Aurora, CO – On January 18, despite the cold and snowy weather, the Denver Aurora Community Action Committee (DACAC) and community members gathered outside the Aurora Police Department headquarters to demand transparency and justice.

In the past few years, the Aurora Police Department (APD) has killed at least three unarmed Black men – Jordell Richardson, Kilyn Lewis, and Kory Dillard – and has brutalized dozens of other community members, such as Te’Erica Mosle, who was recording police harassing an unarmed Black man, only to be assaulted herself by the police.

APD has a history of racist police violence and terrorizing community members, and yet, DACAC members say, there has not been accountability or justice. The previous district attorney, John Kellner, has refused to press charges, claiming that the police have been justified in their actions. They have refused to release the full unedited footage of any of the incidents mentioned, and in some cases have demanded expensive fees for the information and footage.

DACAC and community members picketed outside of the APD headquarters shouting “Transparency, transparency! Free the footage, let us see!” and “When killer cops are on patrol, what do we need? Community control!” DACAC and members of the community demand that APD release full unedited body cam footage.

Tristen McFarland, a member of DACAC said in her speech at the picket, “We are not here with suggestions; we are here with demands, and, until our demands are met, we will be back. Over these past few years, each of the officers that have pulled the trigger has had a case brought to District Attorney John Kellner’s desk, and each case subsequently dropped. To date each of them has been put back on their full shift, gun back in their hands, their boots back onto our streets. We demand you hold the officers accountable, make all the body cam footage immediately available to the public free of charge, regardless of case status, and instate community control over the police.”

Khalid Hamu, a member of Denver Students for a Democratic Society, spoke about how, after Trump was elected in 2016, many people in the Latino community, “felt like no one cared about them, and that's really messed up. When you see ICE working with APD, they can't even follow the laws that this racist system puts on them! If they aren't even following those laws, how can we expect Latino people to not be scared?” Hamu then quoted Frank Chapman, chair of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, stating “Our oppression is not our fault, but to fight back is our responsibility – It’s our responsibility to make sure those things change, and we need as many people as possible to make this change a reality! If we don't do anything, then who is going to do it?”

Paul Nelson, a member of DACAC, highlighted the Aurora Police “denying every legal request we made of them to reveal their actions, but each request we give to get the body cam footage they have is illegally denied. They claim some farcical defense of this, in that they’re ‘conducting an investigation,’ but like with the case of Elijah McClain, we see in the conclusion of all of it that they let the murderers off scot-free. So are we going to wait years while they prepare to do just that? No, we’re not going to wait, we’re holding them to account!”

Nelson added, “People can pass what's called a citizen initiative in Aurora, where it doesn't matter what our racist city council thinks; the citizens of Aurora can get together and pass the citizens’ initiative and vote on it. No more cops policing cops. No more police officers finding themselves to be innocent of all charges. This police department needs to be put in check by the people and a Civilian Police Accountability Council!”

The picket concluded with the community chanting “Power to the people!”

#AuroraCO #CO #InJusticeSystem #NAARPR #PoliceCrimes #CommunityControlOfPolice

Fullerton, CA – On March 6, Fullerton Police Department (FPD) killed Alejandro Campos Rios with bean bag projectiles and a taser. Age 50 and homeless, Rios was dancing and apparently under the influence but not posing any threat. One officer fired a taser while another shot five bean bag shotgun rounds at Rios, who collapsed bleeding and clutching his body. Rios was pronounced dead after arriving at a hospital.

FPD has not released the names of the officers who killed Rios, who were put on administrative leave but returned to work later that week. A member of Community Service Organization Orange County (CSO OC) submitted a Public Records Request on March 20. In response, FPD said they would give a Community Briefing within 45 days of the incident, but that there were “numerous delay provisions” for the release of the officers’ names. Their names have still not been released.

Meanwhile, on March 25, FPD shot and killed Scott William Thompson outside a Wells Fargo bank. Thompson, age 57, allegedly demanded money from the bank and threatened to detonate a bomb if his demands weren’t met. Police killed Thompson when he left the bank. The bomb turned out to be a harmless replica and Thompson was unarmed.

These back-to-back killings and lack of accountability for the officers is unsurprising given that FPD has killed several people in the last several years with no consequences for the killer cops.

