Santa Ana, CA – On July 8, over 50 Chicanos rallied outside a federal courthouse in support of Nadia Topete, a Chicana immigrant rights activist with Centro CSO who was inside with a grand jury. Just days before, on July 1, federal agents showed up to Nadia's home with another grand jury subpoena, threatening that, if she did not appear, she could be held in contempt.

Nadia Topete walked out the federal courthouse with her head up high and stated she had exercised her Fifth Amendment right. She was greeted by chants of “Hands off Nadia Topete,” “Chinga la migra” and “DOJ hands off Nadia!” that were loud enough to be heard inside the federal building.

“Protesting ICE is not a crime!” said Verita Topete, Nadia’s sister and fellow Chicana organizer. “Our communities are stronger than Trump and the DOJ’s ruling class interests. The targeting of Nadia is a pattern of political repression from the federal government.”

Jasia Topete, older sister of both Nadia and Verita, stated, “Today was a very moving gesture of unity and support for my baby sister, Nadia. Seeing the tremendous support she has gained on a national level through the calls to action online by different organizations was very heartening to see. Witnessing how many people took the time to come out and show her love was very heart warming and reassuring to our family. We know she did nothing wrong. Amplifying the voices of our people is not a crime. She will continue to hold her head high like the confident resilient that she is. Nadia, we love you, Thank you so much to everyone that is rooting for Nadia!”

Mick Kelly of the Committee to Stop FBI Repression told the crowd, “I would like to salute Nadia, a woman of uncommon courage who is standing up for all of us. This will certainly not end here. We will stand with Nadia every inch of the way.”

Emiliano Martin Del Campo, member of Centro CSO, stated, “I see this attack from the DOJ and the Trump administration as not only a direct attack on our sister Nadia but a direct blow to all of us fighting against this administration. An attack on one is an attack on all!”

Speakers from Centro CSO, CSO OC, CLUE, ILPS, Freedom Road Socialist Organization and Legalization for All spoke in defense of Topete, condemning the political repression of Immigrant Rights activists.

It is unclear what is next, but if the DOJ witch hunt continues, Centro CSO and their allies will be ready to defend their own, Nadia Topete, a daughter of Aztlan.

#SantaAnaCA #CA #InJusticeSystem #GrandJury #PoliticalRepression #ImmigrantRights #CentroCSO #NadiaTopete #CSFR #Feature

Santa Ana, CA – On the morning of July 8, immigrant rights activist Nadia Topete went before a grand jury at the Ronald Reagan Federal Courthouse. Topete was inside for a short time before reappearing out of the courthouse to state that she exercised her Fifth Amendment right to stay silent.

The crowd of over 50 supporters from Los Angeles and Orange County cheered her on, chanting, “DOJ: Hands off Nadia!” and “What do we want? Hands off Nadia! When do we want it? Now!”

Nadia Topete is a 21-year-old who twice had FBI agents show up at her door. Topete is a proud Chicana and immigrant rights activist. She has done nothing wrong and continues mobilizing to beat the attacks the Trump administration is enacting on immigrants.

Among those gathered outside were members of Centro CSO in Los Angeles and CSO Orange County. Others present were also with the Committee to Stop FBI Repression, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Gabriela – LA, ILPS, Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE), and others.

“We applaud the tremendous strength of my sister Nadia Topete and will be ready to fight back for her if she is summoned once again,” said Verita Topete, a member of Centro CSO and chair of the CSO immigration committee.

#SantaAnaCA #CA #OrangeCounty #LosAngelesCA #ImmigrantRights #NadiaTopete #PoliticalRepression #GrandJury #CentroCSO #Feature

The Freedom Road Socialist Organization stands in solidarity with Nadia Topete, a Chicana immigrant rights activist and community organizer with Centro CSO. Nadia has been subpoenaed, and ordered to appear before a judge and grand jury on Wednesday, July 8.

