Brooklyn, NY – On the early evening of April 3, a dozen people gathered outside of the Metropolitan Detention Center to observe Good Friday. The vigil was called by Black Alliance for Peace on what is also the three-month anniversary of President Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores’ kidnapping.

On January 3, the Trump administration launched an attack on Caracas, Venezuela to kidnap the two government officials. In the process, they murdered over 100 people. Some of the people murdered couldn’t even be identified because all that was left of them was a melted body.

The protesters took turns giving speeches, saying the names of the deceased, and lighting candles to honor those who had been martyred.

The speakers expertly connected the religious overtone of the day to martyrs in Venezuela and Cuba. They brought up the ongoing war for oil, the blockade in Cuba, and how U.S. imperialism is teetering on the edge of self-destruction.

The protesters are part of a loose coalition of solidarity for Venezuela who will continue to show up on the 3rd of every month until President Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores are free!

#NewYorkNY #NY #Venezuela #Maduro #CiliaFlores #Cuba #AntiWarMovement #PeoplesStruggles

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In March, the ICE facility landowner, Lindquist, rescinded his appeal to the city’s upholding of the land use violation, meaning Portland officials can begin enforcing the fine at any time.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

New Orleans, LA – On March 30, Jace Lee Scott's family and supporting activists rallied outside the city council's Criminal Justice Committee hearing. About 15 community members then packed the meeting and made public comments demanding that NOPD officer Victor Gant Jr. be fired for his role in his son Andrew Gant's coverup and killing of Jace.

During public comment on the NOPD's quarterly report, Jace's mother Shanta Scott had her mic abruptly cut and the council cleared the chambers, arresting one activist: Toni Jones of the New Orleans Alliance.

During the course of the five-hour meeting, public comment was repeatedly interrupted by the committee cutting the microphone on Shanta Scott and her supporters.

When commenting on one presentation Scott stated, “My trust has been damaged by NOPD and the criminal court system. Justice is not just a concept, it is something that families must be able to see, feel and experience. And I haven't, due to the corruption of NOPD officer Victor Gant Jr.” Scott continued, “I'm demanding that the city should have a Civilian Police Accountability Council so families like mine can get the proper justice.”

Committee Chairman Freddie King III justified the repeated silencing of community members by saying that the comments on policy, racial discrimination and Gant's abuse of power were not germane to the self-congratulatory progress reports being presented by the city departments.

Twice during the meeting, King left the council chambers and signaled to NOPD officers to physically remove Shanta Scott for her comments. Both times, activists in the New Orleans Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NOAARPR) stood by her and demanded that she be heard. When NOAARPR chair Toni Jones objected to the second threat to remove Scott, Jones was arrested and charged with disturbing the peace and city council.

After the arrest, activists called the Orleans Parish Jail and the city attorney. Toni Jones was released within hours. A press conference was immediately held upon release and those gathered representing NOAARPR, Jace's family, and supporting organizations demanded that the charges be dropped, Victor Gant Jr. be fired and charged, and a Civilian Police Accountability Council be established.

The family will be at the next criminal justice committee hearing on April 27.

#NewOrleansLA #LA #JaceLeeScott #InjusticeSystem #OppressedNationalities #NOAARPR

New Orleans, LA — On Tuesday March 31 at 10 a.m., a crowd of about 15 people came out to New Orleans Municipal Court to support activist Toni Jones and demand her charges be dropped. Jones is facing trumped-up charges of disturbing the peace and disrupting city council following an action for Jace Lee Scott at the Criminal Justice Committee (CJC) meeting on Monday March 30.

M. R. Framboise from the Freedom Road Socialist Organization spoke in support of her fellow organizer saying, “This is not only an attack on Toni. It is a government-driven attack on the people of the City of New Orleans and the broad masses of the people at large.”

Framboise continued, “The NOPD and city council have clearly communicated to the community that when the people stand up for themselves, their mics will be truncated; they will be brutalized, and they will be detained.”

Jones, chairwoman of the New Orleans Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NOAARPR), was defending the right to public comment when she was arrested. Shanta Scott, Jace’s mother, spoke to the CJC Councilmembers Eugene Green and Freddie King III about her son’s murder by Andrew Gant and the cover-up by the New Orleans Police Department. Scott spoke to ask about NOPD policy when an officer’s family member is involved in a murder. As soon as she mentioned the name of NOPD’s crooked cop Victor Gant Jr., Andrew’s father, Councilman Freddie King III cut off Scott’s mic despite her comments remaining entirely germane.

Jones spoke out against the cut mic, insisting to King that Scott’s comments were germane to the discussion on NOPD policy. Instead of responding to Scott’s pleas for answers, Councilmembers Green and King turned their backs on her and left the chambers. New Orleans police then surrounded the crowd of supporters and targeted Jones, putting her in handcuffs and dragging her out of the chambers. NOAARPR quickly released a call-in statement that put pressure on the city attorney and Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office that resulted in her release with no bond.

