New York, NY – On October 3, New Yorkers joined the Anti-War Action Network National Day of Action to demand no U.S. intervention in Venezuela and “Free Cilia, free Maduro.” Waving Venezuelan flags and holding signs that read “Support women’s health! Release Cilia Flores,” 50 local activists and community members rallied outside the Metropolitan Detention Center, in Sunset Park, where Maduro and Flores are being held prisoner on bogus charges of narcoterrorism.

The rally marked nine months since Maduro and Flores were abducted from Caracas, Venezuela during an illegal U.S. raid, which killed over 100 people. It also came only five days before Cilia Flores is due in court for a hearing to decide whether she should be released under house arrest as a result of her worsening health. Since being kidnapped, Flores has experienced increasingly severe cardiac issues, including what her lawyers believe was a heart attack on July 29.

Additionally, court documents filed on September 30th revealed that in May 2026, the U.S. government attempted to force Flores to undergo heart surgery without her consent, transporting her to the hospital without warning and without a chance to consult with her lawyers. Her lawyers cite these and other incidents as part of their argument that Flores must be released to house arrest in order to undergo the needed heart surgery, which she would not be able to effectively recover from while in custody at the MDC.

At the rally, speakers kept the focus on Flores and highlighted these revelations from the court documents.

Briony Smith, who led the action on behalf of Brooklyn Against War, said “Now, Cilia needs us to come to her defense. Cilia is facing the same mistreatment, medical neglect, and denial of her bodily autonomy that so many women in the U.S. prison system face. We are here because she should never have been illegally abducted from Caracas. We are here because every woman has the right to make their own medical decisions. We are here because we must fight for Cilia as fiercely as she has fought for the women and people of Venezuela.”

Other speakers at the rally represented a broad coalition of anti-imperialist organizations, including Black Alliance for Peace, Workers World Party, All African People’s Revolution Party, Struggle La Lucha, Colectivo Bravo Pueblo, Movimiento Revolución Ciudadana, and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

Amidst chants of, “Free the prisoners, free them all! Free Cilia from these walls,” Joe Wilkins of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization said, “So when we, as citizens of the United States, say ‘Free Cilia Flores,’ we’re not asking! We’re demanding that our government takes its boot off the neck of Venezuela, off Latin America, off the Caribbean, off West Asia, off the Pacific, off everyone it’s holding as a political prisoner! The Freedom Road Socialist Organization will not rest until these two political prisoners are free.”

The final speaker of the rally, Michela Martinazzi, also of Brooklyn Against War stated, “The billionaire class thrives on the oppression of women,” said Martinazzi, “from the heartbeat bill to trans women, to kidnapping women by ICE, Black women killed by the police to the thousands of women overseas Vietnam to Korea to the Philippines. By demanding that Cilia receives appropriate medical care, we are standing up for women everywhere neglected by this rotten system!”

After a short march, the rally ended with a moment of celebration. Participants signed cards and sang Happy Birthday for Flores, whose 70th birthday is on October 15.

The same organizations will also rally on Thursday, October 8, outside of the Federal Courthouse in Manhattan, beginning at 9:30 a.m. and continuing through Flores’s hearing, which is scheduled for 10:30 that day. The rally will be followed by a public press conference.

#NewYorkNY #NY #NYC #AntiWarMovement #Venezuela #CiliaFlores #NicolasMaduro

New York, NY – For the seventh consecutive month, organizers from the New York Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression gathered members of the community, September 24, to protest the NYPD’s 71st Precinct, where killer cop Conrado Abreu-Gerez continues to draw a six-figure salary. Abreu-Gerez and his partner, Peter Lan, shot and killed 26-year-old Eudes Pierre in December 2021.

Before the speaker program, the New York Alliance gathered a crowd flyering at a nearby subway station. Commuters and passersby, including a high school classmate of Eudes Pierre, expressed outrage that Abreu-Gerez faced no consequences for murdering Eudes. Several told stories of officer misconduct, harassment and incompetence at the 71st Precinct and surrounding precincts.

Organizers then set up in front of NYPD barricades to begin the protest. They were joined by members of the community, including Eudes Pierre’s family. Also in attendance were organizers representing groups such as We The People NYC, who later spoke on systemic corruption.

Participants directed chants at the half dozen cops watching from behind the barricade, shouting, “How do you spell murderer? NYPD!” The officers wore bulletproof vests and kept their hands on their weapons. Among them was Deputy Inspector John Dasaro, the commanding officer of the 71st Precinct. Dasaro is the officer at the 71st with the most substantiated allegations. He made headlines in 2019 when he pulled his gun on a group of Black children in Halloween costumes. The NYPD later invoked its authority to unilaterally end the cases against Dasaro and other officers involved.

The NYPD overpolices Black and brown neighborhoods. Sheina Banatte, Eudes Pierre’s cousin, said, “There’s food insecurity, there’s unemployment, there’s housing, there’s people who can’t even afford to pay to take the subway, but they’re being criminalized.” Every racially-motivated stop risks NYPD escalation to deadly force, especially for people experiencing mental health crises like Pierre did in 2021.

NYAARPR Chair Shivani Ishwar ended the protest with a call to join the fight for community control of the police. They said, “What we cannot do alone, we can accomplish together!” Protesters dispersed with chants of “Justice for Eudes Pierre!” and “If we don’t get no justice, then they don’t get no peace!”

