Milwaukee, WI – As part of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression’s National Week of Action for Corey Ruiz, the Milwaukee Alliance held a vigil, July 26, in conjunction with Freedom Inc.’s vigil in Madison.

Milwaukee’s vigil gathered families and community members in order to raise the names of multiple victims of police crimes, alongside Corey Ruiz. Ruiz’s execution has been deeply felt by the people of Milwaukee, who are no strangers to police violence and building movements around such cases.

One of the families present was that of Jay Anderson Jr., who was killed by Wauwatosa police Their struggle for justice has been a long one, and along their path to justice, the Andersons have helped out many other families in Milwaukee. Linda Anderson, mother of Jay Anderson Jr., stated, “This happened in broad daylight, and it’s unbelievable how they can do this and think they can get away with this. We are people. We love our kids. It changes our whole lives.”

Angelique Sharpe, sister of Sam Sharpe Jr. (killed in 2024) and education chair of the Milwaukee Alliance stated, “Most of us are taught from an early age that no one is above the law. We are expected to follow the rules, accept responsibility for our actions, and face consequences when we make mistakes. This should apply to all of us, regardless of our title, profession, neighborhood or position of power. If Corey Ruiz’s murderer is not jailed after executing him in broad daylight, what message does that send? What does that say about any ‘fairness’ in law and its application?”

Speaking to this unequal treatment, Chamar Clay raised her friend’s name, Major Artis, and stated that “If one of us go do what they did to Corey, I’d be sitting in jail right now. So he [the officer] needs to take accountability, and they need to put him in jail today!”

The crowd concluded the event by placing flowers for Corey Ruiz on the Sit with Sam Bench, a bench that commemorates Sam Sharpe Jr. in the area where his life was stolen by Columbus PD officers during the Republican National Convention in 2024.

While there was a general sense of grief at the vigil, there was also a lot of hope in the movement to hold the police accountable. Milwaukee has a lot of fighting families and has a lengthy history of movements behind these families. They are raising the demands of justice for their own loved ones, but they also raise the following demands coming from Madison: arrest the killer cop; strengthen the Police Civilian Oversight Board, and community control of the police.

#MilwaukeeWI #WI #InJusticeSystem #KillerCops #MAARPR #NAARPR

Milwaukee, WI – On July 13, dozens of community members and organizers mobilized to the intersection of 35th and Vliet Streets on Milwaukee’s North Side. This corner was the site of a deadly crash in September 2025 in which a reckless police pursuit killed three residents, the youngest victim being just 15 years old. Almost a year later, a spirited fight for community-led policy has only grown and hopes to win big as it soon goes to vote by city alderpeople.

The evening started with chants and remarks from Brian Verdin, a leader of the original Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (MAARPR). Setting the tone, he named the nine lives stolen by police pursuits, including Pler Moo and her sons Taw and Karlah Ko, killed at that intersection ten months ago.

Veteran MAARPR member Tiffany Stark said, “I want to have a safe police pursuit policy that has restrictions, where we're not chasing people for minor things, only for violent crime.” Stark recently lost a loved one due to causes related to these police pursuits and has been a key player in pushing for policy changes around this: Standard Operating Procedures 575 and 660.

Shortly after, members of Milwaukee Turners and Black Leaders Organizing Communities made brief comments, all stating the necessity for changes around this policy and accountability from the Milwaukee Police Department. Kayla Patterson, co-chair of MAARPR, then closed out the evening with some more chants.

The city of Milwaukee Common Council will be discussing further changes to SOP 575 and 660 on July 30. MAARPR and other community organizations will continue to apply pressure to the alderpeople to vote in favor of the recommended changes pushed by the community.

#MilwaukeeWI #WI #InJusticeSystem #NAARPR #MAARPR #PoliceCrimes

Milwaukee, WI – On the evening of April 16, the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (MAARPR) won the first part of their 18-month campaign to implement a restrictive police vehicle pursuit policy.

After many months of deliberation and hearing demands from the community and allies of the campaign such as Black Leaders Organizing for Change (BLOC), the FPC unanimously passed a recommendation to Milwaukee Police Chief Norman to severely restrict car chases and include footage of car chases in the police department’s footage release policy for critical incidents. This victory was long fought for and hard won.

In the past, the FPC held power to pass, modify, or eliminate policy for the MPD. This was changed back in 2023, by the Wisconsin state GOP and other parties that oppose transparency and accountability via Act 12.

Act 12 was rapidly passed in reaction to MAARPR’s victory in the FPC with Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) 575 which standardized the release of body-worn cameras in critical incidents from the MPD. Ultimately, this clipped the policy-making power of the FPC. Now, only the police chief and common council can modify and write policies for the police. Despite these changes, the FPC is still a body that can investigate and recommend changes directly to the common council and police chief.

