Chicago, IL – On Wednesday, September 2, Teamsters Local 700 voted to approve a two-year contract with the Forest Preserves of Cook County. The final vote was a close 88 to 82. The strike lasted for two weeks before the administration gave into some of the demands of the workers.

The strike had come after a year of failed negotiations. Rank-and-file workers organized their own committee, Forest Preserves Teamsters United, which led the bargaining unit in voting down four tentative agreements. After two periods of contract extensions, the workers voted to strike. It was the first time the workers at the forest preserves had ever gone on strike. Many had never attended a picket line before. Despite the lack of experience, the workers were steadfast, frequently marching through the county building in downtown Chicago as a show of force.

The final contract has several improvements won by the strike. Overtime on the sixth and seventh day is now guaranteed. The mandatory weekend work, widely despised by resource management workers, will be reduced by 50%. Seniority will be respected for bidding on scheduling in landscape maintenance. However, no movement was made on the wage schedule.

Brannon Curtis-Wittenberg, a senior resource technician with the Forest Preserves, said the workers were “asking for fair wages compared to non-union employees. Our current step raises are about a tenth of what the non-union makes.”

For example, under the current wage schedule, a laborer in landscape maintenance receives just $1.78 in raises over nine years, with some annual step increases as small as 12 cents an hour. This is despite the recent $4.8 million budget increase due to a new allocation of tax money to the Forest Preserves.

Cal Filkin, a resource technician, commented on the main victory of the strike, saying, “Even if we didn’t achieve the economic changes to the contract that we needed, we’re not going back to work, tail between our legs. I believe the most consequential achievement is the changes we’ve affected in our members through this struggle: we self-organized across 20 work locations; we’ve empowered ourselves to stand up and fight; and we’ve proved to ourselves that we can fight and we can win. Nine months ago, we had none of that. Now, heading back into negotiations next year, we have a very credible strike threat.”

David Yokley, who works as a landscaper, said there was still work to do. “Going forward, we got a few small concessions, but gains nonetheless. But this is just the beginning. Negotiations begin soon, so we don’t have a lot of time to take a break. We're mobilizing right now, keeping people energized.”

When asked what his message to other union members was, Curtis-Wittenberg said, “Stay strong, talk to your coworkers. If your union is not as organized as you would like it to be, make it organized. It is your union.”

#ChicagoIL #IL #Labor #Teamsters #Strike #TeamstersLocal700 #Feature

Minneapolis, MN – On August 30, T-Mobile and AT&T disclosed that they had sent the phone records of several Twin Cities activists to ICE and Homeland Security Investigations agents after receiving a summons filed by Homeland Security on April 12, 2026. These included the telecommunications data of Jess Sundin, Steff Yorek and other anti-ICE and anti-war activists, such records for the phone line for Minnesota Council for American-Islamic Relations.

T-Mobile and AT&T complied with the summons even though none of the three were charged with any criminal charges, nor were they notified or asked to consent to such disclosures. Given the fraudulent nature of the summons, other companies, such as Google, declined to disclose any data.

These summons came as part of an ongoing federal investigation of the activists who protested on January 18 in Saint Paul against the preacher in Cities Church, David Easterwood, who is the acting field office director for Enforcement and Removal Operations, known as ERO St. Paul. 39 Minnesota activists, including Black community activists Monique Cullars-Doty and Nekima Levy Armstrong, were arrested in connection to this action, along with the high-profile journalists Georgia Fort and Don Lemon.

Sundin and Yorek are anti-war activists whose record of international solidarity activism goes back decades. They were included in FBI raids in 2010 and subsequent subpoenas to a grand jury, with which they refused to comply. They were not present at nor involved with the planning of the Cities Church protest. The Minnesota Council for American-Islamic Relations phone line also lacks any discernible connection to the Cities Church action.

One important aspect of the summons is that they are not court-issued search warrants. Listed on the summons as one of the recipients of the data is HSI Special Agent Timothy Gerber, who worked for the IRS before moving over to ICE in 2026. He attempted, first in February 2026 and then again in March 2026, to secure search warrants to seize electronic data for five defendants in the Cities Church case but was struck down by Judge John Docherty for failure to establish probable cause. Twice.

Since then, Gerber, Grayson Cooper and Special Agent Steven Schrank have resorted to ICE summons to retrieve this data. The summons cites a law that mandates the disclosure of data related to fees paid to customs and other customs business. The City Church investigation is not related to this at all. The ICE summons has received widespread disdain from lawyers and civil liberties organizations.

These summons come as the next step in the saga of political repression launched against anti-ICE activists in the Twin Cities. Apart from the Cities Church protest, 15 anti-ICE protesters, known now as the Minnesota 15, have been indicted on bogus federal charges and face up to over a decade in prison for their activism at the federal Whipple Building in Minneapolis. The charges include felony conspiracy to impede a federal officer, assault of a federal officer, interstate stalking, interstate threats, and more.

In spite of protests involving over 100,000 people over the course of subzero winter months, Jonathan Ross, the ICE agent who killed Renee Good, and Jesus Ochoa and Raymundo Gutierrez, the ICE agents who killed Alex Pretti, are walking free and have not been charged for any crimes.

“Many of the Righteous 39 Cities Church protesters are my friends and movement colleagues,” said Jess Sundin, one of the Anti-War 23 and one of the Twin Cities activists whose phone records were seized. “They are being prosecuted for doing the right thing – standing against ICE's brutal attacks on immigrants. The idea that the government would use a bogus summons to get records of their communications with me is a desperate attempt to make a case out of nothing. Instead of dividing us, or silencing us, the government's actions are only strengthening our solidarity and commitment to keep fighting for justice.”

#MinneapolisMN #MN #ImmigrantRights #PoliticalRepression #ICE #DHS #InjusticeSystem #Feature

Jacksonville, FL – On the evening of September 3, at Memorial Park, dozens gathered for Asia Bennett’s vigil.

The gathering was held in memory of Asia Bennett, 22, who was fatally shot by Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Deputies (JSO) on August 11, 2026. Bennett was a victim of domestic violence, and she needed help. JSO instead shot her twice.

