Santa Ana, CA – El miércoles 23 de septiembre, se escuchaban consignas como “¡Kingsley, escucha, estamos en la lucha!” en la calle Sullivan.Rain Mendoza, de la Organización de Servicio Comunitario del Condado de Orange (CSO OC), inició la manifestación declarando: “Estamos aquí hoy debido a los años de acoso a los que Kingsley Management Corporation ha sometido a los residentes de Coach Royal, en su mayoría inmigrantes de clase trabajadora”.

Unas 35 personas, entre ellas residentes del parque de casas móviles Coach Royal y miembros de la comunidad, se manifestaron frente al parque para exigir que se detenga el retiro de cercas, que se permita a los residentes conservar sus sistemas de aire acondicionado y que se mantengan las dimensiones originales de los lotes. Kingsley utiliza estas supuestas infracciones y cambios a las reglas para iniciar el proceso de robarles la vivienda a los residentes.

Teresa Osorio, residente del parque, habló sobre su experiencia reciente. “Olivia García [la administradora del parque] vino a mi casa a decirme que quitara mi cerca cuando apenas el año pasado ella misma me dijo que la reparara.”

Irene Rodríguez de Guzmán habló sobre sus interacciones con García: “Ella me está diciendo que quite mis cercas, lo cual contradice el hecho de que ella me dijo que las instalara porque tenía problemas con los vecinos. Ella me dijo dónde debía ponerla y vino a inspeccionarla después de que se instaló y dijo que se veía bien. Me sacrifiqué para pagar esa cerca, ¿cómo la voy a quitar?”

Karla Alvarado habló sobre las tácticas de intimidación y el despojo de viviendas por parte de Kingsley: “Yo fui una de las personas que ayudó a muchos de los residentes a obtener sus títulos de propiedad, y después de eso sufrimos represalias por parte de Kingsley Corporation.”

Alvarado añadió, “Me ofrecieron quedarme como inquilina siempre y cuando renunciara a mis derechos y no volviera a ayudar a nadie de la comunidad. Obviamente rechacé eso y terminé siendo expulsada de mi casa. Mi casa fue retirada de aquí y vendida ilegalmente en una subasta privada, violando todas las leyes, ya que nunca me informaron que la subasta iba a tomar lugar.”

Gabriela Mendoza tuvo una experiencia similar. “Mi abogada confirmó que mi casa fue vendida. Le dije que yo hasta ahora no he recibido ni un dólar. Y no se me hace justo que mi casa nueva que yo trabajé tantos años, ellos robaron mi propiedad. Esto es una injusticia.”

Al señalar más prácticas ilegales, Rain Mendoza añadió, “Kingsley está iniciando el proceso para modificar el tamaño de los terrenos asignados a todos los residentes. Si los residentes no cumplen, se enfrentan a graves consecuencias económicas. Obligar a estos residentes a realizar estos cambios e imponerles consecuencias es ilegal”.

Durante la manifestación, los residentes señalaron los carteles de “se vende” que rodeaban a los manifestantes, indicando que esas casas habían sido robadas de sus dueños. Los transeúntes se detenían al pasar para escuchar los testimonios de los residentes.

Los manifestantes coreaban, “¡No más acoso! ¡No más temor! ¡Los inmigrantes tenemos valor!”.

“Nos están obligando a quitar los aires acondicionados. Es una cosa horrible. Ustedes saben que recientemente estuvimos viviendo un calor insoportable. Si no hubiera sido por nuestro aire acondicionado hubiera habido tragedias aquí en Coach Royal.”, declaró Guadalupe Barragán, residente desde hace 38 años.

Teresa Carrera, otra exresidente, describió el impacto físico y psicológico de las acciones de Kingsley. “Realmente, todo lo que hemos pasado ha sido un abuso traumático. Hemos ido a psicólogos. Hemos tenido noches sin dormir. Me enfermé hasta el grado de que no comí por uno o dos meses. Solo tomaba agua y bajé casi como 25 libras. Tanto estrés, tanto insomnio, tanto pensar por qué esta gente es tan injusta.”

Los manifestantes coreaban, “¡Vivir con miedo no es normal! ¡Queremos justicia en Coach Royal!”

Luis Pedraza Morales Babylon, un exresidente a quien le robaron su casa habló en nombre de CSO OC. “La Organización de Servicio Comunitario respalda firmemente a los residentes de Coach Royal. La CSO está en primera línea de lucha, organizando protestas en la entrada del parque, llenando las salas de audiencias, exigiendo justicia ante los desalojos injustos y sacando a la luz las tácticas engañosas de la administración. Luchan para garantizar que las familias trabajadoras y los inmigrantes no sean expulsados mediante intimidación, barreras lingüísticas o desplazamientos forzosos.”

Si le interesa unirse a CSO OC en esta campaña, puede contactarlos a través del correo electrónico orangecountycso@gmail.com o en Instagram en @CSO.OC.

#SantaAnaCA #CA #PeoplesStruggles #Housing #TrailerPark #CSOOC

Tallahassee, FL – On September 22, Tallahassee Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) rallied at the Integration Statue and then marched to Wescott Fountain to protest the unjust firing of Tally SDS Vice President Mariana Guimaraes from the FSU Victim Advocate Program for her role in SDS’s anti-rape culture campaign and her public advocacy for a survivor.

Guimaraes called out this decision, asking, “When an advocate says publicly, clearly, and with conviction that the systems we have are failing, that we need better for students, and they are terminated without a real reason, what message does that send to survivors?”

Speakers from other community organizations spoke in support of Guimaraes and discussed the extent of rape culture on campus and administration’s repression of student activists, including conduct charges for flyering to raise student awareness of a rapist FSU left unpunished.

Protesters chanted, “Don’t punish flyers, punish crimes! Student safety every time!” and “Expel abusers clear the halls, answer when a victim calls!”

Once the students arrived at Westcott, they were told they could not stand on the main steps because they had to make room for an event letting out of a nearby building, where FSU was hosting far-right former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Despite following those orders and making room for those exiting, they were told again to move because the fountain was reserved for pictures. Protesters continued to confront admin, including Brandon Bowden, an FSU administrator who has been placed in charge of the Title IX process at FSU and has refused countless survivors justice. Protesters joined together in chants calling out admin and the role it plays in upholding rape culture.

Tally SDS president JJ Glueck spoke on admin’s attempt to move the protest saying, “Admin claimed that we couldn’t protest by Westcott because Boris Johnson’s speaking event would be letting out in the same area. We knew this was a flagrant violation of our right to gather and make our voices heard. They tried to argue with us, but we stood our ground and held the protest in front of the administrative building like we planned to.”

The protest continued late into the evening, until admin said that SDS had to leave because they couldn’t be protesting on campus after sunset. Nevertheless, the crowd kept chanting for an additional ten minutes before moving across the street and kept the energy going.

Guimaraes’ firing and the attempt to move the protest by admin are yet more actions by FSU to stifle the student movement and repress SDS during its anti-rape culture campaign. The campaign arose in response to the failings of the Title IX process at FSU and the refusal to expel rapists unless serious physical bruising or injury is present. As FSU admin refuses to hold rapists on their campus accountable, SDS will continue this fight until survivors get justice and there is an end to rape culture on campus.

