New Orleans, LA – On Tuesday, April 9, around 100 community members filed into the gymnasium of the Treme Recreational Center for a People’s Town Hall on Policing. The town hall meeting, hosted by New Orleans for Community Oversight of the Police (NOCOP), interviewed New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick. The superintendent is the local equivalent of a chief of police. Community members spent the town hall voicing their anger with police crimes, abuses of power, civil rights violations, and lack of transparency.
Los Angeles, CA – On April 11, the family of Christian Escobedo continued their fight for justice as they pursue accountability for his tragic murder on January 14, 2018 by LAPD Officer Edward Artiaga from the Hollenbeck Division.
Six years after Escobedo’s murder, there are court hearings for his family’s civil lawsuit against Officer Artiaga, a display of the unwavering determination of his loved ones.
In 2018, Escobedo, a 22-year-old Chicano, was walking home at 6:30 a.m. with a friend when they stopped to rest on the sidewalk for a moment. LAPD arrived and shot him four times without provocation. With the support of Centro CSO, a community organization that fights against police crimes in East LA and Boyle Heights, Escobedo's family began organizing to demand accountability.
Jacksonville, FL – Jacksonville Community Action Committee along with other organizations rallied at City Hall on Wednesday, April 3, after two-time-killer cop and serial brutalizer and former JSO officer Josue Garriga was arrested by Clay County Sheriff’s office. Garriga was caught engaging in unlawful sexual activity with a minor. Josue Garriga had been involved in the death of FAMU student Jamee Johnson and most recently was involved in the brutal beating of Le’Keian Woods.
Fullerton, CA – On March 6, Fullerton Police Department (FPD) killed Alejandro Campos Rios with bean bag projectiles and a taser. Age 50 and homeless, Rios was dancing and apparently under the influence but not posing any threat. One officer fired a taser while another shot five bean bag shotgun rounds at Rios, who collapsed bleeding and clutching his body. Rios was pronounced dead after arriving at a hospital.
Seattle, WA – On March 16, a crowd of around 40 activists, organizers and community members marched around the King County prosecutor’s office. In February, King County Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion’s office declined to file charges against Seattle police officer Kevin Dave, who over a year ago struck and killed a student at a crosswalk with his car.
Milwaukee, WI – Ahead of Judge Brittany Grayson’s decision regarding Standard Operating Procedure 575, the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression held a press conference and picket outside of the Milwaukee Police Association on Friday, March 15.
Chicago, IL – “You can't throw a stone and not hit someone who is affected by police torture and wrongful conviction here in Chicago, the torture capital of the United States,” said Merawi Gerima, a co-chair of the Campaign to Free Incarcerated Survivors of Torture (CFIST.)
Gerima was speaking at the annual People's Hearing on Police Crimes on Saturday, February 24, at the office of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR) in Woodlawn neighborhood on the predominantly Black South Side.
Seattle, WA — On Friday, February 23, the Seattle Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression held an emergency rally in front of Seattle's West Precinct police station. Two days before, the office of King County prosecutor Leesa Manion announced that they had decided not to prosecute SPD officer Kevin Dave who, over a year ago, struck and killed 23-year-old Jaahnavi Kandula with his patrol car while she was walking through a crosswalk.
Atlanta, GA – On February 24, family and community members gathered for a vigil in memory of Osiris Bennet, a young man murdered by MARTA (Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority) police officers a year before. The vigil, held at the North Avenue MARTA station where the incident occurred, was a reminder of the ongoing struggle for justice and accountability in Atlanta.
Osiris Bennett, 23, was approached by two plainclothes, undercover MARTA officers while walking to the train platform, for allegedly smoking a blunt. During the encounter, cops claim that their tasers failed and that Bennett pulled a gun on them, leading them to shoot him several times in the neck and body.
Tallahassee, FL – On February 20, approximately 30 students and community organizers mobilized to the Florida Capitol building to hold a press conference and speak out against HB 601. This bill seeks to prevent any meaningful oversight of police misconduct by making it unlawful to form citizen police review boards or any organized body to review the conduct of police departments.
