Santa Ana, CA – On Tuesday, April 21, residents of Coach Royal mobile home park demanded Kingsley Management Corporation get out of their park. Community Service Organization Orange County (CSO OC) joined them to demand the city council intervene against years of harassment, unjust evictions, home theft, and intimidation by the corporation. The abuse resulted in the suicide of resident Maria Pedraza, whose home was in the process of being taken after years of sacrificing to purchase it.

Karla Alvarado, one of the residents whose home was stolen, stated: “The city of Santa Ana has already met with 45 residents who can testify to this. 45 residents and counting. We have spoken to people across multiple parks. The stories are consistent, the tactics are consistent, and the outcomes as well. That is the definition of a systemic issue.”

Lupe Barragan, a resident and organizer, looked at and pointed directly at each council member as she spoke. “You need to respond! Phil Bacerra, you tried to intimidate us when we came to your office. You, Jonathan Hernandez, we need you to respond to us too. You came to support us and we need more of that. City manager, we need your help. Valerie Amezcua, I know my presence doesn’t please you, but you told us you were going to get out the big guns. We are waiting for you!” As she walked away, Mayor Amezcua laughed at her. Barragan turned around, pointed at Amezcua and scolded her for being disrespectful.

Sylvia Ayala, another resident, told the council, “I’ve lived here for 40 years and I’ve never gotten any help from you. Because you don’t care about the people; you only look out for yourselves. You work, but we have to work more than you. The humiliation that people with money have done to us is not fair.”

While the residents spoke, CSO OC and residents unfurled a banner reading “Kingsley fuera!” The camera began frequently changing angles to avoid showing the banner on screen. At one point, four Santa Ana Police Officers approached the organizers and told them they must move to the back if they are going to hold a banner, despite nobody complaining about an obstructed view.

When Rain Mendoza of CSO OC went up to make public comment, she first held up the banner and told the council to look at it and show it on camera.

Mendoza responded to the council’s frequent response that they cannot do anything because the park is private property, stating, “You sued El Centro Cultural de Mexico, a pillar in this community, so you can use your cops to toss homeless people’s belongings in the trash and push them out of a place where they were allowed to stay by the private property owners. So, you can do all that and use the courts, the police, and all your resources to terrorize a very vulnerable community, but you can’t lift a finger when there is a company that operates in Santa Ana that acts like thugs? Shame on you!”

Diana Terreros of CSO OC reminded the council that the residents of Coach Royal are mainly working-class immigrants whose homes are their refuge during the Trump administration. Terreros stated, “Kingsley’s actions go against the spirit of the entire sanctuary city ordinance. They are exploiting the fear of the immigrant population in Santa Ana. They are hoping the fear will be enough to force the residents to keep their heads down and their mouths shut. They are exploiting this community and their fear to increase their profits by stealing their homes. This is a multi-million dollar corporation from Utah. Why are we allowing them to exploit Santa Ana like this?”

Another member of CSO OC summarized the hundreds of thousands of dollars that groups representing mobile home park owners have donated against the campaign for the Rent Stabilization and Just Cause Eviction Ordinance that was passed in October of 2021. They have also donated to council member’s campaigns. He asked council members, “Is this what’s influencing your frequent responses that there is nothing you can do to enforce what you know is unjust and illegal acts by Kingsley against the Coach Royal residents?”

#SantaAnaCA #CA #CSO #OC #OrangeCounty #PeoplesStruggles #CoachRoyal #Eviction #Featured

Toledo has been wrongly charged with misdemeanor assault, battery and false imprisonment. Another charge, “conspiracy” to commit a crime, is still being weighed by the district attorney. It’s clear that administrators see this as an opportunity to try to take down an effective organizer who has been a thorn in their side for the last three years and as revenge for the 2024 Siemens Hall occupation since they failed to successfully charge the students who were involved at the time.

After entering the courtroom, Toledo pleaded not guilty. A trial date has been set for July 13.

About 25 supporters of Toledo gathered with protest signs for a rally outside the courthouse around 12:30 p.m. in preparation for the 1:30 hearing. Supporters marched in beside Toledo with their protest signs and joined him in the waiting room. Before the hearing began, court officials announced new restrictions, including a ban on protest signs and cell phone use. Supporters say court staff also attempted to limit how many people could enter the courtroom. When that proved difficult, Toledo’s case was called first.

Toledo was represented by attorney Matthew Kellegrew of the Civil Liberties Defense Center. When he approached the judge he quickly entered a plea of not guilty. Three bailiffs were stationed inside the small courtroom during the proceedings, an unusual show of force. Supporters also reported that a university administrator was present to observe who attended the hearing and left after the case was called.

“Cal Poly Humboldt has been trying to silence student organizers for years,” said Toledo. “These charges are an attempt to criminalize protest and scare people into backing down. It won’t work.”

Supporters say the court’s response shows the impact of organized pressure and the power of the people.

“The fact that they suddenly changed the rules and packed the courtroom with bailiffs shows they’re nervous,” said supporter Kyle Berryman at the courthouse. “They see that people are paying attention, and they know we’re not going away.”

Another attendee, Pat Kanzler stated, “Students stood up for Palestine and now they’re being targeted. This is what happens when you challenge institutions that support war and oppression.”

Toledo, who has organized at Cal Poly Humboldt with Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) for three years, says the fight is bigger than one case.

“This is about defending the right to protest,” Toledo said. “It’s about standing against repression and standing with Palestine. We’re going to keep organizing until these charges are dropped.”

During the hearing, hundreds of people from all over the country called the court in support of Toledo demanding that the charges be dropped immediately. Supporters say they will continue mobilizing ahead of the July 13 trial and are calling on people across the country to continue to speak out against these repressive politically motivated charges and fight back until the charges are dropped!

#EurekaCA #CA #Humboldt #StudentMovement #RickToledo #InjusticeSystem #SDS #CalPolyHumboldt #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #Featured

St. Paul, MN – At 7 a.m., April 20, over 300 nursing home workers from five nursing homes walked off the job and began a three-day strike. The striking workers are represented by SEIU Healthcare Minnesota and Iowa and have been in negotiations for their next union contracts.

