Milwaukee, WI – On Sunday, July 26, the Milwaukee Anti-war Committee (MAC) held a protest near the Milwaukee lakefront against the Milwaukee Air & Water Show. Every year, the Air & Water Show trots out the same models of U.S. Air Force planes used to carry out the U.S.’s illegal and unpopular wars. Though marketed as a “family-friendly” event, it is filled with military propaganda. Military recruiter booths line the grounds each year as fighter jets tear through the sky.

This was MAC’s fourth time protesting the Air & Water Show, but the first iteration of the “Peace Parade,” featuring handmade puppets of U.S. President Donald Trump and former President Joe Biden.

Over 30 attendees gathered at the North Point Water Tower at noon as the Air & Water Show was set to begin. A big banner reading “War is not family friendly! U.S. military out of Milwaukee!” was unfurled, while other people in the crowd held signs reading “I won’t glorify war” and “No war on Iran.” They flew Venezuelan, Palestinian, and other flags of nations targeted by the U.S. war machine. The puppets of Trump and Biden featured prominently, with large heads and hands dripping with blood.

The protesters walked along the sidewalk, chanting “Air Show, Air Show, you can’t hide, you’re promoting genocide!” as they followed the busy street of North Avenue, where many cars passed by and honked their support.

MAC member Sara Kraco told the crowd, “How many of us are drowning in student debt? Medical debt? How many of us had to decide between groceries and medicine? How dare our government charge us so much for life-saving medications such as inhalers or insulin, and turn around and burn up our tax dollars by flying these warplanes around us?” Kraco said, the crowd yelling “Shame!” in response.

Kraco continued, “We forget too, as we sit here comfortably on the lakefront in awe of the maneuvers and speed, that they’re just that, warplanes. Used in countries worldwide such as Iraq, Cuba, Venezuela, Palestine, and now Iran. These planes regularly deploy drone strikes and drop bombs on civilians, always under the guise of fighting terror – but we know the United States military is the real terrorist. Regularly committing war crimes as hospitals, schools, universities, water systems, bridges, public transportation, power plants and homes are indiscriminately targeted. Beautiful ecosystems, cultures older than ours, destroyed without care.”

The people in Milwaukee and elsewhere around the world are linked, and so long as the people do not see peace, the Air & Water Show will not either.

#MilwaukeeWI #WI #AntiWarMovement #PeoplesStruggles

Washington, D.C. – On July 27, around 100 people mobilized in front of the Philippines’ embassy to give their annual People’s State of the Nation Address (PSONA) and to expose the true relationship between the U.S. and the Philippines.

The march started from Stead Park as organizers were handing out fliers to passersby and constructing a large effigy of President Donald Trump, President Bong Bong Marcos Jr., and Ambassador of the Philippines to the U.S. Jose Manuel del Gallego Romualdez. The effigy stood tall and exemplified the relationship between the three individuals.

Trump stood front and center sporting devil horns, Marcos at one side held a large bag of pesos symbolizing the upwards of 80% of remittances that the Filipino government takes from migrant workers in the U.S., and Romualdez at the other side holding up a bloodied peace sign. The effigy was constructed by over 40 people and was placed at the head of the march to the Embassy of the Philippines.

Once the group reached the embassy, they took over the streets and began their program. Next to the effigy were three people satirically dressed up as Trump, Marcos Jr., and Romualdez, with Trump carrying leashes connected to the other two’s necks.

A member of Anakbayan DC spoke on a recent campaign stating, “Iris is a local youth activist who traveled to Los Angeles to attend the Kalayaan Summit, which successfully gathered the largest convening of Filipinos this country has ever seen. Despite being able to travel to LA, on the way back home, there were complications with TSA and getting a confirmed ID. Iris was not allowed by TSA to travel back home. Without a clear way home, Iris requested help from the LA consulate. She asked for help with notarization, access to Assistance to Nationals (ATN) funds, and also travel documents. However, the Filipino consulate of LA denied this request, saying they only give ATN funds to migrants in distress. But we know that this is one of the many falsehoods that the Filipino government uses to hoard funds that never make it to the Filipino masses.”

During the speech, an SUV broke through the marshal security line and sped through the protest, though no one was struck or hurt. The police and Secret Service were present; however, they did nothing.

A member from Bayan DMV spoke about their experience trying to give a letter to the embassy right before the mobilization, stating, “This letter detailed the conditions of hundreds of Filipino seafarers that are currently being targeted and detained by ICE and CBP. We were simply there to demand that the government provide assistance, and do you know what they did? They gave us the runaround. They locked the doors on us. They told us that we need to have an appointment, that we need to email, that we need to call, and these are things we’ve done time and time again. The consulate ignored us, rejected us, and they called us ‘insincere,’ but they have exposed themselves for not caring about our kababayan. They even barred one of our members from entering the consulate for five years; simply because we demand they do their jobs.” After the speech were calls from the crowd for Ambassador Romualdez to “do your job or step down!”

Rob Cheng, a member of About Face: Veterans Against the War told the crowd, “Did the U.S. military actions in Venezuela and the blockade of Cuba, did that make the people of Latin America safer? When the U.S. worked with Israel to launch their illegal war against the sovereign people of Iran, did that make the Middle East any safer?” The crowd responded “No!” in unison. Cheng continued, “So why do we kid ourselves thinking the U.S. having military bases in the Philippines, Japan and South Korea makes the people of Asia any safer?” He ended his speech with a rallying cry, “No boots on the ground, no bombs in the air! U.S. out of everywhere!”

The program ended with the crowd fervently destroying the “three-headed beast” effigy of Trump, Marcos Jr. and Romualdez.

#WashingtonDC #DC #Philippines #PeoplesStruggles

Charleston, SC – On Saturday, July 25, 100 people marched in the “Fight for the First” rally through the heart of the historic district protesting the city’s repressive First Amendment Demonstration Ordinance, which has restricted the ability for activists to organize actions in their own city for the past five years.

Quietly passed in July of 2021 in a closed-door session with no opportunity for public opposition or comment, the ordinance requires any “First Amendment Demonstration” consisting of more than 25 people not spontaneous in nature to apply for a permit from Charleston Police Department or be declared unlawful. The city of Charleston defines First Amendment Demonstrations as any demonstration, assembly, picketing, speechmaking, marching, protesting, vigil or religious service, and all other like forms of conduct. This ordinance has hamstrung organizing in the city, restricting organizers’ ability to plan and promote impactful actions within city limits.

Demonstrators marched along the sidewalks in a line spanning multiple city blocks, down to Charleston City Hall at the historic Four Corners of Law, chanting, “City council shame on you! Chucktown has rights too!” before returning to Liberty Square for several speeches from local organizers. They spoke with conviction, while mounted police menaced demonstrators from across the park.

“Right now, we are all sitting pretty, but if we stay out here another hour, or if we come back tomorrow, these cops who are standing right over here will rip us away and put us in a box away from our families. That’s what the First Amendment ordinance does,” said Alfred Peeler, of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

Peeler continued, “If you stand for justice, if you stand for peace and self-determination in America, the state and the police will repress you. If we did not actually have power, if we did not have a just cause, then there would be no need for the police to be out here in the first place. They’re out here because we are right and they are threatened.” Peeler also called for demonstrators to support Nadia Topete, a Chicana immigrant rights activist courageously refusing to testify despite being called before a grand jury.

A local organizer with the Lowcountry Action Committee, Matt Colburn, also spoke. He has faced ongoing political repression stemming from the law activists gathered to protest.

“Community control of the police is our demand for an all-civilian board with control over police budgets, hiring and firing power over the police and the ability to subpoena police officers,” Coburn said.

Coburn continued, “You might wonder why I’m talking about community control of the police when it comes to 1-A. Even though it was faceless bureaucrats and city council members who passed this, it is the police who enforce it.”

“It is the police who run cover in front of ICE facilities while those fascist thugs kidnap people and tear apart families. It is the police who snatch people up and slap criminal charges on them for speaking out against the genocides their tax dollars pay for, against ICE collaboration, against these data centers,” said Coburn.

The protest was organized by the Charleston Democratic Socialists of America, alongside other Elbit Out of South Carolina (EOSC) coalition members such as the Lowcountry Action Committee, and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization Charleston District.

