Hamtramck, MI – On May 10, hundreds assembled on the corner of Joseph Campau and Caniff Streets following a call put out by the Detroit Resisting Oppression by President Trump Coalition (DROPT Coalition) to push Jake Lang and other racists out of Hamtramck. Lang and his crew had publicly announced what they claimed would be the “largest book burning in American history,” including the burning of a Quran outside of Al-Islah Islamic Center.

On the day of, Lang and his followers began to back out of their book-burning in Hamtramck, posting on social media that he was going to Dearborn, while messaging his followers that he was going to Hamtramck. For over four hours, he repeatedly changed his arrival time, showing his fear of the community and the organizers who sought to chase him out.

Jackson Robak of Freedom Road Socialist Organization said, “They are weak because they know they are not supported by the people.”

Afterward, Hamtramck community leader Dr. Mohammad Alam spoke on the pride immigrant families take in Hamtramck. “We came from all over, but this is our home here and abroad. Hamtramck is the beacon and hope for many of us; we cherish Hamtramck. We are law-abiding citizens, yet you come from somewhere and try to slam on our faith, we aren’t going to take it.” Showing the connection between these racist thugs and the Trump administration, Alam added, “Just like when ICE comes taking families, they are deporting, they are removing, they are destructing [destroying]! We do not want to see this!”

Minutes later, Jake Lang attempted to drive past the crowd in a U-Haul, but was hit with water bottles, flag poles, and other objects, forcing him to speed out of the city.

He would soon drive to Dearborn in the hopes of going to the Islamic Center of America, only to be pulled over for being on his phone while driving. While he was pulled over, dozens assembled on Evergreen Road in Dearborn to continue the attempt to chase him out of the communities he intended to intimidate. Even as he was protected by police, the protests got closer and louder to Lang, and saw him get his U-Haul towed and himself arrested for possession of psychedelic mushrooms.

The next day, he attempted to once again burn a Quran outside the ICA in Dearborn, only for the community and activists to once again assemble to stop him. This time, initially, the police used fire extinguishers to stop Lang’s attempted burning, but gave up, leaving the activists to use their own fire extinguishers to put out the fires and take books from his hands.

Lang, as well as three activists, were arrested. Shamefully, Lang was released quickly from the Dearborn Police Station, while protest organizers went to the jail to demand the timely release of the activists arrested. After hours, they were bailed out due to community support.

Jake Lang is a racist grifter who seeks to violently intimidate Arab and Muslim communities around Metro Detroit, Minnesota and New York. However, every time he comes, he gets driven out, arrested, and shown to be weaker than the last time. In Metro Detroit, these facts were once again made obvious by the communities and activists who he attempted to threaten.

#HamtramckMI #MI #PeoplesStruggles #Lang #RightWing #Featured

Grand Rapids, MI – The Grand Rapids May Day Committee organized a rally commemorating International Workers Day, Saturday, May 2, at Fountain Street Church.

Co-hosted by the May Day Committee chair, Tom Burke of IATSE 26, along with Ivan Diaz, candidate for Michigan State Senate District 29, the event started with songs of solidarity by Carsten Forester of AFM Local 56. After the music, local labor leaders and community activists spoke on meeting the attacks from the Trump administration. Many focused on standing in solidarity with immigrants and fellow workers.

Tom Burke told attendees, “We are coming together with unions and community leaders to stand with the workers of the world. We oppose the ICE raids and deportations being pushed by the Trump administration.”

Burke continued, “We celebrate the great victory of the unions and activists in Minneapolis/Saint Paul who forced President Trump and ICE to back down. We stand together with our immigrant neighbors in West Michigan. An injury to one, is an injury to all!”

A trio of educators from the Grand Rapids Education Association (GREA), Noemi Tobar Arellano, Kaitlyn Holmwood and Lucas Southwell, spoke of the devastating impact of ICE on the students and families in the community. They emphasized that it takes a village to raise a child and it will take a village to fight Trump's agenda.

Eduardo Montiel of the Grand Rapids Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression introduced Andrica Cage, the mother of Samuel Sterling, who is a man murdered by the Michigan State Police. Cage stated, “When you see me out here fighting, come stand with me.”

Next, Tom Nieboer of IWW and AFSCME 435 reminded the audience that, “Unions bring power to the workers. It's time for workers to bring power to the unions!” After his speech, Lily Cheng Schulting, candidate for Michigan House District 80, inquired of all those elected, “When the power structures come to attack you, will you stand strong?”

Finally, special guest and candidate for U.S. Senate, Abdul El-Sayed, was introduced by IATSE 26-member, Josh Roskamp.

El-Sayed took the stage, starting with call and response chants. One of these chants was “Money out of?” and the crowd would respond with “Politics!” His remarks came at a time of rising prices and worsening cost of living crisis exacerbated by President Trump’s war on Iran. Speaking poignantly, he declared that “We have to take our democracy from the corporations who tell us what we cannot have,” and “We must build together with unlikely allies to achieve it.”

Closing out the event, Tom Burke again raised the call, “Solidarity!”

#GrandRapidsMI #MI #Labor #ImmigrantRights #GRAARPR #AFSCME

Detroit, MI – On Saturday, April 18, the Detroit Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression held a rally at the corner of Clark Avenue and West Fisher Service Drive to demand that the Detroit City Council pass the People’s Bodycam Ordinance, a progressive city ordinance that would force the police to release body-worn camera footage from incidents of police violence. Banners were held by the road and over the highway overpass, with the slogans. “Stop protecting killer cops! Pass the People’s Bodycam Ordinance!” Protesters at the rally chanted, “When killer cops are on patrol, what’s the answer? Community control!”