#TallahasseeFL #FL #StudentMovement #WomensMovement #TitleIX #PeoplesStruggles #SDS

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

Portland, OR – Multnomah County issued an arrest warrant on September 22 for right-wing extremist Thomas Allen for the assault of immigrant rights protester Holly Brown.

The warrant came after a campaign demanding Multnomah County District Attorney Nathan Vasquez press charges.

Allen is a right-wing influencer known for showing up at anti-Trump and anti-ICE protests in Portland to harass and assault progressive activists. Despite many instances of assault and using chemical weapons on protesters in front of police, he was only arrested once, in October 2025, for punching an anti-ICE protester at the Portland ICE facility. He pled guilty then to a charge of disorderly conduct.

On September 1, during a press conference at Multnomah County Courthouse to demand the closure of the Portland ICE facility, Allen violently shoved Brown into a concrete pillar, causing a head injury and whiplash. Police were on site, witnessed the assault, and did not arrest Allen. They formed a line to protect Allen from the immigrant rights protestors who had just been assaulted.

Brown filed a police report for the assault stating, “The police allow Allen to do their dirty work of silencing and repressing immigrant rights protests. We must put pressure on the police and district attorney to arrest and charge these violent MAGA extremists so we can continue our important work of fighting ICE terror.”

A video by PDXCD describing the assault and asking viewers to call and email the DA amassed almost 1 million views on different social media platforms, with thousands of comments stating they contacted the DA.

Allen then held hate rallies two weeks in a row at a local queer-friendly bar, the Sports Bra, for its support of trans rights. The Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) held counter-protests and ran Allen and his transphobic group away from the bar. This garnered a large amount of media attention and trans rights activists pointed out the lack of police action when Allen and his group assaulted more protesters and used large amounts of chemical weapons in a residential neighborhood.

After the second hate rally, PDXCD called a press conference at Multnomah County Courthouse for September 21 to highlight the lack of action by the police and DA on September 1 and how it allowed Allen to continue to enact more violence in the following weeks.

The morning before the press conference, the district attorney notified the media they were moving forward with charges on Allen for his assault of Brown and that a warrant for his arrest was in process.

PDXCD continued with the press conference. Allen showed up to the event and harassed attendees as they spoke with three news stations. The immigrant rights protesters then marched to the police station with the media to demand answers as to why the police are allowing right-wing extremists to attack progressive activists with no consequences. Allen followed the group into the police station, yelling insults regarding people’s identities.

While inside the police station, KOIN news reporter Ariel Salk approached Allen on camera and told him there was a warrant for his arrest. Allen, shocked and confused, stated he was unaware and that it was “bullshit.” He immediately left the police station rather than risk arrest, ended his livestream and rode away on a Lime scooter.

There is now an active warrant for Allen’s arrest. PDXCD is urging anyone who sees him to contact the non-emergency hotline at 503-823-3333 to report his location and demand police arrest him.

Allen is facing four misdemeanor charges: class four assault, two counts of harassment and one count of disorderly conduct. As a condition of his charges, Allen is not allowed within a two-block radius of Brown. He is also barred from the Multnomah County Courthouse, outside of his court appearances. He was on probation for his arrest last October and will potentially face consequences for probation violation.

“It is about time Allen faced consequences for his attempts to stifle anti-ICE and anti-Trump protests,” said immigrant rights activist Omar Gill. “The issue remains that it took thousands of phone calls and media attention to get the police and district attorney to do the right thing. Many others who’ve been assaulted by Allen are still without justice. It is clear we must continue to place demands on the city and county to take action against these MAGA extremists.”

#PortlandOR #OR #ImmigrantRights #PeoplesStruggles #MAGA #ThomasAllen #PDXCD #Featured

Portland, OR – On September 21, transphobic right-wing extremists led by Thomas Allen returned to a queer-friendly establishment, the Sports Bra, to harass patrons. This was their second protest there in two weeks. Trans rights activists also returned to counter-protest and pushed the anti-trans agitators out of the area for the second week in a row.

The Sports Bra has been the target of attacks by the right after a video went viral of their employees’ asking patrons with transphobic t-shirts to cover up their shirts or leave the bar. The people wearing the t-shirts are anti-trans activists with large followings on social media. They purposely went to the bar to get a reaction to post online.

Allen planned his first protest of the bar on September 11, calling for a rally to “protect women and girls.” He and around five other anti-trans agitators brought signs demeaning trans people and tried to start fights with passersby. Over 30 people showed up to counter the hate rally. Allen and his group were chased away from the Sports Bra. They went to a nearby Fred Meyer grocery store and called the police, who witnessed one of the right-wingers use bear mace on someone. The police did not arrest the person who used bear mace, despite its use being illegal. They provided Allen with an escort away from the store.

For his second protest, Allen brought out around ten right-wing extremists, carrying American flags, wearing face coverings with skulls, and transphobic t-shirts. Over 100 pro-trans activists came out to counter-protest the transphobes after a call was put out by the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

Seeing how greatly outnumbered they were, Allen’s group quickly left the area. As they left, one right-wing extremist unleashed bear spray indiscriminately into a large crowd of people.

Trans rights activists continued to follow the agitators, pushing them further and further away from the bar. They yelled chants such as “Hey hey, ho ho, transphobia has got to go.”

Allen’s group went into residential streets and threw tear gas canisters at the trans-rights activists, a crime in Portland. Portland police drove by and made no arrests.

Once Allen’s group was far away from the bar, many of the pro-trans activists made their way back to the bar to continue the protest with more chants and messages of resistance. Unprecedented, a local brass band that appears at anti-Trump protests, played music for the trans rights activists.

At the bar, many reported feeling empowered by the community defense action.

“Allen and his goons have been attacking anti-Trump and pro-immigrant protests for over a year now, with police doing nothing to stop it,” said activist Evelyn Thomson with the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, “today we showed that if the police won’t do anything we will protect ourselves.”

One person was arrested during the protest; rather than arrest the MAGA protesters for their illegal use of chemical weapons, Portland Police arrested a trans rights activist. Police told media the arrest was for a separate incident and there was a warrant on the arrestee. What they left out was the warrant was from when the same right-wing extremists protested outside a Hasan Piker show on August 23. The person arrested defended the community from multiple assaults the right-wingers carried out on those in attendance and was charged with crimes as a result.

Allen and his group have counter-protested many of the anti-Trump protests over the last year. They are known for using physical violence and chemical weapons to attack those they disagree with. Emboldened by the Trump presidency, they typically wear MAGA attire and focus their attacks on immigrants.

Immigrant rights organization Portland Contra Las Deportaciones is calling for Allen’s arrest, following his assault of immigrant rights activist Holly Brown on September 1. At a press conference calling for the closure of the Portland ICE facility, Allen shoved Brown into a concrete pillar in front of Multnomah County Courthouse. Police witnessed the attacks and made no arrests. PDXCD is holding a press conference to demand District Attorney Nathan Vasquez press charges.

#PortlandOR #OR #LGBTQ #PeoplesStruggles #MAGA #PDXCD #ThomasAllen

Chicago, IL – Thousands of Chicagoans lined up around the block to celebrate the launch of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s re-election campaign at the DuSable Black History Museum on the South Side of Chicago. Overcast skies and drizzling rain did nothing to dampen the spirits of Johnson’s supporters. The crowd represented a vast range of community organizations, unions, faith-based groups, elected officials, youth organizations, and individuals in working and oppressed communities.

