Burkhardt was not home at the time, but her roommate confirmed that she lived there. The FBI gave the roommate an information card with the name and number of the agent but was unsuccessful in getting the roommate to answer other questions. The agent was not let inside. Burkhardt stated of the encounter, “Where’s my freedom of speech?”

On the same day, activist Collin Grannis had his door knocked on by FBI agent Nick Zollinger and his partner. His roommate answered the door. The roommate got the contact information from them, and the pair of agents left.

Then later, after the visit to Grannis’ apartment, Chase Barrett arrived home to find a pair of agents sitting inside. His parents had let them in before he was around. Grannis states, “As a result of my involvement with the local grassroots movement People of Provo Against ICE, I was approached by two FBI agents at my home.”

The FBI’s investigations into People of Provo Against ICE are meant to intimidate activists. Protesting is not a crime, and PoPAI will not stop fighting back against ICE.

Chrisley Carpio, of the Committee to Stop FBI Repression states, “Activists should not talk to the FBI. We need to meet them with a wall of silence.”

#ProvoUT #UT #InJusticeSystem #PoliticalRepression #FBI #StopFBI #CSFR #ImmigrantRights #Feature

New York, NY – Over 60 community members and activists rallied outside of the Brooklyn Central Court for over 14 hours after the NYPD arrested two organizers with the New York Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NYAARPR) in the early morning hours of October 20. They were released at 12:20 a.m. the next day.

The crowd initially gathered at 9:30 a.m. and continued to rally until midnight, with their numbers growing stronger over time. Members of the crowd chanted, “Free Jamie Kowalski! Free Daniel Koh!” and demanded the immediate processing and release of the two arrested activists.

Jamie Kowalski was arrested from his home at 5:30 a.m. on October 20; an hour later, Daniel Koh was arrested, also from his home. Both activists have been charged with misdemeanors of stalking and harassment, which was not made clear to either of them at the time of their arrest.

Speaking outside the courthouse, Shivani Ishwar, NYAAPRR chair, said, “We have been out here all day demanding the release of our friends, and proving that the NYPD's attempts to scare us will not work! We will get these bogus charges dropped, and this will only make us fight that much harder for justice for Eudes Pierre!”

NYAARPR members, including Kowalski and Koh, have been picketing in front of the 71st Precinct in Brooklyn for several months, demanding justice for Eudes Pierre, a young Haitian man murdered by Conrado Abreu-Gerez and Peter Lan in December 2021.

On September 19, NYAARPR held a speakout and posted notices in Sunset Park, near Abreu-Gerez’s apartment, warning his neighbors that a killer cop lived nearby. After NYAARPR’s monthly picket at the 71st Precinct on September 24, Koh, Kowalski, and a third activist from the New York Alliance were followed and stopped by the police, although no summons was issued at that time. Two days before the arrest, on October 18, the New York Alliance again posted flyers near Abreu-Gerez’s apartment. This is what the organizers believe is the real cause of the arrests.

At the courthouse, the supporters of the two activists included a broad front of progressive organizations such as Brooklyn Against War, We the People, UFT MORE Caucus, NYU Students for a Democratic Society, BAYAN NE, JUPI, International League of Peoples Struggle NE, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, friends, community members, and the family members of Eudes Pierre.

Things got heated around 7:45 p.m., after ten hours on the street, as the NYPD tried to intimidate protesters outside the court building, but it didn’t work. The police tried to say that the protest was “slowing things down” in the court building. The protesters stood their ground, shouting “speed it up” and called their bluff. The police then forced protesters to the other side of the street, threatened arrest and erected barriers around the building as the crowd chanted “Cowards!” Protesters from across the street only grew louder and were heard for blocks around.

Michela Martinazzi, member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization Central Committee, said, “The NYPD has a bloated $11 billion budget and cares more about protecting their killer cops than keeping the community safe. Daniel and Jamie are heroes amongst the people; they're fighting for true community control and justice for Eudes Pierre and his family. However, no matter how much the NYPD tries to intimidate our friends, we will be here to fight back!”