SOP 660 is the policy for when the MPD can initiate a high speed vehicle chase. As the policy currently stands, it is ambiguous and the police can initiate deadly chases for “crimes” as small as out-of-date registration. Former Police Chief Flynn put an end to vehicle pursuits, but over the last few years the MPD has begun using police chases again. This resulted in grave consequences.

In 2025 alone, there were ten deaths from or related to causes from the police chases. Out of the ten fatalities, six were innocent bystanders. Not only were they deadly, but settlements related to these chases cost the city hundreds of thousands of dollars. That money could have been used for traffic calming measures that stop reckless driving without killing people. MAARPR saw this as an opportunity to pick another fight for accountability and transparency from the MPD.

Now, Chief Norman will review the recommendation from the FPC and can accept or reject it. Organizers with MAARPR say they are not optimistic that Norman will accept the changes, but they are committed to seeing this campaign through. Over the next few months, they will canvass neighborhoods and gather community support to build pressure on elected officials to make change.

#MilwaukeeWI #WI #InJusticeSystem #MAARPR

Milwaukee, WI – On the cold evening of January 30, the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (MAARPR) held a vigil at All People’s Gathering Church. The space is not only a worship center but a historic refuge for victims of state violence, having supported the family of Dontre Hamilton when he was killed by police in 2014 at a park just two miles south. Once again, All People’s held space for stolen lives as organizers and community members mourned the nine people already killed by ICE in 2026.

Sam Baragan, a member of MAARPR and Comite Sin Fronteras, welcomed attendees and shared her personal experience under Trump, explaining “I am a DACA-mented woman, and the current climate around ICE has filled me with fear, anxiety and deep emotional distress. I find myself constantly worried, not only for myself, but for my community, my friends, my neighbors, and the people I love. This vigil is a pause. A moment to come together in community.”

Pastor Evan McVann then prayed over the congregation to start the night and recited Leviticus 19:33-34: “When an immigrant resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The immigrants residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were immigrants once.”

The open mic portion began and people from all over the community offered original songs, stories from the border, and words of empowerment.

Brian Verdin, an original member of 1973 MAARPR, recited the nine names: Alex Pretti, Renee Good, Keith Porter, Heber Sánchez Domínguez, Victor Manuel Diaz, Parady La, Luis Beltrán Yáñez–Cruz, Luis Gustavo Núñez Cáceres and Geraldo Lunas Campos.

Verdin reassured the crowd that “the heat of the people will melt the ICE,” a message received with resounding applause. The music then continued, courtesy of the Milwaukee Justice Singers as they sang Hold On, “Hold on my dear ones, here comes the dawn.”

To close, youth educator Casey Serrano (MAARPR) offered ways the community can continue to band together and organize after the program. The main highlight was Barrio Walks with the Alliance, or canvassing sessions on the city’s South Side, which recently passed out 500 “Know your Rights” flyers in just 30 minutes that week with the help of community members. Serrano shared “Recently, I find myself praying. Praying for my students, for my community.”

Serrano then called for all those gathered to “be the hands and feet of Christ. We must have the wisdom and clarity to see things for what they are and what must be done, and have the perseverance to carry it out.”

#MilwaukeeWI #WI #ImmigrantRights #ICE #MAARPR #AlexPretti #KillerICE

Venezuela, Caracas – When we arrived in Caracas, we had a 30-minute bus ride from the airport to the hotel where we were staying. Watching the city go by and the beautiful mountains in the background, there were dozens of beautiful murals painted for Bolívar, Chavez and Maduro celebrating the Bolivarian revolution.

During the International People’s Assembly for Sovereignty and Peace of our Americas conference, there were many chants from all over Latin America -¡Viva Bolívar! ¡Viva Maduro! ¡Viva Diaz-Canales! ¡Viva Sheinabum!

The Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression has long supported progressive leaders like President Maduro, and I have been to hands off Venezuela protests where the people supported Maduro, but it truly surprised me to see a room full of people chanting for their leaders. In the United States, I cannot remember the last time I really saw a large crowd of people chanting with love and pride for a politician. Once in a while Trump supporters might try to disrupt our actions, but they often chant to show what they oppose rather than what they stand for.

At home, people have no sense of ownership and pride in most politicians. They get elected on empty promises that no one expects them to follow through on. It was amazing to meet people who live in places where they truly can have governments that believe in the people, and fight for them. In the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Repression we fight for community control of the police, for the right of the people to control what police do, how they do it, and to convict them when they commit crimes. Seeing the love and pride that other countries have for governments where they feel their leaders are fighting for them instead of repressing them for it was an amazing experience.

