New York, NY – On February 4, the Movement of Rank and File Educators held their general assembly this month in Manhattan. Over 50 teachers came together to discuss how to organize around Black Lives Matter in their schools during the upcoming week of action.

The assembly began with a brief history of the organization Black Lives Matter at Schools (BLMAS) as an organization grown out of the Black Lives Matter movement. BLMAS organizers went over the demands for the week of action, which include ending “zero tolerance” discipline against students, ending racist hiring practices, and funding community needs instead of cops.

Organizers shared their experience bringing the BLM movement and anti-racism into their schools by bringing up the demands of BLMAS, centering voices of Black liberation during Black History Month, and bringing together Black community organizations. Educators emphasized ties between teaching about the Black liberation movement and structural racism, and teaching about imperialism, immigration and the ongoing ICE attacks in Minneapolis.

The attendees broke out into groups to strategize how they can teach about Black history in their classrooms and with their coworkers during and beyond the week of action. Teachers expressed their willingness to fight against reluctant administrators to ensure Black history was taught properly in their schools, emphasizing on-the-ground organizing with coworkers.

New York City currently has the most segregated school system in the U.S.

#NewYorkNY #Labor #MRFE #OppressedNationalities #AfricanAmerican #BlackLivesMatter #BLMAS #BlackHistoryMonth

Washington, DC – As the occupation enters its third week, on Wednesday afternoon, September 3, the DC Against Trump Coalition (DCAT) gathered in front of the Wilson Building, home to the mayor’s office and city council, to protest Mayor Muriel Bowser’s latest capitulation to the Trump administration.

Organized in less than 24 hours, DCAT mobilized 50 people to respond to an executive order signed by the mayor that will indefinitely allow local police forces to cooperate with federal law enforcement. This move represents the latest concession to the Trump administration, which ordered the National Guard into the city three weeks ago.

Protesters made their voices heard inside City Hall as they chanted, “We don’t need collaboration, end this racist occupation!” City Hall employees later confirmed that the crowd was heard loudly enough inside the building to disrupt meetings, and that Mayor Bowser was in the building.

“The DC Against Trump Coalition was built to fight back against Trump’s racist occupation of DC,” Merawi Gerima, emcee and member of the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, stated, “and now we see that also means fighting back against Mayor Bowser who is committed to rolling out the red carpet for him and his cronies.”

“DC police agencies are now hooking up with federal [law enforcement] agencies,” said Paige White, DCAARPR member and a leader of the DC Lawyers Against Trump Coalition, “and these federal agencies don’t actually know anything about policing. They don’t know anything about the Fourth Amendment, they don’t know anything about your Miranda Rights, and they certainly don’t want to protect them.”

Attendees were heard by police and politicians inside and outside the building, chanting, “Racist, coward, crooked, cops, get a fucking real job!” and “Bowser and Trump, sitting in a tree, attacking and terrorizing kids in DC!” before marching across the street to wave signs and chant as cars passed by.

“I get it from both sides. I am Black and an immigrant,” stated a protester who has become a regular figure at DCAT actions with a “Fuck ICE/Gestapo ICE 2025” banner mounted on poles. “I was scared at first, but then I realized I have to fight for my people who cannot. I will not be silent and allow the Trump occupation to do whatever it wants!”

DCAT’s next action is a Mass Cop Watch on Friday, September 5 at Navy Yard Metro at 7 p.m.

#WashingtonDC #DC #BlackLivesMatter #ImmigrantRights #Trump #InJusticeSystem #DCAT #DCAARPR #DCLAT

Los Angeles, CA – On August 30, at 3 p.m., Chicanos, impacted families of police brutality, people raided by ICE and the FBI, along with supporters will in East Los Angeles, for a march, marking the 55th anniversary of the Chicano Moratorium.

The march will begin at Sounds of Music record store, the site of what was once the Silver Dollar; a bar where many including LA Times reporter Ruben Salazar took refuge after LAPD and Los Angeles sheriffs mercilessly beat and attempted to disperse participants in the August 29, 1970 Chicano Moratorium. Salazar was killed by LA sheriffs. The moratorium’s demands were ending the Vietnam occupation and equality for Chicanos.

Tomorrow, a large coalition will be commemorating the 55th anniversary of this event and uplifting current demands such as stand with Palestine, ICE out of LA, Chicano self-determination, community control of police, and defend public education.

The coalition is made up of Centro CSO, Union del Barrio, Black Lives Matter: Los Angeles, Jewish Voice for Peace, About Face LA, UTLA, Teamsters, SEIU, Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), and United Families for Justice, which consists of police killing impacted families of Jeremy Flores, Francisco Núñez and Hugo Cachua.

“I believe it is important to commemorate the 55th Chicano Moratorium, because we once again find ourselves, as a people, in a crucial moment, where staying silent is complicity,” says Centro CSO member and security lead Derek Mejia, “People should be out in the streets on Saturday August 30, standing up against the ICE raids and with Palestine! It is important that we continue and maintain the long history of the Chicano struggle.”

The 55th commemoration will begin at 3 p.m. at the Sounds of Music record store, where attendees will begin marching, and ending at Salazar Park for a rally and entertainment starting at 4:30 p.m. That part of the event will take place at the Whittier Boulevard/Alma Avenue side of the park. The family-friendly event will have free food, water and entertainment.

#LosAngelesCA #CA #Chicano #ChicanoMoratorium #ImmigrantRights #OppressedNationalities #CentroCSO #UniondelBarrio #BlackLivesMatter #JVP #AboutFace #SEIU #Teamsters #UTLA

Grand Rapids, MI – On Thursday, May 8, over 100 activists and community members gathered outside the Kent County 17th Circuit Court to stand in solidarity, outrage and mourning with the family of Patrick Lyoya, an unarmed black man and Congolese immigrant who was killed in a 2022 traffic stop by the Grand Rapids Police Officer Christopher Schurr.