Chris Tittle with EOSC spoke about how the Palestine liberation movement has faced the brunt of political repression since the law was passed. “This has been a bipartisan project to repress political speech, both nationally and right here in Charleston, South Carolina,” he said. Tittle also highlighted that the only activists who have been criminally charged under the ordinance are himself and Colburn during a pro-Palestine demonstration in 2024.

Tittle stated, “Just as we demand Elbit out of South Carolina, we demand the repeal of this entire ordinance, and the protection of free speech for all.”

#CharlestonSC #SC #PeoplesStruggles #FirstAmendment #InjusticeSystem

Orlando, FL – On Saturday, July 18, about 50 members of the Puerto Rican community and allies in Orlando gathered on the corner of Semoran and Curry Ford to demand Puerto Rico’s independence from the U.S., the dissolution of the fiscal oversight and management board, and an end to the United States’ colonial occupation. The rally and march coincided with the annual Marcha Por La Independencia happening in San Juan.

The event was organized by Floriboris – a local group that represents the interests of the Puerto Rican community in Florida and aims to unite Puerto Ricans across the state through culture, education, community-building and action.

Attendees gathered on the corner of the busy intersection waving signs that read “Viva Borikén libre” and “Escencia no va” while shouting chants including “¡Perto Rico no se vende, Puerto Rico se defiende!” and “¡Par arriba, pa abajo, la Junta pal carajo!” The rally also commemorated Father Roberto Morales, a local priest and community leader who dedicated his life to the struggle for Puerto Rican independence.

Speakers highlighted the plight inflicted on Puerto Ricans by the U.S. colonial occupation and the need for resistance and independence. “La Junta is an unelected, undemocratic body that controls Puerto Rico’s economy without the consent of our people,” said Gisselle Bermudez, an organizer with Diaspora Pa’lante Collective. “It has enriched corporations while imposing austerity measures on our communities, privatizing public services, cutting pensions and closing schools and hospitals in Puerto Rico. After 128 years of colonial rule, we say enough! Our liberation cannot wait.”

The rally also condemned Escencia, a widely unpopular $2 billion dollar luxury complex currently in development that would sit on 2000 acres of seized Puerto Rican land to siphon the wealth of the island into the hands of capitalists.

The long history of U.S. military testing in Puerto Rico was highlighted as well. “The military out of Vieques was a 60-year struggle. For 60 years they tested all kinds of weapons in Vieques, including radioactive experiments,” said Rafael Olivera-Cintrón, an organizer with Floriboris. “Now, the population in Vieques suffers heavily from higher rates of cancer than other parts of the island. Vieques is left behind. Vieques doesn’t have a functional hospital and a functional clinic because of this whole colonial structure that prevents us from being able to take care of ourselves!”

The group marched down the streets with lively chants, waving Puerto Rican flags and carrying a banner that read “Independcia ya! Despierten Boricuas!” People passing by on foot and in cars showed overwhelming support by honking in solidarity, singing and dancing, and joining in on chants, showing that the struggle for Puerto Rico’s independence is a popular sentiment in Orlando.

#OrlandoFL #FL #OppresseNationalities #PeoplesStruggles #PuertoRico

The Freedom Road Socialist Organization condemns the unjust arrest and the U.S. Department of Justice’s extradition attempt of Fergie Chambers, a progressive philanthropist and steadfast supporter of the Palestinian cause. He was dragged away from his family in Spain on dubious charges ranging from money laundering to material support for terrorism. If extradited to the U.S., he could be facing decades in prison.

Chambers is a son of billionaires who made the legitimate choice long ago to direct his funds towards progress, from free medical clinics to legal defense for activists facing repression. Now, the Trump DOJ is fabricating a narrative of terrorist financing. They want to create an upside-down world and twist the legal system so that humanitarian aid and solidarity land you behind bars, but the architects of the ongoing genocide in Gaza walk free. Ultimately, they want to use every avenue to squash and punish the tidal wave of support for the cause of Palestinian liberation that has stretched to every corner of the globe.

We are in a period of intensifying repression, and the imperialists are constantly in search of new ways to crush resistance and silence opposition. And that means that people like Chambers who use their resources to amplify the voices that call for freedom and liberation become targets, too. All those who oppose the Trump administration’s crackdown on our movements and the erosion of democratic rights need to stand against this. Solidarity is not a crime!

#PoliticalRepression #InjusticeSystem #Palestine #AntiWarMovement #PeoplesStruggles

Washington, D.C. – Amid military displays celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States, more than 120 workers, migrants, students and community members mounted opposition in the nation's capital.

Participants kicked off their activities with a banner drop on a Rhode Island Avenue overpass. Later they held a Peace Forum, then a protest on July 4 at the White House. Participants in the forum argued that the country's anniversary should instead be a moment to address ongoing impacts of militarism, political repression and economic exploitation.

“While we were shackled in detention, we learned the U.S. government is the real criminal, but that we also need to fight for justice not just for ourselves, but to make sure this doesn't happen to anyone again,” said Ana from Las Madres Unidas en la Lucha, a collective of migrant mothers. Group members were detained during a March 2026 ICE operation in Baltimore and were later transferred to detention in Tacoma, Washington.

David Black of the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR) said, “I spent 26 years in prison for a crime I didn't commit. What happened to me wasn't an isolated case, the sheriff who put me there harmed others too. This fight is bigger than my story. It's just beginning, and we're going to keep demanding justice for everyone who has been wronged.”

“Migrant workers are among the underclass in the countries they have migrated to because we are the scapegoats of economic crises, a source of cheap labor, and in times of crisis, we are abused by the government, as is the case today with Trump” said Jabi, a food service worker with Filipino Workers of Wheaton (FilWoW).

The Peace Forum brought together communities addressing issues such as ICE violence, police terror and wars of aggression that impact the people around the world. The gathering strengthened local fights to build a larger movement to address the root causes. Emerging from the Peace Forum, community members committed to advance campaigns against violence due to state agencies and expansion of weapons production.

Participants reconvened on the morning of July 4 for a protest at the White House, targeting Trump, who is responsible for attacks on the people domestically and abroad.

“We see this contradiction intensifying today, with Trump staging a military occupation right here in the belly of the beast, Washington, D.C., where Black, brown, and working-class neighbors are being kidnapped and terrorized by federal agents with the help of MPD. The National Guard occupation alone costs millions of dollars that could be used for healthcare, housing and human needs,” said Juliet Thomas from Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO-DC).

“Today, July 4, also marks 80 years of semi-colonial oppression of the Philippines by America,” says Marcel Castro from Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN DMV). He condemned the U.S.-led Pax Silica initiative for increasing land theft and exploitation of Filipino workers, as the U.S. aims to control the semiconductor supply chain. “1600 hectares of land were offered on a silver platter to the U.S., which will displace peasant and indigenous people. Large-scale mining operations will destroy water sources and agricultural land. The Filipino people are not pawns and sacrifices for U.S.-led war!” Marcel concluded.

“Whether it's detention centers, war profiteers, or the daily oppression we face under this system, this week of action shows that the most exploited and oppressed are organizing to fight back. Our fight is to unite workers, migrants, and all people struggling for sovereignty and liberation!” said Liz Park, secretary general of the International League of Peoples' Struggle – US (ILPS-US).

#WashingtonDC #DC #July4th #PeoplesStruggles #AntiWarMovement #ILPS #Philippines

Santa Ana, CA – 28 personas, incluyendo residentes del parque de casas móviles Coach Royal, familias afectadas por muertes a manos de la policía y miembros de la Organización de Servicio Comunitario del Condado de Orange (CSO OC) fueron al Concejo Municipal de Santa Ana el martes 19 de mayo.

Fuera del salón del concejo, el Comité de Inmigración de CSO OC se manifestó para exigir que Kingsley Corporation se retire del parque de casas móviles Coach Royal.

Dentro del salón, el Comité de Responsabilidad Policial de la CSO entregó su petición exigiendo que los agentes del Departamento de Policía de Santa Ana, Luis Casillas e Isaac Ibarra, sean despedidos por haber matado a Noe Rodríguez. El 19 de mayo coincidía con el cumpleaños de Rodríguez.