Just four years ago, on May 27, 2020 FPD killed 34 year old Hector Hernandez on his front lawn. His hands were raised and empty, and he was following officer commands when Corporal Jonathan Ferrell sicced his K9 on Hernandez. Groaning in pain, Hernandez defended himself with a knife from his pocket, and Ferrell shot Hernandez twice. The city of Fullerton paid $8.6 million to Hernandez’s family in a settlement, but OC District Attorney Todd Spitzer refused to file criminal charges against Ferrell.

On July 5th, 2011, FPD killed Kelly Thomas, who was homeless and struggling with mental illness. He was unresponsive to officers but showed no aggression. Two officers struck Thomas with batons, four officers pinning him down. He was tasered and bludgeoned by officers Jay Cicinelli, Joseph Wolfe and Manuel Ramos. Thomas died five days later at a hospital. The City of Fullerton paid $4.9 million to Thomas’s parents in settlements. While officers were charged, Ramos and Cicinelli were found not guilty on all charges, and charges against Wolfe were dropped.

The ACLU found that of the 142 police shootings in Orange County from 2010-2020, the District Attorney declined to charge officers in all cases, 24 of those cases under Spitzer.

This pattern of police killings with no accountability shows why we need community control of the police in Orange County. Chicano, African American, and other oppressed nationality lives will continue to be lost without it. We need the power to decide what happens to killer cops, the power to approve or deny policing policies that will impact their neighborhoods, the power to decide how much of their money goes to policing and more. CSO OC is a Chicana-led local grassroots organization that fights for peoples’ demands and control over killer cops. If you are interested in joining CSO OC, reach out to orangecountycso@gmail.com or @cso.oc on social media.

#FullertonCA #OCCA #CA #InJusticeSystem #PoliceBrutality #KillerCops #CommunityControlOfPolice #CSOOC #OppressedNationalities #ChicanoLatino #Feature

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

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the National Alliance against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR).

The National Alliance against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR) condemns attacks by Governor Ron DeSantis and the right wing dominated legislature in Florida. During this current legislative session, the Florida Legislature is poised to pass legislation targeting the movements for police accountability, the labor movement, the movement to end white supremacy and remove confederate monuments, attacks on the right to organize for a free Palestine, as well as continued attacks on LGBTQ students, and a continued onslaught on the immigrant community and all oppressed peoples.

NAARPR and all our branches and affiliate organizations call for national solidarity with all the progressive forces in Florida fighting back in this political climate, including the numerous NAARPR branches and affiliate organizations who are fighting on the frontlines against these repressive forces.

One especially dangerous bill for the national movement against police crimes is Senate Bill 576/ House Bill 601. This bill, the first of its kind nationally, seeks to ban all methods of civilian oversight from local cities and counties, concentrating even more power into the hands of police chiefs, sheriffs and police unions. We understand that what racist and bigoted forces are seeking to do in Florida seeks to serve as a model for their efforts nationally.

As a national mass defense organization, we pledge to stand with those in Florida fighting against these attacks on our movements and our right to organize. We call for every section of the people’s movement to do the same.

Dump DeSantis!

Stop the attacks on the people’s movements!

Kill the bill! Defeat SB 576/HB 601!

Community Oversight and Community Control of the Police Now!!

#Florida #InJusticeSystem #NAARPR #CommunityControlOfPolice #HB576 #HB601 #DeSantis

Tallahassee, FL – On February 24, about a dozen community organizers and students mobilized to the Florida Historic Capitol building to rally against SB 576, as well as attacks on the pro-Palestinian movement and attacks on the LGBTQ community.

The mobilization was part of a larger week of action called by National Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR).

SB 576 seeks to limit police oversight by restricting the ability of cities to institute police review boards as a means to provide any form of accountability for local police departments.

Joelle Nunez, president of Florida State University SDS, said, “They’re only trying to pass these bills because they’re scared of the gains we’ve made fighting for police accountability. It’s the same thing with the bills trying to scare students into not supporting Palestine – they’re only trying to pass them to scare people away from fighting back against oppression. We know that’s not going to work.”

