News and Views from the People's Struggle
Milwaukee, WI – On May 6, Students for a Democratic Society chapters in Appleton and Milwaukee hosted a panel about the importance of student organizing. Both chapters were recently established to be forces for change at Lawrence University and UW-Milwaukee. The purpose of the panel was to invite local students to join the chapters, and to invite regional students to start their own.
Milwaukee, WI – In spite of gusts of wind in excess of 50 miles per hour, more than 250 people marched from the office of Wisconsin’s premier immigrant rights organization, Voces de la Frontera, to the office of reactionary U.S. Senator Ron Johnson on the afternoon of May 1. The focus of the march was on essential immigrant workers.
Milwaukee, WI – On April 24, the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression hosted a press conference to publicly announce their campaign to change the name of Lindbergh Park to Lucille Berrien Park and fund the renaming by defunding the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s overtime budget.
‘Fund community, not the cops!’
Milwaukee, WI – Members of the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (MAARPR) have been canvassing over the past month in the Arlington Heights neighborhood in an effort to change the name of Lindbergh Park to Lucille Berrien Park. From the start, the campaign has shown large support from the community. The residents of this neighborhood have displayed attachment to the park as many families have spent their entire lives in the area.
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Milwaukee, WI – On the evening of April 9, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) held a rally at Spaights Plaza at UW-Milwaukee to call for a Civilian Police Accountability Council (CPAC) in Milwaukee and renew their demands to defund campus police and refund programs that support students.
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (MAARPR).
Milwaukee, WI – 100 people gathered in the early afternoon, March 8, at the Milwaukee County Safety Building to demand justice for Joel Acevedo, a 25-year-old Puerto Rican man who was murdered by Milwaukee police officer Michael Mattioli. Mattioli was holding a house party on April 11, 2020 during the initial rolling out of the COVID-19 lockdown. March 8 is significant for Milwaukee because, in addition to its being day one for Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis, it also marks the start of Mattioli’s trial.
Milwaukee, WI – Most people in the movement know that on the morning of March 8, Derek Chauvin, one of the most recent killer cop out of the Twin Cities area, goes on trial for the murder of George Floyd. What many of those same people don’t know, however, is that another killer cop from the Midwest goes on trial on March 8 for a similar act of murder. Michael Mattioli, an officer with the Milwaukee Police Department, strangled Joel Acevedo to death at a house party in April 2020 while off duty.
Milwaukee, WI – Despite bitter cold, on February 16 protesters demanding a people’s agenda gathered outside the Pabst Theater where President Joe Biden was hosting his first event outside Washington, DC since being inaugurated.
Milwaukee, WI – President Joe Biden will be traveling to the Pabst Theater in downtown Milwaukee at 7 p.m. on the evening of February 16 for a CNN Town Hall. The trip will mark one of the new president’s first times away from Washington, D.C. While Biden is speaking to an invite-only crowd inside the confines of the Pabst, a coalition of various organizations in the city will be rallying across the street outside city hall.
Milwaukee, WI – On the evening of January 28, members of the Young Workers Committee (YWC) of the Milwaukee Area Labor Council (MALC) hosted an online discussion with workers that dealt with organizing unorganized workplaces.
Milwaukee, WI – Marquette University staff members and their supporters picketed outside the administration building on January 27 in the biting cold. Marquette University recently announced the firing of nearly 40 longtime staff members, while the university is set to bring in nearly $10 million in federal COVID stimulus money, which was ostensibly passed to help prevent layoffs like this one.
Milwaukee, WI – On January 20, the date of Joe Biden’s inauguration as the 46th president of the United States, the Brown Berets of Milwaukee led a rally and car caravan demanding the incoming administration take action to resolve issues regarding immigrants. The three broad demands were: 1) Put an end to the policy of family separation; 2) Close the concentration camps; and 3) Provide an immediate pathway to citizenship for the undocumented. Other demands were put forward that delved into more particular circumstances, but these three formed the thrust of the action.
Milwaukee, WI – Late in the morning on January 19, the members of Milwaukee’s Common Council gathered for a second vote on the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Grant. People watched, angered as the council voted 9-6 to accept the grant.
Milwaukee, WI – On the afternoon of January 17, roughly 40 people gathered in a parking lot at Lincoln Park to celebrate what would have been Alvin Cole’s 18th birthday. Cole was murdered by former Wauwatosa police officer Joseph Mensah on February 2, 2020. Mensah remains free after Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm determined he would face no charges in October. The cop was not fired by the Wauwatosa Police Department either, but rather was allowed to resign.
Milwaukee, WI – On the afternoon of January 17, roughly 40 people gathered in a parking lot at Lincoln Park to celebrate what would have been Alvin Cole’s 18th birthday. Cole was murdered by former Wauwatosa police officer Joseph Mensah on February 2, 2020. Mensah remains free after Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm determined he would face no charges in October. The cop was not fired by the Wauwatosa Police Department either, but rather was allowed to resign.
Milwaukee, WI – On January 9, nearly 100 people joined a car caravan starting at Kops Park put on by the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (MAARPR) to say no to the COPS grant and yes to CPAC (Civilian Police Accountability Council).
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.
