On Thursday, February 6, at 5 p.m. Pacific time (6 p.m. Mountain, 7 p.m. Central, 8 p.m. Eastern), Freedom Road Socialist Organization will be hosting an online meeting “Building the Movement to Fight Trump’s Agenda.”
Featured speakers include Frank Chapman, executive director of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR), Marisol Márquez of Legalization for All, and Sydney Loving, a member of the Central Committee of FRSO. Fight Back! asked each of these leading organizers why they thought this upcoming meeting was important in building the fight against Trump. Here’s what they had to say.
Detroit, MI – On Friday, January 31, a crowd of over 80 people braved pouring rain and rallied outside of the local U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Headquarters on Michigan Avenue with signs reading “No human is illegal” and “My parents are not criminals.”
The rally started with the chants “Fuck Trump” and “Power to the people! No one is illegal!” This was followed by a speech from Detroit Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression member Marcel Ulacia, who said, “Today we take a stand in front of the racist police institution known as ICE, who have their eyes set on attacking the Chicano, Latino and Hispanic members of our community.”
Santa Ana, CA – Over 200 educators rallied to the Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce Tuesday, January 29 to protest budget cuts and layoffs of up to 546 employees.
Elementary and secondary school teachers, counselors, curriculum specialists and social workers, as well as local union members, parents and children filled the chamber. Even more were forced into the overflow room and hallway of the district building.
San Jose, CA – Several hundred people protested in East San Jose on Monday, January 28, against recent arrests made by ICE in the predominantly Chicano neighborhood. The protest began when hundreds of students organized a walkout from Overfelt High School and marched to the King and Story Road intersection. King and Story is an historic location in the Chicano and immigrant rights movement, and was the starting place for past mega-marches.
Aurora, CO – On Saturday, January 25, approximately 1000 protesters gathered at Fletcher Plaza in Aurora, Colorado to march against Donald Trump’s threats of mass deportation.
Aurora is one of the most diverse cities in Colorado, with roughly 20% of its residents being immigrants. In addition to this, Aurora also has a high population of Chicanos and African Americans. Protest organizers say that Trump’s targeting of Aurora is in line with his racist, reactionary policies.
Chicago, IL – On January 20, the day of Donald Trump’s inauguration and Martin Luther King Day, members of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) joined over 80 organizations to protest Trump’s plans for mass deportations.
2500 protesters gathered in Chicago’s Federal Plaza, bundled to protect themselves from frigid temperatures with below zero windchill. Chants included, “When immigrants’ rights are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!”
Baton Rouge, LA – On Monday January 20, despite the freezing temperature and extreme wind, Louisiana State University (LSU) students and Baton Rouge community members gathered at the State Capitol to stand in opposition to Trump’s inauguration.
A coalition of organizations representing students, trans rights, Palestinian rights, and political groups all united against Trump’s bigoted agenda and spoke to the next year’s difficulties, highlighting that it would be crucial to keep the struggle in the streets.
Chicago, IL – Negative wind chill could not keep the Coalition to Stop the Trump Agenda from mobilizing 2500 people to Federal Plaza in downtown Chicago to protest the inauguration of Donald Trump.
In the cold midday sun, protesters rallied at the Plaza, marched to Trump Tower, and then rallied a second time there – all to mark a new phase of struggle that will see the social justice movement face grave dangers in the agenda of Donald Trump and his fellow Republicans.
Tallahassee, FL – On January 14, students marched and rallied at Florida State University as part of a national upsurge to resist the right-wing agenda of President-elect Donald Trump. Tallahassee Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) led the march across campus as the afternoon’s classes were ending, showing hundreds of onlookers that Trump’s election victory wouldn’t silence the student movement.
Duluth, MN – At 4 p.m. on a blustery January 15 in Duluth, workers from Essentia Health-Deer River pulled up in a bus in front of the Essentia Health-Duluth hospital and began a solidarity picket in front of the main entrance to the hospital.