Jones herself also spoke at the rally, “One of places I go in the search for justice is to the jailhouse, and all I see are people going through unnecessary misery for months, without even having a trial.” Jones referred to the community support that she knew was present from within the jailhouse, saying, “When I was in the jail, I knew that I had all of you with me. My jailers themselves came down to let me know, ‘They support you. They are with you, so don’t even bother taking your medical [exam], you’re going home.’”

Jones concluded, “Even in the places where justice cannot be found, we can build momentum. We can build hope, and we can build the fight for liberation!”

#NewOrleansLA #LA #ToniJones #InJusticeSystem #OppressedNationalities #NOAARPR

Milwaukee, WI – On Tuesday, March 31, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee held a rally for Trans Day of Visibility. The event took place at the UWM library and was co-sponsored by Reproductive Justice Action Milwaukee and the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.

This rally started on a somber note, with local trans musicians playing songs of solidarity and hope.

Sasha Gurin from SDS spoke to his experience as a trans youth and the importance of the student movement’s fight for equality of gender in schools. He too spoke of the need for the queer and trans community to fight back against Trump’s agenda, telling attendees that the struggle for trans liberation is principally one against the Trump agenda, and it is on us to unite with the struggles for Palestinian liberation, immigrant rights, and countless others.

A member of Reproductive Justice Action Milwaukee stated, “Our work for reproductive justice does not exist without the fight for trans rights.” They then spoke to today’s present fight, and the work to be done. “While trans folks are visible, they're not all protected, and visibility without protection just leaves people vulnerable. It leaves people vulnerable to attacks, and harm, to hate and violence, vulnerable to supreme court rulings like the one that just came in this morning.”

This event came the same day as a dangerous Supreme Court ruling which overturned Colorado’s law banning conversion therapy for minors. This dangerous ruling sets precedent for similar rulings in 26 other states with similar laws. While the attacks from the Trump administration continue, so do the defenses of the people.

#MilwaukeeWI #WI #TransDayofVisibility #LGBTQ #Trans #SDS #StudentMovement #WomensMovement

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

The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran has confused people across the political spectrum. The Trump administration’s apparent unpreparedness for the war, the severe (and predictable) economic consequences of Iran closing off the Strait of Hormuz, and the total lack of any attempt to build support for the war among the U.S. population have made the war appear irrational to many people. So irrational, in fact, that some feel there must be another explanation — that Israel has somehow tricked, persuaded, or forced the U.S. into launching a war on Iran on Israel’s behalf. But this gets things backwards. When you look at Israel’s role in the Middle East, it becomes clear that the U.S. calls the shots.

Iran has been in the U.S. gunsights for a very long time, for a few reasons. Iran has a tremendous amount of oil. Iran’s geographic location gives it the ability to impact world oil trade, as people in the U.S. are quickly learning as they watch gas prices climb. And Iran has also stood up for Palestinian liberation in a major way, launching attacks on Israel in response to Israel’s crimes against the Palestinian people and supporting pro-Palestinian military organizations in Lebanon and Yemen. For all these reasons, the U.S. not only wants to overthrow Iran’s government, it wants to control it.

Since October 7, 2023, millions of people in the U.S. have rallied to the Palestinian cause for national liberation. They’ve seen Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. Many people are still stunned by the U.S.’s unyielding support for Israel, from both Biden and Trump, as the Palestinian death toll continues to rise. People have also seen the arrogance of Israeli officials as they’ve dictated how U.S. students protesting the war should be punished. It makes sense that many people see this latest war and think it must be at the behest of Israel, because most people in the U.S. aren’t taught the truth about U.S. imperialism in the Middle East.

But the U.S. doesn’t send Israel billions of dollars a year in financial and military support out of the kindness of its heart. Israel’s non-stop attempts at expansion, and its attacks on Palestine, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Jordan, Egypt and Iraq over the decades have had a continual destabilizing effect on the entire Middle East. Israel’s endless wars create constant refugee crises, destroy infrastructure, weaken or collapse governments, and create opportunities for the U.S. to pit countries in the Middle East against each other. This is all very good news for big U.S. businesses who want to control Middle Eastern oil, natural resources and labor.

Israel simply would not be able to carry out its crimes without U.S. funding. The U.S could stop Israel any time it wants to by just cutting the financial support. And the U.S. doesn’t stop Israel because it supports Israel’s actions — they’re a good thing for the capitalist rulers of the U.S.

Controlling Iran has been a stated goal of U.S. foreign policy since Iran’s parliament and Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh nationalized Iran’s oil in 1951, just three years after the Nakba — the forced expulsion of 700,000 Palestinians from their homeland — and the birth of the state of Israel. British intelligence and the CIA launched a coup, taking Mosaddegh out of power and turning power back over to the notorious monarch Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. The shah had no qualms about U.S. companies taking 40% of Iran’s oil shares — shares that belonged to the Iranian people. The shah ruled with U.S. support despite mounting unpopularity among Iranians.