After years of waiting for justice while Christopher Schurr walked free of consequences, the prosecutor’s office finally put Schurr on trial for murder. But after days of deliberation, the jury was unable to reach a verdict, and a mistrial was declared by the judge.

In response to the news, protesters took to the streets to demand a retrial and justice for Patrick and his family.

“Patrick's not here. Patrick doesn't have a voice,” said protester Erykai Cage. They continued, “As long as I have breath in my body, I'll be out here.”

After a rally outside the courthouse, during which Black community leaders delivered speeches, protesters began to march to the nearby police department, initially occupying the streets until city and state police demanded they return to the sidewalk.

Activist Aly Bates told the crowd, “We cannot allow the city to forget what happened.”

The crowd shouted chants of “Black lives matter!” “You can’t stop the revolution, GRPD is not the solution” and “Justice for Patrick!” as they made their way past the police station and back towards the courthouse.

After returning to the courthouse, protesters occupied the intersection next to the rally location. Police responded by forcing protesters onto the sidewalks. Several were maced and one arrested. Officer Daryl Howard of the GRPD violently and suddenly moved a protester who was using a wheelchair, despite this individual attempting to comply with police orders, and nearly tipped them on to the street.

Kent County Commissioner Robert Womack told the crowd, “We have to dismantle their train of thought because every building and every police officer’s gun is paid for by your tax dollars,” adding, “Have they forgotten who they work for?”

DeeDee Grier, a prominent leader in the fight for justice for Patrick Lyoya, encouraged both those in attendance and those who can’t attend to continue supporting the grieving Lyoya family.

Despite a mistrial being declared, the fight for justice for Patrick Lyoya has only just begun in Grand Rapids. Organizers promised to continue standing together in solidarity to win justice for Patrick Lyoya and commit to building a united front against police repression.

#GrandRapidsMI #MI #InJusticeSystem #KillerCops #BlackLivesMatter #PatrickLyoya #Feature

St. Paul, MN - As Donald Trump was inaugurated the 47th president of the United States on Monday, January 20, people gathered in Saint Paul to make a promise that from day one they would resist Trump’s agenda. 

The day began at the Saint Paul Police Department’s Western District precinct. With temperatures dipping to negative five degrees, a single hearse led a caravan of over 100 cars in remembrance of Marcus Golden. At the young age of 24, Mr. Golden was murdered by Saint Paul Police on January 14, 2015. He is the nephew of Black Lives Matter Twin Cities organizer Monique Cullars-Doty. 

The caravan participants decorated their cars with Palestinian flags and signs in support of the defense of Black lives, immigrant rights, and reproductive rights. The caravan proceeded from The Saint Paul Police Department’s Western District precinct along University Avenue. Two young men exited their parked cars in subzero weather to wave a Palestinian flag in support as the caravan passed. The caravan participants honked as they continued east toward downtown.

Cullars-Doty spoke about the significance of the single hearse leading the caravan today. “The hearse is from the same undertaker who took my nephew Marcus Golden’s body from Ramsey County Coroner’s office, but it also represents all the revolutionaries this country has killed and silenced. It is also symbolic that we all follow the hearse because we are still fighting. So as this Trump administration rolls in, we cannot let our dreams die. It means we have to keep fighting.” 

A coalition of organizations led by Black Lives Matter Twin Cities (BLM-TC Metro), the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC), and Twin Cities Coalition for Justice (TCC4J) organized the car caravan and indoor rally.

In the shadow of the Minnesota State Capitol, the caravan arrived at Saint Paul College where 500 attendees filled the cafeteria to chants of “Black Lives, they matter here! and “Immigrants are welcome here!” 

Despite the somber occasion of Trump’s second inauguration, the room buzzed with enthusiasm as the emcees led the crowd in chants. Speaking for MIRAC was Manuel Pascual - a first generation Filipino immigrant who witnessed the violence of ICE raids against his community first hand. 

Pascual stated, “Immigrants and the working class are the backbone of this country. It is extremely important we don’t panic or fall into despair in this time of uncertainty. Instead, we organize. We take to the streets. We continue speaking up, showing up, and fighting for one another.” 

Charlie Berg, a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, affirmed the task ahead of everyone in the room: “It is up to all of us to unite the many in order to defeat the few. We need to make this country ungovernable! Our job is to take the fight to higher stages than ever before.”

Toshira Garraway, the founder of Families Supporting Families Against Police Violence, whose fiancé was murdered by the Saint Paul Police in 2009, inspired the crowd saying, “When we see someone being hurt or harmed or mistreated for any reason at all it’s going to take every nationality of people from every walk of life to stand up against the evil and the corruption in this world and we are going to win!”

Sarah Murphy from the Minnesota Abortion Action Committee who spoke about the fight for abortion access under Trump and the fight against the predatory crisis pregnancy centers that are run by the Christian right and embed themselves in predominantly Black and brown working-class communities and college towns to dissuade people from getting abortions.

The crowd also heard speeches from the Climate Justice Committee, the TCC4J, the Minnesota Immigrant Movement, among many others. Other groups were present to table and talk to community members and other organizers throughout the day to share information and get more community members involved in joining the fight against Trump. 

Closing out the program was Anti-War Committee and Free Palestine Coalition member Sabry Wazwaz, who connected the fights for Black and Palestinian liberation, stating, “This connection is not something new. It has always been there. They don’t want us to remind each other that our struggle is one struggle! If you go to Palestine, you will see murals all along the apartheid walls of Martin Luther King, of Malcom X, of George Floyd - because our struggle is one struggle!”

After the program, participants returned to their cars to caravan to the Minnesota State Capitol building where they ended the day of protest honking outside of the Minnesota State Capitol to send the message that Minnesotans will be in the streets to fight Trump’s agenda starting on day one, even in extreme subzero weather.

