New Orleans, LA – The Democratic National Committee met in New Orleans this week at the Hilton Riverside for their annual spring meeting. The conference rang in its second day on April 10, and blue leaders went red in the face when members confronted them on Palestine.

The spring meeting is a strategy session and networking opportunity for candidates and other members. It gives members a chance to lobby for cities to hold the 2028 Democratic National Convention. But the rising opposition to Israel drove the agenda. Several nonbinding anti-war resolutions were on the docket, although none passed. Among other causes, these resolutions condemned AIPAC, demanded an independent investigation into Trump’s massacre at a girls’ school in Minab, and set conditions for U.S. aid to Israel. Activists inside and outside the conference made their solidarity with Palestine known.

During a general session, Democratic activist and nurse India Walton stood up and interrupted the speakers. “Why are you afraid of AIPAC? Be afraid of voters!” she shouted. Walton ran a credible challenge to the incumbent Buffalo mayor in 2021. She previously served as a representative with the Service Employees International Union and was a leader in the George Floyd uprising.

Activists from New Orleans Stop Helping Israel’s Ports (NOSHIP) spoke up alongside Walton. “Free, free Palestine!” Charlie Marcotte chanted.

Outside the hotel, about 30 people protested the DNC’s lack of opposition to Israeli and U.S. wars.

“We will fight every single day, we will introduce these resolutions, we will protest, we will do everything we damn can to stop this genocide,” speaker Cameron Landin addressed the crowd. Landin is the Political Affairs Director for College Democrats of America, and served as a delegate for Georgia at the 2024 DNC. He sponsored the spring meeting’s resolution against AIPAC.

A mobile billboard truck showed a display reading “Release the autopsy!” It referred to an internal report that allegedly identifies the genocide in Gaza as an important reason for Harris’s failed 2024 presidential bid.

Protesters chanted “No boots on the ground, no jets in the air – U.S. out of everywhere!” and “They tell lies and then they bomb, first Iraq and now Iran!”

Organizers of the protest included NOSHIP, Democratic Socialists of America, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

#NewOrleansLA #LA #Palestine #Iran #AntiWarMovement #NOSHIP #DNC

Chicago, IL – On Monday, August 19, the Democratic National Convention (DNC) came to Chicago. As the Coalition to March on the DNC was marching with tens of thousands of protesters in the streets surrounding the United Center, Dr. Nadia Ahmad was being attacked inside.

An elected delegate from Florida, Dr. Ahmad was assaulted for unfurling a banner. The banner read, “Stop arming Israel,” the same demand on the signs and banners carried by the protesters in the streets throughout the week of the convention.

Dr. Ahmad is also a Florida delegation Democratic National Committee Interfaith Council co-chair and Women's Caucus executive committee member.

On the opening night of the convention, as she and two other delegates held their banner, she became the target of unprovoked aggression. Five male delegates, later identified as officers of the Laborers' International Union of North America (LiUNA) repeatedly struck her in the head with “We love Joe” signs, causing Dr. Ahmad a concussion and other injuries. They forcibly removed the protest banner from her hands.

Dr. Ahmad later wrote on X (formerly Twitter) an open letter to Jaime Harrison, chair of the Democratic National Committee, that read in part, “On the opening night of the convention, I was the victim of a profoundly concerning Islamophobic attack as I peacefully protested the humanitarian crisis in Gaza… As a visibly identifiable Muslim woman, I feel this attack was motivated by prejudice and represents a flagrant violation of my constitutional right to free speech and peaceful assembly.”

Credential revocation and discrimination

Dr. Ahmad explained further, “After the assault, the Florida Democratic Party refused to provide me with my credentials.” She added, “Furthermore, even as half of the seats in the Florida delegation remained empty, the Party failed to provide floor credentials or guest passes to me and other Muslims, including Saima Farooqui, an alternate DNC delegate.”

The Democratic Party leadership has refused to respond to the challenges from Dr. Ahmad. Similarly, the party refused to allow a single Palestinian to address the convention.

For those who stand with Palestine, the lesson of the Democratic National Convention is clear – the party of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will continue to arm the genocide. Only a powerful movement in the streets can stop them.

#ChicagoIL #DNC #AntiWarMovement #Palestine

Chicago, IL – More than 11,000 people marched for Palestine on the final evening of the Democratic National Convention, August 22. While Kamala Harris was giving her presidential nominee acceptance speech inside, the protesters outside chanted against the U.S.-backed genocide in Gaza. Delegates inside the convention report hearing demonstrators on the streets inside the convention hall.

Despite pressure from police (hundreds of them clad in riot gear), demonstrators remained in the streets after the 8 p.m. permit deadline expired.

The protest was organized by the Coalition to March on the DNC, which includes more than 270 organizations including the U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR), Students for a Democratic Society, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

#ChicagoIL #IL #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #DNC #Harris #USPCN #NAARPR #SDS #FRSO

Tallahassee, FL – On Sunday, August 18, about 30 community members gathered at the Florida Capitol building to protest Kamala Harris and her policies regarding the Israeli genocide in Gaza.

Protesters held signs within sight of the busy intersection in front of the capitol complex stating, “We won’t vote for genocide” and “Arms embargo now!”

Cas Casanova, representing Freedom Road Socialist Organization, stated, “The Democrats can’t fool us. They say our democracy is at stake every four years, yet they expect us to be excited to vote for top cop Kamala who is completely unwavering in her support for Israel. The election is proof that this system is rotten. We need a government that actually serves the everyday working people of this country, not the ultra rich.” Members of Tallahassee FRSO traveled to Chicago that weekend to participate in the March on the DNC.

Delilah Pierre, president of the Tallahassee Community Action Committee, drew attention to the links between the struggles for Black and Palestinian liberation, stating, “People have been calling the Palestinian liberation movement ‘anti-Black,’ but who taught us how to get police tear gas out of our eyes? Who created countless murals honoring the life of George Floyd during the 2020 uprising? It was the Palestinians. Because if anyone knows what it’s like to be a target of police terror day in and day out, it’s Black people in the United States and Palestinians repressed by Israel. Our struggles are connected.”

The event was put on by Tallahassee Dissenters as part of Not Another Bomb and the Uncommitted Movement’s National Day of Action for the Democratic National Convention. Also present were the Tallahassee Community Action Committee (TCAC) and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO).

After speeches, attendees marched down the block to City Hall to come together and share stories from family and friends in Gaza.

Jayci Qassis, a Palestinian leader of Tally Dissenters, closed the event, stating, “Voters within the Democratic Party are overwhelmingly in support of a ceasefire in Gaza and ending the United States’ support to Israel via the transfer of weapons. We are calling on Kamala Harris to do the right thing, to listen to voters and stop arming Israel with weapons funded by our tax dollars. Today we reinforce the message that began with the Uncommitted Movement: We will not elect a candidate who funds genocide over our communities.”

#TallahasseeFL #FL #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #Harris #DNC #Dissenters #FRSO #TCAC

Chicago, IL – On August 19, over 20,000 people marched on the opening day of the Democratic National Convention, demanding an end to U.S. aid to Israel and an end to the genocide in Gaza. The march was the result of over a year of work by the Coalition to March on the DNC. Marchers came within sight and sound of the Democratic National Convention, putting heat on United States government as it facilitates a genocide.

Hatem Abudayyeh, the national chair of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, told the crowd, “Black liberation, immigrant rights, reproductive rights, women's rights, workers’ rights, the right to strike, the right to unionize. The rank-and-file workers are here, the Black community members are here, the documented and undocumented immigrants are here, how powerful this is to be together here, all of us.”

Abudayyeh continued, “Killer Kamala, Genocide Joe, and Baby Killer Blinken and all the rest of the Democratic Party in there, we are not going to give them a pass.”

More than 270 organizations from across the country worked for over a year to organize the March on the Democratic National Convention. Israel has relied on U.S.-supplied aid to carry out its genocidal campaign in Gaza. The coalition made its main slogans “Stand with Palestine” and “End U.S. aid to Israel.” Other issues included immigrant rights and legalization for all; defending LGBTQ and reproductive rights; stopping police crimes and enacting community control of the police; defending the right to unionize and strike; and demanding money for jobs, schools, healthcare, housing and the environment.

After Biden abandoned his presidential campaign, the coalition decided to continue to organize, recognizing the Democratic Party and the DNC as providing support to the genocide in Gaza. Frank Chapman, the executive director of the National Alliance against Racist and Political Repression and a leading voice of the Black liberation movement, said in the opening rally: “We're here today to declare our unconditional solidarity with the Palestinian people. And so that nobody misunderstands what I mean by that, let me simply say, we want Palestine to win.”

Less than a week before the start of the DNC, the Coalition forced the city of Chicago to fully recognize the right to rally with amplified sound and a stage. The organizing and strength of the coalition made it possible to march within sight and sound of the DNC.

Nazek Sankari of the US Palestinian Community Network made it clear that the Democratic National Convention should have expected to face mass opposition when they chose Chicago as a host city: “Chicago, the largest city with a ceasefire resolution, a progressive Mayor Brandon Johnson, that identified the acts of Israel as genocidal, and the city that has organized almost 50 mass protests as the Coalition for Justice for Palestine where we shut down roads, highways, and Lakeshore Drive over the last ten months.” During the march on the DNC, as thousands rallied in Union Park, this power was on full display.

The coalition had support and attendees from across the country, from Los Angeles to New Orleans to Atlanta. Contingents included the anti-war contingent, the student contingent, the labor contingent, and the immigrant rights contingent, highlighting the various demands of the march, with the Palestinian contingent leading the march.

Carlos Montes, a member of Central CSO in Los Angeles stated, “We fight against the police killings of young Chicanos by the LAPD, we fight for better schools against privatization, we fight for immigrant rights, but we know the struggle is for self-determination.”

Speaking at the rally, Sydney Loving, a fighter against police crimes from Dallas and a member of the Central Committee of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, said “The monopoly capitalists who run this country are getting rich off this system and somebody’s getting rich off the genocide in Palestine. But this system will not last. We’re building a revolutionary movement to take back our power, because we want to build something better for everybody. Working-class and oppressed people deserve a real future, and Palestinian children deserve a real future, and this rotting system has no future.”

Other speakers included Kobi Guillory of the Chicago Alliance against Racist and Political Repression, Kristen Perez of the Illinois Nurses Association, Xavi Velazquez of the Legalization for All network and La Frontera Nos Cruzó, Ju-Hyun Park of NODUTDOL, and Rhonda Romero of Bayan USA. All spoke to the various demands of the coalition, raising the energy of the crowd as it prepared to march. Organizations in the coalition included the US Palestinian Community Network, National Alliance against Racist and Political Repression, New Students for a Democratic Society, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, International League of People’s Struggles, United National Antiwar Coalition, and Legalization for All Network.

The march then proceeded from Union Park to a park within sight of the United Center, where the DNC is being held. Chants of “Free, free Palestine!” filled the streets as the march made its way towards the center. Several buses of delegates to the Democratic National Convention were delayed because of the march, leaving empty seats at the Democratic Party opened up their celebrations. Due to the strength of the march, the Chicago Police Department were forced into allowing a longer march route than specified in the permit after claiming for weeks that this was impossible. The march concluded with chants filling up the street below raised train tracks, ending in Union Park.

The march was a resounding success and example of the power of organizing. The Democratic National Convention was disrupted, both inside and out, as delegates arrived late, and pro-Palestine delegates raised the demand of an arms embargo through a banner inside the convention. Even with the denial of permits for month until the last moment , and a change in presidential candidates, the march proceeded within sight and sound of the Democratic National Convention.

The March on the DNC made it impossible to ignore the genocide in Gaza, and the popular support for an end to U.S. aid to Israel. The protest was a crucial moment of solidarity with Palestine.

#ChicagoIL #IL #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #DNC #USPCN #NAARPR #SDS #AWAN #FRSO #CentroCSO #Feature

Chicago, IL – About 17,000 people joined a massive march for Palestine, August 19, the opening day of the Democratic National Convention. Gathering at Union Park protesters marched on the United Center, the site of the DNC, challenging the U.S. backed genocide in Gaza.

Organized by the Coalition to March on the DNC, the protest drew attendees from across the U.S., including buses from Minnesota, Milwaukee, Grand Rapids and Detroit.

Members of the Coalition include the U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR), Students for a Democratic Society, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

The Coalition to March on the DNC will hold another pro-Palestine protest, August 22, at Union Park, at 5 p.m. and will march to the United Center on the final day of the DNC.

#ChicagoIL #IL #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #DNC #Feature

Chicago, IL – Tens of thousands of protesters are expected for the Palestine march on opening day of the Democratic National Convention and preparations for the march are in full swing. More than 7000 signs have been printed and banners have been prepared. The Coalition has issued press passes to nearly 1000 journalists, and volunteers have been organized to ensure a successful demonstration.

Dod McColgan of Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression says, “We’re doing everything possible and necessary to have a powerful demonstration in support of Palestine and to demand a people’s agenda.”

#ChicagoIL #IL #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #DNC

Chicago, IL – “The City’s Law Department had to drop their unconstitutional denial of a sound system,” said Hatem Abudayyeh, a spokesperson for the Coalition to March on the DNC. “They knew it wouldn’t hold up in court, but they also knew that we have been organizing day and night to line up important supporters in Chicago who helped advocate for us too.”

This is another in a long string of victories for the coalition coming out of a federal lawsuit and widespread community campaign. In an agreement with coalition attorney Chris Williams, the city of Chicago agreed the protesters could assemble a stage and sound system for speeches in Union Park prior to their marches on the United Center on Monday and Thursday of next week.

#ChicagoIL #IL #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #DNC

The U.S. and Israel are carrying out a genocide in Palestine. It needs to end. On August 19, tens of thousands of people will take to the streets of Chicago and insist on exactly that. More than 40,000 Palestinians have already died. We will march from Union Park to the United Center, the site of the Democratic National Convention, demanding that the U.S. stop funding Israel and making it clear: We stand with Palestine.

Inside the convention hall will be President Joe Biden, Vice President Harris and the many in congress who make the genocide possible. They supply the bombs that destroy homes, apartment buildings, hospitals and schools. The administration provides the bullets that kill Palestinian kids. U.S. dollars pay for the prison camps where Israel tortures people to death. None of this is hidden. These are facts.

Within the last few days, the U.S. has announced that it is making an additional $20 billion worth of weapons available to Israel. The Pentagon has dispatched ballistic missile-equipped cruisers, destroyers, submarines and fighter squadrons to the Middle East for the purpose of “defending” Israel after Israel attacked its neighbors. Without U.S. backing, apartheid Israel could not exist. On August 19 we will say that a politician’s view on Palestine is a litmus test to judge who represents progress and who represents reaction.

There are those who say that marching for Palestine and holding Biden, Harris and now Walz responsible for the criminal war on Gaza will lead to Trump winning the election. Nothing could be further from the truth. They bring defeat upon themselves. Politicians who want the support of progressives will have to earn it. Those who enable genocide, who embrace Israel, have lost the support of many and will lose the support of many more.

On August 19, Freedom Road Socialist Organization will have a big presence in the march. We stand with Palestine, and we are in solidarity with the Palestinian resistance. Their cause is just, and they deserve our support. Everywhere in Palestine must be free from occupation, from the river to the sea.

On August 19, we will advance a people’s agenda on the streets of Chicago. We will demand money for jobs, schools, healthcare, housing and the environment, not for war! We will call for immigrant rights and legalization for all, and to defend LGBTQIA+ and reproductive rights, as well as the right to unionize and strike. We will say ‘Stop police crimes; community control of the police now!’ We will demand justice, peace and equality. People from every progressive movement will be marching and advancing our respective demands.

Protest organizers have waged a successful battle for our right to march on the DNC. We will be within sight and sound of the Democratic National Convention. Like it or not, those inside the convention are going to hear what we have to say. Buses are being organized in cities around the Midwest. Across the country, airline tickets have been purchased and carpools formed. Everyone who can attend, should attend. This is one of those rare opportunities to be part of something that is genuinely important.

This is one of those “Which side are you on?” moments. Do you stand with death, genocide and the rotting system of Israeli apartheid? Or do you stand with people of Palestine as they wage a heroic fight for liberation? Let those in power know that you think, what you feel, and what you know.

Come to Chicago!

March on the opening day of the Democratic National Convention, August 19!

#ChicagoIL #IL #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #DNC #Feature

Chicago, IL – On the afternoon of Wednesday, August 14, five days before the Democratic National Convention, the city of Chicago slapped organizers of the Coalition to March on the DNC with permits saying they can assemble in Union Park on the condition that they have no sound amplification, stages, tents, or port-a-potties. This effectively denies them the ability to hold a rally.

Coalition members organized a press conference Thursday morning, a 100-person rally in the afternoon, and a national call-in to demand their right to rally on August 19 at Union Park.

“Again, the city of Chicago has blindsided us and restricted our rights,” said Hatem Abudayyeh, a spokesperson for the coalition, and national chair of one of its leading organizations, the U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN). “We don’t believe that any of the previous restrictions are content-based, but this one clearly is. Someone doesn’t want us to talk about Palestine, about Genocide Joe and Killer Kamala’s support of genocide, and this is an egregious violation of our rights.”

The Coalition urged people to call Chicago Chief Operating Officer John Roberson to demand that the city recognize their right to have a sound system and sanitation for their rally.

“The organizers have done everything they can to make sure people are safe at this march, and now we need the city to do that,” 33rd Ward Alderwoman Rossana Rodríguez said at a press conference outside City Hall on Thursday morning.

Other alderpersons, Julia Ramirez of the 12th Ward and Byron Sigcho-Lopez of the 25th, also spoke about the need for the city to stop obstructing the protest. They were joined by veteran organizers in the Black liberation and immigrant rights movements.

“This is not 1968. We don't have a ‘shoot to kill’ mayor,” said Cheryl Miller, health justice organizer of Southside Together Organizing for Power (STOP). “I am calling on Mayor Johnson to not let the fears of the past cause the chaos he is trying to prevent,” Miller continued.

“We didn't come here to beg for anything,” Frank Chapman, executive director of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR) said at the end of the press conference. “We're demanding that they recognize our right to speak!”

100-plus people gathered outside City Hall on Thursday afternoon to make their demands again. Speakers included organizers from CAARPR, USPCN, Students for a Democratic Society, the Anti War Committee – Chicago, and others who have spent months organizing the marches on August 19 and 22. Organizers who had traveled from Minneapolis, Seattle and New Orleans also addressed the crowd.

Speakers affirmed that the march on August 19 would take place in spite of the city's attempts to silence protesters.

“With over 200 organizations in the coalition and thousands and thousands of people gearing up to march, we will march. And we will have our demands heard, no matter what the city or the U.S. government says!” said USPCN organizer Rania Salem.

During the rally, the coalition also had a call with a federal judge and the city's attorneys to address the injunction put forward by the Coalition against the city's restrictions on their free speech. The city has until noon on Friday to respond, after which there will be an in-person hearing at the Dirksen Federal courthouse at 2:30 p.m.

#ChicagoIL #MarchonDNC2024 #MarchontheDNC #MarchonDNC24 #Permit #DNC #feature

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following call from the Coalition to March on the DNC.

Emergency national call in day!

The city of Chicago is saying that we cannot have a stage or amplified sound at the national rally and march on the DNC.

Call the Chicago Chief Operating Officer and Demand our right to rally for Palestine at the DNC!

John Roberson 312-744-7736

Script to make calls: “Hi, my name is ___ and I’m calling to demand the city of Chicago reverse its decision to deny us the right to have sound and stage at the March on the DNC. We demand our right to protest for Palestine at the Democratic National Convention!”

#ChicagoIL #DNC #Palestine #Feature

Chicago, IL – On Monday, August 19, the Democratic National Convention comes to Chicago. The Coalition to March on the DNC, consisting of more than 200 organizations, will bring tens of thousands of protesters to the streets surrounding the United Center.

The front banner in the street will read, “Stand with Palestine! End U.S. aid to Israel!” Because this is mainly a march for Palestine, the Democratic Party powerbrokers are scared.

On Monday, August 12, U.S. District Judge Andrea R. Wood ruled against the coalition’s lawsuit, which sought a longer march route than the city of Chicago had offered. The coalition argued the need for a longer route because the short one-mile route offered by the city would have most of the marchers still in the park when the front marchers return.

Hatem Abudayyeh, spokesperson for the coalition, said, “The Democratic leadership doesn’t want our movement to get our message heard, the message that says ‘Stop U.S. aid, free Palestine, and stop the genocide.’”

City Law Department maneuvers to deny park permit

An even more undemocratic process has gone on with the coalition’s application for the permits to rally in the parks near the United Center. Despite the coalition having followed the permit process, applying for Union Park in the first week of November 2023, the city has failed to grant a permit.