Body-worn camera footage was released to the family weeks later. Relatives have since stated that the recording contradicts the official account provided by JSO officials in the days after the incident.

Those close to Bennett describe her as a gentle and kind individual. The vigil drew many families who have experienced similar losses due to police encounters. Representatives from A Mother's Cry, a support organization for mothers who have lost children to police violence, addressed the crowd. Each speaker shared a personal account of loss, and each echoed a consistent sentiment: Bennett posed no threat and should have survived the encounter.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump also attended, offering praise to the ongoing work of the Jacksonville Community Action Committee (JCAC). He pledged to continue pursuing accountability in Bennett's case and emphasized that they would be “focused like a laser until they get justice for Asia.”

Speakers pointed to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office’s growing budget, which has increased in recent cycles despite repeated incidents involving the use of deadly force. The agency has the largest portion of the city’s budget, yet questions persist regarding its ability to respond appropriately to domestic violence calls without resorting to lethal action.

Community advocates have issued a series of demands, including: criminal convictions for the officers involved, rather than administrative reassignment or paid leave; establishment of a civilian-led Public Safety Committee to provide independent oversight of police conduct; creation of a Mental Health Emergency Response Team staffed by professionals trained in de-escalation techniques, and, an end to police violence in Jacksonville, with advocates citing the need to prevent further loss of life.

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #InJusticeSystem #JCAC #KillerCops #Feature

San Jose, CA – On September 2, San Jose State University intended to host Northrop Grumman at the Fall ‘26 Business, Financial Services, and Logistics Job and Internship fair. Northrop Grumman, a weapons manufacturer which maintains $3 billion in contracts with the Defense Department, is a target for Students for a Democratic Society’s (SDS) ongoing campaign demanding SJSU cut ties with war profiteers.

In response to Northrop Grumman’s invitation to the campus career fair, SDS at SJSU organized a mail-in and rally calling for the career center and university administration to deplatform war profiteers like Northrop Grumman. The mail-in was a tactic employed by students to flood the inboxes of university administrators leading up to the day of the career fair, and it proved to be an effective one.

On the day of the career fair, as student protesters gathered outside the SJSU Student Union, SDS received notice that Northrop Grumman had completely withdrawn from the career fair. This withdrawal follows a similar incident last semester at SJSU, in which student protesters forced Lockheed Martin to withdraw from a campus informational session.

Despite Northrop Grumman's withdrawal, the students continued with their rally outside the career fair to call out the school administration’s ongoing collaboration with war profiteers, echoing chants such as “When Northrop does the killing, admin makes a killing!”

Panda Shim from SDS stated, “Whether it’s Lockheed Martin or Northrop Grumman, we will not allow these defense organizations who actively supply weapons to commit genocide overseas and terrorize our immigrant communities onto our campus!”

“SJSU has invited Northrop Grumman to this career fair despite the students making it clear, time and time again, that we will not ever accept war profiteers to do business on our campus. Northrop Grumman is the sixth-largest weapons manufacturer on the planet and has been supplying the U.S. and Israeli air forces with missile delivery systems and laser weaponry for their fighter jets and attack helicopters. Shame!” said Mateo Rodriguez-Deal from the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

Sharat Lin from San Jose Against War provided words of support, “As you build the anti-war student movement here on campus, know that the people of San Jose support your struggle and are building the anti-war, pro-Palestine movement!”

“Our voices matter, our concerns matter, and what happens to people outside our campus matters. San Jose State should be a place where students can build their futures without having to compromise their conscience. Keep war profiteers off campus!” said Haddy Barghouti from Students for Justice in Palestine to close the rally.

While the students were able to successfully kick Northrop Grumman off campus, their fight is not over. This smaller victory was part of a larger ongoing struggle to push their campaign forward and cut ties with all war profiteers.

#SanJoseCA #CA #AntiWarMovement #WeaponsIndustry #StudentMovement #SDS #SJAW #Feature

Los Angeles, CA – On August 29, 250 community members gathered at Mariachi Plaza to commemorate the 56th Chicano Moratorium. Over 30 organizations and small businesses joined the celebration, which included a folklorico dance, rap performance, speakers and free food. Carlos Montes, longtime Chicano revolutionary, was the keynote speaker.

The Chicano Moratorium was the largest anti-war protest of Chicano people. It took to the streets of East Los Angeles in 1970. Fifty-six years later, it is now celebrated as Chicano Liberation Day.

Speaking on the demand of Chicano self-determination, Marisol Marquez of FRSO said, “We need to have a revolution in this country. Led by us. We need to take by force what is ours and use it in a way that is best for our Raza.”

“We deserve to have direct democratic control over who polices our communities and how,” said Derek Mejia, Centro CSO's Police Accountability Committee chair.

Speaking to the demand of “Legalization for all,” Verita Topete stated, “Fifty-six years later, we carry that struggle forward. Because our liberation cannot stop at the border, and our solidarity cannot stop at citizenship. If we are serious about Chicano self-determination, then we have to fight alongside the immigrant working class.”

Chaeho of NODUTDOL closed the program, saying, “As anti-imperialist Koreans, it is our duty to stand in firm solidarity with our Chicano comrades against U.S. imperialist war and aggression and for the liberation of all oppressed peoples of the world. We honor the martyrs Rubén Salazar, Lyn Ward and Angel Díaz. May our movements and all working people of the world stand together to demand an end to U.S. imperialism here and everywhere.”

Nodutdol is a Korean organization based in the U.S. and Canada, organizing against U.S. military bases, and for Korea’s reunification and national liberation.

The Chicano Moratorium was planned and organized by a united front of Chicano grass roots organizations and labor unions. For more photos and videos check out “Chicano.Moratorium” on Instagram.

#LosAngelesCA #CA #OppressedNationalities #ChicanoLatino #ChicanoMoratorium #CentroCSO #Feature

Minneapolis, MN – On Thursday, August 27, over 100 people turned out to the federal courthouse in Minneapolis for the latest hearing for Minnesota 15, the group of anti-ICE protesters who have been indicted on bogus federal conspiracy charges for their alleged activities during Operation Metro Surge.

