Chicago, IL- 50 survivors of wrongful convictions and police torture, family members and community packed into a small South Side church for a town hall meeting on police torture and wrongful conviction on the evening of March 21.

The town hall was organized by the Campaign to Free Incarcerated Survivors of Police Torture (CFIST), a campaign of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR) and featured a panel of survivors of police torture and wrongful conviction and their family members.

Chicago has a unique history of police torture dating back to the 1970s, when disgraced police commander Jon Burge and his “midnight crew” of racist detectives began a decades-long pattern of torture, targeting mostly Black men on Chicago’s South Side. Today, corrupt detectives in CPD and their allies in the Cook County states attorney’s office continue to tear families apart and draw them into conflict with the system.

“I’m in this fight because I was victimized,” said Robert Johnson, who was released from prison last month after serving nearly 29 years for a 1996 murder he had nothing to do with.

“I’m a survivor,” Johnson said in his remarks on the panel. “I think about these brothers that are still locked up every day. It’s hell in there.”

Jasmine Smith, a co-chair of both CFIST and CAARPR, set the tone for the event by asking the panel, “What needs to change in order to stop this pattern of police torture and abuse?”

Clayborn Smith, a wrongful conviction survivor and litigator, said change will not come from the current political parties. “Neither Democrat nor Republican actually want to do anything about [police torture and wrongful convictions],” Smith said. “They never talk about all the wrongfully convicted people locked up while the real criminal is on the streets.”

Adolfo Davis, who was sentenced to life without parole at age 14 and spent 27 years in prison, agreed with Smith about the need for mass action beyond mainstream political parties. “We know who politicians are,” Davis said. “We need us to change anything.”

Davis continued, calling out the racist tactics used by the ruling class to divide oppressed peoples. “They made us believe immigrants are our enemy,” he said. “It was all a plan to control us. Stop being tricked.”

“Change starts from you, the people, “ said Mark Clements, who spent 28 years in prison after being tortured into giving a false confession by Burge and his “midnight crew.” Today, he is an organizer with the Chicago Torture Justice Center and sits on the board of The Illinois Torture Inquiry and Relief Commission (TIRC).

Clements called out the economic basis for mass incarceration and racist policing, and called for mass action to fight back. “From the days of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, we saw that when you affect their economics, they are open to change,” he said. “This system operates around money.”

Annette Gomez, wife of Elias Gomez, not only uplifted her husband’s case of 30 years of wrongful conviction, but she also reminded the room that this struggle is larger than just one case. “We have to continue to fight not just for my husband, but for your brother, and your cousin, and your nephew,” she said. “It doesn’t stop here.”

#ChicagoIL #IL #InJusticeSystem #PoliceCrimes #CAARPR #CFIST #TIRC

Chicago, IL – El sábado, 31 de enero, acompañado por activistas comunitarios que han estado en las calles defendiendo a los inmigrantes contra la ocupación de ICE, el alcalde Brandon Johnson firmó una orden ejecutiva histórica.

La orden ejecutiva hace Chicago la primera ciudad que requiere a la policía investigar y referir agentes federales para procesamiento penal por delitos graves.

“Nadie está sobre la ley. No hay ninguna cosa como la ‘inmunidad absoluta’ en Estados Unidos,” dijo el alcalde Brandon Johnson. “La ilegalidad de los agentes de inmigración militarizados de Trump pone en peligro inmediato las vidas y el bienestar de los residentes de Chicago. Con la orden de hoy, le estamos advirtiendo a ICE en nuestra ciudad. Chicago no se sentará mientras Trump inunda nuestras comunidades con agentes federales y aterroriza a nuestros residentes.”

El gobierno federal ha dicho que está planeando otro surgimiento de ICE en el área de Chicago este marzo. El llamado del alcalde Johnson al procesamiento penal es en respuesta a la ausencia de consecuencias legales tras el tiroteo contra Marimar Martínez en Chicago y los asesinatos de Silverio Villegas González en Franklin Park, un suburbio de Chicago, y el de Renee Good y Alex Pretti en Minneapolis.

Frank Chapman de la Alianza de Chicago Contra la Represión Racista y Política dijo, “Estuve orgulloso de acompañar al alcalde Johnson ayer cuando firmó una orden ejecutiva histórica que ordena al Departamento de Policía de Chicago involucrarse activamente en hacer que los agentes de ICE rindan cuentas, presentando denuncias hacia la oficina del fiscal de estado.”

La fiscal estatal, Eileen Burke, es bien conocida por fallar en luchar contra ICE. Ha evadido demandas para investigar y cerrar la instalación de ICE en Broadview, con reportes de tratamiento inhumano hacia detenidos. Burke también ha rechazado la prosecución del agente de ICE quien asesinó a Silverio Villegas González, un trabajador inmigrante baleado por ICE después de dejar a su niño en la escuela en Franklin Park en septiembre.

#ChicagoIL #IL #ImmigrantRights #ICE #CAARPR #NAARPR #BrandonJohnson

Chicago, IL – On Wednesday, February 25, a coalition of organizations fighting for human rights and democracy in the Philippines rallied outside of the Philippine Consulate to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the ousting of Marcos Sr. and the People Power Revolution, to confront continued corruption in the Philippines, and to hold the Philippine Consulate accountable for its neglect of Filipino migrants.

“Imperyalismo!” “Ibagksak!” “Marcos mismo!” “Babagsak!”

“Imperialism!” “Will topple!” “Marcos!” “Will topple!” chanted protesters.

The action commemorated the 1986 People Power Revolution (EDSA), in which the Filipino people fought against corruption and ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos, whose rule saw grave human rights violations including extrajudicial imprisonment, torture, and the murder of 3240 Filipinos. Speakers emphasized that despite the ousting of Marcos Sr. in 1986, the struggle against corruption in the Philippines is ongoing and that collusion between the U.S. and Philippine government must end.

“Patience has never liberated a generation! Compliance has never protected democracy! Those crowds at EDSA were not waiting for permission, they flooded the streets!” declared a member of Anakbayan at UIC, a youth and student organization building international solidarity and fighting for the liberation of the Philippines.

Throughout the program, multiple groups performed songs about the struggle for national liberation in the Philippines. During one of the songs, Aklasan, the crowd was encouraged to sing along to the chorus:

“Bawat sipag, bawat lakas

Ay umaklas!

Diwang dungo’t ulong yuko’y

Itinayo

Ang maliit na ginahis

Ay nagtindig”

“Every effort, every force

Rose up!

Subdued spirits and bowed heads

Were lifted up!

The small that were subdued,

Stood up!”

Speakers from Malaya Chicago and Tanggol Migrante continued by uplifting the struggle for immigrant rights in the United States, citing the experiences of Filipino immigrants in detention who are experiencing medical neglect and incompetence from the Philippine Consulate.

One of the stories uplifted was that of Tita Rebecca, a 71-year-old Filipina grandmother who was held in ICE detention for nine months and repeatedly denied proper medical care or examination before being secretly deported without notice to her family. Throughout Tita Rebecca’s time in ICE detention, the Philippine Consulate proved to be unhelpful to her family and organizers, refusing to speak with her family and actively working with ICE to keep details of her deportation concealed.

