San Francisco, CA – Chanting “Free Wen Ho Lee!” more than 150 people rallied in front of the San Francisco Federal Building, June 8, for a National Day of Action to protest the government's persecution of Dr. Wen Ho Lee. Dr. Lee was an employee of Los Alamos National Laboratory, which designs and builds nuclear weapons. He was jailed and charged with providing an unnamed foreign power with information on atomic weapons.

Bloomington, MN – Youth Against War and Racism (YAWR) activists were disciplined here Jan. 10 for educating their fellow students at Thomas Jefferson High School. They distributed literature and did guerilla theater to advertise for the Jan. 11 international day of protest to shut down the U.S. prison for ‘terror suspects’ at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The student activists decided to mobilize for the Minneapolis demonstration and to table at their high school the day before the protest to increase awareness about the torture, abuse and lack of due process for detainees at Guantanamo.

Los Angeles, CA – Dozens of protesters gathered outside the CBS studios in west Los Angeles, July 24, to protest Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, who was on set for an episode of HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher. A picket line marched at the studio’s entrances, accompanied by musicians. Demonstrators denounced Napolitano, the former governor of Arizona, for her support of the racist, anti-immigrant Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Arizona.  The National Day Laborer Organizing Network organized the demonstration.

East Los Angeles, CA – December 11, 60 young people, activists and organizers, met at the kick-off conference against Proposition 21. The purpose was to plan the strategy and actions against the racist, anti-youth ballot initiative called the Gang Violence and Juvenile Crime Prevention Act (Proposition 21). Californians will vote on the measure March 7.

Chicago, IL – Ricardo Jimenez was the first newly freed Independista to speak to the 300 strong rally, welcoming home the patriots who were jailed for fighting against the U.S. colonization of Puerto Rico. Jimenez told the cheering crowd “the struggle for independence continues!”

Protesters looking for change in 2007

St Paul, MN – New Year’s Eve, an evening typically shared and celebrated with our loved ones was overshadowed this year as the death toll of U.S. soldiers serving in the Iraq war reached 3000. About 300 protesters gathered in Minneapolis at the Lake Street/Marshall Avenue Bridge that spans the Mississippi River between Minneapolis and St. Paul on the evening of Jan.1. It was one of 300 other organized events across the country.

Los Angeles, CA – Philippine President Estrada was repeatedly hit with demonstrations during his visit to U.S. cities this summer. Protesters charged that he is a tool of U.S. corporations and Washington D.C., and he has betrayed the interests of the Philippino people.

Asheville, NC – One hundred students gathered on the steps of the University of North Carolina-Asheville’s (UNCA) Ramsey library today to protest against the administration cutting days out of the 2009-2010 academic calendar. With banners reading “Transparency now!” and chanting, “Let the students have your say, give us back our reading day!” students rallied for accountability, transparency and more student participation in decisions that affect them and the university community. The Coalition for Education Rights, made up of several campus organizations including Students for a Democratic Society, Student Government Association and HOLA (Hispanic Outreach for Learning and Awareness) organized the action.

Minneapolis, MN – The Hennepin County Sheriff's officers knocked on the door of Rosemary Williams on July 24, at 9:15 a.m. They handed her an eviction notice, stating that she and her family (including two grandbabies) had to be out of the house by Monday. Ms. Williams, along with the MN Coalition for People's Bailout the MN Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign were already prepared with a press conference to announce plans to resist the eviction.

Minneapolis, MN – More than 40 anti-war protesters gathered here July 23 to express their opposition to President Obama’s surge of 21,000 troops in Afghanistan. Protesters held banners, chanted and handed out flyers to encourage other Minnesotans to speak out against the war and occupation in Afghanistan.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following resolution supporting the Quad City Die Casting workers. The resolution was passed by the July 11-12 National Convention of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).

Anti-queer discrimination received a heavy blow when the Iowa Supreme Court legalized gay marriage April 3. Four days later the Vermont state legislature overrode their governor’s veto and became the first non-judicial body to legalize same-sex marriage. Lesbian gay bisexual transgender (LGBT) people around the country were ecstatic about this one-two punch, but even more reason for celebration followed. On May 6, the governor of Maine reversed his previous opposition to gay marriage and signed a bill legalizing it. By doing this, these three states joined Massachusetts and Connecticut in granting gays and lesbians legal recognition of their partnerships.

Sixty protesters chanted, “Shut it down! No rapists paid to come to town!” at Ohio State University (OSU), May 11. Outraged at the invitation of Tucker Max, a woman hating, rape promoting ‘comedian,’ students blew whistles, blared sirens and hung banners saying “OSU funded rape culture.”

Murfreesboro, TN – Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) held its fourth annual national convention here, July 11 -12, bringing together around 100 students and youth activists from across the country.

Rock Island, IL – “Wells Fargo, shame on you!” chanted the crowd of over 125 as eleven brave protesters blocked the road outside Wells Fargo here, July 9.

The workers of Quad City Die Casting are on the frontlines in the battle against plant closures.

“Todo el mundo está viendo”

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Campaign to Free Ahmad Sa'adat.

Locked Out Workers to be Paid

As reported by Fight Back News Service on March 20, workers in the Patient Access department at UIC were locked out of their workplace for wearing t-shirts that opposed a recent decision to nearly double their workloads.

On March 20, starting at 7:00 a.m., 44 customer service representatives began to arrive at the Patient Access department at the UIC (University of Illinois – Chicago) Medical Center wearing matching purple t-shirts. Printed on their shirts in bold letters was the slogan, “Quality for patients, not quantity of registrations.” On the left shoulder was an 8 with a circle and a slash through it.