“We came together four years ago and said ‘It’s time to get a brother from Chicago on the fifth floor. Someone who will fight for the working class,’” said State Senator Graciela Guzmán, kicking off the event by describing Johnson’s first campaign.

“After generations of trying to speak truth to power, we finally have someone who is speaking truth in power,” added Rev. Tanya Lozano, founder of Healthy Hood Chicago.

“Brother Brandon Johnson does not just represent us, Brother Brandon Johnson is us,” continued Lozano, whose family has brought forward some of the most prolific working-class organizers in Chicago’s history, including Rudy Lozano and Emma Lozano.

“For decades we were told that, to keep people safe, we need mass incarceration and policing. Mayor Johnson showed that we keep people safe through care,” said 33rd Ward Alder Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez.

“The time to organize is now!” declared 20th Ward Alder Jeanette Taylor, encouraging the crowd to work with the Johnson administration in advancing its progressive goals. Taylor also spoke on the history of the predominantly Black 20th Ward, which is home to both the DuSable Museum and Dyett High School, which Taylor went on hunger strike to keep from closing in 2015.

Taylor, Rodriguez Sanchez, Guzmán, and dozens of progressive elected officials and union leaders took to the stage to voice their support of Mayor Johnson. Among them were school board presidential candidate Hilario Dominguez and District 5A incumbent Jitu Brown, who was also one of the Dyett hunger strikers.

“Rebuilding a village takes longer than one term. We had decades of disinvestment and that's not gonna be fixed in four years,” said Chicago Teachers Union member Ashley Davis.

Davis and other speakers uplifted the Johnson administration’s successes. These include investments in schools, mental healthcare, youth programs and violence prevention, as well as minimum wage increases and childcare for working people. Speakers also mentioned Johnson’s stances against ICE and for Palestine.

“He made Chicago one of the first cities in the nation to call for a ceasefire in Gaza,” said Imam Tariq El-Amin, referring to Johnson’s tiebreaker vote on a ceasefire resolution in 2024.

A number of speakers, including Johnson himself, cited the fact that in 2025 Chicago saw its lowest murder rate in 61 years.

“They said there would be blood in the streets and violence would run amok,” Johnson said, referring to a statement by Fraternal Order of Police president John Catanzara in 2023.

The FOP has spent the last four years trying to undermine the Johnson administration and the District councilors elected to hold police accountable. The FOP recently endorsed Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias.

“The ultrarich have done a lot to confuse my record,” said Johnson, explaining why racist groups like the FOP and billionaires like Michael Sacks and the Pritzker family are opposing his reelection. “The same people who closed schools spent millions lying about what we’re doing.”

“This city is better, stronger and safer than the city I inherited,” Johnson said.

He then stressed the importance of the working-class character and cross-racial unity of the coalition that brought him into office. “We refuse to allow authoritarianism to separate us by race when we are united by class.”

#ChicagoIL #IL #BrandonJohnson #Elections #PeoplesStruggles #OppressedNationalities #AfricanAmerican

Portland, OR – On September 11, right-wing extremist Thomas Allen announced plans to protest the Sports Bra, a local gay bar catering to women’s sports fans. Allen was protesting a viral video where Sports Bras employees refused service to customers with transphobic shirts. Pro-trans activists showed up and ran Allen out of the area.

Allen is known for harassing protests around Portland, often getting violent. He posted on X calling for a “rally to support women and girls” and demand “men out of womens spaces” at the Sports Bra.

Pro-trans activists mobilized to defend the bar. Allen showed up with a small group of people, and they were quickly outnumbered by a crowd chanting for trans rights.

When Allen and his group saw the number of pro-trans activists in front of the bar they stayed on the other side of the street. The trans rights activists then crossed the street and pushed Allen back even further into a parking lot.

Chants used included “Protect trans kids” and “Racist, sexist, anti-gay! Thomas Allen go away!”

Allen and his group responded by spraying trans rights protesters with bear spray. Portland police showed up and watched but took no action.

“Time and time again, we see Portland police show up when Thomas Allen is spreading his hate and violence around Portland and do nothing to protect regular people fighting for justice,” said Sage Joyce. Joyce attended the protest with the Freedom Road Socialist Organization and held a large banner that read, “Pride means fight back.”

More and more people joined the protest against Allen, including those who were just passing by or lived in the area and heard the chants.

Allen and his group retreated down the street, but the trans rights protestors continued to follow him, chanting “MAGA out of Portland.” Allen and his group walked all the way to a nearby grocery store and entered to call the police. The trans rights protesters also entered the grocery store and notified the customers that a violent agitator with weapons was in the building.

Allen then left the store and one of the members of his group bear-sprayed a man who was shopping at the store.

Police showed up and spoke with Allen. One of the members of Allen's group bear-sprayed another person in front of the police. Activists demanded police arrest her for macing someone unprovoked. They refused and said the macing was justified because the protesters were following her.

Allen and his group left with a police escort. Spirits remained high among those who protested against Allen.

“Transphobes aren’t welcome in Portland, and when police show us they won’t protect our city from this hate, we have to do it ourselves” said trans rights activist Cole Dunahugh.

Just last week Allen assaulted anti-ICE protesters in front of Multnomah County Court. Progressive community organizations are demanding District Attorney Nathan Vasquez pursue charges for all his assaults on Portlanders.

#PortlandOR #OR #LGBTQ #PeoplesStruggles #Transphobia #ThomasAllen

Denver, CO – On Monday, September 7, more than 80 workers gathered near the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment office for a Labor Day rally under the slogan “Workers Over Billionaires!”

Emcees Katherine Draken and Miles Thompson started the rally with a brief history of Labor Day and some historic strikes in the United States. They stressed that the struggle still exists to this day, and it is important to continue to fight in the face of continued repression from the Trump administration.

Union workers and other community organizations with the Denver Coalition Against Trump gave speeches throughout the day, the first of which came from Kyle Burroughs, a UPS Teamster and district organizer for the Freedom Road Socialist Organization. “We take the risk every day. We work all the jobs and we get nothing!” Burroughs noted that the biggest risk billionaires ever take on is the possibility of becoming members of the working class.

While many workers face dangerous working conditions every day, they receive little in return for their grueling labor.

A rank-and-file Teamster, Burroughs advocates for workers to take on the boss instead of seeking solutions through corporate collaboration with the union. “I believe that the unions need to fight. I believe that there are two sides in this class war,” Burroughs said.

Burroughs envisions a different future for the working class, one under socialism. “Socialism is how workers will turn this ugly thing into its opposite,” Burroughs said, referring to capitalism. “Do we think life will be better under socialism? We know it will be.”

Participants later heard from Naomi Wilson, a union barista with Starbucks Workers United. Wilson spoke about how Starbucks workers started demanding better conditions five years ago and how they have already built a union with over 12,000 baristas across the country.

“Our CEO brags about charging $9 for a coffee as he rakes in millions and travels to work in a private jet,” Naomi stated, highlighting the stark contrast between the owner and the overworked and struggling baristas.