“Lahat ng sangkot!” “Dapat managot!”

“Everyone involved!” “Must be held accountable!” chanted protesters.

Speakers also told the story of Chantal Anicoche, a Filipina-American youth activist taking part in an immersion trip who was kidnapped by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) following the U.S. backed bombing of the Mangyan people in Mindoro that killed five people. After a nearly month-long international campaign, Chantal Anicoche was freed and able to safely return home to the United States.

Organizers commenced the rally with more chants and a group photo.

“The people, united, will never be defeated!”

“El pueblo, unido, jamás será vencido!”

“Ang tao, ang bayan, ngayon ay lumalaban!”

Organizations participating in the event included Malaya, Migrante, Tanggol Migrante, Bayan, Anakbayan at UIC, Anakbayan Chicago, Philippine-U.S. Solidarity Organization (PUSO) Chicago, Chicago Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines (CCHRP), Anti-War Committee Chicago (AWC), and the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR).

#ChicagoIL #IL #Anakbayan #Bayan #CAARPR #AWC #CCHRP #PUSO #International #Philippines

Chicago, IL— Hundreds of protesters gathered in downtown Chicago’s freezing wind on Saturday, February 7 to honor one month since the murder of Renee Good at the hands of ICE and to demand justice for those killed by ICE. The protest was called by the Coalition Against the Trump Agenda in response to a national call for action from the Legalization for All Network.

In Chicago, the demand for justice and accountability is targeted at Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen Burke, who has consistently stood on the side of corrupt and violent police officers and against the people’s movements.

A week ago, prompted by the growing public demand for ICE accountability, Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order directing the Chicago Police Department (CPD) to watch for illegal activity by ICE agents and report felony charges to the State’s Attorney at the mayor’s direction. Burke opposed the order in an internal memo to her staff, calling it “inappropriate,” and claiming it would interfere with her office’s ability to prosecute federal agents.

Nick Sous, an organizer with the Arab American Action Network (AAAN), called out Burke’s hypocrisy in his remarks at the protest, “The only thing in the way of Eileen Burke prosecuting killer cops or ICE agents is Eileen Burke.”

In her first week in office in December 2024, Burke dropped the charges against Oak Lawn Police officer Patrick O’Donnell, who had helped beat Arab youth Hadi Abuatelah within inches of his life, along with two other officers in 2022.

Johnnie Showers, a member of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression and wife of wrongful conviction survivor Devon Showers, also spoke at the protest. Showers has seen the corruption of CPD and the state’s attorney’s office firsthand in her struggle to free her husband and called for solidarity in the fight to hold both ICE and CPD accountable.

Showers said that ICE and CPD are “working together against us, the working class, the ones that pay their bills,” Showers said. “They are kidnapping us and killing us in the jails. So we need to stand in solidarity and make sure we stop them. We need to fight back.”

Marien Casillas Pebellón, executive director of the West Suburban Action Project (PASO), addressed the crowd and raised the collective demand for accountability for the continued violence on the part of ICE agents and the entire Trump administration against our communities.

“We want ICE out of everywhere,” Pebellón said. “We want those in charge prosecuted. They accuse us of being criminals. The criminals are in the White House right now”

Angel Naranjos, a leader in the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, closed the rally with spirited remarks, “If the past few weeks have taught us anything, it’s that things must change and they must change fast.”

Naranjos continued, “Donald Trump and his corporate media love to say that we are domestic terrorists when we confront ICE—that we should protest peacefully. But we say it is right to rebel.”

After the program, the protesters took to the streets and marched north to Trump Tower, chanting a message for Trump and all his criminal ICE agents, “Lock them up! Lock them up!”

#ChicagoIL #IL #ImmigrantRights #ICE #CAARPR #ReneeGood #AlexPretti #L4A #AAAN

Chicago, IL – Dozens of community members gathered on Thursday, January 29 at Malcolm X Community College to demand city officials hold Chicago Police Department (CPD) officers accountable for their violence against Black and brown communities and collaboration with Immigrants and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA) set this year’s goals for itself, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA), and the CPD superintendent.

The meeting began with public comments. Community members demanded that the CCPSA publish all communications regarding CPD and ICE collaboration; an end CPD crowd control during immigration enforcement activities; an end to pretextual traffic stops; an end to CPD’s use of tactical teams; that the CCPSA choose a candidate for COPA head that has a strong record of being pro-accountability; and the removal of all current and former Oathkeepers and other members of white supremacist groups from the police force.

Omar Flores, co-chair of the Immigrant Rights Working Committee (IRWC) of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR) and a survivor of ICE’s violence, described the varied forms of harassment he has experienced.

“These things should not be allowed! We see plenty of instances when CPD is supposedly coming out, when the people are showing their righteous anger at what is happening, we see CPD do nothing when it comes to ICE violating our rights,” Flores said.

“It’s your guys’ job to be creative in this moment, because people’s lives are literally counting on it, as we’re seeing in Minneapolis,” Flores urged the CCPSA.

Brian Young, Jr., a resident of the historically Black and brown 25th Police District, expressed their disappointment at the CCPSA's history of inaction.

“We've been coming here since 2024, when Dexter Reed was killed by police officers over pretextual traffic stops, when this young man was killed and gunned down like a fucking animal in the streets,” Young Jr. said. “I organized and I came here with the community to demand an end to pretextual traffic stops – that was pushed onto the fucking backburner.”

CAARPR leader Kayla Nguyen described the CCPSA’s hesitance to investigate violations of the Welcoming City Ordinance despite 1500 people demanding an end to CPD and ICE collaboration at the CCPSA special listening session on January 8.

“We want collaborators addressed publicly, and we want them to face meaningful consequences now, because it is a shame that this city continues to wait to take action on wrongs the people know to be true,” Nguyen affirmed. “Why must the people of Chicago fight both our local law enforcement and ICE at the same time? The protection of CPD, not for our people, but for ICE, emboldens these federal killers and results in injuries to our Black and brown communities.”

The CCPSA then voted on their strategic priorities for 2026. These included a new traffic stop policy, preventative alternatives to public safety, and more accountability for collaborators with federal immigration enforcement.

Sandra Wortham was the only commissioner to vote “Nay” to the final priority regarding CPD-ICE collaboration, to raucous booing from the audience. Wortham demanded that the audience remember their decorum, to which audience members shouted, “Maybe you should remember who you protect and serve!”

The CCPSA additionally elected interim COPA chief LaKenya White to the permanent COPA chief position, who accepted all of the presented goals and strategic priorities, as did CPD Superintendent Larry Snelling.

Community members left the meeting hopeful regarding the strategic priorities, but resolved to continue to attend the next CCPSA meeting on Thursday, February 26 to hold the CCPSA accountable to these promised goals.

#ChicagoIL #IL #ImmigrantRights #InJusticeSystem #ICE #KillerICE #CPD #CAARPR

Chicago, IL – On Saturday, January 31, surrounded by community activists who have been in the streets defending immigrants against the occupation by ICE troops, Mayor Brandon Johnson signed a historic executive order.

The executive order makes Chicago the first city to require the police to investigate and refer federal agents for criminal prosecution of felony violations.