Last year in February, L.A. was the epicenter of a massive rebellion against ICE occupation and mass deportations. In July, Alejandro ‘Alex’ Orellana was raided by the FBI, and the state tried to bring charges against him for the supposed crime of giving masks to protesters who were being tear gassed and hit with projectiles. The movement mobilized in his defense and his charges were dropped.

Now the Trump administration and the DOJ are targeting Nadia and Centro CSO to take another shot at building a case against immigrant rights organizers. ICE and the deportation machine are the actual criminals here, and when they come for activists, we have their backs.

Grand juries are a trap: you don’t get a lawyer in the room; you can’t bring witnesses. You are not allowed to present a defense, and the prosecutor controls the entire narrative. They are a tool designed to force people to implicate others with the penalty of jail. People who resist grand juries and FBI repression are heroes.

Nadia Topete did nothing wrong. The trump administration wants to snuff out the resistance to ICE and scare activists into submission.

We are not backing down and call on all those who believe that protesting ICE is not a crime to stand with Nadia and all those facing FBI and DOJ repression. The defense of Nadia Topete needs to be a priority. Have your organization publish a statement in support of her and send a copy to the Committee to Stop FBI Repression. Respond to the calls of the Committee to Stop FBI Repression for call-in days and national days of protest.

We can and will defeat these attacks.

Hands off Nadia Topete!

#LosAngelesCA #CA #ImmigrantRights #PoliticalRepression #ICE #GrandJury

Los Angeles, CA – On the morning of Wednesday, May 20, Nadia Topete, a Chicana organizer with Centro Community Service Organization (CSO), was served with a subpoena to appear June 3 in front of a grand jury.

The subpoena was signed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael G Wheat. Nadia Topete did nothing wrong and this is an attack on the immigrant rights movement and on Centro CSO.

In June of 2025, Centro CSO member Alejandro Orellana was raided by the FBI, National Guard and East Los Angeles Sheriff's Department. A week later, Verita Topete, the sister of Nadia Topete, was ambushed by FBI Agents and her phone was seized. The agents had a search warrant but have yet to give her phone back.

Due to a nationwide defense campaign, charges against Alejandro Orellana were dropped, Verita Topete was not charged, and Centro CSO assumed the FBI witch hunt was over. Almost a year later, Topete is now being targeted by the United States. She is being ordered to appear at the Orange County Federal Courthouse.

Carlos Montes, a longtime Centro CSO leader and Chicano activist, stated, “Nadia is actively advocating for our community, this federal subpoena is just an intimidating tactic by the Trump government.”

Centro CSO is committed to fighting back against this act of political repression and its members will not be intimidated.

Follow @CentroCSO on social media for any updates.

#LosAngelesCA #PoliticalRepression #InJusticeSystem #GrandJury #CentroCSO #Feature

In a statement to the media today, Freeman credited this change of course to concerns he’s heard from people about the Clark case. After a month of weekly protests at his office, thousands of calls to his office, testimony at county commissioners meetings and an open letter from Jamar Clark’s parents, he said, “I concluded that the accountability and transparency limitations of a grand jury are too high a hurdle to overcome. So, at this point in time, and in a democracy where we continually strive to make our systems fairer, more just and more accountable, we in Hennepin County will not use the grand jury in the Jamar Clark case.”

Brettina Davis of the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice for Jamar said, “Every day we were at Freeman's office asking for justice. The reason we continued is because we believe in a world where there is justice, where if you commit a crime you go to court have a chance to defend yourself just like everyone else. The Coalition has been fighting the fight every week. No breaks and no vacations when it comes to justice. The fight is not over, but we should celebrate the small victories and fight for the large ones.”

Freeman also said he will no longer use grand juries in police shooting cases in Hennepin County. Corydon Nillson, who has been coming out to the protests at Freeman’s office, explained the significance of this announcement, “In Minnesota, since the year 2000, there have been over 140 deaths at the hands of officers. The grand jury process has returned zero indictments. Our stance has been that the grand jury process is where justice goes to die. We have been showing up at his office the last five weeks, urging him to forego the process. His office had said that he was going to use the grand jury until today. This is monumental for this case. He also followed California's lead and decided to not use the grand jury process when it comes to police-involved shootings in Hennepin County. The grand jury process rarely indicts officers, so this is a huge deal!”

The community continues to demand prosecution of police officers Mark Ringgenberg and Dustin Schwarze, who are back at work despite their responsibility in Clark’s death. Several witnesses have shared accounts of the night, with Clark on the ground and handcuffed before he was shot. Despite this, Freeman said, “I will make the factual determination whether there is sufficient evidence to support a criminal charge against the police officers in the tragic death of Jamar Clark.”

The Twin Cities Coalition for Justice for Jamar will hold a public meeting to update the community and organize next steps in the fight for justice for Jamar Clark. The meeting will take place on Saturday, March 19 at noon at the Urban Jerusalem Church, 1823 Emerson Avenue N, Minneapolis.

#MinneapolisMN #PoliceBrutality #grandJury #GrandJuries #JamarClark #MikeFreeman

On Nov. 24, a Ferguson grand jury decision cleared police officer Darren Wilson of the murder of Michael Brown. Michael Brown was an 18-year-old African American youth shot and killed by the white police officer as he walked to his grandmother’s house in Ferguson, Missouri on August 9. Witnesses stated that Brown, who was unarmed, had his hands up in the air when officer Darren Wilson shot and killed him. With blatant disrespect to Michael Brown, his family and the neighborhood, the police left his body lying in the middle of the street for hours after the police killing.

For the people of Ferguson, a mainly African American suburb of Saint Louis, enough was enough. Residents were fed up with their all white city government and almost all white police force. The next evening, a rebellion broke out that lasted more than a week. Despite the police showing their true face as a military occupation force complete with armored personnel carriers, the people of Ferguson, joined by neighbors in and around Saint Louis and supporters across the country, kept protesting night after night.

The Saint Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch is known to have close ties with the police and he refused to arrest Officer Darren Wilson for the murder of Brown. However, the government did assemble a grand jury to ‘investigate’ the killing. The government’s plan from the beginning was that the grand jury would cool out protests with the hope of an indictment. This hope is now shown for what it was: a false dream. Now people are even angrier.

The ‘justice system’ of police, courts and prisons in the U.S. is in fact an ‘injustice system’ designed to suppress African Americans to the benefit of the rich and powerful. We must be clear. Having African Americans at the top of the government, including the president and the attorney general, does not change the nature of the injustice system. The law, the police, the courts and the prisons are there to maintain the political power and economic privileges of the monopoly capitalists – the billionaires who are the ruling 1%. The police are the front-line enforcers of this all around political, economic, legal, cultural and social inequality of African Americans and other oppressed nationalities (Chicanos, Mexicanos, other Latinos, Asians, Arabs and indigenous peoples) in the U.S.. Every time an African American person is killed and the police or a racist vigilante gets away with murder, we must organize and protest to put an end to the officially sanctioned state violence and murder.

What will it take to win Justice for Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin and all the other African Americans who are the latest victims of police and racist vigilante violence?

Our experience is that the struggle for justice and for full equality does not mainly come from elections or from the courts. What can push forward the struggle for justice is the militant mass movement based in the working class, using militant tactics that are effective and teach people to understand their own power. We can demonstrate our power through masses of people taking to the streets, combined with occupations and civil disobedience, or even strikes and work slowdowns, or possibly direct action and confrontations with the uniformed killers like we saw in Ferguson in August. Missouri Governor Jay Nixon certainly understands the impact of people protesting for fundamental social change, that is why he called out the Missouri National Guard.

The Freedom Road Social Organization fully supports the struggle of the people of Ferguson to get justice for Michael Brown, as well the fight of Black and Brown communities across the country to put a stop to killer cops and racist vigilantes. The struggle for justice and equality will continue in the streets, and activists in the community, workplace and campus must continue to organize the working masses for political power. The struggle against police brutality and racist vigilantes is a key part of the Black Liberation Movement that will inspire others fighting for freedom including the Asian American, Chicano, Mexican, Latino, Native American and other indigenous people, as well as women and LGBTQ people.