The more surprising thing for me at the conference was how many people were extremely grateful to see Americans organizing for peace, and were worried about our safety on return. As the United States tries to go to war with Venezuela, I was not sure what people would think of us. However, people had many questions about videos of specific police murders they had seen, ICE kidnappings, National Guard occupations, and other repression. They were incredibly concerned about Black liberation and immigrant rights in the United States.

People from all over Latin America celebrated when they heard about our struggles against heightened police repression, especially with George Floyd in Minneapolis and the small town of Kenosha, Wisconsin in 2020, in supporting student encampments for Palestine, and then ongoing struggles against ICE kidnappings and opposing troops on the streets, with the uprising in LA, the defiance in Chicago, and campaign against troops in DC this year. These struggles are also unfolding in Portland and New Orleans where we also lead protests and movements.

When they asked if we were scared of the police or of repression, I told them that we believe that justice is worth any level of struggle. I also told them how we had won a campaign against FBI repression by freeing Chicano activist Alejandro Orellana in LA.

One Cuban delegate said to me that the Alliance's organizing “prove[s] your resistance in your situation.” As I prepare to return to the United States soon, I am excited to bring all of the excitement and love I experienced from around the world to the struggle for Black and Chicano liberation at home.

#International #Venezuela #AntiWarMovement #MAARPR #Chicano #Opinion #Commentary #InJusticeSystem #PoliceCrimes

The repression and harassment that these students have faced includes getting suspended off campus, being given bogus, hefty fines and charges, and being stalked on personal social media accounts by UWMPD and UWM administrators, and much more.

Led by members of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), the press conference was a response to the ongoing repression and harassment of UWM students and SDS members alike. The most recent example of repression stems from the recent National SDS Convention that happened across the street from the UWM campus, where eight students and community members were targeted and cited for holding a march in solidarity with Palestine around the campus.

SDS members, both from Milwaukee and Chicago, along with community members rallied, demanding an end to the UWMPD’s and UWM administration’s attacks on students for exercising their right to free speech on campus.

Chris Van Valkenberg from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee SDS spoke on how the citations included either “amplification of sound” or “standing in roadway”, were just another example of the truly bogus attacks that the campus police and administration at UWM subject SDS members and students. Van Valkenberg mentioned that these antagonizers have worked hard to harass us and repress us for the last two years because they know when we fight, we win. As part of UWM SDS, Van Valkenberg noted the success in fighting such charges, especially as a part of the larger National SDS. Van Valkenberg stated that just like our student charges in the past for the Milwaukee chapter of SDS, the students will fight these charges until they are dropped to show that SDS does not get scared of repression; we get stronger because of it.

The next speaker was Diego Garcia of the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (MAARPR), who spoke about how the attacks and harassment of student activists have only made the admin and police look weak in the face of progress and student safety alike. Garcis concluded that while the students advocate for progressive change on their campus, like protesting for a free Palestine, increasing black enrollment, and preserving DEI initiatives, UWMPD and UWM administrators are deathly afraid not only of these topics, but afraid of the students leading the movement on campus. It’s up to the students like those in SDS to remind the student body who is on the right side of history.

Lastly, Ángel Naranjos from the University of Illinois-Chicago SDS (UIC SDS) made it clear that the repression against students is happening across the country. Naranjos emphasized that because of this repression, students like those in Chicago and Milwaukee have chosen to escalate their campaign strategies when it comes to defending DEI initiatives and cultural centers on campus when university administrators refuse to budge despite popular student demand for such. The popularity of demands like these and others is what has made SDS a fighting student force across the country, and why the success of the 2025 National SDS Convention just a month ago in Milwaukee was such a success.

As the Trump administration’s attacks on students continue to grow, students have felt the pressure of this through a loss of educational funding, satellite campuses, research funds, DEI programs, and overall student safety. Much of this pressure is also funneled from the administrations of universities across the country, who are willing to put profits above education at every level. These losses, combined with an increase in campus police presence and intimidation, strict campus free speech laws targeting student activism, and purposefully deregistering and suspending any detracting student organizations, are a call to action for all students on UWM’s campus to call for its administration to end its complicity with Trump’s anti-education and anti-student policies.

#MilwaukeeWI #WI #StudentMovement #UWMSDS #SDS #MAARPR

Milwaukee, WI – On the evening of October 22, about 60 people gathered for the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression’s (MAARPR) to honor families who have lost loved ones to police violence. They also spoke out against deaths the jails and prisons, reckless police chases, ICE facilities, war and genocide, and more.

Held at All People’s Gathering Lutheran Church, MAARPR members, other organizations, and fighting families began the night with an art gallery honoring their loved ones who have passed. Organizations present were Comité Sin Fronteras, representing the immigrant rights movement, as well as U.S. Palestinian Community Network – Milwaukee representing the Palestinian liberation movement. Additionally, there were over five fighting families present, namely, the families of Sam Sharpe Jr., Cilivea Thyrion, Hasan Harris, Corey Stingley, Jay Anderson Jr. and Diamond Arberry.