The strike includes workers from Cerenity Care at Humboldt, which is owned by the Benedictine Living chain, as well as workers from Estates of Saint Louis Park, Estates of Fridley, Estates of Roseville and Estates of Excelsior, all of which are owned by Monarch Healthcare Management.

The workers are striking for higher wages, safe staffing, better benefits and because that management has not bargained in good faith throughout contract negotiations, for which the union has filed unfair labor practice charges.

Rhonda Little is a striking worker and lead cook who has worked at Cerenity Care at Humboldt for ten years. Speaking on the picket line, Little said, “We want more money. We want safe staffing and we want to keep our PTO. We are bargaining for a new contract and it is not going very well because our management doesn’t want to move, they don’t want to do anything, they want to just stay at 1.5% [pay increases] and we’re worth way more than that.”

Little has been on strike three times in her ten years at Cerenity but says that this time, “The entire management team are different, even corporate are different. So it’s a whole different way of fighting now and their answers to everything is just ‘no’ instead of trying to compromise to a deal. Our strike, I think a lot of it is about respect. Care for your employees as much as we care for the residents. We have been called heroes, during COVID right, we are called heroes because we care for people, we are taking care of human beings, but we are paid like we are dog walkers, so yes it its about money but the bottom line is respect.”

This strike is a three-day strike set to end on Wednesday April 22, however when asked what they will do if management doesn’t come back to the table and bargain in good faith Little said, “Push for another strike and push them for more!”

#StPaulMN #MN #Labor #Healthcare #Nursinghome #Strike #SEIUHCMNIA #SEIU #Featured

Fight Back News Service and the Committee to Stop FBI Repression are circulating the following call to action from Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network.

On May 27, 2025, three organizers, including two Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network members, were unjustly arrested by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) after being targeted during a city council meeting. Conor Cauley was violently attacked by JSO officers, and is facing up to 10 years in prison for felony charges of resisting arrest with violence and battery of a law enforcement officer. Activists Leah Grady and Dragon Belloit were also arrested.

Videos of the arrest clearly show that the only violence came from JSO officers. These are trumped-up, bogus charges. Sheriff T.K. Waters publicly stated he wants to make an example out of these activists in order to silence people who use their right to protest Jacksonville’s involvement in the genocide of Palestinians.

With one week to go before Conor’s trial, we need to be louder than ever to demand that these charges get dropped. Every single call helps!

Please call and email the office of State Attorney Melissa Nelson and Prosecutor Kelli Lynn Shobe at (904) 255-2500 – press 0 to reach the front desk and ask to leave a message for Nelson or Shobe.

You can email them at SAO4th@coj.net and kshobe@coj.net

Here is a sample script for calls or emails:

Hello, my name is [FIRST NAME, LAST NAME], and I am a resident of [CITY, STATE]. On May 27, 2025, three community members, Conor Cauley, Leah Grady, and Dragon Belloit, were arrested and brutalized during a city council meeting simply for speaking up against the genocide of Gaza. Thousands witnessed the viral video in which one member of the Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network, Conor, was violently grabbed by the neck and flipped over a row of benches. Yet, the State Attorney’s Office has persisted in launching a campaign of clear political repression by targeting Conor with two felony charges. No jury of our peers would convict someone who JSO threw over a row of chairs and the State Attorney’s Ofice is wasting taxpayer time and money by refusing to drop these charges. I am calling to demand that sheriff T.K. Waters fire both the arresting officers, Maykel Aliaga-Ruiz and Donovan Davis, and that State Attorney Melissa Nelson drop all charges against Conor Cauley, Leah Grady, and Dragon Belloit immediately.

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #InJusticeSystem #PoliticalRepression #CSFR #Featured

New Orleans, LA – On April 17, 30 community members gathered outside of the New Orleans immigration court to protest the detention of two immigrants after their hearing on the morning of April 16. The emergency rally demanded an end to ICE presence in the immigration courts and respect for immigrants’ due process rights.

The detainees, a mother and father, were present for a routine hearing. They were detained in front of their children in a traumatic display of aggression by ICE agents.

“People heard screaming and crying. When they went to investigate, they saw the mother and father being taken away and their children were left behind,” said Rachel Taber, an organizer with Union Migrante, who called the emergency rally.

Protesters held signs that read, “Say no to deportations” and chanted “ICE out of NOLA now!” as tourists walked by, pumping fists and waving in support.

The immigration court is located in the same mall as Tiffany & Co. and Louis Vuitton, a cruel reminder that the exact same place can mean wealth and privilege for the few and incarceration and deportation for the many.

“We’ve had people here observing the immigration hearings, every day without fail, since ICE agents started coming to the court last spring. This is the first arrest at the 365 Canal Place court we’ve seen in a long time. If you don’t come to court, there's an automatic order for deportation, so it's like you're damned if you do, damned if you don't,” said Taber.

Ordinary people continue to engage in court watch and ICE watch activities in New Orleans. One attendee at the protest noticed two suspicious men taking pictures of the crowd and promptly confronted them.

“I followed them as they walked to their vehicle and asked what they were doing. They told me to mind my own business and fuck off. So, I took a picture of them and their license plate, so we can share with other ICE observers in the city,” he said, immediately notifying the crowd to be on the lookout for plainclothes agents.

Speakers emphasized the need for our movements to continue to demand full democratic rights for immigrants in the United States. “As we keep rallying and keep fighting, we need to demand justice and legalization for all,” emphasized Deborah Alvarenga, an organizer with Union Migrante.

#NewOrleansLA #LA #ImmigrantRights #ICE #Featured

Justin, TX – In a bold show of unity, workers at the Volvo Parts Distribution Center in Justin marched on management, April 13, to demand union recognition, escalating their fight for respect, safety and a real voice on the job.

Warehouse workers walked into the boss’s office together, delivering their message directly, stating, “We are organized, we are militant, and we expect their union to be recognized.” The action marks a turning point in an organizing drive that has seen workers put aside their differences in the interest of collective power.

