News and Views from the People's Struggle
San Jose, CA – On March 15, over 40 people gathered in downtown San Jose to demand an end to the U.S. war on Iran. They chanted “Hands off Iran,” to supportive honks from people driving past the protest. Community members waved Iranian and Palestinian signs and held signs reading, “No war on Iran” and “San Jose: divest from genocide.” The protest was part of the Anti-War Action Network National Day of Action.
San José, CA – Over 100 people gathered on March 8 in downtown San José for a rally and march to Robert F. Peckham Federal Building courthouse. Protesters condemned Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s brutalization of women throughout Trump’s second term, including Renee Nicole Good, who ICE fatally shot in Minneapolis.
San José, CA – This morning, March 8, a week into Trump’s war on Iran, I went to fill up the car’s gas tank. I had been meaning to do this for a few days, but in this case, I paid for my procrastination, with the price of gas at my go-to, independent, local gas station 40 cents a gallon higher, as compared to when I last got gas before the war started.
San Jose, CA – On the evening of Tuesday, March 3, about 40 people gathered in front of the steps of Dr. MLK Jr. Library in the heart of downtown San Jose to protest U.S. intervention in Venezuela, the intensified blockade on Cuba, and the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran.
A colorful array of flags for Cuba, Venezuela and Iran flew, along with signs saying, “End the blockade on Cuba,” “Hands off Venezuela” and “No war with Iran.”
Drusie Kazanova, member of Freedom Road Socialist Organization told the crowd, “It’s barely March, we’ve already seen Trump escalate his aggression against Cuba, Venezuela and Iran, three of the world’s strongest and most steadfast opponents of U.S. imperialism.”
Kazanova continued, “The decline of U.S. imperialism is accelerating. Trump is trying to preserve the dying U.S. empire, and control of the Middle East and Latin America is a part of that project.”
Nassim Nouri, an Iranian-American and member of the Green Party of Santa Clara County, said, “Every socialist country that has raised its fist, its hope, its humanity and its resources for the people, has been subjected to crushing attacks and sanctions and deprivation by the U.S. empire.”
Akubundu Amazu of the All African Peoples Revolutionary Party spoke to the crowd, “There is a common denominator between all these places that U.S. imperialism goes against and that is oil. They all have resources that this war machine desperately needs. But the people are organizing against this!”
Joan Simon of the San Jose Peace and Justice Center spoke about the difference in peoples’ rights in Cuba and the U.S. saying, “In the Cuban constitution everyone has the right to healthcare and education. Just think about how different our country could be if we prioritized people over profit. That is why Cuba is such a danger to the U.S.”
Dyon Capote, a Cuban-American and member of San Jose Against War said, “We will not be silent at the time when Trump launches wars of aggression, and justifies the kidnapping of Venezuela’s president. Nor will we remain silent when the U.S. intensifies a policy of economic warfare on Cuba!”
Sharat Lin, another member of the San Jose Peace and Justice speaking on their experience observing elections in Cuba and Venezuela and compared it to U.S. elections, saying, “The turnout in Cuba’s constitutional referendum was 90% whereas in the U.S. we’re lucky if we get 60% participation,” highlighting how much more confidence Cubans have in their democracy than their counterparts in the U.S.
Tim Phan of Students for a Democratic Society at San Jose State University stated, “We condemn the U.S. Israeli strikes on not just Iran, but on Palestine and the rest of the world!”
Phan continued, “From Mexico to the Philippines, to Palestine and Iran, we will stop the American war machine and say, ‘Hell no!’”
The rally ended with a call to action by San Jose Against War and their allies to mobilize at the San Jose City Council meeting on March 24 at 1:30 p.m. to demand the city pass an ethical investment policy which would divest and bar any further investment in companies with ties to Israel, ICE and the prison system.
San José, CA – On Friday, March 6, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the jobs market took an unexpected fall in February, with a loss of 92,000 jobs.
The job losses were widespread, including manufacturing, construction, transportation and warehousing, information, temporary help, health care, leisure and hospitality, and government all shedding jobs.
San Jose, CA – On Sunday, February 15, more than 300 people gathered at San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin to commemorate the signing of Executive Order 9066, which initiated the incarceration of over 120,000 Japanese-Americans into concentration camps during World War II.
San Jose, CA – On Saturday February 28, over 100 people gathered on the corner of Stevens Creek and Winchester in San Jose to protest the U.S.– Israeli war on Iran. The emergency protest occurred less than 24 hours after news first broke about Israeli strikes on Iran, with the U.S. joining the bombing campaign shortly thereafter.