Recently, documents were released by the courts which detailed the Trump administration’s massive surveillance operation in Minneapolis targeting anti-ICE activists, labor unions and community groups. It included tactics such as sending undercover agents to public meetings and protests, using AI facial recognition software to track individuals, and recording suspected activists’ license plates in public parking lots.

This hearing was around a motion by the defense to get the government to release more of its evidence in the case against the 15, a move the Trump-appointed prosecutors are resisting.

The courtroom quickly filled up, but the plaza outside the building remained packed with supporters throughout the hearing.

Meredith Aby, director of Women Against Military Madness (WAMM), a member organization of the People’s Action Coalition Against Trump, was one of the people who managed to get into the courtroom. She stated, “The courtroom was filled with supporters because people are outraged that community activists are being targeted by the Trump administration for standing with our immigrant neighbors.”

After the hearing, some of the defendants spoke at a press conference, including Isaac Sant, who stated, “They were spying on us from day one. In fact, five days before Operation Metro Surge was declared, they began spying on our organizations. They had a directive to get out there and find ‘Antifa.’” Sant continued, “If it wasn’t us on trial, it was going to be one of you.” He concluded, “This is a politically-motivated prosecution, and I believe we’re going to win, and this is going to be thrown out.”

#MinneapolisMN #MN #ImmigrantRights #PoliticalRepression #MN15 #ICE #OperationMetroSurge #Feature

Minneapolis, MN – On August 22, at 11:30 a.m. the People’s Action Coalition Against Trump (PACAT) organized a counter-protest to the Jake Lang hate rally. More than 100 protesters showed up in opposition to Lang’s white supremacist hate speech, aimed this time at the Black community. Lang has also called for the reinstitution of Jim Crow laws, calls to deport all immigrants from the U.S., and anti-Muslim hate speech.

When counter-protest organizers arrived at city hall, Minneapolis Police Department officers threatened to tow away their sound and medic vehicles. But when Jake Lang and his band of less than ten supporters showed up with two vehicles, MPD allowed them to drive onto the sidewalk. Officers surrounded Lang’s vehicles as they moved forward, effectively providing them with an armed escort.

MPD can be seen on video pushing and hitting protesters, ensuring Lang’s hate speech could continue. Mayor Jacob Frey stated to the press that MPD arrested Lang after he was run off by the crowd. But there was no reason to not arrest Lang for driving on the sidewalk. This unequal treatment of left and right-wing protest is nothing new to PACAT organizers.

MPD also arrested an anti-Lang protester who dressed as Spider-Man and adopted the hero’s persona by facing off with Lang and his ilk directly. MPD threw Minneapolis’ Spider-Man to the ground and stomped on his head before forcing him into a squad vehicle. The protester was released later the same day and received medical care after leaving the jail. PACAT and other community members are organizing a support action around Spider-Man’s September 4 court appearance on bogus assault charges.

A statement from PACAT notes, “If it was not clear before where the priorities of the Minneapolis police, and the mayor with sole authority over them, lie, it should now be clear to every Minneapolis resident who considers themselves anti-fascist and anti-racist that we are not the people they serve or protect. After the complete failure of Mayor Frey and MPD to protect residents from ICE during Metro Surge, and years of violence against Black, native and immigrant communities, we must understand them as ineffective at best and capitulators to the far right at worst.”

The People’s Action Coalition Against Trump and its member organizations are calling for the immediate resignation of Mayor Jacob Frey and interim MPD Chief Bill Peterson, as well as systemic reforms like community control of the police.

The PACAT counter-protest was supported by Black Lives Matter MN, Twin Cities Coalition for Justice, the Wrongfully Incarcerated & Over-sentenced Families Council-MN, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, TC Democratic Socialists of America, Minnesota 50501, and MN Immigrant Rights Action Committee.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #InJusticeSystem #PeoplesStruggles #RightWingers #JakeLang #Fascists #WhiteSupremacists #PACAT #JakeLang #SpiderMan #Feature #OppressedNationalities #AfricanAmerican #ImmigrantRights

From August 9 through August 17, Chrisley Carpio of the Central Committee of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization took part in the Jaju Solidarity Brigade, the first international delegation to attend the annual August 15 Korean Liberation Day March, in what is known as the Republic of Korea. The Jaju Solidarity Brigade visited U.S. bases and sites of historic importance to the progressive movement in Korea and learned about various fronts of struggle for Korean peace, sovereignty and reunification.

Fight Back!: Can you briefly summarize the political situation on the Korean Peninsula? And its relationship to the United States?

Chrisley Carpio: The people of the Korean Peninsula were once a united people. Today, its people are divided by U.S. imperialism at the 38th parallel. The North, known as the Democratic Peoples’ Republic of Korea, is a liberated, socialist state that is in charge of its own affairs, including its government, military, economy and society. In the DPRK, every person is guaranteed a job, a place to live, and groceries such as rice and soy sauce, no matter the state of the economy.

South Korea, known as the Republic of Korea, is occupied by the United States. It is plagued by more than 62 U.S. bases. Instead of leaving in 1945 at the end of the Japanese occupation of Korea, U.S. military advisors stayed and took over bases and facilities previously used by the Japanese occupiers. Per the U.S.-South Korea Status of Forces (SOFA) Agreement, the U.S. government has operational control of the military of the ROK, which cannot act without its approval; it can take whatever land it wants, and the ROK must comply; and members of the U.S. military cannot be easily tried or held accountable to Korean laws no matter what crimes they commit.

The U.S. occupation has wrought murders of children, persecution of political prisoners, sexual violence against women, displacement from homes and farms, and many other atrocities besides. Recently, U.S. wartime preparations, such as the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield war games, have increased U.S. military activity in South Korea in an effort to keep it, in the words of U.S. Forces Korea Commander General Xavier Brunson, a “fixed aircraft carrier floating in the water” and “a dagger pointed at China.”

