Portland, OR – On Friday October 30, Portland Public Schools students pounded on the school district headquarters doors demanding a halt to the proposed shutdown of 14 public schools in the city.

Backed by a crowd of over 300 people, the children chanted “Let us in!” with sacks full of letters to the school board written by Portland families and students.

The action was part of a protest led by Save PDX Schools, an organization created in the wake of the school boards’ announcement they intended to close schools on October 5. Since the announcement, groups of parents, students and teachers were spontaneously created to fight the closures.

Kids, parents and community members marched around the block and chanted “PPS must think we’re fools, we won’t let them close our schools!” Two students from Sellwood Middle School grabbed a megaphone and led the crowd in chanting “Save Sellwood!”

The Portland school board claims closures are necessary due to a $65 million budget deficit caused by decreased enrollment and increasing cost operations. Groups such as Save PDX Schools are calling for the school board to pause closures and are asking the state to provide more funding.

“The closure of schools will only decrease enrollment further and worsen budget crises,” said PPS parent Blaire Glennon. “Larger class sizes, less educators, programs, and worsening learning conditions will only exacerbate the issue and pave the way for charter schools to step in where public schools are being dismantled. This is a part of a larger attempt to sell off our schools to private companies.”

#PortlandOR #OR #PortlandPublicSchools #Labor #PeoplesStruggles

Portland, OR – On Friday October 30, Portland Public Schools students pounded on the school district headquarters doors demanding a halt to the proposed shutdown of 14 public schools in the city.

Backed by a crowd of over 300 people, the children chanted “Let us in!” with sacks full of letters to the school board written by Portland families and students.

The action was part of a protest led by Save PDX Schools, an organization created in the wake of the school boards’ announcement they intended to close schools on October 5. Since the announcement, groups of parents, students and teachers were spontaneously created to fight the closures.

Kids, parents and community members marched around the block and chanted “PPS must think we’re fools, we won’t let them close our schools!” Two students from Sellwood Middle School grabbed a megaphone and led the crowd in chanting “Save Sellwood!”

The Portland school board claims closures are necessary due to a $65 million budget deficit caused by decreased enrollment and increasing cost operations. Groups such as Save PDX Schools are calling for the school board to pause closures and are asking the state to provide more funding.

“The closure of schools will only decrease enrollment further and worsen budget crises,” said PPS parent Blaire Glennon. “Larger class sizes, less educators, programs, and worsening learning conditions will only exacerbate the issue and pave the way for charter schools to step in where public schools are being dismantled. This is a part of a larger attempt to sell off our schools to private companies.”

#PortlandOR #OR #PortlandPublicSchools #Labor #PeoplesStruggles

Minneapolis, MN – The Freedom Road Socialist Organization Fall membership drive is exceeding expectations. The campaign, which began on October 15, has resulted in 189 new general members as of October 29. In San Jose, CA, 29 people have joined FRSO.

Across the country, FRSO members have been setting up tables at protests and asking people to join. FRSO groups in many places have outreach plans to enlist new members.

Tom Burke, the Organizational Secretary of FRSO stated, “Now is the time for us to grow in a big way. Monopoly capitalism is declining, and the situation is excellent for us to build revolutionary organization.”

Burke continued, “We have set the goal of 300 new general members, and we do exactly what we say. We are going all out to build FRSO and we are determined to replace capitalism with socialism.”

#MinneapolisMN #MN #SanJoseCA #CA #FRSO #PeoplesStruggles #Socialism #Featured

Tallahassee, FL – Over 30 people gathered at The Bark restaurant to hear from city commission candidates and local organizers about the attacks on voting rights, and on how we can fight back.

On the panel were city commission candidates Dot Inman-Johnson and PJ Perez. The city commission has had a 3-2 conservative-to-progressive split for eight years, during which the majority has served developers over the people. Three seats are up for election this year, with progressive candidates in each, including Inman-Johnson and Perez, so the balance could swing to progressive control.

Also on the panel were Jackson Vanderley from Tallahassee SDS, Kevin Louis-Jeune from FAMU SDS, Lunchbox from Black on Black Rhyme, and Delilah Pierre with the Tallahassee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.

Louis-Jeune, a first year FAMU student, spoke to the differences he had seen in town: “Walking around the immediate area around campus, compared to around on campus, is like walking into a whole different city.”

Lunchbox responded to an audience question about what to do when the elections are over, “We vote with our time, we vote with our dollar, we vote with our energy. So besides the election process, which is important, we have the power to have conversations with our neighbors.”

When asked about the effects in Tallahassee of racist redistricting in other parts of Florida, Inman-Johnson said, “When [former representative] Al Lawson’s district was eliminated through gerrymandering, the legislature tried to do a fairer district. Desantis vetoed it and had his team develop the district. It’s important that [Democrat nominee for governor, David] Jolly get elected because it would be a fairer governor who would oversee those decisions.”

Perez kept it simple: “Just do away with partisan gerrymandering altogether, at all levels. That’s what we should all be aspiring to.”