SB576 would end the Citizens Police Review Board created in Tallahassee in 2020, and make it impossible for any other Citizens Police Review Boards to exist. This is after City Commissioners Dianne William-Cox, Curtis Richardson and John Daley voted to remove Taylor Keta, a progressive member of the board, and limit the Citizens Police Review Board’s ability to make public press statements, organize in the local community, and have its own social media.

“The Citizens Police Review Board in Tallahassee might be imperfect, but it’s one of the few review boards in Florida that gives people the power to at least discuss their complaints about policing. The deaths of Tony McDade, Wilbon Woodard, Raheem Reeder and Mychael Johnson at the hands of the Tallahassee Police Department in 2020 and 2021 shouldn’t be forgotten. Police brutality won’t end until there is real community oversight of policing,” said Delilah Pierre, president of the Tallahassee Community Action Committee.

Although community members gathered primarily in opposition to SB 576, organizers and speakers also highlighted other backwards bills making their way through the legislature. Florida Republicans and Democrats are attacking activists and students standing in solidarity with Palestinian liberation against the U.S.-funded genocide, as well as limiting the freedom of LGBTQ youth and adults to live as their authentic selves.

“It is so important for us to realize and recognize that our connection here in Tallahassee is so connected to the struggle in Palestine, it’s so connected to so many other liberation movements that are just trying to fight for the most basic rights,” said Regina Joseph, a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

“We as working-class and oppressed people are the reason why this entire country exists – we are what makes this country run,” said Joseph.

#TallahasseeFL #InJusticeSystem #CommunityControlOfPolice #SDS #NAARPR #FRSO #FSUSDS

Tallahassee, FL – On February 20, approximately 30 students and community organizers mobilized to the Florida Capitol building to hold a press conference and speak out against HB 601. This bill seeks to prevent any meaningful oversight of police misconduct by making it unlawful to form citizen police review boards or any organized body to review the conduct of police departments.

The mobilization was part of a larger week of action called by National Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR).

Elijah Ruby of SDS opened the event, stating, “Progressive student movements are under attack in Florida. The legislation attacking civilian police review boards are a part of an agenda that is trying to reverse the small victories our movements have won since the George Floyd uprising.”

HB 601 stands to eradicate any possibility of community oversight of police conduct in the state of Florida, which would render countless communities across the state incapable of having a say in the actions of police agencies. Michael Sampson of the Jacksonville Community Action Committee, a NAARPR affiliate, spoke to this in his statement at the event: “SB 576/HB 601 is a direct attack on the movement against police crimes and seeks to take away the people’s democratic right to have input in how our Black and working-class communities are policed. It is important for us to stand up against this attack, continue the fight for community control of the police and demand they kill the bill.”

Though HB 601 was the focus of the event, organizers and speakers made the connection between this bill and other reactionary bills clear. The Florida legislature seeks to attack any and all peoples’ movements, from LGBTQ freedom of self-expression and dignity, to the right of activists to stand with Palestine in the face of U.S.-backed Israeli genocide.

Robert Lee, organizer with Tallahassee Food Not Bombs, stated, “HB 601 is a direct attack on the people of Florida, and especially on the most marginalized among us such as Black, Latino, and the LGBTQ communities. This bill, as well as HB 1639, which directly attacks the trans community, and HB465 targeting pro-Palestinian student organizations are all intertwined just as our struggles are intertwined.”

After speaking with press and making speeches, attendees entered the Florida Capitol building to confront Representative Wyman Duggan, author of HB 601. Duggan is on the Ways and Means Committee, which was scheduled to meet that day at 3 p.m. Protesters were barred from entering the meeting for having signs saying, “Defend freedom of speech” and “Community oversight of police now!”.

As the meeting began and legislators made opening remarks, the crowd chanted “Duggan, Duggan, shame on you! Black lives matter, too!” and “Down with HB 601!” outside the meeting. Protesters were roughly escorted out of the building by capitol police, with some officers manhandling and shoving them into cramped elevators. The crowd reconvened outside the building to continue chanting and was eventually told by police that they were barred from entering the House building for the rest of the day.

HB 601 remains on the agenda despite the actions taken by students and community members at the capitol. However, this has not discouraged further organization around the bill. Tallahassee Community Action Committee has already planned another rally at the Historic Florida Capitol building on Saturday February 24 at 3 p.m. – seeking to continue the momentum of the week of action and see an end to the attacks on community power and community oversight.