Karla Alvarado, residente de Coach Royal, declaró, “Tuvimos nuestra reunión sobre la estabilización de alquileres hace casi un mes, y estamos solicitando el video de ese evento, ¡y la ciudad está tratando de negarnos acceso!”. En dicha reunión, Kingsley negó a los residentes el acceso a servicios de interpretación al español o a la designación de testigos, y prohibieron la entrada de observadores a la sesión. Sin embargo, las protestas de los residentes obligaron al personal municipal a “darse cuenta” de que los residentes tenían derecho a esas garantías.

Dentro del salón de sesiones se escuchaban los cánticos de “¡Fuera Kingsley! ¡Fuera Kingsley!”, mientras que en el exterior la gente se manifestaba. El personal de la ciudad de Santa Ana intentó a callar las voces subiendo el volumen del televisor situado en el exterior; la estrategia resultó contraproducente y provocó que los residentes gritaran aún con más fuerza.

Dentro del salón, la alcaldesa Valerie Amezcua intentó silenciar a los residentes leyendo una declaración del abogado de la ciudad, en la que se afirmaba que no había nada que la ciudad pudiera hacer con respecto a Kingsley. Los abucheos del público la interrumpieron. Amenazando con suspender la sesión, Amezcua difamó a los residentes de Coach Royal, alegando, sin presentar prueba alguna, que estos “habían recurrido a proferir amenazas y a actuar con agresividad física hacia nuestro personal municipal”.

El concejo municipal votó a favor de limitar el tiempo de comentarios del público a un minuto. Los abucheos llenaron el salón mientras los concejales Valerie Amezcua, Jessie Lopez, Phil Bacerra y Thai Viet Phan votaban para silenciar al público.

Matthew Compton, miembro de CSO OC, declaró, “Ustedes están realmente jodidamente asustados de los residentes de Coach Royal, y es verdaderamente jodidamente vergonzoso que hayan decidido reducir el tiempo a un minuto. ¡Incluida tú, Jessie! Los Arzolas están sentados justo ahí y han sido testigos de sus mierdas. Fueron tocando puerta a puerta por ti y te brindaron su apoyo”.

La familia de Albert Arzola, quien fue asesinado por el agente de la policía de Anaheim, Nathan Garcia, el 1 de diciembre de 2025, han apoyado durante semanas la candidatura de Lopez a la Asamblea Estatal, dado que su oponente, el concejal de Santa Ana David Penaloza, es un leal servidor de la policía.

Erika Armenta, viuda de Noe Rodriguez, se dirigió al podio. A ambos lados de ella, miembros de CSO OC sostenían carteles que exhibían cientos de firmas de una petición. Al 21 de mayo, la petición sumaba ya 638 firmas. Puede firmar aquí.

Armenta declaró, “Han pasado ya 504 días desde el 1 de diciembre de 2024, que los oficiales asesinos Luis Casillas e Isaac Ibarra le quitaron la vida al padre de mis hijas, Noe Rodríguez, en una lluvia de balas; sin embargo, ustedes no han hecho nada. La alcaldesa, en particular, se encarga de protegerlos, ofreciendo públicamente su apoyo a estos supuestos ‘agentes de la paz’ sin consideración alguna el dolor que esto nos causa a nosotras, quienes hemos perdido a un ser querido.”.

Armenta acercó su teléfono al micrófono y reprodujo una grabación de la voz de su hija. Su hija decía, “Me siento triste porque hoy es el cumpleaños de mi papá y no puedo abrazar. Me siento frustrada porque le arrebataron la vida, y los quienes hicieron esto todavía siguen libres”. Mientras la grabación continuaba, Armenta alzó un dibujo, “Le hice este dibujo para recordar su bonita memoria”.

Mientras Armenta hablaba, la concejala Thai Viet Phan miraba al vacío y comía yogur.

David Pulido, miembro del CSO OC, declaró, “Estamos aquí hoy para presentar los resultados preliminares de nuestra petición de justicia para Noe Rodríguez”. Pulido continuó diciendo, “¡Hoy habría sido su cumpleaños! ¡Y ustedes le robaron ese tiempo!”. Mientras la ciudad le cortaba el micrófono, Pulido exigió al jefe de policía, Robert Rodríguez, que despidiera a los policías asesinos y encabezó los cantos, “¿Luis Casillas? ¡Encierrenlo! ¿Isaac Ibarra? ¡Enciérrenlo!”. Los cánticos llenaron el salón y el público ahogó la voz de la alcaldesa, obligándola a guardar silencio.

Guadalupe Barragán, residente de Coach Royal que lleva años luchando contra los abusos de Kingsley, refutó las declaraciones calumniosas de la alcaldesa sobre los residentes de Coach Royal. Señaló directamente a Amezcua y exclamó, “¡Ojala que tengas pruebas de todo lo que acaba de decir ahorita acusando a mi familia! Tu me conoces y somos gente trabajadora. ¡Sí, estamos enojados! ¡Porque Kingsley están robando las casas!”.

Diana Terreros, miembro del CSO OC, tomó el micrófono y dijo, “Es una vergüenza que intenten calumniar a los residentes de Coach Royal, alegando que están amenazando al personal municipal. Tenemos un video que demuestra que, durante su audiencia, el personal de la ciudad intentó ponerles las manos encima y trató de expulsar a los testigos”. Terreros continuó, “Ustedes no dejan de decirles que demanden a Kingsley, que presenten sus peticiones y que hagan esto y aquello de manera individual. Lo que nosotros exigimos es que esto se aborde como el problema sistémico que realmente es. En todos los lugares del país donde opera Kingsley, se están produciendo estos mismos problemas. Esto no se resolverá con una demanda individual. ¡Qué vergüenza les debería dar no hacer absolutamente nada al respecto!”.

Mientras el público se retiraba, personal de la ciudad notificó vergonzosamente a Karla Alvarado una orden de restricción presentada por una empleada municipal llamada Maricela Márquez, quien estuvo presente en la reunión de la División de Estabilización de Alquileres del pasado 29 de abril. Alvarado deberá comparecer ante el tribunal el 29 de mayo.

Estos ataques no impedirán que CSO OC siga luchando codo con codo junto al pueblo. ¡Exigimos que Kingsley se vaya de Santa Ana! ¡Exigimos el despido de los policías asesinos Luis Casillas e Isaac Ibarra!

#SantaAnaCA #CA #OrangeCounty #CSOOC #Kingsley #CoachRoyal #PeoplesStruggles

Chicago, IL – On Monday morning, June 29, a crowd representing dozens of organizations stood together with Mayor Brandon Johnson to announce the introduction of the Protecting Renters Ordinance (PRO). The press conference happened downtown across the street from city hall, where the PRO was formally introduced at a meeting of the Committee on Housing and Real Estate later the same morning.

“Housing is a human right. That cannot just be a rallying cry. That must be the reality for every Chicagoan,” Mayor Johnson declared. “We must use every tool available to us to keep Chicagoans in their homes.”

Lisette Castañeda, commissioner of the Department of Housing, explained the five components of the PRO: the creation of a tenant bill of rights, a citywide rental registry, an office to investigate and enforce renter’s complaints, legal representation for tenants facing eviction, and just cause for eviction or nonrenewal of leases.

“This will give the department the power to hold bad landlords accountable,” Castañeda explained.

Johnson criticized previous administrations that “kept organizers at arm’s length.” His approach of working with organizers showed in the variety of organizations present in support of the PRO.

Tulsi McDaniels, an organizer with Metropolitan Tenants Organization, shared the experiences of tenants who are currently vulnerable to arbitrary fees and eviction.

“Even in situations where a tenant has done everything right and used the current RLTO law to the fullest extent, it isn’t enough.” McDaniels said. The PRO would be the first major rewrite of the Residential Landlord Tenants Ordinance since its introduction in 1986 during the administration of Harold Washington.

Public comments were divided between landlords and renters. Landlords are against the PRO because it would not allow them to charge junk fees, excessively increase rent, or evict people for no reason. In her comment, Chicago Teachers Union member Rose Taylor urged committee members to think of working-class people who usually can’t make it to city council meetings on a weekday morning.

