Chicago, IL – 150 protesters gathered in Federal Plaza on Thursday to stand up against Trump’s threats of military occupation and demand an end to racist policing. The protest and march that followed were organized by the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR).
Patricia Williams, one of CAARPR’s co-chairs, opened the rally by reading a letter from the sickbed of Frank Chapman, executive director of the National Alliance (NAARPR).
Philadelphia, PA – On the morning of Thursday, August 14, about a dozen members of the Philadelphia Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (PAARPR) held a press conference at the Philadelphia City Hall to demand justice for Aaron Rainey and shed light on his case.
Aaron Rainey, a 36-year-old Black man, was shot and killed in March of this year by Philadelphia police officers while experiencing a mental health crisis. The names of the officers involved have not been released.
Washington, DC – On the evening of Wednesday August 13, the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR) organized a demonstration in Ward 7, a primarily Black ward, and one of the most overpoliced sections of the city.
Chicago, IL – The South Side celebrated the last days of summer at the 96th Bud Billiken parade on Saturday, August 9. The Bud Billiken is the largest African American parade in the country. Young people received school supplies while dancers and musicians showed off their skills. Some organizations also raised political demands such as community control of police, fully funded public services, and progressive taxation.
Colorado Springs, CO – On July 21, the Colorado Springs Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression rallied community forces to support the family of Alex Martinez and confront the city’s Law Enforcement Transparency and Advisory Commission after the release of police body-cam footage. A crowd of about 20 community members joined the sister and mother-in-law of Alex Martinez. Many community members and organizers gave public comment demanding accountability, transparency and an independent investigation into the police shooting of Alex Martinez.
Chicago, IL – Immigrant rights groups held a press conference July 22, calling for the shutdown of an ICE facility in the Chicago suburbs and demanding that local officials take action. When they attempted to deliver a letter detailing their demands to Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen Burke O’Neill, they were threatened with arrest.
Milwaukee, WI – In July, 2024 the racist and reactionary Republican Party descended on Milwaukee to hold its national convention and select a nominee for president. For years, community organizers had demanded that the city of Milwaukee give guarantees and concrete plans to stop the thousands of out-of-town police that came for the convention from committing crimes in the city with no accountability or oversight. City leaders dismissed these concerns, but on July 16, 2024, five officers from Columbus, Ohio murdered Samuel “Jah” Sharpe Jr.
Milwaukee, WI – On Tuesday, June 25, 100 people gathered in Milwaukee for an emergency “Hands Off Iran” action, the second led by the Milwaukee Anti-war Committee (MAC) this month, and the third held in the city that same week.
The event came a few days after the Trump administration bombed three Iranian nuclear sites on Saturday, June 21. Up to this point, the U.S. government had been funding and supporting Israel as it bombed Iran, but had not itself launched an attack. Saturday’s news caused concern among people in the U.S. that it would spark a wider war in the region.
New Orleans, LA – On June 27 at noon, a crowd rallied against FBI repression in front of the New Orleans Immigration Court. Local activists called the rally in coordination with a National Day of Action for Alejandro Orellana, an immigrant rights activist in East LA. Orellana is facing federal charges for protesting recent ICE raids in Los Angeles.
“El pueblo unido, jamás será vencido!” chanted activist Toni Jones. “An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us. If we don’t stand with Alejandro against these bogus charges then who will stand up for us?”
New York, NY – On Tuesday, June 24, two activists were summoned to the Kings and New York Criminal Court at 1 Centre Street after their arrest at a protest against the NYPD.
Daniel Koh from the New York Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NYAARPR) and climate justice activist John Mark Rozendaal were targeted for arrest during an action at the New York City Police Foundation Gala. Every year, the wealthiest New Yorkers use the gala to donate millions to the already bloated police department. This year was NYAARPR’s second annual protest.
Chicago, IL – 50 people rallied in Washington Square Park on Saturday, June 21, near the two Gold Coast properties of Illinois Governor JB Pritzker. They demand that the governor grant executive clemency to the hundreds of proven survivors of police torture and wrongful conviction who are still incarcerated in Illinois.
The action was organized by the Campaign to Free Incarcerated Survivors of Torture (CFIST), one of the central campaigns of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR).
Chicago IL – Youth and community organizers packed the main chambers and the overflow room of City Hall on Wednesday morning, June 18 to speak out against the snap curfew ordinance which would allow the police superintendent to call a curfew with a 30-minute notice before enforcement. Any minors outside after the curfew would be taken into custody and their families forced to pick them up from the police station with the possibility of a $500 fine.
New York, NY – On Thursday June 19, close to 50 New Yorkers assembled to honor the radical legacy of Juneteenth by protesting ICE presence in their city and state. The protest was organized by Equality for Flatbush, a Brooklyn-based organization which focuses on issues facing oppressed people in the Flatbush community.
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. Orellana has been released from jail and the NAARPR is working to support his defense.
Statement Demanding the Release of Alejandro Orellana
On June 12th, FBI agents arrested Alejandro Orellana, a member of Centro CSO, a branch of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression based in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, for providing aid to the community being tear-gassed. Orellana’s arrest comes the same day Senator Alex Padilla was violently assaulted at a Homeland Security press conference. We condemn Orellana’s arrest as a clear example of racist and political repression. After immense community pressure led by the Centro CSO, Orellana was released the following day! The power of the people are driving ICE back and freeing people like Orellano, and it will be the power of the people that get Orellano’s charges dropped!
Washington, DC – On June 13, one day before Trump’s birthday military parade, veterans and community members took to the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court Building and held a press conference demanding “Benefits, not bullshit,” and “Money for people, not parades!”
Chicago, IL – 300 people gathered in the Pilsen neighborhood, June 8, to protest recent escalations by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Trump administration. The protest was called in response to collaboration between the Chicago Police Department (CPD) and ICE agents this week, but escalations by the police and National Guard in Los Angeles a day before made it even more urgent.
New York, NY – On June 5, dozens of community members and activists gathered outside of the Intrepid Museum to protest the New York City Police Foundation annual gala. The gala raises millions of dollars for the already over-bloated NYPD budget and goes to creating police community outreach, opening and maintaining overseas NYPD offices, and buying innovative technology. Tickets range from $2500 to $250,000.
Chicago, IL – On the morning of Tuesday, June 3, residents of Little Village in Chicago stood up to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and drove them out of the neighborhood.
Members of the Immigrant Rights Working Committee of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR) spotted suspicious vehicles loitering near the intersection of Troy and 27th Streets and used rapid response techniques to prevent detentions.
Dallas, TX – Organizers from the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression-Dallas (NAARPR-Dallas) commemorated the fifth anniversary of the death of George Floyd and protested unjust deportation of a family from Austin.
Jacksonville FL – On May 28, over 200 community members rallied at Duval County Jail to demand the release of three community members who had been arrested and brutalized while attending a city council public comment meeting the afternoon before.
Many organizers for the rally had been protesting and doing bail support through the night without sleep, including Leah Grady of Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), who had been released on bail at 3:30 a.m. that morning and immediately took up work to organize a rally for her comrades to be released.