#TallahasseeFL #InJusticeSystem #PoliceBrutality #CommunityControlOfPolice #HB601 #SDS #NAARPR #Feature

Milwaukee, WI – The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors convened on Thursday, November 9, to adopt the 2024 County Budget. Included in this year’s budget was an amendment package that included $250,000 for a third-party audit of the County Jail. The adoption of the amended budget marks a step towards securing transparency and accountability in the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO).

The third-party audit has been a demand of the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression for several months. While it’s not everything that the Milwaukee Alliance is fighting for, the inclusion of this third-party audit in the adopted budget marks a significant win for the movement against police crimes in Milwaukee. These wins build the momentum necessary to achieve larger and more significant victories, and we must recognize them as such.

In 2023 alone there have been four in-custody deaths, and people locked inside the jail have had to resort to barricading themselves inside the jail library to demand that MCSO take action against the conditions they are forced to live in. Solutions to the problems inside the jail will not be easy, and regardless of how much more county supervisors fund the MCSO, without a system in place capable of holding the MCSO accountable, the deaths won’t stop, and the conditions will only worsen.

The timeline for the third-party audit remains unclear, but organizers will not be wasting any time waiting for it. The Milwaukee Alliance will continue mounting pressure at the county level to secure a civilian accountability council over the MCSO with the necessary power to hold them accountable, control their swollen budget, and improve the conditions inside the jail. The support of the Milwaukee community secured the third-party audit, and it will be that same support that builds to the victory that will be community control of the MCSO.

#MilwaukeeWI #PoliceBrutality #PeoplesBudget #CommunityControlOfPolice

During the October 12 city commission meeting, Commissioner Dianne Williams-Cox, who was endorsed by and received donations from the Police Benevolent Association, brought up the issue of alleged bias against law enforcement by members of the CPRB. She stated that she heard a member attended a meeting with a cup bearing the phrase “Fuck the police.”

After this, on November 16, the Police Benevolent Association (PBA) released a statement demanding Biro’s removal from the board, citing the “vitriolic anti-police message” on her cup. Both of these statements are problematic, as they are based on a lie. The sticker in question, which has been on the same drinking cup she’s brought to every meeting since the inception of the board, actually reads “Abolish police brutality,” a statement about behavior, not officers themselves.

At the December 1 CPRB meeting, more than ten members of the community came to the meeting to provide their support of Biro, many pointing out the importance of having diverse viewpoints on the board, the need for the board to be critical of the actions of Tallahassee Police Department (TPD), and that the PBA should have no say over the makeup of the city’s governing bodies.

Satya Stark-Bejnar, a member of the Tallahassee Community Action Committee (TCAC) laid out Biro’s qualifications to serve on the CPRB: “Taylor has been responsible for training hundreds of officers on trauma-informed policing, co-authored a part of a statewide law requiring officers to be trauma-informed and culturally responsive, and wrote the curriculum the Florida Department of Law Enforcement uses on trauma related to sexual violence.”

Members of the board also spoke in support of Biro, with Chairman Edward Gaines releasing a personal statement that read, “I’d like to say that I completely disagree with that request and will continue to support Ms. Biro’s important role on the Board,” and “I consider this matter now closed and a non-issue.” Malik Gary, who is a member of the review board as well as leader of the local Dream Defenders squad, expressed his dissatisfaction with the PBA’s interference in this matter by stating, “People outside of the community should stay out of the community’s business.”

It was also noted by boardmember Patrick O’Bryant that, despite their calls for Biro’s immediate removal, no one from the Police Benevolent Association deemed it important enough to show up to the meeting, saying, “It’s pretty cowardly of them to make this charge and then not show up.” In the event of Biro’s removal, Chairman Gaines suggested that members boycott further CPRB meetings or a mass resignation may be the appropriate response.

One speaker, Will Crowley, said, “It’s not enough for Tallahassee Police Department to take the lion’s share of our annual budget every year, it’s not enough for them to have virtually unlimited personal prerogative to commit violence without question, it’s not enough for them to have blocked any significant oversight committee with teeth. It seems that none of those things are enough. What they must have is control over our hearts and minds.”

