News and Views from the People's Struggle
New Orleans, LA – On October 1, the Students for a Democratic Society chapter of the University of New Orleans began preparations for their vigil of the late Khaliifah Ibn Rayford Daniels, executed by the state of Missouri.
New Orleans, LA- On the evening of Wednesday, September 25, close to 100 New Orleanians gathered in front of the Federal Building to protest Israel’s increased offensive in Lebanon and the U.S. government’s continued facilitation of Israel’s atrocities.
The rally began by paying tribute to Khalifa Ibn Rayford Daniel, who was mercilessly executed by the State of Missouri the day before. Despite the prosecution’s serious doubts regarding the integrity of his conviction and pleas from his family, the State refused to grant Daniel clemency.
By Antonia Mar and Zunyana Crier
New Orleans, LA – On Tuesday, September 17, community members showed up at the Joe Brown Park gymnasium in the New Orleans East neighborhood to attend a forum with New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick. The Office of the Independent Police Monitor (OIPM) hosted the event in response to public concern over NOPD’s consent decree, as the department pushes to be released from federal oversight.
In the gymnasium, a majority-Black crowd of about 20 people confronted Kirkpatrick on rising trends of racist policing and condemned the department’s move to end the consent decree.
Attendees emphasized NOPD’s criminal history, and that the consent decree was put in place because of the brutalization of Black people after Katrina.
“We are the reason for the consent decree,” stated Edward Parker of New Orleans United Front, talking about Black New Orleanians. He referenced Kirkpatrick’s previous employment as superintendent in Oakland. “You had problems with the Black community, same way you’re gonna have problems with us in this community if you keep shoving [the ending of] the consent decree down our throats.”
The consent decree mandates constitutional, bias-free policing. However, the 2023 annual report from the OIPM showed that 90% of police use-of-force was against Blacks, despite the Black population in New Orleans representing 56% of the city. NOPD use-of-force against Black women rose 54% from 2022’s numbers. This past Mardi Gras 2024, 90% of stop-and-frisk firearm searches targeted Black people. And July’s monthly report from the OIPM reveals more civilian complaints against the NOPD have been filed in 2024 than any year before.
With the future of federal oversight in question, the need for a civilian oversight board was at the front of the public’s mind. However, Kirkpatrick rejected community control, stating she believes civilian oversight boards are “dysfunctional.” The comment stunk of hypocrisy, as NOPD’s dysfunction continues to make headlines: NOPD Officer Leessa Augustine and former Officer Jeffrey Vappie are both currently under separate federal investigations for wire fraud and lying to federal agents, and the city was recently ordered to pay out $1 million in a civil suit for negligence after former Officer Rodney Vicknair molested a minor in 2020.
“I remember New Orleans before the consent decree,” said Toni Jones of New Orleans for Community Oversight of Police. “We are still dealing with racist and criminal policing. No policy is going to fundamentally change until we get the community control we need over the NOPD.”
Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick speedily left before all of the public’s comments could be addressed.
New Orleans, LA – On Friday, September 20, Tulane University encampment arrestees held a rally at 8 a.m., outside of the Orleans Criminal District Court, just before a monumental win for the city’s movement. There were over 40 people in attendance for both the rally and their full-day trial. They packed the courts in support of the arrestees for the Popular University for Gaza encampment that took place on Tulane’s front lawn from April 29 to May 1.
New Orleans, LA – On September 18, students from the Loyola Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) organized a rally to demand that Loyola University of New Orleans divest from Israel. Despite escalating calls from the student body in the past months, the administration has only responded with force.
New Orleans, LA – On Friday, September 13, Tulane University encampment arrestees held a press conference outside the Orleans Criminal District Court ahead of their court appearance. They read a resolution signed by over 40 of New Orleans’ community organizations, demanding that charges against pro-Palestine encampment protestors and activist Toni Jones be dropped.
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following resolution in solidarity with New Orleans’ pro-Palestine protesters.