Chris Williams, attorney for the Coalition, noted that by city ordinance, “If the Parks Department doesn’t deny a permit within 14 days, it is to be granted.”

Williams also states, “The organizers are preparing a big stage, and professional sound system, but don’t have a permit to assemble six days before the rally. No one will give contracts for these items without a park permit.”

Andrew Worseck, lead counsel for the city in this case, stated the city would announce its decision about granting a permit to the coalition tomorrow.

Worseck admitted under Judge Wood’s questions that there weren’t any other applicants for the park. Woods responded, “It seems odd park permits pending so long without being granted, as permits were being issued for other organizations. It’s hard to explain how Mr. Williams’ clients have been treated so differently.” Williams responded that the message in the denial of Union Park to the coalition was that the city didn’t want the message about Palestine getting to the convention goers.

Zionists create atmosphere of violence against Palestinians in Chicago

After court, Abudayyeh, who is executive director of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, reported to the press about a threat of violence made against him personally. “Yesterday, I received a threatening letter that you all have a copy of. We’ve received a ton of these by email and voicemail to our office phones, but this is the first time I’ve ever been violated where I live. It was written on a large post-it note and attached to the mailbox in the hallway of my apartment building. I have been advised by my former attorney to file a complaint, and I will, but I wanted first to make sure that we talk about this here.”

Abudayyeh explained, “Last week, USPCN challenged accusations by the racist Zionist Anti-Defamation League and Jewish United Fund, which organized a presser to attack Palestinians mobilizing in Chicago to stop the genocide that has already seen over 40,000 Palestinians killed by the U.S.-funded Israeli military.

“We warned that ADL’s racist lies and criminalization of pro-Palestine organizing and protests would embolden and incite other racists, white supremacists, and Zionists to attack people from our community, just like we’ve seen in the past when the beautiful six-year-old baby boy, Wadea al-Fayoume, was stabbed 26 times and killed, or when three 20-year-old Palestinian men were shot, one paralyzed for life, last November in Vermont.

“We call for the ADL and JUF to publicly retract their statements and attacks against Palestinians generally, and against USPCN and the Coalition to March on the DNC specifically.”

#ChicagoIL #IL #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #DNC #USPCN #Feature

Chicago, IL – 500 demonstrators rallied in Federal Plaza and marched through downtown Chicago, July 27, to protest the atrocious police murder of Sonya Massey. Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman, was shot in the face in her own home after calling the police to report a potential intruder.

The officer who murdered her, Sean Grayson, a sheriff's deputy in Sangamon County, Illinois, was discharged for murdering Sonya. Grayson was previously discharged from the army for serious misconduct, had a pattern of DUIs, and was shuffled around to at least six different police departments over the span of four years.

The demands of the day were clear: Justice for Sonya Massey, Samuel (Jay) Sharpe Jr., D’Vontaye Mitchell, and all those murdered by the police. Protesters called for Sean Grayson and all killer cops to be prosecuted to the furthest extent of the law.

In support of Sonya Massey’s family's wishes, demonstrators also called for the passing of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.

Executive Director Frank Chapman of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression said, “We saw them murder Sonya Massey. We saw this cop say, ‘I’m gonna shoot you in your fucking face,’ and then we saw him do it. I heard him say, ‘it was a head shot.’ He intended to kill her. What does this mean to us? We ain’t got no rights that law enforcement will respect, because these people are murdering us and killing us at will, under the cover of a badge, with legal authority. So we gotta take that legal authority away.”

On July 18, the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police Labor Council filed a grievance against the Sangamon Sheriff’s Office, saying that Grayson was terminated “without a just cause.” They did so even though Grayson shot Sonya Massey three times in the face, unarmed, with her hands raised, after posing no threat whatsoever to the officers. The union is asking that the former deputy be reinstated and reimbursed for lost wages, further illustrating that the police are not capable of holding themselves accountable for the egregious crimes they commit and only seek to uphold the ways in which they murder with impunity.

The Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression initiated the call for the protest. Chapman pointed to the need for community control of the police, “Where we determine who polices in our communities and how they are policed.”

Speakers condemn police crimes, U.S. support for Israel

There were a number of campaigns spearheaded by the Black liberation movement that were addressed throughout the program, including ending solitary confinement, and freedom and justice for all those who have been tortured and wrongfully incarcerated at the hands of law enforcement and the criminal justice system.

Nesreen Hasan from the U.S. Palestinian Community Network said, “For over ten years, I’ve been speaking with the Chicago Alliance. I spoke at a rally for Rekia Boyd, RonnieMan Johnson, Philando Castille, Breonna Taylor, Laquan McDonald, Freddy Gray, Tamir Rice, Sandra Bland, and the list goes on.” She drew endless parallels between the struggles for Black and a Palestinian liberation. She pointed out that “the U.S. has sent over 650 police departments to be trained by the IOF [Israeli Occupation Forces], and they bring back those tactics to kill and surveil Black and brown communities here.”

While the crowd gathered to protest the brutal murder of Sonya and all those killed by police, just an hour earlier 30 Palestinians were murdered by those same Israeli forces in the span of ten minutes at a school being used as a refugee shelter.