Regina Joseph, a member of the Tallahassee Community Action Committee, speaking about what a waste of time this was, stated, “it’s wild that the city commission doesn’t have time to read the annual report the CPRB gave them, but they’ve got time to try and get rid of Taylor.” Delilah Pierre, president of TCAC, pointed out that the rest of the board is also under threat, “If y'all don’t use your power to support Taylor in whatever way you can, do know that anytime you have a different or controversial opinion, anytime what you say doesn’t toe the police line, you’ll be removed too.”

After hearing public comment and having a lengthy discussion amongst themselves, the review board voted unanimously to draft letters to be released to the public and the city commission. During discussion of a press release, City Attorney Cassandra Jackson interjected to say that the board should tread lightly, as making press releases was not in the board’s “operating policies and procedures.” She then went on to list the enumerated policies, which mostly included things they were expressly not allowed to do rather than a list of things they are allowed to do. Jackson later suggested that the board should instead use its annual report as a way of communicating with the commission – the same annual report that the commission read ten months after its submission.

It seems that Tampa Police Department, the Police Benevolent Association, and several of Tallahassee’s city commissioners are hostile toward the Civilian Police Review Board. As Crowley pointed out, those entities have taken notice of the board’s push for autonomy, so are doing what they can to remove anyone they see as a threat. The community showed up and showed out, making it clear that they stand in opposition to the PBA and Williams-Cox’s attempts to hamstring the CPRB by removing Taylor Biro.

#TallahasseeFL #PoliceBrutality #StopPoliceCrimes #CommunityControlOfPolice

Milwaukee, WI – On October 26, the Justice for Brieon Green Coalition descended upon the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office to demand transparency around the case of Brieon Green. Members of the coalition rallied and picketed outside of the building since sheriff deputies closed the entrance as soon as the crowd gathered. Wednesday’s event also marked four months since Green’s death while being held in Milwaukee County Jail.

The Green family’s lawyer attended and provided important updates on the case. Both the Milwaukee and Waukesha County Sheriff’s Office, which are investigating the case, are refusing to cooperate. They have been stalling in the investigation and haven’t signed off on the death certificate.

Speaking on behalf of the Green family, Franklin Dunlap, Brieon Green’s uncle, asked, “How hard is it for these officers to go through the logs and videos to say what happened?”

It’s not due to a lack of resources, since the Sheriff’s Office takes up close to half of the county’s budget and is expected to receive an increase. County Supervisor Ryan Clancy spoke to how the Sheriff’s Office sets their own policy and acts as if they aren’t accountable to the people, which is why as Clancy said, “They are accountable to the people through the county budget. We may not be able to tell them what to do, but we can take away their dollars.”

Since the formation of the Justice for Brieon Green Coalition earlier this month, Earnell Lucas resigned as sheriff, and Denita Ball has officially begun her term.

“Ball ran on a platform of openness and transparency, and we’re going to hold her to it,” said Brian Verdin, education chair of the MAARPR.

It remains to be seen if the new sheriff will be more cooperative around the case, but the coalition will continue to make noise and demand for transparency.

#MilwaukeeWI #PoliceBrutality #StopPoliceCrimes #CommunityControlOfPolice

The City of Tallahassee has no business having any affiliation with this man. TPD’s statement that there is no relationship is contradicted by posts made by Eddie Gallagher and Stronghold SOF Solutions. TPD has not answered any follow up questions or explained how the production of their recent promotional video came about. We have no knowledge of Gallagher or Stronghold Solutions role in its creation. TPD officers have been empowered to patrol our streets without any mechanism for external investigation of their conduct. We do not need these officers to be trained in violence by a bloodthirsty war criminal. We do not need our city to be affiliated with the bigotry, racism and transphobia on display on Eddie Gallagher’s social media.

Tallahassee Community Action Committee (TCAC) condemns this horrifying partnership and is disappointed to see yet another decision by Police Chief Revell which undermines public trust. TPD made no public announcement of this collaboration, and it would likely have remained unknown to the very citizens who are subject to policing by TPD officers. We call on City Manager Reese Goad to fire Police Chief Revell, for a public apology and for increased transparency of TPD trainings and expenditures.