Zaara Ahmed from NYU Students for a Democratic Society said, “As students, we know we need to be part of community struggles, and an attack on one is an attack on all. Meaning, when any one of our community members, of our activists, our organizers, is under attack we all need to show up, show out, and fight back. These were bullshit charges put on people trying to shed light on a murderer in the NYPD, and we’re not going to stop until we see Daniel and Jamie free.”

Both Kowalski and Koh were finally released at 12:20 a.m. on October 21. Addressing the crowd of their supporters, Koh said, “These charges are bogus. They know they don't have shit, and they're only doing this because they feel pressured and feel like they want to get away with shit, and we’re not going to let that happen!”

While Kowalski and Koh have been released, the fight for justice continues as organizers will mount a hearty defense campaign to get the charges dropped.

NYAARPR plans to continue to protest the 71st Precinct and fight for justice for Eudes Pierre. The next picket is scheduled for October 29 at 6 p.m., and they are calling on all progressive-minded people and allies to show up and show that NYPD intimidation will not get in the way of their fight for justice.

#NewYorkNY #NY #InJusticeSystem #PoliticalRepression #KillerCops #NYAARPR #NAARPR #feature

Washington, D.C. – On Saturday, October 17, a broad coalition of groups from D.C. and Maryland rallied in front of the U.S. Department of Justice headquarters demanding an end to the racist and political repression by the Trump administration. The action came in the wake of a violent pre-dawn raid on Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s home earlier that week by the Department of Homeland Security, and the targeted surveillance and intimidation of local activists by FBI and Border Patrol agents.

Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s staff shared a statement in support of the action, “Thank you for the outpouring of support today and over the past week, [Rep. Omar] will not be silenced – she thanks you for having her back, and she will always have yours.”

Rep. Ilhan Omar represents the largest Somali population in the U.S., and has been a stalwart champion for immigrant communities, a powerful opponent of Trump’s mass deportation schemes and a vocal critic against Trump’s Islamophobic and racist policies. The Trump administration’s recent raid on her home is the most recent attack in a racist smear campaign meant to cast unfounded suspicion over her U.S. citizenship and create pretext for her deportation.

“These racist attacks on Rep. Ilhan Omar; our comrades being yanked off trains by Border Patrol and terrorized by the FBI, simply for speaking out – these are things that we will never accept!” said Merawi Gerima, an organizer with the DC Alliance Against Political Repression, drawing connections between the raid on Rep. Omar’s home and the escalating political repression of local organizers by the Trump administration.

Currently, Baltimore-based Filipino American organizer Christina Pasion remains detained for her activism for national democracy in the Philippines. Christina Pasion’s wife, Vivian Pasion, drew attention to her wife’s perseverance through the retaliation she was facing for her activism, and added that Christina’s family was also facing unannounced visits and harassment from federal agents.

“We are building a mass movement that is standing up against fascist attacks led by the United States, right here at home and abroad. I am not afraid of the FBI because I know that I have the full force of a mass movement behind me, and it’s only been growing,” a member of the Baltimore Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines.

Gordon Mutch, an organizer with the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines, had also experienced intimidation and harassment by Customs and Border Patrol. Just weeks before the raid on Rep. Omar, Mutch was traveling to a human rights conference in Toronto by Amtrak train. Near the Canadian border, the train stopped and riders heard the conductor say over the intercom “Ok, please make this quick gentlemen,” moments before armed Border Patrol agents walked directly to Mutch’s seat and grabbed him off the train.

After hours of detention, Mutch’s phone and laptop were seized, and he was forced to find his way from the boarder back to Maryland without a cell phone. He was given no explanation for why he was being targeted, but the timing makes it clear that it was in retaliation for his peace activism, particularly due to his being a vocal advocate for Pasion’s release from administrative detention in the Philippines. His devices have yet to be returned.

“There is active collusion between the U.S. government and the Philippine government in repressing U.S.-based activists standing up against the widespread human rights abuses under the fascist Marcos Jr. regime,” Mutch said.

