New Orleans, LA – On August 13, IAFF (International Association of Fire Fighters) Local 632 filed a lawsuit with the Civil District Court of New Orleans against the city’s Roman Nelson, the city’s fire superintendent. The union is fighting against unsafe practices like ordering unqualified fire fighters to operate the fire engines, a practice that puts workers and New Orleanians at risk.

Although staffing shortages have historically plagued the department, qualified operators could earn overtime to keep the engines running. “[But] now, we're being told we won't be compensated for this dangerous and often unqualified work. And if we refuse, we risk being fired,” explained Aaron Mischler, president of Local 632.

The conflict between Local 632 and the city came to a head in the beginning of August, when three fire stations were forced to temporarily cease operations due to severe staffing shortages. “When we took this drastic measure, the city finally relented and allowed us to pay guys overtime to keep services up and running,” said Aaron Mischler.

The city of New Orleans has repeatedly attacked workers’ wages to compensate for severe fiscal mismanagement. Mayor Helena Moreno announced layoffs, hiring freezes and furloughs as soon as she took office in November 2025. “We're a public union, we don't generate income, we'll always be a red line. They're always looking to cut corners on safety at the detriment of us and the public,” argued Mischler.

While the legal battle continues, some local news outlets are blaming the union for the city’s failures. Local 632 firefighters want to set the record straight on who the real instigator of this fight is. “Even if you see station closures, we will always get the job done. We put ourselves on the line every day for the people's safety. There's nothing the public has to worry about, this is a fight between us and the city. The city is choosing to do this, not us firefighters,” asserted Mischler.

New Orleanians should keep an eye out for announcements from IAFF Local 632 for future calls to action and solidarity in their ongoing struggle against Roman Nelson and company.

#NewOrleansLA #LA #Labor #Firefighters #IAFFLocal632

New Orleans, LA – On Aug 11, Shanta Scott met with the office of Mayor Helena Moreno to demand justice for her son, Jace Lee Scott. Jace was killed in 2019 by the son of NOPD officer Victor Gant Jr., who now serves on the mayor’s security team. Scott maintains that police led a sham probe to cover up her son’s murder. A dozen protesters joined her outside of City Hall in support.

They chanted, “Victor Gant Jr. what do you say? What protocol did you break today?!” and “How do you spell accountability? F – I – R – E, G – A – N – T!”

Shanta Scott told protesters, “Seems like they have people in high places, I’m going in there to bring them down a little bit.”

After kicking off the rally, Shanta Scott went into City Hall. She was joined by Toni Mar of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. The two met with the mayor’s chief of staff, Kevin Ferguson.

Scott demanded that Victor Gant Jr. be fired. She showed Ferguson audio recordings of Gant's son, Andrew Gant, being interrogated for Jace Lee Scott’s killing. The audio revealed NOPD officer Victor Gant Jr. clearly present at his son’s own interrogation. Audio and body camera footage also showed Andrew’s mother and uncle entering the interrogation room. Andrew Gant’s mother can be heard saying, “You’re going to be home by tonight” and that she would call the judge overseeing the case.

“When Andrew killed Jace, he got to have his family come and comfort him. But where’s my comfort?” Shanta Scott asked Ferguson.

On Nov 24, 2019, Andrew Gant shot Jace Lee Scott in the neck at the Southern University of New Orleans campus. Scott bled to death. That night, Andrew Gant fled the scene and called his father Victor Gant Jr. of the NOPD. Gant told his son to put his clothes in a bag as evidence and drove him to the 3rd district police station.

Despite Andrew Gant being depicted with gloves and a cell phone on campus surveillance tape, these items were not found in evidence. Homicide detective Rob Barrere, a close colleague of Victor Gant Jr., led the interrogation of Victor Gant and Andrew Gant. Both lasted less than ten minutes. NOPD developed a narrative that Jace and Andrew were both “play-fighting with guns.” No evidence was ever submitted confirming that Jace Lee Scott possessed a gun. Andrew Gant was charged with “negligent homicide” and “obstruction of justice.” He was released on an exceptionally low $12,500 bail. He was later convicted and sentenced to no prison time.

In his meeting with Shanta Scott and Toni Mar, Ferguson said that he would reach out to Deputy Mayor of Public Safety Michael Harrison. He said that he would make contact with Harrison in the next week to learn more about the investigation.

#NewOrleansLA #LA #InJusticeMovement #NOAARPR #NAARPR

New Orleans, LA – On the evening of Friday, August 7, around 30 people gathered at the downtown Hilton hotel to protest the local Democratic Party’s decision to platform Vice President Kamala Harris. Protesters demanded that Harris take a stance against the genocide in Palestine that started under her administration.

New Orleans Stop Helping Israel’s Ports (NOSHIP) led the noise demonstration, confronting wealthy donors to the Louisiana Democratic Party, which charged up to $10,000 to attend their “Masquerade Sneaker Ball.”

