New Orleans, LA – On October 16, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) hosted a “No Troops, No Trump” emergency rally and spoke out at both Tulane University and at Loyola University New Orleans in response to a national day of action called by National SDS.

The day of action was one meant to show solidarity with the people of Chicago. Many chapters across the country participated, but for students in New Orleans this action meant more than just solidarity. Governor Jeff Landry’s pending deployment of the National Guard looms over Louisiana’s major cities including New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Shreveport and Alexandria.

At Tulane, Students for a Democratic society organized a speakout to stand in solidarity with Chicago. Protesters chanted “New Orleans isn’t licking boots! No Trump, no troops!” condemning Jeff Landry’s decision to call the National Guard in their city and demanding Tulane not comply with ICE.

“An increasingly powerful billionaire class is consolidating power at the expense of us all,” said Tulane law student Andreas Saint-Rouge “We must remember now more than ever to organize. We must stand by Chicago and all those affected by the militarized henchmen of Donald Trump.”

Afterwards, Tulane students joined their sister chapter at another SDS rally in front of Loyola University New Orleans. There, over 25 Loyola students rallied chanting, “No troops on the ground, no bombs in the air! U.S. out of everywhere!” and “From NOLA to Chicago, Trump's troops have got to go!”

Nat Schrodt, a Loyola student and member of SDS, connected the day of solidarity with Chicago to the local struggle saying, “Two weeks ago, Governor Jeff Landry requested the activation of Louisiana National Guard to Shreveport, New Orleans and Baton Rouge under the pretense of keeping down crime.” The crowd yelled “shame” in response as Schrodt continued, “We know this is a ruse, a gross step in the Trump regime's authoritarian playbook. But come as they may, we will be ready, organized, and prepared to stand against this shit.” The crowd responded with an eruption of applause.

“The fightback is growing and winning. In Los Angeles and Chicago, the people ran ICE out of their communities! Just last night, students at Loyola kicked TPUSA, backed by the entire GOP, off of campus,” said Carson Cruse, speaking for the Freedom Road Socialist Organization. “That’s what we do when we fight back. We dare to win!”

#NewOrleansLA #LA #StudentMovement #SDS #Chicago #NationalGuard #Trump #ICE #ImmigrantRights

San José, CA – Despite midterm exams, San José State University students protested outside the Martin Luther King Jr. Library, October 16, against Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops into Chicago and other cities. Organized by Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), the action brought together university students and activists from community organizations.

Ethan Maruyama of SDS stated, “Just as Israel failed to occupy Gaza, Trump has been unable to occupy Chicago. In response to an ICE kidnapping [on campus], over 200 students at the University of Illinois Chicago mobilized and took the quad, demanding ICE off of campus,” Maruyama exclaimed to cheers from the crowd.

Maruyama continued, “Despite these attacks, the people of Chicago remained militant and went from the defensive to the offensive, forcing ICE to retreat.”

Throughout the event, chants filled the air, with the slogan “Chicago isn’t licking boots! No ICE, no troops!” This action came at a as Trump threated to send the National Guard to more cities in California, like San Francisco and Oakland.

Ana Cortez of Centro Community Service Organization San José (CSO-SJ) told the crowd, “In Chicago, the federal government recently launched Operation Midway Blitz, an immigration crackdown that has already led to hundreds of arrests,” referring to an authorized mass-raid that took place in the Midwest starting September 9.

Cortez continued, “We refuse to let this administration cause trauma to our upcoming generation of strong Latinos. Our people deserve safety, dignity and peace, not raids, not cages, not fear.”

Cortez also used her speech to highlight CSO-SJ’s ongoing campaign to free Ulises Peña Lopez, who suffered a violent altercation with ICE after a court hearing on his status, and has since been unjustly imprisoned since February.

Cortez stated, “They smashed his window, dragged him out, and left him hospitalized Ulises has now been held at Golden State Annex Detention Center for more than six months.”

The protest ended with organizers calling on people to get involved with the student movement on campus, which has seen burgeoning growth over the course of Trump’s second term. Demonstrators, young and old together, made a pledge to get acquainted with another and build community to defend against further escalations from the federal government.

Though Trump has not ordered National Guard troops in San José, the city has seen an increased presence of ICE agents, which is further compounded by Mayor Matt Mahan’s campaigns against unhoused communities. Making up a large part of the city, immigrant communities have suffered through fresh waves of attacks from various law enforcement agencies, which have resulted in multiple deaths, injuries and emotional trauma.

The community stand firm, and the recent action reaffirmed the solidarity that San José shares with those fighting for dignity. To quote a notable chant that was heard throughout the protest, “From Chicago to San José, Immigrants are here to stay.”

#SanJoseCA #CA #ImmigrantRights #PeoplesStruggles #NationalGuard #Chicago #Trump #StudentMovement #SDS

Milwaukee, WI – On Thursday, October 16, 30 UW-Milwaukee students and community members rallied on campus to demand hands off Chicago as a part of the National Students for a Democratic Society National Day of Action under the slogan, “No Trump, No Troops, No ICE and Legalization for All!”

This rally was called by SDS UWM, in collaboration with the Milwaukee Fights Back Against Trump Coalition, the Milwaukee Anti-War Committee, the Young Democratic Socialists of America, the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

Andrea Waters from the Milwaukee Fights Back Against Trump Coalition said, “It is crucial we stand with the students as they fight against the Trump agenda and their threats of ICE and the National Guard. When ICE is in our communities they are on our campuses, and we need to be ready to fight against these attacks when it’s in Milwaukee and our own communities.”

Chants were heard all over campus, students yelling proudly, “Chicago isn’t licking boots! No Trump, no ICE, no troops!” The students of UWM made it clear they stand with Chicago and everyone who is facing these threats of the National Guard and ICE.

#MilwaukeeWI #WI #StudentMovement #ImmigrantRights #Chicago #NationalGuard #Trump #SDS #PeoplesStruggles

Tampa, FL – On Friday, October 17, Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) held an emergency rally to demand “Hands off Chicago.”

This action was part of National SDS’s Day of Action on November 16, against Trump’s recent deployment of the National Guard of Texas into Chicago, Illinois due to growing dissent in the city against ICE agents racially targeting immigrants and brutally attacking protesters.

