Chicago, IL – 200 people filled up the main hall of the Chicago Teachers Union headquarters on January 22 for a political forum in preparation for the local police District Council elections. There were over 50 District Council candidates in attendance, and other participants included alderpersons, union leaders and community organizers. Over 40 people of various ages, genders, and nationalities spoke at the forum, and they were all united behind the need to use the February 28 elections to create a base of power from which the working and oppressed people of Chicago can hold the police accountable.
Butler Township, OH – On Saturday January 21, a few dozen people gathered in protest outside a local McDonald’s, chanting “Black lives matter,” “Women’s lives matter,” “No justice, no peace, no racist police” and “Boycott McDonald’s.” The event was hosted by Black Lives Matter-Dayton with the intention of bringing community awareness to an incident of police excessive use of force that had occurred earlier that week.
Tampa, FL – Dozens of family, friends and community members gathered on January 11 to demand justice and honor the fourth angelversary of Josiah Pinner, a 15-year-old killed by a speeding Hillsborough County deputy.
Los Angeles, CA – After an eight-day trial, Los Angeles Superior Court on January 20 issued a $12.2 million verdict against the Long Beach police officer for killing Cesar Rodriguez, a 23-year-old Chicano. The jury unanimously found killer cop Martin Ron guilty of negligence and responsible for Rodriguez’s death. It is a victory for the surviving family as it is the largest police misconduct verdict in history against the Long Beach Police Department. The law firm of Arnold Casillas represented the family in the successful lawsuit and trial.
Atlanta, GA – Over 300 people gathered January 21 at Underground Atlanta shopping center to honor the life of Manuel “Manny” “Tortuguita” “Teran” Paez, demand an end to the building of Cop City and to defend an Atlanta forest.
Tampa, FL- Dozens of outraged protesters gathered in an emergency action at Tampa City Hall on January 18, hours after Mayor Jane Castor vetoed all five proposed city charter amendments. The unprecedented veto marks the first time in Tampa history where the mayor vetoed all the city charter amendments, putting Tampa voters in the crossfire between the between the city council and the mayor. Voters had called for an end to the blatant ballot suppression, to have their rights put first, and overwhelmingly demanded an opportunity to vote for greater police oversight.
Tallahassee, FL – The Tallahassee community convened a somber vigil, January 19, to pay tribute to the life of Manuel “Manny” “Tortuguita” “Teran” Paez, who was taken from us too soon when Georgia state troopers killed them as they were defending Atlanta Forest from the proposed construction of “Cop City.” The gathering was a poignant demonstration of collective grief and solidarity in the face of such a terrible loss.
St. Paul, MN – After eight years of struggle, the family of Marcus Golden, who was murdered by Saint Paul police officers January 14, 2015, won financial settlements from the city of Saint Paul last week. On January 19, they held a press conference with a mind-boggling exposure of the lies told by city and county officials surrounding Marcus’ death.
In the 18 months since Chicago reached a turning point with the passage of the Empowering Communities for Public Safety (ECPS) ordinance, the coalition that won the ordinance has fought against the obstruction of the mayor and pro-police members of the city council to implement it. The current stage in the fight against police tyranny is the elections for the local office of police district council coming up on February 28.
Los Angeles, CA – After one day of deliberations, on January 18, Long Beach killer cop Martin Ron was unanimously found guilty of negligence for the murder of Cesar Rodriguez. On August 29, 2017, Ron and another Long Beach police officer stopped Rodriguez because he had failed to pay the $1.75 metro fare. Cop Ron then pushed Rodriguez onto the metro train tracks and an oncoming train pinned Rodriguez. For more than 20 minutes Rodriguez held on until he succumbed to his injuries and died on the scene. Rodriguez was 23 years old when he died.