“While your constituents were begging for you to condemn the genocide in Gaza and end aid to Israel, you ignored them,” Miriam Lovelace, a member of NOSHIP, declared. For Lovelace, and everyone else present, Harris and the Democratic Party’s role in the genocide already doomed her chances, but her inability to meet the material needs of the people were evident as well.

“Your stance on Gaza lost my vote, but I think a lot of people just wanted a little hope for a better future, of which you offered none. Just snarky one-liners and a Dick Cheney endorsement,” Lovelace said.

Before the demonstration, NOSHIP issued three demands of Vice President Harris: arms embargo on Israel; end all U.S. aid to Israel, and, stop the U.S./Israeli enocide in Gaza. Kamala Harris failed to endorse those positions.

Rosalina Framboise, speaking on behalf of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, criticized Vice President Harris for her role in the genocide. “Kamala Harris and Joe Biden not only ‘stood back’ and ‘stood by’ as Israel conducted a live-streamed genocide of the Palestinian people, but they have actively aided and abetted this carnage by sending billions of dollars to Israel.”

Throughout the evening, protesters were joined by supportive hotel guests who came down to hold signs and chant, hospitality workers and taxi drivers who waved and honked in support, and cyclists who rang their bells. Even the occasional fundraiser participant was sympathetic to the cause, raising their fists in solidarity or approaching to inquire about the cause.

NOSHIP members observed that this was the very same hotel and venue where they were thrown out earlier this year for demanding that the DNC and their Chairperson Ken Martin release the election autopsy report.

“The 2024 DNC postmortem told us something we already knew, that Harris’s complicity and backing of the genocide in Gaza was a major factor contributing to her loss,” Lovelace added.

Demonstrators also condemned both U.S. Representative Troy Carter and Mayor Helena Moreno for their inaction when anti genocide activists tried to stop shipments of arms from the Port of New Orleans. Other speakers invoked the name of Tawfic Abdel Jabbar, of nearby Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. Jabbar was the first American killed in the occupied West Bank since October 7, 2023. There was complete silence from the local Democratic Party around his death.

Closing out her speech, Lovelace concluded, “To Kamala Harris, to Ken Martin, to Troy Carter, and every other politician who wants the support of the people, we demand you call for an end to all U.S aid to Israel. We demand you call for an arms embargo on Israel and a stop to the U.S.-Israeli genocide in Palestine.”

#NewOrleansLA #LA #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #KamalaHarris #NOSHIP

New Orleans, LA – On August 8, a crowd of about 40 people gathered to protest the Trump regime’s recent attacks on Haitian immigrants. The protest demanded an end to mass deportations and for legalization for all immigrants. Nationwide protests broke out in response to a call to action from the Legalization for All Network.

The Department of Homeland Security officially revoked TPS (Temporary Protected Status) for over 300,000 Haitian and Syrian immigrants, immediately putting them in danger of deportation. TPS includes work authorizations, and this revocation triggered immediate layoffs for all workers impacted.

Protesters chanted, “No human is illegal, all power to the people!” and held picket signs that read “Stop the mass deportation of Haitians!” and “Down with ICE terror!” Many attendees were already involved in some form of anti-ICE activism, from know-your-rights trainers to court watch organizers.

“It is important that we recognize that this administration is targeting Haitian immigrants particularly because [this administration] are racists, and we know this because they say it proudly! We must fight against these deportations not just in words, but with our hands and fists, raised against these tyrants,” affirmed Toni Jones, a member of the New Orleans Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.

Rosalina Framboise, a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization spoke about Haiti’s revolutionary history, “The Haitian people were daring to struggle and daring to win when the United States barely had recognition. The powers that be are terrified of Haiti and its people because they know that if Haiti can kick their French oppressors out of power, so can every oppressed people – so can the workers and nationally oppressed of this country.”

The organizations who sponsored the protest included the Ben Gordon Freedom Caravan, Louisiana for Collective Liberation, New Orleans Nurses United New Orleans Alliance Against Racist And Political Repression, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and New Orleans Stop Helping Israel’s Ports, and more.

#NewOrleansLA #LA #ImmigrantRights #Haiti #TPS

New Orleans, LA — On Monday July 28, around 20 community members gathered outside the Hale Boggs Federal Building to demonstrate against the brutal murder of Corey Ruiz by police in Madison, Wisconsin. The action was called by the New Orleans Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NOAARPR).

Protesters held signs calling for an end to police terror and demanding community control of the police. They chanted to demand accountability: “Cell blocks for crooked cops!” and “Justice for Corey Ruiz!”

NOAARPR has been leading the charge against police crimes in New Orleans, fighting to get justice for Jace Lee Scott, whose murder, by the son of New Orleans Police Officer Victor Gant Jr, was covered up by local officials. His mother, Shanta Scott, urged people to continue organizing saying, “The people have to get out here and put our boots to the ground and show them that they can’t keep killing our children!”

