Chicago, IL – Chicago se está preparando para el Primero de Mayo, que de nuevo va a ser otro día nacional de protesta contra la agenda racista de Trump. Una coalición amplia de organizaciones de los derechos de los inmigrantes; la liberación Negra, los obreros, jóvenes y estudiantes se están preparando para manifestarse y marchar el 1º de mayo, el Día Internacional de los Trabajadores.

La Organización Socialista Camino de la Libertad (OSCL) lo da todo para construir este Primero de Mayo. Una parte de la contribución de OSCL es nuestra cena anual de reconocimiento de la clase obrera. Este año, nuevamente, se llevó a cabo en el salón del Sindicato de Maestros de Chicago el sábado, 18 de abril.

El propósito del evento es reconocer a individuos y organizaciones que han contribuido a la lucha de los obreros y los oprimidos durante el último año, celebrar unas victorias y aplaudir a la gente que las hizo posibles. También es la recaudación de fondos principal de OSCL Chicago.

El evento fue un gran éxito, con casi 300 personas presentes en el salón y más de $20,000 recaudados.

Un año de resistencia contra ICE: Cuatro premios entregados.

Chicago fue uno de los primeros blancos de la ocupación de ICE, que comenzó en septiembre de 2025. Agentes de ICE y de la Patrulla Fronteriza aterrorizaron a las comunidades inmigrantes, arrestando a 3000 personas. Incluso realizaron una redada con 300 agentes a las 3 a.m. en la comunidad Negra de South Shore, donde agentes descendieron en rápel desde helicópteros sobre un edificio de apartamentos en donde vivían refugiados venezolanos.

Los equipos de Respuesta Rápida, Migra Watch, y las protestas de respuestas de emergencia empezaron antes de que Trump enviara más agentes aquí.

La cena de reconocimiento distinguió a cuatro activistas por sus contribuciones a la resistencia contra Trump y ICE. Kathryn Zamarrón es maestra de música de primaria en la escuela Walt Disney Magnet, y un líder de la base del Sindicato de Maestros de Chicago (CTU por sus siglas en inglés). Ella sirve en el Caucus Latinx del CTU y el Comité de Educación Primaria. Zamarrón tuvo un papel principal en organizar equipos de santuario para proteger a estudiantes no solo en su propia escuela, sino en toda la ciudad. Se le entregó un premio nombrado en honor a Karen Lewis, la legendaria presidenta del Sindicato de Maestros de Chicago.

Corina Pedraza, trabajadora de la biblioteca pública de Chicago, tuvo un papel de liderazgo en ayudar a la comunidad a suministrar servicios a las decenas de miles de trabajadores inmigrantes enviados en autobús por el gobernador de Texas desde 2022. También fue reconocida por su papel principal como organizadora de los equipos de respuesta rápida de los lados Suroeste y Sureste en 2025. Su premio llevó el nombre de Silverio Villegas González, asesinado por el ICE en un suburbio de Chicago al inicio de la ocupación de ICE/CBP.

La reverenda Ciera Bates-Chamberlain recibió el Premio Angela Davis por organizar a líderes de fe en oposición a ICE. Como directora ejecutiva de Vive Libre Illinois, cuando ICE amenazó a Chicago, ella organizo una coalición multife y multirracial que incluía ministros Negros e iglesias en el sur y oeste de Chicago. La red realizó una conferencia de prensa, una protesta en los púlpitos, y se manifestó junto con el movimiento de los derechos de los inmigrantes para defender nuestra comunidad.

Al final, los Estudiantes Mexicanos de Aztlán (MeSA) de la UIC recibieron un premio nombrado en honor a Rigo Padilla Pérez. Miembro de la Alianza por Justicia para los Inmigrantes Jóvenes en la UIC, Rigo fue líder en el movimiento de los Dreamers, que impulsó la aprobación de la ley de Acción Diferida por los que Llegaron de Joven. Falleció de cáncer hace tres años.

Se reconoció a MeSA porque en octubre, agentes de ICE arrestaron a dos mujeres cerca del campus. Los estudiantes protestaron, y ICE soltó a las mujeres, pero la administración de la UIC se negó a responder. MeSA entonces lideró una movilización de más de 200 estudiantes para oponerse a ICE en el campus y para exigir un campus santuario.

Premio por la solidaridad con Palestina

Gabriella Martinez es Asistente Certificada de Educación Especial en las Escuelas Públicas de Chicago y un líder de base del Local 73 de SEIU. Ella organizó a sus compañeros de trabajo para presentar quejas de ética contra el Tesorero del Estado de Illinois, Michael Frerichs, por la compra de bonos israelíes. Frerichs incluso compró más bonos durante el genocidio en curso en Gaza. Por su trabajo, Martinez recibió el premio Assata Shakur. Junto con varios miembros y jubilados del Local 73 de SEIU, la familia de Gabi la acompañó al evento.

Premio de Logro de la Vida: Premio de Pete Camarata para Jim Fennerty por defensa legal del movimiento

Jim Fennerty ha tenido presencia constante en las protestas de Chicago por décadas, llevando la gorra color verde de limón del Gremio Nacional de Abogados. Jim es un abogado del pueblo que ha constantemente defendido nuestro movimiento de los ataques de la clase dominante. Jim y su esposa, Janet, han estado activos políticamente en el movimiento por más de 50 años. Jim representó a Rasmea Odeh y los 23 Anti-Guerra, y ayudó a ganar una resolución civil histórica en representación de 800 manifestantes arrestados al principio de la Guerra de Irak.

El premio de Fennerty fue nombrado en honor al difunto Pete Camarata. Pete fue fundador de los Teamsters por un Sindicato Democrático (TSD). Durante su lucha contra los criminales que tomaron el control del sindicato, Pete fue uno de los primeros en combinar el poder de la base con la acción legal.

Fennerty fue presentado por el amigo de la familia Hatem Abudayyeh de la Red de Acción Árabe-Americana y la Red de la Comunidad Palestina de EE.UU. Muchas mesas estaban llenas de amigos y familiares de Jim y Janet, incluyendo a su hijo Nate, su hija Dina, su esposo Daniel Contreras, y su nieto Quinn Contreras.

Además, la familia de Pete Camarata estuvo presente con los Fennerty, incluyendo a su esposa, Robin Potter, a su hijastro Jackson y a su esposa, Joan; a su hijastra Aimee, y a su nieta Phoebe.

Premio William L. Patterson para Frank Chapman

El momento más importante de la noche fue el premio de logros de la vida para Frank Chapman. Se presentaron con grabaciones de saludos de la presidenta del CTU Stacy Davis Gates y del vicepresidente Jackson Potter.

El Premio William L. Patterson fue presentado por Anthony Quesada, concejal del distrito 35:

“A través de su liderazgo en la Alianza de Chicago contra la Represión Racista y Política, Frank ha ayudado a dirigir campañas que han dado forma a Chicago. Ha sido central en la lucha por la justicia por los condenados injustamente y por el control comunitario de la policía. Su trabajo ayudó a avanzar el movimiento que ganó consejos electos de distritos de la policía, los cuales le brindaron a la gente una verdadera voz en la seguridad pública. Y hoy, Frank continúa avanzando esta lucha a través de nuestra batalla por el referéndum de Poder Comunitario Sobre la Policía.”

“También ha sido mentor de generaciones de organizadores, muchos de los cuales están en el salón esta noche. En todas partes de Chicago y más allá, la gente ha aprendido de él como quedarnos con los pies sobre la tierra, como construir poder colectivo, y como seguir adelante en cada fase de la lucha. Su impacto vive en la gente que él ha moldeado y en los movimientos que siguen creciendo.”

