Tampa, FL – On September 13, about eight activists with Tampa Immigrants Rights Committee held a sign-waving and tabling event outside a local Salvadoran restaurant in response to Trump’s threats to not renew Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Salvadorans. It came in response to the call from Legalization for All, a network of grassroots groups across the country organized for immigrants’ rights.

The event included a barrio walk in response to ICE presence a few days ago in the neighborhood around Fletcher and Nebraska Avenues. The patrons at Nuestra Tienda, where the lunch rush was underway, were appreciative of Tampa IRC tabling outside, informing them of their rights, and keeping them updated on TPS’s status.

Also appreciative were the community members in the nearby neighborhood near where ICE was spotted, as folks enthusiastically took the know your rights material to defend themselves from ICE attacks, both for themselves and to distribute to their neighbors.

Attacks on and revocation of TPS is not new for the Trump administration. Since returning to power, Trump has revoked TPS for 13 countries, affecting over a million people in the U.S, including for Venezuela, Syria and Haiti.

TPS for Salvadorans remains in effect, as the deadline came and went without the Department of Homeland Security taking any action one way or the other. TPS for Salvadorans was the first TPS designation in 1990, coming after years of grassroots organizing after a civil war in El Salvador. It was renewed in 2001 after two devastating earthquakes made it impossible for people to return there.

The event reached dozens of people, some spoke about local police forces helping in immigration enforcement through the 287(g) agreement, which deputizes local police forces to act as immigration police, and which both Hillsborough Sheriff’s Department and Tampa Police Department have signed on to.

This event comes on the heels of a rally Tampa IRC held in response to the revocation of TPS for Haitians on July 27. Tampa is home to about 14,000 Haitians, and Tampa IRC will continue to educate the community of their rights in light of Trump’s threats to local immigrant communities through barrio walks and tabling.

#TampaFL #FL #ImmigrantRights #TPS #ElSalvador #Haiti #OppressedNationalities

St. Paul, MN – On Saturday, September 12, the annual Justice for Stolen Lives March took place. The march is organized annually by Toshira Garraway and Families Supporting Families Against Police Violence (FSFAPV) to honor and demand justice for all lives stolen by police. Garraway’s fiancé, Justin Teigen, was brutally murdered and had his body dumped into a recycling bin in 2009 by the Saint Paul Police Department.

The three-mile march started at the Saint Paul Police Department on Hamline Avenue and ended in front of the Minnesota State Capitol, where impacted families spoke powerfully about their loved ones and their fights for justice.

The chanters of the march included Mississippi organizer Marquell Bridges of the Building Bridges Coalition, who travelled to Minnesota with Daveon Williams, the father of Kohen Wiley, a one-year-old baby who was shot and killed in the arms of his mother earlier this year by a Senatobia, Mississippi police officer.

Bridges spoke to the shared struggle between organizers in Minnesota and Mississippi. Bridges stated, “It's important for us to build this network. It’s important for us to build community and share this space together. Continue to lead the world. We need you to come to Mississippi and show us how you got ICE out. Show us how you created the 2020 movement.”

There was no shortage of stories from impacted families to be shared at the Justice for Stolen Lives March. The family of David Storbakken, an unhoused Native man whose disappearance has not been investigated by SPPD; Ebony Dobbins, a mother who had her home broken into unlawfully by Minneapolis police; Amity Dimock, the mother of Kobe Heisler, an autistic Black man shot during a mental health crisis, and others, all spoke passionately about the painful impacts of experiencing police violence, only to face the indifference of government and the public.

Karen Wells, the mother of Amir Locke, who was murdered in 2022 by Minneapolis Police Department officer Mark Hanneman, spoke candidly about Mayor Jacob Frey’s role in protecting MPD from consequences. Wells called out Frey for dancing in the streets with Black folks while failing to protect communities from MPD’s well-documented racism and violence.

“I have a problem with that, because you’re still trying to cover up my son's murder,” said Wells. “After you shoot our loved ones, you tie their hands behind their backs? There is going to come a time today when [Frey] is going to meet me in person and you are going to have to deal with Amir Ricardo Locke’s mother.”

Many impacted family members are still finding their voices while going through the pain of losing their loved ones and the fear of reprisals from police criminals. That is why organizations like FSFAPV, the Building Bridges Coalition and the Wrongfully Incarcerated & Over-sentenced Families Council are so important. Impacted families need the support of the people’s movements, because the onslaught from the enemy does not cease after the police kill a community member. Those who speak up and fight for justice, like Garraway is currently doing for her fiancé Justin Teigen, often face retaliation and threats from police or their sycophants.

The Twin Cities Coalition for Justice, a branch organization of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, played key roles in helping organize and execute the march by volunteering as marshals, emcees, chanters and speakers. Members also petitioned and spoke about their ongoing campaign to win community control of Minneapolis police.

Jae Yates, a TCC4J organizer, told the crowd, “Someone in the crowd reminded me that disabled people are twice as likely to be killed by police, and it’s important that we uplift that. So many of the families we advocate for had their loved ones murdered because of mental health or mobility problems that made police perceive them as uncooperative or dangerous. We have to commit to protecting all marginalized people, because if the person next to you can’t live in safety and peace, neither can you. We are being kept down by the exact same people, and we only win by fighting together.”

On Friday, September 11, at the Capri Theater in north Minneapolis, community members and organizers gathered for a screening of the 2024 documentary The People’s Way.

The documentary, created by two Black filmmakers, Ashley and William Tyner, follows three Black women leaders in Minneapolis: George Floyd Square caretaker Janelle Austin, City Council member Robin Wonsley and Toshira Garraway, founder of Families Supporting Families Against Police Violence. The film was a powerful reminder of the strength of the movement for Black liberation here in Minneapolis.

#StPaulMN #MN #InJusticeSystem #OppressedNationalities #AfricanAmerican #TCC4J #FSFAPV

Jacksonville, FL– As summer comes to a close, the Jacksonville Community Action Committee (JCAC) has completed a second year of their Popular Education in the Park series.

Each summer, the committee chooses a series of public parks in primarily Black neighborhoods to host a teach-in and barbecue. The heart of the series is the outreach. Leading up to each event, the group contacts neighborhood associations, businesses and churches. Most importantly, they knock on doors to invite residents into the space to discuss the needs in the neighborhood. This season, the Jacksonville Community Action Committee knocked on over 600 doors to listen to the concerns of Jacksonville residents who often go unheard.