An audience member asked about how elected officials can balance holding their values with making small movements towards progress, especially when more and more Republican voters are moving to Florida. Pierre responded by saying, “There might be more Republican voters moving here, but there’s one unity between Republican voters and Democrat voters: we broke as hell. We ain’t got no money. We have to rephrase the question. It’s not Republicans versus Democrats; it's the working class versus the billionaires and multimillionaires.”

#TallahasseeFL #FL #PeoplesStruggles #VotingRights

Genevieve Richard, an organizer with FRSO who tabled at the event, states, “As bad as Trump is, he is ultimately a symptom of the broken system we find ourselves in. We've been fighting against capitalism long before Trump showed up, and we'll continue fighting once he's gone. We understand that we need socialism, and we need a party to get there.”

The FRSO table encouraged people to vote no on Colorado ballot measures 134 and 135, which would strip rights from transgender people, as well as no on ballot measure 81, which would increase collaboration between ICE and local law enforcement.

Brandon Rincon, another FRSO organizer who tabled at the event, states, “Socialists need to stand with the people when they stand up against reactionary attacks. We need a united front of all who can be united so we can fight back. We want to help illuminate the path forward for all those who are fed up with our current system and what’s happening around us but aren’t sure what to do about it.”

October 17 reportedly saw No Kings protests in over 2500 cities and towns across the country; all focused on opposing Trump’s agenda.

#ColoradoSpringsCO #CO #FRSO #NoKings #PeoplesStruggles

Denver, CO, On Saturday, October 17, hundreds of community members gathered at Denver’s Lincoln Veterans Memorial Park for No Kings 4. The event, branded as “No Kings: Vote Early,” was one of around 70 similar events planned across the state of Colorado on Saturday.

The event was scheduled from noon to 4 p.m., though many attendees were already walking through the park and speaking with organizational tables well before 11:30. At 1:30, a march was held, starting on Lincoln Street next to Colorado State Capitol and completing a loop through downtown Denver.

Lasting roughly an hour, the march had several hundred attendees. Marchers held signs with slogans like “Taxes for healthcare, not bombing babies” and “The only minority destroying America is the billionaires.” Denver Anti-War Action (DAWA) carried a banner reading “200+ days of war, end Trump’s assault on Iran.” Several marchers carried signs condemning ICE terror.

Over a dozen organizations tabled at the event, including DAWA, Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), and both the Auraria and School of Mines chapters of Students for a Democratic Society. Food trucks and carts provided tacos, hot dogs, and more for attendees.

Some organizations gave speeches near the center of the park, keeping energy up throughout the afternoon.

Julia Swezy from FRSO was one who addressed the crowd, saying, “This two-party system doesn’t work for you and me, it works for the billionaire Epstein class.” Swezy continued, “Unfortunately, the oppression does not end with Donald Trump. The issue does not end with a Democrat in office. It’s only when the masses of working and oppressed people overthrow the system of capitalist exploitation that we are free of our chains.”

“Voting on key issues is important, but voting is not going to get us out of the oppressive system of capital that we're in,” Swezy said, and encouraged people to get involved in their communities by joining an organization like FRSO. “You can find an organization present here today that is fighting for your values and join!”

#DenverCO #CO #NoKings #PeoplesStruggles #Trump

Chicago, IL – The South Side office of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR) was filled by allied organizations, Saturday, October 17, in a day of campaign work for the November 3 elections.

Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), an affiliate of CAARPR, mobilized over 30 working-class and youth activists – Black, Latino, Arab, Asian and white – to put feet in the streets for progressive candidates in the November 3 election.

Altogether, 50 canvassers from various struggles and parts of the city joined forces to fight for two champions of workers and oppressed people – Hilario Dominguez and Mayor Brandon Johnson.

Hilario Dominguez is running for school board president. A special education teacher with ten years of experience working in the Chicago Public Schools (CPS), Dominguez is a member of the community he seeks to serve.

Dominguez faces off against billionaire-backed candidates who support school closures and abandoning Chicago’s children, all to line the pockets of private interests. Chicagoans have first-hand experience of fighting the racist, neoliberal tactics of divestment in neighborhood schools that reached its apex under former mayor Rahm Emanuel. Mayor 1%, as he was known, notoriously shuttered 50 schools during his two terms. 80% of those schools were in Black communities.

Emanuel’s other legacy was the cover-up of the heinous murder of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald, a CPS student with disabilities that was shot 16 times by Chicago police.

The fight against school closures is an historic struggle of Black and Latino working-class communities. Around these elections, there is a mass mobilization led by teachers and parents to support Dominguez and a slate that includes leading figures from the Black and Chicano/Mexicano movements: Jitu Brown and Rev. Emma Lozano, two legendary community organizers.

