Tacoma, WA – On September 28, 30 people held a vigil for those killed by Tacoma police. This vigil was held in response to a recent killing on September 27. Tacoma police have not released the identity of the man they killed. Attendees were concerned that this would become another cover-up, so they demanded the release of the bodycam footage and officers' accountability if unnecessary force was used.

The event was hosted by the Tacoma Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (TacAARPR). At the beginning of the event, members of the community spoke about other police killings around the area. Jem Trumbly stated, “this is part of a pattern that we know very well. The police kill someone. The investigations into the killing are inadequate. The facts are covered up. The evidence goes missing. Trials drag on for years, and justice is never served.”

Many people in attendance carried signs demanding an end to police killings and accountability for police violence. While information about the most recent killing is still not released, people are worried that whatever evidence is released will be in Tacoma PD’s best interest. Another speaker, Ray Harris, told a similar story, about when his son, Ronald Amir Harris, was murdered in his jail cell before his trial. Ronald’s father was not given access to any of the evidence surrounding Ronald’s murder. Tacoma PD claimed that Ronald’s death was a “suicide.”

During the vigil, Harris told the crowd, “If you want change, you gotta make it happen. I lost my son. But I got no fear. I got none. I got nothing to lose, but I got a lot to gain. I want to make sure what they done to my boy, they do it to no one else, ever again!” Ray continued to speak about how difficult it was to get the evidence that Tacoma PD used in their suicide claims. The true source of Ronald’s death remains hidden from his closest family.

The TacAARPR is helping to build a public pressure campaign to open an investigation into Ronald Harris’s death. You can sign the petition to demand an open investigation into Ronald’s death here: tinyurl.com/justiceforronald

#TacomaWA #WA #InjusticeSystem #PoliceKillings #NAARPR

New Orleans, LA – On Tuesday, September 28, about a dozen people packed the municipal court for activist Toni Jones of the New Orleans Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. Jones is facing trumped-up misdemeanor charges of disturbing the peace and disturbing city council. She was arrested on March 30 during a city council meeting where Shanta Scott and supporters gave public comment on corrupt Sargeant Victor Gant Jr of the New Orleans Police Department.

Before Jones’s court hearing, the crowd gathered in front of the building with a loud speaker to chant and give speeches. They held signs reading “Stop NOPD corruption” and “Justice for Jace Lee Scott.”

“From our perspective, the person who disturbed the peace is Victor Gant Jr of the NOPD. He’s a crooked cop who steals justice from grieving families. The people who disturbed the city council meeting are the group of police officers who surrounded and tried to intimidate a mother fighting for justice,” said Toni Mar of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

“It’s a shame how this system is treating people like us,” said Shanta Scott, mother of Jace Lee Scott. “They attack us, but they should be attacking the New Orleans Police Department. They should be attacking every officer that was sitting in the police station over there while the corruption was going on. My child was murdered. This has to stop, from the DA’s office all the way down to the municipal court! Why attack us, and not attack them?” said Scott.

Inside, a city attorney filed for a continuance on the case, citing the need to subpoena more witnesses and a missing police report. Jones will appear before the court again for trial on November 24, the day Jace Lee Scott was murdered by Andrew Gant in 2019.

“On November 24, we are going to come out strong to demand justice for Jace on the date of his angelversary. We have to show these officers that they can’t bully us, we are standing our ground,” said Mar.

#NewOrleansLA #LA #InjusticeSystem #JaceLeeScott #ToniJones #PolitialRepression #NAARPR #KillerCop #VictorGant

Oakland, CA – On Tuesday, September 22, around 30 community members rallied in front of the attorney general’s offices to commemorate the fifth anniversary of Jalani Lovett, who died in LA Men’s Central Jail.

Born and raised in Oakland, California, Lovett was arrested in 2019 and died in 2021, under highly suspicious circumstances, after being held in solitary confinement at the Los Angeles Men’s Central Jail. He was under custody of the LA Sheriff’s Department, which has been linked to the deaths of many other inmates. Though his body showed signs of severe physical trauma, LASD labeled his death as a drug overdose, despite him having no access to drugs while in solitary confinement.

In the beginning of this month, the Department of Justice launched a probe into the jail to investigate its concerning conditions and inmate deaths. 29 have died in custody so far this year.

Terry Lovett, Jalani’s mother, has been fighting for a proper investigation into her son’s death for five years. She has repeatedly reached out to California Attorney General Rob Bonta, asking him to take action, since the LASD refuses to investigate itself.

“This is a fight that I’m not gonna ever stop, cuz I'm not gonna ever get Jalani back. Too many birthdays is gonna pass and he’s not gonna be sitting there. Too many Thanksgivings are gonna pass and he’s not gonna be coming in the door, going in my pots, ‘Mom what you cooking?’” stated Terry Lovett. Despite his campaign promises to step up investigation of in-custody deaths, Rob Bonta has refused to take any action on Jalani Lovett’s case.

