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    <title>michaelbrown &amp;mdash; Fight Back! News</title>
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    <description>News and Views from the People&#39;s Struggle</description>
    <pubDate>Wed, 29 Apr 2026 11:33:54 +0000</pubDate>
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      <title>michaelbrown &amp;mdash; Fight Back! News</title>
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      <title>Looking back at the key struggles of 2014</title>
      <link>https://fightbacknews.org/looking-back-key-struggles-2014?pk_campaign=rss-feed</link>
      <description>&lt;![CDATA[Minneapolis, MN - As 2014 comes to an end, we pause to look back at some of the most important Fight Back! stories of the past year. 2014 has seen an upsurge in many struggles - and Fight Back! has been there on the front lines with on-the-spot reporting and timely analysis.&#xA;&#xA;!--more--&#xA;&#xA;There were many excellent Fight Back! stories this year that aren’t listed here -- you can see them all at thearchive. (Also see the 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 retrospectives).&#xA;&#xA;If there were other Fight Back! articles you liked this year that aren’t listed here, let us know in the comments!&#xA;&#xA;Rasmea Odeh&#xA;&#xA;This year Fight Back! gave extensive coverage to the important struggle to stop political repression against Palestinian-American leader Rasmea Odeh. Here is a list of the coverage. The struggle to keep Rasmea Odeh free continues - find out what you can do at stopfbi.net.&#xA;&#xA;Stop racist police brutality! #EricGarner #MichaelBrown&#xA;&#xA;As the movement against racist police killings took off this year, Fight Back! reported from the front lines with extensive coverage on the movements for justice for Eric Garner and Michael Brown.&#xA;&#xA;Fight Back! had several eyewitness accounts from protests that rocked Ferguson, MO (more here, here, here, here, here, and here).&#xA;&#xA;This movement reverberated around the whole country and even internationally, with connections being made to struggles around the world including in Palestine. We covered dozens of protests sparked by the police killings of Eric Garner and Michael Brown from Utah to Florida to Milwaukee.&#xA;&#xA;This year activists in Jacksonville, Florida won a victory in the struggle for justice for Jordan Davis. Fight Back! also covered Milwaukee protests demanding Justice for Corey Stingley, as well as protests from Nashville to New Jersey.&#xA;&#xA;In addition to front line coverage, Fight Back! also provided political analysis, arguing that police and vigilante murders of African Americans are rooted in national oppression, and demanding justice for Michael Brown and for Jordan Davis.&#xA;&#xA;Economy&#xA;&#xA; Fight Back! covered the ongoing struggle to restore Extended Unemployment Compensation (EUC) for the millions of unemployed. The bill was bottled up in the U.S. Congress. While unemployment compensation was not forthcoming, the welfare rights movement continued to mobilize in Minnesota and other states.&#xA;&#xA;This year Fight Back! analyzed how even though the economy was growing, working people didn’t benefit and income inequality continued to rise while l abor force participation rate continued to decline.&#xA;&#xA;And like usual, government austerity was good for profits, but bad for workers and oppressed people.&#xA;&#xA;Labor movement&#xA;&#xA;In 2014 Fight Back! continued in-depth coverage of workers’ struggles at UPS. In April Fight Back! analyzed how Teamster leadership hammers through UPS contract despite mass opposition by members. We covered how young UPS workers are fighting back, as well as sharp struggles in New York where UPS workers went out on strike to protest an unjust firing, then in retaliation UPS discharged 249 of the NYC strikers until Teamsters Local 804 and other workers around the country forced UPS to rehire the drivers. In Florida, a rank-and-file Teamster&#39;s grievance stops illegal UPS low-wage golf cart delivery.&#xA;&#xA;Fight Back! gave in-depth analysis of howUPS and FedEx are owned by most of the same monopoly banks.&#xA;&#xA;In February protests targeted Staples union busting against postal workers .&#xA;&#xA;Nationally, the Supreme Court case Harris v. Quinn was a wake up call for labor. Fight Back! also analyzed an auto parts strike that achieved a major victory - no more two-tier wages at Lear Corporation, and published lessons from the UAW’s defeat at Volkswagen.&#xA;&#xA; Fight Back! covered this year’s Labor Notes Conference as well as this summer’s AFSCME International Convention. This summer there was also a major commemoration in the Twin Cities as labor activists marked the 80th anniversary of the historic 1934 Minneapolis truckers strike.&#xA;&#xA;In Florida, Immokalee workers demanded higher wages from Publix. In Minnesota, St Paul teachers and supporters protested the school board as part of a militant contract campaign that almost ended in a strike and won victories for teachers.&#xA;&#xA; Oppressed nationalities&#xA;&#xA;In Jacksonville Florida, the Jacksonville Progressive Coalition led struggles to successfully change the name of Nathan Bedford Forrest High School, led protests outside the trial of Michael Dunn, the racist vigilante who murdered 17-year-old African-American youth Jordan Davis, and campaigned to demand the resignation of State Attorney Angela Corey after the verdict.&#xA;&#xA;In San Jose, 34th annual Day of Remembrance was commemorated. In Milwaukee, bridges were built as Black and Brown solidarity rally condemned both deportations and police brutality in Milwaukee. In Tennessee, protesters rallied against Nazis.&#xA;&#xA;In North Carolina there was a huge turnout for the Historic Thousands on Jones Street march, while the Moral Monday movement spread to Florida. Also in Florida, the Dream Defenders confronted lawmakers, Governor Scott, at the opening of the legislative session.&#xA;&#xA;The Chicano struggle continued this year, from the 44th anniversary of the Chicano Moratorium, to commemorating the 1968 high school walkouts to the ongoing struggle for ethnic studies in California. In December, veteran Chicano movement leader Carlos Montes announced his intention to run for Los Angeles City Council.&#xA;&#xA;Texas’s execution of Mexican national Edgar Tamayo on Jan. 22 sparked worldwide outrage.&#xA;&#xA; Fight Back! took on racist misconceptions and stereotypes while explaining the real significance of Cinco de Mayo.&#xA;&#xA;Indigenous struggles made gains this year as cities such as Minneapolis changed Columbus Day to Indigenous People’s Day, and the movement against racist sports mascots grew as thousands said “We’re not mascots”.&#xA;&#xA; Immigrant rights&#xA;&#xA;The immigrant rights movement won a major victory (though partial and temporary) when President Obama was forced to defer deportation for up to 5 million undocumented immigrants via executive action. Fight Back! covered the movement demanding executive action all year. The Legalization for All Network analyzed Obama’s executive action and the ongoing struggle to win legalization and full equality for all.&#xA;&#xA;This victory was won through mass movements taking bold action such as when Milwaukee community members disrupted Obama, and when Milwaukee activists shut down ICE.&#xA;&#xA;In addition to this national victory, there were several local victories against deportations this year, including in Tampa and Minneapolis, as well as a statewide victory for tuition equity for undocumented students in Florida.&#xA;&#xA;When thousands of Central American children fleeing poverty and violence and arrived at the U.S.-Mexican border this summer, Fight Back! provided anti-imperialist analysis of the Central American refugee children: Victims of U.S. intervention in Central America, and also covered protests like one in Minneapolis and one in Tampa demanding that these children not be deported.&#xA;&#xA;Student movement&#xA;&#xA;There were many exciting actions in the student movement in 2014. Fight Back! covered the Freedom Road Socialist Organization’s Student Commission meeting and plans for 2014.&#xA;&#xA;Florida students won a statewide victory Tuition Equity for undocumented students, while students in Tallahassee organized to prevent FAMU-FSU College of Engineering split. Also in Florida, the Dream Defenders confronted lawmakers, Governor Scott, at the opening of the legislative session.&#xA;&#xA;In California, the ethnic studies fight deepened as the fight for Black, Chicano Studies built at CSULA.&#xA;&#xA;In Minnesota, SDS organized a large protest to confront Bush Administration war criminal Condoleezza Rice, while FSU students disrupted FBI recruitment and Milwaukee students disrupted CIA recruitment.&#xA;&#xA;Anti-war/international solidarity movement&#xA;&#xA;The anti-war movement was active in 2014. In January a South Florida rally demanded the closing of Guantanamo now. In Chicago the Anti-War Committee campaigned against Boeing’s killer drones, including running an anti-war activist for a spot on Boeing’s board of directors, and Minnesota activists also confronted a major drones advocate. Arizona protests targeted joint U.S./Colombia military exercises. Protests around the country protested ongoing U.S. war in Iraq and Syria.&#xA;&#xA;When the mass media went into overdrive to promote U.S. intervention in Nigeria in response to the kidnapping of more than 200 girls, Fight Back! published a mother’s anti-war editorial on #BringBackOurGirls.&#xA;&#xA;Palestine&#xA;&#xA;In 2014 Fight Back! covered the ongoing Palestine solidarity movement, including a huge march for Palestine in Washington DC, the campaign targeting Boeing Company for their role in killing Palestinians, and massive protests around the country protesting Israel’s assault on Gaza. In October, Hatem Abudayyeh analyzed the lessons of Gaza, and the tasks of the U.S. solidarity movement.&#xA;&#xA;Political repression&#xA;&#xA;There were several victories against political repression this year, such as when the Cubans 5 won freedom, when Sami Al-Arian was freed at last, and when Lynne Stewart was freed.&#xA;&#xA;Fight Back! also continued to cover the case of the Anti-war 23, noting the fourth anniversary of the September 2010 FBI raids on anti-war &amp; international solidarity activists, and covering the unsealing of documents used for the 2010 raids on anti-war activists.&#xA;&#xA;Fight Back! also covered the Osmakac trial and a panel featuring Lynne Stewart and CeCe McDonald.&#xA;&#xA; Ukraine&#xA;&#xA;This year Fight Back! covered the U.S./NATO intervention in Ukraine and the anti-war movement as well as resistance movement in Ukraine.&#xA;&#xA;The anti-war movement said no to U.S. intervention in the Ukraine, as Western-backed Ukrainian fascists burned trade union building in Odessa and Ukraine’s phony elections made a billionaire the new president.&#xA;&#xA;Fight Back! analyzed the Crimea reunion with Russia, and how the resistance in Donbas challenges U.S. backed Ukrainian fascists. In December Fight Back! published an exclusive interview with a Donbass resistance fighter.&#xA;&#xA;In covering the anti-war movement from Newark to Tucson, Fight Back! also covered the controversy that erupted at a protest at the Chicago Ukrainian Consulate in March with the International Socialist Organization (ISO).&#xA;&#xA;Syria&#xA;&#xA;As U.S. intervention sharpened in Syria, Fight Back! provided coverage of anti-war protests, and provided eyewitness reporting from the Syrian elections in June and then follow up reporting afterward.&#xA;&#xA;Fight Back! also gave analysis of U.S. imperialist goals in Syria: U.S. trying to oust Assad by any means possible, aims for compliant Syria.&#xA;&#xA;Mexico&#xA;&#xA;As the U.S.-backed Mexican government’s repression and impunity deepened the political crisis in México this year, self-defense movements sprouted up in parts of the country. In late 2014, 43 Mexican student activists were disappeared from the rural teachers college in Ayotzinapa, sparking a massive movement that has rocked México. Fight Back! demanded justice for the Ayotzinapa Teacher College students and covered protests in the U.S. calling for justice for the 43 missing Mexican students.&#xA;&#xA;Presente!&#xA;&#xA;Several important people in our movements passed away in 2014, including Leslie Feinberg, Yuri Kochiyama, Jackson, Mississippi Mayor Chokwe Lumumba, long-time rank-and-file Teamster leader Peter Camarata, Amiri Baraka, and people’s songster Pete Seeger.&#xA;&#xA;Fight Back! also covered the passing this year of Israeli war criminal Ariel Sharon.&#xA;&#xA;Culture&#xA;&#xA;Fight Back! reviewed the new movie Cesar Chavez as well as the movie Stalingrad. A review of House of Cards analyzed how the Netflix series exposes the dictatorship of the 1%.&#xA;&#xA;Socialism&#xA;&#xA;In December Fight Back!published a report on Freedom Road Socialist Organization’s 7th Congress and Main Political Report. In February Fight Back!reported on the FRSO Student Commission meeting and plans to build the student movement in 2014.&#xA;&#xA;As the Ebola crisis quickly spread out of control, Fight Back!covered socialist Cuba’s leading role in the international fight against Ebola. This is a result of socialist Cuba’s world-class medical system, which boasts an infant mortality rate lower than the U.S.&#xA;&#xA;Celebrating International Women’s Day and May Day&#xA;&#xA;Freedom Road Socialist Organization explained the reasons to Celebrate International Women’s Day 2014. Fight Back! covered International Women’s Day events from Gainesville to Chicago to Utah to Miami.&#xA;&#xA;Fight Back! also extensively covered International Workers Day (May Day) again this year, including analysis from FRSO, coverage of immigrant rights and workers rights protests and events from Jacksonville to Gainesville to Utah to Milwaukee to Los Angeles to Minnesota to Tucson to San José.&#xA;&#xA;#UnitedStates #YearInReview&#xA;&#xA;div id=&#34;sharingbuttons.io&#34;/div]]&gt;</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Minneapolis, MN – As 2014 comes to an end, we pause to look back at some of the most important <em>Fight Back!</em> stories of the past year. 2014 has seen an upsurge in many struggles – and <em>Fight Back!</em> has been there on the front lines with on-the-spot reporting and timely analysis.</p>



<p>There were many excellent <em>Fight Back!</em> stories this year that aren’t listed here — you can see them all at the<a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/archive">archive</a>. (Also see <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2010/12/31/some-top-fight-back-stories-2010">the 2010</a>, <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2011/12/30/2011-year-fighting-back-against-oppression-and-repression">2011</a>, <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2012/12/31/fighting-back-2012-look-back">2012</a> and <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2013/12/30/top-fight-back-stories-2013">2013</a> retrospectives).</p>

<p>If there were other <em>Fight Back!</em> articles you liked this year that aren’t listed here, let us know in the comments!</p>

<p><strong>Rasmea Odeh</strong></p>

<p>This year <em>Fight Back!</em> gave extensive coverage to the important struggle to stop political repression against Palestinian-American leader Rasmea Odeh. Here is a <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/news/peoples-struggles/peoples-struggles/justice-system/justice-system/political-repression/fbi-repr">list of the coverage</a>. The struggle to keep Rasmea Odeh free continues – find out what you can do at <a href="http://stopfbi.net">stopfbi.net</a>.</p>

<p><strong>Stop racist police brutality! <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:EricGarner" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">EricGarner</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:MichaelBrown" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">MichaelBrown</span></a></strong></p>

<p>As the movement against racist police killings took off this year, <em>Fight Back!</em> reported from the front lines with extensive coverage on the movements for justice for <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/12/4/demand-justice-eric-garner-streets">Eric Garner</a> and <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/11/24/ferguson-grand-jury-clears-killer-cop-demand-justice-michael-brown">Michael Brown</a>.</p>

<p><em>Fight Back!</em> had several <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/10/15/eyewitness-account-ferguson-st-louis-protests-against-police-violence">eyewitness accounts from protests that rocked Ferguson, MO</a> (more <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/8/18/governor-nixon-sending-national-guard-ferguson">here</a>, <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/8/16/cops-use-tear-gas-attack-ferguson-protest-demanding-justice-michael-brown-0">here</a>, <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/8/15/tonight-s-protest-ferguson-no-justice-no-peace-0">here</a>, <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/8/15/protestors-continue-ferguson-police-accused-slandering-michael-brown">here</a>, <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/8/15/after-midnight-ferguson-more-1000-streets-against-killer-cops">here</a>, and <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/8/14/scene-reporting-marching-against-police-killing-ferguson-mo">here</a>).</p>

<p>This movement reverberated around the whole country and even internationally, with connections being made to struggles around the world including in <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/11/25/pflp-denounces-racist-injustice-ferguson-and-united-states-supports-resistance-against-op">Palestine</a>. We covered dozens of protests sparked by the police killings of Eric Garner and Michael Brown from <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/12/1/1000-rally-and-march-against-police-brutality-salt-lake-city">Utah</a> to <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/12/6/justice-eric-garner-protesters-jacksonville-disrupt-mayors-holiday-event">Florida</a> to <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/8/23/milwaukee-protesters-stand-police-brutality-storm-municipal-court">Milwaukee</a>.</p>

<p>This year activists in Jacksonville, Florida won a victory in the struggle for <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/10/1/jacksonville-wins-justice-jordan-davis">justice for Jordan Davis</a>. <em>Fight Back!</em> also covered Milwaukee protests demanding <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/1/19/protest-milwaukee-county-district-attorneys-office-demands-justice-corey-stingley">Justice for Corey Stingley</a>, as well as protests from <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/2/27/youth-nashville-rally-end-racial-profiling-and-racist-attacks">Nashville</a> to <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/2/27/march-commemorates-trayvon-martin-killing">New Jersey</a>.</p>

<p>In addition to front line coverage, <em>Fight Back!</em> also provided political analysis, arguing that <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/9/6/police-and-vigilante-murders-african-americans-rooted-national-oppression">police and vigilante murders of African Americans are rooted in national oppression</a>, and demanding <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/8/12/fight-stop-police-terror-justice-michael-brown">justice for Michael Brown</a> and for <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/2/11/racism-national-oppression-african-americans-core-jordan-davis-killing">Jordan Davis</a>.</p>