As the oppression of African Americans is rooted in the slave system that was one of the foundations of capitalism the U.S., only the replacement of capitalism with socialism can lay the basis for full equality for African Americans. As Mao Zedong stated after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968, “The struggle of the Black people in the U.S. for emancipation is a component part of the general struggle of all the people of the world against U.S. imperialism, a component part of the contemporary world revolution.”

Stop Police Terror! Jail the Killer Cop! Justice for Michael Brown!

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#UnitedStates #MO #OppressedNationalities #FreedomRoadSocialistOrganization #Racism #grandJury #InjusticeSystem #MichaelBrown #JusticeForMichaelBrown #DarrenWilson

Their attorney will present arguments for a motion to unseal the affidavits used to obtain the search warrants for their homes more than three years ago.

Jess Sundin, a plaintiff in the case, said, “The government launched its vicious attack on anti-war and international solidarity activists with two years of surveillance by undercover agents, then carried out FBI raids on a dozen homes and offices and attempted to force our testimony to a grand jury in Chicago. Every step of the way, the government acted under a cloak of secrecy and has insisted on guarding those secrets to this day. On Friday, Nov. 1, we will have our day in court, as our attorney argues for our motion to unseal the affidavits that were used to obtain the search warrants for those FBI raids.”

Bruce Nestor, attorney for the plaintiffs, writes in a document filed with the court, “Over three years ago, based upon the submission of secret evidence, the United States government convinced Magistrate Judge Susan R. Nelson to seal the search supporting affidavits at issue in this matter. Over three years after the applications and affidavits were ordered sealed, there are no public signs that the government is continuing its investigations related to these warrants or of the individuals named in the warrants. Indeed, while turning the constitutional presumption of innocence on its head by stating that the Petitioners in this matter remain subject to prosecution and therefore under ‘suspicion.’”

Nestor continues, “The government’s position in this matter also raises the question, ‘What is the prosecution trying to hide?’ [This also] … prevents undersigned counsel from effectively challenging the government’s claims.”

The hearing will take place in courtroom 3C at the United States Courthouse in Saint Paul (316 N Robert Street) at 9:00 a.m.

#SaintPaulMN #JessSundin #MickKelly #grandJury #AntiWar23 #InjusticeSystem #FBIRepression

Jess Sundin, one of the raided activists, said, “In the most recent public comment, in response to a media inquiry, the U.S. attorney’s office gave a strangely-worded response: ‘there are no public criminal cases stemming from the investigation.’ Perhaps this is suggesting that there may already be criminal indictments under seal or maybe not. We and our kids need this investigation into our protected political activity and speech to be over.”

Sundin added, “Recent revelations by Edward Snowden – and the ACLU reports on fusion centers – show that there is a pervasive attitude amongst government that people are the enemy and that opposing government policies is a ‘security threat.’”

A letter with 200-plus signers will be delivered to the Minneapolis U.S. Attorney’s office urging that the U.S. Attorney publicly put an end to the investigation.

Sundin concluded, “This year, on the three-year anniversary and on the eve of a new war, we recommit ourselves to building the people’s movements. We demonstrate their complete failure in silencing activism, opposition to war and international solidarity. We will continue to do that work and to continue to build solidarity with other victims of political repression.”

#MinneapolisMN #Raids #grandJury #politicalRepression #AntiWar23 #FBIRepression

On Feb. 12, Sundin told the students of Westminster College a stunning tale of FBI repression that changed her life and the lives of her fellow activists. More than a dozen attended to hear her speak at the event hosted by the Revolutionary Students Union.

“I've dedicated my life to building international solidarity and friendships across borders,” she said. “Two and a half years ago that dedication brought the FBI to my door.”