Fight Back!: What sites did you visit on the delegation? What did you take away from these stops?

Carpio: We visited two major gravesites in Daejeon: the National Cemetery where pro-Japanese collaborators are buried with tall, engraved gravestones not far from pro-independence fighters, and Sannae Golryeonggol, the site of the unmarked graves of the 300 anti-occupation political prisoners who were taken out of Daejeon Prison and shot, under the supervision of the U.S. military. We traveled to Gunsan Air Force Base and saw the breathtaking Sura Tidal Flats, the mud flats essential for the survival of 63 legally protected species, which the ROK government wants to demolish to make way for an expansion of Gunsan Air Base. Nearby is the Haje Village, where the people have rallied around a 600-year-old hackberry tree and hold monthly cultural festivals in its honor in an effort to take back ownership of land that was stolen.

Some distance from Paju City, we visited the Peace Park built after U.S. military tanks ran over Korean grade school girls, killing them, in 1988 and 2002. The 2002 killings of Shim Mi-seon and Shin Hyo-sun and the absence of any charges against the U.S. military killers led to mass candlelight vigils that demanded changes to the SOFA Agreement.

We protested the presence of the U.S. military at the Rodriguez Firing Range in Pocheon, which is the size of 1800 soccer fields, and did the same at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, the largest overseas U.S. base in the world. We saw the Daechu-Ri Hwangsaeul Memorial Hall, filled with photos of the farmers’ militant battle against the government to defend the rich agricultural lands which for generations had been theirs, before they were forcibly displaced.

We visited the STD Management Center near Camp Casey in Dongducheon, where Korean women were forced into prostitution in the nearby camp town, confined whenever a U.S. soldier was thought to have an STD, and shot with so much penicillin that they could not walk, only crawl. We saw the house where the Korean camptown woman Yun Geum-I was brutally murdered by U.S. Private Kenneth Lee Markle, who was only tried and jailed after massive protests by women’s organizations, student organizations, and many more. He was the first American ever to be successfully tried and imprisoned for crimes committed against a Korean in spite of the SOFA Agreement. It was this incident which marked the beginning of the decline of the use of Korean women to fill the camp town near Camp Casey, which is now filled with trafficked Filipino women.

For every death was a memorial hard-won by protest and struggle. For every addition to a U.S. base was an effort to stop its expansion. For every human rights violation was a fierce struggle for justice. This delegation showed me that the fight for peace, reunification, and national liberation from U.S. occupation is alive and well in Korea.

Fight Back!: What are the demands of the peace movement in Korea? What does this movement look like?

Carpio: The demands of the peace movement in Korea cut a wide scope: the departure of all U.S. government and military personnel from Korea; the closure of U.S. bases across the peninsula; ending the Ulchi Freedom Shield joint military exercises; ending preparations for war in the Indo-Pacific; the return of all land taken by the U.S. government; an end to the SOFA Agreement and the US-ROK alliance, and more.

At their core, the demands are for peace, sovereignty and the reunification of the Korean people. At the protests we saw this week were multiple trade union federations, student organizations, women’s organizations, peasants’ organizations, civil liberties groups, and more. To paint a picture for you, in Seoul, the Korean Liberation Day protest on August 15 mobilized 10,000 people, and to conclude the rally, all in attendance worked together to rip a giant American flag to shreds.

Fight Back!: What are the challenges that the movement in Korea faces today?

Carpio: In the ROK, there are brutal restrictions on freedom of speech going back to the earliest years of U.S. occupation, and these laws still operate. The National Security Act of 1948 criminalizes any positive discussion of North Korea, anti-state activity, and any discussion of communism in general. Even now, activists can face a decade or more in prison just for the publication of a book sympathetic to the North. Apart from repression, there also exists a growing far-right movement, which faces little to no hostility from the U.S.-backed ROK government. At the August 15 protest in Seoul, we encountered some of these right-wingers. We outnumbered them vastly.

Fight Back!: What stake do the peoples of the United States have in an end to the occupation in Korea? What can anti-imperialists in the United States do towards this end today?

Carpio: In the U.S., the people face economic hardships and social problems too—but where does our taxpayer money go? Instead of food stamps and unemployment benefits, our money goes to the destruction of precious environmental habitats in Korea, the leveling of schools, houses and farms, the manufacture of F-16s and stray bullets that fly out of U.S. bases to hit civilians, tanks that kill children, facilities that violate women.

Like the Korean people, we don’t have a say in these decisions. They are made for us by the rich war hawks who sit on Wall Street. The same yoke that holds us down—U.S. imperialism—has been holding down the people of South Korea for at least 73 years. At the end of the day, the peoples of the U.S. and of Korea have the same enemy, and we in the U.S. are in a good position to mobilize against war on China and war preparations in Asia, not only in Korea but also countries like the Philippines. We should take the so-called dagger that is Korea out of the hands of the U.S. imperialists and turn it around. We should march against imperialist wars. And we should stand stalwart and say: U.S. out of Korea! Long live international solidarity!

#International #Korea #AntiWarMovement #Feature

Seoul, SK – On August 15, the Jaju Solidarity Brigade, led by Nodutol, joined 10,000 people marching in Seoul, Republic of Korea to demand “U.S. out of Korea.” This was the first international delegation to ever join the annual National Liberation Day protest in South Korea, which has historically brought together the country’s most progressive trade unions, student organizations, women’s groups, and other civil society organizations to oppose the Ulchi Freedom Shield war drills.

June Colcol, the secretary general of BAYAN USA, explained the purpose of the delegation at a press conference for the delegation, “We aim to contribute to uplifting the Korean national liberation struggles against U.S. militarism by raising the people's resistance and linking our efforts to kick out the U.S. from our homelands. U.S. military presence continues to place our people in danger.”

21 international anti-war and progressive organizations, from the U.S., Hawai’i, Puerto Rico, Guåhan (Guam), the Philippines and India, participated in the Jaju Solidarity Brigade. The brigade spent a week visiting sites of U.S. military occupation, including Gusan Air Base, Camp Casey and Camp Humphreys. The delegation also met with people’s resistance leaders from across South Korea to learn about their fightbacks to U.S. occupation.

