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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Portland, OR – On September 11, right-wing extremist Thomas Allen announced plans to protest the Sports Bra, a local gay bar catering to women’s sports fans. Allen was protesting a viral video where Sports Bras employees refused service to customers with transphobic shirts. Pro-trans activists showed up and ran Allen out of the area.

Allen is known for harassing protests around Portland, often getting violent. He posted on X calling for a “rally to support women and girls” and demand “men out of womens spaces” at the Sports Bra.

Pro-trans activists mobilized to defend the bar. Allen showed up with a small group of people, and they were quickly outnumbered by a crowd chanting for trans rights.

When Allen and his group saw the number of pro-trans activists in front of the bar they stayed on the other side of the street. The trans rights activists then crossed the street and pushed Allen back even further into a parking lot.

Chants used included “Protect trans kids” and “Racist, sexist, anti-gay! Thomas Allen go away!”

Allen and his group responded by spraying trans rights protesters with bear spray. Portland police showed up and watched but took no action.

“Time and time again, we see Portland police show up when Thomas Allen is spreading his hate and violence around Portland and do nothing to protect regular people fighting for justice,” said Sage Joyce. Joyce attended the protest with the Freedom Road Socialist Organization and held a large banner that read, “Pride means fight back.”

More and more people joined the protest against Allen, including those who were just passing by or lived in the area and heard the chants.

Allen and his group retreated down the street, but the trans rights protestors continued to follow him, chanting “MAGA out of Portland.” Allen and his group walked all the way to a nearby grocery store and entered to call the police. The trans rights protesters also entered the grocery store and notified the customers that a violent agitator with weapons was in the building.

Allen then left the store and one of the members of his group bear-sprayed a man who was shopping at the store.

Police showed up and spoke with Allen. One of the members of Allen's group bear-sprayed another person in front of the police. Activists demanded police arrest her for macing someone unprovoked. They refused and said the macing was justified because the protesters were following her.

Allen and his group left with a police escort. Spirits remained high among those who protested against Allen.

“Transphobes aren’t welcome in Portland, and when police show us they won’t protect our city from this hate, we have to do it ourselves” said trans rights activist Cole Dunahugh.

Just last week Allen assaulted anti-ICE protesters in front of Multnomah County Court. Progressive community organizations are demanding District Attorney Nathan Vasquez pursue charges for all his assaults on Portlanders.

#PortlandOR #OR #LGBTQ #PeoplesStruggles #Transphobia #ThomasAllen

Denver, CO – On Monday, September 7, more than 80 workers gathered near the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment office for a Labor Day rally under the slogan “Workers Over Billionaires!”

Emcees Katherine Draken and Miles Thompson started the rally with a brief history of Labor Day and some historic strikes in the United States. They stressed that the struggle still exists to this day, and it is important to continue to fight in the face of continued repression from the Trump administration.

Union workers and other community organizations with the Denver Coalition Against Trump gave speeches throughout the day, the first of which came from Kyle Burroughs, a UPS Teamster and district organizer for the Freedom Road Socialist Organization. “We take the risk every day. We work all the jobs and we get nothing!” Burroughs noted that the biggest risk billionaires ever take on is the possibility of becoming members of the working class.

While many workers face dangerous working conditions every day, they receive little in return for their grueling labor.

A rank-and-file Teamster, Burroughs advocates for workers to take on the boss instead of seeking solutions through corporate collaboration with the union. “I believe that the unions need to fight. I believe that there are two sides in this class war,” Burroughs said.

Burroughs envisions a different future for the working class, one under socialism. “Socialism is how workers will turn this ugly thing into its opposite,” Burroughs said, referring to capitalism. “Do we think life will be better under socialism? We know it will be.”

Participants later heard from Naomi Wilson, a union barista with Starbucks Workers United. Wilson spoke about how Starbucks workers started demanding better conditions five years ago and how they have already built a union with over 12,000 baristas across the country.

“Our CEO brags about charging $9 for a coffee as he rakes in millions and travels to work in a private jet,” Naomi stated, highlighting the stark contrast between the owner and the overworked and struggling baristas.

Starbucks has earned a reputation as a company with one of the highest counts of federal labor law violations in modern history. Wilson says workers are fed up and are building a movement to fight back. “Our bosses think that we don't have the grit and determination necessary to win, but I know that when we stand together, we will win!” In Wilson’s view, workers around the country can stand with striking Starbucks workers by joining them on the picket line and boycotting Starbucks.