Barbara Doss, mother of the late Dujuan Armstrong, also spoke at the rally, saying, “We went to Sacramento to get some things done, and he made all kinds of promises. I done rode up in this office several times, he done made offers, ‘He’s gonna do this, he’s gonna do that’ for the families.’ Rob Banta is a liar.”

Dujuan Armstrong was killed in custody at Santa Rita jail as officers attempted to restrain him during a mental health crisis, in what was supposed to be a weekend stay. Doss added that officials also tried to point the finger at drug use as a contributing factor to Armstrong’s death, saying, “They said he died from an overdose, apparently all our children are dying of overdoses.”

Romaine Charite with the Oakland Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, the emcee of the rally, said, “The sheriffs harbor racist syndicates who perform initiation rituals of torture and murder of Black and Latino men and brand themselves with tattoos to identify themselves. When the FBI tried to investigate this in 2011, the sheriffs kidnapped the discovered informant for 18 days. These sheriff gangs must be destroyed and the jail closed through civilian power over the police, not county special interests.”

Terry Lovett is supported by a coalition of police-accountability organizations, families impacted by police violence, and concerned community members that support her, organizing to protest Rob Bonta’s lack of action. The rally was supported by Kathryn Wade, the mother of Malad Baldwin; Addie Kitchen, grandmother of Steven Taylor; Cat Brooks, the founder of the Anti-Police Terror Project, and Emily Turnbull, a retired ILWU Local 10 member.

#OaklandCA #CA #InJusticeSystem #KillerCops #Jail #OAARPR #NAARPR

Dallas, TX – 400 people took to the streets of Dallas on September 10 to protest the Republican Party’s midterm convention and demonstrate opposition to the Trump agenda. Organized by the Dallas Against the Trump Agenda (DATA) Coalition, the protest brought together workers, community activists, socialists, immigrant-rights organizers and others who marched to bring their opposition to the Republican convention directly to the streets surrounding the American Airlines Center.

The action began at Pike Park. Demonstrators marched toward the convention. Hundreds of protesters participated in the march, which made its way toward the security perimeter surrounding the convention.

Riot police and mounted units were deployed as the protesters approached the convention center. Despite the police presence and attempts to limit the march’s movement, protesters reached the security checkpoint and held speeches within sight and sound of the convention. The crowd responded enthusiastically, chanting and cheering as speakers addressed the demonstrators.

The police presence intensified as right-wing counter-protesters confronted people participating in the march.

Two protesters were arrested during the action. They were attempting to keep right-wing counter-protesters away from the main crowd when police moved in, tackled the two to the ground and arrested them.

The arrests did not stop the demonstration. Protesters continued marching and maintained the energy of the action as they approached the convention.

Jake Holtzman of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization said, “It was inspiring to see hundreds march against the Trump agenda. Even in the face of harassment from the cops and a few counter-protesters, everyone kept the energy high and marched within sight and sound of the convention. There was clearly a great degree of unity among the people against our common enemy: Trump and monopoly capitalism.”

Toni Jones of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR) stated, “I’m marching with the over 20 cities in our National Alliance Against Racist And Political Repression fighting for community control of the police. I’m marching with all of you who did what you needed to be here today, and I’m marching with men like my friend Darrin Robinson, who can’t be here because they are being tortured while serving unjust sentences. And all of us, we are going to make sure the Trump agenda, ‘SAVE America Act’ racism never gets passed, and the GOP gets dumped in the trash heap of history they so desperately worship!”

The September 10 action was the first major public demonstration organized under the banner of Dallas Against the Trump Agenda. The coalition formed around the Republican Party’s decision to hold its midterm national convention in Dallas, but its organizers have emphasized that the coalition is intended to be more than a one-day protest.

DATA is working to establish a continuing center of organizing in Dallas against the Trump agenda — bringing together people involved in labor, immigrant rights, racial justice, community organizing and other struggles.

The next task is to build on the momentum that has already been established. DATA is organizing in Dallas. The fight against the Trump agenda continues.

#DallasTX #TX #Trump #PeoplesStruggles #ImmigrantRights #FRSO #NAARPR #DATA #OppressedNationalities #Featured

Brooklyn, NY — On Thursday, August 27, activists led a protest in front of the 71st Precinct of the NYPD to demand, “Justice for Eudes Pierre!” Undeterred by rain, community members stood outside the precinct responsible for Pierre’s murder and chanted, “NYPD kills on patrol! How do we stop them? Community control!”