After dispersing, officers from the 71st Precinct followed members of the New York Alliance in unmarked cars. They initiated stops of three members who were waiting for public transit. Lieutenant Christopher Maccarone, Sergeant Michael John, and Officers Darren Moore and Pedro Mendez attempted to intimidate the organizers, ultimately leaving without making an arrest or issuing summons.

The New York Alliance will continue to protest the 71st Precinct until Conrado Abreu-Gerez and all killer cops are held accountable. As Joe Wilkins of the New York Alliance put it in his speech earlier that evening, “This fight only ends when we win true justice for every life stolen and destroyed by police violence.”

#NewYorkNY #BrooklynNY #NYC #NY #InjusticeSystem #EudesPierre #CornadoAbreuGerez #KillerCop #OppressedNationalities #NYAARPR

New York, NY – On Friday September 24, thousands of protesters took to the streets of New York City as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived to address the 81st United Nations General Assembly.

Protesters gathered around the United Nations and throughout Manhattan to oppose Netanyahu’s presence in New York and demand his arrest for crimes committed by Israel against Palestinians.

The demonstrations demanded an end to U.S. military and political support for Israel.

NYU Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) joined the mobilization, bringing a student contingent to the protest outside the UN. NYU SDS members marched alongside other organizers and participated and led chants condemning Netanyahu and the genocide against Palestine.

SDS members, including Zaara Ahmed and Ebtesham Ahmed, helped lead chants throughout the demonstration, including: “Netanyahu, what do you say? How many kids have you killed today?” and “There is only one solution: intifada revolution!”

The protest continued as Netanyahu delivered his address inside the UN. Protesters outside continued chanting and demonstrating, making their opposition to his presence known throughout the day.

#NewYorkNY #NY #Palestine #UN #AntiWarMovement #StudentMovement #Netanyahu

New York, NY – On Saturday, September 19, the New York Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NYAARPR) staged a speak-out outside of killer cop Conrado Abreu-Gerez’s latest address in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.

Speaking through a megaphone, activists informed the community that a killer NYPD officer is now calling their neighborhood home. They also passed out flyers reading “Wanted: Killer cop!” and “Justice for Eudes Pierre!”

The response from the community was one of shock, with numerous passersby thanking the activists for the information on their new neighbor.

Abreu-Gerez is one of two officers responsible for the December 2021 murder of Eudes Pierre, a 26-year-old man from Crown Heights, who called 911 while experiencing a mental health crisis in a subway station. Along with his partner Peter Lan, Abreu-Gerez proceeded to follow Pierre for blocks, until they finally reached the front steps of his childhood home, where they shot him ten times. Seven of those shots were fired by Abreu-Gerez.

Hannah Healy, a NYAARPR organizer, explained to residents that Abreu-Gerez “has a long list of complaints and allegations,” which even the notoriously close-ranked NYPD had to acknowledge. Indeed, Abreu-Gerez’s career with the NYPD includes eight allegations of misconduct against Black men in particular, including for excessive use of force, abuse of authority, and failure to use a body cam properly.

As Healy explained, Abreu-Gerez’s actions show a “pattern that mirrors the system at large: violence against Black men.”

“For being Black, the NYPD will assault you, beat you, right before unlawfully arresting and detaining you,” she continued. “Such was the case when Conrado and ten other police officers attacked Isaiah Day in 2021. It was proven that Conrado and the other officers then lied to the district attorney’s office to justify their actions – as if the violence wasn’t enough.”

After speaking out in front of the killer cop’s new home, activists plastered “wanted” posters around the surrounding area, featuring information on Abreu-Gerez’s crimes, as well as an image of his department portrait. This brought even more opportunities for one-on-one conversations with the community, which were overwhelmingly positive.

The weekend action comes ahead of a planned picket in front of the 71st NYPD Precinct, where Abreu-Gerez works, on September 24 at 6 p.m..New York, NY – On Saturday, September 19, the New York Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NYAARPR) staged a speak-out outside of killer cop Conrado Abreu-Gerez’s latest address in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.

Speaking through a megaphone, activists informed the community that a killer NYPD officer is now calling their neighborhood home. They also passed out flyers reading “Wanted: Killer cop!” and “Justice for Eudes Pierre!”

The response from the community was one of shock, with numerous passersby thanking the activists for the information on their new neighbor.

Abreu-Gerez is one of two officers responsible for the December 2021 murder of Eudes Pierre, a 26-year-old man from Crown Heights, who called 911 while experiencing a mental health crisis in a subway station. Along with his partner Peter Lan, Abreu-Gerez proceeded to follow Pierre for blocks, until they finally reached the front steps of his childhood home, where they shot him ten times. Seven of those shots were fired by Abreu-Gerez.

Hannah Healy, a NYAARPR organizer, explained to residents that Abreu-Gerez “has a long list of complaints and allegations,” which even the notoriously close-ranked NYPD had to acknowledge. Indeed, Abreu-Gerez’s career with the NYPD includes eight allegations of misconduct against Black men in particular, including for excessive use of force, abuse of authority, and failure to use a body cam properly.

As Healy explained, Abreu-Gerez’s actions show a “pattern that mirrors the system at large: violence against Black men.”

“For being Black, the NYPD will assault you, beat you, right before unlawfully arresting and detaining you,” she continued. “Such was the case when Conrado and ten other police officers attacked Isaiah Day in 2021. It was proven that Conrado and the other officers then lied to the district attorney’s office to justify their actions – as if the violence wasn’t enough.”