The warehouse, operated by Volvo Group, is a critical link in the company’s supply chain. Workers there handle the constant flow of parts that keep trucks and heavy equipment moving across the country. But those doing the work say they’ve been pushed to the limit – dealing with exhausting schedules, rising production demands and ongoing safety concerns.

Workers describe a job where speed is everything and injuries are an ever-present risk. Short staffing has made conditions worse, forcing longer hours and heavier workloads. Many say management has ignored their concerns for years, leaving them little choice but to organize.

The action also builds on momentum beyond Texas. Just months ago, Volvo workers at a parts distribution facility in Joliet, Illinois voted to join the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 179, showing that workers across the company’s network are beginning to move in the same direction. That victory helped demonstrate what’s possible and gave workers in Justin added confidence to step forward.

By marching on the boss as a group, workers made clear that this effort isn’t coming from a handful of individuals, it’s a collective demand backed by growing support across the warehouse.

Marching on the boss is a tactic with a long history in the labor movement – workers acting together, presenting their demands directly, and demonstrating their unity in a way management can’t ignore. It’s often a key step in winning recognition and building the confidence needed for the contract fight.

The demand is straightforward: union recognition and the right to negotiate a decent contract. Workers want better pay, safer conditions, reasonable workloads and an end to the disrespect they say has defined the job.

For the Volvo workers who acted, this is just the beginning. Management now faces a choice. They can recognize the union and respect the workers’ decision or face the power of their workers’ solidarity.

Either way, the message from the shop floor is clear. Workers are organized, they are militant and they’re ready to fight for what they deserve.

#JustinTX #TX #DallasTX #Labor #Teamsters #Volvo #Featured

Whiting, IN – On Saturday April 11, members of Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) and Jobs with Justice Chicago (JwJ Chicago) traveled to Whiting, Indiana to stand in solidarity with the over 800 United Steelworkers (USW) Local 7-1 members who have been facing an illegal lockout by British Petroleum (BP) since March 19.

USW members warmly welcomed the supporters and were anxious to share their story about a fight with one of the most powerful corporations in the world. Despite the vast wealth of the bosses at BP, the locked-out USW members are confident that worker solidarity will prevail in the end.

BP and USW Local 7-1 have been bargaining over a new contract since January 2026. On March 2, BP came to the table with an offer that USW says showed they were not negotiating in good faith with the union. BP’s offer would expand managerial rights significantly, reduce hourly wages, replace seniority-based promotions with promotions only granted after training given by management, and eliminate other bargaining unit rights. The contract proposal from BP would also eliminate around 100 jobs.

BP’s offer was rejected by the USW members through a 98% no vote on March 12. On March 13, BP came back to the table with a revised offer that the USW members say was worse than the March 2 offer. This new offer was also rejected by the union’s negotiating committee on March 17.

On March 19, the BP responded by illegally locking out the USW members. Since the lockout began, BP management has since been making statements to the public about the negotiations and lockout that USW members say have been misleading, and has refused to return to the table and negotiate in good faith.

USW District 7 Director Mike Milsap said, “In its drive to lower staffing levels and implement wage cuts, BP is choosing confrontation and gambling the community safety on inexperienced replacement workers. The lockout is a direct attack on workers’ rights and an attempt to weaken the bargaining power of the very people who can make this facility successful. We are standing united and will not back down from securing a fair agreement.”

BP has brought in hundreds of out-of-state scabs who lack the training and experience of the USW members who regularly run the refinery, posing a risk to public safety for the community of Whiting.

What stood out as the largest concern in BP’s unreasonable offer was the expansion of managerial rights. This would increase BP’s ability to undermine the contract if it was ratified and would defeat the purpose of that contract entirely. USW members say that if they signed that contract they would become a union only on paper with no real rights inside the massive BP oil refinery.

USW Local 7-1 members are preparing for a long fight ahead. In 2021-2022, USW Local 13-243 in Beaumont, Texas faced a ten-month lockout and a campaign by ExxonMobil management to try to push employees to decertify the union. Management from the Exxon refinery in Beaumont have been brought into the BP Whiting refinery during the current clash.

Despite BP’s history of attacks on unions, USW International President Roxanne Brown was defiant and said, “Generations of union members have kept this refinery running safely and efficiently, and they deserve a contract that reflects their value – not intimidation tactics designed to force concessions.”

USW is accepting donations at United Steelworkers Local 7-1, Inc., Strike and Defense Fund, 2045 Schrage Ave, Whiting, IN 46394

#WhitingIN #IN #Labor #Lockout #USW #USW71 #Featured

Los Angeles, CA – In the early morning hours of April 1, East Los Angeles Sheriff’s deputies shot and killed 29-year-old Erik Torres while he was going through a mental health crisis. Although Torres was unarmed and needed help, deputies murdered him.

Local media outlets incorrectly reported that an exchange of gunfire occurred between Torres and deputies, resulting in an hours-long standoff. However, this initial report that Torres was armed, and that an exchange of gunfire occurred with deputies has been proven false.

The case is now being investigated by the California Department of Justice and Attorney General Rob Bonta, pursuant under California Assembly Bill 1506 (AB 1506), which requires the department to investigate, “all incidents of an officer-involved shooting resulting in the death of an unarmed civilian in the state,” per the Office of the Attorney General website.

The Los Angeles Sheriff's Department deputies have even had to admit this: Eric Torres did not have a gun when he was shot and killed, and there was no “exchange of gunfire.” The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department murdered Erick Torres in cold blood.

In the aftermath of the fatal shooting, members of Centro CSO made contact with the family, who immediately dismissed the narrative being pushed by the media and the department. Torres’ brother made it known that deputies from the Sheriff's Department had routinely responded to calls at the Torres residence, and were aware of his brother’s mental health struggles. The night of the incident, the family made it known to deputies that Torres was unarmed, but deputies disregarded this information and killed him anyway.

Chicanos on the Eastside know all too well that the East Los Angeles Sheriff’s Station – home of the Banditos gang – is infamous for officers’ aggressive, violent behavior and long history of killing young Chicano men. Deputies out of the East LA Station have killed those experiencing mental health crises in the past, instead of getting them the help they deserve.

