Grand Rapids, MI – The social hall at Fountain Street Church in the heart of downtown was packed to capacity with up to 300 people, February 1. While the folks inside listened intently to the dozen organizers speaking, over 200 people were outside in the freezing weather, patiently waiting to march.

Reverend Nathan Dannison began by telling the audience how excited the church was to be fulfilling its role as a progressive space to host events like these, stating, “the attendance is astonishing.” Fountain Street Church has a long history of being a hub and sanctuary for organizers in the city. Legendary leaders in the Black Liberation movement, like Angela Davis and Malcolm X, have spoken and held rallies at the church. 

The rally organizers, the Grand Rapids Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, stated their goal was to build coalitions and relationships with organizers throughout the city. Speakers from these organizations included Planned Parenthood, GR Climate Coalition, Grand Rapids Pride Center, GVSU Progressive Student Union, Grand Rapids School Board, GR Rapid Response to ICE, and others.

Sam Tunningley, an organizer of the event and member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, stated, “Trans rights and 2S-LGBTQ rights are extremely personal to me. My closest friends are queer, my sibling is trans, so Trump and his attacks are extremely personal, and we’re going to fight this on the front lines of every struggle!”

Eduardo Montiel, the chair of the Grand Rapids Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, stated, “I’m optimistic because I know the people, the working-class people who aren’t under risk of deportation, alongside immigrants will come together and stand up to Trump's racist and reactionary agenda. Together a better world is possible and that’s what everyone in this room is here to do right now. To come together and say enough is enough.”

An organizer of the Grand Rapids Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, said, “You who showed up for Patrick Lyoya, Samuel Sterling and Riley Doggett, for George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, we call on you to join us in our demand, community control of the police now!” In 2024 the GRPD officers killed Samuel Sterling, Riley Doggett, and many more community members. Justice is still yet to come for the family of Patrick Lyoya, who was killed by GRPD Officer Christopher Schurr in April of 2022.

Anthony Hegarty, a member of Palestine Solidarity Grand Rapids, stated, “The ceasefire came at a great cost and it's already being used as a political football by the ruling class in this country, first Trump takes credit, then Biden takes credit. It makes no difference; the Palestinians are ones who deserve credit!” 

The majority of speeches were also translated into Spanish, either by a volunteer translator or by speakers who were already fluent. The event continued into the streets of downtown Grand Rapids as over 500 community members marched for nearly an hour in the blistering cold, waving flags of Mexico and other Latin American countries, and chanting to drown out the sound of GRPD sirens and arrest warnings.

#GrandRapidsMI #GRAARPR #GRPD #GVSUPSU #GRClimateCoalition #PlannedParenthood #Trump #LGBTQRights #FreePalestine #ImmigrantRights

Grand Rapids, MI – In response to the upcoming Republican National Convention (RNC), a coalition of grassroots organizations is mobilizing Michigan residents for a march in Milwaukee on July 15 to protest the RNC.

“We are going to be in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at 10 a.m. on Monday, July 15, to let the Republicans know that we oppose their racist and reactionary agenda. We oppose Trump and his attack on immigrants, workers, LGBT folks, women, bodily autonomy and reproductive rights. We are going to march with families and with joy for our own agenda, the people’s agenda, in the streets of Milwaukee and let the Republicans know that we are going to resist them every step of the way and we are going to shut them down if Trump is elected,” said Tom Burke from the Coalition to March on the RNC.

The march is organized by the national Coalition to March on the RNC, composed of grassroots groups and unions from across the country united to stop the Republicans’ racist and reactionary agenda, defend reproductive rights, and demand peace, justice and equity. 

Michigan member organizations of this national effort include Palestine Solidarity Grand Rapids, the Grand Rapids Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression, Students for a Democratic Society, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization. 

The groups highlighted the Republicans' long history of threatening civil rights. “Take 2019, for example, when a majority of Republican lawmakers refused to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, legislation aimed at protecting women. We continue to see constant attacks on LGBTQ individuals and reproductive rights by Republicans. That’s why we’re going to Milwaukee, to demand equal treatment for women and LGBTQ rights, and access to reproductive healthcare,” said Jessie Pichta from Students for a Democratic Society.

The groups also addressed the threat Republicans pose to democracy and voting rights. A member of the Grand Rapids Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression stated, “one of the Republicans' key strategies is voter suppression. After the past election, several states passed legislation that made it more difficult to vote. For example, Georgia now has stricter voter laws, which disproportionately affect communities at the margins. We have also seen an increase in crackdowns on protests and political dissent. In Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis signed HB 1 into law in 2021, which aims to suppress protests while granting civil immunity to drivers who run over protesters.”

Michigan Republicans were also specifically called out. “In 2008, it was the Republican Michigan attorney general who issued the memo that terminated access to driver’s licenses for all Michiganders, regardless of their citizenship status. Since then – for over 15 years – tens of thousands of Michigan families and workers have been unjustly excluded from access to driver’s licenses and live in fear of having their families separated anytime the police perform a traffic stop.” said Danny Celaya from Palestine Solidarity Grand Rapids. 

Celaya continued, “Then of course, we cannot forget about how Republicans such as Nikki Haley and Donald Trump have been candid over their support of the genocide happening in Palestine. We need to oppose their violent remarks and continue to stand with Palestine.” In May, Nikki Haley made news after she was photographed signing an Israeli artillery shell with the words “Finish them.” Then during the June 27 presidential debates, Donald Trump voiced his support for Israel to “finish the job.”