Chrisley Carpio, a member of the standing committee of Freedom Road Socialist Organization, participated in the delegation and stated, “We visited memorials of children killed by U.S. troops, mass unmarked graves of political prisoners who defied U.S. occupation, lands where villages were displaced to make way for U.S. military expansion – and yet these were not wholly sites of tragedy, but of struggle. There was a movement, campaign, and demand at every step. Together, countless organizations spoke with one voice: the U.S. needs to leave Korea now.”

#SeoulSK #SK #Korea #International #JajuSolidarityBrigade #Nodutdol #BAYAN #Feature

He was part of the Midnight Crew, a group of detectives led by Commander Jon Burge from the 1970s to the 1990s. The city of Chicago officially recognizes that they systematically tortured more than 125 mostly young Black men to make false confessions, which led to wrongful convictions and death sentences. The number of survivors of torture, recognized by the Illinois Torture Commission, is over 400.

Johnny Plummer is one of the men Boudreau tortured who is still in prison. He was 15 years old in 1991 when he confessed to a crime he didn’t commit after being beaten and denied permission to see his mother.

Finally, evidence (which Plummer has testified to for the past 35 years) has surfaced. The record of the medical intake from the day he was transferred from police custody to juvenile detention showed up in a routine file review. It proves that a doctor recorded Plummer’s report of beatings and a forced confession.

At a hearing in June, Judge Tyria B. Walton declared she thinks that a Brady violation occurred. A Brady violation is when prosecutors fail to disclose impeaching evidence to the defense. A Brady claim requires three things: first, evidence favorable to the accused because it tends to prove innocence; second, the prosecution suppressed or failed to turn over the evidence; and third, there is reason to think that the outcome of the trial would have been different.

Given the seriousness of this moment, justice should require that the offending police detective be summoned to court at the earliest moment. He was scheduled to appear on Thursday, August 6, but that morning, the judge allowed him to avoid appearing in the courtroom.

Jasmine Smith is with the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR), where she helps lead the Campaign to Free Incarcerated Survivors of Police Torture (CFIST). When told the hearing was canceled because Boudreau didn’t show up, she was outraged, “He was called to testify by a judge; he shouldn’t be able to cancel like that.”

With pressure from organizers in CAARPR and the CFIST campaign, and due to the ceaseless efforts of Johnny Plummer, his family, and his attorneys, there will be another day in court for Beaudreau.

#ChicagoIL #IL #InJusticeSystem #Torture #CAARPR #CFIST #Feature

New York, NY – On August 15, over 100 people gathered in the heart of Times Square, near the Army Recruiting Office, to mark Korean Liberation Day. The protest was organized by Nodutdol and Bayan USA.

Korean Liberation Day is a celebration of the Korean resistance rising up and overthrowing Japanese imperialism on August 15, 1945. Since that day, it has become a yearly celebration to remember the militancy of the Korean people against imperialism and occupation.

For this protest, Nodutdol and Bayan demanded “U.S. out of Korea” and an end to the Pacific war. The United States has long engaged in violent meddling and intervention in South Korea to oppose North Korea. Additionally, weapon trade and war games in the region have escalated deaths of civilians.

A speaker from Nodutdol said, “My grandmother lived through the Korean War as a young girl. The U.S. claims to have saved Korea, but my grandmother and the millions of civilians killed would say otherwise. We cannot hear the voices of the dead, but we must hear the voices of the living!”

Next, the action marched to the Philippines Consulate, where a speaker from Anakbayan told of the complicity of the Philippines government in the oppression of its people both in the U.S. and at home. They went on to share how Filipino and Korean people are both affected in similar ways by U.S. imperialism, the military presence in their homelands, and “war games” conducted by the U.S., Philippines and South Korea, to imitate acts of war against China and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

Protesters marched to a corporate office for Hanwha, a South Korean weapons profiteer that also makes deals with the government of the Philippines. A speaker from the Philadelphia Alliance Against Imperialism explained how Hanwha has recently expanded its operations in the nearby city, directly profiting from U.S. imperialism’s warmongering and forcing its workers to endure dangerous and even deadly conditions.

Throughout the rally and march, protesters chanted, “No boots on the ground, no bombs in the air, U.S. out of everywhere!” and “From Korea to the Philippines, stop the U.S. war machine.”

#NewYorkNY #NY #NYC #Korea #USOutofKorea #Nodutdol #BayanUSA #AntiWarMovement #KoreanLiberationDay #Feature

Michigan City, IN – Slot attendants and dual-rate slot attendants at Blue Chip Casino Hotel Spa voted overwhelmingly to unionize with Teamsters Local 135 in an NLRB election held July 30 and 31. 18 workers voted yes, only two voted no, and one ballot was challenged, equating to a 90% landslide for the union. Every eligible voter cast a ballot.

The outstanding victory caps off more than a month of organizing that began June 23, when slot attendants marched on the boss and delivered a union recognition letter to General Manager JC Rieger. After Blue Chip refused voluntary recognition, Teamsters Local 135 filed for an NLRB election that same day.

In the weeks between the march and the vote, Boyd Gaming, which owns Blue Chip, mounted an aggressive campaign to defeat the union. They delayed pre-scheduled annual raises earned by the slot attendants and dual rates, citing the impending NLRB election. At the same time, they gave sizable raises to the other non-union departments in hopes of demoralizing the workers.

The company brought in a union-avoidance consulting firm it has yet to disclose to the Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS), as federal law requires. Workers say at least three consultants worked the floor, including two who went by the names “Louisa” and “Charlie.” Union-busting consultants regularly lie about their real names to obscure their identities and avoid accountability for their shameful activities. Blue Chip must, by law, disclose their real identities to the OLMS.

The consultants pulled slot attendants into repeated one-on-one and small-group meetings to pressure them into voting no. Management sent anti-union letters to workers' homes, papered break rooms and back-of-house areas with misleading propaganda, and bombarded workers' phones with text messages. Boyd Gaming even enlisted employees from a separate, non-union department to lobby slot attendants against the union.