Rally with the mayor: The main event

Mayor Brandon Johnson, the first mayor since Harold Washington who was not handpicked by the ruling class, has a history of standing with Black and Latino working-class neighbors against school closures. As a former CPS teacher himself, Mayor Johnson has fought to reverse the racist disinvestment in the South and West Sides through historic levels of funding in housing, youth jobs, public schools and mental health centers. Johnson represents the African American national struggle for political power in Chicago, and has stood firm with immigrant communities against the Trump administration’s racist deportation attacks.

When canvassers returned from several hours “on the doors” in Woodlawn, Englewood and other nearby communities, they were greeted by the mayor. The message from the billionaires and their coat carriers among the city council and the press is that Johnson can’t win. Almost all the canvassers were youth – high school or college age. They greeted Johnson with cheers of “Four more years!”

Johnson informed the crowd that, under his leadership, Chicago saw a reduction in crime rates to levels not seen since 1965 – over 60 years ago. He also pointed out that while his administration had created 20,000 youth jobs over the summer, over 50,000 children had applied, and he would keep fighting during his second term until every student who wanted a summer job could get one.

20th Ward Alderwoman Jeanette Taylor co-hosted the rally with Frank Chapman, field organizer of the Chicago Alliance. Together with Jitu Brown, Ald. Taylor is famous for leading a successful hunger strike in 2015 against Emmanuel’s attempt to close Dyett High School. She reminded the crowd that Johnson served the people, not corporate-backed interests. Taylor preached unity of the many to fight back against the greed of the few and confided in the crowd that every time she saw Mayor Johnson occupying his spot at City Hall, she saw a community member who knew what it was like to face economic hardship living on Chicago’s South and West Sides.

Elections: A front of struggle

Joe Iosbaker of FRSO introduced Ald. Taylor. He recalled the CAARPR-led struggle for community control of the Chicago police, and Taylor’s history of fighting for community control of public schools.

In Chicago history, we have the legacy of Harold Washington’s campaign for mayor in 1983, with Rudy Lozano running for city council with Washington’s support to be his vice mayor. Chicago gave the country Jesse Jackson’s historic runs for president in 1984 and 1988, which also represented the Black liberation movement taking an electoral form.

From Harold and Rudy in the 1980s, to Brandon Johnson today, FRSO has long understood that while most elections in the U.S. are between two parties of monopoly capitalism, the national liberation movements can take electoral forms. When they do, revolutionaries have to get behind them and push.

The billionaire class and their racist and Zionist proxies are spending tens of millions of dollars for their handpicked tools – Jessica Biggs for president of the School Board, and Alexi Giannoulias for mayor – to defeat our movement and remove Brandon Johnson from the Fifth Floor of Chicago City Hall.

Chicago is ready for the fight.

#ChicagoIL #IL #PeoplesStruggles #Elections #SchoolBoard #BrandonJohnson

Fort Collins, CO – On Saturday, October 17, the Denver district of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) traveled to Fort Collins to talk about socialism and revolution at the fourth iteration of the No Kings protests. No Kings is an event organized to stand against the Trump agenda and has consistently seen thousands of people taking the streets.

For the first two hours of the protest, Kacey Hicks, an organizer with FRSO, set up a table to speak with the attendees of the No Kings protest. Hicks said, “It’s important for us in Freedom Road, as we’re trying to rapidly grow our organization with a drive for General Membership, to explain to people that now is the best time to come together. We have to fight back against the system that Donald Trump and his lackeys stand for, to make real political gains for the working class in the United States.”

Hicks also encouraged people to vote against ballot measures 134 and 135, initiatives on the Colorado ballot that will strip rights away from transgender youth and adults throughout the state.

In the afternoon, the Fort Collins community took to the streets and marched. Around 500 people showed up, chanting, “This is what democracy looks like!” to voice their opposition around the decisions being made in the White House.

David Stakelin, a community organizer with Fort Collins Against War and member of FRSO stated, “It is crucial that socialists show up to events like No Kings and participate in the mass movement. Avoiding events like No Kings isolates us from the people.”

Stakelin continued, “No Kings provides the perfect opportunity to unite with broad sections of the working class through shared opposition of the disgusting attacks carried out by imperialists like Donald Trump and his administration. Whether we are participating in anti-war demonstrations, labor struggles, student organizing, or movements for Black and Chicano liberation, our responsibility as revolutionaries is to lead, learn from the masses, and connect immediate struggles to the broader fight against monopoly capitalism.”

No Kings events were held in at least 50 cities in Colorado, with up to 80 total locations holding individual rallies in opposition to Trump’s reactionary agenda.

#FortCollinsCO #CO #DenverCO #PeoplesStruggles #FRSO #NoKings

San Jose, CA – The San Jose district of Freedom Road Socialist Organization has had an explosive first few days of the FRSO General Membership drive, which officially launched on October 15. By October 18, San Jose has already reached 28% of their district goal for the entire month-long drive.

FRSO San Jose began the first week of the drive with near-daily tabling sessions, sometimes tabling twice on the same day in different locations throughout the community. Their most successful tabling experience was at the No Kings protest in downtown San Jose on Saturday, October 17, where they received over a third of their total sign-ups so far.

