Oshkosh, WI – On November 30, 20 activists from the Fox Valley gathered in protest of the shameless Oshkosh Corporation’s sponsorship of the Oshkosh Holiday Parade. Oshkosh Corporation is the parent company of Oshkosh Defense, under which it manufactures vehicles of war, particularly the Eitan Armored Personnel Carrier (APC). Oshkosh ‘Defense’ has a $100 million contract with the Israeli occupation forces to produce 500 APCs.

“The hypocrisy of Oshkosh Corp to sponsor the holiday parade is an ugly attempt to sanitize their bloodstained reality as their war machines are used to wipe out a people. The ongoing use of these genocidal machines have caused the cancellations of Palestinians’ holiday celebrations,” said Audari Tamayo of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization. “This cowardly attempt at propaganda by the war profiteers is reflective of the wider callousness of the U.S.-backed Israeli occupation. The U.S.-Israeli war machine knows no bounds.”

Places of worship are being bombed by the Israeli occupation forces — an act the Zionists are no stranger to. Christmas celebrations have been canceled across Palestine. The third oldest church in the world, the Church of Saint Porphyrius, was bombed by the genocidal Israeli forces. This is after repeated attacks on the Al Aqsa Mosque, the third-holiest site in Islam, by settler forces. Schools, hospitals, ambulances, refugee camps, entire apartment buildings and people’s homes have been indiscriminately bombed.

“Oshkosh Corp has seen a rise a in profits with the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people. The ruling class continues to laugh in our face as the merchants of death that are Oshkosh Corp. and its subsidiaries sponsor a holiday parade. But the people of the Fox Valley do not accept the posturing of the Oshkosh Corporation!” Tamayo said.

The protesters chanted for the duration of the parade: “Oshkosh greed makes children bleed” and “Oshkosh Corp, you can't hide, you don't care when children die!” The protesters were unapologetic about the murderous reality of the event’s sponsor.

Tamayo concluded: “The time of reckoning is dawning upon those who are profiting from settler-colonial occupation, from genocide, from the blood of the Palestinian people. Oshkosh Corp, we charge you with genocide. Blood money does not belong in the Fox Valley or anywhere. As long as the Palestinian people are under the continuous, violent, injustice of the genocidal Israeli occupation, the merchants of death deserve no peace. End U.S. aid to Israel! From the river to sea, Palestine will be free!”

#OshkoshWI #International #Palestine #AntiWar

Oshkosh, WI – In a powerful demonstration of solidarity, over a dozen passionate community members gathered outside Oshkosh Defense on Saturday, October 21, expressing their vehement opposition to the company's contract with the Israeli Occupation Forces.

The protest sent a clear message that the people of Oshkosh and the Fox Valley stand against the production of Eitan Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs) destined for Israel's ground invasion of Gaza.

The Eitan APCs, which Oshkosh Defense does and is slated to continue manufacturing, have raised concerns due to their potential use in the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Activists and community members believe that the deal not only exacerbates tensions in the region but also runs counter to principles of peace and justice, furthering the violent actions of the apartheid Israeli state.

The protest was organized by the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) with support from Students for a Democratic Society, and United Action Oshkosh.

With Palestinian flags waving and a large banner unfurled, the gathered community members were met with multiple shows of support from the passing public. FRSO member Rob Logeson read a prepared statement, and the people called back with unified chants of solidarity. With the escalation of violence against Palestine, more actions could be on the horizon if Oshkosh Defense continues to do business with the genocidal apartheid regime of Israel.

#OshkoshWI #Palestine #AntiWar #FRSO #SDS

Oshkosh, WI – Worker solidarity proved to be too much for the administration of UW Oshkosh, when they were forced September 12 to scrap their plan to privatize over 100 custodial and groundskeeper jobs at the university. Workers first learned of this plan on August 22, when UW Oshkosh custodial and grounds staff were informed via email that the administration was considering contracting with a private company, SSC Services, in Tennessee. This move would have pushed workers off their state benefits and resulted in reduced job security, poorer working conditions and less effective services rendered, all while funneling public education dollars to a private company.

Custodial and grounds workers, students and the United Faculty and Staff of Oshkosh (UFSO), a union of faculty and academic staff represented by AFT-Wisconsin Local 6506, immediately joined together to organize against this proposal. On September 6, the university’s opening day, over 40 staff, faculty and students marched through campus and around the administration’s offices, chanting “Hey hey, ho ho, keep the jobs at UWO” and “The people united will never be defeated.” Protesters also marched up and down nearby streets, cheering as passing cars honked in solidarity and getting extensive local media coverage.

Union members spearheaded a petition and a letter-writing campaign, gathering testimony and signatures from hundreds of faculty, staff and students in support of their custodial and grounds workers and sending these letters to the administration. Students organized their own resistance, gathering over 200 signatures on their own petition in a matter of days.