También estuvieron presentes otros funcionarios electos, incluyendo la concejal del distrito 33, Rossana Rodríguez Sánchez; el miembro del Comité Demócrata del Distrito 35, Carlos Ramirez-Rosa; el concejal del distrito 25, Byron Sigcho López; y la senadora estatal Graciela Guzmán.

El premio lleva el nombre de William L. Patterson, el abogado del Partido Comunista de los EE.UU. que lideró la Defensa Internacional de los Obreros (ILD, por sus siglas en ingles) y quien organizo la defensa en masa de los chicos de Scottsboro en los 1930s. Más tarde, encabezó el Congreso por los Derechos Civiles, y junto con Paul Robeson llevó la petición de Acusamos de Genocidio a las Naciones Unidas. La formación de la Alianza Nacional Contra la Represión Racista y Política fue basada en el modelo de la ILD.

Chapman: “Somos parte de un mundo mejor que está naciendo”

Chapman es el director ejecutivo de la Alianza Nacional Contra la Represión Racista y Política, organizador de campo y director de educación de la Alianza de Chicago, y miembro del Comité Central de la OSCL. En sus comentarios, él compartió un poco de perspectiva sobre el régimen de Trump y sobre el cambio en este país desde su punto de vista habiendo nacido en 1942.

Refiriéndose a los que ven al Trumpismo como aberración cuando dicen, “Eso no somos nosotros,” indicando que eso no es lo que representa los EE.UU., Chapman respondió, “¿Qué demonios que no? Lo que le están haciendo a los inmigrantes me pasó a mí y a mi gente… 6200 niños han sido mantenidos en detención desde que Trump llegó,” continuando, “Y disparando a la gente en las calles en estilo de ejecución.”

“Pero ya hemos visto esto: vimos cuando le dispararon 16 veces a Laquan McDonald. Y hace unos días, la policía estatal le disparó 15 veces a un hombre, a poca distancia de mi casa,” y “Dejen de decirme que esto es algo que no han visto antes.”

“Estamos exigiendo el fin del trumpismo, pero vamos más allá de eso. ¡Somos parte de un mundo mejor que está naciendo!” Continuando con las letras de La Internacional, Chapman dijo, “Levántense ustedes los prisioneros del hambre. Levántense condenados de la tierra. Porque la justicia truena condena. Un mundo mejor está naciendo.”

“¿Están listos para lograr esto? ¿Están listos para la revolución?” preguntó, provocando aplausos atronadores

#ChicagoIL #IL #ImmigrantRights #DerechosdelosInmigrantes #NacionalidadesOprimidas #Afroamericanos #OSCL #NAARPR #LaLuchadelPueblo

Directed by Christopher Martin and John Pilger, The War on Democracy (2007) is a sobering and critical examination of the United States’ deadly imperialism in the Americas.

Examining the history from the mid-20th century going to the 2000s, Pilger examines the bipartisan attacks against Latin America, especially on the socialist countries and those that are not aligned with the interests of U.S. imperialists. Special focus is given to the 2002 failed coup d'etat attempt in Venezuela, featuring interviews with Hugo Chávez.

After the documentary, Angel Naranjos, a member of FRSO, led a discussion on what the audience learned, the historical development of American imperialism, the decline of imperialism, the fight for national liberation and how the working class and people of oppressed nations must unite against capitalism and use socialism to crush their enemies.

As imperialism continues to more depraved actions, the conflict between the oppressed nations of the world and the monopoly capitalists sharpens. All over the world, we are seeing examples of freedom fighters defeating and leaving the monopoly capitalists embarrassed and confused. In Iran the U.S.’s imperialist war has backfired spectacularly; Palestinian resistance continues to hold firm against Israel and the U.S., and here in the belly of the beast, the American working class is striking blows against Trump's attacks. If these fights have shown one thing, it has shown that when the people unite against the imperialists, they can win!

#ChicagoIL #IL #StudentMovement #SDS #FRSO #International #Venezuela

Chicago, IL – On Friday, May 1, students at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) walked out of class at 10:30 in the morning to demand an end to the deportations, legalization for all undocumented immigrants, and that the university administration take immediate steps to make the UIC a sanctuary campus. Over 100 protesters, a mix of undergraduate students and striking members of the university’s Graduate Employees Organization (GEO) Local 6297, gathered in the UIC quad.

The call for student walkouts across the country on May 1 was put out by the Legalization 4 All (L4A) Network in collaboration with New Students for a Democratic Society (New SDS). At UIC, three student organizations, Anakbayan at UIC, Mexican Students de Aztlán (MeSA), and New SDS at UIC, answered the call and co-organized their university’s walkout.

The program included speakers from nearly a dozen endorsing organizations. Sathvika Gowda, a member of New SDS at UIC, opened the program stating, “This past year we witnessed Chicago’s immigrant communities on the South and Southwest sides be terrorized by ICE and Operation Midway Blitz. Shame!”

Gowda continued, “At the same time, UIC’s immigrant students have had to come to school in fear, worrying about the wellbeing of their families, friends, neighborhoods and communities. All the while, UIC administration did nothing to protect our immigrant students right here. It has been our cultural centers, their staff and us as the students who have acted to protect and make a safe space for UIC’s immigrant and oppressed students in the face of our administration’s inaction!”

Last year, Chicago was targeted by the Trump administration for a large-scale immigration enforcement operation. For many UIC students, that fall semester at the university was a nightmare as ICE thugs terrorized communities across the city. On October 8, two women were violently kidnapped on campus grounds, leading hundreds of UIC students to protest ICE’s actions and UIC administration’s inaction.

At the time, the university administration refused to condemn the abduction and tried to wash their hands of all responsibility – something they were later forced to walk back. The two women were eventually released from ICE custody, as it was later revealed that they were Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) recipients.

A MeSA member and undergraduate student at UIC spoke next, “Coming from a mixed-status family, I know that we are often encouraged to stay silent to protect ourselves and our families. But I am here to tell you that my family, despite not always being so supportive of my activism, instilled me with a faith that teaches me that a divorce from the conditions of oppressed people is blasphemy, a faith that doesn't work for the people it represents is a faith that is dead!”

A graduate worker representing GEO Local 6297, said, “In bargaining for a better, fair, and equitable contract, the admin has refused to make progress. This union demands a livable wage, affordable healthcare and protections from the fascists in ICE. I believe that we will win – not because it is easy – but because we must.”

Ángel Naranjos, a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization said, “May Day is a reminder that the people organized can land blows against this system. Our movements are going to come out of this era stronger than they went in. As students and young people we must remember that the future is ours, but only if we’re willing to fight for it!”

President of New SDS, Erin Boyle, gave the final speech, “We’re up against a dying system that’s trying to crush all that’s good in the world so a few men can stuff their pockets. But we have the opportunity to organize in our communities, in our workplaces and on our campuses, and not alone.”

After the rally, MeSA member Alyson Sanchez introduced an art project that she had been working on titled La Fiesta: Joy as Resistance. Sanchez revealed two piñatas depicting Donald Trump as a pig in orange makeup for protesters to destroy. Students and youth leapt at the chance to participate in the Mexican party tradition and claim some candy.

Then, the students who had walked out gathered once again. They marched off campus and joined the citywide May Day demonstration in Chicago’s Union Park which saw thousands of people, among them many students and youth, participate.

#ChicagoIL #IL #StudentMovement #ImmigrantRights #SDS #MESA #GEO

Chicago, IL – Over 8000 people gathered in Union Park on May 1 to celebrate International Workers’ Day and march demanding protection for workers and immigrant rights.