Students, faculty of the University of South Florida, and members of the Tampa Immigrants’ Rights Committee gathered to demand legalization for all and the withdrawal of national guard troops and ICE agents from Chicago.

During the rally, protesters chanted “El pueblo unido, jamás será vencido!” and “Tampa isn’t licking boots! No Trump, no troops!” Attendees held up signs saying, “Immigrants are welcome in Tampa Bay!” and “Lucha contra Trump!” as cars passed by and honked in support.

“We are here today to stand in solidarity with Chicago, a city that is standing up to the violence and terror that ICE, the Trump administration, and the recently deployed National Guard has inflicted upon our immigrant brothers and sisters. We stand against the militarized repression of Chicago and we call for legalization of all immigrants,” said Briana Beebe of Tampa Bay SDS in a speech demanding legalization for all, “SDS demands legalization and protection for all immigrants and calls for an immediate end to the ICE raids, detentions, and deportations.”

As rallies against Trump’s agenda and ICE agents continue across the nation, Tampa will continue to stand in solidarity and demand no to troops in cities like Chicago, Portland and DC.

#TampaFL #FL #StudentMovement #Trump #Chicago #SDS #ICE #NationalGuard #ImmigrantRights

In the 18 months since Chicago reached a turning point with the passage of the Empowering Communities for Public Safety (ECPS) ordinance, the coalition that won the ordinance has fought against the obstruction of the mayor and pro-police members of the city council to implement it. The current stage in the fight against police tyranny is the elections for the local office of police district council coming up on February 28.

Freedom Road Socialist Organization calls on all progressives to be a part of the next step forward in the history of liberation struggles for Black people and other oppressed nationalities by getting out the vote for pro accountability candidates.

ECPS was won by a broad coalition of progressive organizations representing diverse sectors of the working-class and oppressed communities. The ordinance established a citywide Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA) with the power to set Chicago Police Department (CPD) policy, give input into the budget and the hiring and firing of CPD leadership.

The current CCPSA is an interim Commission nominated by the city council and selected by the mayor. Future Commissions will be nominated by the district councils, who will also have the task of gathering the ideas and experiences of the people in their districts regarding the police. Throughout 2022, the ECPS coalition searched for district council candidates interested in holding the police accountable. Over 100 candidates, mostly Black, brown and working class, stepped forward to run. The coalition helped them gather petition signatures to get on the ballot, and now over 60 pro-accountability candidates are on the ballot for February.

Candidates who are running to expand democracy and hold police accountable are up against those backed by the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), who want to protect the status quo of police killing and torturing oppressed people with impunity. Fortunately, the FOP-backed candidates are vastly outnumbered by pro-accountability candidates. However, the FOP represents the white supremacist ruling class, which has far more money to put into elections than progressive organizations do. In order for our advantage in numbers to overcome the FOP’s war chest, we need the active participation of as many people as possible in the upcoming elections.

The passage of ECPS was a massive step towards Black and indigenous people, Chicanos, immigrants and other oppressed people being able to democratically govern their own communities. We encourage all people who want an end to police tyranny to get involved in this fight.

We call on the people not only to vote for pro-accountability candidates on February 28, but also to help mobilize voters whether or not they themselves are eligible to vote. We all have a part to play in determining who polices our communities and how our communities are policed. We have a world to win and nothing to lose but our chains.

Go to http://chicagoecps.com to find out who's running in your district.

Go to https://www.caarpr.org/volunteer to get involved in mobilizing people to vote.

#Chicago #PoliceBrutality #FreedomRoadSocialistOrganizationFRSO #CommunityControlOfThePolice

National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression denounces U.S.  criminal interference in Cuba

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following July 26 statement from the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.

What the U.S. is doing in Cuba is criminal. The U.S. blockade of the small island nation of eleven million is meant to put a stranglehold on the people. The economic disruption caused by the U.S. embargo causes shortages and difficulties across the island. Not only does the U.S. embargo stop U.S. businesses from trading with Cuba, it punishes companies in other countries that trade with Cuba.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, instead of offering economic and medical cooperation, the U.S. attempted to cause trouble in Cuba by funding and provoking small groups of reactionaries. This came just as Cuba was rolling out a vaccine program to benefit every person on the island and reopen the tourist economy.

The response of Cuba’s leaders to the U.S. provocation was to mobilize large rallies with tens and hundreds of thousands of people from unions, community groups, and other sectors of society. These massive rallies for the defense of the Cuban revolution go largely unreported in U.S. media, but social media allows us to see them. We will not be fooled.

Of course, if one wishes to find political repression in Cuba, the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay detention camp is the place to look. The U.S. tortured and held under “indefinite detention without trial” hundreds of prisoners from U.S. wars in the Middle East. Prisoners are still held there today. The Guantanamo Bay Naval Base needs to be closed and returned to its rightful owners, the Cuban people.

The U.S. government, under the thumb of Wall Street financiers, has a long history of violent intervention in Cuba, from the Bay of Pigs invasion, to repeated assassination attempts on Fidel Castro, to organizing Florida based terrorists blowing up planes and physically attacking those who disagree with them. It is no surprise that masses of people across Cuba would mobilize against U.S. backed reactionaries and demand respect for Cuban independence, democracy and sovereignty.

We call for an immediate end to the U.S. blockade of Cuba. We call to restore diplomatic, trade, travel and cultural ties between the U.S. and Cuba. We call for an end to U.S. backed assassination attempts against Cuba’s leaders, as recently happened in Haiti. We call for solidarity with the Cuban people and their government. The Cuban people are in charge of their own destiny and have been ever since their revolution began on this day, July 26, in 1953.

#Chicago #Cuba #FidelCastro #NationalAllianceAgainstRacistAndPoliticalRepression #blockadeOfCuba #Americas

Chicago, IL – On August 6, U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton attended a gathering of representatives from the right-wing governments of Latin America. There, he announced the next stage in the U.S. campaign to defeat the Bolivarian Revolution: A total blockade of Venezuela. All U.S. citizens are banned from doing business with “the Maduro regime,” and any company – U.S. or international – that does business with the Venezuelan government will be subject to fines, asset seizures and sanctions. While the announcement did not include the immediate deployment of the U.S. Navy to enforce the blockade, Bolton hinted that the option remained on the table if foreign companies and governments did not comply.