As protest attendees walked past the table, FRSO members caught their attention by saying, “Hello! Are you interested in socialism?”

A majority of protesters responded favorably, and FRSO members continued the conversation by telling them about FRSO’s work and strategy, as well as asking them to sign up as General Members.

“We're Freedom Road Socialist Organization. We build the people's movements around immigrant rights, police crimes, labor unions, anti-war, students, women and more,” stated FRSO member Drusie Kazanova to a No Kings protester. “We're trying to build a serious revolutionary movement that can overthrow capitalism once and for all and create a government that works for the people instead of the billionaires.”

“We’re building a broad base of support from revolutionary-minded people,” continued Kazanova. “Would you like to join us by signing up as a General Member?”

FRSO members then helped people sign up on a laptop right there at the FRSO table. No Kings protesters could also purchase literature at the table, including FRSO pamphlets and programs, as well as a diverse array of over two dozen titles, from classics like Marx and Lenin to more recent publications from Carlos Martinez and Frank Chapman.

FRSO San Jose plans to carry this momentum forward into the rest of the drive, continuing their ambitious schedule of 30 tabling sessions in 30 days. They plan to particularly emphasize tabling at protests, as these tabling sessions have proven to be the most successful so far.

For week two of the drive, FRSO San Jose will be holding the following tabling sessions: Monday, October 19, from noon to 2 p.m. at San Jose State University; Monday, October 19, from 5 to 7 p.m. in front of Gilroy City Hall; Tuesday, October 20, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the intersection of Story & King in San Jose; Wednesday, October 21, from noon until 2 p.m. at San Jose State University; Thursday, October 22, from 6 to 8 p.m. near the intersection of Alum Rock and 33rd in San Jose; Friday, October 23, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. with the South Bay Banner 4 Palestine group on a freeway overpass in the South Bay (direct message @southbaybanner4palestine on Instagram to receive the specific location); and Saturday, October 24, from 4 to 7:30 p.m. at the San Jose Tonatuih Brown Berets and Mujeres de Aztlan Collective Fundraiser at Backesto Park in San Jose.

#SanJoseCA #CA #FSRO #PeoplesStruggles

Grand Rapids, MI – The Grand Rapids Coalition Against Trump joined hundreds of people in the October 17 No Kings Day rally. The coalition showed up as a contingent at 10:30 a.m. to lead chants against the Trump administration. Activists shouted, “Get Trump out!”

The main focus of the contingent was to speak on the attacks Trump has launched against working-class people at home and abroad. Signs read “Fight Trump's agenda” and “End Trump's war on Iran.”

The Grand Rapids Coalition Against Trump is made up of Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Palestine Solidarity Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, IATSE Local 26.

Programming for the rest of the event began at 11:30. A local band opened the rally with some live blues music, as Kent County Indivisible urged people to cast an early ballot. A speaker from UCC Powerfund stated, “There’s so much happening to us, to our neighbors and around us, but we know history has shown us that when people rise, guess what y’all? Kingdoms fall and so do oppressive systems.”

After the speeches, The Coalition Against Trump continued its chants to an energetic crowd that began to march. Hundreds of people then took to streets, chanting for an end to Trump's attacks.

#GrandRapidsMI #MI #PeoplesStruggles #Trump #NoKings

Billings, MT – On Saturday, October 17, the Billings Alliance for Immigrant Rights (BAIR) held a rally calling for “No ICE, no Trump, no Kings!” Over 50 people gathered on the Yellowstone County Courthouse lawn to stand against the Trump administration's continued attacks on immigrants and democracy.

The Billings community has been increasingly feeling the effect of ICE and Border Patrol’s presence after two families were kidnapped at the United Way backpack drive in August, and with the raid on community member Eva Sigsworth’s home last September.

BAIR has not allowed these attacks to stay in the dark with the activists organizing protests around these issues to put pressure on city council to implement a sanctuary city ordinance.

Andreas Storey, a leader in BAIR and the protest’s emcee, spoke about the raid on Eva Sigsworth's home, “Eva Sigsworth is a 90-year-old woman who has been a valued member of our Billings community for decades. Yet somehow, she still found herself in the crosshairs of Billings PD and Border Patrol. Last September Eva woke up to flashbangs outside of her home and to officers barking orders for her to come out with her hands up!”

Storey continued, “The attack on Eva Sigsworth shows exactly why we need a sanctuary city to prevent Billings PD from collaborating with ICE and Border Patrol!”

The crowd chanted “We want justice! We want rights! We want ICE out of sight!”

The No Kings rally was supported by members of the American Postal Workers Union (APWU) local 132 and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO).

Retired APWU member Mindy Nielsen spoke and tabled at the event, sharing information about the ‘Save the Post Office’ movement and information about the APWU.

Nielsen told the crowd,. “The millionaires and the billionaires have been whittling away at the post office for a long time and they aren’t going to stop. The Postal Board of Governors are gonna have to do their jobs and take Trump to task for what he’s been doing!”