Since May Day last year, Trump sent ICE and Customs and Border Patrol to Chicago for months of terror, with over 3000 members of immigrant communities arrested and taken away. The large contingents marching from immigrant communities in Union Park was a statement of courage.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said during his speech, “We are not going to stop fighting for every single worker and every single working family in this city and in this country and in this world,” and demanded that “we get our fair share of the equitable distribution of the wealth. Are you with me workers?”

Some of the principal organizers of this May Day protest included the Chicago Teacher Union (CTU), Service Employees International Union Health Care Illinois/Indiana, the Coalition Against the Trump Agenda (CATA), and the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR).

CTU President Stacy Davis Gates said, “Workers united with communities, across cultures, across industries, win the fight every time. Do not give up your power to assemble and do not give up your power to organize. Workers over billionaires!”

This year CTU organized to make May Day a day of civic action in Chicago. Together with families, they brought out over 800 high school students to participate in the protest. Hundreds of university students and graduate employees were also in attendance.

Nadia Alyafai spoke at the rally for the U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN) and CATA. She said, “Our city is home to one of the largest Palestinian communities in the United States, alongside a broader Arab immigrant population that has long been at the frontlines of the immigrant rights and other movements in this city. We were there alongside many of you when we put almost a million people in the streets to defeat the Sensenbrenner bill in 2006, and now 20 years later we still are fighting strong for justice for our communities.”

CATA marched with a banner demanding “Legalization for all. Defend voting rights. Stop all U.S. wars!” They marched together with the immigrant rights contingent organized by ICIRR.

Chicago has played a crucial role in the labor and immigrant rights movements. May Day was born in Chicago, the center of the nationwide1886 strike for the eight-hour workday. The resulting repression of the labor movement led to workers around the world declaring May 1 to be International Workers’ Day. On March 10, 2006, Chicago held the first mega march of the immigrant rights movement. That movement then called for nationwide marches on May 1. Over 2 million immigrants and their supporters took to the streets that day, which also brought May Day back to the labor movement in the U.S.

#ChicagoIL #IL #Labor #ImmigrantRights #MayDay #FRSO #CATA #Trump #CTU

New Students for a Democratic Society at UIC decided to hold this film screening as this April marks 24 years since this U.S.-backed attempted coup and the current U.S. attacks on Venezuela and President Nicolás Maduro.

The film showed how Hugo Chávez rose to power by fighting and providing an alternative to neoliberalism, making him popular among the poor and hated by the rich. One of Chávez’s most important issues was using the profits from Venezuela’s abundant oil for social programs to benefit all Venezuelans, instead of simply lining the pockets of the wealthiest.

One key aspect of the film was showing how corporate media in Venezuela slandered and spread lies about Hugo Chávez and the movement he led. This happened throughout the entirety of his political life but culminated during the attempted coup when opposition TV media accused Chavistas of firing on crowds of opposition protesters. However, Barley and O’Briain exposed the holes in this narrative by showing that the channels spreading this narrative purposefully didn’t show the full picture in their video clips and showed how opposition leaders admitted to orchestrating a media plan to overthrow the democratically elected President Hugo Chávez.

In the discussion led by New SDS members Dani Espinoza and Victor Silva, students talked about the events of the film in relation to the current day and issues of corporate media bias against popular movements, the history of U.S. foreign involvement, struggles against neoliberalism around the world and more.

In the discussion, Sathvika Gowda from New SDS explained, “Venezuela is one of the most oil-rich countries in the world and Hugo Chávez and the Bolivarian movement have used this money to benefit the common good, which is why they are so hated by the U.S. oil corporations and U.S. government.”

This sentiment was echoed by others who discussed other instances of U.S. involvement in Latin America motivated by extreme corporate greed and disregard for the people of the continent.

Before ending the event, students expressed the importance of standing against U.S. attacks and involvement in foreign countries today, and the need for students to stand against the current U.S. intervention in Venezuela and kidnapping of current President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores.

#ChicagoIL #IL #AntiWarMovement #International #Venezuela #StudentMovement #SDS

Chicago, IL – On Wednesday April 22, a crowd of about 50 people gathered in an emergency rally in front of the Chicago Philippines Consulate. They were protesting both the mistreatment and deportation of Kuya J., a Filipino immigrant, and the annual joint military exercises taking place in the Philippines, known as the Balikatan exercises.

Since the escalation of attacks on immigrant communities across the country, Filipino immigrant rights organizations have fought for Filipinos who are held by ICE and at risk of deportation.

A member of Malaya read a letter from Kuya J.’s family stating, “It’s sad to say, if not for Tanggol Migrante, Filipinos going through distress and hardships would have been so hopeless. Because this should have been the responsibility of the Philippines government representatives, mainly the Philippines consulate and Philippines embassy to protect the rights of Filipinos overseas.”

Tanggol Migrante, a central organization to the struggle of Filipino immigrants organized the protest, has also been contacting the Philippines government, mainly through the Chicago consulate, to discuss Kuya J.’s case and coordinate the release of Filipino immigrants at the time they are held by ICE.

“They [the Filipino government and consulate] think time will pass after exposing their accounts of lies and greed, and their negligence of Kuya J. and other cases will be forgotten, but we remember,” said a member of Anakbayan at UIC, a Filipino youth and student activist organization.

The consulate was supposed to support Kuya J. and his family through the Assistance to National Funds that the government provides to Filipino nationals abroad. However, they were denied assistance, despite the embassy being contacted many times online, through phone and even in person. Instead, it was discovered that these funds were being embezzled for personal expenses, such as renovating consulate officials' homes.

“What does this day tell us about the priorities of the U.S. and Philippines government? It shows us that they would rather invest in military and war exercises and the displacement of the Filipino people than genuinely support what is needed for our livelihood and land stewardship,” stated a member of the Philippines-U.S. Solidarity Organization (PUSO).

While many Filipino nationals in the U.S. face deportation, the Philippines government helps bankroll the Balikatan exercises, the joint exercises with the U.S. and other countries.

The same morning the protest was held, news broke of the Philippines Armed Forces carrying out a strafing attack on Negros Island, killing student leader Alyssa Alano and people’s journalist RJ Ledesma, as well as 17 other innocent civilians.

For more updates on actions surrounding immigrant detentions in the Filipino community in the Chicago area follow @migrantechicago and @Tanggolmigrantechicago. For more updates and actions surrounding military suppression of the Filipino people in the Philippines follow @anakbayanchicago, @malayachicago, @puso.chicago, and @anakbayanatuic.

#ChicagoIL #IL #ImmigrantRights #International #Philippines

Chicago, IL – On Tax Day, April 15, a crowd of protesters gathered in Chicago to oppose Google’s complicity in Israel’s genocide and occupation of Palestinians and ICE’s attacks on immigrant communities. Protesters demanded no taxes for war or for ICE, legalization for all, U.S. out of the Middle East, no war with Iran, and the end to U.S. aid to Israel.

Protesters stood in front of Google’s building in the West Loop holding signs and banners reading “Michael Frerichs, stop buying Israel Bonds,” “Like Zionism, apartheid cannot last,” “We need a regime change in DC, not Iran or Venezuela” and “End CPD and ICE collaboration.” While speakers rallied the crowd, others gathered petition signatures from the passersby to demand Illinois divest its public funds from Israel.

“Google has been complicit in genocide in the Gaza Strip and in Palestine. Google’s Nimbus project provides the Israeli military with AI technology and cloud computing services to help the Israeli military choose targets and bomb them in the genocide that has killed over 70,000 people directly and thousands more indirectly,” said Husam Marajda with USPCN.

“We demand that Google immediately stop all business with the Israeli military and the federal government that is committing mass violence here in the U.S. through ICE, but is also committing war crimes in Iran.”