Starbucks has earned a reputation as a company with one of the highest counts of federal labor law violations in modern history. Wilson says workers are fed up and are building a movement to fight back. “Our bosses think that we don't have the grit and determination necessary to win, but I know that when we stand together, we will win!” In Wilson’s view, workers around the country can stand with striking Starbucks workers by joining them on the picket line and boycotting Starbucks.

The crowd then marched to the Denver Elections Division, chanting “Get up, get down! Denver is a union town!” and “Billionaires don't save the day! Tax the rich and make them pay!” among other fiery rallying cries.

Mar Melendez with Aurora Unidos CSO spoke outside the Elections Division about her organization's struggle for immigrant rights and Chicano liberation. By mobilizing working people to defend their neighbors, CSO has freed eight detainees from the nearby GEO detention center. Melendez paid homage to the history of Chicanos in the labor struggle and spoke to the decades of exploitation faced by the working class. “Our history reminds us that dignity is never negotiated. It is fought for and it is taken from below– for the people, by the people,” stated Melendez.

On the way back to the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, the protesters shouted more chants while local protest band Notes of Dissent played songs such as Bella Ciao and The Hand That Feeds, as well as some improvised music.

Dr. James Walsh, an educator at CU Denver and a member of the United Campus Workers, highlighted that the crowd at this Labor Day rally is the youngest he has ever seen. He feels this represents a shift in the labor movement, stating that rank-and file unions, or, in his words, “unions that don't need approval from officials,” are the future.

The final speech of the day was delivered by Kate Biester of the Sheridan Educators Association. After their contract expired in 2025, the union fought to expand their next contract to include all school faculty instead of just teachers. Bookkeepers, bus drivers, custodians, computer technicians and more were represented for the first time in the district. “We must envision a new labor movement,” Biester said. “One that unites white collar and blue collar and workers of all types as labor!”

The prevailing sentiment throughout the protest was one of powerful struggles against the ruling class and pride in the union movement. Kate Biester urged people to “make this Labor Day yours and ours! For all of us!”

#DenverCO #CO #Labor #LaborDay #PeoplesStruggles #Teamsters

Dallas, TX – 400 people took to the streets of Dallas on September 10 to protest the Republican Party’s midterm convention and demonstrate opposition to the Trump agenda. Organized by the Dallas Against the Trump Agenda (DATA) Coalition, the protest brought together workers, community activists, socialists, immigrant-rights organizers and others who marched to bring their opposition to the Republican convention directly to the streets surrounding the American Airlines Center.

The action began at Pike Park. Demonstrators marched toward the convention. Hundreds of protesters participated in the march, which made its way toward the security perimeter surrounding the convention.

Riot police and mounted units were deployed as the protesters approached the convention center. Despite the police presence and attempts to limit the march’s movement, protesters reached the security checkpoint and held speeches within sight and sound of the convention. The crowd responded enthusiastically, chanting and cheering as speakers addressed the demonstrators.

The police presence intensified as right-wing counter-protesters confronted people participating in the march.

Two protesters were arrested during the action. They were attempting to keep right-wing counter-protesters away from the main crowd when police moved in, tackled the two to the ground and arrested them.

The arrests did not stop the demonstration. Protesters continued marching and maintained the energy of the action as they approached the convention.

Jake Holtzman of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization said, “It was inspiring to see hundreds march against the Trump agenda. Even in the face of harassment from the cops and a few counter-protesters, everyone kept the energy high and marched within sight and sound of the convention. There was clearly a great degree of unity among the people against our common enemy: Trump and monopoly capitalism.”

Toni Jones of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR) stated, “I’m marching with the over 20 cities in our National Alliance Against Racist And Political Repression fighting for community control of the police. I’m marching with all of you who did what you needed to be here today, and I’m marching with men like my friend Darrin Robinson, who can’t be here because they are being tortured while serving unjust sentences. And all of us, we are going to make sure the Trump agenda, ‘SAVE America Act’ racism never gets passed, and the GOP gets dumped in the trash heap of history they so desperately worship!”

The September 10 action was the first major public demonstration organized under the banner of Dallas Against the Trump Agenda. The coalition formed around the Republican Party’s decision to hold its midterm national convention in Dallas, but its organizers have emphasized that the coalition is intended to be more than a one-day protest.

DATA is working to establish a continuing center of organizing in Dallas against the Trump agenda — bringing together people involved in labor, immigrant rights, racial justice, community organizing and other struggles.

The next task is to build on the momentum that has already been established. DATA is organizing in Dallas. The fight against the Trump agenda continues.

#DallasTX #TX #Trump #PeoplesStruggles #ImmigrantRights #FRSO #NAARPR #DATA #OppressedNationalities #Featured

Charleston, SC – On September 8, community members mobilized to the Charleston City Council meeting demanding a repeal of the repressive First Amendment Demonstration Ordinance (1A) and to drop the charges against Lowcountry Action Committee member Matt Colburn, who was charged under the ordinance in June 2025 and has yet to receive his day in court. 

17 people signed up for the public comment section to speak, but were only allowed one minute each, rather than the customary two minutes.

“The 1A ordinance hinders student gathering and activism on campus and in the city of Charleston,” said College of Charleston senior and Lowcountry Action Committee member Izzy Waldner. “Having an ordinance where people can go to jail for protesting is unfair and doesn't lead to safer protest.” 

Charleston Democratic Socialist of America member Mike Jones said, “It's inappropriate that law enforcement is involved in political speech and in regulating and requiring permission for First Amendment protected activity,” referring to a part of the ordinance which gives Charleston police the power to shut down an event, permitted or otherwise, if they deem it jeopardizes public safety. 

The Charleston City Council Safety Committee met for 30 minutes a week before to discuss the ordinance and potential “modifications” to it but rejected a full appeal. The committee cited that the ordinance was constitutional and balanced free speech with public safety, but organizers and activists reject this. They see the inference in ongoing court cases and discussions on modifications as indicators that the city of Charleston is not confident in their ordinances' validity.

“We know the reason you don't want these cases to go to trial is because you can't defend it in court,” said Lowcountry Action Committee member Matt Colburn. “The only reason you're even discussing modifications is the pressure being put on you by the people. But we don't need modifications, we need it repealed. Ordinances and police don't keep us safe. Police are the main instigators of violence at protests,” he asserted. 

After the public comments, the mayor briefly addressed speakers that the ordinance was being “edited” and those edits would be discussed at the next public safety committee meeting. Despite this, organizers say they will continue to push for a full repeal even if it's modified. “As long as the ordinance is on the books, we would love to see the threat of arrest removed, but our ultimate demand is that this ordinance be repealed,” said Erica Veal, co-founder of the Lowcountry Action Committee. 

The city of Charleston's Public Safety Committee is currently editing the ordinance and is set to meet on September 15 to discuss these edits. According to Veal, “Police don't make protests safer. Charleston police violently arrested protesters at an immigrant rights demonstration last year and these have a chilling effect on our rights. Until these bogus charges are dropped and the ordinance repealed, we'll continue to organize against it.”

#CharlestonSC #SC #PeoplesStruggles #FreeSpeech #LowcountryActionCommittee

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Dallas Against the Trump Agenda Coalition. The group plans to march on the RNC in Dallas on September 10.

