Chicago, IL – On the afternoon of Wednesday, August 14, five days before the Democratic National Convention, the city of Chicago slapped organizers of the Coalition to March on the DNC with permits saying they can assemble in Union Park on the condition that they have no sound amplification, stages, tents, or port-a-potties. This effectively denies them the ability to hold a rally.

Coalition members organized a press conference Thursday morning, a 100-person rally in the afternoon, and a national call-in to demand their right to rally on August 19 at Union Park.

“Again, the city of Chicago has blindsided us and restricted our rights,” said Hatem Abudayyeh, a spokesperson for the coalition, and national chair of one of its leading organizations, the U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN). “We don’t believe that any of the previous restrictions are content-based, but this one clearly is. Someone doesn’t want us to talk about Palestine, about Genocide Joe and Killer Kamala’s support of genocide, and this is an egregious violation of our rights.”

The Coalition urged people to call Chicago Chief Operating Officer John Roberson to demand that the city recognize their right to have a sound system and sanitation for their rally.

“The organizers have done everything they can to make sure people are safe at this march, and now we need the city to do that,” 33rd Ward Alderwoman Rossana Rodríguez said at a press conference outside City Hall on Thursday morning.

Other alderpersons, Julia Ramirez of the 12th Ward and Byron Sigcho-Lopez of the 25th, also spoke about the need for the city to stop obstructing the protest. They were joined by veteran organizers in the Black liberation and immigrant rights movements.

“This is not 1968. We don't have a ‘shoot to kill’ mayor,” said Cheryl Miller, health justice organizer of Southside Together Organizing for Power (STOP). “I am calling on Mayor Johnson to not let the fears of the past cause the chaos he is trying to prevent,” Miller continued.

“We didn't come here to beg for anything,” Frank Chapman, executive director of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR) said at the end of the press conference. “We're demanding that they recognize our right to speak!”

100-plus people gathered outside City Hall on Thursday afternoon to make their demands again. Speakers included organizers from CAARPR, USPCN, Students for a Democratic Society, the Anti War Committee – Chicago, and others who have spent months organizing the marches on August 19 and 22. Organizers who had traveled from Minneapolis, Seattle and New Orleans also addressed the crowd.

Speakers affirmed that the march on August 19 would take place in spite of the city's attempts to silence protesters.

“With over 200 organizations in the coalition and thousands and thousands of people gearing up to march, we will march. And we will have our demands heard, no matter what the city or the U.S. government says!” said USPCN organizer Rania Salem.

During the rally, the coalition also had a call with a federal judge and the city's attorneys to address the injunction put forward by the Coalition against the city's restrictions on their free speech. The city has until noon on Friday to respond, after which there will be an in-person hearing at the Dirksen Federal courthouse at 2:30 p.m.

#ChicagoIL #MarchonDNC2024 #MarchontheDNC #MarchonDNC24 #Permit #DNC #feature

Meredith Aby, a member of the MN Anti-War Committee,explains, “While dropping Genocide Joe off the Democratic ticket is progress, we have yet to get action or even promises that Harris/Walz will commit to an arms embargo on Israel. Progressive forces from around the country are coming to Chicago to tell the Democratic Party that we don’t just want an alternative to Trump, we want an end to the genocide in Gaza.”

Aby continued, “In Minnesota we have been pressuring Governor Tim Walz, as the chair of the State Board of Investment, to divest Minnesota public worker pensions from Israeli companies and companies that are profiting from Israeli apartheid and genocide. Unfortunately, we haven’t gotten any movement from him. We are traveling to Chicago to keep up the pressure!”

Humberto Martin, an organizer with Twin Cities Coalition for Justice, added, “The national news media has been celebrating the progressive agenda of Governor Walz as a reason to vote for Harris/Walz, but we know that the progressive legislation he voted for, from drivers licenses for all to free public school lunches, are because of the organizing of grassroots groups here in Minnesota.”

Nearly 100 protesters will be leaving from Bethel Lutheran Church at 10:30 the evening of the 18th. Organizations marching on the DNC from Minnesota include the Anti War Committee (AWC), Twin Cities Coalition for Justice (TCC4J),MN Free Palestine Coalition, Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC), Minnesota Abortion Action Committee (MNAAC), Climate Justice Committee (CJC), MN Workers United (MWU), Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), UMN Students for a Democratic Society (UMN SDS), Women Against Military Madness (WAMM), and American Muslims for Palestine (AMP).