The crowd then marched to the Denver Elections Division, chanting “Get up, get down! Denver is a union town!” and “Billionaires don't save the day! Tax the rich and make them pay!” among other fiery rallying cries.

Mar Melendez with Aurora Unidos CSO spoke outside the Elections Division about her organization's struggle for immigrant rights and Chicano liberation. By mobilizing working people to defend their neighbors, CSO has freed eight detainees from the nearby GEO detention center. Melendez paid homage to the history of Chicanos in the labor struggle and spoke to the decades of exploitation faced by the working class. “Our history reminds us that dignity is never negotiated. It is fought for and it is taken from below– for the people, by the people,” stated Melendez.

On the way back to the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, the protesters shouted more chants while local protest band Notes of Dissent played songs such as Bella Ciao and The Hand That Feeds, as well as some improvised music.

Dr. James Walsh, an educator at CU Denver and a member of the United Campus Workers, highlighted that the crowd at this Labor Day rally is the youngest he has ever seen. He feels this represents a shift in the labor movement, stating that rank-and file unions, or, in his words, “unions that don't need approval from officials,” are the future.

The final speech of the day was delivered by Kate Biester of the Sheridan Educators Association. After their contract expired in 2025, the union fought to expand their next contract to include all school faculty instead of just teachers. Bookkeepers, bus drivers, custodians, computer technicians and more were represented for the first time in the district. “We must envision a new labor movement,” Biester said. “One that unites white collar and blue collar and workers of all types as labor!”

The prevailing sentiment throughout the protest was one of powerful struggles against the ruling class and pride in the union movement. Kate Biester urged people to “make this Labor Day yours and ours! For all of us!”

#DenverCO #CO #Labor #LaborDay #PeoplesStruggles #Teamsters

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Charleston, SC – On September 8, community members mobilized to the Charleston City Council meeting demanding a repeal of the repressive First Amendment Demonstration Ordinance (1A) and to drop the charges against Lowcountry Action Committee member Matt Colburn, who was charged under the ordinance in June 2025 and has yet to receive his day in court. 

17 people signed up for the public comment section to speak, but were only allowed one minute each, rather than the customary two minutes.

“The 1A ordinance hinders student gathering and activism on campus and in the city of Charleston,” said College of Charleston senior and Lowcountry Action Committee member Izzy Waldner. “Having an ordinance where people can go to jail for protesting is unfair and doesn't lead to safer protest.” 

Charleston Democratic Socialist of America member Mike Jones said, “It's inappropriate that law enforcement is involved in political speech and in regulating and requiring permission for First Amendment protected activity,” referring to a part of the ordinance which gives Charleston police the power to shut down an event, permitted or otherwise, if they deem it jeopardizes public safety. 

The Charleston City Council Safety Committee met for 30 minutes a week before to discuss the ordinance and potential “modifications” to it but rejected a full appeal. The committee cited that the ordinance was constitutional and balanced free speech with public safety, but organizers and activists reject this. They see the inference in ongoing court cases and discussions on modifications as indicators that the city of Charleston is not confident in their ordinances' validity.

“We know the reason you don't want these cases to go to trial is because you can't defend it in court,” said Lowcountry Action Committee member Matt Colburn. “The only reason you're even discussing modifications is the pressure being put on you by the people. But we don't need modifications, we need it repealed. Ordinances and police don't keep us safe. Police are the main instigators of violence at protests,” he asserted. 

After the public comments, the mayor briefly addressed speakers that the ordinance was being “edited” and those edits would be discussed at the next public safety committee meeting. Despite this, organizers say they will continue to push for a full repeal even if it's modified. “As long as the ordinance is on the books, we would love to see the threat of arrest removed, but our ultimate demand is that this ordinance be repealed,” said Erica Veal, co-founder of the Lowcountry Action Committee. 

The city of Charleston's Public Safety Committee is currently editing the ordinance and is set to meet on September 15 to discuss these edits. According to Veal, “Police don't make protests safer. Charleston police violently arrested protesters at an immigrant rights demonstration last year and these have a chilling effect on our rights. Until these bogus charges are dropped and the ordinance repealed, we'll continue to organize against it.”

#CharlestonSC #SC #PeoplesStruggles #FreeSpeech #LowcountryActionCommittee

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Dallas Against the Trump Agenda Coalition. The group plans to march on the RNC in Dallas on September 10.

Dallas Office of Special Events has cancelled our permit application to protest the RNC

As organizers attempt to exercise their First Amendment right to protest the midterm Republican National Convention, the city of Dallas has escalated from stalling our permit request to cancelling it.

