Chicago, IL – Organizers with the Coalition to March on the Democratic National Convention held a press conference outside City Hall on Tuesday morning to speak out against the denial of their permit applications. The Chicago Department of Transportation gave the coalition an alternate route four miles away from where the DNC is scheduled to happen.

Seattle, WA – On Sunday, January 28, a crowd of community members led by the Seattle Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression gathered on the steps of Seattle's West Precinct. The previous Tuesday, January 23, marked one full year since Jaahnavi Kandula, a 23-year-old student living in Seattle, was hit and killed at a crosswalk by Seattle Police Department Officer Kevin Dave.

The U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR), and National Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) call for a week of action against the U.S./Israeli genocide in Gaza from February 5 to 11.

The call for the week of actions comes at a time when President Biden states the U.S. is going to step up its military intervention in the Middle East.

Chicago, IL – Over 300 supporters of the movements for Black and Palestinian liberation showed up to the Wednesday, January 24, Chicago city council meeting.

Organizers spoke in favor of a resolution put forth by Rossana Rodríguez Sanchez and Daniel La Spata calling for a ceasefire in Palestine, and against a Fraternal Order of Police-backed decision to send even the most severe cases of police misconduct to arbitration where they could be handled with no public oversight.

Milwaukee, WI – The Coalition to March on the RNC is hosting an organizing conference on February 17 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Activists from across the U.S. will gather at the conference to unite around a plan to rally on the opening day of the Republican National Convention, Monday, July 15.

“We are looking to consolidate plans with all forces that are against the Republicans’ racist and reactionary agenda. We are also looking to inform leaders across the country as to what the situation on the ground in Milwaukee looks like as we prepare to march to within sight and sound of the front doors of the convention,” said Omar Flores, spokesperson in Milwaukee for the Coalition to March on the RNC.

Tampa, FL- Hundreds of people in Tampa participated in the National Week of Action to End the Israeli Genocide of Gaza from January 1 – 7. Tampa community members took part in daily political actions aimed at spreading awareness about the ongoing genocide in Gaza and building a movement in solidarity with the Palestinian people.

New Orleans, LA – On January 7, over 60 motor vehicles in solidarity with Palestine occupied the streets of New Orleans on a traffic-filled football Sunday. The motorcade took place at the start of a busy parade and festival season in New Orleans, as the city geared itself to begin its 2024 Mardi Gras festivities.

Drivers decorated cars with signs, wrote messages on windows, and taped banners on bumpers. Among the protesters’ slogans were “Victory to the Palestinian resistance” and “End U.S. aid to Israel!”

Milwaukee, WI – A spirited crowd marched on U.S. Congresswoman Gwen Moore’s doorstep Saturday morning, January 6, to “keep the pressure up!” in ending U.S. aid to Israel.

Undeterred by the snowfall, activists called for Moore to sign on to HR 3103 as a bare minimum step in ending the genocide. The neighborhood at large was also engaged, as door-hangers circulated the area that directed to an online petition initiated by the Milwaukee Anti-war Committee.

Denver, CO – On Thursday, January 4, around 70 protesters gathered at the Colorado State Capitol for a protest against Colorado Governor Jared Polis.

After a few speakers and a march around the Capitol building, protesters entered the building to protest at the governor’s office. Despite the capitol being funded by the public’s tax dollars, police only let around 30 of the 70 protesters into the building.

St. Paul, MN – About 100 activists rallied at the weekly WAMM Free Palestine bannering. Chants of “Viva viva Palestina” and “Resistance is justified, when Palestine is occupied” filled the intersection along with the unending honks of motorists.

 

Denver, CO – On Tuesday, January 2, over 100 people marched to U.S. Senator Michael Bennet’s office to demand he ends his support for the U.S./Israeli genocide in Palestine. The march was organized by the Colorado Palestine Coalition because of Bennet’s failure to recognize the genocide that Israel is perpetrating against the Palestinians.

Chicago, IL – 500 protesters gathered on the evening of January 5 outside Chicago Police headquarters on the Southside of Chicago in a demonstration of Black and brown solidarity with the Palestinian struggle for liberation.

Minneapolis, MN – 150 people gathered at Redeemer Lutheran Church in North Minneapolis on January 4 to listen to an in-depth discussion about the link of the Black liberation struggle and the struggle for liberation in Palestine.

Austin, TX – Around 20 Austin community members and students held a banner-drop for Palestine on Wednesday afternoon, January 3, on the overpasses above Interstate 35 at 11th and 12th Streets.

Trucks and cars on the busy highway honked with enthusiastic support for Palestine, as they drove past the several banners and flags being held on the two overpasses. Some drivers even rolled down their windows to shout “Free, free Palestine!” at the top of their lungs. Only a small handful of people had negative responses to the banner drop.

Denver, CO – On Sunday, December 31, over 750 people marched in Denver to demand an end to U.S. aid to Israel and an end to Israel’s genocidal campaign against the Palestinian people.

The march was organized by the Colorado Palestine Coalition and came three months after October 7, when the Palestinian resistance launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood aimed at liberating all Palestinian political prisoners, among other objectives. Since then, the Israeli government has responded by displacing the majority of Palestinians in Gaza and murdering over 20,000 Palestinians, many of them children.

Activists are calling for “A New Year Without Israeli Genocide in Gaza,” by holding a week of actions January 1 through January 7. Initiated by the U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), Students for a Democratic Society, and the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR), the nationwide protests will send the messages, “Stand with Palestine” and “End U.S. aid to Israel.”

Madison, WI – 6000 people answered the call of the Wisconsin Coalition for Justice in Palestine (WCJP) to go all out on December 9. The action marks the largest demonstration of solidarity with Palestine in the history of the state, passing the mark set only several weeks early at an action in Milwaukee.

The WCJP comprises 60-plus organizations from across Wisconsin and continues to grow nearly every day.

Chicago, IL – “How do you spell racist? FOP!” The crowd of 50 protesters on the LaSalle Street side of Chicago City Hall were loud and determined, December 13. As usual when there is a vote in city council that the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) cares about, there were extra cops on hand for intimidation. But the movement for police accountability had been standing up to the Chicago Police Department for decades.

Milwaukee, WI – Nearly 50 people attended a rally in support of the efforts to keep Next Door Pediatrics open, December 8. Next Door Pediatrics, operated by Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, is one of the only pediatric care centers that serves the vulnerable population on Milwaukee’s predominantly and historically Black North Side.

Editor’s note: Frank Chapman wrote this statement to call for unity in struggle by Black, Latino and working-class communities.

Chicago saw great victories earlier in 2023 through a united front under a Black and Latino leadership, with the first-in-the-country elections for democratic civilian oversight of the police, and the election as mayor of a trade unionist, Brandon Johnson. Johnson defeated a racist who was backed by the Fraternal Order of the Police, Paul Vallas. Vallas is known in Chicago history for introducing neo-liberal policies, which included major attacks on funding for public schools. 90% of Chicago Public School students are Black and Latino.