Dallas Office of Special Events has cancelled our permit application to protest the RNC

As organizers attempt to exercise their First Amendment right to protest the midterm Republican National Convention, the city of Dallas has escalated from stalling our permit request to cancelling it.

Organizers applied for a permit and had repeatedly met with city officials to negotiate in good faith. From officials rejecting our original route without finalizing an alternative to city hall police and DPD ordering our organizers to leave the vicinity of the City Hall Plaza during our press conference, the city has placed obstacle after obstacle in our way.

Taken together, these actions appear intentional in an attempt to weaken the march, disrupt our preparations, and push protesters out of sight and sound of the convention.

The First Amendment protects our right to march and bring our message within sight and sound of its intended audience.

With the convention approaching, the process of finalizing this permit has gone from glacial to permafrost. In a phone call with the Office of Special Events, they mentioned that they were told by the Dallas Police Department to cancel our permit. Further, we were told that DPD wants us to fill out a “First Amendment Activity Request form.”

We will not accept being pushed around. We will exercise our right to assemble and our right to free speech. We will march on the Republican National Convention.

Republicans claim they’ll bring thousands of people to Dallas to organize behind the Trump agenda. We are preparing a family-friendly statewide march to represent the millions of people who reject the Trump agenda, to confront their attacks on immigrants, women, trans people, marginalized communities, anti-fascist organizations and people, and their hawkish pursuit of endless wars.

They don’t want us there. That is exactly why we have to show up.

#DallasTX #TX #PeoplesStruggles #Trump #ImmigrantRights #AntiWarMovement #RNC2026 #RNC

St. Paul, MN – Amid a nationwide wave of outrage against Flock automatic license plate readers, community members packed city council chambers on August 26 for a public hearing on police surveillance technology and data privacy. Dozens of community members testified to their opposition to the city’s use of the artificial intelligence (AI)-powered cameras made by Flock and Axon, as well as autonomous drones manufactured by Skydio.

The public hearing was initiated after the previous week’s city council meeting, when activists with the Free Palestine Coalition (FPC) interrupted the proceedings to demand transparency around the city’s contract with Skydio and a process to end it. Organizers explained that Skydio was complicit in Israel’s genocide in Gaza, supplying cutting-edge drones that use AI to surveil urban areas and identify potential targets.

“Skydio is a U.S. company, but the reason it scaled up its sales to institutions started when it sold hundreds of drones to the Israeli military for its genocide in Gaza,” explained FPC organizer and Saint Paul resident Wyatt Miller in his comments to the council members. “If it wasn’t necessary before a genocide, it shouldn’t be necessary now.”

In June, the FPC initiated a campaign against a proposed Skydio contract with the nearby city of Minneapolis. Hundreds of community members mobilized to urge Minneapolis not to contract with a genocide-complicit company and raised concerns around the technology’s use in the hands of the city’s infamous police department. Minneapolis City Council ultimately caved to community pressure and voted to reject the proposed Skydio contract.

The coalition then teamed up with anti-surveillance group Eyes Off Saint Paul to address the issue in that city. Advocates learned that the Saint Paul Police Department (SPPD) had quietly adopted a similar Skydio drone program without a public hearing, claiming the drones constituted an expansion of an existing contract, allowing it to bypass normal public process.

“We can’t find any public record of the contract. We don’t know how much money is being spent,” Miller told the council. “The only dollar amount that’s been published publicly comes as an ‘estimate’ to the media from the police department itself.”

Many speakers expressed outrage over expenditures on new surveillance tools at a time when Mayor Kaohly Her’s budget includes significant cuts and the closure of the public library in the Dayton’s Bluff neighborhood.

Anna Madison is a member of Eyes Off Saint Paul as well as Families Against Military Madness. “Militarized AI-powered technology continues to advance at a pace that is increasingly difficult to keep up with,” Madison explained to the council. “The only way we can ensure that this technology is not used to harm us is to end these contracts and ban AI-powered mass surveillance immediately.”

Much of the popular outrage has focused on Flock, with high-profile instances of communities destroying the stationary AI cameras around the country. At the regular Saint Paul City Council meeting that took place just before the special hearing on surveillance, the council passed a nonbinding resolution announcing the removal of two city-operated Flock cameras. However, the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office reportedly continues to operate Flock cameras in Saint Paul.

Activists vowed to continue the fight, looking beyond just Flock to other city contracts with AI-powered surveillance companies. They said the oppressive nature of these technologies were demonstrated by their use during the federal anti-immigrant crackdown as well as by Israel in its oppression of Palestinians.

“Corporations cannot be trusted not to share data and recordings with immigration enforcement like what we saw with Operation Metro Surge,” Cedar Larson of Women Against Military Madness told the council. “We know that Axon recently acquired Israeli company Carbyne, which makes AI-powered emergency communications used by police. This props up Israel’s tech sector, which makes up 20% of the apartheid state’s GDP and about half of its annual exports.”

Sana Wazwaz is a Palestinian American and chapter lead of American Muslims for Palestine – Minnesota, part of the FPC. “Our coalition firmly believes that no fantasy of stopping crimes is worth the greater crime of being complicit in fascism and genocide,” Wazwaz told the council. “Skydio has an active contract with the very entity that terrorized our community just this last winter. In the words of Minneapolis Council Member Aurin Chowdhury, ‘To contract with Skydio in light of what happened during Metro Surge is nothing short of morally bankrupt.’ ”

Speakers also argued that crimes committed by SPPD and other police departments showed they could not be trusted with new surveillance technologies. Officers in several states have been accused of using Flock data to stalk ex-girlfriends. An officer in Texas allegedly used the system to track the movements of a woman seeking an abortion.

Wazwaz concluded, “What we have seen with the murder of Marcus Golden here in Saint Paul, with the murders of Philando Castile, George Floyd, Jamar Clark, that law enforcement without community control over police must not be given surveillance tools.”

#StPaulMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #PeoplesStruggles #Skydio #Palestine #Surveillance #Flock

Minneapolis, MN – On August 22, at 11:30 a.m. the People’s Action Coalition Against Trump (PACAT) organized a counter-protest to the Jake Lang hate rally. More than 100 protesters showed up in opposition to Lang’s white supremacist hate speech, aimed this time at the Black community. Lang has also called for the reinstitution of Jim Crow laws, calls to deport all immigrants from the U.S., and anti-Muslim hate speech.

When counter-protest organizers arrived at city hall, Minneapolis Police Department officers threatened to tow away their sound and medic vehicles. But when Jake Lang and his band of less than ten supporters showed up with two vehicles, MPD allowed them to drive onto the sidewalk. Officers surrounded Lang’s vehicles as they moved forward, effectively providing them with an armed escort.

MPD can be seen on video pushing and hitting protesters, ensuring Lang’s hate speech could continue. Mayor Jacob Frey stated to the press that MPD arrested Lang after he was run off by the crowd. But there was no reason to not arrest Lang for driving on the sidewalk. This unequal treatment of left and right-wing protest is nothing new to PACAT organizers.

MPD also arrested an anti-Lang protester who dressed as Spider-Man and adopted the hero’s persona by facing off with Lang and his ilk directly. MPD threw Minneapolis’ Spider-Man to the ground and stomped on his head before forcing him into a squad vehicle. The protester was released later the same day and received medical care after leaving the jail. PACAT and other community members are organizing a support action around Spider-Man’s September 4 court appearance on bogus assault charges.