Then, at 1 p.m. on September 12, a group consisting of custodial and grounds staff, faculty, students and other university staff met with the administration to deliver their petitions, with over 900 signatures, demanding “immediate rejection of the plan to outsource the employment of the dedicated and hard-working custodians and grounds crew” and asking to “work together to find home-grown solutions to the challenges we face in recruitment, retention and allocation of resources.”

Less than two hours later, UW Oshkosh Chancellor Andy Leavitt sent an email to all university employees and students stating, “After considerable feedback, analysis and reflection, I have made the decision to maintain an internally managed custodial and groundskeeping staff at UW Oshkosh,” and that the administration will “develop a management plan that will allow us to get the work done, improve working conditions and successfully recruit and retain new employees.”

“Outsourcing would not only have been bad for workers, but it would have impacted our entire university community and our educational mission,” said Stephanie Spehar, a faculty member at UW-Oshkosh and member of the UFSO executive board. “This win demonstrates the power that we have when all workers stay united. It was an honor to stand in solidarity with my coworkers and I hope that we will continue to work together in the future.”

#OshkoshWI #UniversityOfWisconsinOshkosh

Oshkosh, WI – Over a dozen community members rallied in downtown Oshkosh on Saturday afternoon, September 25, to demonstrate their support for a Civilian Police Accountability Council, or CPAC, in their city.

The rally took place at Isaiah Tucker Square, recently renamed by the community in memoriam of Isaiah Tucker, a father of three children, who was murdered by officers Aaron Achterburg and Kyle Roberts of the Oshkosh Police Department in 2017. Several grassroots community action groups united to organize the demonstration, including United Action Oshkosh, Food Not Bombs, and Hope Fridge.

Sophia Rose, an organizer with United Action Oshkosh said, “I helped to organize this event because I believe that it’s important that cities across the U.S., including Oshkosh, begin to look at solutions to the policing problem. CPAC is a great start to police accountability and community control.”

Rose continued, “We’ve gotten to a point where police are seen as above us when they are not, they work for us. We pay them, they are supposed to ‘protect and serve’ us.”

The event drew a positive response from the community and passersby who stopped to talk, learn, and enjoy hot food and refreshments from Food Not Bombs. The rally ended with a call to action, for people to support their local grassroots community organizations, join them and help them grow.

#OshkoshWI #PeoplesStruggles #PoliceBrutality #UnitedActionOshkosh #civilianPoliceAccountabilityCouncilCPAC

Oshkosh, WI – Over a dozen community members rallied in downtown Oshkosh on Saturday afternoon, September 25, to demonstrate their support for a Civilian Police Accountability Council, or CPAC, in their city.

The rally took place at Isaiah Tucker Square, recently renamed by the community in memoriam of Isaiah Tucker, a father of three children, who was murdered by officers Aaron Achterburg and Kyle Roberts of the Oshkosh Police Department in 2017. Several grassroots community action groups united to organize the demonstration, including United Action Oshkosh, Food Not Bombs, and Hope Fridge.

Sophia Rose, an organizer with United Action Oshkosh said, “I helped to organize this event because I believe that it’s important that cities across the U.S., including Oshkosh, begin to look at solutions to the policing problem. CPAC is a great start to police accountability and community control.”

Rose continued, “We’ve gotten to a point where police are seen as above us when they are not, they work for us. We pay them, they are supposed to ‘protect and serve’ us.”

The event drew a positive response from the community and passersby who stopped to talk, learn, and enjoy hot food and refreshments from Food Not Bombs. The rally ended with a call to action, for people to support their local grassroots community organizations, join them and help them grow.

#OshkoshWI #PeoplesStruggles #PoliceBrutality #UnitedActionOshkosh #civilianPoliceAccountabilityCouncilCPAC

Oshkosh, WI – 30 concerned community and family members gathered to call for justice for Isaiah Tucker, who was shot and killed by Oshkosh police officer Aaron Achterberg on July 31, 2017. The protest marked the four-year anniversary of his murder. No charges were ever filed in Isaiah’s case. The police department investigated themselves with other officers and determined that all instances of violence towards Tucker were justified.

This annual event was organized by United Action Oshkosh (UAO) and the Wisconsin Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression along with the Tucker family to publicly address ongoing concerns of wrongdoing by the hands of police.

After a full program of speakers and chants, there was a call to action to collectively file a mass complaint on behalf of Tucker and those who cared about him. For seven days, the public around the country is being rallied to call, email and continuously bring attention to this murder case with the demands that the officers involved be severely disciplined or fired for the intimidating and erroneous misconduct before, during, and after Tucker was killed. The event organizers are also demanding the implementation of a civilian-led Police Accountability Council (CPAC).

The seven days of action represent the seven-plus minutes Isaiah was stripped of all his clothes and pinned down by officers after he was found critically injured in the shed in which he was hiding.

Anyone who is interested in participating in this series of actions should do any one of the following and demand justice, transparency and accountability: Email Bob Vajgrt, the president of the Oshkosh Police and Fire Commission (PFC), at bobvajgrt1941@gmail.com; call the secretary of the PFC at 920-236-5110; or call the Oshkosh Police Department at 920-236-5700.

