The upcoming presidential election is referendum on the U.S.-sponsored genocide in Palestine and the broader war that the U.S. and Israel are waging in the Middle East. The Biden/Harris administration is coordinating the attack on Iran, and the U.S. has dispatched troops and missiles to Israel. There is a minimum of 44,000 dead in Gaza, and Israel is raining 2000-pound bombs down on the cities of Lebanon. While it should go without saying that a reactionary racist like Trump does not deserve a vote, Kamala Harris doesn’t either.
Minneapolis, MN – On Saturday, October 26, the Free Palestine Coalition organized a rally that drew out 75 community members and students to send a message to University of Minnesota administration that the repression of student Palestine solidarity protesters on campus is unacceptable and will not be allowed to stand. The protesters rallied near a UMN football game during homecoming week, and were seen by thousands of students and alumni, many of whom joined in pro-Palestine chants and raised fists in support as they passed the demonstration.
Atlanta, GA - On Thursday, October 24, in Brunswick, Georgia, dozens of family, friends and community members gathered at Glynn County Courthouse as the defense counsel for the three men who have been imprisoned for the killing of Ahmaud Arbery pled their case for a retrial.
Los Angeles, CA – On October 23, Centro Community organization Centro (CSO) held a press conference outside the East LA Sheriff’s Station to condemn the violent actions of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LASD) after the Dodgers’ National League Championship Series victory celebration on October 20.
Speakers at the press conference highlighted the indiscriminate tear gassing of families, the racist “Fort Apache” mentality of the East LA Sheriff’s Station, and the broader systemic violence against Chicanos. The community demanded justice and emphasized the need for community control of the police.
Freedom Road Socialist organization strongly condemns the attacks by the U.S. Treasury Department and Canadian authorities on Samidoun: Palestinian Political Prisoner Network. The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) claims that Samidoun is a “sham charity,” an allegation that is designed to criminalize solidarity with Palestine. We urge everyone who is progressive or concerned about civil liberties to stand with Samidoun against political repression.
The U.S government has devised a host of laws that treat movements for national liberation, be they in Palestine or the Philippines or points in between, as “terrorism.” As a result, almost every group that is fighting to end the Israeli occupation of Palestine is on the U.S. State Department’s list of designated terrorist organizations. And it gets worse. Under the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996, folks can face long prison terms for “material support of terrorism.” It’s a legal framework that tries to make solidarity a crime. These laws should be scrapped.
New York, NY – On Saturday, October 19, members of the New York Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NYAARPR) gathered in Brooklyn’s Brownsville neighborhood to speak out against increased policing in the city’s transit system. The action occurred just a month after the police shot three people at the nearby Sutter Avenue subway station, over a suspected fare evasion.
SeaTac, WA – On October 12, over 400 hotel workers at the Doubletree Seattle Airport and the Seattle Airport Hilton & Conference Center walked out and went on strike, joining hotel workers across the U.S. Workers at the two hotels are fighting for good raises, pension plan improvement, fair staffing and respect in their new contract.
The picket began at 5 a.m., when dozens of workers joined the picket line outside both striking hotels. As they marched, they chanted, “What do we want? Contract! When do we want it? Now!” and “If we don’t get it, shut it down!” Workers carried signs that read “Respect our work,” “One job should be enough” and “Make them pay.” Cars and buses passing by honked their horns in support as the picket continued throughout the day.
Chicago, IL – The resignation of the entire Chicago Board of Education on October 4 exemplifies a new phase of the fight for Chicago's public schools. Current contract negotiations are happening with a mayor who is a former teacher and Chicago Teachers Union organizer, and amidst school board elections coming up on November 5, both of which are unprecedented in Chicago's history. The Black and brown and working-class people of the city have an opportunity to undo the damage done to the public school system by decades of systematic defunding under neoliberal mayors, and to take further steps towards community control of the schools.
“None of the members leaving the current board planned to continue onto the hybrid board, and none are running for election,” the outgoing board said in a joint statement with Mayor Brandon Johnson. “With the unprecedented increase in board membership, transitioning new members now will allow them time to orient and gain critical experience prior to welcoming additional elected and appointed members in 2025.”
Minneapolis, MN – On Monday, October 14 over 50 protesters gathered together on Indigenous People’s Day to tell Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance that he is not welcome in Minneapolis. Vance attended a private fundraiser in Minneapolis the same day, and held a press conference at the burned down Minneapolis former 3rd Precinct police station.
The protest was organized by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) as part of a national week of action called by the Legalization for All Network to stand with Haitian immigrants in the fight for legalization for all, in the face of the intensely racist anti-immigrant rhetoric spewed by right-wing politicians at every turn.