WHEREAS, the undersigned organizations stand in complete solidarity with New Orleans’ pro-Palestine protesters, and denounce Tulane University for pursuing unjust charges and tacitly endorsing police brutality against these activists, simply because they protested this institution’s ties with Israel;
WHEREAS, Tulane emeritus board member Walter Isaacson grabbed and shoved Tulane student Rory MacDonald on video at a protest on March 13, without facing repercussions;
WHEREAS, Toni Jones, organizer with New Orleans for Community Oversight of Police (NOCOP), was arrested by TUPD on March 16 at a protest for MacDonald’s and other students’ rights to free speech;
WHEREAS, Brenna Byrne, Sruly Heller, Quest Riggs, Serena Sojic-Borne, and three other protesters, were arrested by TUPD on April 29 on the first day of Students for a Democratic Society’s (SDS) peaceful encampment for Gaza, several suffering injuries from police horses or officer misconduct;
WHEREAS, Rory MacDonald, Carson Cruse, Juleea Berthelot, Shreyas Vasudevan, Vonne Crandell and nine other protesters were arrested by Louisiana State Police on May 1, the third day of SDS’s peaceful encampment for Gaza, over one hundred state troopers used tear gas, a BearCat armored vehicle, and rifles aimed at students to arrest fourteen people, including one just passing by for a walk that evening; and
WHEREAS the TUPD targeted and arrested a student days after the encampment ended, unjustly charging them with a felony;
BE IT RESOLVED, the undersigned demand that District Attorney Jason Williams and City Attorney Donesia Turner drop the trumped-up charges against these protesters;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the undersigned call upon the administration of Tulane University to end their witch-hunt of these protesters.
In signing this resolution, our organizations commit to doing everything we can to make this gross injustice known, and to organize a powerful solidarity movement to defend these protesters, who courageously stood against aid for Israel’s genocide.
Voice of the Experienced
Masjid Omar
Jewish Voices for Peace – New Orleans
First Grace Community Alliance
Hagar’s House, shelter
Project Ishmael, immigration law
Louisiana InterFaith for Human Rights
Friends of Sabeel – New Orleans
Palestinian Youth Movement New Orleans
William Quigley, Emeritus Professor of Law, Loyola University
American Federation of Musicians – New Orleans
Starbucks Workers United NOLA
Louisiana National Lawyers’ Guild
Queer Trans Community Action Project
New Orleans for Community Oversight of Police
Sunrise Movement NOLA
Reproductive Justice Action Collective
Harvey Mudd College Dissenters
NOLA Healthcare Workers for Palestine
Southern Solidarity
New Orleans Stop Helping Israel’s Ports
Muslims for Just Futures – Gulf South
NOLA Musicians for Palestine
Freedom Road Socialist Organization NOLA
Laveau Contraire, drag artist
Students Organizing Against Racism TU
Feminist Alliance of Students at Tulane
Rev. Gregory Manning
Justice and Beyond
Muslim Students Association – Loyola
NOLA Democratic Socialists of America
NOLA Freedom Forum
Miss Anne’s Maypop Herb Shop
LifeCity Impact Management Firm
End Jim Crow Louisiana
SPORTS DRINK
Trans Income Project
Mo Munchies LLC
Fight Covid NOLA
Fred Hampton Free Store
Chicken’s Kitchen
Tulane Students for a Democratic Society
Loyola Students for a Democratic Society
LSU Students for a Democratic Society
#NewOrleansLA #LA #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #StudentMovement #SDS #InJusticeSystem #PoliticalRepression #FreeSpeech #NOCOP
New Orleans, LA – On September 4, 40 students and community members rallied outside of Tulane and Loyola Universities demanding the Tulane and Loyola drop the disciplinary sanctions against students involved in the Popular University for Palestine encampment. They also pushed the demands of each university’s Students for a Democratic Society chapter – disclosure of university investments and divestment from apartheid Israel.
Despite the rainy weather, they chanted “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” and “The students, united, will never be defeated!” and caught the attention of passersby.
New Orleans, LA – On Friday, August 16, the 3rd District of the Communication Workers of America (CWA) stopped work and walked off the job at AT&T after contract negotiations broke down. The previous contract expired on August 3. Picketers across the Southeast were demanding that AT&T negotiate in good faith.
New Orleans, LA – On August 13, pro-Palestine activists rallied to protest President Biden as he visited Tulane University. About 50 people came together outside Tulane’s campus, including locals and university students. Many stayed home out of fear of the dozens of local and federal police cars that were watching the area.