After speaking out in front of the killer cop’s new home, activists plastered “wanted” posters around the surrounding area, featuring information on Abreu-Gerez’s crimes, as well as an image of his department portrait. This brought even more opportunities for one-on-one conversations with the community, which were overwhelmingly positive.

The weekend action comes ahead of a planned picket in front of the 71st NYPD Precinct, where Abreu-Gerez works, on September 24 at 6 p.m.

#NewYorkNY #NY #NYC #InjusticeSystem #KillerCop #EudesPierre #CornadoAbreuGerez

New York, NY – On September 18, members of the Students for a Democratic Society at NYU held a speakout as part of a national week of action to oppose the “Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act” (HR 4795), which was recently passed by the U.S. House of Representatives. If the bill becomes law, it will strip federal funding from universities that divest from the state of Israel.

The speakout took place in front of Gould Plaza, the site of the 2024 NYU Palestine Solidarity Encampments. Hundreds of students, faculty and community members rallied during the encampments to demand NYU to divest from Israel and shut down the study-away site at Tel Aviv.

In response to the encampment, NYU called the NYPD who arrested 130 people and brutalized many. Afterwards, the university closed off the plaza to the public and constructed a wall to restrict protests on the plaza.

Students chanted, “We want justice, you say how? Disclose, divest right now!” And “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!” People passing by expressed their support for the protesters by chanting along or pumping their fists in the air. Many stopped by to take photos and videos.

Patrick Reddy, member of SDS, spoke to the necessity to oppose the bill and highlighted the repression of protesters by NYU, stating, “We are the students. We pay tuition, we attend classes, we conduct research, and we make up this university community. Our tuition and our presence are part of what allows this institution to function.”

Reddy continued, “And we deserve to have a say in the decisions it makes. I know it can sometimes feel like we're up against something so much bigger than ourselves, between the federal government and NYU's own administration. But we are not powerless.”

Zaara Ahmed, of SDS stated, “We have to demand that our tuition and our university not be used to support institutions and systems that we believe contribute to Palestinian suffering. And we have to defend our right to organize for those demands, even when powerful institutions tell us that we should stop.”

#NewYorkNY #NY #StudentMovement #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #Israel #SDS

New York, NY—On September 9, a motion was filed for Venezuela’s First Lady Cilia Flores, petitioning for her release from the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC), and for her to be instead placed under house arrest in New York City, due to the severity of her heart condition.

After she and President Nicolás Maduro were illegally kidnapped by the U.S. in January of this year, her health has rapidly deteriorated throughout her imprisonment.

First Lady Flores is the 69-year-old wife of Venezuelan President Maduro and a sitting deputy of the Venezuelan National Assembly. She was lead attorney for Hugo Chávez’s defense, securing his release from prison in 1994, and emerged throughout the 1990s and 2000s as a key figure in the victory of the Bolivarian Revolution. She was the first woman to serve as president of the National Assembly, from 2006 to 2011, before becoming attorney general of Venezuela from 2012 to 2013. In 2017, she was once again elected to the National Assembly. Throughout her career, she has remained a staunch defender of human rights and the achievements of the Bolivarian Revolution.

According to court documents, she was in good health before the illegal U.S. invasion of Venezuela, in which the U.S. abducted her and Maduro from their home in Caracas and killed over 100 people. Now, after eight months imprisoned at the MDC, she suffers recurring chest pains, has lost two molars, has lost more than 25 pounds, and likely suffered a minor heart attack on July 29.

The MDC is notorious for horrific conditions. Detainees go weeks without seeing the sky or breathing fresh air. Power and water cut out, sometimes for up to a week at a time. And there is a well-documented pattern of medical neglect. In one case, cited by Federal Judge Jesse Furman in a January 2024 decision on conditions at the MDC, the jail refused to transport an inmate for surgery to repair his broken cheekbone; when he finally received surgery, his cheek had to be rebroken. In another case in 2024, a man named Terrence Wise died in custody after months of medical neglect let his lung cancer proliferate unchecked. This context makes Flores’s fragile health all the more alarming.

In the last eight months while imprisoned, Flores has experienced palpitations, elevated heart-rate, chest tightness, chest pain and fatigue. On July 29, her lawyers believe she had a minor heart attack when she reported intense pressure on her chest and a shortness of breath. She is able to sleep only three or four hours a night and suffers asthma attacks when the MDC guards use pepper spray against other prisoners.

The MDC medical staff has recommended that she undergo cardiac surgery. But under the conditions at the MDC, recovery from such a surgery is unthinkable.

The medical neglect Flores faces is not accidental. Rather, it must be understood as part of the U.S. government’s strategy to punish Maduro, Flores and Venezuela for withstanding U.S. imperialism.

The U.S. government’s total disregard for Flores’ health has been apparent since it first abducted her. At her first hearing on January 5, it was reported that Flores appeared with wounds on her forehead – the new motion reveals further detail. The U.S. government was almost certainly aware that, at the time of the invasion and abduction on January 3, Flores was still in recovery from a recent total hysterectomy and had been ordered by her doctors to limit movement for three months. Despite this, when the U.S. military invaded her home, she was thrown against a wall or a dresser, causing the injuries to her forehead, which required some 20 stitches and left her with permanent scarring.