She, her partner, and of other activists were the focus of a nationwide raid that involved more than 70 FBI agents and six locations, with the purpose of silencing them and ending their efforts. Sundin said her belongings were searched and seized, and she was ordered to testify before a grand jury that sought to investigate “material support of terrorism.”

She and all other activists under investigations refused to testify in front of the grand jury. The possibility of indictments is still a real danger.

“It's still hanging over us,” she said. “The police could come to our home tomorrow and arrest us.”

Sundin explained that an FBI infiltrator exploited the gender and sexual orientation of members of the Minneapolis Anti-War Committee in order to spy on their legal organizing. “Karen Sullivan,” who lied about being a queer mother to gain trust, joined the well-known and respected group, pretending to be a friend and fellow activist.

All the while, Sullivan was informing government officials of their activities, who even went so far as to prevent a group of activists from entering Palestine to meet with a legal women's group there.

Sundin said that international solidarity work remains not only commendable, but also essential.

“In fact the case against us, the work that we've done that's being criminalized, is the same kind of work that helped to bring apartheid in South Africa to its knees,” she said.

Throughout the presentation, Sundin, a member of the Committee to Stop FBI Repression, stressed that she is free today due to the work of people willing to stand up against repression and support both her cause and the cause of others. Hundreds of people rallied to prevent the trumped-up case against her from moving forward, she said.

She also spoke about the support for Carlos Montes, a Chicano activist from California who faced similar repression, and the Holy Land 5, currently in prison in the U.S. for their charity work for Palestine. She said that to demand their freedom is also a demand to the freedom of all activists. She said hundreds of people are currently in prison for daring to fight against war and disagree publicly with U.S. policy.

“It's about this: there is a conflict and the U.S. has picked a side, and when we pick a different side, the government says it is illegal to extend a hand of friendship,” she said. “That's what we've been targeted for.”

Nevertheless, Sundin says that she remains committed and encouraged others not to be daunted by the tactics used to silence those who are trying to build a better world and end U.S. wars.

“Don't be afraid – because the fact is that being open and being outspoken in defense of ourselves and our work has done more to expand the political space for all of us to continue to build solidarity between each other and across the globe.”

#SaltLakeCityUT #JessSundin #CarlosMontes #CommitteeToStopFBIRepression #grandJury #RevolutionaryStudentsUnion #AntiWar23

The Committee to Stop FBI Repression stands in solidarity with Northwest activists Katherine Olejnik and Matt Duran, who are currently being imprisoned for refusing to cooperate with a secret grand jury in Seattle. Leah-Lynn Plante was also unjustly jailed for refusing to testify before the grand jury and has been released.

The grand jury resistors have had their lives turned upside down. They are held in prison, separated from their friends and families, in the government’s desperate attempt to try to make them wave their Fifth Amendment rights. We applaud your silence and your refusal to testify against your fellow activists and the people’s movements.

These activists are being investigated by a secret grand jury just like the 23 Midwest anti-war and international solidarity activists. Just like in our case, the grand jury is being used as a fishing expedition to get information on political organizing and dissent. In the raids of the Northwest activists’ homes, just like in ours, the police and FBI took “evidence” of their political beliefs, like books and flyers, and are looking for evidence of who the activists organize with. Is this a grand jury to investigate anarchists? To investigate the Occupy movement? The problem with grand juries is that the prosecutor has sweeping latitude to use search warrants and subpoenas to terrorize and punish activists in order to gather information to scare people from political organizing or to target activists for investigation. We need to stand together against these repressive tactics to criminalize dissent!

We call on our supporters to take action and demand the immediate release of Katherine Olejnik and Matt Duran and that the U.S. Attorney’s office shut down the grand jury. For more information on the Northwest grand jury case go to: http://nopoliticalrepression.wordpress.com/

For more information on the Anti-War 23 go to StopFBI.net

#UnitedStates #CommitteeToStopFBIRepression #grandJury #NorthwestGrandJuryResisters #KatherineOlejnik #</