#DemilitarizeTPD #CommunityControlofPolice #CPACNow #CareNotCops

#TallahasseeFL #PeoplesStruggles #PoliceBrutality #TallahasseeCommunityActionCommitteeTCAC

New Orleans, LA – On July 12, a group of concerned activists and locals attended a New Orleans town hall on public safety to voice their concerns on abortion access and state police. The town hall was one of a series hosted by Councilmember Freddie King III and guest speaker Mayor LaToya Cantrell. Over 100 people attended, sitting in the auditorium at LB Landry High School in Algiers, part of District C.

In the weeks before the town hall, New Orleanians rallied in the thousands to demonstrate outrage against the overturn of Roe v. Wade. Protesters demanded that the New Orleans district attorney and sheriff not comply with the state to arrest, prosecute or jail anyone seeking abortion in Orleans Parish. The DA and sheriff conceded to these demands. However, Louisiana State Police patrolling New Orleans’ streets could still enforce a statewide abortion ban and arrest residents or travelers seeking abortion. Through phone zaps, rallies and marches on the mayor’s house, the people of New Orleans held a sustained campaign demanding that Mayor Cantrell use her power to kick Louisiana State Police out of New Orleans, ensuring protection from state repression.

As the town hall began, the group of about 15 activists submitted numerous public comments. They sat patiently, holding up signs that read “Mayor Cantrell, Louisiana State Police have got to go!” and “Make New Orleans a sanctuary city for abortion!”

After an hour and a half, the group stood up when the question of abortion was finally raised for discussion. Cantrell stated that her stance was making sure that New Orleans becomes, “a safe haven for the people of New Orleans and throughout the state of Louisiana.” She did not elaborate on state police. Next to a large red banner that read “Defend the right to abortion,” organizer Toni Jones from New Orleans for Community Oversight of Police (NOCOP) shouted to the mayor from the seats of the auditorium. Jones asked directly for a statement on the presence of Louisiana State Police in the city, and whether the mayor would kick the state police out of New Orleans for the safety of those seeking abortion.

The mayor stood firmly in alliance with the state troopers, maintaining that the state police “will continue to be a partner with the city of New Orleans.”

With banner in hand, the group led a chant, shouting “State police off our streets!” as they marched out of the auditorium. Once outside, members of NOCOP summed up the efforts of the campaign and what the mayor's response meant for the future of the fight against police repression in New Orleans. Antonia Mar, a member of NOCOP, stated, “The mayor gave us her answer, and she’s siding with the violence of the police. The next step of our struggle is to go back to city hall and petition for a Civilian Police Accountability Council so that the people can have direct oversight over NOPD. This is not the last she’ll hear of us!”

New Orleans for Community Oversight of Police (NOCOP) was joined by members of Freedom Road Socialist Organization, the Democratic Socialists of America, and allied community members.

#NewOrleansLA #CommunityControlOfPolice #NewOrleansForCommunityOversightOfThePoliceNOCOP #AbortionRights

Chicago, IL – 200 protesters marched in Chicago's Federal Plaza, Wednesday evening, July 6, to demand justice for Jayland Walker, who was murdered on June 27 by Akron Ohio police. Speakers at the rally connected the murder to similar police killings and other police crimes such as torture and wrongful conviction. The protesters demanded that the officers who killed Jayland Walker be convicted, and that community control of the police be enacted.

The march was organized by the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression and was one of several protests this week called for by the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR). Southsiders Organizing for Unity and Liberation, BLM-Chicago, the Rainbow PUSH coalition, and Justice for Nick Lee were among the organizations represented at the rally.

“Police killing Black people is not just an Ohio problem, it happens all over the country,” said Kobi Guillory, one of the emcees at the rally . “That's why we have to fight for justice for Jayland Walker, Laquan McDonald, RonnieMan Johnson, Rekia Boyd, and everyone whose name doesn't get in the news.”

Chants such as “Indict, convict, send those killer cops to jail! The whole damn system is guilty as hell” pointed to the systemic nature of police crimes.

Several of the speakers have family members who were killed, tortured or framed by police. Angel Gill of Mothers for Justice spoke about the wrongful conviction of her brother, Michael Minnifield, stating “This system treats our people like animals. We're not animals, we're human beings.”