<p><strong>Economy</strong></p>

<p> <em>Fight Back!</em> covered the ongoing struggle to restore <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/3/27/senate-clears-way-vote-restoring-extended-unemployment-compensation-euc">Extended Unemployment Compensation (EUC)</a> for the millions of unemployed. The bill was bottled up in the U.S. Congress. While unemployment compensation was not forthcoming, the <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/9/4/welfare-rights-committee-holds-protest-governor-s-mansion">welfare rights</a> movement continued to mobilize in Minnesota and other states.</p>

<p>This year <em>Fight Back!</em> analyzed how even though the <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/9/22/economy-grows-working-people-don-t-benefit">economy was growing, working people didn’t benefit</a> and <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/8/12/income-inequality-continues-rise">income inequality continued to rise</a> while l <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/10/8/labor-force-participation-rate-continues-decline">abor force participation rate continued to decline</a>.</p>

<p>And like usual, <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/3/20/government-austerity-us-good-profits-bad-workers-and-oppressed">government austerity was good for profits, but bad for workers and oppressed people</a>.</p>

<p><strong>Labor movement</strong></p>

<p>In 2014 <em>Fight Back!</em> continued in-depth coverage of workers’ struggles at UPS. In April <em>Fight Back!</em> analyzed how <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/4/24/teamster-leadership-hammers-through-ups-contract-despite-mass-opposition-members">Teamster leadership hammers through UPS contract despite mass opposition by members</a>. We covered how <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/3/18/young-ups-workers-are-fighting-back">young UPS workers are fighting back</a>, as well as sharp struggles in New York where <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/2/26/new-york-ups-workers-strike-protest-unjust-firing">UPS workers went out on strike to protest an unjust firing</a>, then in retaliation UPS <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/3/6/ups-escalates-worker-repression-issues-working-discharges-249-nyc-strikers">discharged 249 of the NYC strikers</a> until Teamsters Local 804 and other workers around the country <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/4/9/new-york-local-804-teamsters-fight-back-force-ups-rehire-drivers">forced UPS to rehire the drivers</a>. In Florida, a <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/1/5/rank-and-file-teamsters-grievance-stops-illegal-ups-low-wage-golf-cart-delivery">rank-and-file Teamster&#39;s grievance stops illegal UPS low-wage golf cart delivery</a>.</p>

<p><em>Fight Back!</em> gave in-depth analysis of how<a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/4/19/ups-fedex-owned-most-same-monopoly-banks">UPS and FedEx are owned by most of the same monopoly banks</a>.</p>

<p>In February protests targeted <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/2/9/stop-staples-union-busting-against-postal-workers">Staples union busting against postal workers</a> <strong>.</strong></p>

<p>Nationally, the Supreme Court case <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/7/1/harris-v-quinn-wake-call-labor">Harris v. Quinn was a wake up call for labor</a>. <em>Fight Back!</em> also analyzed an auto parts strike that achieved a <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/9/15/auto-parts-strike-achieves-major-victory-no-more-two-tier-wages-lear-corporation">major victory – no more two-tier wages at Lear Corporation</a>, and published <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/2/19/lessons-uaw-s-defeat-volkswagen">lessons from the UAW’s defeat at Volkswagen</a>.</p>

<p> <em>Fight Back!</em> covered this year’s <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/4/16/more-2000-attend-labor-notes-conference">Labor Notes Conference</a> as well as this summer’s <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/7/21/afscme-holds-international-convention">AFSCME International Convention</a>. This summer there was also a major commemoration in the <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/7/21/twin-cities-labor-activists-mark-80th-anniversary-historic-truckers-strike">Twin Cities as labor activists marked the 80th anniversary of the historic 1934 Minneapolis truckers strike</a>.</p>

<p>In Florida, <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/3/19/immokalee-workers-demand-higher-wages-publix">Immokalee workers demanded higher wages from Publix</a>. In Minnesota, <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/2/19/hundreds-st-paul-teachers-and-supporters-rally-school-board">St Paul teachers and supporters protested the school board</a> as part of a militant contract campaign that almost ended in a strike and won victories for teachers.</p>

<p> <strong>Oppressed nationalities</strong></p>

<p>In Jacksonville Florida, the <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/4/28/honors-go-civil-rights-leaders-and-jacksonville-progressive-coalition-battling-kkk">Jacksonville Progressive Coalition led struggles</a> to successfully change the name of Nathan Bedford Forrest High School, led protests outside the trial of Michael Dunn, the racist vigilante who murdered 17-year-old African-American youth Jordan Davis, and campaigned to demand the resignation of State Attorney Angela Corey after the verdict.</p>

<p>In San Jose, <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/2/18/34th-annual-day-remembrance-san-jos">34th annual Day of Remembrance</a> was commemorated. In Milwaukee, bridges were built as <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/9/29/black-and-brown-solidarity-rally-condemns-deportations-police-brutality-milwaukee">Black and Brown solidarity rally condemned both deportations and police brutality in Milwaukee</a>. In Tennessee, <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/4/28/tennessee-protesters-rally-against-nazis">protesters rallied against Nazis</a>.</p>

<p>In North Carolina there was a <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/2/10/huge-turnout-historic-thousands-jones-street-march">huge turnout for the Historic Thousands on Jones Street march</a>, while the Moral Monday movement spread to <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/3/7/moral-monday-rally-florida-state-capitol-draws-hundreds">Florida</a>. Also in Florida, the <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/3/9/dream-defenders-confront-lawmakers-governor-scott-opening-legislative-session">Dream Defenders confronted lawmakers, Governor Scott, at the opening of the legislative session</a>.</p>

<p>The Chicano struggle continued this year, from the <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/9/2/44-years-after-chicano-moratorium-demand-legalization-all-pushed">44th anniversary of the Chicano Moratorium</a>, to <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/3/27/la-students-paint-mural-commemorating-1968-high-school-walkouts">commemorating the 1968 high school walkouts</a> to the ongoing struggle for <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/2/13/fight-black-chicano-studies-builds-csula">ethnic studies</a> in California. In December, veteran Chicano movement leader <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/12/1/carlos-montes-announces-run-la-city-council">Carlos Montes announced his intention to run for Los Angeles City Council</a>.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/1/20/texas-plan-execute-mexican-national-edgar-tamayo-jan-22-sparks-worldwide-outrage">Texas’s execution of Mexican national Edgar Tamayo on Jan. 22 sparked worldwide outrage</a>.</p>

<p> <em>Fight Back!</em> took on racist misconceptions and stereotypes while explaining <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/5/5/real-significance-of-cinco-de-mayo">the real significance of Cinco de Mayo</a>.</p>

<p>Indigenous struggles made gains this year as cities such as <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/4/25/minneapolis-changes-columbus-day-indigenous-people-s-day">Minneapolis changed Columbus Day to Indigenous People’s Day</a>, and the movement against racist sports mascots grew as <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/11/3/thousands-say-we-re-not-mascots-minneapolis-protest">thousands said “We’re not mascots”</a>.</p>

<p> <strong>Immigrant rights</strong></p>

<p>The immigrant rights movement won a major victory (though partial and temporary) when President Obama was forced to defer deportation for up to 5 million undocumented immigrants via executive action. <em>Fight Back!</em> covered the movement demanding executive action all year. The Legalization for All Network <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/11/24/change-welcome-keep-fighting-others">analyzed Obama’s executive action</a> and the ongoing struggle to win legalization and full equality for all.</p>

<p>This victory was won through mass movements taking bold action such as when <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/11/4/milwaukee-community-members-disrupt-obama-s-speech-demand-daca-all">Milwaukee community members disrupted Obama</a>, and when <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/6/24/milwaukee-activists-shut-down-ice-0">Milwaukee activists shut down ICE</a>.</p>

<p>In addition to this national victory, there were several local victories against deportations this year, including in <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/9/11/victory-campaign-against-ice-holds-tampa-fl">Tampa</a> and <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/6/11/victory-against-deportations-minnesota">Minneapolis</a>, as well as a statewide victory for tuition equity for undocumented students in <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/5/5/florida-students-win-vote-tuition-equity">Florida</a>.</p>

<p>When thousands of Central American children fleeing poverty and violence and arrived at the U.S.-Mexican border this summer, <em>Fight Back!</em> provided anti-imperialist analysis of the <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/8/7/central-american-refugee-children-victims-us-intervention-central-america">Central American refugee children: Victims of U.S. intervention in Central America</a>, and also covered protests like one in <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/8/10/minneapolis-vigil-shows-solidarity-central-american-refugee-children">Minneapolis</a> and one in <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/8/3/tampa-protest-demands-protection-not-deportation-immigrant-children">Tampa</a> demanding that these children not be deported.</p>

<p><strong>Student movement</strong></p>

<p>There were many exciting actions in the student movement in 2014. <em>Fight Back!</em> covered the <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/2/23/frso-student-commission-build-struggle-2014">Freedom Road Socialist Organization’s Student Commission meeting and plans for 2014</a>.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/5/5/florida-students-win-vote-tuition-equity">Florida students won a statewide victory Tuition Equity</a> for undocumented students, while students in Tallahassee organized to <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/4/30/florida-students-prevent-famu-fsu-college-engineering-split">prevent FAMU-FSU College of Engineering split</a>. Also in Florida, the Dream Defenders <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/3/9/dream-defenders-confront-lawmakers-governor-scott-opening-legislative-session">confronted lawmakers, Governor Scott, at the opening of the legislative session</a>.</p>

<p>In California, the ethnic studies fight deepened as the <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/2/13/fight-black-chicano-studies-builds-csula">fight for Black, Chicano Studies built at CSULA</a>.</p>

<p>In Minnesota, <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/4/18/minnesota-sds-protest-confronts-war-criminal-condoleezza-rice">SDS organized a large protest to confront Bush Administration war criminal Condoleezza Rice</a>, while <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/11/15/fbi-recruitment-panel-disrupted-fsu-students">FSU students disrupted FBI recruitment</a> and <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/11/4/milwaukee-students-disrupt-cia-recruitment-campus">Milwaukee students disrupted CIA recruitment</a>.</p>

<p><strong>Anti-war/international solidarity movement</strong></p>

<p>The anti-war movement was active in 2014. In January a <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/1/12/south-florida-rally-demands-close-guantanamo-now">South Florida rally demanded the closing of Guantanamo now</a>. In Chicago the Anti-War Committee campaigned against Boeing’s <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/4/28/protesters-stockholders-meeting-say-no-killer-drone-boeing">killer drones</a>, including <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/4/27/anti-war-activist-runs-spot-boeing-board-directors">running an anti-war activist for a spot on Boeing’s board of directors</a>, and Minnesota activists also <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/2/12/not-our-name-anti-war-activists-confront-drones-advocate">confronted a major drones advocate</a>. Arizona protests targeted <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/5/6/protest-against-joint-uscolombia-military-exercise-arizona">joint U.S./Colombia military exercises</a>. Protests around the country protested ongoing U.S. war in <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/8/9/minneapolis-protest-slams-us-air-war-iraq">Iraq</a> and <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/9/23/minneapolis-protest-demands-stop-us-war-iraq-no-us-war-syria">Syria</a>.</p>

<p>When the mass media went into overdrive to promote U.S. intervention in Nigeria in response to the kidnapping of more than 200 girls, <em>Fight Back!</em> published <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/5/10/mother-s-anti-war-editorial-bringbackourgirls">a mother’s anti-war editorial on <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:BringBackOurGirls" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">BringBackOurGirls</span></a></a>.</p>

<p><strong>Palestine</strong></p>

<p>In 2014 <em>Fight Back!</em> covered the ongoing Palestine solidarity movement, including a <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/8/5/huge-march-palestine-washington-dc">huge march for Palestine in Washington DC</a>, the campaign targeting <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/7/30/boeing-company-targeted-role-killing-palestinians">Boeing Company for their role in killing Palestinians</a>, and massive protests around the country <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/7/20/10000-fill-streets-chicago-protesting-israel-s-assault-gaza">protesting Israel’s assault on Gaza</a>. In October, Hatem Abudayyeh analyzed <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/10/13/hatem-abudayyeh-speaks-lessons-gaza-tasks-us-solidarity-movement">the lessons of Gaza, and the tasks of the U.S. solidarity movement</a>.</p>

<p><strong>Political repression</strong></p>

<p>There were several victories against political repression this year, such as when <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/12/19/celebrate-freedom-cuban-five">the Cubans 5 won freedom</a>, when <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/node/4159">Sami Al-Arian was freed at last</a>, and when <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/5/7/welcome-home-lynne-stewart">Lynne Stewart</a> was freed.</p>

<p><em>Fight Back!</em> also continued to cover the case of the Anti-war 23, noting the <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/9/23/fighting-repression-4-years-after-fbi-raids-anti-war-international-solidarity-activists">fourth anniversary of the September 2010 FBI raids on anti-war &amp; international solidarity activists</a>, and covering the <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/2/26/documents-raids-anti-war-activists-unsealed">unsealing of documents used for the 2010 raids on anti-war activists</a>.</p>

<p><em>Fight Back!</em> also covered the <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/7/2/activists-and-family-speak-against-osmakac-trial">Osmakac trial</a> and a panel featuring <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/2/17/victories-resistance-lynne-stewart-and-cece-mcdonald-speak-out">Lynne Stewart and CeCe McDonald</a>.</p>

<p> <strong>Ukraine</strong></p>

<p>This year <em>Fight Back!</em> covered the U.S./NATO intervention in Ukraine and the anti-war movement as well as resistance movement in Ukraine.</p>

<p>The anti-war movement <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/4/10/say-no-us-intervention-ukraine">said no to U.S. intervention in the Ukraine</a>, as Western-backed <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/5/5/ukraine-fascists-kill-many-burn-trade-unions-building-odessa">Ukrainian fascists burned trade union building in Odessa</a> and <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/5/30/ukraine-s-phony-elections-make-billionaire-new-president-turmoil-spreads">Ukraine’s phony elections made a billionaire the new president</a>.</p>

<p><em>Fight Back!</em> analyzed the <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/3/27/crimea-reunion-russia-sets-back-us-eu-and-nato-drive-ukraine">Crimea reunion with Russia</a>, and how the resistance in <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/6/6/donbas-challenges-us-backed-ukrainian-fascists">Donbas challenges U.S. backed Ukrainian fascists</a>. In December <em>Fight Back!</em> published an exclusive <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/12/14/interview-donbass-resistance-fighter">interview with a Donbass resistance fighter</a>.</p>

<p>In covering the anti-war movement from <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/5/13/newark-street-action-exposes-us-intervention-ukraine">Newark</a> to <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/3/23/tucson-protests-sen-mccain-s-support-fascists-ukraine-right-wing-venezuela">Tucson</a>, <em>Fight Back!</em> also covered the controversy that erupted at a <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/3/23/protest-chicago-ukrainian-consulate-slams-fascists">protest at the Chicago Ukrainian Consulate</a> in March with the International Socialist Organization (ISO).</p>

<p><strong>Syria</strong></p>

<p>As U.S. intervention sharpened in Syria, <em>Fight Back!</em> provided coverage of <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/9/23/minneapolis-protest-demands-stop-us-war-iraq-no-us-war-syria">anti-war protests</a>, and provided <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/6/7/observer-speaks-out-syria-elections">eyewitness reporting</a> from the <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/6/2/eyewitness-syria-presidential-election-end-us-war-sight">Syrian elections in June</a> and then <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/6/19/syria-s-un-ambassador-jaafari-meets-us-observers-syrian-elections">follow up reporting afterward</a>.</p>

<p><em>Fight Back!</em> also gave analysis of U.S. imperialist goals in Syria: <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/6/2/us-trying-oust-assad-any-means-possible-aims-compliant-syria">U.S. trying to oust Assad by any means possible, aims for compliant Syria</a>.</p>

<p><strong>Mexico</strong></p>

<p>As the U.S.-backed Mexican government’s repression and impunity deepened the political crisis in México this year, <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/2/28/university-arizona-presentation-self-defense-movements-mexico">self-defense movements</a> sprouted up in parts of the country. In late 2014, 43 Mexican student activists were disappeared from the rural teachers college in Ayotzinapa, sparking a massive movement that has rocked México. <em>Fight Back!</em> demanded <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/11/19/justice-ayotzinapa-teacher-college-students">justice for the Ayotzinapa Teacher College students</a> and covered <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/11/23/minnesotans-march-solidarity-ayotzinapa-students">protests</a> in the U.S. calling for justice for the 43 missing Mexican students.</p>

<p><strong><em>Presente!</em></strong></p>

<p>Several important people in our movements passed away in 2014, including <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/11/19/tribute-leslie-feinberg-hero-generation">Leslie Feinberg</a>, <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/6/3/yuri-kochiyama-1921-2014">Yuri Kochiyama</a>, Jackson, Mississippi <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/2/27/statement-passing-mayor-chokwe-lumumba">Mayor Chokwe Lumumba</a>, long-time rank-and-file Teamster leader <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/2/12/passing-peter-camarata-teamster-and-working-class-hero">Peter Camarata</a>, <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/1/12/reflections-amiri-baraka">Amiri Baraka</a>, and people’s songster <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/1/29/people-s-songster-pete-seeger-dies">Pete Seeger</a>.</p>

<p><em>Fight Back!</em> also covered the passing this year of <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/1/11/israeli-war-criminal-ariel-sharon-dies">Israeli war criminal Ariel Sharon</a>.</p>