“As an educator I’ve seen firsthand the impact housing insecurity has on a child’s education,” high school social studies teacher and CTU Housing Committee chair Kevin Moore said in his public comment. Moore also described the benefits the PRO would have for the health and safety of his students outside of school.

The PRO will be voted on in the fall and, if it passes, will go into effect on January 1, 2027. With landlords putting their time and money into opposing the ordinance, it will be important for renters and working class people to fight for the PRO.

#ChicagoIL #IL #PeoplesStruggles #BrandonJohnson #Housing #Renters

Minneapolis, MN – On July 1, over 200 people rallied in support of the MN 15, a group of Minneapolis community members that were indicted on bogus conspiracy charges relating to ICE resistance in the Twin Cities. 14 of the 15 were due in court to enter not guilty pleas to federal charges.

Rally speakers noted that most of the people indicted were union members, and many union officials spoke of the need to stand up to defend our union siblings, reminding attendees of the longstanding union motto, “An injury to one is an injury to all!”

Speakers included representatives from GLU-UE 1105, Macalester AAUP, MN Nurses Association (MNA), SEIU Local 26, IBEW Local 292 and the MN AFL-CIO, as well as one MFE 59 member facing indictment in this case, and a Black Lives Matter-MN organizer, who was indicted for a January protest calling out David Easterwood, a Cities Church pastor and director of the local ICE field office.

The crowd chanted “We got your back!” while those indicted and family members went to their court appearance. Monique Cullars-Doty, BLM-MN founder and indicted Cities Church protester, told the crowd, “I encourage everyone to stand up for [the Minnesota 15]. Reach out and remind them that they are not alone, to remind them that we stand with them in this fight.”

After the rally, a long line formed out the door, across the large plaza and down the sidewalk, with supporters who wanted to attend today’s court hearing. Most were turned away, despite an overflow courtroom with capacity for 80. After court, defendants came out of the building with their fists in the air, greeted by cheering crowds of supporters.

Montana Hirsh from the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee stated, “We stand in solidarity with the MN 15 because federal agents don’t get to come into our streets and kidnap our neighbors, brutalize our communities and separate families without a militant fight back from the people. Protesting ICE and defending our communities is the right thing to do. We will continue to fight in the streets until all the charges are dropped on anti -ICE protesters. From Minneapolis to LA, protesting is not a crime!”

#MinneapolisMN #MN #ImmigrantRights #ICE #PoliticalRepresssion #PeoplesStruggles #Labor #Featured

Seattle, WA – On June 26, the day of the World Cup Iran–Egypt match, the Hands Off Iran Coalition organized a flash action in the form of an anti-war “People’s Football Game” in the middle of a packed street within view of the main stadium.

The lively protest broadcasted the demand “Kick Israel out of FIFA!” through signs, banners, chants and song. In a press release sent out in the lead-up to the action, Hands Off Iran Coalition organizers condemned FIFA’s participation in Trump’s “Board of Peace,” where FIFA released an AI-generated video in February 2026 depicting football stadiums rising out of the rubble of destroyed homes in Gaza.

“From the streets to the stadiums,” the press release said, “the game of football was built by communities, fans and generations of ordinary people. We reject FIFA’s use of the game for ‘sportswashing’ to normalize oppression and injustice.”

The football pitch was erected by creating an unbroken perimeter of anti-war and anti-imperialist banners held by organizers and activists. Ad hoc teams of three players competed in a “queen of the hill” style tournament, with team names like “Right to Rebel,” “Strait of Hormuz” and “The People’s Team.”

Football fans passing the pitch stopped to watch the People’s Game, with many asking how they could sign up to play. New teams were created and joined the tournament on the spot, with some teams representing countries including Mexico and Italy.

The People’s Game was a new type of protest for Seattle, with an emphasis on meeting people where they are and reclaiming a sport that rightfully belongs to the masses and not to pro-imperialist, pro-Trump FIFA. At the same time, the event brought sharp anti-imperialist messaging, demanding an end to the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and justice for the victims of Israel’s genocidal campaigns in Gaza and south Lebanon.

#SeattleWA #WA #AntiWarMovement #FIFA #WorldCup #PeoplesStruggles #Palestine #Iran

Los Angeles, CA – On June 17 at approximately 2 p.m., a cold-storage facility erupted in flames. Tremendous black clouds causing a burning of the eyes and throat covered the skies of East Los Angeles and the Boyle Heights neighborhood. Confusion was observed as people stepped out of their homes to look up at the sky, initially suspecting a thunderstorm, only to discover a capitalist crime in action.

The fire was at Lineage Logistics, the headquarters to more than a dozen other, smaller Los Angeles Lineage warehouses. It was situated between the two Chicano, working-class neighborhoods of East Los Angeles and Boyle Heights. The massive building was 491,000 square feet and was built in 2018. 85 million pounds of food were being stored in this facility, making their environment danger a biohazard one.

A recent finding states that a routine testing of the thousands of solar panels on the roof of the building caused the fire. The cause of the burning sensation and hospital visits was due to a warehouse ammonia pipe off-gassing into the air. How long the off-gassing occurred is a mystery.

On the day of the fire, a very brief evacuation order was sent out to the immediate surrounding area but was removed within the hour. The nearest neighborhoods to the warehouse did not receive text alerts, but neighborhoods outside of the immediate area did. A shelter-in-place order was announced during a press conference on June 17, but not much else.

For three days, the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) attempted to put out the Lineage flames. It wasn’t until day three that LA Mayor Karen Bass finally decided to declare a state of emergency. Bass, the LAFD, and other officials have even said that the air is not toxic unless, “People have respiratory issues or come into direct contact with the ammonia.”

City council began to distribute air purifiers and organizations like Centro CSO, People’s Care Collective, Proyecto Pastoral, and the Boyle Heights Immigrant Rights Network (BHIRN), took on the task of delivering air purifiers and P100 respirators to the most vulnerable. Ammonia and plastic particles are too small to be properly filtered if using an N95 mask.

A lineage of environmental racism

The Eastside of Los Angeles and cities like Vernon are no stranger to environmental disasters. East LA has a neighborhood population of 112,000, Boyle Heights 85,000, and while Vernon itself only houses about 300 residents, during working hours there are 55,000 employees on its industrial grounds.

Starting in the 1940s, investors and developers built five major freeways through Boyle Heights: I-5, I-10, US-101, and SR-60. Their construction displaced about 15,000 working-class people and destroyed over 2000 homes.

The area is a Superfund site. Superfund sites are areas declared as highly polluted, requiring long-term (sometimes permanent) cleanup. This is due to the highly hazardous materials, as designated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The reason this area became a Superfund site was because of the former Exide Technologies plant in Vernon. For more than 90 years, the battery recycling facility caused plumes of lead and arsenic emissions that rained all over the residents in the surrounding areas. These plumes heavily contaminated the surrounding soil and groundwater and any recent efforts to clean up the hazardous materials have been found to be ineffective.

In 2020, jet fuel from Delta Flight 89 rained on five elementary schools and one high school. Park Avenue Elementary School in Cudahy called 911 and during their call the children cried out in agony and reported that they “Could feel the fuel on their clothes, flesh, eyes and skin” and it caused them “to feel sick, dizzy and nauseated.” Over 60 children were hospitalized and treated and crews rushed to clean the jet fuel from the schools. Cudahy is located in southeastern Los Angeles.

Also in 2020, after an accident at the Lineage warehouse (the one that is currently on fire), Cal/OSHA cited Lineage for 12 violations. Four violations were regarding failure to create/maintain emergency action plans and inadequate safety training for ammonia refrigeration, and other hazardous materials. In the past five years, Lineage has had over 40 Cal/OSHA violations.

In 2024, the same Lineage warehouse first caught fire. It was put out within 48 hours. Also in 2024, another Lineage warehouse in Finley, Washington burned for over 60 days. Only there, the immediate surrounding residents were evacuated for more than a day and residential streets were closed down. The smell of rotting meat and food filled the air for months as the warehouse was bulldozed, debris shoveled and transported away.

An underground crude oil pipeline exploded in East Los Angeles on May 22, 2026, when a construction crew installing a fiber optic line struck a pipe near East Cesar Chavez and North Eastern Avenues. The accident spilled thousands of gallons of crude oil, for days, onto the streets, forcing road closures. The oil seeped into the Los Angeles River and residents reported dizziness and strong chemical odors in the area.

