Chicago, IL – On No Kings Day, October 18, 250,000 Chicagoans mobilized on the streets of downtown Chicago against the reactionary Trump administration.

Over 10% of Chicago’s population came out to demand an end to the attacks on working and oppressed people in the city. They called for an end to the federal occupation, and a stop to Trump’s attempts to centralize power in the hands of his administration. Chicagoans joined millions across the United States.

Brian Young of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) spoke to a crowd of protestors, saying, “Trump wants to come to intimidate us, but we say hell no. Trump is just like any other oppressor. When the slave owners thought that they could hold us down, we had rebellions throughout the plantations. We rose and overthrew that motherfucker. Then we had a racist backlash and gave us Jim Crow. And guess what we did, we took that shit down too.”

Young continued, saying, “What does that mean? As long as they come and try to oppress us, we will stand the fuck up and resist!”

The Black progressive mayor of Chicago, Brandon Johnson, spoke to the hundreds of thousands that assembled at Grant Park, urging Chicagoans to a general strike as Trump’s attacks continue to come down on working and oppressed people.

Johnson stated, “If my ancestors, as slaves, can lead the greatest general strike in the history of this country, taking it to the ultra-rich and big corporations, we can do the same thing. I’m calling on Black people, white people, brown people, Asian people, immigrants, gay people throughout this country to stand up against tyranny. To send a clear message, we are going to make them pay their fair share in taxes, to fund our schools, our jobs, healthcare and transportation!”

After the program in Grant Park, people dispersed into the streets of downtown Chicago. Sections of the march were led by 50501, Indivisible Chicago, and the Coalition Against the Trump Agenda (CATA).

#ChicagoIL #IL #PeoplesStruggles #NoKings #Trump #CATA #Indivisible #ImmigrantRights #Feature

Lafayette, IN – Around 1000 people circled the Tippecanoe County Courthouse on April 5 as part of the nationwide “Hands Off!” protest. The protest was organized by Greater Lafayette Indivisible and joined by an unexpectedly large number of people.

Amidst the energy of the protest a man named James Jordan, along with his wife Jessica Dee, came to a stop in their truck as protesters crossed the street in front of the courthouse.

This was no innocent occurrence. Jordan and his wife Dee, according to now deleted social media posts, have a history of attending rallies with malicious intent and this rally was no different.

Social media posts by Dee indicate that the duo intended to counter-protest the rally.

“This couple has a documented history of harassing protesters, LGBTQ+ individuals, Black residents, immigrants, and other targeted groups,” said AJ Dunn, a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO).

As Jordan and Dee came to a stop in their truck, Jordan exited the vehicle and began to harass protesters.

Aggressively invading personal space, shouting, repeatedly attempting to enter the crowd, and grabbing at people’s belongings, Jordan became a whirlwind of threats to the safety of the protesters.

In defense of those protesters, Jeremy Marks, a rally participant, headbutted Jordan after he had tried to grab a woman in the crowd.

After this Jordan retrieved a rifle from his car and began to threaten protest marshals and demonstrators alike, pointing the firearm at several people.

All the while, Jordan’s wife Jessica Dee screamed transphobic slurs at AJ Dunn.

The police were called and Jordan, as well as Jeremy Marks, were arrested.

Rifle-welding Jordan was released from police custody the same day with the Lafayette Police Department stating he had “acted in self-defense.”

Jeremy Marks was released on bail and is awaiting trial.

In response, local organizations and the community in Lafayette have gathered at city hall and called for the arrest of James Jordan. “People have gathered so much video, photographic, and eyewitness evidence and are sending it to the police as well as pressuring LPD and city officials to take action,” said AJ Dunn.

An investigation of Jordan has been reopened as the couple has fled town in a cowardly attempt to dodge accountability.

The people of Lafayette have shown they refuse to back down against violent Trump supporters and are not afraid to fight back. FRSO joins the people of Lafayette in calling for the arrest of James Jordan. We must stand up against violent reactionaries and protect each other.

The local community is gathering funds for Jeremy Mark's legal fees.

FRSO will be at the West Lafayette City Hall on May 5 to demand a safe haven resolution be passed to protect gender affirming care for patients and providers, and will be out in the streets on April 19 to continue the fight against Trump.

Follow us on social media @frso_indiana and follow @lafayetteindivisible to stay up to date.

#LafayetteIN #IN #InJusticeSystem #RightWingViolence #PeoplesStruggles #FRSO #Indivisible #Feature

San Jose, CA – On Saturday, April 5, several thousand San Jose residents gathered in Saint James Park as part of a wider wave of “Hands Off” protests happening around the United States. The protest was chiefly against the Trump administration's attacks on broad sections of people, including immigrants, federal workers, trans people and many more.