Speaking for Freedom Road Socialist Organization, activist Toni Mar said, “We’re tired of hearing the same thing every time [the police] kill somebody in the streets. The time for talking is over, we want results!”

Protesters vowed to keep struggling for justice for all those affected by police brutality.

“Every life that is taken by the police has the potential to turn this country on its head, and that's exactly what we want to see!” said Mar.

#NewOrleansLA #LA #InjusticeSystem #CoreyRuiz

New Orleans, LA – On Sunday, July 26, activists and community members gathered in front of the federal building downtown to commemorate the Cuban National Day of Rebellion and demand that the U.S. cease its blockade against Cuba.

The rally occurred with a backdrop of several banners on the walls of the Hale Boggs Federal Building commemorating the 250 year anniversary of the United States. Members of New Orleans Stop Helping Israel’s Ports held up their own banner which read “No more wars for oil. End the embargo on Cuba now. Venceremos!” alongside the Cuban and Venezuelan flags.

73 years after the Cuban people kickstarted their rebellion against the U.S.-backed regime and succeeded, the U.S. government has escalated its attacks on Cuba, with intent to cause suffering and break the spirit of the Cuban people

In January, President Trump issued an executive order which effectively established a fuel blockade against Cuba, plunging the nation into a deep humanitarian crisis. Protesters gathered to demand an end to this cruel economic war on the Cuban people. Despite the decades of U.S. sanctions that have plagued the Cuban population, the Cuban people have continued to resist U.S. interference in their politics and economic life.

Rose Framboise of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization made a point to read excerpts from Secretary of State Rubio’s recent inflammatory report on Cuba, which she quoted verbatim: “‘In Cuba’s telling, the oppressed peoples of the world from Harlem to Hanoi all share one enemy: the same racist Yankee imperialism victimizing Africa, Asia, Latin America was victimizing Blacks and other minorities in the United States.’ I appreciate your candor, Marco Rubio – it seems like a pretty fine analysis to me!” said Framboise.

The Trump administration’s increasing economic and political pressure against Cuba is only becoming less popular. Recent polls from May show that only 15% of Americans support U.S. intervention in Cuba, with over 64% completely opposing U.S. war in the country. The crowd echoed that sentiment by chanting “Cuba sí, bloqueo no!” and “Biggest threat to the world today, Donald Trump and the USA!”

#NewOrleansLA #LA #International #Cuba

New Orleans, LA – On the morning of July 20, Shanta Scott and a group of supporters showed up at city hall to deliver a letter to the mayor and request a meeting. Participants wore t-shirts reading “Justice for Jace Lee Scott” as they walked into the building.

After waiting for the second floor to open at 9 a.m., the group went upstairs to the mayor’s office. They spoke briefly with security who brought out Director of Executive Affairs Leo Maya to greet the group.

“I emailed [the mayor], we’re coming up here to find out if she got the letter. Officer Victor Gant’s son murdered my son. [Gant] has broken protocol in my son’s death investigation and I have been reaching out to her so we can talk,” said Shanta Scott, mother of Jace Scott, to Amaya. She also requested confirmation that her emails are being received by the office, after an employee told her the new mayor’s inbox had not been set up yet earlier this year.

Activists were able to confirm with Amaya that the office did receive the February 9 email. He also took the physical copy of Scott’s letter and assured the group the mayor’s office would reach out about scheduling a meeting. When asked how long this process would take, Amaya claimed he could not provide more information.

“I will bring this up the proper channels so that we can handle it in the most respectful and sensitive way possible,” Amaya told Scott.

“If we don’t hear from y’all in a week, we’ll be back. We’re going to keep it pushing,” said activist Toni Mar with the New Orleans Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. “We want to make sure all of this information about Gant gets pushed up the chain to the mayor so she can help us get justice.”

Just before leaving, Amaya came back out and told Shanta Scott the office sent a response via email and post. The group walked out and chanted “Justice for Jace!” before leaving city hall.

Scott sent a letter to Moreno in February 2026 demanding that New Orleans Police Department officer Victor Gant Jr be investigated and fired for breaking protocol in the case of Jace Lee Scott’s murder in 2019. The killer was his own son, Andrew Gant. Instead of recusing himself from the case, Gant Jr accompanied his son in an NOPD “interrogation” by fellow friend and Homicide Detective Rob Barrere which lasted less than ten minutes. This is just the surface of favoritism and corruption in the case, which includes sloppy paperwork, hasty interviews, improper collection of evidence, and more. Since 2019, Gant Jr has been promoted to work under the mayor.

#NewOrleansLA #LA #InJusticeSystem #KillerCops

New Orleans, LA – On July 15, former Dollar General employees rallied at the site of their former store on Earhart Boulevard to protest the company’s decision to close the store and terminate all employees without notification, severance pay or the ability to transfer to the only remaining location in Orleans Parish.

“I tried the transfer. They blocked all of us out of the system,” former employee David Williams said at the event.