A statement from PACAT notes, “If it was not clear before where the priorities of the Minneapolis police, and the mayor with sole authority over them, lie, it should now be clear to every Minneapolis resident who considers themselves anti-fascist and anti-racist that we are not the people they serve or protect. After the complete failure of Mayor Frey and MPD to protect residents from ICE during Metro Surge, and years of violence against Black, native and immigrant communities, we must understand them as ineffective at best and capitulators to the far right at worst.”

The People’s Action Coalition Against Trump and its member organizations are calling for the immediate resignation of Mayor Jacob Frey and interim MPD Chief Bill Peterson, as well as systemic reforms like community control of the police.

The PACAT counter-protest was supported by Black Lives Matter MN, Twin Cities Coalition for Justice, the Wrongfully Incarcerated & Over-sentenced Families Council-MN, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, TC Democratic Socialists of America, Minnesota 50501, and MN Immigrant Rights Action Committee.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #InJusticeSystem #PeoplesStruggles #RightWingers #JakeLang #Fascists #WhiteSupremacists #PACAT #JakeLang #SpiderMan #Feature #OppressedNationalities #AfricanAmerican #ImmigrantRights

Los Angeles, CA – The start of the new school year brought good news in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). At the Breed Street, 2nd Street and Eastman Avenue Elementary Schools, Extera charter school has finally moved out.

For years, Extera charter school had occupied space inside the three schools. This co-location status led to Extera taking over classrooms, libraries, auditoriums and playgrounds during the school day, forcing out the public school students and staff. This also led to lower enrollment in public schools.

Centro CSO has organized against charter schools in the Chicano neighborhoods of Boyle Heights and East LA, as charters are seen as an attack on public education, with corporations trying to privatize public schools.

Antonieta Garcia, Centro CSO co-chair of the Education Committee, stated, “We must protect and keep on advocating for public education. This was a great victory for parents, students and the community!”

This practice of allowing charter schools to occupy space within existing public schools is the result of California Proposition 39, a state law initiated by the charter school lobby which requires school districts to make facilities (including both classroom and non-classroom spaces) available to charter schools that serve students who reside in the district. This led to the growth of charter schools, especially in poor, working-class Black and Chicano communities. Charter schools are non-union and are known to be selective in student enrollment.

This co-location led to enrollment decline and many scheduling problems in local schools. The charter schools were also supposed to pay rent for use of the LAUSD public facilities, but many did not.

Due to these problems, people have been holding protests for years at Extera board meetings to get them out. Most of the Extera board members had no history or background in East LA area communities.

In 2025, Extera attempted to buy an old church in East LA with the plan to build a new charter school. Centro CSO and Eastside Padres organized a successful campaign to stop this construction, which resulted in LA County Supervisor Hilda Solis making a motion at the board of supervisors meeting to deny the building permit. This campaign re-energized the community to continue opposing Extera co-locations.

Centro CSO later visited Breed Street, 2nd Street and Eastman Elementary Schools, encouraging parents and staff to oppose Extera, and suggested parent re-enroll their children in the public schools.

Extera finally announced in early 2026 its intent to close and transfer any remaining students to the Green Dot Animo Ellen Ochoa charter school.

Josie Reyes, a parent of students at Eastman Avenue school, stated, “We won against the co-location of Extera and stopped them from growing. Thanks to the Eastman Ave School teachers, parents, UTLA, Centro CSO and Eastside Padres.”

August 2026 saw the final evacuation of Extera.

#LosAngelesCA #CA #PeoplesStruggles #Education #PublicSchool #Teachers #CentroCSO

Tallahassee, FL – On August 17, the Leon County Commission held a public hearing regarding the proposed Historic Harms amendment to the county charter. From the pressure of about a dozen speakers and the presence of dozens more, the commission voted 5-2 to advance the amendment to the November ballot for all county citizens to vote on. Commissioners Brian Welch and Christian Caban voted against the amendment. 

The Historic Harms amendment, if passed, would require the county to periodically investigate past county policies and determine what kind of harms were caused to certain geographic areas due to those policies.

The state of Florida’s SB 1134, which would end funding opportunities for programs based on diversity, equity, and inclusion or any programs that even seemed that way, was signed by Governor Ron DeSantis this past April. The original language of the Historic Harms amendment drew concerns from the Charter Review Committee and from the county attorney due to potentially coming into conflict with the new law. The amendment was rewritten to fit within these bounds – the new language looks purely at geographic neighborhoods regardless of the demographics of who was affected in those areas. This approach did get at least a tacit approval from the county attorney and did get voted through by the review committee.

Members of the Tallahassee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (TallyAARPR), the Tallahassee Immigrant Rights Alliance (TIRA), Capital Area Justice Ministry, the League of Women Voters, and Tallahassee ALERT, which wrote the amendment, spoke out in favor on Monday.

“I believe there are many communities in Tallahassee that have been left behind, and this amendment is the first step to really looking at the problems with the city and attempting to rectify them,” said Delilah Pierre with the Tallahassee Alliance.

Brandon Beckett with TIRA said, “I think we need to leave it in the people’s hands to address their futures,” adding, “This amendment is addressing community members that have been left behind through the development of Tallahassee.”

Beckett continued, “It’s their community as well. We need to make sure every member of this community feels respected and doesn't feel as if they’re left behind.”

The amendment will now appear on the ballot in the November elections. State Representative Angie Nixon won an upset victory for the Democratic nomination and will appear on the ballot. As well, there are three Tallahassee city commission seats in the runoff election. The Tallahassee Alliance will spread information about the amendment to educate the public and get people to vote in favor of it.

#TallahasseeFL #FL #PeoplesStruggles #InjusticeSystem #HistoricHarms #OppressedNationalities

Dallas, TX – On August 14, people gathered for a lively talk by Dr. Michael Philips exploring the protests of the 1984 Republican National Convention in Dallas. The event was put on by the Dallas Against the Trump Agenda Coalition in the lead-up to the protests of the midterm Republican National Convention descending on Dallas on September 9 and 10 of this year.

Blake Van Wicken, a local Teamster and member of the immigrant rights group El Moviemiento, commented, “It was great to come together and learn about Dallas’ strong but often forgotten history of protest, and to connect that history to our moment as a new generation of Dallas organizers prepares to march on the Republican convention and oppose the Trump agenda.”

The protest of the Republican National Convention will take place at Pike Park on September 10, at 1 p.m., beginning at Pike Park and marching to American Airlines Center, where the convention is being held.

#DallasTX #TX #PeoplesStruggles #RNC #Trump #Midterms2026

Charleston, SC – On June 14, 2025, at a spontaneous march immediately following a No Kings Day rally in downtown Charleston, I was unjustly arrested and charged with disorderly conduct for chanting with a megaphone. I have pleaded not guilty and, over a year later, I have yet to receive my day in court.

At the rally before the march, I heard reports from others present that officers with the Charleston Police Department (CPD) were threatening protesters with arrest by CPD for wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) masks, citing the First Amendment Demonstration Ordinance Act, or 1A, ban on masks at protests. Yet, PPE is specifically exempt in the ordinance. It was clear many of the CPD officers didn't approve of the action, which was an anti-Trump protest.