Ten minutes into the rally, protesters were confronted by the Detroit Police Department, who insisted that the holding of a banner over the highway overpass was unlawful, and that several protesters would be issued citations for taking part in setting up the banner.

When pressed, none of the police officers were able to find the specific language stating that the display of a banner in such a fashion was illegal. Nevertheless, they stayed at the scene for 45 minutes, eventually confiscating the banner held on the overpass and informing protesters that they would be issued citations in the mail. During this time, the crowd continued chanting, this time directly at the police: “Biggest threat to the block? The chief and his racist cops!”

After an hour of chanting, Marcel Ulacia of DAARPR spoke about the People’s Bodycam Ordinance and its place in the larger struggle against police violence, stating, “This is year two of our struggle, and we’re in it for the long run. And it doesn’t end at our bodycam ordinance; our end goal is to fully establish community control of DPD and finally put them on the leash they’ve been needing since the founding of their institution.”

Kassandra Rodriguez from El Comité de Acción Comunitaria de Detroit told the crowd, “We will not stand aside while our city government surrenders our communities to ICE and police violence. Our city needs to serve us, and we, the people, should be the ones deciding how our communities get policed.”

Last to speak was Jacob Smith of Freedom Road Socialist Organization, who stated, “We need the People's Bodycam Ordinance so that the public can make their own judgement calls on police conduct, and we need to establish community control of the police so we can properly discipline these rabid dogs when they step out of line!”

After the speeches, protesters continued chanting for an additional half hour in defiance of the repression enacted by the Detroit Police Department.

#DetroitMI #MI #InjusticeSystem #PoliceAccountability #Bodycam #DAARPR

Detroit, MI – On Sunday, April 12, another protest took place in Detroit to demand an end to the war on Iran. The second weekly protest brought around 90 participants to the Spirit of Detroit sculpture and through the streets around Woodward Avenue and Campus Martius Park.

The weekly protests are organized by the Detroit Anti War Committee, along with the support of US Palestinian Community Network, Code Pink, Wayne State Students for a Democratic Society, Freedom Road Socialist Organization and Engineers Against Apartheid.

The protest began with people lining the edge of the street holding banners and signs, such as “Detroit divest from war profiteers!” Cars passed and honked in support of the anti-war messaging. With the route going around Campus Martius, the One Campus Martius Building sparked up heated chants of “Fuck Dan Gilbert!” referring to the billionaire Zionist who owns the building and contributed over $80,000 to Detroit election campaigns, including that of Mayor Mary Sheffield.

Bryce Morin from Students For A Democratic Society stated, “We here at SDS oppose Wayne State’s support of these mass killings and displacements through investments in companies like Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics. And we are against our university allowing ICE to continue to deport students from our campus. Because we believe that our tuition and tax dollars should go towards funding education, not towards supporting war.”

Hiba Elturk, a founding member of the Detroit Anti-War Committee came out to speak on her experience having familial ties to Beirut and Bechamoun in Lebanon, “When Israel broke the ceasefire, it felt like the weight of the entire world had come down on me. I pray to God none of you ever have to reach for your phones and make the decision of who to call first to check and see if they’re still alive! Thanks to the Zionist entity, these decisions I’m being forced to make,”

Elturk continued, “My uncle was on his way home from work when the street he was driving on got struck by a missile. Five minutes too early, five minutes too late, and he would have been murdered.”

Jo Pico, of Freedom Road Socialist Organization stated, “Ultimately, in this moment of uncertainty, trauma, and pain, there is one fact we can hold onto: we have power. This is what gives us clarity to meet the moment.”

After marching, the demonstrators rallied in front of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, which is where the city council meets.

Daanyal Syed of Detroit Anti-War Committee stated, “The city of Detroit is complicit in genocide, as it has contracts like Shot Spotter, whose technology is used to surveil Palestinians, is used to surveil our Black and brown communities.” Syed closed out the protest by calling on everyone to show up to protest next week.

#DetroitMI #MI #AntiWarMovement #DAWC #Iran #Palestine #FRSO #SDS

Detroit, MI – On Sunday, April 5, around 100 people joined Detroit Anti-War Committee at the Spirit of Detroit statue to begin weekly protests against Trump’s war on Iran. Daanyal Syed, speaking on behalf of the committee, explained why the organization began these protests, saying that while the U.S. and Israel continue to ramp up their violence, “we must ramp up our opposition.”

These protests began in collaboration with U.S. Palestinian Community Network, CodePink-Detroit, Engineers Against Apartheid, Wayne State Students for a Democratic Society, Love & Liberation, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

The organizers chose to begin the protests on Easter Sunday, partially in response to Israel’s recent death penalty law that targets heroes of the Palestinian liberation movement, such as Marwan Barghouti and Dr. Abu Safiya. However, the protest also highlighted the U.S. and Israel’s terror on the region as a whole, protesting the Zionist state’s continuous attacks on Lebanon and the threats from Trump to bomb Iran “into the Stone Age.”

People rallied with Iran flags, and many came with signs highlighting all three issues, some holding signs of Palestinian prisoners, others holding signs demanding an end to the attacks on their families in Lebanon, and more.

