Biloxi, MS – On Sunday, November 1, over 300 people from across the Black Belt South gathered in Biloxi to demand justice for Nolan Wells and all Black people who have lost their lives to racist violence. The crowd gathered beside the Golden Nugget Casino before marching across the Beach Boulevard Bridge to Ocean Springs, where Nolan Wells was born and raised.

The crowd chanted a call and response: “Nolan Wells,” “Did not drown!” as well as “No water!” with the response, “In his lungs!”

Nolan Wells was an 18-year-old Black youth who went missing after going on a July 4 trip with a group of young white men. He was later found on the shoreline of Horn Island and investigators concluded that there were no signs of foul play and that Nolan Wells simply drowned. An independent autopsy showed no sign of water in his lungs, which has provoked outrage across the country.

Several impacted Black families spoke about the loss they have endured due to racist violence, police brutality, and police corruption. Family members of Tasia Fortune, Glenn Foster Jr., Kohen Wiley and others were in attendance. Nolan Wells’ mother, Christine Wells-Wonsley, spoke about the blunt force trauma to the back of her son’s head that the autopsy revealed.

“What I gathered was that the blow to the back of his head affected his brain to where he couldn’t have swam if he wanted to. It disabled the rest of his body when that blow hit him right there,” said Wells-Wonsley. She went on to demand District Attorney McIlrath investigate who caused this blunt force trauma to her son’s head.

The crowd chanted “Damn it Bart!” in reference to one of the boys suspected of foul play who was with Wells on July 4.

The program also talked about the death of one-year-old Kohen Wiley, who was shot by Mississippi police after they wrongly accused his mother of shoplifting. November 1 would have been Kohen Wiley’s second birthday. The crowd sang Happy Birthday to him to honor his memory.

#BiloxiMS #MS #InJusticeSystem #OppressedNationalities #AfricanAmerican

Minneapolis, MN – Over 100 people gathered for a celebration of Día de los Muertos on Sunday, November 1. The event is hosted annually by El Colegio High School and Danza Ketzal Coatlicue and supported by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC).

This year the event included dance performances, a display of altars created by the hosting organizations and community members, and food. The main altar honored those who were killed at the hands of ICE since Trump started his second term. The altar had 108 candles, one for each person killed, each with their name and photograph.

The program began with a procession led by a banner that read: “7 days since ICE murdered – that we know of,” followed by the danza group at the front and community members following. The procession ended at the high school with a dance performance outside. The community was then invited inside to see the altars and enjoy food, community and a few speakers.

MIRAC member Mari Mansfield spoke at the event, “ICE’s reign of terror is so relentless that by the time we finished making the candles, ICE had killed again! 108 candles lit for the people killed by ICE – these candles also symbolize the passion and resistance that burns within us, because all the 108 people were a light in this world and we cannot rest until they get justice!”

Mansfield also highlighted MIRAC’s current campaign to make Minnesota a sanctuary state and the immigrant rights movement’s continued fight against ICE terror.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #ImmigrantRights #ICE #MIRAC #DiaDeLosMuertos #OppressedNationalities #Featured

Los Angeles, CA – On the evening of Monday, October 26, over 30 Chicanos marched on the East Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department station to denounce the collaboration of ICE and East LA Sheriffs. In California and LA county there are laws and policies that are supposed to limit and ban the collaboration of local police and federal ICE agents.

In October alone, at least three people have been kidnapped by masked ICE agents just feet outside the East Los Angeles Sheriff's Department station at Belvedere Park Lake. There have also been videos circulated online that show masked ICE agents staging in a parking lot directly in front of the sheriff’s station.

This collaboration comes as part of “Operation Safe California,” the 45-day immigration enforcement surge launched by ICE and the Department of Homeland Security.

The protest was organized by Centro CSO and began with a program of speakers from Centro CSO, Check the Sheriff Coalition and the Boyle Heights Immigrant Rights network.

Brianna Mosqueda of CSO’s Immigration Committee told the crowd, “We're here together as a group, as Centro CSO and we are not going anywhere, we are here to demand the East Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department stop collaborating with ICE.”

Emiliano Martin Del Campo of the CSO Police Accountability Committee stated, “The people have a right to know how our community is being policed, who is doing so, and how our resources are being utilized. This clear collaboration of ICE and sheriffs has to be stopped immediately to protect our community from further harm.”

Verita Topete, chair of Centro CSO’s Immigration Committee, said, “For generations, Raza in Aztlán have lived under a system that criminalizes us on one side and targets us for deportation on the other. Police violence and ICE repression work together to control and silence our people. This is national oppression, and we refuse to accept it!”

After the program, the community marched on the East Los Angeles Sheriff Station. Marchers chanted, “La migra, la policía, la misma porqueria!”

The protesters went through the yellow tape that the sheriffs put up to stop the people from reaching the station, which is supposed to be open to the public. The sheriff deputies quickly locked the station doors as the crowd of angry Chicanos approached, and the protesters proceeded to chant and bang on the glass doors.

Folks in attendance said the sheriff’s deputies will do whatever they can to stop protest, but the same deputies will look the other away when masked ICE agents kidnap raza from the public park outside. The protest ended with organizers telling those in attendance to sign up at the table and stay involved. To stay up to date, make sure to follow Centro CSO on all socials.