Maya Sánchez with IRWC described Google’s role in the kidnapping of our immigrant neighbors, stating, “Google is not some neutral tech company, it is an active participant in systems of oppression. Google holds contracts with the U.S. government including DHS [Department of Homeland Security] and ICE.”

She continued, drawing the connection between U.S. and Israeli aggression towards Palestine and attacks on immigrant communities in the U.S.: “What happens in Palestine and Iran is not separate from our struggles with ICE here at home. The same systems of surveillance and control abroad are used here in the states. Spyware and other technologies developed for the military are used for policing and immigration enforcement. The IOF uses Palestine and other parts of the Middle East as a testing ground for surveillance and violent technology in America.”

Caeli Kean with AWC called for ongoing mass protests in response to these injustices, shouting, “We are not helpless, because we have the numbers, and we can unite and fight back. The observable truth is that millions of people across the country are standing with immigrant communities against ICE and across the world, billions of people are standing with Palestine, with Venezuela, with Cuba, and other oppressed nations and people!”

The action ended with protesters chanting, “Money for jobs and education! Not for war and occupation! Google, Google, it is time! We charge you with genocide!”

The rally was organized by Anti-War Committee – Chicago (AWC), US Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), and the Immigrants Rights Working Committee (IRWC) – a committee of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.

To hear about future actions opposing imperialist wars and attacks on immigrant communities follow @antiwarchicago, @uspcn, @caarprnow on social media.

#ChicagoIL #IL #AntiWarMovement #AWCChicago #USPCN #CAARPR

Chicago, IL -Chicago is preparing for May Day, which is again a national day of protest against Trump’s racist agenda. A broad coalition of immigrant rights, Black liberation, workers, youth and student organizations are preparing to rally and march on May 1, International Workers Day.

Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) is going all out to build for May Day. One part of FRSO’s contribution is our annual Working Class Awards Dinner. Again, this year, it was held in the hall of the Chicago Teachers Union on Saturday, April 18.

The purpose of the event is to recognize individuals and organizations that have made contributions to the struggle of workers and the oppressed over the past year, celebrate some victories, and recognize the people who made them possible. It is also FRSO Chicago’s main annual fundraiser.

The event was very successful, with almost 300 people in the hall and over $20,000 raised.

A year of resistance to ICE: Four awards presented

Chicago was one of the first targets of ICE occupation, beginning in September 2025. ICE and Customs and Border Patrol officers terrorized immigrant communities, arresting 3000. They even staged a raid with 300 agents at 3 a.m. in the Black community of South Shore, with agents rappelling from helicopters onto an apartment building where Venezuelan refugees lived.

The Rapid Response teams, Migra Watch, and emergency response protests began before Trump surged agents here.

The awards dinner recognized four activists for contributions to resistance to Trump and ICE. Kathryn Zamarrón is an elementary school music teacher at the Walt Disney Magnet School, and a rank-and-file leader in the Chicago Teachers Union. She serves on the CTU Latinx Caucus and Elementary Education Committee. Zamarron played a crucial role in organizing sanctuary teams to protect students not only in her own school, but across the city. She was presented with an award named for Karen Lewis, the legendary president of the Chicago Teachers Union.

Corina Pedraza, a worker at the Chicago public library, played a leading role in helping the community provide services to the tens of thousands of migrant laborers bused here by the governor of Texas starting in 2022. She was also recognized for her leading role as an organizer of both Southwest and Southeast Side rapid response teams in 2025. Her award was in the name of Silverio Villegas González, murdered by ICE in a Chicago suburb at the outset of the ICE/CBP occupation.

Reverend Ciera Bates-Chamberlain received the Angela Davis Award for organizing faith leaders in opposition to ICE. As executive director of Live Free Illinois, when ICE threatened Chicago, she organized a multifaith, multiracial coalition including Black ministers and churches on Chicago’s South and West Sides. The network held a press conference, a protest in the pulpits, and rallied with the immigrant rights movement to defend our communities.

Finally, the Mexican Students de Aztlán (MeSA) at UIC received an award named for Rigo Padilla Pérez. A member of the Immigrant Youth Justice Alliance at UIC, Rigo was a leader in the Dreamers movement, which compelled passage of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals legislation. He died of cancer three years ago.

MeSA was honored because in October, ICE agents arrested two women near campus. Students protested, and ICE released the women, but the UIC administration failed to respond. MeSA then led a mobilization of over 200 students to oppose ICE on campus and demand a sanctuary campus.

Award for Palestine solidarity

Gabriella Martinez is a Special Education Certified Assistant in the Chicago Public Schools and a rank-and-file leader in SEIU Local 73. She organized coworkers to file ethics complaints against Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs for the purchase of Israel Bonds. Frerichs even purchased more bonds during the ongoing genocide in Gaza. For her work, Martinez received the Assata Shakur award. Together with several members and retirees from SEIU Local 73, Gabi’s family joined her for the event.

Lifetime Achievement Awards: Pete Camarata Award to Jim Fennerty for movement legal defense

Jim Fennerty has been a fixture at protests in Chicago for decades, wearing the lime green cap of the National Lawyers Guild. Jim is a people’s lawyer who has consistently defended our movement from attacks by the ruling class. Jim and his wife, Janet have been politically active in the movement for over 50 years. Jim represented Rasmea Odeh and the Anti-War 23, and he helped win a historic civil settlement representing 800 protesters arrested at the start of the Iraq War.

Fennerty’s award was named after the late Pete Camarata. Pete was a founder of the Teamsters for a Democratic Union (TDU). In his fight against the criminals that took control of the union, Pete was one of the first to combine rank and file power with legal action.

Fennerty was introduced by family friend Hatem Abudayyeh of the Arab American Action Network and US Palestinian Community Network. Many tables were filled with Jim and Janet’s friends and family, including son Nate, daughter Dina, her husband Daniel Contreras, and grandson Quinn Contreras.

In addition, the family of Pete Camarata was there with the Fennertys, including his wife, Robin Potter, stepson Jackson and his wife, Joan; stepdaughter Aimee, and granddaughter Phoebe.

William L. Patterson Award to Frank Chapman

The night’s biggest moment was the lifetime achievement award for Frank Chapman. It came with recorded greetings from CTU President Stacy Davis Gates and Vice President Jackson Potter.

The William L. Patterson Award was introduced by Anthony Quesada, 35th Ward alderman:

“Through his leadership with the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Frank has helped lead campaigns that have shaped Chicago. He has been central to the fight for justice for the wrongfully convicted and for community control of the police. His work helped push forward the movement that won elected police district councils, giving people a real voice in public safety. And today, Frank continues to advance this struggle through our fight for the Community Power Over Policing referendum.

“He has also mentored generations of organizers, many of whom are in the room tonight. Across Chicago and beyond, people have learned from him how to stay grounded, how to build collective power, and how to keep going through every phase of struggle. His impact lives in the people he has shaped and the movements that continue to grow.”

There were other elected officials present, including 33rd Ward Alderwoman Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez, 35th Ward Democratic Committeeperson Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, 25th Ward Alderman Byron Sigcho Lopez, and State Senator Graciela Guzman.

The award is named after William L. Patterson, the Communist Party USA attorney who led the International Labor Defense (ILD), and who organized the mass defense of the Scottsboro Boys in the 1930s. Later he headed up the Civil Rights Congress, and together with Paul Robeson took the We Charge Genocide petition to the United Nations. The formation of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression was based on the model of the ILD.

Chapman: “We’re part of a better world in birth”

Chapman is the executive director of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression; field organizer and education director of the Chicago Alliance; and a Central Committee member of FRSO. In his remarks, he shared some perspective on the Trump regime and on change in this country from his vantage point having been born in 1942.