“The strength of this series is really just meeting people where they're at,” said Ash Chatmon, a community organizer with the Jacksonville Community Action Committee. “I think our city intentionally sets so many important conversations during work hours. They don't want to give us a chance to really speak out. Popular Education in the Park proves people have a lot to say about what's happening in this city and a lot of needs that aren't being met.”

This year's series focused on neighborhoods around Riverview Park, Panama Park and Marion Park. Primary concerns of residents were around infrastructure, such as damaged roads, rising utility costs, mental health resources, and concerns that, as Jacksonville rapidly develops, some parts of town will be left behind in budget priorities.

The series concluded with a special commemoration of Black August. Black August is a month-long observance to honor Black political prisoners and fallen freedom fighters around the world. The Jacksonville Community Action Committee recognized this history by presenting a plaque to honor A Mother's Cry, a coalition of local mothers and siblings who have lost their loved ones to the excessive force of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.

The event also included educational sessions on self-determination through voting rights, political prisoners in the Black Belt South, and a dive into JCAC’s joint campaign with A Mothers Cry to establish a Mental Health Emergency Response Team that responds to vulnerable individuals with trained mental health professionals instead of inept and dangerous officers.

The event was uplifted with performances by local poets and onsite childcare.

The Jacksonville Community Action Committee encouraged all attendees to learn more about their campaigns and stay updated on their upcoming events.

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #InJusticeSystem #OppressedNationalities #AfricanAmerican #JCAC

Santa Ana, CA – El 21 de agosto, miembros de la Organización de Servicio del Condado de Orange (CSO OC) se unieron a familias cuyos seres queridos fueron asesinados por la policía para exigir justicia para Victor Lopez. 16 personas marcharon desde El Centro Cultural de México portando pancartas que exigían: “Justicia para Victor Lopez” y “Publiquen todas las grabaciones sin editar”. Mientras los manifestantes pasaban junto a un partido de fútbol, ahogaron el himno nacional de Estados Unidos con gritos de: “¿Qué queremos? ¡Justicia! ¿Y cuándo la queremos? ¡Ahora!”.

Al llegar frente al Departamento de Policía, Emily López, hermana de Víctor López, dijo: “Lo mataron en el estacionamiento de su casa. Le dispararon tres veces frente a su hijo de un año y a su pareja. Ambos vieron a mi hermano morir y dar su último suspiro. Estamos aquí hoy para exigir las grabaciones sin editar y el nombre del oficial, y queremos que se rindan cuentas. Queremos evitar que esto le suceda a otra familia.”

A principios de este año, el Departamento de Policía de Santa Ana publicó un llamado “informe para la comunidad” que incluía grabaciones parciales de la cámara corporal del agente que mató a Víctor López. La policía ha afirmado que Victor intentaba alcanzar un arma que fue recuperada en el lugar, pero eso no se ve en las grabaciones. En cambio, lo que se ve es cómo el agente apunta inmediatamente su arma hacia López, quien se acercó al agente con las manos arriba antes de darse la vuelta para acostarse en el suelo. Segundos después, el agente alegó que López estaba intentando alcanzar un arma y le disparó hasta matarlo.

El público tiene derecho a ser escéptico ante estas afirmaciones, ya que el Departamento de Policía de Santa Ana tiene antecedentes de mentir para justificar su brutalidad y sus asesinatos. Por ejemplo, en 2024, los agentes Luis Casillas e Isaac Ibarra mintieron diciendo que Noe Rodriguez estaba agitando y apuntando una escopeta hacia ellos para justificar haber disparado casi 30 balas contra un hombre desarmado que sostenía un juguete.

Emily Lopez continuó: “Mi hermano era un joven de 18 años que se esforzaba por mejorar la vida de su familia. Era un trabajador incansable que siempre ayudaba a los demás y ponía a los demás antes que a sí mismo. Era un joven divertido, extrovertido y cariñoso al que le encantaba hacer reír a los demás y siempre se aseguraba de que quienes le rodeaban estuvieran bien. Mi hermano no merecía morir de la manera en que murió. ¡Exijo justicia para mi hermano, Victor Lopez!”

Los manifestantes coreaban: “¡Exigimos justicia! ¡Exigimos respuestas! ¡Una placa no es una licencia para matar!”.

A continuación habló Pearl Arzola, hermana de Albert Arzola, un joven chicano de 19 años: “Perdí a mi hermano un mes antes de que Victor Lopez falleciera, así que cuando me enteré de su trágica muerte, me tocó muy de cerca. No es justo que estemos de luto. Tampoco es justo que la familia Lopez esté de luto. ¡Siento que estos policías deben rendir cuentas y ver por lo que estamos pasando y que los metan a la cárcel!”.

Albert Arzola fue asesinado por el agente Nathan García, del Departamento de Policía de Anaheim. Quedó documentado que García acosó a Arzola desde una patrulla semanas antes del 6 de diciembre, cuando persiguió a Arzola hacia su casa y le disparó en la espalda y el cuello. García también estuvo involucrado en el brutal arresto de un joven chicano desarmado de 14 años en 2024.

Mientras los manifestantes exigían justicia cerca de la entrada del departamento, dos agentes en un vehículo de la Unidad de Pandillas (la unidad número 920) redujeron la velocidad para burlarse de sus consignas, dejando al descubierto la crueldad de la policía. Los manifestantes siguieron el vehículo con carteles y pancartas, gritándoles a los oficiales hasta que se alejaron.

David Pulido, miembro de CSO, habló en último lugar y dijo: “¡Esto es un patrón de violencia racista! Este año vimos cómo la policía arrebataba la vida a chicanos adolescentes. Vimos el asesinato de Jaden Michaca, de 15 años, mientras sufría una crisis de salud mental. Vimos el asesinato de Victor Lopez, un joven padre de 18 años. ¡Tenemos trabajo por hacer! Debemos organizarnos. Somos nosotros quienes debemos llevar a estos agentes ante la justicia. Por eso luchamos por el control comunitario de la policía. Tenemos el derecho democrático fundamental de decidir sobre todos los asuntos policiales”.

Si te interesa luchar contra los crímenes policiales y trabajar junto a familias afectadas por la violencia policial, comunícate con CSO OC a través de Instagram, Facebook o enviando un correo electrónico a orangecountycso@gmail.com.

#SantaAnaCA #CA #OrangeCounty #CSOOC #VictorLopez #AlbertArzola #OppressedNationalities #Chicano

Federal Way, WA – On September 14, community members held a vigil for Leon Davis, a 27-year-old Black man who was killed by Federal Way police in the spring. The vigil was attended by his friends and family, as well as the Seattle and Tacoma chapters of the National Alliance Against Racism and Political Repression (SAARPR and TacAARPR), at West Hylebos Wetlands Park.

