News and Views from the People's Struggle
Milwaukee, WI – On December 6, members and supporters of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee chapter of the New Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) led a disruption of a speaking event featuring local anti-trans personality Laura Becker.
Milwaukee, WI – Nearly two dozen people gathered in front of the Farwell Women’s Care Center on Milwaukee’s East Side on the morning of Saturday, November 18, to raise awareness of local crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) throughout the state. Reproductive Justice Action Milwaukee hosted the picket and chalk-writing action to raise awareness and highlight the risks these centers pose to reproductive healthcare, by the CPCs masquerading as legitimate health facilities.
Milwaukee, WI – On November 21, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee administration put together a panel event featuring two speakers who oppose the genocide in Palestine and two Zionists. Pro-Palestine organizations across the city put out a call to mobilize people to the talk and pack the house with anti-Zionist elements. UWM Students for a Democratic Society was one of them.
The Zionist speakers included Rabbi Josh Herman, the executive director of the Milwaukee branch of the far-right Zionist group Hillel, and a political science professor at UWM named Shale Horowitz. They started off with a fictitious recounting of history, claiming that the blame for the genocide and occupation rests with the Palestinians and their unwillingness to “compromise.”
The comments from the two Zionists only got worse from there, including claiming that the Palestinian liberation chant “From the river to the sea” is a call for Jewish genocide; that a people who were victims of a previous genocide could not be perpetrators of a new genocide; that the Zionist state should be commended for its efforts to “prevent civilian casualties,” and that Muslims are the most successful colonial forces in the history of the world – especially, as stated by Horowitz, compared to Europeans.
To their credit, the other two panelists – Othman Atta, leader with the Islamic Society of Milwaukee; and Dr. Caroline Seymour-Jorn, professor and director of International Studies at UWM – responded to the genocide apologism with sharp rebuttals, reasoned positions, and factual accounts of the history.
The crowd, largely pro-Palestinian, responded more frankly, with jeers and laughter at the absurdities being put forward by the Zionist speakers. Members of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) took it a step further and held up red-painted hands whenever one of the Zionists would speak, symbolic of the blood on their hands and the hands of the government which they defend. The silent protest had begun to wear on them both as the event went on, with more and more frequent allusions to their detractors in the crowd. Horowitz in particular seemed to direct his vitriolic comments at the student demonstrators.
As the panel was coming to a close, the moderator pointed to UWM's chancellor, Mark Mone, and said that he had the unenviable task of figuring out how to navigate the challenges of creating a safer and more welcoming campuses from students of all backgrounds. He then turned to the panelists to provide advice for the chancellor, but before any of them could answer, a member of SDS shouted out, “Change the name of the library!” The SDSer was referencing the UWM library named after Golda Meir, an infamous former prime minister of the Zionist state. Most in attendance cheered and clapped. There was no response from administration.
SDS will be initiating a campaign in the coming weeks to pressure campus administration to make that change. Efforts are underway to unite other organizations around this project, particularly the Muslim Student Association and the UWM chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine.
#MilwaukeeWI #International #Palestine #AntiWar #StudentMovement #SDS
Milwaukee, WI – A spirited group of more two dozen student protesters gathered outside the Golda Meir Library on the afternoon of November 15 for a rally called by UW-Milwaukee Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). The assembled group chanted and heard speeches before beginning a march throughout campus.
Milwaukee, WI – On Sunday, November 5, the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Branch 2 hosted an energetic rally outside the United States Postal Service city headquarters in downtown Milwaukee. 150 NALC members and supporters joined the rally to raise public awareness about the poor working conditions at USPS.
Milwaukee, WI – 40 people gathered in Bolton Hall on the UW-Milwaukee campus to hear a panel of speakers talk about the connections between the Cop City project in Atlanta, Georgia and other current political situations, specifically the uprising in Palestine.
Milwaukee, WI – On Saturday, November 11, the Milwaukee Anti-war Committee (MAC) held a banner drop over a Milwaukee freeway to say “No to APEC!” The bannering was held in solidarity with the People’s Summit counter-protest on the same date in San Francisco, where the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) summit is being held.
Milwaukee, WI – After a five-day trial, a jury acquitted former Milwaukee police officer Michael Mattioli of first-degree reckless homicide on Friday, November 10. Mattioli was on trial for the murder of Joel Acevedo, which took place in April 2020 and was one of the central cases during the 2020 uprising in Milwaukee.
Milwaukee, WI – The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors convened on Thursday, November 9, to adopt the 2024 County Budget. Included in this year’s budget was an amendment package that included $250,000 for a third-party audit of the County Jail. The adoption of the amended budget marks a step towards securing transparency and accountability in the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO).
Milwaukee, WI – On November 2, over 50 students at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee (UWM) rallied then marched for the National Students for a Democratic Society Day of Action to demand justice for Palestine. The event began and ended in front of the university library, named after Zionist and former Prime Minister of Israel Golda Meir.