Organizers applied for a permit and had repeatedly met with city officials to negotiate in good faith. From officials rejecting our original route without finalizing an alternative to city hall police and DPD ordering our organizers to leave the vicinity of the City Hall Plaza during our press conference, the city has placed obstacle after obstacle in our way.

Taken together, these actions appear intentional in an attempt to weaken the march, disrupt our preparations, and push protesters out of sight and sound of the convention.

The First Amendment protects our right to march and bring our message within sight and sound of its intended audience.

With the convention approaching, the process of finalizing this permit has gone from glacial to permafrost. In a phone call with the Office of Special Events, they mentioned that they were told by the Dallas Police Department to cancel our permit. Further, we were told that DPD wants us to fill out a “First Amendment Activity Request form.”

We will not accept being pushed around. We will exercise our right to assemble and our right to free speech. We will march on the Republican National Convention.

Republicans claim they’ll bring thousands of people to Dallas to organize behind the Trump agenda. We are preparing a family-friendly statewide march to represent the millions of people who reject the Trump agenda, to confront their attacks on immigrants, women, trans people, marginalized communities, anti-fascist organizations and people, and their hawkish pursuit of endless wars.

They don’t want us there. That is exactly why we have to show up.

#DallasTX #TX #PeoplesStruggles #Trump #ImmigrantRights #AntiWarMovement #RNC2026 #RNC

St. Paul, MN – Amid a nationwide wave of outrage against Flock automatic license plate readers, community members packed city council chambers on August 26 for a public hearing on police surveillance technology and data privacy. Dozens of community members testified to their opposition to the city’s use of the artificial intelligence (AI)-powered cameras made by Flock and Axon, as well as autonomous drones manufactured by Skydio.

The public hearing was initiated after the previous week’s city council meeting, when activists with the Free Palestine Coalition (FPC) interrupted the proceedings to demand transparency around the city’s contract with Skydio and a process to end it. Organizers explained that Skydio was complicit in Israel’s genocide in Gaza, supplying cutting-edge drones that use AI to surveil urban areas and identify potential targets.

“Skydio is a U.S. company, but the reason it scaled up its sales to institutions started when it sold hundreds of drones to the Israeli military for its genocide in Gaza,” explained FPC organizer and Saint Paul resident Wyatt Miller in his comments to the council members. “If it wasn’t necessary before a genocide, it shouldn’t be necessary now.”

In June, the FPC initiated a campaign against a proposed Skydio contract with the nearby city of Minneapolis. Hundreds of community members mobilized to urge Minneapolis not to contract with a genocide-complicit company and raised concerns around the technology’s use in the hands of the city’s infamous police department. Minneapolis City Council ultimately caved to community pressure and voted to reject the proposed Skydio contract.

The coalition then teamed up with anti-surveillance group Eyes Off Saint Paul to address the issue in that city. Advocates learned that the Saint Paul Police Department (SPPD) had quietly adopted a similar Skydio drone program without a public hearing, claiming the drones constituted an expansion of an existing contract, allowing it to bypass normal public process.

“We can’t find any public record of the contract. We don’t know how much money is being spent,” Miller told the council. “The only dollar amount that’s been published publicly comes as an ‘estimate’ to the media from the police department itself.”

Many speakers expressed outrage over expenditures on new surveillance tools at a time when Mayor Kaohly Her’s budget includes significant cuts and the closure of the public library in the Dayton’s Bluff neighborhood.

Anna Madison is a member of Eyes Off Saint Paul as well as Families Against Military Madness. “Militarized AI-powered technology continues to advance at a pace that is increasingly difficult to keep up with,” Madison explained to the council. “The only way we can ensure that this technology is not used to harm us is to end these contracts and ban AI-powered mass surveillance immediately.”

Much of the popular outrage has focused on Flock, with high-profile instances of communities destroying the stationary AI cameras around the country. At the regular Saint Paul City Council meeting that took place just before the special hearing on surveillance, the council passed a nonbinding resolution announcing the removal of two city-operated Flock cameras. However, the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office reportedly continues to operate Flock cameras in Saint Paul.

Activists vowed to continue the fight, looking beyond just Flock to other city contracts with AI-powered surveillance companies. They said the oppressive nature of these technologies were demonstrated by their use during the federal anti-immigrant crackdown as well as by Israel in its oppression of Palestinians.