After the art gallery, Pastor Evan McVann opened the panel with a prayer. Facilitating the panel was Angelique Sharpe, the sister of Sam Sharpe Jr.; Kerrie Hirte, mother of Cilivea Thyrion; Craig Stingley, father of Corey Stingley, and Lakia Thomas, mother of Diamond Arberry. When asked about the barriers they’ve faced in their pursuits for justice and how they’ve overcome it, Stingley answered “You’ve gotta learn how to jump aside, and gotta learn how to kick through those barriers.”

When the panel came to a close, the emcee Brian Verdin, co-chair emeritus, opened the mic for organizations and families to speak their peace. Erika, the aunt of Hasan Harris and a member of MAARPR, began to speak to her struggles in her fight for justice and when recounting her interaction with the investigating law enforcement agency, she stated, “I said we are backed by the Milwaukee Alliance and they gave us something!”

Closing the open microphone, a member of USPCN – Milwaukee, when referring to police, said, “It’s not a system of oppression that [only] exists in Milwaukee, it’s worldwide” and closed out saying “We shouldn’t only scream, we need to revolt.”

As the event came to a close, MAARPR then collected signatures for their petition demanding community oversight of the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office and to mobilize the community for the Milwaukee County budget hearing on October 27 at 6 p.m.

#MilwaukeeWI #WI #InJusticeSystem #MAARPR

Milwaukee, WI – On Sunday, September 28, over 80 people rallied at Dontre Hamilton Park in response to the recent attacks on abortion in Wisconsin. As of October 1, Planned Parenthood Wisconsin will be pausing abortion services at its three locations. This leaves only two independent clinics left in the entire state that offer abortion services, both located in Milwaukee.

Due to new stipulations in Trump and the Republicans’ reactionary Big, Beautiful Bill that was passed through Congress, funding is no longer available to Planned Parenthood Wisconsin. Organizations that receive Medicaid reimbursements and offer reproductive healthcare, including abortion, are no longer eligible for reimbursements if they continue to offer those services.

“We are here today to send a loud and unwavering message. Donald Trump and his regressive policies are not welcome in our city, in our state, or in our lives. We didn’t stay silent when our rights were stripped away with the fall of Roe in 2022, and we won’t stay silent now,” said Carly Klein of Freedom Road Socialist Organization. “We will fight back – against every attack on reproductive healthcare, against every assault on our communities, and against every system that seeks to oppress us.”

The rally aimed to let the public know abortion is legal in Wisconsin, and that there are still options for patients seeking services. Care for All and Affiliated Medical Services are both independent abortion clinics that remain open in Milwaukee. Since they don’t depend on Medicaid funding, they are exempt from the effects of the Big Beautiful Bill.

Another organization endorsing the rally was the Milwaukee Fights Back Coalition, formerly the Coalition to March on the RNC. A representative of the group, Andrea Waters, remarked, “The Trump administration effectively changed abortion access forever. This was another direct attack on bodily autonomy for women. Trump and the Republicans use this tactic to divide us as well, activating people who normally wouldn’t even have an opinion on abortion by making it ‘The Right v. The Radical Left.’”

Other organizations that spoke at the event were Students for a Democratic Society – United With Milwaukee (SDS UWM), Madison Abortion & Reproductive Rights Coalition for Healthcare (MARRCH), Pro-Choice Milwaukee, Care for All clinic, Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Men4Choice.

Despite the uphill battle, the organizers are determined to expand abortion access in Wisconsin. “Wisconsin isn’t turning back,” said Andrea Waters. “If you feel charged up from this event today, join the movement, talk to one of the speakers you saw today. We cannot stand silent while these attacks happen, we must expand abortion access in Wisconsin. Lend a hand and help us build a better future, a better tomorrow for the generations to come after us.”

#MilwaukeeWI #WI #WomensMovement #Abortion #ReproductiveRight #MilwaukeeFightsBackCoaltition #SDS #MARRCH #PCM #MAARPR #Feature

Milwaukee, WI – In late August the Milwaukee Police Association (MPA), a police union, put out a call for their membership to join them for a protest on September 5 related to contract negotiations with the City of Milwaukee. The group planned to march from Red Arrow Park to City Hall where they would hold a press conference. Locals often refer to the park as Dontre Hamilton Park to honor the death of Dontre Hamilton, a Black man murdered by now-former Milwaukee Police Department officer Christopher Manney.

On September 5, MPA members gathered in shirts that read “Pay us what you owe us” and carried signs with slogans like “Protect every day, deserve better pay.” Like many unions, the MPA demanded better pay. However, unlike most unions, MPA members regularly commit crimes against the people of Milwaukee and members routinely rack up thousands of dollars in overtime a year for merely sit