Update: On the morning of October 31, another person was kidnapped by ICE after being released from the custody of the sheriff's department, a clear sign that there is ongoing collaboration between LA sheriffs and ICE.

#LosAngelesCA #CA #ImmigrantRights #OppressedNationalities #Chicano #ICE #LASD

Anaheim, CA – On Tuesday, October 13, the Community Service Organization, Orange County (CSO OC) alongside the family of Albert Arzola protested outside an Anaheim City Council meeting. Matthew Compton, a member of CSO OC’s Police Accountability Committee, told the crowd, “We stand here today to demand justice for Albert Arzola. It has been 10 months, and killer cop Nathan Garcia is still on the force!”

Anaheim Officer Nathan Garcia is the officer responsible for killing 19-year-old Albert Arzola outside his mother’s home.

Compton continued, “Officer Garcia still being on the force is why we fight for community control of the police. Community control will give us, the working-class residents of Anaheim, direct authority over how we are policed, decide punishments for cops who kill or violate policy.”

After Compton’s comment, chants were hurled at the council chambers while the council meeting was ongoing. “Fuck Anaheim PD!” and “Nathan Garcia! Lock him up!” being the loudest and angriest chants. During chanting, several attendees came outside and noted that the protest could be clearly heard from inside the chambers.

Sergio Pelayo, cousin of Albert Arzola, had this to say, “Albert’s life didn’t need to end so young. He was the sweetest, most caring and thoughtful man that you would ever know. Albert had a bully within the Anaheim Police Department. Officer Nathan Garcia would sit in his car and call out and harass Albert up until his death.”

Grace Arzola, Albert’s aunt, followed, “Today, inside the council chambers, the council is going to vote to increase Anaheim PD’s budget by $9 million. Ordinary people struggle to make ends meet, but Anaheim PD wants their raise for killing people.”

During the protest, Anaheim PD officers would peer out the windows looking uncomfortable, all while the angry voices of the family rang out “Justice for Albert Arzola!”

CSO OC along with the family of Albert Arzola and residents of Anaheim will keep protesting until Officer Nathan Garcia is fired and jailed.

#AnaheimCA #CA #OrangeCounty #InjusticeSystem #AlbertArzola #KillerCop #PoliceMurder #OppressedNationalities

Milwaukee, WI – On October 22, 50 people gathered at the King Center on Milwaukee’s Northside to mark Stolen Lives Day to uplift the memories of loved ones whose lives have been stolen by police crimes.

The Cole, Sharpe, Anderson, Thomas, Robinson-Scarborough, and Lawhorn families were present as were members of Milwaukee’s Palestinian community. All these families have unjustly lost their sons and daughters to police murders and negligence. Brian Verdin, one of the original founders of the Milwaukee Alliance, gave a moving account of the dozens of families the Alliance has struggled alongside for justice over the years.

Milwaukee poets Lea V, Mario “The Poet” and Jonah Denae offered up poems that celebrated the lives lost, made space for community anger, and uplifted the importance of the struggle for justice. Denae received a standing ovation for her poem that indicted the entire system for its violence against Black men.

Taleavia Cole, the sister of Alvin Cole, who was murdered by killer cop Joseph Mensah, stated, “No punishment can bring our loved ones back, and no words can undo the devastation violence leaves behind… the conversation cannot end with just justice. We need accountability, we need transparency, we need action.”

Families needed space to grieve, but they were also angry and ready to fight back. Indictments and convictions for killer cops are a start for these families, but they plan to keep fighting until they get the whole system changed.

Cole continued, “At the end of the day we cannot fight this alone, we need more grassroots organizations like the Milwaukee Alliance, we need more alliance.”

For the last three years, the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression has hosted Milwaukee’s Stolen Lives Day.

#MilwaukeeWI #WI #InJusticeSystem #OppressedNationalities #AfricanAmerican #NAARPR #MAARPR #KillerCops

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Minnesota-based Twin Cites Coalition for Justice.

Yesterday, October 22, 2026, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced she is charging Chuck Foss with second-degree murder in the 2024 killing of Allison Lussier. This announcement comes two-and-a-half years after Allison’s body was found in her apartment.

Two-and-a-half years of Allison’s family, community and local organizers fighting for answers.

Two-and-a-half years of press conferences, rallies, meetings with police and city leadership, court hearings, and gaslighting from the mayor and the chief of police.

Two-and-a-half years of Allison’s family being retraumatized by having to convince people in power that her life mattered. That her death was worthy of investigation and that her murderer should be held accountable.

There would be no opportunity for justice for Allison today without the tireless advocacy of her aunt, Jana Williams, and community organizers who have fought to make sure Allison’s name continues to be uplifted.

Allison’s family and the Minneapolis community have been lied to continuously by the Minneapolis Police Department. Disgraced former Police Chief Brian O’Hara said publicly that Allison died from a drug overdose, with substantial evidence available to the contrary. The city auditor’s report showed that the MPD didn’t even bother to request an autopsy report before spreading false information and victim-blaming Allison for her own murder. In fact, the autopsy wasn’t requested at all until the city auditor requested it themself.