The truth is that none of this environmental racism happens to folks who don’t live in impoverished, Chicano neighborhoods of SoCal. And if it did, a state of emergency would not have been declared three long days later. Lawsuits riddled Lineage as it departed from Finley, Washington. The fire caused permanent damage to the airways and lungs. But what will happen to the gente residing directly next to the current Lineage fire?

If you want to join the air purifier and respirator distribution, reach out to Centro CSO. They are gearing up to hold a community meeting to put pressure on the corporation responsible for the situation: Lineage. Proyecto Pastoral is accepting monetary donations so that they can acquire more air purifiers, and without the bureaucratic stops that government officials’ distributions always have.

Billionaire corporations like Lineage will continue building similar warehouses and causing havoc in their paths. The only way to make them fully pay is to overthrow the rich in this country and seize control of the means of production and distribution – and that includes their warehouses.

Sol Marquez is a longtime member of the Freedom Socialist Organization (FRSO). To join, go to FRSO.org/join to become a member.

#LosAngelesCA #CA #PeoplesStruggles #OppressedNationalities #ChicanoLatino #FRSO #Environment #Fires #EnvironmentalRacism

San Jose, CA – On June 20, 200 members of the LGBTQ community and allies gathered at Saint James Park for the third annual San Jose’s People’s Pride. People’s Pride is a grassroots-organized event meant to celebrate community and fight back against the current attacks transgender people are facing from the Trump administration. Unlike some other Pride events in the Bay Area, Peoples Pride does not have any corporate sponsors, recognizing the rampant pinkwashing by corporations that are complicit in human rights abuses.

Throughout the festival portion of the event, small business vendors sold queer art and goods. Bands and DJs brought people together to dance and celebrate queer culture. This People’s Pride was the first year hosting a drag show, featuring Diane and Nikky Nicole.

People’s Pride also featured a silent auction with donated items from vendors. Items included art prints, jewelry and more. All of the proceeds went to compensate the performers, completely supplanting the need for corporate sponsors.

Along with the festivities, local organizations tabled. One such organization, South Bay Queer Solidarity, currently has a letter writing campaign to local hospitals that have not reinstated gender affirming care to youth after Trump threatened to punish hospitals that provided life-saving treatments to trans youth.

After the festival, attendees took to the streets of downtown San Jose. They marched from Saint James Park to Post Street, gathering support from onlookers along the way. Together, the protesters shared one common goal: to defend the queer community from Trump's anti-trans agenda.

Lyla Salinas of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization stated, “Attacks on trans healthcare have taken center stage in Trump’s anti-LGBTQ agenda. While 27 states have already enacted laws to limit gender affirming care for trans youth, Trump intends to ban this healthcare nationwide.”

Salinas continued, “This was never about protecting children. Attacks on trans youth chip away at the bodily autonomy of all trans people.”

Protesters chanted, “Trans rights are human rights, that's why we must fight!” as they marched through the streets. Em Tran, a member of Students for a Democratic Society at San Jose State University, stated that permission is not needed to stand against the transphobic attacks levied by the Trump administration, saying, “That’s why Pride is important. Pride started as a riot. Do you think Marsha P. Johnson asked for permission to start Pride?”

Tran continued, “It's not called the Stonewall ‘Wait-for-Permission-To-Do-It,’ it's called the Stonewall Riot.”

Tran further emphasized the importance of young people in this fight, saying, “I think it’s important especially for young people, for students, for us to stand united together against what the Trump administration has been doing against our queer siblings. Against our queer classmates.”

The event ended with cheers and a call for those interested in getting organized to get involved for next year.

#SanJoseCA #CA #Pride #LGBTQ #PeoplesStruggles

Decorah, IA –Community members, students and local advocates are organizing against the Winneshiek County Fair Board’s decision to book the country band Confederate Railroad for this summer’s fair, arguing that the group’s Confederate imagery promotes racism and exclusion.

The controversy began in March after the Fair Board announced on Facebook that Confederate Railroad would perform at the July 18 grandstand concert alongside Kayley Green and Travis Denning.

Criticism spread quickly across Decorah and the Luther College campus. Residents, students and local activists pointed to the band’s name and long association with Confederate symbolism, arguing that the booking normalizes imagery tied to slavery and white supremacy.

Luther College religion professor Guy Nave publicly condemned the decision, stating that the Confederate flag represents the institution of slavery and the perceived inferiority of Black people. Nave and other critics called on the Fair Board to explain why it booked the group.

Students soon organized a petition campaign demanding the band’s removal.

A Change.org petition started by Luther students Isabelle Goldschmidt and Jaydan Clayton described Confederate Railroad promoting “a harmful and dangerous image” and argued that students and residents would feel unsafe attending the fair while the band remained on the lineup.

The petition also referenced Iowa’s history during the Civil War, arguing that Confederate symbolism conflicts with the state’s historical opposition to slavery.

By May, the campaign expanded beyond campus.

The 50501 Iowa Coalition alongside Decorah Community for Immigrant Rights (DCIR) issued public statements demanding the band’s removal and warning that the performance “would be a detriment to this community.” Local opinion writers and residents also criticized the booking in letters and editorials.

On April 13, Goldschmidt and Clayton addressed the Winneshiek County Board of Supervisors and asked officials to examine the county’s financial relationship with the fairgrounds.

Under Iowa law, county funding for fairs is directed toward fairgrounds maintenance and youth agricultural programming rather than entertainment bookings. Supervisors stated during the meeting that they do not select performers.

Still, critics argued that public support for the fair makes the controversy a broader community issue.

Board Chair Dan Langreck downplayed objections to the booking, stating that he personally did not find the band’s music offensive.

Supervisor Shirley Vermace publicly disagreed, stating, “The Confederate flag is definitely a symbol of hate and racism.”

#DecorahIA #IA #PeoplesStruggles #OppressedNationalities #LutherCollege

Fight Back News service is circulating the following statement from the Dallas Against the Trump Agenda Coalition.

Texas is a battleground against the fiercest of Donald Trump and Greg Abbott’s attacks on the people, and the Dallas -Fort Worth metroplex continues to stand up and fight back. We are proud to announce the formation of the Dallas Against the Trump Agenda (DATA) Coalition as a unified voice to strike back against these attacks on our communities.

We are an action oriented coalition of organizations working together against Trump’s agenda. We are not here merely to speak up, but to build the people’s movements so that they can take meaningful action against this far-right violence. From the first Trump regime to the current one, our communities here in Texas have been a training ground for racist police violence, anti-LGBTQ laws targeting Trans kids, attacks by ICE on our immigrant neighbors, and rollbacks hard-won labor rights. We are building mass people power to keep our communities safe through collective action, no matter what Trump and Abbott throw our way.

We have seen the power of Dallas-Fort Worth in action, and we will continue to grow our unified strength. From the George Floyd uprisings in 2020 and Reproductive Rights rally in 2022 to the Free Palestine marches in 2023 and the ICE Out protests in 2026, we have seen our communities show up in the tens of thousands to stand united against attacks on the people. Now, in the midst of the Trump regime as these attacks heighten, we must stand taller than ever and fight back twice as hard.

The ground is fertile for collective strength as our communities have nothing to lose but their chains. Trump and Abbott took the gloves off as they repress communities across Texas and the people see them for what they represent: the throes of a dying empire as it tramples everyone underfoot. The people united will never be defeated and together the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex will rise against our enemies in the White House and Governor’s Mansion.

We call on all DFW organizations fighting against the Trump agenda to join the DATA Coalition and stand alongside us in our mutual struggle for the freedom we all deserve. To our local communities, we ask you to join us in the streets, get organized in the people’s movements, and build this coalition alongside us. Together, we have the power to win and our future looks bright.

#DallasTX #TX #Trump #PeoplesStruggles #ImmigrantRights

The following is a keynote speech delivered by the Freedom Road Socialist Organization Political Secretary Mick Kelly, May 31, at the International League of Peoples Struggle/U.S. Political Conference.

Comrades and friends

Let me start by thanking and congratulating the organizers of this genuinely important event, the Third National Assembly of the International League of Peoples Struggle/U.S. What a powerful gathering! This is truly a room full of militants. Many of us have worked together for years and all of us are consistent anti-imperialists.

