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

Chicago, IL – On March 4, 30 students rallied in the quad at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). The protest, organized by New Students for a Democratic Society, was originally a counter-protest meant to happen at the same time as a Turning Point USA (TPUSA) event.

TPUSA announced a “Prove me Wrong” event featuring Pastor Lucas Miles, who has a record of anti-immigrant rhetoric. Immediately after TPUSA’s announcement, SDS organized a counter-protest with the slogan, “Tell TPUSA Immigrants are Welcomed Here!”

The night before the morning rally, TPUSA shared on social media that they were canceling the event “due to weather.” The forecast had a small chance of rain for six hours after the event. It was clear that TPUSA canceled due to the SDS counter-protest.

The counter-protest was endorsed by Anakbayan, Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), Mexican Students de Aztlán, Housing Staff United, Socialist Alternative, Fearless Undocumented Alliance, Radical Public Health and Union of Puerto Rican Students.

Students passing by the rally celebrated the news that TPUSA had cancelled their event in response to the planned counter-protest.

“This is what happens when we stand together and organize, we rip the masks off of right-wing grifters and expose them as what they are: Cowards!” said River Argyilan co-chair of the SDS chapter at UIC.

“The UIC administration cannot gloat about diversity at this school while allowing groups who openly spread hate speech to host events on campus,” Argylian went on to say. “They cannot claim to serve their students while defunding the cultural centers, removing DEI from financial aid, and refusing to protect their students from ICE.”

A member of Anakabyan spoke of the UIC administration’s continued repression of progressive student groups while allowing a racist student group like TPUSA on campus. Marel shared that Anakbayan has recently received penalties from the Center for Student Involvement due to hosting an anti-ICE whistle-packing event in a public space on campus.

“On the campuses, groups like TPUSA exist to embolden white-supremacy, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia and reactionaries on campus,” Gio Araujo said on behalf of FRSO.

Araujo continued, “Groups like TPUSA are simply fog machines. Like a real fog machine, it can be broken with your foot or fist. On the campuses and streets, they can be pushed out with the power of the people. We are determined to unite all who can be united to march through the fog towards our enemy, the ruling class of billionaires and their political representatives in the White House.”

During the rally, UIC administration tried to force the students to move. SDS had an approved reservation for the quad but were told the students weren’t allowed to be on the grass. Students continued on with the rally as planned.

“We’ve proven here today what SDS has proven all over the country: TPUSA is a paper tiger! said Erin Boyle, president of National SDS. “They’re a small group of racist cowards hiding behind billionaire right-wing funding. TPUSA is not a movement, they’re a cancerous speaking tour forced on to college campuses that don’t want their hate! “

“It’s never been more clear that our universities need to put up a fight against Donald Trump! And let me be more clear, we need to make them put up a fight.” said Boyle.

Organizers called on students to join SDS for a town hall March 19 to continue to put pressure on UIC administration to fund cultural centers, declare a sanctuary campus and stop capitulating to the Trump agenda. After the speakers ended, students marched through campus. Protesters chanted, “When MAGA is running about! We organize, we run them out!” and “Racist, sexist, anti-gay! Turning Point, go away!”

#ChicagoIL #IL #UIC #SDS #StudentMovement

Oak Lawn, IL – On February 4, organizers from the Arab-American Action Network (AAAN) and members of the community gathered in Oak Lawn village in the Chicago suburbs. AAAN organizers handed out brightly colored whistles to everyone standing outside of the Village Hall building ahead of the monthly Oak Lawn Police and Fire Commission meeting.

Rania Salem of AAAN explained the choice, “Whistles have become a tool in our fight against ICE, and so we’re bringing them here to say ‘The bad guys are here and we’re going to get them out of our neighborhoods!’”

“We’ve been coming here nearly every month for about three years now, demanding justice for Murod Kurdi,” said Muhammad Sankari, a lead organizer within AAAN. Murod Kurdi was a young Palestinian American man who was killed in 2023 by Leanne Cusack, a white woman who struck him with her car outside of his home.

Cusack told police on the scene that she had been drinking, saying she’d just had a beer and a shot of alcohol. Astoundingly, the white officers chose not to administer a breathalyzer test and instead let her off with a minor traffic ticket, which she later contested in court.

AAAN, backed by the broader Palestinian and Arab community, demand that Cusack be held accountable, as well as the officers who let her walk free, and that state Attorney General Kwame Raoul open an investigation into the racism of the Oak Lawn Police Department.

The fight for justice for Kurdi is connected with the fight for justice for Hadi Abuatelah, who was beaten nearly to death by three Oak Lawn police officers in 2022, when he was just 17 years old, simply for running from a traffic stop.

The movement recently achieved a partial victory in the form of a near million dollar settlement for the Abuatelah family, but the Village of Oak Lawn and Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen Burke have still failed to meet AAAN’s demand that all three officers be fired and charged for their crimes.