#StPaulMN #MLKDay #MLK #Trump #Inauguration #Minnesota #AntiWarCommittee #FreePalestineCoalition #FreePalestine #Abortion #AbortionAccess #ReproductiveFreedom #ReproRights #BLM #BlackLivesMatter

Los Angeles, CA – On May 1, over 100 people gathered at Mariachi Plaza in Boyle Heights to commemorate May Day, the International Workers Day. Across the world workers celebrate this day to highlight the contributions of the working class, regardless of their immigration status. It originated in Chicago, where in 1886, striking workers were attacked by police while fighting for the eight-hour workday, the right to unionize and safer working conditions. Eight of the organizers were convicted and four of them publicly executed by hanging.

In 2006, May Day was revitalized when an extremely repressive law proposition was introduced by Senator Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI). Massive demonstrations took place on May Day in 2006, including in Los Angeles, where more than a million took to the streets.

The year’s event started at 4:30 p.m. and was kicked off with a fiery speech from Alex Orellana, a UPS worker and Teamster shop steward from Local 396, who stated, “Today we celebrate 136 years of working class resistance against capitalist greed.” Later in his speech he spoke about the significance of immigrant workers, saying, “The U.S. economy is absolutely dependent on immigrant labor.”

Later during the event, Jordan Peña from Centro Community Service Organization (CSO) spoke about the importance of immigrant rights and legalization for all saying, “It is our responsibility to stand up and fight back. No human is illegal on stolen land!”

Dr. Melina Abdullah, co-founder of the Los Angeles chapter of Black Lives Matter recognized the shared struggles of African Americans and Chicanos. She spoke about the need to take control over the many forms of abuse we experience from law enforcement and the tactics they employ to stifle our voices and progress. “Cops are not workers; they are tools of white supremist capitalists. We have our own solutions for community safety,” said Dr. Abdullah.

Another major focus of this year’s event was the importance of standing in solidarity with the people of Palestine. The need to end the genocide taking place is ever more important as Israel continues to murder innocent civilians every day. Attendees at the event chanted, “Viva, viva, Palestina!” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!”.

Karina López from Centro CSO spoke about the student protests happening nationwide saying, “We encourage those of you who are able to attend, join the student protesters on their campus encampments. Our struggles are directly tied to the people of Palestine.”

Avery Raimondo, who spoke for Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), said, “LA sheriffs exercise one of the most oppressive forms of oppression by killing Chicanos, Latinos and African Americans. And when the families speak up, they’re harassed. Then if they go to trial, the system clears the killers. All of these examples led me to understand that the system is so corrupt, there is no reforming it. The only way to move forward is to clear it out completely. All of our enemies, including those in Palestine, are the same. Capitalism. This is why I became a member of FRSO.”

This is the ninth consecutive year a May Day celebration has taken place in Boyle Heights, with record attendance this year. It was organized and led by Centro CSO and included speakers from various community activist groups throughout Los Angeles. Other endorsers and speakers included the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES), Soledad Enrichment Action (SEA), LA Catholic Worker, Partido MORENA, the Lincoln Heights Neighborhood Council, and Re/Arte Centro Literario + Independent Print Shop.

If you would like to participate in the planning for next year’s CSO May Day in Boyle Heights, send them a message at 323-484-8630, CentroCSO@gmail.com or on their various social media platforms under Centro CSO.

#LosAngelesCA #BlackLivesMatter #MayDay #LegalizationforAll #FreePalestine

Jacksonville, FL – A few dozen community members and activists rallied to demand an end to a proposed state legislative bill meant to end civilian review boards investigations into police misconduct.

SB 576/HB 601 is legislation designed to disband civilian oversight in Florida. Currently a few dozen cities and counties have some form of civilian oversight boards. This legislation as designed seeks to stop any civilian investigations into officer misconduct and concentrate civilian oversight appointment into the hands of police chiefs and sheriffs.

Protesters chanted, “Rep. Wyman Duggan shame on you, Black lives matter too” along with chants of “Kill the bill, kill the bill.”

The Jacksonville Community Action Committee (JCAC), Florida Rising, Take Em Down Jax, the Northside Coalition of Jacksonville, and UNF Students for a Democratic Society and Black Voters Matter all had members present at the rally.

Joe Ross of the Northside Coalition said, “This bill is Jim Crow, and they want to take power away from the people because they know the people will hold them accountable.”

Jamil Davis of the JCAC and Black Voters Matter demanded state senators vote no when the bill hits the senate. “Do you represent the 84 people killed by the police last year or do you represent the 84 cops who killed them?” Davis asked.

SB 576 is slated to be up in the state senate next week. Protesters voted to keep the pressure up to stop the bill from passing.

#JacksonvilleFL #InJusticeSystem #CommunityControlOfPolice #PoliticalRepression #JCAC #SDS #UNFSDS #BlackLivesMatter #SB576HB601

Tacoma, WA – Chants of “Jail killer cops,” “Black lives matter” and “Justice for Manny” rang through the Hilltop neighborhood of Tacoma, as over 100 people gathered to protest, grieve and march against the wrongful acquittal of three Tacoma police officers for the murder of Manny Ellis. Among those gathered were Ellis’s sister, mother, extended family, friends and other families of people murdered by the police.

Manuel “Manny” Ellis was murdered by Matthew Collins, Christopher Burbank and Timothy Rankine on March 3, 2020. Several videos and eyewitnesses prove that Ellis did not provoke the police, yet they tasered, choked, hogtied and kneeled on him. While Ellis was suffering this completely unwarranted attack, he pleaded for his life, saying “I can’t breathe, sir.” The murderous cops placed a spit hood over Ellis’s head, and continued to kneel on him until he became unresponsive. He died at the scene.

Yet, on December 21, judge Bryan Chushcoff delivered the verdict of “not guilty” on all charges.

One protester at the rally, Aife Pasquale, described the sham trial saying, “The behavior of the gallery was extremely inappropriate and made everything harder on the family.” They were referring to the many police officers and supporters who reserved excessive numbers of seats to harass and intimidate the Ellis family during the trial. “Only cops would see slaughtering people in the streets as a means of protecting our illusion of freedom.”