“Corporations cannot be trusted not to share data and recordings with immigration enforcement like what we saw with Operation Metro Surge,” Cedar Larson of Women Against Military Madness told the council. “We know that Axon recently acquired Israeli company Carbyne, which makes AI-powered emergency communications used by police. This props up Israel’s tech sector, which makes up 20% of the apartheid state’s GDP and about half of its annual exports.”

Sana Wazwaz is a Palestinian American and chapter lead of American Muslims for Palestine – Minnesota, part of the FPC. “Our coalition firmly believes that no fantasy of stopping crimes is worth the greater crime of being complicit in fascism and genocide,” Wazwaz told the council. “Skydio has an active contract with the very entity that terrorized our community just this last winter. In the words of Minneapolis Council Member Aurin Chowdhury, ‘To contract with Skydio in light of what happened during Metro Surge is nothing short of morally bankrupt.’ ”

Speakers also argued that crimes committed by SPPD and other police departments showed they could not be trusted with new surveillance technologies. Officers in several states have been accused of using Flock data to stalk ex-girlfriends. An officer in Texas allegedly used the system to track the movements of a woman seeking an abortion.

Wazwaz concluded, “What we have seen with the murder of Marcus Golden here in Saint Paul, with the murders of Philando Castile, George Floyd, Jamar Clark, that law enforcement without community control over police must not be given surveillance tools.”

#StPaulMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #PeoplesStruggles #Skydio #Palestine #Surveillance #Flock

Minneapolis, MN – On August 22, at 11:30 a.m. the People’s Action Coalition Against Trump (PACAT) organized a counter-protest to the Jake Lang hate rally. More than 100 protesters showed up in opposition to Lang’s white supremacist hate speech, aimed this time at the Black community. Lang has also called for the reinstitution of Jim Crow laws, calls to deport all immigrants from the U.S., and anti-Muslim hate speech.

When counter-protest organizers arrived at city hall, Minneapolis Police Department officers threatened to tow away their sound and medic vehicles. But when Jake Lang and his band of less than ten supporters showed up with two vehicles, MPD allowed them to drive onto the sidewalk. Officers surrounded Lang’s vehicles as they moved forward, effectively providing them with an armed escort.

MPD can be seen on video pushing and hitting protesters, ensuring Lang’s hate speech could continue. Mayor Jacob Frey stated to the press that MPD arrested Lang after he was run off by the crowd. But there was no reason to not arrest Lang for driving on the sidewalk. This unequal treatment of left and right-wing protest is nothing new to PACAT organizers.

MPD also arrested an anti-Lang protester who dressed as Spider-Man and adopted the hero’s persona by facing off with Lang and his ilk directly. MPD threw Minneapolis’ Spider-Man to the ground and stomped on his head before forcing him into a squad vehicle. The protester was released later the same day and received medical care after leaving the jail. PACAT and other community members are organizing a support action around Spider-Man’s September 4 court appearance on bogus assault charges.

A statement from PACAT notes, “If it was not clear before where the priorities of the Minneapolis police, and the mayor with sole authority over them, lie, it should now be clear to every Minneapolis resident who considers themselves anti-fascist and anti-racist that we are not the people they serve or protect. After the complete failure of Mayor Frey and MPD to protect residents from ICE during Metro Surge, and years of violence against Black, native and immigrant communities, we must understand them as ineffective at best and capitulators to the far right at worst.”

The People’s Action Coalition Against Trump and its member organizations are calling for the immediate resignation of Mayor Jacob Frey and interim MPD Chief Bill Peterson, as well as systemic reforms like community control of the police.

The PACAT counter-protest was supported by Black Lives Matter MN, Twin Cities Coalition for Justice, the Wrongfully Incarcerated & Over-sentenced Families Council-MN, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, TC Democratic Socialists of America, Minnesota 50501, and MN Immigrant Rights Action Committee.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #InJusticeSystem #PeoplesStruggles #RightWingers #JakeLang #Fascists #WhiteSupremacists #PACAT #JakeLang #SpiderMan #Feature #OppressedNationalities #AfricanAmerican #ImmigrantRights

Los Angeles, CA – The start of the new school year brought good news in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). At the Breed Street, 2nd Street and Eastman Avenue Elementary Schools, Extera charter school has finally moved out.

For years, Extera charter school had occupied space inside the three schools. This co-location status led to Extera taking over classrooms, libraries, auditoriums and playgrounds during the school day, forcing out the public school students and staff. This also led to lower enrollment in public schools.

Centro CSO has organized against charter schools in the Chicano neighborhoods of Boyle Heights and East LA, as charters are seen as an attack on public education, with corporations trying to privatize public schools.