Members of the Liberate and Unite New Orleans chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (LUNO SDS) were also in attendance to express their solidarity with the fired workers.

LUNO SDS member and UPS worker Silas Gillett stated, “I just found out the other day that they’re shutting our warehouse down.” He continued to draw parallels between UPS and the Dollar General closure saying, “No transfers, no severance – they’re just laying people off; that’s all we get. if they can do this to one of us, they can do this to all of us. We’ve got to show up and show out for each other.”

Workers also spoke on the hypocrisy demonstrated by Dollar General’s rejection of their “core values” when it comes to how they treat their employees. Former employee Sunshine Best said, “Dollar General says in this mission statement is ‘serving others.’”

Best continued, “Communities deserve honesty. Workers deserve respect, and accountability requires fairness.”

Through store closures and the blatant disrespect that these workers have faced, Dollar General has firmly communicated what it thinks of our communities and of the people they need to operate. The workers, however, are not discouraged. They chanted, “Worker’s rights, day and night! This ain’t right, we’re gonna fight!”

#NewOrleansLA #LA #Labor

New Orleans, LA- On July 4, downtown in Lafayette Square, a crowd of about 100 people participated in an anti-imperialist rally and march. The action was organized by local anti-Zionist organization New Orleans Stop Helping Israel’s Ports (NOSHIP) and was endorsed and attended by several local New Orleans groups.

Speakers included activists from the anti-war movement, Indivisible, and the movement for police accountability. Although every speaker used their own words and language, every speech had one through-line, demanding an end to US wars for blood and oil.

The rally chanted and marched in 95-degree heat to Jackson Square to unveil a banner that read “250 years of imperialism, oppression & war” to passersby on the scorching Saturday afternoon.

Rosalie Framboise of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization declared to the crowd, “We are here on the 250th anniversary of the American empire, a hydra that has strung its tentacles all over the world, in pursuit of raising its stock price, and manifesting the destiny of the billionaire, monopoly capitalists who control it.” Framboise went on to decry how Donald Trump wants us to celebrate American wars and empire.

In conjunction with NOSHIP’s action, high school student activist groups Student Action Movement (SAM) and Students for Resistance (SFR) spoke against the development of a planned AI Hyperion data center along Louisiana Highway 183, emphasizing the threat that data center expansion poses to the environment.

“We are out here in the streets protesting imperialism, oppression and war that the U.S. has been engaging in for 250 years,” said one of the organizers of the action. “We’re angry, and it’s hot as hell but we’re fired up, we’re mad, and we’re not going to stop.”

Despite the incredible heatwave in New Orleans city, the locals came out in droves either to actively participate in the march, or clearly show solidarity with our united messaging.

#NewOrleansLA #LA #AntiWarMovement #AWAn #NOSHIP

New Orleans, LA – On Monday, June 29, a small crowd of community activists packed the city council audience for the Criminal Justice Committee meeting to keep up pressure for the family of Jace Lee Scott. Scott was a 19-year-old Black teenager murdered in 2019 by Andrew Gant, the son of New Orleans police officer Victor Gant Jr.

Jace’s mother, Shanta Scott, as well as activists from the New Orleans Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, rallied before the meeting wearing t-shirts that read “Justice for Jace Lee Scott” and signs that read “Fire crooked cop Victor Gant Jr.” After a brief rally, the protesters went inside the chambers with paper signs bearing the same slogans.

The Criminal Justice Committee heard reports across the policing and law departments in the city, from the Sheriff’s Office to Juvenile Court and more. Speakers gave public comment on the reports from the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) and the district attorney’s office respectively.

“Every family deserves confidence that a homicide investigation was conducted fairly without conflicts of interest,” said Shanta Scott to city council members and NOPD officials. “I am asking the NOPD homicide department to release the videos I have been asking for in my public records requests.”

Jace’s murder case is closed as a “negligent homicide” due to a plea deal, yet Shanta Scott reports some of the files in her son’s case are still sealed without any legal reasoning. The CDs she received from NOPD with supposed evidence were completely blank.

“It’s the responsibility of the district attorney’s office to stand up to crime, not just between people on the street, but also crime between police and civilians. We want you to take a real role in helping us look at this case. We’re here because we care, and if you care too we want you to stand with us,” said Toni Mar of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization to District Attorney Jason Williams.

In 2019, Gant Jr. was present during his own son’s interrogation and drove his son along with crime scene evidence to the NOPD station instead of calling 911 and leaving it to other officers to do proper intake. His actions broke several statutes of proper protocol. Jace’s family maintains that even beyond the mishandling of Jace’s murder, Gant Jr. has a history of misconduct, violence and corruption, and they demand he be fired from the force.

#NewOrleansLA #LA #InjusticeSystem #PoliceAccountability #OppressedNationalities #JaceLeeScott #NAARPR

New Orleans, LA – On Juneteenth, June 19, 40 people braved the threatening New Orleans weather and gathered on the bricked pavement outside the federal building on Poydras Street to rally for victims of police murder and Black voting rights.