The Oak Lawn Police and Fire Commission has refused to hold any officer accountable in the Kurdi and Abuatelah cases and has been stonewalling the community and limiting attendance at their public meetings.

During the most recent meeting, organizers and community members stood outside in the freezing cold for nearly an hour because the front door was locked and guarded by a dozen Oak Lawn police officers who watched the crowd from inside.

OLPD placed a speaker outside by the front entrance which they sometimes use to project the commission’s meetings after the community is removed from the building – a loophole to an Oak Lawn village law that requires Police and Fire Commission meetings to be open to the public.

One commissioner, Al Moyzis, heckled the protesters while waiting to be let into the building. “You have a big mouth”, he said to Salem of AAAN. “Well maybe you should be more vocal and do the right thing,” she shot back.

After a long wait, the doors were unlocked and community members filed into the building. Once it became clear that the commission had no intention of discussing Kurdi, the community did what they’ve done at every commission meeting for the last three years: they shut it down.

AAAN organizer Husam Marajda blew his whistle, stood up and shouted over the commission, “You have been sitting on your behinds for three years doing nothing. We will continue to demand justice for Murod Kurdi until you do something about it!” He blew on the whistle and chanted “Justice for Murod Kurdi!” as officers pushed him out of the room.

Salem stood up and continued the chanting and whistling. This time the crowd joined in, creating a deafening sound that continued as officers struggled to clear the room.

Even from the hallway, the whistles and chants of protesters were loud enough to disrupt the meeting. “Justice for Murod Kurdi!” and “Lazy racist crooked cops, get your ass a real job!” echoed through the building as the meeting room and hallways were slowly cleared. Even after everyone was pushed outside, protesters held the front door open and continued to chant into the building.

Salem closed out the evening with an invitation to keep the fight growing.

“See you next month,” Salam said. “bring your friends and family. We’re gonna keep coming back month after month until these guys are out of a job!”

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

Chicago, IL – El martes, 24 de febrero, más de 30 estudiantes y miembros de la comunidad se reunieron en el Centro Cultural Negro de la Universidad de Illinois Chicago (UIC) por un estreno de Judas y la Messiah Negra, seguido por una discusión guiada por camaradas del distrito de Chicago de la Organización Socialista Camino de la Libertad (OSCL).

Dirigido y escrito por Shaka King, Judas y el Mesías Negro (2021) es un cuento cinemático de la historia del Capítulo de Illinois del Partido Pantera Negra, el origen de base de la histórica Coalición Arcoíris de Chicago, y los días finales del presidente Fred Hampton del Capítulo de Illinois del Partido Pantera Negra. Siguiendo la historia del difunto presidente y de William O’Neal, informante del FBI e infiltrador del partido, la película muestra la verdadera conspiración para asesinar al presidente Fred llevado a cabo por el FBI, la Fiscalía del Condado de Cook y el Departamento de Policía de Chicago.

Después de la película, Kobi Guillory, miembro de la OSCL en Chicago y del Sindicato de Maestros de Chicago, hizo preguntas sobre los pensamientos de la audiencia acerca de la historia de la lucha revolucionaria, solidaridad de clase y la represión política. Los participantes entre la audiencia contaron sus propias experiencias de brutalidad policial, seres queridos asesinados o secuestrados por los matones del estado, otros invocaron los orígenes de la policía de los EE.UU. como resultado de las patrullas cazadoras de esclavos.

Este Mes de la Historia Negra, es aún más importante que nunca recordar el legado revolucionario del Partido Pantera Negra y la Coalición Arcoíris: un legado de solidaridad de la clase trabajadora, de lucha contra la represión política anti-negra y anti-obrera. Fred Hampton, como presidente del Capítulo de Illinois del Partido Pantera Negra y vicepresidente del Partido Pantera Negra Nacional, vio con toda claridad la distracción que era la división racial de Chicago.

Tras la ola de violencia sancionada por el estado contra las nacionalidades oprimidas y quienes se solidarizan con ellas sigue en todas partes de la nación, continuamos luchando. Y en palabras del Camarada Fred Hampton, cuando te atreves a luchar, ¡te atreves a ganar!

#ChicagoIL #IL #StudentMovement #MovimientoEstudiantil #SDS #OppressedNationalities #AfricanAmerican #BlackHistoryMonth #NacionalidadesOprimidas #Afroamericano #elMesdeHistoriaNegra #OSCL #CTU

Chicago, IL On Wednesday afternoon, February 25, dozens of demonstrators gathered downtown Chicago at the State Building, carrying signs that read “Zionism, like apartheid, cannot last” and “Stop buying Israel Bonds.”

This protest, organized by Boycott, Divest, Sanction (BDS) Chicago – a project of the United States Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), and Anti-War Committee Chicago – was called after Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs announced in early February that he would renew Illinois’ investment in two Israel Bonds, totaling $15 million together.