Antonieta Garcia, Centro CSO co-chair of the Education Committee, stated, “We must protect and keep on advocating for public education. This was a great victory for parents, students and the community!”

This practice of allowing charter schools to occupy space within existing public schools is the result of California Proposition 39, a state law initiated by the charter school lobby which requires school districts to make facilities (including both classroom and non-classroom spaces) available to charter schools that serve students who reside in the district. This led to the growth of charter schools, especially in poor, working-class Black and Chicano communities. Charter schools are non-union and are known to be selective in student enrollment.

This co-location led to enrollment decline and many scheduling problems in local schools. The charter schools were also supposed to pay rent for use of the LAUSD public facilities, but many did not.

Due to these problems, people have been holding protests for years at Extera board meetings to get them out. Most of the Extera board members had no history or background in East LA area communities.

In 2025, Extera attempted to buy an old church in East LA with the plan to build a new charter school. Centro CSO and Eastside Padres organized a successful campaign to stop this construction, which resulted in LA County Supervisor Hilda Solis making a motion at the board of supervisors meeting to deny the building permit. This campaign re-energized the community to continue opposing Extera co-locations.

Centro CSO later visited Breed Street, 2nd Street and Eastman Elementary Schools, encouraging parents and staff to oppose Extera, and suggested parent re-enroll their children in the public schools.

Extera finally announced in early 2026 its intent to close and transfer any remaining students to the Green Dot Animo Ellen Ochoa charter school.

Josie Reyes, a parent of students at Eastman Avenue school, stated, “We won against the co-location of Extera and stopped them from growing. Thanks to the Eastman Ave School teachers, parents, UTLA, Centro CSO and Eastside Padres.”

August 2026 saw the final evacuation of Extera.

#LosAngelesCA #CA #PeoplesStruggles #Education #PublicSchool #Teachers #CentroCSO

Tallahassee, FL – On August 17, the Leon County Commission held a public hearing regarding the proposed Historic Harms amendment to the county charter. From the pressure of about a dozen speakers and the presence of dozens more, the commission voted 5-2 to advance the amendment to the November ballot for all county citizens to vote on. Commissioners Brian Welch and Christian Caban voted against the amendment. 

The Historic Harms amendment, if passed, would require the county to periodically investigate past county policies and determine what kind of harms were caused to certain geographic areas due to those policies.

The state of Florida’s SB 1134, which would end funding opportunities for programs based on diversity, equity, and inclusion or any programs that even seemed that way, was signed by Governor Ron DeSantis this past April. The original language of the Historic Harms amendment drew concerns from the Charter Review Committee and from the county attorney due to potentially coming into conflict with the new law. The amendment was rewritten to fit within these bounds – the new language looks purely at geographic neighborhoods regardless of the demographics of who was affected in those areas. This approach did get at least a tacit approval from the county attorney and did get voted through by the review committee.

Members of the Tallahassee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (TallyAARPR), the Tallahassee Immigrant Rights Alliance (TIRA), Capital Area Justice Ministry, the League of Women Voters, and Tallahassee ALERT, which wrote the amendment, spoke out in favor on Monday.

“I believe there are many communities in Tallahassee that have been left behind, and this amendment is the first step to really looking at the problems with the city and attempting to rectify them,” said Delilah Pierre with the Tallahassee Alliance.

Brandon Beckett with TIRA said, “I think we need to leave it in the people’s hands to address their futures,” adding, “This amendment is addressing community members that have been left behind through the development of Tallahassee.”

Beckett continued, “It’s their community as well. We need to make sure every member of this community feels respected and doesn't feel as if they’re left behind.”

The amendment will now appear on the ballot in the November elections. State Representative Angie Nixon won an upset victory for the Democratic nomination and will appear on the ballot. As well, there are three Tallahassee city commission seats in the runoff election. The Tallahassee Alliance will spread information about the amendment to educate the public and get people to vote in favor of it.

#TallahasseeFL #FL #PeoplesStruggles #InjusticeSystem #HistoricHarms #OppressedNationalities

Dallas, TX – On August 14, people gathered for a lively talk by Dr. Michael Philips exploring the protests of the 1984 Republican National Convention in Dallas. The event was put on by the Dallas Against the Trump Agenda Coalition in the lead-up to the protests of the midterm Republican National Convention descending on Dallas on September 9 and 10 of this year.

