Jacksonville, FL – Dixie money rules in Jacksonville, Florida, but it shouldn’t.

Oshkosh, WI – On March 31, local activists and members of United Action Oshkosh (UAO) held a vigil to honor and commemorate the life and work of activist Amber Evans.

Tampa, FL – Over 40 custodians, teachers and concerned community members rallied outside the Hillsborough County School Board meeting, April 2, to stop plans to privatize the custodial staff at all Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS). The rally was hosted by the Hillsborough State Employee Federation and Hillsborough County Teachers Association. Chants at the rally included “It’s time to stop the greed, give custodians what they need!” and “Up up with education, down down with privatization!”

Jacksonville, FL – On March 24, over 50 people from the community, along with members of the Jacksonville Community Action Committee, gathered to remember the life of Vernell Bing Jr., an African American man gunned down by Officer Tyler Landreville of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office in 2016. Along with members of Take Em Down Jax and the Northside Coalition, the Bing’s mother, Shirley McDaniel, thanked attendees for coming. Vernell Bing would have been 25 this year.

Jacksonville, FL – With 58% of the vote, Republican Mayor Lenny Curry outright won re-election as mayor of Jacksonville, Florida on March 19. Sheriff Mike Williams, also a Republican, garnered about 62% of the vote, easily trouncing Democrat challenger Tony Cummings. Republicans also won Property Appraiser and Tax Collector by sizable margins.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from Frank Chapman, Field Organizer of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.

St. Paul, MN – On March 15, the mother of Cordale Handy, members of the community and other families who lost loved ones to police violence gathered here to remember Cordale Handy, who was murdered by police on this date in 2017.

Tampa, FL – On February 28, the Tampa Bay chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) held a Black Lives Matter rally at the University of South Florida for the seventh anniversary of Trayvon Martin’s death. In 2012, Trayvon Martin, 17, was shot and killed by George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida, after returning from a nearby gas station. The trial of Zimmerman became a national phenomenon with him walking free due to Florida’s ‘stand your ground’ law. The shooting is still fresh on Florida’s mind, with many questioning the judicial system that let a man off with murder.

Minneapolis, MN – On February 20, Freedom Road Socialist Organization hosted Black liberation leader Frank Chapman. Over 50 people attended the event.

Chicago, IL – Rev. David Thornton, pastor of the Sixth Grace Presbyterian Church, welcomed the crowd, February 10. Referring to the program for the event, sponsored by Freedom Road Socialist Organiza-tion (FRSO), he said, “I think that the Freedom Road Socialist Organization has a strategy of building a united front against monopoly capitalism.” Recalling his sermon that morning, he added, “This reminds me, this morning, when I shared with the congregation the importance, if you really want to make a difference, to leave the safety of the shore and go into the deep waters. This is certainly an organiza-tion that is engaged in deep waters.”