New Orleans, LA – On September 20, workers at French Truck Coffee in the French Quarter voted 8-0 to unionize. The French Quarter is the city’s tourism hub and generates billions each year. But hospitality workers often work for low wages and no benefits at non-union small or mid-sized businesses. This is the first workplace of this kind to unionize. It is also the first union at French Truck, an expanding regional coffee chain.

New Orleans, LA – On September 14, volunteers petitioned outside of five non-union Starbucks to rally customers against the company’s union busting.

New Orleans, LA- On August 12, New Orleans students and their supporters demonstrated during a 120-degree heat index against the potential U.S. intervention in the West African country of Niger. They gathered on the University of New Orleans campus with the group Students United UNO and chanted under a Nigerien flag and a banner reading “US: Hands off Africa.” Demonstrators passed information handouts to students as they returned to campus on move-in day.

New Orleans, LA – On August 9, a determined assembly of demonstrators gathered at the University of New Orleans, uniting in support of the Tampa 5. Despite the relentless summer heat, these committed activists collected petition signatures, amplifying the call for the dismissal of baseless charges.

New Orleans, LA – On July 12, a dozen activists representing several organizations gathered on the steps of New Orleans City Hall to demand justice for the Tampa 5. That day, the five University of South Florida activists – Laura Rodriguez, Gia Davila, Lauren Pineiro, Jeanie Kida and Chrisley Carpio – faced trumped up felony charges in a Tampa court. Protesters demanded the charges unjustly leveled by District Attorney Susan Lopez against the five be dropped.

New Orleans, LA – On July 1, fifteen people gathered for a panel at the Nora Navra Library to hear report backs from the successful unionization of two local Starbucks coffee stores. The panel also included a report from the frontlines of the UPS-Teamster contract negotiations.

New Orleans, LA – June 28 at 8:30 a.m., a dozen people rallied outside the Hale Boggs Federal Building on Poydras Street with New Orleans for Community Oversight of the Police (NOCOP). They demanded the New Orleans Police Department Consent Decree, the most expansive one in the nation, not be waived.

New Orleans – On June 24, members of New Orleans for Community Oversight of Police (NOCOP) hosted a community discussion on the New Orleans Police Department federal consent decree. About 20 people were in attendance at the Nora Navra Library. Independent Police Monitor of the New Orleans Police Department, Stella Cziment, shared information about the consent decree in light of the city’s attempts to terminate federal police oversight.

New Orleans, LA – Activists convened in an open forum, June 22, hosted by members of an LGBTQ delegation that visited Cuba in early May. About 25 others joined virtually. Gregory William from the Women in Struggle / Mujeres en Lucha and Serena Sojic-Borne of Real Name Campaign New Orleans spoke as delegation members. Speaker Verde Gil Jimenez, a coordinating member of the Trans Masculine Group of Cuba, attended remotely from Santa Clara.

New Orleans, LA – On May 22, workers at Starbucks on Poydras Street won their union election in an 11 to 5 vote. This is the second Starbucks to unionize in the state of Louisiana and the first with a majority-Black workplace. Baristas complain of unpredictable schedules, insufficient hours, lack of seniority-based promotions, and unsafe working conditions. On Mardi Gras day, a customer reached across the bar to punch a barista. Corporate only approved that customer’s ban after the union drive began, months later.