Blake Van Wicken, a local Teamster and member of the immigrant rights group El Moviemiento, commented, “It was great to come together and learn about Dallas’ strong but often forgotten history of protest, and to connect that history to our moment as a new generation of Dallas organizers prepares to march on the Republican convention and oppose the Trump agenda.”

The protest of the Republican National Convention will take place at Pike Park on September 10, at 1 p.m., beginning at Pike Park and marching to American Airlines Center, where the convention is being held.

#DallasTX #TX #PeoplesStruggles #RNC #Trump #Midterms2026

Charleston, SC – On June 14, 2025, at a spontaneous march immediately following a No Kings Day rally in downtown Charleston, I was unjustly arrested and charged with disorderly conduct for chanting with a megaphone. I have pleaded not guilty and, over a year later, I have yet to receive my day in court.

At the rally before the march, I heard reports from others present that officers with the Charleston Police Department (CPD) were threatening protesters with arrest by CPD for wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) masks, citing the First Amendment Demonstration Ordinance Act, or 1A, ban on masks at protests. Yet, PPE is specifically exempt in the ordinance. It was clear many of the CPD officers didn't approve of the action, which was an anti-Trump protest.

After the rally, I joined a group of community members who wanted to continue to protest with a march down the sidewalk in response to the Trump administration's immigration crackdowns. Before we began our own march, we witnessed two horse-mounted CPD officers attempt to intimidate two individuals for holding their banners up and chanting as they left the park. The officers approached them aggressively on their horses, telling them they couldn't protest. A blatant lie in an attempt to silence dissent.

Undeterred, they joined the group I was with. We all knew we were within our rights, and not even in violation of the repressive 1A ordinance, so we asserted these rights and began our march. We chanted as we marched in solidarity with our undocumented community members and against the Trump administration's racist immigration policies. We had a megaphone, so I offered to lead chants on it as we marched out of the park.

We didn’t make it very far before we were pursued by police officers telling me to stop chanting on the megaphone. They insisted we could march and protest but not with a megaphone. Given this was an unlawful command, not even supported by the 1A ordinance, I refused to acknowledge them and kept leading chants. A few minutes later I was violently arrested by CPD and the so-called “anti-riot” deputies of the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO).

The protesters in my group were understandably enraged by the arrest. One person attempted to shield me as officers moved in to detain me. A mounted officer responded by trying to use his horse to attack the group, but lost control of the animal, nearly trampling them as it smacked into a wall on the sidewalk and went running sideways into the road. All of this was captured on video, but CPD continues to deny this happened. It should be noted, despite my arrest and the continued police stalking of the other protesters, the march continued and was a success.

I was charged with disorderly conduct, my megaphone seized as evidence, and I spent a few hours in the notorious Al Cannon Detention Center where over 20 people have died in the past ten years; at least three of the deaths have been declared homicides. Thankfully, my community supported me and bailed me out the same day.

I retained counsel, pleaded not guilty to the charges, and have been prepared for trial for over a year. Yet, the city of Charleston refuses to grant me my day in court. The first prosecutor wanted to dismiss my case, but the police wouldn't drop the charges. The second prosecutor, Kevin Hales, has offered me guilty pleas for time served on more than one occasion. We have refused every time. We are not interested in anything other than a full dismissal or our day in court. Twice we have made public calls to pack the courtroom and each time Hales has since filed for a continuation. Most recently this happened related to my August 3, 2026 court date.

Additionally, it has come to light that the city of Charleston has allegedly reached out to the presiding judge and prosecutor to push my case because they are not interested in it going to court. In my opinion, city officials know they can't defend the 1A law, and they're feeling the pressure against the ordinance, and the multiple cases brought up using the ordinance as a pretext.

I am not the only person arrested under the law. In October 2024, I, and a fellow organizer, were charged with violating the 1A ordinance in the aftermath of a pro-Palestine demonstration. The charges were dismissed a year later. In January 2025, seven, mostly Latino, community members were arrested for “disobeying a lawful order” when police ordered a spontaneous protest to disperse, again citing the 1A ordinance as grounds for the dispersal. Lastly, in February 2026, a woman was charged for wearing a keffiyeh at a protest in response to the killing of an ICE observer. Again, in this instance, CPD cited the 1a ordinance.

Local organizers have continually spoken out against this law, including a Fight for the First march and rally which was attended by hundreds on July 25, 2026. Our demands remain the same. We want a full dismissal of these bogus charges and the full repeal of this repressive unconstitutional ordinance, because protesting is not a crime!

