Milwaukee, WI – On the morning of January 10, a coalition of left-wing organizations and community groups came together in downtown Milwaukee to put forward a people’s alternative to the chaos of the past week in the U.S. Capitol. The protest featured a speaker officially representing the Milwaukee Area Labor Council. The event, called “Rally Against the Far-Right – Build the People’s Movements,” drew nearly 100 people on foot and in cars.
Milwaukee, WI – Café workers at Wonderstate Coffee located in Milwaukee’s Third Ward have successfully unionized. Workers at Wonderstate are Milwaukee’s as the first coffee shop employees to form a union. These Wonderstate employees are now represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) Local 344, which represents sales and service employees as well as many other workers across the state, including those at UPS.
Milwaukee, WI – On December 15, the Milwaukee Common Council, after a backlash from the people, voted no on approving a grant that would give the Milwaukee Police Department $10 million. The grant would be given through the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program with the expectation that Milwaukee Police Department would carry out tasks through a federal program called Operation Legend. Operation Legend’s stated purpose is to cut down on violence in cities. The reality is that Operation Legend is terrorizing oppressed nationality neighborhoods.
Milwaukee, WI – On November 4, more than 150 protestors joined the march and car caravan put on by Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (MAARPR). The protestors joined up at Sherman Park, an important landmark in Milwaukee that experienced an uprising against police violence in 2016. Youth Empowered in the Struggle (YES) set up a table for letter writing, to demand justice for “ThEE ThrEE”, two men and one child shot and killed by the same Wauwatosa Police Officer Joseph Mensah.
Milwaukee, WI – Workers from multiple active union organizing campaigns marched through downtown Milwaukee on October 27 to rally support for the wave of new union organizing. Nearly 100 workers and supporters from the organizing campaigns at the Milwaukee Art Museum, Colectivo Coffee, Wonderstate Coffee, Marquette University and Captel joined forces for an impressive display of union strength. The march took the streets, stopping by several workplaces where union drives led primarily by young workers are ongoing.
Cole family arrested one day after killer cop not charged
Milwaukee, WI – Protests in the Milwaukee suburb of Wauwatosa ramped up over the past two nights. On October 7, Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm ruled that although the shooting death of Alvin Cole in February was not justified, Wauwatosa police officer Joseph Mensah would not face charges for the murder. Mensah is also responsible for the murders of Antonio Gonzales and Jay Anderson. Chisholm was the district attorney who filed no charges in each of those cases, as well as six other instances of killer cops in and around Milwaukee.
Milwaukee, WI – On the afternoon of October 7, it is expected that Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm will make a decision on the killing of Alvin Cole. The decision comes over eight months after Cole’s murder. Milwaukee and Wauwatosa – the suburb where Cole was shot by Wauwatosa police – have been gripped by protests and actions of varying size and intensity since the resurgence of the movement for Black lives at the end of May.
Milwaukee, WI – On the evening of September 25, organizers with the recently re-formed University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) led a rally in Spaights Plaza on campus. More than 20 students and supporters gathered to demand that the university disarm, defund and ultimately disband the campus police.
Milwaukee, WI – On September 20, union members and frontline workers gathered at Zeidler Union Square in downtown Milwaukee. The purpose for the rally was to speak out about working conditions during the pandemic, the need for extended benefits, the fight for racial justice and the blatant attacks on workers from the Trump administration.
Milwaukee, WI – Frontline and essential workers will speak out about working conditions under the pandemic, the need for extended benefits, the fight for racial justice, and the urgency of defeating Trump.
Milwaukee, WI – Professional athletes have always been engaged in politics because sports, like everything else, cannot be removed from the broader political environment. Black athletes like Colin Kaepernick joined their voices with the Black Lives Matter movement in 2016, condemning the epidemic of police crimes impacting oppressed communities. The movement of athletes taking a knee swept across the country and across sports, from professional football to soccer and everywhere in between.
Milwaukee, WI – On August 18, amid public outcry, political scrutiny and protests, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy announced that his so-called ‘reforms’ will be put on hold until after the election. While voting rights advocates can and should take this as a partial win, postal workers and concerned postal customers must continue to escalate and build a movement that can permanently end DeJoy’s policies of deliberate sabotage and reverse the damage that has already been done.
Milwaukee, WI – In the early evening of August 20, around 500 people gathered in Dontre Hamilton (officially Red Arrow) Park in downtown Milwaukee to mark the final day of the Democratic National Convention. The turnout in spite of the pandemic and the vastly diminished physical presence in the city for the convention was a testament to the hard work and dedication of the organizers with the Coalition to March on the DNC.
Milwaukee, WI – In the early evening of August 20, around 500 people gathered in Dontre Hamilton (officially Red Arrow) Park in downtown Milwaukee to mark the final day of the Democratic National Convention. The turnout in spite of the pandemic and the vastly diminished physical presence in the city for the convention was a testament to the hard work and dedication of the organizers with the Coalition to March on the DNC.
Milwaukee, WI – While Joe Biden shelters himself from COVID-19 and the movement for Black lives in Milwaukee, the Coalition to March on the Democratic National Convention (DNC) will be in the streets. Regardless of whether Biden comes to Milwaukee or not, the Democrats will hear from the people on the front lines fighting police crimes, especially the families who have lost loved ones to killer cops.
Milwaukee, WI – On August 20, the day that Joe Biden is expected to be in Milwaukee to accept the Democratic nomination, the Coalition to March on the Democratic National Convention is hosting a march and rally within sight and sound of the Wisconsin Center.
Milwaukee, WI – Last week, unmarked federal agents in military uniforms grabbed protesters off the streets of Portland, Oregon, and threw them into unmarked black vans. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claimed responsibility for the shadowy operation, citing “graffiti” as their justification for snatching activists off the street and interrogating them.
Milwaukee, WI – On July 16, Northside Rising held a rally seeking divestment from WE Energies (also known as Wisconsin Electric), a waiver of their planned moratorium on energy assistance, and investment in green, net-zero carbon jobs that are not monopolized by the company. Investing more in a climate justice plan, as well as a solution to the depletion of job opportunity for Milwaukee’s Northside, would be a step in the right direction for the city’s Black residents.
Milwaukee, WI – On the evening of July 8, students and community members rallied at Spaights Plaza on UW-Milwaukee’s campus. They came together to honor Texas’ Vanessa Guillén and others who have lost their lives to sexual violence, and to hold Professor Betsy Schoeller accountable for her harmful comments about the situation, and the administration of UW-Milwaukee accountable for not taking action on hate speech.