For a call or email script, any other information people may want about Isaiah’s murder or how they can help, or how to get involved with United Action Oshkosh or the Wisconsin Alliance, interested persons should visit their social media pages on Facebook or Instagram.

#OshkoshWI #PeoplesStruggles #PoliceBrutality #UnitedActionOshkosh #IsaiahTucker #WisconsinAllianceAgainstRacistAndPoliticalRepression

One teen, who wished to remain unnamed, said, “It was super important to have a space to celebrate our identities without school, our parents, or any stranger policing our bodies. It was also nice to learn how we can stick together and fight back!”

There was an onsite counselor through Reach Counseling who was there to assist any youth struggling and to provide resources for youth victims of sexual violence and other attacks related to their gender identity. One of the key themes of the event was expressing solidarity with the Black and brown communities who also identify as LGBTQ and their allies.

Since Pride originated as a rebellion against police and political repression it was appropriate for organizers to also highlight our need for an all elected Civilian Police Accountability Council (CPAC) to hold police officers fully accountable for harm done when cops commit crimes.

Hollie Poupart, a host and member of the Wisconsin Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, emphasized the historical relationship between police violence and LGBTQ community.

“For far too long police officers and those in positions of power have been able to target, harass, humiliate, misgender, abuse and even murder beautiful members of our communities without any true consequences,” Poupart said. “This has to stop and if we want change; we need to elect a body of marginalized people who have no problem hearing testimonies and holding police officers accountable.”

#OshkoshWI #PeoplesStruggles #WisconsinAllianceAgainstRacistPoliticalRepressionWAARPR

Daunte Wright was allegedly pulled over for the air freshener hanging from his rearview mirror; later police claimed Wright had a warrant, which confused him, causing him to sit back down into his vehicle. While trying to forcefully remove him from his vehicle, Officer Potter shot Wright in the abdomen with her gun. She immediately claimed she thought she had been holding her taser. Protesters are calling this error “inexcusable” and are demanding that the ‘veteran’ Officer Potter be fully held accountable to the law the same way that any regular person would be.

Protesters in Oshkosh highlighted the similarities between the murder of Daunte Wright and the murder of Isaiah Tucker in their own community almost four years ago, when officer Aaron Achterberg fatally shot Tucker for entering his vehicle attempting to ‘flee.’

“For years we have seen cases of police shooting Black men, women and children with no accountability. It’s happening everywhere and not just in big cities,” said Hollie Poupart, a leader with United Action Oshkosh and of the Wisconsin Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. “Police are shooting and killing here in smaller cities like Oshkosh, Appleton, Green Bay and across the country. Enough is enough!”

Local grassroots organizations like United Action Oshkosh and the Wisconsin Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression are calling for a Civilian Police Accountability Council to be enacted to hold police officers accountable when they cause serious harm. More protests will take place as tensions resurface, fueling the drive for changes around the country.

#OshkoshWI #PeoplesStruggles #PoliceBrutality #UnitedActionOshkosh #WisconsinAllianceAgainstRacistPoliticalRepressionWAARPR #DaunteWright

Oshkosh, WI – Over a dozen protesters from many parts of eastern Wisconsin answered a call put out by United Action Oshkosh (UAO). People rallied on October 24 to demand justice for Isaiah Tucker and community control of the police.

Community members participated in a motorcade through an area of Oshkosh that typically does not see protests outside the standard political campaign yard signs. The area of town chosen to meet up was picked specifically to help bring confidence to the Black and brown residents who lived in that area.

Despite local COVID-19 cases spiking, making the northeastern part of Wisconsin a ‘hotspot’ and one of the worst places on the planet for new cases, people lined up in their cars decorated with signs and their megaphones in tow ready to make some noise. Safety was a number one factor for local organizers as they completely understand the dangers COVID-19 presents to their most vulnerable neighbors.

“We encourage social distancing and mask wearing. We have extra masks for people who do not have them and hand sanitizer for everyone. We ask that people who are not feeling well stay at home,” said Abby Ringel, of the Wisconsin Women’s Equity Coalition and a participant in the action. “We typically also have a few vehicles that travel with us and people that aren’t comfortable marching in the large group are encouraged to caravan with us.”

Staying in cars created barriers between others as well as the community members that either followed along or cheered them on.

Aside from demanding police accountability, local grassroots groups like Food Not Bombs and the Wisconsin Women’s Equity Coalition believe that working together directly in their actions while serving their communities is crucial.

“It is important for us to show solidarity with other communities because this is one fight. The problem is systemic and without widespread action, there will be no systemic change. It is important that we band together to have the greatest effect,” continued Ringel.