This violence, like the medical neglect she now faces, is violence against a woman who has dedicated her life to fighting for her people and standing against imperialism and intervention. It should be met with outrage from all progressive and imperialist forces. It is not enough for Flores to be merely released under house arrest; the charges against her must be dismissed, and she must be freed once and for all.

Across the country, member organizations of the Anti-War Action Network are mobilizing on October 3 to say no to U.S. intervention in Venezuela and to free Maduro and free Flores! Visit www.antiwaractionnetwork.org/ to find an organization near you and get involved.

#NewYorkNY #NY #AntiWarMovement #International #Venezuela #CiliaFlores #Maduro #AWAN

New York, NY – On September 10, students from New York University Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) rallied outside NYU’s D’Agostino Hall on September 10 to protest the appearance of Jim Campbell, chief legal counsel of the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF).

Campbell came to NYU to speak in support of the Supreme Court’s June decision concerning state restrictions on transgender athletes’ participation in women and girls’ sports. The ADF has been designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Throughout the afternoon, protesters chanted, “Say it loud, say it clear, Campbell’s not welcome here!” and “Out of the closet, into the streets!” The chants reflected protesters’ opposition to Campbell’s appearance and their belief that providing a platform to speakers advocating restrictions on transgender rights does not represent the values of many students on campus.

Students and passersby stopped to watch the demonstration, with some taking photos and videos, listening to speeches, or joining the chants. Others expressed their support for the protesters.

During the rally, NYU SDS member Zaara Ahmed asked the crowd, “Does this represent us?” Protesters responded with a resounding “No!” Ahmed then asked, “Do we want to provide a platform to someone whose work advocates to remove trans people from public life?” Again, protesters answered in unison.

The exchange captured the central message of the demonstration: protesters argued that NYU’s decision to platform Campbell conflicts with their vision of a campus where transgender students can live and participate in public life without discrimination.

NYU SDS member and rally emcee Ebtesham Ahmed emphasized that the fight would not end with the demonstration, stating that “we will continue to fight back against transphobes on our campus.” They stressed the importance of continuing to defend transgender rights and connected the present struggle to the history of transgender people being pushed into hiding and excluded from public life.

As the rally came to a close, protesters returned to their chants while organizers called on students to stay organized. The demonstration ended with a message that the fight against restrictions on transgender rights, and against the platforming of speakers who protesters view as advocating those restrictions, would continue beyond this rally.

#NewYorkNY #NY #StudentMovement #LGBTQ #SDS

New York City, NY – On the evening of September 9, organizers from the New York Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression organized a speakout at city hall to protest a spike in killings by the NYPD. In less than a week, officers gunned Pamela Cisneros in Times Square and Chaun Bottom on the Brooklyn Bridge. The NYPD has shot and killed eight people so far in 2026, after a record high of 13 shot and killed in 2025.

The speakout began with chants of “Justice for Chaun Bottom” and “When Black lives are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!”

Almost immediately, two officers from the NYPD Community Affairs Bureau ordered organizers to stop using amplified sound, threatening to confiscate equipment and issue summons. Along with a beat cop and two plainclothes officers, police remained nearby, blocking access to a Citi Bike station. The New York Alliance continued to chant and speak out, drawing a crowd at City Hall Park.

The speakout identified a pattern of justification for unilateral violence by police; for both Cisneros and Bottom, the NYPD described them posthumously as mentally unwell.

Ruby Doswell, speaking for the New York Alliance, said that the NYPD pushes forward the narrative that officers had no choice but to use deadly force, but then “delays or refuses to release body cam footage and keeps the investigation internal.”

In many cases, the family and loved ones of those shot by police dispute the NYPD narrative. The Daily News reported that Chaun Bottom’s mother was shocked to hear the NYPD’s description of her son, given he had no history of mental health struggles.

The NYPD has been consistent in its approach to control the narrative around people they shoot and kill. They refuse to identify the deceased or release body camera footage. The Office of the Deputy Commissioner, Public Information (DCPI) stages a press conference with a prepared statement that blames the deceased and uses consistent language to paint them as dangerous. When police are found later to have lied, there are rarely consequences.

The New York Alliance was joined by organizers from We The People NYC, a mutual aid collective based in Harlem and Bed-Stuy. Relly Rebel, speaking on behalf of We the People, called out city hall’s meek response to police misconduct, saying, “They are playing in our faces.”

No matter the party affiliation of the mayor or city council members, the police have remained one of the most powerful political forces in the city. The NYPD has brutalized and murdered Black and brown New Yorkers under every administration since its founding.

Daniel Koh of the New York Alliance described the NYPD as “a powerful enemy, one that we have seen city hall and the mayor’s office hesitate to stand up to. But the people will hold Mayor Mamdani accountable to his campaign promises about public safety!”

The New York Alliance will continue to fight for community control of the police, which would elect a community board with full authority to determine rules, budget, and discipline of corrupt and killer cops.

#NewYorkNY #NY #InjusticeSystem #KillerCop #NYPD #NYAARPR #ChaunBottom

New York, NY – 50 activists gathered outside of the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, on Thursday, September 3, to protest the ongoing detention of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores. Attendees represented a broad coalition of New York organizations fighting against U.S. Intervention in Venezuela, including Brooklyn Against War, Workers World Party, Black Alliance for Peace, Venceremos Brigade, and the Venezuela Solidarity Network.