#MinneapolisMN #Kamala #MarchontheDNC #MarchOnDNC24 #HarrisWalz #Walz #Harris #MarchonDNC2024 #FreePalestine

Fight Back! is circulating the following statement by the Legalization for All Network (L4A).

Legalization for All Network Statement on Biden Executive Order

The June 17 Biden Administration Executive Order to facilitate the legalization of spouses of U.S. citizens affects up to 500,000 undocumented people. The Legalization for All (L4A) network considers the order a positive step towards the goal of legalization for all of the undocumented.

At the same time, this positive action does not absolve the Biden administration of adopting a Trump-like policy on the U.S.-Mexico border. On June 4, 2024, Biden issued an effective ban on those seeking asylum. The ban goes into effect when the daily average of border arrests tops 2,500.

This spring, the average daily number of border arrests was 4,300. In other words, as many as 1,800 people a day attempting to cross the U.S./Mexico border now face quick deportation or being turned back to Mexico without starting an asylum claim.

Shortly following the ban, immigrant rights groups took to the streets around the country and in Washington D.C. demanding that Biden remove the ban and expand Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

Undocumented immigrants need much more concrete and secure immigration policies that are not at the mercy of an upcoming election. The newly announced executive order does the following:

• Allows undocumented people married to US citizen for ten years to legalize their status while remaining in the United States. This would benefit about 500,000 undocumented.
• Gives temporary status to undocumented children of US citizen parents, aiding about 50,000.

While L4A views this as a victory for our movement, Biden’s executive order applies to less than 5% of the undocumented.

President Biden and the Democrats have lost a considerable amount of voter and public support due to their role in the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people. At the same time, the Republican Party has made it clear that anti-immigrant measures are a centerpiece of their political agenda. Trump continues calling for mass deportations, more detention centers, and for other bigots, like Texas Governor Greg Abbott, to buildemergency facilities to further militarize the Rio Grande.

Rather than fall for the Biden administration's cynical political moves, L4A has endorsed both the march against the Republican National Convention and the Democratic National Convention. We ask all people and organizations who are part of our network or follow our work, to do the same and march with us in our immigrant rights contingents.

Send us a message now to notify us about your attendance at either the march on the RNC or DNC: Legalization for All on X, Instagram, Facebook or https://legalizationforall.wordpress.com/

#LegalizationForAll #Legalization4All #MarchOnTheRNC #MarchOnTheDNC #Biden #ExecutiveOrder #ImmigrantRights #Immigration #UndocumentedRights

Chicago, IL – “This is only a pinch of what we're going to do in August,” Merawi Gerima said to 150 people who rallied outside the 18th District police station on the Near Northside of Chicago, May 19.

Gerima is one of the co-chairs of the Campaign to Free Incarcerated Survivors of Torture (CFIST), a campaign of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR). The main target of CFIST is the governor of Illinois, JB Pritzker, who has the power to grant clemency to every one of the hundreds of people who are still incarcerated despite their convictions being the proven result of torture by police.

“What’s going on in these prisons is horrendous. People are treated like animals. People like Rico Clark and Lester Owens are locked up by corrupt cops like Brian Forberg for crimes they didn't commit,” said Darien Harris, who spent over 12 years in prison after being wrongfully convicted, describing how the entire legal system, from police and prosecutors to judges and politicians, is guilty of mass torture and false imprisonment.

Protesters later heard a recorded message from Rico Clark, who is currently incarcerated. Clark explained the continuity between chattel slavery and today's prison system.

Protesters also admonished Pritzker and other politicians for their support of the Israeli genocide in Gaza.

“Pritzker has the power to grant clemency today. Pritzker has the power to stop funding Israel today. We are here to demand he uses that power for real justice,” Akiesha Lee, a member of Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation (SOUL) said after police barricaded protesters several blocks from Pritzker's house.

“Palestinians understand all too well the dehumanization and brutality that Black and brown people in this country face, as our people in Palestine also face the same kind of dehumanization and violence from the U.S.-backed, white supremacist, illegal Zionist occupation,” Nick Sous, a leading member of the Chicago chapter of US Palestinian Community Network (USPCN) explained. USPCN is also a leading organization in the Coalition to March on the DNC.

“Black people and other oppressed people stand in solidarity with Palestine because we have mutual pain and suffering caused by the same enemy, so we have to unite and fight against that,” CAARPR Field Organizer Frank Chapman said at the end of the rally program.