The protesters pointed to community empowerment as the solution to police crimes. “There will be another Jayland Walker, and another and another until we win.” Frank Chapman, executive director of NAARPR said. “The only way we can win is by taking power.” Chapman spoke about the Empowering Communities for Public Safety (ECPS) ordinance, a step towards community control of police pushed through Chicago city council by community organizations, and the need for continued pressure on elected officials to make community control a reality.

Chants of “All power to the people” rang throughout the march. At the end of the protest, organizers urged attendees to keep fighting for justice outside of protests, and specifically to demand that their alderpersons support the referendum to strengthen ECPS as well as the Peace Book ordinance written by youth-led organization Good Kids Mad City.

#ChicagoIL #PoliceBrutality #PoliceCrimes #CommunityControlOfPolice #JaylandWalker

Minneapolis, MN – On election day, November 2, voters in Minneapolis rejected a much-publicized and heavily-financed ballot initiative about policing, 56% to 44%. On the ballot, it was called “Question 2.”

Had it passed, Question 2 would have done little. It basically renamed the police department to a “Department of Public Safety.” It took away some powers held by the mayor and shared them with the city council. It got rid of obsolete references about police staffing levels and funding. It said the newly-named department should be “integrating its public safety functions into a comprehensive public health approach to safety,” with no specifics at all.

The lack of substance in Question 2 made it so that, before the vote, both sides were presenting propaganda and arguing about details that simply didn’t exist.

Local groups that have been fighting against police repression – including the Twin Cities Coalition 4 Justice 4 Jamar (TCC4J), Communities United Against Police Brutality, the Racial Justice Network and others – said the language did not (and would not) hold police accountable for past, present or future crimes against the people.

Post-election statements from TCC4J note, “One reason Question 2 got traction is because our communities have been crying out for change, and Question 2 was hastily presented as an option. But it was a flawed option,” and “Minneapolis deserves better than Question 2, a proposal that was all promises but no substance.”

For years, Minnesota groups trying to curb police crimes have been working to change state laws, as well as battling city systems, for accountability. However, the push for Question 2 came in part from some city councilors’ and influential national figures’ reeling from the uprising after their cop Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd. They were putting on a show of doing something after years of inaction. Some activists also see the money and push for Question 2 as an opportunist grab at the limelight, on the backs of people who have been struggling for years to keep family members and communities from getting killed by racist police.

TCC4J is gathering signatures for a Minneapolis ballot initiative for a city charter change calling for community control of the police, for the 2022 election. It is a detailed charter amendment with ordinance language ready to go. They call for a Civilian Police Accountability Commission (CPAC) with the responsibility to “check police power and ensure that officers like Derek Chauvin are removed from the force after the first incident of racist brutality and misconduct, not the 27th.”

For more information on the fight community control of the police in Minneapolis, check out TCC4J.net or tinyurl.com/Mpls4MCCP.

#MinneapolisMN #PeoplesStruggles #PoliceBrutality #TCC4J #CommunityControlOfPolice

According to Frank Chapman, Field Organizer of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, “In Chicago, we have built the broadest coalition for police accountability of any city in the country. At the center of that coalition is a strategic alliance between the Black Liberation movement and a number of progressive unions.”

Chapman continued, “In addition to the unions signed on to this statement, we also have the support of SEIU Local 1 with 30,000 members; UNITE HERE Local 1 with 15,000 members; plus our longtime ally, the United Electrical workers union; several AFSCME locals, and other Illinois Federation of Teachers locals.

“With this kind of working-class support, we believe the Chicago City Council will adopt this ordinance.”

In addition to this statement, these unions are mobilizing their members to press city council members to vote yes on the ordinance. SEIU Local 73 sent an email to its 16,000 members living in Chicago, stating, “ECPS will give communities a decisive voice in police accountability, including asking voters to decide by referendum if they want to undertake further democratic reforms and create a fully elected police accountability commission.”

#ChicagoIL #PeoplesStruggles #PoliceBrutality #CommunityControlOfPolice #EmpoweringCommunitiesForPublicSafety #ECPS

A statement by the Kenosha branch of the Wisconsin Freedom Road Socialist Organization

On the evening of Sunday, August 23, the streets of Kenosha, Wisconsin ignited in protest. A 29-year-old Black father named Jacob Blake was shot in the back seven times in front of his children by a white Kenosha Police officer.