The attacks on Gordon and Vivian have prompted the creation of a new national anti-repression coalition named Stop the Attacks, whose goal is to unite a broad movement to crush Trump’s repression machine.

Meanwhile, earlier in the same week on October 13, the Chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform launched a partisan investigation on D.C.-based organizations Free DC and Harriet’s Wildest Dreams for holding public jury duty trainings to educate local communities about the racist system of jury selection and the repressive nature of grand jury prosecutions – a particularly salient issue in D.C., where most serious court cases are settled in federal courts due to D.C.’s lack of State’s Attorney’s offices, stemming from its statehood being denied.

As they marched in the streets from the Department of Justice to the White House, protesters chanted, “Stop the raids, stop the attacks! We have Ilhan Omar’s back!” and “Hands off our organizations, stop these racist deportations!” in a show of united force and to demand an end to the Trump administration’s repression of local and national activists alike.

The coalition behind Saturday’s action included the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Stop the Attacks Coalition, International League of People’s Struggle, Code Pink DC, Bayan DMV, ICHRP US, BalCHRP, Asians for Palestine DMV, 50501DC, Metro DSA, Anakbayan DC, FLARE, and Families Not Feds Coalition.

#WashingtonDC #ImmigrantRights #IlhanOmar #InJusticeSystem #PoliticalRepression

Brooklyn, NY – In the early morning of Tuesday, October 20, the NYPD arrested two organizers with the New York Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression in their homes in Brooklyn.

Jamie Kowalski was arrested at 5:30 a.m. and, an hour later, Daniel Koh was arrested from his home. As of right now, charges or reasons for their arrests have not been disclosed by the NYPD.

However, organizers with the New York Alliance have an idea of why the arrests happened. Shivani Ishwar, NYAARPR chairperson, said, “The NYPD is trying to intimidate our activists, who have done nothing more than fight for justice alongside our organization and the family of Eudes Pierre. But justice will not be silenced! We will continue to fight against NYPD repression, and against the brutal violence that continues to plague Black and brown communities across the city. Free Daniel and Jamie! Justice for Eudes Pierre!”

The New York Alliance has been holding monthly pickets outside of the 71st Precinct, where killer cop Conrado Abreu-Gerez works, demanding justice for Eudes Pierre.

On September 19, the New York Alliance posted notices and held a speak-out near where Abreu-Gerez lives to warn his neighbors of his involvement in the murder of Eudes Pierre.

September 24 was the most recent monthly picket outside of the 71st Precinct. After the picket, three New York Alliance organizers, including Kowalski and Koh, were approached by officers of the 71st Precinct. The officers took their IDs and talked about potential violations of littering and amplified sound, but no summons was issued.

On October 18, organizers put up new flyers near the officer’s home.

Organizers with the New York Alliance believe that the most recent flyering was what spurred the arrests.

Michela Martinazzi, a Central Committee member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, commented, “The NYPD is the largest, most violent gang in the city. They don’t like to be pressured, and the New York Alliance is the one pressuring them. Kowalski, Koh and the members of the New York Alliance have done nothing wrong. They are brave for standing up to the NYPD!”

NYAARPR will continue to host its monthly picket outside the 71st Precinct. The next is on Thursday, October 29 at 6 p.m. It is more important than ever that many progressive-minded people show up to demand justice for Eudes Pierre and to show the NYPD that organizers will not be intimidated!

The New York Alliance is hosting a call-in and will be holding a jail support rally. Please review their social media pages for the most up-to date information.

#BrooklynNY #NY #InJusticeSystem #NAARPR #NYAARPR #PoliticalRepression #KillerCops #Feature

New York, NY – A group of eight activists attended the October 15 arraignment of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores in a show of support for the kidnapped Venezuelan leaders. The activists included representatives of the Anti-War Action Network, Freedom Road Socialist Organization and leaders of the New York City Latin American community.

At the hearing, President Maduro and Cilia Flores both entered the courtroom with chains shackled to their feet. Maduro waved to the crowd watching the trial, knowing a plurality of the crowd were U.S. federal agents and escualidos who supported his kidnapping and U.S. invasion.