#OshkoshWI #PeoplesStruggles #PoliceBrutality #IsaiahTucker #CommunityControlOfThePolice

Oshkosh, WI – On the afternoon of September 19, over 30 people gathered in Menominee Park in Oshkosh to demand justice for Isaiah Tucker. The group came together to protest the violent police killing of Tucker and to demand the officers responsible be held accountable. Tucker was a 28-year-old Black man from Oshkosh, and a father of three, who was murdered at the hands of Oshkosh Police Department officers Aaron Achterberg and Kyler Roberts.

After the demonstrators rallied on a busy street corner with signs and banners that read “Justice for Isaiah Tucker!” and “Police accountability now!” they marched through the park and shut down traffic, chanting “No justice, no peace!” and “We want CPAC now!” The community embraced the demonstration by cheering on the march, honking car horns, and even joining in the chants of “Black lives matter!” The action was organized by local grassroots organization United Action Oshkosh.

“Menominee Park definitely heard us on Saturday,” said Jeremy Bradley, United Action Oshkosh organizer and Teamsters union activist. “We were loud, consistent and did just what we wanted to do, be heard and disrupt the peace. Aside from a few counter-protesters, the community at the park showed support for the march.”

Salazar Vaas Keapa, a Black lives matter activist from Waupaca, saw the action in Oshkosh as a success, saying, “It was awesome, peaceful and had great speakers. Oshkosh was my 40th protest this year. This is just me getting warmed up. I love doing these events and making friends, real friends, plus yelling at racists with a megaphone just feels great.”

The rally for justice in Oshkosh was just one of many across the country as people organized against a racist government for the national day of protest against police terror, called by the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. The message from coast to coast is clear: the people have had enough of police crimes and are ready for community control of the police.

#OshkoshWI #PeoplesStruggles #PoliceBrutality #Antiracism #NationalAllianceAgainstRacistAndPoliticalRepression

Oshkosh, WI – On the afternoon of August 17, a large crowd of people marched and rallied to protest the arrival of President Donald Trump at Wittman Airport. Answering the call put forth by a handful of organizations, most of whom are members of the Coalition to March on the Democratic National Convention, over 120 people gathered in the parking lot of the Lake Aire Shopping Center, just a half mile from where Trump spoke.

Despite releasing information on road closures earlier in the day with different information, the police on hand changed which roads were closed and where. This threw a wrench into the plan for the march, but organizers adapted quickly. After a few chants to get the crowd in the mood, marchers pushed forward with a large banner that read “We can’t breathe.”

With the change in route, the march took a more residential path. The protest cut right through blocks with plenty of Trump supporters, but the chanting from the marchers was deafening, drowning out whatever the counter-protesters were saying. Some people came out of their homes to cheer as the march moved down the street.

Without access to 20th Avenue, the street Wittman Airport is on, let alone to the area in front of the building where Trump was speaking, march leaders had to make do with what was available. The march ended in front of the police blockade preventing access to 20th, right next to the Southside Oshkosh post office. Speakers from organizations that led the march shared their messages with the gathered crowd.

The main thrust of the action was denouncing President Trump’s role in escalating the racist attacks against Black men and other oppressed people by police and vigilantes, but the speakers touched on a range of topics pertaining to Trump’s time in the White House.

“We can all agree that Donald Trump is a racist, a bigot and a warmonger. He is an enemy of the people. But we must also understand that Trump is just a symptom of a much larger problem, not the cause of the problem itself,” said Ryan Hamann, one of the co-chairs of the Coalition to March on the DNC. “Like I said earlier, we need to organize in our workplaces against the boss, in our communities against racist killer cops and other oppressive institutions like ICE and rich slumlords, and in our schools and on campuses against out of touch administrators and racist policies.”

Hamann continued, “All of these things that we must struggle against are tools of the ruling class used in their war against us, the working class, and we need to meet them with the force of the organized masses of working and oppressed people if we are ever going to win this fight.”

A small but very vocal group of fascists gathered behind the rally. With their loud megaphone, they shouted racist, sexist and bigoted expletives, all while other Trump supporters watched and said nothing. Despite all their noise-making, the fascists tucked tail and got out of the way the second the mass of protesters began marching back the way they’d come.

While the event was a protest of Donald Trump and everything he stands for, it also served as an appropriate kick-off to the weeks’ worth of events and actions planned in Milwaukee and other places connected to the DNC. The Coalition to March on the DNC is building momentum for their main action at 5 p.m. on August 20 in Milwaukee’s Dontre Hamilton (Red Arrow) Park.

At the rally and march, the Coalition will demand that Democrats like Joe Biden and local figures like Mayor Tom Barrett put an end to the police killings of Black men and other people. In addition, they will be joined by several families from across the state who are victims of killer cops. The families of Alvin Cole of Milwaukee, Jonathon Tubby of Green Bay and Isaiah Tucker of Oshkosh will be present to demand justice for their loved ones.

Despite the decision by Biden and the Democrats to stay home and shelter themselves from the movement for Black lives in the streets of Milwaukee, August 20 is shaping out to be a can’t-miss event.