Speakers from the New York Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NYAARPR) explained the details of Pierre’s death and the suffering that has continued to this day. In December of 2021, Eudes Pierre experienced a mental health crisis and called 911. The NYPD officers who responded to his call from the 71st Precinct brutally murdered him. Since then, no action has been taken against the police. New York’s Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) found that the officers acted within NYPD guidelines, and the state Attorney General Letitia James declined to pursue any charges against the officers.

NYAARPR spokesperson Daniel Koh shared details, “134 cops work at this precinct. 79 of them have allegations of misconduct and brutality. That means three of every five cops have abused their authority and hurt the people in this neighborhood. That means if anyone dials 911 in this neighborhood, they’re likely to get a crooked cop.”

This includes Officer Conrado Abreu-Gerez, one of Eudes Pierre’s killers, who has multiple allegations from before and after Pierre’s murder.

The New York Alliance also fights for community control of the police, a system that would give people the democratic power to determine how their communities are policed. Jamie Kowalski of the NYAARPR said, “We know that if our communities come together and we combine our power, we are stronger than the billionaires and their racist attack dogs in the NYPD! Compared to the power of the people, the pigs are nothing!”

Together with the family of Eudes Pierre, the New York Alliance will continue holding monthly protests at the 71st Precinct on the last Thursday of each month. The next protest will be Thursday, September 24.

#BrooklynNY #NY #InJusticeSystem #OppressedNationalities #AfricanAmerican #KillerCops #EudesPierre #NYAARPR #NAARPR

Oakland, CA – On Friday, August 14, around 20 community members rallied at a street corner in downtown Oakland to protest another man being killed by Oakland Police Department (OPD). Jose Santos Castillo Ortega, a 43-year-old Latino man, was shot and killed by officers last month after a call by California Highway Patrol, which had pursued him from a homeless community. Very few details of the incident were revealed to the public until body camera footage was uploaded to the public records website.

The protest, called by the Oakland Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, was joined by POOR Magazine, Black Alliance for Peace, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and Community Service Organization. Some protesters held picker signs with the words “FIght against police brutality.”

Rickie Cleere of the Oakland Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, said, “Video and audio footage show Castillo clearly in mental distress almost the entire time as multiple officers aimed guns and tasers while they walked him down through Oakland streets, with him yelling ‘leave me alone’ and ‘I'm not doing nothing.’”

Cleere continued, “Through organizing and action can we move toward a future in which the police do not get away with murdering our community members. A future in which the people have a direct say over who polices them and how they are policed. This is a future with actual police accountability through community control, and the time to build that future is now!”

Noah Teller, a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, said, “These officers were amateurish and completely unprofessional. They antagonized a man who was posing no threat to anyone. Shame! Living in peace in a highway median, what is the crime? Who is he harming?”

The crowd formed a march contingent towards OPD headquarters while chanting “Justice for Jose Castillo! No more cops killing our people!” Protesters marched down several blocks to the police station, where they continued to chant and demand accountability and for the names of the officers involved in the shooting, before marching back.

The street corner where community members gathered is affectionately called Oscar Grant Plaza, after the man who was shot and killed by Bay Area Rapid Transit police in 2009 at Oakland’s Fruitvale station.

#OaklandCA #CA #InjusticeSystem #KillerCop #JoseCastillo #NAARPR

New Orleans, LA – On Aug 11, Shanta Scott met with the office of Mayor Helena Moreno to demand justice for her son, Jace Lee Scott. Jace was killed in 2019 by the son of NOPD officer Victor Gant Jr., who now serves on the mayor’s security team. Scott maintains that police led a sham probe to cover up her son’s murder. A dozen protesters joined her outside of City Hall in support.

They chanted, “Victor Gant Jr. what do you say? What protocol did you break today?!” and “How do you spell accountability? F – I – R – E, G – A – N – T!”

Shanta Scott told protesters, “Seems like they have people in high places, I’m going in there to bring them down a little bit.”

After kicking off the rally, Shanta Scott went into City Hall. She was joined by Toni Mar of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. The two met with the mayor’s chief of staff, Kevin Ferguson.

Scott demanded that Victor Gant Jr. be fired. She showed Ferguson audio recordings of Gant's son, Andrew Gant, being interrogated for Jace Lee Scott’s killing. The audio revealed NOPD officer Victor Gant Jr. clearly present at his son’s own interrogation. Audio and body camera footage also showed Andrew’s mother and uncle entering the interrogation room. Andrew Gant’s mother can be heard saying, “You’re going to be home by tonight” and that she would call the judge overseeing the case.

“When Andrew killed Jace, he got to have his family come and comfort him. But where’s my comfort?” Shanta Scott asked Ferguson.

On Nov 24, 2019, Andrew Gant shot Jace Lee Scott in the neck at the Southern University of New Orleans campus. Scott bled to death. That night, Andrew Gant fled the scene and called his father Victor Gant Jr. of the NOPD. Gant told his son to put his clothes in a bag as evidence and drove him to the 3rd district police station.