Referring to people who see Trumpism as an aberration when they say, “That’s not us,” meaning not what the U.S. stands for, Chapman responded, “The hell it ain’t. What they’re doing to the immigrants happened to me and my people…6200 children have been held in detention since Trump came in,” adding, “And shooting people on the streets execution style.”

“But we’ve seen this: we saw Laquan McDonald shot 16 times. And a few days ago, the state police shot a man 15 times, not far from my house,” and “Quit telling me this is something you haven’t seen before.”

“We’re demanding an end to Trumpism, but we’re going further than that. We’re part of a better world in birth!” Going on with the lyrics of The International, Chapman said, “Arise you prisoners of starvation. Arise you wretched of the earth. For justice thunders condemnation. A better world’s in birth.”

“Are you ready to get this done? Are you ready for the revolution?” he asked, to thunderous applause.

#ChicagoIL #IL #ImmigrantRights #OppressedNationalities #AfricanAmerican #FRSO #NAARPR #FrankChapman #Trump #PeoplesStruggles

Normal, IL- On Wednesday, March 25, student activists from New Students for a Democratic Society at the University of Illinois at Chicago made the three-hour car trip to Normal, Illinois to table at Illinois State University. 

Despite car trouble that delayed their commute by nearly two hours, one there, the students immediately hit the ground running by tabling at the university for three hours. 

The tabling took place on a bridge chalked with statements expressing solidarity with Palestine and dissatisfaction with university administration. It was clear that the university was filled with students ready to get active. 

Over the course of the three days spent tabling, 77 students signed up, eager to start a New SDS chapter at Illinois State University.

Due to the positive reception of the table, members of SDS at UIC organized a meeting that same week to give a more detailed explanation of what it would mean to start a SDS chapter and be a part of a national organization.

On Friday, March 28, over a dozen students, gathered at Illinois State University’s Milner Library, voted in favor of starting a New SDS chapter on their campus. 

During this meeting students at ISU expressed their concern with the presence of ICE in their community as well as the possibility of agents appearing on campus. Another sentiment was clear support of the AFSCME Local 1110 that had voted to authorize a strike that very same day as well as interest in supporting the newly formed faculty unions. 

Another point that was brought up was the presence of Turning Point USA at ISU. While the chapter at ISU is not large, it brings out the most reactionary forces that exist on campus, whose sentiments seem to have grown even more after the death of TPUSA spokesperson Charlie Kirk. Attendants of this meeting made it clear that they do not tolerate TPUSA having any platform on their campus. 

Students were eager for a broad, progressive student organization to start up at their university and they were more than willing to be a part of the process of getting something new established. 

The next day students mobilized to the No Kings rally in Bloomington, which had over 1000 people. SDSers led chants like: “No boots on the ground, no bombs in the air, U.S. out of everywhere” and “No hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here.” 

If you’re interested in starting an SDS chapter at your school, fill out the Join SDS form on their website.

#NormalIL #IL #StudentMovement #SDS

Oak Lawn, IL – On Wednesday, March 30, the Arab American Action Network (AAAN) led a disruption of the Oak Lawn Fire & Police Commission meeting to demand justice for Murod Kurdi, a young Arab man struck and killed outside his home in June 2023 by white drunk driver Leanne Cusack.

Cusack was released by Oak Lawn Police Department (OLPD) officers without a breathalyzer or blood test despite telling officers that she was driving drunk, leaving only with a traffic ticket that she nevertheless contested in court. After three years of monthly protests by Kurdi’s family, AAAN and other organizations and community members, the Oak Lawn Fire & Police Commissioners still refuse to hold Cusack truly accountable for killing Kurdi, or the OLPD officers for neglecting their duty.

As with past meetings, OLPD officers surrounded meeting attendees, ready to contain and remove anyone challenging the commission. The commissioners did not mention Kurdi or acknowledge those present and began to move the unusually short meeting to a close – despite the entirety of the non-commissioner participants were there to call for justice and police accountability.

In response, several meeting attendees stood up to reveal their shirts, each with the name of a commissioner, and put on pig masks. The protesters called out the racist practices and history of Oak Lawn towards the Arab community and other oppressed nationality residents until OLPD officers removed them from the building. One of the protesters repeatedly mocked one of the commissioners, saying, “My name is Jim Baker and I am a racist! I don’t care about what happens to the Arab residents in Oak Lawn.”

Another incident of racist violence involved three OLPD officers ganging up on 17-year-old teenager Hadi Abuatelah in 2022, breaking several of his ribs and putting him in a coma for weeks. Only in 2025, after consistent mobilization to commission meetings, did the Abuatelah family finally secure a partial victory in their struggle in the form of a settlement from Oak Lawn.

The family’s demand to charge the three officers with aggravated battery and official misconduct was denied when Cook County Prosecutor Eileen Burke dropped the charges a single day into taking office, signaling her intention to operate in political alignment with Oak Lawn in tolerating or encouraging police crimes directed at its nationally oppressed residents.

Burke has since become more infamous for her refusal to criminally charge Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, especially after their brutal attacks on immigrants in the Chicagoland area, such as the vicious murder of beloved community member Silverio Villegas Gonzales, and revenge shooting of Marimar Martinez for speaking out against ICE.

After the meeting, AAAN organizer Rania Salem called on attendees to continue showing up at the Oak Lawn Fire & Police Commission meetings on the first Wednesday of every month at 9446 Raymond Avenue, Oak Lawn, 60453, with the next one on Wednesday, May 6 at 5 p.m.

Salem said, “We will keep coming, month after month, to every Fire & Police Commission meeting until we get the justice Murod’s beloved family and our community deserves. So next month, it’ll hopefully be warm out again, bring your family and your friends, and we will see you soon again!”

In addition to organizing monthly protests, AAAN is gathering organizational and individual signatures calling on Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul to launch an investigation into the racist practices of Oak Lawn. Please sign on to the letter and its demands here.

#OakLawnIL #IL #AAAN #MurodKurdi #OppressedNationalities #InjusticeSystem

Chicago, IL – On Thursday, March 26, the Anti-War Committee – Chicago (AWC) held an online rally in support of Venezuela’s l President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores to coincide with their second court date in New York City.

Elinor Keener of AWC opened the virtual rally with, “Today, against international law, the United States has decided to charge the democratically-elected President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife First Lady Cilia Flores with the grotesque charges of drug trafficking, an accusation that has no material basis.”

Reece Johnson from Good Kids Mad City stated, “The United Snakes have abducted President Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores de Maduro under the same bullshit justification that this racist country mainly locks up poor, Black, and brown so-called U.S. citizens.”

Rania Salem, an organizer with the US-Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), stated “The propaganda used to justify this war is the same propaganda used to justify the occupation and genocide of Palestine. Bombing is sold as law enforcement; regime change is sold as democracy. And these are the same lies used to justify the ongoing aggression against Iran, the destruction of Iraq, the coup in Libya, the war on Syria, the devastation of Yemen, starvation of Cuba and the ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza,”

Jae Franklin a member of AWC and Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), discussed their experience visiting Venezuela on a solidarity mission three weeks before the kidnapped Maduro and Flores.

Franklin spoke about visiting the base areas of the Bolivarian Revolution and forging ties with Venezuelan comrades, emphasizing why it is so important to rise up and demand freedom for Venezuela’s democratically elected leaders, “They are imprisoned for demanding freedom for their people, so now it is our responsibility to amplify the demand for their freedom.”

Christian Pich Ortiz, a Venezuelan and Bolivarian militant joined the rally from the Salvador Allende – Hugo Chavez Medical School in Caracas, an internationalist medical school where thousands of students from all over the world, including Palestinians, are able to study for free.

