Denver, CO — On April 3, about 60 protesters gathered outside the Colorado State Capitol to oppose the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy in an 8-1 vote. The action was organized by the Denver Coalition Against Trump and Bread and Roses Legal Center.

Conversion therapy, widely regarded as a pseudoscience, is the practice of attempting to change a person’s gender or sexuality to cisgender or heterosexual norms. This often happens against the subject’s will and it has been shown to be highly ineffective, often causing psychological harm and effects such as significantly higher mental health disorder rates and higher suicide rates. Conversion therapy practices range from the seemingly innocuous, like talk therapy, to cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment, including treatment many experts would consider to be torture.

More than 20 U.S. states have banned conversion therapy for minors, and Colorado banned the practice as a whole in 2019.

Kacey Hicks of Denver Students for a Democratic Society, who emceed the action at the capitol, told the crowd, “This attack is just one of many carried out by the Trump administration and its allies on queer and trans people. It is one of many attacks used to try to make trans and queer people afraid while our rights keep getting stripped away.”

The crowd outside the capitol chanted “Donald Trump, let’s be clear, trans folks are welcome here!” and “Donald Trump, go away, trans folks are here to stay!”

After hearing speeches, the crowd took the streets of Denver. The protest leaders got on the back of a truck to continue chants throughout Capitol Hill, a neighborhood considered Denver’s main LGBTQ hub. Throughout the march, the crowd was cheered on by passersby in the local queer-owned businesses as they halted Friday night traffic.

After the protesters marched back to the capitol, Katherine Draken, a member of Teamsters for a Democratic Union gave a speech. Draken said, “It deserves to be repeated that conversion therapy has been thoroughly discredited! Doing conversion therapy on transgender children is child abuse!”

The protest closed out with more speeches, closing remarks, and chants calling for trans liberation.

#DenverCO #CO #LGBTQ #SupremeCourt #SCOTUS

The court singled out Trump’s use of the International Economic Emergency Powers Act, or IEEPA, to levy tariffs on almost all countries and particular tariffs on Canada, China and Mexico – allegedly for facilitating the importation of fentanyl into the United States. The legal basis for the ruling was that the IEEPA makes no mention of tariffs.

This is the first major case where SCOTUS has limited the power of the presidency under Trump.

Trump was not happy about the decision, saying, “I can do anything I want” and re-imposed a global 10% tariff on imports using the Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, which allows the president to impose tariffs of up to 15% in response to a “large and serious” balance of payments deficits. The United States has been running large and serious trade deficits for decades, mainly because U.S., European and Japanese corporations have offshored production meant for the U.S. market, for example Apple’s computers and smartphones.

However, this law only allows for tariffs for a period of 150 days, meaning that Trump would have to ask Congress to agree to an extension in July. This is very unlikely to happen with the midterm elections looming.

Trump is also likely to expand sectoral, or good specific tariffs under section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 where imports are a “threat to national security.” He has already used this to put tariffs on aluminum, steel, copper, lumber and wood products. This act is commonly misused because the threat to national security is not defined.

For example, imported kitchen cabinets are being tariffed because the wood products industry is claimed to be important to national security. However, this act requires an investigation and finding by the Commerce Department which takes time and effort and cannot be done on a whim.

In a sign that the chaotic tariff rollout and retractions are not over, the day after Trump declared 10% global tariffs, he raised the rate to 15%, the maximum allowed by law. Still to come will be lawsuits by U.S. companies seeking to be reimbursed for the billions of dollars in the illegal tariffs that they paid. Finally, are the review of the USMCA (formerly NAFTA) coming up in July, where the United States is expected to try to tighten trade rules.

While the SCOTUS decision was a setback to Trump’s imperial presidency, it by no means a return to a more free trade approach.

Both Democrats and Republicans are likely to restrict trade, in particular with China, which is surpassing the United States in one industry after another. For example, Trump used the section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 in his first term to impose tariffs on imports from China on the basis of “unreasonable or discriminatory” trade practices by a country as found by the U.S. trade representative. These tariffs were maintained by the Biden administration and continue to this day.

Even a future Democratic administration is likely to keep major tariffs, especially since there are now industries benefiting from protection.

#SanJoseCA #CA #CapitalismAndEconomy #Tariffs #SCOTUS #Trump

Boyle Heights, CA – On September 21, Centro CSO led a rally dubbed “ICE Out of Our Barrios” as a part of the national weekend of action called by the Legalization For All (L4A). The action denounced the Supreme Court ruling to legalize DHS agents’ racially profiling Raza based on their skin complexion, the language they speak, places they work at and live in as “relevant factors” for suspicion of being in the country illegally.

