Tampa, FL – Over 50 people rallied and marched through downtown Tampa August 15 to demand justice for Jonas Joseph, a 26-year-old Haitian-American man murdered by five Tampa Police Department officers after they fired 125 shots. The march was attended by the family of Jonas Joseph and members of the community and was hosted by the Tampa Bay Community Action Committee (TBCAC) and Black Lives Matter Restoration Polk Inc.

Lisa Vargas speaks at her son’s two-year angelversary

Los Angeles, CA – Two years ago, on August 12, 2018, East Los Angeles Sheriff’s deputies Jonathan Rojas and Nikolis Perez killed Anthony Daniel Vargas, shooting him 13 times. The ELA Sheriff's alleged “Banditos” gang members have covered up the truth, harassed the family and killed again.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from Centro Community Service Organization (Centro CSO).

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from Centro Community Service Organization (Centro CSO).

Los Angeles, CA – In the span of 12 days during the summer of 2016, LAPD Officer Eden Medina killed two unarmed Chicanos in the neighborhood of Boyle Heights. On July 28, 2016, Medina shot Omar Gonzalez twice in the back after multiple officers had tackled the 36-year-old father of two and held him face down. The LAPD immediately allowed Medina and his partner Alejandro Higareda to continue working in Boyle Heights. Then, on August 9, Medina shot 14-year-old Jesse Romero as he was surrendering with his hands in the air and starting to kneel. In both cases, District Attorney Jackie Lacey cleared Medina and the families lost their civil suits against the City of Los Angeles. LAPD merely transferred Medina to a different division.

Community responds with demand for community control of MPD

Minneapolis, MN – The Twin Cities Coalition for Justice 4 Jamar (TCC4J) was joined by community supporters and Jamar Clark’s family for a press conference demanding community control of the police and a Civilian Police Accountability Council (CPAC). After working on CPAC for years, organizing has been kicked into high gear by the uprising for George Floyd and empty responses from local politicians. Two months after nine Minneapolis City Council members declared a “commitment to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department,” even their empty promises have stalled out.

Chicago, IL – Chicago police shot a 20-year-old Black man, Latrell Allen, in the Englewood neighborhood on Sunday afternoon, August 9. His mother told the media that he was shot five times, and she and an eyewitness both said he didn’t have a gun at the time.

Chicago, IL – About 1000 people gathered at two locations August 9 and marched to Diversey and Halsted for a rally aimed at getting North Side Aldermen to sponsor the ordinance establishing an all-elected Civilian Police Accountability Council (CPAC).

Minneapolis, MN – Hundreds of protesters rallied outside the Minneapolis police’s 4th Precinct in North Minneapolis, July 31, to demand justice for Travis Jordan, on what should have been his 38th birthday.

Milwaukee, WI – While Joe Biden shelters himself from COVID-19 and the movement for Black lives in Milwaukee, the Coalition to March on the Democratic National Convention (DNC) will be in the streets. Regardless of whether Biden comes to Milwaukee or not, the Democrats will hear from the people on the front lines fighting police crimes, especially the families who have lost loved ones to killer cops.

Oshkosh, WI – On the evening of July 31, 50 people from Oshkosh and the surrounding Fox Valley participated in a protest and vigil for Isaiah Tucker. The event, organized by United Action Oshkosh (UAO), marked the three-year anniversary of Isaiah’s murder by Oshkosh police officers Aaron Achterberg and Kyle Roberts. This event was also a call for the Oshkosh Police Department to fire, indict and convict killer cop Achterberg and his accomplice Roberts, both of whom are still employed by Oshkosh Police Department.

Tallahassee, FL -The Tallahassee Community Action Committee (TCAC) hosted an online training and workshop, July 30, over Facebook Live on the topic of community control of police. The event was led by experienced anti-racism leaders who are active in the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR), and also founding members of their local organizations: TCAC and the group that inspired TCAC’s own founding, the Jacksonville Community Action Committee (JCAC).

New Orleans, LA – On the morning of July 30, over 100 people gathered around the New Orleans Civil District Court building to demand that eviction court be closed. The crowd physically prevented landlords from entering. By the end of the demonstration, protesters shut down the entire court as well as city hall.

Portland, OR – The chant of “Black lives matter!” echoed off the Federal Courthouse Friday, July 31, as nearly 3000 demonstrators assembled in downtown Portland. Federal agents and local police were not visible, but a number of protesters stated that agents remain inside the courthouse. Many rally participants were well prepared for an attack, wearing head protection and gas masks to lessen the impact of teargas and police projectiles. No clashes occurred.

Tallahassee, FL – The Tallahassee Community Action Committee (TCAC) held an online candidate forum July 25 to give TCAC members and the wider public a sense of which local candidates for City Commission might unite with TCAC’s progressive platform on community control of police and other issues. “TCAC does not endorse candidates,” clarified TCAC member and forum moderator Dawn Freo at the start of the event, hosted on Zoom and broadcast on Facebook Live, “We encourage candidates to endorse our policy platform and our demands.”

Minneapolis, MN – On July 18, hundreds of protesters took to the streets of Minneapolis to demand justice for women lost to state violence. Organized by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC), the protest focused on Vanessa Guillen and Breonna Taylor. The dual focus on Vanessa Guillen, who was Latina, and Breonna Taylor, who was Black, aimed to build unity between Black and Latino communities as well as other communities in the struggle for justice.

Bloomington, MN – Over 500 people rallied at Kennedy High School and then marched to Bloomington City Hall, July 25, to confront a ‘blue lives matter’ demonstration.

Milwaukee, WI – On August 20, the day that Joe Biden is expected to be in Milwaukee to accept the Democratic nomination, the Coalition to March on the Democratic National Convention is hosting a march and rally within sight and sound of the Wisconsin Center.

Jacksonville, FL – Community members and activists are celebrating after Donald Trump’s July 23 announcement that he is canceling the Jacksonville portion of the Republican National Convention, including the acceptance speech he intended to deliver. It is a great victory for all those who oppose Donald Trump and the Republican party, including the Coalition to March on the RNC.

In response to the call for birthday greetings for political prisoner Simon Trinidad, The National Committee to Free Ricardo Palmera received a video message from freed Puerto Rican political prisoner, Oscar Lopez Rivera. Lopez Rivera unjustly spent 35 years in U.S. prison for fighting for the independence of his homeland. Below is the transcription of the video message: