Tacoma, WA – A dozen people gathered along the fence of U.S. Oil & Refining Co on Wednesday, May 27 in an emergency picket and vigil for the 11 people killed in the Longview paper mill disaster. Signs with statements like “Clean it up or shut it down,” “Justice for the Longview 11” and “System change not climate change” waved as attendees picketed the back gate.

This emergency event was called by Climate Alliance of the South Sound (CASS) in response to one of the deadliest industrial accidents in Washington state history. On Tuesday, May 26, a paper mill chemical vat imploded, killing ten workers and wounding several more; at least one of whom has since died from their injuries. The paper mill, owned by multi-million dollar company Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co., was severely out of compliance with state and federal regulations.

Dez Chalfant, rank-and-file worker with UFCW 367 and delegate of the Pierce County Central Labor council, stated, “Nippon Dynawave has had a history of non-compliance with environmental and safety regulations. They were fined for their noncompliance, and despite that, they still gambled with the lives of their employees and allowed this tragedy to occur. They risked the lives of their workers and polluted the environment in their own self-interest.”

Attendees highlighted how the U.S. Oil & Refining Co. in the Port of Tacoma is also out of compliance. Picketers chanted, “Noncompliance causes deaths, U.S. Oil could be next!” drawing a clear connection between U.S. Oil & Refining and Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co.

“We've had, for decades and decades, up until 2023, a paper mill virtually identical in our backyard. We have the same pollutants as Longview does,” CASS member Cora Swindale said, further connecting Tacoma and Longview. “So it feels like there's a lot of parallels, and it feels like there's a lot of ways where this tragedy could have happened here.”

All 11 of the workers killed were union workers with AWPPW Local 580. Four of the identified people killed — Gilbert Bernal, Dillon Miller, Jared Ammons and CJ Doran — were fathers, some with very young children and pregnant wives.

“Many of us in Climate Alliance come from working-class families. I myself come from a blue-collar family, and so it's really sobering to be reminded of the fact that so many of our loved ones can go to work and not come home, and that shouldn't be the case,” Jami Nelson-Cortes explained. “We shouldn't have to be sacrificing worker safety for profit, especially when many of our parents are the sole income for our family or the main income for our family.”

The U.S. Oil & Refining Co. is on the Puyallup Tribe of Indians’ reservation, but under the jurisdiction of the Tacoma Port Commission due to laws passed in 1918. As of 2025, the elected port commission has been deemed legally responsible for the pollution of tenants in the port.

After several speeches highlighting the connection between workers’ rights, climate justice and indigenous sovereignty, including several songs to honor the killed workers, attendees resumed the picket. Chants including “One struggle, one fight! Climate justice, worker’s rights!” “Cut the carbon emissions, empower the climate commission” and “Gilbert Bernal, say his name, non-compliance is to blame!” filled the air.

“Everywhere we look, we see protections and regulations that are meant to prevent these things being stripped back. It's really clear that they don't care about us, so it's time to stand up and fight back,” Swindale stated.

The Climate Alliance of the South Sound is demanding that the acting port commission, including John McCarthy, shut down U.S. Oil and Refining Co. until they can achieve full compliance, including full compensation for all workers who lose work due to this noncompliance.

The emcee of the event, Justine Racine, tied these demands into CASS’s broader campaign for a community-controlled climate commission. “We at CASS stand in solidarity with the people of Longview and demand that Nippon Dynawave compensate the families affected, and for Nippon Dynawave to meet the environmental standards and safety standards they grossly neglect, and we demand a community-controlled climate commission in Tacoma that can keep companies in Tacoma compliant to environmental standards.”

#TacomaWA #WA #LongviewPaperMill #Labor #WorkerSafety #PeoplesStruggles

Colorado Springs, CO – Dozens gathered at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs on Thursday morning, May 26, to protest endless wars for profit and Vice President JD Vance’s speech to the academy graduates.

Concerned community members and veterans with About Face came together to demand “No more money for Trump’s war crimes,” encouraging graduating cadets to defy their orders. A large banner declaring “Refuse illegal orders! Refuse illegal wars!” greeted drivers as they entered the academy to attend the graduation ceremony. Many drivers responded by waving and honking in support.

Shortly after gathering near the Pass and Registration Office, protesters were forced to move to a “free speech zone” that had been roped off for them. On the opposite side of the road there was a similar area set up for counter-protesters, although none came.

Lance Kalahar, a Navy veteran who now organizes with Climate Defiance, spoke about the dangers of climate change and the military’s connection to it. The U.S. military is considered to be one of the largest polluters in the world. Kalahar called out Vice President Vance for selling out to billionaires and their lobbies, saying, “At a time when we are staring doom in the face from climate catastrophe, we are starting another illegal war for oil to protect a class of pedophiles.” The crowd responded with, “Shame!”

Speaking on Iran, Tiffany Kosky with About Face said, “We don’t seem to remember that these people are just trying to protect their own homes, their own lives, their own families,” urging people to rethink their definition of “terrorist.”

While Vance spoke through the protest, he notably canceled another appearance in Denver later in the day. No official reason was given.

Community members were outraged that money that could be going to healthcare, housing, childcare and infrastructure is instead being funneled into the pockets of war profiteers. Veterans felt that their time in service was not spent defending their country, but rather violently occupying countries which posed no threat to the American people. These wars only benefit the billionaires, while working people around the world suffer the deadly consequences.

With the war on Iran, the genocide in Palestine, the kidnapping of Venezuelan President Maduro, and continued threats against Cuba, it is important that people everywhere fight back against U.S. imperialism. As the military budget balloons to new heights, working people must build an organized anti-war movement capable of opposing these attacks. United, the people have the power to stop the killing and stop the crimes of the ruling class.

#ColoradoSpringsCO #CO #JDVance #Veterans #AntiWarMovement #PeoplesStruggles

If asked what I consider to be a defining moment of the 20th century, I would have to say that it was the moment on the Edmund Pettus bridge in 1965 that led to the historic passing of the Voting Rights Act in 1965.

Let me talk about the things that I most distinctly remember. Jimmie Lee Jackson, a young Black man, was 26 years old when he was shot by the police while trying to protect his mother from being brutalized in Marion, Alabama. This was a peaceful demonstration for voting rights. Jackson was a Black worker who made $6 a day as a woodcutter before he was murdered on that fateful night. And here we are, over 60 years later, still following up on what Dr. King told us when he said, “now we must see that Jimmie Jackson didn't die in vain.”

We must see even now that all those who were murdered in Alabama, Mississippi and throughout the disenfranchised Black Belt South didn’t die in vain.

I was 21, turning 22 years old in the summer of 1964 and I had lived through four young Black girls being killed by a bombing in the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham in 1963 and three young men, two white and one Black, being murdered in Mississippi in the same period. Then I saw Bloody Sunday on TV, where hundreds of people, protesters, were teargassed and beaten for peacefully demanding the right to vote.

And as I was saying earlier, here we are 60 years later, where Black legislators in the deep South and in Tennessee are sitting down in the state legislatures in protest demanding that the right to vote not be taken away from them, demanding that all majority-Black political districts not be disenfranchised based on the recent decision of the United States Supreme Court to totally gut the Voting Rights Act. That's what they did, they just struck down the Voting Rights Act, which took us over 100 years to enact. They struck it down in a day.

And now there's a wave of protests throughout the South, mainly Black people, but not just Black people, saying to this Supreme Court, to the Congress, and particularly to the Republican-dominated Congress, and to the world, that we’re not going back. And the world will see that through our united actions, that we’re not going back. The world will see once again the ironclad determination of Black people and their allies, refusing to go back, protesting and demanding that we go forward.

Protesting and demanding that not only will we not be pushed back to Jim Crow, but that we’re going to put an end to those who are trying to take us back there: Donald Trump and his minions, Donald Trump and his Supreme Court, Donald Trump and his corrupt Congress, Donald Trump and his corrupt White House. You’re not going to take us back. We refuse to go back. We’re fighting to go forward. And in going forward, we will put an end to all of these travesties of justice. We will put an end to the so-called white backlash, which thinks it has a political destiny to make America worse again, not great again, to take the American dream and turn it into the American nightmare.

We will not go back, and we can’t say this strong enough, that what we need to do in the days ahead is protest what the Supreme Court has done, to confront and challenge what's going on in the state houses in the Deep South, and what the governors and congresspeople in the Deep South are trying to do to bring back Jim Crow, to bring back that period when Black people were terrorized, brutalized and murdered for trying to exercise their constitutional right to vote, which was earned through a revolution that took place in the 1860s.

There are three amendments that came out of that revolution. These were the 13th Amendment, 14th Amendment, and the 15th Amendment. The 13th, abolishing the buying and selling of Black people. The 14th Amendment, giving equal protection of law, and making it a law that if you are born in America, you are automatically an American citizen. And the 15th Amendment, extending the franchise, the right to vote, to those who had been in bondage during slavery.

Since the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the political history of the Deep South has been about state governments in the Black belt states’ resistance to the voting rights of Black citizens.

Since 1877, the year when the North and the South agreed that the South was uniquely suited to be the guardians of the “Negro Problem,” they agreed on keeping Black folks out of politics and redeeming the South from biracial coalitions that protected and enforced the voting rights of Black folks and the masses of propertyless people who were denied the franchise.

1877, the year of the great betrayal, with the election of Rutherford B. Hayes for president, marked the beginning of the reign of white supremacist terrorists initiating campaigns of racist violence and political repression. Mississippi, a state whose population was 70% Black, led the South to hold state conventions to establish a movement of disfranchisement creating a system of obstacles between the voter and the ballot box, ushering in an era of disenfranchisement that lasted for over 75 years.

Electoral structures designed to keep Black folks from voting were not only profoundly undemocratic but helped to maintain a status quo that keeps the South the most economically, socially and culturally most backward quadrant of the nation.

Those amendments to the Constitution were revolutionary then, but apparently not enough to settle this question once and for all. So, that’s our task. Our task is to finish this revolutionary process that was started back in 1861, to finish this revolutionary process in the 21st century.

We will not go back, and if we’re not going back then we have got to go forward, and going forward means putting an end not for once but once and for all to these racist policies and the racist regime that sits in Washington instituting these policies.

All Power to the People!

#Commentary #VotingRightsAct #OppressedNationalities #FrankChapman #PeoplesStruggles #Featured

Oakland, CA – On May 12, around 20 Oakland city workers, activists and community members mobilized to City Hall in support of civilians taking over the 38 administrative jobs currently occupied by the Oakland Police Department (OPD).

The push to attend the city council’s finance committee and to make public comment was called for by the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE) Local 21, a union representing hundreds of city workers. While workers experience staffing vacancies and budget cuts, OPD overspent up to $33 million a year for the past six years on overtime, with 6% of its force behind desks. The union demands change as the city enters contract negotiations with the Oakland Police Officers’ Association.

“The single biggest overtime expense was half a million dollars for one individual for crash reports, something that should be civilianized,” remarked Kevin Dally, an Oakland resident.

“Oakland should not be discussing cuts to services until you have replaced officers in administrative jobs with regular city staff,” said Romaine Charite, a member of the Oakland Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. “These are issues that the police union does not want you to act on. Please start listening to Oaklanders, like me, instead of the police union.”

Eliot Goodrich, a transportation planner and member of IFPTE Local 21, spoke on the 23-year-old federal consent decree over OPD after a scandal involving racist police gangs kidnapping, beating and falsely arresting Black and brown residents, stating, “Of the 38 positions identified, 22 are in Internal Affairs. OPD is still under federal oversight, the Negotiated Settlement Agreement is a legally binding agreement with the city, made to 119 Oaklanders who had their civil rights violated.”

Anne Jenks, with the Coalition for Police Accountability, said, “The city council failed for a year to follow up after instructing the city administrator to begin the process of moving investigations from OPD Internal Affairs to the independent Community Review Police Agency. The administrator did nothing until the deadline approached.”

The Community Review Police Agency is the investigative arm of the Oakland Police Commission, which is named one of the strongest civilian police oversight boards in the country and was voted in by Oaklanders to get OPD under control.

#OaklandCA #CA #PoliceAccountability #InjusticeSystem #PeoplesStruggles #OppressedNationalities

Washington, D.C. – On Sunday, May 17, community members, organizers and faith leaders gathered at Union Temple Baptist Church in Southeast Washington, DC for the Washington Interfaith Network’s (WIN) Candidate Forum ahead of the upcoming mayoral, city council and congressional primary elections this June.

The forum was an opportunity for DC’s most oppressed communities to make their demands to potential local elected leaders. Families Not Feds, a coalition of organizations working to end local collaboration with federal agents in DC, was invited to speak at the event and bring forward their proposal to the potential candidates.

Reverend Rachel Cornwell of Dumbarton Methodist Church and WIN set the stage, saying, “At the center of this 2026 issue agenda is a belief that a healthy city is one where all residents are valued, invested in, and have opportunities to grow.”

Cornwell continued, “Today we are bringing our work to the candidates, who are interviewing to represent us as DC residents.” The city-based candidates for DC were then invited to the stage to listen to community members’ policy priorities.

A leading organizer with Families Not Feds and Movimiento Migrante DC stated, “When rumors began of ICE and federal agents arriving in DC, I told myself this could not happen here in DC, because we’re a sanctuary, because our leaders are pro-immigrant.” She continued, “Yet, for nearly a year I have seen my friends, my neighbors, disappear right in front of me. I had an immigrant mother faint in my arms as her son was abducted by federal agents.”

Washington DC has been under attack by the reactionary forces in the White House that have been overexerting their powers into local communities who have been here long before — and will be here long after — the Trump administration is gone from the White House. A large part of these attacks comes in the form of racist police terror, with Homeland Security, FBI, U.S. Marshalls and other federal agencies openly collaborating with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) to brutalize Black and brown residents.

This has led to the shooting of three Black community members, the murder of Julian Bailey, and the ICE kidnappings of almost 20,000 people in the DC region since the second Trump administration has been in office.

Families Not Feds Coalition was formed because the organizers were ready to fight back against these attacks. The capitulation of local politicians, like current Mayor Muriel Bowser, to the racist Trump agenda has been a blow to Black, brown, working-class Washingtonians who have no political representation in Congress.

On stage, the organizer from FNF and MMDC added, “When our executive leader failed to defend our community and instead easily disposed of us by attacking our Sanctuary Values Act and vetoing the FAAR [Full Accountability in Arrest Reporting] Act, we fought back and we won!”

The organizer then turned to ask the candidates her question: “Will you help lead the effort to pass permanent legislation to end the collaboration between MPD and federal agents?” All candidates on the stage said yes.

Other community speakers demanded affordable housing, an end to the racist youth curfew in DC and overpolicing of Black and brown communities, job opportunities for returning citizens and an overall commitment to invest in the working people of DC and not the corporate interests that have been stripping people of their needs like housing, healthcare and education.

Candidates present at the forum included Janeese Lewis-George, a frontrunner in DC’s mayoral race, and DC council at-large candidates Greg Jackson, Dyana Forester, Leniqua’dominique Jenkins, and others. Notably absent was Lewis-George’s competitor, Kenyan McDuffie, who is known to be backed by mega corporate donors like the real estate lobby. He is endorsed by DC’s current mayor, Muriel Bowser, who facilitated the Trump agenda at every turn.

The community members at the forum made it clear that they are ready for new leadership who will stand with their communities against the Trump administration. The organizer from Families Not Feds said, “DC is ready for change, and we are ready for a leader to fight with us and to lead us.”

For nearly a year, Families Not Feds has led the fight against this racist collaboration in Washington DC. The coalition is committed to holding the hopefuls for elected office accountable to the promises they made at the event. Their next steps are to pass permanent legislation to hold MPD and federal agents accountable for the terror they are inflicting on our communities.

Follow @dcaarpr, @_movimientodc, and @familiesnotfedscoalition to stay up to date on the campaign and DC mayoral race!

#WashingtonDC #DC #PeoplesStruggles #InjusticeSystem

Baton Rouge, LA – On May 12th, Louisiana residents gathered at the Louisiana State Capitol to condemn the state Senate’s new redistricting plans. This comes after Governor Jeff Landry illegally declared a state of emergency to stop the elections after the Louisiana v. Callais decision.

The Committee on Senate and Governmental Affairs meeting, which was supposed to take place on May 13, was moved to May 12, a last-minute blatant attempt to reduce attendance. They tried to silence the people, but the people would not be silenced. The crowds stayed for the entire session, spanning from 7 p.m. to 4:30 a.m., with many arriving hours beforehand. Testimony after testimony was put forward condemning the racist redistricting plan and affirming the need for representation of Black voters.

Under the previous map, there were four majority-white districts and two majority-Black districts. SB 407, written by Senator Ed Price, proposed maintaining a 4-2 map. Hundreds of people came out to testify in support of SB 407, staying for hours to make sure their voices were heard.

Checo Yancy from Voice of the Experienced addressed the committee, saying: “Here we are in 2026 and Jim Crow is still hanging around. This is unacceptable.” He continued, “Some people have never had equal rights, equal treatment, equal opportunities, and now you don’t want us to have two Black districts.”

Senator Jay Morris submitted SB 121, a racist bill proposing five majority-white districts and only one majority-Black district. Ziad Eissa from Freedom Road Socialist Organization spoke against SB 121, saying, “The only motivation I can think of to support this kind of gerrymandered districting, like the kind put forward in 121, is subservience to Jeff Landry, to conservative politicians, and to billionaires.”

The committee voted 4-3 in favor of SB 121, bringing it to a vote by the full Senate. The people of Louisiana came and showed that they would not accept any racist repression by the legislature. In the face of racist attacks, they showed their ability to mobilize to defend their rights.

#BatonRougeLA #LA #VotingRights #PeoplesStruggles #OppressedNationalities

Bellevue, WA – On Tuesday evening, May 2, the Bellevue City Council voted to adopt an ordinance making protests at U.S. Congressman Adam Smith’s house illegal. The ordinance changes the city’s definition of criminal conduct to include targeted residential protests.

The ordinance states that any gathering of people “with four or more persons” in a protest that is “targeted, directed or focused at a particular occupant of the residence” would be a gross misdemeanor. “Protest means any protest, demonstration or picketing activity including but not limited to marching, congregating, standing, posting, parading, demonstrating, picketing, with our without signs, with or without making audible or amplified noise.” A gross misdemeanor of this kind can carry a year-long jail sentence and a $5000 fine.

This ordinance comes after a sustained campaign against Adam Smith, House representative for Washington’s 9th congressional district. In protest of Smith’s failure to halt the flow of U.S. military aid to Israel or to withhold U.S. taxpayer dollars from being spent on Trump’s war on Iran, members of Seattle Against War, Troublemakers, and BDS Seattle, with support from other community members, have repeatedly shown up at Smith’s house in Bellevue to present their demands.

The protests in the rich Bellevue suburb were protected under First Amendment rights to protest, occurred during daylight hours, and abided by the noise ordinances against the use of amplified sound. Protesters held up banners that read, “Your rep funds genocide!” and signs that call out Adam Smith as a warmonger and a war profiteer.

Speaking against the ordinance at the city council meeting, Joseph Ostheller, a member of Seattle Against War, said, “We have been to his office, which he is never in. We have been to his town halls, which he censors. We have been to his speaking events, which he releases without adequate time to attend. He has systematically closed off all avenues for us to speak to him directly and to have our concerns heard. The escalation to be at his house is because he leaves us no other options.”

Zionists packed the city council meeting to support the ordinance. One speaker for the ordinance, who called himself David E., said he was a proud Zionist. The president of the HOA in Adam Smith’s neighborhood, claimed falsely that protesters “were like a mob, using blow horns at 2 a.m.” The composition of the meeting, Zionists and rich neighbors of Adam Smith, showed this ordinance was dreamt up by a small group of people in power using their connections to weaponize the legal processes. The ordinance is in direct response to the targeted protests against Adam Smith, and he has called in his Zionist friends and the city council to construct another barrier between the people in power and those impacted by their decisions.

The city attorney spoke to the council and explained to them how the ordinance was drafted and the legal rationale for its implementation. The city manager and the city attorney were asked to come up with this ordinance to criminalize free speech on behalf of “those affected.”

After the comment period, the Zionists and their allies left the meeting, not staying the extra two hours until the study session and the subsequent vote on the issue. Activists against the ordinance stayed until the very end, when the council read out the reasons why they were voting to shut down people’s democratic right to protest.

One council member, Lynne Robinson, said, without providing detail, “I have been the target of harassment and know how scary it can be.” It goes without saying that even before this ordinance passed, targeted harassment, stalking, and death threats were all already illegal. Another council member, Claire Sumadiwirya, said, “This is such a hard decision, but I have to protect my family,” even though they had not been the target of any such protests. Both voted in favor of the ordinance.

The ordinance will go into effect in one month.

Activists were not surprised by the result, as city council meetings are notoriously opaque. The real decisions are often made behind closed doors, with public comment being performative at best. Nevertheless, activists left in high spirits, because these attacks only show how weak and afraid those in power really are in the face of the power of the people.

Protests at Smith’s home will continue, bigger and louder than before, until the ordinance takes effect in June. Seattle Against War will also be exploring every avenue to challenge this new roadblock.

#BellevueWA #WA #SeattleAgainstWar #PeoplesStruggles #AntiWarMovement

Santa Ana, CA – En la mañana del 29 de abril, gritos de “¡Fuera Kingsley!” resonaron afuera de la sala donde se reunía la División de Estabilización de Alquileres (RSD, por sus siglas en inglés). Los residentes del parque de casas móviles Coach Royal, junto con miembros de la Organización de Servicio Comunitario del Condado de Orange (CSO OC), tuvieron una conferencia de prensa antes de una audiencia con la RSD. Desde hace años, los residentes han sufrido abusos y acoso por parte de Kingsley Management Corporation, los propietarios del parque.

Kingsley ha tomado represalias, mediante desalojos injustos, contra aquellos residentes que se alzan en contra de su abuso de poder. La RSD tenía programado escuchar 18 peticiones relacionadas con estos desalojos injustos.

“¡Si gana Kingsley, pierden los inmigrantes!”, gritó Karla Alvarado, antes de dar inicio al evento con un emotivo testimonio. “He sido residente durante 28 años y fui desalojada; no por mala conducta ni por deber renta, sino porque quieren demostrarnos que se nos castiga por alzar la voz”.

Alvarado exigió justicia para todos los residentes que han sido desalojados mediante tácticas coercitivas y engañosas, declarando, “¡Queremos justicia en nuestra ciudad; nuestra gente está sufriendo! Kingsley les entrega a los residentes que hablan español documentos en inglés y, además, los presiona para que firmen bajo coacción. ¡Esto tiene que parar!”

Guadalupe Barragán, residente y activista de larga trayectoria en la defensa de los derechos de los inquilinos, tomó el micrófono para expresar sus demandas. “Lo que queremos hacer esta mañana es pedirles, nuevamente, pedirles al gobierno de la ciudad que nos ayuden, ya que hemos sido acosados, amenazados, abusados, robados, inclusive habido muertes en el parque de Kingsley. ¡Queremos que los funcionarios de la ciudad de Santa Ana nos ayuden a sacar a la corporación Kingsley!”.

El residente Julián Orozco compartió su experiencia con las tácticas de intimidación de Kingsley: “Se suponía que iba a recibir el título de mi casa después de cumplir el contrato y enviarles un giro postal de $300. Una semana después me dijeron que había sido un error e intentaron hacer un contrato adicional por otros tres o cuatro años. Querían que lo firmara para que pagara más. Rob McDonald (personal de Kingsley) se presentó en mi casa queriendo intimidarme para que firmara los papeles”.

Un miembro de CSO OC cerró la conferencia de prensa exigiendo la salida de Kingsley y solicitando la ayuda de los funcionarios gubernamentales para detener este abuso sistemático. Exigió justicia para Maria Pedraza, una ex residente de Coach Royal que se quitó la vida a consecuencia de los abusos sufridos a manos de Kingsley.

Mientras los residentes entraban al edificio para dar comienzo a la audiencia, los miembros de CSO OC continuaron gritando, “¡Fuera Kingsley! ¡Si gana Kingsley, el pueblo pierde!”.

Una vez dentro, el abogado de Kingsley, Ariel Badell, solicitó que se retirara de la sala los simpatizantes de los residentes, incluidos miembros de CSO OC, CHISPA, Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (C.L.U.E.) y Tenants United Anaheim (TUA). Dos funcionarios municipales se pusieron del lado de Kingsley. Tras la oposición de los simpatizantes, quienes citaron la Ordenanza de Estabilización de Alquileres, se determinó que los testigos tenían el derecho legal de estar presentes en la sala, por lo que permanecieron sentados.

Mientras se desarrollaba esta situación, llegaron vehículos del Departamento de Seguridad Nacional a la entrada del edificio. Se desconoce quién realizó la llamada, pero tanto los residentes como sus simpatizantes consideraron que se trataba de una táctica de intimidación, dado que muchos de los residentes son inmigrantes.

Al dar comienzo la audiencia, no ofrecieron servicios de interpretación a los peticionarios, a pesar de que muchos de los residentes eran hablantes monolingües de español. Los simpatizantes presentes solicitaron a los funcionarios municipales que facilitaran servicios de interpretación. El equipo legal de Kingsley se negó a proporcionar servicios de interpretación para su equipo, argumentando, Badell declaró que “legalmente no están obligados a ofrecer servicios de interpretación”. Los simpatizantes continuaron abogando por los peticionarios y exigieron que se les brindaran servicios de interpretación hasta que los funcionarios de la ciudad finalmente aceptaron.

Más tarde, cuando un concejal y una reportera intentaron observar la audiencia, el equipo de Badell intentó expulsar al funcionario y a los medios de comunicación. Ella amenazó con demandar a la ciudad por su participación y afirmó que la audiencia se estaba “convirtiendo en un circo”. Después de revisar las políticas y procedimientos de la audiencia de peticiones, los funcionarios municipales determinaron que, en efecto, la reportera y el funcionario electo tenían permitido estar presentes en la audiencia.

En general, los funcionarios de la ciudad de Santa Ana permitieron inicialmente que el equipo de Kingsley Management Corporation intentara impedir que los peticionarios ejercieran sus derechos durante la audiencia, como el acceso a servicios de interpretación, la presencia de testigos y el ingreso de observadores a la sala de audiencias.

La ciudad de Santa Ana se mantiene cómplice de las prácticas abusivas de Kingsley Management Corporation de atropellar las audiencias y las negociaciones de acuerdos de los residentes de Coach Royal. Solo se escucharon ocho de las 18 peticiones presentadas. Los residentes de Coach Royal recibirán el veredicto de sus audiencias en 30 días.

#SantaAnaCA #CA #InJusticeSystem #Housing #PeoplesStruggles

Hamtramck, MI – On May 10, hundreds assembled on the corner of Joseph Campau and Caniff Streets following a call put out by the Detroit Resisting Oppression by President Trump Coalition (DROPT Coalition) to push Jake Lang and other racists out of Hamtramck. Lang and his crew had publicly announced what they claimed would be the “largest book burning in American history,” including the burning of a Quran outside of Al-Islah Islamic Center.

On the day of, Lang and his followers began to back out of their book-burning in Hamtramck, posting on social media that he was going to Dearborn, while messaging his followers that he was going to Hamtramck. For over four hours, he repeatedly changed his arrival time, showing his fear of the community and the organizers who sought to chase him out.

Jackson Robak of Freedom Road Socialist Organization said, “They are weak because they know they are not supported by the people.”

Afterward, Hamtramck community leader Dr. Mohammad Alam spoke on the pride immigrant families take in Hamtramck. “We came from all over, but this is our home here and abroad. Hamtramck is the beacon and hope for many of us; we cherish Hamtramck. We are law-abiding citizens, yet you come from somewhere and try to slam on our faith, we aren’t going to take it.” Showing the connection between these racist thugs and the Trump administration, Alam added, “Just like when ICE comes taking families, they are deporting, they are removing, they are destructing [destroying]! We do not want to see this!”

Minutes later, Jake Lang attempted to drive past the crowd in a U-Haul, but was hit with water bottles, flag poles, and other objects, forcing him to speed out of the city.

He would soon drive to Dearborn in the hopes of going to the Islamic Center of America, only to be pulled over for being on his phone while driving. While he was pulled over, dozens assembled on Evergreen Road in Dearborn to continue the attempt to chase him out of the communities he intended to intimidate. Even as he was protected by police, the protests got closer and louder to Lang, and saw him get his U-Haul towed and himself arrested for possession of psychedelic mushrooms.

The next day, he attempted to once again burn a Quran outside the ICA in Dearborn, only for the community and activists to once again assemble to stop him. This time, initially, the police used fire extinguishers to stop Lang’s attempted burning, but gave up, leaving the activists to use their own fire extinguishers to put out the fires and take books from his hands.

Lang, as well as three activists, were arrested. Shamefully, Lang was released quickly from the Dearborn Police Station, while protest organizers went to the jail to demand the timely release of the activists arrested. After hours, they were bailed out due to community support.

Jake Lang is a racist grifter who seeks to violently intimidate Arab and Muslim communities around Metro Detroit, Minnesota and New York. However, every time he comes, he gets driven out, arrested, and shown to be weaker than the last time. In Metro Detroit, these facts were once again made obvious by the communities and activists who he attempted to threaten.

#HamtramckMI #MI #PeoplesStruggles #Lang #RightWing #Featured

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the FRSO Salt Lake City District.

The Freedom Road Socialist Organization has been reestablished in Utah, emerging stronger with two vibrant new districts.

The rebirth of our district in Salt Lake City was catalyzed by a renewed engagement in the anti-imperialist struggle. The spark came after we participated in the Utah Anti-War Committee's letter-writing campaign in support of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who is currently unlawfully being held as a hostage in U.S. prison. This act of solidarity reinvigorated our revolutionary organization in Utah and coincided with the commencement of Freedom Road organizing in Orem, 40 miles south of Salt Lake.

Today, our districts now strive to be beacons of progress and revolutionary drive in Utah, having summed up the many successes of the past and made concrete plans to address challenges. New cadres recruited from the mass movements are fighting to win a deeper fusion with Utah’s working and oppressed people.

Our renewed district in Salt Lake City collaborates with a variety of progressive forces, including Armed Queers of Salt Lake City, the Utah Workers Center, Healthcare Workers for Palestine, and Utahns for Peace and Justice in the Holy Land. In Orem, our new comrades support powerful partnerships with Students for a Democratic Society at Utah Valley University, alongside the Whistle Committee and the Civil Disobedience Club, bringing Freedom Road to the heart of Utah County for the first time.

Since January 2026, our district membership has quadrupled in size, a surge that speaks to the hunger for genuine revolutionary struggle in Utah. Our recent activities have focused on the anti-war movement, providing support to the UAWC’s actions against U.S. aggression in Iran, Cuba, Lebanon, Venezuela, and Palestine. Our district celebrated International Women's Day with a massive rally at the state Capitol alongside MMIR Utah and UAWC, which we followed by a well-attended May Day panel that drew dozens of Utahns eager for change and for an end to ICE terror in their community.

Our district welcomes all revolutionaries in the Salt Lake area looking for a community of organizers where they can serve the people's movements, rebuild the communist party and study Marxism-Leninism. A new generation of cadres has taken up the call to land blows on the monopoly capitalist class.

The message from Utah is clear: opposing forces failed to break us. Instead, these experiences only served to forge a harder, more disciplined, and more dedicated organization. In Utah, FRSO is quickly evolving into a force to be reckoned with, dedicated to the long-term goals of the labor movement, student activism, immigrant rights, LGBTQ liberation, and gender justice, all while building the anti-war movement and laying the groundwork for a socialist society.

The fight carries on.

#SaltLakeCityUT #OremUT #UT #PeoplesStruggles #AntiWarMovement #FRSO

On International Workers’ Day, we uplift the past and present global struggles for a better world. We commit to carrying the torches of liberation forward, because there’s much to fight against, and much to fight for. Monopoly capitalism is built on exploitation, and it hands down needless suffering, environmental ruin and endless wars. The decay is obvious. Prices soar, families are bankrupted by medical costs, millions are saddled with crushing debt and working people who were already on the brink are being pushed into ruin. The system delivers obscene profits to the ones on top who are relentless in pursing profits. We should be even more relentless in building the united forces of workers and oppressed people that can take them down.

May Day is a reminder that the people organized can land blows against this system. It cuts right through the lie that nothing will change, or we can’t do any better.

The history of May Day itself is rooted in a great upsurge in the class struggle. It began in Chicago in 1886, where workers in the factories bore brutal working conditions and extreme hours. They said enough is enough and flooded the streets, clashing with the hired guns of the robber barons. The state then executed four of the strike leaders. The martyred working-class heroes became a rallying point for people power, and May 1 became the day for working people to advance our demands.

Under the banner of struggle, huge May Day demonstrations take place around the world every year. This year is the 20-year anniversary of the mega-marches – the immigrant rights struggle against the racist Sensenbrenner bill that brought May Day back to the forefront as a day of mass protest in the U.S.

Across the country, the great upsurge against ICE thuggery and the fight against mass deportation created a force that has pulled forward all the people’s struggles. These are the first major battles fought against the Trump agenda, bringing out a broad grouping of people and forging new fighters. From Los Angeles to Chicago, people rebelled with massive demonstrations and a show of force to push back Trump’s attacks.

ICE agents, emboldened and violent, have murdered members of the community, immigrants as well as the people standing up for them, in cold blood. In Minneapolis, a three weeks after the murder of Renee Good, Alex Pretti was killed, just blocks from where George Floyd was executed, in a community where a history of broad resistance to state violence reverberates. These crimes activated people in the tens of thousands to take to the streets. Trump and his ICE goons tried to swallow Minneapolis whole, but they ended up choking.

These battles became a “whose side are you on” moment. Whole sections of people were activated for the first time. In each upsurge, the outpouring of people who want to fight back shows that we’re living in different times than past decades. More and more people see that this system, monopoly capitalism, has no future. It’s a system sitting on a rotten and cracked foundation failing to meet the needs of the many while enriching the few.

In the era of imperialism, we stand in solidarity with workers and oppressed people everywhere. The U.S.-Israel war on Iran is indefensible. They want to destroy the camp of resistance that has been at the forefront of the fight for Palestine. We’re glad if Iran succeeds, not only because the war is wrong, but because we share a common enemy: the monopoly capitalists at the helm of the war machine.

U.S. imperialism is on the decline, and the rate at which things are coming apart in this country is picking up speed. The growth of the revolutionary movement is on the rise as well. We want to take every opportunity to bring more people into the fight.

Our movements are going to come out of this era stronger than they went in. People are changed forever by participating in these battles: their outlook, their views on what’s possible and their understanding of what it’s going to take to bring this system down. We’re not looking to keep things steady. We want to fan the flames.

On International Workers Day:

Fight for Workers & Immigrants’ Rights!

ICE Out! Stop the Deportations!

Down with Trump & the Billionaires!

No to War on Iran, Lebanon & Palestine!

#Statement #FRSO #Labor #ImmigrantRights #PeoplesStruggles #Featured

Santa Ana, CA – El martes 21 de abril, los residentes del parque de casas móviles Coach Royal exigieron que Kingsley Management Corporation se retire de su parque. La Organización de Servicio Comunitario del Condado de Orange (CSO OC) se unió a ellos para exigir que el Concejo Municipal intervenga ante años de acoso, desalojos injustos, robo de viviendas e intimidación por parte de la corporación. Este abuso resultó en el suicidio de la residente María Pedraza, cuya vivienda estaba en proceso de serle arrebatada después de años de sacrificios para comprarla.

Karla Alvarado, una de las residentes a quien le robaron su vivienda, declaró: “La ciudad de Santa Ana ya se ha reunido con 45 residentes que pueden dar testimonio de esto. 45 residentes y contando. Hemos hablado con personas de múltiples parques. Las historias son iguales, las tácticas son iguales y los resultados también. Esa es la definición de un problema sistémico.”

Lupe Barragán, residente y organizadora, miró y señaló directamente a cada miembro del concejo mientras hablaba. “¡Necesitan responder! Phil Bacerra, tú trataste de intimidarnos cuando fuimos a tu oficina. Tú, Jonathan Hernández, necesitamos que nos respondas también. Fuiste y nos apoyaste, y necesitamos más de tu apoyo. City Manager, necesitamos de tu ayuda. Valerie Amezcua, sé que mi presencia no te agrada, pero nos dijiste que ibas a sacar las armas grandes. ¡Te estamos esperando!” Mientras se retiraba, la alcaldesa Amezcua se río de ella. Barragán se dio la vuelta, señaló a Amezcua y la reprendió por su falta de respeto.

Sylvia Ayala, otra residente, le dijo al consejo: “Tengo 40 años aquí y nunca he recibido alguna ayuda de ustedes. Porque ustedes no se preocupan por el pueblo; ustedes se preocupan por ustedes mismos. Trabajan, ciertamente. Pero nosotros tenemos que trabajar todavía más que ustedes. Las humillaciones que nos hacen los que tienen dinero no son justas.”

Mientras los residentes hablaban, miembros de CSO OC y residentes desplegaron una pancarta que decía: “¡Kingsley fuera!”. La cámara comenzó a cambiar de ángulo con frecuencia para evitar mostrar la pancarta en la pantalla. En un momento dado, cuatro agentes de la policía de Santa Ana se acercaron a los organizadores y les indicaron que debían trasladarse a la parte trasera si iban a sostener una pancarta, a pesar de que nadie se había quejado de tener la visibilidad obstruida.

Cuando Rain Mendoza, de CSO OC, subió para hablar durante el turno de comentarios públicos, primero alzó la pancarta y le dijo al consejo que la mirara y la mostrara ante las cámaras.

Mendoza respondió a la frecuente postura del consejo de que no pueden hacer nada porque el parque es propiedad privada, diciendo: “Ustedes demandaron a El Centro Cultural de México, un pilar de esta comunidad, para así poder utilizar a sus policías para tirar a la basura las pertenencias de las personas sin hogar y expulsarlas de un lugar donde los propietarios privados les habían permitido permanecer. Entonces, ¿pueden hacer todo eso y utilizar los tribunales, la policía y todos sus recursos para aterrorizar a una comunidad sumamente vulnerable, pero no pueden mover un solo dedo cuando hay una empresa que opera en Santa Ana y que actúa como una banda de matones? ¡Debería darles vergüenza!”

Diana Terreros, de CSO OC, recordó al consejo que los residentes de Coach Royal son, en su mayoría, inmigrantes de clase trabajadora quienes sus hogares constituyen su refugio durante la administración Trump. Terreros declaró: “Las acciones de Kingsley van en contra del espíritu de toda la ordenanza de ciudad santuario. Están explotando el miedo de los inmigrantes en Santa Ana. Esperan que ese miedo sea suficiente para obligar a los residentes a mantener la cabeza baja y la boca cerrada. Están explotando a esta comunidad y su temor para aumentar sus ganancias, robándoles sus hogares. Se trata de una corporación multimillonaria de Utah. ¿Por qué permitimos que exploten a Santa Ana de esta manera?”

Otro miembro de CSO OC resumió los cientos de miles de dólares que los grupos que representan a los propietarios de parques de casas móviles han donado en contra de la campaña a favor de la Ordenanza de Estabilización de Alquileres y Desalojo por Causa Justa, la cual fue aprobada en octubre de 2021. También han realizado donaciones a las campañas de los miembros del concejo. Él preguntó a los concejales: “¿Es esto lo que influye en sus frecuentes respuestas de que no hay nada que puedan hacer para hacer cumplir la ley ante lo que ustedes saben que son actos injustos e ilegales cometidos por Kingsley contra los residentes de Coach Royal?”

#SantaAnaCA #CA #PeoplesStruggles #KingsleyCorporation #CoachRoyal #OrangeCounty #CSOOC

Santa Ana, CA – On Tuesday, April 21, residents of Coach Royal mobile home park demanded Kingsley Management Corporation get out of their park. Community Service Organization Orange County (CSO OC) joined them to demand the city council intervene against years of harassment, unjust evictions, home theft, and intimidation by the corporation. The abuse resulted in the suicide of resident Maria Pedraza, whose home was in the process of being taken after years of sacrificing to purchase it.

Karla Alvarado, one of the residents whose home was stolen, stated: “The city of Santa Ana has already met with 45 residents who can testify to this. 45 residents and counting. We have spoken to people across multiple parks. The stories are consistent, the tactics are consistent, and the outcomes as well. That is the definition of a systemic issue.”

Lupe Barragan, a resident and organizer, looked at and pointed directly at each council member as she spoke. “You need to respond! Phil Bacerra, you tried to intimidate us when we came to your office. You, Jonathan Hernandez, we need you to respond to us too. You came to support us and we need more of that. City manager, we need your help. Valerie Amezcua, I know my presence doesn’t please you, but you told us you were going to get out the big guns. We are waiting for you!” As she walked away, Mayor Amezcua laughed at her. Barragan turned around, pointed at Amezcua and scolded her for being disrespectful.

Sylvia Ayala, another resident, told the council, “I’ve lived here for 40 years and I’ve never gotten any help from you. Because you don’t care about the people; you only look out for yourselves. You work, but we have to work more than you. The humiliation that people with money have done to us is not fair.”

While the residents spoke, CSO OC and residents unfurled a banner reading “Kingsley fuera!” The camera began frequently changing angles to avoid showing the banner on screen. At one point, four Santa Ana Police Officers approached the organizers and told them they must move to the back if they are going to hold a banner, despite nobody complaining about an obstructed view.

When Rain Mendoza of CSO OC went up to make public comment, she first held up the banner and told the council to look at it and show it on camera.

Mendoza responded to the council’s frequent response that they cannot do anything because the park is private property, stating, “You sued El Centro Cultural de Mexico, a pillar in this community, so you can use your cops to toss homeless people’s belongings in the trash and push them out of a place where they were allowed to stay by the private property owners. So, you can do all that and use the courts, the police, and all your resources to terrorize a very vulnerable community, but you can’t lift a finger when there is a company that operates in Santa Ana that acts like thugs? Shame on you!”

Diana Terreros of CSO OC reminded the council that the residents of Coach Royal are mainly working-class immigrants whose homes are their refuge during the Trump administration. Terreros stated, “Kingsley’s actions go against the spirit of the entire sanctuary city ordinance. They are exploiting the fear of the immigrant population in Santa Ana. They are hoping the fear will be enough to force the residents to keep their heads down and their mouths shut. They are exploiting this community and their fear to increase their profits by stealing their homes. This is a multi-million dollar corporation from Utah. Why are we allowing them to exploit Santa Ana like this?”

Another member of CSO OC summarized the hundreds of thousands of dollars that groups representing mobile home park owners have donated against the campaign for the Rent Stabilization and Just Cause Eviction Ordinance that was passed in October of 2021. They have also donated to council member’s campaigns. He asked council members, “Is this what’s influencing your frequent responses that there is nothing you can do to enforce what you know is unjust and illegal acts by Kingsley against the Coach Royal residents?”

#SantaAnaCA #CA #CSO #OC #OrangeCounty #PeoplesStruggles #CoachRoyal #Eviction #Featured

Chicago, IL -Chicago is preparing for May Day, which is again a national day of protest against Trump’s racist agenda. A broad coalition of immigrant rights, Black liberation, workers, youth and student organizations are preparing to rally and march on May 1, International Workers Day.

Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) is going all out to build for May Day. One part of FRSO’s contribution is our annual Working Class Awards Dinner. Again, this year, it was held in the hall of the Chicago Teachers Union on Saturday, April 18.

The purpose of the event is to recognize individuals and organizations that have made contributions to the struggle of workers and the oppressed over the past year, celebrate some victories, and recognize the people who made them possible. It is also FRSO Chicago’s main annual fundraiser.

The event was very successful, with almost 300 people in the hall and over $20,000 raised.

A year of resistance to ICE: Four awards presented

Chicago was one of the first targets of ICE occupation, beginning in September 2025. ICE and Customs and Border Patrol officers terrorized immigrant communities, arresting 3000. They even staged a raid with 300 agents at 3 a.m. in the Black community of South Shore, with agents rappelling from helicopters onto an apartment building where Venezuelan refugees lived.

The Rapid Response teams, Migra Watch, and emergency response protests began before Trump surged agents here.

The awards dinner recognized four activists for contributions to resistance to Trump and ICE. Kathryn Zamarrón is an elementary school music teacher at the Walt Disney Magnet School, and a rank-and-file leader in the Chicago Teachers Union. She serves on the CTU Latinx Caucus and Elementary Education Committee. Zamarron played a crucial role in organizing sanctuary teams to protect students not only in her own school, but across the city. She was presented with an award named for Karen Lewis, the legendary president of the Chicago Teachers Union.

Corina Pedraza, a worker at the Chicago public library, played a leading role in helping the community provide services to the tens of thousands of migrant laborers bused here by the governor of Texas starting in 2022. She was also recognized for her leading role as an organizer of both Southwest and Southeast Side rapid response teams in 2025. Her award was in the name of Silverio Villegas González, murdered by ICE in a Chicago suburb at the outset of the ICE/CBP occupation.

Reverend Ciera Bates-Chamberlain received the Angela Davis Award for organizing faith leaders in opposition to ICE. As executive director of Live Free Illinois, when ICE threatened Chicago, she organized a multifaith, multiracial coalition including Black ministers and churches on Chicago’s South and West Sides. The network held a press conference, a protest in the pulpits, and rallied with the immigrant rights movement to defend our communities.

Finally, the Mexican Students de Aztlán (MeSA) at UIC received an award named for Rigo Padilla Pérez. A member of the Immigrant Youth Justice Alliance at UIC, Rigo was a leader in the Dreamers movement, which compelled passage of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals legislation. He died of cancer three years ago.

MeSA was honored because in October, ICE agents arrested two women near campus. Students protested, and ICE released the women, but the UIC administration failed to respond. MeSA then led a mobilization of over 200 students to oppose ICE on campus and demand a sanctuary campus.

Award for Palestine solidarity

Gabriella Martinez is a Special Education Certified Assistant in the Chicago Public Schools and a rank-and-file leader in SEIU Local 73. She organized coworkers to file ethics complaints against Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs for the purchase of Israel Bonds. Frerichs even purchased more bonds during the ongoing genocide in Gaza. For her work, Martinez received the Assata Shakur award. Together with several members and retirees from SEIU Local 73, Gabi’s family joined her for the event.

Lifetime Achievement Awards: Pete Camarata Award to Jim Fennerty for movement legal defense

Jim Fennerty has been a fixture at protests in Chicago for decades, wearing the lime green cap of the National Lawyers Guild. Jim is a people’s lawyer who has consistently defended our movement from attacks by the ruling class. Jim and his wife, Janet have been politically active in the movement for over 50 years. Jim represented Rasmea Odeh and the Anti-War 23, and he helped win a historic civil settlement representing 800 protesters arrested at the start of the Iraq War.

Fennerty’s award was named after the late Pete Camarata. Pete was a founder of the Teamsters for a Democratic Union (TDU). In his fight against the criminals that took control of the union, Pete was one of the first to combine rank and file power with legal action.

Fennerty was introduced by family friend Hatem Abudayyeh of the Arab American Action Network and US Palestinian Community Network. Many tables were filled with Jim and Janet’s friends and family, including son Nate, daughter Dina, her husband Daniel Contreras, and grandson Quinn Contreras.

In addition, the family of Pete Camarata was there with the Fennertys, including his wife, Robin Potter, stepson Jackson and his wife, Joan; stepdaughter Aimee, and granddaughter Phoebe.

William L. Patterson Award to Frank Chapman

The night’s biggest moment was the lifetime achievement award for Frank Chapman. It came with recorded greetings from CTU President Stacy Davis Gates and Vice President Jackson Potter.

The William L. Patterson Award was introduced by Anthony Quesada, 35th Ward alderman:

“Through his leadership with the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Frank has helped lead campaigns that have shaped Chicago. He has been central to the fight for justice for the wrongfully convicted and for community control of the police. His work helped push forward the movement that won elected police district councils, giving people a real voice in public safety. And today, Frank continues to advance this struggle through our fight for the Community Power Over Policing referendum.

“He has also mentored generations of organizers, many of whom are in the room tonight. Across Chicago and beyond, people have learned from him how to stay grounded, how to build collective power, and how to keep going through every phase of struggle. His impact lives in the people he has shaped and the movements that continue to grow.”

There were other elected officials present, including 33rd Ward Alderwoman Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez, 35th Ward Democratic Committeeperson Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, 25th Ward Alderman Byron Sigcho Lopez, and State Senator Graciela Guzman.

The award is named after William L. Patterson, the Communist Party USA attorney who led the International Labor Defense (ILD), and who organized the mass defense of the Scottsboro Boys in the 1930s. Later he headed up the Civil Rights Congress, and together with Paul Robeson took the We Charge Genocide petition to the United Nations. The formation of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression was based on the model of the ILD.

Chapman: “We’re part of a better world in birth”

Chapman is the executive director of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression; field organizer and education director of the Chicago Alliance; and a Central Committee member of FRSO. In his remarks, he shared some perspective on the Trump regime and on change in this country from his vantage point having been born in 1942.

Referring to people who see Trumpism as an aberration when they say, “That’s not us,” meaning not what the U.S. stands for, Chapman responded, “The hell it ain’t. What they’re doing to the immigrants happened to me and my people…6200 children have been held in detention since Trump came in,” adding, “And shooting people on the streets execution style.”

“But we’ve seen this: we saw Laquan McDonald shot 16 times. And a few days ago, the state police shot a man 15 times, not far from my house,” and “Quit telling me this is something you haven’t seen before.”

“We’re demanding an end to Trumpism, but we’re going further than that. We’re part of a better world in birth!” Going on with the lyrics of The International, Chapman said, “Arise you prisoners of starvation. Arise you wretched of the earth. For justice thunders condemnation. A better world’s in birth.”

“Are you ready to get this done? Are you ready for the revolution?” he asked, to thunderous applause.

#ChicagoIL #IL #ImmigrantRights #OppressedNationalities #AfricanAmerican #FRSO #NAARPR #FrankChapman #Trump #PeoplesStruggles

Santa Ana, CA – El sábado 21 de marzo, los residentes del parque de casas móviles Coach Royal protestaron en la entrada del parque. La protesta surgió en respuesta a años de abusos a manos de los administradores del parque, a los desalojos y al robo de casas móviles por parte la corporación Kingsley. Recientemente se produjo el suicidio de una residente, María Pedraza, a consecuencia de dichos abusos. La mayoría de los residentes de Coach Royal son inmigrantes de clase trabajadora.

La protesta comenzó con fuerza, con residentes y miembros de la Organización de Servicio Comunitario Orange County (CSO OC) manifestándose frente a la entrada de Coach Royal. Los manifestantes coreaban consignas y portaban pancartas, haciéndose visibles ante los residentes que entraban y salían del parque.

“¡Kingsley mata!”, “¡Manos fuera de nuestros hogares!” y “¡Justicia para Maria Pedraza!”, gritaban los manifestantes.

Luis Pedraza, hijo de la difunta Maria Pedraza, hablo primero. “Mi madre se suicidó el 20 de febrero de 2026 debido al abuso que sufría por parte del parque de casas móviles Coach Royal, que es propiedad y está administrado por la corporación Kingsley. Trabajó toda su vida para ser dueña de esa casa. Era su orgullo y su alegría. Compró esa vivienda con el fruto de todo nuestro trabajo”.

Los manifestantes se acercaron con atención mientras Pedraza relataba historias sobre su difunta madre: “Vivimos en todo tipo de condiciones: en una sola habitación, en un garaje diminuto. No pasé la Navidad ni el Año Nuevo con mi madre porque ella estaba trabajando. Desearía haber tenido eso. Pero sí tenemos esa casa, y Kingsley está intentando robársela.” Los manifestantes corearon al unísono: “¡Qué vergüenza!”.

“No es justo que hagan esto aquí, ni en ningún otro lugar del país. Esto está ocurriendo en todas partes, pero tiene que parar y tiene que cambiar. Así es como suceden las cosas en este condado: nos movilizamos, actuamos, nos unimos, nos convertimos en un solo movimiento y, entonces, las cosas cambian”, concluyó Pedraza.

Victor Fuentes es otro residente de Coach Royal que enfrenta el desalojo. Se quitó el sombrero para el sol antes de hablar, revelando una gran cicatriz con puntos de sutura que le recorría todo el cuero cabelludo. “Todos estamos aquí para poner fin a las represalias, la represión y el acoso. Mi familia y yo estamos desalojados ya. Todos hacemos cosas de las que nos arrepentimos y, para desestresarme, comencé a beber. Tuve una gran caída y no recomiendo usar la bebida para ahogar los pensamientos y las preocupaciones. Soy el proveedor de mi familia y ahorita no puedo mantener un techo sobre mi familia.”

Fuentes continuó: “Vine a dar este testimonio porque ya basta. Ya basta de que nos pisen el cuello. Están tratando de callarnos. Esto debe parar. ¿Qué más tenemos que perder? Para todos los que estamos aquí, les costó mucho tener sus casas. Nos están robando nuestras casas descaradamente. No es justo. Exigimos justicia. ¡Tenemos que luchar porque si solo uno de nosotros se niega a luchar, ellos seguirán pisoteándonos!

Los manifestantes estallaron en cánticos: “¡Detengan los desalojos! ¡Detengan el acoso! ¡Detengan las amenazas!”.

La última oradora fue Karla García, quien fue desalojada de su hogar por ayudar a otros residentes de Coach Royal a luchar por los títulos de propiedad de sus casas. “Intenté ayudar a otros residentes y fui castigada por eso. La corporación volvió a presentarse en mi casa y me advirtió que, si seguía ayudando a los demás, terminaría en la calle. Comenzaron a acosarme, intimidarme y amenazarme. Fui atacada día tras día hasta que me arrebataron todo”.

La protesta concluyó con Guadalupe Barragán recorriendo los vecindarios de Coach Royal con un megáfono, instando a los residentes a levantarse y luchar. Más tarde esa misma noche, se tuvo una reunión entre los residentes y los miembros de CSO para trazar la estrategia de los próximos pasos en la lucha por la justicia para los habitantes de Coach Royal.

#SantaAnaCA #CA #PeoplesStruggles

Brooklyn, NY – On the early evening of April 3, a dozen people gathered outside of the Metropolitan Detention Center to observe Good Friday. The vigil was called by Black Alliance for Peace on what is also the three-month anniversary of President Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores’ kidnapping.

On January 3, the Trump administration launched an attack on Caracas, Venezuela to kidnap the two government officials. In the process, they murdered over 100 people. Some of the people murdered couldn’t even be identified because all that was left of them was a melted body.

The protesters took turns giving speeches, saying the names of the deceased, and lighting candles to honor those who had been martyred.

The speakers expertly connected the religious overtone of the day to martyrs in Venezuela and Cuba. They brought up the ongoing war for oil, the blockade in Cuba, and how U.S. imperialism is teetering on the edge of self-destruction.

The protesters are part of a loose coalition of solidarity for Venezuela who will continue to show up on the 3rd of every month until President Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores are free!

#NewYorkNY #NY #Venezuela #Maduro #CiliaFlores #Cuba #AntiWarMovement #PeoplesStruggles

Tampa, FL – On March 28, over 2000 people gathered for the Tampa No Kings protest. The protest was organized by the Tampa Coalition Against the Trump Agenda. It was one of more than 3000 rallies comprising more than eight million people who came out throughout the United States in opposition to Trump's racist reactionary agenda.

Protesters raised concerns about immigration and U.S. intervention, holding anti-war signs and pro-immigrant signs such as “ICE out now!” Protesters chanted “Racist, sexist, anti-gay, Ron DeSantis go away,” “Money for jobs and education, not for war and deportation” and “When immigrants are under attack, what do we do? Stand up fight back!” Many passing cars honked in support of the event.

Dave Gonzalez said, “I’m here to show my disagreement with the present government. This pedophile bombed girls at a school in Iran. At home there are also violations of human rights. We have a right to self-determination. What we do with our bodies cannot be ordered by anyone.”

Protester and activist Bianca Melendez stressed, “Because the world is on fire, I want to be able to educate and help influence as many people as possible. I am a member of TIRC-Tampa Immigrant Rights Committee and of a group chat on Palestine. There is a horrible genocide going on there and now in Lebanon and the Zionists are still in Syria.”