After the rally, the crowd marched through Campus Martius, chanting, “Money for Detroit, not for war!” Upon returning to the Spirit of Detroit, people continued to hold space despite the march being over. Several people came up to the organizers and promised to come back the following week.

While Iran and the U.S. came to a ceasefire agreement as of April 7, the Detroit Anti-War Committee plans to continue its weekly protests.

Protesters demanded an end to the U.S. and Israel’s terror on the region, from occupied Palestine to Lebanon to Iran. The committee remains steadfast to the demand that Trump and his allies cease all hostilities on Iran and honor Iran’s 10-point ceasefire plan.

#DetroitMI #MI #AntiWarMovement #Iran

The Grand Rapids Alliance is stunned but not surprised at the decision by Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker to shield the murderers of Da’Quain Tre Johnson. We condemn this decision and are filled with emotion alongside his family as they will no longer get their day in court due to the inaction of the justice system in Grand Rapids. We call upon the Attorney General Nessel to rectify this and bring charges against these officers.

Once again, we see a justice system that protects the powerful and not the broader community. We see decisions made behind closed doors with no explanation in court. The police department plays public relations games while investigations are ongoing, tainting evidence and swaying the public before any decision can be made. Officers are empowered to be judge, jury, and executioner with no recourse for the victim or the community.

The city should launch an independent 3rd party investigation immediately and begin a review of its policy of deadly force by police officers. We stand by the Johnson family as they pursue a civil case against the city. We renew our call for community control of the police department. Until those who use deadly force are held accountable by the community they are supposed to keep safe, peace is not possible.

Justice for Da’Quain Tre Johnson!

#GrandRapidsMI #MI #DaQuainTreJohnson #InjusticeSystem #OppressedNationalities

Detroit, MI – On Saturday, March 7, Detroiters took to the streets of downtown to protest the ongoing bombing of Iran, Lebanon and Palestine. Over 200 people came out to protest Trump’s warmongering.

The protesters stood at the entrance to Hart Plaza where passing cars and pedestrians heard their chants calling for an end to the war, including “No more weapons, no more bombs, the people stand with Lebanon!” and “Trump wants war, Trump wants oil, hands off Iranian soil!”

Friendly honks vastly outweighed any boos from agitators.

Detroit Anti War Committee member Daanyal Syed told the crowd, the $3.7 billion spent on the first 100 hours of the attacks on Iran “should be used to improve our education system, our transportation, our healthcare, and our communities – not to bomb children overseas.”

After marching through Campus Martius, a few more speeches were given and a protester came up to the mic to read aloud the names and ages of a few of the martyrs, many of which were children and elderly.

Afterwards, people lingered in the plaza, discussing ways to get involved with efforts beyond the day’s action and the impact of Trump’s actions on their families across the globe. Beyond being a clear showing that Detroit opposes Trump’s warmongering, the action also proved that Detroiters are willing to fight back to stop his war on Iran, including joining the fight for divestment.

The action was put on by the Detroit Anti War Committee, the US Palestinian Community Network of Detroit/Dearborn, Students for a Democratic Society Wayne State, Engineers Against Apartheid, CodePink Detroit, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

#DetroitMI #MI #AntiWarMovement #Iran #Palestine

Grand Rapids, Michigan – 30 community members gathered at the East Church on Saturday for a panel discussion of International Women’s Day. The three panelists who spoke were Jessica Plichta of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Jess Westra of IATSE Local 26, and Kawiye Jumale of A Glimpse of Africa.

Kawiye Jumale spoke of her experience as a child refugee of the Somali civil war, and the long struggle to immigrate to the United States stating, “It was a lengthy process. They [her parent’s] had already stayed in the camp for eleven years, before the process began. In those eleven years, is when I was born.”

Jessica Plichta stated, “Here in the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, we’re in the streets and the meeting halls, and we’ll let it be known that we stand with undocumented women, children and families. ICE terror needs to be stopped now.”

Plichta continued. “During my time in Venezuela, I met revolutionaries who fought and defended the Bolivarian Revolution against U.S. intervention and won. There have been significant advancements for women in society, the workplace and education. Most of the government officials I met and heard speak were women, such as Delcy Rodríguez, the vice president and current acting president of Venezuela.”

Trade unionist Jess Westra taught the crowd about the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911, when 146 women and children died due to the ownership’s disregard for safety.

“Let’s talk about the manager that was on site, who was in the room and saw the smoke. Do you know what his response was? He leaves, and locks the door behind him,” Westra said. “Children and women were throwing things at the fire, trying to put it out, and they reached for the firehose which had disintegrated. The water won’t come out of the pipes because they haven’t been checked.”

Afterward, the crowd asked several questions of the panelists and made comments from their own experiences as women or as allies to women. To finish off the event, the group gathered for a picture and chanted, “Long live International Women’s Day!”

#GrandRapidsMI #MI #InternationalWomensDay #WomensMovement #LGBTQ

Detroit, MI — Over 80 people came out to a protest called by the Detroit Anti-War Committee, on March 3, to oppose the bombing on the Iran by the U.S. and Israel, as well as the continued attacks on the Venezuela and Cuba.

Detroit Anti-War Committee was joined by Code Pink Detroit, and Wayne State Students for a Democratic Society, along with community members. Many people were waving Iranian flags, and signs reading, “Detroit for peace not war!” During the protest, people chanted, “Israel bombs, USA pays, how many kids we kill today!”