After the rally, I joined a group of community members who wanted to continue to protest with a march down the sidewalk in response to the Trump administration's immigration crackdowns. Before we began our own march, we witnessed two horse-mounted CPD officers attempt to intimidate two individuals for holding their banners up and chanting as they left the park. The officers approached them aggressively on their horses, telling them they couldn't protest. A blatant lie in an attempt to silence dissent.

Undeterred, they joined the group I was with. We all knew we were within our rights, and not even in violation of the repressive 1A ordinance, so we asserted these rights and began our march. We chanted as we marched in solidarity with our undocumented community members and against the Trump administration's racist immigration policies. We had a megaphone, so I offered to lead chants on it as we marched out of the park.

We didn’t make it very far before we were pursued by police officers telling me to stop chanting on the megaphone. They insisted we could march and protest but not with a megaphone. Given this was an unlawful command, not even supported by the 1A ordinance, I refused to acknowledge them and kept leading chants. A few minutes later I was violently arrested by CPD and the so-called “anti-riot” deputies of the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO).

The protesters in my group were understandably enraged by the arrest. One person attempted to shield me as officers moved in to detain me. A mounted officer responded by trying to use his horse to attack the group, but lost control of the animal, nearly trampling them as it smacked into a wall on the sidewalk and went running sideways into the road. All of this was captured on video, but CPD continues to deny this happened. It should be noted, despite my arrest and the continued police stalking of the other protesters, the march continued and was a success.

I was charged with disorderly conduct, my megaphone seized as evidence, and I spent a few hours in the notorious Al Cannon Detention Center where over 20 people have died in the past ten years; at least three of the deaths have been declared homicides. Thankfully, my community supported me and bailed me out the same day.

I retained counsel, pleaded not guilty to the charges, and have been prepared for trial for over a year. Yet, the city of Charleston refuses to grant me my day in court. The first prosecutor wanted to dismiss my case, but the police wouldn't drop the charges. The second prosecutor, Kevin Hales, has offered me guilty pleas for time served on more than one occasion. We have refused every time. We are not interested in anything other than a full dismissal or our day in court. Twice we have made public calls to pack the courtroom and each time Hales has since filed for a continuation. Most recently this happened related to my August 3, 2026 court date.

Additionally, it has come to light that the city of Charleston has allegedly reached out to the presiding judge and prosecutor to push my case because they are not interested in it going to court. In my opinion, city officials know they can't defend the 1A law, and they're feeling the pressure against the ordinance, and the multiple cases brought up using the ordinance as a pretext.

I am not the only person arrested under the law. In October 2024, I, and a fellow organizer, were charged with violating the 1A ordinance in the aftermath of a pro-Palestine demonstration. The charges were dismissed a year later. In January 2025, seven, mostly Latino, community members were arrested for “disobeying a lawful order” when police ordered a spontaneous protest to disperse, again citing the 1A ordinance as grounds for the dispersal. Lastly, in February 2026, a woman was charged for wearing a keffiyeh at a protest in response to the killing of an ICE observer. Again, in this instance, CPD cited the 1a ordinance.

Local organizers have continually spoken out against this law, including a Fight for the First march and rally which was attended by hundreds on July 25, 2026. Our demands remain the same. We want a full dismissal of these bogus charges and the full repeal of this repressive unconstitutional ordinance, because protesting is not a crime!

We are calling on all people of conscience to call the Charleston Prosecutor’s Office at 843-965-4148 and ask to speak to Kevin Hales to demand the disorderly conduct charge against me be dropped immediately.

And stay tuned for a day of action to call for the full repeal of the First Amendment Demonstration Ordinance.

#CharlestonSC #SC #FreeSpeech #PeoplesStruggles #Opinion

Lebanon, IN – On Wednesday, July 29, survivors stood together to protest the abuse and exploitation they faced while at the Refuge Girls Academy (previously Central Indiana Teen Challenge) and brought attention to an ongoing legal case against the academy.

The nine original plaintiffs have expanded to represent 35 survivors who are now fighting the academy's crimes. The long list of crimes of the academy include institutionalized cruelty, physical abuse, labor trafficking, forced malnutrition, religious indoctrination, humiliation rituals, conversion therapy, human trafficking and torture, amongst many more.

All of these crimes were committed against children under the authority of Dawn and Dave Rose, the director and CEO of the academy at the time.

Survivors partnered with Students for a Democratic Society at Purdue and began their protest right outside the academy chanting “Education! Not exploitation!” “This refuge is not safe!” and “Rise up women of the world, women of the world rise up!” One chant in particular highlighted just how many young women suffered under Dawn and Dave Rose’s control. The chant “If [name] don’t get it, shut it down!” went on to name 30 survivors in total. The protest marched across the street to a park where survivors shared their stories.

“20 years ago I entered Central Indiana Teen Challenge. I was 15 years old. I needed help, instead I was left with trauma that has taken over a decade to begin healing,” said Mandi MacDonald, a survivor of the academy. “I want you to understand something. When I entered Teen Challenge I wasn’t allowed to say goodbye to anyone. I was taken from my classroom in handcuffs, and on the way to the program I attempted suicide,” said MacDonald.

MacDonald survived. And after nearly a year at the academy, she eventually earned the “privilege” of a supervised visit with her parents. After the visit, she made an attempt to contact those who missed her on MySpace, something the academy strictly prohibited, and, upon confessing this to her unaccredited counselor, she was severely punished. “Dawn told me I had never admitted what I had done and that they had discovered it on their own. I told them that wasn’t true. I begged them to ask my counselor. My counselor did not support me. In that moment something inside of me broke,” said MacDonald.

MacDonald was stripped of all of her progress at the academy and forced into solitary confinement for two months. She was made to live off a diet of cold beans, bread, carrots and an apple for every meal. During this time, she was forced to perform repetitive remedial tasks which her OCD tendencies made impossible to complete, resulting in the academy banning her from speaking and being spoken to for months.

“Lebanon Teen Challenge broke a lot of things inside of me, but Lebanon Teen Challenge also shaped who I am today. It taught me to not be silent, it taught me to be courageous, and to never give up. And here we are, almost 20 years later, and I finally can speak on this,” said Emelia Neel, another survivor of the academy. “I will not remain silent any longer. I remember… staying up late with Brittany and Bridgett and we would talk about all the things we would do when we get out. Very similar to people who are in prison, except people in prison get to know when they go home. We didn’t!” said Neel.

The Refuge Girls academy preys on young women in vulnerable situations and violates the trust in religious institutions most people have. Parents often see the academy as a safe place to send their children, where they can overcome their hardships and grow up in a healing environment that some parents simply can’t provide. Many of the girls at the academy are orphans, and some homeless, before their time at the academy, a vulnerability the academy sees profit in.

One crime at the academy was unpaid child labor. Residents were forced to maintain the academy itself and were often trafficked across Indiana to perform heavy labor in extreme weather conditions for no pay, all while any medical concerns were completely neglected. Residents were sent to residential homes, religious institutions and universities, including Purdue and Butler University, where they would be made porters for college students, hauling their personal belongings and assembling heavy bunk beds. The children often worked 12 to 16-hour days.

This exploitation was not just a means of profit for the academy, but an avenue for cruel punishment as well. Minors were often made to clean staircases with toothbrushes or cut the lawn with scissors, all while performing every bit of cooking, cleaning and food preparation, as the academy refused to pay professional adult workers for that labor.