Hasan continued, “If I am granted the right to return to my homeland to go back to west Jerusalem where my family was killed and exiled from – if I get the right of return and Black people here and all over the world are still suffering, that means I’m not liberated.” She emphasized that liberation for anyone is not possible without Black liberation. “Sonya Massey is a women’s rights issue. Sonya Massey is a Black liberation issue. Sonya Massey is a Palestinian rights issue. Sonya Massey is a disability rights issue.”

Protest at the Democratic National Convention: Stop police crimes at home, genocide in Gaza

After the march, the closing program ended with several speakers calling for broad unity in the fight for Black liberation, particularly in the lead up to the March on the DNC, August 19.

The main slogan of the Coalition to March on the DNC is “Stand with Palestine! End U.S. aid to Israel!” With the involvement of numerous organizations from Black and Latino communities that suffer police occupation in cities across the U.S., the march on the DNC is also raising the slogans “Stop police crimes! Community control of the police now!”

Chapman explained why the Alliance had to protest for justice for Sonya Massey, and march on the DNC. “We are not responsible for our oppression. We are not responsible for what happened to Sonya Massey or Dexter Reed, or any of the others who have been unjustly murdered by the police. We are responsible for stopping it.”

“We can’t expect Kamala Harris to do that. We can’t expect [Chicago Mayor] Brandon Johnson to do that, we gotta do that.”

#ChicagoIL #IL #InJusticeSystem #KillerCops #PoliceBrutality #DNC

Milwaukee, WI – On Tuesday, July 23, Vice President Kamala Harris made her first stop as a presidential candidate in Milwaukee, less than a week after the Republican National Convention. For four hours straight, members of the Wisconsin Coalition for Justice in Palestine (WCJP) chanted outside of Harris’ campaign rally.

Protesters were heard for blocks around the site where Harris was speaking. For months, the people of Milwaukee have made it known that genocidal policies will be met with resistance – whether those policies are pushed by Biden, Harris, Trump, or some other elected official.

Notably, no top Democrats could be seen joining the thousands of protesters in Milwaukee during the RNC. As protester Joe Jones put it: “The Democratic Party’s platform for the last 20 years has been ‘We’re not as bad as the Republicans, so you have to vote for us,’ rather than taking action on their words.”

Wisconsin is a sought after electoral arena by Republicans and Democrats alike. The Republicans chose Milwaukee as the site for their convention, with Trump making visits to Green Bay, Racine and Milwaukee in the last six months. However, the real will of the people can be seen in the streets, with over 3500 protesting the RNC and their agenda, and hundreds routinely protesting the Biden administration’s visits at a moment's notice.

When asked why he was out protesting Kamala’s visit, Russell Cutter, a rank-and-file trade unionist and letter carrier, responded, “One reason I came out, as a union activist, is to be in solidarity with the Palestinian trade unions and answer their call to action in October to stop arming Israel.” Cutter continued, “I want Kamala Harris to know that the truth about Palestine can't be hidden anymore.”

Similarly, protester Joe Jones said the facade is off for the ruling class parties. “They claim to be anti-racist while being fully complicit in the genocide in Gaza at the same time. Domestically, Kamala Harris spent her time as DA in California unfairly prosecuting her people while Joe Biden was a strong supporter of the 1994 crime bill which led to mass incarceration of Black people.”

As the demonstration was wrapping up, protesters made it known that they will march on the Democratic National Convention on August 19. There, they will once again bring the people’s agenda within sight and sound of the Democrats and their likely presidential candidate, Kamala Harris. This DNC will be an important one, but the real change will happen in the streets.

#MilwaukeeWI #WI #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #Harris #DNC #WCJP

Washington, DC – More than 10,000 pro-Palestine demonstrators marched in the streets of Washington DC, July 24. The demonstration coincided with the arrival of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, who delivered a speech to a joint session of Congress defending the genocide in Gaza. Police attacked the protest with clubs and pepper spray. Presidential candidate Kamala Harris denounced the protest as “unpatriotic.” Speakers at the large rally urged attendees to join the massive pro-Palestine protest set for the opening day of the Democratic National Convention, August 19.

#WashingtonDC #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #DNC

Abudayyeh continued, “The route offered to us by the city’s Law Department is inadequate. With the ongoing U.S.-funded genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza, which has already killed 40,000 people, and all the other grievances that people have with the Democrats in DC, the city knows that it can’t accommodate all the protesters that will be here if it puts us on side streets and insists on a one-mile-long route.”

Organizers know that the crowd will stretch out over at least two miles, and the city’s route will cause bottlenecks and other problems that are easily resolved.

“The ball is in the city’s court,” concluded Abudayyeh. “It just needs to give us a longer route with wider streets, that is, all the way up Washington Boulevard, and we’ll immediately sign on the dotted line.”

In addition, the Coalition is concerned about DNC security plans after the experience of the March on the RNC in Milwaukee, when a Black man, Samuel Sharpe, Jr., was killed by a cop from Columbus, Ohio. The Coalition to March on the DNC is demanding that all officers from outside Chicago must be limited to duties inside the security perimeter and must stay out of public parks.

The Coalition will also launch a campaign this week to ask supporters to call the city of Chicago Law Department and urge Corporation Counsel Mary Richardson-Lowry to grant the longer march route on Washington Boulevard.

#ChicagoIL #IL #PeoplesStruggles #DNC #AntiWarMovement #Palestine

Atlanta, GA – Hundreds of community members gathered June 27 to protest the presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump in Midtown Atlanta. The event was sponsored by a broad coalition of Atlanta and Georgia-based activist groups united around the demand for a free Palestine.

