Los Angeles, CA – Answering the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression’s call for a national protest against police crimes, Centro CSO held a rally at Los Cinco Puntos in Boyle Heights, July 18. At the action, Centro CSO pushed for Black and brown unity and demanded the end to the killings of Blacks, Chicanos and Latinos by the Los Angeles Police and LA Sheriff’s Departments.

The location of Los Cinco Puntos – the site where five important streets meet and a memorial for Chicano veterans who fought in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War – was significant for many reasons. Along with victims of police brutality, the rally honored Vanessa Guillén, the 20-year-old Chicana U.S. army soldier who was murdered in April after being sexually harassed by a superior at Food Hood in Texas. Los Cincos Puntos served as the starting point for the first huge march against the racist anti-immigrant California Proposition 187 in 1994, when over 100,000 marched from Cinco Puntos to LA City Hall.

Centro CSO’s Alex Orellana, a former member of the military, gave a speech about sexual harassment and other forms of sexual misconduct toward servicewomen that he witnessed while in the armed forces. He mentioned that the military’s treatment of women, along with Trump’s election, influenced his decision to become a “defector.”

Los Cinco Puntos is also right where Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles, the two communities where Centro CSO primarily organizes, meet. The Los Angeles Police Department, specifically its Hollenbeck Division, patrols Boyle Heights while the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department covers East Los Angeles. Both departments have continuously killed Chicano young men over the last few years. Throughout the protest, cars from both LAPD and LASD circled the area.

Protesters held up a banner reading, “LAPD stop killing Black and brown people,'' and “Jail killer cops!” Chants included “How do you spell murderer? LAPD'' and “El pueblo unido jamás, será vencido.” Protesters also chanted the names of the many victims of police brutality throughout the country – George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tamir Rice and Sean Monterrosa – as well as those killed specifically in the area like Jesse Romero, Edwin Rodriguez, Paul Rea and Anthony Vargas. Centro CSO will continue to fight against police killings and build the fight to win community control over the police. Join us for future events.

Visit and contact CSO at the following 323-943-2030, Centrocso@gmail.com, or @CentroCSO on social media.

#LosAngelesCA #OppressedNationalities #PeoplesStruggles #ChicanoLatino #PoliceBrutality #RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem #Antiracism #CentroCSOCommunityServiceOrganization #NationalDayOfProtest #CommunityControlOfThePolice

Chicago, IL – About 500 people and at least 200 cars responded to the call from the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression for a caravan on Chicago’s South Side, July 18. They drove through the 3rd, 6th and 17th Wards to call on the alderpersons there to support the movement for community control of police.

In Chicago, 19 out of 50 members of the city council have signed on to the legislation to create an elected Civilian Police Accountability Council (CPAC) that will have final authority over the police budget and policy, and the ability to make decisions in misconduct cases, not just provide oversight. The members of the city council from these three wards – Pat Dowell, Roderick Sawyer and David Moore – have refused to sign on to the legislation, despite the Alliance having gathered over 4000 signatures from their constituents. The caravan drove to the police stations in their wards to highlight the need for community control of the police by lifting up cases of police crimes in each ward. None of the officers who committed the murders or beatings, or who perpetrated the false convictions in these districts, has been held accountable by the current system of police accountability, which leaves the power in the hands of the mayor.

Families of police victims and survivors speak

The protest started with a press conference in Washington Park at the site where the police shot Ronald “Ronnieman” Johnson in the back in 2014. Family members and activists spoke about the cases of their loved ones. Ronnieman’s mother, Dorothy Holmes, remembered how the Alliance helped her when she came to them following her son’s murder. “There is no statute of limitations on the crime of murder. I want to get CPAC passed to get justice for my son.”

A recorded message was also played from Regina Russell, mother of Tamon Russell, who was falsely implicated for murder by cops from the 6th District in 2001. She explained, “Those cops were supervised by Sergeant Raymond Madigan, one of the members of Detective Jon Burge’s gang of torturers. The criminal actions of those officers put Tamon in prison for the past 19 years.”

Kobi Guillory of the Chicago Alliance emceed, and condemned police violence against protesters the night before. Guillory and a number of Alliance activists had been pepper-sprayed at a Black and Indigenous solidarity protest in the Loop, along with over 1000 people, many of whom were savagely beaten as well. An 18-year-old Black woman activist had her front teeth knocked out by a blow from a cop.