In the words of the outstanding revolutionary Jose Maria Sison, the late chairman of the ILPS, “imperialism is the last way out for the monopoly capitalists to postpone their revolutionary overthrow. It means the extension of the class oppression and exploitation within the United States into the oppression and exploitation of other nations and people abroad through the export of surplus products and surplus capital.”

The implications of this are clear enough. Working and oppressed people in the U.S. and abroad have a common interest in ending imperialism. We want this to happen as soon as possible. The decline of U.S. monopoly capitalism, or imperialism, the two terms can be used interchangeably, is accelerating. The decline is picking up speed and we welcome its demise. And we intend to throw gasoline on the fire.

I will be talking today about strengthening and broadening the people’s movement, especially the workers movement in the United States, as well as the key role of workers in the fight for democracy and the struggle to achieve socialism.

Also to be addressed is the state of the labor movement and what we need to do to move the level of struggle of the working class to a higher level. Finally, I will be looking at the issue of international solidarity.

Need for a mass line approach

To be successful as anti-imperialists, as revolutionaries, as people who want to and will change the world, we need to apply the mass line. While there is a lot that could be said about that, at the heart of it is “from the masses, to the masses.”

Or to quote the great Chinese revolutionary Mao Zedong, “In all the practical work of our Party, all correct leadership is necessarily ‘from the masses, to the masses.’ This means: take the ideas of the masses (scattered and unsystematic ideas) and concentrate them (through study turn them into concentrated and systematic ideas), then go to the masses and propagate and explain these ideas until the masses embrace them as their own, hold fast to them and translate them into action, and test the correctness of these ideas in action.”

To put this another way, we sum up where people are at. Basing ourselves on what people are concerned about, on what folks want, we develop slogans, policies, plans, that people will take up as their own. It is in this way that revolutionary theory becomes a material force.

All of us who do organizing can appreciate the point that Mao was making. The starting point of our organizing needs to be where people are at – what their actual level of political development is. We are not organizing people in books or people who are the way we imagine they should be – we need to connect with people where they are at and systematically lead them forward.

One thing about capitalism is that it is an excellent teacher. For anyone who thinks that this system is fair, reasonable, or just, the capitalists, really the system itself, is always ready to teach you otherwise. It’s an endless disappointment, a Christmas that never comes. Capitalism is a failed system, but to help people gain that understanding – and understand who is the enemy and what is to be done – we have to be standing right next to them summing things up.

The accelerating decline of U.S. imperialism

The decline of U.S. imperialism is picking up speed. The U.S. share of world trade in goods has declined about 40% since 1970. The U.S. share of world GDP is about half of what in the aftermath of World War II. The U.S. has retreated from the economic architecture that underpinned the so called, “American Century.”

In recent years, management of the declining U.S. empire has been bipartisan. Both Trump and Biden disengaged from the WTO and adopted measures to “delink” the economy from China. While there are significant differences between the industrial policies of Trump and Biden, neither embraced a “let the market decide”, laissez-faire approach that’s touted by neoliberals

The decline of U.S. imperialism is sharpening all of the basic contradictions present in society: the contradiction between the monopoly capitalists and the multinational working class; between the ruling class and oppressed nationalities; and between the monopoly capitalism and women and LGBTQ people. This provides the material basis for the intensification of polarization, and the phenomenon of different states or even cities having different legal systems which accord people varying democratic rights.

The sharpening of the contradictions is in sharp relief in the fight for immigrant rights. Our organization views the attacks on immigrants as a function of national oppression, which means that the U.S. is a jailhouse of oppressed peoples, of oppressed nationalities.

Militarized ice raids and troop deployments to major cities is serving to pull U.S. society apart, and this can be seen in mass protests and rebellions (LA and Minneapolis), divergent court rulings, a degree of non-compliance by some state and local authorities (Chicago).

One aside here. After the murder of Renee Good in Minneapolis, I arrived on the scene about 15 minutes after the killing took place. The car she was killed in was still there. And sure, there was sadness. But there was also anger. Repression gives rise to more resistance – so there were many clashes with the ICE agents.

But back to the decline of U.S imperialism and sharpening contradictions.

On a different level, and more reflective of contradictions in the enemy camp, are the government shutdowns that are becoming more frequent and larger with the passage of time. Then there are the impeachment attempts. And then there are the things that are not normal in modern U.S. politics, such as the “weaponization” of the Department of Justice and the prosecution of Trump’s bourgeois political opponents. One feature of the Trump administration is a willingness to push up to – and beyond – the limits of bourgeoisie legality.

Any major economic downturn or crisis will sharpen the aforementioned contradictions. The capitalists will act the way they always do – try to shift the burden of the crisis onto the backs of the working class. Most state governments (and many local ones) will experience budget crises, resulting in attempts to push austerity measures.

A scientific analysis of changes in society grasps the fact that changes in the economic base (productive forces and relations of production) will result in the superstructure (politics, government, religion, etc.) changing. And that the superstructure will alter the economic base, meaning that there is a dialectical relationship between the two. This is not a one-way thing either; certain changes in the superstructures can play a crucial role in the economic base.

Lenin made the point that monopoly capitalism was moribund – capitalism in the period of terminal decline and decay. As such, monopoly capitalism has challenges utilizing advances in science and deploying more advanced productive forces in general.

Taken as a whole, these objective conditions provide extremely favorable conditions for revolutionaries, progressives, and anti- imperialists to greatly expand our mass base and organizational capacity.

Building the workers and other popular movements

The working class is a class in itself; its existence is objective, and developing class consciousness means the working class becomes a class that is for itself. While it is true that the task of developing the workers movement in the U.S. is not identical with revitalizing the trade union movement, organized labor has a critical role.

The fact of the matter is that many of our trade unions, most really, are not only bureaucratic, they’re conservative and they often have a “go along to get along” approach when it comes to dealing with employers. This needs to change. So work needs to be done to put trade unions on a class-struggle basis. Practically, this means building up militant minorities in the form of caucuses or reform slates and contending for leadership.

We need more serious confrontations with the employers, such as the strike by 1,500 Teamsters last year at the University of Minnesota or the strike of packinghouse workers in Greely, Colorado.

The center of gravity for work in the labor needs to be wages and working conditions. Given that the working class is multinational and has more than one gender – there is also the fight against discrimination and inequity in our workplaces. To strengthen and broaden the working class movement. The starting point needs to be the “felt” needs of workers.

If we fail to do that, our efforts to raise the level of class struggle with fail. But starting points are not ending points and we cannot say that we must confine ourselves to immediate needs – our class is multifaceted and we need to address political issues as well.

A stellar example of this was the labor-initiated anti-ICE protest in Minneapolis, where nearly 100,000 people took to the streets on January 23. Some people say it was a general strike – it was not – but it is a wonderful example of what is possible when labor movement chooses to act. Actions such as this, in a very nascent or beginning form, give life to the concept of “Workers unite to lead the fight against all oppression.”

Strengthening and broadening the people’s movements

Mao Zedong once remarked there is “Great disorder under heaven – the situation is excellent,” That is a spot-on description of how revolutionaries should view the situation in our country today. It in no way implies indifference to real suffering that is the day-to-day experience of our class, of working and oppressed people at home and abroad. Instead, Mao’s statement gives correct stress to favorable conditions we find ourselves in to build large mass struggles.

It’s been said before and it can be said again – the U.S. is a prison house of oppressed nations, and the oppression visited upon African Americans, Chicanos and others is in fact national oppression.

The struggle against national oppression is a struggle against imperialism, against monopoly capitalism… so let me give a shout out to the members of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression who present here today. Your efforts to stop police terror, for community control of the police and in defense of voting rights are inspiring. Same goes for those of you in Centro CSO Chapters who are resisting ICE and have faced real repression. And an additional point on that – there is a grand jury meeting in Santa Ana, California – we reason to believe that it may well be targeting immigrant rights activists. If that proves to be the case, we will be certainly calling on all of you for support and solidarity.

Here we are, five years after the George Floyd Rebellion, the greatest wave of urban upbringings since the 1960s and early 70s. In those weeks in late May and early June 2020, nearly 25 million people took to the streets.