Immediately the verdict at 3:30, angry family and community members gathered beneath the large, colorful mural of Manny Ellis in the Black neighborhood of Hilltop. The mural, in large black and blue letters reads “Justice for Manny.” From there, they took to the street to block the nearby intersection while Ellis’s family led chants and gave speeches. More and more people joined the crowd.

As the sun set, people moved back to the mural to grieve and hold a vigil. Hundreds of candles, yellow roses, and photos of others who have been murdered by police were placed under the mural. Community members, often also dressed in yellow, took turns speaking on how they and their family have been harmed by the racist, violent police system. Ellis was wearing a yellow hoodie the night he was killed.

Grief turned again to rage, and the crowd marched through the streets to the nearest Tacoma police precinct, chanting “TPD, KKK, IDF they’re all the same” and “No good cops in a racist system.” These chants highlight how Ellis’s murder is part of a much bigger, global system of violence and oppression. They then held a six-minute moment of silence to represent the six minutes police officers kneeled on Ellis that resulted in his death.

Michael Olagunju, a local community member, described how Ellis’s murder and police violence impacts his family. “My mother is in her 70s, and when she sees a police officer get behind her, she will take any route she can to get them out from behind her. That just gives you a small indication of the type of fear that us, as Black people, feel towards the police.” Olagunju also described how he was a father to two children, a brother, and a son, much like Ellis who was also a father to two children, a brother, and a son.

The crowd marched back from the precinct to the “Justice for Manny” mural where people continued to share, grieve and plan for future events. At around 8:30 p.m. the crowd began to disperse, and Olagunju echoed the sentiments of many at the rally: “The police are the biggest gang in America.”

#TacomaWA #InJusticeSystem #PoliceBrutality #BlackLivesMatter #JailKillerCops #Feature

Lift Every Voice and Swing

Amidst the turmoil, a 16-year-old African American teenager and Good Samaritan, dubbed Black Aquaman and Michael B Phelps, exhibited remarkable courage and leaped into the river to intervene. Many online are hoping he can get a scholarship with an HBCU.

Some other heroes include an African American who hit another white man WWE-style with a folding chair. WWE has yet to reach out to him for a spot on Wrestlemania 40.

The event shed light on the dichotomy of perceptions about the South. Often labeled as backward and complacent, the region's history of resistance surfaced again. The tears weaponized against Black lives were now being shed by white women who found themselves on the receiving end, echoing a poetic reversal of roles. The delayed arrest of these individuals exposed the urgent need for community control of the police, an essential step toward dismantling systemic injustice.

On March 7, 1965, hundreds of civil rights activists marched from Selma, Alabama, to Montgomery, Alabama. According to an Eyewitness piece in the National Archive, “Alabama state troopers, sheriff's deputies, and posse men” equipped with clubs, bullwhips, and tear gas attacked 600 people.” 59 people were treated for injuries at the local hospital, including the U.S. House of Representative and famed civil rights activist John Lewis, who suffered a skull fracture.

We saw white women who participated now crying when struck back, weaponizing the same white tears that killed so many Black boys and men. Unfortunately, to my knowledge, those white women were not immediately arrested.

When the brawl was over, the crowd demanded the police arrest the white assailants, and cheers emitted from the atmosphere when several white men were arrested. One white man in the video, alleged to be Chase Shipman, the owner of Vasser’s Mini Mart in Selma, has not been charged.

The Southland Journal site reports that several people, whose names have not yet been released, have been detained by the Montgomery police, and four active warrants have been issued as of Sunday afternoon.

African Americans are constantly under attack, and if I was being brutalized by a white gang in Crocs and someone swam across the river to save me, I would feel elated.

That's why this video has gone viral with so many memes. We feel collective solidarity across the entire country. We are witnessing the power of fighting back and are filled with hope for the future. It was a multi-generational beatdown that united a community.

Because of national oppression, African Americans are subjected to state-sanctioned violence, blatant discrimination and systemic inequality. National oppression refers to African Americans facing constant systematic mistreatment, discrimination and marginalization, which results in cultural suppression, economic disparities, political marginalization, social discrimination, land and resource dispossession, and legal and structural discrimination.

African American communists in Alabama organized sharecroppers, protested against lynching, and fought for better labor conditions and, overall, for the liberation of African Americans and Black people around the world. The South's entire history is full of resistance. Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated at a workers’ rights rally in Memphis, Tennessee. The Montgomery Bus Boycotts, sit-ins, and Freedom Rides are just some of many examples of African American resistance in the Black Belt South. This is the territory of the African American nation. We have a right to self-determination. Our history and resistance are being whitewashed in places like Florida, where the new education curriculum claims enslaved Africans benefited from slavery. I need a photo of Black Saturday in textbooks across the South.

We have witnessed too much brutality and attacks on African Americans in recent years. We saw George Floyd and the televised brutality as he cried out for his mama. Last month we witnessed O'Shea Sibley, a queer dancer, be murdered for voguing in New York. NYPD has been criticized due to its initial lack of response.

In response to the viral uprising, Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed wrote on social media, “Last night, the Montgomery Police Department acted swiftly to detain several reckless individuals for attacking a man doing his job,” adding, “Warrants are being signed, and justice will be served.”

No African American person should be arrested for intervening in the Alabama Brawl. The Blood Saturday ‘23 videos are a testament to the unyielding solidarity we have for each other. We have sometimes been that security guard fighting for our lives when we have been wrongly attacked. It is a part of the legacy of struggle and African American liberation. It is a beacon of hope in Montgomery – the heart of the Black Belt South – with a resounding message: “Lift Every Voice and Swing.”

An update: The man who bravely defended his community is being charged with a felony and has a bond set to $25,000. Please donate to this GoFundMe https://www.gofundme.com/f/a-good-man-arrested We must put an end to all racist and political repression. Fighting back is not a crime!