Lain Dorsey, of the FRSO, spoke about attending city council with BAIR, demanding a sanctuary city. “We were approached by city administrator Kevin Iffland, who attempted to intimidate us and say that we needed to leave the council chambers. But we refused and continued using our free speech to stand up for our neighbors!”

The crowd chanted “Mayor Nelson shame on you! Immigrant lives matter too!”

BAIR will continue to push for a sanctuary city and ICE out of Billings. To stay informed about the group’s upcoming events, follow them on Facebook or on Instagram @Billings_AIR.

#BillingsMT #MT #PeoplesStruggles #Trump #NoKings

Michigan City, IN – More than 200 people rallied outside city hall on Michigan Boulevard on October 17 as part of the national No Kings day of action called against the Trump administration.

Volunteers and community groups organized the protest, which was one of hundreds held across the country on Saturday. The size of the crowd stood out in an Indiana city with a population of just 32,000.

Many protesters made their own signs. Some of the slogans included, “Workers over billionaires” and “ICE murders,” denouncing the Trump administration’s attacks on immigrants. With the midterm elections just weeks away, other protesters carried signs reading, “Vote in numbers too big to manipulate.”

Saturday’s rally showed that opposition to Trump’s agenda is not confined to Indiana’s big cities or college towns. People in smaller industrial towns like Michigan City are also taking to the streets to fight back.

#MichiganCityIN #IN #PeoplesStruggles #Trump #NoKings

Atlanta, GA – On October 14, Atlanta Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) hosted an event at the Little Five Points Community Center to hear a report back from Chrisley Carpio on her recent trip to South Korea. Carpio, a member of the Central Committee of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, visited as part of the Jaju Solidarity Brigade this past August to participate in demonstrations against U.S. military occupation.

Carpio first gave a summary of the current political situation in Korea; about how the Korean peninsula was once united, but is now divided by U.S. imperialism at the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People' s Republic of Korea) as an independent, socialist state, and South Korea (Republic of Korea) still occupied by the United States.

She reported that the delegation visited military bases around the country and learned from local activists about Korea’s struggle for independence. She described that, for every horror inflicted by the US on the people of Korea, there has been protest and struggle, showing that the fight for reunification and liberation from U.S. occupation is very much alive.

Carpio also recounted how the delegation joined the annual National Liberation Day protest, the first international delegation to ever join, which mobilized 10,000 people at the march in Seoul.

To finish the event, community members asked questions about Carpio’s experiences and Korea’s political situation. One member asked if there was anything that U.S. activists could learn from the National Liberation Day protests. Carpio responded how inspiring it was to see so many different organizations from all sectors of the population all united under the same demand for peace, sovereignty and the reunification of the Korean people.

#AtlantaGA #GA #FRSO #Korea #PeoplesStruggles #JajuSolidarityBrigade

Porto, Portugal – A protest encampment sprang up in the heart of Porto on October 10 demanding affordable housing and has now continued for many days. Inspired by the massive movement that brought hundreds of thousands of people out into the streets in Spain in recent weeks, on October 10 protesters rallied and then set up tents in Porto’s Praça Dom João I, with a banner reading, “Can’t afford rent? Bring a tent!”

After one night, police removed the tents from the plaza, and Porto’s Mayor Pedro Duarte said tents absolutely would not be allowed. Protesters continued occupying the plaza without tents.

Then on October 14 during an evening rally of around 1000 people, protesters again set up around a dozen tents in the plaza. Police quickly moved in to try to remove the tents but then retreated after the protesters refused to back down.

The demands of the Porto encampment are: Down with the new anti-tenant rent law that was just passed; stop evictions; halt the buying of housing stock by capitalist investment funds; more public housing; rehabilitation of vacant housing property, and put in place a rent ceiling

Portugal’s neighboring country of Spain has been convulsed since late September by mass protests demanding affordable housing and an end to evictions, after an 87-year-old woman named Maricarmen was evicted from the Madrid home where she had lived for more than 70 years, after an investment firm bought the property and jacked up her rent. In response, encampments and protests spread throughout Spain.

Then, about a week after her eviction, Maricarmen died, with most people placing the blame squarely on the government and naming her traumatic eviction as the cause of her death. Spain’s main unions have announced a general strike for November 11, and Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called snap elections after an attempt to pass new housing legislation in response to the crisis failed. The new elections are coming up November 29.

Housing costs have skyrocketed in major European cities over the past decade, while wages have stagnated. Rent in Portugal’s main cities of Lisbon and Porto has gone up even more than in Madrid and Barcelona in Spain. So, it’s no surprise that the movement sparked in Spain has now spread to Portugal. The Porto encampment is one of several that have sprung up in cities throughout Portugal this week.

