Fight Back! News

News and Views from the People's Struggle

CO

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Englewood, CO – On June 16, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) held a march to the home of University of Colorado Regent and chair of the Governance Committee, Ilana D. Spiegel. Spiegel, a Democrat, was elected to the University of Colorado Board of Regents 6th Congressional seat in late 2020.

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Memorial to Jor'del Richardson held by the Denver-Aurora Community Action Committee.  | Fight Back! News/staff

Aurora, CO – On Saturday, June 1, the family of Jor’dell Richardson, Denver-Aurora Community Action Committee (DACAC) organizers, and community members, hosted a safe summer kickoff at Del Mar Park, in memory of Jor’dell Richardson. Jor’dell was a 14-year-old who was shot and killed by the Aurora Police Department on June 1, 2023.

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Pro-Palestine picket at weapons maker Lockheed Martin.  | Fight Back! News/staff

Littleton, CO – On Wednesday, May 29, the Denver Anti-War Action (DAWA) continued their pro Palestine actions against weapons manufacturer Lockheed Martin with another all-day picket at the corporation’s Colorado headquarters.

Around 50 protesters engaged in direct action throughout the day, forcing Lockheed employees to take fact sheets that laid out their location’s specific role in the ongoing genocide in Palestine, attached with explicit imagery of carpet bombing and the brutal effects of white phosphorus.

The fliers pointed out the connections between Lockheed Martin and Israel, included graphic imagery of war crimes, and the specifics of the activity that Lockheed Martin is engaged in in Colorado. Lockheed Martin’s primary roles in the genocide are sending F-35s, F-16s and C-130-Js to the occupation as well as providing the tools for mass surveillance and missile and drone targeting with satellites and GPS systems that are produced in Littleton.

One protester with the DAWA, Solveig Swain, explained, “We have to see these traumatizing images constantly by following the news coming out of Gaza. Those actively contributing to the genocide, the people providing the satellite surveillance used to target Palestinians, need to see the results of their crimes as well.”

These engineers of a genocide at Lockheed Martin did not appear out of thin air but were hand picked by Lockheed Martin. Tom Chaney, an organizer with the Students for a Democratic Society Denver (SDS) explained, “These young engineers are brought in with promises of money, with promises of safety and security for the future. There is no security when you’re funding a genocide.

Lockheed Martin, through “donations” and funding for “research” provided to Colorado universities, has deep ties to these institutions which allow them to aggressively recruit Colorado’s students. The end of this relationship is one of the demands of the SDS,and DAWA is also fighting to break the ties with corporations that arm Israel.

Another speaker with the DAWA, Julia Swezy, laid out the future of the movement, “We are building our discipline and militance daily. We will fight until the resistance achieves the victory they deserve, the liberation they are entitled toAs the resistance forces in Palestine wage their struggle against the occupation, those in the United States fight to end the supply of weapons that facilitate the genocide. By building militant people power in a similar fashion to the protests against the war in Vietnam, these activists hope to strike blows against domestic weapons manufacturers in solidarity with the Palestinian resistance.”

#LittletonCO #DenverCO #CO #AntiWarMovement #International #MiddleEast #Palestine #StudentMovement #SDS #DAWA #WeaponsIndustry

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FRSO Central Committee member  Carlos Montes speaks in Denver, Colorado.  | Fight Back! News/staff

Denver, CO – On May 26, Carlos Montes, a lifelong organizer and a member of the Central Committee of Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), came to Denver to speak about socialism and the struggle for Chicano liberation. Colorado has a long history of radical Chicano organizing, most famous being the Crusade for Justice of the 1960s.

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Students occupy CU Denver bursar's office demanding divestment from apartheid Israel.  | Fight Back! News/staff

Denver, CO – On Monday, May 13, members of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) occupied the Bursar's office of the University of Colorado, Denver to demand divestment from Israel.

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Denver students demand universities break all ties with Israel.  | Fight Back! News/staff

Denver, CO – On Tuesday, May 7, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) held a rally and sit-in at the Aerospace and Engineering Sciences (AES) building at the Metropolitan State University of Denver. Since April 25, students have been camping on the Tivoli Quad on campus to demand that the University of Colorado and the Metropolitan State University of Denver divest from Israel.

Although student leaders have met with the administration of both universities multiple times, thus far negotiations have stalled, and the schools seem unwilling to grant the students' demands. MSU Denver specifically has a partnership with Lockheed Martin, with an entire floor of the AES building dedicated to Lockheed manufacturing.

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Veteran Black liberation activist Angela Davis speaks at Palestine solidarity encampment in Denver. | Fight Back! News/staff

Denver, CO – On Saturday, April 27, the Auraria Encampment for Palestine entered its third day. Despite police violence and the arrest of 44 protesters the day before, campers were in high spirits to continue.

The encampment is organized by Students for a Democratic Society with community support from the Colorado Palestine Coalition. Throughout the day, hundreds of students, faculty and community supporters spent time at the camp. At 1 p.m., there was a rally featuring speakers from SDS, supportive city council members, and veteran organizers from groups such as the American Indian Movement.

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Denver Mayor Mike Johnston speaking with participants at Palestine encampment. | Fight Back! News/staff

Denver, CO – On Saturday, April 27, the Auraria Campus Encampment for Palestine entered its third day. Despite freezing temperatures and downpouring rain, dozens of protesters have remained through the second night at the encampment.

The previous day the encampment faced attacks from the Denver Police Department. After arresting over 70 protesters, DPD retreated from the encampment before returning a few hours later. Dozens of riot police surrounded the encampment and issued an order to disperse. The crowd linked arms and did not move.

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Pro-Palestine students attacked by Denver police. | Fight Back! News/staff

Denver, CO – On Friday, April 26, the Denver Police Department (DPD) attacked an encampment for Palestine set up by Students for a Democratic Society.

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Khalid Hamu removed by police from University of Colorado Denver board of regents meeting  | Fight Back! News/staff

Denver, CO – On April 11, members of Denver Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) rallied and held several disruptions outside the University of Colorado Denver board of regents meeting to further Denver SDS’s demands for the University of Colorado to divest from companies tied with Israel.

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