Lansing, MI – Nearly 200 protesters rallied here July 25. They stood for three hours on the steps of the Michigan “Hall of Justice,” to demand an end to Governor Rick Snyder’s use of Emergency Financial Managers (EFM).

Asheville, NC – The FBI is harassing anti-war and international solidarity activists in North Carolina again, this time in Asheville. The last time was on Sept. 24, 2010 when the FBI visited a Durham anti-war activist at the same time they were raiding seven homes and the Anti-War Committee office in Minneapolis and Chicago. Back on that day the FBI delivered 14 subpoenas to a grand jury in Chicago, which all the activists refused to participate in.

Chicago, IL – In the largest anti-war protest ever held in Chicago, 15,000 people took to the streets marching against the NATO military summit. Inside McCormick Convention Center, politicians, generals and bankers discussed the faltering U.S./NATO war and occupation in Afghanistan. They also forged agreements that set the stage for destabilizing and overthrowing independent governments in places like Syria and Iran.

Chicago, IL – Angered by a police raid and arrests of Occupy protesters in the Bridgeport neighborhood of Chicago, 1500 protesters marched and rallied here May 19. The protest marched from the Federal Reserve Bank, the main protest site for Occupy Chicago, up to Daley Plaza. A roar went up when the march stepped off with hundreds of young people taking to the streets, chanting, “This is what democracy looks like!” and “No war for oil! NATO off Afghan soil!”

Chicago, IL – Over 150 marchers gathered at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago May 16, to march against home foreclosures and evictions. They chanted, “Banks got bailed out, we got sold out!” and young people from Occupy Wall Street held signs saying, “No more foreclosures.” The protesters marched through the streets, stopping outside corporate banks that benefited from the Wall Street bailout, but which continue to foreclose on working people’s homes.

Chicago, IL – Immigrant rights leaders here were arrested while blockading the doors of the building that houses the federal immigration court in the Chicago Loop, May 15. Occupy Chicago gathered with immigrant rights leaders and youth to protest the sharp increase in deportations. Speakers began the rally around noon, when suddenly the crowd doubled in size with the arrival of marchers from Centro Sin Fronteras and other immigrant rights groups. The Reverend Jose Landaverde and Mexican-American community leader Emma Lozano were both arrested after sitting in and blocking the entrance demanding justice.

Salt Lake City, UT – FBI agents are harassing anti-war and anti-NATO organizers as the big protest against the U.S.-led NATO military alliance approaches on Sunday, May 20, in Chicago. On May 11, Gregory Lucero’s mother awoke him in their family home, saying, “The FBI is here and would like to speak to you.” Lucero came downstairs to find three FBI agents, two white men and a white woman, who wanted to ask him questions about the upcoming protest against NATO.

Muskegon, MI – Workers at Red Cross in Michigan and Ohio have been on strike since March 30, after a clash with management over health care for themselves and others. Workers in other Midwest states are considering a strike over health care and related unfair labor practices by Red Cross bosses too. With public safety in mind, it is important to know the workers are not striking the local Red Cross Chapters and still cover emergency events.

Grand Rapids, MI – Anti-war activists held a May Day rally against the U.S.-led NATO war in Afghanistan. Twenty protesters gathered near the Union Soldier monument downtown chanting “No to NATO, end the war now!” Everyone held signs, “No to NATO, bring the troops home now!” or “End the U.S. war in Afghanistan, no to NATO!”

Tampa, FL – The Coalition To March On The RNC showed up in force at the Tampa City Council April 5, to demand permits and oppose Mayor Bob Buckhorn’s ‘Clean Zone.’ Many spoke in opposition to the mayor’s attempts to repress protests. They included Coalition representatives Dave Schneider of Fight Back Florida – a multi-city group that demands jobs, income and public spending – and Corey Uhl of Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).