Rose from Detroit Anti-War Committee stated that these attacks on Cuba, Venezuela, and Iran “is Trump’s playbook.” At the same time, she also said, “The people aren’t falling for the lies that Venezuelans are all narco-terrorists, nor are we falling for the lie that he has the interest of the Palestinian, the Iranian or the Cuban peoples at heart.”

Even as the sun was setting for the day, many of the attendees of the rally who were fasting for the month of Ramadan were still outside chanting, “We want justice, you say how? Detroit, divest now!” It is clear that Detroiters oppose Trump’s war on Iran and stand in solidarity with the people of Venezuela and Cuba.

#DetroitMI #MI #Cuba #Venezuela #Iran #AntiWarMovement

Grand Rapids, MI – On Sunday, March 1 people rallied in downtown Grand Rapids to oppose the U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Iran. The Palestine Solidarity Grand Rapids (PSGR) called the rally to voice public outrage about the U.S. and Israel killing hundreds of people and the illegal assassination of the head of state.

PSGR joined dozens of cities across the U.S. protesting the strikes on Iran.

The protesters chanted demands like “No war with Iran!” and “No boots on the ground, no bombs in the air, U.S. out of everywhere!”

Julliette Kibby, an organizer with PSGR, told the crowd, “We have seen these same tactics used time and time again across the world. Publicly the U.S. says that they are doing this war to take down a government that they claim denies people rights by the suppression of protesters. Last time I checked we had a racist armed police force and ICE with no rules and total impunity roaming our streets, murdering protesters, and hiding greater atrocities within their detention centers.”

Owen Frassetto, an organizer with the Progressive Student Union at GVSU stated: “Students have historically sat at the heart of the anti-war movement. Whether it be Vietnam, Iraq, Palestine, Venezuela or Iran. While oppressed peoples around the world fought to free themselves from U.S. domination, students here have always landed real blows against the war machine and have turned the tide of public opinion against every single rich man’s war!”

Eduardo Montiel with the Freedom Road Socialist Organization led the group in chants of “International solidarity” and stated, “That’s why we need to stand up and fight right now! The Trump administration has been speedrunning through the policy goals of the rich – destabilizing Venezuela to steal their oil, starving Cuba, continuing the genocide in Palestine and now overthrowing the rightful government of Iran.”

On Tuesday March 3 at 5 p.m. at Monument Park on the corner of Division and Fulton, the group will be protesting the recent U.S. escalations and sanctions against Cuba, Venezuela, and now Iran.

#GrandRapidsMI #MI #AntiWarMovement #Iran

Michigan chapters of the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) came together in Detroit at Wayne State University on Saturday, February 28, for their first statewide organizing conference.

The one-day conference featured panels and workshops, mostly revolving around their Sanctuary Campus campaigns, which demand university administrators never collaborate with federal immigration enforcement, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in particular.

“As we’re seeing the level of attacks by ICE rise in Michigan, with the repeated kidnapping of high school and college students, we in the student movement saw the need to raise our level of organization to fight back. This conference laid the groundwork for that in a real way; we can build SDS at new schools, colleges and universities,” said Jackson Robak, an organizer with Wayne State University SDS

The organizations present at the conference included the SDS chapters from Wayne State University, Central Michigan University, Grand Valley State University, as well as the Detroit Community Action Committee and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

The SDS chapters passed a resolution calling for the formation of a statewide student network. The network will call coordinated days of action, where students at universities across the state coordinate protests for their Sanctuary Campus campaigns. Further, the network will organize protests at Michigan universities which don’t have SDS chapters, when students at those universities are detained by federal immigration enforcement, or when federal immigration enforcement enters campus.

The conference concluded with a protest on Wayne State campus, the focus of which was on Sanctuary Campus campaigns, demanding “every school in Michigan a sanctuary.” Students and community members also spoke out at the rally against U.S. airstrikes against Iran.

#DetroitMI #MI #StudentMovement #SDS #ImmigrantRights

Grand Rapids, MI – Michigan is experiencing record cold temperatures, but that didn’t stop the community of Grand Rapids showing out this Sunday, January 25, for a demonstration against ICE in the wake of Renne Good and Alex Pretti’s murders in Minneapolis.

Around 100 people gathered on the intersection of Cesar Chavez Avnue. SW and Van Raalte Drive, centered in a largely Latino neighborhood, to hold signs, listen to speeches and come together in the fight against ICE. The protesters were greeted with honks of approval and chants of “Viva Mexico” from drivers, while several residents observed from their porches.

Among the speakers was Ivan Diaz, an independent currently running for the District 29 seat of the Michigan Senate, who is campaigning against police collaboration with ICE and for community control of the police. Diaz announced this week Tuesday, January 27, he is calling on everyone to rally at the city commission meeting and voice their demands.

A key organizer for the rally, Eduardo Montiel, emceed and introduced several speakers, including Julian Cortez of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization and Micah Colby with the Progressive Student Union.

“These violent systems will not last forever, but the people must endure. We will. But only through unity. And we will only be able to win what we are willing to fight for. And we see that resistance is not just an abstract thing – it’s happening now in Minneapolis, and here in Grand Rapids today,” said Cortez.

Micah Colby said the student movement has been hard at work demanding sanctuary campuses, including at Grand Valley State University. Colby said now is the time to get organized and fight side by side.

“Every act of violence they unleash is, in fact, an act of total desperation. Every child murdered in Gaza, every fisherman slaughtered in the Caribbean, and every legal observer gunned down is the United States ruling class admitting they don't have control. It is them admitting their incredible weakness and their desperation to defend such a fragile system,” said Colby.

