New York, New York – Every year in New York, leftists gather for the Left Forum. This year, the Left Forum took place May 20-22 and included several hundred workshops on an array of topics – from Venezuela to the current electoral climate.

Jess Sundin, a longtime member of Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) and the Committee to Stop FBI Repression spoke on a panel regarding political prisoners called, “What Has Happened to Leftist Theology and What Has This Got to Do With Political Prisoners in the Day of the & 'trumpocalipse’?” and another panel entitled “The Trump/Clinton/Obama Triumpherate?” She was joined by important speakers, such as Lynn Stewart and Pam Africa.

Sundin spoke about her experience facing political repression and the ongoing case of Rasmea Odeh. Odeh is a Palestinian American leader who is challenging her unjust convicted on a trumped-up immigration charge. Sundin stated, “When the government arrested Rasmea, you know their plan was to have her locked up or deported by now. But they failed. We made them fail. And each day that Rasmea is running around free in Chicago, they fail again. And again we turn their repression into a stage, where we stand with Rasmea, waving the Palestinian flag, advancing the struggle for a free Palestine.”

Sundin speaking about Odeh couldn’t have come at a better time. Odeh’s next day in court will be June 13 in Detroit, Michigan. The Committee to Stop FBI Repression has put out a call to action for folks to go to Detroit and stand in solidarity with Odeh. In New York, there will be a rally around that date.

The facebook event for the New York rally is at https://www.facebook.com/events/1047337341987172/

Also at the Left Forum, Freedom Road Socialist Organization had a table that featured books, buttons and pamphlets.

#NewYorkNewYork #AntiwarMovement #PeoplesStruggles #JessSundin #PoliticalPrisoners #politicalRepression #LeftForum #RasmeaOdeh

New York, NY – Dozens packed into a standing-room only panel discussion at the Left Forum called, “U.S. Imperialist Wars, Political Prisoners, Past & Present, and the Anti-War Struggle” on March 18. The Left Forum, one of the largest gatherings of left and progressive thinkers in the country, hosted thousands of activists and academics organizing for social justice.

Speakers included Jess Sundin of the Committee to Stop FBI Repression. Sundin’s home was raided by the FBI on Sept. 24, 2010, along with other anti-war and international solidarity activists. She called on all the audience to stand in solidarity with Carlos Montes.

Sundin said, “Carlos is an innocent man and has done nothing wrong. Quite the opposite, he is a hero who has dedicated his life to winning freedom and liberation – not only for the Chicano people, but for all the world’s peoples. He survived COINTELPRO the first time around, but today, once again, the government is working to imprison him.”

Sundin urged everyone present to sign the petition to drop the charges against Carlos Montes. “We can’t let that happen. He is a freedom fighter and we must work to ensure he not become the next political prisoner.”

#NewYorkNY #JessSundin #CarlosMontes #LeftForum

New York, NY – March 17 was the sixth-month anniversary of Occupy Wall Street. In the late evening, a crowd of hundreds gathered in historic Zuccotti Park, now dubbed Liberty Plaza. Many organizers and progressive forces attending the annual Left Forum at Pace University, very close to the park, joined OWS activists.

The youth gathered in the park for hours, playing drums and refusing to leave. The crowd gradually swelled as the evening went on. A small contingent of youth from Workers World Party circled the square chanting, “Just like Ho Chi Minh! Occupy is gonna win!” Others joined in this anti-imperialist chant.

Michael Moore and Cornel West, who had addressed the Left Forum earlier in the evening, joined the crowd and gave words of support.

When the New York Police Department announced that the park was closed, several hundred youth sat down together, joining arms. They insisted on their right to stay there, citing a recent court ruling that required the park to remain open. When the police refused to listen, they chanted, “We are not afraid.”

Police pulled protesters out of the crowd and handcuffed them. They swung batons and pushed people to the ground. The media reported that police actions injured several people. These included shoving a woman’s head against the hood of a car and pushing a man’s head into a plateglass window. Another woman suffered a seizure because of a forceful arrest, and then police denied her help from OWS emergency medical technicians. It took loud protests from the crowd to get an ambulance to the scene.

A youth who witnessed the police attack told Workers World, “All I could see was batons high in the air, coming down on people.” Some of the 73 people who were arrested reported being held, handcuffed and left on city buses for hours, before finally being taken to holding cells.

A march was called the following evening in support of the arrestees. At the closing panel of the Left Forum, speakers urged the audience to attend the march and support the arrested youth.

#NewYorkNY #PoliceBrutality #MichaelMoore #Repression #OccupyWallStreet #ZuccottiPark #LeftForum #NYPD #CornelWest #LibertyPlaza

Jess Sundin, whose home was raided by the FBI on Sept. 24, 2010, will talk about FBI repression aimed at anti-war and international solidarity activists. Sundin was one of the main leaders of the 2008 Coalition to March on the RNC in Saint Paul, Minnesota. She is one of the activists subpoenaed to a grand jury for her unwavering solidarity with people’s movements in Palestine and Colombia. A tremendous solidarity movement with the Anti-war 24 arose after the FBI raids. It continues to gain support from anti-war coalitions, labor unions, the student movement, religious and faith groups and civil and immigrant rights organizations.

The main focus for Sundin’s talk is on the pressing need to build the solidarity campaign with Chicano leader and anti-war activist Carlos Montes. The FBI and Los Angeles Sheriffs raided Montes’ home last May, busting down his front door, waving automatic weapons and ransacking his home. The FBI frame-up of Carlos Montes is an outrage based on events at a student protest at East LA College 42 years ago. Sundin will explain the facts of the case and urge nationwide solidarity for Montes on his next court date on March 27.

The other panelists will speak on their advanced experiences in organizing with movements for Puerto Rican independence, African-American self-determination, freedom for Mumia Abu Jamal, solidarity with imprisoned lawyer Lynne Stewart and animal rights.

The Committee to Stop FBI Repression will have a literature table at the Left Forum all weekend, from March 16 to March 18, where people can stop and talk with Sundin.

#NewYorkNY #JessSundin #CarlosMontes #CommitteeToStopFBIRepression #LeftForum