None of it worked. Union organizers and slot attendants said that management appeared visibly shaken by the result of the vote when the NLRB agent read out the count on the afternoon of July 31.

Blue Chip Teamsters will now move to elect their bargaining committee and begin drafting contract proposals. Teamsters Local 135 conducts open bargaining, meaning any union member can sit in on negotiations with the company, a practice the local uses to keep rank-and-file workers directly involved and organized throughout the fight for a first contract.

The Blue Chip win is part of a broader surge in casino organizing by the Teamsters, who have organized hundreds of new casino workers over the past year, including table games dealers in Indiana and Virginia. The union now represents more than 6000 casino workers nationwide.

#MichiganCityIN #IN #Labor #Election #Casino #Feature

Centennial, CO – At 8 a.m. on Monday, July 20, organizers and community members from across the Denver Metro area joined together for a protest at the ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Denver Field Office in Centennial, Colorado.

The protesters come together for a die-in scheduled by the Shut Down GEO Coalition to highlight detained immigrants' demands for freedom, humane conditions, and to end all contracts with GEO Group, the operators of a for-profit detention facility in Aurora, Colorado. GEO Group was also recently awarded over $528 million dollars to open up a shuttered correctional facility in Hudson, Colorado.

The rally began with speeches from organizers and family members of immigrants who have been impacted by the racist and brutal deportation system. Speakers touched on the longstanding history of medical neglect, insufficient and unsafe food, low wages, guard and staff abuse, and, most recently, a confirmed case of tuberculosis within the Aurora GEO facility.

Despite pressure from medical professionals, legal advocates and the local community, the GEO Group has still not met the demand for compliance from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment for contact tracing and a full health investigation. While GEO Group delays crucial investigations and treatment, they could ultimately be subjecting the entire city and state to unnecessary health risks.

After the speeches, protesters staged a die-in where they laid down on the ground in front of the ERO office, representing the lives stolen by ICE and private prison contractors GEO Group and CoreCivic.

While attendees were lying on the ground, listening to recordings of testimonials from families of those in detention, a group of protesters stood off to the side holding a large banner that read, “Dignity not detention, end deportations.”

Five Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officers approached this group of organizers and called in additional officers for back up. Eventually, two officers returned to attempt to pull the banner away from protesters but failed. When the DHS officers were unsuccessful in threatening protesters to retreat, they called in the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office, which brought less-lethal crowd control weapons.

Arapahoe County sheriffs pushed the group of protesters forward and into the public street, where they eventually targeted four protesters who were then pulled from the group, handcuffed, and detained for around two hours within the ICE facility under Arapahoe County and ICE supervision before being released with state and federal citations.

Upon the protesters’ exit, the remaining crowd was chanting for each organizer's release. The organizers arrested included longtime organizers in the community Arnie Carter and Terry Burnsed, as well as Yoselin Corrales, an immigrant rights organizer with Aurora Unidos CSO.

After taking a moment to regroup, Corrales addressed the crowd, stating, “It’s far past the time to send a strongly-worded email, we need to show up and be willing to put more on the line for those facing injustice in our community!”

#CentennialCO #CO #AuroraCO #ImmigrantRights #ICE #Feature

Madison, WI – On July 25, the fourth evening since the murder of Corey Ruiz in Madison, Wisconsin, people from across the city gather again to mourn and demand justice.

As they awaited a larger crowd marching from the site of the execution, dozens chanted and talked until their arrival. Many spoke, including Jay Gonstead, one of Corey’s unhoused neighbors, who expressed his deep grief at the loss of a friend, emphasizing that this violence is nothing new to Madison’s homeless community. With a $98 million budget, the Madison Police Department is withholding resources that could be used to help people. Instead, they use resources to murder people and destroy the lives of families.

As the crowd marching from the east arrived, a leader from Impact Demand, a youth affiliate of Freedom Inc., described the plan for the evening, shutting down State Street, one of the city’s most active economic centers.

Moments later, hundreds of angry community members left the capitol grounds to occupy the street in front of several of the city’s busiest bars and restaurants. According to organizers, the city of Madison will not return to regular life, be it in collecting tax revenue on alcohol sales during the bustling college town nightlife, or in traversing regular routes to work.

The Williamson/Baldwin intersection will remain occupied, and the people will keep fighting until they have justice for Corey Ruiz’s murder.

#MadisonWI #WI #InJusticeSystem #KillerCops #CoreyRuiz #Feature

Madison, WI – Hundreds gathered, for the third night in a row, July 24, in the spot where the Madison Police Department (MPD) murdered Corey Ruiz. Another police killing took place on this same street 11 years ago, when officer Matt Kenny shot and killed Tony Robinson Jr.

Among the organizations in attendance were Freedom Road Socialist Organization, the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Madison Students for a Democratic Society, and Freedom Inc, a group that consistently fights for community control over police.

Miss Jewel of Freedom Inc spoke about the need to keep the fight going, emphasizing that they won’t let up until they have firing and hiring power over the crooked Madison cops. She was met with enthusiastic cheers from a diverse and enraged crowd of community members.

After 30 minutes of rousing speeches from survivors of police crimes and from community organizers, the crowd made its way around rows of barricades and city trucks in the direction of the police precinct, where chants of “Justice for Corey” shook the windows of the sheriff’s office.

After circling the capitol building and turning onto East Washington, one of Madison’s busiest streets, the crowd turned to face the capitol to tell the government exactly what they wanted: jail killer cops. Continuing along the road, they shut down both sides of the street, shouting Ruiz’s name for the entire city to hear.

Hundreds of protesters approached the intersection of Williamson and Baldwin, preparing to continue the people’s occupation indefinitely.

Madison has nearly come to a halt in the past few days. Businesses, both corporate and family-owned, are shutting their doors. Streets have been closed indefinitely. Farmers markets, public markets, festivals and more have been canceled. Bars have canceled concerts or redirected funds to the family of Corey Ruiz. All has been in pursuit of holding the murderer cop to account.