<p><strong>Culture</strong></p>

<p><em>Fight Back!</em> <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/3/31/review-movie-cesar-chavez">reviewed the new movie <em>Cesar Chavez</em></a> as well as the movie <em><a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/3/18/stalingrad-confronts-disturbing-realities-fascism-and-war">Stalingrad</a></em>. A review of <em><a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/2/24/house-cards-exposes-dictatorship-1">House of Cards</a></em> analyzed how the Netflix series exposes the dictatorship of the 1%.</p>

<p><strong>Socialism</strong></p>

<p>In December Fight Back!published a report on Freedom Road Socialist Organization’s <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/12/15/frso-7th-congress-and-main-political-report">7th Congress and Main Political Report</a>. In February Fight Back!reported on the <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/2/23/frso-student-commission-build-struggle-2014">FRSO Student Commission meeting</a> and plans to build the student movement in 2014.</p>

<p>As the Ebola crisis quickly spread out of control, Fight Back!covered <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/10/12/socialist-cuba-leading-international-fight-against-ebola">socialist Cuba’s leading role in the international fight against Ebola</a>. This is a result of socialist Cuba’s world-class medical system, which boasts an <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/1/7/cuba-s-infant-mortality-rate-lowest-history-better-us">infant mortality rate lower than the U.S.</a></p>

<p><strong>Celebrating International Women’s Day and May Day</strong></p>

<p>Freedom Road Socialist Organization explained the reasons to <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/2/12/celebrate-international-women-s-day-2014">Celebrate International Women’s Day 2014</a>. <em>Fight Back!</em> covered International Women’s Day events from <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/3/20/gainesville-international-womens-day-panel-solidarity-palestine-and-rasmea-odeh">Gainesville</a> to <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/3/12/chicago-international-women-s-day-demands-justice-rasmea-odeh">Chicago</a> to <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/3/10/frso-hosts-international-women-s-day-panel-utah">Utah</a> to <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/3/9/miami-celebrates-international-women-s-day">Miami</a>.</p>

<p><em>Fight Back!</em> also extensively covered International Workers Day (May Day) again this year, including <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/4/27/may-day-2014-celebrate-international-workers-day">analysis from FRSO</a>, coverage of immigrant rights and workers rights protests and events from <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/5/5/jacksonville-young-workers-celebrate-may-day">Jacksonville</a> to <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/5/4/gainesville-celebrates-may-day">Gainesville</a> to <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/5/4/frso-hosts-may-day-panel-utah">Utah</a> to <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/5/3/may-day-march-milwaukee-demands-stop-ice-raids-courthouses">Milwaukee</a> to <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/5/2/la-may-day-march-demands-no-more-deportations-legalization-all">Los Angeles</a> to <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/5/2/minnesota-may-day-march-demands-drivers-licenses-no-more-deportations">Minnesota</a> to <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/5/2/tucson-may-day-march-demands-immigrant-rights">Tucson</a> to <a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/2014/5/2/more-1000-march-san-jos-may-1">San José</a>.</p>

<p><a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:UnitedStates" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">UnitedStates</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:YearInReview" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">YearInReview</span></a></p>

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      <pubDate>Thu, 01 Jan 2015 00:20:16 +0000</pubDate>
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      <title>Durham protests slam police repression</title>
      <link>https://fightbacknews.org/durham-protests-slam-police-repression?pk_campaign=rss-feed</link>
      <description>&lt;![CDATA[Protesters at Durham police headquarters&#34;)&#xA;&#xA;Durham, NC - About 60 people marched to the Durham police headquarters, Dec. 19, to protest attacks by Durham riot police on peaceful protesters in recent weeks. The march kicked off with the chanting of Assata Shakur&#39;s words, &#34;It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love each other and support each other. We have nothing to lose but our chains!&#34;&#xA;&#xA;!--more--&#xA;&#xA;Led by organizers with Southerners on New Ground (SONG), demonstrators brought with them over 500 petition signatures demanding an end to police repression of activists.&#xA;&#xA;In response to the lack of indictments of police in Ferguson, Missouri and New York in the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, organizers in Durham have led several demonstrations over the last month, the largest of which saw hundreds occupy the streets of central Durham for hours. In several of these demonstrations, Durham police have reacted with force and deployed riot police to suppress the protesters. Adding insult to injury, the Durham police chief has also blamed &#34;outside agitators&#34; for the way protests have unfolded in recent weeks.&#xA;&#xA;As a statement from SONG notes, &#34;In response to a peaceful protest attended by hundreds of Durhamites and local university students, our police department dressed in riot gear, wielded nightsticks used to hit demonstrators at random, and deployed sound cannons. Several of the 31 people who were unjustly arrested on that night \[Dec 5\] also sustained injuries from being thrown to the ground, kicked, pinned-down, and otherwise roughed-up.&#34;&#xA;&#xA;Standing outside the police station, protesters formed a line around both sides of the building and shined lights on the windows to show that Durham citizens are watching police and will not tolerate police violence.&#xA;&#xA;The protest came one day after about 50 people interrupted a city council meeting, denouncing the police attacks on protesters and demanding that city council take action.&#xA;&#xA;Some city council members have criticized protesters for violating city ordinances and protest rules. In a call and response at the city council meeting, protesters called out &#34;Which side are you on?&#34;, then named civil rights icons and revolutionaries - such as Rosa Parks, Assata Shakur, Bayard Rustin and Martin Luther King Jr. - and detailed their ‘crimes’ of blocking traffic, disrupting business as usual and breaking laws.&#xA;&#xA;The message was to point out, as Martin Luther King Jr. did, that &#34;an unjust law is no law at all&#34; and the real issue is not whether protesters block streets or highways, but that people want justice for Eric Garner and Michael Brown, and an end to police brutality, racist policing and political repression.&#xA;&#xA;#DurhamNC #PoliceBrutality #PoliticalRepression #EricGarner #MichaelBrown #BlackLivesMatter&#xA;&#xA;div id=&#34;sharingbuttons.io&#34;/div]]&gt;</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://i.snap.as/ER31Cakf.jpg" alt="Protesters at Durham police headquarters" title="Protesters at Durham police headquarters Protesters at Durham police headquarters use flashlights to shine light on police repression. \(Fight Back! News/Staff\)"/></p>

<p>Durham, NC – About 60 people marched to the Durham police headquarters, Dec. 19, to protest attacks by Durham riot police on peaceful protesters in recent weeks. The march kicked off with the chanting of Assata Shakur&#39;s words, “It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love each other and support each other. We have nothing to lose but our chains!”</p>



<p>Led by organizers with Southerners on New Ground (SONG), demonstrators brought with them over 500 petition signatures demanding an end to police repression of activists.</p>

<p>In response to the lack of indictments of police in Ferguson, Missouri and New York in the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, organizers in Durham have led several demonstrations over the last month, the largest of which saw hundreds occupy the streets of central Durham for hours. In several of these demonstrations, Durham police have reacted with force and deployed riot police to suppress the protesters. Adding insult to injury, the Durham police chief has also blamed “outside agitators” for the way protests have unfolded in recent weeks.</p>

<p>As a statement from SONG notes, “In response to a peaceful protest attended by hundreds of Durhamites and local university students, our police department dressed in riot gear, wielded nightsticks used to hit demonstrators at random, and deployed sound cannons. Several of the 31 people who were unjustly arrested on that night [Dec 5] also sustained injuries from being thrown to the ground, kicked, pinned-down, and otherwise roughed-up.”</p>

<p>Standing outside the police station, protesters formed a line around both sides of the building and shined lights on the windows to show that Durham citizens are watching police and will not tolerate police violence.</p>

<p>The protest came one day after about 50 people interrupted a city council meeting, denouncing the police attacks on protesters and demanding that city council take action.</p>

<p>Some city council members have criticized protesters for violating city ordinances and protest rules. In a call and response at the city council meeting, protesters called out “Which side are you on?”, then named civil rights icons and revolutionaries – such as Rosa Parks, Assata Shakur, Bayard Rustin and Martin Luther King Jr. – and detailed their ‘crimes’ of blocking traffic, disrupting business as usual and breaking laws.</p>

<p>The message was to point out, as Martin Luther King Jr. did, that “an unjust law is no law at all” and the real issue is not whether protesters block streets or highways, but that people want justice for Eric Garner and Michael Brown, and an end to police brutality, racist policing and political repression.</p>

<p><a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:DurhamNC" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">DurhamNC</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:PoliceBrutality" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">PoliceBrutality</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:PoliticalRepression" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">PoliticalRepression</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:EricGarner" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">EricGarner</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:MichaelBrown" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">MichaelBrown</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:BlackLivesMatter" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">BlackLivesMatter</span></a></p>

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      <pubDate>Sun, 21 Dec 2014 03:24:01 +0000</pubDate>
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      <title>Rural Missouri students stand against police racism</title>
      <link>https://fightbacknews.org/rural-missouri-students-stand-against-police-racism?pk_campaign=rss-feed</link>
      <description>&lt;![CDATA[Kirksville, MO - Only a three-hour drive from Ferguson is Kirksville, Missouri, home to Truman State University (TSU). On Dec. 5, students walked out on the last day of regular classes to demonstrate against racist police violence in Missouri and throughout the country. Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and Amnesty International organized the protest with help from the brothers of Phi Beta Sigma and other student activists.&#xA;&#xA;!--more--&#xA;&#xA;The protest snowballed as it moved across campus, attracting more students with shouts of “Black lives matter!” and “Indict, convict, send those killers cops to jail!” The large group disrupted lunchtime in the student union building with a mass die-in. They then showed that even in the quietest library, the people would not be silenced. Chanting students occupied a bridge between academic buildings and the campus mall, attracting the attention of everyone on campus.&#xA;&#xA;Similar to actions across the U.S., the Truman State protest voiced student outrage at recent grand jury decisions. The failure to indict the police officers that murdered Michael Brown and Eric Garner denies justice, with police seldom standing trial for their crimes. Much of the TSU student body comes from the Saint Louis area and several Truman students demonstrated in Ferguson during the semester. Earlier this fall in Saint Louis, two students participating in a QuikTrip sit-in were beaten, arrested and charged with unlawful assembly. Organizers were excited by the overwhelming turnout of students opposing the racist state violence targeting African American people, just as it has throughout U.S. history.&#xA;&#xA;#KirksvilleMO #StudentsForADemocraticSociety #PoliceBrutality #EricGarner #MichaelBrown #Ferguson #TrumanStateUniversity&#xA;&#xA;div id=&#34;sharingbuttons.io&#34;/div]]&gt;</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Kirksville, MO – Only a three-hour drive from Ferguson is Kirksville, Missouri, home to Truman State University (TSU). On Dec. 5, students walked out on the last day of regular classes to demonstrate against racist police violence in Missouri and throughout the country. Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and Amnesty International organized the protest with help from the brothers of Phi Beta Sigma and other student activists.</p>



<p>The protest snowballed as it moved across campus, attracting more students with shouts of “Black lives matter!” and “Indict, convict, send those killers cops to jail!” The large group disrupted lunchtime in the student union building with a mass die-in. They then showed that even in the quietest library, the people would not be silenced. Chanting students occupied a bridge between academic buildings and the campus mall, attracting the attention of everyone on campus.</p>

<p>Similar to actions across the U.S., the Truman State protest voiced student outrage at recent grand jury decisions. The failure to indict the police officers that murdered Michael Brown and Eric Garner denies justice, with police seldom standing trial for their crimes. Much of the TSU student body comes from the Saint Louis area and several Truman students demonstrated in Ferguson during the semester. Earlier this fall in Saint Louis, two students participating in a QuikTrip sit-in were beaten, arrested and charged with unlawful assembly. Organizers were excited by the overwhelming turnout of students opposing the racist state violence targeting African American people, just as it has throughout U.S. history.</p>

<p><a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:KirksvilleMO" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">KirksvilleMO</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:StudentsForADemocraticSociety" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">StudentsForADemocraticSociety</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:PoliceBrutality" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">PoliceBrutality</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:EricGarner" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">EricGarner</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:MichaelBrown" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">MichaelBrown</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:Ferguson" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">Ferguson</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:TrumanStateUniversity" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">TrumanStateUniversity</span></a></p>

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      <guid>https://fightbacknews.org/rural-missouri-students-stand-against-police-racism</guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 08 Dec 2014 14:50:59 +0000</pubDate>
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      <title>Hundreds take streets in Durham to protest police brutality</title>
      <link>https://fightbacknews.org/hundreds-take-streets-durham-protest-police-brutality?pk_campaign=rss-feed</link>
      <description>&lt;![CDATA[Police arrest 31, use sound cannon &#xA;&#xA;Hundreds of people block the streets outside the Durham Jail&#34;)&#xA;&#xA;Durham, NC - About 500 people took to the streets of Durham on Dec. 5 to protest police brutality and the criminal injustice system. Hundreds gathered in Durham&#39;s downtown CCB Plaza and rallied for an hour, where mainly African American speakers relayed story after story of police abuse and racist discrimination.&#xA;&#xA;!--more--&#xA;&#xA;After the rally, a powerful Black and Brown-led march kicked off from the square down to the city jail, where protesters formed a human bridge across multiple lanes of traffic, while several others held a die-in. Hundreds chanted, &#34;No justice, no peace, no racist police!” Dozens of prisoners in the jail banged on windows in support of the protest.&#xA;&#xA;The protest then marched down to the Durham freeway and blocked both directions of traffic for nearly an hour before returning back to the jail. Riot police and SWAT team were on hand. The Durham police tried to use an LRAD sound cannon in a failed attempt to disperse the protest.&#xA;&#xA;After hours of marching, the police arrested 31 protesters. Despite the arrests and police repression, and the heartache felt by so many who have been directly affected by police brutality, the overall mood was one of anger, courage and willingness to struggle to get justice for Eric Garner, Mike Brown and all those who have been killed by racist cops.&#xA;&#xA;#DurhamNC #PoliceBrutality #EricGarner #MichaelBrown #LRAD&#xA;&#xA;div id=&#34;sharingbuttons.io&#34;/div]]&gt;</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>_Police arrest 31, use sound cannon _</p>

<p><img src="https://i.snap.as/N2Om7VC6.jpg" alt="Hundreds of people block the streets outside the Durham Jail" title="Hundreds of people block the streets outside the Durham Jail \(Fight Back! News/Staff\)"/></p>

<p>Durham, NC – About 500 people took to the streets of Durham on Dec. 5 to protest police brutality and the criminal injustice system. Hundreds gathered in Durham&#39;s downtown CCB Plaza and rallied for an hour, where mainly African American speakers relayed story after story of police abuse and racist discrimination.</p>



<p>After the rally, a powerful Black and Brown-led march kicked off from the square down to the city jail, where protesters formed a human bridge across multiple lanes of traffic, while several others held a die-in. Hundreds chanted, “No justice, no peace, no racist police!” Dozens of prisoners in the jail banged on windows in support of the protest.</p>

<p>The protest then marched down to the Durham freeway and blocked both directions of traffic for nearly an hour before returning back to the jail. Riot police and SWAT team were on hand. The Durham police tried to use an LRAD sound cannon in a failed attempt to disperse the protest.</p>

<p>After hours of marching, the police arrested 31 protesters. Despite the arrests and police repression, and the heartache felt by so many who have been directly affected by police brutality, the overall mood was one of anger, courage and willingness to struggle to get justice for Eric Garner, Mike Brown and all those who have been killed by racist cops.</p>

<p><a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:DurhamNC" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">DurhamNC</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:PoliceBrutality" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">PoliceBrutality</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:EricGarner" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">EricGarner</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:MichaelBrown" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">MichaelBrown</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:LRAD" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">LRAD</span></a></p>

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      <guid>https://fightbacknews.org/hundreds-take-streets-durham-protest-police-brutality</guid>
      <pubDate>Sun, 07 Dec 2014 01:36:30 +0000</pubDate>
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      <title>1000 rally and march against police brutality in Salt Lake City</title>
      <link>https://fightbacknews.org/1000-rally-and-march-against-police-brutality-salt-lake-city?pk_campaign=rss-feed</link>
      <description>&lt;![CDATA[Huge march against police violence in Salt Lake City&#34;)&#xA;&#xA;Salt Lake City, UT - More than 1000 people rallied in front of the Wallace Bennett Federal Building on Nov. 29 to stand in solidarity with the people of Ferguson in their fight for justice. Protesters were both mournful about the police murder of Mike Brown and furious about the failure of the Ferguson grand jury to indict Brown’s killer. The large turnout in Salt Lake City is due to killer cops and police brutality in Utah, where many families are suffering injustices.&#xA;&#xA;!--more--&#xA;&#xA;The first speaker, Bárbara Ochoa, stated to the crowd&#39;s roar of approval, “Ferguson is not in a state of chaos, but a state of revolution.”&#xA;&#xA;Another speaker, Karen Rodriguez said, “This is our time! This is our civil rights movement!” Her speech was interrupted by long applause.&#xA;&#xA;The crowd chanted, “Dare to struggle, dare to win, never silent, never again!” reflecting protest leaders’ and families’ promises that this movement does not end with this protest. Organizers see this as the beginning of a long campaign to get justice for victims of police brutality in Utah.&#xA;&#xA;Asked about the campaign for justice, Chris Manor, organizer for Utah Against Police Brutality said, “There is a truth in this situation - killer cops will no longer be able to get away with murder.”&#xA;&#xA;The rally turned into a march that blocked streets and intersections. First, there was a march to the Matheson Court house, then a march to the Public Safety Building. When arriving at the Public Safety Building the protesters shouted, “From Ferguson to SLC, end police brutality!”&#xA;&#xA;&#34;There is no safety in the Public Safety Building. There is no justice in the courts. We need to look out for each other and there is only justice in the streets!” said Gregory Lucero of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.&#xA;&#xA;Protesters then marched back to the Federal Building where, in an effort to curb any attempts by the police to intimidate or repress the movement, Gregory Lucero led one last chant and then advised, “When an officer asks you about what somebody did, or who did something, what is the correct response, regardless of what you thought of it? I am happy not to talk to you.”&#xA;&#xA;#SaltLakeCityUT #PoliceBrutality #MichaelBrown #Ferguson #DarrenWilson&#xA;&#xA;div id=&#34;sharingbuttons.io&#34;/div]]&gt;</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://i.snap.as/EGtlCJgQ.jpg" alt="Huge march against police violence in Salt Lake City" title="Huge march against police violence in Salt Lake City \(Fight Back! News/Staff\)"/></p>