“We are here today outside Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs’ office because for over a year, his constituents, Illinois taxpayers, pension holders, and community members have been consistently coming to him with one simple demand; And that is to divest our public funds from genocide!” said Noura Ebrahim, an organizer of BDS Chicago, opened up the rally.

Michael Frerichs released a statement about the renewal of the bonds on February 5. Ahead of the February 1 bond expiration deadline was a mounting pressure campaign demanding Frerichs not renew the two expiring investments in Israel Bonds. Calls and emails from constituents were left unanswered by Frerichs’ offices, and phone lines disconnected. Despite the elevated calls for divestment, Michael Frerichs remains committed to investing Illinois taxpayer dollars in Israel Bonds. 

Wednesday’s event was organized as part of a statewide campaign of the Illinois Divest from Genocide Network, made up of 56 organizations across Illinois demanding divestment of Illinois public funds from genocide. While demonstrations took place outside of Frerich’s Chicago office, Illinois residents and organizers with the Illinois Divest From Genocide Network in Springfield gathered to demonstrate in front of the Treasurer’s Springfield office. Michael Frerichs was confirmed to be at his Springfield office during the time of the rally.

Although Illinois investment in two Israel Bonds has been renewed, activists vow to continue to demand the end of the treasurer’s appropriation of taxpayer dollars to aid in the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. 

“We will keep showing up, we will keep organizing. No police violence will intimidate or stop us. And we will keep exposing his hypocrisy until every single Illinois dollar is divested from genocide, and reinvested here at home,” Ebrahim stated.

#ChicagoIL #IL #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #BDS #USPCN #AWCChicago

Chicago, IL – El sábado, 31 de enero, acompañado por activistas comunitarios que han estado en las calles defendiendo a los inmigrantes contra la ocupación de ICE, el alcalde Brandon Johnson firmó una orden ejecutiva histórica.

La orden ejecutiva hace Chicago la primera ciudad que requiere a la policía investigar y referir agentes federales para procesamiento penal por delitos graves.

“Nadie está sobre la ley. No hay ninguna cosa como la ‘inmunidad absoluta’ en Estados Unidos,” dijo el alcalde Brandon Johnson. “La ilegalidad de los agentes de inmigración militarizados de Trump pone en peligro inmediato las vidas y el bienestar de los residentes de Chicago. Con la orden de hoy, le estamos advirtiendo a ICE en nuestra ciudad. Chicago no se sentará mientras Trump inunda nuestras comunidades con agentes federales y aterroriza a nuestros residentes.”

El gobierno federal ha dicho que está planeando otro surgimiento de ICE en el área de Chicago este marzo. El llamado del alcalde Johnson al procesamiento penal es en respuesta a la ausencia de consecuencias legales tras el tiroteo contra Marimar Martínez en Chicago y los asesinatos de Silverio Villegas González en Franklin Park, un suburbio de Chicago, y el de Renee Good y Alex Pretti en Minneapolis.

Frank Chapman de la Alianza de Chicago Contra la Represión Racista y Política dijo, “Estuve orgulloso de acompañar al alcalde Johnson ayer cuando firmó una orden ejecutiva histórica que ordena al Departamento de Policía de Chicago involucrarse activamente en hacer que los agentes de ICE rindan cuentas, presentando denuncias hacia la oficina del fiscal de estado.”

La fiscal estatal, Eileen Burke, es bien conocida por fallar en luchar contra ICE. Ha evadido demandas para investigar y cerrar la instalación de ICE en Broadview, con reportes de tratamiento inhumano hacia detenidos. Burke también ha rechazado la prosecución del agente de ICE quien asesinó a Silverio Villegas González, un trabajador inmigrante baleado por ICE después de dejar a su niño en la escuela en Franklin Park en septiembre.

#ChicagoIL #IL #ImmigrantRights #ICE #CAARPR #NAARPR #BrandonJohnson

Chicago, IL— On Tuesday, February 17, the Chicago District of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization drew over 35 community members to a presentation honoring Black History Month and discussing strategy and tactics in the Black liberation movement.

Kobi Guillory, a FRSO leader and middle school science teacher, opened the event with a presentation on revolutionary movements. He described how oppressed workers and colonized peoples have always fought back against their oppressors, and said we are called to do the same today.

Trump, Epstein and the whole ruling class “are proving through the crimes they commit against the people that they need to go. They need to be overthrown,” Guillory said. “And it is on us to do that. No one is going to do that for us.”

Next, Guillory offered a definition of nationhood. Marxist-Leninists consider a nation to be a group of people who share a common territory, economic base, culture, and language. The Black nation fits all these criteria, from its history as a people enslaved to the common territory of the Black Belt South today, Guillory said.