“Nobody is above the law. There is no such thing as ‘absolute immunity’ in America,” said Mayor Brandon Johnson. “The lawlessness of Trump’s militarized immigration agents puts the lives and well-being of every Chicagoan in immediate danger. With today’s order, we are putting ICE on notice in our city. Chicago will not sit idly by while Trump floods federal agents into our communities and terrorizes our residents.”

The federal government has stated they are planning another ICE surge in the Chicago area in March. Mayor Johnson’s call for prosecution is in response to absence of legal repercussions in the wake of the shooting of Marimar Martinez in Chicago and the killings of Silverio Villegas González in the Chicago suburb of Franklin Park, and Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.

Frank Chapman of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression said, “I was proud to stand with Mayor Johnson yesterday when he signed an historic executive order ordering CPD to actively engage in holding ICE agents accountable by filing complaints with the States Attorney office.”

State’s Attorney Eileen Burke is well known for her failure to stand up to ICE. She has dodged demands to investigate and close the Broadview ICE facility, notorious for reports of inhumane treatment of detainees. Burke also refused to prosecute the ICE officers who killed Silverio Villegas González, an immigrant worker shot to death by an ICE officer after dropping his child off at school in Franklin Park in September.

#ChicagoIL #IL #ImmigrantRights #InJusticeSystem #ICE #BrandonJohnson #AlexPretti #KillerICE #CAARPR #Feature

Chicago, IL – Over 20,000 Chicagoans marched in downtown Chicago, Sunday, January 25, through the cold and heavy snow, in response to the brutal murder of Alex Pretti and the ongoing occupation of Minneapolis by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

The protest, organized by the Coalition Against the Trump Agenda (CATA), demanded charges for Jonathan Ross and all DHS agents involved in murders, that Congress cut all funding to ICE, and an end to collaboration between the Chicago Police Department and ICE.

The fire of resistance is burning everywhere

Lawerence Benito, the executive director of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) said, “When Silverio was murdered here in Chicago, when Keith Porter was murdered in LA, when Renee Good was murdered, and yesterday, when they murdered Alex Pretti in Minneapolis – we know that these are not isolated incidents. Over 50 people have died at the hands of ICE.”

Mayor Brandon Johnson marched alongside protesters.

Mayor Johnson stated, “Let's send this message to Minneapolis: Chicago stands with Minneapolis. We stand with this country to defend the honor of working people, Black people, brown people, white people, Asians. We are coming together as one to defend our humanity. Let them hear you, Chicago! Let’s keep organizing, let's keep pushing, and let's stand together.”

Illinois's 25th District Senator Karina Villa drew connections between the murder of Laquan McDonald and the murder of Renee Nicole Good. Villa stated, “This is a state inflicted violence. This is systemic abusive power. This is a government that is recklessly spending instead of investing in education, healthcare and housing.”

Frank Chapman, field organizer of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR) said, “Our fellow freedom fighters in Minnesota, they are the hope on the horizon. They have shown us the golden dawn of another day. And we're not talking about them same old bullshit days of racism. We’re talking about a new day of freedom for all the people! That's what our fight is about. We are not just trying to save a democracy that wasn’t working in the first damn place – that ain’t what we doing. We're fighting for a system that’s gonna work for all of us, because we gonna make it work.”

“We should not be paying for our own occupation!” said Diane Castro of the Chicago Teachers Union.

Gianna Escareno, one of the co-chairs of CATA and outreach chair of the Immigrant Rights Working Committee (IRWC) of CAARPR, highlighted the importance of broad solidarity and coalition across different struggles, such as the movements for Black and Chicano liberation, the movement to free Palestine, women's rights, LGBTQ rights, and immigrant rights movements.

Escareno stated, “We know that Bovino is threatening to send at least 1000 CBP agents to Chicago this March. And just like we followed Minnesota’s lead during the George Floyd uprising, we will follow their lead once again in resisting Trump’s attacks! There is a fire of resistance burning everywhere!”

The crowd marched down Michigan Avenue, taking major streets and gathering supporters as they chanted “We will say it every time, resisting ICE is not a crime!”

The march unified with a faith leader-led vigil at Federal Plaza for Alex Pretti and all victims of ICE before ending with a rallying cry, “We’re not cold, we're not tired, we won’t stop ‘til ICE is fired!”

#ChicagoIL #IL #ImmigrantRights #ICE #CATA #CAARPR #BrandonJohnson #Feature

Chicago, IL – On January 23, Chicagoans across the city targeted various Target locations to protest the corporation’s support for ICE terror.

The Coalition Against the Trump Agenda (CATA) led and mobilized people to the Target in Hyde Park. This included members from the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU), Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR), Mexican Students de Aztlan (MeSA), U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), Anti-War Committee Chicago (AWC) and more.

Outside the Target store in Hyde Park, Kobi Guillory, a member of CTU stated, “We are here in solidarity with our siblings in Minnesota who are right now 100K strong outside of the Target Center saying that Target should stop helping ICE. Target should stop its complicity with the violence that ICE is inflicting on Black and brown communities. Just the other day, Target employees in Minnesota were abducted by ICE in a Target. Did Target take a stand to defend their employees? Did they take a stand to defend the communities who make Target’s profits?”

Guillory continued, “We are demanding that Target honor the Fourth Amendment that you cannot be subject to unlawful search and seizure inside your workplace. This is illegal, what ICE is doing. We the people are going to use our people and we are going to force these corporations and elected officials to do the right thing.”

Inside the Target store, protesters delivered a list of demands to the store manager, including, “Call for an end to the ICE surge in Minnesota, and for ICE to leave the state; we want Target to affirm the Fourth Amendment; we want Target to post signage prohibiting ICE from entering their buildings, and we want Target to publicly call on congress to stop funding ICE.”

#ChicagoIL #IL #ImmigrantRights #ICE #CATA #CTU #CAARPR #MESA #USPCN #AWCChicago

Chicago, IL – Over 600 community members and organizers gathered at the Little Village Arch in vigil and protest in solidarity with the immigrant rights movement in Minneapolis on Wednesday, January 7. Protesters demanded justice for all victims of ICE, ICE out of everywhere, and legalization for all immigrants living in the U.S. as a part of a national emergency call for action called by the Legalization for All Network in response to the murder of Renee Nicole Good.

As a historically Mexican and Chicano neighborhood, Little Village (La Villita) was one of the hardest hit areas of Chicago during Operation Midway Blitz.

Irma Morales, a community organizer from Mientras Haya Amor, Hay Esperanza, rallied the crowd with a rousing speech. “Hoy estamos aquí, para presionar a los departamentos que están a cargo de proteger y cuidar a los residentes de esta ciudad porque para eso se les está pagandom – para proteger y cuidar a los residentes pagadores de impuestos de la ciudad de Chicago, no para proteger a verdaderos criminales (Today we are here to pressure the departments that are charged with protecting and caring for the residents of this city, because that is what they are paid to do – to protect and care for the taxpaying residents of the city of Chicago, not to protect real criminals).”

Morales pointed out examples of ICE’s frequent traffic violations, use of force and violence against Black and brown communities, CPD-ICE collaboration, and the racist killings of innocent people.