#LosAngelesCA #CA #EastLA #InjusticeSystem #LASD #OppressedNationalities #Featured

The Anti War Action Network (AWAN) called for a national day of action on Tax Day, April 15, to protest Trump’s costly war on Iran. President Trump has asked Congress to authorize an additional $200 billion for his war on Iran while at the same time cutting funding to scientific research, environmental protection, and various social programs including housing assistance, Medicaid and SNAP.

From the AWAN post on their Instagram @antiwaractionnetwork, “Organize an action in your community for Tax Day – April 15th – to show that we want our tax dollars spent on human needs like education and healthcare instead of bombing schools and destroying hospitals in Iran!”

Rae Minji, an organizer with Seattle Against War (SAW), said, “Mainstream media constantly lies to Americans the extent to which their tax dollars have been used for purposes that have nothing to do with national security and everything to do with the interests of the billionaires. We have a right to have a say in how our taxes are invested, and in order to make that a reality, we need to expose the actors responsible for the constant flow of our taxes dollars to bombs and genocide.”

Minji continued, “In SAW, we are flyering commuters in Washington Congressional District 9, which is the seat of Representative Adam Smith, one of the politicians who has been saying a lot about stopping Trump’s war on Iran, but hasn’t done anything meaningful. And no wonder: he personally benefits from war. His campaign funding almost entirely comes from AIPAC, Palantir, and other war-profiteering companies, and he operates the U.S. Military and Defense PAC. The hypocrisy is laughable.”

Cities participating include New York City, Chicago, Minneapolis, Tucson, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Salt Lake City, Washington D.C., Seattle, Dallas/Fort Worth, Tulsa, New Orleans, Jacksonville and Grand Rapids.

#AWAN #AntiWarMovement #TaxDay #Iran #NationalDayofAction #Featured

Portland, OR – On April 4, angry protesters marched to Portland Mayor Keith Wilson’s house, demanding he revoke the conditional land use permit for the ICE detention facility. The protest, organized by Portland Contra las Deportaciones (PDXCD), began at Wilshire Park and drew a crowd of over 50 in front of the mayor’s home.

The city of Portland issued a land use violation of the permit to the facility on Macadam Avenue in September 2025, after public pressure as the city faced threats of the deployment of the National Guard. Since then, Wilson has allowed landowner Stuart Lindquist to stall the process and appeal the violation to delay any consequences.

In March, the ICE facility landowner, Lindquist, rescinded his appeal to the city’s upholding of the land use violation, meaning Portland officials can begin enforcing the fine at any time. Protesters condemn the lack of enforcement by their city leaders.

During this time, Portland has faced increased immigration enforcement with violent detentions peaking in the fall of 2025. In January 2026, two immigrants were shot by ICE in Portland, and many others faced unlawful and brutal kidnappings.

Andrew Nourie with Freedom Road Socialist Organization told the crowd, “For the last year, Portland has been under attack by the federal government. The people have demanded action from our mayor and the city government, and in response we’ve received silence and a clear commitment to business as usual.”

PDXCD has sent over 1000 emails to the mayor requesting he take action and heard nothing from him for months. After protesters marched to his home in early February, his team reached out to the organization to coordinate a meeting.

Isabella Shepherd, one of the founding members of the campaign to Revoke the ICE Permit, said at the rally: “He insisted on bringing 15 other people [to the meeting] from other groups to argue with the four of us he allowed us to bring, so he wouldn’t have to say any of his own vile opinions out loud himself.”

Members of the campaign say the meeting made it clear the mayor is committed to keeping the ICE facility open, which is why they’ve returned to protest at his house.

The crowd chanted, “Keith Wilson, do your job!” as they occupied the street in front of his home for over an hour. Cars driving by honked their support, and a small crowd of supportive neighbors and passersby formed on a nearby street.

Activists dumped spent munitions ICE used on protesters during this last year on the front porch of the mayor’s house, yelling “No justice, no peace!” saying there will not be peace at home for Wilson while immigrants are terrorized by ICE in their homes.

Sage Joyce with PDXCD said the group brought the canisters because “Keith Wilson should not have freedom from chemical munitions he allows to be used against Portlanders who dare to stand up to ICE!”

Organizers said they are determined to keep up pressure on the city of Portland to move forward in the land use violation process for the ICE facility.

#PortlandOR #OR #ImmigrantRights #ICE #PDXCD #KeithWilson #Featured

Englewood, CO – On April 1, teachers and faculty across five schools of the Sheridan School District went on strike demanding union recognition and the reinstatement of their contract. Over 100 teachers, faculty and community members walked the picket lines demanding that the school district come back to the table for negotiations.

Tensions rose earlier this year when the school district passed a policy that stated they would not recognize staff without licenses in the union. That means school custodians, paraprofessionals on staff, bus drivers – workers who all keep the district’s schools running and operational – were not able to join. When contract negotiations fell apart, 98% of members voted to strike. While the Sheridan School District initially claimed that schools would stay open while the strike was ongoing, the school district was forced to cancel classes through the end of the week due to low staffing.

Kate Biester, president of the Sheridan Educators Association, reflecting on the start of the strike, said, “When we lost our contract for the teachers, it also lost what the district was giving in good faith to the rest of their workers – and we decided that wasn't good enough anymore. And we need to fully enfranchise all of the workers in our school district and give them all bargaining rights.”

According to the union, students and the local community have been very important every step of the way. Earlier this year, high school students in Sheridan School District walked out in support of the teachers, and elementary school students helped chant alongside their teachers.

“There's always been kind of like an undercurrent of community members, parents, students, really trying to make significant change in this community,” Biester said, ”And I feel like right now it's just all coming to a head, all the work we've done in different spaces over the last few years is showing up all at once.”

On day two of the strike, organizers hosted a car rally, driving by the district’s administration building with a truck from members of Teamsters Local 455 leading the way in solidarity.

Members of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) showed up in solidarity as well, decorating cars for the car rally. Circe Conway, an FRSO general member and former Starbucks Workers United organizer pointed out, “The more people that join the union, the more people that are eligible for and benefit from the union, the more powerful it’s going to get, and that builds a lot of worker power.”