Despite the cold weather, energy flared for over an hour before dispersing. The organizers promised more actions in the future and encouraged everyone to stand together against the terror inflicted by ICE on communities across the country.

#GrandRapidsMI #MI #ImmigrantRights #AlexPretti #ICE #KillerICE #

Grand Rapids, MI – Nida Abu Baker was a child when the FBI began their decades long campaign of repression against her father, Shukri Abu Baker, and the charity he helped run, The Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF).

After trumped-up material support for terrorism charges and nearly two decades of prison, Shukri and his colleague Ghassan Elashi still remain behind bars. Their crime: fundraising for humanitarian aid and the construction of schools and clinics within Palestine.

It was weeks after 9/11, and the U.S. was already flexing its domestic muscle by ramping up its Islamophobic “war on terror.” Shukri Abu Baker, alongside his colleagues Mohammad El-Mezain, Ghassan Elashi, Mufid Abdulqader and Abdulrahman Odeh, were some of its earliest domestic victims.

Palestine solidarity activists in Grand Rapids were honored to have Nida Abu Baker speak on her own activism and the struggle to free her father and his colleagues from prison. She was joined by Zena Ozier, an activist-lawyer with the US Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), and Tom Burke, a member of the Anti-war 23 and labor leader, for a panel discussion featuring the story of the Holy Land 5 and the struggle of political prisoners at home and in Palestine.

“Politically, I didn’t choose activism. Activism chose me. I had no choice. My politicization came from my personal experience,” Nida Abu Baker began. “Everything that I am now is because of my childhood. When the HLF shutdown it’s like I lost my home. A lot of people in the community felt the same way. Homes were raided. Phones were tapped, people we loved were suddenly gone and deported. I was only seven years old when the initial raids happened, but I understood why we were being targeted – that helping Palestinians was being criminalized.”

After their sentencing, it became clear that the U.S. had been surveilling the Holy Land Foundation since the mid-90s. In 2001, the Foundation was raided and its assets were frozen. In 2004, the U.S. indicted the Holy Land 5 and raided their homes. In 2008, the five were convicted and sent to jail with heavy sentences ranging from 15 to 65 years.

“Growing up I remember seeing an unmarked FBI vehicle always parked in our neighborhood. The phones always sounded fuzzy – we knew we were tapped and we knew we were being watched. But that didn’t stop us from living normally,” said Abu Baker

When asked about her background and her own activism, Zena Ozier explained: “I learned to question the law. As a Lebanese American, I understood occupation. My maternal village had been occupied by Israel. My own lineage and family carried the struggle – it's part of my ancestry. The law here isn’t meant to protect people like us.”

Ozier continued, “Since the repression of the Holy Land 5, the U.S. uses several mechanisms to repress activists. For example, the prosecution itself was meant to send a chilling message to other organizations that even humanitarian aid could lead to prison time.”

The panelists also made it clear that solidarity between activists, groups, and between those facing political repression was necessary for combating these types of bogus charges.

“There were ties between what happened to the Anti-war 23 and the Holy Land 5,” explained Tom Burke. “Their goal was to give us sentences like what the Holyland 5 received – 15 years for just one charge.”

Both Shukri Abu Baker and Ghassan Elashi are in Beaumont Prison complex in Texas. Both face worsening conditions brought on through almost 20 years of imprisonment and mistreatment.

“My father has had two near-death experiences while in Beaumont,” Nida Abu Baker said. “The conditions there are horrible. Once, my father was gassed by guards while other prisoners were fighting and he collapsed. If it weren’t for other inmates coming to his aid he would’ve passed away. Guards are constantly harassing him, raiding his room, and cutting him off from the outside world. Despite this he is an activist within the prison and has helped transform the lives of his fellow inmates for the better.”

The panelists fielded many questions from the audience on international solidarity, the Palestinian prisoner movement, and on organizing strategies.

Watch the full livestream of the event on Instagram @palestinesolidarity_gr

#GrandRapidsMI #MI #InJusticeSystem #PoliticalRepression #HolyLand5 #AntiWarMovement #Palestine

Allendale, MI – FRSO organizer Jessica Plichta was invited by Grand Valley State University students to report back from her recent trip to Venezuela on Wednesday, January 14. The reportback event was hosted by the GVSU Progressive Student Union and the Grand Rapids district of Freedom Road Socialist Organization and was held at the Allendale campus of GVSU.

Plichta joined other FRSO members and community activists from across the country in defying the United States’ closure of Venezuelan airspace in early December, in order to attend the International Assembly for Peace and Sovereignty in Our Americas, hosted in Caracas by the Simon Bolivar Institute. The assembly, having successfully convened three weeks before the U.S. government bombed Caracas and kidnapped President Maduro, stressed the need for peace, and for unity among American people fighting against war.

In the days since Trump’s illegal military actions in Venezuela, the mainstream media and social media have been flooded with pro-war, anti-Venezuelan propaganda. Erroneous claims against the democratically elected leader of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, are commonplace, coming from a mix of bot accounts and wealthy elites, who would benefit from seeing Venezuela’s government overthrown.

25 students packed into a classroom for the event. Plichta had photos of her trip to Venezuela projected while she talked about the experience. She highlighted the experience of meeting President Maduro, and how his behavior contrasts with that of U.S. politicians.