“To these Democrats and Republicans, I want to say your time is up! We're going to fight and we're going to get justice from Chicago to Palestine,” April Ward declared. Ward is the mother of Mickeail Ward, whose conviction was recently overturned after ten years of fighting a wrongful murder conviction sensationalized in part by the Obamas.

The Sunday, May 19 protest was also the first of four consecutive actions organized by the Coalition to March on the DNC, of which CAARPR is a leading member. On Monday, May 13, coalition members met at Pritzker’s downtown office to demand that he grant clemency to torture survivors and end Illinois support for Israel.

On Tuesday evening, the coalition gathered 200 people at the Garfield Park Conservatory on Chicago's West Side to protest a DNC reception. Protesters aimed chants at Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, JB Pritzker, Sean Casten, Dick Durbin and Jan Schakowsky among others for the two hour duration as event attendees filed in and out of the Conservatory.

On Wednesday morning, the coalition met at the United Center while press outlets were conducting a walkthrough of the site where the DNC will take place between August 19 and 22.

“Wherever Genocide Joe and Killer Kamala show up there will be protests,” Hatem Abudayyeh, national chair of USPCN said at a press conference outside the United Center.

Abudayyeh continued, “There will be no business as usual as long as our tax dollars are funding the genocide and occupation of Palestine. That's why tens of thousands of people will be here on August 19.”

#ChicagoIL #FreePalestine #MarchOnTheDNC #FreeRicoClark #USPCN #NAARPR #CAARPR #CFIST #SOUL #DNC #BDS #FreeThemAll

Milwaukee, WI—The Coalition to March on the Democratic National Convention met with officials from the city of Milwaukee on May 21 to discuss the coalition’s permit and plan to protest. The goals of the coalition are to defeat President Trump and to advance a progressive people’s agenda, thus building stronger movements to challenge the Democratic Party. Lawyers for the Wisconsin ACLU arranged the meeting and led the discussions.

The meeting with the city of Milwaukee confirmed that the COVID-19 health crisis is causing most in the Democratic Party to consider alternatives to an indoor convention with thousands present. This will greatly limit the Democratic National Convention (DNC) delegate turnout in Milwaukee, but a protest will still happen.

“The coalition still plans to gather and march, with masks and safe distancing, outside whatever forum or corporate office the DNC uses in Milwaukee on the first day, August 17,” co-chair Ryan Hamann said after the meeting.

Tracy Schwerdtfeger, who applied for the march permit a year ago, said, “We have been trying to meet with the city for a long time. What we want is a family-friendly march that goes within sight and sound of the DNC, so they see us and hear our demands. We finally approached the ACLU about filing a lawsuit for our permit and finally we are getting somewhere.”

Hamann emphasized, “Trump is responsible for people dying all across this country, and it is difficult to see him winning in November. However, the massive economic downturn is making it plain to see that Wall Street bankers and corporate elites dominate the Democratic Party too. We see Democratic governors and mayors, just like Republicans, are busy proposing cutbacks for workers and poor people while Congress approves trillions in bailouts for big business and banks.”

The coalition represented by the ACLU plans to meet with the city of Milwaukee as the situation develops. The city says new ordinances are planned to deal with protesters.

#MilwaukeeWI #AntiwarMovement #ImmigrantRights #CapitalismAndEconomy #StudentMovement #InJusticeSystem #Labor #OppressedNationalities #US #PeoplesStruggles #DemocraticNationalConventionDNC #Elections #MarchOnTheDNC #DonaldTrump #CoalitionToMarchOnTheDNC

“We are predicting even more people will protest outside the Democratic National Convention, given the health crisis. There is a complete failure of leadership in this country, and the Trump administration’s response is criminal. I don’t know how they can so generously bail out Wall Street as they watch people die by the thousands,” said Ryan Hamann, spokesperson for the Coalition.

Hamann continued, “The coronavirus crisis makes the Coalition’s nine progressive demands even more immediate. For example, we need ‘Medicare for All’ instead of profiteering for the few on Wall Street. We need a nationwide moratorium on rents and mortgages because millions are out of work, and millions more are working part time.”

One of the Coalition’s nine demands, “Fight to expand union and worker’s rights,” is especially pertinent as we are seeing a rise in workplace protests. At hospitals there are sign-holding protests for personal protective equipment (PPE), especially in states hit hard by the coronavirus. Similar actions are taking place at some union warehouses like UPS, but also at unorganized Amazon warehouses, and Amazon-owned businesses like Whole Foods.