About 30 people gathered at Mariachi Plaza and chanted “Stop the deportations,” “ICE out of LA” “LAPD, KKK, IOF they're all the same!” and denounced the deaths caused by ICE agents during their violent raids.

“We are gathered here because a dangerous decision was just made at the highest court of this land,” said Verita Topete, who leads CSO’s Immigration Committee. “This ruling is an attack on our working-class immigrant community, on students, on families who keep this city alive. It means our neighbors, friends and family can be questioned, detained, or even killed simply for being who they are.”

On September 8, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of ICE to conduct “roving patrols” and gave ICE the green light to legally use racial profiling to detain and arrest Chicanos and Raza immigrants suspected of living in the country illegally. The decision came after the district court in July ordered the Department of Homeland Security to stop racially profiling Chicanos, Mexicanos, Centro Americanos and Latinos in southern California during ICE stops.

“We demand an end to police killings against Raza and an end to oppression that Chicanos face at the bloody hands of LAPD, LASD and CHP!” said Gabriel Quiroz Jr, the co-chair of CSO’s Police Accountability Committee, who connected the Supreme Court ruling to the constant law enforcement attacks Chicanos face. “Who better to make a difference than us? Who better to fight back against oppression than Raza, who had the boot of U.S. imperialism on their neck their whole lives? That's why we uplift the demand of ‘Community Control of the Police,’ we want to give Raza the power to determine how policing looks like in their barrio and to be able to hire and fire pigs and to be able to jail killer cops.”

“Immigrants and working-class people are under attack not just by ICE and the police but from the U.S. imperialist system,” said Victor Rodriguez who spoke on behalf of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization. ”We’re not criminals! Immigrants are not the problem! The real problem is a system that values profit over people and borders over humanity!”

Carlos Montes, a co-chair of Centro CSO’s education committee, stated, “Immigrant communities are also put into overcrowded schools, students are pushed into the military and schools targeted by privatization by charter schools!”

Kate Regan, a teacher and member of Centro CSO, said, “Democracy only works if we work it. The people must defend due process. Defend the right to free, public education. Defend the right for people to live in their communities without fear of being kidnapped.”

Sol Marquez, a co-chair of Centro CSO’s Immigration Committee, raised the names of immigrants recently killed by ICE. The crowd chanted, “Silverio Villegas-González! Jaime Alanis Garcia! Roberto Carlos Montoya Valdez!” Marquez also connected the protest in Boyle Heights to the actions across the country from member organizations of the Legalization 4 All Network.

After speeches, the crowd blocked off First Street while chanting and holding large banners and signs.

For more information, follow Centro CSO on social media or email them at CentroCSO@gmail.com.

#BoyleHeightsCA #LosAngelesCA #CA #ImmigrantRights #CentroCSO #ICE #SCOTUS

Los Angeles, CA – Centro CSO has called for a “ICE Out of Our Barrios” protest at Mariachi Plaza this Sunday, September 21, at 2 p.m.

The ICE Out of Our Barrios protest is a response to the SCOTUS ruling that happened on September 8. The ruling allows ICE to conduct “roving patrols” and gives ICE the green light to legally use racial profiling as a way to continue to intimidate and harass Chicanos. This means that ICE can detain and interrogate Raza simply for being brown, Chicanos, speaking Spanish, or living and working in working-class neighborhoods. This is a dangerous expansion of ICE authority that is targeting the working-class immigrant community and further perpetuating national oppression of Chicanos.

Rafael Arman Cazzorla, a Boyle Heights resident and new Centro CSO member says, “It is important for us to assemble and gather to let our thoughts be heard when immigrant rights are more and more being taken away. This SCOTUS ruling is one of many that does just that – it dehumanizes, alienates, and tries to erase or forcibly remove the existence of immigrants and people of color in this country. But we have been here even before this country existed, and we will continue to be here. With rulings like these, I think this administration needs reminding of that.”

A national weekend of action from September 19 through 21 was called by the Legalization for All Network (L4A). Centro CSO is leading the protest in Los Angeles. The demands being uplifted in the neighborhood of Boyle Heights are: ICE out of LA; no racial profiling, and legalization for all! Additionally, L4A is calling on all organizers to uplift ICE victim Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez who was killed by ICE agents in Chicago. He was shot to death and then his body flipped over. As he lay dying, he was handcuffed and then taken in.