The demonstration began gathering at Saint James Park, before marching past City Hall, and then returning to the park for a program of speakers. Slogans and chants generally revolved around responding to reactionary and billionaire attacks, such as “Hey hey, ho ho, these billionaires have got to go!” and “When immigrants are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!” In addition, anti-war and pro-immigrant chants were common, such as “From Yemen, to Palestine, bombing children is a crime!” and “From Palestine to Mexico, these border walls have got to go!”

Uriel Magdaleno from Silicon Valley Immigration Committee spoke out against Trump’s attacks on immigrants, and ICE’s ongoing crackdowns and brutal detentions, including local cases such as Ulises Pena Lopez, a Sunnyvale resident who was brutalized and arrested by ICE on February 21.

Magdaleno stated, “We demand no deportations and no separation of families! We are calling on Rho Khanna, Zoe Lofgren and Alex Padilla to send a joint congressional inquiry on Ulises [case].” He ended his speech with a call to action, to join the upcoming May Day march, and to continue to organize and agitate against Trump, stating, “It is through the people’s struggle and people’s movements that we will resist Trump!”

John Duroyan from Freedom Road Socialist Organization also spoke during the open mic section, stating “Trump is gonna have a fight on his hands. Trump’s] not going to lay a finger on us! Not if we rise up, as a powerful united front, that will topple these billionaires and oligarchs gutting our country!” He ended his speech echoing FRSO’s general call, “Make the country ungovernable!”

The San Jose protest was organized by 50501, Indivisible, and Silicon Valley Immigration Committee. It was also a prelude to larger actions happening later in the month, and the upcoming May Day march happening on May 1.

#SanJoseCA #CA #PeoplesStruggles #Trump #SVIC #Indivisible #HandsOff

Los Angeles, CA – On Saturday, April 5, over 10,000 people gathered in the heart of downtown Los Angeles, joining the nationwide in the “Hands Off!” protests which have been the largest demonstrations to date against Donald Trump and his administration.

The march started at 4 p.m. with a kickoff in Pershing Square, followed by a march to City Hall. Energized protestors flooded the streets outraged by the Trump administration's attacks on immigrants and transgender people, mass federal worker firings and government downsizing of vital social services.

The demonstration was a colorfully diverse and family friendly. That being said, the anger from attendees was palpable as many are fed up with the broad attacks on the working class. Johnathan Ortega, a USPS worker said, “I’m out here today because the Trump administration is looking to cut our wages, cut our benefits, cut our workforce and essentially privatize the Postal Service”.

Protesters young and old proudly marched through downtown streets chanting “Hey hey, Ho ho, Trump and Musk have got to go!” People carried signs that read “Hands off Social Security!” and “No human is illegal on stolen land!”

The protest was organized by a broad coalition of organizations that included Indivisible, Move On and the 50501 movement. Many other organizations joined the effort too such as unions, civil rights organizations and other grassroots groups.

#LosAngelesCA #CA #PeoplesStruggles #ImmigrantRights #Trump #HandsOff #Indivisible #USPS

Dallas TX – On April 5 organizers from Freedom Road Socialist Organization, DFW Anti War Committee and the National Alliance Against Racism and Political Repression joined the DFW Indivisible and 50501 groups in a rally to say “Hands off” to the Trump administration’s attacks on labor, public services and government infrastructure.

The Dallas, Denton and Tarrant County communities met at historic Dealey Plaza off Elm Street in downtown Dallas on Sunday afternoon to a crowd of about 2000. The event featured a wide array of voices. The Texas labor movement had speakers from American Federations of Government Employees and teachers and Starbucks Workers United. Trump recently signed an executive order to cut collective bargaining rights for federal employees while his administration continues to target students and workers across the country.

The 50501 and Indivisible groups alongside the DFW area’s many other diverse movements have seen a dramatic influx of people looking to get involved wherever they can, starting with modest afternoon crowds just weeks ago to a diverse and galvanized crowd today that nearly filled Dealey Plaza. Cars honked in support as a train passed overhead, its own horn nearly drowned out by the crowd’s accumulating cheers.

Organizer Jo Hargis of the DFW Anti War Committee told the crowd, “When we come together to defend one another’s movements, when we see one another’s destinies as tied up with our own, when we come together across movements and across borders and across every division to unite in action against our common enemy, then we will build a world that no billionaire could take away, and I don’t know about you, but I’m here to fight for that world.”