“We have Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez back on September 12, who was just dropping his child off at school. And today, this morning, we have Renee Nicole Good, who was just observing and trying to take care of her neighbors,” said Ash Pantoja, co-chair of the Immigrant Rights Working Committee of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (IRWC of CAARPR). They highlighted the contradictions in ICE’s excuses.

“They call this self-defense, but what is ICE really defending themselves from?” said Pantoja.

Johnnie Hayes of CAARPR’s Campaign to Free Incarcerated Survivors of Torture (CFIST) held her grandchild as she spoke. “ICE needs to go. They need to go, and they need to be held accountable.” Hayes, whose husband Devon Showers is currently wrongfully incarcerated, drew patterns between corruption on Chicago’s police force, wrongful conviction, and ICE detentions. She called for solidarity between all movements. “We have to stand firm together in solidarity. We have to stand firm in solidarity. We have to stand strong, not just for ourselves, but our children need this. Our children need us to stand up for them.”

In the middle of the rally ,at 8 p.m., attendees joined protests and vigils nationwide in a minute-long whistle in honor of Renee Nicole Good. Throughout Trump’s escalation of raids and attacks on immigrants, whistles have become a symbol of resistance and solidarity in the movement as community members use them as an alert system for ICE presence.

Gio Araujo of the New Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) at the University of Illinois – Chicago, who grew up in Little Village, stated, “The gunshots that were fired in the Twin Cities were heard all across the country. Everyone heard those gunshots, from New York, to D.C., to Chicago! People are mobilizing, because we know what this means and what this is about. This is an upswing of repression against our movement for immigrant rights. They wanna come into our communities and kill our people.”

“We ain’t gonna let that shit happen, because as they bring the repression, so will we bring the defenses,” said Araujo.

As the Little Village Community Council led the crowd in prayer and vigil service, protesters also marched down 26th Street to the mural of La Virgen de Guadalupe, shouting “Say her name! Renee Nicole Good!” and “ICE is just a racist mob, get a real fucking job!” There, they held a moment of silence for all victims of ICE and reminded attendees to call the Family Support Network Hotline at (855) 465-7693 if they spot ICE in their neighborhoods.

#ChicagoIL #IL #ImmigrantRights #ICE #ReneeGood #L4A #CAARPR

Chicago, IL – On December 20, over 175 people gathered in the Chicago Teachers Union Hall to stand in solidarity with Gustavo Petro and the people of Colombia as their country faces an intensification of U.S. aggression.

Petro has had his visa revoked by the Trump administration, and the country is seeing attacks in the form of sanctions, tariffs and military threats. These attacks have been because of his un-fearful stance against U.S. imperialism, from calling out the U.S./Israel’s genocide in Gaza to defending the sovereignty of Latin American nations. Petro is a popular and progressive internationalist.

In attendance were members of the Colombian consulate, progressive Chicago politicians, and leaders in the people's struggle, speaking on what Colombia needs from the people of Chicago.

Our solidarity must be concrete as well

“We must stand in solidarity with Gustavo Petro and the beautiful people of Colombia, as they have stood with Palestinians in Gaza and beyond, with forces fighting for climate and environmental justice, as they have stood with their neighbors in Venezuela who are in the crosshairs of the U.S. military,” said Hatem Abudayyeh from the United States Palestinian Community Network (USPCN).

Abudayyeh continued, “Together we will reject sanctions, threats, intervention and war against the people of Colombia.”

Daniel Garcia-Peña, the Colombian ambassador to the United States, spoke on the achievements that Colombia has made under the leadership of Petro. He also spoke of the need for solidarity with the nation during rising tensions. Peña stated, “We are very concerned about what is happening in the Caribbean. It’s a clear sign of how the U.S. is threatening not only Venezuela but all of Latin America, which continue to be seen as a backyard that can be trampled on.”

Garcia-Peña noted “But me and President Petro have been clear, times are different. Colombians and Latin Americans are not going to stand for interventionism as they may have happened in the past. We need each other's solidarity. Palestinians can count on Colombians, but we also need the world to stand with Colombians and our Latin American neighbors in these trying times.”

Speakers from the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR), the Anti-War Committee (AWC) and the Coalition Against the Trump Agenda (CATA) also spoke, representing the progressive movements which they work in.

Alderperson Byron Sicho-Lopez echoed the message of late Black Panther Party Chairman Fred Hampton on the need for solidarity. Lopez introduced the resolution commemorating the historic 2024 visit of Petro to Chicago – a city that, much like Colombia, is a beacon of hope in the resistance against the reactionary Trump administration.

#ChicagoIL #IL #International #Colombia #AntiWarMovement #CAARPR #AWCChicago #CATA #CTU #Labor #Teachers

Chicago, IL – Corporate-backed alderpersons pushed through an unbalanced budget to avoid taxing big businesses on Saturday, December 20, but conceded important measures after sustained pressure from working-class Chicagoans.

The final budget package, championed by conservative council members, promises to sell to private debt collectors nearly $100 million debt from water bills, parking tickets and ambulance fees. It also increases liquor and gambling taxes and sells city spaces for advertising. These measures, which have been assessed as fiscally irresponsible by the city’s budget experts, are the last ditch effort by the group of oppositional alderpersons who have fought to avoid instituting a corporate head tax, in which the largest 3% of corporations would pay less than a thousandth of a percent of their profits based on the number of workers they employ.

“If aldermen really listen to the solutions that the people got, we would be in a better Chicago,” said Jasmine Smith, a co-chair of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR).

This wave of reactionary economic policy in Chicago mirrors the sweeping economic cuts to SNAP, health care and public transportation imposed by Donald Trump in his spending plan. Companies like McDonald’s and Google that would have been asked to contribute to the corporate head tax are the same companies that saw record tax breaks from Trump.

“Our federal government is led by a money hungry, immoral, unaccountable exec branch, a bloodthirsty Department of War, and a cowering judicial branch,” said Itohan Osaigbovo, an organizer with the Chicago Black Voter Project who knocked hundreds of doors to talk with Chicagoans on the South and West Sides about the budget. “This is not your typical budget year in Chicago,” she said.

“This alternative budget treats poverty as a business model,” said Rocio Garcia, a leader with the Grassroots Collaborative and the People’s Unity Platform. “You cannot fine your way to financial stability.”

Avoiding the tax on corporations in favor of predatory and irresponsible alternatives will likely lead to a budget crisis halfway through the year, according to leaders of the Public Health and Safety Coalition (PHS).

Countless hours of knocking doors, making calls and pressuring alders created the conditions for Mayor Brandon Johnson to propose a budget that included a tax on large corporations, cuts to CPD vacancies, year-round funding for the youth job programs that have brought Chicago crime to historic lows, funding for the Chicago Department of Public Health, and funding for non-police crisis response and mental health centers, PHS organizers said.

When corporate interests and the alderpersons that represent them came forward with their original alternative proposal on December 15, they sought to slash youth jobs and increase the city garbage tax in order to balance the budget. Working-class and oppressed Chicagoans responded, making thousands of calls and knocking doors in the winter cold to fight back against these regressive measures.