The announcement simply confirms what Allison’s family and community already knew.

If MPD had properly investigated this murder when it happened, Allison’s family could have been spared the trauma of seeing their loved one’s name dragged through the mud. Her community wouldn’t have had to do the prosecutors’ jobs for them by finding witnesses and collecting evidence to create a chargeable case.

“it’s been a long two years. You know what? Can I rest and relax tonight? Probably not, because there’s a bigger system here that needs attention,” said Jana Williams, aunt of Allison Lussier

The lack of accountability in this case demonstrates yet again that we cannot depend on the mayor to hold the police accountable. We need real mechanisms of accountability. No more toothless review boards, no more city audits that the police can refuse to participate in. This is why we are fighting for community control of the police through an all elected Civilian Police Accountability Commission.

Victims of intimate partner violence like Allison Lussier and Mariah Samuels deserve to be believed when they call for help. They deserve to be protected. And when, tragically, their lives are stolen, they deserve justice.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #InjusticeSystem #OppressedNationalities #Indigenous #AllisonLussier #PoliceAccountability #TCC4J

Chicago, IL – On October 14, over 50 Chicagoans gathered at Casa Michoacan in the Pilsen neighborhood for a town hall meeting on the ongoing campaign to end collaborations between the Chicago Police Department and federal agents. This town hall, organized by the Immigrant Rights Working Committee of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (IRWC of CAARPR), served as both a celebration of the progress that has been made on the campaign and as an open discussion of how to move forward.

This town hall comes after a recent victory in the IRWC’s campaign. After a year of pressure and mobilization at the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability’s (CCPSA , the city’s police accountability board) monthly meetings, a resolution was passed by the commission to hold special quarterly hearings regarding how CPD implements and enforces the Welcoming City Ordinance. This win signifies a new phase in this campaign.

Louise Carhart opened up the discussion addressing the basis to the campaign, stating, “A lot of people were very upset because they had seen their communities torn apart by ICE in the preceding months, and had seen very little action on any CPD collaborations that had taken place.”

She continued, “The CCPSA would be where that accountability starts, given their position at the top of the accountability bureau in Chicago. After that, there wasn’t a lot of follow up from the CCPSA, despite repeated community outcry about this issue, despite increasing reports of CPD and ICE collaboration.”

Omar Flores, a leading member of the IRWC, and someone who has been on the ground to document police collaboration, talked about how CPD escalated confrontations between federal agents and community members.

Flores stated, “A lot of CPD’s justifications to how they respond to these situations and why they do ‘crowd control’ is because they say they’re there to calm the situation. But any of us who have been in the movement for any amount of time, or even just in communities that police tend to arrest, know that they are not de-escalators. They are escalators, that is their whole goal. To go in there and make the situation worse.”

A member of Pilsen Unidos por Nuestro Orgullo (PUNO) spoke up during the discussion, “We have seen in the last month or so instances where there have been known ICE vehicles in police-only areas. This is something that we also will have to go to the CCPSA and COPA [Civilian Office for Police Accountability] you know, to raise the alarm.” They referred to instances where ICE agents have used CPD parking lots as staging grounds for raids.

Investigations into these events are currently underway, and the struggle against police collaboration is growing across the city. It has become a major criteria to the selection of the next Chicago Police Department superintendent. The campaign is far from over, and the IRWC is ready to mobilize for meetings and to the streets.

#ChicagoIL #IL #ImmigrantRights #ICE #CPD #OppressedNationalities

White Mesa, Utah – On October 17, the White Mesa community protested a harmful uranium mill, alongside other Native communities and activist groups. Protesters, many who traveled hundreds of miles in solidarity with the rural community, rallied at the White Mesa Community Center where indigenous rights activists spoke about the harms from uranium mining. After rallying, the hundreds of protesters marched five miles along the highway from the community center to the uranium mill.

White Mesa is a rural community where the majority of people are Ute Mountain Ute Tribe members who have been living with adverse health effects, high cancer rates and unsafe drinking water for decades. Just north of the community center is the White Mesa Mill, the only operating commercial uranium mill in the United States. The White Mesa Mill is owned by Energy Fuels Resource USA, a private company that is a subsidiary of Toronto-based Energy Fuels International. Radioactive ore mined from all over the world is sent to this mill for processing, with little accountability for spills and dumping during the transport of these hazardous materials.

Anferny Cly, a member of White Mesa Concerned Community, told the crowd, “The water under the mill is becoming more and more polluted and is moving toward our community. The acidity of the water is increasing, and heavy metals are rising. We used to drink the spring water for ceremonial purposes. We don’t do that anymore. We used to hunt for animals near our homes; we used to gather plants for baskets, and to eat. We don’t do that anymore as well.”

Energy Fuels has received hundreds of millions of dollars from the U.S. Department of Defense, and the facility is linked to the production of nuclear weapons. Northrop Grumman's Roy, Utah location, just a few hours’ drive north from the White Mesa community, is involved in the U.S.’s nuclear program.