Just five days earlier, police officers in Senatobia, Mississippi, opened fire on a car in a Walmart parking lot, killing Kohen Wiley, a one-year-old Black baby. In stark contrast, banners for the forthcoming 250-year anniversary of the U.S. decorated the columns of the Hale-Boggs Federal Building. The banners featured the so-called Founding Fathers, many of whom owned slaves.

Sister Shanta Scott, whose own son, Jace Lee Scott, was murdered in 2019 by the son of Police Officer Victor Gant Jr., took the mic first and reminded the crowd that Juneteenth wasn’t just a celebration, it was a call to action.

“Freedom delayed is freedom denied,” Scott said, “and that lesson still applies today.” She detailed the long history of Black struggle and revolt in this country before stressing that it was our generation’s responsibility to fight for justice and accountability. “Political power is not given. Political power is organized. Political power comes from community standing together and demanding accountability.”

Scott concluded with an impassioned rendition of Sam Cooke’s A Change is Gonna Come before raising her fist and crying out, “All power to the people!”

Toni Jones of the New Orleans Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NOAARPR) addressed the crowd. She uplifted Kohen Wiley and connected that death to Jace Lee Scott’s murder.

NOAARPR will be hosting a press conference on Saturday, June 27 to call out New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno for her silence and refusal to fire Victor Gant Jr, who is under her direct employ.

#NewOrleansLA #LA #Juneteenth #NAARPR #KohenWiley #InjusticeSystem #OppressedNationalities #JaceLeeScott

New Orleans, LA – On Saturday, June 6, community members and organizers rallied for a noise demonstration outside the Ogden Art Museum's annual Magnolia Ball Fundraiser. They demanded federal murder charges be brought against Andrew Gant for his role in the 2019 murder of Jace Lee Scott. The demonstrators also demanded Gant’s father, NOPD officer Victor Gant Jr, be fired from the New Orleans Police Department for corruption.

Jace's mother, Sister Shanta Scott, has been fighting to get justice for her son Jace's murder since 2019. Through information requests, she was able to get police records that showed that Andrew Gant called his father, NOPD’s Victor Gant, before 911 as Jace was on the ground dying.

“The last thing we need is police policing the police. And the city council won't listen to us. The mayor has ignored my letters. So now we're here at this fundraising event to make sure they know we won't stop demanding justice for my son and all families impacted by police violence,” said Sister Shanta Scott to the crowd outside the event.

Over 20 people banged on drums and cookware, chanted, and blew whistles to disrupt the event and call attention to the continuing injustice.

Vonne Crandell of the New Orleans Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression highlighted the class discrepancy at play, saying, “While they [city council members, NOPD] are inside having their fancy gala, you know who's out here demanding justice? The people! And it's these same city officials that are supposed to serve us that not only turned a blind eye to this perversion of justice, they aided and abetted in this criminal cover-up.”

A friend of one of the demonstrators attended the fundraiser and informed them that Mayor Helena Moreno had opted to not show up, despite it being on her event calendar.

Moreno has been a target of the campaign since Shanta Scott sent her a letter in April 2026 demanding her to take action and fire Victor Gant Jr. The New Orleans Alliance and Jace Scott’s family plan to continue targeting the mayor’s calendar of events to pressure a response from her on the case.

#NewOrleansLA #LA #InJusticeSystem #NOAARPR #NAARPR

New Orleans, LA – On May 16, in the historic Bywater district, Freedom Road Socialist Organization hosted a comprehensive panel on Iran and the current Iran War started by U.S. and Zionist aggression. The panel also covered how this war relates to the current and historical student movement.

The panel included four activists from the local anti-war movement and student movements. All spoke on why this war is an act of aggression from U.S. imperialists and its loyal Zionist lapdog, Israel, in occupied Palestine.

Piece by piece, the panel destroyed the genocidal propaganda put out by Western media, which are hostile to anti-imperialist resistance anywhere, especially when the resistance is effective. One speaker, Miu Sims, informed the audience that this mass resistance existed in the Vietnam War student movements, as well as today on campuses. Student activists today must be unrelenting in the face of the powerful, but not unbeatable, opponent: U.S. imperialism.

The panel went on to dispel the lie that this war is being fought to “help” the women of Iran. They reminded the audience that this war benefits only the American elites, as no average American benefits from the destruction of Iranian infrastructure and the slaughter of schoolgirls.

Furthermore, the panel clarified that this war is about Iran’s role in the region’s Axis of Resistance, defending oppressed nations from constant imperialist attacks.

Charlie Schully, another member of the panel, stressed that it is important to support victory to all oppressed nations fighting against the tentacles of imperialism. Schully and the other panelist went on to say that true anti-imperialists want Iran to win decisively, as a blow to imperialism in West Asia is a blow against imperialists everywhere.