We are calling on all people of conscience to call the Charleston Prosecutor’s Office at 843-965-4148 and ask to speak to Kevin Hales to demand the disorderly conduct charge against me be dropped immediately.

And stay tuned for a day of action to call for the full repeal of the First Amendment Demonstration Ordinance.

#CharlestonSC #SC #FreeSpeech #PeoplesStruggles #Opinion

Lebanon, IN – On Wednesday, July 29, survivors stood together to protest the abuse and exploitation they faced while at the Refuge Girls Academy (previously Central Indiana Teen Challenge) and brought attention to an ongoing legal case against the academy.

The nine original plaintiffs have expanded to represent 35 survivors who are now fighting the academy's crimes. The long list of crimes of the academy include institutionalized cruelty, physical abuse, labor trafficking, forced malnutrition, religious indoctrination, humiliation rituals, conversion therapy, human trafficking and torture, amongst many more.

All of these crimes were committed against children under the authority of Dawn and Dave Rose, the director and CEO of the academy at the time.

Survivors partnered with Students for a Democratic Society at Purdue and began their protest right outside the academy chanting “Education! Not exploitation!” “This refuge is not safe!” and “Rise up women of the world, women of the world rise up!” One chant in particular highlighted just how many young women suffered under Dawn and Dave Rose’s control. The chant “If [name] don’t get it, shut it down!” went on to name 30 survivors in total. The protest marched across the street to a park where survivors shared their stories.

“20 years ago I entered Central Indiana Teen Challenge. I was 15 years old. I needed help, instead I was left with trauma that has taken over a decade to begin healing,” said Mandi MacDonald, a survivor of the academy. “I want you to understand something. When I entered Teen Challenge I wasn’t allowed to say goodbye to anyone. I was taken from my classroom in handcuffs, and on the way to the program I attempted suicide,” said MacDonald.

MacDonald survived. And after nearly a year at the academy, she eventually earned the “privilege” of a supervised visit with her parents. After the visit, she made an attempt to contact those who missed her on MySpace, something the academy strictly prohibited, and, upon confessing this to her unaccredited counselor, she was severely punished. “Dawn told me I had never admitted what I had done and that they had discovered it on their own. I told them that wasn’t true. I begged them to ask my counselor. My counselor did not support me. In that moment something inside of me broke,” said MacDonald.

MacDonald was stripped of all of her progress at the academy and forced into solitary confinement for two months. She was made to live off a diet of cold beans, bread, carrots and an apple for every meal. During this time, she was forced to perform repetitive remedial tasks which her OCD tendencies made impossible to complete, resulting in the academy banning her from speaking and being spoken to for months.

“Lebanon Teen Challenge broke a lot of things inside of me, but Lebanon Teen Challenge also shaped who I am today. It taught me to not be silent, it taught me to be courageous, and to never give up. And here we are, almost 20 years later, and I finally can speak on this,” said Emelia Neel, another survivor of the academy. “I will not remain silent any longer. I remember… staying up late with Brittany and Bridgett and we would talk about all the things we would do when we get out. Very similar to people who are in prison, except people in prison get to know when they go home. We didn’t!” said Neel.

The Refuge Girls academy preys on young women in vulnerable situations and violates the trust in religious institutions most people have. Parents often see the academy as a safe place to send their children, where they can overcome their hardships and grow up in a healing environment that some parents simply can’t provide. Many of the girls at the academy are orphans, and some homeless, before their time at the academy, a vulnerability the academy sees profit in.

One crime at the academy was unpaid child labor. Residents were forced to maintain the academy itself and were often trafficked across Indiana to perform heavy labor in extreme weather conditions for no pay, all while any medical concerns were completely neglected. Residents were sent to residential homes, religious institutions and universities, including Purdue and Butler University, where they would be made porters for college students, hauling their personal belongings and assembling heavy bunk beds. The children often worked 12 to 16-hour days.

This exploitation was not just a means of profit for the academy, but an avenue for cruel punishment as well. Minors were often made to clean staircases with toothbrushes or cut the lawn with scissors, all while performing every bit of cooking, cleaning and food preparation, as the academy refused to pay professional adult workers for that labor.

The academy brings in millions of dollars in revenue each year. The struggle to bring the Refuge Girls Academy to justice is an issue of women’s liberation, LGBTQ liberation and workers’ rights. Each struggle is connected and all necessary for justice.

Follow @sdsatpurdue on Instagram to stay up to date and join the fight.

