New Orleans, LA – On Thursday, February 20, around 30 Loyola students and New Orleans community members rallied in front of Loyola University to demand that university administration drop the semester-long suspension of student activist Carson Cruse. The action was organized by the Liberate and Unite New Orleans chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (LUNO SDS).

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from Liberate and Unite New Orleans Students for a Democratic Society.

On February 17th, Loyola student and SDS member Carson Cruse was informed by the university that his suspension appeal was denied and he has been suspended from the university effective immediately until May 10, 2025. Carson initially received his suspension on December 13th, 2024, for enacting his right to free speech by calling out Sharonda Williams, the General Counsel of Loyola and Port of New Orleans board member for her being complicit in genocide, supporting genocide, and punishing anti-genocide protestors.

New Orleans, LA – On Saturday, February 15, dozens of community members held an emergency rally in front of the Federal Building downtown to protest against Trump’s plans to ethnically cleanse the Gaza Strip.

After Trump’s demands that Palestinians relocate to the neighboring countries of Egypt and Jordan, organizations joined together demanding that the U.S. respect Palestinian sovereignty.

New Orleans, LA – On Sunday, February 9, the family of Glenn Foster Jr hosted a press conference at noon in front of the Hale Boggs Federal Building in downtown New Orleans. As media came to town to cover the Super Bowl, Glenn’s mother, Sabrina Foster, seized the moment to bring light on her son.

New Orleans, LA – On February 9, roughly 200 people took to the streets in downtown New Orleans for a rally and march against President Donald Trump’s visit to the Super Bowl LIX at the Superdome.

The protest was called by New Orleans for Community Oversight of Police, alongside a broad coalition of organizations. After Trump’s recent attacks on the most oppressed, protestors came out to demand Trump end ICE raids and deportations, stop attacks on trans people, and keep out of Gaza.

New Orleans, LA – On Saturday, February 1 New Orleanians from diverse communities took the busy downtown streets at rush-hour to voice their anger. The protest was organized by the Queer and Trans Community Action Project (QTCAP) in response to several executive orders that Donald Trump passed in his first few days as president. Around 100 protesters marched with signs and flags behind a banner reading “Protect LGBTQ+ youth!”

New Orleans, LA – On January 20, around 100 students, workers and New Orleans community members representing 20 organizations commemorated MLK Day by marching in the streets. They gathered to march against Donald Trump’s agenda on the day of his inauguration.

New Orleans, LA – During a visit to New Orleans, Dr. Rabab Abduhadi held an evening talk addressing students, community members and activists about the dangers and impacts of institutional Zionism and ways to combat it in academia and beyond.

On January 11, at the University of New Orleans, Dr. Abdulhadi shared her decades-long experience battling institutionally embedded Zionism, its various modes of operation, and tactics it uses to repress Palestinian activism.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the Liberate and Unite New Orleans Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) statement on the suspension of Carson Cruse.

On December 13, Loyola University student and SDS member Carson Cruse was suspended for speaking at the Port of New Orleans public hearing in October. Carson was there supporting New Orleans Stop Helping Israel’s Ports (NOSHIP) and their demands which included that New Orleans stop shipping arms to Israel, ends its ties to the Port of Ashdod in Israel, and to suspend its contracts with entities that do business with Israel, i.e. Møller-Mærsk.

New Orleans, LA – On Christmas Eve, Starbucks Workers United called for an escalation of their strike to include over 300 stores across the country. The strike started on December 20. It responded to Starbucks’ refusal to negotiate economic benefits in good faith and its failing to bring any offers to the table. More stores walked out over the five days leading to Christmas.

New Orleans, LA – On Tuesday, December 17, community organizations and New Orleanians impacted by police misconduct or police violence united at the Consent Decree Fairness Hearing to demand that Judge Susie Morgan rule against the New Orleans Police Department sustainment plan.

The consent decree is the federal oversight instituted in 2013. That year, the Department of Justice found the NOPD to be practicing unlawful misconduct and unconstitutional policing. Different community groups rallied outside against the motion.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following December 27 statement from New Orleans for Community Oversight of Police (NOCOP).

On Monday December 23rd, Joe Biden commuted the sentences of 37 out of 40 federal inmates who had been on death row. These 37, including the killer cop Len Davis, will now serve life in prison without parole. The three that did not have their sentences commuted were excluded because they were convicted of crimes of terror.

New Orleans, LA – On Tuesday, December 16, over 30 supporters packed the Orleans Parish Criminal Court in support of the Johnston family, who faced their first day of trial for false felony kidnapping charges. At the request of the family, supporters showed up in blue to show solidarity in demanding justice for Jrue Kenner.

New Orleans, LA – On Thursday, December 12 at noon, the Johnston family held a press conference demanding #JusticeforJrue in front of Orleans Parish Criminal Court. Jaime Johnston, along with her partner and both of her parents, are fighting felony kidnapping charges for trying to keep Jaime’s five-year-old son, Jrue Kenner, safe from sexual abuse. New Orleans for Community Oversight of the Police and New Orleans United Front helped to organize the event.

New Orleans, LA – About 25 people filled the benches at Municipal Court, December 12, to witness proceedings against two protesters from the Tulane-Loyola University Gaza encampment, which took place this past spring. These Palestine solidarity activists faced misdemeanors for trespassing and resisting arrest. The court dismissed both charges without trial for one of them, Brenna Byrne, because the Tulane University Police Department (TUPD) witness didn’t show up.

New Orleans, LA – On the night of December 11, organizers and activists marched towards the Audubon Tea Room at the beginning of “FedFest 2024,” a fundraiser hosted by the Jewish Federation, an organization dedicated to supporting the apartheid state of Israel.

New Orleans, LA – On November 20, over 70 trans community members, their loved ones and friends gathered at Hunter’s Field park in the city’s seventh ward, for the 9th annual Trans March of Resilience, hosted by longtime Black trans organizers in The House of Tulip.

New Orleans, LA – Protesters gathered twice at New Orleans Municipal Court during the week of November 18, as six activists who were arrested during the student-led Popular University for Gaza encampment attended their first days of trial.

They all face misdemeanor charges, ranging from trespassing to battery on an officer. The activists were all arrested by Tulane University Police Department in the first hours of the Encampment, which was held for two nights in April and May this year.

New Orleans, LA – On November 15, students from the University of New Orleans gathered outside of the Administrative Annex to protest the school’s sudden decision to charge students for an entire semester’s worth of parking decals, with only three weeks of the semester left in the year.

New Orleans, LA - On November 13, students packed a room to hear about their university’s difficult financial future and anincreasingly bloated and unaccountable administration.