The protest began shortly after 7 p.m. and ran at the same time as the presidential debate. The event featured reps from a large number of organizations who spoke against the bipartisan support for Israel and its genocide of the Palestinian people, the need for divestment and an end of all U.S. aid to Israel. They tied the local people’s struggles in Atlanta to the fight against U.S. imperialism.

“What we all know is that neither Trump nor Biden is going to resolve the issues that have brought us out into the street. Neither of them can even fake empathy for the ongoing genocide in Palestine, much less do anything to stop it,” said Erica Schneider, a member of the Atlanta Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. “Neither of them has any interest in putting a stop to mass incarceration and closing the Atlanta jails where we've seen dozens of preventable deaths in the last few years.”

The Atlanta Alliance is currently running a campaign to shut down the Fulton County Jail, stop the construction of a new $2 billion jail, and grant immediate compassionate release of inmates to prevent further deaths. The Fulton County Jail at Rice Street has gained national notoriety in recent years as inmates continue to suffer from inhumane conditions. Over a dozen inmates have died at the jail in the past year alone.

“We're here protesting because we want a ceasefire now. We want a ceasefire now” said Geovani Serrano, a community organizer from Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights. “But at the same time, we're here because there is so many connections between what is taking place in Palestine and what is taking place at the border.”

Serrano continued, “When I say ‘take back tech’ I say ‘take back’ for a reason, because the U.S. currently is taking all this technology that has been used to surveil Palestinian people and they're using it to surveil immigrants here in the United States. They’re using it to create profiles to criminalize them. And not only just that but profiles also for entire families. It is a close connection that we have.”

Immigration has become a hot-button issue during the 2024 presidential election as racist right wing rhetoric against undocumented people continues to escalate. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp recently signed HB 1105 into effect, a state law requiring local and state police to identify, arrest and detain undocumented persons.

Alex Carson, a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization and one of the recently arrested Emory University protesters, spoke about the need for solidarity in the fight against political repression, stating, “The monopoly capitalist class and their police happily tear gassed, brutalized and jailed us for resisting their genocide of Palestinians at the Emory encampment. Our solidarity is always stronger than their repression. Instead of scaring people they have awoken a strong tide of internationalism in Atlanta and the whole country.”

#AtlantaGA #GA #PeoplesStruggles #RNC #DNC #Biden #Trump

Los Angeles, CA – Over 40 people gathered at a local bar, Distrito Catorce, to raise funds for organizers traveling to march on the Republican and Democratic National Conventions (RNC and DNC) taking place in Milwaukee and Chicago, respectively. Those traveling include members of Freedom Road Socialist Organization and both the LA and Orange County chapters of Community Service Organization (CSO).

The fundraiser included games of loteria and an auction where winners took home books, plant pots, t-shirts and other prizes. A raffle was also held for two photos of pro-Palestine protests taken by local photographers, both members of CSO.

Jared Hamil of Freedom Road Socialist Organization stated why he thinks it’s important to protest both parties, “Because both parties suck. Both parties are representative of the corporate elite, the 1%.” He also spoke about the March on the RNC of 2012 that took place in Tampa, Florida where he helped to organize thousands to march against Mitt Romney during a tropical storm, highlighting the historic tradition of marching on the conventions. Regarding the Democrats he stated, “They’re complicit in the genocide of Palestine. So, thousands of people will be marching in Chicago and we are here supporting the people who can be there protesting.”

Carlos Montes of Centro CSO said “We must march against the reactionary, racist Republican agenda! Abajo con los republicanos! Abajo con Trump!” and highlighted Trump’s agenda to conduct mass deportations and his support for racist Texas Governor Abbott who wants to block the border in Eagle Pass and continue the deadly barbed wire buoys in the Rio Grande.

David Pulido, of CSO Orange County stated why he will be marching on the DNC, “Biden and the Democrats continue to finance the genocide of the Palestinian people. His administration continues to attack immigrants to the U.S., pushing Trump-like bans on those seeking asylum while giving other immigrants the bare minimum. In so many ways, he continues to betray the oppressed communities that make up his base while pushing the agenda of the super rich. But we won't stand for it, and this August, we will march on the Democratic National Convention and push a people's agenda!”

If you are interested in donating to help fund travel for the organizers of these historic marches, you can Venmo @csooc.

#LosAngelesCA #CA #PeoplesStruggles #OppressedNationalities #ChicanoLatino #RNC #DNC #FRSO #CentroCSO

Chicago, IL – “This is only a pinch of what we're going to do in August,” Merawi Gerima said to 150 people who rallied outside the 18th District police station on the Near Northside of Chicago, May 19.

Gerima is one of the co-chairs of the Campaign to Free Incarcerated Survivors of Torture (CFIST), a campaign of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR). The main target of CFIST is the governor of Illinois, JB Pritzker, who has the power to grant clemency to every one of the hundreds of people who are still incarcerated despite their convictions being the proven result of torture by police.

“What’s going on in these prisons is horrendous. People are treated like animals. People like Rico Clark and Lester Owens are locked up by corrupt cops like Brian Forberg for crimes they didn't commit,” said Darien Harris, who spent over 12 years in prison after being wrongfully convicted, describing how the entire legal system, from police and prosecutors to judges and politicians, is guilty of mass torture and false imprisonment.