A blockade is war by another name; it is a modern-day siege with the singular goal of starving a nation into submission. The U.S. government uses its hegemony to threaten any business or government that does business with the targeted nation, to risk its isolation in a global economy run on U.S. terms. If you run an agribusiness willing to sell food for the Venezuelan food subsidy program – you will be sanctioned. If you run a shipping company willing to transport Venezuelan oil to be traded around the world – you will be sanctioned. If you are a government that receives Venezuelan oil in exchange for social services – you will be sanctioned. In one fell swoop, the United States has committed itself to preventing any Venezuelan exports from leaving its shores, and from it receiving imported goods from anywhere around of the globe. Already, the U.S. military has prevented a ship carrying thousands of tons of soy products from reaching Venezuela.

The decision is a historic one. It ends all economic relations between the United States and Venezuela. Up until a few years ago, the U.S. was Venezuela's main trading partner. For decades, the Venezuelan government had sold heavy crude to ExxonMobil and other U.S. firms, and with the U.S. dollars it received from these sales it bought U.S. agricultural and consumer goods to meet domestic demand. Ending this dependency was a key goal of Hugo Chávez and the Bolivarian movement when they came to power in 1999, and the process of building economic sovereignty has been underway since then.

For 20 years, the U.S. has resisted this struggle for national independence. It backed a coup d’état in 2002 to try to install a pro-U.S. dictatorship, and firmly supported a bourgeois opposition that worked tirelessly to take back power and return Venezuela to the imperialist fold. After Chávez's death and Nicolás Maduro was elected president, the U.S. and its bourgeois lackeys began an economic war to try to break the masses from their revolutionary movement. But the coup failed, the opposition proved incompetent at winning elections, and the masses have endured the economic war without wavering in their revolutionary commitment. By declaring a blockade, the Trump administration is admitting that all their efforts to defeat the Bolivarian Revolution have failed. Nothing done so far has worked – so now starvation will be tried.

While the blockade directly targets Venezuela, it also sends a signal to other nations that refuse to fall in line behind the United States: namely, China and Russia. Both nations stepped in to fill the void left by the United States as the imperialist power gradually withdrew its historic relations with Venezuela. After the U.S. ended all military support for Venezuela during Hugo Chávez's administration, the Russian government stepped in. And as the U.S. began to withdraw its economic ties with Venezuela – a process begun in 2015 with a series of sanctions put in place by Obama – the Chinese government filled the void. Today, China is Venezuela's largest creditor and is providing crucial support for the nation's productive development. There should be no doubt that both nations will continue their support for the Venezuelan people – a sign of U.S. imperialism in decline, and of the determination of the world's peoples to defend their sovereignty.

This weekend, hundreds of thousands marched through the streets of Caracas in defiance of the imperialist blockade. The Venezuelan masses stand organized and mobilized, ready to defend the sovereignty they have won through hard struggle. “U.S. imperialism and its allies have tried to destroy the Bolivarian Revolution for 20 years, and again and again they have crashed against the granite wall of our unity and our conscience as a people fighting for freedom,” said Eduardo Piñate, the executive secretary of the United Socialist Party (PSUV), in an essay about the blockade. “Despite the damage they have caused us with the economic war, the blockade and all other forms of war done against us, we resist and advance because we are stronger than them.”

#ChicagoIL #Chicago #AntiwarMovement #Venezuela #BolivarianRevolution #UnitedSocialistPartyPSUV #JohnBolton #usBlockade2019 #Americas

“Every city in the U.S. where Black people live has the same crisis of police accountability. Until Black people have the power to determine who polices them and how they are policed, cops will brutalize, torture and murder us with impunity,” said Chapman, of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.

When he was killed by the police officer, Roberson was restraining one of the men believed involved in a shooting incident at the bar where he worked.

#Chicago #PoliceBrutality #Antiracism #FrankChapman #JemelRoberson #MidlothianPoliceDepartment #NationalAllianceAgainstRacistAndPoliticalRepression

Chicago, IL – 300 people came out to rally for justice for Laquan McDonald, Sept. 5, at the courthouse at 26th and California to mark the opening of the first-degree murder trial of police officer Jason Van Dyke.

Speakers at the rally included Alderman Carlos Rosa; Rev. Otis Moss III of Trinity United Church of Christ; Esther Hernandez of Innocent Demand Justice and mother of Juan and Rosendo, wrongfully imprisoned by disgraced Detective Reynoldo Guevara; and Armanda Shackleford, mother of torture victim Gerald Reed.

The mother of Antonio Porter, another torture victim, held her cell phone to the microphone so Porter could address the crowd from inside Stateville prison. Maria Hernandez of Black Lives Matter; Muhammad Sankari of the Arab American Action Network; and Frank Chapman of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression spoke. Jazmine Salas of the Alliance emceed the opening rally. The uncle of Steven Rosenthal, killed two weeks ago in North Lawndale, also spoke.

Many speakers celebrated the Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s previous day’s announcement that he is not running for reelection. Everyone agreed that the movement against police crimes, and especially the protests after the release of the video of the murder of Laquan McDonald were the main reason for Rahm’s decision. Joe Iosbaker of Freedom Road Socialist Organization asked, “Who defeated Rahm?” Shouts of “The people!” and “We did!” came roaring back.

The celebratory mood resulted in a note of confidence for justice for Laquan, and for community control of the police. Alderman Rosa said, “We know we could get a new mayor, but still have a racist police system.” “So when we win that civilian police accountability council, we will have the mechanism to ensure that the community has control over the police,” he added, “We will have the power to hold killer cops accountable for their crimes!”

There were solidarity rallies in New York City, Salt Lake City, Minneapolis and Jacksonville, Florida, as well as campuses in Arlington, Texas; Tallahassee and Tampa, Florida; a banner drop in San Francisco and a statement sent from the Dallas NAACP.

Trial judge breaks agreement, disrespects community and McDonald Family

Brian Ragsdale, a Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression leader, was one of the few community members who were allowed into the courtroom. When he emerged, he spoke to the rally. “Only about 13 of us found seats in the court room. And we had to give up some seats so the McDonald family could sit. They had to sit in the back of the courtroom, instead of in the front row as normally happens for a victim’s family.”