In 1978 Iranians led a revolution that got rid of the shah and established the Islamic Republic of Iran. This meant no more oil profits for U.S. companies and a new, major force resisting U.S. imperialism in the Middle East. Iran’s support for anti-imperialist movements, opposition to Israel, and steadfast support for Palestinian liberation in particular, have cemented Iran as a target of U.S. aggression. To whatever extent the war on Iran is about protecting Israel, it’s about protecting it as a tool of U.S. aggression in the Middle East.

When right-winger Joe Kent resigned as Director of the National Counterterrorism Center last month, he said in a resignation letter that Israel and the U.S. media “deployed a misinformation campaign that wholly undermined [Trump’s] America First platform and sowed pro-war sentiments to encourage a war with Iran.” Kent also criticized U.S. involvement in the Syrian Civil War, claiming it was fought for Israel too. Make no mistake, Kent is not anti-war — he served 11 combat tours himself. People have made a lot of hay out of Kent’s remarks, perhaps out of the hope that if even a far-right figure like Kent could see that the war on Iran is a bad thing, other politicians would too, and would intervene to stop the war.

But Kent is missing the big picture. Joe Biden put it pretty well all the way back in 1986 when he was on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, when he said, “Were there not an Israel, the United States of America would have to invent an Israel to protect her interests in the region.” But there’s a difference between the interests of Biden or Trump or all the other politicians who have supported endless violence against Iran, Yemen, Syria, Iraq and Palestine, and the interests of the vast majority of the people of the U.S. It’s ordinary working people that will have to deal with the economic consequences of war on Iran. Meanwhile, the big capitalists hope to make billions. And they’re using Israel as a tool to do it.

#Commentary #Opinion #Iran #Israel #AntiWarMovement

The Grand Rapids Alliance is stunned but not surprised at the decision by Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker to shield the murderers of Da’Quain Tre Johnson. We condemn this decision and are filled with emotion alongside his family as they will no longer get their day in court due to the inaction of the justice system in Grand Rapids. We call upon the Attorney General Nessel to rectify this and bring charges against these officers.

Once again, we see a justice system that protects the powerful and not the broader community. We see decisions made behind closed doors with no explanation in court. The police department plays public relations games while investigations are ongoing, tainting evidence and swaying the public before any decision can be made. Officers are empowered to be judge, jury, and executioner with no recourse for the victim or the community.

The city should launch an independent 3rd party investigation immediately and begin a review of its policy of deadly force by police officers. We stand by the Johnson family as they pursue a civil case against the city. We renew our call for community control of the police department. Until those who use deadly force are held accountable by the community they are supposed to keep safe, peace is not possible.

Justice for Da’Quain Tre Johnson!

#GrandRapidsMI #MI #DaQuainTreJohnson #InjusticeSystem #OppressedNationalities

Brooklyn, NY – Dozens of community members gathered for a picket at the NYPD’s 71st Precinct in Brooklyn on March 31. In December 2021, 26-year-old Haitian American Eudes Pierre dialed 911 while experiencing a mental health crisis. Instead of assistance or care, officers Peter Lan and Conrado Abreu-Gerez from the 71st Precinct followed him in and out of a train station and to his home before shooting him ten times.

The murder of Eudes Pierre demonstrates how the NYPD continues to kill and brutalize the people of New York with near-impunity. Their violence falls disproportionately on Black, brown, immigrant and unhoused New Yorkers, as well as those experiencing mental health crises.

Abreu-Gerez continues to work at the 71st Precinct. The New York Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NYAARPR), along with Eudes Pierre’s family, organized the picket to confront Abreu-Gerez along with his associates and demand that he be immediately fired and prosecuted.

Daniel Koh of the New York Alliance described Abreu-Gerez’s history of violence before and after the murder of Eudes Pierre. Around eight months earlier, he was part of a mob of police officers who brutalized Isiah Day, fracturing his spine. Since the murder of Eudes Pierre, the NYPD awarded Abreu-Gerez five times for “excellent police duty” and once for “meritorious police duty.” Over the same period, he has had five additional complaints ranging from police brutality to abuse of authority.

The Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) ruled that Lan and Abreu-Gerez had acted “within NYPD guidelines.” Attorney General Letitia James declined to pursue charges against them. James is running this year for reelection to a third term. Her website calls her “the People’s Lawyer” and the “guardian of the legal rights of the people of New York.”

In their speech, NYAARPR Chair Shivani Ishwar addressed James directly, “You cannot be the People’s Lawyer if you don’t truly represent the people! You cannot win our vote while ignoring our demands!”

Attendees carried signs with a picture of Eudes Pierre on one side and a wanted poster of Conrado Abreu-Gerez on the other. Officers from the 71st Precinct watched the picket from the other side of their barricade, showing visible discomfort at the signs, speeches and chants which included “Fire killer cops!” and “How do you spell murderer? NYPD!”

To maintain and build pressure on the NYPD, the New York Alliance will continue to picket the 71st Precinct on the last Thursday of each month. The next picket will be at 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 30. Along with Eudes Pierre’s family, the New York Alliance continues to fight for justice for Eudes Pierre and for community control of the police.