The academy brings in millions of dollars in revenue each year. The struggle to bring the Refuge Girls Academy to justice is an issue of women’s liberation, LGBTQ liberation and workers’ rights. Each struggle is connected and all necessary for justice.

Follow @sdsatpurdue on Instagram to stay up to date and join the fight.

#LebanonIN #IN #PeoplesStruggles #WomensMovement #LGBTQ #SDS #Purdue

Chicago, IL – On Thursday morning, July 30, the Chicago Board of Education passed an amended budget to avoid over 1000 layoffs of workers in Chicago Public Schools (CPS). The revised budget counts on the state of Illinois to allocate an additional $150 million to CPS for the 2026-2027 school year. The amount is a fraction of the funding Illinois committed to provide to school districts under the Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) for Student Success Act, passed back in 2017. Unions, community organizations and other stakeholders are pressuring the general assembly and Governor J.B. Pritzker to follow through on these commitments.

Hundreds of students, teachers and other school workers gathered before the board meeting in downtown Chicago. CPS students in youth organizations demanded more mental health programming and staff. Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) members wore red and carried signs reading “Budget incomplete” and “Protect our students.” Lunchroom workers, organized with Unite Here Local 1, demanded a contract from CPS after a year of stalled negotiations.

Inside the board meeting, CPS Chief Executive Officer Macquline King urged the board to accept CPS’s budget proposal unamended. The proposal featured layoffs of over 700 teachers, 800 school support personnel, and 100 central office and citywide staff. She emphasized the need to close a $732 million budget deficit amidst declining student enrollment.

During public comment, however, board members heard from many CTU members about the negative impacts that the proposed layoffs would have on the students and the school communities in the coming school year. Libby Lundeen, a second-grade teacher in the Austin neighborhood, said the layoffs will leave her school with only one fourth-grade teacher for a classroom of 45 students, a size that is “untenable.”

“These layoffs may be numbers to you, but to the schools they serve, they are instrumental in keeping our schools running and our students learning,” Lundeen said. “Join us to demand that the state pay its share and save our educators. Do not accept this current budget without exhausting all options.”

Many speakers united around the call to start the school year with the staff in place, then fight for the state funding required to maintain them through the end of the school year.

In response to such community pressure, school board member Michilla Blaise introduced the amendment to increase anticipated state revenue by $150 million and to use this money to “avoid” making the layoffs permanent. She emphasized that “over 75% of the staff laid off are people of color” and that the state is “the only path to long-term structural solutions.”

In 2017, the Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) for Student Success Act committed the Illinois legislature to fund schools at 90% of adequacy by 2027. With the deadline upon us, Chicago Public Schools is funded at only 73% of what it needs to provide students with an adequate education. An estimated $985 million would be required to meet the state’s initial commitment. Even with the $150 million in additional revenue that the amendment assumes from the state, the district would continue to be funded at less than 77% of adequacy.

Board member Jitu Brown gave further context to the relative shortcomings and inequities of state funding. “For three decades, Illinois was 49th in public education due to an overreliance on property taxes, despite the fact of having an international city within its midst. This was foundational to creating an apartheid school system. The schools in Streeterville and Lincoln Park, by design, were far more resourced than schools in Austin and Altgeld Gardens. The state has caused harm, and they owe us.”

Brown continued to emphasize the need for long-term structural solutions to the deficit. “If you look at other large urban districts, Los Angeles funds between 58% and 70% of their schools from the state of California; New York, 40% to 48%; Chicago, 29%.”

The amendment to assume increased state funding passed by a vote of 11-7 with one abstention. CTU representatives praised the decision. In an interview with Fox 32 Chicago, CTU Vice President Jackson Potter emphasized the evidence of political will in Springfield, with Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch pledging to push for more funding in the November veto session.

In contrast to King’s focus on the negative outcomes of the 2017 budget process, Potter pointed out the positive outcomes from the same time period. “When we had a similar crisis the last time the Board of Education included state money that hadn’t yet manifested in the budget in 2017, we won the biggest increase in school funding in the state’s history. Ten years later, now we have to win them fully funding the formula that is part of the state statute that is legally required.”

In the meantime, Jackson does expect a “restoration” of critical positions as a result of the budget amendment. “So those class sizes that were 45 can come down to under 30 where they are more manageable and students can get a much more beneficial, holistic experience that they deserve.”

Despite optimism and will to fight for additional funding from labor leaders, CEO King responded to the budget vote with an email to parents and school workers threatening furloughs and interruptions to the school year after the vote.

“CPS needs to stop placing the burden of broken promises and bad financial decisions on the backs of students and teachers,” said CTU member Jake Hanawalt, who received a layoff letter from Englewood STEM High School. “Instead, they need to join us in Springfield this year and demand that the state fully fund our schools.”

#ChicagoIL #IL #Labor #PeoplesStruggles #CTU #Teachers

Milwaukee, WI – On Sunday, July 26, the Milwaukee Anti-war Committee (MAC) held a protest near the Milwaukee lakefront against the Milwaukee Air & Water Show. Every year, the Air & Water Show trots out the same models of U.S. Air Force planes used to carry out the U.S.’s illegal and unpopular wars. Though marketed as a “family-friendly” event, it is filled with military propaganda. Military recruiter booths line the grounds each year as fighter jets tear through the sky.

This was MAC’s fourth time protesting the Air & Water Show, but the first iteration of the “Peace Parade,” featuring handmade puppets of U.S. President Donald Trump and former President Joe Biden.

Over 30 attendees gathered at the North Point Water Tower at noon as the Air & Water Show was set to begin. A big banner reading “War is not family friendly! U.S. military out of Milwaukee!” was unfurled, while other people in the crowd held signs reading “I won’t glorify war” and “No war on Iran.” They flew Venezuelan, Palestinian, and other flags of nations targeted by the U.S. war machine. The puppets of Trump and Biden featured prominently, with large heads and hands dripping with blood.

The protesters walked along the sidewalk, chanting “Air Show, Air Show, you can’t hide, you’re promoting genocide!” as they followed the busy street of North Avenue, where many cars passed by and honked their support.

MAC member Sara Kraco told the crowd, “How many of us are drowning in student debt? Medical debt? How many of us had to decide between groceries and medicine? How dare our government charge us so much for life-saving medications such as inhalers or insulin, and turn around and burn up our tax dollars by flying these warplanes around us?” Kraco said, the crowd yelling “Shame!” in response.

Kraco continued, “We forget too, as we sit here comfortably on the lakefront in awe of the maneuvers and speed, that they’re just that, warplanes. Used in countries worldwide such as Iraq, Cuba, Venezuela, Palestine, and now Iran. These planes regularly deploy drone strikes and drop bombs on civilians, always under the guise of fighting terror – but we know the United States military is the real terrorist. Regularly committing war crimes as hospitals, schools, universities, water systems, bridges, public transportation, power plants and homes are indiscriminately targeted. Beautiful ecosystems, cultures older than ours, destroyed without care.”

The people in Milwaukee and elsewhere around the world are linked, and so long as the people do not see peace, the Air & Water Show will not either.

#MilwaukeeWI #WI #AntiWarMovement #PeoplesStruggles