#LebanonIN #IN #PeoplesStruggles #WomensMovement #LGBTQ #SDS #Purdue

Chicago, IL – On Thursday morning, July 30, the Chicago Board of Education passed an amended budget to avoid over 1000 layoffs of workers in Chicago Public Schools (CPS). The revised budget counts on the state of Illinois to allocate an additional $150 million to CPS for the 2026-2027 school year. The amount is a fraction of the funding Illinois committed to provide to school districts under the Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) for Student Success Act, passed back in 2017. Unions, community organizations and other stakeholders are pressuring the general assembly and Governor J.B. Pritzker to follow through on these commitments.

Hundreds of students, teachers and other school workers gathered before the board meeting in downtown Chicago. CPS students in youth organizations demanded more mental health programming and staff. Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) members wore red and carried signs reading “Budget incomplete” and “Protect our students.” Lunchroom workers, organized with Unite Here Local 1, demanded a contract from CPS after a year of stalled negotiations.

Inside the board meeting, CPS Chief Executive Officer Macquline King urged the board to accept CPS’s budget proposal unamended. The proposal featured layoffs of over 700 teachers, 800 school support personnel, and 100 central office and citywide staff. She emphasized the need to close a $732 million budget deficit amidst declining student enrollment.

During public comment, however, board members heard from many CTU members about the negative impacts that the proposed layoffs would have on the students and the school communities in the coming school year. Libby Lundeen, a second-grade teacher in the Austin neighborhood, said the layoffs will leave her school with only one fourth-grade teacher for a classroom of 45 students, a size that is “untenable.”

“These layoffs may be numbers to you, but to the schools they serve, they are instrumental in keeping our schools running and our students learning,” Lundeen said. “Join us to demand that the state pay its share and save our educators. Do not accept this current budget without exhausting all options.”

Many speakers united around the call to start the school year with the staff in place, then fight for the state funding required to maintain them through the end of the school year.

In response to such community pressure, school board member Michilla Blaise introduced the amendment to increase anticipated state revenue by $150 million and to use this money to “avoid” making the layoffs permanent. She emphasized that “over 75% of the staff laid off are people of color” and that the state is “the only path to long-term structural solutions.”

In 2017, the Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) for Student Success Act committed the Illinois legislature to fund schools at 90% of adequacy by 2027. With the deadline upon us, Chicago Public Schools is funded at only 73% of what it needs to provide students with an adequate education. An estimated $985 million would be required to meet the state’s initial commitment. Even with the $150 million in additional revenue that the amendment assumes from the state, the district would continue to be funded at less than 77% of adequacy.

Board member Jitu Brown gave further context to the relative shortcomings and inequities of state funding. “For three decades, Illinois was 49th in public education due to an overreliance on property taxes, despite the fact of having an international city within its midst. This was foundational to creating an apartheid school system. The schools in Streeterville and Lincoln Park, by design, were far more resourced than schools in Austin and Altgeld Gardens. The state has caused harm, and they owe us.”

Brown continued to emphasize the need for long-term structural solutions to the deficit. “If you look at other large urban districts, Los Angeles funds between 58% and 70% of their schools from the state of California; New York, 40% to 48%; Chicago, 29%.”

The amendment to assume increased state funding passed by a vote of 11-7 with one abstention. CTU representatives praised the decision. In an interview with Fox 32 Chicago, CTU Vice President Jackson Potter emphasized the evidence of political will in Springfield, with Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch pledging to push for more funding in the November veto session.

In contrast to King’s focus on the negative outcomes of the 2017 budget process, Potter pointed out the positive outcomes from the same time period. “When we had a similar crisis the last time the Board of Education included state money that hadn’t yet manifested in the budget in 2017, we won the biggest increase in school funding in the state’s history. Ten years later, now we have to win them fully funding the formula that is part of the state statute that is legally required.”

In the meantime, Jackson does expect a “restoration” of critical positions as a result of the budget amendment. “So those class sizes that were 45 can come down to under 30 where they are more manageable and students can get a much more beneficial, holistic experience that they deserve.”

Despite optimism and will to fight for additional funding from labor leaders, CEO King responded to the budget vote with an email to parents and school workers threatening furloughs and interruptions to the school year after the vote.

“CPS needs to stop placing the burden of broken promises and bad financial decisions on the backs of students and teachers,” said CTU member Jake Hanawalt, who received a layoff letter from Englewood STEM High School. “Instead, they need to join us in Springfield this year and demand that the state fully fund our schools.”

#ChicagoIL #IL #Labor #PeoplesStruggles #CTU #Teachers

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