Despite Andrew Gant being depicted with gloves and a cell phone on campus surveillance tape, these items were not found in evidence. Homicide detective Rob Barrere, a close colleague of Victor Gant Jr., led the interrogation of Victor Gant and Andrew Gant. Both lasted less than ten minutes. NOPD developed a narrative that Jace and Andrew were both “play-fighting with guns.” No evidence was ever submitted confirming that Jace Lee Scott possessed a gun. Andrew Gant was charged with “negligent homicide” and “obstruction of justice.” He was released on an exceptionally low $12,500 bail. He was later convicted and sentenced to no prison time.

In his meeting with Shanta Scott and Toni Mar, Ferguson said that he would reach out to Deputy Mayor of Public Safety Michael Harrison. He said that he would make contact with Harrison in the next week to learn more about the investigation.

#NewOrleansLA #LA #InJusticeMovement #NOAARPR #NAARPR

Brooklyn, NY – After the murder of Corey Ruiz by police in Madison, Wisconsin on Wednesday, July 22, the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression called a National Week of Action.

In New York, the New York Alliance held their fifth monthly protest at the 71st Precinct on Thursday, July 30, uniting the calls for justice for Eudes Pierre, another Black man killed by police brutality, and Corey Ruiz.

Earlier that day, the New York Alliance had also organized a call-in to demand that one of Eudes Pierre’s murderers, NYPD Officer Conrado Abreu-Gerez, be immediately fired. Hundreds of calls from around the country jammed the phone line. The officers who answered grew increasingly upset, berating callers and claiming that Abreu-Gerez no longer worked at the 71st Precinct. Eventually, they stopped taking calls altogether, effectively shutting down the line.

Also present at the speakout were community members and the family and loved ones of Eudes Pierre. Speeches and chants connected Corey Ruiz’s murder to the murders of Eudes Pierre in 2021 as well as the murder of Óscar Granados Colindres by state and local police in Wappingers Falls, New York on June 27. For Eudes Pierre and Corey Ruiz, the police attempted to dehumanize and criminalize the people they murdered. For Eudes Pierre and Óscar Colindres, 911 sent police instead of healthcare workers.

In all three cases, police escalated to lethal force and have faced no accountability. Sheina Banatte, Eudes Pierre’s cousin and the managing director of advocacy for the Justice for Eudes Pierre Coalition, said, “This is what the NYPD does. They turn a blind eye when officers assault, brutalize, and murder us.” Chapters of the National Alliance work with families who fight similar battles against a system that protects killer cops.

Hannah Healy from the New York Alliance explained the goal of community control of the police as a path to justice. Healy said, “We’ve actually seen community control of the police work before…they drove out the KKK and protected their right to vote against violent counter-revolutionaries! We can achieve this again to serve and protect ourselves.”

Unlike the current toothless CCRB, a Civilian Police Accountability Council would have full control over police budget, staffing, and discipline. CPAC would empower impacted family members to fire and prosecute killer cops.

The New York Alliance will continue to protest the 71st Precinct on the last Thursday of every month. Next month, the protest will take place on August 27th. They will continue to fight until Eudes Pierre’s killers are fired and prosecuted, police are removed from mental health response, and the people win community control of the police.

#BrooklynNY #NY #InJusticeSystem #NAARPR #NYAARPR

Dallas, TX — Members of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression Dallas spent this past weekend, July 24-25, honoring the life and mourning the death of Santos Rodriguez, the 12-year-old Mexican American boy murdered by Dallas police officer Darrell Cain on July 24, 1973. More than five decades later, his case remains a flashpoint in the fight against police crimes in Dallas, and a reminder that the struggle for the memory of, and justice for, Santos and his family continue.

Who was Santos Rodriguez?

In the early morning hours of July 24, 1973, Dallas police officers Darrell Cain and Roy Arnold responded to a report of an $8 burglary at a Fina gas station in Little Mexico, a Mexican American barrio near downtown Dallas. Acting on a hunch, the officers went to the home of the elderly, largely non-English-speaking foster grandfather of brothers David, 13, and Santos, 12.

The boys were pulled from bed in their pajamas, handcuffed and driven to the gas station for interrogation. While Santos sat handcuffed in the front seat, Officer Cain put his revolver to the boy's head in a game of “Russian roulette,” demanding a confession. Santos's last words were that he was telling the truth. Cain pulled the trigger a second time and killed him instantly, in front of his brother. Evidence later revealed Santos and his brother had no connection to the burglary.

Cain was indicted for murder, but a judge set his bond at a mere $5000. Outrage in the Chicano and Black communities of Dallas boiled over on July 28, 1973, when more than 1000 people marched from Kennedy Plaza to City Hall, torching police cars and smashing windows as police cracked down.

