T workers across the U.S., is set to last for three days.
Washington, DC – The U.S. carried out air strikes against Syrian forces, May 18. According to coverage by the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), the U.S. “attacked one of the Syrian army’s military points on al-Tanf road in the Syrian Badia.”
_Community activists call on Putnam to condemn statement, white supremacists _
Jacksonville, FL – On Wednesday, May 17, Adam Putnam, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Republican candidate for governor of Florida, spoke in Jacksonville Beach at a campaign event. Just a few feet outside, his official campaign tour bus was pictured with “Convict the #Jax5” written in large white lettering on the back, directly below Putnam's name.
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Communist Party of Greece (KKE).Mass combative strike response of the workers to the anti-people political line of the government-EU-IMF
Minneapolis, MN – More than 20 people held banners, May 13, in the busy Uptown neighborhood, to mark Al-Nakba. Al-Nakba, Arabic for “the catastrophe” remembers the 1948 Zionist expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homes.
Jersey City, NJ – A group of Jersey City educators and workers got together, March 22, to discuss the ongoing threats facing working-class men, women and their families due to the onslaught of gentrification threatening to rip apart the social fabric of New Jersey’s second largest city, Jersey City.
Saint Paul, MN – On May 11 at 8:18 a.m., a video was posted publicly on Facebook which shows a brief clip of plainclothes Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents terrorizing a local family in St. Paul when, according to witness accounts, their unmarked car swerved in front of a vehicle with four Latino men and stopped and detained them. A man from El Salvador and a man from Honduras were detained. Family members arrived on scene but could not get answers from ICE agents about who they were or why the men were being detained – instead they were shouted at and one of the detained men's wife had a gun pointed at her. Neither man had any criminal conviction.
Washington, DC – The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) is reporting that Syrian prisoners in Israeli jails have joined the open-ended hunger strike by Palestinian prisoners.
Chicago, IL – Union educators at Passages Charter School voted overwhelmingly to strike, May 4, after nearly a year of bargaining with management has failed to produce a decent contract. Teachers voted 43 to zero to strike, in a bargaining unit of 46 members. The May 4 vote authorizes the bargaining committee to set a strike date in the coming weeks if they do not receive an acceptable offer.
![Enter a descriptive sentence about the photo here.](https://i.snap.as/jTCwlidw.jpg "Enter a descriptive sentence about the photo here. \\"Convict the #Jax5\\" written on official Adam Putnam for Florida Governor campaign bus. \(Facebook\)")