The crowd took to the streets chanting, “This is what democracy looks like” and “We will not be silent,” as Dallas police looked on. The crowd flowed its way past the historic red courthouse and once around the city before the crowd returned to Dealey Plaza across from Dallas’ landmark Grassy Knoll for a second round of speakers.

Xavi Velasquez of Dallas’ National Alliance Against Racism and Political Repression as well as Legalization for All continued, “We working-class people have a rich history of struggle in this country. Your rights were not given to you. They were won with bloody struggle.”

Velasquez continued with a call to action: “I want you to get involved in your communities. I want you to join an organization doing the work, to make this country ungovernable.” He called for an event at Fort Worth City Hall, May 1 at 3 p.m. in observance of a Day Without Immigrants and International Workers Day.

#DallasTX #TX #PeoplesStruggles #Trump #DFWAWC #NAARPR #Indivisible #FRSO

Tallahassee, FL – On Saturday, April 5, over 1000 people gathered at the Florida State Capitol building in Tallahassee to protest the Trump administration’s reactionary agenda. The protest was organized as a part of the 50501 Movement alongside hundreds of other demonstrations held in Florida and across the country, telling Trump, Elon Musk, and their cronies, “Hands off!”

One attendee, Nicole Soza of Food Not Bombs, noted that in her nine years of organizing she had never seen a turnout that large in Tallahassee. “I think it's a clear sign that working-class people are no longer willing to tolerate being exploited, nor are they willing to see their BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and disabled brothers and sisters be oppressed any longer.”

Over a dozen local organizations co-sponsored the event, including the Tallahassee Immigrant Rights Alliance (TIRA), Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), AFL-CIO, Planned Parenthood, the Tallahassee Community Action Community (TCAC), Food Not Bombs, and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO).

Since stepping into office, Trump has ramped up political repression of anyone who expresses dissent with his backwards policies. Local and federal law enforcement have been given the green light to arrest immigrants, such as Mahmoud Khalil, who stand up against Israel’s genocide of Palestinians. Expanding the powers of abusive U.S. police forces not only has negative consequences for immigrants but also increases the oppression of Black and brown people in the country. Far-right commentators like Ben Shapiro have suggested pardoning killer cops like Derek Chauvin, an idea that Trump would undoubtedly be amenable to.

Delilah Pierre, president of the Tallahassee Community Action Committee, spoke on the importance of building a movement against police crimes. The NAARPR affiliate is currently campaigning to have the charges on Calvin Riley, a Black man who had evidence of a DUI planted on him, dropped. TCAC is also fighting to shift resources from police to pay for the needs of Tallahassee residents,

Pierre stated, “We have to continue to fight for Calvin Riley, show solidarity with all those affected by the Trump administration, and fight for a budget that reflects the priorities of the people in Tallahassee.”

JJ Glueck stated, “We are lucky not to be followed by police and arrested like Jacksonville SDSers. We are lucky not to be beaten with batons like the students at Wash U. And we are lucky to live in the belly of the beast. My university still stands, but not a single Palestinian university was spared from U.S.-made bombs.”

In Trump’s first term, he and his administration worked to strip back the reproductive rights of women and LGBTQ people. Now, these attacks have resumed in a more blatant manner. Trenece Robertson, a reproductive justice organizer and one of the event’s emcees, stated, “For a long time, people’s autonomy has been under attack, from white women being denied sexual education during the Victorian period to Black women being forcibly experimented on and sterilized. These attacks on abortion and gender-affirming care are nothing new. It’s just that masks are officially off, and our lawmakers are finally being honest about how they felt.”

While Trump has been attacking the rights of immigrants, women, queer people and others, a common talking point was that of Trump’s economic policies. Trump’s tariffs on countries that the U.S. regularly trades with is creating economic uncertainty for working-class families. The Republican Party has even openly discussed taking aim at Medicaid and Social Security.

Freedom Road Socialist Organization member Regina Joseph emphasized the importance of not just mobilizing, but organizing against Trump and Musk’s attacks on the rights of the working class, stating, “We need to organize because it’s the only way we can win. We need to build a massive broad movement against Trump and the multimillionaire and billionaire class!”

The rally had an air of righteous anger, with some protesters expressing fear and even despair at the onslaught of cruel attacks. Robert Lee, member of Food Not Bombs and TIRA addressed these fears and the importance of uniting in the face of it, “Donald Trump and his administration want us to feel isolated and afraid, that’s how they win. But together with our collective power we can win!”

#TallahasseeFL #FL #PeoplesStruggles #Trump #TIRA #FRSO #TCAC #AFLCIO #PlannedParenthood #50501 #Indivisible