The mobilization was part of a larger week of action called by National Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR).
Bartow, FL – Early on a windy Tuesday morning, February 13, dozens of members of the Tampa Bay community gathered outside the Polk County Courthouse to support a man, Antwan Glover, as he faces 20 years in prison for bogus charges.
Seattle, WA – On Sunday, January 28, a crowd of community members led by the Seattle Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression gathered on the steps of Seattle's West Precinct. The previous Tuesday, January 23, marked one full year since Jaahnavi Kandula, a 23-year-old student living in Seattle, was hit and killed at a crosswalk by Seattle Police Department Officer Kevin Dave.
Chicago, IL – On Friday, January 26, over 50 people gathered on the University of Illinois at Chicago’s campus to protest the racist and discriminatory practices of the UIC police department. The protest was called jointly by Students for Justice in Palestine and Students for a Democratic Society in response to two separate instances of racist policing and discrimination at the University.
St. Paul, MN – On January 13, about 250 people gathered in below-zero temperatures to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. weekend by participating in a car caravan, followed by a rally at the State Capitol.
Near the Saint Paul Western District Police Department, surrounded by strip malls, protesters called for no business as usual during a genocide, as drivers and passengers decorated cars with signs carrying slogans like “Solidarity with all oppressed peoples” and “Justice for Marcus Golden! Murdered by SPPD nine years ago!”
New Orleans, LA – On Monday, January 15 on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, New Orleans for Community Oversight of Police (NOCOP) hosted an MLK Fight Back March starting at A.L. Davis Park at noon. About 100 members of the community came out in attendance, even marching in the rain as showers briefly passed over the demonstration.
They chanted “New Orleans, we’re on a roll, we’re fighting for community control!” as they took the streets down Claiborne Avenue and MLK Boulevard.
Tacoma, WA – Chants of “Jail killer cops,” “Black lives matter” and “Justice for Manny” rang through the Hilltop neighborhood of Tacoma, as over 100 people gathered to protest, grieve and march against the wrongful acquittal of three Tacoma police officers for the murder of Manny Ellis. Among those gathered were Ellis’s sister, mother, extended family, friends and other families of people murdered by the police.
Anaheim, CA – Chants of “Anaheim PD has blood on their hands!” filled the streets of Anaheim on Wednesday, December 6, as over 30 family members and community members rallied in front of the Anaheim Police Department. They spoke on the tragic murder of Abigail Lopez by Anaheim PD.
Rain Mendoza, the rally emcee and member of Orange County CSO, recounted the event, stating, “On October 29, Anaheim PD gunned down Abigail Lopez and murdered her in cold blood. She was 20 years old. These cops kill us with impunity, and we get no justice. They are never held accountable for their crimes against the people!”
Edgewater, CO – The Edgewater Civic Center became a focal point for solidarity and remembrance on December 5, as about 50 family members, community activists and local residents gathered to honor the life and legacy of Adam Fresquez.
Fresquez was pepper-sprayed and fatally shot twice in the back on May 3. The assailant still remains unidentified to the public. The timing of this vigil coincided with the swearing-in ceremony of Edgewater’s new mayor, Steve Conklin, and incoming city council members. The gathering served as a call to the newly appointed officials to ensure accountability within the Edgewater Police Department and to seek justice for Fresquez murder.
Los Angeles, CA – The family of Alejandro Hernandez, community members and other impacted families protested outside of the East Los Angeles sheriff’s station, Saturday, November 25. All were demanding justice for the 34-year-old who was recently brutalized by two sheriff deputies during an arrest.
Jacksonville, FL – Charges against Diamonds Ford, a woman who was accused of shooting a law enforcement officer in 2020, have been dropped.
After Diamonds' arrest, local organizers launched the “Justice for Diamonds Ford” campaign, which included rallies, cultural events and weekly call-ins to demand the state attorney drop the charges.