The event featured speakers from Tampa Immigrant Rights Committee, Tampa Democratic Socialist of America, Tampa Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Tampa Food Not Bombs, Voices of Florida, Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society, Florida House of Representatives member Michele Rayner, and Tampa Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

To the question “What brings you to the protest today?” Ben Taylor said, “My husband and I believe in democracy and the freedom to live by the Bill of Rights which gives us rights to protest, freedom of speech.”

Nico Baisley from the Tampa Immigrants’ Rights Committee said, “The more he [Trump] threatens us, the stronger our movements become. His threats have united us against him, and we have everything to win in this fight.” Nico also spoke about the need to end 287(g) in Tampa and condemned Tampa Mayor Jane Castor's lack of support for the immigrant community in Tampa.

The Tampa Coalition Against the Trump Agenda consists of the Tampa Immigrants’ Rights Committee, Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society, Tampa Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Tampa Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and the Hillsborough Young Democrats.

#TampaFL #FL #ImmigrantRights #PeoplesStruggles #TIRC

Oakland, CA – Over 20,000 people filled the streets of Oakland on Saturday, March 28, at the third No Kings rally to protest Trump’s agenda.

The demonstration began at noon at Oscar Grant Plaza in downtown Oakland, where attendees heard from speakers representing labor, faith, environmental justice and immigrant rights organizations. At 1 p.m., the crowd marched toward Lake Merritt for additional speakers focused on building momentum for the Bay Area’s upcoming May Day actions.

Organizers worked for weeks to mobilize for the event. The Oakland chapter of the Community Service Organization (CSO Oakland), a member of the Legalization for All Network, led multiple art builds alongside partner immigrant rights organizations Mujeres Unidas y Activas and Pangea Legal Services, groups also involved in Oakland’s upcoming May Day actions and the Justice for Guillermo campaign. Revolutionary groups such as the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) also took part.

The event featured over 40 organizations and unions, including Indivisible East Bay, East Bay DSA, SEIU 1021, the Alameda Labor Council, Bay Resistance, Berkeley Faculty & Staff for Justice in Palestine, CAIR-SFBA, Friends of La Peña Immigrant Rights, Jewish Voice for Peace Bay Area, the Oakland Education Association, Sunrise Movement Bay Area, and Tsuru for Solidarity.

“Today the people of Oakland made our voices heard: the accelerating atrocity of the Trump administration must go,” said Noah Teller of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization. “We are building a strategic alliance to protect oppressed people and develop the power of the working class. We demand legalization for all and no war in our name!”

The protest reflected growing frustration among working-class residents over the Trump administration’s policies, including its crackdown on immigrants, attacks on LGBTQ rights, executive orders further militarizing the police, and U.S.-Israeli escalations in the Middle East, particularly their attacks on Iran, all while people across the country struggle with rising costs of living.

Anti-Trump organizing in Oakland continues to grow. Last year, after the administration threatened to send over 100 ICE agents to the San Francisco Bay Area, CSO Oakland, FRSO, and the Oakland chapter of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression organized an emergency protest from Fruitvale to the Coast Guard Island Bridge, where ICE planned to establish its headquarters. Organizers have also mobilized against a proposed ICE detention facility in Dublin, California, and to stop the deportation of Bay Area activist Guillermo Medina Reyes.

“The more that Trump tries to harm our communities, the more our communities will fight back,” said Danny Celaya from CSO Oakland. “We’ve seen that from the students who have been walking out of class to protest mass deportations, the brave souls who have been keeping our communities safe such as Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good, whose lives were taken from them by ICE state thugs, to the millions who have taken to the streets across the country from cities like LA, Chicago and Minneapolis to towns like Billings, Montana; Charleston, South Carolina, and Decorah, Iowa. All of which have a member organization of the Legalization for All Network. In short, people are getting organized, we will stop Trump’s racist agenda, and we will win.”

CSO Oakland also distributed flyers at the march for a fundraiser to support Guillermo Medina Reyes’ family while a coalition of Bay Area organizations, of which CSO Oakland is a part, continues fighting for his release from a for-profit detention center in California City owned by CoreCivic, one of more than 40 private detention centers the company operates. Donations can be made here.

Private companies run roughly 90% of immigration detention centers nationwide.

#OaklandCA #CA #ImmigrantRights #PeoplesStruggles

Appleton, WI – On March 28, over 3000 people took to the streets in outrage at the Trump administration. The crowd gathered at Houdini Plaza, a central location downtown.

One speaker from the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Tanner Ziebell, stated “This is an empire in decline, and we will continue to see crimes like these happen on an increasingly severe scale until it is brought to the ground! We can confidently assume that attacks on the people of this world will continue. We can also hold our heads high, knowing that it's a fight we aren't scared to take up, knowing that's exactly what we're going to do, and that this country will be made ungovernable until we win!”

Daisy Sinclair from Hate Free Outagamie reminded the community that “Hate Free Outagamie is committed to the fight for trans rights, committed to fighting for a trans sanctuary in Outagamie to protect our rights. We are not ceding ground to Trump’s hatred and attacks on any group of people, and will fight to ensure it stays that way!”

Members of the community took to the streets, occupying both lanes of traffic for blocks. As they marched, deafening chants demanding no war, an end to deportations, and fighting back shook the city.

The event was organized by the Outagamie County Democratic Party, Hate Free Outagamie, Appleton Area NOW, Northeast Wisconsin Democratic Socialists of America, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Wisconsin Resist, and others.

The organizers expressed intention to work together in the future and continue to build a strong front against the Trump administration in the coming years.

#AppletonWI #WI #PeoplesStruggles #Trump #ImmigrantRights

Washington, DC – On Saturday, March 28, hundreds gathered in Washington DC’s Anacostia neighborhood before noon to join a contingent for the No Kings protest demanding “No Trump, no war, no ICE.” The contingent began with a rally at the Anacostia Metro station before marching to join the large protest.

As rallygoers poured out of the Metro and spilled into onto the sidewalks, organizers began to lead chants of “No ICE, no KKK, no racist USA,” and “Chinga la migra” (Fuck ICE). After this, contingent organizers began the march with chants of “No justice, no peace! Off the sidewalk, into the streets!”

Amber-Jane Jones, a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, said, “People all around the world are being hurt or killed by the U.S.’ imperialist policies – whether it’s in Venezuela, Cuba, or Iran. We joined this contingent to state clearly that it is the duty of all U.S. progressives to stand with the working and oppressed people of the world against the U.S. empire.”

After the rally, the contingent resumed its march together across the Frederick Douglass bridge, where protesters spotted known killer cop Jason Bagshaw patrolling the crowd. Bagshaw shot and killed 23-year-old Lazarus Wilson back in 2023 while off duty. No sooner was he pointed out by the people than leaders of the contingent launched into chants of “Shame! Shame on Jason Bagshaw” and “Indict, convict, send Bagshaw to jail! The whole damn system is guilty as hell!” while residents swarmed him with cameras and phones.

“Protesting Bagshaw is absolutely part of protesting Donald Trump,” said Merawi Gerima of the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR), “it’s Trump’s policies that enable someone like Bagshaw to stay on the force and terrorize our communities, and so it is absolutely our duty to fight to see him put behind bars where he belongs!”

The march continued on to Fort McNair, the current residence of Trump advisor Stephen Miller, with chants of “Stephen Miller is his name! Separating families is his game!”

“He’s a white supremacist,” Katie Sayour, co-chair of the DC Against The Trump Agenda (DCATA) coalition said of Miller. “And we feel this administration’s white supremacist policies particularly hard in DC, where Black people like Phillip Brown and Justin Nelson are being shot at – and in the case of Julian Bailey, killed – by federal agents, and where these national guard thugs hang out to intimidate us every day.”

The contingent was organized by the DC Against The Trump Agenda (DCATA) and Families Not Feds (FNF) coalitions, joined by a list of progressive organizations, such as the Freedom Road Socialist Organization – DC (FRSO DC), the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR), 50501DC, and the Anti-War Committee DMV (AWC-DMV).

DCATA and FNF plan to continue their resistance to the Trump agenda in DC’s local elections through their upcoming “People’s Ballot.”

#WashingtonDC #DC #NoKings #PeoplesStruggles #DCATA #ImmigrantRights #AntiWarMovement