#NewYorkNY #NY #BrooklynNY #NYAARPR #EudesPierre #OppressedNationalities #InjusticeSystem #KillerCop

Chicago, IL – On Thursday, March 26, the Anti-War Committee – Chicago (AWC) held an online rally in support of Venezuela’s l President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores to coincide with their second court date in New York City.

Elinor Keener of AWC opened the virtual rally with, “Today, against international law, the United States has decided to charge the democratically-elected President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife First Lady Cilia Flores with the grotesque charges of drug trafficking, an accusation that has no material basis.”

Reece Johnson from Good Kids Mad City stated, “The United Snakes have abducted President Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores de Maduro under the same bullshit justification that this racist country mainly locks up poor, Black, and brown so-called U.S. citizens.”

Rania Salem, an organizer with the US-Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), stated “The propaganda used to justify this war is the same propaganda used to justify the occupation and genocide of Palestine. Bombing is sold as law enforcement; regime change is sold as democracy. And these are the same lies used to justify the ongoing aggression against Iran, the destruction of Iraq, the coup in Libya, the war on Syria, the devastation of Yemen, starvation of Cuba and the ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza,”

Jae Franklin a member of AWC and Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), discussed their experience visiting Venezuela on a solidarity mission three weeks before the kidnapped Maduro and Flores.

Franklin spoke about visiting the base areas of the Bolivarian Revolution and forging ties with Venezuelan comrades, emphasizing why it is so important to rise up and demand freedom for Venezuela’s democratically elected leaders, “They are imprisoned for demanding freedom for their people, so now it is our responsibility to amplify the demand for their freedom.”

Christian Pich Ortiz, a Venezuelan and Bolivarian militant joined the rally from the Salvador Allende – Hugo Chavez Medical School in Caracas, an internationalist medical school where thousands of students from all over the world, including Palestinians, are able to study for free.

Pich’s own neighbors were murdered by the U.S. military during its attack on Venezuela, but seeing the streets filled with people defending Venezuela and its revolution filled him with the conviction that the Patria Grande is at hand.

“We are in the struggle now, and we cannot separate from each other,” Pich said, referencing the united front against imperialism around the world, especially with the ongoing war on Iran.

Jae Franklin brought the virtual rally to a close by sharing a video recording of a Venezuelan communard from El Panel Comune, summarizing the essence of the Bolivarian revolution: “It wasn’t so long ago that the United States declared Venezuela an extraordinary threat…and that’s true! But not because we have atomic weapons or missiles. It is because of our consciousness. We have consciousness and we have heart. A heart to the left.”

For more updates on actions surrounding President Maduro and First Lady Flores' case in the Chicago area, follow @antiwarchicago on social media.

#ChicagoIL #IL #AntiWarMovement #Venezuela

Tampa, FL – On March 28, over 2000 people gathered for the Tampa No Kings protest. The protest was organized by the Tampa Coalition Against the Trump Agenda. It was one of more than 3000 rallies comprising more than eight million people who came out throughout the United States in opposition to Trump's racist reactionary agenda.

Protesters raised concerns about immigration and U.S. intervention, holding anti-war signs and pro-immigrant signs such as “ICE out now!” Protesters chanted “Racist, sexist, anti-gay, Ron DeSantis go away,” “Money for jobs and education, not for war and deportation” and “When immigrants are under attack, what do we do? Stand up fight back!” Many passing cars honked in support of the event.

Dave Gonzalez said, “I’m here to show my disagreement with the present government. This pedophile bombed girls at a school in Iran. At home there are also violations of human rights. We have a right to self-determination. What we do with our bodies cannot be ordered by anyone.”

Protester and activist Bianca Melendez stressed, “Because the world is on fire, I want to be able to educate and help influence as many people as possible. I am a member of TIRC-Tampa Immigrant Rights Committee and of a group chat on Palestine. There is a horrible genocide going on there and now in Lebanon and the Zionists are still in Syria.”

The event featured speakers from Tampa Immigrant Rights Committee, Tampa Democratic Socialist of America, Tampa Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Tampa Food Not Bombs, Voices of Florida, Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society, Florida House of Representatives member Michele Rayner, and Tampa Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

To the question “What brings you to the protest today?” Ben Taylor said, “My husband and I believe in democracy and the freedom to live by the Bill of Rights which gives us rights to protest, freedom of speech.”

Nico Baisley from the Tampa Immigrants’ Rights Committee said, “The more he [Trump] threatens us, the stronger our movements become. His threats have united us against him, and we have everything to win in this fight.” Nico also spoke about the need to end 287(g) in Tampa and condemned Tampa Mayor Jane Castor's lack of support for the immigrant community in Tampa.

The Tampa Coalition Against the Trump Agenda consists of the Tampa Immigrants’ Rights Committee, Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society, Tampa Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Tampa Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and the Hillsborough Young Democrats.