#NewOrleansLA #LA #AntiWarMovement #Iran

New Orleans, LA – A crowd of around 40 attended the NOLA Freedom Forum on May 15 to hear from local anti-war activists about their successful campaign to remove Chevron as a sponsor of French Quarter Fest. The activists, largely members of New Orleans Stop Helping Israel’s Ports (NOSHIP), presented “Stop Fueling Genocide: Chevron Out of French Quarter Fest Campaign” as a public summation of their efforts.

The struggle, called the “Chevron Out of French Quarter Fest Coalition”, brought together anti-war activists, pro-Palestine organizers, local musicians, and a robust collection of organizations such as Jewish Voices for Peace, New Orleans Democratic Socialists of America, Sunrise Movement New Orleans, and NOLA Musicians for Palestine.

NOSHIP members spoke about the primary platforms – ecocide and genocide – which formed the basis of their public campaign against Chevron.

Organizer Matt Banks spoke about the damage that Chevron has caused to the region’s coast, which led to a Plaquemines Parish jury finding the corporation liable for the loss of 50% of the parish’s land. On April 17 of this year, Chevron won a lawsuit against Plaquemines Parish at the Supreme Court, requiring the case to be removed to federal court. “But this is standard practice for Chevron,” Banks said. From Ecuador to occupied Palestine, where Chevron owns the two largest oil fields, Chevron has gotten rich off of the suffering of other nations.

The organizers explained why and how they chose French Quarter Fest as their target and how they built a strategic coalition. For 13 years, Chevron and French Quarter Fest were considered synonymous, another organizer said, pointing to their website that still features a second line parade with a “Chevron” sign on the front. Chevron Out of French Quarter Fest proved that to be untrue. They noted that, in fact, French Quarter Fest existed for 29 years without Chevron as a primary sponsor.

NOSHIP helped organize teach-ins, public campaigns, petitions and protests that built awareness, another organizer said. They conducted power mapping and identified their primary targets, and they wrote a letter to the French Quarter Fest Board asking them to drop Chevron as early as October of 2025. As a result, they could identify their allies and opponents and develop their strategy. The Coalition got hundreds of signatures on their petition the day they launched their campaign in October.

Melina Diner, another organizer with NOSHIP, discussed the timeline of the coalition’s success and their planned action with the musicians. On February 20, they learned that Chevron would be completely pulling out of its sponsorship of French Quarter Fest in 2027, but they would still sponsor the event this year. This allowed the organizers time to plan an “Oil Free Afterparty” to celebrate.

At French Quarter Fest, instead of staging a disruption, attendees handed out small Palestine flags, donned keffiyehs, and wore “Chevron Out” shirts. The public and the musicians supported them. Four bands in total made statements in support of Palestine, Diner noted. The New Orleans Police Department was ruthless, however, threatening to escalate against them for wearing matching shirts and giving out flags. “But, you’re wearing matching shirts and wearing flags too!” Diner said, evoking laughter from the audience.

The public summation closed with a message of hope, noting that Chevron Out got their lessons from successful BDS campaigns in Austin and Denver. “We hope that our campaign can help the next one win, too,” Banks said.

#NewOrleansLA #LA #NOSHIP #Palestine #AntiWarMovement

New Orleans, LA – On Friday evening, May 1, a crowd of about 50 community members marched from a statue of Benito Juarez to the New Orleans City Hall for International Workers’ Day. Despite the pouring rain and strong winds, the energy was high.

The action was put on by the immigrants’ rights organization Unión Migrante in coalition with several other organizations and unions. The focus of this year’s march was on ending police and ICE collaboration, defending labor rights, and legalization for all.

Protesters chanted slogans such as “¡No somos criminales, somos esenciales!” (“We're not criminals, we’re essential!”); “¡Chinga la migra!” (“Fuck ICE”); and “Money for jobs and education, not for mass deportation!”

New Orleans has long been a center for ICE operations, with the US Citizenship and Immigration Services Southern field office – formerly located in the heart of its Central Business District. In February of this year, New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno told reporters that the New Orleans Police Department would not sign a formal cooperation agreement with ICE, but they would still “follow the law.” Under Louisiana Act 399, it is illegal for law enforcement to not alert ICE if they released someone who “either illegally entered or unlawfully remained in the United States.”

“It’s not that he [Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry] doesn’t like immigrants, he loves immigrants when it comes to his wallet,” said Alfredo Salazar, a member of Unión Migrante and a first generation Mexican immigrant. “He sends us to be locked up in private prisons that enrich themselves on human suffering.”

After hearing speeches from immigrant speakers about fighting back against Trump’s racist ICE attacks, the determined crowd took the street and marched to City Hall to hear from unions and their struggles against their bosses for better working conditions. Tulane Workers United celebrated their first tentative agreement with Tulane University after 2 years of negotiations. Nurses United members at University Medical Center kicked off a 5-day strike to pressure admin to sign their contract.