Attendees held signs demanding freedom for the kidnapped Venezuelan president and first lady and joined in chants like “Free the prisoners, free them all! Free Maduro from these walls!” and “We will say it every time! U.S. sanctions are a crime!”

The protest occurred the day after motions were filed to dismiss the charges against Maduro and Flores. In the motions, the lawyers for Maduro and Flores maintain their innocence of the charges against them and further argue that the couple are immune from prosecution since they are the president and first lady of Venezuela. At the rally, speakers from multiple organizations pointed out that should the charges not be dismissed, this opens the door for the U.S. to pursue similar strategies of illegal imprisonment and prosecution against the leaders of other sovereign nations.

Speaking on behalf of Brooklyn Against War, Briony Smith said, “We know that this prosecution is baseless. We know it’s fabricated. And we know it’s illegal. But we also know that we are up against an administration rank with dangerous absurdity and hypocrisy. So, we’re going to keep fighting, and we’re going to be loud enough that the people of Venezuela can hear us, so that they know that we have not forgotten them, that we have not turned our backs on them, and that we will keep fighting until President Maduro and First Lady Flores are free!”

Protesters will return to the MDC on October 3, at 2 p.m. as part of the Anti-War Action Network’s National Day of Action against U.S. Intervention in Venezuela. The activists also vowed to rally outside the federal courthouse in Manhattan in support of Maduro and Flores on November 17, when the court will hear oral arguments to dismiss the charges.

#NewYorkNY #NY #AntiWarMovement #Venezuela #Maduro #CiliaFlores

New York, NY – On September 4, at Washington Square Park, members of the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) at NYU rallied to demand, “No ICE on campus!” and “Sanctuary campus now!”

Protesters chanted, “Say it once, say it twice! We will not put up with ICE!” and “When Immigrants are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!” People passing by the rally took photos and videos of the action, some staying to listen to speeches or chant along. Many offered support to the protesters. 

Zaara Ahmed, a member of SDS and emcee, began, “We are rallying here today to fight back against the violence perpetrated by ICE across this country every single day,” emphasizing, “Systemic change does not come from one moment or one rally. To see justice, the fight must be continuous. We organize because survival depends on it because silence is not neutrality. Silence is permission.” 

Laynee Jade, a student activist at NYU, spoke about the revocation of Temporary Protected Status for hundreds of thousands of Haitian immigrants. “Right now, there is one bill left that will restore TPS for Haitians and that is Senate Bill S4814. So, call your senator and ask them to vote on it. We can stop the deportation of 350,000 people,” adding, “By the end of this year, Trump will have plans to deport every single group, and it is up to us whether or not we’re going to allow that.”

Ebtesham Ahmed, also with NYU SDS, ended the rally, “People all throughout the country are not taking ICE’s terror sitting down. We are fighting and it has got the folks in the Trump administration shitting their pants. It is a reminder to them that the power of the people is greater than the people in power.” Ahmed also said, “That is why we got to bring that fight here to NYU. Seeing the detentions of students across campuses in the country, it is important that we fight to make sure our community here is safe. That is why we are demanding a sanctuary campus at NYU.”

Protesters chanted to end the rally. Organizers directed protesters to attend SDS’ new members meeting, emphasizing the importance of organizing and fighting back against NYU and the Trump administration.

#NewYorkNY #NY #NYC #NYU #StudentMovement #ImmigrantRights #ICE #SanctuaryCampus

New York, NY – A new, militant group of rank-and-file unionists formed within the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) this week, called “ASAP – Alliance of Substitutes and Paraprofessionals”.

The new group, mainly consisting of members of the union’s reform caucus MORE (Movement of Rank-and-File Educators), was formed to meet a pressing need in the union. In the NYC Department of Education, substitute teachers, paraprofessionals and substitute paraprofessionals are the most neglected workers. So, union members are banding together to change this. In addition, the inequality in pay and conditions takes on a nationality, racial, and gendered character with many substitutes and most paraprofessionals being Black, Latino, immigrant and women.

While there are some groups which exist within the union to address certain specific issues that affect these education workers, such as Fix Para Pay, ASAP hopes to be the rank and file led option which really engages in militant fights on these issues.

Paraprofessionals are in the news lately, for many reasons. Most recently, Mayor Mamdani decided to sue NYC City Council for passing the Para RESPECT Check bill into law, which will provide a $10,000 bonus check for paras, which the UFT has been pushing for over the last two years. Additionally, the city’s Teacher Retirement System (TRS) attacked para retirees by demanding they make huge repayments due to a miscalculation on the part of TRS. Thankfully, this attack was partially routed by the UFT’s response via its legal team.

Meanwhile, substitutes do not have proper representation in the union. Most titles, such as teachers, social workers and paras, have their own chapters, whether based in the school or otherwise. Substitutes have no chapter of their own, which means there is no mechanism to formally represent their collective voice. Also, substitutes do not have representation on UFT’s executive board or at its delegate assembly, the union’s primary decision-making body.

Claude Copland, a member of ASAP and a substitute teacher in the Bronx, said, “As a long-term substitute teacher for almost five years now, I look forward to working with other subs and paras to help build a union that does not take any title for granted and wants to see the best outcomes for all their members.”

The Alliance of Subs and Paras vows to build the fight around these kinds of issues and will be holding related events.

ASAP is hosting a Para Town Hall, where paraprofessionals can gather to give their voice on what course of action to take with the recent lawsuit from the city against city council’s Para RESPECT Check. The event will take place over Zoom on September 16, at 6 p.m.