That powerful mass motion against police crimes and systematic inequality – national oppression – gave lie to the idea that conditions in the U.S. were immutable, that nothing changes. Anyone present at the burning of the Third Precinct building in Minneapolis can tell you this. Late in the evening of May 28, 2020, the last police, who had been firing rubber bullets and tear gas rounds, disappeared. There were thousands of people in the streets. Then the building went up in flames, Things do not have to stay the way they are. And they will not.

United front against imperialism

The U.S. working class is multinational; it is like a mosaic. There are also the movements of the oppressed nationalities. Real change in the U.S. requires a united front against imperialism, against monopoly capitalism. At the core of this united front needs to be a strategic alliance of the multinational working class and of the oppressed nationalities. Around this will be an alignment of other classes in conflict with capitalism, other sectors with particular importance, like women and LGBTQ folk, and social movements such as those who resist U.S. wars.

Together we will be unstoppable!

Democracy and democratic rights

Democracy does not exist in the abstract, its mode of existence, and how it is practiced in the real world is always in the context of the existing class relations.

Every discussion of the topic should start with the recognition that a capitalist democracy is a cash register democracy where the amount of rights one has and the amount of power one has is directly linked to one’s class position. And that Lenin was entirely correct to say that a capitalist democracy is a democracy for slaveholders at the expense of the enslaved.

That truth no way negates the fact the struggle for consistent democracy and democratic rights is extremely important in the U.S. today. For purposes of exposition, I am going to treat these topics as two categories, but they are two aspects of the same thing.

The absence or limitations on consistent democracy is an important feature of racist national oppression, and it needs to be combated with all energy we can muster. For example, the attacks on voting rights are disenfranchising millions of African Americans. Consistent democracy is the equal treatment of languages, especially on matters of government. On the national level the U.S. is adopting a chauvinist “English only” model. These are examples and further examples could fill volumes, everyone here knows that. But here is another point: by being frontline fighters in the fight for democracy we can rally millions to the fight for revolutionary change.

Travel around this country and you can see that the legal superstructure is moving in different directions. You have different democratic rights (say, reproductive rights and the rights of LBGTQ people) in different places. As political polarization sharpens, this country is fracturing. And that is not a bad things from the standpoint of revolutionaries – because we intend to take it apart and put an end to U.S. monopoly capitalism once and for all.

There is also the aspect of defending democratic rights and civil liberties. We all get that the U.S. is a repressive place. Arguably it always has been – lynch terror in the Black Belt South to buttress semi feudal property relations (sharecropping), the concentration camps for Japanese Americans during World War II, and communists jailed or deported in the 1950s. This is, and always has been, a repressive place.

That said, it is clear that a major assault our rights to organize, associate and demonstrate is underway. It is a danger that needs to be confronted. The state of Florida is criminalizing Palestine protests. Conor Cauley, an organizer for Palestine and member of the International Longshoremen’s Association, is sitting in jail today – serving a 60-day sentence for a felony that did not happen. Over the past year, hundreds have been charged with felonies in the anti-ICE protests around the country. And all sorts of reactionary and repressive legislation is moving forward in Congress, states, and cities.

In all cases we need to push back against the assault on democratic rights, but there is one attack on those rights which dates from the Clinton era – the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996. This bill borrowed a page from apartheid South Africa and put the tag of “terrorist” on those fighting for national liberation. These “material support for terrorism” laws are reactionary, should be abolished and should be opposed by every person who stands for progress.

Working class internationalism

All of us, every, single one of us here, believe that working class internationalism and international solidarity are important. Every blow against U.S. imperialism ,be it in Palestine, the Philippines, or for that matter, Philadelphia ,weakens our common enemy benefiting the people at home and abroad.

We are all in this together and none of us can be free, while oppressing others.

We always must make sure that international solidarity is not just things we say, but it is alive in the things that we do. Right now, the U.S. empire is waging a war on Iran. Paper tiger that it is, the U.S. Trump administration is being defeated, humiliated in fact. Our task here is to unite all who can be united to oppose the war, and in cities around the country many of you have been doing exactly that.

There are other forms of international solidarity. Many have traveled on exposure trips to occupied Palestine and have been about to report back on the efforts of the national democratic force. We can work to promote solidarity between labor unions in this country and those under the boot of U.S. imperialism. Same goes for solidarity organized by sectors. All these methods can be employed and others too.

“Workers and oppressed people of the world unite,” is something all of us take seriously.

Socialist future

Mao once said that only socialism can save China. You know what? Only socialism can save the U.S. Monopoly capitalism is a failed, sick system that evokes alienation and anger.

The multinational working class has a material interest in bringing this system to an end, but hard work is needed to develop the understanding, political clarity, and capacity to do this.

In my view we will need to establish a new communist party that is capable of contending for power. I understand fully that this is a gathering of mass organizations, but I also know that questions of “How do we end imperialism?” or “How do we abolish the existing order of things?” are on the minds of many of you here.

So, in closing, I have been active in people’s struggle for more than 50 years. Never have I been as hopeful as I am now. Capitalism is a vicious blood-sucking system that drains the life blood out of the working class. Marx compared the big capitalists to vampires. He was right about that. And what do we do when we encounter a vampire? We drive a stake through its heart.

And on that note, comrades, thank you. Our future is bright and we have a world to win.

Long live international solidarity!

#ILPS #FRSO #Speech #PeoplesStruggles

New York, NY – On June 4, New Yorkers protested outside of the annual New York City Police Foundation Gala at the Intrepid Museum in Manhattan, where billionaires representing some of the top financial, tech and political dynasties in New York City gathered to donate millions of dollars to the New York Police Department.

The crowd of 75 protesters, led by the New York Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NYAARPR), shamed each gala attendee as they arrived, chanting “Blood on your hands!”

The New York City Police Foundation is a 501©(3) non-profit which funnels millions of dollars each year into the already bloated NYPD budget. The money goes to programs which surveil communities, pilot new technologies, and extend the reach of the NYPD.

For example, one of the foundation’s principal programs is the International Liaison program, which establishes NYPD offices in cities across the world, including in Tel Aviv. Additionally, donors who attend the gala tend to get massive contracts with the NYPD These include companies like surveillance giant Palantir, and Motorola, the company supplying cops with their radios. Both have made huge contributions at the gala which have turned into major contracts with the NYPD.

The protesters assembled outside of the gala to demand a public police force that does not function like a private piggy bank for billionaires, but that is accountable to the people of New York City. At the protest, NYAARPR demanded: No funding for killer cops; community control, not billionaire control; and justice for Eudes Pierre and all victims of police violence.

Speakers at the rally included representatives of NYU Students for a Democratic Society, Brooklyn Against War, Adolfina, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and the Coalition for Justice for Eudes Pierre.

Sheina Banatte, cousin of Eudes Pierre, who was killed by the NYPD in December 2021, said, “The money being wasted to fund racism and corruption here at this gala can best be spent in the community places and spaces that can truly benefit people, families, community and quality of life.” She continued, “We will keep fighting for community control of the police, justice for Eudes Pierre, and justice for all stolen lives.”

After the program concluded, protesters tore open several pig head effigies, scattering red paint splattered money in the street to symbolize the blood money raised at the gala. The protest then marched through the streets of Manhattan chanting, “NYPD kills on patrol! How do we stop them? Community control!”

#NewYorkNY #NY #NYC #InjusticeSystem #NYPD #PeoplesStruggles

Brooklyn, NY – on the evening of June 3, around two dozen New Yorkers gathered outside the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn to stand in solidarity with Cuba and Venezuela and against the ongoing aggression from the United States.

The Trump administration has charged Raul Castro, the former president of Cuba, with murder in connection to the downing of civilian planes in 1996. These charges are bogus. They are an escalation of the U.S. attacks on Latin America that began last year when the Trump administration set its eyes on Venezuela.

The day also marked the fifth month since President Maduro and First Lady Flores were kidnapped from their home. The Trump administration launched a bombing operation on Venezuela on January 3 where close to 100 people were killed, including 32 Cuban bodyguards.

The action had a high energy and there were many organizations in attendance, such as Black Alliance for Peace, Bronx Antiwar, Palavar Collective, and Brooklyn Against War.