Several of the organizations will return to the court on Thursday morning, Sept. 6. Van Dyke has a hearing then where the judge is considering revoking his bail because he violated the court’s gag order not to speak about the case, giving interviews to two TV and media outlets.

Then the movement will come out again when the court reconvenes on Monday, Sept. 10 at 9 a.m.

#Chicago #AfricanAmerican #RahmEmanuel #Antiracism #LaquanMcDonald #JasonVanDyke

The Freedom Road Socialist organization is calling for all strands of the Black liberation movement and broader movement against police crimes to hit the streets on Sept. 5 to demand community control of the police and an end to police killings of African Americans, Chicanos, other oppressed nationalities, and working-class people. The Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (the Alliance), in coordination with the National Committee Against Police Crimes, is leading the call to stand up to demand justice for Laquan McDonald, who was brutally shot 16 times execution-style by white Chicago Police Department officer Jason Van Dyke on the night of October 20, 2014. The Alliance and the NCAPC are calling for solidarity actions nationwide in support of the people’s efforts in Chicago to hold killer cop Jason Van Dyke accountable for the murder of Laquan McDonald.The eyes of people around the country are on Chicago for the movement against police crimes. This is the first time in the city’s history, and possibly the history of the nation, that a white police officer has been indicted for first-degree murder for killing an unarmed Black person. From the beginning of Laquan’s murder, starting with the cover-up of the video recording of the murder by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, the entire system seemed determined to not allow justice to prevail in this case. Without a movement, there is no guarantee of justice. As of the end of August 2018, at least 679 people in the country have been shot and killed by police, with African American, native peoples, Chicano and other oppressed nationalities over proportionately bearing the brunt of these police killings. The demand for accountability and community control of the police has been put forth by the Alliance and other organizations nationwide. However, this demand for justice and broader democracy has been met by racist politicians and cop unions with a movement of their own which seeks to strengthen the right of cops to escape accountability, and murder with impunity, under the guise of ‘Blue Lives Matter.’Sept. 5 is a pivotal day for the Black liberation movement nationally and the movement against police crimes. It is our chance to make sure a killer cop is held accountable for his crimes and to build the movement to win more victories like this. On Sept. 5, the Chicago Alliance calls for a mass protest outside the courthouse at 26th Street and California Avenue to begin at 8:00 a.m. We urge all organizations in Chicago and in the Midwest to unite with the call and join them.For those outside of Chicago and surrounding area, we are calling on you to organize a solidarity demonstration in your own city and town, to protest police crimes and call for real police accountability and community control of the police.

All out on September 5th!

Justice for Laquan McDonald and all victims of police terror!Community Control of the Police now!

#Chicago #PoliceBrutality #PeoplesStruggles #FreedomRoadSocialistOrganization #Jacksonville #SaltLakeCity #NYC #PoliceCrimes

One of the CIA-trained proxy forces was called “The Brigade for purging slaves and black skin”- which sought to ethnically cleanse the Tawurgha area, was supported by NATO strikes from the air and on the ground by U.S. Special Forces. Tawergha was mostly inhabited by black Libyans, due to its 19-century origins as a transit town in the slave trade.

There was horrific video footage showing public lynchings of black soldiers from the Libyan army, migrant workers from other African countries, and any darker skinned Libyan civilians.

Human Rights Watch reported: “Dark skinned Libyans and sub-Saharan Africans face particular risks because [the CIA-trained proxy forces] consider them pro-Gaddafi mercenaries.” Amnesty International also reported on the cruel detention of Libyans and other Africans by the CIA-trained proxy forces.

The myth of black mercenaries fighting to protect Libya from foreign occupiers was spread by NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu, British Defense Minister Liam Fox, and other Western leaders. This myth was useful to claim that the NATO invasion and occupation of Libya was actually a war “between Gaddafi and the Libyan people”, as if he had no domestic support at all – a colossal fabrication.

What did Gaddafi really do for Libyans, and African people as a whole? He openly challenged AFRICOM’s intent to establish U.S. military bases in Africa, and often backed national liberation movements, including that against Apartheid South Africa as a close ally of Mandela. He oversaw a range of projects intended to lessen African dependency on the West, and challenge the legacy of Western colonialism. By challenging Western military and economic domination over the whole of Africa, he was a rival to U.S. interests in real terms. U.S. companies such as ConocoPhillips, Marathon and Hess Energy have already profited from new oil contracts in Libya.

What does it mean when the West slanders an African head of state who promotes African economic independence, funds public housing and subsidizes incomes? It means that he is progressive. Western imperialism is trying to impose a dictatorship of capital on Africa. It must be stopped.

#ChicagoIL #Chicago #Libya #Slavery #Africa

Fight Back News Service is circulating following June 1 statement by Frank Chapman, Field Organizer, Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR).

Mayor Rahm Emanuel,

Because you have declared that you will be introducing legislation to the City Council on June 22, 2016 we, who have been fighting for community control of the police here in Chicago, would like to inform you that we totally reject your attempts to hoodwink us into thinking your proclaimed concerns for police accountability are genuine. We will be at City Hall on June 22nd, making sure that our voices will be heard, demanding that our proposed ordinance creating an all elected Civilian Police Accountability Council (CPAC) be enacted.

Here are two statements you made that we would like to address:

1. On May 13, 2016 you stated that, 'While much work still remains, we will continue to make significant strides on the road to reform. To fully fix Chicago's police accountability system, we must be thoughtful and bold and have the courage to call out and address the root causes that have eroded trust between police and Chicago's communities and some of Chicago's residents.”

Before we have that discussion, Mayor Emanuel, you need to deal with your own malfeasance while in office, for example, your complicity in the murder of Laquan McDonald and your refusal to intervene in the name of justice in the cases of Flint Farmer, Ronald Ronnieman Johnson, and numerous other cases where murders by Chicago police officers were video recorded. You could have used your executive authority long ago to move the Police Board to fire Dante Servin, the murderer of Rekia Boyd. You could presently use your executive authority to fire and press for charges against all those CPD officers who lied on their reports in the Laquan McDonald case. You could use the evidence from the over 100 videos about to be released to seek immediate prosecution of police crimes. Then you could do the most honorable of all things and resign as Mayor of Chicago. That's the kind of courage you need to have in this precise moment of history.