#TallahasseeFL #AfricanAmerican #BlackLivesMatter

Arrested for sleeping on a park bench, Lashawn Thompson suffered from schizophrenia and was in need of medical attention and housing. During his three months at the jail, Thompson suffered prolonged dehydration and malnutrition, and lost 32 pounds, which were all cited by the autopsy as contributing factors in his death. Despite knowing of his physical and mental health status, jail cops did not move him to the psychiatric wing until the day before his passing.

Lashawn Thompson was one of 15 people who died in Fulton County Jail in 2022. The jail is notorious for its inhumane conditions and violence from the guards. Originally built with the capacity to hold 1125 inmates, the jail now holds 3000, with hundreds sleeping on the floor and in corridors. It is the deadliest jail in Georgia.

Hundreds are being held with no court hearing or indictment. The cells are not cleaned or maintained, and mold grows on the walls. There is no running water most of the time. Inmates at Fulton County Jail, which is Georgia’s largest mental health facility, experience medical neglect and mistreatment that have cost many lives. On July 13, the Department of Justice launched an investigation into the conditions of the jail.

In early July, 19-year-old Noni Battiste-Kosoko was found dead in her cell after being denied bail for a misdemeanor. She was at the Atlanta City Detention Center, another Fulton County detention center with similar horrid conditions as the Fulton County Jail. An investigation by the Georgia Advocacy Office, which culminated in a lawsuit in 2019, showed that the detention center was dealing with inmates with mental illness by putting them in solitary confinement in cells with mold, blood and feces on the walls and floor.

The County Sheriff's so-called solution is to build a $2 billion jail to replace the current one. This plan lacks the forethought to scratch the surface of the problem, let alone address it at the root. The new facility, with its larger capacity, is bound to lead to the incarceration of more Black people in Atlanta and will be another overcrowded jail with inhumane conditions. This is not a solution; it is another problem waiting to happen.

Mass incarceration of Black people and the inhumane conditions at the Fulton County Jail are a symptom of national oppression. The capitalist class makes billions of dollars by exploiting the resources and labor of Black folks in the Black Belt South, while the people who work for that wealth live in poverty. The stripping away of democratic rights, mass incarceration, police violence, and gutting of funding for infrastructure and community services are defining features of national oppression and society in the South. Only by strengthening the Black liberation movement and dealing blows to monopoly capitalism can we challenge national oppression and the conditions that created Fulton County Jail.

#AtlantaGA #PoliceBrutality #BlackLivesMatter

Tampa, FL – The Tampa community, Black Lives Matter activists, and impacted families from across the country gathered in Tampa for the Andrew Joseph Memorial Weekend. The family-hosted event took place from Friday, February 17 to February 19. The weekend commemorates the ninth anniversary of his death with a vigil, a workshop to promote youth leadership, a fundraiser and a church service.

Andrew Joseph was a 14-year-old boy who was left by the side of the road after being unjustly ejected from the Florida State Fair by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office on what was known as “student day,” where children were allowed to get in the fair. Joseph was arrested by Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, photographed, his parents were not notified, and he was killed crossing the interstate, after being left there far from where he entered the fair.

Friday, February 17

Speakers talked about Andrew Joseph, the importance of persistence in the struggle for police accountability, and real steps that can be taken to hold the cops accountable when they commit crimes, such as ending qualified immunity.

“The work that we are doing is inspiring others locally, it is inspiring others nationally, to continue and to commit ourselves to fight against police brutality and struggle for true police accountability,” said Gareth Dawkins, from Tampa Bay Community Action Committee

After the speeches, vigil attendees crossed the road to stand on an overpass overlooking Interstate 4, the highway where Andrew was killed, and where a banner commemorating him was put up.

This weekend comes on the heels of a victory for the Joseph family and all advocates for police accountability. In September of 2022, a jury awarded $15 million in a wrongful death suit the Josephs brought against the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. But, as the Josephs, Andrew and Deanna, both stated, the fight did not end for them there – they are fighting to end qualified immunity – the policy that protected their son’s killers. In the words of Andrew Joseph II, his father, so that, “no family ever has to be out here like this again.”

Qualified immunity is the legal doctrine from the 1960s and 70s, which exempts police from lawsuits and other accountability, unless absurdly high standards are met. This doctrine is used most often to protect cops when they kill African Americans, and the fact that it came on the heels of the civil rights movement was no accident, but a deliberate attack.

Saturday, February 18

The second day of the memorial began with a workshop teaching young people their rights when interacting with police. Opening with a somber video of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph detailing the night that they lost their son. Followed by a powerful speech by Mrs. Joseph, highlighting the need for young people to know their rights and keep themselves safe.

Around 15 young leaders ranging from eight to 16 years old were in attendance and participating in exercises to show how to keep themselves safe when questioned by a cop. The workshop concluded with Assata’s chant and a chorus of voices shouting, “We have nothing to lose but our chains!”

Sunday, February 19

The weekend concluded with a breakfast and fellowship at Victory AME church, with focus on how the struggle and fight for freedom “didn’t end with the book of exodus” but will be won because of fighters like Deanna Joseph, the family of Emmet Till, Michael Brown Sr. and Andrew Joseph Jr. who fight day in and out to make sure the terror that happened to their family doesn’t happen to another.

Andrew Joseph Jr. closed the weekend with powerful words from the pulpit, “They’re afraid of these little kids, because they’re the next generation. The last generation that has to deal with this. So we are planting seeds for tomorrow. So it’ll be on earth, as it is in heaven. Where our people will no longer have to deal with this.”

#TampaFL #PoliceBrutality #BlackLivesMatter

New Orleans, LA – On Monday, January 30, 100 demonstrators rallied at city hall to call for justice for Tyre Nichols and all victims of police crimes. They then marched to Jackson Square, a tourist hub in the French Quarter. Malikah Asante-Chioke spoke about her father who was killed by Louisiana state police.