After the car rally, workers went back to their strike shifts one more time before closing the day out in high spirits.

#EngelwoodCO #CO #Labor #Sheridan #Educators #Strike #Featured

New York, NY – On March 26, around 100 people gathered at 8 a.m. across the street from the Southern District of New York courthouse in solidarity with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores.

Government officials and the defense appeared before a judge to determine whether or not the two could use their own lawyers. The defense argued that the kidnapped couple have a right to due process, and that the entire trial is unconstitutional, violating the 6th Amendment.

The action was organized by a coalition of anti-war organizations in New York City that have been organizing around the Maduro and Flores case since January 3.

Michela Martinazzi of Brooklyn Against War led the protest. Martinazzi told the crowd, “We do not want our tax dollars to go to war, plunder and genocide. We do not want our tax dollars to go to illegal kidnappings of foreign government officials. The Venezuelan people have a right to decide their own future and destinies. It is not up to the United States. We demand that all charges are dropped and that President Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores are returned safely to Venezuela.”

The crowd in the plaza chanted, “From Venezuela to Iran, no more sanctions, no more bombs!” and “Free the prisoners, free them all! Free Maduro from these walls!”

The opposition and anti-Maduro forces showed up as well. They brought with them an effigy of Maduro and hung it from a tree – a disgusting show of cruelty and racism. Many of the opposition resorted to name-calling and slurs as they attacked the pro-Maduro forces. There were a few instances where the opposition tried to enter the protest and disrupt, but the pro-Maduro forces were organized and prepared. They easily pushed out the counter-protesters.

Tom Burke, the organizational secretary of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, said, “Trump’s trial of President Maduro is a political trial meant to portray the upstanding and righteous leader of Venezuela as something else. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are being punished for standing up to the U.S. empire interfering in their country. The whole world sees Trump and Wall Street attempting to dominate Venezuela’s oil, minerals and economy.”

The protest ended with a march out of the area to end on a high note. While the hearing didn’t determine whether or not Maduro and Flores can use their own funds for their defense, the protesters were resolute in their determination to keep fighting to get the charges dropped.

New York City protesters will be at the Metropolitan Detention Center on April 3 for the three-month anniversary of the kidnapping of President Maduro and First Lady Flores.

#NewYorkNY #NY #International #AntiWarMovement #Vemezuela #Maduro #AWAN #FRSO #BAW #Featured

Seattle, WA — On March 26, eight members of Seattle Against War (SAW), along with allies in the anti-war movement, staged a sit-in at the office of Representative Adam Smith (WA-09). At time of writing, the sit-in is ongoing.

Representative Smith, who claims to oppose Trump’s attacks on Iran, has a track record of voting in favor of every war initiated since entering office in 1997.

“In keeping with this pattern,” wrote Seattle Against War in a press release issued simultaneously with the start of the action, “[Smith] has yet to back up his empty words of opposition with so much as a single piece of action.”

As the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, Representative Smith is a critical player in the approval of military spending, meaning there are real levers of power he holds but does not pull. With the sit-in, SAW emphatically demands that Smith no longer avoid his responsibilities, but put actions behind his empty words and do everything in his power to halt the flow of money to Trump’s war on Iran.

To date, Smith has avoided SAW and refused to address the issues that the group has been bringing to his doorstep.

The United States and Israel’s attack on Iran, which has already cost $31 billion, eats up nearly $12,000 per second.

“The people of the 9th District will not stand idly by while their tax dollars are spent on the slaughtering of others, nor will they let a warmonger like Adam Smith work undisturbed to facilitate it,” said SAW in their press release.

Smith was in Washington D.C. at the time of the sit-in, but SAW members refused to let him off the hook so easily, demanding that his staffers get him on the phone so the group could present him with the following demands:

“Block all spending for Trump’s war on Iran, effective immediately.

“Exercise any and all power held, whether as the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee or as the Representative of Washington’s 9th Congressional District, to end the war on Iran.

“Exercise any and all power held to end the flow of arms to Israel and support an arms embargo.

“Immediately call a hearing for an investigation into U.S. and Israeli war crimes and demand accountability for all responsible.”

Rae Lee, chair of Seattle Against War said, “It is time for Adam Smith to stop talking about opposing Trump and start actually doing it,” adding, “To date, he has not shown himself capable. We demand action and an end to Representative Smith’s continued political and financial support of the illegal war on Iran as well as Israel’s ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people!”

#SeattleWA #WA #Iran #AntiWarMovement #SitIn #SAW #SeattleAgainstWar #Featured

San José, CA – The price of regular gasoline has soared a dollar a gallon on average since Trump ordered this country to war with Iran. According to the American Automobile Association or AAA, the average price has gone from $2.96 a gallon a month ago to $3.98 gallon on March 24, or more than 34%.

How high could they go? No one really knows, but according to my “Trump secretly loves California” theory, since Trump has brought the national price of gas closer where the California price was before the war started ($4.63), it is quite possible that $5 a gallon gasoline could be seen in gas stations across the country in the near future.

But gasoline prices are just the visible “tip of the iceberg” for consumer price inflation. Diesel prices are up 43% since the start of the war, even more in percentage terms than gasoline, and are now more than $5.35 a gallon on average nationwide. While very few individuals have cars that run on diesel, most trucks and farm equipment use diesel fuel. The rise in diesel prices will further squeeze smaller farmers and truckers, while the increase in costs will be showing up in food prices and the prices of almost all goods which are shipped to markets.

The cost of urea, the basic building block for nitrogen fertilizers, is also up 45% since the war started. Part of this is because the in response to the U.S.-Israeli attack and bombing campaign, most the major exporters of urea are either directly affected by the war (Saudi Arabia and Oman), or indirectly, as they (Egypt, China, Malaysia and Indonesia) import the natural and petroleum gas used in urea production from the Mideast. This will squeeze farmers even more, and some of the costs will pass through to higher food prices.