Pich’s own neighbors were murdered by the U.S. military during its attack on Venezuela, but seeing the streets filled with people defending Venezuela and its revolution filled him with the conviction that the Patria Grande is at hand.

“We are in the struggle now, and we cannot separate from each other,” Pich said, referencing the united front against imperialism around the world, especially with the ongoing war on Iran.

Jae Franklin brought the virtual rally to a close by sharing a video recording of a Venezuelan communard from El Panel Comune, summarizing the essence of the Bolivarian revolution: “It wasn’t so long ago that the United States declared Venezuela an extraordinary threat…and that’s true! But not because we have atomic weapons or missiles. It is because of our consciousness. We have consciousness and we have heart. A heart to the left.”

For more updates on actions surrounding President Maduro and First Lady Flores' case in the Chicago area, follow @antiwarchicago on social media.

#ChicagoIL #IL #AntiWarMovement #Venezuela

Chicago IL – A group of 50 residents protested outside the Illinois State Board of Investment (ISBI) quarterly meeting in downtown Chicago, Friday March 27. The action was organized by the U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), Anti-War Committee Chicago (AWC), BDS Chicago, and the Illinois Divest from Genocide Network, a group of 60 organizations. Protesters demand that ISBI divest from all companies complicit in Israeli, U.S. wars, as well companies materially supporting ICE and other federal immigration enforcement here in the U.S. 

The network hosted a rally outside of the quarterly meeting as they have been for the past year and a half.

“The aggression on Iran both by our government and the Zionist state happened because boards like ISBI and treasurers like Michael Frerichs refuse to divest from genocide and war. When we gift companies with government contracts, investments and tax incentives, they will continue doing the evil things that our so-called politicians stand against and oppose,” stated Husam Marajda of USPCN during the outside rally portion. 

In addition to ISBI’s investments, Michael Frerichs, the Illinois state treasurer and vice chair of ISBI, has invested $100 million in Israel bonds. He renewed $15 million worth of bonds as recently as this February, despite growing demands for divestment.

After the outside rally, several people went through intense security checks and were even threatened with arrest to give public comment at the board meeting where they expressed their concern over ISBI and Frerichs’s inaction and demanded divestment. Several commenters discussed how money invested in companies like Palantir, L3Harris, and Boeing directly funds ICE kidnappings at home, and Israeli war crimes and genocide in West Asia. 

Several directly invoked ISBI and Frerichs’s responsibility. As Dominic Robolino, a healthcare worker and commenter stated, “We can stop this. We can end the genocide. We can end the wars. All we have to do is turn off the tap. Pull the money out. No money for genocide. Set an example for others to follow.” 

Speakers at public comment and the outside rally, including the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR) spoke to how the Israeli state and complicit companies fund police violence on the streets of Chicago, ICE deportation blitzes around the country, and U.S. imperialist aggression around the world. 

Gianna Escareño, another public commenter and a member of CAARPR, highlighted the ways that Boeing, L3Harris, and Palantir sell weapons and software for genocide in Palestine, and terrorizing immigrant communities in Chicago. Palantir, for example, “uses data to surveil our immigrant communities here at home and they are used in Palestine as well. They develop a kill list that is then used to brutally murder families in Palestine. How disgusting is that?”

At the end of the meeting, the network presented its research on the atrocities that Israel has committed using weapons from companies in the ISBI portfolio. They also presented signatures added to the organization’s divestment petition.

ISBI has still not released their 2025 annual report which should have been released by the end of 2025. The network had to get the data through FOIA, showing the importance of keeping pressure. 

Illinois residents can sign onto the petition demanding ISBI and Frerichs divest from genocide, warmongering, and ICE raid and can keep up with any actions surrounding the campaign by following @antiwarchicago, @BDSchicago, and @USPCN on social media.

#ChicagoIL #IL #Palestine #AntiWarMovement #AntiWarChicago #BDSChicago #USPCN #BDS #Divestment

Chicago, IL – On Tuesday, March 10, over two dozen students gathered at the University of Illinois Chicago east campus’s quad to demand that UIC administration set a precedent for a true sanctuary campus now.

The rally was organized by Mexican Students of Aztlan’s (MeSA) Educación, Resistencia y Activismo (ERA) committee and was a part of a broader week of action events that commemorated the 20th anniversary of the first megamarches that occurred on March 10, 2006 in Chicago.

The rally included speakers from New Students for a Democratic Society, the Immigrants’ Rights Working Committee of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, and Mexican Students of Aztlan.

Ileanne Cecilio, a member of MeSA and the emcee of the rally began by sharing the importance of the day which signifies 20 years since the megamarches and how the struggles for immigrant rights is far from over, especially at UIC. Cecilio elevates the work of the many immigrant rights activists who have built up the movement where it is today and UIC’s history of student activism to get the resources that exist for students now such as the Latin American Recruitment and Educational Services (LARES) and the Latino Cultural Center. They also raise the demands of MeSA’s current sanctuary campus campaign in needing the current administration to take a stand for their students and not continue the capitulation to Trump's racist agenda.

“We are living during interesting times of uncertainty and oppression by the U.S. government,” began Ikzael Hernandez, ERA’s committee lead. “We need to stand together and be on the same page, not only within the boundaries of this UIC institution but beyond.”

Another student and member of MeSA, Briseida Buitron, shared a powerful poem, “Our people keep fighting. We’re here and they don’t like it! Kick us all out, but we come back marching.”

Gianna Escareno from the Immigrant Rights Working Committee stated, “We must continue to show solidarity from Chicano liberation to Black liberation, Palestinian liberation, workers’ rights, women and LGBTQ rights and of course immigrants’ rights because we know that the attack on our communities won’t end until we fight back, resist and until all of us are free!”

Students then marched across campus and to University Hall as they chanted “No ban, no wall, sanctuary for all!” and “Sanctuary campus now!”

Student organizers encouraged those present to join one of the many progressive student organizations like MeSA, New Students for a Democratic Society or Anakbayan who are all fighting for various struggles on campus.

They encourage people to support Mexican Students of Aztlan as they continue to build their campaign for a sanctuary campus at UIC and stay tuned for future actions. They are on Instagram @mesaatuic.

#ChicagoIL #IL #StudentMovement #ImmigrantRights #MESA #SDS #SDSatUIC #UIC

Chicago, IL – On Monday, March 16, UIC students gathered in the Women’s Leadership and Resource Center to learn about and discuss women’s and LGBTQ liberation and socialism.

Freedom Road Socialist Organization held the presentation and discussions to commemorate Women’s History Month by showing how both women and the LGBTQ community are oppressed by capitalism, and that both have an interest in fighting for socialism.

Speakers engaged the audience in discussion about how the rich benefit from gender-based exploitation in and out of the workplace. Audience members shared personal experiences of seeing how women in their life face gendered oppression in both their jobs and in their homes.

“LGBTQ equality presents a direct challenge to this oppressive system, and so LGBTQ people are also subject to severe repression, including discrimination in employment, housing, education, and healthcare, and denial of the right to marriage equality,” explained River Argyilan from FRSO.

Students also shared the stories of women fighters for liberation including Claudia Jones, a Black Trinidadian communist woman who was a dedicated leader within the Communist Party USA in the 1940s and 50s, as well as Marisol Marquez, an active Chicana revolutionary in California who is a member of FRSO.

Presenters recommended that students read Marisol Marquez’s pamphlet “My Journey to Aztlán,” which discusses her path to becoming a revolutionary Chicana activist, and to honor Women’s History Month by continuing to study and fight for women’s and LGBTQ liberation as an integral part of the struggle for socialism.