The White Mesa Mill is expected to see a sharp expansion of activity as the recent de-protection of the nearby Bears Ears and Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monuments has opened up the way for nearly a hundred new mining claims to be filed. These mining claims largely benefit private interests and are destructive to lands which hold sites of historically-rooted and religious importance to the many indigenous peoples living in the area.

Navajo Nation communities downwind of the mining and refinement operations have also faced adverse health effects, with one study showing 27% of participants having high levels of uranium in their urine, compared to 5% in the overall U.S. population. Many Navajo people have died of kidney failure and cancer, conditions linked to uranium contamination. One protester's sign read “Bring cancer screening to Navajo Nation.”

The mill ties together the sovereignty and environmental struggles of many indigenous communities, such as the Havasupai, who have been fighting the Energy Fuels-owned Pinyon Plain Mine, which ships uranium to the mill directly from the Havasupai Tribe's Grand Canyon homelands.

One speaker said she spotted Pinyon Plain Mine trucks passing along the highway during her trip to the community center. American Indian Movement members who have been fighting against lithium mining in the Duck Valley Indian Reservation were also present in solidarity. Teracita Keyanna from Diné Redwater Pond Road Community spoke on her community's fight to clean up contamination and prevent in-situ recovery waste from her community being dumped at the mill.

Keyanna stated, “I was charged by our grandmother to help our community. It is one of the things that she had said to us before she passed away. She passed away from pulmonary fibrosis. We have had to watch my grandmother suffocate to death. And now we're still here, we're still fighting, and now we have allies with Yolanda, and she's got our back, and we've got her back. So thank you guys all for being here and really bring all your good vibes and everything on this mountain. We can fight this, guys. Thank you.”

The Utah Anti-War Committee was among the organizations attending this event.

To learn more about the campaign against White Mesa Mill, you can visit White Mesa Concerned Community’s website at protectwhitemesa.org.

#WhiteMesaUT #UT #Environment #Uranium #OppressedNationalities #IndigenousPeoples

Fight Back! News Service is circulating the following statement by the Twin Cities district of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization

Today, Homeland Security Investigations raided the Washington, DC home of Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. The Trump administration claims this raid was to investigate “immigration fraud,” but it’s clear as day that this is nothing more than a racist, political attack by Trump against one of his most vocal critics in Congress. Rep. Omar has taken a stand against Trump’s mass deportation machine and his racist anti-immigrant agenda, and the White House wants to punish her for that. Last week, Trump also posted a racist tirade on his social media accounts, calling on Minnesotans to “fight back” against the state being “taken over by Somali immigrants,” and threatening to send in federal forces.

Let’s be clear: the people of Minnesota, who rose up by the hundreds of thousands this winter against ICE terror and the murders of innocent people, know who our real enemies are and how to fight back. The lines have been drawn, and we’re not going to let Trump spin lies to target the Somali community. It’s time to mobilize, hit the streets, and unite all who can be united to resist the Trump administration’s campaigns of anti-immigrant terror and political repression.

Hands off Ilhan Omar! Stand with Somali immigrants!

#MinneapolisMN #MN #IlhanOmar #UnitedStates #PoliticalRepression #ImmigrantRights #OppressedNationalities #Somali

Atlanta, GA – Since 2024, Charles Brown has been bounced around the Georgia state incarceration system, from facility to facility. He has spent the last two years trying to figure out why he’s sitting behind bars and trying to obtain the documentation that can help him get out.

To better understand Charles Brown’s struggle, you’ll have to start in Crisp County, Georgia in 2014. Charles Brown was one of 300 plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit filed against the state of Georgia by the Southern Center for Human Rights (SCHR).

The SCHR argued that, from 2012 to 2014, low-income adults and juveniles were denied legal representation, appeared without lawyers at trial and were pressured into guilty plea deals. The core argument was that these individuals had their Sixth and Fourteenth Amendment rights violated. The result was “assembly line justice,” where 300 individuals were pressured to take guilty plea deals and wrongful convictions.

After some time being incarcerated and experiencing mental health battles, Charles Brown was put on parole. During his time on parole, Charles Brown routinely dealt with faulty ankle monitoring equipment. The equipment would malfunction, leading to routine check-ins by his parole officer. “I just wanted to be given a fair chance to prove that I wouldn’t violate my parole,” Brown said, describing the situation.

He told his PO about the faulty equipment, but his PO would not listen nor care. Left without much option, he reported his parole officer to the Board of Paroles and Pardons on multiple occasions. Rather than investigate the multiple reports of faulty equipment, his parole officer told him, “If you don’t bother me, I won’t bother you,” and went radio silent on him for a year.

A year went by and Brown had no contact with his parole officer with no check-ins or updates on the status, conditions or circumstances of his parole term. Then, in an act of retaliation, 72 hours before his parole officer transferred, he put out an arrest warrant for Brown.

In November 2024, Charles Brown was then arrested during a routine traffic stop. He’s since then been moved between different facilities throughout the state facing inhumane conditions.

For him, the question remains the same: “What legal instrument is being used to keep me locked up?”

No one from the state has given him a clear answer. He and his family have filed multiple open records requests in the hopes of proving his wrongful incarceration, and the state has refused to release the documents every single time. These records will clarify if there is a present legal instrument that is keeping Charles Brown incarcerated, and may be the key to his freedom.