Davis was killed by Federal Way police in Saint Francis Hospital on March 12. He had checked into the hospital fearing heart issues, but was then killed while being held down by police and hospital staff for roughly 30 minutes.

“It sounds like Federal Way police have a pattern of concerning and racist behavior,” said Chet Baughman, a Teamster Local 174 member. “This isn't the first time they have done something like this; my co-worker knows someone who was shot by police not too long ago in the area.”

The vigil opened with a member of the Seattle Alliance Against Racism and Political Repression talking about the injustice that had occurred with the murder of Leon Davis. Family members then said words and shared memories of their loved one. More of his family members arrived to support each other in this time of grief. People in the crowd passed a sunflower balloon around, signing it with messages to Davis.

Davis's brothers chanted, “Long live Leon,” and the crowd joined in.

“It’s really emotional seeing him. This shouldn't have happened,” said Aife Pasquale, speaking about his uncle Leon.

Davis's murder by the Federal Way police is one of many instances of police killing of Black people across the Puget Sound. This vigil, and the outpouring from the community, shows the outrage towards racist police conduct happening in our region. SAARPR and TacARRPR advocate for community control of the police, with one speaker identifying targets to continue the fight for justice and real community-led solutions to stop the killing.

“Federal Way, it's just, it's sad because we have family that are police and that's in law enforcement. So, for us to see this and to experience it is even more heartbreaking. And it brings up a lot of distrust for us, and just in Black people in general, and people of color as well,” said Shannice Johnson.

Davis's oldest brother stepped up to the microphone and shared memories, highlighting how Leon was the best of them, and the one that they all loved deeply. The crowd then finished writing messages for Leon on the balloon and then handed it to the family, who had all come together. The family gave the balloon to the children and released it, sending it back to him in the sky. His brothers started to chant “Justice for Leon,” and everyone joined in, calling for the balloon to be received by the clouds. Davis's family continues to fight for justice, to fight for transparency around the circumstances of his killing, and demand accountability.

When asked about how her brother was treated, Shannice Johnson said, “They were very negligent in the way that they handled the situation. And there could have been, anybody could have said something in 25 minutes of them doing what they were doing to him. Anyone could have stood up and, you know, stood up for him, and nobody did.”

#FederalWayWA #WA #SeattleWA #TacomaWA #InjusticeSystem #LeonDavis #KillerCop #OppressedNationalities

Chicago, IL – Thousands of Chicagoans lined up around the block to celebrate the launch of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s re-election campaign at the DuSable Black History Museum on the South Side of Chicago. Overcast skies and drizzling rain did nothing to dampen the spirits of Johnson’s supporters. The crowd represented a vast range of community organizations, unions, faith-based groups, elected officials, youth organizations, and individuals in working and oppressed communities.

“We came together four years ago and said ‘It’s time to get a brother from Chicago on the fifth floor. Someone who will fight for the working class,’” said State Senator Graciela Guzmán, kicking off the event by describing Johnson’s first campaign.

“After generations of trying to speak truth to power, we finally have someone who is speaking truth in power,” added Rev. Tanya Lozano, founder of Healthy Hood Chicago.

“Brother Brandon Johnson does not just represent us, Brother Brandon Johnson is us,” continued Lozano, whose family has brought forward some of the most prolific working-class organizers in Chicago’s history, including Rudy Lozano and Emma Lozano.

“For decades we were told that, to keep people safe, we need mass incarceration and policing. Mayor Johnson showed that we keep people safe through care,” said 33rd Ward Alder Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez.

“The time to organize is now!” declared 20th Ward Alder Jeanette Taylor, encouraging the crowd to work with the Johnson administration in advancing its progressive goals. Taylor also spoke on the history of the predominantly Black 20th Ward, which is home to both the DuSable Museum and Dyett High School, which Taylor went on hunger strike to keep from closing in 2015.

Taylor, Rodriguez Sanchez, Guzmán, and dozens of progressive elected officials and union leaders took to the stage to voice their support of Mayor Johnson. Among them were school board presidential candidate Hilario Dominguez and District 5A incumbent Jitu Brown, who was also one of the Dyett hunger strikers.

“Rebuilding a village takes longer than one term. We had decades of disinvestment and that's not gonna be fixed in four years,” said Chicago Teachers Union member Ashley Davis.

Davis and other speakers uplifted the Johnson administration’s successes. These include investments in schools, mental healthcare, youth programs and violence prevention, as well as minimum wage increases and childcare for working people. Speakers also mentioned Johnson’s stances against ICE and for Palestine.

“He made Chicago one of the first cities in the nation to call for a ceasefire in Gaza,” said Imam Tariq El-Amin, referring to Johnson’s tiebreaker vote on a ceasefire resolution in 2024.

A number of speakers, including Johnson himself, cited the fact that in 2025 Chicago saw its lowest murder rate in 61 years.

“They said there would be blood in the streets and violence would run amok,” Johnson said, referring to a statement by Fraternal Order of Police president John Catanzara in 2023.

The FOP has spent the last four years trying to undermine the Johnson administration and the District councilors elected to hold police accountable. The FOP recently endorsed Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias.

“The ultrarich have done a lot to confuse my record,” said Johnson, explaining why racist groups like the FOP and billionaires like Michael Sacks and the Pritzker family are opposing his reelection. “The same people who closed schools spent millions lying about what we’re doing.”

“This city is better, stronger and safer than the city I inherited,” Johnson said.

He then stressed the importance of the working-class character and cross-racial unity of the coalition that brought him into office. “We refuse to allow authoritarianism to separate us by race when we are united by class.”

#ChicagoIL #IL #BrandonJohnson #Elections #PeoplesStruggles #OppressedNationalities #AfricanAmerican

Gilroy, CA – On September 13, around 75 community members rallied together at San Ysidro Park for a victory rally and march to celebrate the court-ordered pause on construction of the nearby ICE facility.

Community Service Organization San José (CSO San José) called the action in collaboration with the San José Coalition Against Trump (SJCAT) after the Santa Clara County Court ruled in favor of a preliminary injunction, pausing the construction of the ICE detention center being built in Gilroy.

The rally was kicked off by chants led by Pan Garcia of CSO San José, later transitioning into a march from San Ysidro Park to the location where the ICE detention center was being built.The energy remained high throughout the march as chants reflecting community members' demands such as “ICE out of Gilroy,” “Chinga la migra” and “Se ve, se siente – el pueblo está presente!”