Within days, the alternative budget was amended to remove the garbage tax increase and restore funding to youth jobs. Additionally, the alternative budget still includes cuts to 500 vacant Chicago Police Department positions, funding for public health and non-police crisis response.

#ChicagoIL #IL #PeoplesStruggles #CAARPR #Housing #SNAP #Transportation

Chicago IL – 150 Chicagoans gathered downtown in the biting cold on Black Friday to say, “Tax the greed! Fund the need!” From a wide range of communities, they gathered to speak up for working and oppressed people. They stood united on a broad platform of demands including higher taxes on the rich, more funding for public services, and an end to Trump’s reactionary agenda.

“ICE has already taken far too many resources from our communities,” said Bassem Kawar with the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. 

Kawar explained that although ICE employee Greg Bovino has left Chicago, the people still have to fight the ongoing ICE abductions. The 100 remaining ICE agents in the area continue to terrorize neighborhoods, especially in Republican-dominated DuPage County. Trump has threatened to increase the deployment to 1000 agents in March. The movement must prepare for the attacks to escalate in 2026.

“Trump and his cronies have already cut SNAP and Medicare to fund these attacks on our communities and we say that ain't right!” said Kawar.

The rally continued with a prayer by Reverend Juan Pablo Herrera to uplift “the courage of those who choose people over profit and liberation over exploitation.”

“In the Bible, God tells people to make a choice. You have to decide which side you are standing on,” added Reverend Ciera Bates-Chamberlain, executive director of Live Free Illinois. “You’re either on the side of justice or you're on the side of oppression.”

Bates-Chamberlain and other speakers called out corporations, including Target, Amazon and AT&T, that are standing on the side of oppression.

Will Tanzman, executive director of the People's Lobby, broke down the crimes abetted by AT&T’s $150 million contracts with federal agencies. He cited its support for ICE’s surveillance networks and Trump's “big ugly bill” which gives the corporation $8 billion in tax breaks.

“Corporations like AT&T and Amazon have willingly provided federal agencies like DHS with services that aid and abet the terror inflicted on our communities,” said Tomás Lobato, a special education teacher and member of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU).

Lobato also demanded that Chicago alderpersons take a stand. He called on elected officials to support Mayor Brandon Johnson’s proposed budget. Mayor Johnson aims to tax corporations instead of increasing property taxes and grocery taxes on working people.

Amaziah Burton, another CTU member, explained that her school alone stands to lose over half a million dollars and seven staff members if the budget does not pass. Burton cited the Protecting Chicago's Schools calculator, which predicts $552 million in budget cuts and 7724 layoffs if alderpersons vote against the budget.

Noura Ebrahim with the US Palestinian Community Network called on people to participate in the boycott, divestment, sanction campaign and demand that Illinois treasurer Michael Freirichs divest from Israeli bonds and companies complicit in the occupation and genocide in Palestine.

“The same companies profiting off occupation abroad are profiting off policing, deportation and surveillance at home,” Ebrahim said.

“The people's side abolishes chattel slavery. The people's side gives us the eight-hour workday and civil rights,” Brian Young Jr with the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression linked the fight against the Trump agenda to the historical struggles of working and oppressed people: “We stand today on the people's side!”

#ChicagoIL #IL #PeoplesStruggles #CTU #ImmigrantRights #Trump #CAARPR

Chicago, IL – 500 organizers convened at the Chicago Teacher’s Union Hall from Friday, November 14 through Sunday, November 16 for the 52nd anniversary national conference of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR).

The conference was the fourth of its kind since the refounding of NAARPR in 2019. It showcased the tremendous growth of the organization and its fighting capacity since its original founding in 1973 out of the movement to free Angela Davis. 530 people registered for the conference, representing 31 NAARPR branches and affiliate organizations.

After a spirited rally to kick off the conference on Friday evening, attendees got started at 9:30 a.m. Saturday morning for a panel discussion on the fight for community control of the police in the era of Trump. Panelists representing NAARPR branches in seven cities described the different conditions in their struggle to make police departments accountable to and controlled by working and oppressed people, as well as the importance of being part of a national organization united around a common goal.

Community control of the police is “more important than it has ever been,” said Frank Chapman, NAARPR’s executive director.

The second panel discussion focused on building a united movement against Trump. Panelists emphasized the importance of working with anyone who is ready to unite against Trump’s racist attacks, even through disagreements.

Merawi Gerima, a filmmaker and organizer with the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, has been involved in forming and struggling for unity within the DC Coalition Against Trump in response to the federal occupation of the nation's capital.

“When debates come up within our coalition, we center with ‘what action can we agree on?’” Gerima said. “The united front is an old weapon, but many organizations are learning to wield it again after many years of repression. Let’s all come together on the basis of action.”

After lunch, the conference broke out into two sets of breakout sessions through the afternoon which included deeper discussion of the fights for legalization for all and immigrants’ rights, an end to the genocide in Palestine, a new task force addressing prison conditions, stopping the attacks on women’s and LGBTQ rights, and the fight to free political prisoners.

With racist and violent ICE attacks set to increase in the new year, the breakout session focused on immigrant rights was well attended and fruitful, according to organizers of the conference.

Carlos Montes, a longtime organizer and leader in the Centro CSO and the Legalization For All Network, described the energy and inspiration that came out of the emergency Southwest Summit to Stop Deportations held in East Los Angeles in April.

At the summit, organizers from LA shared their success with what they call ‘barrio walks,’ where organizers walk through local neighborhoods to spread “know your rights” information and invite into organized struggle the communities facing the brunt of ICE attacks. Since attending the conference in April, immigrant rights groups have been implementing barrio walks to protect their communities too.

In the evening, families of those murdered or wrongly convicted by police violence were given a chance to share their stories in a plenary session titled “Families of the movement.”

Families of survivors or victims of police crimes “are largely ignored by the system,” said Jae Yates, an organizer with the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice. “The families have been instrumental in disrupting that misinformation and coverup.”

Sergio Flores, brother of Jeremy Flores who was killed by Los Angeles Police, described the corruption and cruelty of the Hollenbeck division of Boyle Heights in East LA.

“I don’t understand how they get to go home every single day to their families – I have to visit my brother in the cemetery,” Flores said. “It’s time for them to go down.”

On Sunday, the conference closed with reports from NAARPR Executive Director Frank Chapman, as well as from all the 31 branches and affiliate organizations present at the conference.

Seven new resolutions were debated and passed. They resolve to fight against Trump’s federal occupation, ICE raids, repressive Presidential Memorandum NSPM-7, the expansion of detention centers, charter school takeovers, resolve to fight for the freedom of political prisoners, solidarity with the unified Palestinian resistance, and the partnership of families of victims of police brutality and organizations fighting against police crimes.

#ChicagoIL #IL #InJusticeSystem #PoliceCrimes #OppressedNationalities #AfricanAmerican #ChicanoLatino #NAARPR #CAARPR #Feature

Chicago, IL – On Saturday, November 1, over 80 community members representing 14 different organizations rallied to demand that State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill-Burke stand up to Trump’s agenda.