For more about the Alliance of Subs and Paras, follow them at: @nycsubparaalliance on Instagram.

#NewYorkNY #NY #NYC #Labor #UnitedFederationOfTeachers #Teachers

New York, NY – On August 15, over 100 people gathered in the heart of Times Square, near the Army Recruiting Office, to mark Korean Liberation Day. The protest was organized by Nodutdol and Bayan USA.

Korean Liberation Day is a celebration of the Korean resistance rising up and overthrowing Japanese imperialism on August 15, 1945. Since that day, it has become a yearly celebration to remember the militancy of the Korean people against imperialism and occupation.

For this protest, Nodutdol and Bayan demanded “U.S. out of Korea” and an end to the Pacific war. The United States has long engaged in violent meddling and intervention in South Korea to oppose North Korea. Additionally, weapon trade and war games in the region have escalated deaths of civilians.

A speaker from Nodutdol said, “My grandmother lived through the Korean War as a young girl. The U.S. claims to have saved Korea, but my grandmother and the millions of civilians killed would say otherwise. We cannot hear the voices of the dead, but we must hear the voices of the living!”

Next, the action marched to the Philippines Consulate, where a speaker from Anakbayan told of the complicity of the Philippines government in the oppression of its people both in the U.S. and at home. They went on to share how Filipino and Korean people are both affected in similar ways by U.S. imperialism, the military presence in their homelands, and “war games” conducted by the U.S., Philippines and South Korea, to imitate acts of war against China and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

Protesters marched to a corporate office for Hanwha, a South Korean weapons profiteer that also makes deals with the government of the Philippines. A speaker from the Philadelphia Alliance Against Imperialism explained how Hanwha has recently expanded its operations in the nearby city, directly profiting from U.S. imperialism’s warmongering and forcing its workers to endure dangerous and even deadly conditions.

Throughout the rally and march, protesters chanted, “No boots on the ground, no bombs in the air, U.S. out of everywhere!” and “From Korea to the Philippines, stop the U.S. war machine.”

#NewYorkNY #NY #NYC #Korea #USOutofKorea #Nodutdol #BayanUSA #AntiWarMovement #KoreanLiberationDay #Feature

New York, NY – On July 29, over 150 people rallied outside of New York City’s Philippine consulate for the annual People’s State of the Nation Address (PSONA), presenting the people’s assessment of the Marcos Jr. administration and demanding justice for Filipino immigrant workers and an end to political repression.

The rally took place with an added sense of urgency after community member Kuya Raul was taken by ICE two nights before the demonstration. Throughout the afternoon, protesters repeatedly chanted “Free Kuya Raul” and “Justice for Kuya Raul!” linking his detention to the broader struggle against anti-immigrant policy and state repression.

A member of the Malaya movement asked the crowd, “Do we think he’s [Marcos Jr] telling the truth?” Protesters answered with a loud “No!” Do we think he knows the realities of the Filipino people?” Once again, the crowd responded in unison. The exchange reflected the central message of the People’s State of the Nation Address: that the experiences of workers, immigrants and poor communities stand in sharp contrast to the image presented by the Marcos administration.

Speakers from Migrante, Gabriela and Anakbayan connected the conditions faced by Filipinos in the Philippines with the struggles of immigrant communities in the United States, emphasizing that poverty, displacement, labor exploitation and state repression cannot be separated from attacks on migrants abroad.

Speakers from Nodutdol and JUPI connected the struggles to their own national liberation struggles in Korea and Puerto Rico, emphasizing the need for international solidarity. Participants carried signs and banners calling for justice, chanted throughout the march, and called on passersby to stand in solidarity with the Filipino people.

Among the day’s most emotional speeches was that of Kuya Raul’s son, who stated, “He needs to be home,” he told the crowd. “He is the breadwinner of our family.”

After the rally, demonstrators marched towards the Ceberus building, bringing their demands beyond the Philippine Consulate. Chants of “Justice for Kuya Raul!” echoed alongside calls for justice for the Filipino people, drawing the attention of pedestrians and motorists while demonstrating the unity of the coalition assembled for this year’s PSONA.

As the march concluded, organizers reaffirmed their commitment to continuing the struggle for genuine democracy and justice for the Filipino people while calling for Kuya Raul’s release.

#NewYorkNY #NY #International #Philippines

Last week on July 1, Nadia Topete, an immigrant rights activist and organizer with Centro CSO, was issued a grand jury subpoena by police in Los Angeles. By now, it’s clear the purpose of this grand jury is to investigate and harass organizers who mobilized to resist ICE oppression in Los Angeles last summer.

The New York Alliance is proud to stand in solidarity with Nadia and all other immigrant rights organizers facing this vile repression throughout the country, which we condemn in the strongest possible terms. Repression against activists takes many forms, and the grand jury is one of the key legal tools weaponized against organized movements.

Grand juries are secret proceedings often used against activists in order to criminalize dissent and weaken our movements. 

Nadia was first subpoenaed to testify in June, and now they’ve come for her again. It’s clear this grand jury is being called to pressure Nadia into talking about last summer’s anti-ICE protests — which led to bogus conspiracy charges against fellow organizer Alejandro Orellana that were later dropped. 

We demand that US Attorney Bilal Essayli and assistant US Attorney Michael Wheat drop the grand jury investigation now! 

Hands off Nadia! 

End repression of all immigration activists!