Once the march arrived at the ICE construction site, the crowd gathered for the program. Ariya Amin with CSO San José stated, “This is a win for us, and this is a small step that we are proud to see in the fight to stop this detention center.”

Amin continued, “This means that construction will need to be at a halt until the court case is complete, and it is hopeful.” Amin went on to explain that Santa Clara County and the attorney general's office had five legal allegations prepared in response to the federal government's initiative to carry out the unlawful construction of the ICE detention center in Gilroy. Out of the five allegations, just one was enough to call for a temporary injunction.

Lyla Salinas, a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), stated, “They paused the construction of the detention center; this is a win for the immigrant rights movement here in Gilroy, in San José and nationally!”

Salinas continued, “We have shown that every time we face injustice, that we face oppression as immigrants and Chicanos, that we need to fight back! And when we fight back, we win!”

“It’s not just this, it’s also attacks against students, against workers, every single one of the people’s movements is being attacked by the Trump administration today,” continued Salinas. “Every punch, every fight, everything that is thrown at our people, we have to fight back in force. We have to fight back and show them that we as people have the power!”

After the program ended, people marched back to San Ysidro, chanting in good spirits as they celebrated this people's victory, won through struggle.

#GilroyCA #CA #ImmigrantRights #ICE #DetentionCenter #OppressedNationalities #BayArea

Chicago, IL – On Wednesday, September 9, 35 students gathered at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) Quad on a rainy morning to participate in a rally called for and led by Mexican Students de Aztlán (MeSA) demanding undocumented students’ right to education, that the university administration fight Donald Trump’s racist agenda, and a sanctuary campus.

This protest comes after recent attacks on educational access for undocumented students by the Trump administration. On July 24, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois struck down the Acevedo Act, Illinois DREAM Act, and Illinois RISE Act under the rationale that they “violated federal law when applied to non-citizens.” David W. Dugan, the federal judge presiding over these rulings, was appointed by Trump in 2020 shortly before the end of his first term as president. These acts were bravely fought for by student activists across Illinois, and their gutting has had an immediate impact on undocumented students’ right to education.

The Acevedo Act made it possible for undocumented students to have access to affordable in-state tuition to attend college in Illinois. The Illinois DREAM Act made scholarships, college savings, and prepaid tuition accessible to undocumented students who graduated from Illinois high schools, among other things. The RISE Act allowed undocumented and transgender students who were not eligible for federal student aid to apply for state financial aid like the MAP Grant through the Alternative Application. Now, many of these options are no longer available or have been severely restricted.

Lupe Lara Guzman, a member of MeSA’s Education Resistance and Activism Committee, said, “I want to invite you to imagine what undocumented and Chicane/Latine students have lived through leading up to this point here at UIC, having to watch as our university flaunts its status as a Hispanic Serving Institution, while seemingly having no care for the safety of those same students, and refusing to acknowledge the abduction of two women on our campus.”

Lara Guzman continued, “We had to commute to campus as ICE occupied our city during Operation Midway Blitz, like vultures circling. We had to sit through lectures as ICE was seen at our parents' workplaces, at our sibling’s schools, and on train platforms that we were just on. That is no way to live, no way to learn. And now even our education is being stripped from us while our university does nothing. Shame!”

Estefani Sánchez, another member of MeSA’s Education Resistance and Activism Committee, said, “The Trump administration has ramped up attacks on higher education and is reversing laws and acts that make education affordable for students who otherwise would not have been able to go to college. These attacks are attempts to isolate and encourage students to self-deport, which we firmly oppose. All students should have the right to an affordable and accessible education regardless of one’s legal status in the United States.”

“MeSA intends to continue in the struggle for access to education for all students and continue to advocate for a sanctuary campus for everyone at UIC!” said Sánchez.

Endorsing organizations included Anakbayan at UIC, Fearless Undocumented Alliance, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Graduate Employees Organization Local 6297, Immigrant Rights Working Committee of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Lambda Theta Phi, Latine in Law, Latinos Unidos, New Students for a Democratic Society at UIC, and Sanctuary For All.

#ChicagoIL #IL #ImmigrantRights #MeSA #StudentMovement #OppressedNationalities #ChicanoLatino

Dallas, TX – 400 people took to the streets of Dallas on September 10 to protest the Republican Party’s midterm convention and demonstrate opposition to the Trump agenda. Organized by the Dallas Against the Trump Agenda (DATA) Coalition, the protest brought together workers, community activists, socialists, immigrant-rights organizers and others who marched to bring their opposition to the Republican convention directly to the streets surrounding the American Airlines Center.

The action began at Pike Park. Demonstrators marched toward the convention. Hundreds of protesters participated in the march, which made its way toward the security perimeter surrounding the convention.

Riot police and mounted units were deployed as the protesters approached the convention center. Despite the police presence and attempts to limit the march’s movement, protesters reached the security checkpoint and held speeches within sight and sound of the convention. The crowd responded enthusiastically, chanting and cheering as speakers addressed the demonstrators.

The police presence intensified as right-wing counter-protesters confronted people participating in the march.

Two protesters were arrested during the action. They were attempting to keep right-wing counter-protesters away from the main crowd when police moved in, tackled the two to the ground and arrested them.

The arrests did not stop the demonstration. Protesters continued marching and maintained the energy of the action as they approached the convention.

Jake Holtzman of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization said, “It was inspiring to see hundreds march against the Trump agenda. Even in the face of harassment from the cops and a few counter-protesters, everyone kept the energy high and marched within sight and sound of the convention. There was clearly a great degree of unity among the people against our common enemy: Trump and monopoly capitalism.”

Toni Jones of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR) stated, “I’m marching with the over 20 cities in our National Alliance Against Racist And Political Repression fighting for community control of the police. I’m marching with all of you who did what you needed to be here today, and I’m marching with men like my friend Darrin Robinson, who can’t be here because they are being tortured while serving unjust sentences. And all of us, we are going to make sure the Trump agenda, ‘SAVE America Act’ racism never gets passed, and the GOP gets dumped in the trash heap of history they so desperately worship!”

The September 10 action was the first major public demonstration organized under the banner of Dallas Against the Trump Agenda. The coalition formed around the Republican Party’s decision to hold its midterm national convention in Dallas, but its organizers have emphasized that the coalition is intended to be more than a one-day protest.

DATA is working to establish a continuing center of organizing in Dallas against the Trump agenda — bringing together people involved in labor, immigrant rights, racial justice, community organizing and other struggles.

The next task is to build on the momentum that has already been established. DATA is organizing in Dallas. The fight against the Trump agenda continues.