Charles is currently seeking legal counsel so he can get this information to the right people in power in order to secure his release.

Before he was arrested, Brown was deeply involved in the community and was known for organizing with GSU students around Palestine, Haiti, and the movement for justice for Sonya Massey.

When asked about his demands, Brown stated, “Immediate release, accountability, transparency.”

#AtlantaGA #GA #InJusticeSystem #OppressedNationalities #AfricanAmerican

New York, NY – On October 9, students gathered at Garibaldi Plaza in Washington Square Park for a rally organized by the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) at NYU, to launch a new campaign by SDS demanding the NYU administration do more to better the Black student experience at NYU.

The rally was endorsed by the NYU Black Student Union, NYU Brown Sugar Brilliance and Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA) at NYU.

The campaign, with the slogan “Education is a right, not just for the rich and white! Increase Black enrollment now!” was launched publicly on October 2 and has garnered over 125 signatures. The campaign demands are: Increase Black enrollment at NYU to 20% within the next five years to match the demographics of NYC; publicly release enrollment and admissions racial data so that students can keep track of progress; create a Black space on campus within a year; release demographic data on faculty, and hire more Black faculty.

Oko Kangnigan, a member of SDS, was the protest emcee. He led protesters chants such as, “We want justice, you say how? Increase Black enrollment now!” “Black enrollment’s through the floor! We won’t take it anymore” and “Hear us admin you can’t hide! We can see your racist side!” Several people walked by taking fliers to sign on to the petition, staying around to take videos and listen to chants, and expressed their support by pumping their fists.

Several speakers talked about their experiences as Black students at NYU and called out the failure of the administration to make them feel welcomed on campus. They highlighted the necessity to organize and fight for a place on campus and to better the Black student experience through these demands.

“I started by asking ‘Do I really belong here?’ but I want NYU to start answering a different question: ‘What is the admin willing to do to make sure Black students know that we belong here?’ Not just a statement, not just a website, not just in a diversity brochure. But in the classrooms, in the faculty, in the enrollment numbers, the resources and the spaces we are given. As Black students, we do belong here,” said Raoul Estinvil, who is a Black student at NYU.

“We deserve community and the opportunity to take as much space as we possibly need here. It is simply not enough for them to include us in their pedagogies. We must be the ones to tell our own stories. To take back the pens and data used to talk about us as though we have no mouths for ourselves,” said Tapuwanashe Hightower, who spoke for YDSA, adding, “We are not asking, we are demanding for the increase of Black enrollment at NYU.”

“Black students have received threats on our lives that were not properly addressed by the administration, we have watched individuals try to bring white supremacists onto this campus, and we have had our university’s systems hacked, with our intelligence slandered with racial slurs, and our achievements dismissed with the lie that we only got in due to affirmative action. These are realities we have lived through, and the administration’s response has too often been silence, delay or half measures. So yes, we want more Black students at NYU, but we also want a campus where those students can thrive, not just survive. Administration needs to be held accountable, and answer for the harms that have been done and to commit to real, structural change,” read a statement from the Black Student Union, which was read aloud by Jolin Wu, a member of SDS.

“Black students have worked hard for their position at NYU, and we have had to overcome barriers within education and it won't stop now. We will not stop until NYU gives in to our demands! So, my fellow classmates and peers, I implore you. Get out! Come to protests, come to rallies, come to speak-outs because NYU cannot silence your voice!” said Kangnigan in his speech to end the rally.

After speakers, protesters marched through Washington Square Park. Police followed them from behind, in an attempt to intimidate them. Protesters marched to Bobst Library and stopped right in front. To end off the rally, Kangnigan led the crowd in doing a chant, “Dare to struggle! Dare to win!”

#NewYorkNY #NY #StudentMovement #OppressedNationalities #AfricanAmerican #SDS #NYUBSU

Los Angeles, CA – John Sermeno was once a gang member who would go on to become a revolutionary and Marxist-Leninist. He died on August 12, 2026. Born August 2, 1944, Sermeno was raised in Boyle Heights’ Ramona Gardens housing projects. In his youth he joined the Big Hazard gang.

I first met John in Boyle Heights during the rise of Chicano Power movement. I was in the Brown Berets, John was part of forming La Junta. La Junta united gang members to promote peace in the neighborhoods and social activism. He later was part of forming La Colectiva, a revolutionary group that began to study Mao Tse Tung and other Marxist readings. He was instrumental in recruiting gang members to the Chicano movement and to socialism.

John participated in various Chicano movement activities, but I remember him participating in the Chicano Moratorium of December 20, 1969 (the first), when we protested the Vietnam war and the higher casualty rates of Chicanos. He later joined the La Raza Unida Party Labor Committee and then the August Twenty-Nine Movement (ATM), where he began labor organizing.

Due to heavy repression, I left LA and went underground, losing contact with him. But when I was rearrested in May of 1977, John joined the committee that worked for my freedom. He was active in ATM-ML, an organization that I had also joined in El Paso, Texas during the big Farah pants strike. John attended my court hearings and was part of the campaign that won my case. I recall one little conversation we had at the International Institute at a fundraiser for my case on supporting the important role of women in the movement. He later joined the League of Revolutionary Struggle (LRS) and continued organizing as an M-L, until its dissolution.