#NewYorkNY #NY #NYC #NYAARPR #NadiaTopete #ImmigrantRights #PoliticalRepression

NYC, NY – On June 28, beginning in Union Square, Manhattan, thousands participated in the annual Queer Liberation March.

The event is an alternative to the Pride march and gives the radical and militant activists in the LGBTQ community the opportunity to organize away from the corporate sponsors of Pride.

The annual march always hosts a large array of progressive, leftist and revolutionary organizations who uphold the militant legacy of 1969 Stonewall Riots, where the LGBTQ community of NYC’s Village fought back fiercely against violent police raids.

One organization present at the march was Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), which led a contingent of 700 people at its height.

Chants included “Out of the closet and into the streets, no justice, no peace!” “We will not be quiet, Stonewall was a fucking riot!” “Say it loud and say it clear, ICE and feds ain’t welcome here!” Flags showing solidarity with Palestine and Lebanon were also present.

The march went from Union Square to the ICE headquarters at 26 Federal Plaza, showing solidarity with immigrants detained by ICE.

A participant in the march and member of FRSO, Shivani Ishwar, said, “The cause of queer liberation is much bigger than a corporate Pride parade. We understand that all rights that queer and trans people have were earned in blood. The system is trying to claw back those rights, with crackdowns on queer and trans communities nationwide, along with the terror being unleashed on immigrants by ICE and the feds. We recognize that we must continue to stand together in militant solidarity, to protect those rights and to win our demand for liberation. Until all of us are free, no one is, and that goes for every community under attack by the Trump administration and U.S. imperialism.”

#NewYorkNY #NY #NYC #LGBTQ #Pride #Stonewall #ImmigrantRights

NYC, NY – On the steps of Tweed Courthouse in Lower Manhattan, at least 200 unionized teachers and community members gathered June 4 to demand the New York City Department of Education provide more protections from ICE for immigrant students.

June 4 was “Chancellor’s Day” and DoE officials, like Chancellor Kamar Samuels, gathered at Tweed Courthouse for meetings and for professional development. The activists chose this day and location to pressure them while they were inside the building.

The plans for the rally began with a small grassroots group of educators in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, where ICE attacks on immigrant students and their families have been extremely prevalent. The organizers then brought the idea to the NYC Immigration Coalition, a group of local progressive non-profits, which includes Hands Off NYC, which then took up the call and helped organize the event.

They also brought the call to the Movement of Rank and File Educators, MORE, the reform caucus within the teachers union, the UFT. Members of MORE brought numbers and militancy to the event, providing signs with slogans like “DOE: We demand support for immigrants” and “DOE must act now to support immigrant families.”

MORE activist and Sunset Park teacher Caitlin Cahill, one of the original organizers of the event, said, “Schools are such natural places for organizing to happen, and in this case, teachers came together organically because we could see the need. We saw what was happening to our students and parents in our communities. The UFT helped to get the ball rolling with training on creating a School-based Plan to Support Immigrant Students and Families. This gave us an initial framework to work from. Then, I looked to MORE for guidance on rally support and amplification of our message because MORE knows what grassroots organizing looks like and shows up.”

The leadership of the UFT also officially endorsed the rally, which helped build up the numbers of union members in the crowd. Katie Kurjakovich, the UFT’s English language learners specialist, gave a speech on what the UFT is doing to protect immigrant students and teachers, including the Know Your Rights trainings that they have been providing.

The organizers delivered a petition demanding more centralized guidance, funding, and training to protect immigrant students, signed by more than 2000 people, to the DoE officials exiting the building.

nJess Mary, another MORE organizer and teacher, said, “Myself and fellow teachers attended the rally to make demands of the mayor's office and the DOE to protect our immigrant communities. Our union has the power to put pressure on educational leadership to protect us and our students. The protections for our immigrant students, coworkers, families and communities cannot wait.”

#NewYorkNY #NY #Teachers #Education #ImmigrantRights

New York, NY – On June 4, New Yorkers protested outside of the annual New York City Police Foundation Gala at the Intrepid Museum in Manhattan, where billionaires representing some of the top financial, tech and political dynasties in New York City gathered to donate millions of dollars to the New York Police Department.

The crowd of 75 protesters, led by the New York Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NYAARPR), shamed each gala attendee as they arrived, chanting “Blood on your hands!”

The New York City Police Foundation is a 501©(3) non-profit which funnels millions of dollars each year into the already bloated NYPD budget. The money goes to programs which surveil communities, pilot new technologies, and extend the reach of the NYPD.

For example, one of the foundation’s principal programs is the International Liaison program, which establishes NYPD offices in cities across the world, including in Tel Aviv. Additionally, donors who attend the gala tend to get massive contracts with the NYPD These include companies like surveillance giant Palantir, and Motorola, the company supplying cops with their radios. Both have made huge contributions at the gala which have turned into major contracts with the NYPD.

The protesters assembled outside of the gala to demand a public police force that does not function like a private piggy bank for billionaires, but that is accountable to the people of New York City. At the protest, NYAARPR demanded: No funding for killer cops; community control, not billionaire control; and justice for Eudes Pierre and all victims of police violence.

Speakers at the rally included representatives of NYU Students for a Democratic Society, Brooklyn Against War, Adolfina, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and the Coalition for Justice for Eudes Pierre.

