The people of Cuba have voted on a series of changes to their Families Code that will provide legal same-sex marriages and unions, adoption rights for same-sex couples, and an updated set of women’s and families’ rights. Other amendments to this document include promote equitable sharing of domestic responsibilities, prenuptial agreements, and assisted pregnancies.
Milwaukee, WI – On Thursday, September 22, members of the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression attended the Fire and Police Commission (FPC) Policies and Standards Committee Meeting. The Milwaukee Alliance leaders were there to voice their disapproval of the memorandum the FPC is circulating. This memorandum calls for the creation of a standard operating procedure (SOP) regarding the release of video footage of critical incidents.
Tallahassee, FL – On Wednesday, September 21, the Tallahassee Community Action Committee, the Freedom Road Socialist Organization and Florida State’s Students for a Democratic Society attended the Tallahassee city commission meeting at City Hall to speak on the approval of the upcoming year’s city budget.
Tallahassee, FL – On September 7, Florida State University Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) held a march in defense of women’s and reproductive rights, following the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade. More than 40 students attended the march from the Legacy Fountain to the Integration Statue, accompanied by chants like “We won’t go back! We will fight back!”
Denver, CO – About 30 people marched to District Attorney Beth McCann’s office on September 12 to demand the indictment of the police officers involved in the July 17 shooting in downtown Denver. The coalition, led by the Denver-Aurora Community Action Committee (DACAC), also demanded that charges against Jordan Waddy, a 21-year-old Black man and one of the victims of the shooting, be dropped; an investigation independent of the police department to be conducted; the end of Denver Police Department’s participation in the Pentagon 1033 Program; and community control of the police.
Saint Paul, MN – On September 16, the newly formed Minnesota Abortion Action Coalition (MNAAC) held its second action outside of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s residence. MNAAC demanded that state officials put an end to state funding for crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) and other manipulative, anti-abortion organizations throughout the state. Since 2005, the state of Minnesota has spent $3.4 million per year on CPCs.
Chicago, IL – Using the tag line, “Going to the Heart of the People’s Struggle,” our podcast has quickly spread across the country. Fight Back! Radio host Richard Berg noted, “We do interviews with the real leaders of the people’s struggles. We go past the bourgeois think tanks by talking to activists that are organizing workers, oppressed nationality peoples, students and other fighters.”
Tallahassee, FL – On September 7 at 6 p.m., members of the Tallahassee Community Action Committee (TCAC) spoke against the current city budget and demanded the institution of a People’s Budget that better reflects the needs of the community. The city of Tallahassee was conducting the first of two public forums on the 2023 City Budget, which includes record pay increases for city executive staff and little to no funding for repaving or creating new sidewalks and infrastructure.
Arlington, TX – On September 7, the Progressive Student Union held a rally here to speak out against the reversal of Roe v. Wade, as part of a wider national day of action called by Students for a Democratic Society.
Dallas, TX – In a response to the call to action by the Legalization for all Network, on August 27, a protest marked the 52nd anniversary of the Chicano Moratorium by speaking out in defense of the local immigrant community.
Chicago, IL – Chicago saw two developments this past week in the struggle for democratic control of the police by the Black and Latino communities in Chicago. First, after a long delay, Mayor Lori Lightfoot appointed the interim Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA). This was created out of the passage of historic legislation in 2021, Empowering Communities for Public Safety (ECPS), the most democratic legislation for police accountability in the country.
Los Angeles, CA – Over 100 Chicanos and other participants gathered for a rally at Salazar Park in East Los Angeles to commemorate the 52nd anniversary of the 1970 Chicano Moratorium. In 1970, 30,000 people once demanded a stop to the Vietnam War and an end to discrimination and racism. The LAPD and LA Sheriff's Department teargassed and beat protesters. Their actions led to the deaths of three Chicanos, including LA Times reporter Ruben Salazar.
Gelsenkirchen, Germany – The Marxist Leninist Party of Germany (MLPD) celebrated its 40th anniversary with a weekend of celebration from August 25-28. Among the 1500 who attended were party members from across Germany, their families, residents of the local community, and international guests representing revolutionary parties and organizations from 31 countries across five continents. Andy Koch, the National Organizer of Freedom Road Socialist Organization attended the celebration.
Minneapolis, MN – More than 300 University of Minnesota (UMN) service workers represented by Teamsters Local 320, along with members AFSCME, students, faculty, and others, protested on the school’s campus, August 30, to demand an end to poverty wages and abusive employment practices.
Minneapolis, MN – Chants of “When abortion rights are under attack, what do we do? Stand up fight back!” could be heard up and down Chicago Avenue and 41st Streets in South Minneapolis on Thursday, August 18, as 40 protesters gathered outside the Tandem Family Resource Center – one of Minnesota’s now-infamous “crisis pregnancy centers” – for a rally for women’s and reproductive rights. The action was organized by the newly formed Minnesota Abortion Action Coalition (MNAAC) to demand an end to state funding for Tandem and other “crisis pregnancy centers” like it.
New Orleans, LA – Dozens of protesters rallied at the statue of Benito Juarez on August 27 to demand hurricane relief funds for all immigrants, regardless of legal status. The rally also came in response to national call to action by the Legalization for All Network to defend DACA against legal attacks and to commemorate the Chicano Moratorium.
Minneapolis, MN – On Sunday, August 28, dozens of protesters gathered with signs, noisemakers and flyers across the street from Target Field in downtown Minneapolis. The demonstration was organized by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) and is also part of a national call to action for DACA by the Legalization for All Network, coinciding with the 52nd anniversary of the historic Chicano Moratorium in Los Angeles, California.
San José, CA – “No ban! No wall! Legalization for all!” was heard at San José City Hall as about 20 people showed up on Saturday, August 27, to protest the possibility of the U.S. Supreme Court repealing DACA, which would affect nearly a million undocumented immigrants and their families in the United States.
It is a fact of historical materialism that the development of the productive forces reduces the amount of labor required by production. As technology and techniques improve, the amount of work required to meet human needs is reduced. This should be a fact that liberates humanity from toil, freeing us to pursue our interests, hobbies, goals of self-development, and so on.