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

Tampa, FL – The Tampa community, Black Lives Matter activists, and impacted families from across the country gathered in Tampa for the Andrew Joseph Memorial Weekend. The family-hosted event took place from Friday, February 17 to February 19. The weekend commemorates the ninth anniversary of his death with a vigil, a workshop to promote youth leadership, a fundraiser and a church service.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the statement from the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (MAARPR).

Chicago, IL – The Chicago Transit Authority fired trans bus operator and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 241 member Russia T. Brown for waging a struggle for his right to healthcare while refusing to address rampant transphobia that culminated in death threats.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the influential Greek labor organization, the All-Workers Militant Front (PAME).

By staff

Hastings, MN – On day eight of the SEIU Local 284 food service worker strike against the Hastings Public Schools, workers gathered at McNamara Stadium here for a rally demanding a decent contract.

Milwaukee, WI – On Saturday, February 18, Reproductive Justice Action Milwaukee (RJA-M) held a march in downtown Milwaukee with a rally outside the Safety Building. Milwaukee County District Attorney John T. Chisholm’s office is located in the Safety Building and Chisholm was the target of the event.

New York, NY – Nearly three years after the George Floyd uprising of 2020, New York City’s Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) has released the findings of its investigations into the New York Police Department’s misconduct during the protests. But rather than addressing the increasing brutality of the cops, the results of the investigations show how an unelected, ineffective review board becomes a tool of the state that harms communities and activists while empowering the police.

New York City, NY – On Saturday, February 18, the Black Is Back Coalition hosted an all-day webinar, focusing on the FBI’s history of attacking Black and African people as well as radical social justice organizers. Speakers included noted figures including Ward Churchill, Ajamu Baraka and Omali Yeshitela. The conference was also endorsed by groups including Union del Barrio, Friends of the Congo, the Bethesda African Cemetery Coalition, and the International People’s Democratic Uhuru Movement.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the World Federation of Trade Unions.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the University of Minnesota chapter of Students for a Democratic Society

Statement by the Climate Justice Committee, Minnesota

Hastings MN – Energy was high on the fourth day, February 10, of the Hastings Public Schools food service worker strike. SEIU Local 284 members remain strong as management refuses to bargain. Striking workers, fellow unionists and community allies converged at Kennedy Elementary School for an end of the day unity picket and rally. Including the 35 striking workers, the picket line swelled with the support of dozens of family members, building staff and educators, as well as rank-and-file unionists from the area including letter carriers, University of Minnesota workers, Teamsters, other SEIU locals and community members.

New York, NY – The New York Community Action Project held a speakout on Saturday, February 11, at Herbert Von King Park in the Bed-Stuy neighborhood of Brooklyn. The speakout was to mark the police murders of Tyre Nichols and Manny Paez. Nichols was murdered in Memphis during a traffic stop, while Paez was killed by police while defending the land in Atlanta from the development of a police facility known as “Cop City.”

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement by the Real Name Campaign NOLA.

Tampa, FL – On Tuesday, February 7, Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society organized a protest to demand that administration at the University of South Florida protect transgender students by not submitting a survey on information about gender affirming healthcare requested by Governor Ron DeSantis. A crowd of about 50 students chanted “USF don’t comply!” and “Protect trans lives!”

Minneapolis, MN – In late January, the Minneapolis city council sent a letter to the Biden administration requesting Cuba to be removed from the U.S. State Sponsors of Terrorism list and that the embargo against Cuba be lifted. This letter came after previous council resolutions that passed with unanimous support calling for an end to the U.S. blockade against Cuba.

Hastings Minnesota – On an unseasonably warm February day, food service workers at Hastings Public Schools, members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 284, walked off the job beginning an open ended strike, February 7.

Tampa, FL – On Saturday, February 4, protesters gathered in downtown Tampa demanding justice for Tyre Nichols and others who were murdered by the hands of police nationally and locally. The protesters held banners that called for community control of the police and “convict killer cops.”