The movement seems poised to gain momentum this weekend, as Portugal’s largest and most militant union federation, the General Confederation of Portuguese Workers (CGTP), is organizing mass demonstrations on Saturday, October 17 in Lisbon, Porto and Coimbra protesting the high cost of living while wages stagnate. The CGTP’s protests are demanding higher salaries, better pensions and public services, an end to the increasing cost of living, and defending the national health care system (SNS) and social security.

#International #Portugal #PeoplesStruggles #Housing

San Jose, CA – The San Jose district of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization is launching their FRSO General Membership drive with an ambitious schedule of 30 tabling events in 30 days. Each week, members will set up FRSO tables throughout the community to educate people about FRSO and recruit them to General Membership. FRSO San Jose plans to table regularly in diverse locations including East Side San Jose, San Jose State University campus, the nearby city of Gilroy, and more.

Going into the first official day of the General Membership drive on October 15, FRSO San Jose has already held many lead-up tabling events to train and prepare. In the pre-drive lead-up period, San Jose has already surpassed 10% of its ambitious district goal for the entire month-long drive.

FRSO San Jose will be releasing weekly calendars on Instagram that detail the dates, times and locations for tabling events in the upcoming week. FRSO literature, including copies of the FRSO program, FRSO pamphlets and various other books, will be available for purchase at all tabling sessions.

The first week's schedule of tabling will include Monday, October 12, from noon to 2 p.m. at San Jose State University; Wednesday, October 14, from noon until 2 p.m. at San Jose State University; Wednesday, October 14, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Backesto Park in San Jose; Thursday, October 15, 5 to 7 p.m.at the intersection of Story & King in San Jose; Thursday, October 15, from 6 to 8 p.m. in front of San Jose City Hall; Saturday, October 17, from noon until 2 p.m. at the No Kings protest at Saint James Park in San Jose, and Sunday, October 18 from 4 to 6 p.m. at El Roble Park in Gilroy.

Speaking about the importance and timeliness of the General Membership drive, FRSO San Jose member Drusie Kazanova stated, “More and more people are becoming disillusioned with monopoly capitalism and politics as usual with each passing day. Now is the time to win people over to socialism and build revolutionary organization. We have a world to win!”

To join FRSO, go to https://frso.org/join/

#SanJoseCA #CA #FRSO #PeoplesStruggles #Feature

A major demonstration took place on Sunday, October 11. It was promoted by social media influencers in the state, and the people of Guadalajara made it clear to the governor, Pablo Lemus, that they would show up en masse. The governor responded by assuring the people of the chance to voice their frustration, which came to be a false promise.

Around 10,000 protesters were met with violent repression on the streets, being both teargassed and hosed down. Families who came out to demonstrate were confronted by riot police. 39 people were arrested, which activists have referred to as kidnappings, due to Mexico's history of disappearing political prisoners.

The next day, during her morning Conferencia del Pueblo (a morning address that the president gives to the Mexican people), President Claudia Sheinbaum condemned the police’s actions, calling on the governor of Jalisco to give an extensive report of Sunday’s events.

Governor Lemus countered by spewing false information about the events that took place, and he offered to hand this water service problem to private corporations, all the while appropriating progressive talking points of supporting the people to exercise their right to demonstrate. Sheinbaum responded, “We do not agree with supporting the privatization of the water service.”

How did this crisis explode?

Like the October 12 editorial in the progressive Mexican news outlet, La Jornada, states, this was an inevitable outcome of Lemus and his party’s (Movimiento Ciudadano) negligence of this almost 20-year-old issue.

The issue had been a priority of the MORENA (Movimineto de Regeneracion Nacional), the current governing party of Mexico) party for the past six years, through the completion of the El Zapotillo dam in the village of the same name. Only this time, it would include the indigenous and peasant communities of the village on the planning table, whose resistance movement against the dam caused its halt back in 2009. Former Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador says that the just resistance to the dam was sparked by corporate greed and polices of the neoliberal government that was in power at the time.

This lack of cooperation with the ruling progressive MORENA party from people like Lemus has caused the systemic violence of thousands of people in Guanajuato, taking away the human right to clean water.

#International #Mexico #PeoplesStruggles #Water

Santa Ana, CA – All eyes are on Santa Ana and the police brutality against 28-year-old Chicano Florentino Lopez, which was captured on video by his family.

On October 1, police pinned Florentino’s hands behind his back and pressed him against their vehicle. Without warning, one officer violently wrestled him to the ground, punching and kneeing him in the face while the other officer also struck and pinned him to the ground. The first officer turned out to be killer cop Luis Casillas. In December 2024, Casillas killed two Chicanos in one month's time: Noe Rodriguez and Henry Gonzalez Junior, and he allegedly beat 15-year-old Mario Diaz last June.

The video went viral, so Santa Ana residents and multiple news stations packed the city council chamber. The council delayed public comment for two hours, forcing many working-class residents to leave without speaking, but some refused to be turned away.

Mayor Valerie Amezcua, who receives huge campaign contributions from the Police Officers Association and is facing re-election, made a big show about the council deciding to have an independent investigation into the beating, but she was interrupted by audience boos. They saw the police brutality for what it was, and wanted the officers to be held accountable immediately.