Other protests will be taking place on the weekend of September 19-21 in Tallahassee, Detroit, Minneapolis, San Jose, Oakland and Tampa. This solidarity action will show that from the barrios of Los Angeles to every corner of this country, we will resist and fight back. We will continue to organize.

Sunday's protest will bring together community members and allied organizations to show that our barrios will not be silent and that we will not be intimidated. Centro CSO condemns the recent SCOTUS ruling and demands that local and state officials refuse to cooperate with racially motivated enforcement tactics.

Centro CSO has been at the forefront of the fight against anti-immigrant enforcement tactics, exposing collaborations between ICE, local police and sheriff departments, and organizing neighbors to know their rights.

For more information, follow Centro CSO on social media or email them at CentroCSO@gmail.com.

#LosAngelesCA #CA #ImmigrantRights #L4A #CentroCSO #ICE #SCOTUS #Feature

Milwaukee, WI – Around 30 people gathered for a press conference and rally Wednesday, July 2 celebrating a landmark Wisconsin Supreme Court decision that effectively restored abortion access in the state. The court ruled 4-3 in favor that Wisconsin's 1849 law is not an abortion ban. This clarification removes the legal threat the ambiguous law posed to abortion providers since the fall of Roe v. Wade in 2022.

Due to this, abortion services were paused for 15 months in Wisconsin while the legality was decided by the courts. “This interpretation of an 1849 law confirms what we know is true, abortion is not a crime,” remarked Blake Jones, chair of Reproductive Justice Action Milwaukee (RJAM).

“But our fight is far from over,” she continued, “Right now, significant barriers to access still exist. State law enforces a 24-hour waiting period for abortions, paired with a mandatory ultrasound. Telehealth services for abortion care remain illegal, leaving rural Wisconsinites behind.”

While abortion remains legal in the state, enemy forces come into play when it comes to accessing healthcare for women.

Fight Back News previously covered RJAM’s battle against fake clinics, also known as crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs). “It’s Pro-Life Wisconsin and Wisconsin Right to Life who want to take abortion protections away. They are in our communities funding fake clinics, using deceptive tactics for influencing women to not seek an abortion,” said Reproductive Justice Action Milwaukee Propaganda Chair and Freedom Road Socialist member Carly Klein, the emcee of the event.

But Milwaukee will not give up the fight, said Jones, “So we’re calling on every politician and lawmaker: Include us in the fight for reproductive freedom. We the people demand our seat at the table. And to all Wisconsinites, stay activated. If today proves anything, when we fight, we win!”

#MilwaukeeWI #WI #WomensMovement #ReproductiveRights #Abortion #SCOTUS #CPCs #RJAM

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Legalization for All Network.

In an outrageous ruling the Supreme Court of the U.S. (SCOTUS) gave the green light to Texas State Bill 4 (SB4) putting it immediately into effect in Texas. This bill is also known as the “Show Me Your Papers” bill, as it gives Texas law enforcement powers that only federal agencies possess – the power to stop, question, and arrest a person about U.S. citizenship status, as well as power to deport.

The Legalization for All (L4A) Network condemns this recent act by SCOTUS as well as Texan Governor Greg Abbott for being the originator of SB4. This bill will be used to further terrorize and racially profile Chicano, Latino, undocumented people, and those seeking asylum in the state of Texas.

Xavi Velazquez with La Frontera Nos Cruzó says, “All Texans have a responsibility to their neighbor, we look out for each other, silence is complicity. I, along with others here in Dallas, refuse to be complicit in a blatant strike against Raza. This law is an attempt to legitimize the dehumanization of millions of people in this country. ¡Aquí estamos y no nos vamos!”

Amerika Garcia-Grewal resident and activist in Eagle Pass, Texas says, “SB4 is a step backward in our fight for human rights. We must raise our voices louder than ever to protect the vulnerable, which include U.S. citizens of color. In the face of this ruling, we reaffirm our commitment to stand with marginalized communities in Texas, including immigrants, and oppose policies that promote fear and division.”

We are calling all indignant of SB4 to act now. The three following action items are what you can do to help.

1. Flood Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s lines now (Texas residents) 1-800-843-5789 or for all others 512-463-1782 and read the following script

SCRIPT: “Hi, my name is (your name) calling from (City/State) with the Legalization for All Network to denounce Texas State Bill 4! We condemn Texas law enforcement being given the power to racially profile and deport anyone they want! Down with SB4!”