We reconnected in later years in the fight to save Hazard Park, from a University of Southern California street encroachment, where he reminded me that this was his hood. He was also active in the Exide clean up from lead pollution. John gave a lifetime to the struggle for Chicano liberation and socialism.

I got the opportunity to call him before he passed, and he was glad that the nursing staff were in a union. Carmen Dillard, his partner, had a memorial for him in East LA on October 1, 2026, where several former ATM-ML and LRS members spoke. He was a revolutionary to the end and an M-L.

Long live the memory of John Sermeno!

#LosAngelesCA #CA #OppressedNationalities #Chicano #JohnSermeno #History #PeoplesStruggles #

Anaheim, CA – On September 29, the Arzola family, alongside Community Service Organization Orange County (CSO OC) attended Anaheim City Council to demand justice for Albert Arzola. Albert was killed by Anaheim PD officer Nathan Garcia on December 6, 2025.

Garcia chased Albert Arzola down the street to his home where he shot him in the back of his head. Arzola had his hands raised and was surrendering to police. His family was present at the home and watched Arzola die. For months leading up to the killing of Arzola, Officer Nathan Garcia harassed Albert and his family.

After public comments were made, Rosie Camacho, the mother of Albert Arzola, stopped and yelled at Anaheim Police Chief Manuel Cid. Camacho said, “We want everything, we want all the cameras! That wasn’t the first time he went to my house! Wasn’t the first time he showed up and called my son by his name!”

Earlier in the meeting, Councilwoman Natalie Rubulcava had this to say, “I have to mention there was a loaded tech 9, a gun banned by name under California Law, which was at the scene that created a serious threat for the officers.” This statement has been used as a justification for the killing of Arzola, despite him being unarmed and giving himself up. This enraged the Arzola family, which led to justified angry comments being hurled at Rubulcava.

During the confrontation,family members continued to yell at the chief and city council. Screams of “Justice for Albert Arzola!” and “Shame!” rang through the council chambers. The meeting was brought to a halt, with the mayor trying desperately to calm things down. She even threatened to stop the meeting, saying, “I understand, thank you. I don’t want to have to recess the meeting.”

The chief had nothing to say. He simply stood off to the side, trying his best to seem unbothered by the confrontation. His silence spoke volumes. He couldn’t look in the family's direction as more and more officers came and stood by him. The family, along with CSO OC, will continue to confront the chief and demand that killer cop Nathan Garcia be fired.

#AnaheimCA #CA #OrangeCounty #AlbertArzola #InjusticeSystem #OppressedNationalities

Chicago, IL – On Wednesday, September 23, hundreds of people gathered at the Rafael Cintrón Ortiz Latino Cultural Center (LCC) at the University of Illinois at Chicago to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the cultural center. Founded on September 19, 1976, the LCC was the first cultural center at UIC and was named after a Puerto Rican professor, Rafael Cintrón Ortiz, who supported the just struggles of the student activists in the 1970s.

Just a few hours before the event began, Mexican Students de Aztlán (MeSA) led hundreds of students in successfully preventing the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol from attending a career fair hosted by UIC. Student activists, university faculty and staff, and community members filled the LCC. People socialized and shared food, listened to speeches from professors, alumni and cultural center staff, and ended the night by dancing to music by Chicago DJ duo TRQPiTECA and local student band Grupo Tercero. Months of work by cultural center staff, student interns and countless others made this lively celebration possible. Attendees remarked how emotional and empowered the event made them feel, and rightfully so.

Donald Trump’s racist and reactionary administration has come down hard on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in higher education. At many universities across the country, cultural centers have been downright closed or “consolidated,” that is, effectively shut down. To make matters worse, these decisions are often made by racist campus administrators without any warning to the staff and interns at said cultural centers, leaving them jobless. Such is the situation at Louisiana State University, for instance. But it would be a mistake to believe that these attacks on DEI are limited to places like the Black Belt South or Aztlán, where the national liberation struggles of the African-American and Chicano peoples for self-determination are respectively rooted.

In the Midwest, and in Black and brown working-class cities like Chicago, there have also been attacks on DEI. At universities like UIC, there is a long history of struggles for full equality for oppressed nationalities. The oppressed students and youth here have waged historic fights for recruitment programs, ethnic studies departments and cultural centers. And to this day, the struggle for full equality rages on. Student activist groups such as New Students for a Democratic Society at UIC have been waging a struggle to defend and increase funding for the cultural centers on campus, successfully reversing a budget cut proposed by the university administration in 2025.

Jorge Mena Robles, a former student activist with the Immigrant Youth Justice League at UIC and current associate director of the LCC, took the stage. Mena Robles introduced the keynote speaker for the nighttime celebration, Dr. Lilia Fernandez.

Dr. Fernandez is a professor and director of Graduate Studies at UIC in the Department of History. She is a historian of the 20th-century United States and author of the seminal work Brown in the Windy City: Mexicans and Puerto Ricans in Postwar Chicago, and perhaps the best professor I’ve ever had at UIC. For this reason, I have received her permission to quote her at length in an attempt to highlight what I believe are some of the most important points that she raised during her keynote speech, which I believe highlight the historical significance of the LCC’s 50th anniversary.