#TampaFL #FL #ImmigrantRights #PeoplesStruggles #TIRC

Minneapolis, MN – It was an unseasonably warm spring day in Minneapolis, as around 50 people gathered in the Cedar Riverside neighborhood to mark the 50th annual observance of Palestinian Land Day.

Land Day is a commemoration of the 1976 general strike against the Israeli government’s seizure of Arab-owned land in the Galilee region. By the end of the day, six unarmed Palestinians were dead and over a hundred were injured. Since then, the day has become a commemoration of the Palestinians’ defiant struggle for their land, as well as a day of solidarity.

For the 50th observance of Land Day, the Mayday Plaza in Minneapolis served as the venue. Layna Crandall of the MN Anti War Committee (AWC) told the crowd, “We chose this location because we often hold protests in Mayday Plaza, but Cedar-Riverside is also where a large part of our Somali community lives, and is close by to Little Earth, which houses many of our native community members. This year we wanted to connect all of these struggles.”

Community members demonstrated support through honks, waves and raised fists throughout the protest

The indigenous dance group Danzaketzalb declared their solidarity with the struggle. Seppo Niemi-Colvin of the AWC stated Land Day “serves as a reminder that we still need to preserve and defend Palestinian and indigenous land, and fight to return what Israel and empire have stolen.”

Niemi-Colvin stated, “A key aspect of our divestment campaign is that where the enemy touches us is where we touch the enemy. Companies such as Palantir or Elbit may seem far off and hard to reach, but through state investments we are tied together and we can deal a blow by severing that connection. The point of days of action like Land Day is not just what we can accomplish on that day alone, but it is the building and flexing of organizational muscles that continue beyond that day.”

Maamoun Slayhi of American Muslims for Palestine stated, “I grew up knowing what a fighter jet sounds like. I grew up knowing what a bomb sounds like. I grew up knowing what it looks like when they fall. And we all knew that there was a part of our land that no longer belonged to us. It felt like a piece of us had been taken, because if at any time you tried to go down there, you could be attacked.”

Morgan Budiandri of the MN Immigrant Rights Action stated, “The parallels of Israeli apartheid and U.S. racial oppression are deafening. The perpetrators of genocide are the same as those of deportation. Both systems purposely dehumanize men, women and children to try to break them. But the desire for justice cannot be broken.”

Nadiyah Salawdeh of the US Palestinian Community Network stated, “Land Day is about honoring those that we have lost in the fight for our land and for our liberation. It is also about recommitting ourselves to the fight that is still to come.”

White Wolf of the White Earth Nation closed the event with a traditional song of healing.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #LandDay

Oakland, CA – Over 20,000 people filled the streets of Oakland on Saturday, March 28, at the third No Kings rally to protest Trump’s agenda.

The demonstration began at noon at Oscar Grant Plaza in downtown Oakland, where attendees heard from speakers representing labor, faith, environmental justice and immigrant rights organizations. At 1 p.m., the crowd marched toward Lake Merritt for additional speakers focused on building momentum for the Bay Area’s upcoming May Day actions.

Organizers worked for weeks to mobilize for the event. The Oakland chapter of the Community Service Organization (CSO Oakland), a member of the Legalization for All Network, led multiple art builds alongside partner immigrant rights organizations Mujeres Unidas y Activas and Pangea Legal Services, groups also involved in Oakland’s upcoming May Day actions and the Justice for Guillermo campaign. Revolutionary groups such as the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) also took part.

The event featured over 40 organizations and unions, including Indivisible East Bay, East Bay DSA, SEIU 1021, the Alameda Labor Council, Bay Resistance, Berkeley Faculty & Staff for Justice in Palestine, CAIR-SFBA, Friends of La Peña Immigrant Rights, Jewish Voice for Peace Bay Area, the Oakland Education Association, Sunrise Movement Bay Area, and Tsuru for Solidarity.

“Today the people of Oakland made our voices heard: the accelerating atrocity of the Trump administration must go,” said Noah Teller of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization. “We are building a strategic alliance to protect oppressed people and develop the power of the working class. We demand legalization for all and no war in our name!”

The protest reflected growing frustration among working-class residents over the Trump administration’s policies, including its crackdown on immigrants, attacks on LGBTQ rights, executive orders further militarizing the police, and U.S.-Israeli escalations in the Middle East, particularly their attacks on Iran, all while people across the country struggle with rising costs of living.

Anti-Trump organizing in Oakland continues to grow. Last year, after the administration threatened to send over 100 ICE agents to the San Francisco Bay Area, CSO Oakland, FRSO, and the Oakland chapter of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression organized an emergency protest from Fruitvale to the Coast Guard Island Bridge, where ICE planned to establish its headquarters. Organizers have also mobilized against a proposed ICE detention facility in Dublin, California, and to stop the deportation of Bay Area activist Guillermo Medina Reyes.