#ChicagoIL #IL #WomensMovement #LGBTQ #InternationalWomensDay #FRSO

Chicago, IL – On March 19, New Students for a Democratic Society (New SDS) held a campus town hall meeting to demand campus administrators increase funding for cultural centers, protect DEI, and declare a sanctuary campus. A crowd of around 50 students faced the three administrators who were seated next to a podium to hear students’ testimony.

The event opened with Gio Araujo from New SDS. Gio Araujo stating, “We have made it loud and clear: properly defend and fund our cultural centers. Raise the funding for the cultural centers to hire students on campus.”

“All students have a right to an education that is meaningful and accessible to them, one that meets their academic and cultural needs. No compliance with Trump is the only acceptable option for our administration,” continued Araujo.

Ileanne Cecilio, speaking on behalf of Mexican Students de Aztlan (MeSA), said, “What we are here to advocate for, and demand is only a continuation of the work that has been done by many activists and students before us. Our current MeSA campaign demands we be a true sanctuary campus for our students.” Cecilio highlighted UIC’s inaction when two women were detained outside a campus building last October.

Jacob Belencion from Anakbayan said, “UIC needs to show its commitment through action. Show your students that you are on the side of your diverse student population, not the side of the administration shutting us down.”

After opening speeches the event transitioned to public comment. Xzavier Jones from New SDS said, “I find it unbelievable that UIC doesn't feel the need to move with urgency when it comes to defending the spaces that their minority population frequents.”

After public comment, the three attending administrators gave introductions and answered questions from the students. Michael Ginsburg, special advisor to the chancellor for student affairs, insisted that declaring a sanctuary campus would “put a target on our back”. He went on to say that the city of Chicago had done this by declaring itself a sanctuary city. This was met with disapproval from the crowd.

River from New SDS led the crowd in a final chant: “Dare to struggle! Dare to win!” Organizers of the event encouraged students to join endorsing organizations in continuing to raise these demands. The event was endorsed by Anakbayan, Mexican Students de Aztlan (MeSA), Black Student Union, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, UIC United Faculty Union, Sanctuary for All, College Democrats and Latinos Unidos.

#ChicagoIL #IL #StudentMovement #SDS #MeSA

Chicago, IL- 50 survivors of wrongful convictions and police torture, family members and community packed into a small South Side church for a town hall meeting on police torture and wrongful conviction on the evening of March 21.

The town hall was organized by the Campaign to Free Incarcerated Survivors of Police Torture (CFIST), a campaign of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR) and featured a panel of survivors of police torture and wrongful conviction and their family members.

Chicago has a unique history of police torture dating back to the 1970s, when disgraced police commander Jon Burge and his “midnight crew” of racist detectives began a decades-long pattern of torture, targeting mostly Black men on Chicago’s South Side. Today, corrupt detectives in CPD and their allies in the Cook County states attorney’s office continue to tear families apart and draw them into conflict with the system.

“I’m in this fight because I was victimized,” said Robert Johnson, who was released from prison last month after serving nearly 29 years for a 1996 murder he had nothing to do with.

“I’m a survivor,” Johnson said in his remarks on the panel. “I think about these brothers that are still locked up every day. It’s hell in there.”

Jasmine Smith, a co-chair of both CFIST and CAARPR, set the tone for the event by asking the panel, “What needs to change in order to stop this pattern of police torture and abuse?”

Clayborn Smith, a wrongful conviction survivor and litigator, said change will not come from the current political parties. “Neither Democrat nor Republican actually want to do anything about [police torture and wrongful convictions],” Smith said. “They never talk about all the wrongfully convicted people locked up while the real criminal is on the streets.”

Adolfo Davis, who was sentenced to life without parole at age 14 and spent 27 years in prison, agreed with Smith about the need for mass action beyond mainstream political parties. “We know who politicians are,” Davis said. “We need us to change anything.”

Davis continued, calling out the racist tactics used by the ruling class to divide oppressed peoples. “They made us believe immigrants are our enemy,” he said. “It was all a plan to control us. Stop being tricked.”

“Change starts from you, the people, “ said Mark Clements, who spent 28 years in prison after being tortured into giving a false confession by Burge and his “midnight crew.” Today, he is an organizer with the Chicago Torture Justice Center and sits on the board of The Illinois Torture Inquiry and Relief Commission (TIRC).

Clements called out the economic basis for mass incarceration and racist policing, and called for mass action to fight back. “From the days of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, we saw that when you affect their economics, they are open to change,” he said. “This system operates around money.”

Annette Gomez, wife of Elias Gomez, not only uplifted her husband’s case of 30 years of wrongful conviction, but she also reminded the room that this struggle is larger than just one case. “We have to continue to fight not just for my husband, but for your brother, and your cousin, and your nephew,” she said. “It doesn’t stop here.”

#ChicagoIL #IL #InJusticeSystem #PoliceCrimes #CAARPR #CFIST #TIRC

Chicago, IL – On Friday March 13, about 500 people gathered in front of the Israeli consulate in a protest led by People United Against Oppression (PUAO), US Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), Anti War Committee – Chicago (AWC) and many other organizations. This day is known as Al-Quds day within the Shia Muslim community and coincides with the last Friday of Ramadan.

“Trump wants war, Trump wants oil, hands off Iranian soil!” Joe Iosbaker of Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) Chicago led the crowd to chant before they marched through downtown to Daley Plaza.

Al Quds day was declared by Iran shortly after it overthrew its U.S.-backed monarch, Reza Pahlavi in 1979. Around the same time, Iran nationalized its oil. Declared by founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Khomeini, it was meant to be a day in public solidarity with the struggle of the people of Palestine and its capital Jerusalem, or Al-Quds in Arabic, and symbolizes Iranian national liberation as well. Al Quds is commonly observed throughout the world through public demonstrations and marches.

Iosbaker said in his speech, “The fool in the White House has made not only the biggest mistake of his life, but this could be the greatest military debacle faced by the United States since Vietnam!”

The United States military has been taking defeats throughout the war, from the massive equipment and property damages to the economic losses of key U.S. allies, including Israel. While this has happened, thousands across the U.S. have mobilized in opposition to the war, with it being the most unpopular war ever in its history, even more so than the infamous war on Vietnam.

Sami Elmuti of USPCN stated, “This illegal and illegitimate war has been launched to punish Iran and its people, just for the sole stance of being against the U.S. empire.” Iran for years has built up what it calls the axis of resistance in the Middle East fighting for its and the Palestinians liberation in the face of the U.S. empire and its puppet, Israel.

Elmuti continued, “The same atrocities we saw over the past couple of years in Gaza are now spreading throughout the world funded by this government at the expense of its own people.” Trump has repeatedly threatened to bomb Iran to “liberate” the women there, using an old talking point that Israel also uses against Gaza and Palestine. He had infamously started this war with bombing an all-girls school, calling his claims for liberation into question.

Yusuf Masood of AWC highlighted the impact of local politicians' decisions on funding the war on Iran, stating, “Michael Frerichs is investing our taxes into Israel bonds, and the board he sits on, the Illinois State Board of Investment or ISBI, continues to invest in weapons manufacturers.”

Despite thousands of signatures, emails and calls, Michael Frerichs and the ISBI board have committed to investing in companies that profit from ice raids, war in Iran, and around the world.

Masood continued, “The politicians are afraid of us because they know the power we have when we stand together against them. And we have a chance to show that power Friday morning where we will stand and protest in front of ISBI’s office protesting their funding of the war in Iran, Palestine, and against our communities.”