Although a homicide investigation into killer Kiel has been opened, justice still hasn’t been delivered. The spirit of resistance in Madison is alive. Without justice, there will be no peace. Without justice, these killer cops will get no sleep. Justice for Corey Ruiz. Justice for Tony Robinson. Community control of the police now!

#MadisonWI #WI #InjusticeSystem #CoreyRuiz #KillerCop #Feature

New York City , NY – Early on the morning of Wednesday, July 22, dozens of anti-war activists and community members gathered facing the courthouse in downtown Manhattan for the federal hearing of President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores.

This was the third hearing after the abduction of Maduro and Flores from their home in Caracas on January 3. The Trump administration carried out a bombing campaign that killed around 80 people in their pursuit of the president and first lady. They were brought to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, where they are awaiting a sham trial.

The protest outside was organized by several organizations, many who have been on the frontlines of the struggle to free Maduro and Flores since January 3. The forces were Brooklyn Against War, Black Alliance for Peace, Workers World Party, Bronx Anti War, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

The rally began with chants such as, “We want justice, you say how? Free Maduro, free him now!” and “Donald Trump, you’re a liar! No more wars for empire!”

“President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores were kidnapped by Trump and the U.S. government after an illegal military invasion. They have committed no crime. We are here in NYC to oppose their kidnapping, detention and trial! They should be set free!” said Tom Burke, a longtime anti-war activist and organizational secretary for the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

The chants and rallies continued, despite the small opposition forces trying to feebly out-chant the protest.

As the protest in New York was happening, there were concurrent protests all over Venezuela in support of their president and first lady.

The last speech was made by Briony Smith, a member of Brooklyn Against War and a steering committee member of the Anti-war Action Network, “It is not the will of the American people to invade foreign nations and capture their leaders, because it is not the American people who grow rich off their exploitation. Every day, more and more people in this country are realizing that we have more in common with the people of the Philippines, Palestine or Venezuela than we do with Congress, the White House, or Wall Street.”

Smith continued, “American imperialism is crumbling, while our movement is growing. President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores have done nothing wrong, and they will walk free! The sanctions on Venezuela will be lifted! The people will be victorious!”

The rally finished with a march and protesters are ready to gather for future hearings. The next seems to be set for November 17. The trial is officially set for June 2027, and activists are ready to hit the ground running to build the campaign to free Maduro and Flores.

#NewYorkCityNY #NY #NYC #AntiWarMovement #Venezuela #Maduro #CiliaFlores #Feature

NYC, NY—On July 22 at 8 a.m., protesters will rally to demand, “Free President Maduro and First Lady Flores!” outside the federal courthouse in Manhattan, New York.

A growing coalition of groups and individuals, both in NYC and nationally, support freedom for the pair. Coalition members include Brooklyn Against War, the Anti-War Action Network, Workers World Party, International Action Center, Palaver Collective, Black Alliance for Peace, and the International League of People’s Struggle.

“President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores have done nothing wrong. They have committed no crime. Their kidnapping, detention, and trial by Trump and the U.S. government is the only crime here,” said Tom Burke, a longtime anti-war activist and organizational secretary for the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

Burke continued, “The whole world sees Trump and Wall Street attempting to dominate Venezuela’s oil, minerals and economy. It is armed robbery.”

“While other countries send Venezuela earthquake aid, Trump and the U.S. government are imposing U.S. military forces and enforcing U.S. economic sanctions,” Burke said.

Dozens of anti-war and international solidarity protesters will gather at Baxter Street and Worth Street in Manhattan to let the U.S. Department of Justice know they demand the cancellation of the prosecution against President Maduro and Cilia Flores. Their flyer reads, “Free Maduro! Free Flores! Hands off Venezuela! No war with Cuba!”

#NYCNY #NY #International #AntiWarMovement #Venezuela #Maduro #Cuba #BAW #AWAN #Feature

Portland, OR – On Wednesday, July 15, 230-plus community members gathered together at Discovery Gateway Park to honor the three lives stolen by ICE killers. The event, organized by Portland Contra Las Deportaciones demanded ICE off our streets and justice for Lorenzo Salgado, Joan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, and the third victim from Florida.

The event had a large ofrenda where attendees left items for the victims. The table was filled with candles, colorful flowers that included the traditional cempasúchil, beer, lottery cards, sweet cookies and more.

As people entered the park, they were able to leave their offerings at the altar and pick up a small candle. After speeches, people lit their candles and listened to songs by activist group Singing Resistance. Afterwards, the community blew out their candles to honor the three victims.

Gabriel Ollinsix a leading member of Portland Contra las Deportaciones was the first speaker and set the tone for the night, “We know that if our families are ever going to have true safety, if we are ever going to know that our fathers, our tíos, and our loved ones will come home at the end of the day, we must drive ICE out of our communities.”

This was the sentiment that was felt throughout the attendees. While there were a few tears at different times and there were a few chants repeated with anger demanding justice, the overall feeling was the understanding that no one is safe as long as ICE is out in the streets.

While the event was first announced on Sunday, July 12, by the time the event happened on Wednesday, July 15, two more victims had been included: Joan Sebastián Durán Guerrero and a third victim, Juan Coronilla. The victims were from Latin America, which brought Spanish speakers to the event. The speakers all gave their speeches in Spanish and English.

Speakers also addressed the repression faced by activist Nadia Topete in Southern California. Topete was called before a grand jury twice over the last year in response to her immigrant rights activism. Attendees honored her resistance and committed to continuing to help her fight this repression.

The event ended with a call to action from Cami Saunders: “Thank you for being here with us today, and I hope to see all of you again! The fight continues, and there is so much to do here in Portland. The murders did not happen in our city, but we are fighting to close the facility, to prevent it from happening here.”

Volunteers went around the park as people were leaving with tablets to send emails to the Portland Permitting and Development to demand the Portland ICE facility be shut down.

#PortlandOR #OR #ImmigrantRights #KillerICE #ICE #PDXCD #Feature

Crockett, CA – On Monday, July 13, members and allies of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 6 turned out in force for a picket at the C&H Sugar Factory in Crockett. This is the fifth week of an all-hands strike in protest of bad-faith bargaining offered by C&H.