“What I’m watching each and every day on the television, is torture. I’m watching people that are brutalized by members of ICE while the Chicago Police Department is watching. I see those criminal charges being brought against those ICE officials for terrorizing my community. The Little Village community is my community, and I refuse to allow these people to be mistreated,” said Mark Clements of the Chicago Torture Justice Center. “We’re calling on Burke to stop playing political football with the lives of innocent people.”

Since she took office in 2024, Burke has weakened an already broken system of police accountability. In December of 2024, Burke dropped the charges against Patrick O’Donnell, an Oak Lawn police officer who brutally beat Arab youth Hadi Abuatelah. Nearly a year into office, her Conviction Integrity Unit has been de-staffed of vital defense attorneys, and it has not exonerated anyone despite the plethora of applications submitted. Further, despite increasing pressure from the community, Burke has continued to dodge demands to investigate and close the Broadview ICE facility.

Last week, a lawsuit was filed in the Illinois District Court against ICE for inhumane treatment of detainees inside Broadview. Detainees report malnutrition, medical neglect, the frequent use of racist slurs, and denial of access to a lawyer. As Trump and ICE have continued to ramp up their detentions and raids, the Broadview ICE facility has become more and more crowded, worsening conditions as detainees are held for days on end.

“A sanctuary city is only as strong as the people that defend it,” said Kayla Nguyen, co-chair of CAARPR’s Immigrant Rights Working Committee. She pointed out the hypocrisy in Burke’s campaign.

“State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill-Burke claims to be a woman of the law and justice, defending the letter as it is written. If that’s true, Eileen, then why won’t you investigate Broadview? Why won’t you vacate these cases of wrongful conviction? Why have the Conviction Integrity and Post-Conviction Units been de-staffed? Why won’t you prosecute these corrupt killer cops? Why won’t you prosecute the ICE officers that killed Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez?” said Nguyen.

As the rally continued, organizers were able to contact victims of wrongful conviction who are still currently incarcerated, elevating and uplifting their stories to the community.

“37 years, five months, and three days of liberty have been stolen from me. Every day that I remain incarcerated is disgrace to the Illinois legal justice system,” said Michael Harper, who was wrongfully convicted of arson and a double murder in 1988. Though Harper's two co-defendants have since been freed and were paid a hefty settlement for their wrongful conviction, Harper remains in prison for the same false charges.

Throughout the event, speakers and emcees continued to draw connections between the movements to free the wrongfully convicted and immigrant rights.

“They tell me I’m not supposed to be fighting for immigrants. They tell me that that is not Black people’s fight. They are liars. We are on stolen land. The same people that is oppressing the migrants are the same people that have been oppressing us for over 400 years,” said Jasmine Smith, co-chair of CAARPR’s Campaign to Free Incarcerated Survivors of Torture (CFIST).

Rania Salem, of the Arab American Action Network, spoke on the fight of the Arab community for justice in multiple cases of racist violence by the Oak Lawn Police Department, which falls within Cook County.

In 2022, three Oak Lawn Police Officers beat 17-year-old Arab youth Hadi Abuatelah within an inch of his life, Salem said. From the beginning, the Arab American Action Network, with the support of CAARPR and other allies, fought for the demand that all three police officers that participated must be charged and fired, and In February of 2023 one of the officers, Patrick O’Donnell, was indicted on felony charges.

Within hours of taking office in December of 2024, Eileen Burke dropped the charges on O’Donnell. But the fight continues, Salem said.

“This fight isn’t about just three bad cops, it's about an entire system of racist policing,” she said. “This case is a fight against a system of violent policing that continues to brutalize, harass and kill our people. Now we see ICE and Border Patrol rampant in our communities. All of this, and not one word from Eileen Burke.”

Organizers closed out the rally with a final reminder to call the Family Support Network Hotline in case of ICE sightings or for any immigration resources.

If you see or suspect ICE is in your neighborhood, call the FSN Hotline at 855-435-7693 (1-855-HELP-MY-FAMILY).

#ChicagoIL #IL #ImmigrantRights #CAARPR #AAAN #ICE

Chicago, IL- A dozen protesters gathered on Friday, September 19 outside the 50th Anniversary Gala of the Illinois Humanities nonprofit, a celebration for which Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker had been named an honorary co-chair. The protesters rallied and chanted to demand that Pritzker use his executive power to grant clemency for hundreds of petitioners with credible claims of police torture and wrongful conviction.

The protest was organized by the Campaign to Free Incarcerated Survivors of Police Torture, a campaign of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR). Pritzker is a primary target of the CFIST campaign because he has the power to free hundreds of torture survivors, and he has presented himself as a progressive by speaking out against Trump and through association with nonprofits like Illinois Humanities.

Pritzker is aware of the legacy of police torture in Chicago, having commuted the sentence of Gerald Reed, a survivor of torture at the hands of the infamous torture cop Jon Burge. But he hasn’t acted on the pile of clemency petitions on his desk, hundreds of which were written by survivors of torture.

“It don’t make sense for him to have the power with a stroke of his pen to free these people, and yet he does nothing,” said Patricia Williams, a co-chair of CAARPR. “That was one of the first things he promised us, that he was going to pardon those people who were wrongfully imprisoned.”

“I’m calling on the governor to have a heart and stop wasting taxpayers’ dollars keeping people behind bars who are innocent,” said Mark Clements, a survivor of police torture and leader at the Chicago Torture Justice Center. Clements was tortured by Chicago police in 1981 and received a settlement from the city of Chicago as a result of his wrongful conviction.

“There are people who have been locked up for 41 years, and none of their sentences are being commuted,” said Clayborn Smith, who spent 31 years in a maximum security prison as a result of a confession extracted through torture. While incarcerated, Smith submitted a claim to the Torture Inquiry and Relief Commission (TIRC), the only body of its kind in the country, which was created to assess claims of torture and decide whether they merit judicial review.

The TIRC found Smith’s case to be credible in 2013, but it took another ten years for him to be released from what he described as “the egregious, horrific nightmare that the Chicago machine put us through.”

Smith urged the governor to use his power to grant clemency for torture survivors who remain incarcerated, before it’s too late for them, stating, “I could have been one of the many torture victims that died in prison waiting for some justice.”

Protesters chanted “Brick by brick, wall by wall, free our loved ones! Free them all!” as passersby and gala attendees stopped to express support and learn more.

#ChicagoIL #IL #InJusticeSystem #PoliceCrimes #CAARPR #CFIST #TIRC #Torture

Chicago, IL – El 31 de agosto, 200 personas protestaron afuera de la instalación de ICE en Broadview. La protesta fue organizada por el Comité de Derechos de Inmigrantes de La Alianza de Chicago Contra La Represión Racista y Política (IRWC – CAARPR), quienes lanzaron una campaña a principios del verano con el objetivo de cerrar la instalación en Broadview.

Kayla Nguyen del IRWC – CAARPR inicio la manifestación, diciendo, “El Centro de Procesamiento en Broadview no tiene camas, baños, y comida caliente. Están manteniendo personas por días. Eso no es un centro de procesamiento, es un centro de detención de facto. ¡Hoy estamos protestando para llamar que la Fiscal de Estado Eileen Burke y el Procurador General Kwame Raoul lancen una investigación sobre estas injusticias, cumplan con el Illinois Trust Act, y cierren la instalación de Broadview!”