“Maduro walked the streets of Venezuela, he openly walked the streets and thousands of people walked alongside him,” said Plichta, “with no police, with no barricades.”

By contrast, U.S. presidents routinely speak behind bulletproof glass, elevated above and far away from crowds. When Trump visits cities, highways are blocked off to everyday commuters so that hundreds of police cars can usher him in with a show of obscene force, as was the case with Trump’s visit to Detroit this week.

Other topics highlighted in Plichta’s presentation included the system of communes in Venezuela, the workplaces, architecture and political artwork in the streets of Caracas, and the vibrancy of the queer community in the city.

With the facts set straight, GVSU students are now better equipped to debunk U.S. propaganda against Venezuela among their friends, classmates and families, and they are better prepared for the anti-war movement to demand President Maduro and Cilia Flores be released.

#AllendaleMI #MI #AntiWarMovement #Venezuela #GVSUPSU #FRSO

Detroit, MI – President Trump visited Detroit January 13, to promote the auto industry. His trip included a tour of the Ford factory in Dearborn and a visit to the Motor City Casino, where he was set to give a speech at the Detroit Economic Club.

Once the details of Trump’s visit were made public, the DROP Trump Coalition organized an emergency protest to say no to Trump and his racist agenda. Over 300 people rallied on the corner of Trumbull and Temple to show that his presence wasn’t welcome in Detroit.

Several organizations behind the DROP Trump Coalition were already planning to pack the city council meeting the same day as Trump’s visit, raising demands that would fight Trump’s reactionary agenda, including calling for a sanctuary city and for the city to divest from war profiteers. Almost 40 community members came to the council meeting in person, and more attended online via Zoom. Most of the comments made were about kicking ICE out of Detroit and demanding real, tough sanctuary policies.

Several people called out of work in order to attend the city council meeting, given the mobilization was planned over a month in advance by Detroit Community Action Committee and Detroit Anti-War Committee.

By the end of the meeting, council members moved to investigate the research presented by Detroit Anti-War Committee about the city’s $667 million invested in war profiteering contracts. Community members also demanded politicians support them in calling for Detroit to be a sanctuary city, and be ready and willing to resist ICE.

Then participants headed to the anti-Trump protest.

Speakers at the rally and march made it clear Detroit wanted Trump out of their city.

Marcel Ulacia, a member of the Detroit Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, stated, “Donald Trump you are not welcome here and neither are none of your jack boot thugs!”

Ulacia continued, “We need to ensure our communities are safe from this increased state repression from Trump. That’s why we advocate for community control of these dogs. We don’t need a budget increase for more weapons; we need to put them on a leash!”

Daniel Weber-Alatorre of Students for a Democratic Society at Wayne State University said, “Right here, five students were told by Wayne State that their visas had a, quote, ‘clerical error.’ When the students went to Wayne State for help, Wayne State told them to self-deport or they would send ICE after them. Just like city council, Wayne State is willing to feed its own students to these dogs.”

The anti-war movement also showed up. HighligJo Pico of Detroit Anti-War Committee stated, “There’s a reason why Trump is here today to speak to the Detroit Economic Club, which hosts Zionists like Dan Gilbert and his political allies like former Mayor Mike Duggan. Trump, like many of our politicians, sees war as a way to make himself and his friends richer. Because of that, this war on Venezuela does not shock us. Trump is too stupid to even hide his reasoning. He wants Venezuela’s gold, he wants their oil, he wants their country.”

Further connecting Trump’s attacks on Venezuela to the war he wages against the American people here at home, Jackson Robak from Freedom Road Socialist Organization states “Trump is waging a crazy war on both the nation of Venezuela and on the American people through his attempted war on the immigrants of the U.S. If we want to stop these crazy wars now is the time to organize, come together, and fight tooth and nail to make Trump unable to push through any of his monstrous policies on the ground and make this country ungovernable!”

It is clear the impact that Trump’s past year in office has had on countless oppressed peoples and various movements. These attacks will only continue and further escalate. At the same time, people continue to fight back, and more people continue to join the struggle. This day of resistance against Trump was proof that Detroit has stood up and will continue to fight back.

#DetroitMI #MI #Trump #AntiWarMovement #ImmigrantRights

Detroit, MI – On January 7, crowds of people rallied and marched to demand justice and protest the murder of Renee Good. Comité de Acción Comunitaria – Detroit (DCAC) organized an emergency protest just hours after reports came in as part of a national campaign with the Legalization for All network to condemn this killing and the attacks on our communities.

The action began with a rally, where protesters gathered on a cold dark afternoon at the ICE headquarters in downtown Detroit, waving Sanctuary City Now signs and chanting “City council cut the ties, we won’t pay for ICE’s crimes,” “No justice, no peace, no racist police” and “Say her name!”

Jackson Robak, a Freedom Road Socialist Organization member, stated, “It is our duty to build a movement that can fight back and make this country ungovernable.”

Robak honored Good’s memory calling her a “martyr of the immigrants’ rights movement” and saying “the monopoly capitalists would eat their own if they could to make a dollar or make profit. But that’s what makes us different, the masses of people, is we care about our own, we remember our own, we honor our martyrs.”

Sofia Marx, a member of the Wayne State Students for a Democratic Society stated, “This unjustifiable abuse of authority is a stark reminder of ICE’s seemingly unchecked power.”

Marx spoke about the need to fight back, “The Trump administration wants to scare us, they want us to stay silent, to hide, to accept these escalations and to allow our peers to be ripped away without a fight but we are not going to allow the continuation of these unchecked attacks on our peers.”