2. Also on May 13, 2016 you said, “We will be judged by whether our actions truly measure up to the demands of the moment. I am confident that by creating this new structure and committing to this comprehensive plan, Chicago will be better off because we are facing up to these difficult challenges and we are doing so together.”

You, Mr. Mayor, have already been judged by your actions, and the people want you to cease using your executive authority to cover up and excuse police crimes and to hand in your resignation. This is the only honorable thing you can do after 16 shots and a cover up. You should be a co-defendant of Jason Vandyke, the killer of Laquan McDonald. You are not a social reformer advancing the cause of justice for the people. You are a crime partner to all the police criminals at large in this city and we, the people, sooner or later, will bring you and your partners in crime to justice.

No Justice, No Peace!

#ChicaoIL #PeoplesStruggles #PoliceBrutality #RahmEmanuel #chicago #FrankChapman #CAARPR

Chicago, IL – 1000 people marched in Chicago, May 1, from Union Park to the Haymarket Memorial, and then into downtown Chicago to Trump Towers. The front banners read “Stop the deportations!” “Stop the hate! Stop Trump!” “Yes to DAPA/DACA!” “Yes to legalization!” and “Yes to workers’ rights!”DAPA and DACA refer to President Obama’s executive orders for deferred action – Deferred Action for Parental Accountability, and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.

At the Haymarket Memorial earlier in the afternoon, the Illinois Labor History Society and the Chicago Federation of Labor gathered for their annual event to commemorate the martyrs of Haymarket. In 1886, the tradition of International Workers Day was born from a general strike by hundreds of thousands of workers in the U.S. The rich in Chicago called for the leaders of the strike to be rounded up and hung by the government.

This year, the commemoration honored the World Federation of Trade Unions. The Filipino union federation, Kilusang Mayo Uno (May First Movement) also sent a solidarity statement which was read at the memorial.

#ChicaoIL #AntiwarMovement #ImmigrantRights #ImmigrantsRights #MayDay #PeoplesStruggles #chicago #DACA #Illinois #DAPA #laborRights

Fight Back News Service is circulating the speech delivered by Rasmea Odeh at the Chicago celebration of International Women’s Day.

It is really powerful to speak with all of you as we celebrate International Women’s Day, originally called International Working Women’s Day, a day historically linked to the year 1908, when 15,000 factory working women organized a march that filled New York City’s streets demanding equality and other social rights such as shorter work hours, better pay, voting rights, and an end to child labor. A few years later, over 140 women died in a NY factory fire caused by horrible working conditions.

These events became symbols of the importance of women in the working class and national liberation movements for equal rights and independence, and the Second International Conference of Socialist Women in 1910 officially established March 8th as International Woman’s Day. Since then the world has witnessed a significant shift in both women's and society's thoughts about women's equality and liberation. Women are standing strongly for their rights in spite of the complex system of patriarchy that attempts to keep us down.

As long as we believe in ourselves and have confidence in the justice of our struggles, we will accomplish our hopes and dreams. First and foremost, this includes working hard to win women’s rights and to eliminate the disease of racism and national oppression against Palestinians, Arabs, Muslims, Black people, Latinos, Asians, and other people of color in this country. We can accomplish this by strongly standing together and dedicating our lives to these ideals, the same way women have dedicated their lives to the liberation of my homeland of Palestine.

Here we are! I have faced adversity, repression, and injustice since my arrest in October 2013. But I continued to stand up to these crimes against me, and I know that we will achieve justice in my case, because of the great legal work of my brilliant lead attorney Michael Deutsch and his team, because of the steadfast organizing of my defense committee, and because of the encouragement of my family and friends and all you supporters. You give me important strength and resilience. It’s not a secret to say that your support shifted the negative discourse in the case, and helped lead to our most recent victory in the decision of the Sixth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals!

The story of our struggle for women’s rights, equality, and liberation belongs to no single person or any one organization, but to the collective efforts of all who care about justice. We continue to find inspiration and strength from women across the U.S. and the world, and that inspiration and strength will help us achieve all our goals.

Lastly, we often leave our appreciation and gratitude unspoken. But today, on this exceptional occasion, I want to take the opportunity to say thank you. I send my special warm greetings to every one of you, especially the women on this, YOUR DAY. Be proud of yourselves and don’t be ashamed if you sometimes get emotional.

A strong woman is caring and tough, practical and spiritual, revolutionary and flexible. You are all of these, you are all powerful, and you hold up half the sky!

Have a wonderful International Women’s Day! I wish you all the best.

#ChicaoIL #Palestine #WomensMovement #PeoplesStruggles #InternationalWomensDay #PoliticalPrisoners #chicago #PoliticalRepression #RasmeaOdeh #Illinois #IWD

Chicago, IL – Rasmea Odeh, the well-known activist in the Palestinian community of Chicago and target of persecution by the U.S. government, goes on trial Nov. 4.

Charged with immigration fraud, the case against her is based on the grounds that, in her application for citizenship ten years ago, she didn’t mention that she was arrested in Palestine 45 years ago. Her arrest was at the hands of the Israeli defense forces, which had illegally seized Palestinian territory. She was raped and tortured by her captors, and forced to sign a confession to stop the abuse. Then an Israeli military court found her guilty without due process and gave her a life sentence. She was released after ten years in a prisoner exchange.

Why does the Department of Justice uphold decisions made by Israel’s military court? The U.S. has a history of condemning military courts in other countries. And when President Obama recently spoke at the U.N., he lectured other world leaders that it was unacceptable today to occupy another nation’s land. Why doesn’t that apply to Israel’s occupation of Palestine?

U.S. backing of Israeli occupation

The U.S. government has always spoken out of both sides of its mouth. U.S. presidents tell the Palestinians they deserve their own state, but refuse to stop Israel’s thousands of illegal settlements in Palestinian areas. The Obama administration warns against countries that defy the ‘international community,’ but has vetoed almost every single United Nations Security Council resolution condemning Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine.

There’s no denying what is happening: Israel serves the interests of the U.S. elites in the Middle East. The Israeli regime couldn’t exist without the $3 billion a year in military aid it receives from the U.S. It serves the Pentagon as a landlocked aircraft carrier. The aid – and the unjust occupation of Palestine – are the price the U.S. is willing to pay to hold down the Arab and other peoples of the Middle East.