Protesters later heard a recorded message from Rico Clark, who is currently incarcerated. Clark explained the continuity between chattel slavery and today's prison system.

Protesters also admonished Pritzker and other politicians for their support of the Israeli genocide in Gaza.

“Pritzker has the power to grant clemency today. Pritzker has the power to stop funding Israel today. We are here to demand he uses that power for real justice,” Akiesha Lee, a member of Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation (SOUL) said after police barricaded protesters several blocks from Pritzker's house.

“Palestinians understand all too well the dehumanization and brutality that Black and brown people in this country face, as our people in Palestine also face the same kind of dehumanization and violence from the U.S.-backed, white supremacist, illegal Zionist occupation,” Nick Sous, a leading member of the Chicago chapter of US Palestinian Community Network (USPCN) explained. USPCN is also a leading organization in the Coalition to March on the DNC.

“Black people and other oppressed people stand in solidarity with Palestine because we have mutual pain and suffering caused by the same enemy, so we have to unite and fight against that,” CAARPR Field Organizer Frank Chapman said at the end of the rally program.

“To these Democrats and Republicans, I want to say your time is up! We're going to fight and we're going to get justice from Chicago to Palestine,” April Ward declared. Ward is the mother of Mickeail Ward, whose conviction was recently overturned after ten years of fighting a wrongful murder conviction sensationalized in part by the Obamas.

The Sunday, May 19 protest was also the first of four consecutive actions organized by the Coalition to March on the DNC, of which CAARPR is a leading member. On Monday, May 13, coalition members met at Pritzker’s downtown office to demand that he grant clemency to torture survivors and end Illinois support for Israel.

On Tuesday evening, the coalition gathered 200 people at the Garfield Park Conservatory on Chicago's West Side to protest a DNC reception. Protesters aimed chants at Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, JB Pritzker, Sean Casten, Dick Durbin and Jan Schakowsky among others for the two hour duration as event attendees filed in and out of the Conservatory.

On Wednesday morning, the coalition met at the United Center while press outlets were conducting a walkthrough of the site where the DNC will take place between August 19 and 22.

“Wherever Genocide Joe and Killer Kamala show up there will be protests,” Hatem Abudayyeh, national chair of USPCN said at a press conference outside the United Center.

Abudayyeh continued, “There will be no business as usual as long as our tax dollars are funding the genocide and occupation of Palestine. That's why tens of thousands of people will be here on August 19.”

#ChicagoIL #FreePalestine #MarchOnTheDNC #FreeRicoClark #USPCN #NAARPR #CAARPR #CFIST #SOUL #DNC #BDS #FreeThemAll

Chicago, IL – Organizers with the Coalition to March on the Democratic National Convention held a press conference outside City Hall on Tuesday morning to speak out against the denial of their permit applications. The Chicago Department of Transportation gave the coalition an alternate route four miles away from where the DNC is scheduled to happen.

“We reject their decision because we have the right to voice the demands of the people within sight and sound of the DNC. We demand a permit to march as a gesture of good faith that the police will not introduce violence into our family-friendly protest.” said Jasmine Smith, a co-chair of the Campaign to Free Incarcerated Survivors of Torture (CFIST), which is a campaign of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.

“Many of the attendees of the DNC are responsible for or complicit in U.S. aggression against other countries including genocide in Palestine, police committing crimes with impunity, mass incarceration, deportations, neglect of LGBTQ and reproductive rights, undermining of workers’ demands, and other injustices against the people,” Smith continued.

“We all have the right to protest within sight and sound of the DNC, but right now, Palestinians should be afforded even more of this right, since the politicians that will be here, including Genocide Joe Biden, are the ones responsible for the almost 30,000 Palestinians who have been killed in Gaza by the U.S.-funded Israeli military since October 7,” said Nazek Sankari with the US Palestinian Community Network (USPCN)

Tthe Democratic Party base in Chicago wants a ceasefire, wants to see Israel stop the genocide, wants to see its nominal leader, Joe Biden, stop arming Israel and end U.S. aid to Israel,” Sankari continued.

“We want money for jobs and education, not for wars and occupation. From Palestine to the Philippines, we demand an end to the U.S. war machine,” said Diana Balitaan with Anakbayan Chicago, after explaining how Democratic Party politicians are allied with the reactionary Marcos Duterte regime in the Philippines.

“We’re demanding that the Democrats act and vote on our behalf, on behalf of asylum seekers and all immigrants,” said Maggie Lugo, executive director of the Federation of Michoacan Clubs. “We’re not asking, we're demanding what we deserve.''

“With or without a permit we are going to be out there. They can't stop u,” said Regina Russell, member of Mothers Advancing Movements for Abolition and Solidarity (MAMAS) in a written statement.

The coalition will be appealing the decision in court this week, but organizers emphasized that the mass movement will ultimately be responsible for winning the permit.

“This is not our first rodeo,” Joe Iosbaker with CAARPR said in reference to his and other coalition members’ experience organizing marches on NATO and the RNC, as well as mass rallies for all the fights coalition members are involved in.

Iosbaker continued, “We’re going to get a permit because the power of the people is stronger than the people in power.”

#ChicagoIL #PeoplesStruggles #UnitedStates #DNC #MarchOnDNC2024 #NAARPR #CAARPR #USPCN #CFIST #Anakbayan