Milwaukee, WI – 30 students, faculty and others attended a town hall meeting with the new Provost and Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs Dr. Andrew Daire, at the Fireside Lounge on the campus of UW-Milwaukee (UWM) on October 31. Some of those in attendance were mobilized to the meeting by the UWM chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).
The purpose of the talk was to present on the current enrollment situation at the university. Numbers have declined steadily since 2010 with nearly 7000 fewer students attending UWM in 2023 than a decade ago. One of the most glaring enrollment statistics is that UWM’s student body is only 6% Black. For context, Milwaukee has a population that is roughly 40% Black, and Milwaukee Public Schools has a student body which is 50% Black.
“The discrepancy between enrollment numbers of Black students at UWM and the population of Milwaukee and the public schools is despicable. It demonstrates that there is an overall lack of commitment from the administration at this university to live up to their claims of being a diverse and inclusive campus,” said Patricia Fish, a leader in SDS.
SDS members grilled the provost with questions about what he and the administration were going to do to address the situation, but Daire proved skillful in spending a lot of time saying nothing of substance and passing the buck on to others, claiming that he “has no power” to make the changes he wants.
The efforts around holding Daire’s feet to the fire are a part of SDS’s broader campaign to increase Black enrollment at UWM, which also includes demands around increasing the hiring of Black faculty and staff, the targeted recruitment of Black students from Milwaukee Public Schools, an increase in the scholarships and other financial aid offered to incoming students as well as for those students already attending UWM to assist with retention, and defending and expanding the funding for the Black Student Cultural Center.
Milwaukee, WI – On Monday, October 30, the County Board of Supervisors held their annual public hearing to discuss the proposed 2024 county budget. One of the proposals within this budget was an increase to the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) of $7 million. Although people attended the public hearing to discuss a wide range of issues, such as taking into account the safety of Milwaukee County Transit System’s drivers or better accessibility for the disabled community within the county, the majority of public testimonies demanded increased spending for public goods and services rather than continual increase to the MCSO.
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Coalition to March on the RNC 2024.
Republican Party leaders have ramped up racist, dehumanizing statements toward Palestinians, Arabs, and Muslims since fighting broke out between Israeli and Palestinian forces on October 7th. Israel’s ensuing siege of Gaza and indiscriminate aerial assault on 2.3 million stateless Palestinians trapped in an open-air prison is now in its fourth week.
Milwaukee, WI – This past Saturday, October 28, over 300 people attended a joint solidarity march linking the struggle against U.S. imperialism in both Haiti and Palestine. The event called for an end to U.S. support for the UN intervention in Haiti, and an end to continued U.S. funding of genocide in Palestine.
Milwaukee, WI – On October 25, nearly 150 students answered the call of UW-Milwaukee Students for a Democratic Society for a local action in solidarity with Palestine as a part of a much broader coordinated national walk out involving more than a half dozen groups.
Milwaukee, WI – Upwards of 4000 people marched in support of Palestine and to call for an end to the genocide against Gaza, October 22, doubling the number of people in attendance at the large march just a week before.
Led by a tow truck decorated in Palestinian flags and a 30-foot banner reading “Love live the popular Palestinian resistance,” the passionate crowd marched through downtown Milwaukee, chanting, “Free free Palestine!” “Biden, Biden, you can’t hide! We charge you with genocide!” and “Gaza Gaza don’t you cry, we will never let you die!”
Milwaukee, WI – On October 20, dozens of healthcare workers joined a press conference to condemn the unprecedented public health crisis being caused by Israel's criminal siege and bombardment of 2.3 million civilians in Gaza.
“As healthcare workers in the Milwaukee area, we are deeply disturbed by the current Israeli war on Gaza, and the large toll of civilians that have been killed and injured, particularly children,” said Dr. Hashim Zaibak, a Palestinian-American doctor from Gaza.
Milwaukee, WI – On October 18, a 20-person delegation from the newly formed Wisconsin Coalition for Justice in Palestine (CJP), which represents nearly 30 different organizations across the southeastern part of the state, delivered a letter to the office of U.S. Congresswoman Gwen Moore. Moore, a Democrat, who has joined the chorus of condemnations aimed at the Palestinian resistance for their efforts at fighting against genocide and occupation.
Milwaukee, WI – Trade union leaders welcomed the chairman of the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), Elmer “Ka Bong” Labog, to Milwaukee, October 4 and 5. The KMU is the largest and most militant labor coalition in the Philippines. Its name translates to May First Movement, a reference to the revolutionary workers’ holiday of May Day.
Milwaukee, WI – Nearly 2000 people joined a mass demonstration organized by the Milwaukee Anti-war Committee on Wednesday evening to show support for the people of Palestine as they resist the Israeli occupation. People of all ages, draped in keffiyehs and carrying Palestine flags, flooded the streets of downtown Milwaukee behind a banner reading “Long live the popular Palestinian resistance.”