<p>Salt Lake City, UT – More than 1000 people rallied in front of the Wallace Bennett Federal Building on Nov. 29 to stand in solidarity with the people of Ferguson in their fight for justice. Protesters were both mournful about the police murder of Mike Brown and furious about the failure of the Ferguson grand jury to indict Brown’s killer. The large turnout in Salt Lake City is due to killer cops and police brutality in Utah, where many families are suffering injustices.</p>



<p>The first speaker, Bárbara Ochoa, stated to the crowd&#39;s roar of approval, “Ferguson is not in a state of chaos, but a state of revolution.”</p>

<p>Another speaker, Karen Rodriguez said, “This is our time! This is our civil rights movement!” Her speech was interrupted by long applause.</p>

<p>The crowd chanted, “Dare to struggle, dare to win, never silent, never again!” reflecting protest leaders’ and families’ promises that this movement does not end with this protest. Organizers see this as the beginning of a long campaign to get justice for victims of police brutality in Utah.</p>

<p>Asked about the campaign for justice, Chris Manor, organizer for Utah Against Police Brutality said, “There is a truth in this situation – killer cops will no longer be able to get away with murder.”</p>

<p>The rally turned into a march that blocked streets and intersections. First, there was a march to the Matheson Court house, then a march to the Public Safety Building. When arriving at the Public Safety Building the protesters shouted, “From Ferguson to SLC, end police brutality!”</p>

<p>“There is no safety in the Public Safety Building. There is no justice in the courts. We need to look out for each other and there is only justice in the streets!” said Gregory Lucero of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.</p>

<p>Protesters then marched back to the Federal Building where, in an effort to curb any attempts by the police to intimidate or repress the movement, Gregory Lucero led one last chant and then advised, “When an officer asks you about what somebody did, or who did something, what is the correct response, regardless of what you thought of it? I am happy not to talk to you.”</p>

<p><a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:SaltLakeCityUT" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">SaltLakeCityUT</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:PoliceBrutality" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">PoliceBrutality</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:MichaelBrown" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">MichaelBrown</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:Ferguson" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">Ferguson</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:DarrenWilson" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">DarrenWilson</span></a></p>

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      <guid>https://fightbacknews.org/1000-rally-and-march-against-police-brutality-salt-lake-city</guid>
      <pubDate>Tue, 02 Dec 2014 04:18:34 +0000</pubDate>
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      <title>UW-Milwaukee students stand with Ferguson</title>
      <link>https://fightbacknews.org/uw-milwaukee-students-stand-ferguson?pk_campaign=rss-feed</link>
      <description>&lt;![CDATA[Students from UW-Milwaukee held “Die-In” in response to Ferguson verdict&#34;)&#xA;&#xA;Milwaukee, WI - Students from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) held a die-in on Nov. 25, in reaction to Ferguson cop Darren Wilson not being indicted for killing Mike Brown. About 40 students participated in the protest and many more watched.&#xA;&#xA;!--more--&#xA;&#xA;Students yelled, “Hands up, don’t shoot!” then they all simultaneously fell on the floor, lying down to represent the deaths of innocent Black and Brown youth at the hands of police officers. Afterwards, the students gathered and shared their feelings about racist cops and the Darren Wilson grand jury decision.&#xA;&#xA;“I shouldn’t have to worry about being targeted by cops as I wait on the bus stop,” said UWM student Lavelle Young.&#xA;&#xA;#MilwaukeeWI #StudentMovement #AfricanAmerican #PoliceBrutality #Antiracism #MichaelBrown #Ferguson #DarrenWilson #UWMilwaukee&#xA;&#xA;div id=&#34;sharingbuttons.io&#34;/div]]&gt;</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://i.snap.as/vvYE4Kx9.jpg" alt="Students from UW-Milwaukee held “Die-In” in response to Ferguson verdict" title="Students from UW-Milwaukee held “Die-In” in response to Ferguson verdict Students from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee held a “Die-In” in response to Ferguson verdict \(Fight Back! News/Staff\)"/></p>

<p>Milwaukee, WI – Students from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) held a die-in on Nov. 25, in reaction to Ferguson cop Darren Wilson not being indicted for killing Mike Brown. About 40 students participated in the protest and many more watched.</p>



<p>Students yelled, “Hands up, don’t shoot!” then they all simultaneously fell on the floor, lying down to represent the deaths of innocent Black and Brown youth at the hands of police officers. Afterwards, the students gathered and shared their feelings about racist cops and the Darren Wilson grand jury decision.</p>

<p>“I shouldn’t have to worry about being targeted by cops as I wait on the bus stop,” said UWM student Lavelle Young.</p>

<p><a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:MilwaukeeWI" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">MilwaukeeWI</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:StudentMovement" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">StudentMovement</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:AfricanAmerican" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">AfricanAmerican</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:PoliceBrutality" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">PoliceBrutality</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:Antiracism" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">Antiracism</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:MichaelBrown" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">MichaelBrown</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:Ferguson" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">Ferguson</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:DarrenWilson" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">DarrenWilson</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:UWMilwaukee" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">UWMilwaukee</span></a></p>

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      <guid>https://fightbacknews.org/uw-milwaukee-students-stand-ferguson</guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 01 Dec 2014 15:57:39 +0000</pubDate>
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      <title>Gainesville protests Ferguson grand jury verdict </title>
      <link>https://fightbacknews.org/gainesville-protests-ferguson-grand-jury-verdict?pk_campaign=rss-feed</link>
      <description>&lt;![CDATA[Eric Brown, a lead organizer of Gainesville SDS, speaking&#34;)&#xA;&#xA;Gainesville, FL - 100 students and community members protested the Ferguson grand jury decision, the failure to indict police officer Darren Wilson. Gathering at the Alachua County Court House in Gainesville at on Nov. 25, the protesters, wearing raincoats and holding umbrellas, stood in solidarity as the rain fell.&#xA;&#xA;!--more--&#xA;&#xA;Eric Brown, speaking on behalf of Students for a Democratic Society, emphasized that Michael Brown was one of many police killings, “I have to ask the question. What do we mean when we say Black lives matter? Because for us to move forward, Black lives can&#39;t equal Black men, but must include women, trans people, and all the intersections that exist under the identity of Black.”&#xA;&#xA;In between speeches, protesters chanted, “No justice! No peace!”&#xA;&#xA;This past summer, when African Americans and others were protesting Brown’s murder in Ferguson, Palestine was coping with the Israeli invasion of Gaza. Palestinians tweeted and messaged the Ferguson protesters messages of solidarity and ways to deal with tear gas.&#xA;&#xA;Farah Kahn, vice-president of University of Florida Students for Justice in Palestine, said, &#34;The solidarity between Ferguson and Palestine shows the strength in uniting against a common enemy. There is a slow genocide happening in Palestine, and there is also a genocide happening right here within the U.S. against Black people and people of color.&#34;&#xA;&#xA;Nailah Summers, a Gainesville activist and the Civic Media Center coordinator, talked after the event, &#34;I think Ferguson and the refusal to indict Darren Wilson for Michael Brown&#39;s murder tells us a few things many of us already knew. Black lives are less-than, aren&#39;t considered whole and worthy of even the most basic protections of the law. Look at how so much of the commentary following the announcement has revolved around Black &#39;animals&#39; looting. 108 days fighting for scraps of the justice system and it&#39;s all been boiled down to this bullshit narrative.”&#xA;&#xA;Summers continued, “The other thing Ferguson shows us is that it&#39;s time to get creative. We&#39;ve been marching and singing and holding signs for more than half a century. And while all of those things have become inherent parts of our culture and the struggle for freedom, it&#39;s not working anymore. So it&#39;s time for us to hit the drawing board again because we&#39;re ready to fight back, we just have to figure out what that looks like.”&#xA;&#xA;Along with University of Florida SDS and SJP, participating groups included Dream Defenders, Uhuru Solidarity, and Occupy Gainesville.&#xA;&#xA;#GainesvilleFL #PoliceBrutality #MichaelBrown #Ferguson #DarrenWilson&#xA;&#xA;div id=&#34;sharingbuttons.io&#34;/div]]&gt;</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://i.snap.as/MNy2v5o0.jpg" alt="Eric Brown, a lead organizer of Gainesville SDS, speaking" title="Eric Brown, a lead organizer of Gainesville SDS, speaking \(Fight Back! News/Staff\)"/></p>

<p>Gainesville, FL – 100 students and community members protested the Ferguson grand jury decision, the failure to indict police officer Darren Wilson. Gathering at the Alachua County Court House in Gainesville at on Nov. 25, the protesters, wearing raincoats and holding umbrellas, stood in solidarity as the rain fell.</p>



<p>Eric Brown, speaking on behalf of Students for a Democratic Society, emphasized that Michael Brown was one of many police killings, “I have to ask the question. What do we mean when we say Black lives matter? Because for us to move forward, Black lives can&#39;t equal Black men, but must include women, trans people, and all the intersections that exist under the identity of Black.”</p>

<p>In between speeches, protesters chanted, “No justice! No peace!”</p>

<p>This past summer, when African Americans and others were protesting Brown’s murder in Ferguson, Palestine was coping with the Israeli invasion of Gaza. Palestinians tweeted and messaged the Ferguson protesters messages of solidarity and ways to deal with tear gas.</p>

<p>Farah Kahn, vice-president of University of Florida Students for Justice in Palestine, said, “The solidarity between Ferguson and Palestine shows the strength in uniting against a common enemy. There is a slow genocide happening in Palestine, and there is also a genocide happening right here within the U.S. against Black people and people of color.”</p>

<p>Nailah Summers, a Gainesville activist and the Civic Media Center coordinator, talked after the event, “I think Ferguson and the refusal to indict Darren Wilson for Michael Brown&#39;s murder tells us a few things many of us already knew. Black lives are less-than, aren&#39;t considered whole and worthy of even the most basic protections of the law. Look at how so much of the commentary following the announcement has revolved around Black &#39;animals&#39; looting. 108 days fighting for scraps of the justice system and it&#39;s all been boiled down to this bullshit narrative.”</p>

<p>Summers continued, “The other thing Ferguson shows us is that it&#39;s time to get creative. We&#39;ve been marching and singing and holding signs for more than half a century. And while all of those things have become inherent parts of our culture and the struggle for freedom, it&#39;s not working anymore. So it&#39;s time for us to hit the drawing board again because we&#39;re ready to fight back, we just have to figure out what that looks like.”</p>

<p>Along with University of Florida SDS and SJP, participating groups included Dream Defenders, Uhuru Solidarity, and Occupy Gainesville.</p>

<p><a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:GainesvilleFL" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">GainesvilleFL</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:PoliceBrutality" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">PoliceBrutality</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:MichaelBrown" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">MichaelBrown</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:Ferguson" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">Ferguson</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:DarrenWilson" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">DarrenWilson</span></a></p>

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      <guid>https://fightbacknews.org/gainesville-protests-ferguson-grand-jury-verdict</guid>
      <pubDate>Sun, 30 Nov 2014 03:03:03 +0000</pubDate>
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      <title>Jacksonville protests racist grand jury decision to not charge killer cop in Ferguson</title>
      <link>https://fightbacknews.org/jacksonville-protests-racist-grand-jury-decision-not-charge-killer-cop-ferguson?pk_campaign=rss-feed</link>
      <description>&lt;![CDATA[Jacksonville protesters demand justice for Michael Brown&#34;)&#xA;&#xA;Jacksonville, FL - More than 30 people from the Jacksonville community gathered in Hemming Plaza downtown here, Nov. 24 to protest the Ferguson grand jury verdict and demand justice for Michael Brown.&#xA;&#xA;!--more--&#xA;&#xA;Organized by the Jacksonville Progressive Coalition (JPC), the protest began a little over an hour before the verdict was announced. Within minutes of arriving, the crowd was forced out of the plaza by Jacksonville police officers, who claimed the park was closed. Undeterred by the police intimidation, the group regrouped on the sidewalk around the plaza and began chanting, “Michael Brown means we&#39;ve got to fight back!”&#xA;&#xA;Protesters carried signs reading, “Hands up! Don&#39;t shoot!” and “Justice for Michael Brown.” As the time of the verdict announcement grew closer, more people arrived and passing cars honked in support.&#xA;&#xA;Several speakers addressed the protest to talk about the case in Ferguson and its relevance to Jacksonville. Fernando Figueroa, an organizer with the Jacksonville Progressive Coalition, said, “What happened to Michael Brown in Ferguson happens to young Black men in Jacksonville constantly.” Figueroa continued, “We know that this injustice system will never win justice for the victims of racist violence and police brutality. Justice doesn&#39;t come from the courts, but from us marching in the streets.”&#xA;&#xA;After hearing from several speakers from the Jacksonville Progressive Coalition and the community, protesters gathered around a bullhorn to listen to the announcement. Holding their rally signs close, the crowd gasped as they heard the announcement that killer cop Darren Wilson would not face any criminal charges in the killing of Brown.&#xA;&#xA;When the verdict was announced, protesters held four-and-a-half minutes of silence, which the Brown family requested to symbolize the four-and-a-half hours the Ferguson police left Michael&#39;s body in the hot midday sun after he was killed. Immediately after, the crowd broke into chants of “No justice! No peace! No racist police!”&#xA;&#xA;The crowd marched around Hemming Plaza, drawing some more support from passing cars. As the event drew to a close, protesters vowed to continue building the movement to win justice for Michael Brown and stop racist police brutality.&#xA;&#xA;#JacksonvilleFL #PoliceBrutality #JacksonvilleProgressiveCoalition #MichaelBrown #Ferguson #DarrenWilson&#xA;&#xA;div id=&#34;sharingbuttons.io&#34;/div]]&gt;</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://i.snap.as/w49W73UC.jpg" alt="Jacksonville protesters demand justice for Michael Brown" title="Jacksonville protesters demand justice for Michael Brown Jacksonville protesters march through Hemming Plaza in downtown demanding justice for Michael Brown \(Photo by Tefa Galvis\)"/></p>

<p>Jacksonville, FL – More than 30 people from the Jacksonville community gathered in Hemming Plaza downtown here, Nov. 24 to protest the Ferguson grand jury verdict and demand justice for Michael Brown.</p>



<p>Organized by the Jacksonville Progressive Coalition (JPC), the protest began a little over an hour before the verdict was announced. Within minutes of arriving, the crowd was forced out of the plaza by Jacksonville police officers, who claimed the park was closed. Undeterred by the police intimidation, the group regrouped on the sidewalk around the plaza and began chanting, “Michael Brown means we&#39;ve got to fight back!”</p>

<p>Protesters carried signs reading, “Hands up! Don&#39;t shoot!” and “Justice for Michael Brown.” As the time of the verdict announcement grew closer, more people arrived and passing cars honked in support.</p>

<p>Several speakers addressed the protest to talk about the case in Ferguson and its relevance to Jacksonville. Fernando Figueroa, an organizer with the Jacksonville Progressive Coalition, said, “What happened to Michael Brown in Ferguson happens to young Black men in Jacksonville constantly.” Figueroa continued, “We know that this injustice system will never win justice for the victims of racist violence and police brutality. Justice doesn&#39;t come from the courts, but from us marching in the streets.”</p>

<p>After hearing from several speakers from the Jacksonville Progressive Coalition and the community, protesters gathered around a bullhorn to listen to the announcement. Holding their rally signs close, the crowd gasped as they heard the announcement that killer cop Darren Wilson would not face any criminal charges in the killing of Brown.</p>

<p>When the verdict was announced, protesters held four-and-a-half minutes of silence, which the Brown family requested to symbolize the four-and-a-half hours the Ferguson police left Michael&#39;s body in the hot midday sun after he was killed. Immediately after, the crowd broke into chants of “No justice! No peace! No racist police!”</p>

<p>The crowd marched around Hemming Plaza, drawing some more support from passing cars. As the event drew to a close, protesters vowed to continue building the movement to win justice for Michael Brown and stop racist police brutality.</p>

<p><a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:JacksonvilleFL" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">JacksonvilleFL</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:PoliceBrutality" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">PoliceBrutality</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:JacksonvilleProgressiveCoalition" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">JacksonvilleProgressiveCoalition</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:MichaelBrown" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">MichaelBrown</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:Ferguson" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">Ferguson</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:DarrenWilson" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">DarrenWilson</span></a></p>

