San Jose, CA – 20 activists and community members held a rally, June 9, to demand dropping the charges against the Tampa 5, the five University of Southern Florida of protesters who were brutalized by police and wrongfully charged.
Minneapolis, MN – Over the weekend of July 21and 22, members of Minnesota Workers United took to the streets in Minneapolis and Eagan, a Minneapolis suburb, with hundreds of UPS workers who are members of Teamsters Local 638 and their supporters. The workers and solidarity supporters conducted practice-pickets to show their readiness to strike if UPS doesn’t meet their demands for a new contract by August 1.
Washington, DC – On July 24, United Steelworkers Local 4-200 announced that they gave Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital New Brunswick, located in New Jersey, official notice that they will begin an unfair labor practice strike on August 4.
Milwaukee, WI – On Saturday, July 22, activists and community members united at The Calling sculpture in downtown Milwaukee to protest the annual Milwaukee Air & Water Show. The rally was organized by the Milwaukee Anti-War Committee (MAC) to demonstrate that the show is not a harmless family event as it is often portrayed, but a celebration of U.S. militarism and a polarizing affair for the city.
Tustin, CA – On July 12, over 20 activists and community members rallied in front of the Tustin Police Department in solidarity with the Tampa 5 and against police repression in Orange County. The rally was held for an emergency National Day of Action with rallies happening across the country. The Tampa 5 are student and worker activists who were arrested while for protesting Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s attacks on education. The activists now face up to ten years in prison.
Milwaukee, WI – On July 19, a dozen activists gathered in front of the Sunburst Statue for a rally demonstrating solidarity and demanding justice for the Tampa 5. Protesters demanded charges be dropped against the Tampa 5, with calls to action to sign the petition and donate to their legal fund.
Denver, CO – On July 12, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) Denver was joined at the Union Station by members of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, the Black Student Alliance of MSU Denver, and other members of the community. They staged a speak-out demanding that the politically-motivated charges against the Tampa 5 be dropped.
Milwaukee, WI – The people’s movements mourn the loss of veteran activist George Martin, who passed away on July 16th, 2023. Martin was a well respected leader in local, national, and international anti-war, environmental, and social justice movements who had a great impact on many people over his life-long service to the cause of peace and justice.
Grand Rapids, MN – At 6 a.m., July 15, around 200 members of Teamsters Local 346 walked off their jobs at the UPM Blandin Paper Company and began a strike. Grand Rapids gets its name because it sits along the Mississippi River in northern Minnesota. The UPM Blandin paper plant was built in its location on the edge of the river to use the river to power its paper mill. The plant has been an established feature of the town’s economy since its founding in 1901. Now, for the first time in the history of the plant its workers have gone on strike.
Dallas, TX – On July 12, 30 organizers, activists and community members beat the 105-degree heat and joined in solidarity to seek justice for the Tampa 5, rallying at Dealey Plaza, on the day of the Five’s court appearance.
Pittsburgh, PA – United Steelworkers Local 4-200 announced today that 1700 members who work as nurses at Robert Woods Johnson New Brunswick have voted to grant the union the authority to call a strike.
New Orleans, LA – On July 12, a dozen activists representing several organizations gathered on the steps of New Orleans City Hall to demand justice for the Tampa 5. That day, the five University of South Florida activists – Laura Rodriguez, Gia Davila, Lauren Pineiro, Jeanie Kida and Chrisley Carpio – faced trumped up felony charges in a Tampa court. Protesters demanded the charges unjustly leveled by District Attorney Susan Lopez against the five be dropped.
Tallahassee, FL – On July 13 Tallahassee community organizers and experts gave presentations at the Mayor's LGBTQ+ Advisory Council at City Hall. The presentation's focus was the demand to transform Tallahassee into an LGBTQ sanctuary city.
Chicago, IL – Shon Barnes, Angel Novalez and Larry Snelling were nominated by the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA) as the next superintendent of the Chicago Police Department (CPD) on July 13 at Kennedy King College in the Englewood neighborhood. The Commission selected these three from 54 applicants through a 120-day process after the resignation of Superintendent David Brown, who was appointed by Mayor Lightfoot.
Milwaukee, WI – On July 11, Reproductive Justice Action Milwaukee (RJAM) held a press conference in front of Milwaukee City Hall concerning the recent updates to the lawsuit being pursued by Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul against the 1849 state statute 940.04. This lawsuit was launched by Kaul on June 28, 2022, in response to the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson decision and came in the wake of mass protests across the state.
Fight Back! is circulating the following “Solidarity with the Tampa 5” resolution voted up by the union delegates to the West Central Florida Labor Council (WCFLC). President Jim Junecko of the WCFLC, AFL-CIO sent the resolution to Florida State’s Attorney Susan Lopez asking she direct Prosecutor Justin Diaz to drop the charges.Resolution in Solidarity with the Tampa 5