Standing with Israel is a constant refrain from every politician in Washington. For Rasmea Odeh, this means that U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade’s office accepts the stance of the kangaroo court in Israel that convicted her.

Defeat of Judge Borman

The first judge assigned to hear her case was Paul Borman. Borman had many ties to Israel, having helped raise millions to support the apartheid government there. A campaign by the Rasmea Defense Committee called for Borman to recuse himself. At first refusing, he gave in when it was exposed that his family had partial ownership of the grocery store that was the target of the bombing that Rasmea was forced to confess to. This was a huge embarrassment for the federal court, which always denies that decisions are affected one way or the other by politics.

Borman’s recusal was a victory which rallied the spirits of Rasmea and her many supporters. It proved to the movement for justice for Rasmea and for Palestine that if we fight, we can win. It shows us that a great legal defense is required, but so is a group of supporters packing the courtroom each time Rasmea is there.

Judge Gershwin Drain

On Oct. 2, Rasmea appeared before the new judge, Gershwin Drain, where attorneys presented numerous motions. The first decision by Drain was not good. Attorney Michael Deutsch argued that the charges against Rasmea should be dismissed, showing how the case against her began with the illegal investigation of the group of 23 anti-war and international solidarity activists who were subpoenaed to a federal grand jury in 2010. Drain agreed with the prosecution’s counter-argument, that the defense hadn’t proven its case.

Tom Burke of the Committee to Stop FBI Repression (CSFR) commented, “The U.S. government doesn’t want to admit its own crimes. It’s a fact that hundreds of Arabs and Muslims have been targeted by successive administrations only for being Arab or Muslim, or for loving their own people. The raids and subpoenas of the anti-war and international solidarity activists in 2010 were violations of our First Amendment rights.”

Although that decision went against Odeh, Hatem Abudayyeh of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN) said, “Rasmea, her lawyers and her supporters sent a message to the court that there is a pattern of the Department of Justice abusing those involved in Palestine support work.”

Latest twist: Attack on our right to fight back

In early October, Prosecutor Jonathan Tukel launched an attack on the Rasmea Defense Committee and Hatem Abudayyeh. Tukel accused Rasmea’s supporters of jury tampering. He alleged that the rallies involving members of the Palestinian community and anti-war activists are “almost certainly criminal.” Tukel is asking for an “anonymous jury” – keeping the names of the jury secret from the public and from Rasmea’s defense attorneys. Tukel used an anonymous jury for the trial of the Underwear Bomber in 2009. The meaning of his motion could not be more clear: Odeh and her supporters are dangerous to the members of the jury.

This would be laughable if the impact wasn’t so terrible. In fact, this is an effort by the prosecution to tamper with the jury. Making jurors and prospective jurors operate in secret makes them think that they are in danger.

There is nothing violent in the efforts of her defense campaign. The only violence that impacts this trial is the inhumane brutality with which the Israeli military treated Odeh in 1969. With each passing day, more people and organizations that support civil liberties are adding their voices to oppose this latest move.

‘I believe that we will win’

This attack by the office of U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade points to one other thing: the movement that supports Rasmea is putting Israel on trial. Especially after the international outcry that responded to the massacres in Gaza this summer, Israel is seen worldwide as the brutal, apartheid regime that it is. Most people hear the ring of truth when they are told that Rasmea was viciously abused at the hands of Israel.

On Oct. 2, in front of the court house in Detroit, Muhammad Sankari of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network led Rasmea’s friends and neighbors in chanting, “I believe we will win.” One of the Palestinian women supporters raised her voice louder and said, “I believe we are winning.” It appears that McQuade and Tukel fear that to be true, and are acting to put an end to the trial in the court of public opinion, and are attempting to rig the outcome of the legal proceeding as well. The rising movement of support for Palestine – the Boycott, Divestment and Sanction (BDS) campaign, the efforts for an arms embargo to stop companies like Boeing that provide the killing tools to Israel, the campus movement to defend critics of Israel like Professor Steven Salaita at the University of Illinois and the massive marches like those in Chicago that mobilized to halt the slaughter in Gaza – is in fact winning.

All out for Detroit

A major mobilization Is underway to pack the courtroom during Odeh’s Nov. 4 trial. “People from around the country will be coming to Detroit to support Rasmea. We will stand with her at her trial and demand Justice,” stated Jess Sundin of the Committee to Stop FBI Repression.

#ChicagoIL #Chicago #JessSundin #TomBurke #politicalRepression #RasmeaOdeh #StevenSalaita

According to a statement from protest organizers, “While millions across the world are rallying in solidarity with the Palestinian people, and for justice and peace in the region, including over 10,000 of us Chicagoans at both last weekend's protest and yesterday's – the Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago is rallying in support of war, occupation and colonization right here in our city.”

“Mobilizations across the world are important to counter Israel's offensive. Join us tomorrow to say we don't want warmongers to rally in our town,” the statement continues.

The counter-protest will take place July 28, 10:45 a.m., at the State of Illinois building, Thompson Center, 100 W. Randolph Street, in downtown Chicago.

The protest will put forward the following slogans: End the Siege on Gaza, Stop Killing the Palestinian People, Peace and Justice for Palestine, End the Occupation and Colonization of Palestine, and End U.S. Aid to Israel.

#ChicagoIL #Chicago #AntiwarMovement #Gaza #Palestine #Protest #Israel #CoalitionForJusticeInPalestine #Illinois #MiddleEast

At the start of this month, the whole world was tense as the U.S. proclaimed it was going to start missile strikes against Syria. It seemed likely that the U.S. wouldn’t stop after a few days of war, but would continue to attack Syria and cause as many deaths as the puppet FSA [Free Syrian Army] had caused in two and a half years.

Then Russia proposed a diplomatic solution to take Syria’s chemical weapons and, to the surprise of all, President Obama accepted it.

But then John Kerry said that the U.S. would only go along with putting Syrian’s weapons under international control if there was the threat of force in a UN resolution. Then this Friday, the U.S. had to back down on that in the United Nations Security Council resolution on eliminating Syrian chemical weapons. They had to drop the threat of force if Syria doesn’t comply.