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      <guid>https://fightbacknews.org/jacksonville-protests-racist-grand-jury-decision-not-charge-killer-cop-ferguson</guid>
      <pubDate>Thu, 27 Nov 2014 01:17:37 +0000</pubDate>
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      <title>Mike Brown protesters in Miami take to the streets, 2 arrested</title>
      <link>https://fightbacknews.org/mike-brown-protesters-miami-take-streets-2-arrested?pk_campaign=rss-feed</link>
      <description>&lt;![CDATA[Jeremy Shaw being arrested&#34;)&#xA;&#xA;Miami, FL - On Nov. 25, nearly 200 community members in Miami held an angry protest. It was a reaction to the grand jury’s failure to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson after he shot an unarmed African American teen, Mike Brown, to death in the street. The protesters chanted, “No justice, no peace!” and “If we don’t get it, shut it down!” Miami police arrested two organizers for standing in the wrong place. Later, protesters shut down traffic intersections.&#xA;&#xA;!--more--&#xA;&#xA;At the beginning of the rally, police put caution tape around the area in front of the Miami-Dade Courthouse. The protesters marched through the tape, tearing it down. Two of the organizers, Philip Agnew and Jeremy Shaw, began speaking. Each of them were tackled to the ground and arrested by three police officers who claimed the protest leaders should not be standing on the steps. Protesters were infuriated. The rally continued with speakers for two hours before the group marched and took to the streets. Marching against oncoming traffic, they received great support from motorists in the street. The protesters were emboldened by the support of the people and began to shut down intersections. At this point, one motorist became aggressive and tried to run down marchers.&#xA;&#xA;Protesters plan to continue to organize around these issues, with upcoming events including a solidarity protest with Mexican activists, a teach-in about the Florida State Attorney Angela Corey’s mistreatment of Marissa Alexander and gendered violence, and a strategy meeting of the Miami Committee on State Violence.&#xA;&#xA;Protesters shut down intersection&#34;)&#xA;&#xA;#MiamiFL #PoliceBrutality #MichaelBrown #Ferguson #DarrenWilson&#xA;&#xA;div id=&#34;sharingbuttons.io&#34;/div]]&gt;</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://i.snap.as/x1ipBZ9J.jpg" alt="Jeremy Shaw being arrested" title="Jeremy Shaw being arrested \(Fight Back! News/Staff\)"/></p>

<p>Miami, FL – On Nov. 25, nearly 200 community members in Miami held an angry protest. It was a reaction to the grand jury’s failure to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson after he shot an unarmed African American teen, Mike Brown, to death in the street. The protesters chanted, “No justice, no peace!” and “If we don’t get it, shut it down!” Miami police arrested two organizers for standing in the wrong place. Later, protesters shut down traffic intersections.</p>



<p>At the beginning of the rally, police put caution tape around the area in front of the Miami-Dade Courthouse. The protesters marched through the tape, tearing it down. Two of the organizers, Philip Agnew and Jeremy Shaw, began speaking. Each of them were tackled to the ground and arrested by three police officers who claimed the protest leaders should not be standing on the steps. Protesters were infuriated. The rally continued with speakers for two hours before the group marched and took to the streets. Marching against oncoming traffic, they received great support from motorists in the street. The protesters were emboldened by the support of the people and began to shut down intersections. At this point, one motorist became aggressive and tried to run down marchers.</p>

<p>Protesters plan to continue to organize around these issues, with upcoming events including a solidarity protest with Mexican activists, a teach-in about the Florida State Attorney Angela Corey’s mistreatment of Marissa Alexander and gendered violence, and a strategy meeting of the Miami Committee on State Violence.</p>

<p><img src="https://i.snap.as/6rqrXDm5.jpg" alt="Protesters shut down intersection" title="Protesters shut down intersection \(Fight Back! News/Staff\)"/></p>

<p><a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:MiamiFL" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">MiamiFL</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:PoliceBrutality" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">PoliceBrutality</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:MichaelBrown" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">MichaelBrown</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:Ferguson" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">Ferguson</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:DarrenWilson" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">DarrenWilson</span></a></p>

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      <guid>https://fightbacknews.org/mike-brown-protesters-miami-take-streets-2-arrested</guid>
      <pubDate>Thu, 27 Nov 2014 01:01:00 +0000</pubDate>
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    <item>
      <title>5000 march in Minneapolis demanding justice for Mike Brown</title>
      <link>https://fightbacknews.org/5000-march-minneapolis-demanding-justice-mike-brown?pk_campaign=rss-feed</link>
      <description>&lt;![CDATA[Minneapolis protest demands justice for Michael Brown&#34;)&#xA;&#xA;Minneapolis, MN – An estimated 5000 people marched here, Nov. 25, in the wake of the Ferguson, Missouri grand jury decision to not indict the cop who murdered Mike Brown.&#xA;&#xA;!--more--&#xA;&#xA;After filling the streets in front of the Minneapolis Police Third Precinct station, at the busy intersection of Lake Street and Minnehaha Avenue, protesters marched down both sides of the six-lane Highway 55, which is connected to the metro freeway system.&#xA;&#xA;According to eye witnesses, one demonstrator was injured when a car driven by a white male purposely drove into demonstrators before the march. The injured woman was taken away in an ambulance.&#xA;&#xA;Earlier in the day, hundreds of college students participated in a campus protest. Also, students at Minneapolis’ South High School held a large sit-in and march.&#xA;&#xA;#MinneapolisMN #PoliceBrutality #MichaelBrown #Ferguson #DarrenWilson&#xA;&#xA;div id=&#34;sharingbuttons.io&#34;/div]]&gt;</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://i.snap.as/JP0qbZcX.jpg" alt="Minneapolis protest demands justice for Michael Brown" title="Minneapolis protest demands justice for Michael Brown \(Fight Back! News/Staff\)"/></p>

<p>Minneapolis, MN – An estimated 5000 people marched here, Nov. 25, in the wake of the Ferguson, Missouri grand jury decision to not indict the cop who murdered Mike Brown.</p>



<p>After filling the streets in front of the Minneapolis Police Third Precinct station, at the busy intersection of Lake Street and Minnehaha Avenue, protesters marched down both sides of the six-lane Highway 55, which is connected to the metro freeway system.</p>

<p>According to eye witnesses, one demonstrator was injured when a car driven by a white male purposely drove into demonstrators before the march. The injured woman was taken away in an ambulance.</p>

<p>Earlier in the day, hundreds of college students participated in a campus protest. Also, students at Minneapolis’ South High School held a large sit-in and march.</p>

<p><a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:MinneapolisMN" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">MinneapolisMN</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:PoliceBrutality" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">PoliceBrutality</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:MichaelBrown" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">MichaelBrown</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:Ferguson" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">Ferguson</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:DarrenWilson" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">DarrenWilson</span></a></p>

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      <guid>https://fightbacknews.org/5000-march-minneapolis-demanding-justice-mike-brown</guid>
      <pubDate>Wed, 26 Nov 2014 03:45:10 +0000</pubDate>
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    <item>
      <title>Tampa protests Ferguson grand jury failure to indict killer cop</title>
      <link>https://fightbacknews.org/tampa-protests-ferguson-grand-jury-failure-indict-killer-cop?pk_campaign=rss-feed</link>
      <description>&lt;![CDATA[Tampa protest demands justice for Mike Brown&#34;)&#xA;&#xA;Tampa, FL - Over 60 people gathered at the Hillsborough Courthouse located on Twiggs Avenue in downtown here Nov. 25, to protest the injustice against Mike Brown of Ferguson, Missouri. Lightning, thunder and a constant downpour could not stop protesters from expressing their anger.&#xA;&#xA;!--more--&#xA;&#xA;Organized by the group Anonymous Florida, in the course of less than 24 hours, people made posters on the spot that read, &#34;Jail the killer cop!&#34; and &#34;Black lives matter!&#34;&#xA;&#xA;On Nov. 24, under the direction of Saint Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch, the grand jury decided to let Mike Brown&#39;s killer, officer Darrel Wilson, walk free without an indictment. Immediately, people all over the country came out to fight back against this injustice.&#xA;&#xA;Melanie Andrade of Dream Defenders said, &#34;I drove more than two hours in the pouring rain. Nothing, not even the rain, could stop me from coming out to protest this injustice!&#34;&#xA;&#xA;The crowd chanted, &#34;No justice, no peace! No racist police!&#34; and &#34;Hands up, fight back!&#34; led by community activist Connie Burton. Leaders from a range of groups joined together, including Tampa Food Not Bombs, Raices en Tampa, and Dream Defenders. More actions are planned.&#xA;&#xA;#TampaFL #AfricanAmerican #PoliceBrutality #MichaelBrown #Ferguson #DarrenWilson&#xA;&#xA;div id=&#34;sharingbuttons.io&#34;/div]]&gt;</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://i.snap.as/1xPTHCr3.jpg" alt="Tampa protest demands justice for Mike Brown" title="Tampa protest demands justice for Mike Brown \(Fight Back! News/Staff\)"/></p>

<p>Tampa, FL – Over 60 people gathered at the Hillsborough Courthouse located on Twiggs Avenue in downtown here Nov. 25, to protest the injustice against Mike Brown of Ferguson, Missouri. Lightning, thunder and a constant downpour could not stop protesters from expressing their anger.</p>



<p>Organized by the group Anonymous Florida, in the course of less than 24 hours, people made posters on the spot that read, “Jail the killer cop!” and “Black lives matter!”</p>

<p>On Nov. 24, under the direction of Saint Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch, the grand jury decided to let Mike Brown&#39;s killer, officer Darrel Wilson, walk free without an indictment. Immediately, people all over the country came out to fight back against this injustice.</p>

<p>Melanie Andrade of Dream Defenders said, “I drove more than two hours in the pouring rain. Nothing, not even the rain, could stop me from coming out to protest this injustice!”</p>

<p>The crowd chanted, “No justice, no peace! No racist police!” and “Hands up, fight back!” led by community activist Connie Burton. Leaders from a range of groups joined together, including Tampa Food Not Bombs, Raices en Tampa, and Dream Defenders. More actions are planned.</p>

<p><a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:TampaFL" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">TampaFL</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:AfricanAmerican" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">AfricanAmerican</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:PoliceBrutality" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">PoliceBrutality</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:MichaelBrown" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">MichaelBrown</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:Ferguson" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">Ferguson</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:DarrenWilson" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">DarrenWilson</span></a></p>

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      <guid>https://fightbacknews.org/tampa-protests-ferguson-grand-jury-failure-indict-killer-cop</guid>
      <pubDate>Wed, 26 Nov 2014 02:41:19 +0000</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Milwaukee vigil for Michael Brown</title>
      <link>https://fightbacknews.org/milwaukee-vigil-michael-brown?pk_campaign=rss-feed</link>
      <description>&lt;![CDATA[Protest planned for Nov. 25&#xA;&#xA;Milwaukee WI - Dozens of people gathered on Nov. 24 at Red Arrow Park, downtown Milwaukee, anticipating the failure to indict Officer Darren Wilson in the murder of Michael Brown. Activists decorated a nearby park Christmas tree with posters in support of victims of police violence. Red Arrow Park is the site of the killing of African American youth Dontre Hamilton by a Milwaukee Police Officer earlier this year.&#xA;&#xA;!--more--&#xA;&#xA;Organizers, including the mother of Dontre Hamilton, spoke to the media and supporters about the need to have justice for all the victims of police violence.&#xA;&#xA;A larger demonstration is planned for Nov. 25, also at Red Arrow Park, at 5:00 p.m. to protest the failure to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. All are encouraged to attend.&#xA;&#xA;#MilwaukeeWI #PoliceBrutality #MichaelBrown #Ferguson #DarrenWilson&#xA;&#xA;div id=&#34;sharingbuttons.io&#34;/div]]&gt;</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>Protest planned for Nov. 25</em></p>

<p>Milwaukee WI – Dozens of people gathered on Nov. 24 at Red Arrow Park, downtown Milwaukee, anticipating the failure to indict Officer Darren Wilson in the murder of Michael Brown. Activists decorated a nearby park Christmas tree with posters in support of victims of police violence. Red Arrow Park is the site of the killing of African American youth Dontre Hamilton by a Milwaukee Police Officer earlier this year.</p>



<p>Organizers, including the mother of Dontre Hamilton, spoke to the media and supporters about the need to have justice for all the victims of police violence.</p>

<p>A larger demonstration is planned for Nov. 25, also at Red Arrow Park, at 5:00 p.m. to protest the failure to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. All are encouraged to attend.</p>

<p><a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:MilwaukeeWI" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">MilwaukeeWI</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:PoliceBrutality" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">PoliceBrutality</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:MichaelBrown" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">MichaelBrown</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:Ferguson" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">Ferguson</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:DarrenWilson" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">DarrenWilson</span></a></p>

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      <guid>https://fightbacknews.org/milwaukee-vigil-michael-brown</guid>
      <pubDate>Tue, 25 Nov 2014 05:20:42 +0000</pubDate>
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    <item>
      <title>Ferguson grand jury clears killer cop - Demand justice for Michael Brown!</title>
      <link>https://fightbacknews.org/ferguson-grand-jury-clears-killer-cop-demand-justice-michael-brown?pk_campaign=rss-feed</link>
      <description>&lt;![CDATA[&#xA;&#xA;On Nov. 24, a Ferguson grand jury decision cleared police officer Darren Wilson of the murder of Michael Brown. Michael Brown was an 18-year-old African American youth shot and killed by the white police officer as he walked to his grandmother’s house in Ferguson, Missouri on August 9. Witnesses stated that Brown, who was unarmed, had his hands up in the air when officer Darren Wilson shot and killed him. With blatant disrespect to Michael Brown, his family and the neighborhood, the police left his body lying in the middle of the street for hours after the police killing.&#xA;&#xA;!--more--&#xA;&#xA;For the people of Ferguson, a mainly African American suburb of Saint Louis, enough was enough. Residents were fed up with their all white city government and almost all white police force. The next evening, a rebellion broke out that lasted more than a week. Despite the police showing their true face as a military occupation force complete with armored personnel carriers, the people of Ferguson, joined by neighbors in and around Saint Louis and supporters across the country, kept protesting night after night.&#xA;&#xA;The Saint Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch is known to have close ties with the police and he refused to arrest Officer Darren Wilson for the murder of Brown. However, the government did assemble a grand jury to ‘investigate’ the killing. The government’s plan from the beginning was that the grand jury would cool out protests with the hope of an indictment. This hope is now shown for what it was: a false dream. Now people are even angrier.&#xA;&#xA;The ‘justice system’ of police, courts and prisons in the U.S. is in fact an ‘injustice system’ designed to suppress African Americans to the benefit of the rich and powerful. We must be clear. Having African Americans at the top of the government, including the president and the attorney general, does not change the nature of the injustice system. The law, the police, the courts and the prisons are there to maintain the political power and economic privileges of the monopoly capitalists - the billionaires who are the ruling 1%. The police are the front-line enforcers of this all around political, economic, legal, cultural and social inequality of African Americans and other oppressed nationalities (Chicanos, Mexicanos, other Latinos, Asians, Arabs and indigenous peoples) in the U.S.. Every time an African American person is killed and the police or a racist vigilante gets away with murder, we must organize and protest to put an end to the officially sanctioned state violence and murder.&#xA;&#xA;What will it take to win Justice for Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin and all the other African Americans who are the latest victims of police and racist vigilante violence?&#xA;&#xA;Our experience is that the struggle for justice and for full equality does not mainly come from elections or from the courts. What can push forward the struggle for justice is the militant mass movement based in the working class, using militant tactics that are effective and teach people to understand their own power. We can demonstrate our power through masses of people taking to the streets, combined with occupations and civil disobedience, or even strikes and work slowdowns, or possibly direct action and confrontations with the uniformed killers like we saw in Ferguson in August. Missouri Governor Jay Nixon certainly understands the impact of people protesting for fundamental social change, that is why he called out the Missouri National Guard.&#xA;&#xA;The Freedom Road Social Organization fully supports the struggle of the people of Ferguson to get justice for Michael Brown, as well the fight of Black and Brown communities across the country to put a stop to killer cops and racist vigilantes. The struggle for justice and equality will continue in the streets, and activists in the community, workplace and campus must continue to organize the working masses for political power. The struggle against police brutality and racist vigilantes is a key part of the Black Liberation Movement that will inspire others fighting for freedom including the Asian American, Chicano, Mexican, Latino, Native American and other indigenous people, as well as women and LGBTQ people.&#xA;&#xA;As the oppression of African Americans is rooted in the slave system that was one of the foundations of capitalism the U.S., only the replacement of capitalism with socialism can lay the basis for full equality for African Americans. As Mao Zedong stated after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968, “The struggle of the Black people in the U.S. for emancipation is a component part of the general struggle of all the people of the world against U.S. imperialism, a component part of the contemporary world revolution.”&#xA;&#xA;Stop Police Terror!&#xA;Jail the Killer Cop!&#xA;Justice for Michael Brown!&#xA;&#xA;Flyer PDF&#xA;&#xA;#UnitedStates #MO #OppressedNationalities #FreedomRoadSocialistOrganization #Racism #grandJury #InjusticeSystem #MichaelBrown #JusticeForMichaelBrown #DarrenWilson&#xA;&#xA;div id=&#34;sharingbuttons.io&#34;/div]]&gt;</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://i.snap.as/6InvyapL.jpg" alt="" title="Download and print flyer PDF: http://www.fightbacknews.org/sites/default/files/FB_Brown_flyer_11-24-2014.pdf"/></p>