Cain was ultimately convicted of murder with malice but served only two-and-a-half years of a five-year sentence. It would take until 2021, 48 years later, for the Dallas Police Department to formally apologize to Santos's mother, Bessie Rodriguez. Killer cop Darrel Cain ultimately escaped justice and lived out his life quietly until 2019. There was no mention of the murder in his obituary.

July 24: Angelversary and vigil

On Friday, NAARPR Dallas members hosted an Angelversary commemoration for Santos Rodriguez at Pike Park, where a small statue of him sits, bringing together community members to remember his life and to reaffirm the ongoing fight of victims of police crimes still demanding justice. The gathering placed Rodriguez's murder within the broader history of police violence against Mexican Americans in Dallas and across the country, drawing a direct line from 1973 to the police killings communities continue to organize against today.

July 25: Gravesite visit

On Saturday, several NAARPR Dallas members traveled to Santos Rodriguez's gravesite to lay flowers and pay their respects to his memory, to his family, and to the decades-long fight for justice that his family carried on.

Xavi Velasquez, chair of NAARPR Dallas said of the weekend's events, “We attended several events for Santos this weekend, and a common question was, 'What do we do about his murder?' I had the opportunity to talk about community control of the police to many people this weekend, and most people wanted to know more. People want change and are looking for practical and people-powered solutions. This weekend's events solidified to me the need for community control of the police here in Dallas, not just for modern victims of police violence but to hold DPD accountable for police violence that is deep in Dallas history.”

#DallasTX #TX #InJusticeSystem #KillerCops #NAARPR

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

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.

On Wednesday, July 22nd, a Madison Police Officer murdered Cory Ruiz, with an officer firing three rounds into him while he lay down, unable to fight back. The people of Madison are already protesting, fed up with unjust police killings justified with press conferences and proclamations. They know what happens if we sit back and do nothing. The police and their supporters will offer empty promises of investigation and accountability. They will place a few officers on administrative leave and transfer them to different departments. They will say they did their best. They will attempt to wait for the story to leave the limelight, to fade from the public narrative.

The people in the streets of Madison – and the Alliance- refuse to accept that. We won’t wait for empty answers. We won’t sit back quietly while they try to force us to passively support a system that lets cops kill adults, teenagers, children, and even infants through their negligence and aggression. We will agitate and organize and fight until we make the death of Ruiz impossible to ignore. NAARPR branches across the country should mobilize and protest in solidarity and for all victims of police crimes in their cities.

We know exactly what this is: A modern lynching justified with the language of law and order. It's time to hit the streets and demand an end to police terror!

Justice for Corey Ruiz!

Community Control of the Police Now!

End the War on Black People!

Indict and Convict the Killer Cops!

#InjusticeSystem #NAARPR #CoreyRuiz #MadisonWI #WI

Grand Rapids, MI – A historic heat wave hitting Grand Rapids, Michigan on Wednesday night, July 15, did nothing to slow down a mobilization against the ICE murders of Joan Sebastian Guerrero in Maine and Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston.

The protest was held in Garfield Park, in a neighborhood where nearly half the residents are Latino, and featured a diverse lineup of speakers, including Michigan Senate District 29 candidate Ivan Diaz. Alongside calls for justice, the organizers said the main demand was to get ICE out of our neighborhoods.

Stationed near a busy intersection, the crowd began with chants of “El pueblo, unido, jamás será vencido!” and “No hate! No fear! Immigrants are welcome here!” before moving into speeches. The reception from the street was enthusiastic, with drivers cheering and shouting anti-ICE slogans.

Diaz was introduced first, stressing a message of unity to fight back these attacks.

“We have to be able to work together,” said Diaz. “Focusing on petty differences, or differences of opinion or strategy, is not going to help us beat this system.”

Eduardo Montiel, an organizer with the Grand Rapids Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression and the Coalition Against Trump (CAT) – the organizers of the protest – similarly projected a need to join together.

“Both [Joan and Lorenzo] were working class, like the majority of us in this country. Both were just trying to provide for their families,” said Montiel. “This is the common thread that unites all of us.”

The rally portion lasted around an hour, with additional speeches from Lily Cheng-Schulting, a disability rights activist and candidate for State House District 80; Michael Amirault, an organizer with the recently-formed Grand Rapids Opponents of War (GROW); and Julliette Kibby of Palestine Solidarity Grand Rapids (PSGR).

Both Amirault and Juliette Kibby connected the war against immigrants at home with U.S.-led wars abroad, expressing the necessity to fight for our immigrant neighbors while also committing to the fight against imperialism.

The evening closed with a vigil portion, including a read out of every person killed by ICE this year followed by a moment of silence.