The march has faced pushback by Milwaukee city officials and the Secret Service. Burke explained, “We are demanding our permits from the city of Milwaukee and the Secret Service who don’t want us to express our free speech rights. They don’t want us to march to the doors of the Fiserv auditorium where the Republicans will be meeting. That is exactly our plan. We’re going to have all sorts of people, from all walks of life together, thousands of us raising our voices against the Republicans and their backwards agenda.”

#GrandRapidsMI #MarchOnTheRNC #FreePalestine #PalestineSolidarity #SDS #GRAARPR

Grand Rapids, MI – On Wednesday, May 8, an educational event on the link between policing in the United States and the occupation in Palestine was held before a march and die-in to stand against a ground invasion of Rafah.

The event hosted by the Grand Rapids Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (GRAARPR) and Palestine Solidarity Grand Rapids (PSGR) took place at the East Congregational Church.

In a presentation, Eduardo Montiel, made connections between the repression of the student encampments and the Palestinian struggle against occupation forces. The slide presentation made mention of the police delegations sent to Israel since 2004.

Montiel’s portion of the program also demonstrated similarities between how the CIA and Israel use propaganda, playing video examples, including the infamous “Humans of CIA” ad.

“Israel and the U.S. both use identity politics to try and sell you a version of intelligence agencies that is both digestible and relatable,” said Montiel.

This was followed by student Jessica Plichta giving a powerful speech on the recent developments in the student movement. Plichta spoke for five minutes and finished to a standing ovation from all attendees.

“The precedence in how we hold Israel accountable for its war crimes and genocide against the people of Palestine will dictate how all future cases of apartheid, occupation and genocide are handled in the modern era,” said Plichta.

After the presentation, organizers announced to the room a march and die-in in the front lawn of U.S. Representative Hillary Scholten’s house. They practiced and assigned roles before the march, with everyone who committed to the action grabbing a white sheet.

The rally, around 60 people, marched two blocks to Scholten’s house, chanting “Hillary Scholten, you can’t hide! You’re supporting genocide!” Upon arrival, around ten people laid on the lawn while protesters lined the corner and demanded Scholten halt her green-lighting of Israel’s occupation.

Scholten has consistently voted in support of Israel and refused to meet with Palestine Solidarity Grand Rapids.

After around ten minutes at Scholten’s house, the rally marched back to the church.

Applause and cheering could be heard from the parking lot, with some participants remarking on the empowering feeling of confronting those in power who refuse to heed their demands. A few commented on the positive response from the neighborhood and the number of people who observed the protest from the street.

During the organizing debrief inside the church, the cop who had been tailing the rally entered the room to hand off a symbolic dead child left on Scholten’s porch. The organizers left the church together to ensure everyone made it home safely.

The rally marked the second time organizers marched to Scholten’s house. The representative has yet to publicly comment on either demonstration.

#GrandRapidsMI #MI #International #MiddleEast #Palestine #AntiWarMovement #PSGR #NAARPR #GRAARPR #Feature

Grand Rapids, MI – Hundreds gathered in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan on October 15 in the afternoon to support the Palestinian resistance against Israeli apartheid. They joined a worldwide solidarity movement in response to the Israeli government's retaliation against the Palestinian resistance launch of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.

Speeches from activists and community members set the tone for the day's demonstration. The speakers addressed the crowd passionately about Palestine's century-long struggle against oppression and denounced the current propaganda of Western media. Since October 7, major news outlets and U.S. politicians have spouted intentional lies fueling anti-Muslim sentiment at home and justifying genocide in Palestine.

Julian Cortez from the Freedom Road Socialist Organization said, “Israel has established a status quo of terroristic violence, to which Palestinians are daily subjected. Yet when this monopoly of force is countered, when the status quo of settler colonialism is shaken, the Western imperialist forces all clamor to denounce those struggling for freedom as ‘terrorists.’”

Speakers urged attendees to struggle against government leaders who support the Israeli government. The Grand Rapids Institute for Information Democracy reported that, as of 2016, Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalynn Bliss would not consider a Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel for its human rights violations.

Several speakers also drew attention to liberal Democrat Congresswoman Hillary Scholten for co-sponsoring the “Operation Swords of Iron” Iron Dome Supplemental Appropriations Act on October 12, which provides $2 billion to Israel's “Iron Dome” missile defense system.

Barbara Howard of Palestine Solidarity Grand Rapids encouraged attendees to contact Scholten to condemn her actions. A local rabbi spoke of citizens' responsibility to be “truth tellers” in a sea of misinformation and to “call out the government” for its uncritical support of Israel.

A message of unwavering support for Palestine underlined the event. Sam Tunningley from Grand Rapids Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (GRAARPR) said, “The Palestinians, and every single person who stands with them today, know the occupation cannot go on,” and, “But we will never forget the occupation; we will always remember the martyrs and never forget those who aided and abetted the collective torture of Palestinians for over half a century.”

A march followed the six-speaker lineup, passing through the busiest sections of downtown. Attendees chanted, and many proudly flew the Palestinian flag. Employees of several businesses stepped out to cheer on the march, and driving passersby repeatedly offered moral support through honking and cheering.

The organizers are enthusiastic about the turnout and response but are disappointed with the local media's reporting on the day's events, which distorted the rally's size and message. The group is planning another rally in the coming week.

The Grand Rapids Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (GRAARPR) and local Palestinian activists organized the rally to speak truth to current events and to condemn Israel's ongoing and accelerating genocide of Palestinians.

#GrandRapidsMI #FreePalestine #GRAARPR #Palestine #BDS #AlAqsaFlood