Joe Lombard from the United National Antiwar Coalition gave a speech discussing the importance of solidarity and standing up to U.S. imperialism.

Katrina Kozarek from Brooklyn Against War stated, “We will continue to resist systems of oppression here in the U.S. and to do so, we must also reject and stand up against U.S. oppression and complicity against the peoples of the Caribbean, South America, Palestine, Iran and everywhere. We demand an end to all U.S. sanctions against Cuba and Venezuela now! Free President Maduro and Cilia Flores – we demand they be returned safe and sound to their homeland!”

The organizers will return to the courthouse for President Maduro and First Lady Flores’ hearing on June 30.

#NewYorkNY #NY #NYC #Cuba #Venezuela #AntiWarMovement #PeoplesStruggles

Minneapolis, MN – Under the early summer sun, about 50 people came together on a busy Minneapolis bridge for a double-headed rally addressing the domestic and international sides of the struggle for liberation. A combined bannering took place for two hours, spreading the message to passersby and drivers on Washington Avenue and Interstate 35W.

The first part of the event was organized by the Wrongfully Incarcerated and Over-sentenced Family Council (WIAOFC) and marked 20 years since Cornelius “Corn” Jackson, fiancé of WIAOFC founder Alissa Washington, was unjustly incarcerated.

The second protest, organized by the MN Peace Action Coalition (MPAC), demanded an end to U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran, Lebanon, and Palestine.

Washington, stated, “We want you to ask questions. We want you to ask why a man who has spent 20 years behind bars is still fighting for justice. We want you to ask whether Minnesota’s criminal legal system truly believes in redemption. And we want you to ask why so many families are still fighting to bring their loved ones home.”

The first speaker for MPAC was Amber Mathwig from About Face Veterans Against the War, “It doesn’t matter if you’re a cook, turning a wrench, patrolling the base, or pressing the button that launches a Tomahawk into a school full of children – every single job in the military contributes to the end goal of destruction and occupation and every single service member has a right to say ‘No, I do not want to be part of this anymore.’”

Cedar Larson, representing Women Against Military Madness, stated, “Today we are protesting a number of heinous crimes being committed by our government. We’re protesting not only Trump’s continuous attacks on Gaza, in violation of a so-called ceasefire, but we’re also protesting the continuing attacks on Iran and the attempted ethnic cleansing of Lebanon. Writing this speech, I felt a pent-up rage exploding. I’m not going to sugarcoat it, you guys. I am angry. I am tired of writing speeches about something that makes me so pissed off.”

Larson concluded, “I cannot make sense of the fact that billionaires, the ruling class, see nothing more important than a profit while I, an educator who lives paycheck to paycheck and purchases classroom supplies and end-of-year gifts out of her own pocket, see nothing more important than sustaining and educating the next generation who will no doubt recognize this absurdity for what it is and will join with us to destroy it!”

Naveen Borojerdi of the MN Peace Action Coalition and the MN Anti-War Committee spoke on another tragedy that occurred closer to home; the death of AFSCME Council 5 field director Khalid Abdi, a 26-year-old union organizer who was shot and killed on May 27 in Shakopee, Minnesota while observing Eid.

“Khalid’s death is not just a coincidence,” Borojerdi said, “but rather, the symptom of a much larger problem. The normalization of mass murder that we’ve seen in Gaza, Lebanon, Iran, Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan since September 11, 2001 is what resulted in his unfortunate death. When you spend over two decades since the turn of the century slaughtering Muslims, Arabs and Persians while demonizing them through the production of propaganda films like American Sniper, Argo, and Black Hawk Down, this is what you get. Shame on this country.”

All of the speakers spoke to the critical importance of remaining visible and in the streets to oppose this criminal war.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #InjusticeSystem #PeoplesStruggles #Palestine #Iran

Denver, CO – On Sunday, May 24, members of Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) and Aurora Unidos Community Service Organization (AUCSO) organized a picket at Governors Park to demand that Governor Jared Polis be impeached for his commutation of Tina Peters’ sentence.

Peters is an election denier who tampered with voting machines under her control in an attempt to show the 2020 U.S. presidential election was rigged against Trump. She was convicted on seven charges of engaging in a security breach to advance this false conspiracy theory of election fraud.

On May 15, Governor Polis, a Democrat, commuted Peters’ sentence after months of pressure from Trump. Peters, who was slated to serve nine years in prison, will instead be released on June 1 of this year.

During the picket, which called for the impeachment of Polis ahead of the end of his second term, passersby seemed to support the message. Members of the community cheered and honked as they passed the crowd at Governors Park.

A speaker from FRSO, Bailey Heaton, detailed instances of Polis refusing to stand up for the people of Colorado. According to Heaton, Polis “can’t stand any pressure. He is a coward!” Heaton pointed out in his speech that Polis gave the controversial surveillance group Flock access to information about undocumented immigrants, defunded Colorado’s education system, and vetoed several bills that would help workers unionize their workplaces.

Many believe Polis’ true legacy will lie in his pardoning of Peters, however, whose sentence the governor called “extremely unusual and lengthy.” Colorado Democrats have since censured Polis over the decision.

Alex Riedle of AUCSO voiced how Polis, oft-cited as one of the top five wealthiest members of Congress, where he served for ten years, has chosen profit over the people of Colorado. Riedle brought up how Polis welcomed Palantir into the state, despite that company’s development of tracking technology that aids ICE in the kidnapping and deportation of immigrants.

Riedle stated, “There are hundreds of cases of far greater importance that should be reviewed and considered before the case of Tina Peters, but this is further proof that the closer you align to the capitalist class, the more likely you are to avoid accountability.”

#DenverCO #CO #AUCSO #PeoplesStruggles

Jacksonville, FL – Dozens gathered at Marion Park on Saturday, May 30, for “Popular Education in the Park.” Marion Park, located in Jacksonville’s historic Northside, served as the backdrop for an evening of community dialogue and connection as well as the kickoff for the Jacksonville Community Action Committee’s annual participatory budgeting drive.

Hosted by the Jacksonville Community Action Committee, the gathering brought neighbors together for a circle discussion under the trees while children played nearby. Attendees shared food and conversation, with the evening’s programming centered on the People’s Budget, a JCAC initiative to reimagine public safety and measure the impact of community reinvestment.

A major focus of the discussion was mental health. Community members advocated strongly for redirecting portions of the city budget away from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) and toward a dedicated mental health clinician program.

Committee members began preliminary discussions of proposing a mental health clinical response program modeled after the nationally recognized CAHOOTS program in Eugene, Oregon. Participants argued that such a program would provide a more effective, humane response to mental health crises than traditional policing.

The urgency of the conversation was underscored by data from a recent JCAC report analyzing police use of force across the city. The report found that police shootings are heavily concentrated in Northside neighborhoods like the one surrounding Marion Park, with Districts 4 and 5 accounting for 48 of the 126 serious use of force incidents examined since 2020. Black residents appear in the largest share of these incidents, despite representing a minority of Jacksonville’s overall population. Even more alarming, the report found that Jacksonville’s rate of police killings is more than double the national average.

“We’re not just talking about the statistics you read online. We’re talking about our cousins, our neighbors, our children,” said a longtime Northside resident who attended with his two children. “When 64% of Black people in this city are worried about police brutality, it highlights a problem and that number is simply a reaction to a pattern. And it’s happening right here, in our zip code.”

The discussion also turned to accountability. Attendees expressed frustration that Jacksonville remains one of the only cities in Florida without a civilian oversight body responsible for independently reviewing police use of force. This is an initiative that works in tandem with the participatory budgeting campaign to give residents a greater say in how they are policed and kept safe. According to the report, only 43% of residents believe misconduct investigations are adequately reported to the public, and Patrol Zone 5, which covers much of the Northside and has a 72% Black population, has reported some of the lowest approval ratings of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.

Popular Education in the Park is an ongoing series “created to truly meet folks where they are in Black and working-class communities,” according to the event program. JCAC will continue selecting parks in Jacksonville’s Black and working-class neighborhoods throughout the summer, canvassing and deepening community ties to further refine the People’s Budget with direct input from residents most affected by budgetary shifts and chronic disinvestment.

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #InJusticeSystem #PeoplesStruggles #JCAC