#OshkoshWI #PeoplesStruggles #CoalitionToMarchOnTheDNC

The Coalition to March on the Democratic National Convention led the charge for both of those protests and is doing the same again. Several other organizations and allies have joined in the effort, including rank-and-file trade unionists and United Action Oshkosh (UAO).

UAO is a local organization working on reopening the case of Isaiah Tucker, a Black man murdered by Officer Aaron Achterberg of the Oshkosh Police Department on July 31, 2017. Members of Tucker’s family are joining UAO and the Coalition on August 20 when they march on the DNC in Milwaukee.

“While our Coalition exists to march on the DNC, we’ve been very clear since the start that Donald Trump is the primary enemy of working and oppressed people the world over. Trump is responsible for goading racist killer cops and vigilantes to murder Black men and others. We must defeat Trump,” said Ryan Hamann, co-chair of the Coalition to March on the DNC.

Trump is commenting on “Biden’s failures on jobs and the economy” at the Basler Flight Service on the grounds of Wittman Airport on the southside of Oshkosh. The press conference is set to begin at 4:30 p.m. The president will be met with the force of the masses of people who oppose his hateful, violent agenda. The Coalition to March on the DNC, United Action Oshkosh, and the other organizations and activists involved will be ready.

“Our first official action as an organization was back in January 2018, and it was a protest of the first year of the Trump administration. We’re proud to be in keeping with that tradition,” said Hollie Poupart, a leader with United Action Oshkosh.

Poupart went on, “On August 17 when Trump comes to town, we’re going to make sure he knows he’s not welcome here, and we’re gonna do it while raising the demand for justice for Isaiah Tucker. And after we’ve sent Trump packing, we’re going to take our message to Milwaukee for the march on the DNC on August 20. Enough is enough. We can’t breathe!”

#OshkoshWI #Protest #Antiracism #UnitedActionOshkoshUAO #CoalitionToMarchOnTheDNC

Oshkosh, WI – On the evening of July 31, 50 people from Oshkosh and the surrounding Fox Valley participated in a protest and vigil for Isaiah Tucker. The event, organized by United Action Oshkosh (UAO), marked the three-year anniversary of Isaiah’s murder by Oshkosh police officers Aaron Achterberg and Kyle Roberts. This event was also a call for the Oshkosh Police Department to fire, indict and convict killer cop Achterberg and his accomplice Roberts, both of whom are still employed by Oshkosh Police Department.

Attendees of the event took to the streets and marched to the Oshkosh Police Department to demand justice for Isaiah. Guest speakers included Isaiah’s brother, Bobby, as well as Lauryn Cross, a leader from the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression, and Ryan Hamann, a co-chair of the Coalition to March on the Democratic National Convention.

“We recognize that Trump is a leading figure goading killer cops and vigilantes, and that he needs to be defeated, but we must also demand that Joe Biden and the Democrats put an end to these racist killings like what happened to Isaiah Tucker,” said Hamann. “Through the march on the DNC, the Coalition hopes to shine a national spotlight on Isaiah’s case, to bring much needed awareness and pressure. Police crimes and killer cops exist everywhere. It’s an issue that isn’t restricted to the big cities and it’s high time we did something about it.”

Some members of Isaiah Tucker’s family will be joining with the Coalition to March on the DNC in Milwaukee on August 20 to take their demand for justice to a national stage.

The speakers put out a call to action to not only win justice for Tucker and his family, but also to establish a Civilian Police Accountability Council (CPAC) in the city. This council would provide civilian control over the hiring and firing of police officers in the city, to review and veto the police department’s budget, and to call for truly independent investigations of police crimes.

Holding the Oshkosh Police Department accountable would give a measure of justice for Isaiah Tucker by firing, indicting and convicting Aaron Achterberg and Kyle Roberts, as well as ensuring that killer cops are held accountable to the people in the city and could not hold a job as police officers.

#OshkoshWI #PoliceBrutality #PeoplesStruggles #UnitedActionOshkosh

Oshkosh, WI – 30 community members came out, July 8, to protest the leadership of the Boys & Girls Club of Oshkosh. Community activists, artists, teachers, parents and children gathered peacefully on a corner armed with chalk, chants and messages of anti-racism and solidarity with the pro-Black Lives Matter workers.

When protests erupted around the country in late May over the police killings of George Floyd and countless others, the Boys & Girls Club released a statement of solidarity for the Black Lives Matter movement on their social media accounts in early June. The workers, who have been impacted by these repeated killings, were given no external guidance on how to respond or what types of conversations would be expected of them in their classrooms. They assumed the social media posts from the Boys & Girls Club were a green light for employees that wanted to show solidarity.

On June 9, an employee developed their weekly theme around solidarity and propped up signs in the windows that read “Black dreams matter,” “We stand united,” and “Black voices matter.” Supervisors and CEOs alike voiced their immediate concern for their reputation amongst donors and the “non-Black” children and families who would see those signs and feel “left out.” During business hours and despite the employee’s refusal to take down the signs, they were removed in front of a Black staff member.