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



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

<p>Stop Police Terror!
Jail the Killer Cop!
Justice for Michael Brown!</p>

<p><a href="/sites/default/files/FB_Brown_flyer_11-24-2014.pdf">Flyer PDF</a></p>

<p><a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:UnitedStates" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">UnitedStates</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:MO" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">MO</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:OppressedNationalities" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">OppressedNationalities</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:FreedomRoadSocialistOrganization" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">FreedomRoadSocialistOrganization</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:Racism" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">Racism</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:grandJury" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">grandJury</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:InjusticeSystem" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">InjusticeSystem</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:MichaelBrown" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">MichaelBrown</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:JusticeForMichaelBrown" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">JusticeForMichaelBrown</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:DarrenWilson" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">DarrenWilson</span></a></p>

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      <guid>https://fightbacknews.org/ferguson-grand-jury-clears-killer-cop-demand-justice-michael-brown</guid>
      <pubDate>Tue, 25 Nov 2014 02:36:36 +0000</pubDate>
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      <title>MO Governor Nixon declares state of emergency, troops heading to Ferguson</title>
      <link>https://fightbacknews.org/mo-governor-nixon-declares-state-emergency-troops-heading-ferguson?pk_campaign=rss-feed</link>
      <description>&lt;![CDATA[FRSO urges protests in response to grand jury decision on killer cop &#xA;&#xA;St. Louis, MO – Missouri Governor Jay Nixon has declared a state of emergency. According to reports, the National Guard is heading to Ferguson. Citing the “possibility of expanded unrest,” government authorities are moving to contain the expected massive protests that will result if the grand jury fails to indict the white cop who killed Mike Brown, an African American youth.&#xA;&#xA;!--more--&#xA;&#xA;The August 9 shooting of Mike Brown by Officer Darren Wilson sparked a rebellion in Ferguson, a predominantly Black community, and an extended wave of protests.&#xA;&#xA;Steff Yorek, the Political Secretary of Freedom Road Socialist Organization, is urging activists to organize or participate in protests responding to the grand jury verdict and to demand justice for Mike Brown.&#xA;&#xA;“We need to be ready to take to the streets,” stated Yorek. “There is an epidemic of police violence against African American, Chicano, Latino and other oppressed nationalities in the U.S. Enough is enough.”&#xA;&#xA;The state of emergency in the Ferguson area will be in effect for up to 30 days.&#xA;&#xA;#SaintLouisMO #PoliceBrutality #frso #PoliticalRepression #MichaelBrown&#xA;&#xA;div id=&#34;sharingbuttons.io&#34;/div]]&gt;</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>_FRSO urges protests in response to grand jury decision on killer cop _</p>

<p>St. Louis, MO – Missouri Governor Jay Nixon has declared a state of emergency. According to reports, the National Guard is heading to Ferguson. Citing the “possibility of expanded unrest,” government authorities are moving to contain the expected massive protests that will result if the grand jury fails to indict the white cop who killed Mike Brown, an African American youth.</p>



<p>The August 9 shooting of Mike Brown by Officer Darren Wilson sparked a rebellion in Ferguson, a predominantly Black community, and an extended wave of protests.</p>

<p>Steff Yorek, the Political Secretary of <a href="http://frso.org">Freedom Road Socialist Organization</a>, is urging activists to organize or participate in protests responding to the grand jury verdict and to demand justice for Mike Brown.</p>

<p>“We need to be ready to take to the streets,” stated Yorek. “There is an epidemic of police violence against African American, Chicano, Latino and other oppressed nationalities in the U.S. Enough is enough.”</p>

<p>The state of emergency in the Ferguson area will be in effect for up to 30 days.</p>

<p><a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:SaintLouisMO" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">SaintLouisMO</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:PoliceBrutality" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">PoliceBrutality</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:frso" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">frso</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:PoliticalRepression" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">PoliticalRepression</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:MichaelBrown" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">MichaelBrown</span></a></p>

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      <guid>https://fightbacknews.org/mo-governor-nixon-declares-state-emergency-troops-heading-ferguson</guid>
      <pubDate>Tue, 18 Nov 2014 15:39:31 +0000</pubDate>
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    <item>
      <title>La raíz de los asesinatos policiales de Afroamericanos es producto de la opresión nacional</title>
      <link>https://fightbacknews.org/la-ra-z-de-los-asesinatos-policiales-de-afroamericanos-es-producto-de-la-opresi-n-nacional?pk_campaign=rss-feed</link>
      <description>&lt;![CDATA[¡Por un movimiento militante y de masas para la liberación!&#xA;&#xA;El 17 de Julio, luego de haber ahorcado a Eric Garner, un Afroamericano padre de seis hijos, los agentes de la policía de New York decidieron revisarle los bolsillos antes de llamar a la ambulancia. Tres semanas después, el oficial Darren Wilson en la ciudad de Ferguson, Missouri mato de seis disparos al joven Michael Brown, dejando su cuerpo tirado en la calle sin llamar por ayuda médica. Por más de una semana la policía se negó a liberar el nombre del oficial Wilson y se rehusó a entregar el reporte oficial. Todo esto demuestra que también pretenden encubrir la verdad sobre el asesinato de Michael Brown.&#xA;&#xA;!--more--&#xA;&#xA;Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Jordan Davis, Trayvon Martin, tan solo son los casos publicados más recientes de asesinatos llevados a cabo por la policía y vigilantes. Alrededor de todo el país, los hombres de color están siendo cazados. Muchos de ellos solo tienen la culpa de “caminar siendo negro” mientras otros han sido acusados de delitos menores, de igual manera la policía está actuando como juez, jurado, y ejecutor. Estos asesinatos solo tocan la superficie del problema. Por cada asesinato llevado a cabo por policías o vigilantes, existen miles de hombres y mujeres de color que son víctimas de policías, leyes, y cortes racistas creadas por los ricos y poderosos para llenar las prisiones de este país.&#xA;&#xA;Gran parte de la base de la riqueza de los Estados Unidos es producto de la opresión de los Afroamericanos. En los primeros 200 años de las colonias Británicas, y luego con la fundación de los EE.UU, millones de Africanos fueron arrebatados de sus familias y hogares, y obligados a trabajar como esclavos. Millones murieron en el infame recorrido de África a las Américas, y aquellos que sobrevivieron fueron forjados en el sur de los EE.UU en una sola nación oprimida, con cultura, lenguaje y economía común.&#xA;&#xA;Para poder suprimir la lucha de los esclavos por su libertad, los EE.UU institucionalizó milicias locales para combatir las rebeliones de los esclavos. Después de la guerra civil y la liberación de los esclavos, el ascenso del Ku Klux Klan fundado por el antiguo general de los Estados Confederados Bedford Forrest, junto al trabajo forzado de los Afroamericanos encarcelados en las famosas “chain gangs”, se desarrolla la colaboración entre vigilantes racistas, policías y cortes para reforzar un sistema de segregación social conocido como “Jim Crow”. Es aquí donde se ubica la raíz de la criminalización de los Afroamericanos en los EE.UU.&#xA;&#xA;La segregación legal fue desmantelada en los años 1950 y 1960 por el movimiento de lucha de los Afroamericanos conocido como el “Movimiento de los Derecho Civiles”. Esta lucha no solamente les garantizó nuevos derechos y oportunidades a los Afroamericanos, sino que también ayudó a impulsar la lucha de otros movimientos de liberación tales como el de los Chicanos, Latinos, Asiáticos, indígenas, mujeres, y las personas LBGT. En la década de los 1960 también se intensificaron las luchas laborales y huelgas, dando inicio a muchos de los programas de asistencia como Medicare, Head Start y Medicaid, que beneficiaron a las personas mayores, niñ@s, y a los pobres.&#xA;&#xA;Pero el 1% que gobierna los EE.UU se movilizó en apoyo al presidente Nixon y su traidora estrategia para lidiar con el movimiento de liberación de los Afroamericanos. Por una parte el FBI inicio una ola de represión con el programa COINTELPRO, creado para encarcelar y asesinar a líderes Afroamericanos, y acabar con sus organizaciones como la del “Partido de las Panteras Negras” (Black Panther Party). Al mismo tiempo, se desarrolló conscientemente a un nuevo sector de capitalistas y administradores gubernamentales Afroamericanos. Tradicionalmente los negocios de los Afroamericanos se encontraban en sus comunidades, y necesitaban el apoyo de la clase trabajadora. Pero esta nueva elite Afroamericana le serviría al a los sectores corporativos, militares y gubernamentales más alto de los EE.UU. Uno de los resultados fue el debilitamiento de la burguesía nacional Afroamericana, debido al robo corporativo de sus mercados.&#xA;&#xA;Hoy en día todavía se puede ver esta estrategia en juego. De un lado existe la respuesta militarizada hacia las protestas en Ferguson, utilizando desde tropas de asalto hasta vehículos armados de guerra. Por otra parta, existen hoy varios Afroamericanos en los niveles más altos de poder, desde el Jefe de Estado Mayor Colin Powell y el Fiscal General Eric Holder, hasta el gerente general de McDonald Don Thompson, y el presidente Barack Obama.&#xA;&#xA;Sin embargo, el pueblo de Ferguson, junto a las masas de la ciudad de Saint Louis y del resto del país que los apoyan, han podido resistir no solo la represión policial, sino también los esfuerzos de algunos líderes Afroamericanos que intentan pacificar la lucha. El pueblo rechaza el intento por parte de la policía de criminalizar a Michael Brown y justificar el asesinato. Mientras que los medios de comunicación han repetido las acusaciones de la policía sobre la presencia de agitadores externos, el hecho es que la mayoría de los arrestados son residentes del área de Saint Louis.&#xA;&#xA;La Organización Socialista Camino de la Libertad (FRSO por sus siglas en ingles) defiende el heroísmo del pueblo de Ferguson y de Saint Louis por haber confrontado la represión policial y por continuar luchando día tras día por que se haga justicia por el asesinato de Michael Brown. De la misma manera como el Movimiento de los Derechos Civiles atrajo a simpatizantes de todo el país, la lucha en Ferguson hoy en día está haciendo lo mismo. La conciencia política está en ascenso y se extiende desde artistas raperos que luchan por la causa, hasta políticos locales que defienden al pueblo en contra de la policía.&#xA;&#xA;Sin duda alguna el movimiento se enfrentará a nuevos obstáculos. Por ejemplo, las cámaras corporales para oficiales que muchos piensan podrán ayudar a evitar la brutalidad policial, están siendo utilizadas para tratar de criminalizar a los protestantes. El oficial Darren Wilson todavía no ha sido arrestado, y su caso ha sido transferido a un jurado secreto bajo las ordenes de un procurador vinculado profundamente con la policía. El objetivo es poder retrasar el procedimiento detrás de puertas cerradas, esperar que muera el movimiento, y permitir que Darren Wilson salga libre de responsabilidad.&#xA;&#xA;Se dice que existen muchos líderes Afroamericanos, pero no hay liderazgo. Lo que se necesita es liderazgo de la nueva generación de jóvenes Afroamericanos que puedan organizar y liderar a las masas trabajadoras Afroamericanas en la lucha por justicia, igualdad y poder. Tal y como surgió el Comité Coordinador Nacional de Estudiantes o SNCC después de las acciones de protestas en Greensboro el 1ero de Febrero del 1960, seguido por la oleada de desobediencia civil en contra de la segregación, hoy también lo que se necesita son organizaciones militantes de base que puedan crear un movimiento de masas en contra de los policías y vigilantes racistas, y que puedan luchar por la igualdad y el poder. Sobre todo debemos mantener el enfoque en las demandas:&#xA;&#xA;¡Justicia para Michael Brown! ¡Arrestar y enjuiciar a Darren Wilson y a todos los policías asesinos y vigilantes racistas!&#xA;&#xA;#UnitedStates #InJusticeSystem #NationalOppression #Editorials #AfricanAmerican #PoliceBrutality #RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem #Antiracism #MichaelBrown #MikeBrown&#xA;&#xA;div id=&#34;sharingbuttons.io&#34;/div]]&gt;</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>¡Por un movimiento militante y de masas para la liberación!</em></p>

<p>El 17 de Julio, luego de haber ahorcado a Eric Garner, un Afroamericano padre de seis hijos, los agentes de la policía de New York decidieron revisarle los bolsillos antes de llamar a la ambulancia. Tres semanas después, el oficial Darren Wilson en la ciudad de Ferguson, Missouri mato de seis disparos al joven Michael Brown, dejando su cuerpo tirado en la calle sin llamar por ayuda médica. Por más de una semana la policía se negó a liberar el nombre del oficial Wilson y se rehusó a entregar el reporte oficial. Todo esto demuestra que también pretenden encubrir la verdad sobre el asesinato de Michael Brown.</p>



<p>Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Jordan Davis, Trayvon Martin, tan solo son los casos publicados más recientes de asesinatos llevados a cabo por la policía y vigilantes. Alrededor de todo el país, los hombres de color están siendo cazados. Muchos de ellos solo tienen la culpa de “caminar siendo negro” mientras otros han sido acusados de delitos menores, de igual manera la policía está actuando como juez, jurado, y ejecutor. Estos asesinatos solo tocan la superficie del problema. Por cada asesinato llevado a cabo por policías o vigilantes, existen miles de hombres y mujeres de color que son víctimas de policías, leyes, y cortes racistas creadas por los ricos y poderosos para llenar las prisiones de este país.</p>

<p>Gran parte de la base de la riqueza de los Estados Unidos es producto de la opresión de los Afroamericanos. En los primeros 200 años de las colonias Británicas, y luego con la fundación de los EE.UU, millones de Africanos fueron arrebatados de sus familias y hogares, y obligados a trabajar como esclavos. Millones murieron en el infame recorrido de África a las Américas, y aquellos que sobrevivieron fueron forjados en el sur de los EE.UU en una sola nación oprimida, con cultura, lenguaje y economía común.</p>

<p>Para poder suprimir la lucha de los esclavos por su libertad, los EE.UU institucionalizó milicias locales para combatir las rebeliones de los esclavos. Después de la guerra civil y la liberación de los esclavos, el ascenso del Ku Klux Klan fundado por el antiguo general de los Estados Confederados Bedford Forrest, junto al trabajo forzado de los Afroamericanos encarcelados en las famosas “chain gangs”, se desarrolla la colaboración entre vigilantes racistas, policías y cortes para reforzar un sistema de segregación social conocido como “Jim Crow”. Es aquí donde se ubica la raíz de la criminalización de los Afroamericanos en los EE.UU.</p>

<p>La segregación legal fue desmantelada en los años 1950 y 1960 por el movimiento de lucha de los Afroamericanos conocido como el “Movimiento de los Derecho Civiles”. Esta lucha no solamente les garantizó nuevos derechos y oportunidades a los Afroamericanos, sino que también ayudó a impulsar la lucha de otros movimientos de liberación tales como el de los Chicanos, Latinos, Asiáticos, indígenas, mujeres, y las personas LBGT. En la década de los 1960 también se intensificaron las luchas laborales y huelgas, dando inicio a muchos de los programas de asistencia como Medicare, Head Start y Medicaid, que beneficiaron a las personas mayores, niñ@s, y a los pobres.</p>

<p>Pero el 1% que gobierna los EE.UU se movilizó en apoyo al presidente Nixon y su traidora estrategia para lidiar con el movimiento de liberación de los Afroamericanos. Por una parte el FBI inicio una ola de represión con el programa COINTELPRO, creado para encarcelar y asesinar a líderes Afroamericanos, y acabar con sus organizaciones como la del “Partido de las Panteras Negras” (Black Panther Party). Al mismo tiempo, se desarrolló conscientemente a un nuevo sector de capitalistas y administradores gubernamentales Afroamericanos. Tradicionalmente los negocios de los Afroamericanos se encontraban en sus comunidades, y necesitaban el apoyo de la clase trabajadora. Pero esta nueva elite Afroamericana le serviría al a los sectores corporativos, militares y gubernamentales más alto de los EE.UU. Uno de los resultados fue el debilitamiento de la burguesía nacional Afroamericana, debido al robo corporativo de sus mercados.</p>

<p>Hoy en día todavía se puede ver esta estrategia en juego. De un lado existe la respuesta militarizada hacia las protestas en Ferguson, utilizando desde tropas de asalto hasta vehículos armados de guerra. Por otra parta, existen hoy varios Afroamericanos en los niveles más altos de poder, desde el Jefe de Estado Mayor Colin Powell y el Fiscal General Eric Holder, hasta el gerente general de McDonald Don Thompson, y el presidente Barack Obama.</p>

<p>Sin embargo, el pueblo de Ferguson, junto a las masas de la ciudad de Saint Louis y del resto del país que los apoyan, han podido resistir no solo la represión policial, sino también los esfuerzos de algunos líderes Afroamericanos que intentan pacificar la lucha. El pueblo rechaza el intento por parte de la policía de criminalizar a Michael Brown y justificar el asesinato. Mientras que los medios de comunicación han repetido las acusaciones de la policía sobre la presencia de agitadores externos, el hecho es que la mayoría de los arrestados son residentes del área de Saint Louis.</p>

<p>La Organización Socialista Camino de la Libertad (FRSO por sus siglas en ingles) defiende el heroísmo del pueblo de Ferguson y de Saint Louis por haber confrontado la represión policial y por continuar luchando día tras día por que se haga justicia por el asesinato de Michael Brown. De la misma manera como el Movimiento de los Derechos Civiles atrajo a simpatizantes de todo el país, la lucha en Ferguson hoy en día está haciendo lo mismo. La conciencia política está en ascenso y se extiende desde artistas raperos que luchan por la causa, hasta políticos locales que defienden al pueblo en contra de la policía.</p>