Relating Detroit to Minneapolis and Chicago, Kassandra Rodriguez of Comite de Acción Comunitaria stated, “How long will our local governments watch as their residents are murdered and terrorized in the streets? They treat us like animals, like our people don’t matter. Murdering us in broad daylight, taking our children to school like Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez and now standing up for our neighbors.”

Rodriguez spoke of the need to fight back “We cannot wait for what is happening in Minneapolis, in LA, in Chicago to happen here in Detroit. We need to stand up for the immigrants in our communities now. Now is the time to fight back. Now is the time to kick ICE out of our community and out of our city.”

#DetroitMI #MI #ImmigrantRights #KillerICE #ReneeGood #DCAC #L4A

Detroit, MI – Over 40 people came out to an emergency protest put on by Detroit Anti-War Committee, January 4, outside the Patrick V. McNamara Federal building to oppose Trump's attack on Venezuela and the kidnapping of President Maduro.

Detroit Anti-War Committee was joined by Detroit Community Action Committee, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and many others. Many people held signs saying, “No war on Venezuela” and banners that featured Maduro and Simón Bolivar portraits, accompanied with chants of “Trump wants war, Trump wants oil. Hands off Venezuelan soil!”

The emergency rally followed another protest that happened on January 3, the day of the attack on Venezuela and the kidnapping of President Maduro. This protest was originally planned by Detroit Comité de Acción Comunitaria to demand Detroit become a sanctuary city, but with the news of Venezuela, the narrative quickly expanded to include the ways that U.S. wars and sanctions abroad contribute to mass displacement of people. The protest was attended by local organizers and politicians, including 12th Congressional District Representative Rashida Tlaib.

Kassandra Rodriguez of Detroit Comité de Acción Comunitaria stated, “People do not leave their homeland for no reason. U.S. violence and attacks on Venezuela have created instability that forces people to flee, and when Venezuelans come here looking for refuge and sanctuary, they are met with detention, deportation, and denied rights.”

The energy from the previous day’s demonstration continued into the rally on January 4. Daanyal Syed of Detroit Anti-War Committee told the crowd, “The United States wants control of Venezuela, its resources, and they want to weaken Venezuela so it can do what it wants. We are here, in the cold, because we have the responsibility to show the United States government that we reject their war on Venezuela. If Trump wants war, then he will have to fight us as well because we will resist him every step of the way. ”

Syed finished her speech highlighting that the city council must pass Detroit Anti-War’s divestment resolution to prevent Detroit from contributing to Trump’s wars.

Kassandra Rodriguez of Detroit Community Action Committee stated, “Yesterday, many of us were out here protesting the recent bombing of Caracas and the kidnapping of President Maduro and today, we stand here to do the same. Because our solidarity with the people of Venezuela and the immigrants in our communities does not end with one day of action, it flows into every day we wage struggle against deportations and against Trump's racist agenda.”

Jo Pico of Freedom Road Socialist said, “If we want to win, if we want to land real blows against [our enemies,] then we have to get organized. The Venezuelan people are proof of this: they have been preparing for the inevitability of the U.S.’s attacks since day one. Much like the Palestinian people, we have much to learn from all those who refuse to be crushed by the boot of imperialism.”

Despite the megaphones dying due to the cold, the rally continued with chants of “From Caracas to Jenin, stop the U.S. war machine.” A fitting end to a protest where Detroiters made it clear that they want nothing to do with this war, and they stand in solidarity with the people of Venezuela against Trump’s attacks.

#DetroitMI #MI #AntiWarMovement #Venezuela #DAWC

Detroit, MI – Despite the chilly weather, over 50 people came to Hart Plaza to protest Trump’s wars and his agenda in commemoration of Human Rights Day, December 13.

As part of the rally, Daanyal Syed of Detroit Anti-War Committee stated, “This administration is bloodthirsty and looking to both plunder Venezuela for its oil and gold and use our tax dollars to stimulate the war economy. We know this because the very same war profiteers who profit off war with Venezuela have already made and continue to make millions off the genocide of Palestinians, the horrifying conditions in Sudan, in the Philippines, and across the world wherever the U.S. intervenes.”

Syed went on to condemn the people in power who the Trump administration’s war mongering and war profiteering, saying, that the mayor to city council are “complicit in the rights violations committed daily and funded with our tax dollars” due to their refusal to pass Detroit Anti-War’s divestment resolution.

Rue Rodriguez, speaking on behalf of the immigrant rights organization Detroit Community Action Committee, told the crowd, “It is the U.S. who forces people to flee their homelands and migrate here in the first place. The oppressive policies of the U.S. on the people of Venezuela have led to mass displacement, forcing people to flee their homelands due to mass destruction, bombings and sanctions.”

It is the United States that creates the conditions for people to leave their homes, and when they come to the U.S., they are terrorized even further.

Rodriguez called upon local politicians to take action against Trump and his agenda, stating the city government “would rather lie down and play nice with people who seek to tear our communities apart.” She ended her speech by calling to make Detroit a sanctuary city, which would enable Detroiters to fight back against Trump’s terroristic use of ICE against our communities.

Jo Pico of Freedom Road Socialist Organization ended the rally with, “The truth is that we are the only ones who will organize to end human rights violations once and for all. Furthermore, I know we can and will tear down the terrible system of imperialism because we have already proven that we are the ones capable of leading the fight against Trump while our politicians time and again are only capable of capitulating to him.”

