News and Views from the People's Struggle
Los Angeles, CA – The start of the new school year brought good news in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). At the Breed Street, 2nd Street and Eastman Avenue Elementary Schools, Extera charter school has finally moved out.
San Francisco, CA – On the afternoon of August 15, 100 people gathered in front of the San Francisco Federal Building for a national day of action to demand, “U.S. out of Korea” and “No to a Pacific war.”
Protesters chanted, “No boots on the ground, no bombs in the air! U.S. out of everywhere!” and “From Korea to the Philippines, stop the U.S. war machine!”
Anaheim, CA – On Saturday, August 15, 300 Disney workers took to the streets in front of D23 at the Anaheim Convention Center to demand a fair contract from Disney. D23 is Disney’s official fan club that started in 2009.
Eureka, CA – The case against SDS Humboldt student activist Rick Toledo is quickly unraveling. Months after university police raided his home and seized his electronics under allegations of a felony conspiracy, Humboldt County prosecutors have admitted they do not plan to charge him for conspiracy and now say they do not even need the electronics seized from his home.
Oakland, CA – On Friday, August 14, around 20 community members rallied at a street corner in downtown Oakland to protest another man being killed by Oakland Police Department (OPD). Jose Santos Castillo Ortega, a 43-year-old Latino man, was shot and killed by officers last month after a call by California Highway Patrol, which had pursued him from a homeless community. Very few details of the incident were revealed to the public until body camera footage was uploaded to the public records website.
The protest, called by the Oakland Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, was joined by POOR Magazine, Black Alliance for Peace, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and Community Service Organization. Some protesters held picker signs with the words “FIght against police brutality.”
Los Angeles, CA – On Friday, August 7, Centro CSO held an emergency rally to demand the protection of TPS (Temporary Protected Status) holders. The rally was held at Belvedere Park Lake in East Los Angeles, where ICE kidnappings recently occurred.
Community members were able to learn about the recent attacks on Haitian immigrant communities. The rally then marched to the sidewalk where bystanders honked and raised their fists in support of the signs “ICE out of LA” and “Defend TPS.” The rally took place as part of the Legalization for All Network’s Week of Action, with the demand being to Stop Trump's Mass deportation of Haitian Immigrants, defend TPS, and legalization for all.
[People on the steps of the Santa Ana Federal building protesting the end of TPS for Haitians. ]
Santa Ana, CA – On Saturday, August 9, community members gathered in front of the Santa Ana Federal Building to demand Trump stop his attacks on Haitian immigrants. This protest was a response to a call to action from the Legalization 4 All Network to resist Trump’s racist attack on Haitian immigrants with the ending of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian and Syrian immigrants.
Los Angeles, CA – On Sunday, July 26, over 100 activists from different organizations came together to celebrate the launch of Bulosan – a network fighting for the labor movement in the United States and international solidarity with unions and workers in the Philippines.
“The core of our organization is made up of union organizers and workers who understand the importance of building genuine trade unions, building solidarity between workers in the Philippines and workers in southern California, and organizing overseas Filipino workers to contribute to the struggle back home. Before launching our organization, we grew to include several more organizers and workers and we are now growing every week,” said one of the Bulosan organizers.
San Jose, CA – On August 9, around a dozen people gathered in front of MLK Library in San Jose for a vigil to demand justice for Corey Ruiz, a 34-year-old African-American man who was murdered by the police on July 22 in Madison, Wisconsin. Community members brought flowers, candles and signs with slogans like, “Justice for Corey, jail killer cops” and “Justice for victims of police violence.”
San José, CA – On Friday, August 7, the Bureau of the Labor Statistics (BLS) of the Department of Labor reported that the U.S. economy had lost 23,000 jobs in July. This was much lower than what economists had estimated, which was of a gain of 80,000 jobs. To make matters worse, revisions to the reports for May and June showed that 100,000 fewer jobs were created than reported earlier.
Los Angeles, CA – On July 30, Centro CSO’s Police Accountability Committee held an emergency rally to demand justice for Corey Ruiz, a 34-year-old African American man who was killed by the police on July 22 in Madison, Wisconsin. Over a dozen community members gathered at Mariachi Plaza in Boyle Heights.
The protest in Los Angeles was a part of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression week of action to demand justice for Corey Ruiz. The rally-goers held signs that uplifted the demands coming out of Madison, including “Jail killers cops” and “Community Control of police.” They also held posters with Corey Ruiz’s face on them.
Anaheim, CA – On July 30, Community Service Organization, Orange County (CSO OC), the family of Albert Arzola, and residents of Anaheim delivered a petition of 1840 signatures to the Anaheim Police Department.