When the cars stopped at the 3rd District police station, located in the 6th Ward, and again at the office of 6th Ward Alderman Roderick Sawyer, protesters jumped out of cars to chalk messages on the sidewalk to demand “CPAC now!”

Frank Chapman, field organizer of the Chicago Alliance, stated, “Saturday was an opening salvo of what we’re going to be doing on the South Side going forward. We’re putting feet on the ground in these wards to send the message to these alderpersons to support CPAC. We’re organizing door by door, neighborhood by neighborhood.”

#ChicagoIL #OppressedNationalities #PeoplesStruggles #AfricanAmerican #PoliceBrutality #RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem #Antiracism #CAARPR #NationalDayOfProtest #CommunityControlOfThePolice

Protesters demanded that Floyd’s, Taylor’s and Arbery’s killers be arrested and jailed, while the millions who are trapped in prisons, jails, and immigrant detention centers be freed from the threat of COVID-19. Finally, the many thousands who lifted their voices demanded the inalienable democratic right for communities to decide who polices them and how they are policed.

Cities participating in the Alliance’s National Day of Action included, Washington, DC; Los Angeles, CA; Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Tampa, Miami and Pensacola, FL; Chicago, IL; Louisville, KY; Baltimore, MD; Minneapolis and Saint Paul, MN; Saint Louis, MO; New York, NY; Cincinnati and Columbus, OH; Portland, OR; Dallas, Austin and Houston, TX; Salt Lake City, UT; Seattle, WA, and Milwaukee, WI.

Everywhere, protesters marching against police violence were met with police forces who brutalized them – gassing, beating, shooting and arresting thousands.

A statement from the Alliance noted, “The lethal barbarism of America’s militarized system of racism and repression was on full display for the world to see. This only underscores the urgency behind the Alliance’s demand for elected community control of the police – in order to prevent the next George Floyd! In order to ensure that millions of Black and brown people are never again corralled into prisons and left to die! And in order to defend our right to organize for systemic change against a regime that is killing us! Because one thing was made clear on Saturday: If we are to enjoy any democratic rights in this country, we must have community control of the police now!”

#ChicagoIL #OppressedNationalities #PeoplesStruggles #AfricanAmerican #PoliceBrutality #RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem #Antiracism #PoliticalRepression #NationalAllianceAgainstRacistAndPoliticalRepression #NationalDayOfProtest #MinneapolisUprising

Los Angeles, CA – On Saturday, May 30 at 3 p.m. Centro Community Service Organization (CSO) will be participating in the National Day of Protest to demand the mass release of all prisoners due to COVID-19. The action is called by the National Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression and CSO is an affiliated organization with the Alliance. We are protesting the murders of Ahmaud Aubery in Georgia, Breonna Taylor in Louisville, and George Floyd in Minneapolis because they are outraging, and we must demand justice. This lynch-style, racist terrorism must stop and perpetrators must be punished.

The Boyle Heights action will take place at Mariachi Plaza located at 1831 E 1st Street, Los Angeles, CA 90033. Participants are encouraged to bring their own posters, masks and to practice social distancing.

“In Boyle Heights and East LA we have our very long list of Chicano victims,” says longtime Chicano revolutionary Carlos Montes. “From 14-year-old Jesse Romero to 16-year-old Jose Mendez, both killed in 2016. Anyone who is angered by injustices to our people, should join us!”

Questions regarding the event should be directed to Carlos Montes, Event Coordinator 213-712-0370 or Sol Marquez, Event Coordinator at 323-401-0433 marquez.j.marisol@gmail.com, centrocso@gmail.com

#LosAngelesCA #OppressedNationalities #PoliceBrutality #PeoplesStruggles #AfricanAmerican #ChicanoLatino #RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem #Antiracism #CentroCSOCommunityServiceOrganization #NationalDayOfProtest

The country has been riven by the murder of Floyd, who died after a Minneapolis police officer put his knee directly on Floyd’s neck while he struggled for air and said repeatedly that he couldn’t breathe. The murder was caught on film, and as a result, more than 20,000 people took to the streets of Minneapolis May 26 to demand justice, only to be met with tear gas and rubber bullets.

Far fewer people have heard of Bernardo Palacios, shot dead over the weekend by the Salt Lake City Police Department. Officials have so far refused