Hamann says, “It is beyond belief that essential workers cannot get protective gear at work right now! Workers also deserve hazard pay for putting their lives at risk while saving others. In our state, Governor Tony Evers, a Democrat, is doing so little to enforce the meaning of ‘essential businesses’; that it is undermining protective stay-at-home orders.”

Hamann sums up, “On a global scale, we need to end U.S. sanctions that harm people in other countries. We could actually work together and help one another fight the virus and save lives. The whole world is going to remember China for sending masks and ventilators, Cuba for sending doctors, and the U.S. for sending U.S. Navy warships to the coast of Venezuela. Unbelievable!”

Organizers are planning to start with dozens of speakers at a 10 a.m. rally on Monday, August 17, and then to march within sight and sound of the DNC at the Fiserv Forum. The Coalition to March on the DNC is still demanding a permit from democrat Mayor Tom Barrett, who is stubbornly refusing. The Coalition intends to file a lawsuit against Mayor Barrett and the city of Milwaukee to win their right to a permit.

#MilwaukeeWI #AntiwarMovement #ImmigrantRights #PoorPeoplesMovements #StudentMovement #InJusticeSystem #Labor #OppressedNationalities #WomensMovement #US #Healthcare #PeoplesStruggles #EnvironmentalJustice #DemocraticNationalConventionDNC #Elections #MarchOnTheDNC #COVID19

Milwaukee, WI – An April 4 press conference, to take place at Milwaukee’s City Hall, will announce a major protest at the upcoming Democratic National Convention.

“The Coalition to March on the DNC is excited to announce a rally and march on the opening day of the Democratic National Convention, Monday, July 13 at 12 p.m. within sight and sound of the arena,” said Chris Antimo Perez, spokesperson for the Coalition to March on the Democratic National Convention. “All eyes will be on Milwaukee as the DNC takes place at the Fiserv Forum from July 13-16th, 2020. We call on all progressive, left, democratic and socialist organizations to join us in unity.”

Organizers of the protest have applied for a permit for a rally at Red Arrow Park (Dontre Park) and a march to the Fiserv Forum.

The organizers of this coalition have led mass marches that drew thousands to the 2008 Republican National Convention in Saint Paul, Minnesota; the 2012 RNC in Tampa, Florida, and the 2016 RNC in Cleveland, Ohio.

“The Coalition to March on the DNC will be a broad, national coalition of left and progressive forces, working with local Milwaukee groups and activists,” said Perez. He stated they are rallying behind demands including but not limited to: End U.S. Wars and Interventions; Money for Human Needs, Not War; Community Control of the Police; Stop Police Terror; Legalization for All; No More Deportations; Tax the Rich; Medicare for All; Climate Action Now; Fight to Expand Union and Worker Rights, and Demand Peace, Justice and Equality!

#MilwaukeeWI #US #SpecialCoverage #PeoplesStruggles #DemocraticNationalConventionDNC #Elections #MarchOnTheDNC #CoalitionToMarchOnTheDemocraticNationalConvention

Philadelphia, PA – On July 25 thousands of people took part in several actions outside the Democratic National Convention (DNC). The first action was billed as the Equality Coalition’s March on the DNC.

Signs and banners ranged from “Bernie or bust” to “This party’s over.” The rally included speakers and music.

The rally was followed by the March on the DNC that went four miles down Broad Street in 99-degree heat. People chanted, “What do we want? Justice! When do we want it? Now!” and “If we don’t get it? Shut it down!”

During the march, SDS passed out a statement saying, “Despite her rhetoric, Hillary Clinton ultimately represents the interests of the Wall Street billionaires and the rest of the 1%. As the perfect ‘status quo’ candidate, Clinton carries out a neoliberal agenda, having a history of racist, warmongering, anti¬-immigrant, and anti-worker pursuits and policies.”

The next day, July 26, the Philly Coalition for REAL Justice led the Black DNC Resistance March Against Police Terrorism and State Repression. The march met up with protesters at City Hall where Lamont Lilly, the vice presidential candidate for Workers World Party, was speaking. Also speaking was Michael Sampson of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, who had this to say, “The police are everywhere terrorizing and corrupting our communities. This is bigger than just my community. This is all oppressed people’s communities. We have to stand up right now, right here today!”

After the City Hall rally another march on the DNC took place with people chanting, “No justice, no peace, jail the racist police!” “Don’t vote for Hillary, she kills black people,” and “We want freedom, freedom. All those racist ass cops we don’t need’em, need’em!”

#PhiladelphiaPA #Elections #PhillyCoalitionForREALJustice #MarchOnTheDNC #BlackDNCResistanceMarch