“I'd like to start by acknowledging the many student activists who were here in the early 1970s, especially in 1973, who protested, occupied university hall, made demands for greater access to this university, and otherwise registered their dissent over how this institution explicitly excluded Mexican-Americans, Puerto Ricans and other students of color. They acted with courage and commitment at great risk to their personal well-being and their educational careers, and it's because of them that we are here today,” said Dr. Fernandez.

Fernandez continued, “Let me provide some further historical context about when the RCOLCC was first opened in 1976. The year before, the United States had finally abandoned the Vietnam War, after it had claimed the lives of so many of our community's young men. The Sears Tower, and in my book it will always be The Sears Tower, was shining anew, having only been built just three years prior. And to bring this closer to home, to make this more personal, I was just a preschooler at El Hogar Del Niño Daycare Center in Pilsen, for any of you who know it. A culturally conscious community institution that provided childcare for the neighborhood's working mothers. El Hogar Del Niño, just like El Centro De La Causa, Casa Aztlán, the Puerto Rican Cultural Center, the Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center, this cultural center, and so much else that we've enjoyed in our communities for decades, was the fruit of so much activist labor.”

Fernandez highlighted how much the university has changed in the past 50 years: “UIC was a very different place 50 years ago. Latino students were very few in number. They found themselves in a sea of predominantly white students, many of whom we should note, traced their own roots to working-class and immigrant families. But few of those white classmates came from the same neighborhoods or high schools, or shared the same cultural practices or traditions as Latino students. Back then, Latinos could experience outright hostility and antagonism for their mere presence here at Circle, as it was known. Not only from academics, who argued that minority students were intellectually inferior, but from others who thought that Latinos did not deserve access to higher education. A lot has changed in the past 50 years. Today, whether the university celebrates it or not, UIC is a Hispanic-Serving Institution, a federally designated Hispanic-Serving Institution.”

In reviewing UIC’s latest demographic statistics, Dr. Fernandez reminded Latino students of the power they hold at the university. She said, “In fall 2025, Latinos made up 36% of all UIC undergraduates, 42% of all incoming first-years, and 30% of all students in undergraduate, graduate and professional programs combined. Think about how far we've come in the last 50 years. Fifty years ago Latinos were less than 2% of students here. Today they are the largest ethnic group in this richly diverse, multi-racial community. And unlike days past, where the cultural center was the only refuge where Latino students might find one another, besides a dining hall table I've heard of in the student center back in the day. Today Latino students are visible everywhere on this campus. In fact, this university depends on Latino students. If all of them suddenly decided collectively to withdraw their tuition payments, their financial aid checks, their course registrations… If that were to happen, this university would face a major crisis.”

Dr. Fernandez also explained that many students and youth are dealing with intense “individualism, alienation, and isolation” and that cultural centers such as the LCC can help provide an antidote to these ills and serve as places “to build community, to come together, to learn from one another, face-to-face.” She reflected on the challenging times that we live in under Trump’s racist and reactionary administration, the need to oppose U.S. wars in Asia, Africa and the Americas, and the extreme wealth inequality in this country brought on by the accelerated decline of monopoly capitalism, referring to the times we live in as “The Gilded Age on steroids.”

Then, Dr. Fernandez posed important questions about the historical and contemporary visibility of Latinos in U.S. society. She said, “When people think about our contributions to this country, to this city, we are often celebrated for our arts and culture. That is wonderful. But I want to urge us to think about our culture critically. We're recognized for our colorful fiestas, our celebrations, and there's nothing inherently wrong with being artists or cultural workers. But what I see problematic is when we are reduced and restricted to only those roles. When we are seen strictly through that lens, as festive, happy people, performers, or entertainers, for an audience, perhaps. Then, I think we have a problem. Pigeonholing us in that way diminishes our whole humanity. What about our social, political, and economic contributions? For the enduring campaigns we've fought? For the blood, sweat, and tears we have shed?”

Finally, Dr. Fernandez ended her speech by speaking directly to the youth in attendance and saying, “I'm passionate about lifting up and highlighting our many forms of labor to claim our rightful place in this society, and I'm going to use my authority here as a professor right now to give you all some homework, students in particular, a challenge, perhaps.”

“Whenever you come to campus, I want you to ask yourselves: What are we doing here to advance justice? To bring about meaningful social-political change? To promote collective freedom? I encourage you to think about the LCC as a site of historical struggle, and a place to build on the legacy of those students and community members who fought for us to be able to enjoy it today. So I leave you with these two last questions: What will our legacy be? And how will we be remembered in 50 years? Thank you.”

Ángel Naranjos is a fourth-year student at UIC, a Latin American and Latino Studies major, and a leader of MeSA’s Education, Resistance, and Activism Committee.

#ChicagoIL #IL #OppressedNationalities #Commentary #Chicano #Latino #ImmigrantRights #ICE #UIC

Santa Ana, CA – On Wednesday, September 23, chants of “Kingsley escucha, estamos en la lucha!” could be heard on Sullivan Street.