#DallasTX #TX #Trump #PeoplesStruggles #ImmigrantRights #FRSO #NAARPR #DATA #OppressedNationalities #Featured

Colorado Springs, CO – On September 7, the Colorado Springs Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (COSAARPR) rallied with community members outside of the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office to demand equal protection for Black ranchers in the county.

They were joined by the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), which also endorsed the action. Attendees waved signs reading, “Black lives matter” and “Justice for Freedom Acres” and chanted “Sheriff Roybal, stop the repression, we demand equal protection!”

In 2020, Courtney “C.W.” Mallery and Nicole Mallery moved from Houston, Texas to the countryside east of Colorado Springs to escape the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. Both Black veterans, the Mallerys founded Freedom Acres Ranch, with a mission to fight food insecurity and bring food to families in need, something they wish they had had access to.

Shortly after moving to the 1000-acre property, the Mallerys came under attack by neighbors. “For years, the Mallerys have been subjected to endless threats, violence towards them and their livestock, and an exhausting legal battle,” said COSAARPR member Memphis Curry.

Instead of doing something about the neighbors responsible for the harassment, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office charged C.W. and Nicole Mallery multiple times over the years. In 2023, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office arrested C.W. and Nicole Mallery and charged them with felony stalking, misdemeanor tampering, and petty theft. During the arrest, El Paso County Sheriff’s Deputy Emery Gerhart removed three of the Mallerys’ security cameras. The charges were quickly dismissed, and, in response, the Mallerys created a petition to fire Deputy Gerhart, which received over 12,600 signatures. The Mallerys allege Deputy Gerhart used the police department to instigate “racism, discrimination, terrorism, [and] denial of police service.”

At the action outside the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, Curry stated, “I am tired of the narrative that any reasonable reaction to racism is an overreaction. The excusing of the targeted harassment that the Mallerys have been experiencing for years is simply exhausting.”

Curry further questioned the motives of the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, saying, “Despite the Sheriff's department’s ‘reassurance’ that they would never stand for racist treatment of community members and [that they] have thoroughly investigated every report, this is the same institution that colludes with ICE and excuses every use of force case as reasonable and necessary.”

FRSO member Brandon Rincon spoke to systemic issues, saying,“Our local law enforcement agencies only protect and serve the interests of the billionaires who exploit Black and brown bodies for profit and terrorize us to keep us down.”

As the sun set on the office, members closed out the action by chanting “No justice, no peace, no racist police!”

#ColoradoSpringsCO #CO #InJusticeSystem #OppressedNationalities #AfricanAmerican #Ranchers #Farmers #COSAARPR #Featured

Los Angeles, CA – On Monday, September 7, Los Angeles Police Department officers shot a 44-year-old Chicano man named Zimran Canas in Boyle Heights. LAPD claimed Zimran was holding a tree trimming tool and walked towards the police officers. LAPD, like most police departments, is known to lie and try to villainize who they kill in an attempt to cover up their murders.

Centro CSO members mobilized to the area after the shooting in an attempt to talk to family members and neighbors. Some neighbors directly contradict the claims made by LAPD; a witness said they did not see LAPD officers offer any medical attention to Zimran Canas.

This makes it at least 21 Chicanos shot in Boyle Heights by LAPD Hollenbeck Division since 2015, with many of those shot being killed. Centro CSO has been on the ground in Boyle Heights fighting back against police killings, alongside the impacted families.

Derek Mejia, chair of Centro CSO’s Police Accountability Committee, was on the ground, “It’s important for us to be out here connecting with impacted families. We see time and time again that LAPD responds to mental health crises with excessive force, and they immediately get to work creating a narrative that works for them and not the victims or their families. We will continue to demand answers on what happened to Zimran Canas, and we will demand justice alongside the family.”

#LosAngelesCA #CA #InjusticeSystem #OppressedNationalities #KillerCop #Police #CentroCSO #Chicano #ZimranCanas #BoyleHeights #EastLA

Santa Ana, CA – On August 21, members of Community Service Organization, Orange County (CSO OC) joined families whose loved ones were killed by police to demand justice for Victor Lopez. 16 people marched from El Centro Cultural de Mexico carrying signs that demanded, “Justice for Victor Lopez” and “Release all unedited footage.” As marchers passed a soccer game, they drowned out the U.S. national anthem with cries of “What do we want? Justice! And when do we want it? Now!”

Arriving in front of the police department, Emily Lopez, sister of Victor Lopez, said, “He was killed in the parking lot of his home. He was shot three times in front of his one-year-old son and partner. They both watched my brother die and take his last breath. We’re here today to demand the unedited footage, the officer’s name, and we want accountability. We want to prevent this from happening to another family.”

Earlier this year Santa Ana PD released a so-called “Community Briefing” that included partial bodycam footage of the officer who killed Victor Lopez. Police have claimed that Lopez was reaching for a gun that was recovered at the scene, but that is not visible in the footage. Instead, we can see the officer immediately drawing his gun on Lopez, who approached the officer with his hands up before turning around to lie on the ground. Seconds later the officer claimed Lopez was reaching for a gun and shot him to death.

The public has a right to be skeptical of these claims, since Santa Ana PD has a history of lying to justify their brutality and killings. For example, in 2024 officers Luis Casillas and Isaac Ibarra lied about Noe Rodriguez waving around and pointing a shotgun at them to justify shooting almost 30 bullets at an unarmed man holding a toy.

Emily Lopez continued, “My brother was an 18-year-old young man who strived to do better for his family. He was a hard worker who always helped others and put others before himself. He was a funny, outgoing, loving young man who loved making others laugh, and always made sure everyone around him was okay. My brother did not deserve to die the way he did. I demand justice for my brother, Victor Lopez!”

Protesters chanted, “We demand justice! We demand answers! A badge is not a license to kill!”

Pearl Arzola, sister of 19-year-old Chicano Albert Arzola, spoke next, “I lost my brother a month before Victor Lopez passed away, so when I heard about his tragic passing, it really hit home. It’s not fair for us to be grieving. It’s not fair for the Lopez family to be grieving as well. I feel like these cops need to get held accountable and to see what we are going through, and to put them in jail!”

Albert Arzola was killed by Anaheim PD officer Nathan Garcia. Garcia was documented harassing Arzola from a patrol car weeks before December 6, when he chased Arzola towards his home and shot him in the back and neck. Garcia also was involved in the brutal arrest of an unarmed 14-year-old Chicano in 2024.

