Seattle, WA – On the afternoon July 25, workers at Homegrown Sustainable Sandwiches held a press conference outside Homegrown/Artisan Premades headquarters to condemn CEO Brad Gillis’ sudden announcement that he intends to close ten of the 12 Homegrown restaurants on September 15, putting over 150 people out of work.
Gillis’ announcement comes just three months after workers, members of Unite Here Local 8, ratified their first union contract, following a militant two year contract campaign. During the event, workers at various Homegrown locations came forward to give statements to the press that had gathered. Many of them expressed devastation, as well as shock, at the closures and how they received the news.
Atlanta, GA – The family of Christon Collins, a 27-year-old veteran who died in Dekalb County Jail, held a press conference on Monday morning, July 22, to share new information about their son’s death.
Jonia Milburn, Collins’s mother, says she got mixed and confusing stories from the sheriff’s office. The family is asking for an independent investigation and for those responsible to be held accountable.
Emotions filled the room as Jonia Milburn talked about what she saw in the video of her son’s last moments in the jail. “My son laid on the floor for three hours with no care. Nobody noticed. No guards, no supervisors, no one but the inmates.” Milburn says the video shows her son losing balance and hitting his head, then lying on the floor for three hours in the common area of the jail with no one checking on him but the inmates. Documents shared by the family show that when Collins was finally attended to hours later, EMTs did not perform life-saving measures on him.
Minneapolis, MN – On July 15, the Coalition to March on the RNC successfully brought more than 3500 protesters together in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to protest against the racist, reactionary agenda of the Republican National Convention. 100 of these protesters arrived on coach buses from Minneapolis organized by the MN Immigrant Rights Action Committee and the MN Abortion Action Committee.
This convention is where Republican delegates met to choose their party’s presidential nominee, Donald Trump, known for his anti-immigrant and misogynistic statements and policies. The thousands of protesters from around the nation marched within sight and sound of the convention center, thanks to the Coalition’s years-long fight against the city for a militant march route.
Minneapolis, MN – On July 4, round 100 members of the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA) Local 363 walked off their jobs and began what was intended to be a limited-duration strike set to end on Wednesday, July 10.
Right from the start the attitude was one of feisty resolve from these workers. This is the first time in the Minneapolis Park Board’s 141 year history that the workers went on strike, and the strike was authorized by a 94% majority.
Milwaukee, WI – On Tuesday, July 16, five police officers with the Columbus, Ohio Police Department shot and killed 43-year-old Samuel “Jah” Sharpe Jr. These police officers came to Milwaukee to provide security for the Republican National Convention (RNC), but the shooting took place near 14th and Vliet Streets, which is more than seven blocks away from the RNC security perimeter.
Alan Chavoya, outreach chair of the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, stated, “We warned the representatives of the city, of the Milwaukee Police Department, over the past two years that they were exposing our city to this kind of violence with the 4500 out-of-town police officers coming in for the RNC.”
Milwaukee, WI – After two years of work, the Coalition to March on the RNC culminated its efforts with a 3500-person rally and march on the opening day of the 2024 Republican National Convention. The Coalition was truly national in character, composed of more than 120 organizations representing all manner of social movements. The principle rallying cry of the broad united front was to fight against the racist and reactionary Republican agenda.
“The most visible figurehead of the Republican Party right now is Donald Trump, but we want to be clear: we are marching on the Republicans’ entire agenda. Our speakers today represent a broad movement against the entire Republican platform,” said Omar Flores, one of the co-chairs of the Coalition. “We are marching on every Republican state slashing funding for DEI initiatives in education, every Republican governor putting up more razor wire to militarize the Southwest border, every Republican voting for right-to-work bills, and every Republican signing bombs they are sending to Gaza.”
The shots fired at Trump’s Pennsylvania campaign rally, July 13, are a big deal that will have political repercussions. While little is yet known about the motivations of the shooter, there is plenty that we can be certain of, including that this event will be used to legitimize and promote a reactionary, right-wing agenda.
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following call to action from the Coalition to March on the RNC 2024.
Please call Mayor Cavalier Johnson at 414-286-2200 and say:
“Tell Mayor Johnson to give us the permit for our March on the RNC in Milwaukee this Monday, July 15, 2024, at 10am. We will rally at Red Arrow Park and march to the Republican National Convention at Fiserv Forum. We have waited long enough and are excited to march!”
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Coalition to March on the RNC
Milwaukee, WI – With the Republican National Convention just a week away, some are asking “Why march on the RNC?” However, the correct question should be: “Why not? Why not march on the Republican National convention? Why not march on those leading the attacks on women’s and reproductive rights? Why not march on those leading attacks on trans, immigrants and human rights in general?”
The Republicans have left us no shortage of reasons to mobilize and amplify the people’s agenda over their racist and reactionary agenda.
San José, CA – On Friday, July 5, the Department of Labor released its monthly employment report for the month of June. While mainstream news sources such as the Associated Press described the labor market as “healthy” the report was riddled with warning signs of a weaker jobs market.