<p>Sin duda alguna el movimiento se enfrentará a nuevos obstáculos. Por ejemplo, las cámaras corporales para oficiales que muchos piensan podrán ayudar a evitar la brutalidad policial, están siendo utilizadas para tratar de criminalizar a los protestantes. El oficial Darren Wilson todavía no ha sido arrestado, y su caso ha sido transferido a un jurado secreto bajo las ordenes de un procurador vinculado profundamente con la policía. El objetivo es poder retrasar el procedimiento detrás de puertas cerradas, esperar que muera el movimiento, y permitir que Darren Wilson salga libre de responsabilidad.</p>

<p>Se dice que existen muchos líderes Afroamericanos, pero no hay liderazgo. Lo que se necesita es liderazgo de la nueva generación de jóvenes Afroamericanos que puedan organizar y liderar a las masas trabajadoras Afroamericanas en la lucha por justicia, igualdad y poder. Tal y como surgió el Comité Coordinador Nacional de Estudiantes o SNCC después de las acciones de protestas en Greensboro el 1ero de Febrero del 1960, seguido por la oleada de desobediencia civil en contra de la segregación, hoy también lo que se necesita son organizaciones militantes de base que puedan crear un movimiento de masas en contra de los policías y vigilantes racistas, y que puedan luchar por la igualdad y el poder. Sobre todo debemos mantener el enfoque en las demandas:</p>

<p><strong><em>¡Justicia para Michael Brown!</em></strong> <strong><em>¡Arrestar y enjuiciar a Darren Wilson y a todos los policías asesinos y vigilantes racistas!</em></strong></p>

<p><a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:UnitedStates" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">UnitedStates</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:InJusticeSystem" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">InJusticeSystem</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:NationalOppression" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">NationalOppression</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:Editorials" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">Editorials</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:AfricanAmerican" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">AfricanAmerican</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:PoliceBrutality" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">PoliceBrutality</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:Antiracism" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">Antiracism</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:MichaelBrown" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">MichaelBrown</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:MikeBrown" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">MikeBrown</span></a></p>

<div id="sharingbuttons.io" id="sharingbuttons.io"></div>
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      <guid>https://fightbacknews.org/la-ra-z-de-los-asesinatos-policiales-de-afroamericanos-es-producto-de-la-opresi-n-nacional</guid>
      <pubDate>Sun, 05 Oct 2014 21:12:17 +0000</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Police and vigilante murders of African Americans rooted in national oppression</title>
      <link>https://fightbacknews.org/police-and-vigilante-murders-african-americans-rooted-national-oppression?pk_campaign=rss-feed</link>
      <description>&lt;![CDATA[Build a militant, mass movement for liberation!&#xA;&#xA;State trooper sent to repress protests in Ferguson.&#34;)&#xA;&#xA;On July 17, Eric Garner, an African American father of six, was choked to death by New York City police, who then went through his pockets instead of calling an ambulance. Three weeks later, Michael Brown was shot at least six times and killed by policeman Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri. His body was left in the street and no medical help was called. For more than a week the police refused to release Officer Wilson’s name and turned in no official police report. All of this shows that another cover-up is underway in the murder of Michael Brown.&#xA;&#xA;!--more--&#xA;&#xA;Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Jordon Davis and Trayvon Martin are just the most publicized of the recent string of police and vigilante killings. Across the country Black and Brown men are being hunted down, some guilty of nothing more than “walking while Black,” while others are accused of petty crimes where the police have acted a judge, jury and executioner. These killings are but the tip of the iceberg. For every murder by police and vigilantes, there are thousands of Black and Brown men and women who are singled out by racist police, racist laws and courts set up for the rich and powerful, filling the prisons of this country.&#xA;&#xA;One of the foundations of U.S. wealth is the oppression of African Americans. For the first 200 years of the British colonies and then the founding of the U.S., millions of Africans were taken from their families, homes and people to work as chattel slaves in the Americas. Millions died in the infamous “middle passage” between Africa and the Americas, and those who survive have been forged into an oppressed nation, with a common culture, language and economy in the U.S. South.&#xA;&#xA;To suppress the slaves’ fight for freedom, the U.S. institutionalized local government militias to put down slave revolts. After the Civil War and the freeing of the slaves, the rise of the Ku Klux Klan, founded by former Confederate general Bedford Forrest, along with the with the use of African American prison labor in the infamous chain gangs saw the union of racist vigilantes and the system of police and courts, to enforce a system of U.S.-style apartheid segregation known as Jim Crow. This is at the root of the criminalization of Black people in the U.S.&#xA;&#xA;Legal segregation was broken in the 1950s and 1960s by the African American freedom struggle known as the Civil Rights movement. This struggle not only brought about gains in the rights of, and opportunities for, African Americans, but also set the stage for Chicanos, Latinos, Asians, Native American, women, and LBGT people to launch their own movements for liberation. The 1960s was also a high tide for labor struggles and strikes, and saw the beginnings of many government programs such as Medicare, Head Start, Medicaid that benefitted the elderly, children and poor.&#xA;&#xA;But the 1% who rule America rallied under President Nixon behind a two-fold strategy to deal with the Black Liberation Movement. On one hand, there was a wave of repression, centered around the FBI COINTELPRO to murder and jail African American leaders and organizations such as the Black Panther Party. At the same time, there was a conscious development of a new sector of Black capitalists and government managers. While traditionally Black-owned businesses were based in African American community and needed the support of the working masses, this new sector of elite African Americans was to serve at the highest level of U.S. corporations, military and government. One result is the traditional Black national bourgeoisie was weakened as mainstream corporations took their markets.&#xA;&#xA;We can see this strategy at work today. On one hand there is the militarized response to the protests that rocked Ferguson for more than a week, complete with storm-trooper like police to military armored personnel carriers. On the other hand there are a few African Americans at the highest levels of power, from former military Chief of Staff Colin Powell, to Attorney General Eric Holder, to McDonald’s CEO Don Thompson, to president Barack Obama.&#xA;&#xA;But the masses of Ferguson and their supporters from the Saint Louis area and around the country withstood both the police repression and the efforts of established Black leaders to cool out their fight. They rejected the police attempt to criminalize Michael Brown and to justify the shooting. While the media have been echoing the police claims of “outside agitators” across the country, in fact, the vast majority of those arrested were from the Saint Louis area.&#xA;&#xA;The Freedom Road Socialist Organization hails the African American working masses of Ferguson and Saint Louis as heroes for standing up to intense police repression and continuing to fight, night after night, for justice for Michael Brown. Just as the Civil Rights movement attracted supporters from across the country, the fight in Ferguson is drawing people to the struggle today. Political consciousness is spreading, from rap artists who take up the cause to local politicians who side with the protesters and not the police.&#xA;&#xA;New challenges will face the movement. Police body cameras, which many people hope will limit police brutality, are now being turned on the protesters to try to criminalize them. Officer Darren Wilson has not been arrested, and instead the case has been turned over to a secretive grand jury under the direction of a prosecutor with strong ties to the police. Their plan is to drag out the proceedings behind closed doors for months and hope that the movement dies down, allowing them to let Darren Wilson go free.&#xA;&#xA;There is a saying that there are many Black leaders, but there is no leadership. What is needed is leadership from a new generation of Black youth, who can organize and lead the working masses of African Americans in the ongoing struggle for justice, equality and power. Just as the Student National Coordinating Committee or SNCC emerged out of the Feb. 1, 1960 Greensboro sit-in and the wave of civil disobedience against segregation that followed, so today what is needed is grassroots, militant organizations that can rally a broad movement against racist police and vigilantes and for equality and power.&#xA;&#xA;Above all, we must continue to focus on the demands: Justice for Michael Brown! Arrest and jail Darren Wilson and all killer cops and racist vigilantes!&#xA;&#xA;#UnitedStates #PoliceBrutality #NationalOppression #AntiRacism #nationalLiberation #FreedomRoadSocialistOrganization #MichaelBrown #Ferguson&#xA;&#xA;div id=&#34;sharingbuttons.io&#34;/div]]&gt;</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>Build a militant, mass movement for liberation!</em></p>

<p><img src="https://i.snap.as/I141XFtp.jpg" alt="State trooper sent to repress protests in Ferguson." title="State trooper sent to repress protests in Ferguson. \(Fight Back! News/Staff\)"/></p>

<p>On July 17, Eric Garner, an African American father of six, was choked to death by New York City police, who then went through his pockets instead of calling an ambulance. Three weeks later, Michael Brown was shot at least six times and killed by policeman Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri. His body was left in the street and no medical help was called. For more than a week the police refused to release Officer Wilson’s name and turned in no official police report. All of this shows that another cover-up is underway in the murder of Michael Brown.</p>



<p>Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Jordon Davis and Trayvon Martin are just the most publicized of the recent string of police and vigilante killings. Across the country Black and Brown men are being hunted down, some guilty of nothing more than “walking while Black,” while others are accused of petty crimes where the police have acted a judge, jury and executioner. These killings are but the tip of the iceberg. For every murder by police and vigilantes, there are thousands of Black and Brown men and women who are singled out by racist police, racist laws and courts set up for the rich and powerful, filling the prisons of this country.</p>

<p>One of the foundations of U.S. wealth is the oppression of African Americans. For the first 200 years of the British colonies and then the founding of the U.S., millions of Africans were taken from their families, homes and people to work as chattel slaves in the Americas. Millions died in the infamous “middle passage” between Africa and the Americas, and those who survive have been forged into an oppressed nation, with a common culture, language and economy in the U.S. South.</p>

<p>To suppress the slaves’ fight for freedom, the U.S. institutionalized local government militias to put down slave revolts. After the Civil War and the freeing of the slaves, the rise of the Ku Klux Klan, founded by former Confederate general Bedford Forrest, along with the with the use of African American prison labor in the infamous chain gangs saw the union of racist vigilantes and the system of police and courts, to enforce a system of U.S.-style apartheid segregation known as Jim Crow. This is at the root of the criminalization of Black people in the U.S.</p>

<p>Legal segregation was broken in the 1950s and 1960s by the African American freedom struggle known as the Civil Rights movement. This struggle not only brought about gains in the rights of, and opportunities for, African Americans, but also set the stage for Chicanos, Latinos, Asians, Native American, women, and LBGT people to launch their own movements for liberation. The 1960s was also a high tide for labor struggles and strikes, and saw the beginnings of many government programs such as Medicare, Head Start, Medicaid that benefitted the elderly, children and poor.</p>

<p>But the 1% who rule America rallied under President Nixon behind a two-fold strategy to deal with the Black Liberation Movement. On one hand, there was a wave of repression, centered around the FBI COINTELPRO to murder and jail African American leaders and organizations such as the Black Panther Party. At the same time, there was a conscious development of a new sector of Black capitalists and government managers. While traditionally Black-owned businesses were based in African American community and needed the support of the working masses, this new sector of elite African Americans was to serve at the highest level of U.S. corporations, military and government. One result is the traditional Black national bourgeoisie was weakened as mainstream corporations took their markets.</p>

<p>We can see this strategy at work today. On one hand there is the militarized response to the protests that rocked Ferguson for more than a week, complete with storm-trooper like police to military armored personnel carriers. On the other hand there are a few African Americans at the highest levels of power, from former military Chief of Staff Colin Powell, to Attorney General Eric Holder, to McDonald’s CEO Don Thompson, to president Barack Obama.</p>

<p>But the masses of Ferguson and their supporters from the Saint Louis area and around the country withstood both the police repression and the efforts of established Black leaders to cool out their fight. They rejected the police attempt to criminalize Michael Brown and to justify the shooting. While the media have been echoing the police claims of “outside agitators” across the country, in fact, the vast majority of those arrested were from the Saint Louis area.</p>

<p>The Freedom Road Socialist Organization hails the African American working masses of Ferguson and Saint Louis as heroes for standing up to intense police repression and continuing to fight, night after night, for justice for Michael Brown. Just as the Civil Rights movement attracted supporters from across the country, the fight in Ferguson is drawing people to the struggle today. Political consciousness is spreading, from rap artists who take up the cause to local politicians who side with the protesters and not the police.</p>

<p>New challenges will face the movement. Police body cameras, which many people hope will limit police brutality, are now being turned on the protesters to try to criminalize them. Officer Darren Wilson has not been arrested, and instead the case has been turned over to a secretive grand jury under the direction of a prosecutor with strong ties to the police. Their plan is to drag out the proceedings behind closed doors for months and hope that the movement dies down, allowing them to let Darren Wilson go free.</p>

<p>There is a saying that there are many Black leaders, but there is no leadership. What is needed is leadership from a new generation of Black youth, who can organize and lead the working masses of African Americans in the ongoing struggle for justice, equality and power. Just as the Student National Coordinating Committee or SNCC emerged out of the Feb. 1, 1960 Greensboro sit-in and the wave of civil disobedience against segregation that followed, so today what is needed is grassroots, militant organizations that can rally a broad movement against racist police and vigilantes and for equality and power.</p>

<p>Above all, we must continue to focus on the demands: Justice for Michael Brown! Arrest and jail Darren Wilson and all killer cops and racist vigilantes!</p>

<p><a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:UnitedStates" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">UnitedStates</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:PoliceBrutality" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">PoliceBrutality</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:NationalOppression" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">NationalOppression</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:AntiRacism" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">AntiRacism</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:nationalLiberation" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">nationalLiberation</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:FreedomRoadSocialistOrganization" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">FreedomRoadSocialistOrganization</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:MichaelBrown" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">MichaelBrown</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:Ferguson" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">Ferguson</span></a></p>

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      <guid>https://fightbacknews.org/police-and-vigilante-murders-african-americans-rooted-national-oppression</guid>
      <pubDate>Sat, 06 Sep 2014 21:02:36 +0000</pubDate>
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      <title>Chicago students rally for Michael Brown on first day of school</title>
      <link>https://fightbacknews.org/chicago-students-rally-michael-brown-first-day-school?pk_campaign=rss-feed</link>
      <description>&lt;![CDATA[Enter a descriptive sentence about the photo here.&#34;)&#xA;&#xA;Chicago, IL - On, Aug. 25, 250 people gathered in the University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC) campus quad to commemorate Michael Brown. UIC was one the colleges across the U.S. to hold demonstrations and student walk-outs on the day of Brown&#39;s funeral. At UIC, speakers read a list of Black lives lost as a result of police brutality. The UIC action was called by the Black Student Union (BSU). The national call for protests said Aug. 25 should have been Mike Brown&#39;s first day of college had he not been the victim of a racist police murder.&#xA;&#xA;!--more--&#xA;&#xA;Evan Taylor, outreach chair of the BSU, challenged the university to reaffirm its alleged commitment to diversity. Taylor explained that, while UIC claims to be one of the most diverse universities in the country, the Black student population, in addition to their graduation and retention rates, has been declining. And, although UIC is a research institution, little to no research has been done on this issue.&#xA;&#xA;The demonstration ended with the chant that Brown&#39;s death has inspired, “Hands up; don&#39;t shoot!”&#xA;&#xA;#ChicagoIL #PoliceBrutality #MichaelBrown #JusticeForMichaelBrown #MikeBrown&#xA;&#xA;div id=&#34;sharingbuttons.io&#34;/div]]&gt;</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://i.snap.as/2qMCRDFQ.jpg" alt="Enter a descriptive sentence about the photo here." title="Enter a descriptive sentence about the photo here. Chicago students stand demand justice for Mike Brown.\(FightBack! News/Staff\)"/></p>

<p>Chicago, IL – On, Aug. 25, 250 people gathered in the University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC) campus quad to commemorate Michael Brown. UIC was one the colleges across the U.S. to hold demonstrations and student walk-outs on the day of Brown&#39;s funeral. At UIC, speakers read a list of Black lives lost as a result of police brutality. The UIC action was called by the Black Student Union (BSU). The national call for protests said Aug. 25 should have been Mike Brown&#39;s first day of college had he not been the victim of a racist police murder.</p>



<p>Evan Taylor, outreach chair of the BSU, challenged the university to reaffirm its alleged commitment to diversity. Taylor explained that, while UIC claims to be one of the most diverse universities in the country, the Black student population, in addition to their graduation and retention rates, has been declining. And, although UIC is a research institution, little to no research has been done on this issue.</p>

<p>The demonstration ended with the chant that Brown&#39;s death has inspired, “Hands up; don&#39;t shoot!”</p>

<p><a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:ChicagoIL" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">ChicagoIL</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:PoliceBrutality" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">PoliceBrutality</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:MichaelBrown" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">MichaelBrown</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:JusticeForMichaelBrown" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">JusticeForMichaelBrown</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:MikeBrown" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">MikeBrown</span></a></p>