As protesters demanded justice near the entrance of the department, two officers in a Gang Unit car – vehicle number 920 – slowed down to mock their chants, exposing the cruelty of the police. Protesters followed the vehicle with signs and banners, shouting at the officers until they drove away.

CSO OC member David Pulido spoke last, saying “This is a pattern of racist violence! We saw police steal the lives of teenage Chicanos this year. We saw the killing of 15-year-old Jaden Michaca while he was suffering a mental health crisis. We saw the killing of Victor Lopez, a young, 18-year-old father. We have work to do! We have to get organized, and we are the ones responsible for bringing these officers to justice. That is why we fight for community control of the police. We have a basic, democratic right to decide on all police matters.”

If you are interested in fighting back against police crimes and working alongside families impacted by police violence, reach out to CSO OC on Instagram, Facebook, or email at orangecountycso@gmail.com

#SantaAnaCA #CA #OrangeCounty #InjusticeSystem #KillerCop #VictorLopez #AlbertArzola #OppressedNationalities #Chicano

Austin, TX – Over 70 people attended a speakers panel and social to commemorate the 56th Chicano Moratorium on August 29. La Frontera Unida (LFU) hosted the event featuring local Chicana musicians and vendors. This marks the first time Austin observed the Chicano Moratorium and was met with enthusiasm by the community.

LFU member Jessie Valdelamar highlighted the importance of the commemorating the Chicano Moratorium this year, amidst the wave of racist attacks against immigrants by Trump, saying, “We need to build up to and go beyond what the generation before us achieved in the 1970s. La Raza is strengthened by immigration, and deportations that rip our families apart and attack our cousins from El Salvador, weaken our people.”

When asked about the goals of the Chicano movement, Sofie Gomez of the FRSO said, “We must unite all who can be united. We aren’t alone in this fight; we need to merge our fight with the liberation of the Black nation and the labor movement. Our problem is capitalism, and only a revolution that brings together these forces can bring us to the next step.”

The speaker panel was followed by a social, with many participants mingling while sipping their “La Causa Cooler” and dancing to the flurry of norteño, cumbia, salsa and country music played by local musicians.

LFU member Jake Holtzman said, “The event was a great success due our frequent barrio walks in the past few months. Our outreach efforts attracted community members to the event. We were offered a free venue and help with fundraising and developed contacts with local artists and musicians.”

The panel featured speakers from LFU, Austin Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO).

#AustinTX #TX #OppressedNationalities #ChicanoLatino #ChicanoMoratorium #LFU

Tucson, AZ – On Saturday, August 29, a dozen people attended a brief presentation and documentary screening of Chicano! A Quest for Homeland to commemorate the 56th Chicano Moratorium. Hosted by Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), the event was held at Southside Presbyterian Church, known as the birthplace of the Sanctuary Movement of the 1980s. The Church served as a home for volunteers who provided aid and shelter for thousands of Central American immigrants. The Church continues to be an important pillar in the immigrant rights movement.

The presentation highlighted the political program of the FRSO and the National Question in the U.S. and how Chicanos in the Southwest constitute a nation, oppressed by U.S. imperialism, with the right to self-determination. The crowd heard about the conditions of Chicanos in the 1960s that fueled the rise of the Chicano National Movement.

The presentation also reviewed the role that the U.S. war on Vietnam had on Chicanos. The disproportionately high casualty rate among Chicanos sparked three large anti-war rallies. The largest, with 30,000 people marching in Los Angeles, California on August 29, 1970, was the biggest rally by any single ethnicity at the time. The documentary showed footage of the brutal repression from LA County Sheriffs and LAPD that led to the deaths of journalist Ruben Salazar, and Brown Beret members Lyn Ward and Angel Diaz.

Arlee Thwing of FRSO said, “We believe all nations have a right to self-determination and liberation up to and including secession, and that includes Aztlán. Our strategy is clear: we need a revolution, led by us, the working class, with the strategic alliance of the multinational working class and oppressed nationalities at its core.”

FRSO member Jessica Moreno shared her own experience growing up as a Chicana in Tucson in the 1990s, saying, “No soy de aqui, ni de alla – a famous quote that represents the sentiment of not feeling like we belong, but the reality is that we do belong, and this is our land.”

This is the first Chicano Moratorium event in Tucson since FRSO hosted Chicano Revolutionary and Brown Beret cofounder Carlos Montes in 2017. Participants also learned about local organizations that were tabling, including Tucson Anti-War Committee, Veterans for Peace, and Common Defense.

#TusconAZ #AZ #OppressedNationalities #ChicanoMoratorium #Chicano

Minneapolis, MN – On August 30, the newly-formed U.S. Out of Africa Committee of Women Against Military Madness hosted its first event, “Understanding the Tools of Empire: A Panel on Mass Incarceration, Police Violence, and Extraordinary Rendition.” 

Dozens of community members packed the main room of the Lucy Parsons Center. They wanted to learn about the relationship between racialized policing and mass incarceration inside U.S. borders, and U.S. intervention and state-sponsored abductions in Africa.

Khrys Wetzel, a founding member of the U.S. Out of Africa committee (UOA) and volunteer with the MN Anti-War Committee (AWC), opened the function. Wetzel grounded attendees in a brief history of Black August. In 1979, the Black Guerrilla Family, a group of revolutionaries incarcerated in San Quentin State Prison started it. Black August is a month to commemorate persecuted and slain Black freedom fighters. It is also an opportunity to strengthen organized resistance to racial injustice and state repression of Black people and other oppressed nationality peoples. 

Panelist Jae Yates of the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice (TCC4J) explained, “North American policing has its roots in the slave patrols responsible for capturing escaped slaves and forcibly returning them to plantations.”

Yates continued, “Post-Reconstruction, these militias were formalized into modern police departments that funneled Black people into prisons for crimes that boiled down to taking up space in public.”

Panelist Alissa Washington, the executive director of Wrongfully Incarcerated and Over-sentenced Families Council (WIAOFC), said, “These struggles aren’t identical, but they’re connected through systems of power that decide whose lives deserve protection, whose suffering matters, and whose lives can be treated as disposable.”

Washington highlighted the sprawling nature of the U.S. prison system, which now comprises 20% of the global prison population. This, in spite of the fact that U.S. residents only make up 4.2% of the world’s population. The U.S. prison system is by far the largest on earth, with Black, Chicano, indigenous and other oppressed nationalities jailed at higher rates than whites.

One of the primary campaigns that WIAOFC has championed is the call to free Washington’s fiancé Cornelius Jackson, known as Corn. Jackson was sentenced to life without parole at the age of 19 for being present at the scene of a crime he did not commit. Panel attendees listened with rapt attention as Washington described Jackson’s case, then joined her in chanting “Free Corn!”