The Deer River Essentia workers are represented by the Service Employees International Union, Healthcare Minnesota and Iowa (SEIU HCMNIA). January 15 marked their 38th day of an open-ended strike at their hospital and nursing home.
Chicago, IL – 300 activists, mostly from Latino communities, and many who are immigrants, packed into City Hall this morning to oppose an attack by city council members against Chicago’s Welcoming City Ordinance.
Cook County Commissioner Anthony Quezada kicked off the rally with chants alternating between Spanish and English. “When Black people are under attack, what do you do?” “Stand up, fight back!”
Trump is set to take office at his inauguration in Washington, D.C., on January 20th. From nonsense expansionist land-grabs, to challenging constitutionally protected birthright citizenship, already his outrageous statements come one after another. While some of this is undoubtedly blustering meant to embolden the most reactionary elements of his base, his incendiary rhetoric contains real, material threats. Trump and his thunderdome of billionaire bigots and fools will make every effort at their disposal to pursue their oppressive, reactionary agenda. A look at his appointments to the incoming administration is a preview of the mess that’s sure to come. The message is clear—big business will come first; the planet and the people will come last.
Los Angeles, CA – Fires in Los Angeles caught many neighborhoods completely off guard, despite forecasts predicting life threatening winds reaching up to 100 mph in the mountain and valley areas. Late at night on Tuesday, January 7, residents watched flames engulf the Pacific Palisades and Eaton Canyon. Many residents within the city lost power and internet service, and power lines and traffic lights collapsed as wind gusts grew intense.
President-elect Trump is claiming that he can abolish birthright citizenship, seeking to strip citizenship from 7 million or more Americans who are children of undocumented immigrants.
This has been a long-time demand of right-wing anti-immigrant individuals and organizations, such as Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, former Arizona State Senator Russell Pearce (best known as the sponsor of Arizona’s anti-immigrant SB1070 law) and anti-immigrant organizations such as the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR).
Los Angeles, CA – As the holiday peak season wraps up, after workers around the country toiled away for a surge in parcel deliveries, the United Parcel Service (UPS) plans again to shutter large facilities due to automation.
On January 15, the UPS facility in Vernon, California, also known as the Grande Vista hub, will be shutting its doors for a year-long closure. The purpose of the closure is for building renovations and the automation of various classifications, part of UPS’s larger “Network of the Future” project, which aims to automate union jobs to reduce labor costs.
As 2024 draws to a close, we prepare to march into the new year. It promises both challenges and opportunities, and now is the time to take stock of the world around us and recommit to the work ahead.
The past year has been a flashpoint—a series of crises that have shone a piercing light on the stakes of our fight. In Palestine, the genocidal war in Gaza, and the unflinching resistance of the Palestinian people and their allies, provoked a global tidal wave of solidarity and outrage, making clear the urgency of the anti-imperialist struggle.
New Orleans, LA – On Tuesday, December 17, community organizations and New Orleanians impacted by police misconduct or police violence united at the Consent Decree Fairness Hearing to demand that Judge Susie Morgan rule against the New Orleans Police Department sustainment plan.
The consent decree is the federal oversight instituted in 2013. That year, the Department of Justice found the NOPD to be practicing unlawful misconduct and unconstitutional policing. Different community groups rallied outside against the motion.
Dallas, TX – On December 23, four north Texas Starbucks locations joined the national strike led by Starbucks Workers United (SBWU). The next day, December 24, ten north Texas locations were on strike.
Pickets began at each location, then converged in Denton for a march between striking locations. Starbucks management called police on strikers at the Rayzor Ranch location, but police came and went without arrests.
Seattle, WA – On Friday, December 20, Starbucks workers at five stores in Seattle went on strike. Anchored by the 24 hour picket line at the Reserve Roastery, one of Starbucks’ premiere stores, workers on these picket lines are planning to strike through December 24.
Los Angeles, CA - On day four of the largest strike of Amazon workers in U.S. history, over 100 Amazon workers picketed outside an Amazon facility in Rosemead, California, December 22. Amazon workers want better pay, safer working conditions and respect from management as workers fight to unionize.