San Francisco, CA – On July 27, a crowd surrounded the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco for the People’s State of the Nation Address to protest against the reactionary Bongbong Marcos Jr. This comes after a torrent of nationwide protests which have rocked the Philippines in the wake of economic disasters and armed attacks on workers and farmers.
Los Angels, CA – On July 25, in downtown Los Angeles a coalition of over 50 organizations and faith leaders gathered for a funeral procession to honor the lives of those murdered by ICE. This action was organized under the slogan “Justice for All.”
The procession started at LA City Hall and marched through the streets carrying handmade cardboard coffins and pictures of those killed by ICE, including Keith Porter, Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti.
No Camps CA and NELA for Democracy were the two main groups that organized this vigil demanding a full, independent investigation, the release and protection of those who witnessed the murder of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, an end to local collaboration with ICE, and for immediate action by Congress.
Marylinda Moss from NELA for Democracy told the crowd, “It was powerful and moving to have more than 50 grassroots groups here in LA and all across the country come together in unity in just over a week, for [the] ‘Justice for All Day of Action and Accountability’ to stand in solidarity against the brutality and the senseless killings enacted by this government. Thanks to the many hands and hearts it took to make over 70 coffins in a week, paired with the ‘Killed by ICE’ placards; it was an undeniable visual of what is being done to our people.”
Los Jornaleros Del Norte, a band that is known for leading protests with cumbias and “Music that accompanies the struggle and celebrates the dignity of the immigrant and working-class community,” guided the procession from Los Angeles City Hall to Placita Olvera.
Brianna Mosqueda from Centro CSO said, “Being able to be a pallbearer was an honor. But it also made me think about the 73-plus families that have to carry their fathers, mothers, or children to rest. These families suffer because of modern day ethnic cleansing. We see the warnings and if we don’t do anything now, this will become a genocide.”
Michelle Arkin with No Concentration Camps CA said, “At the Justice for All vigil in downtown Los Angeles we gathered to mourn lives that should never have been lost: Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, Johan Sebastian Guerrero, and the more than 70 people who have died in ICE custody or murdered on our streets. Our grief is real, but it is not the end of the story. Standing and processing with 73 coffins in solidarity, we transformed mourning into a powerful reminder that no one stands alone. Unity is our greatest strength.”
Verita Topete, the co-chair of Centro CSO’s Immigration Committee, read a statement of accountability and ended with, “We can say ‘abolish ICE’ but what happens when ICE is abolished? Before ICE there was INS. The people in power will just start over and build another agency to oppress and kill us. This is why we need legalization for all 11-plus million undocumented immigrants.”
Los Angeles, CA – On July 25 in the City of Industry, 50 people protested outside the Industry Sheriff’s Station to demand justice for Joseph Perez and for his immediate release from jail.
Gilroy, CA – On Sunday, July 19, over 250 community members of all ages and backgrounds gathered at San Ysidro Park to protest the planned ICE facility under construction in Gilroy. The strategic placement of the ICE detention center, located in the southern region of Santa Clara County in Northern California, would allow for an increase in immigration enforcement activity, threatening surrounding communities.
Oakland, CA- On Saturday, July 18, 32 community members gathered at the site where the Oakland Police Department (OPD) shot and killed a man in Oakland's Fruitvale district on Monday afternoon. Mourners placed flowers and candles on a street median near a shopping center where the victim died, held moments of silence, and created protest art in the street to honor his life while demanding justice and accountability.
Santa Ana, CA – El miércoles por la tarde, 15 de julio, cerca de 70 manifestantes tomaron la esquina de las calles Bristol y 1st en Santa Ana con el grito de “¡Justicia para Lorenzo Salgado Araujo! ¡Justicia para Joan Sebastian Guerrero!” y “¡Manos fuera de Nadia!”. Esta protesta se llevó a cabo durante una semana de acción nacional convocada por la Red de Legalización para Todos para exigir justicia para Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, Joan Sebastian Guerrero y la activista por los derechos de los inmigrantes Nadia Topete.
Santa Ana, CA – El 8 de julio, más de 50 chicanos se manifestaron afuera de la corte federal en apoyo a Nadia Topete, una activista chicana por los derechos de los inmigrantes de Centro CSO que estuvo dentro compareciendo ante un gran jurado. Solo días antes, el 1 de julio, agentes federales llegaron a la casa de Nadia con otra citación del gran jurado, amenazándola con que, si no se presentaba, podría ser declarada en desacato.
Los Angeles – On July 14, Centro CSO and the family of Jeremy Anthony Flores, along with allies, gathered at Mariachi Plaza in Boyle Heights to honor Jeremy's life on his one year Angelversary. Flores, a 26-year-old Chicano, was shot and killed by officers from LAPD’s Hollenbeck Division on July 14, 2025.
The vigil for Flores began with setting out flowers, photos, candles and handmade posters It was followed by a small program of speakers from local organizations and other impacted families.