Multiple private meetings with supervisors as well as two CEOs and the Boys & Girls Club ended with the conclusion from the organization that workers were to remain neutral and that they must not put “opinions” or “personal beliefs” in the windows for the public to see. This did not sit well with employees on the front lines and led to further actions in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.

Ten days later, the Boys & Girls Club's ‘neutrality’ remained firm and tensions were still unresolved between workers and management. This tension expanded further after a Black staff member who solely worked outside for recess experienced a heat-related emergency that was disregarded as hostility. Other staff members rushed to provide basic first aid while supervisors were nowhere to be found. The staff member working outside wrote “I can't breathe” in chalk in the parking lot as another way to speak out against the Boys & Girls Club of Oshkosh's awful working conditions and treatment towards Black staff. This chalk message was removed by maintenance after business hours.

The Boys & Girls Club sought legal counsel through their labor law attorney connections and spoke privately with donors about what could be done. Employees were left in an exhausting cycle of meetings that included repeating statements, workers being taken away from their classrooms, and threats of termination. Management demanded more time to reflect, welcomed suggestions via email, but remained firm on their position of neutrality as to not lose “critical” donations that keep programs running.

The hostility and subtle gaslighting experienced behind the scenes led to two Black staff resigning to preserve their mental and emotional well-being. A large meeting was called by staff to meet with superiors on June 25 and it was agreed by CEO Marc Dosogne that this meeting would take place as long as it was indoors, private, and no media was in attendance.

The meeting was only minimally effective, but employees were able to share experiences, anger, and explain how crucial it is to publicly defend the Black Lives Matter movement as an organization that serves dozens of Black youth. Workers demanded 100% solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, zero neutrality, real representation for front line staff at every board of directors meeting, shirts in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, and a possible paid day to volunteer and participate in a Black Lives Matter related action.

A week passed as if nothing had happened despite staff quitting and looking elsewhere for other positions. The staff and concerned parties reached out to grassroots organizations locally to help apply pressure and to expose this specific organizational branch's cover up of racist employer practices. The accounts of racism have sparked outrage in the community. Despite the outrage, the Boys & Girls Club still maintains direct connections with many powerful institutions including the Oshkosh Police Department, whose officers murdered and slandered an unarmed Black man named Isaiah Tucker back in 2017.

The day after the Black Lives Matter chalk-walk protest, social media accounts displayed the Boys & Girls Club of Oshkosh tagged with the Oshkosh Police Department thanking children for hand delivering candy and cards. Workers and their supporters in the community intend to hold future protests for tangible change, equality and genuine solidarity.

#OshkoshWI #PeoplesStruggles #Wisconsin #Antiracism #BlackLivesMatter #BLM

Oshkosh, WI – 30 community members came out, July 8, to protest the leadership of the Boys & Girls Club of Oshkosh. Community activists, artists, teachers, parents and children gathered peacefully on a corner armed with chalk, chants and messages of anti-racism and solidarity with the pro-Black Lives Matter workers.

When protests erupted around the country in late May over the police killings of George Floyd and countless others, the Boys & Girls Club released a statement of solidarity for the Black Lives Matter movement on their social media accounts in early June. The workers, who have been impacted by these repeated killings, were given no external guidance on how to respond or what types of conversations would be expected of them in their classrooms. They assumed the social media posts from the Boys & Girls Club were a green light for employees that wanted to show solidarity.

On June 9, an employee developed their weekly theme around solidarity and propped up signs in the windows that read “Black dreams matter,” “We stand united,” and “Black voices matter.” Supervisors and CEOs alike voiced their immediate concern for their reputation amongst donors and the “non-Black” children and families who would see those signs and feel “left out.” During business hours and despite the employee’s refusal to take down the signs, they were removed in front of a Black staff member.

Multiple private meetings with supervisors as well as two CEOs and the Boys & Girls Club ended with the conclusion from the organization that workers were to remain neutral and that they must not put “opinions” or “personal beliefs” in the windows for the public to see. This did not sit well with employees on the front lines and led to further actions in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.

Ten days later, the Boys & Girls Club's ‘neutrality’ remained firm and tensions were still unresolved between workers and management. This tension expanded further after a Black staff member who solely worked outside for recess experienced a heat-related emergency that was disregarded as hostility. Other staff members rushed to provide basic first aid while supervisors were nowhere to be found. The staff member working outside wrote “I can't breathe” in chalk in the parking lot as another way to speak out against the Boys & Girls Club of Oshkosh's awful working conditions and treatment towards Black staff. This chalk message was removed by maintenance after business hours.

The Boys & Girls Club sought legal counsel through their labor law attorney connections and spoke privately with donors about what could be done. Employees were left in an exhausting cycle of meetings that included repeating statements, workers being taken away from their classrooms, and threats of termination. Management demanded more time to reflect, welcomed suggestions via email, but remained firm on their position of neutrality as to not lose “critical” donations that keep programs running.