Stepping back, we can see that for two and a half years, the U.S. has funded and directed forces to intervene, with the Gulf Cooperation Council, NATO and Israel playing roles; on the other hand, the U.S. has refused direct military action [such as]bombing, invasion.

What explains this contradiction? Why couldn’t the U.S., the most powerful military might on earth, carry out war on this small nation?

There other developments about the U.S. intervention in Syria that seem contradictory:

The U.S. has spent two and a half years funding and helping to direct an armed attack on the Syria’s government and the people of Syria. They intervened during the Arab Spring, the moment there was a mass protest movement there against unpopular policies of opening the economy to investment and then the resulting austerity measures.

They armed the only forces they found, including forces aligned with the Salafist movement, Al Nusra Front and other Al Qaeda linked groups.

On Sept. 26, we learned that the most significant of the ‘moderate’ armies fighting the Syrian government have quit the U.S. puppet FSA and joined forces with Al Nusra. They have called for an Islamic front, instead.

But in the Sept. 26 issue of Foreign Policy magazine, the most influential publication on the topic in D.C., they put out that they think Assad will go and be replaced by former Defense Minister, Ali Habib. The article reflects thinking in the White House about how to resolve the Syrian conflict, as well as the worries in Washington and Israel that the sectarian, foreign-led and dominated armies aligned with Al Qaeda would come to power if the U.S./Israel succeed in forcing out Assad.

How come the U.S. says that its main mission on earth is to fight Al Qaeda, but then it arms Al Qaeda against countries that have never attacked the U.S. Isn’t this a contradiction, too?

Let’s answer that by looking at some general questions: What is the status of U.S. power in the world today? What factors is the U.S. dealing with? And what determines U.S. policy in a particular country?

U.S. is weaker and there’s a rising trend toward independence from their control

The world has changed since the days after 9/11. The camp of resistance is growing and U.S. influence is in decline.

The economic crisis gets part of the credit for that. Although the capitalists don’t suffer like we do when there’s a crisis, it has weakened the power and prestige of the rich countries and the corporations.

But even before that, Bush’s invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq and the Cheney/Rumsfeld plan to go after “Iraq, then Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Iran, Somalia and Sudan” had all been an effort by the U.S. to turn back the hands of time, to put the U.S. back on top of the world they had ruled in the 1950s and 1960s.

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan ended in defeat and stalemate. One clear consequence: the U.S. can’t use the method of massive invasions any more.

And the role of Russia in the struggle over Syria shows that the U.S. has to deal with rising powers, like the BRIC nations. Russia and China made it clear the U.S. wouldn’t get a United Nations Security Council vote for this war.

The people of the U.S., Britain and the other members of the NATO are sick of war and they’re sick of being lied to. When the U.S. upped the ante on Syria, things came to a head. President Obama found himself isolated on the world stage and domestically.

So the sudden changes in U.S. plans around Syria are a result of contradictions: first, the U.S. puppet army is losing to Syria’s army and militia; second, there’s a contradiction between the U.S. and Russia, which is no longer standing aside while the U.S. wages war; and third there’s a contradiction between the U.S. and it’s NATO allied governments and the peoples of those countries.

U.S. objectives remain

Of course, the changes in military form haven’t changed the underlying content of U.S. objectives: this place is an empire. The rulers want cheap labor and control of natural resources in other lands. They are like vampires – they have to have it.

On the one hand, the U.S. is weaker and unable to get what they want; on the other hand, they are compelled to keep trying. Rumsfeld’s vision of invading Syria is gone, at least for now.

But the arming of Al Qaeda armies is not a contradiction. U.S. imperialism will back whoever and whatever serves its interests. In one country, Al Qaeda linked is the worst threat to humanity; in the next country, they are recipients of arms and intelligence to fight a government that the U.S. has determined must go.

New focus on Iran

These losses have made the U.S. focus more on Iran. A new president in Iran doesn’t change that. The U.S. has adopted the stand toward Iran that they won’t accept an independent power in the Middle East. Syria is aligned with Iran, and so the fate of the two countries is tied together in the view of the empire.

The Arab Spring: A threat, then an opportunity

But right now the U.S. can’t handle a war of a similar or greater scale than Iraq. That’s why the U.S. was both anxious and excited by the Arab Spring. They used the dissatisfaction throughout the region, which was aimed squarely at U.S. puppets in Tunisia, Egypt and Bahrain, to go after governments with a history of independence from the U.S.: Libya and Syria. The U.S. maneuvered to take control of the situation and develop contradictions in their favor in Libya. With the success of their operation there, they felt they were in a much better position step up their attempts to topple the government of Syria.

As in Libya, they offered support to the Islamists, even though supporting them in Libya resulted in ‘blowback,’ in the attacks on Western oil installation in Algeria and the U.S. embassy.

Summation

The U.S. seems to be acting in a contradictory way in Syria, but something unites their decisions in every action they take: is it in the interests of U.S. imperialism?

They want to go to war with Syria and Iran, but they don’t have the support or the resources for an invasion.

They want to bomb Syria, but they can’t get support at home or in Britain and more countries are standing up to them.

They are willing to back any force against Assad, even though they worry about Israel, for example,being attacked by the mercenary armies they have created.

New Tactics

Invasions aren’t popular, and the U.S. can’t rely on an Arab Spring to emerge everywhere.

If you can’t invade, how does an empire achieve its objectives of punishing independent people or rebellious populations? The answers: proxy armies, drone warfare and special operations. Proxy armies are being used in Syria and before that Libya. Drone warfare first emerged in use against Pakistan, because the Pashtun people that have been the main base of the national resistance live on both sides of the Afghanistan/Pakistan border. The Obama administration then has taken the technology to Yemen, Somalia, Mali and Iran. We know that they intend to use it even more in the future because one growth area in the Pentagon’s otherwise shrinking budget is the budget for drones.

Conclusion

In our work against U.S. wars, we have to stand against threats to arm puppet armies; to assassinate or back coups; to carry out bombing and missile attacks; and we have to oppose drone warfare, as it is the most popular form of their undeclared wars.