#GrandRapidsMI #MI #ImmigrantRights #GRAARPR #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

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.

The National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression strongly condemns the Department of Justice’s second round of the campaign of intimidation and repression against Nadia Topete, a proud Chicana immigrant rights activist and member of Centro CSO in Los Angeles. Nadia has been subpoenaed a second time to appear in front of a judge and federal grand jury on Wednesday July 8th, following an FBI visit to her home on May 20th.

This is part of a wider targeting of the immigrant rights movement by the Trump administration and DOJ, which is now circling back to Los Angeles to silence organizers and create an atmosphere of fear that keeps people out of the streets. Our movement will not be silent, and we stand with Nadia, Centro CSO and all those facing repression.

We understand the DOJ’s attacks as a reaction to the powerful rebellion against ICE terror in Los Angeles last February, which sparked a national wave of uprisings across the country. The Trump administration is fishing for charges and unjustly targeting Nadia and other members of Centro CSO over baseless claims, to try and criminalize protest. This is a clear-cut act of racist and political repression. The real criminal entity is ICE, terrorizing immigrant communities kidnapping people off the streets, and unleashing deadly violence in our neighborhoods.

The Trump administration is making it clear they are intensifying their repression, and now is the time for us to stand together and answer the call to defend our movements and activists.

Hands off Nadia Topete!

End the DOJ and FBI targeting of immigrant rights activists!

ICE out of our communities!

##InJusticeSystem #PoliticalRepression #NadiaTopete #NAARPR #CentroCSO #ImmigrantRights

Chicago, IL – On Thursday, July 25, a press conference was held outside of the monthly Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA) meeting welcoming the two new commissioners, as well as continuing to demand CPD be held accountable for collaboration with federal agents during Operation Midway Blitz. The meeting took place at Benito Juarez High School, in the predominantly Chicano working-class neighborhood of Pilsen. The press conference was held by the Immigrants’ Rights Working Committee of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (IRWC of CAARPR).

“Commissioner Anjanette Young and Commissioner Guzman, welcome to your new position on the CCPSA. We, the Immigrants Rights Working Committee, have been diligently attending every single CCPSA meeting since the launch of our campaign to end CPD-ICE collaboration,” said Helena Fuentes of the IRWC.

Fuentes added, “We implore you to please, lean into your humanity and compassion, and not only consider our campaign, but please act.”

“Despite months and months of asking this commission to step up, and take an active role, the work hasn't been done yet. Since the commission's last meeting, more evidence has continued to raise serious questions about CPD compliance with the welcoming city ordinance,” said Elianne Bahena, a district councilor who, during the height of Gregory Bovino’s terror in the Little Village neighborhood, was kidnapped by federal agents.

Bahena continued, “Today as two new commissioners, Commissioner Young and Commissioner Guzman, we ask for this to be an opportunity for this commission to reaffirm its purpose. We hope the commission takes this opportunity to truly listen to our communities.”

Lifetime member of the National Alliance Against Racist Political Repression (NAARPR), Frank Chapman, stated, “We can only straighten out this problem by getting rid of the police having the power of life and death over our communities. We take a big step in this direction when we initiate this campaign to put this [Community Power Over Policing] referendum on the ballot.”

After the press conference, community members entered the school and gave public comments. Various community members raised the recent ICE kidnapping in the Albany Park neighborhood, which ended in a car collision.

#ChicagoIL #IL #InjusticeSystem #ImmigrantRights #OppressedNationalities #PoliceAccountability #CAARPR #NAARPR

New Orleans, LA – On Monday, June 29, a small crowd of community activists packed the city council audience for the Criminal Justice Committee meeting to keep up pressure for the family of Jace Lee Scott. Scott was a 19-year-old Black teenager murdered in 2019 by Andrew Gant, the son of New Orleans police officer Victor Gant Jr.

Jace’s mother, Shanta Scott, as well as activists from the New Orleans Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, rallied before the meeting wearing t-shirts that read “Justice for Jace Lee Scott” and signs that read “Fire crooked cop Victor Gant Jr.” After a brief rally, the protesters went inside the chambers with paper signs bearing the same slogans.

The Criminal Justice Committee heard reports across the policing and law departments in the city, from the Sheriff’s Office to Juvenile Court and more. Speakers gave public comment on the reports from the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) and the district attorney’s office respectively.

“Every family deserves confidence that a homicide investigation was conducted fairly without conflicts of interest,” said Shanta Scott to city council members and NOPD officials. “I am asking the NOPD homicide department to release the videos I have been asking for in my public records requests.”

Jace’s murder case is closed as a “negligent homicide” due to a plea deal, yet Shanta Scott reports some of the files in her son’s case are still sealed without any legal reasoning. The CDs she received from NOPD with supposed evidence were completely blank.

