Brooklyn, NY – In the early morning of January 4, over 200 people gathered across the street from the Metropolitan Detention Center, where the kidnapped President Maduro of Venezuela and his wife, Cilia Flores, were being held.
The picket spanned over half a block as bundled-up protesters marched for hours in support of President Maduro and Venezuela. Chants rang through the crowd, such as, “Not another penny, not another dollar! We won’t pay for your death and slaughter!’
Minneapolis, MN – On January 3, 400 people rallied and marched to demand an end to U.S. intervention in Venezuela. The Minnesota Peace Action Coalition (MPAC) organized the emergency protest after reports of overnight bombings in Caracas and the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores by U.S. special operations forces.
The action began with a rally, where protesters gathered on a cold afternoon near a busy Minneapolis intersection, waving Venezuelan flags and chanting “No war on Venezuela,” “No blood for oil” and “Free President Maduro!”
Lancaster, TX – At midnight on Friday, December 19, roughly 300 warehouse workers at United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI) officially joined Teamsters Local 745, marking a major step forward in their fight for better conditions and real voice on the job. The vote reflects months of organizing and frustration, and it adds momentum to a growing wave of unionization among distribution and logistics workers.
The new year arrives with sharpening crises and struggle. A year into his second term and Trump is back more brazen and unhinged than ever. He and his cabal of billionaire bigots have rolled out an agenda that is violent and reactionary: this is most clearly seen in sending masked and often unmarked ICE, Border Patrol and other Homeland Security to terrorize mainly Chicano and Latino communities. From attacks on labor to dragging LGBTQ and reproductive rights backwards, from cutting climate protections to “unleashing” National Guard troops into cities with Democratic mayors, Trump is trying to push the country backwards on many fronts.
Anaheim, CA – On December 22, the Anaheim Police Department (APD) released body-worn camera footage from the police killing of Albert Arzola. Rather than providing clarity, the footage has intensified community outrage and reinforced long-standing concerns about APD’s narrative, use of force, and lack of transparency.
The video does not clearly show Arzola pointing or firing a weapon. At no point in the footage is a gun seen in Arzola’s hands prior to officers opening fire. This directly contradicts APD’s repeated claims that Arzola “produced a gun,” a phrase officials have relied on to justify the killing since the incident.
Aurora, CO – On the morning of December 22, Jeanette Vizguerra, an immigrant rights activist detained by ICE in March of this year, was released on bond from the GEO ICE detention facility in Aurora.
In the evening of December 21, the American Friends Service Committee announced that Vizguerra had finally won release with a $5000 bond after a nine-month detention.
Minneapolis, MN – With wind chills bringing temperatures below zero, 15,000 Minnesotans took to the streets in Minneapolis on Saturday to demand ICE get out. The protest was organized by a large coalition of immigrant rights groups and unions in response to an upsurge in attacks by ICE in the past month in the greater Twin Cities area. Many of these attacks have focused on the Somali community after Trump’s racist call for mass deportations of Somali Minnesotans.
Jacksonville, FL – In a powerful show of solidarity, nearly a dozen families directly harmed by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) united at Café Resistance on Thursday, December 19.
The “Justice for the Holidays” event was standing room only, organized by the Jacksonville Community Action Committee (JCAC), transforming a space of shared grief into a rallying point for organized action against a sheriff’s office with a notorious record of excessive force. The gathering highlighted many cases and struggles.
This past year, horrifying accidents and the government shutdown have put many of us on alert about travel risks. It’s made more people reflect on how important flight attendants are. Their primary job, after all, is keeping passengers safe. As the year comes to an end, let’s put a spotlight on some working conditions that affect their own safety.
Physical injuries
Despite gendered stereotypes about being a flight attendant, the job causes serious physical strain. Strain manifests in several parts of the body, most consistently in the shoulders and back. The job requires lifting your own luggage, working aircraft doors (many of which are old and have levers that require lots of muscle to push and pull), and maneuvering beverage carts that can weigh up to 300 pounds. Even stepping out of tall crew vans in heels can be a fall or concussion risk.
The Freedom Road Socialist Organization vehemently condemns the Trump Administration’s illegal seizure of an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. Trump has violated yet another international law by having U.S. forces seize a defenseless commercial vessel. As nationalized oil, it belongs to the people of Venezuela. We denounce the U.S. imperialists’ use of violence to steal what they want. In this case, it looks like U.S. Coast Guard piracy.