Toni Mar, representing New Orleans for Community Oversight of Police (NOCOP), denounced the killings.

As the demonstrators marched through the French Quarter they chanted slogans such as “When killer cops are on patrol, what do you demand? Community control!”

NOCOP members passed out literature calling for the New Orleans city council to adopt a measure for Citizen Police Accountability Council. They announced a follow-up demonstration for the next day. The next protest called for the firing and conviction of NOPD officer Gerry Paul, who has been charged with rape.

#NewOrleansLA #PoliceBrutality #BlackLivesMatter #NewOrleansForCommunityOversightOfThePoliceNOCOP #TyreNichols

Colorado Springs, CO – On February 4, a crowd of protesters gathered at the Colorado Springs City Hall to demand justice for Tyre Nichols. The action was called by the Colorado Springs People’s Coalition (CSPC), an affiliate of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. The event was also attended by members of Students for a Democratic Society, along with local community members and their children.

The protest started with a speech from Brandon Rincon, founder of CSPC. “We’re here to stand in solidarity with Memphis protesters and to bring more awareness to police crimes in Colorado Springs.”

Rincon then read a prepared statement of solidarity from Dalvin Gadson, a homeless veteran who was beaten by the Colorado Springs Police Department in October of 2022. A call to action was made for those present to join organizations fighting against police crimes. After the speeches, the protesters marched to CSPD headquarters, chanting “Cops kill while on patrol, what do we need? Community Control!” and “Black lives matter!”

After arriving at CSPD headquarters, the protesters held a moment of silence before marching back to City Hall. The calls for community control of the police echoed through the city.

#ColoradoSpringsCO #PoliceBrutality #BlackLivesMatter #StopPoliceCrimes #TyreNichols

Venice, CA – On January 29, over 200 people gathered on the intersection of Venice and Lincoln Boulevards in an action led by Black Lives Matter-LA demanding justice for Keenan Anderson, Tyre Nichols and many others whose lives were taken by police during traffic stops.

This protest comes days after the Memphis Police Department released gruesome body camera footage of five now-former officers beating 29-year-old Nichols, which led to his death days later. Patrisse Cullors, co-founder of BLM and family members of Keenan Anderson were present and spoke about how much Keenan was loved and missed and demanded justice for all whose lives were taken by police during traffic stops.

After powerful speeches, the crowd moved and blocked the intersection after pointing out that nobody stopped to help Anderson while he was in the middle of one of the biggest intersections in Los Angeles being attacked and tased by LAPD. Protesters formed a giant circle locking arms around the crosswalks forcing traffic to be rerouted. More members of BLM-LA got on the mic to pump the crowd and led chants followed by speeches for an hour.

The crowd began to march on Lincoln Boulevard, later revealing that the destination to be the home of LA City Councilmember Traci Park. Park, who was recently elected to office, is an active opponent against BLM-LA and ran for office and won on a pro-cop campaign and is in charge of District 11, where Keenan Anderson was killed under her watch.

On arrival, Patrisse Cullors rang the doorbell hoping Park would come out and talk, but she didn’t answer the door. Before dispersing, the crowd were invited to leave spare signs at Traci Park’s home.

#VeniceCA #PoliceBrutality #BlackLivesMatter

Tampa, FL – On the first day of Black History Month, February 1, students at the University of South Florida rallied in front of a statue of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to demand justice for Tyre Nichols, Manny Páez Terán, and Keenan Anderson. The event was organized by Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) as part of a National Day of Action Against Police Terror with SDS chapters across the country participating.

These actions were called in response to the violent police murders of three, all of which took place in the span of two weeks. On January 3, the Los Angeles Police Department tasered Keenan Anderson over ten times in just 42 seconds – an act of brutality that led to his death four hours later. Keenan Anderson was the third person to be killed by LAPD in 2023, just three days into the new year. “Justice for Keenan Anderson!” was displayed on signs and chanted by the protestors.

The crowd also chanted, “Justice for Tortuguita!” for committed organizer Manny “Tortuguita” Páez Terán. On January 18, Manny was murdered by Georgia law enforcement for defending the Weelaunee Forest from being turned into “Cop City,” a $90 million police training facility. Their death is yet another example of law enforcement using violence as a form of political repression.

On January 7, Tyre Nichols was brutally assaulted by at least seven Memphis police officers who left him fighting for his life for three days until his passing. Although five of the officers have been charged with murder, protesters know the struggle does not end there. “Tyre Nichol’s death was completely preventable and another reason why our communities need to have full and absolute control of the police,” remarked Victoria Hinckley.

Like Hinckley, Vaidehi Persad of SDS believes that the solution is putting the power into the hands of the people through community control of the police. “The first step is restoring rights and power to Black, Puerto Rican, Chicano, and other historically oppressed communities in the U.S. most heavily impacted by police brutality,” she told the crowd.

These killings are not isolated incidents and represent a long history of police terror against oppressed communities. For Eithne Silva, a member of Tampa Bay SDS, “these deaths are indicative of a nationwide crisis of police militarization and our communities living in constant fear of police departments that don’t serve the interests of the people.”

Even their vigil was not without police presence, with USF police patrolling the area around the MLK statue. “USFPD only harasses people and we have continually seen them intimidate and incite fear in students,” remarked Persad. Tampa Bay SDS has been campaigning against the campus police for the last couple of years, calling for them to return the militarized weapons gained from the 1033 program.

With signs reading “Black lives matter,” “Jail killer cops,” and “No good cops in a racist system,” students at USF showed that they are committed to police accountability both nationally and locally.

#TampaFL #PoliceBrutality #BlackLivesMatter #BlackHistoryMonth #StopPoliceCrimes

Milwaukee, WI – After a successful march and rally over the weekend, the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression and the Justice for Brieon Green Coalition organized a candlelight vigil on Tuesday, January 31 for Tyre Nichols and all victims of police violence.