“The bankruptcy of this capitalist system has demonstrated itself again and again. The enemy is getting weaker, and we are getting stronger,” said Cristine Farah of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization. Closing out the program, she added, “The future is bright, we just have to take it!”

#NewOrleansLA #LA #Labor #ImmigrantRights #MayDay #FRSO

New Orleans, LA – Beginning at 7 a.m. on May 1, around 50 nurses, staffers and community members picketed in front of the University Medical Center (UMC) to mark the start of a five-day strike. Nurses are demanding that LCMC Health System, which runs UMC, agree to the contract that the union has been fighting for over two years. Among their demands are better wages, more staffing, and the rehiring of nurse Mike Robertshaw, who was fired for his involvement with the union.

“We’re going to light the fire of a labor movement in New Orleans that will burn bright with labor relations, living wages, comprehensive health insurance and safe staffing,” said nurse David Duplechain in a rousing speech.

The striking nurses are registered with National Nurses United and are currently the only nurses' union in the state. The union local represents over 600 nurses and was registered in December of 2023 with an 82% vote. Since forming the union, nurses at UMC have gone on strike six times now, yet the company continues to refuses to agree to a contract. Every day the nurses go on strike, LCMC pays roughly $2 million to replace them with temporary workers.

“They know that if they don’t silence us, they’ve got an infestation of union nurses,” said Kim Triplett, a nurse in the hospital’s psych unit.

At each round of negotiations so far, LCMC has refused to sign the proposed contract, even going so far as to lock striking nurses out of the hospital and fire known union organizers. The union local recently filed a grievance with the National Labor Relations Board, arguing that the company has engaged in bad-faith bargaining.

“We have filed an unfair labor practice because we are tired of their surface bargaining. We have been at this fight for two years,” said Hailey Dupre, a nurse on the bargaining team.

Despite the resistance from management and high turnover rates, the nurses have not let up.

“I have fought for this community all my life, and I’m not gonna stop. We are going to win this,” said Terry Mogilles, who has been a nurse for several decades now.

#NewOrleansLA #LA #Labor #Strike #Nurses

New Orleans, LA – On April 17, 30 community members gathered outside of the New Orleans immigration court to protest the detention of two immigrants after their hearing on the morning of April 16. The emergency rally demanded an end to ICE presence in the immigration courts and respect for immigrants’ due process rights.

The detainees, a mother and father, were present for a routine hearing. They were detained in front of their children in a traumatic display of aggression by ICE agents.

“People heard screaming and crying. When they went to investigate, they saw the mother and father being taken away and their children were left behind,” said Rachel Taber, an organizer with Union Migrante, who called the emergency rally.

Protesters held signs that read, “Say no to deportations” and chanted “ICE out of NOLA now!” as tourists walked by, pumping fists and waving in support.

The immigration court is located in the same mall as Tiffany & Co. and Louis Vuitton, a cruel reminder that the exact same place can mean wealth and privilege for the few and incarceration and deportation for the many.

“We’ve had people here observing the immigration hearings, every day without fail, since ICE agents started coming to the court last spring. This is the first arrest at the 365 Canal Place court we’ve seen in a long time. If you don’t come to court, there's an automatic order for deportation, so it's like you're damned if you do, damned if you don't,” said Taber.

Ordinary people continue to engage in court watch and ICE watch activities in New Orleans. One attendee at the protest noticed two suspicious men taking pictures of the crowd and promptly confronted them.

“I followed them as they walked to their vehicle and asked what they were doing. They told me to mind my own business and fuck off. So, I took a picture of them and their license plate, so we can share with other ICE observers in the city,” he said, immediately notifying the crowd to be on the lookout for plainclothes agents.

Speakers emphasized the need for our movements to continue to demand full democratic rights for immigrants in the United States. “As we keep rallying and keep fighting, we need to demand justice and legalization for all,” emphasized Deborah Alvarenga, an organizer with Union Migrante.

#NewOrleansLA #LA #ImmigrantRights #ICE #Featured

New Orleans, LA — About 50 students and community members rallied on Wednesday, April 15, in protest outside an event hosting two Israeli Defense Forces reservists. The event was called “Triggered: From Combat to Campus,” and was hosted on Tulane University’s main campus by Students Supporting Israel.

“I still remember that when Students for a Democratic Society demanded that Tulane end its overwhelming support for Israel, Tulane threw the book at those students,” said Silas Gillett of Student for a Democratic Society (SDS).

Gillett continued, “They suspended them, they kicked them out of their housing. Now they have the gall to bring these evil IDF war criminals on campus instead of their own students!”

The protest was organized by Together United Louisiana (TUL) SDS with support from over a dozen other student and community organizations to demand an end to Tulane’s support for Israel. At the event inside, IDF reservists Yossi Hertz and Lior Biran tried to defend Israel, but they could not speak without hearing the chants of “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” and “Lock them up” from the rally outside.

