Salt Lake City, UT – Chants of “No justice, no peace, no killer police!” and “Hands up, don’t shoot!” filled the streets here, Aug. 20, with about 100 people rallying at the Wallace F. Bennett Federal Building. Organizer Fatima Badran urged protesters to make two phone calls: the first call to Salt Lake City police chief Chris Burbank one demanding justice for Dillon Taylor and the second to Missouri Governor Dixon to demand that he withdraw the National Guard from the streets of Ferguson. People must be allowed to have their democratic rights to address injustice without living under a military occupation.

Newark, NJ – Hundreds turned out for an Aug. 20 rally here to demand justice for Michael Brown. The protest was sponsored by the People’s Organization for Progress in Newark, NJ.

Miami, FL – Around 100 protesters met on the Wolfston campus of Miami-Dade Community College, Aug. 14, to demand justice for Mike Brown. Led by groups like Dream Defenders, Miami Workers Center, and Power U, protesters held signs reading “Hands up don’t shoot!” and chanted “No justice, no peace, no killer police.”

Salt Lake City, UT – The recent wave of police brutality has made headlines in Ferguson, Missouri and here in Salt Lake City, where police confronted Dillon Taylor Aug. 11, outside of a 7-Eleven store and killed him. Thus far, police authorities have worked to cover up the shootings.

Miami, FL – Human rights advocates showed their support for the people of Gaza and Ferguson Missouri, Aug. 16. About 20 activists made their presence known at downtown Miami’s Torch of Friendship. The fact that a last minute action could pull 20 activists together in the middle of a rainstorm displayed the South Florida’s growing conscience when it comes to the issue of Israeli apartheid. Among the groups represented were members from Jewish Voice for Peace in South Florida, Occupy Miami, Students for Justice in Palestine and the Green Party of Miami-Dade & Broward Counties.

Grand Rapids, MI – 100 people gathered in solidarity with the African American community of Ferguson, Missouri and to remember police shooting victim Michael Brown, Aug 16. Organized by two African American women, the crowd stood with their hands up so photographers could take photos on Calder Plaza. During the second round of photos outside Grand Rapids City Hall, the crowd chanted, “Hands up, don’t shoot!”

Tampa, FL – Activists and community members gathered on Aug. 16 in front of the Tampa Police Department to protest the police murder of unarmed black teen Mike Brown and police brutality against protesters in Ferguson, Missouri.

Ferguson, MO – It is shortly after midnight, Aug. 15, and easily at least a thousand members of the Ferguson community have taken the streets tonight in what it seems like a atmosphere of celebration. Residents said that they are overjoyed that the police, at least tonight, have withdrawn their militarized force from their streets.

New York, NY – Eric Garner, an African American father of six, was brutally murdered at the hands of the New York City Police after an officer placed him in an illegal chokehold on July 17. Garner can be heard telling officers that he couldn't breathe in a video taken by a witness. After killing Garner, officers can be seen in the video searching his pockets instead of calling for medical attention. The officers have yet to be fired and charged for their crimes; instead have been placed on desk duty.

Berkeley, CA – I just heard about the passing of Yuri Kochiyama from my father, another Nisei (second generation Japanese American) political activist, who lives in Berkeley about a mile from where Yuri was living. I didn’t know Yuri well, having only met her once when we were both attending the same program in the Asian American community. Nevertheless, she was the single most prominent individual Asian American activist of the 20th century and her life and politics pioneered the Asian American movement born in the late 1960s.