Vigils help us remember victims of police crimes as humans who were loved and cherished. It is important to hold space to grieve for our loved ones. This is so that we can build the strength it takes to struggle for their justice. In Milwaukee, this strength has been built through the fighting families who have lost loved ones to police violence.

JoAnn Brewer, grandmother of Brieon Green, said, “This is how it should be. We should get together. If you decide to stay home and we don’t stand together, we can’t get anything done. We need to get up and fight for justice, transparency, and what we need.”

In Milwaukee, that fighting spirit has been exemplified by Maria Hamilton, mother of Dontre Hamilton (2014) and member of Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (MAARPR). Speaking at the vigil, Maria explained the need for transparency. It has been almost nine years since Dontre was murdered by Milwaukee police, and the footage around the case is yet to be released. Footage in these cases is crucial for transparency, but it also helps with, as Hamilton said, “keeping the names of our loved ones not only alive but relevant. The way they were killed. The people who hired [the officers]. The people who made the choice to work these jobs and weren’t qualified for a badge. We have to remain vigilant.”

This is why the need for community control over the police is imperative. Lauryn Cross, co-chair of the MAARPR, said, “eventually through police reform, we will realize as a community we need direct control over how we are policed and who polices us. Even in states with progressive policies around the release of body cam footage, we are still losing loved ones to police crimes. As long as the police oversee themselves they are not being held accountable. We need power over where the money from their budget goes, we need power over how fast these killer cops get to jail, we need to take our power back!”

The vigil ended with chants for victims of police violence in Milwaukee, going as far back as Daniel Bell, who was murdered by Milwaukee police on February 2, 1958. The history of police violence is a long one in Milwaukee, but so is the history of the struggle against it. That struggle is carried forward today by the MAARPR, the Justice for Brieon Green Coalition, and the families.

#MilwaukeeWI #PoliceBrutality #BlackLivesMatter #StopPoliceCrimes #TyreNichols

In the last week or so, I've read thousands of words on Charlene’s passing and becoming part of the pantheon of revolutionaries who have gone before her.

A lot of things have been said about her particular political contributions: her rise to leadership in the Communist Party; her being the first Black woman to run for president; and the tremendous contributions she made in defense of democracy and the freeing of hundreds of political prisoners during the 1970s and 80s. But I'm afraid that what has been written so far, as deserving and fitting as it is, misses one very critical point about Charlene's life and her legacy. I would say she was first among those in the 20th century – along with Angela Davis, Henry Winston and William Patterson, also Black communists – who created one of the most powerful and inspiring movements in the campaign to “Free Angela Davis and All Political Prisoners.”

It is amazing to think of what that movement accomplished: in over 60 different countries and over 1000 cities in the United States, the call went out to free all political prisoners at the time. The call included those who had gone to jail for political reasons, but also those who had gone to jail for other reasons – in the main, being trapped in ghettos and the constant cycles of crime – but who later on became political prisoners by their fight for their rights as human beings while they were in prison, like the Attica brothers and George Jackson. Like myself.

I was languishing in a dungeon called the Missouri State Pen and fighting an uphill battle to overturn a sentence of life plus 50 years when the National Alliance was founded by Charlene, Angela, Anne Braden, and 700 other brave souls in Chicago in 1973. In 1976, I came home from prison because of the Alliance, and in 1981 I was granted an executive clemency by the governor of Missouri because of the unspeakable power of the movement led by Charlene Mitchell. Charlene organized and fought not only for Angela Davis, but she also helped to free many more from the hellholes of America’s prisons.

Because of the accomplishments of the movement she led, I believe Charlene’s legacy has a far deeper meaning for Black liberation than what is expressed in anything I’ve read thus far.

This is the legacy that I want to bring attention to. This is the legacy which I think has fueled more than anything else the fires that we still see burning in the struggle for Black liberation to date. This fueled the fires of the George Floyd and Breonna Taylor rebellion. The fact that the Alliance was engaged in this rebellion in a leadership role is no small tribute to Charlene's historic leadership in the founding of this organization almost 50 years ago. The Chicago Alliance winning the enactment of the ordinance Empowering Communities for Public Safety is a tribute to her, as well.

That's the legacy that she left us. She left us a legacy of struggle. She used to say, “Organization plus unity plus struggle equals victory.” We still have that in our literature. And every time we put that in our literature, we honor Charlene Mitchell because she's the one that gave us that.

She said, “Lead our people not in their frustration, but lead them out of it.” Every time we organize the fight to free a political prisoner; every time we organize a fight against police crimes and police brutality and murder; every time we work with families who have lost loved ones; with families who still have loved ones that are languishing in prison; every time we do this here and now, we pay tribute to Charlene Mitchell, who started this fight for us almost five decades ago.

Charlene was the architect and the strategic leader of the most massive defense campaign in history – defending the Black Liberation movement, the democratic rights of workers and oppressed people, and the rights of revolutionaries, be they communists, the nationally oppressed, or both.

We in the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression dip our banners of struggle saluting Charlene Alexander Mitchell while we proudly continue as the torch carriers of her living legacy.

Frank Chapman is the executive director of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.

#ChicagoIL #Remembrances #ChicagoAllianceAgainstRacistAndPoliticalRepression #BlackLivesMatter

Josh Higginbotham: I am here to stand in solidarity with the nations that were excluded from the summit of the Americas, that are specifically targeted by USA sanctions, bureaucratic terrorism. We are the BLM presence from Oklahoma.

Fight Back!: Why should BLM stand in solidarity with these countries?

Higginbotham: It is very easily recognizable that U.S. foreign policy is very often a global version of domestic policy. For instance, the uprisings in 2020, the Black people and allies, said they want the abolition of prisons. The state gave billions of dollars to the institution. The same form of oppression is happening in Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua. Billions of dollars are being given to USAID and the NED which are the ones that have supported coups. The so-called humanitarians maintain the same policies at home and abroad.