While organizers decried the genocide of Palestinians and the IDF’s attacks on Iran and Lebanon, a small group of students waved an Israeli flag at the protest. Sruly Heller, speaking for New Orleans Stop Helping Israel’s Ports, addressed them, saying, “You absolutely desecrate the memories of our ancestors when you hold up your Zionist flags like that. My Bubbe has no cousins, and they didn’t die for your Zionist bullshit. Shame on you!”

Addressing the crowd on behalf of the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM), Leila Abu-Orf said, “I’ve watched my family home, my birthright, the one that we built after we were kicked out of our ancestral village of Isdud, now Ashdod, be burnt to rubble.” Abu-Orf continued to address the soldiers directly, firing up the crowd, “You are a band of cowards who use an AI-powered program to track your targets for drones while you shit yourself from the comfort of your armored tank out of fear of the flip-flopped freedom fighter approaching you!”

#NewOrleansLA #LA #Palestine #AntiWarMovement #StudentMovement #IDF #NOSHIP #Tulane #SDS

The New Orleans Alliance stands with Pro-Palestine student activist Rick Toledo. We demand no charges be filed against him for standing up for Palestine. On February 27, 2026, students held a sit-in at Cal Poly Tech Humboldt to demand the university divest from Israel. They bravely occupied a university building for 14 hours. We believe standing up against genocide and demanding divestment is the right thing to do.

For his participation in this action, the University is attempting to charge Rick with four bogus felonies: false imprisonment, conspiracy, battery, and assault. All for standing in a building. Together, these charges would carry 15 years of prison time. This is an outrageous attack against student free speech on campus, and a plot to scare activists into silence.

College protest is a long-standing tradition. The progressive demands of the student movement have played an important role in raising political consciousness across the country, especially the Palestine encampment movement of 2024. The encampment at Cal Poly Humboldt inspired young people across the world when it stood up against police repression. The attacks on Toledo, we believe, are also tied to this bold moment of resistance.

Since his arrest, the university has fired Rick from his teaching job. He spent time in jail without any charges and was eventually released on a 25K bond. University Police seized his electronics and tried to force him to give up passcodes, which he did not. He did the right thing, and activists can learn from his example of not telling the police a single thing.

We demand the witch hunt against Rick Toledo end immediately and no charges be filed. We uplift the public defense campaign by the Committee to Stop FBI Repression and urge organizations to:

1. Sign onto the letter by the Committee to Stop FBI repression: tinyurl.com/ricktoledosds

2. Write a statement in solidarity and submit it to stopFBI@gmail.com

3. Donate to Rick’s legal fund: tinyurl.com/toledoLDF

4. Plug in for a call-to-action on April 20 (Rick’s first hearing) by following @csfrstopfbi and @sds_humboldt

#NewOrleansLA #LA #InJusticeSystem #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #PoliticalRepression

New Orleans, LA – The Democratic National Committee met in New Orleans this week at the Hilton Riverside for their annual spring meeting. The conference rang in its second day on April 10, and blue leaders went red in the face when members confronted them on Palestine.

The spring meeting is a strategy session and networking opportunity for candidates and other members. It gives members a chance to lobby for cities to hold the 2028 Democratic National Convention. But the rising opposition to Israel drove the agenda. Several nonbinding anti-war resolutions were on the docket, although none passed. Among other causes, these resolutions condemned AIPAC, demanded an independent investigation into Trump’s massacre at a girls’ school in Minab, and set conditions for U.S. aid to Israel. Activists inside and outside the conference made their solidarity with Palestine known.

During a general session, Democratic activist and nurse India Walton stood up and interrupted the speakers. “Why are you afraid of AIPAC? Be afraid of voters!” she shouted. Walton ran a credible challenge to the incumbent Buffalo mayor in 2021. She previously served as a representative with the Service Employees International Union and was a leader in the George Floyd uprising.

Activists from New Orleans Stop Helping Israel’s Ports (NOSHIP) spoke up alongside Walton. “Free, free Palestine!” Charlie Marcotte chanted.

Outside the hotel, about 30 people protested the DNC’s lack of opposition to Israeli and U.S. wars.

“We will fight every single day, we will introduce these resolutions, we will protest, we will do everything we damn can to stop this genocide,” speaker Cameron Landin addressed the crowd. Landin is the Political Affairs Director for College Democrats of America, and served as a delegate for Georgia at the 2024 DNC. He sponsored the spring meeting’s resolution against AIPAC.

A mobile billboard truck showed a display reading “Release the autopsy!” It referred to an internal report that allegedly identifies the genocide in Gaza as an important reason for Harris’s failed 2024 presidential bid.

Protesters chanted “No boots on the ground, no jets in the air – U.S. out of everywhere!” and “They tell lies and then they bomb, first Iraq and now Iran!”

Organizers of the protest included NOSHIP, Democratic Socialists of America, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

#NewOrleansLA #LA #Palestine #Iran #AntiWarMovement #NOSHIP #DNC