2. Participate in the large action against SB4 in Dallas/Fort Worth March 24th 2:00 pm at City Garden Park – 1014 Main St Dallas, TX 75202

3. Or Donate to a Texas organization affiliated with L4A, like BorderVigil Zelle bordervigil@gmail.com .

Down with the attacks on the undocumented, down with State Bill 4, and Legalization for All!

If you wish to affiliate with L4A, send us a message now @LegalizationForAll on social media or legalizationforall@gmail.com

#TX #ImmigrantRights #L4A #TXSB4 #SCOTUS #LaFronterNosCruzo

Minneapolis, MN – 30 protesters gathered in front of Mayday Books in the West Bank neighborhood on July 8 to oppose the recent U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) decisions that end affirmative action, enable LBGTQ discrimination, and block student loan forgiveness.

Activists also commemorated the first anniversary of the June 24, 2022, overturn of Roe v. Wade by the SCOTUS in the Dobbs v. Jackson decision. In the year since, 14 states now have near, or total, abortion bans while six states have gestational restrictions.

“When Roe was overturned, many activists sensed that this was only the beginning. Unfortunately, their intuition was correct,” remarked Sarah Murphy, a member of the Minnesota Abortion Action Committee (MNAAC).

Murphy continued, “Just last week, they ruled that acknowledging unequal access due to race through affirmative action is unconstitutional. Literally the next day, they ruled that discriminating against queer and trans people is totally acceptable as long as you say it's because of Jesus.” Murphy referenced the court case of 303 Creative v. Elenis, in which the SCOTUS ruled in favor of a Colorado-based web designer who stated that her Christian faith requires her to turn away LGBTQ clients.

Carolyn Handke, speaking on behalf of Period Wellness, stated, “Periods and abortions are a normal part of healthcare for people who menstruate. Everyone needs access to safe and healthy menstrual cycles and abortion care. Not just those who can afford it.”

Handke expressed the need to expand abortion access in Minnesota, as it has become an abortion safe haven for people in surrounding states. Abortion is illegal in neighboring states North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin, and Iowa voted to implement a six-week abortion ban on July 11.

“The Supreme Court has not stopped its assault on the democratic rights of the people; from allowing businesses to sue unions for losses in strikes, to allowing LGBTQ people to be discriminated against by businesses, to attacks on the rights of Black and native people,” said Siobhan Moore of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

“At the U of M, the administration wants to cut budgets for already underfunded gender and ethnic studies departments,” remarked Sorcha Lona, a member of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) at the University of Minnesota. She continued, “These departments that the student movement fought so hard for will be devastated by this decision.”

SCOTUS rulings are hitting students and higher education hard. On June 29, in the case Students for Fair Admission v. Harvard, the SCOTUS ruled that race-based admissions for schools were discriminatory, overturning affirmative action. In another blow to students, the SCOTUS ruled in Biden v. Nebraska against the Biden administration’s student loan forgiveness. This plan would have delivered up to $20,000 in student loan forgiveness for about 43 million people living in the U.S.

Rachel Storm, also with MNAAC, spoke about political repression by the FBI, saying, “Just recently, one of our comrades from SDS, Gillian [Rath], was contacted by the FBI, and asked about the anti-CPC work we’ve been doing.”

The FBI questioned her about abortion rights activism and her work in opposition to anti-abortion centers, despite not having done anything illegal. Anti-abortion centers, alternatively known as crisis pregnancy centers or CPCs, will no longer receive state funding in the state of Minnesota thanks to the passing of state legislation this spring. However, most CPCs still receive funding from right-wing evangelical organizations with deep pockets. CPCs outnumber legitimate abortion clinics 11 to 1 in the state of Minnesota.

Storm continued, “According to an internal report from the FBI, they’ve opened ten times as many investigations into ‘abortion-related terrorism’ cases than they had in 2021. And this uptick in FBI investigations comes directly from pressure by Republican congresspeople, urging the FBI to investigate charges of 'pro-abortion terrorism.'”

Targeting abortion clinic staff and abortion rights activists, anti-abortion advocates have committed at least eleven murders since 1993. There were 26 attempted murders in the same time period.

Storm concluded, “Does it make any sense for the FBI to target pro-abortion activists when it's abundantly clear who is perpetuating the violence here?”

The Abort the Court protest was organized by the Minnesota Abortion Action Committee, Students for a Democratic Society, Twin Cities Coalition for Justice for Jamar, and Taking Back Pride.

#MinneapolisMN #Labor #LGBTQ #PeoplesStruggles #abortion #Antiracism #AbortionRights #SCOTUS