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      <guid>https://fightbacknews.org/chicago-students-rally-michael-brown-first-day-school</guid>
      <pubDate>Fri, 29 Aug 2014 03:06:14 +0000</pubDate>
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      <title>Tampa community fights police brutality, shows solidarity with Mike Brown</title>
      <link>https://fightbacknews.org/tampa-community-fights-police-brutality-shows-solidarity-mike-brown-0?pk_campaign=rss-feed</link>
      <description>&lt;![CDATA[Tampa, FL protest against police brutality.&#34;)&#xA;&#xA;Tampa, FL - On a rainy afternoon, Aug. 23, 70 people rallied in downtown here, demanding justice for Mike Brown of Ferguson, Missouri. Gathering at Lykes Gaslight Park, the people protested outside the Tampa Police Department and the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Middle District of Florida. Protesters showed solidarity with the people fighting back in Ferguson by demanding the jailing of killer cops in Tampa.&#xA;&#xA;!--more--&#xA;&#xA;Alekos Zambrano of Tampa Dream Defenders said, &#34;We are here today to demand justice. We demand the immediate arrest and prosecution of the officer that shot Mike Brown. The immediate arrest and prosecution of the officer that killed Javon Neal. The immediate arrest and prosecution of the officer that killed Arthur Greene. We believe that these demands are reasonable. We believe that these demands are just. We also demand that here in Tampa, the police wear forward facing cameras so we no longer have to take their word for it, when they tell us that our young sisters and brothers forced them to pull the trigger. And we demand the police records of arrest, detainment and questioning, not ending in conviction. This way we can prove that stop and frisk exist in Tampa, and that harassment and profiling exist in Tampa as standard practice. And in this way we can have a fighting chance at changing racist policies and demanding justice for our murdered children.&#34;&#xA;&#xA;Tampa police gunned down Javon Neal, a 16-year-old African American with no criminal record on July 22. In another deadly incident, Arthur Green, a 63-year-old African American man, suffered a medical emergency due to diabetes. The diabetic episode caused him to swerve while driving and sideswipe two cars. Police pulled Green from his car and handcuffed him. While handcuffed Green stopped breathing and though EMTs revived him, he later died at the hospital.&#xA;&#xA;In the rain, people chanted, &#34;Hands up, don&#39;t shoot!&#34; and &#34;No justice, no peace, no killer police!&#34; Catherine Lim, a local activist with Raices En Tampa said, &#34;We will never see the end of racism unless all those who are oppressed are liberated. The enemy - whether it&#39;s racist police, the National Guard in Ferguson, or the U.S. military in my home country of the Philippines, they&#39;re counting on us to stay divided. While our struggles might not be the same, we need to remember the power of staying united. From Ferguson to Palestine, to the Philippines, and to Tampa, Florida, solidarity!&#34;&#xA;&#xA;From Lykes Gaslight Park, the protesters marched to Tampa Police headquarters. They threw open the doors and marched up to the front desk. They demanded to speak with top police administrators. The protesters kept on chanting, as more police entered the lobby. The police refused to meet with the protesters and kept saying there was nobody in the multiple-story building to meet with them. After the police refused to meet and hear their demands, protesters kept chanting. As more police came downstairs, the protesters regrouped outside of the building.&#xA;&#xA;Tampa Dream Defenders and the community will fight again. Their current campaign is against police brutality in Tampa. They&#39;re demanding the jailing of local killer police, release of police records on arrests of local African-Americans, external investigation into TPD, and forward facing cameras placed on all local TPD officers.&#xA;&#xA;#TampaFL #OppressedNationalities #PoliceBrutality #AntiRacism #Racism #InjusticeSystem #TampaDreamDefenders #MichaelBrown #Ferguson&#xA;&#xA;div id=&#34;sharingbuttons.io&#34;/div]]&gt;</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://i.snap.as/2trnepMr.jpg" alt="Tampa, FL protest against police brutality." title="Tampa, FL protest against police brutality. \(Fight Back! News/Staff\)"/></p>

<p>Tampa, FL – On a rainy afternoon, Aug. 23, 70 people rallied in downtown here, demanding justice for Mike Brown of Ferguson, Missouri. Gathering at Lykes Gaslight Park, the people protested outside the Tampa Police Department and the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Middle District of Florida. Protesters showed solidarity with the people fighting back in Ferguson by demanding the jailing of killer cops in Tampa.</p>



<p>Alekos Zambrano of Tampa Dream Defenders said, “We are here today to demand justice. We demand the immediate arrest and prosecution of the officer that shot Mike Brown. The immediate arrest and prosecution of the officer that killed Javon Neal. The immediate arrest and prosecution of the officer that killed Arthur Greene. We believe that these demands are reasonable. We believe that these demands are just. We also demand that here in Tampa, the police wear forward facing cameras so we no longer have to take their word for it, when they tell us that our young sisters and brothers forced them to pull the trigger. And we demand the police records of arrest, detainment and questioning, not ending in conviction. This way we can prove that stop and frisk exist in Tampa, and that harassment and profiling exist in Tampa as standard practice. And in this way we can have a fighting chance at changing racist policies and demanding justice for our murdered children.”</p>

<p>Tampa police gunned down Javon Neal, a 16-year-old African American with no criminal record on July 22. In another deadly incident, Arthur Green, a 63-year-old African American man, suffered a medical emergency due to diabetes. The diabetic episode caused him to swerve while driving and sideswipe two cars. Police pulled Green from his car and handcuffed him. While handcuffed Green stopped breathing and though EMTs revived him, he later died at the hospital.</p>

<p>In the rain, people chanted, “Hands up, don&#39;t shoot!” and “No justice, no peace, no killer police!” Catherine Lim, a local activist with Raices En Tampa said, “We will never see the end of racism unless all those who are oppressed are liberated. The enemy – whether it&#39;s racist police, the National Guard in Ferguson, or the U.S. military in my home country of the Philippines, they&#39;re counting on us to stay divided. While our struggles might not be the same, we need to remember the power of staying united. From Ferguson to Palestine, to the Philippines, and to Tampa, Florida, solidarity!”</p>

<p>From Lykes Gaslight Park, the protesters marched to Tampa Police headquarters. They threw open the doors and marched up to the front desk. They demanded to speak with top police administrators. The protesters kept on chanting, as more police entered the lobby. The police refused to meet with the protesters and kept saying there was nobody in the multiple-story building to meet with them. After the police refused to meet and hear their demands, protesters kept chanting. As more police came downstairs, the protesters regrouped outside of the building.</p>

<p>Tampa Dream Defenders and the community will fight again. Their current campaign is against police brutality in Tampa. They&#39;re demanding the jailing of local killer police, release of police records on arrests of local African-Americans, external investigation into TPD, and forward facing cameras placed on all local TPD officers.</p>

<p><a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:TampaFL" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">TampaFL</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:OppressedNationalities" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">OppressedNationalities</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:PoliceBrutality" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">PoliceBrutality</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:AntiRacism" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">AntiRacism</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:Racism" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">Racism</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:InjusticeSystem" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">InjusticeSystem</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:TampaDreamDefenders" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">TampaDreamDefenders</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:MichaelBrown" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">MichaelBrown</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:Ferguson" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">Ferguson</span></a></p>

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      <guid>https://fightbacknews.org/tampa-community-fights-police-brutality-shows-solidarity-mike-brown-0</guid>
      <pubDate>Wed, 27 Aug 2014 01:05:33 +0000</pubDate>
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      <title>Minnesota rally shows solidarity with Palestine and Ferguson, MO</title>
      <link>https://fightbacknews.org/minnesota-rally-shows-solidarity-palestine-and-ferguson-mo?pk_campaign=rss-feed</link>
      <description>&lt;![CDATA[Enter a descriptive sentence about the photo here.&#34;)&#xA;&#xA;Minneapolis, MN - About 150 people gathered, Aug. 21 on Minneapolis’s West Bank, carrying signs and banners demanding an end the U.S.-backed Israeli siege of Gaza. The demonstration also called for an end to U.S. military aid to Israel and a halt to state sponsored violence “from Ferguson to Palestine.” The rally was organized by the Minnesota Anti-War Committee.&#xA;&#xA;!--more--&#xA;&#xA;Minneapolis has been the scene of constant protests since Israel launched its assault on Gaza, killing more than 2000 Palestinians – many of them young children.&#xA;&#xA;Sophia Hansen-Day, of the Anti-War Committee, told the crowd, “We must follow the lead of Palestinians who have offered up their solidarity to protesters in Ferguson. We must demand an end to the siege of Gaza backed by the U.S. government while also demanding the immediate halt of state violence within U.S. borders. We must demand an end to U.S. funding of the Israeli military, while also demanding the demilitarization of domestic police who the Pentagon has supplied with $4.3 billion in weaponry - weaponry used to terrorize communities of color.”&#xA;&#xA;Protesters were encouraged to attend a solidarity rally for Mike Brown and all victims of police brutality on Aug. 28, 6pm, at the Hennepin County Government Center, 300 S 6th Street, in Minneapolis.&#xA;&#xA;#MinneapolisMN #Gaza #Palestine #PoliceBrutality #Minnesota #MichaelBrown #Ferguson #Missouri #MO #MikeBrown&#xA;&#xA;div id=&#34;sharingbuttons.io&#34;/div]]&gt;</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://i.snap.as/FEb8s6L7.jpg" alt="Enter a descriptive sentence about the photo here." title="Enter a descriptive sentence about the photo here. Minneapolis protest in solidarity with Palestine. \(FightBack!News/Staff\)"/></p>

<p>Minneapolis, MN – About 150 people gathered, Aug. 21 on Minneapolis’s West Bank, carrying signs and banners demanding an end the U.S.-backed Israeli siege of Gaza. The demonstration also called for an end to U.S. military aid to Israel and a halt to state sponsored violence “from Ferguson to Palestine.” The rally was organized by the Minnesota Anti-War Committee.</p>



<p>Minneapolis has been the scene of constant protests since Israel launched its assault on Gaza, killing more than 2000 Palestinians – many of them young children.</p>

<p>Sophia Hansen-Day, of the Anti-War Committee, told the crowd, “We must follow the lead of Palestinians who have offered up their solidarity to protesters in Ferguson. We must demand an end to the siege of Gaza backed by the U.S. government while also demanding the immediate halt of state violence within U.S. borders. We must demand an end to U.S. funding of the Israeli military, while also demanding the demilitarization of domestic police who the Pentagon has supplied with $4.3 billion in weaponry – weaponry used to terrorize communities of color.”</p>

<p>Protesters were encouraged to attend a solidarity rally for Mike Brown and all victims of police brutality on Aug. 28, 6pm, at the Hennepin County Government Center, 300 S 6th Street, in Minneapolis.</p>

<p><a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:MinneapolisMN" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">MinneapolisMN</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:Gaza" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">Gaza</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:Palestine" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">Palestine</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:PoliceBrutality" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">PoliceBrutality</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:Minnesota" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">Minnesota</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:MichaelBrown" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">MichaelBrown</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:Ferguson" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">Ferguson</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:Missouri" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">Missouri</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:MO" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">MO</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:MikeBrown" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">MikeBrown</span></a></p>

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      <guid>https://fightbacknews.org/minnesota-rally-shows-solidarity-palestine-and-ferguson-mo</guid>
      <pubDate>Sun, 24 Aug 2014 01:25:18 +0000</pubDate>
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      <title>Salt Lake City protest slams police killings</title>
      <link>https://fightbacknews.org/salt-lake-city-protest-slams-police-killings?pk_campaign=rss-feed</link>
      <description>&lt;![CDATA[Jerrail Taylor speaking at Salt Lake City protest against police killings&#34;)&#xA;&#xA;Salt Lake City, UT - Chants of “No justice, no peace, no killer police!” and “Hands up, don’t shoot!” filled the streets here, Aug. 20, with about 100 people rallying at the Wallace F. Bennett Federal Building. Organizer Fatima Badran urged protesters to make two phone calls: the first call to Salt Lake City police chief Chris Burbank one demanding justice for Dillon Taylor and the second to Missouri Governor Dixon to demand that he withdraw the National Guard from the streets of Ferguson. People must be allowed to have their democratic rights to address injustice without living under a military occupation.&#xA;&#xA;!--more--&#xA;&#xA;Kim Kasey spoke out against the recent wave of police militarization. Some of the equipment used in Ferguson once belonged to U.S. soldiers occupying places like Iraq and Afghanistan. Scott Simons spoke next, telling protesters that they are the resistance. Simons’ own daughter was the victim of a police murder in January 2013.&#xA;&#xA;Karen Rodriguez recited her anti-racist poem Our Skin, containing the lines “Black, for all the time when our people can’t see justice and claim at last, the freedom still isn’t ours when we look at the flag,” and, “Black is wise, Black is power, Blacks shall continue to overcome, because it is no longer a tone, color, or race, It is a name and way of being, it is a tradition, a history of colored men, women and children striving and overcoming adversity.”&#xA;&#xA;Aaron Swanenberg was a close friend of Dillon Taylor, who was shot and killed Aug. 11 by a still-unnamed police officer, stated “We know that there’s evidence the police won’t release, body camera footage and 911 phone calls, why won’t they release what’s public information?” Swanenberg continued, “We can’t walk away from this now, we must keep pushing forward until we get the justice we demand.”&#xA;&#xA;Members of Dillon Taylor’s family were present, including his aunt and brother. They addressed the packed crowd, thanking them for showing up to support their family and carry out the fight for justice. Jerrail Taylor was with his brother at 7-Eleven when Dillon Taylor was killed, and said that his brother had headphones in and couldn&#39;t respond to the officer’s orders.&#xA;&#xA;Gregory Lucero of the Revolutionary Students Union drove home the protest by stating the demands and the need for people to take concrete actions. “We’re here to recognize the tragedy of two lives cut short by police brutality,” Lucero said. He also spoke about the need for the people to carry out the demands because police and the politicians aren&#39;t going to do the right thing. The police have both a history of murdering Black and Brown men and a history of covering it up. Lucero emphasized, “When the police murder unarmed people, it’s still murder!”&#xA;&#xA;Fatima Badran plans to continue organizing street level protests, mobilizing communities to resist the onslaught of police violence.&#xA;&#xA;#SaltLakeCityUT #AfricanAmerican #PoliceBrutality #RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem #RevolutionaryStudentsUnion #Antiracism #MichaelBrown #Ferguson #MikeBrown #DillonTaylor&#xA;&#xA;div id=&#34;sharingbuttons.io&#34;/div]]&gt;</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://i.snap.as/gzH1UNnj.jpg" alt="Jerrail Taylor speaking at Salt Lake City protest against police killings" title="Jerrail Taylor speaking at Salt Lake City protest against police killings \(Fight Back! News/Staff\)"/></p>

<p>Salt Lake City, UT – Chants of “No justice, no peace, no killer police!” and “Hands up, don’t shoot!” filled the streets here, Aug. 20, with about 100 people rallying at the Wallace F. Bennett Federal Building. Organizer Fatima Badran urged protesters to make two phone calls: the first call to Salt Lake City police chief Chris Burbank one demanding justice for Dillon Taylor and the second to Missouri Governor Dixon to demand that he withdraw the National Guard from the streets of Ferguson. People must be allowed to have their democratic rights to address injustice without living under a military occupation.</p>



<p>Kim Kasey spoke out against the recent wave of police militarization. Some of the equipment used in Ferguson once belonged to U.S. soldiers occupying places like Iraq and Afghanistan. Scott Simons spoke next, telling protesters that they are the resistance. Simons’ own daughter was the victim of a police murder in January 2013.</p>

<p>Karen Rodriguez recited her anti-racist poem <em>Our Skin</em>, containing the lines “Black, for all the time when our people can’t see justice and claim at last, the freedom still isn’t ours when we look at the flag,” and, “Black is wise, Black is power, Blacks shall continue to overcome, because it is no longer a tone, color, or race, It is a name and way of being, it is a tradition, a history of colored men, women and children striving and overcoming adversity.”</p>

<p>Aaron Swanenberg was a close friend of Dillon Taylor, who was shot and killed Aug. 11 by a still-unnamed police officer, stated “We know that there’s evidence the police won’t release, body camera footage and 911 phone calls, why won’t they release what’s public information?” Swanenberg continued, “We can’t walk away from this now, we must keep pushing forward until we get the justice we demand.”</p>

<p>Members of Dillon Taylor’s family were present, including his aunt and brother. They addressed the packed crowd, thanking them for showing up to support their family and carry out the fight for justice. Jerrail Taylor was with his brother at 7-Eleven when Dillon Taylor was killed, and said that his brother had headphones in and couldn&#39;t respond to the officer’s orders.</p>

<p>Gregory Lucero of the Revolutionary Students Union drove home the protest by stating the demands and the need for people to take concrete actions. “We’re here to recognize the tragedy of two lives cut short by police brutality,” Lucero said. He also spoke about the need for the people to carry out the demands because police and the politicians aren&#39;t going to do the right thing. The police have both a history of murdering Black and Brown men and a history of covering it up. Lucero emphasized, “When the police murder unarmed people, it’s still murder!”</p>

<p>Fatima Badran plans to continue organizing street level protests, mobilizing communities to resist the onslaught of police violence.</p>

<p><a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:SaltLakeCityUT" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">SaltLakeCityUT</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:AfricanAmerican" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">AfricanAmerican</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:PoliceBrutality" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">PoliceBrutality</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:RevolutionaryStudentsUnion" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">RevolutionaryStudentsUnion</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:Antiracism" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">Antiracism</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:MichaelBrown" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">MichaelBrown</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:Ferguson" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">Ferguson</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:MikeBrown" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">MikeBrown</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:DillonTaylor" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">DillonTaylor</span></a></p>

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      <guid>https://fightbacknews.org/salt-lake-city-protest-slams-police-killings</guid>
      <pubDate>Fri, 22 Aug 2014 21:48:56 +0000</pubDate>
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