La Instalación de ICE de Broadview ha sido una ubicación clave en las operaciones alrededor de Chicago, y donde muchos de los miembros comunitarios secuestrados han sido llevados para procesarlos. Bajo la ley de Illinois, ICE puede operar en centros de procesamiento brevemente, pero está prohibido que opere centros de detención, incluyendo cárceles locales. Muchas de las personas secuestradas por ICE son llevadas a centros de procesamiento y luego movidas a otro estado para esperar su deportación. Sin embargo, la instalación de Broadview ha estado reteniendo a personas por largos periodos de tiempo, a veces una semana, convirtiéndose en un centro de detención de facto.

Hay una falta de camas, comida, cocinas, baños, acceso a comunicaciones y la dignidad básica para los que están siendo mantenidos en la instalación de Broadview.

”He visto de primera mano el horror en esta instalación. He trabajado por derechos de inmigrantes por diez años. Nunca hemos visto estos tipos de condiciones en el área de Chicago. Es importante que lo notemos y nos levantemos porque no podemos dejar que esto se haga una normalidad,” dijo Louise Carhart, una abogada y miembro del IRWC – CAARPR.

Carhart continuo, “Tenemos leyes contra detenciones en Cook County. Tenemos que reforzar esas leyes y asegurar que saldremos por inmigrantes como Tito Ernie quien fue liberado esta semana pasada. Tito Ernie originalmente fue detenido en la instalación de ICE en Broadview y en O’Hare. Chicago e Illinois son líderes en esta lucha y hay que mostrarles por qué eso es.”

Al llegar, organizadores y manifestantes fueron recibidos con una respuesta significante de la policía de Broadview, quienes finalmente cerraron la calle para bloquear tráfico adicional por la cantidad de gente. Los agentes de ICE se escondieron dentro del edificio, periódicamente enviando seguridad contratados por tercer partido para molestar y provocar a los manifestantes. Esta protesta tuvo lugar días después de que manifestantes de un grupo no afiliado fueron arrestados por desobediencia civil mientras bloqueaban la entrada de la instalación.

Afuera de la instalación, manifestantes escucharon a varios presentadores en el movimiento de derechos de inmigrantes, se unieron en gritos para levantar sus demandas, y bloquearon la entrada de la instalación por dos horas antes de partir.

La protesta fue atendida por varias personas de la comunidad quienes escucharon o vieron el volante en línea o en sus vecindarios, y por muchos de las organizaciones patrocinadoras como Centro de Trabajadores Casa DuPage, la Red de Acción Árabe-Estadounidense (AAAN), Tanggol Migrante, y la Red Comunitaria Palestina de EE. UU. (USPCN).

Los lectores pueden tomar acción llamando y enviando correos electrónicos a la Oficina de la Estatal del Condado de Cook y al Procurador General de Illinois de Illinois para demandar que investiguen la instalación de ICE en Broadview y la cierren. Un mensaje automatizado puede ser enviado fácilmente a estos funcionarios electos usando este formulario.

#ChicagoIL #IL #ImmigrantRights #DerechosDeLosInmigrantes #CAARPR

Chicago, IL – On September 9, 3200 people from across Chicago came together to protest the heightened ICE operations in the area in what is dubbed “Operation Midway Blitz.” This protest was organized by both the Coalition Against the Trump Agenda (CATA) and the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR). The mobilization showed a powerful resistance against ICE and possible National Guard in Chicago. 

It is our turn to resist!

“What is happening is terrible for all of our neighbors and families,” said a member of Anakbayan Chicago and Tanggol Migrante Network. “The fact that I see all of you here today taking the time and energy shows me the true power of the people, with more education, more collaboration, and a concerted effort we can push back against the administration, push back against ICE, and begin to address critically the root causes of migration.”

The progressive mayor of Chicago, Brandon Johnson, has taken a public stand against Trump with many statements showcasing his opposition. He has thoroughly defended the sanctuary city status of Chicago. Two weeks ago, he also signed an executive order that seeks to limit federal agents activities in Chicago by banning the use of face masks by agents, something which ICE agents are notorious for.

The protest continued to echo the power of visible resistance and how, despite communities being in fear, coming out to show solidarity is important. A representative from Centro de Trabajadores stated, “When ICE and this administration changes their tactics, we change our strategy and we organize and we fight back. She continued, “We need to come out and continue to stand up against the actions they continue to do to harass us in our own communities.”

“The same states attorney that refuses to charge criminal cops for their abuse against our people also refuses to free those tortured and wrongfully convicted, and is now expressing a willingness to work with the racist Trump administration in carrying out their campaign of terror,” said Alec Ozawa, co-chair of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR). He highlighted how Eileen O’Neill Burke, the new Illinois states attorney has expressed a willingness to work with Donald Trump and go back to a policy of conservative prosecuting.

Rania Salem from the Arab American Action Network (AAAN) highlighted Trump's recent threats to deploy the National Guard against Chicago, stating, “He threatens us with war, lies about it, and then verbally attacks a reporter who calls him out because he is exactly who we say he is, a racist, sexist moron who continues to control a political party and political system that is rotten to the core.” 

Salem continued, “In the past two months we have seen brave resistance from LA, DC, Miami, New York and New Jersey and now it is our turn!”

After the program of speakers, thousands marched in the loop, chanting, “Chinga la migra!” and “Adelante, adelante, la lucha es constante!”

Join the resistance!

Donald Trump so far has been unsuccessful in deploying the National Troops to Chicago. Our movements and these mobilizations play a key role in that. This is the power of people daring to struggle, taking to the streets and fighting back! Anyone interested in getting involved or learning more about the movement against Trump can check out CATA at: https://www.coalitionagainsttrumpagenda.org/ 

#ChicagoIL #IL #ImmigrantRights #CATA #ICIRR #CAARPR #AAAN #CDT

Chicago, IL – On August 31, 200 people protested outside the Broadview ICE facility. The protest was organized by the Immigrant Rights Working Committee of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (IRWC – CAARPR), which launched a campaign earlier in the summer with aims at closing the Broadview facility.

Kayla Nguyen of the IRWC opened the rally, stating “The so-called Broadview Processing Center has no beds, no showers and no hot meals. They are holding people in there for days. That’s not a processing center, that’s a de-facto detention center. Today we’re protesting to call on State Attorney Eileen Burke and Attorney General Kwame Raoul to launch an investigation into these injustices, uphold the Illinois Trust Act, and close the Broadview facility!”

The Broadview ICE facility has been a key location for federal immigration operations around Chicagoland, and where many kidnapped community members have been taken for processing. Under Illinois law, ICE can operate processing centers for very brief holding times, but is restricted from operating detention centers, including local jails. Many people kidnapped by ICE are taken to such processing centers and then shipped off to another state to await deportation. However, the Broadview facility has been holding people for prolonged periods of time, sometimes up to a week, which has made it into a de-facto detention center.

The Broadview facility lacks beds, meals, kitchen, showers, access to communication and basic dignities for those held there.