City of Industry, CA – On Saturday, December 13, the family of Joseph Perez, Centro CSO, and other allies rallied outside the Industry Sheriff’s Station to demand justice for Perez, who narrowly survived a beating by at least five sheriff’s deputies on July 27, 2020. Perez required 17 staples and 19 sutures to close cuts across his face and scalp, served two years in prison for resisting arrest, and is still recovering from the trauma.
Caracas, Venezuela – From December 9 to 11, members of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) participated in a solidarity delegation to Venezuela, along with members of the Anti-War Action Network, National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Workers World Party and the Harriet Tubman Center. They were there to attend the International Peoples' Assembly for Sovereignty and Peace hosted by the Simón Bolivar Institute for Peace and Solidarity Among Peoples.
On the final day of the conference, participants had the honor to visit Amilivaca Commune to hear President Maduro speak on the wins of the Venezuelan commune system and the valiant fight for peace against U.S. imperialism.
New York, NY – On the evening of December 6, the Manhattan office of Workers World buzzed with activists, writers and community members gathered to celebrate the launch of China Changes Everything, a new anthology produced by Friends of Socialist China (FOSC).
Edited and compiled by FOSC, China Changes Everything offers a sweeping, politically grounded portrait of China’s socialist project. With chapters covering topics from green energy transitions and universal healthcare initiatives to high-speed rail networks stitching together rural and urban communities, the book documents China’s model for development.
Caracas, Venezuela – On December 9, thousands of organizers from across the Americas attended the International People’s Assembly for Sovereignty and Peace of our Americas.
One clear strategy rang clear the entire day – we need a united front to win all that can be won.
Caracas, Venezuela – Over the last few months United States President Donald Trump has been heightening the pressure on Venezuela with bombings, military installations and abuse of Venezuelan immigrants. Most recently, on November 29, Trump declared a no-fly zone over Venezuela.
The Trump administration wants access to Venezuelan oil and resources.
Milwaukee, WI – On Sunday, December 7, the Milwaukee Anti-War Committee (MAC) hosted a commemoration of International Human Rights Day, answering the national call for a week of action by the Anti-War Action Network. International Human Rights Day, observed annually on December 10, marks the anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) by the United Nations in 1948.
The event began with a march, followed by a program portion featuring a panel of local organizers, a keynote speaker, and the presentation of the 4th annual Lucille Berrien Humanitarian Award.
Shelbyville, IN – In a decisive victory for their historic strike for union recognition, table games dealers and dual rate dealers at the Horseshoe Indianapolis casino voted overwhelmingly on Friday, December 5, to join Teamsters Local 135.
In an expedited NLRB election ordered after the end of the government shutdown, striking casino workers delivered a landslide mandate for union representation and forced Caesars Entertainment, the corporation that owns the casino, to recognize their union. The vote took place on day 50 of the strike.
New Orleans, LA – On Thursday December 4, a crowd of 30 people packed the city council chamber to demand that the city stand up against ICE and Border Patrol operations in the city.
Operation “Swamp Sweep” began in New Orleans and surrounding areas this past Monday, December 1. A host of federal agents have descended on the city, including Gregory Bovino, chief of Border Patrol operations, who also made stops in Chicago and Charlotte earlier this year.
New Orleans, LA – On Monday, December 1, 100 people rallied in Lafayette Square and marched to City Hall in the pouring rain to oppose Trump’s latest assault on immigrants in Louisiana, dubbed Operation “Swamp Sweep.”
December 1 marked the first day of Swamp Sweep, an anti-immigrant operation that has sent 250 federal agents to Louisiana – specifically to New Orleans and surrounding areas – attempting to make 5000 arrests. This operation mirrors similar federal deployments in cities such as Washington D.C., Memphis and Charlotte. Like other cities, New Orleans showed up to resist the crackdown.
Colorado Springs, CO – On November 22 the Colorado Springs Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (COSAARPR) joined together with the family of Alex Martinez-Sarmiento. They gathered outside the 4th Judicial District Attorney’s Office in Colorado Springs to rally for the 26-year-old father who was shot and killed by police earlier in the year.
The family and COSAARPR demanded that District Attorney Michael Allen meet with the victim's family and move to indict killer cop Connor Jacob Wallick.