Finally, Qatar is a major producer and exporter of helium, which is a by-product of natural gas production. Helium is used in the production of MRI machines, production of semiconductors, and other industrial uses. Helium prices up 70 to 100%, will likely lead to shortages, depending on how long the war lasts.

While Trump has been saying from the start of the war, more than three weeks ago, that the war is almost over, the fact of the matter is that more than 5000 U.S. troops, both Marines and Army, are on the way to the Middle East, signaling another escalation of the war, with U.S. boots on the ground.

#SanJoseCA #CA #CapitalismAndEconomy #Inflation #Gas #Featured

Santa Ana, CA – On Saturday, March 21, Coach Royal Mobile Home residents protested at the entrance of the mobile home park. The protest was in response to yearslong abuse at the hands of the park managers, eviction, and theft of mobile homes by Kingsley Corporation. There was also a recent suicide of resident Maria Pedraza due to the abuse. The Coach Royal residents are majority working-class immigrants.

The protest started strong with residents and supporters from Community Service Organization Orange County (CSO OC) protesting in front of the Coach Royal entrance. The protesters were chanting and holding signs, making themselves visible to the residents entering and exiting the park.

“Kingsley kills!” “Hands off our homes!” and “Justice for Maria Pedraza!” shouted the protesters.

Luis Pedraza, son of the late Maria Pedraza, spoke first, “My mom committed suicide on February 20, 2026, because of the abuse that she was sustaining from Coach Royal mobile home park that is owned and managed by Kingsley corporation. She worked her whole life to own that home. That was her pride and joy. She bought that home with all of our work.”

The protesters and passersby leaned in as Pedraza recounted stories of his late mother, “We lived in all kinds of states: in a single room, in a tiny garage. I didn’t have Christmas or New Years with my mom because she was working. I wish I had that. But we do have that house and Kingsley is trying to steal that from us.” The protesters chanted in unison, “Shame!”

“It is not fair for them to be doing this here or anywhere in the country. This is happening everywhere in the country but this needs to stop and needs to change. That’s how things happen in this county. We move, operate, get together, we become one movement and then things change,” ended Pedraza.

Victor Fuentes is another Coach Royal resident who is facing eviction. He took off his sun hat before speaking to reveal a large scar with stitches running all across his scalp. “We are all here to put an end to retaliation, repression and harassment. My family and I have been evicted. We all do things we regret and to de-stress myself I began to drink. I had a great fall and don’t recommend using it to drown out your thoughts and worries. I am the provider of my family and now I can’t keep a roof over my family's head.”

Fuentes continued, “I came to give this testimony because enough is enough. Enough of stomping their foot over our necks. They are trying to silence us. This must stop. What else do we have to lose? For everyone here, it costs them so much to own their homes. They are shamelessly stealing our homes. It is unjust. We are demanding justice. We need to fight because if even one of us refuses to fight they will keep trampling over us!”

The protesters erupted in chants, “Stop the evictions! Stop the harassment! Stop the threats!”.

The last speaker was Karla García, who was evicted from her home for helping other Coach Royal residents fight for their home titles. “I tried helping out other residents and I was punished for it. The corporation once again came to my home and told me that if I did help out others I would end up homeless. They started harassing, bullying and threatening me. I was attacked every single day until they took everything from me.”

The protest ended with Guadalupe Barragan on a megaphone marching through the Coach Royal neighborhoods urging the residents to stand up and fight back. A meeting was held later in the evening for residents and CSO members to strategize on what the next steps will be in the fight for justice for the Coach Royal residents.

#SantaAnaCA #CA #OrangeCounty #PeoplesStruggles #CSO #Featured

Greeley, CO – On March 16, 3800 members of United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 7 went on strike at the JBS meatpacking plant in Greeley, Colorado. The union members walked out of their shift at 5:30 a.m. to picket the plant.

This strike marks the first time in over 40 years that workers at a major meat packer went on strike for a better contract. This came after management’s final offer of a 30-cent raise, with 22 cents going towards healthcare benefits. Workers were dissatisfied with all offers from the company’s side, and 99% authorized to strike.

At least 1200 members walked the picket line the morning the strike started. Chants were being yelled out to the crowd, including “When we fight, we win” and “Sí se puede.” Union staffers and organizers kept members in high morale with hand warmers and water, and kept the crowd organized with megaphones, directing members to strategic areas around the plant.

Leticia Avalos, a member of UFCW Local 7, said, “Most of all, the strike is to make a statement to the company, that their members are tired of the mistreatment that they get – because not only is it in the contract or some safety issues they [the company] have been doing, but also the treatment that [workers] get. They get yelled at, they’re told that they have to wait to go to the restroom, and when you have to go you have to go.”

Members also cited other issues of safety, including a short supply of safety equipment supplied by the company with members having to purchase it themselves to stay safe.

Katherine Draken, of Freedom Road Socialist Organization, attended the event in support of the striking workers. Draken said, “These workers have shown incredible militancy rejecting JBS's pathetic contract proposal. Everyone who supports worker power and militancy should be out here to support this.”

Another supporter of the strike, Salem Chadwick, a member of Teamsters for a Democratic Union, said, “The JBS fight is connected to our fights. When we see unions win big, it inspires workers all over to fight the boss and win too.”

At 1:30 p.m., members switched shifts, with the second shift of strikers holding the line until 10:30 that night. Spirits were high on day one of the strike.

#GreelyCO #CO #UFCW #Labor #Strike #Featured

Portland, OR – On Saturday, March 7, Portland For Palestine (P4P) organized a rally to oppose the U.S. war on Iran. The protest comes in the wake of continuing aggression against Iran led by a U.S.-Israel coalition. About 75 people joined in, including Iranians, who had come to voice their objection to unilateral strikes against their homeland.

This is the second such action P4P has organized in as many weeks as the news from the region becomes more and more grim. Protesters held signs that read, “U.S. hands off Iran.”

P4P organizer Judas Graves said, “Even though the demonstration had many different communities in Portland attend, we are all affected by the murder machine currently operated by the U.S. and Israel.” Graves continued, “Understanding what we’ve done to Iran and her people for nearly 100 years clearly shows how we have ended up where we are today.”