Frank Chapman, a longtime leader in the Black liberation movement and member of the FRSO central committee, spoke next. “The Black nation is oppressed and exploited to an extreme degree by the ruling class of the United States, meaning it has a natural ally in other nations and oppressed groups also fighting against U.S. imperialism,” Chapman said.

The history of Chicano people and Black people in the United States is intertwined going back to the annexation of Texas from Mexico in order to preserve slavery in the union, he said. “The border patrols in Texas were also slave patrols.”

People ask what the ICE attacks “got to do with Black folks,” Chapman said. “We’re talking about a mutual enslaver, a mutual oppressor. We have a real reason, not an imaginary one, to be united with the Chicano people, with brown people on this question,” Chapman said, as the audience applauded in approval.

The racist super-exploitation of Black workers hurts all workers and oppressed people, Chapman continued. “It is our duty and responsibility to work with the immigrants’ rights movement and all progressive democratic forces to oppose the entire Trump agenda,” he said. “Ain’t none of this shit right.”

“The thing that broke the confederacy and lost them the war was the general strike of the enslaved,” he said. The slaves – the people who made the clothes, worked the farms and generally produced the goods and services that sustained the lives of the white slaveholder class – walked off the plantations and stopped their production.

But a general strike does not in and of itself destroy the entire system, Guillory said.

Chapman agreed. “The real solution is revolution,” he said. “We have to overthrow this corrupt, rotten, racist, regime.”

#ChicagoIL #IL #FRSO #OppressedNationalities #BlackHistoryMonth

Chicago, IL – On Wednesday, February 25, a coalition of organizations fighting for human rights and democracy in the Philippines rallied outside of the Philippine Consulate to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the ousting of Marcos Sr. and the People Power Revolution, to confront continued corruption in the Philippines, and to hold the Philippine Consulate accountable for its neglect of Filipino migrants.

“Imperyalismo!” “Ibagksak!” “Marcos mismo!” “Babagsak!”

“Imperialism!” “Will topple!” “Marcos!” “Will topple!” chanted protesters.

The action commemorated the 1986 People Power Revolution (EDSA), in which the Filipino people fought against corruption and ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos, whose rule saw grave human rights violations including extrajudicial imprisonment, torture, and the murder of 3240 Filipinos. Speakers emphasized that despite the ousting of Marcos Sr. in 1986, the struggle against corruption in the Philippines is ongoing and that collusion between the U.S. and Philippine government must end.

“Patience has never liberated a generation! Compliance has never protected democracy! Those crowds at EDSA were not waiting for permission, they flooded the streets!” declared a member of Anakbayan at UIC, a youth and student organization building international solidarity and fighting for the liberation of the Philippines.

Throughout the program, multiple groups performed songs about the struggle for national liberation in the Philippines. During one of the songs, Aklasan, the crowd was encouraged to sing along to the chorus:

“Bawat sipag, bawat lakas

Ay umaklas!

Diwang dungo’t ulong yuko’y

Itinayo

Ang maliit na ginahis

Ay nagtindig”

“Every effort, every force

Rose up!

Subdued spirits and bowed heads

Were lifted up!

The small that were subdued,

Stood up!”

Speakers from Malaya Chicago and Tanggol Migrante continued by uplifting the struggle for immigrant rights in the United States, citing the experiences of Filipino immigrants in detention who are experiencing medical neglect and incompetence from the Philippine Consulate.

One of the stories uplifted was that of Tita Rebecca, a 71-year-old Filipina grandmother who was held in ICE detention for nine months and repeatedly denied proper medical care or examination before being secretly deported without notice to her family. Throughout Tita Rebecca’s time in ICE detention, the Philippine Consulate proved to be unhelpful to her family and organizers, refusing to speak with her family and actively working with ICE to keep details of her deportation concealed.

“Lahat ng sangkot!” “Dapat managot!”

“Everyone involved!” “Must be held accountable!” chanted protesters.

Speakers also told the story of Chantal Anicoche, a Filipina-American youth activist taking part in an immersion trip who was kidnapped by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) following the U.S. backed bombing of the Mangyan people in Mindoro that killed five people. After a nearly month-long international campaign, Chantal Anicoche was freed and able to safely return home to the United States.

Organizers commenced the rally with more chants and a group photo.

“The people, united, will never be defeated!”

“El pueblo, unido, jamás será vencido!”

“Ang tao, ang bayan, ngayon ay lumalaban!”

Organizations participating in the event included Malaya, Migrante, Tanggol Migrante, Bayan, Anakbayan at UIC, Anakbayan Chicago, Philippine-U.S. Solidarity Organization (PUSO) Chicago, Chicago Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines (CCHRP), Anti-War Committee Chicago (AWC), and the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR).

#ChicagoIL #IL #Anakbayan #Bayan #CAARPR #AWC #CCHRP #PUSO #International #Philippines