News and Views from the People's Struggle
Milwaukee, WI – On Friday, February 9, students at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee staged a sit-in at the UWM administrative building, Chapman Hall.
Led by Students for a Democratic Society, the event began with a rally in front of the Zionist-named Golda Meir Library, followed by a march to Chapman Hall, where students entered the building and occupied it for six hours.
Oak Creek, WI – On Friday, February 2, the Milwaukee Anti-war Committee (MAC) and around 30 supporters gathered at Drexel Town Square in the Milwaukee suburb of Oak Creek, and marched through the town center to the headquarters of Astronautics Corporation of America.
Astronautic, founded in Milwaukee in 1959, is a defense corporation contracted with the U.S. military and has direct ties to the Israeli Defense Force (IDF). Protesters’ voices ringing out in the street and echoing off of apartment buildings, the passionate crowd chanted, “Astronautics you can’t hide, we charge you with genocide!”
Milwaukee, WI – On Friday, January 26, the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (MAARPR) hosted a community forum on transparency and accountability at the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 998 hall.
50 community members attended presentations from MAARPR on various policies related to footage release from law enforcement, which was followed by a question and answer session with County Supervisors Wilie Johnson, Ryan Clancy, and Juan Miguel Martinez regarding the lack of a footage release policy from the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO).
Milwaukee, WI – On Sunday, January 28, around 30 people gathered at the Cactus Club in Milwaukee to attend the Milwaukee Anti-war Committee’s (MAC) teach-in on war propaganda and the Astronautics Corporation of America.
Milwaukee, WI – Vice President Kamala Harris visited Big Bend, Wisconsin on January 22, on the 51st anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision, for a stop on her “Reproductive Freedom Tour.” Pro-Palestine and pro-choice activists held an action to fight back against the hypocrisy.
The Biden-Harris administration has refused all calls for cutting aid to Israel to stop the genocide in Palestine and continues to bomb Yemen, and Wisconsin does not have full and free access to abortion.
Milwaukee, WI – On Saturday, January 13, hosted an emergency protest in front of City Hall following the U.S. and UK airstrikes on Sanaa, Yemen.
Sara Onitsuka, the chair of Milwaukee Anti-war Committee, spoke to the courageousness of Yemen’s efforts in blocking ships heading towards the Zionist entity in response to the genocide against the Palestinian people. Onitsuka explained that despite Yemen experiencing one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world at the hands of Saudi Arabia and the U.S., they are still taking their streets in the millions and standing in solidarity for the self-determination of their Palestinian brethren. Further, Onitsuka believes that U.S. imperialism and propaganda continue to falter through its support of Israel.
Milwaukee, WI – The Coalition to March on the RNC is hosting an organizing conference on February 17 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Activists from across the U.S. will gather at the conference to unite around a plan to rally on the opening day of the Republican National Convention, Monday, July 15.
“We are looking to consolidate plans with all forces that are against the Republicans’ racist and reactionary agenda. We are also looking to inform leaders across the country as to what the situation on the ground in Milwaukee looks like as we prepare to march to within sight and sound of the front doors of the convention,” said Omar Flores, spokesperson in Milwaukee for the Coalition to March on the RNC.
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following resolution adopted by AFSCME Local 526.
AFSCME Local 526 Stands with the Palestinian people against Genocide
AFSCME Local 526 dedicates itself to improving the lives of working people, and fighting for a world where all people can live with dignity, justice, respect, peace, and equality. We consistently stand against Islamophobia, antisemitism, and racism in all its forms.
We stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people, Palestinian trade unions, anti-Zionist Jewish people, and millions of others who are demanding an end to Israel’s colonial violence and genocide.
We condemn the active role of the U.S government in supporting Israel’s system of occupation and apartheid, illegal settlements, and forced displacement of Palestinians, which is the root cause of the conflict.
We mourn all loss of life resulting from the conflict and call for an immediate end to Israel’s aggression against Gaza that has killed over 23,000 Palestinians and displaced 85% of Gaza’s population, 1.9 million people.
U.S. support for Israel’s war has caused a humanitarian disaster, and is risking a deadly outbreak of famine, disease, and a wider war. The billions of U.S. tax dollars spent on weapons for Israel every year should be reallocated to fund programs that help poor and working people, like healthcare, education, and childcare.
AFSCME Local 526 commits to taking the following actions in support of peace and justice:
1. We will send letters to our Congressional representatives, asking them to endorse bills such as H.R. 3103 and others that take meaningful action to end the genocide and occupation.
2. We will join over 900 unions, governments, and popular organizations who have endorsed South Africa’s Genocide Convention case against Israel at the U.N. International Court of Justice.
3. We will petition our employer, the Milwaukee Public Museum, to correct the large map in the “Crossroads of Civilization” gallery that includes a label for Israel, but not Palestine.
4. We will send a copy of this resolution to AFSCME leadership, encouraging them to join the many union internationals who have already called for a ceasefire.
5. We will continue to support and participate in actions led by the Wisconsin Coalition for Justice in Palestine, Wisconsin Labor for Palestine, Jewish Voice for Peace, Milwaukee Anti-war Committee, and others.
Passed unanimously at the AFSCME Local 526 membership meeting on January 11th, 2024.
#MilwaukeeWI #International #Palestine #AntiWar #Labor #AFSCME #AFSCME526
Milwaukee, WI – A spirited crowd marched on U.S. Congresswoman Gwen Moore’s doorstep Saturday morning, January 6, to “keep the pressure up!” in ending U.S. aid to Israel.
Undeterred by the snowfall, activists called for Moore to sign on to HR 3103 as a bare minimum step in ending the genocide. The neighborhood at large was also engaged, as door-hangers circulated the area that directed to an online petition initiated by the Milwaukee Anti-war Committee.
Milwaukee, WI – U.S. President Joe Biden paid Milwaukee a visit on December 20 to deliver remarks at the Black Chamber of Commerce as part of his “Bidenomics” talks. Details of his visit were kept minimal until Tuesday evening, but that did not deter members and supporters of the Wisconsin Coalition for Justice in Palestine from assembling outside of the security perimeter set up around the venue.
For the Biden campaign, it was a strategic visit, as Wisconsin will play a key role in the presidential elections next fall, and if Biden can’t win Milwaukee, odds are small for winning Wisconsin.