Kacey DeSantis, organizer for P4P said, “To me it's not aa complicated conclusion to draw; I think this war is a waste of money and displays the U.S.'s disregard for human rights and diplomacy.”

The energy of the crowd was boisterous and defiant as protesters demanded an end to aggression against sovereign nations while conditions domestically get worse.

Adding to the drama of the day was a small contingent of far right-wing counter-protesters. DeSantis said, “There was a lot of commotion and noise from right-wing agitators, but the crowd kept up very loud and consistent chanting! Every time the agitators would get quiet, the sound of the crowd was deafening.”

The main agitator in question, Tommy Allen, has been known to assault protesters with pepper spray, unprovoked. The Portland Police Bureau stood idly by as Allen sprayed at least three organizers and three protesters without warning.

P4P is determined to keep organizing their community to lift up their voices in opposition to U.S. wars, no matter what the brutal and backwards opposition has to say about it.

#PortlandOR #OR #AntiWarMovement #Iran #Featured

Washington, D.C. – On February 28, DC residents awoke to the news that the Trump administration had begun a bombing campaign on Iran overnight. Within hours, the DC Against the Trump Agenda Coalition (DCATA) made the call for people of conscience in the DMV area to join in protest at the White House.

DCATA had been preparing for a US strike against Iran for weeks, connecting organizations in advance to mobilize within 24 hours of a strike. 32 organizations demanded, “No war with Iran!” with DCATA at the helm. A few hundred people started gathering towards Lafayette Square, as close as you can get to the White House due to the barricades, at the start of the rally. Protesters were carrying Iranian and Palestinian flags, as well as signs reading, “No bombs on Iran!” and “U.S. out of Iran!”

The organizers of the rally began their program on the bed of a pickup truck with emcees from DCATA and Palestinian Youth Movement DMV.

Merawi Gerima, a member of the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR) and DCATA, started the protest stating, “Unity of action, not of ideas! That’s exactly how we’re gonna stop the United States from pulling us into another war.”

The emcee from PYM DMV stated, “They’re sending Americans to die on behalf of the rich. Americans have made it clear that they do not want another war!”

Elizabeth Paige White, a movement lawyer with the DC Lawyers Against the Trump Agenda (DCLATA) told the crowd, “Donald Trump’s lawlessness has extended to every single resident here. I’m in court every single day defending people who were wrongfully – illegally – arrested, searched, shot at, and almost killed in this city because of these illegal police gangs, these feds riding around with MPD, violating our rights day in and day out. Why do we expect [Trump] to do differently around this country and around the world?”

Earlier that day, 50501DC and others organized a March for Democracy that started on the National Mall. As the DCATA program continued, over 1000 people from the March For Democracy joined the No War on Iran protest. At this point, organizers knew they had to march. As the truck carrying the lead emcees started moving, droves of MPD flooded the streets, and tried their hardest to impede the march. Quickly thinking, organizers stripped the truck of its audio equipment and proceeded on foot, leading the people to the Department of State building to condemn Trump and Marco Rubio’s attacks.

A member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization – DC also spoke during the march, “I think it’s very ironic that Trump billed himself as the ‘anti-war’ president, and here we are, one year into his regime, and where do we stand? We see that he is funding Netanyahu and funding genocide in Palestine. We see that he has kidnapped the president of Venezuela. He has now created war with Iran. He is threatening war with the greater Middle East. He’s threatening war with China. This president doesn’t know the meaning of anti-war – all he knows is war!”

Thousands of people marched down the streets of DC protesting attacks on Iran, Palestine, Cuba and Venezuela, as well as immigrants and Black people in the U.S. MPD continuously tried to thwart the march by blocking their path at every turn; however, the people stood firm, and marched right through them. The march ended at the Department of State building, and the program closed out with a few more speakers.

#WashingtonDC #AntiWarMovement #Iran #DCATA #DCAARPR #PYM #FRSO #Featured

The United States and Israel are waging a war on Iran. It is a war that is unjust and unprovoked. There have been widespread civilian casualties in Tehran and other cities, including reports of 85 schoolchildren dead in Minab.

This is a war that the U.S chose. Trump walked away from negotiations, then enlisted apartheid Israel, and now, bombs and missiles are raining down on schools and TV stations. Iran has every right to respond.

This year comes in a context. The decline of U.S. imperialism is accelerating. Trump is trying to preserve the dying U.S. empire, and control of the Middle East is a part of that project. Last year the U.S. and Israel waged a failed 12-day war that was meant to break Iran.

Now they are back again for another try. Along with his partner in crime Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump will face more defeat and failure – if not sooner, then later. Either way they will meet the fate of the paper tigers that have gone before them.

Iran is charting an independent course. It stands at the center of an axis of resistance that includes the progressive, patriotic forces of Palestine, Yemen, Lebanon and Iraq. The free people of the Middle East won’t live under U.S. domination. They are determined to end the genocidal occupation of the Zionists. So, the defenders of empire will have their hands full.

Here in the U.S., progressives and revolutionaries need to go all out, uniting all who can be united to end the war on Iran. What the U.S. and Israel are doing to Iran is crime, and it needs to be judged accordingly.

Trump is now talking about regime change. The truth of the matter is that we do need a regime change – a regime change in Washington DC. As we oppose the war on Iran, and build a broad front against Trump, we can and will make the U.S. ungovernable.

#Iran #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #Trump #International #Featured #FRSO #Statement

There’s no system better at crushing dreams than monopoly capitalism.

When Claudia Jones' parents immigrated to the United States from Trinidad and Tobago in 1922, “they hoped to find their fortunes in America where ‘gold was to be found on the streets.’” (Autobiographical History, Claudia Jones).

Instead, they found poverty, Jim Crow oppression, and despair.

These evils disillusioned Claudia Jones and showed her the hypocrisy of the so-called American Dream. She would become a Marxist-Leninist organizer, theorist and revolutionary.

After joining the Communist Party of the United States of America (CPUSA), Jones never stopped fighting against U.S. imperialism. In her article “An End to the Neglect of the Problems of Negro Women”(1949), Jones analysis analyzes the special status of Black women under U.S. imperialism and teaches organizers exactly how to fight back.