Community Service Organization Orange County (CSO OC) member David Pulido said, “We are here to demand justice for Florentino Lopez. We demand that Police Chief Robert Rodriguez and City Manager Alvaro Nunez immediately fire the officers responsible.”

Pulido continued, “We warned you that if these police harmed anyone again, the blood would be on your hands. The blood is on your hands! Your cowardice and corruption meant that someone was harmed again!”

Next to speak was Maribel, who said, “My son, Jayden, was murdered by two cops June 14 of this year. Today I’m here to please ask for your help to release all of the uncut body camera video. I am also requesting justice for my son. He was suffering from mental health for almost two years. I was trying to get him all the help I could. I had proof that it was not the first time that Santa Ana police had come to my home.”

Despite knowing Jaden Michaca’s history of mental illness and psychiatric interventions, SAPD sent officers Steven Gonzalez and Charles Ruelas to his home, and, within 30 seconds of breaking down his door, they shot him to death. At the hearing, Michaca wore a shirt with pictures of her son throughout his childhood. As she spoke and wept, many in the audience cried with her.

Michaca said, “I close my eyes and I see my son on the floor, and there’s nothing I could’ve done to save him. Even though I was screaming for help. In my mind, I never called 911 for them to come and kill my son.”

As the evening continued, CSO OC’s immigration committee member Rain Mendoza took the stand to talk about the harassment the residents of the Coach Royal Mobile Home Park are receiving from the multi-million Kingsley Corporation and its management team. Residents of Coach Royal mobile home park have endured years of abuse, threats and eviction by Kingsley and park managers.

Mendoza stated, “Some updates for you all on the illegal actions by Kingsley Corporation, forcing the working-class immigrant residents to tear down their fences, which is extremely costly and stress-inducing. They're at the beginning stages of resizing their property without resident consent, which is illegal under federal law. If these residents try to push back or do not comply, they are met with harsh retaliation, including the most egregious crime of them all, which is the eviction of immigrant families and then stealing their homes!”

Mendoza then singled out Mayor Valerie Amezcua, stating, “You have a whole trailer park full of immigrant families that are being exploited by an out-of-state multi-million dollar corporation! They're breaking state and federal laws, mayor? This city council can't do a thing? They're breaking California law, they're breaking HUD codes, and breaking federal law.”

Karla Alvarado, a former resident who knows firsthand about the oppression residents are facing and who had her home stolen, addressed the council, “Families are living in fear of losing everything they have. How many more families have to suffer before you guys actually do something? Make some calls. Do something. It's something that is happening to thousands of people.”

Angered by the delay of the city meeting, Alvarado continued, “I took four hours away from my children, and they're hungry. They're having headaches, and I'm here to make sure that you guys do something to represent the very people that you go and knock on doors to promise them that you're going to be changers in the state, in the assembly, everywhere that you guys want to go, you guys want votes. But when we ask you guys to meet with residents, you guys failed to even send an email back and sit down and act like you guys care for us. It's disgusting.”

Griselda Ruiz, a lifelong resident of Santa Ana and CSO OC member, talked about one of the many shocking management edicts, “One of these insidious demands is the removal of air conditioning from their homes. We've been experiencing an extreme heat wave over 100 degrees, and Coach Royal residents are receiving notices demanding they remove their air conditioning.”

“Kingsley Corporation and management are targeting and embedding fear in their residents. Most of these residents are immigrants who break their backs to feed their families. But the manager at the mobile home park uses their immigration status against them by threatening to call ICE on them if they complain, if they go to a lawyer, if they stand up and fight back. Shame. And shame on you for allowing this to continue,” Ruiz added.

CSO OC Immigration committee member Diana Tererros spoke on the connection between the abuse these residents have been experiencing and their immigration status, “Sometimes they ask the residents to sign papers that they can't understand because of a language barrier. They don’t provide translation or anything, and that's very exploitative towards the residents.”

Tererros went on to say, “When they attended a hearing with the city regarding the issues at the park, there was an immigration vehicle outside the building. These are all Immigration issues. They should not have to live with the fear of immigration enforcement for simply trying to improve the place where they live.”

Terreros continued, “We are helping the residents fight back despite their immigration status, and they're being very brave and speaking up against this corporation. We're helping them with getting petition signatures from other residents to stop these actions from management and Kingsley. We want to meet with the park manager, Olivia Garcia, to talk to her about the demands of the residents.”

Despite lengthy delays, Santa Ana residents stood united against police brutality and predatory landlords. With the upcoming elections forcing a choice, residents have made it clear that accountability is non-negotiable.

If you are interested in joining CSO OC in this campaign, you can contact them at orangecountycso@gmail.com or on Instagram at @CSO.OC.