Nicholas Tolliver, another founding member of UOA emphasized that the same system that surveils, represses, incarcerates, and kills Black and other oppressed people across the U.S. also inflicts horrific violence on civilians in Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia. 

Over the past quarter-century, the U.S. has used the “War on Terror” as a pretext for expanding military intervention in countries across the African continent. This causes regional instability, rampant corruption, and bloody counterinsurgent aggressions funded and directed by the U.S. government and the Pentagon.

The strategic command center of the U.S. military in Africa, AFRICOM, carries out lethal drone strikes and summary executions with impunity. Companies including Honeywell and Palantir reap enormous profits manufacturing equipment and planning for this military violence. Meanwhile, the shadowy state-sponsored kidnapping practice of extraordinary rendition continues to transfer people to foreign countries. Prisoners are detained indefinitely and subjected to extrajudicial torture.

While racist domestic police forces brutalize, criminalize, incarcerate, and kill people inside U.S. borders, the U.S. military-industrial complex invests in militarized violence across the countries of Africa and beyond. 

Panelists closed by encouraging audience members to join groups like UOA, TCC4J and WIAOFC in order to build the collective power needed to effectively combat the oppressive U.S. state and its imperialist appendages overseas.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #OppressedNationalities #BlackAugust #AFRICOM #AntiWarMovement

Seattle, WA – On August 19, members of the Seattle Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (SAARPR) walked into the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office to demand answers from the top cop lawyer, Leesa Manion.

For months, SAARPR has been asking first the county sheriff and then the county prosecutor for transparency and accountability regarding the Seattle Police Department (SPD) shooting and killing of two Black men, Jack Palelei and Christian Nelson, in the last months of 2025.

In both instances, the men were suffering mental health crises. In both instances, the police escalated the situation, whether by shouting commands, driving onto the sidewalk in their police vehicles to give chase, or pulling out assault-style weapons.

The police in Christian Nelson’s case are responsible for shooting Nelson multiple times, as well as shooting into an apartment building and injuring a bystander. Nelson did not hurt anyone; SPD did. Palelei did not hurt anyone; SPD did.

When municipal police kill someone in King County, the King County Sheriff’s Office is supposed to investigate. Local police cannot be trusted to investigate their own officers. The sheriff’s office then sends the investigation files to the King County prosecutor, who decides whether to charge the officers involved.

Jack Palelei met his death at the hands of the Seattle Police Department in November 2025. According to the King County Sheriff’s Office, they forwarded the investigative file on Jack Palelei’s death to the prosecutor’s office in February. The prosecutor’s office claims to have only just received it. If SAARPR had not inquired into the status of Jack’s case, it remains unclear if the prosecutor’s office would even be aware that it had the file at all.

As is typical of high-powered elected officials, King County Prosecutor Leesa Manion was not in her office or available to meet with her constituents. The office staff did not know how to engage with SAARPR members who came to the office. It quickly became clear that it was uncommon to receive visitors from the public asking about investigations into officer-involved shootings. SAARPR members were determined to wait until someone could give concrete information about what the prosecutor’s office is doing with Jack’s case.

Eventually, a prosecutor came into the lobby to speak with SAARPR. Dan Clark. Mr. Clark admitted that he did not know exactly what was being done with Jack Palelei’s case, although he confirmed that the office did have the investigation on file. The prosecutor’s office, including the specific team that reviews police killings, had a backlog of cases. And something that took place at the end of 2025 was not likely to be next in line.

He also admitted that the prosecutor’s office treats cases of police killing people as more “cut and dry.” Those cases are unlikely to result in charges or discipline for the officers because when police claim to fear for their lives, they seem to be able to justify their actions.

Both Jack Palelei and Christian Nelson were armed. Does that mean that their lives are forfeit? Of course, not. If police escalate a situation, should they be able to claim that they had to kill to save their own lives? No. The fight for police accountability cannot be for “perfect victims” alone, especially when the police use racism to justify their actions. The police should not be able to summarily execute anyone.

Sonya Herrera, the chair of the Seattle Alliance, said, “I went to Leesa Manion and the King County Prosecutor’s office to demand transparency in the case of Jack Palelei. This case has been lost and re-found on a number of occasions, and that’s unacceptable. This person was murdered by SPD and did not deserve to die. He was afraid, suffering through a mental health crisis, and SPD chased him in a vehicle on a sidewalk. I would be scared and try to defend myself too. Things are not cut and dry, as prosecutors make it seem. We need to demand more.”

SAARPR will continue to demand three things of the prosecutor: Release the names of the officers involved in these deaths; release unedited bodycam footage so that SPD’s edited footage is not the only public record, and prosecute the officers and get these killer cops off Seattle’s streets.

#SeattleWA #WA #InjusticeSystem #KillerCop #OppressedNationalities #JackPalelei #ChristianNelson #SAARPR

Aurora, CO – On Saturday, August 29, 70 community members and activists gathered at Del Mar Park in Aurora, Colorado for the anniversary of the Chicano Moratorium and to oppose deportations. The event commemorated the anniversary of the original Chicano Moratorium in 1970. This anniversary, observed yearly by communities across the country, is also known as Chicano Liberation Day.

On August 29, 1970, 30,000 Chicanos mobilized in East Los Angeles to protest the Vietnam War and the disproportionate rate at which Chicanos were being drafted by the U.S. military and killed. The Moratorium was the culmination of a year’s worth of marches and rallies building up to the mobilization. Led by a broad movement of Chicano anti-war activists organized in the National Chicano Moratorium Committee, the organizers of the march included the Brown Berets and student activists.

The day of the Moratorium, the LAPD arrested hundreds of activists and murdered three people. Police murdered two Brown Berets, Lynn Ward and Angel Díaz. Police also murdered LA Times journalist Ruben Salazar, who was known for his fearless reporting on civil rights and police brutality.

Now, 56 years later, community members gathered at Del Mar Park to demand “Legalization for all!” and an end to deportations. About a half dozen vendors set up canopies and tables displaying apparel and artwork. The crowd watched as Kalpulli Yohualli Ehecatl, a local indigenous dance group, performed Danza Mexika. Many participated by facing the four cardinal directions in turn with the dancers, and many children joined in. Several organizations tabled, including FRSO, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), and Denver Aurora Community Action Committee (DACAC).