After finishing the rally, the protesters took the street, marching up Woodward Avenue and around Campus Martius Park. As shoppers looked on, the marchers chanted “Trump wants war, Trump wants oil. Hands off Venezuelan soil!” and hoisted signs with demands like “From Caracas to Jenin, stop the U.S. war machine.”

People chanted loudly and angrily. Detroit made it clear that they continue to fight against Trump and his administration’s gross human rights violations. More than that, the community will continue to fight the city government, to make it protect the city from Trump and his agenda.

Organized in conjunction with the Anti-War Action Network’s Week of Action, the groups behind this action include Detroit Anti-War Committee, Engineers Against Apartheid, CodePink – Detroit, Detroit Community Action Committee, Anakbayan – Metro Detroit, Detroit Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Macomb Defenders Rising, Wayne State Students for a Democratic Society, Palestinian Youth Movement, DROP Trump Coalition, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

#DetroitMI #MI #AntiWarMovement #AWAN #DAWC

Grand Rapids, Michigan – Community members gathered at the Gerald R Ford International Airport on Friday evening, December 12, to welcome home Jessica Plichta, an activist returning from a solidarity trip to Venezuela.

In recent months, U.S. President Donald Trump has been bombing fishing boats, threatening Venezuela with a naval encirclement in the Caribbean using major warships, and has heightened brutality against Venezuelan immigrants. The Trump administration seeks to overthrow the popular government of Venezuela for access to the country's oil and other resources.

In response, the Simón Bolivar Institute for Peace and Solidarity Among Peoples convened the International Peoples' Assembly for Sovereignty and Peace in Caracas, Venezuela from December 9 through 11, an international gathering of people opposed to the United States’ warmongering.

Hundreds of organizers from across the U.S. were invited to the Peoples’ Assembly, but due to Trump’s pressure on airlines to cancel flights for Venezuela, only a fraction of those invited were able to arrive in Caracas. Alongside several others from across the U.S., Plichta represented the Freedom Road Socialist Organization at the People’s Assembly.

U.S. delegates to the assembly participated in large panels, hearing from and talking directly with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, alongside other high-ranking representatives of Venezuela’s popular democratic system. They visited communes, met with activists and people’s politicians from around the world, and explored the city of Caracas.

Upon her return to Grand Rapids, Plichta was welcomed with cheers by her fellow community organizers and activists. They embraced, and chanted “¡Viva Venezuela, viva Maduro!”

“There’s a lot of hardships for people here, and we need to work towards making sure that the people have the power, that the ruling class can no longer oppress the national liberation struggles or the working class,” said Plichta, when asked what it meant to return from Venezuela to the U.S. “We’re going to work to flip it upside down and have socialism in the U.S. It’ll be a long road but we’re working towards that goal.”

The Grand Rapids Opponents of War (GROW) have been organizing protests and educational events to spread awareness in the city about Trump’s war threats against Venezuela. With Plichta, a founding member of GROW, back from Venezuela, efforts to organize the people of Grand Rapids against the war will become stronger than ever.

#GrandRapidsMI #MI #International #AntiWarMovement #Venezuela #GROW

Grand Rapids, MI – On Friday, November 21, almost 40 people gathered in downtown Grand Rapids to rally in solidarity with Venezuela, and to hold a vigil for the civilians killed in Trump’s airstrikes in the Caribbean.

The event, organized by the newly-founded Grand Rapids Opponents of War (GROW), featured speeches from the Progressive Students Union, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, the GR Coalition to Oppose Trump, and the Anti-War Action Network’s Tom Burke.

Venezuelan flags, which faced the surrounding streets of the Grand Rapids business district, were joined by the flags of Cuba and Mexico. This was in line with the event’s message of solidarity with Latin America, and other progressive governments, which are also under threat of U.S. attacks.

Regarding U.S. domination of Latin America broadly, Jada Dobbins, on behalf of Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) said, “The pattern is clear. It isn’t about democracy – it is about plundering resources, dominating these countries’ economies, and crushing movements that fight for working class power.”

Since the Bolivarian Revolution began in 1999, enormous strides have been made in Venezuela, such as those to eliminate extreme poverty, improve access to fundamental housing and healthcare resources, and most notably, to establish a grassroots democracy, with power increasingly held by directly-elected assemblies of working people.

Gathered for more than an hour at the intersection of Pearl Street and Monroe Avenue, the energy of the crowd continued to expand, as local passersby joined in the demonstration to voice their opposition to war. Chants of “No war on Venezuela” and “U.S. out of the Caribbean” were among the loudest.

One participant said, “There is no reason for these wars to begin. if it is for another country’s oil, we should just make a deal with them.” Furthermore, she stated that opposition to U.S. sanctions on Venezuela, which have caused harm to her Venezuelan friends, was also an important reason for her to attend.

Speaking for the Grand Rapids Opponents of War, Michael Amirault called the Trump administration “the very embodiment of war,” and stated the group’s intention to revamp the anti-war movement locally. “Creating GROW was our response,” he said. “Against this war-mongering, we must be the first line of opposition, and the growth of our movements here gives us this strength.”

The city’s first demonstration in solidarity with Venezuela will be followed by more actions and events organized by GROW, as the U.S. continues escalating towards all-out war.

#GrandRapidsMI #MI #AntiWarMovement #Venezuela #GROW #AWAN