Chants of “Union power!” and “Contract now!” rang out across the factory gates as workers marched en masse to the entrance, undeterred by vans full of scabs and private security. In addition, picketers demanded justice for the “Negros Nineteen,” who were massacred on April 19 by the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Among those killed were labor organizers Lyle Prijoles and Kai Sorem, from the San Francisco Bay Area and Washington state, respectively.

ILWU Local 6 is fighting aggressive cuts to sick leave, retiree healthcare and seniority benefits proposed by C&H, as well as refusing to unload a cargo ship of “blood sugar” brought from the Philippines. Throughout its history since its foundation in 1934, Local 6 has engaged in multiple rounds of militant struggle including five strikes, and 2026 is no exception.

Coordinated actions by workers and allies have repeatedly prevented the delivery of sugar at two separate ports in Richmond and Crockett. Picketers have operated on land and sea to actively deny factory access to scab workers and prevent the ship from docking, including a “floating picket” conducted when bosses tried to sneak the ship to another port using tugboats in the dead of night. In more than a month, just 25% of the sugar has been unloaded at a non-union port in Richmond, where it sits in open storage exposed to motor oil, animal feces and other contaminants.

“The labor movement is the last best chance for most Americans,” said Harvey Schwartz, labor historian and 57-year veteran reporter for the ILWU Dispatcher. “I'm optimistic about union leadership, and we have a lot of very strong young workers.” Chanting intensified as black vans drove past the picket line, bringing scabs hired by C&H bosses to desperately maintain production. Meanwhile, workers organized a screen with their backs and signs to prevent scab security from filming the faces of picketers.

Addressing the crowd, ILWU International Vice President Brandon Wolff said, “This is what it means to be part of a real union, a real family, and a real community. What's important to me is these 75 and 80-year-old people at home right now, wondering if they're gonna be able to get their diabetic medicine, wondering if they're gonna be able to get their flu shots, because this fucking company canceled their health benefits!”

“Brothers and sisters of Local 6, we got you!” Wolff continued. “From the top to the bottom to everywhere in between, from Alaska, to San Diego, to Hawaii and Australia, we've got a lot of international support coming in, we got you! So Local 6 and their counsel, go give 'em hell!” The crowd roared out in response and formed ranks to march on the bosses.

Over 200 people representing a multitude of different working-class organizations stood together in solidarity, including allied labor unions, political parties, and other groups. They included other ILWU Locals 142 (Hawaii) and 29 (San Diego), United Educators of San Francisco (UESF), Gabriela, Bayan, Kapit-Bisig Unyonista LA, Bay Area Tenant and Neighborhood Councils (TANC), Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), International League of People's Struggles (ILPS), East Bay Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), and many more.

ILWU Local 6's strike continues into its fifth week, with workers committed to doing whatever it takes to secure a decent contract.

#CrockettCA #CA #Labor #ILWU #Strike #ThePhillippines #ILPS #Bayan #Gabriela #Feature

Chicago, IL – On July 11 and 12, the Anti-War Action Network (AWAN) held its second national conference in Chicago. Reflecting AWAN’s growth of 11 more committees since its founding conference in 2025, over 250 participants gathered from more than 24 local anti-war groups from across the U.S.

As a grassroots, nationwide network, AWAN unites anti-war, pro-Palestine and student groups from across the country. The network’s growth follows a year of victorious campaigns led by AWAN affiliates and coordinated days of action responding to Trump’s aggression against Iran, Venezuela and Cuba.

Among these victories, New Orleans Stop Helping Israel’s Ports (NOSHIP) led a successful campaign to kick Chevron out of the city’s French Quarter Fest, and Palantir’s corporate headquarters was forced out of Colorado after a sustained campaign by Denver Anti-War Action.

The two-day conference reflected the geographic scale of AWAN’s growth, with speakers and panelists from cities including Denver, Colorado; New Orleans, Louisiana; Dallas, Texas; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Jacksonville, Florida; San Jose, California, and Cleveland, Ohio.

Attendees benefited from the collective experience of AWAN through nine volunteer-run workshops on topics like “Lessons in Campaign Building,” “How to be in Coalitions and Build your Work,” “Design Matters: Using graphic design and zines to build the anti-war movement,” and “Media Relations 101: Strategies, tools, and tips for organizing.”

The conference’s opening panelists included Hatem Abudayyeh, the national chair of U.S. Palestine Community Network (USPCN); Steve Ellner, an advisory board member of the Science & Society journal and associate managing editor of Latin American Perspectives; Chrisley Carpio of the Committee to Stop FBI Repression; Sara Flounders, the coordinator of the International Action Center, and Meredith Aby, a key AWAN leader, director of Women Against Military Madness, and co-founder of the MN Anti-War Committee.

Speaking of the BDS movement against Israel, Abudayyeh said, “Divestment victories are happening everywhere, including the recent one in Michigan, and the one led by USPCN and AWC right here in Illinois, when the Illinois State Board of Investments divested more than $33 million from corporations profiting off war, genocide and ICE raids.”

In her opening remarks, Aby said “The Anti-War Action Network’s guiding objective as an organization is building a broad movement opposed to the greatest cause of injustice in the world today, which is the United States and its destructive wars, sanctions and interventions.”

Aby reported that AWAN remains on a trajectory of growth, boasting 28 member organizations and many other groups planning to affiliate after the conference.

The conference received greetings from BAYAN USA, a progressive, anti-imperialist alliance of grassroots Filipino organizations across the United States, and Nodutdol, an organization of Koreans organizing for social justice, Korea's reunification and an end to U.S. imperialism.

On the second day of the conference, AWAN elected an expanded steering committee to reflect its nationwide reach and passed 12 resolutions, both of which are available on its website.

If your organization would like to learn more about AWAN or join and participate in national calls to action, go to antiwaractionnetwork.org.

#ChicagoIL #IL #AntiWarMovement #AWAN #Iran #Palestine #Feature