Sheina Banatte, cousin of Eudes Pierre, who was killed by the NYPD in December 2021, said, “The money being wasted to fund racism and corruption here at this gala can best be spent in the community places and spaces that can truly benefit people, families, community and quality of life.” She continued, “We will keep fighting for community control of the police, justice for Eudes Pierre, and justice for all stolen lives.”

After the program concluded, protesters tore open several pig head effigies, scattering red paint splattered money in the street to symbolize the blood money raised at the gala. The protest then marched through the streets of Manhattan chanting, “NYPD kills on patrol! How do we stop them? Community control!”

#NewYorkNY #NY #NYC #InjusticeSystem #NYPD #PeoplesStruggles

Brooklyn, NY – on the evening of June 3, around two dozen New Yorkers gathered outside the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn to stand in solidarity with Cuba and Venezuela and against the ongoing aggression from the United States.

The Trump administration has charged Raul Castro, the former president of Cuba, with murder in connection to the downing of civilian planes in 1996. These charges are bogus. They are an escalation of the U.S. attacks on Latin America that began last year when the Trump administration set its eyes on Venezuela.

The day also marked the fifth month since President Maduro and First Lady Flores were kidnapped from their home. The Trump administration launched a bombing operation on Venezuela on January 3 where close to 100 people were killed, including 32 Cuban bodyguards.

The action had a high energy and there were many organizations in attendance, such as Black Alliance for Peace, Bronx Antiwar, Palavar Collective, and Brooklyn Against War.

Joe Lombard from the United National Antiwar Coalition gave a speech discussing the importance of solidarity and standing up to U.S. imperialism.

Katrina Kozarek from Brooklyn Against War stated, “We will continue to resist systems of oppression here in the U.S. and to do so, we must also reject and stand up against U.S. oppression and complicity against the peoples of the Caribbean, South America, Palestine, Iran and everywhere. We demand an end to all U.S. sanctions against Cuba and Venezuela now! Free President Maduro and Cilia Flores – we demand they be returned safe and sound to their homeland!”

The organizers will return to the courthouse for President Maduro and First Lady Flores’ hearing on June 30.

#NewYorkNY #NY #NYC #Cuba #Venezuela #AntiWarMovement #PeoplesStruggles

This was the first LIRR strike since 1994. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority of New York (MTA) failed to bargain in good faith, according to the rail unions involved, and workers hadn’t received a raise since 2022. The MTA offered a wage proposal that would have resulted in a 2.8% loss in real wages because of rising inflation. The workers demanded a 16% wage increase over three years. This set wages up to be one of the main issues at the bargaining table, along with changes to work rules.

The striking workers were represented by five different unions: the Teamsters-affiliated Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen (BLET), the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the Transportation Communications Union. Together, those unions represent 55% of the unionized workforce at the Long Island Rail Road.

Although the details of the tentative agreement have not been publicly shared, BLET Vice President Kevin Sexton stated, “After years of negotiations, we've finally received an agreement that reflects the value our members bring to this railroad.”

The strike began at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, May 16, with 24 picket locations across Long Island and Manhattan. The process to get to the strike was very long, including years of negotiations, mediation from the National Mediation Board, and two Presidential Emergency Boards. This long and bureaucratic process comes from the Railway Labor Act, which applies to the airline and railroad industries and often seeks to prevent militant strikes in those important logistics fields.

In this case, the federal mediators sided, in a non-binding decision, with the union’s demands for real wage increases.

Democratic New York Governor Kathy Hochul was a key anti-worker politician throughout the fight. She has significant power over the MTA and appointed its CEO Janno Lieber. Hochul insisted that raises would lead to an 8% increase in fares. However, she and Lieber have now said that there will be no increase to fares or taxes since the strike was settled.

The tentative agreement is currently being reviewed and voted on by union workers. This was a significant rail strike and as such has been watched closely by other transit union workers, wondering if this may set a new precedent in union negotiations across the railroad and transit industries.

#NewYorkNY #NY #Labor #LIRR #MTA

New York, NY – Community members joined together at Washington Square Park on Friday, May 16, in remembrance of the 78th anniversary of the Nakba, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were murdered, maimed and permanently displaced from their homes, by Israel.

The rally kicked off under the Washington Square Arch with chants of “Zionism has got to go” and “Israel bombs, USA pays.” Shortly after the afternoon Asr prayer, the roughly 500 attendees began a march through Manhattan, uniting around slogans like “From Palestine to the Philippines, stop the U.S. war machine!”

The rally and march were organized by New York-based Palestinian group Within Our Lifetime, with contingents led by groups like the Muslim American Society and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization. Also in attendance were members from Brooklyn Against War, Al-Awda, and the New York Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, as well as a contingent of Orthodox Jewish protesters led by Rabbi Dovid Feldman.

Together, attendees helped unfurl a massive Palestinian flag, which they carried through the streets of Manhattan for several hours until the Maghrib sunset prayer at Times Square, where the march ended.

Before the march, Within Our Lifetime cofounder Nerdeen Kiswani told the crowd that “the state of Israel and Zionism must be abolished.”

“I do not and will never recognize Israel's so-called right to exist,” Kiswani continued. “It has no right to exist.”

Shivani Ishwar, member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, concurred. “We acknowledge the 78 years the Palestinians have been oppressed, and unable to return to their homes,” Ishwar said. “We support a full right to return, we support the cause of a liberated Palestine free from Israeli settlers, free from genocide, and free from repression.”

#NewYorkNY #NY #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #Nakba