For more updates on actions against the war with Iran, follow @antiwarchicago, @uspcn, and @puao.313 on social media. Additionally, updates surrounding Illinois investments in Israel and weapons manufacturers can be seen at @antiwarchicago, @uspcn, and @bdschicago.

#ChicagoIL #IL #AntiWarMovement #Iran #AlQuds #USPCN

Chicago, IL – On Sunday, March 8, hundreds of Chicagoans marched downtown from Daley Plaza to the Trump tower in support of International Women’s Day. Chicagoans gathered to protest against Trump’s attacks on women’s rights, reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, the racist attacks by ICE, and the attacks on working-class and oppressed people.

Channyn Lynne Parker from Equality Illinois said, “Black women, I want to say I see you. Trans women, I see you. Every woman who has ever been told that you are too much and not enough at the same time, I see you.” Lynne Parker emphasized the importance of continuing to organize, lead, and fight for women's rights.

“If we stop fighting, we will see our rights taken from us,” said Lynne Parker.

“We are seeing families separated, neighbors kidnapped off the streets, mothers, sisters, daughters, pregnant women, friends who don't come home one day because they have been violently brutalized and abducted by the racist fucking gestapo, where they are further terrorized in ICE's detention facilities— or, let's call them what they are, veritable concentration camps!” said Kayla Nguyen, member of the Immigrant Rights Working Committee of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (IRWC of CAARPR).

“We will not stay silent. Women have been at the forefront of every struggle, in every fight for liberation and freedom for all and we will continue to fight united, across all fronts until we win,” rallied Nguyen.

Cristina Villarreal from Planned Parenthood highlighted the recent ICE attacks on immigrant communities and access to healthcare. “Today, our government is cutting access to evidence-based healthcare. Today, people who look just like me— entire communities— are afraid to leave their homes let alone go to the health centers to get the care they need. But we are not gonna stand idly by and let our rights be taken away. We are not powerless to fight back. We're motivated. We're here today because we care, and that energy can carry us far,” said Villarreal.

Lara Haddadin from the U.S Palestinian Community Action Network (USPCN) garnered praise and applause from the crowd, stating, “Today is International Day of Solidarity with Palestinian women, which is fitting. One of the things I'm here to talk about is how the Palestinian struggle for liberation has always and will always be a feminist and reproductive justice issue. Feminism, without an anti-imperialist lens, serves no one but the wealthy and the white. We cannot call ourselves feminists if we are voting for and supporting the same politicians bombing women in Palestine, Lebanon, Yemen, and Iran. You cannot claim to be progressive if you do not support Palestinian liberation, which women have historically been at the forefront of fighting for generation after generation,” said Haddadin. She further detailed the skyrocketing rates of miscarriages, unsafe births, and lack of medical care in Gaza due to the Israeli genocide.

Haddadin then connected the deportations on immigrant communities across the U.S. and the genocide in Palestine to the local Illinois State Board of Investments (ISBI), which invests a 100 million of Illinoisans’ tax dollars in Israeli bonds and companies that support both ICE and the Israeli occupation of Palestine.

Haddadin ended with a call for unity, stating, “Our struggles are interconnected as these various systems surveil, kidnap, and murder our loved ones with impunity. People are finally waking up to who is actually wearing the boot on their neck and I urge them all to get involved beyond large protests, because this system has always been rotten to its core, even before Trump. And it's going to take all of us united in order to defeat it.”

Louise Carhart from the Freedom Road Socialist organization (FRSO) echoed the calls to unity, saying “The only way forward is through a united front of oppressed and working-class peoples. We will not win by bending feminism to fit the parameters of capitalism or compromising on solidarity. I march with all of you because this fight will not be won in the courtroom, it will be won in the streets.”

The crowd then took to the streets and marched to Trump Tower as they chanted, “One, two, three, four! Gender violence, no more! Five, six, seven, eight! Empower people, not the state!”

The protest was endorsed by the U.S. Palestinian Community Action Network, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Planned Parenthood, Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Chicago Abortion Fund, Arab American Action Network, Brave Space Alliance, Trans Up Front, and the Illinois Coalition for Human Rights.

#ChicagoIL #IL #WomensMovement #InternationalWomensDay

Chicago, IL – On Monday, March 9, members of Mexican Students de Aztlán (MeSA) at the University of Illinois at Chicago gathered in the Latin American and Latino Studies Conference Room in UIC’s University Hall to watch the documentary La Primavera de Immigrante (2006). This documentary screening kicked off the beginning of MeSA’s Sanctuary Campus Week of Action.

MeSA members Ikzael Hernandez and Camila Solis began by sharing the history of the mega-marches for immigrant rights on March 10, 2006, where over an estimated 300,000 people marched in the streets of Chicago to protest the racist bill HR 4437 – otherwise known as the “Sensenbrenner Bill.” If passed, this bill would have made the act of providing aid to undocumented immigrants in any way, shape, or form a felony charge. Among the main demands raised on March 10, 2006, and the following May Day were to shut down this bill and to grant legalization for all undocumented immigrants.

The documentary showed footage of these historic demonstrations in Chicago, where hundreds of thousands of immigrants from a wide range of nationalities – but especially Chicanos, Mexicans and Latinos, united in the streets. After the documentary, students had a discussion where they discussed this important history and drew lessons that they could apply to the current context of Trump and his escalated attacks on sanctuary cities like Chicago.

In the fall semester, UIC students and members of MeSA in particular were engaged in the fight against the Trump administration’s “Operation Midway Blitz.” Students talked about the importance of building solidarity among different immigrant nationalities and uniting with progressive movements on campus – especially as Chicago faces looming threats of another assault by the Trump administration in the spring.

#ChicagoIL #IL #ImmigrantRights #StudentMovement

Chicago, IL – On Monday, March 2, students rallied on the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) quad to condemn the attacks on the city of Tehran by the apartheid state of Israel and the United States. Students demanded no war on Iran.

New Students for a Democratic Society at UIC answered the call by the national New SDS to mobilize on the streets and campuses against this war. 

Oppose this unjust war.

“Just two mornings ago the United States and Israel bombed a school in the city of Minab killing over 180 schoolgirls! This is unfortunately just scratching the surface, because every single day, we wake up and see more bombs drop, we see hospitals, schools and neighborhoods turned into rubble and exploded, we see the death tolls go up,” said Sathvika Gowda of New SDS as the rally opened up.

Gowda ended with, “Wherever the U.S. goes, wherever Israel goes, we see destruction, devastation, obscene violence and war crimes. Every single day, we must stand up and oppose this unjust and illegal war!”

Groups like Anakbayan at UIC, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) Chicago, and Mexican Students de Aztlan (MeSA) at UIC came out and spoke against the U.S.-Israeli terror on Iran.

Ile Cecilio of MeSA stated, “Mexican Students of Aztlan condemns war against Iran, we condemn the inhumane murder of the over 100 schoolgirls in Minab and any military strike towards civilians in Iran and everywhere!”

Cecilio continued, “We know that U.S. intervention has never worked, as seen in Latin America where many of their countries have been destabilized with the excuses of ‘protecting democracy’. With this new administration, we know they aren't covert with what they want and their greed for oil and money in the Middle East and in other countries like Venezuela is palpable.”

Angel Naranjo of Freedom Road Socialist Organization stated, “Here in the U.S., progressives and revolutionaries need to go all out, uniting all who can be united to end the war on Iran. What the U.S. and Israel are doing to Iran is crime, and it needs to be judged accordingly.”

Naranjo ended by stating, “Trump is now talking about regime change. The truth of the matter is that we do need a regime change – a regime change in Washington DC.”

#ChicagoIL #IL #UIC #StudentMovement #AntiWarMovement #Iran