Oakland, CA – Cientos de jóvenes se reunieron en Oakland, California para tomar parte en la conferencia de Fuerza Juvenil. El evento tomó lugar el 6 de Marzo de este año, en la preparatoria Freemont. Cientos de estudiantes se reunieron en las sesiones plenarias. Sus demandas incluyeron, la eliminación del sistema judicial que criminaliza a la juventud, en su lugar piden que se establezca un programa de educación popular que se enfoca en las necesidades de la comunidad. Una estudiante sintetizó las frustraciones de nuestra juventud al declarar que “una cárcel o no se puede corregir o un sistema injusto que criminaliza a la juventud no se puede corregir, solo debe ser destruido tornillo por tornillo, poco a poco,” expreso la estudiante carismática Sra. Simon. Algunos de los grupos de juventud que asistieron la conferencia fueron El Movimiento Ollin, El Movimiento Del Tercer Ojo, Juventud Organizando Comunidades, La Nueva Raza Izquierda, y Fuerza Juvenil. Los jóvenes decidieron protestar en la convención demócrata que tomará lugar el 13 de Agosto en Los Angeles y continuar reuniéndose para crear un movimiento en todo el estado guiado por la juventud.
Hace ocho años comenzó una celebración en Chicago que sigue creciendo y mejorando. Se llama La Cena de Dar Gracias del Pueblo. Durante esta celebración damos gracias y reconocemos a la gente quien lucha para justicia y tambien conmemoramos la lucha que continue contra la opresión. Esta cena anual comenzó en 1992, el año del 500 anniversario de la colonización de las Americas. La cena es nuestra respuesta a la 'celebración' equivocada de la destrucción que trajó Cristobal Colon a las Americas.
New Orleans, LA – Instead of the usual Independence Day celebrations, over 350 New Orleans residents and activists gathered at the St. Bernard Housing Project in the Ninth Ward district to demand the right to return to their homes and to voice their opposition to the Iraq war.
More than 250 activists formed a ‘Shame on Bush’ human chain in front of the U.S. embassy in Brussels, Belgium, Sept. 23 to protest the Bush’s handling of the Katrina disaster and the war on Iraq. A statement from the organizers, the coalition StopUSA, said the demonstrators, “Wanted to symbolically encircle the U.S. embassy – as the peace movement in the United States is preparing to encircle the White House on Saturday, Sept. 24 – in protest against the war on Iraq and against the Bush administration’s attitude in the Katrina disaster.”
Chicago, IL – 10 de Septiembre Ricardo Jimenez fue el primer Independista que habló al publico atendiendo. Hubo mas de 300 personas. La bienvenida de los patriotas, quien lucharon valientmente contra la colonazación Estadounidense de Puerto Rico, duró desde las 6 hasta las 11:30 de la noche. Organizada primeramente por palabra de boca, fue impresionante que mas gente vinó durante la tarde para participar en este momento historico y alegre da la comunidad Puertoriqueña. La gente escuchó unas palabras conmovientes de Ricardo Jimenez, “La lucha para independencia sigue.” Despues durante la tarde tres otros Independistas liberados hablaron: Alejandrina Torres, Alberto Rodriguez, y Luis Rosa.
Minneapolis, MN – March 27, more than 60 protest continued sanctions and bombing attacks on Iraq. Since the crisis in December, the US has bombed over 60 times, and sanctions have killed tens of thousands of civilians. For about an hour, protesters handed out leaflets and carried signs and banners at this Uptown picket line. Ending with a short rally, speakers denounced the almost daily bombing of Iraq, and the ever-growing death toll caused by US/UN sanctions. They also called on the anti-war movement to mobilize to stop the war on Yugoslavia.
Chapel Hill, NC – A 16-day sit-in at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) administration building came to a dramatic close on Friday May 2, when Chancellor Moeser ordered UNC police to arrest five of the protesters. It was the longest sit-in protest in UNC’s history. Dozens of students had occupied the lobby of South Building, the administrative headquarters at UNC, in a protest against the university’s use of sweatshops for the manufacture of UNC apparel (Sit-in at administration building demands end to UNC sweatshop clothing, Fight Back!, April 2008).
Opposition to Bush’s war plans is growing. Momentum has continued to build since Oct. 26, when 200,000 people demonstrated in Washington D.C. against the war threats on Iraq. Up to mid-October, there were at least 400 major demonstrations. Since then, the anti-war movement has been expanding and actions are taking place on a daily basis.
Los Angeles, CA – Chanting, “Regents, regents, can’t you see? You’re creating poverty!” 16 student activists from UCLA Students for a Democratic Society, the UCLA Student Worker Front and other University of California campuses temporarily brought a meeting of the University of California Regents to a halt May 14 to protest a hike in student fees. The students locked arms and continued chanting until they were physically removed by UC police officers. All were charged with misdemeanor counts of failing to disperse.
Students for a Democratic Society held their Third National Convention this summer in College Park, Maryland. The event drew over 120 students from across the country. At the top of the agenda was the need to pass and implement a national structure. In the past three years SDS has grown into one of the largest student and youth organizations in the U.S., with over one hundred chapters. Most focus their activity against the U.S. war in Iraq. For example last March over 90 SDS chapters and endorsing student groups participated in a SDS-initiated week of action against the U.S. occupation of Iraq. This became the largest coordinated student antiwar protest since the Vietnam War.