Gizell Garcia Palacio from SDS spoke to the crowd, “the U.S. government only wants Chicanos here when it becomes convenient for them.” Palacio asserted that the U.S. is now scared because “they know that we have power.”

Another speaker, Alex Riedle from Aurora Unidos CSO demanded that, “all individuals are allowed to live our lives without fear of political repression and persecution regardless of our citizenship status.”

The Chicano Moratorium at Del Mar Park was the first in the Denver metro area to be hosted in Aurora, which has a sizable Chicano and immigrant population. Immigrants make up over 20% of the population of Aurora.

Organizers with Aurora Unidos CSO foresee this year’s Moratorium as the first of many. They envision the Chicano Moratorium contributing to organizing the Chicano community in the city.

#AuroraCO #CO #OppressedNationalities #Chicano #ChicanoMoratorium #AuroraUnidosCSO

San José, CA – On Saturday, August 29, around 200 attendees and vendors came out to commemorate the 56th Chicano Moratorium in San José.

The 56th Chicano Moratorium was held in Backesto Park, where a new mural that featured local San José activists had been put up by Alfonso Salazar, after a long fight for Chicano representation in the park. Activists say it was important to hold it at Backesto Park to continue the Chicano struggle in San José.

The Chicano Moratorium was a historic anti-war march organized by Chicanos in East Los Angeles, where 30,000 people demanded an end to Chicano enlistment in the Vietnam War due to disproportionate deaths and a stop on police brutality in the United States.

Samantha Rojas of Defensoras Patient Organizing Committee and Ana Cortez of CSO SJ kicked off the event, chanting, “Raza si, Migra no!” Cortez and Rojas highlighted the importance of the 1970 August 29th Chicano Moratorium and its influence on the Chicano movement, saying, “Chicanos were also facing oppression in many forms here at home, from police brutality to exclusion from higher education.” Cortez and Rojas spoke about the discrimination that Chicanos faced and the brutality that protesters faced from the Los Angeles Sheriffs and Police Department, resulting in the deaths of prominent Mexican-American journalist Rubén Salazar, and Brown Berets Lynn Ward and Angel Díaz.

Patricio González Roa of CSO SJ chanted, “ICE out the Bay! ICE out of Gilroy!” highlighting the federal government's plans to build a detention center in Gilroy, California. Rob Bonta, attorney general of California, sued the federal government for legal violations and improper procedures, which resulted in construction of the site being paused. Roa emphasized the connection of the Chicano movement and struggle for equal rights to the attacks of ICE against South Bay Chicano residents.

Keynote speaker Dr. Ramon J Martinez, Secretary of the La Raza Historical Society and a participant in the original 1970 Chicano Moratorium, gave an oral history of the landmark event. “On that day, thousands of Chicano said ‘I’m not supporting the military,’” Dr. Martinez stated, emphasizing the role Chicanos faced in the United States military, where enlistment was viewed as a means of escaping poverty. “As an oppressed people, the military is one of the few ways that, one, you can have a little bit of Spanish and be accepted in this culture,” Dr. Martinez explained.

“The fact is that Chicanos have always been oppressed, we have always been oppressed since 1848 when the border crossed us,” Megan Sweet of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization stated. Sweet continued, “We must come together, as Chicanos, as people with morals to fight against a common enemy: U.S. imperialism.”

The event was organized by the Tonatiuh Brown Berets, Mujeres de Aztlan and Community Service organization San José (CSO San José) in coalition with endorsers and with food provided by Lighthouse Food and Rescue and Distribution.

The event featured cultural performances by Folclórico Colibri, an LGBTQ Mexican folklorico dance ensemble whose mission is to preserve Mexican customs and culture. Student poets from Mission College highlighted the importance of improving resources available to Chicano and undocumented students through poetry. The event closed off with performances by Chicano artists who uplifted strong community values amongst Chicanos.

#SanJoseCA #CA #OppressedNationalities #ChicanoLatino #ChicanoMoratorium #ImmigrantRights #BrownBerets #CSOSanJose #CSO

MIRAC member Mira Altobell-Resendez introduced the film, saying, “The reason the Chicano people were particularly angry about the U.S. waging war against Vietnam was because even though we made up 10% of the American population, we made up 20% of American casualties.”

These shocking statistics, along with discrimination in housing, education and employment, created conditions for Chicanos to fill the streets in the tens of thousands. They were demanding the reallocation of U.S. resources and full racial equality. During the peaceful protest in 1970, LAPD officers started attacking the crowd with batons, tear gas and rubber bullets, ultimately killing three people. Police murdered two Brown Beret members, Lyn Ward and Angel Diaz. Police also murdered well-known and respected LA Times journalist Ruben Salazar.

20 Years, ¿Y Qué? was produced by the National Chicano Moratorium Committee in 1990. Only 28 minutes, it covers the Chicano struggle for self-determination through interviews with organizers and others who participated in the commemorative Chicano Moratorium march. Taking the same march route, youth and elders of the movement called for solidarity with all oppressed people and justice for the victims of police violence.

After the documentary, members of the audience reflected on the state of the movement for the rights of Chicanos, Black people and other nationalities facing oppression within the U.S.. One Chicano elder expressed gratitude for events that keep the radical roots of the Chicano identity alive decades after the beginning of the movement.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #OppressedNationalities #ChicanoLatino #MIRAC #ChicanoMoratorium

Jerome Scott, a member of the LRBW since its founding, was there to join the discussion.

The documentary follows the founding of the LRBW by joining together different union caucuses led by militant Black workers. Each was at a different factory but soon realized they faced the same issues. All of the factory managements had racist practices, racist pay scales and dangerous work conditions.

By getting together and founding the LRBW, they were able to work on something bigger and learn from each other. They saw that the factory owners, the mayor, and the police were all on one side.

The organization also expanded into the community, colleges and schools. Having people who did not work in the factories on their side helped them in times of strikes, firings or arrests. With an organization uniting Black workers across industries, they had enough support to put up election campaigns for city office in Detroit.

After the movie showing, there was a question-and-answer session with Jerome Scott who recently co-wrote Motown and the Making of Working-Class Revolutionaries. The book details his experience in the LRBW. Scott filled in some details not mentioned in the documentary, like how they related to other groups, and the mistakes they made. Attendees talked more about the need to fight for people’s everyday problems, organizing at the workplace, and building the strategic alliance between the Black Liberation Movement and the struggle of the multinational working class for socialism.

The screening was put on by Resistance Cinema Atlanta, Atlanta Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization. Speakers talked about what their groups do and urged everyone to join.

#AtlantaGA #GA #Labor #OppressedNationalities #AfricanAmerican