At least 4 arrested, 1 hospitalized

Jacksonville, FL – Police launched a vicious attack on a “No war with Syria” rally in Jacksonville’s Hemming Park, this evening, April 7. Eyewitness say at least four have been arrested, and that one protester was beaten so severely that he has been hospitalized.

Houston, TX – About 20 people rallied in front of City Hall, April 4, to demand Justice for Alva Braziel and Vincent “Vido” Young, both of whom were murdered by Houston police. They passed out a leaflet to people at City Hall with the photo of the cops that killed Alva Braziel with the title “Wanted for murder.”

Zionists driven away

Houston, Texas – On March 27, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) hosted a discussion at the University of Houston called “The Black Radical Tradition and Palestine” with Dr. Gerald Horne, chair of African-American Studies at the University of Houston (UH). Over 50 students and people from the community who showed up to learn about the history of Black activism and about the importance of solidarity between Black people and Palestinians in America.

Los Angeles, CA – The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) just claimed their first Boyle Heights victim of 2017. A 36-year-old Chicano named Fred Barragan from the Boyle Heights neighborhood was killed by cops on March 25. Per local news reports, gunshots were heard around midnight. LAPD reports to the press that they saw Barragan run and an attempted to stop Barragan, leading to his killing. A witness disputes the LAPD version of events.

St. Paul, MN – Dozens burst into the city council meeting here on Wednesday afternoon, March 22, to demand answers after the police killing of 29-year-old African American, Cordale Handy.

Police detain pro-immigrant protester assaulted by Trump supporter

Salt Lake City, UT – One month after delivering demands for a sanctuary campus to the University of Utah administration, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) sat in and shut down their office on March 8.

Chicago, IL – Over 1000 people gathered at the headquarters of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) to celebrate International Women’s Day, March 8. Speakers from CTU, Fight For 15, the teachers union at the Charter School Aspira, AFSCME and other unions shared the stage with Rasmea Odeh, along with Filipino, Iranian and undocumented immigrant women.

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) today, Feb. 15, called on the Filipino people to protest the police and military crackdown after at least 19 individuals, mostly activists as well as civilians, who were arrested in Metro Manila and other parts of the country in a span of just one week since the Duterte regime terminated peace talks and declared an “all-out war” against the revolutionary forces last February 7.

“No wall no registry, no white supremacy”

Activists in Oak Park, a suburb of Chicago, rallied 400 people today, Feb. 4, to make their village a strong sanctuary. They urged the village trustees and mayor to keep their word and adopt a Welcoming Village Ordinance that would protect immigrants. The organizers opposed a previous proposal with deportation loopholes.

The first call came in to Cameron Clark – the jury would come back in 15 minutes, to say whether the man who shot him would be found guilty for his crimes. Through phone calls, texts and social media, Cameron and friends filled helped filled the courtroom, when Allen “Lance” Scarsella was brought in to face the jury. He was found guilty on all 12 counts against him, for his actions on Nov. 23, 2015, at the protest demanding justice for Jamar Clark, where Scarsella shot and wounded five Black protesters, including Jamar’s cousin Cameron.

Minneapolis, MN – Allen “Lance” Scarsella took the stand again for the entire day, Jan. 30, attempting to convince a jury that he was acting in self-defense the night he fired eight shots into a crowd of Black people on Nov. 23, 2015. The shooting came just after protesters had removed him from the occupation demanding justice for Jamar Clark. Scarsella testified that after most of the protesters turned to go back, he was still surrounded by a handful of “very aggressive” men. He claimed that the one closest to him pulled out a shiny object he believed to be a knife.

Night of the shooting, the men shouted “Race war!” and “Trump 2016!”

The courtroom is expected to be packed for the final days of the trial of Allen “Lance” Scarsella, the white supremacist who shot five Black men at last year’s North Minneapolis protest to demand #Justice4Jamar. The trial started going into its fourth week today, Jan. 30.

Los Angeles, CA – The Mendez family and their attorney Arnold Casillas held a press conference, Jan. 11, to announce the filing of a federal lawsuit for the Feb. 6, 2016 killing of their 16-year-old son Jose Mendez by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). Juan Mendez spoke of his murdered son Jose, saying that he loved soccer and hamburgers. Juan Mendez displayed an urn with the ashes of Jose saying, “This is all I have left of my son. I want justice – these police who assassinated my son must go to jail.”

St. Paul, MN – More than 50 people gathered in below freezing temperatures for more than an hour Jan. 14, in front of a Saint Paul Police Station, for a memorial balloon release for Marcus Golden. On Jan. 14, 2015, Golden was executed, shot in the back of his head, by Saint Paul Police Officers Jeremy Doverspike and Dan Peck. Golden was unarmed, but SPPD's Detective Shelia Lambie used a search warrant to retrieve a gun legally owned by Golden from his residence. This is why it took SPPD approximately 11 hours after Golden was wrongfully killed, to ‘confirm’ Golden was armed.

Minneapolis, MN – On Dec. 3, community members and activists gathered at Wayman AME Church in North Minneapolis for a panel discussion about how to “bring back transparency in law enforcement.” Panelists included Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman, Minneapolis Deputy Police Chief Medaria Arradondo, police federation President Lt. Bob Kroll, Hennepin County Sheriff’s Deputy Kellace McDaniel and Minnesota Department of Human Rights Commissioner Kevin Lindsey. All were unprepared for the heat they got from the crowd assembled in the church.

Minneapolis, MN – An audience of over 500 people gathered at North Community High School in Minneapolis, Nov. 30, to hear Shaun King speak on the rise of police killings of African Americans.

Chicago, IL – On Black Friday, Nov. 25, the busiest shopping day of the year, 500 people marched on the Magnificent Mile, Chicago’s upscale retail district, calling for a boycott.

Over 100 people marched to the steps of the Durham Police Department, Nov. 23, to demand justice for 34-year-old Frank “Scooter Bug” Clark. Clark, an African American, was shot multiple times by Durham police on the afternoon of Nov. 22 in the McDougald Terrace public housing project. Protesters blocked the streets in front of the police department for over an hour while speakers railed against the police shooting.

100 people marched through North Minneapolis, Nov. 13, to remember Jamar Clark, and continue the fight for justice and against police crimes. The event kicked off a week of actions to mark one year since Clark was killed by Minneapolis police. Organized by the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice (TCC4J), the action opened with a rally at Broadway and Lyndale Avenues, then took to the streets for about three miles, marching past the Fourth police precinct and to the site of Clark’s murder at James and Plymouth Avenues.

Dozens of angry protesters chanting, and waving signs gathered outside of District Attorney of Los Angeles, Jackie Lacey’s office, Nov. 10.