The judge presiding over their case, Alvin Hellerstein, who is 92 years old, struggled to sit on his chair and to even read aloud the new charges of terrorism. Maduro and Flores confidently declared their innocence – claiming these charges as completely false and bogus.

Although the court documents do not name the alleged victims who are cited throughout the indictment, the descriptions given match some well-known figures who have worked to undermine the Maduro government. The person identified as “Official-3” matches the description of ex-General Raúl Baduel, arrested in 2017 along with two co-conspirators in a plot to massacre civilians at a political rally and blame the government in order to destabilize the Maduro administration. “Victim-3” matches far-right leader Leopoldo López, who attempted to organize coups against the Venezuelan government in 2002, 2014 and 2019. Finally, “Victim-7” matches Osman Khan, an American citizen who, since his release in 2022, has built a career speaking for pro-regime-change think tanks like the Atlantic Council.

One of the activists in attendance at Thursday’s arraignment, Ebtesham Ahmed of the Freedom Road Socialist Organizations, traveled to Venezuela for the International People’s Assembly for Sovereignty and Peace of our Americas in December 2025, shortly before the U.S. kidnapped Maduro and Flores in an illegal raid on January 3, 2026.

“When I was in Venezuela, I talked to people there from all different sectors – from students to workers to indigenous people and more – all of them demanded the U.S. respect their sovereignty and to take its hands off their country!” said Ahmed.

Lucy Pagoada-Quesada, a Honduran activist living in the U.S. and a retired NYC teacher added, “The case of the U.S. government against the constitutional President of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro Moros and the First Lady Cilia Flores has no legal grounds. It’s a clear case of lawfare, judicialization of politics. It’s a political case that has two major reasons: To take over Venezuelan oil and other natural resources and to destroy the Venezuelan Bolivarian Revolution. The kidnapping of a president violates all international law, U.S. law and Venezuelan law. We, as taxpayers, cannot allow the government to perpetrate this or any other illegality or violation of the law.”

The activists reiterated their demand that the U.S. government drop the charges against Maduro and Flores and return the President and First Lady to Venezuela. They also shared that a New York City-based coalition of progressive organizations opposed to U.S. intervention abroad plans to rally outside the next hearing, scheduled for December 17, when Judge Alvin Hellerstein will hear oral arguments on the motion to dismiss the charges.

#NewYorkNY #NY #International #InJusticeSystem #PoliticalRepression #Venezuela #AntiWarMovement #Maduro

Fight Back! News Service is circulating the following statement by the Twin Cities district of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization

Today, Homeland Security Investigations raided the Washington, DC home of Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. The Trump administration claims this raid was to investigate “immigration fraud,” but it’s clear as day that this is nothing more than a racist, political attack by Trump against one of his most vocal critics in Congress. Rep. Omar has taken a stand against Trump’s mass deportation machine and his racist anti-immigrant agenda, and the White House wants to punish her for that. Last week, Trump also posted a racist tirade on his social media accounts, calling on Minnesotans to “fight back” against the state being “taken over by Somali immigrants,” and threatening to send in federal forces.

Let’s be clear: the people of Minnesota, who rose up by the hundreds of thousands this winter against ICE terror and the murders of innocent people, know who our real enemies are and how to fight back. The lines have been drawn, and we’re not going to let Trump spin lies to target the Somali community. It’s time to mobilize, hit the streets, and unite all who can be united to resist the Trump administration’s campaigns of anti-immigrant terror and political repression.

Hands off Ilhan Omar! Stand with Somali immigrants!

#MinneapolisMN #MN #IlhanOmar #UnitedStates #PoliticalRepression #ImmigrantRights #OppressedNationalities #Somali

Minneapolis, MN – On the afternoon of Saturday, October 3, hundreds of community members rallied in downtown Minneapolis to demand justice for all victims of ICE violence and to drop the charges against anti-ICE protesters.

This action was endorsed by labor unions such as the MN AFL-CIO, SEIU local 26, MFE local 59, SPFE local 28, MNA, and MAPE, among others. This outpouring of support from the labor movement is of the spirit of class struggle in the Twin Cities, and that most of the Minnesota 15 are union members.