San Jose, CA – On February 17, a dozen San José State University students gathered outside the administrative building to protest corporate war profiters that were participating in the Career Center’s Job & Internship. Students held signs that read “No war with Venezuela” and “Free Palestine.”
San José, CA – On Friday, February 20, the Supreme Court of the United States, or SCOTUS, ruled by a 6-3 vote that most of Trump’s trumps tariffs were illegal.
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.
San José, CA – On Friday, February 20, the first estimate of Gross Domestic Product, or GDP, for the last three months of 2025 was released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The 1.4% annualized rate of growth reported was much less than the forecast by economists of 2.5% and even less than the rate of GDP growth for the July to September period, which was 4.4%.
San José, CA – The December report on the U.S. trade deficit of goods and services, or how much more the U.S. imported as compared to exports, jumped to $70 billion. For 2025 as a whole, the U.S. trade deficit totaled a little more than $900 billion, almost the same as in 2024. This means that Trump’s on and off again tariffs failed to close the gap between imports and exports – which Trump claimed would bring more production home. This fact matched the deterioration in the number of manufacturing jobs, which shrank every month in 2025, for a total loss of more than 100,000 jobs last year.
San Jose, CA – On February 19, community members gave public comment at the San Jose Public Safety, Finance, and Strategic Support Committee meeting to demand that the city pass an ethical investment policy.
Noticiero ¡Lucha y Resiste! está circulando la siguiente declaración de la Campaña de Justicia para Guillermo.
San José, CA – La Campaña de Justicia para Guillermo condena de manera inequívoca la decisión del juez de inmigración Steven M. Kirchner de ordenar la re-detención de Guillermo sin derecho a fianza. Esta decisión no solo viola el debido proceso, sino que quebranta la seguridad comunitaria que nuestros sistemas de justicia e inmigración dicen proteger. Guillermo luchó —y ganó— el derecho a que su caso fuera escuchado ante “juez neutral” mientras continuaba su proceso de rehabilitación. En cambio, fue arrestado nuevamente el Día de San Valentín. Guillermo Reyes fue violentamente detenido afuera de su hogar, procesado a través de Stockton ERO y transferido al Centro de Detención de California City—una antigua prisión que actualmente enfrenta una demanda legal en curso por condiciones abusivas de detención.
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Justice for Guillermo Campaign.
San Jose, CA – The Justice for Guillermo Campaign unequivocally condemns Immigration Judge Steven M. Kirchner’s decision to order Guillermo’s re-detention without bond. The decision not only violates due process, but it undermines the community safety our justice and immigration systems purport to protect. Guillermo fought for-–and won-–the right to have his case heard before “a neutral adjudicator” while he continued his rehabilitative journey. Instead, he was re-arrested on Valentine’s Day. Guillermo Reyes was violently abducted outside his home, processed through Stockton ERO, and transferred to California City Detention Facility—a former prison currently facing ongoing litigation over abusive detention conditions.
San José, CA – The annual updating of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS, a division of the Department of Labor) of the job creation numbers cut the annual number by 403,000 new jobs. This meant that only 181,000 net new jobs were created for the year, or only about 15,000 new jobs per month. This is the lowest annual number outside of a recession year since 2003, when the U.S. economy was in what was then named a “jobless recovery” after the 2001 recession.
San Jose, CA – Over 1000 protesters marched and rallied during the Super Bowl LX, February 8, to demand Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) out of San José. Activists, community organizations and unions rallied against the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) threat to conduct immigration enforcement during the Super Bowl LX.
San Jose, CA – On January 29, 30 San Jose State University students gathered in front of Clark Hall to protest Trump’s military escalations in Venezuela, threats to invade Iran, the ongoing genocide in Gaza, and the university’s ties to the war industry.
San Jose, CA – On January 28, around 80 San Jose State University students gathered near the Arch of Dignity and then marched to protest against recent ICE killings and in solidarity with the ongoing struggles against federal agents in Minneapolis and elsewhere in the country.
San Jose, CA – On January 24, In the wake of the killing of the two community observers in Minneapolis by ICE – Renee Good and Alex Pretti – CSO (Community Service Organization) San Jose organized and rally and march that took over 200 people to the streets in solidarity with Minneapolis, demanding an end to the ICE terror and to deportations.
San Jose, CA – On Saturday, January 17, San Jose Against War (SJAW) demonstrated against Trump’s second term and one year of Project 2025.
The group gathered at a busy intersection in the heart of Silicon Valley, leading chants and holding banners and signs as afternoon commuters looked on, many honking and waving as they passed by. Protesters carried signs reading, “Legalization for all!” “Silicon Valley has blood on their hands!” and “San Jose divest from genocide.”