“The more that Trump tries to harm our communities, the more our communities will fight back,” said Danny Celaya from CSO Oakland. “We’ve seen that from the students who have been walking out of class to protest mass deportations, the brave souls who have been keeping our communities safe such as Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good, whose lives were taken from them by ICE state thugs, to the millions who have taken to the streets across the country from cities like LA, Chicago and Minneapolis to towns like Billings, Montana; Charleston, South Carolina, and Decorah, Iowa. All of which have a member organization of the Legalization for All Network. In short, people are getting organized, we will stop Trump’s racist agenda, and we will win.”

CSO Oakland also distributed flyers at the march for a fundraiser to support Guillermo Medina Reyes’ family while a coalition of Bay Area organizations, of which CSO Oakland is a part, continues fighting for his release from a for-profit detention center in California City owned by CoreCivic, one of more than 40 private detention centers the company operates. Donations can be made here.

Private companies run roughly 90% of immigration detention centers nationwide.

#OaklandCA #CA #ImmigrantRights #PeoplesStruggles

Appleton, WI – On March 28, over 3000 people took to the streets in outrage at the Trump administration. The crowd gathered at Houdini Plaza, a central location downtown.

One speaker from the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Tanner Ziebell, stated “This is an empire in decline, and we will continue to see crimes like these happen on an increasingly severe scale until it is brought to the ground! We can confidently assume that attacks on the people of this world will continue. We can also hold our heads high, knowing that it's a fight we aren't scared to take up, knowing that's exactly what we're going to do, and that this country will be made ungovernable until we win!”

Daisy Sinclair from Hate Free Outagamie reminded the community that “Hate Free Outagamie is committed to the fight for trans rights, committed to fighting for a trans sanctuary in Outagamie to protect our rights. We are not ceding ground to Trump’s hatred and attacks on any group of people, and will fight to ensure it stays that way!”

Members of the community took to the streets, occupying both lanes of traffic for blocks. As they marched, deafening chants demanding no war, an end to deportations, and fighting back shook the city.

The event was organized by the Outagamie County Democratic Party, Hate Free Outagamie, Appleton Area NOW, Northeast Wisconsin Democratic Socialists of America, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Wisconsin Resist, and others.

The organizers expressed intention to work together in the future and continue to build a strong front against the Trump administration in the coming years.

#AppletonWI #WI #PeoplesStruggles #Trump #ImmigrantRights

Orlando, FL – On Thursday, March 26, UCF Students for a Democratic Society alongside Young Democratic Socialists of America organized a protest of over 40 students to march on Millican Hall, the main administrative building for the University of Central Florida.

This action was UCF SDS’s fourth rally demanding an end to the 287(g) agreement and for the university President Alexander Cartwright to meet with student leaders to make UCF a sanctuary campus.

After a call-in to the president’s office, Adrienne Frame, one of the “president’s designees for student-facing outreach” agreed to hold a meeting between the president’s office and SDS. After SDS sent their preferred meeting times, UCF admin proceeded to ignore the students.

At the start of the rally, Hazel Hazelwood, a member of UCF SDS told the crowd, “We are standing among over 60,000 of the state’s most ambitious young people. We are told we can accomplish anything we set our minds to, and yet Cartwright expects us to stay silent while our friends live in fear.”

From the front of the Student Union, the students marched to Millican Hall, while chanting slogans such as “Dare to struggle, dare to win” and “Come out Cartwright.”

The student activists carried signs that read “Sanctuary campus now” and “ICE off campus, end 287(g).” There were also signs that depicted UCF President Alexander Cartwright as “Where’s Waldo” with the slogan saying “Where’s Cartwright” due to Alexander Cartwright’s reputation for rarely attending events on campus.

Once the rally reached Millican Hall, Adrien Daugherty, another member of UCF SDS, was first to speak, “This is our campus. We pay to come here. The UCF admin is meant to serve us, not appeal to whatever administration is in power. We are their constituents – it is shameful that they would even entertain the idea of letting ICE come in here and kidnap one of our own. Shame!”

The final speaker was Ken Pham from UCF YDSA, who chose to speak on what UCF admin’s choice to sign onto the 287(g) agreement really means, stating, “Neutrality in the face of state repression is not neutrality. It is complicity. President Cartwright and his administration have made their decision. They are now collaborators.”

After chanting at Millican Hall demanding UCF President Cartwright come out to talk with the students, the rally marched across campus to Memory Mall and concluded by chanting “I believe that we will win.”

#OrlandoFL #FL #StudentMovement #SDS #ImmigrantRights

Tacoma, WA – On March 31, over 30 people took to the streets to rally for transgender rights. Community members spoke on the importance of Transgender Day of Visibility, and how it intersects with the working class, climate justice, and indigenous sovereignty. After speeches, a short march, and an indigenous cultural offering from a two-spirit person, people filled the municipal building to speak during the city council meeting.

On the city’s agenda was a Transgender day of Visibility proclamation fought for by community organizers and signed by the mayor and city council.

This rally and march were called by the Freedom Road Socialist Organization and also came in response to a Supreme Court decision to re-legalize conversion therapy. Many community members feared how this could impact them at home and at work.