Fight Back!: What should people in the USA know or do?

Higginbotham: People in the USA should take a cue from earlier solidarity movements, even within the history of the USA. For instance, some of the biggest improvements that were ever made in the USA happened when the labor movement was Black, brown and white in the 1920s and 30s – unlike the labor movement now, which is changing – and the other solidarity movements can take cues from that earlier time, people were much more internationalists then. Now, that communication has been facilitated in various ways we can literally talk to anyone on earth immediately and for free. We yet are kinda stuck in this mindset that all politics are local. This is the very thing that can destroy solidarity. It is important that workers in any industry in the USA don’t just look to their own interests, but they care just as much to people in other countries, doing similar or more dangerous job, but make 20th of the salary.

Fight Back!: Why should BLM support Venezuela and Cuba?

Higginbotham: First of all, even though you would not get the impression from USA media, that there are as many African descendent lives in Cuba and Venezuela, particularly per capita. Those lives are affected by the same forms of oppression that affect Black people in the USA.

Fight Back!: What do you think is the goal of this conference?

Higginbotham: I think the goal is to come to a better understanding of the circumstances that shape the forms of oppression people everywhere suffer and to build and grow solidarity that will be necessary to create something new in its place.

#TijuanaMexico #Tijuana #AntiwarMovement #PeoplesStruggles #AfricanAmerican #BlackLivesMatter

Los Angeles, CA – Family, neighbors, supporters and Centro Community Service Organization (CSO) attended an October 16 press conference, rally and celebration of the life of Eric Briceno, who was killed by East LA Sheriffs in Maywood, California. Other families who have lost loved ones to police killings also joined the Briceno family. Well-known civil rights attorney Samuel Paz had asked Centro CSO to help the Briceno family.

Briceno was killed on March 16 after his parents called 911 for help with a mental health crisis. Briceno was beaten and tased to death in his bedroom, after he woke up to sheriffs shouting his name. He had no weapon and posed no threat to anyone.

October 16 would have been Briceno's 40th birthday. His family hopes to bring attention to these senseless police killings and demands prosecution of the deputies involved.

At the rally, Blanca Briceno, Eric Bricenos’s mother, spoke about how kind and lovely Briceno was, and contrasted it with the ELA sheriffs’ brutality. Briceno's sister Blanca also spoke not just about the grief the family is suffering but of their determination to fight for justice. Also speaking was prominent civil rights Chicano attorney Humberto Guizar, with Justice X Law Advocates. He denounced the gangs within the LA County Sheriffs.

The family asked Carlos Montes, well-known Chicano activist with Centro CSO, to speak. Montes called for the prosecution of the involved deputies, community control of police, and the November 3 election ouster of current LA County District Attorney Jackie Lacey, as well as Trump.

Centro CSO, along with Black Lives Matter-LA are planning a rally and get-out-the-vote event on October 25, starting at El Sereno Community Garden at 10 a.m.

The Briceno family, joined by neighbors and supporters, marched in their Maywood neighborhood. A Mexican-style band played during the procession. Briceno's family carried a banner which read, “Justice for Eric Briceno.”

Those who marched included Rosa Moreno, whose son César Rodríguez was killed by Long Beach Police; Germán Romero, whose son Jesse Romero was killed by LAPD Hollenbeck station in Boyle Heights, and two family members of Anthony Vargas, killed by East LA Sheriffs. Centro CSO helped in leading the procession, coordinated traffic control and the sound system and led chants.

Briceno attended and graduated from Fishburn Elementary School, Nimitz Middle School and Bell High School. He was well liked by his neighbors and enjoyed music.

“My brother was planning on hiring a band like this one for his 40th birthday,” said Sasha Gamboa, sister of Briceno. “He was so excited for his birthday, so we wanted to make sure he had this band present today.” She marched holding her brother's urn filled with his ashes. When asked about this gesture Gamboa said, “I know Eric would've carried me, too.”

#LosAngelesCA #ChicanoLatino #CarlosMontes #BlackLivesMatter #BlancaBriceno #LAPDHollenbeck

Los Angeles, CA – Thousands of supporters from South LA, along with multiple political forces, continued to denounce the killing of 29-year-old Dijon Kizzee by the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department (LASD) at a protest on September 12. Kizzee was shot 20 times by deputies from LASD’s South LA station for an alleged vehicle code violation that ended in a fatal altercation on August 31. Kizzee’s family called for murder charges against the sheriff deputies responsible for his death.

Organized by Coalition for Community Control of Police, Black Lives Matter-LA and several other organizations, the action started at the site where deputies shot and killed Kizzee. Protesters then marched through the neighborhood until arriving at a nearby intersection next to the sheriff's station. They were met with sheriffs in riot gear who blocked the main road of Imperial Highway with barricades and military vehicles.

Several families who have lost their sons to police killings denounced the LA County Sheriffs and LAPD. The groups called for prosecution of the police, the ousting of LA’s District Attorney Jackie Lacey, and voting Trump out in the 2020 November elections. Carlos Montes with Centro CSO spoke of the unity and solidarity that exists between the Blacks and Chicanos. He called for community control of the police and Black power, saying that once Black people are free, we will all be free!

Since the killing of Dijon Kizzee, actions at the South LA station have ranged from press conferences to protests. The South LA County South LA Sheriff's station has met these organized and spontaneous actions with violent repression and has shot teargas, rubber bullets and flashbangs at participants, including journalists and photographers. Participants have compared deputy repression to a warzone. In a few instances, the sheriffs declared the protests an unlawful assembly within five minutes, which they used as justification to instigate violence and ultimately ambush and arrest protesters for being present or “looking like protesters.” Sheriff press conferences have labeled protesters as “outside agitators'' to further divide and confuse the public on the actions occurring at the station.

#LACA #PoliceBrutality #PeoplesStruggles #Antiracism #BlackLivesMatter #PoliceCrimes #California #BLM #DijonKizzee