The Minnesota 15 are anti-ICE protesters who were arrested and had their homes raided in June of 2026. The federal indictment alleges that the 15 were involved in “conspiracy to impede or injure a federal officer,” and other bogus charges. Despite public outrage in response to the repression of activists, the MN 15 and many others in the state are still facing charges related to community rapid response and constitutional observation practices they undertook during Operation Metro Surge.

There have not been major developments in the case of the MN 15 since their indictment. The indictees have all been limited in communicating with one another, making it difficult to use collective defense strategies often used by groups of people facing political repression at once.

As the rally prepared to march down the Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis Federation of Educators President Marcia Howard pointed out that the MN 15 are far from the only people who stood against ICE during Operation Metro Surge. Howard stated, “They could have got me. Did I stand up for my constitutional rights? Did I observe? Did I stand up for my neighbors? Yes I did and I would do it again.”

Other union and community leaders echoed the importance of solidarity between all people’s movements in the face of repression. Attendees of the protest expressed their intent to continue taking the streets to demand justice for all victims of ICE terror and political repression.

Updates about the case and actions in support of the Minnesota 15 can be found on Instagram @minnesota.15.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #InJusticeSystem #PoliticalRepression #MN15 #Labor #ImmigrantRights #AFLCIO #SEIU #MFE

Aurora, CO – On Thursday, September 24, Terry Burnsed, Arnie Carter, Yoselin Corrales, and El Moss were notified that the Arapahoe County District Attorney’s Office would be filing a motion to dismiss all charges against them stemming from a protest at the Denver Field Office in Centennial, Colorado on July 20.

All four protesters were charged with obstructing a passageway, while Yoselin and El were also charged with obstructing a police officer. After their arrests, the Centennial protesters quickly gained legal representation from the Protest Defense Coalition, committed to solidarity, and vowed to fight against these charges together.

The first stage of the defense campaign required raising public awareness, so the Centennial protesters immediately issued a joint statement to share their perspective on what occurred and set up a page to raise funds for possible legal fees. Next, they hosted a nationwide call-in to the district attorney’s office to reiterate that the protesting is not a crime, that the people stand with the protesters, and to demand that the charges be dropped. While the community overwhelmingly supported the Centennial protesters, a month after their arrest, there had been no noticeable change on the legal front, so they knew they needed to increase public pressure.

In August, the Centennial protesters united to host the recurring weekly vigil at the Aurora GEO Detention Facility that honors all those detained inside and those lost to ICE violence. At this event, the protesters spoke about how there has been an increase in political repression while actively letting ICE get away with murder.

Anti-ICE sentiment has been growing across the country When the public could hear from the protesters themselves, it humanized the injustice and brought more people into the fight.

On September 9, the over 40 people show up to offer court support as the Centennial protesters held a press conference and faced their initial hearings, which resulted in arraignments for two of the protesters. Because the DA’s office was overbooked with four hearings, two protesters walked away without completing the first step in the process and were rescheduled.

At the press conference, Corrales’ attorney Victoria Dorn said, “It’s incredibly disappointing that Amy Padden, who ran as a progressive prosecutor, is choosing to file charges against individuals who are trying to protect some of the most vulnerable members of our community, instead of going after ICE agents who day after day violate state and federal laws, not just here in Denver but across the country.”

All four of the protesters were in the process of working with their lawyers and preparing for their next court date on October 20 when they received the good news.

“This is not just a victory for the Centennial protesters; this is a victory for organizers everywhere. It shows that when we come together and fight back, we can win! It also proves that developing connections and solidarity across movements, fighting back publicly, and strengthening people power is vital to building a successful defense campaign,” said Yoselin Corrales

Burnsed, Carter, Corrales, and Moss are still facing federal charges and will be returning to court on October 8 at the Alfred A. Arraj U.S. Courthouse in Denver for their first federal hearings and are inviting the public to attend.

#AuroraCO #CO #ImmigrantRights #InJusticeSystem #PoliticalRepression #