The proletarianization of Black women in the United States

“Negro women – as workers, as Negroes, and as women – are the most oppressed stratum of the whole population. In 1940, two out of every five Negro women, in contrast to two out of every eight white women, worked for a living. By virtue of their majority status among the Negro people, Negro women not only constitute the largest percentage of women heads of families but are the main breadwinners of the Negro family.” (from “An End to the Neglect of the Problems of Negro Women”)

Capitalism’s super-exploitation of African Americans forced Black women to proletarianize and join the working class. Black working women were often forced to do domestic work, completing household chores for white families and then coming back home to complete more chores for their own family. Unionization and legal protections did not extend to most domestic workers.

It wasn’t until World War II, where the U.S. needed to recruit new workers to the industries as hundreds of thousands of former workers went off to fight in the war, were Black women finally allowed to do some skilled work and explore other fields due to the necessity for industry to hire new workers.

These obstacles, including political and legal repression, lynching, rape, and many other layers of exploitation, need to be at the foundation of any serious analysis of the conditions of Black women in the U.S.

No women’s liberation without Black liberation

Despite this fact, political organizations that fight for women still ignore the importance of class and the necessity of national liberation. Jones criticizes the behavior of suffragettes and white petty-bourgeois women for ignoring the African American struggle in their fight for women's liberation in the 20th century.

Again from “An End to Neglect,” “it was the historic shortcoming of the women's suffrage leaders, predominantly drawn as they were from the bourgeoisie and the petty-bourgeoisie, that they failed to link their own struggles to the struggles for the full democratic rights of the Negro people following emancipation.”

Progressives in the fight for women’s liberation ignored the reality that there is no women’s liberation without national liberation.

These same attitudes appear today, albeit under different arguments with different terminologies. Postmodernist ideology, popular among petty-bourgeois revolutionaries and academics in particular, attempts to convince organizers within the movement to view the struggles for women’s liberation, working class liberation, and Black liberation in competition with each other.

In J. Syke’s article “On the Origin and Development of Postmodernism,” he explains how postmodern ideology cannot recognize the principal issue around struggles for liberation and limits people’s thinking to subjective and one-sided analyses.

Sykes notes, “The basis of the postmodern idea [is] that truth isn’t objective, but rather, that truth is socially constructed… [postmodernists believe] that any given “discourse” should “stay in its lane” since it isn’t capable of understanding where the others are coming from. In other words, we have no universal, shared experience. This mentality leads to subjectivism and relativism, and an inability to strategically unite different struggles. Further, it makes it impossible to name any particular struggle as the principal contradiction that drives the process, which we could leverage to maximize our effectiveness across struggles.”

Postmodernism divides while Marxism-Leninism unites. Instead of showing the historical connections that prove there is a basis for unity among all working-class women and focusing on the fact that Black liberation struggles’ unity with working class struggles have created progress and real victories for the people’s movement in the United States, postmodernism pits the masses against each other.

Discourse is centered around criticizing white people as a homogenous whole with the same political and social interests or an assumed shared consciousness. This abstract, eclectic argument refuses to acknowledge that the multinational working class as a whole can be won to support the national liberation movements’ struggles, meaning there is a material interest for all working-class women when it comes to fighting against national oppression.

Only the struggle for a socialist society, where the working class has the power and self-interest to abolish oppression against all exploited and oppressed people, can erase the contradictions at the root of the problems Black women in the U.S. face.

Black women bring the Black Belt Nation forward

In the 1940s, Black working-class women played a huge role not only in mass organizations, but in labor struggles as well. As both workers and wives of workers, Black women’s militancy and struggle helped develop the struggle against poor working conditions, mistreatment, and national oppression on the shop floor.

At the same time, it was still unusual for Black women to be in positions of leadership within unions and mass organizations. Claudia Jones used her writing to combat manifestations of white chauvinism and fight against the tendency seen in the labor movement to dismiss the leadership capabilities of Black working-class women. She stressed that the advanced Black women could pull intermediate elements of the African American masses to engage in the fight against imperialism.

Jones wrote, “The strong capacities, militancy, and organizational talents of Negro women, can… be a powerful lever for bringing forward Negro workers-men and women-as the leading forces of the Negro people's liberation movement… and for rooting the Party among the most exploited and oppressed sections of the working class and its allies.”

For a communist party to avoid opportunist and self-serving positions and remain dedicated to its role as the party of the working class, it's necessary to recruit leaders and allies who have a deep antagonism against the capitalist system that develops the consciousness, determination and drive to end it. Black women often face the greatest humiliation, disrespect and discrimination from the monopoly capitalist class. This mistreatment and oppression helps to create driven and disciplined revolutionaries.

Greater than a dream

Capitalism crushed the dreams of a young Claudia Jones.

That didn’t stop Jones from organizing and fighting back against the rotten system she correctly understood as the greatest threat to national liberation domestically and internationally. Even after she was deported from the U.S. for her organizing, she remained a member of the Communist Party of Great Britain until her death in 1964.

The conclusions Jones reaches in her article still apply to the struggle for the multinational working class and the national liberation movement today. Black working-class women’s unique issues cannot be understood as isolated, abstract concepts. Revolutionaries must continue to deepen their understanding of the special status of oppression of Black women and all oppressed women.

No matter the consequences, Claudia Jones never stopped fighting for freedom. Her writing and organizing continue to pave the road for socialism, the only system that can abolish national exploitation and oppression forever.

It is the responsibility of communists in the U.S. to erase the illusions of all oppressed people in the belly of the beast and prepare them for struggle. The struggle for Black liberation and women’s liberation is something far greater than a dream: it’s a reality, something that can be done and will be done, especially if we listen to the guidance of the revolutionaries that came before us.

Delilah Pierre is a member of the LGBTQ and Women's Movement Work Team of Freedom Road Socialist Organization

#RevolutionaryTheory #ClaudiaJones #WomensMovement #AfricanAmerican #OppressedNationalities #CPUSA #Featured