#SantaAnaCA #CA #InJusticeSystem #KillerCops #PeoplesStruggles #Housing #CSOOC

Los Angeles, CA – John Sermeno was once a gang member who would go on to become a revolutionary and Marxist-Leninist. He died on August 12, 2026. Born August 2, 1944, Sermeno was raised in Boyle Heights’ Ramona Gardens housing projects. In his youth he joined the Big Hazard gang.

I first met John in Boyle Heights during the rise of Chicano Power movement. I was in the Brown Berets, John was part of forming La Junta. La Junta united gang members to promote peace in the neighborhoods and social activism. He later was part of forming La Colectiva, a revolutionary group that began to study Mao Tse Tung and other Marxist readings. He was instrumental in recruiting gang members to the Chicano movement and to socialism.

John participated in various Chicano movement activities, but I remember him participating in the Chicano Moratorium of December 20, 1969 (the first), when we protested the Vietnam war and the higher casualty rates of Chicanos. He later joined the La Raza Unida Party Labor Committee and then the August Twenty-Nine Movement (ATM), where he began labor organizing.

Due to heavy repression, I left LA and went underground, losing contact with him. But when I was rearrested in May of 1977, John joined the committee that worked for my freedom. He was active in ATM-ML, an organization that I had also joined in El Paso, Texas during the big Farah pants strike. John attended my court hearings and was part of the campaign that won my case. I recall one little conversation we had at the International Institute at a fundraiser for my case on supporting the important role of women in the movement. He later joined the League of Revolutionary Struggle (LRS) and continued organizing as an M-L, until its dissolution.

We reconnected in later years in the fight to save Hazard Park, from a University of Southern California street encroachment, where he reminded me that this was his hood. He was also active in the Exide clean up from lead pollution. John gave a lifetime to the struggle for Chicano liberation and socialism.

I got the opportunity to call him before he passed, and he was glad that the nursing staff were in a union. Carmen Dillard, his partner, had a memorial for him in East LA on October 1, 2026, where several former ATM-ML and LRS members spoke. He was a revolutionary to the end and an M-L.

Long live the memory of John Sermeno!

#LosAngelesCA #CA #OppressedNationalities #Chicano #JohnSermeno #History #PeoplesStruggles #

Lisbon, Portugal – Protesters gathered October 7 in Lisbon to oppose U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s presence in Portugal for a meeting with government officials.

The theme of the protest was “Marco Rubio is not welcome here!” with the main slogans being “Peace in the world! No war! End the genocide against the Palestinian people! Stop the aggression against Cuba!”

The protest was organized by the Portuguese Council for Peace and Cooperation (CPPC) with participation from organizations in solidarity with Palestine and with Cuba, as well as the General Confederation of Portuguese Workers (CGTP), the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) and several other organizations.

Just days before Rubio’s visit to Portugal, Portuguese prosecutors announced that they were opening an investigation into whether it was legal under the Portuguese law and constitution for the Portuguese government to allow the U.S. military to use Portugal’s Lajes Air Base for the U.S. war against Iran. The investigation was initiated by a complaint filed by one of Portugal’s left opposition parties.

The PCP states, “Marco Rubio is a key figure behind the criminal policy of confrontation, aggression and war promoted by U.S. imperialism. His visit to Portugal exposes the shameful alignment and subordination of the PSD/CDS government to the U.S. The PCP calls for the continuation and expansion of solidarity with peoples resisting the threats, interference, and aggression of imperialism, and for the struggle for rights and improved living conditions—opposing militarism and war.”

#LisbonPortugal #International #Portugal #MarcoRubio #PeoplesStruggles #PCP

Fight Back! News Service is circulating the following statement from the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

Freedom Road Socialist Organization is growing in a big way. Every month we are developing work in new cities and towns. We are expanding our activity in labor unions; the Black, Chicano, and other oppressed nationality liberation movements; among students, women and LGBTQ folks, along with the antiwar movement. And we are just getting going.

Starting October 15, FRSO will be launching a month-long drive to recruit 300 new general members. The outstanding Chinese revolutionary Mao Zedong once stated, “the world cries out for things to be done,” and he was right about that. Odds are good that we will surpass this goal.

Trump is the political representative of a sick and dying system and FRSO is organizing to bring about the end of capitalism. We fully understand that words alone will not do that—this country needs a revolution. We need to unite all who can be united to bring about the downfall of the parasitic class that runs this country. This is the project that FRSO is committed to. And as we fight for revolution and socialism, we bear in mind that we will never get what we are not organized to take.

We are committed anti-imperialists who are proud to stand with the movements for national liberation—from Palestine to the Philippines and points in between.

If you are one of the many that have been thinking about joining FRSO, now is the time to do it. If you are already a member, make the ask to family members, friends, and coworkers to enlist in the cause of socialism. We can sweep away every obstacle the enemy places in our path.

Now is the moment to take the step towards a bright future. We can create a society where the people come first. In the words of the labor anthem Solidarity Forever, “we can bring to birth a new world on the ashes of the old.”

JOIN FRSO TODAY

#FRSO #Socialism #PeoplesStruggles #UnitedStates