“I have seen firsthand the horror within this facility. I have worked within immigrant rights for almost ten years. We have never seen these kinds of conditions in the Chicago area. It’s important that we note them and that we stand against them because we cannot allow this to be our norm,” said Louise Carhart, a lawyer and member of the IRWC.

Carhart continued, “We have laws against detention in Cook County. We have laws against detention in Illinois. We need to enforce our laws and make sure we are showing up for immigrants like Tito Ernie who was released this past week. Tito Ernie was originally detained at the Broadview ICE Facility and at O’Hare. Chicago and Illinois are leaders in this fight and we need to show them why that is.“

Upon arrival, organizers and protesters were met with a significant response from local Broadview police, who eventually closed down the street to block additional traffic due to the amount of people. ICE agents hid inside the building, periodically sending out third party contractor security to pester and provoke those gathered. This protest took place just days after several protesters from an unaffiliated group were arrested for civil disobedience while blocking the entrance of the facility.

Outside the facility, protesters heard from various speakers in the immigrant rights movement, joined in chants to raise their demands, and blocked the entrance of the facility for two hours before departing.

The protest was attended by many people from the community who had heard or seen flyers online or in their neighborhoods, and by many members of endorsing organizations such as the Casa Dupage Worker’s Center, the Arab American Action Network, Tanggol Migrante, and the U.S. Palestinian Community Network.

Readers can take action by calling and emailing the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office and Illinois Attorney General to demand they investigate the Broadview ICE facility and shut it down. An automated message can easily be sent to these elected officials by using the form at: https://www.caarpr.org/irwc#send-letter-to-close-broadview

#ChicagoIL #IL #ImmigrantRights #IRWC #CAARPR #CPWC #AAAN #TanggolMigrante #USPCN

Chicago, IL – The Chicago Coalition for Justice In Palestine held another protest against the genocide in Gaza on Saturday, August 30, as Israel’s campaign of destruction and famine nears its 23rd month. The coalition mobilized about 100 Chicagoans to the riverwalk near Trump Tower even as many Chicago-area activists and organizers were attending the People’s Conference for Palestine in Detroit, Michigan the same day.

The protest demanded an immediate end to the genocide, sanctions imposed on and divestment from the state of Israel, an arms embargo, the right of Palestinian return, and justice for journalists martyred while covering the genocide. Many protesters held signs honoring the Al-Jazeera crew that was murdered by Israel three weeks before.

In addition to targeting journalists, Israel’s war crimes include the indiscriminate, forced starvation of the people of Gaza as the Israeli occupation forces block the flow of food and essential aid into the occupied territories. On Thursday, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza reported that the known number of people who have starved to death reached at least 317, including 121 children.

With the “looming threat of an intensified military operation in Gaza, any escalation will further devastate Palestinians already living under famine conditions,” said Nadia Alyafai, a leader with the U.S. Palestinian Community Network who spoke at the protest. “And we know who will suffer the most: the sick, malnourished children, the elderly and people with disabilities who can’t evacuate, who continue to be displaced, and now have nowhere to go.”

“The media, the US, and the Zionist entity continue to lie about access to aid — but we have the pictures, we have witnesses on the ground — this is a man-made famine,” Alyafai said.

Alyafai then stated, “A few hours ago, the genocidal Zionist entity targeted my homeland, Yemen, killing the prime minister alongside several other ministers in the Yemeni government,” Alyafai continued, “This comes after the people of Yemen have continued to stand for the Palestinian people by any means necessary: blocking ships and cargo in the Red Sea, and taking the streets to resist the genocidal Zionist entity.”

The crowd cheered in response and chanted “Yemen Yemen stand your ground! They will never break you down!”

Alyafai closed her remarks by calling out Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs and the Illinois Board of Investments for investing state tax dollars in Israeli Bonds, despite Israel’s genocidal war crimes.

“We have been fighting and marching every week demanding the very basic rights guaranteed to all of humanity – Palestinians are not lesser than any other human being on Earth,” said Tarek Muhammad Khalil with American Muslims for Palestine, who was next to speak. “If anything, I would venture to argue the people of Gaza have shown us that they are better than us – that their face is stronger than us. They have renewed our faith by giving us strength. We should not be looking down to them but we should be looking up to them, because they have shown us the way!”

“We call for an end to the occupation of Palestinian lands by the illegal Zionist entity – and in Chicago we also call to an end to the occupation of Black and brown working-class neighborhoods by a police force who was trained alongside the racist IOF soldiers,” said a member of the Chicago Alliance against Racism and Political Repression (CAARPR). “Our Palestinian comrades gave unwavering support to us during the George Floyd rebellion, and have always stood with us in our fight for community control of the police – and just as they have stood with us year after year, I can promise you that CAARPR will always stand shoulder to shoulder with you until we see a free Palestine.”

After the rally, the protesters took Michigan Avenue and marched south, past the Art Institute of Chicago. Demonstrators called out to the shoppers to join them, chanting “Out of the sidewalks, into the streets!”

Protesters will be back out again in Chicago next week on Saturday.

#ChicagoIL #IL #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #Gaza #CCJP #CAARPR

Chicago, IL -The Chicago Coalition for Justice In Palestine held another weekly protest on Saturday, August 16. Around 100 protesters came out to demand an end to the genocide in Gaza, an arms embargo, and justice for Anas al-Sharif, the martyred Al Jazeera reporter who the Zionist entity bombed outside of a hospital.d

Protesters banged pots and pans and held signs that read “Justice for Anas” as well as a list of the names of the recently martyred Palestinian journalists. Then they brought out a casket to represent and honor the martyred Palestinian journalists.

“The genocidal state of Israel deliberately targeted the Al Jazeera tent, murdering Anas Al-Sharif — he fought with nothing but a lenses and his words,” said Nadia Alyafai with the US Palestinian Community Network.



Alayafai continued, “He stood against the bombs and the occupation armed with billions of dollars and global complicity. And he never stopped telling Gaza’s story. They feared him because he revealed reality,”
adding, “They believed if they silenced reporters, they could silence Gaza, that the world would forget their war crimes — but they are wrong, because we remember.”

Alyafai told protesters that they must live to tell the stories of the reporters and highlighted the importance of disrupting representatives who are guilty with perpetuating this genocide — such as Congressman Sean Casten of Illinois, who refuses to support the Block the Bombs Act.

A member of American Muslims from Palestine (AMP) stated, “Gaza’s fight is our fight, and while we may not be in Palestine, Palestine lives in every single one of us. Those bombs over Gaza, they bear our fingerprints. We are part of the story, so we must continue protesting and talking about Gaza in every single conversation we have.”

“Right now, we have to continue the legacy of resistance, and unite with people all around the world, from Yemen to Puerto Rico; from Palestine to the Philippines,” said Kobi Guillory with the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR). “When Trump attacks DC, Chicago, Rafah, immigrants, Mexico, South Africa – we have to stand up, fight back – and loudly – in solidarity with oppressed people in the fight against oppression.”

The crowd then took to the streets and marched around the Loop area chanting, “Hey Israel what do you say? How many reporters did you kill today?” As they marched, it began to rain, but that did not stop them.

#ChicagoIL #IL #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #USPCN #CAARPR #NAARPR #AMP