News and Views from the People's Struggle
New Orleans, LA – On a sunny afternoon, May 1, about 70 demonstrators took to the streets downtown for May Day. They marched from the statue of Benito Juárez at Basin and Conti Street to City Hall. The event commemorated International Workers Day, a celebration of workers’ and immigrants’ struggles for our freedom and dignity.
Baton Rouge, LA – On April 12, around 50 LGBTQ people and their supporters gathered for a united march at the Louisiana State Capitol building. The protest was mainly attended by transgender teens from across Louisiana, flying trans flags and waving signs. LGBTQ minors are the target of at least ten right-wing bills in the state legislature. These bills include potential bans on LGBTQ-themed books, restrictions on trans medical care, and bans on teachers using correct names and pronouns.
New Orleans, LA – On April 14, employees at the Starbucks on Poydras Street filed for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board. The store is located in a downtown hotel building, mainly serving tourists, professionals and workers in the area. Over 70% of staff support unionizing.
New Orleans, LA – On Friday, March 31, hundreds marched from Washington Square Park to Jackson Square to celebrate Trans Day of Visibility. The marchers also gathered in response to nine anti-LGBTQ bills being considered by the Louisiana legislature. These bills reflect a growing crisis of targeted attacks against LGBTQ youth.
New Orleans, LA – On Friday, March 31, close to 300 students at Benjamin Franklin High School walked out of school during last period. They demanded a stop to bills in the Louisiana legislature that target LGBTQ kids. Students gathered on the school’s front lawn to hear speeches by their trans classmates. The event coincided with national Trans Day of Visibility.
New Orleans, LA – On Tuesday March 28, dozens of students at Loyola University of New Orleans and the University of New Orleans hung banners at their respective schools displaying the slogans: “Defend diversity, equity and inclusion,” “Protect student multicultural organizations” and “Increase Black enrollment!”
New Orleans, LA – On March 22, a group of LGBTQ activists interrupted a public interview with Governor John Bel Edwards at Loyola University. They unfurled a banner reading “Gov. Edwards: Will you veto hate?” Ed Abraham, the main protest speaker, demanded that Edwards commit to vetoing all bills threatening LGBTQ rights in the Louisiana legislature. Edwards did not deliver a commitment, and Loyola police removed protesters from the venue. The activists left chanting, “Defend trans kids! Veto hate!”
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from New Orleans Immigrant Rights Action.
New Orleans, LA – On March 11, protesters took to the streets to demand the release of Venezuelan diplomat and political prisoner Alex Saab. The march began at Armstrong Park, where activist Simon Miscenich of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization spoke on the details of Alex Saab’s kidnapping and impending trial.
New Orleans, LA – On March 10 members of several student and community organizations rallied in front of the Fifth District Federal Courthouse in New Orleans. They gathered to celebrate International Women’s Day and to speak out against the continuing attacks on reproductive healthcare and LGBTQ rights.
New Orleans, LA – On Thursday, March 9, over a dozen students at the University of New Orleans rallied at the school administrative building. They demanded that the Florida State Attorney drop all charges against four University of South Florida students who were brutalized and then arrested earlier in the week.
New Orleans, LA – On March 3 dozens of protesters gathered in front of the downtown New Orleans Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office to express solidarity with 300 ICE detainees at Lasalle Detention Center. The immigrants began a hunger strike on Monday, February 27, and the Detention Watch Network broke the news Thursday evening. Protesters united behind the strikers’ demands for their immediate release, transparency from ICE about their court cases, and access to basic hygiene necessities.
New Orleans, LA – On Sunday morning, February 12, about 30 protesters gathered at the Roosevelt Hotel to rally against LGBTQ book bans. They then marched down Canal Street to the Main Library. Sunday was a parade day during Mardi Gras, when protests are usually rare because of the traffic and attention of the city’s carnival season.
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement by the Real Name Campaign NOLA.
New Orleans, LA – On Monday, January 30, 100 demonstrators rallied at city hall to call for justice for Tyre Nichols and all victims of police crimes. They then marched to Jackson Square, a tourist hub in the French Quarter. Malikah Asante-Chioke spoke about her father who was killed by Louisiana state police.
New Orleans, LA – Students United, a group of student organizers at the University of New Orleans, voted unanimously to affiliate with the New Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) in January 2023. With their affiliation, SDS has come to New Orleans’ largest public university. This group waged a successful campaign against a UNO fee hike in 2022, and will continue to build the student movement on campus.
New Orleans, LA – On January 13, concerned Louisiana residents began submitting online tips flagging perverse heterosexual books in school libraries. They responded to state Attorney General Jeff Landry, who on November 28 set up a “tip line” for reporting “taxpayer-subsidized sexualization of children.”
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from New Orleans for Community Oversight of Police and Real Name Campaign NOLA.
New Orleans. LA – The New Orleans LGBT Center, in collaboration with the Real Name Campaign, held a candlelight vigil on November 21. The vigil was organized after reports spread across the country of a mass-shooting that targeted Club Q, an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs.
New Orleans, LA – On Saturday, November 5, a group of women and LGBTQ people gathered at the LGBT Community Center to address gender violence in the city.