While Blake was fighting for his life in the hospital, a viral video of the attempted murder spurred hundreds of people to gather at the crime scene. The large crowd decided to march to the Kenosha Police Department, where they were attacked by militarized police with riot gear and tear gas.

Garbage trucks set up by police as roadblocks were torched, and a dozen fires blazed into the early morning, conjuring images of previous rebellions in Ferguson and Minneapolis.

Mass protests are scheduled to continue, and Wisconsin FRSO welcomes the righteous rebellion against racist police crimes.

As revolutionaries we understand that the United States is a jailhouse for the oppressed. Police enforce the oppression of African Americans and other oppressed nationalities in the United States. While we build toward socialist revolution against the white supremacist capitalist system, we also have to organize to win all that can be won under the current system.

We demand that the National Guard deployed by Governor Tony Evers to brutalize protesters be recalled.

We demand the Kenosha cop who shot Jacob Blake be immediately arrested, charged and convicted.

We demand real police accountability through community control of the police and shifting police funding to essential public services like education.

We call on protests to continue until all the demands of the movement are met.

Nothing short of this will be accepted. No justice, no peace!

#KenoshaWI #PoliceBrutality #WisconsinFRSO #CommunityControlOfPolice #JacobBlake

Jacksonville, FL – On August 18, Jacksonville held primary elections where movement candidates won big. Angie Nixon, a trade union leader with SEIU and a community organizer, defeated incumbent State Representative Kimberly Daniels in District 14 by a margin of 60% to 40%. Nixon, a longtime supporter of progressive movements here in Jacksonville, spoke at historic massive rallies over the summer organized by the Jacksonville Community Action Committee after the George Floyd rebellion. She pledged her support for repealing the Law Enforcement Bill of Rights, a statewide statute that hinders cities in Florida from instituting community control of the police. Her opponent, a controversial, anti-gay, anti-women’s rights, anti-Semitic pastor, had wide support from the local Fraternal Order of Police, private prisons like GEO group, as well as the backing of the statewide Chamber of Commerce.

Rhonda Peoples Waters, a local African American lawyer, became the first Black woman in Jacksonville history to be elected to a judgeship. Since 2009, Peoples Waters had been selected 13 times by commissions as a finalist for judicial nominations, only to be spurned by right-wing governors. Also supportive of the people’s movement here in Jacksonville, Peoples Waters supports the demands of activist groups like the JCAC and the Northside Coalition, and had substantial backing from the local Black community. She won her race by a margin of 58% to 42%, defeating former prosecutor Erin Perry, who had been appointed to the bench by former Florida Governor and crook Rick Scott in 2019. Perry’s campaign was supported by the local Fraternal Order of Police and Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Sheriff Mike Williams.

In other races across the county, progressive candidates did well. Nicole Hamm, a young African American woman who ran for city council in District 4, a traditionally republican area with changing demographics, won 42% of the vote against two republican candidates, pushing her campaign to a run-off in November. Her opponent, Kevin Carrico, raised substantially more money than her campaign, with backing from many corporate donors and establishment money pouring into his campaign. He’s called for giving police more money as opposed to Hamm, who publicly supported the JCAC’s demands for a People’s Budget and the reallocation of JSO funding into ending poverty and addressing other social ills. Her race in November will be widely supported by the progressive community in Jacksonville.

Candidate Tammyette Thomas defeated her democratic primary challenger by a wide margin in Florida House District 15 and moves to an election in November against republican incumbent Wyman Duggan. Thomas, an African American woman, has also supported calls to repeal the Law Enforcement Bill of Rights and for community control of the police.

“This election yesterday was powerful in terms of the movement now having a real influence on elections in Jacksonville,” said Michael Sampson II of the Jacksonville Community Action Committee. “Having progressive candidates and now elected state reps who support our demands of community control of the police and repealing the law enforcement bill of rights is a game changer in our work in North Florida and is a warning to all the status quo politicians, Black or white, who choose the path of accommodation with the police state as opposed to fighting for the people. We are just getting started.”

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #US #PeoplesStruggles #PoliceBrutality #Elections #JacksonvilleCommunityActionCommitteeJCAC #CommunityControlOfPolice