The hostility and subtle gaslighting experienced behind the scenes led to two Black staff resigning to preserve their mental and emotional well-being. A large meeting was called by staff to meet with superiors on June 25 and it was agreed by CEO Marc Dosogne that this meeting would take place as long as it was indoors, private, and no media was in attendance.

The meeting was only minimally effective, but employees were able to share experiences, anger, and explain how crucial it is to publicly defend the Black Lives Matter movement as an organization that serves dozens of Black youth. Workers demanded 100% solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, zero neutrality, real representation for front line staff at every board of directors meeting, shirts in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, and a possible paid day to volunteer and participate in a Black Lives Matter related action.

A week passed as if nothing had happened despite staff quitting and looking elsewhere for other positions. The staff and concerned parties reached out to grassroots organizations locally to help apply pressure and to expose this specific organizational branch's cover up of racist employer practices. The accounts of racism have sparked outrage in the community. Despite the outrage, the Boys & Girls Club still maintains direct connections with many powerful institutions including the Oshkosh Police Department, whose officers murdered and slandered an unarmed Black man named Isaiah Tucker back in 2017.

The day after the Black Lives Matter chalk-walk protest, social media accounts displayed the Boys & Girls Club of Oshkosh tagged with the Oshkosh Police Department thanking children for hand delivering candy and cards. Workers and their supporters in the community intend to hold future protests for tangible change, equality and genuine solidarity.

#OshkoshWI #PeoplesStruggles #Wisconsin #Antiracism #BlackLivesMatter #BLM

“The rally was a really quick response to a very real situation,” Lydia Christensen, a student at UW-Oshkosh, said. “I felt that going to the rally to speak with others about the situation allowed me to listen and hear a wider breadth of information. However, most important was getting out to talk to other members of the community about how the actions affect all of our futures.”

The rally was received positively with waves and honks from passing cars and pedestrians.

Alvin Järvenpää, Jr., who attended the rally commented, “It was encouraging to receive mostly positive feedback from passersby. I think it's important to be seen standing against a new war so people who feel hopeless realize they aren't alone.”

#OshkoshWI #AntiwarMovement #Iran #PeoplesStruggles #MiddleEast

Oshkosh, WI – On the evening of July 12, the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Students for a Democratic Society (UWO SDS) hosted a Lights for Liberty rally, demanding an end to the Trump administration's detention policy and the closure of the concentration camps, where tens of thousands of immigrants are being held in clear breach of international law. The call to action drew roughly 30 people from Oshkosh and the surrounding Fox Valley area.

The event started with a silent candlelight vigil to help bring awareness to the disastrous conditions in the camps. The action featured 12 different people speaking out about the conditions and the need to continue to act for the people who have lost their lives at these camps.

With the looming dangers of ICE’s taking action and attempting to deport large numbers of people out of the U.S., the need to bring one another together in solidarity with the immigrants was vastly important. In the small city of Oshkosh, UWO SDS stepped up to do just that. The people came together to share a moment and to push for the importance of being united.

“It was important that we accept that we are all human and if we lose the labels and drop the hate we can come together as one,” said SDS leader Lydia Christensen.

This was the first action hosted by the renewed UWO SDS chapter. With recent incidents involving Nazis on campus and the fact that one of the university buildings is named after a Klansman, the group has plenty of work ahead of it.

#OshkoshWI #StudentMovement #OppressedNationalities #US #PeoplesStruggles #ChicanoLatino #DonaldTrump #concentrationCamps #LightsForLiberty #UniversityOfWisconsinOshkoshSDS

Oshkosh, WI – On March 31, local activists and members of United Action Oshkosh (UAO) held a vigil to honor and commemorate the life and work of activist Amber Evans.

Evans, whose body had been identified a week prior after being pulled from the Scioto River in Columbus, Ohio, was a 28-year-old organizer involved heavily with movements such as Black Lives Matter, the Juvenile Justice Coalition, the People's Justice Project, and local anti-fascist projects.

Gathering in the Opera House Square in downtown Oshkosh, attendees of the vigil held a moment of silence for two minutes, symbolizing the two months Evans’ family went without any information about her disappearance. Hollie Poupart, the host of the event, then spoke about the importance of continuing activist struggles in the face of very real danger posed by reactionary elements, and often from law enforcement. After highlighting some of Evans’ work during her life, Poupart asked attendees to join her in remembering the lives of a handful of other activists, fallen too soon, by responding to their names with “We remember you.”

“I believe it was important that we recognize, although this work at times is dangerous, we as activists must support and protect one another as we dedicate our lives to the fight and the people,” said Lindsey Spietz, an organizer with UAO.

“It also highlights the increasing need for accountability for police,” she continued, highlighting UAO’s active campaign to establish community control of policing in Oshkosh. “Not only when there is brutal action but when there is blatant inaction. Amber’s death has remained mysterious as the police have not done enough to find the answers her family needs. We must continue to fight on in her memory and for all of the other activists who have mysteriously lost their lives.”