“It’s the responsibility of the district attorney’s office to stand up to crime, not just between people on the street, but also crime between police and civilians. We want you to take a real role in helping us look at this case. We’re here because we care, and if you care too we want you to stand with us,” said Toni Mar of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization to District Attorney Jason Williams.

In 2019, Gant Jr. was present during his own son’s interrogation and drove his son along with crime scene evidence to the NOPD station instead of calling 911 and leaving it to other officers to do proper intake. His actions broke several statutes of proper protocol. Jace’s family maintains that even beyond the mishandling of Jace’s murder, Gant Jr. has a history of misconduct, violence and corruption, and they demand he be fired from the force.

#NewOrleansLA #LA #InjusticeSystem #PoliceAccountability #OppressedNationalities #JaceLeeScott #NAARPR

Brooklyn, NY – Community members and the family of Eudes Pierre gathered Thursday, June 25, for their fourth monthly picket at the NYPD’s 71st Precinct. Alongside Pierre’s family, organizers from the New York Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NYAARPR) demanded justice for Eudes Pierre and put up wanted posters of the officers who murdered him in 2021.

The previous day would have been Pierre’s 31st birthday. He was only 26 years old when he called 911 in the midst of a mental health crisis on December 20, 2021. Instead of the care he needed, dispatch sent Officers Peter Lan and Conrado Abreu-Gerez. Pierre’s cousin, Sheina Banatte, described how he was “followed, chastised, criminalized, attacked, gunned down, then dehumanized when his murder was labeled ‘suicide by cop’ after he called 911 for help.”

The NYPD denied wrongdoing. Its Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) ruled Lan and Abreu-Gerez acted “within NYPD guidelines.” New York Attorney General Letitia James declined to pursue criminal charges against them. Killer cops feel emboldened to brutalize and kill Black and brown New Yorkers because the system is built to deny justice to those impacted by police violence.

Joe Wilkins from the New York Alliance outlined a path to justice in community control of the police, stating, “Accountability should not take years of pickets and protests and rallies. It should be built into the system from the bottom-up, through community boards with real power to hire, fire and discipline every single officer in this building, and throughout the five boroughs.”

Participants directly confronted officers from the 71st Precinct with chants such as, “How do you spell murderer? NYPD!” One participant used to 50-a.org database to search the names and badge numbers of officers who stood, laughing, behind their metal barricades. Like Peter Lan and Conrado Abreu-Gerez, several of the officers present had documented histories of brutality and racist violence.

As they build the Justice for Eudes Pierre campaign, the New York Alliance and the family of Eudes Pierre will continue to picket the 71st Precinct on the last Thursday of every month. They will continue to fight until Pierre’s killers are fired and prosecuted, police are removed from mental health response, and the people win community control of the police.

#BrooklynNY #NY #InJusticeSystem #KillerCops #EudesPierre #NYAARPR #NAARPR

Colorado Springs, CO – On June 24, the family of Alex Martinez-Sarmiento filed a lawsuit against the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) for the murder of their loved one . They held a press conference, along with lawyers Mari Newman and Andy McNulty, at CSPD’s downtown headquarters to announce the lawsuit and demand justice. Alex Martinez-Sarmiento was a 26-year-old “father, son, brother and friend,” said the attorneys in a statement.

Members of the Colorado Springs Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (COSAARPR) and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) were in attendance to support the family. Over a dozen family members and activists stood in front of the press cameras holding banners and signs that read “Justice for Alex Martinez” and “CSPD stop killing La Raza.”

On July 5, 2025, CSPD officer Connor Jacob Wallick shot Martinez-Sarmiento in the back three times, killing him. Since then, members of his family, as well as COSAARPR, have been leading protests demanding that Wallick be fired and charged for murder. Members of COSAARPR view the lawsuit as one step in a protracted struggle.

At the press conference, Alex’s sister Saray Rocha spoke to the lack of accountability CSPD faces, “If an ordinary citizen cannot shoot someone in the back and walk away without consequences, then why should Connor Jacob Wallick? Why should he get to continue to wear a badge if he cannot follow the standards and responsibilities that come with it?”

McNulty’s stated, “We see violence from the police over and over and over again here in Colorado Springs. What we don’t see is accountability. What we don’t see is justice for these families. And today we file a federal lawsuit seeking accountability and justice not just for the Martinez family, but for all the families who have had their loved ones taken by the Colorado Springs Police Department.”

COSAARPR and the family are determined to keep fighting for Alex and accountability for violent police officers.

#ColoradoSpringsCO #CO #InJusticeSystem #KillerCops #COSAARPR #NAARPR #FRSO #Feature

Oakland, CA – On June 19, hundreds of Black Oaklanders gathered around Lake Merritt for an annual Juneteenth celebration. The National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression put out a call for a day of action to “Defend families impacted by police crimes,” which led the Oakland Alliance Against Racist and Pollical Repression to take action.

