Chicago, IL – Community advocates from Chicago’s West and South Sides delivered a petition with 1000 signatures to the office of Governor Quinn in the State of Illinois Building, Nov. 27. The petition calls for shorter sentences and justice for prisoners in Illinois. In a statement read by Curly Cohen of Affordable Power & Justice, the group asked, “What kind of Thanksgiving is this, with 50,000 in Illinois prisons, and 10,000 in Cook County Jail?”
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following Nov. 26 statement from the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).Denounce Aquino regime’s relentless offensives amid disaster, ceasefire declaration
Chicago, IL – More than 2500 people have signed the online petition demanding the federal government drop the charges against longtime Palestinian community leader Rasmea Odeh. Odeh is facing a trumped up immigration charge that could lead to imprisonment, the stripping of her U.S. citizenship and deportation.
Minneapolis, MN – On Nov. 20 the U.S. and Afghan governments announced that final language had been agreed to for a Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) that would have U.S. troops staying in Afghanistan until at least 2024.
Washington, DC – 400 people gathered at an international summit in Washington D.C. to oppose the use of drones by the U.S. government. The summit was hosted by Code Pink and featured Medea Benjamin, activist and author of Drone Warfare: Killing by Remote Control. Many activists and organizers came to hear experts and share experiences in building the movement against U.S. drone warfare. Many were excited to hear academic and author Cornel West.
Washington D.C. – Delegates from several community and non-profit organizations delivered a petition in support of Rasmea Odeh to the home of Attorney General Eric Holder on Thursday, November 14, 2013.
Gainesville, FL – Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) at the University of Florida held a sign holding on Wednesday, November 13, to demand that the U.S. government drop the charges against Rasmea Odeh. Odeh is a Palestinian-American organizer and an international solidarity activist. Despite holding U.S. citizenship for the past 20 years, the Department of Homeland Security, ICE and the FBI arrested her on October 22, and on the allegations of immigration fraud.
Milwaukee, WI – About 20 people rallied in frigid wind and cold downtown here, Nov. 13, to participate in the national day of action in solidarity with Rasmea Odeh. Protesters held signs reading “Drop the charges,” and “Stop FBI targeting.” Odeh was arrested in retaliation for her years of activism and leadership in the Palestinian community of Chicago. The rally was organized by the Milwaukee Palestine Solidarity Coalition, U.S. Palestinian Community Network, Milwaukee Anti-war Committee, Iraq Veterans Against the War, Friends of Palestine, and others.
Minneapolis, MN – Members of the Twin Cities-based Welfare Rights Committee held signs and banners during rush-hour, Nov. 12, in front of U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar’s office, telling her to undo the November Food Stamp/SNAP cuts, and to stop further cuts to Food Stamps.
Chicago, IL – Michael Deutsch of the National Lawyers Guild and the People’s Law Office spoke Nov. 12 about the case of Rasmea Yousef Odeh, a 65-year-old, Palestinian American, women's rights activist who was recently indicted and tomorrow faces arraignment Nov. 13 in U.S. District Court in Detroit. The immigration charge against Odeh could result in ten years in prison and deportation for violations in her application for citizenship.
Palestinian American targeted for discriminatory selective prosecution
Detroit, MI – The Committee to Stop FBI Repression and United States Palestinian Community Network will gather in Detroit to support Rasmea Odeh, a 65-year-old women's rights activist who faces 10 years in prison and deportation on trumped-up immigration charges.
Minneapolis, MN – The struggle against the unjust indictment against veteran Palestinian American activist Rasmea Odeh is rapidly growing. Odeh, a respected leader in Chicago’s Arab and Muslim community, will have an arraignment hearing on a trumped-up immigration charge in Detroit on Nov. 13. She faces up to ten years in prison and deportation. A rally in support of Odeh will take place in front of the Detroit U.S. District Court building (231 W Lafayette Boulevard) at noon on Nov. 13. Mobilizations to attend the rally and hearing are underway in Chicago and Michigan.
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following Nov. 9 statement from the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).CPP calls for mass mobilization, international support for relief operations
Milwaukee, WI – On Nov. 5, the self-proclaimed “fastest growing motivational movement,” #besomebody, met the world's fastest growing boycott movement on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Chicago, IL – A massive online petition effort demanding that the government drop the charges against Rasmea Odeh was launched Nov. 2. Odeh, a longtime Palestinian community leader war arrested by Homeland Security on Oct. 22.
U.S. attorney office cites ‘ongoing investigation’
St. Paul, MN – Two prominent anti-war and international solidarity activists, Jess Sundin and Mick Kelly, were in federal court here, Nov. 1, in a bid to pull back the curtain of government secrecy that surrounds the FBI raids on their homes on Sept. 24, 2010. In the hearing presided over by Judge Steven E. Rau, Bruce Nestor, attorney for the plaintiffs, made a passionate argument for a motion to unseal the affidavits used to obtain the search warrants for the FBI raids.
St. Paul, MN – Two Minneapolis anti-war and international solidarity activists will be in federal court, Nov. 1, to demand an end to the government secrecy surrounding their case. Jess Sundin and Mick Kelly are two of the 23 Midwest activists targeted by an investigation that included two years of spying by undercover agents, Sept. 2010 raids of homes and offices in Minneapolis and Chicago by the FBI, and a secret Chicago grand jury.
Jacksonville, FL – More than 20 war veterans and community allies from the North Florida area gathered outside of Jacksonville's Naval Air Station (NAS) to protest a new drone operations base run by the Pentagon. The protest, organized by Occupy Jacksonville and Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW), drew supporters from as far away as Gainesville and Pensacola.
Chicago, IL – About 50 people protested here, Oct. 24, to oppose Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people and also to call for the U.S. government to drop charges against local Palestinian activist, Rasmea Odeh. The demonstration took place outside the Chicago Hilton where a fundraising event for the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) was held.
Minneapolis, MN – As JPMorgan Chase reaches a record $13 billion settlement with the Justice Department over its role in the lead-up to the foreclosure crisis, it remains unclear whether this settlement will keep people like Jaymie Kelly in their homes.