#Chicago #ChicagoIL #AntiwarMovement #Imperialism #Iran #Syria #drones #JoeIsobaker #ArabSpring #MiddleEast #USA

Chicago, IL – Over 200 people danced and chanted, “Viva, viva, Palestina!” the night of Nov. 24 for the Hip Hop Defends Free Speech! Benefit. The fundraising show featured performers such as BBU, Scheme and I’Naru, an all woman group playing traditional, Puerto Rican Bomba music. The event was organized by Rebel Diaz portoluz, and the Chicago Committee Against Political Repression. It included remarks by Hatem Abudayyeh, one of the 14 people raided by the FBI and subpoenaed by the Grand Jury. Over $3,500 was raised for the defense fund.

#Chicago #ChicagoIL #AntiwarMovement #Music #CommitteeToStopFBIRepression #RebelDiaz

Flor Crisóstomo, a well-known organizer for the rights of immigrants and indigenous peoples, announced on Oct. 19 that she would leave her church sanctuary in Chicago to advance her advocacy and organizing for immigrants rights to a new stage.

In 2006, Flor Crisóstomo was one of 1200 people detained in a raid by Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) at the IFCO Systems plant. Crisóstomo, an undocumented immigrant, was scheduled for deportation. She decided to fight the decision.

In a press conference on the day she was scheduled for deportation in January 2008, Crisóstomo said, “I am not leaving. I have asked and been granted sanctuary in my church. I am not defying the laws of this country and I am not hiding.” Crisóstomo emphasized, “I am taking a stand of civil disobedience to make America see what they are doing. I hope that adding my grain of sand to the struggle will help to get the U.S. Congress to act to fix a broken law and an inhuman system of undocumented labor.”

In explaining her decision to leave the church sanctuary, Crisóstomo indicated that staying in the church had begun to lose its political effectiveness for the immigrants rights movement. “I came to the decision to leave sanctuary in order to begin what would be the next phase of my activism and to more effectively serve this struggle in the days, months and years ahead,” Crisóstomo said.

Crisóstomo emphasized that she will continue to organize and fight for the rights of immigrants and encouraged others to join with her. “I ask all the undocumented people not to give up on our struggle and to keep the hope that we will achieve a just and humane immigration reform,” she said.

#ChicagoIL #Chicago #Deportation #FlorCrisóstomo #santuary

Durante la semana del 5 de junio, la policía de Chicago disparó y mató dos Afro-Americanos que estaban desarmados, por el único crimen de tener infraccíones de tráfico. Bobby Russ era un reconocido futbolista de fútbol americano de la Universidad Northwestern que iba a graduarse este mes. Latanya Haggerty fue muerta al momento en que se salió del carro con sus manos en alto.

Agenor Roman, un joven Latino, que vive en el projecto habitacional Lathrop Homes, tambien fue disparado por la policía la misma semana, y ahora se encuentra en condición crítica. Vecinos Contra Brutalidad Policiaca (NAPB) organizarón un autobus lleno de gente de Lathrop Homes para participar en la manifestacion del 17 de junio.

Los oradores que participaron en la protesta incluyeron al Reverendo Al Sharpton de Nueva York, personas que fueron liberadas recientemente, después de que fueron inmutadas sus penas de muerte, por ser basadas en falsas acusanciones. Familiares de detenidos que han sido torturados y familiares de victimas de brutalidad policiaca.

El Movimiento Crece

“La policía a comenzado a esconder su brutalidad pero el movimiento contra la brutalidad en Chicago ya ha comenzado y sigue creciendo,” dice Stephanie Weiner de NAPB.

Las manifestaciones en el ayuntamiento han occurido diaramente después de las muertes. La junta de la Comisión de Policia de Chicago fue enfrentada por 30 manifestantes agitados. La junta en mayo de la Comisión de Policía tuvo que occuparse de mas de 100 victimas, parientes de las victimas, y manifestantes.

Ilsa Guillen, la viuda de una victima de brutalidad policiaca dijo, “Mas victimas de brutalidad policiaca significa mas gente que proteste. Casi todos los Afro-Americanos o Latinos en Chicago conocen a alguien que ha sido abusado por la policia de Chicago.”

“En los casos mas recientes, la policía declaró que los disparos eran justificados mucho antes de que las investigaciones empezaran. En una manera tipica de esconder la verdad, la policia ha dicho que los errores se han cometido porque el policía era un principante o era una mujer intimidada, o que el teléfono celular en la mano de Haggerty parecía una pistola, o que en el carro de Russ los vidrios estaban ahumados”, dijo Weiner.

El Departamento de Policía de Chicago ya se ha retirado de estos reclamo y el Departemento de Justicia ha sido llamado para investigar estos casos.

Demanda de la Gente

Los policias involucrados en las muertes de Haggerty y Russ deben ser suspendidos inmediamente y no deben colectar ningún tipo de pago. Muchas organizaciones que lideran el movimiento contra la brutalidad policiaca dicen que, “Todos los policias involucrados en los asesinatos de Haggerty y Russ deben ser inmediamente despedidos y procesados criminalmente por su participación en los asesinatos de estos dos jóvenes.”

Otras demandas contra la brutalidad policiaca ha sido presentadas por los líderes de la comunidad de Chicago como el Reverendo Paul Jakes y miembros de grupos como el Village Vanguard, Comité Exigimos Justicia, Justice is Blind, Black Radical Congress, Vecinos Contra la Brutalidad Policiaca (NAPB), y muchos mas.

Estos activistas saben que el problema está la en que institucion policial en su integridad es racista y aterroriza diariamente los barrios Latinos y Afro-Americanos. “Mientras más y más gente blanca de los suburbios retorna a la cuidad, el problema de la brutalidad policiaca en las comunidades de color ha empeorado. Al mismo tiempo en que los barrios se tranforman en barrios ricos y de gente blanca, un incremento en la potección policial se traduce en brutalidad ,” dice Caryl Sortwell de NAPB.

Ella continua diciendo que, “Aunque las demostraciones del mes de junio estaban dirigidas al Superintendente de Policía y a la Junta Directive de la Policía, como dice el canto, “¿Cómo se escribe racismo? D-A-L-E-Y. Esta lucha es, a la final con el Alcalde Richard Daley. El es el que establece las políticas y manipula las cuerdas de la Policía de Chicago.”

#ChicagoIL #Chicago #News #PoliceBrutality