The Oakland Alliance talked to community members about Jalani Lovett, an Oakland native whose violent death in LA Men’s Central Jail was covered up. They gathered mailing list sign-ups, petition signatures, and GoFundMe donations to reopen his case.

While Oakland's Juneteenth celebrations are normally jubilant and carefree, there was a notable shift in turnout and spirit from previous festivities. A shooting two years ago on Juneteenth gave justification for the Oakland Police Department (OPD) to clamp down. Fences and shut down streets were used to discourage Black people from gathering in large crowds. But the activists mobilized anyway, flyering in response to racist harassment and treatment by OPD. A leaflet read, “This Juneteenth: Fight back against police brutality.”

Amped-up police presence at Black celebrations in Oakland is not new. Recent controversies with violence after monthly “First Friday” festivals in Oakland’s downtown district were met with racist rhetoric against Black people organizing celebrations that draw the “wrong crowd.” This June’s First Friday theme, “Black In Oakland,” drew vendors, performers and dozens of Black residents. Several hours after the event had ended, youth were seen getting rowdy and fighting, and, instead of de-escalating the situation, videos showed OPD tackling and tear-gassing Black children.

The emphasis on police presence is because the perception of Oakland as a Black, crime-ridden city, despite violent crime dropping nearly 30%, hurts the bottom line of property owners and downtown developers. It’s why Kaiser Permanente and PG&E spent nearly a million dollars to reinstate the city's police cadet program. This is not so different from what prompted Mayor Jerry Brown, elected in 1999, to begin using police to “clean up” downtown and make space for luxury projects. He got rid of the city’s first Black police chief, put a narcotics officer in, and unleashed police to attack low-income Black and brown residents.

Members of the Oakland Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression believe that the struggle between African-Americans and OPD will continue to sharpen. They want to remain prepared by meeting the people where they are and building a rapport with them as a police-crime-fighting organization.

#OaklandCA #CA #Juneteenth #OppressedNationalities #InjusticeSystem #NAARPR

Orlando, FL – On the evening of Friday, June 19, around 80 community members gathered from all over Orlando at the intersection of Anderson Street and Division Avenue. They carried signs that read “Defend voting rights” and “Justice for the victims of police crimes” as they marched toward city hall in response to Republican-led attacks on the voting rights of the Black community, as well as demanding community control of the police.

The protest was organized by Orlando Against Police Crimes (OAPC), a grassroots community organization fighting for the victims of police crimes. At the event, OAPC condemned recent attacks on voting rights by the Supreme Court of the United States in the Louisiana v. Callais case. The case made it harder to correct maps that dilute the voting rights of the Black community. It is a decision which also paved the way for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and right-wing legislators to redraw maps that undermine the political power of Black voters.

Gathered at the corner of Anderson and Division, the crowd was set to march across the Anderson Street Bridge as they made their way down to city hall. Community leader Lawanna Gelzer opened the event by talking about the significance of the location chosen. “They named this Division Avenue because it was the segregation line between Black and Caucasian people during Jim Crow. Now, Division Avenue stands for economic disparity and gentrification.”

Gelzer also spoke on the history of the Civil Rights Movement. She gave a particular focus to the historic march across the Edmund Pettus bridge in Selma, Alabama – the site of a brutal attack on protestors perpetrated by police known as Bloody Sunday.

“This march is a reenactment of that moment. They call us radicals when all we’re asking for is to respect the voting rights we fought for and to bring back the police civilian review board they took away from us,” said Gelzer.

Protesters then marched across the Anderson Street Bridge, local activists leading chants such as “Donald Trump you racist clown, tell your courts we won’t back down!” and “Ron DeSantis shame on you, the KKK fear Black votes too!” Protesters sang ballads from the Civil Rights Movement such as We Shall Overcome and Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Round.

Once the protesters arrived at Orlando City Hall, OAPC member Edmund Anglero told the crowd, “Some of you may be wondering why a group focused on police crimes organized an event around voting rights. Our right to vote is a building block upon which we amass more political power. Those rights were fought for, and earned, in blood. We must defend them with everything we have. The struggle for community control of the police is ultimately about expanding our basic democratic rights.”

Anglero also highlighted the recent murder of Kohen Wiley, a one-year-old child killed by Mississippi police in a Walmart parking lot, and called for justice and accountability.

The Orlando Singing Resistance choir and 50501 Orlando ended the event with songs and speeches while OAPC put out a call to action. They urged members of the community to join OAPC’s campaign in reinstating the Civilian Review Board and getting involved in the struggle for police accountability and community control of the police in Orlando.

#OrlandoFL #FL #Juneteenth #OppressedNationalities #OAPC #NAARPR