This weighty action mirrored a similar vigil held by UAO in August of 2018 to honor the life of Isaiah Tucker, who was brutally gunned down by Oshkosh police in July of 2017 while leaving the scene of a non-violent domestic disturbance. United Action Oshkosh remains dedicated to the cause of establishing community control of the police in their city, and in other cities across the nation, and these vigils are a sad reminder of the importance of their struggle.

#OshkoshWI #OppressedNationalities #PeoplesStruggles #AfricanAmerican #PoliceBrutality #Antiracism #PoliticalRepression #UnitedActionOshkoshUAO #AmberEvans

With only a few days’ notice, the rally was organized after a call to action came from the Legalization for All Network.

“I think it’s important to communicate to people in this town who their allies are when it comes to standing against bigotry and unethical policies,” said Courtney Earl, a member of UAO. “Establishing that network of support is an important step in effecting meaningful change.”

UAO has protested similar decisions by the Trump administration, most notably the bombing of Syria last spring, the selection of rapist Brett Kavanaugh as nominee to the Supreme Court, and in opposition to the anti-transgender amendment of Title IX. The group stands in total opposition to Donald Trump and his anti-people agenda.

#OshkoshWI #PeoplesStruggles #DonaldTrump #UnitedActionOshkosh #NationalEmergency

When 40 of these students set upon his office, President Roger E. Guiles met them, advancing the notion that he had little power himself to change any of the things they took issue with. Unsatisfied by this response, the students tore up the office. Attempting to mitigate their righteous anger, Guiles reiterated that he could do little and told them to wait until a committee meeting concluded later in the day. The committee was meeting to discuss a list of demands that had previously been submitted by the Black Student Union (BSU) a month earlier.

Suspicious of the president's claims, the students decided on an impromptu sit-in until the results of the committee meeting were brought to Guiles. “I can give up a few hours of my life for my future,” one student is purported to have said. What ensued next would change history at UWO.

Cops in plain clothes and a mob of angry white people gathered just outside of the executive offices where the protesting students were assembled. Shortly thereafter, likely at the behest of campus administration, riot police joined the fray. A decision was reached by the students to go peacefully. The police, drawn from nine different municipalities, herded the students into rented Hertz trucks outside and shipped them to jails as far away as Green Bay, 51 miles distant.

In the weeks that followed, other students and sympathetic faculty rallied to the cause of the Oshkosh 94. Even major civil rights leaders from Milwaukee like Father James Groppi traveled to Oshkosh to help lead the campaign for justice. Despite their best efforts, these students were ultimately expelled from the university.

There were victories that came from this defeat. Housing discrimination, at least on campus, came to an end. Unfair grading practices were stopped. A few courses dealing with African American history and culture were implemented. Perhaps most significantly, by the early 1970s, a building on campus had been repurposed to serve as a cultural center for African American students.

Despite the winning of some of their demands, the students who made up the Oshkosh 94 have had a strained relationship with the university since the events of Black Thursday. UWO held a commemoration event on November 14 where the 34 surviving members of the expelled students were presented with honorary Chancellor's Medallions. Not all of the honorees were convinced of the sincerity of this action.

“The Chancellor’s Medallion is an appeasement,” Henry Brown III, a prominent member of the Oshkosh 94, said. “I had to wait 50 years to hear the truth about how I was treated. But I'm happy because I see the lives of my classmates; they turned lemons into lemonade.”

In light of Chancellor Leavitt and his administration’s so-called progressivism, institutionalized racism still lingers at UWO. There are zero African American faculty that currently teach at the university. There is no African American Studies major – and the minor program that does exist has been led for the last year and a half by a white English professor. With the budget cuts, it's likely that this offering could be eliminated as a ‘low-demand program.’ Instances of racist harassment in the campus dorms go unchecked by administration. Also, the name of the campus theater building honors Fredric March, a prominent actor from Wisconsin who was a member of a student chapter of the Ku Klux Klan while he attended university at Madison in the 1920s.

While victories have been won in the struggle against racist oppression in Oshkosh in general, and at UWO in particular, there is still a long way to go. That is why UWO Students for a Democratic Society rallied on November 19, to support Black lives and to remember Black Thursday.

UWO SDS demands the creation of an African American Studies major, or, failing that, an Ethnic Studies major. As a component of this, the university needs to immediately hire African American faculty. Instances of racism need to be handled with the utmost severity wherever they occur and whoever is the perpetrator. Likewise, systems to report racist incidents need to be overhauled, made to be more thorough and accessible. Finally, the name of the campus theater building must be changed.

During their rally, members of SDS asked a very important question with the above circumstances in mind: 50 years later, how much has really changed?

#OshkoshWI #OppressedNationalities #StudentsForADemocraticSociety #PeoplesStruggles #AfricanAmerican #UniversityOfWisconsinOshkosh #BlackThursday