Haze Bender, a union warehouse worker with Teamsters Local 174, said, “Everything we do is informed and impacted by our relationship to production. As workers under capitalism, we have a lot more commonality than differences with the people we work alongside. Remember, most of our oppression is coming from the people above, rather than the people alongside us.” Bender stressed the importance of trans and working class solidarity.

“The United States government sent us [to boarding schools], along with all Indians, where they criminalized our languages, changed our names, and attempted to erase our way of being,” said River Bandi, a two-spirit speaker from the Ojibwa and Odawa First Nations. “They did not succeed. My existence is a testament to the resilience of my ancestors.”

“My mom told me growing up, if you marry another woman, or if you marry somebody that is not Latin, I will disown you,” said Amelia Isabel Escobedo, a two-spirit person with the Brown Berets. She rejected that narrow view, saying instead “You are a part of me and I am a part of you. And we are family.”

Tacomans made it clear that they would not sit down while the Trump administration continued to attack trans rights. After chants of “Trans rights now,” over ten people took the energy of the rally into city council chambers to demand material protections for trans people in Tacoma.

“So on this Transgender Day of Visibility, I ask you to do more than see us,” Dez Chalfant said to the city council in chambers. “Stand with us. Fight with us. Protect us. Because we are not going anywhere.” Chalfant is a rank-and-file member of UFCW 367 and a representative on the Pierce County Central Labor Council.

During the council meeting chants of “When trans rights are under attack, what do we do? Stand up fight back!” echoed through the building, reminding the council that the residents of Tacoma is ready and willing to fight for trans people. The city of Tacoma passed the proclamation for Trans Day of Visibility.

#TacomaWA #WA #TransDayOfVisibility #LGBTQ #Trans #WomensMovement

Anaheim, CA – On March 24, the family of Albert Arzola along with Community Service Organization (CSO OC) confronted the Anaheim City Council to show their anger with Anaheim Police Department.

Albert Arzola was murdered by the Anaheim Police Department on December 6, 2025. Since then, Anaheim PD has been harassing the Arzola family.

Pearl Arzola stated, “Since then we have been getting harassed daily by Anaheim PD. On February 24 during the city council, you guys lit up my house with headlights from police squad cars. On the 16th you guys lit up my cousin with a flashlight while he was taking out the trash. I want you guys to let us grieve in peace. Our neighbors can’t even throw a baptism without you guys harassing and keep flashing lights on them.”

Arzola’s anger and frustration grew as she said “It’s a fucking baptism, what are they gonna do? We're not out here having guns at baby showers. Anaheim police are fucking cowards. We can’t throw our own trash away?”

The anger that Arzola vocalized continued throughout the entire city council meeting. Christine Lopez had this to say, “After 21 emails to the mayor and no response. The family of Albert Arzola no longer wanted to meet with you. I validate the families frustration. Is the mayor really that busy? Perhaps you are, however the mayor works for us, the residents of Anaheim.”

Ariana Avalos continued, “My cousin was killed over graffiti he wasn’t even doing. You can see him standing on the other side of the street in the video. It’s nine dollars and 98 cents for graffiti removal at Lowe’s. My cousin’s life was not worth nine dollars and 98 cents. 25 dollars for a paint bucket at Home Depot. My cousin’s life was not worth 25 dollars.”

Most of the city council members were not even paying attention to the comments of the Arzola family. Despite this lack of attention, the residents of Anaheim showed immense support. Many of the Anaheim hills residents, who came on their own volition, called for “Justice for Albert” and raised the demands of the family including releasing the names of the officers who killed him.

Jocelyn Pacheco, a member of CSO OC’s police accountability committee told the council, “The gang unit officers said they were on suppression patrol, yet even they admit they don’t know why they tried to make contact with Albert and his friends. Nine days later the department said the reason for the encounter was still being determined. Three months later the names of the officers and body cam footage has still not been released despite the family and community members advocating for those details to be released.”

David Pulido, a member of CSO OC, pointed out the racist comments of Anaheim’s Police Chief Manuel Cid, stating, “He openly said African Americans commit more crimes than whites. The truth is that African Americans, Chicanos, indigenous peoples are over policed, and over sentenced. Killed more often than whites. The mayor said nothing to correct him that day; I remember. You just stood there.” Pulido’s comments were backed up with shouts of “shame!” from the crowd.

The council meeting ended with many questions left unanswered. The lies, lack of communication, and the family's demands remain. However, this hasn’t discouraged community members nor the family of Albert Arzola. They commented that they will keep coming back and keep fighting for justice, and will not be intimated by Anaheim PD.

#AnaheimCA #CA #OrangeCounty #CSO #AlbertArzola #InjusticeSystem #KillerCop

Washington, DC – On Saturday, March 28, hundreds gathered in Washington DC’s Anacostia neighborhood before noon to join a contingent for the No Kings protest demanding “No Trump, no war, no ICE.” The contingent began with a rally at the Anacostia Metro station before marching to join the large protest.

