Committee to Stop FBI Repression plans to step up resistance
Chicago, IL – Leaders of the Committee to Stop FBI Repression (CSFR) say they plan to step up the fight against political repression this fall. “The attempt by the Justice Department to jail anti-war and international solidarity activists, the frame-ups of Arabs and Muslims, the outrageous cases stemming from the NATO protests, and the coordinated attacks on the Occupy movement mean that we have our work cut out for us,” states Jess Sundin of the CSFR.
Los Angeles, CA – The Centro CSO (Community Service Organization) and the Southern California Immigration Coalition (SCIC) held a town hall meeting on August 18 in East Los Angeles to mobilize the community to support the statewide campaign, Licenses for All – to push a law demanding driver’s licenses for undocumented migrants and immigrants.
Tampa, FL – Immigrant rights organizations will join the massive August 27 march organized by the Coalition to March on the RNC. On August 27, Students Working for Equal Rights and the Student Farmworker Alliance will be joined by other immigrant rights groups to say, no to the bigotry of the Republican agenda and the parties of the 1%. The protest also has the backing of Proyecto Dignidad (Gainesville) and the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Acton Committee.
Anaheim, CA – Hundreds marched on the Anaheim Police Headquarters, July 29, to protest police killings of young Chicano men. The protesters confronted the police with chants, shouts and banners denouncing these brutal and racist killings. The Anaheim Police Department (APD) has carried out a rash of killings this year, far more than previous years. Two people have been killed in the past week.
Los Angeles, CA – Immigrant rights organizations staged a press conference here July 12, to demand that Sheriff Lee Baca stop cooperating with the ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) ‘Secure Communities’ program. The Secure Communities program has resulted in the repression of thousands of immigrants. The press conference was organized by the National Day Labors Organizing Network. Participants included representatives from CARCEN Day Labor Center, ACLU, Pomona Day Labor Center, Southern California Immigration Coalition (SCIC) and CHIRLA.
Chicago, IL – Members and supporters of the Committee Against Political Repression gathered here July 15 to celebrate the legal victory scored by Carlos Montes in June. Montes faced many years in prison for his political activism, with trumped up legal charges thrown at him by the Los Angeles District Attorney. He is one of the anti-war and international solidarity activists under attack by the FBI.
Los Angeles, CA – A victory party celebrating the successful fight back against the political repression of Carlos Montes took place here, June 20, at the home of Julio and Inez Rodriguez. Eric Gardner, a member of the Committee to Stop FBI Repression, pointed out how this was a victory for the whole movement that is resisting political repression. The large turnout of family and supporters brought together a broad representation of the people’s movement in Los Angeles, including labor, anti-war and community activists.
State’s Attorney refuses again to present evidence
Chicago, IL – Three of the young men arrested in the days before the NATO summit appeared in court here, June 12. Charged with “material support for terrorism, possession of an incendiary device and conspiracy,” Jared Chase, Brent Betterly and Brian Jacob Church have been held for nearly a month on $1.5 million bail each. They expected to be able to see the evidence against them, such as police reports, a search warrant and an affidavit.
Chicago, IL – In the largest anti-war protest ever held in Chicago, 15,000 people took to the streets marching against the NATO military summit. Inside McCormick Convention Center, politicians, generals and bankers discussed the faltering U.S./NATO war and occupation in Afghanistan. They also forged agreements that set the stage for destabilizing and overthrowing independent governments in places like Syria and Iran.
Chicago, IL – Angered by a police raid and arrests of Occupy protesters in the Bridgeport neighborhood of Chicago, 1500 protesters marched and rallied here May 19. The protest marched from the Federal Reserve Bank, the main protest site for Occupy Chicago, up to Daley Plaza. A roar went up when the march stepped off with hundreds of young people taking to the streets, chanting, “This is what democracy looks like!” and “No war for oil! NATO off Afghan soil!”
Los Angeles, CA – One year ago, on May 17, 2011, Carlos Montes awoke at 5:00 a.m. to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s SWAT team crashing down his front door and waving automatic weapons in his face. Sheriffs handcuffed Montes and put him in the back of a squad car, where the FBI attempted to interrogate him about his association with 23 other anti-war activists targeted by the FBI.
Chicago, IL – While the eyes of the world are on Chicago and the upcoming NATO summit, 40 protesters spoke out May 16 against the FBI frame-up of Carlos Montes, demanding the charges against him be dropped. Montes is a prominent Los Angeles Chicano civil rights and immigrant rights activist and a leader in the anti-war movement.
Chicago, IL – Immigrant rights leaders here were arrested while blockading the doors of the building that houses the federal immigration court in the Chicago Loop, May 15. Occupy Chicago gathered with immigrant rights leaders and youth to protest the sharp increase in deportations. Speakers began the rally around noon, when suddenly the crowd doubled in size with the arrival of marchers from Centro Sin Fronteras and other immigrant rights groups. The Reverend Jose Landaverde and Mexican-American community leader Emma Lozano were both arrested after sitting in and blocking the entrance demanding justice.
Minneapolis, MN – A group of supporters gathered at the intersection of Chicago Avenue and Lake Street during a sunny south Minneapolis rush hour May 15, in support of Carlos Montes, on the first scheduled day of his trial.
Los Angeles, CA – Over 100 supporters rallied in front of the Los Angeles Superior Court May 15 to demand, “Drop the charges against Carlos Montes.” The supporters included MECHA students, union members, teachers, vendors and community members, as well as activists from the anti-war movement.