Rain Mendoza with Community Service Organization Orange County (CSO OC) kicked off a rally, stating, “We are here today because of the years of harassment the majority working-class immigrant residents of Coach Royal have been subjected to under Kingsley Management Corporation.”

35 people, including residents of Coach Royal Mobile Home Park and community members, rallied in front of the park to demand a stopping of all fence removals, allowing residents to keep their air conditioning, and maintaining all allotted property sizes. Kingsley uses these bogus violations and changes to the rules to begin the process of stealing homes from the residents.

Teresa Osorio, a resident of the park, spoke about her recent experience. “Olivia Garcia [park manager] came to my house to tell me to remove my fence when just a year before she herself told me to repair it.”

Irene Rodriguez de Guzman spoke about her interactions with Garcia, “She is telling me to remove my fences, which contradicts the fact that she told me to install them because I had issues with the neighbors. She told me where I should put it and came to inspect it after it was installed and she said it looked good. I sacrificed to pay for that fence, how am I going to remove it?”

Karla Alvarado spoke about Kingsley’s intimidation tactics and home theft, “I was one of the people that helped a lot of the residents obtain their titles and after that we were retaliated against by Kingsley Corporation.”

Alvarado added, “I was offered to stay as a tenant as long as I waive my rights and never helped anyone in the community. I obviously refused that, and I was eventually kicked out of my house. My house was taken out of here and sold illegally in a private auction, violating all the laws, because I was never informed of the auction taking place.”

Gabriela Mendoza had a similar experience. “My lawyer confirmed that my house was sold. I told her that to this day I haven't received a single dollar. And I don't think it's fair that my new house that I worked hard for years, they stole my property. This is an injustice.”

Pointing out more illegal practices, Rain Mendoza added, “Kingsley is starting the process of having all residents allotted property sizes changed. If residents don’t comply, they are hit with severe financial consequences. To force these residents to make these changes and enforce consequences is illegal.”

During the rally, residents pointed to for-sale signs surrounding the protesters and that those homes are ones that have been stolen. As people walked by the rally, they stopped to listen to the testimonies of the residents.

Protesters chanted, “No mas acoso! No mas temor! Los inmigrantes tenemos valor!” which translates to “No more harassment! No more fear! Immigrants have bravery!”

“They are forcing us to remove our air conditioners. This is a horrible thing. You know, recently we were living in an insufferable heat. If it hadn't been for our air conditioning, there would have been tragedies here at Coach Royal,” testified Guadalupe Barragan, a resident of 38 years.

Teresa Carrera, another former resident, described the physical and psychological impact of Kingsley’s actions. “In reality, everything we have been through has been a traumatic abuse. We've been to psychologists. We've had sleepless nights. I got sick to the point that I didn't eat for a month or two. I only drank water and I lost almost 25 pounds. So much stress, so much insomnia, so much thinking about why these people are so unjust.”

Protesters chanted, “Vivir con miedo no es normal! Queremos justicia en Coach Royal!” or, “Living in fear isn’t normal! We want justice at Coach Royal!”

Luis Pedraza Morales Babylon, a former resident whose home was stolen, spoke on behalf of CSO OC. “The Community Service Organization stands firmly with the residents of Coach Royal. CSO is on the front lines fighting back, organizing protests at the park entrance, packing hearing rooms, demanding justice for unjust evictions, and shining a harsh light on management's deceptive tactics. They are fighting to ensure that working-class families and immigrants aren't pushed out through intimidation, language barriers, or forced displacement.”

If you are interested in joining CSO OC in this campaign, you can contact them at orangecountycso@gmail.com or on Instagram at @CSO.OC.

#SantaAnaCA #CA #OrangeCounty #PeoplesStruggles #Housing #CoachRoyal #KingsleyCorporation #OppressedNationalities #CSOOC

Grand Rapids, MI – On the evening of Thursday, September 24, a group gathered for a vigil on Century Avenue at the site where Mario David Coronado Juarez lost his life in a fatal car crash just days before.

Moments before the crash, federal agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) stopped Mario’s vehicle on the side of the road. Coronado Juarez sped away from the agents, which led to the crash that took his life. Mario’s death comes just two days after Wilber Rafael Garcés Perez was shot in the back by ICE agents in Austin, Texas.

Present at this vigil were community members, local activists, politicians and Coronado Juarez’s own family, who were grieving the loss of their loved one. In his memory and honor, attendees prayed and sang. Chants echoed throughout the crowd: “Justicia para Mario.”

Helping to organize the vigil were members from the non-profit organization Movimiento Cosecha, an immigrant rights group which has been fighting for the establishment of sanctuary policies in Grand Rapids. An organizer with Movimiento Cosecha, Gema Lowe, called for attendees to support Mario’s family during this incredibly difficult time.

Lowe further demanded justice for Mario and for the immigrant community who have suffered the pain and brutality inflicted on them by ICE. She told the crowd, “We should be able to walk without fear. We want all agents responsible to be brought to justice.”

As the vigil continued into the night and the sun set on attendees, the Grand Rapids community remained in solidarity to remember the life of a