As rallygoers poured out of the Metro and spilled into onto the sidewalks, organizers began to lead chants of “No ICE, no KKK, no racist USA,” and “Chinga la migra” (Fuck ICE). After this, contingent organizers began the march with chants of “No justice, no peace! Off the sidewalk, into the streets!”

Amber-Jane Jones, a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, said, “People all around the world are being hurt or killed by the U.S.’ imperialist policies – whether it’s in Venezuela, Cuba, or Iran. We joined this contingent to state clearly that it is the duty of all U.S. progressives to stand with the working and oppressed people of the world against the U.S. empire.”

After the rally, the contingent resumed its march together across the Frederick Douglass bridge, where protesters spotted known killer cop Jason Bagshaw patrolling the crowd. Bagshaw shot and killed 23-year-old Lazarus Wilson back in 2023 while off duty. No sooner was he pointed out by the people than leaders of the contingent launched into chants of “Shame! Shame on Jason Bagshaw” and “Indict, convict, send Bagshaw to jail! The whole damn system is guilty as hell!” while residents swarmed him with cameras and phones.

“Protesting Bagshaw is absolutely part of protesting Donald Trump,” said Merawi Gerima of the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR), “it’s Trump’s policies that enable someone like Bagshaw to stay on the force and terrorize our communities, and so it is absolutely our duty to fight to see him put behind bars where he belongs!”

The march continued on to Fort McNair, the current residence of Trump advisor Stephen Miller, with chants of “Stephen Miller is his name! Separating families is his game!”

“He’s a white supremacist,” Katie Sayour, co-chair of the DC Against The Trump Agenda (DCATA) coalition said of Miller. “And we feel this administration’s white supremacist policies particularly hard in DC, where Black people like Phillip Brown and Justin Nelson are being shot at – and in the case of Julian Bailey, killed – by federal agents, and where these national guard thugs hang out to intimidate us every day.”

The contingent was organized by the DC Against The Trump Agenda (DCATA) and Families Not Feds (FNF) coalitions, joined by a list of progressive organizations, such as the Freedom Road Socialist Organization – DC (FRSO DC), the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR), 50501DC, and the Anti-War Committee DMV (AWC-DMV).

DCATA and FNF plan to continue their resistance to the Trump agenda in DC’s local elections through their upcoming “People’s Ballot.”

#WashingtonDC #DC #NoKings #PeoplesStruggles #DCATA #ImmigrantRights #AntiWarMovement

New York, NY – On March 23, the Contract Faculty Union at NYU (CFU-UAW) called a strike at 11 a.m. after contract negotiations failed to advance by the strike deadline. Over 200 faculty, students and community members convened at the John A. Paulson Center to picket in response to the strike call. Several classes were cancelled, which created a massive disruption amongst the university community.

Before the strike call, the NYU administration stated their intention to hire substitute professors to replace striking professors, which would make these substitutes scabs. In response, the CFU-UAW called on non-contract faculty to not take on struck work. Student groups such as YDSA, SDS and SILS called on their student peers to not attend classes with substitute professors.

The picketing went on for two days, from March 23 to March 24, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day.

During the picket, hundreds of students, faculty and community members joined in to express solidarity with their striking professors. Protesters chanted “What do we want? Contract! When do we want it? Now!” and “Get up! Get Down! New York is a union town!”

Politicians, faculty and student organizers spoke to the crowd about the importance of standing in solidarity with striking professors and why the administration should provide them with a fair contract. Student organizers from YDSA, SILS, SDS and Yecao Collective organized “Freedom Schools” that took place alongside pickets, which spoke on different topics related to NYU campus, labor or immigration.

At around 3 a.m. on March 25, the bargaining committee of the CFU-UAW announced that a tentative agreement between the administration and the union was reached. There will be a vote to ratify the contract from March 31 to April 6. If ratified, the contract will mark a major victory for faculty after years of organizing.

#NewYorkNY #NY #Labor #NYU #UAW

New York, NY – Over 350,000 New Yorkers convened at Central Park on March 28 to join the No Kings protest. The No Kings protests have been called to oppose the Trump administration and its policies. Protesters convened on Saturday to oppose the Trump administration’s attacks on the people, ICE detentions and deportations of immigrants and the ongoing war on Iran.

Protesters carried signs, wore frog and Trump costumes, held upside down American flags, and more to express their opposition to Trump. Several organizations had their own contingents, including the NYU and Columbia chapters of Students for a Democratic Society. The SDS contingent held flags with their organization’s logo and a banner reading, “Student power!”

As protesters marched downtown, they chanted “Hey, hey! Ho, ho! Donald Trump has got to go!” “ICE, ICE go away! Immigrants are here to stay!” and “Money for jobs and education! Not for war and deportations!”

As the march ended, protesters were encouraged to do more by getting organized. The next No Kings protest is planned for May 1, International Worker’s Day.

#NewYorkNY #NY #NoKings #PeoplesStruggles #ImmigrantRights #AntiWarMovement #StudentMovement