New Orleans, LA – On November 16, about 30 students gathered on Tulane University’s campus in protest. The recently formed Abolish TUPD led the action, calling for a campus without police. Rallying at the campus entrance, the group created a paper chain with reasons to abolish the Tulane University Police Department (TUPD). They taped it to the front doors of Gibson Hall, the school administrative building. An unidentified employee tore it down the next morning.
Tampa, FL – On December 5, Tampa community members, the family of Josiah Pinner, and the Tampa Bay Community Action Committee (TBCAC) rallied outside of Tampa City Hall where they demanded justice for victims of police terror. Josiah Pinner, 15, was murdered in a hit-and-run by Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) deputy Philip Montesi in 2019. Jonas Joseph was shot at over 125 times and killed while in his vehicle in April of 2020, with the Tampa Police Department (TPD) officers facing no charges or other repercussions. Dominique Mulkey was shot at over 40 times and killed by TPD officers in October of 2020 after stealing food from a Dollar General because he was hungry.
Los Angeles, CA – December 5 will mark a year since the murder of UPS driver Frank Ordonez. Last year, Ordonez, while delivering on route, was kidnapped by jewel thieves and held hostage in the delivery vehicle. The truck was pursued by police for hours. The pursuit came to a slowdown at a busy intersection, where police opened fire on the vehicle. The police fired over 200 rounds, killing Ordonez, the thieves and a bystander. The bystander, Rick Cutshaw, was a business rep for OPEIU Local 100. A year later, no one has been charged for the murders, and the officers still remain on active duty. And none of the police or police departments have been held accountable for their actions. The entire murder was captured on live television via helicopter.
Fight Back! Interview with Frank Chapman, the Executive Director of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.Fight Back!: Could you say a few words about the refounding of NAARPR last year?
Minneapolis, MN – Over 100 protesters gathered in Minneapolis to stand in solidarity with Indigenous people on Thanksgiving, November 26, for a National Day of Mourning. It is a reminder of the genocide and suffering of Native Americans that still continues today. 400 years have passed since Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock and colonized the land Native Americans had been living on for thousands of years. In the shadow of the Minneapolis skyline, several speakers touched on the many struggles Indigenous people face today and the erasure of their people.
Jacksonville, FL – On November 21, the Jacksonville Community Action Committee (JCAC), alongside other organizations and over 250 community members, gathered at the Duval County Courthouse to rally against the repressive and undemocratic legislative proposal by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, as well as the killing of 18-year-old Devon Tillman Gregory by four Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office officers: Nicholas McDonald, James Mills, Aaron Roe and Brandon Shea.
Tallahassee, FL – On November 19, students from the Tallahassee chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) held a rally in front of the Westcott building on the Florida State University campus to demand community and student control of the Florida State University Police Department (FSUPD) and that the charges against the Tally19 be dropped. The students called for an end to political repression and that FSUPD be held accountable to the community and student body they police.
Jacksonville, FL – Over 200 people gathered on the westside of Jacksonville, on the corner of San Juan and Cassett Avenues, to celebrate the life of Devon Gregory Tillman, along with protesting against his death at the hands of the police. Devon Gregory Tillman was an 18-year-old African American worker who was murdered by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office earlier this week during a traffic stop. Police surrounded the vehicle, pulling out Tillman’s two passengers before opening fire. Police fired 35 times into his car.
Minneapolis, MN – On November 14, over 150 people gathered in North Minneapolis to honor the five-year mark since Jamar Clark was killed by the Minneapolis Police department on November 15, 2015. It also marks the five-year anniversary of the heightened struggle locally against police terror and its progression to demand community control of the police to stop killer cops.
Fort Yates, ND – On October 23, 2017, the Bureau of Indian Affairs murdered 35-year-old Ryan Gipp after he was pulled over outside of Fort Yates, North Dakota. Gipp and his parents were returning home from a hunting trip and stopped at a gas station. Gipp was ejecting a shell from his shotgun, when it accidentally discharged. The family began to drive home and was pulled over by BIA officers shortly after. Gipp threw the only weapon in the vehicle, his shotgun, out the window in an effort to play it safe and present himself unarmed. BIA officers Raymond Webb and Gary Sandland Jr. then tased and shot Gipp several times. The two officers were not charged and are still in their current positions, but Gipp's family continues to fight for justice.
Tallahassee, FL – Despite cold weather, concerns about police and vigilante violence, and results of the election still unknown, several Tallahassee organizations came together for the November 4 national day of protest to push for a people’s agenda, community control of police, and to speak out against Trump’s attempts to steal the election. Concurrently with many events across the country, Tallahassee Community Action Committee, Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), and SDS gathered a crowd of about 50 people in Cascades Park.
Los Angeles, CA – Boyle Heights joined the call from the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR) for protests on November 4 to demand a people’s mandate and that Trump concede. Hosted by Centro CSO at Mariachi Plaza, the rally featured many family and friends of Chicanos and Chicanas killed by police in Los Angeles. Protesters celebrated the electoral defeat of District Attorney Jackie Lacey, a crucial victory for the movement against police crimes in Los Angeles. Lacey has notoriously refused to file charges on over 600 cops for killing Blacks, Chicanos and Latinos in LA County during her two terms in office.
Jacksonville, FL – On November 4, the Jacksonville Community Action Committee (JCAC), in coalition with other local organizations, continued the fight for community control of the police. This action was a part of a national day of action called by the National Alliance Against Racism and Political Repression. Jacksonville, along with other cities across the country, joined the post-election protest, continuing to press for community’s demands.
Milwaukee, WI – On November 4, more than 150 protestors joined the march and car caravan put on by Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (MAARPR). The protestors joined up at Sherman Park, an important landmark in Milwaukee that experienced an uprising against police violence in 2016. Youth Empowered in the Struggle (YES) set up a table for letter writing, to demand justice for “ThEE ThrEE”, two men and one child shot and killed by the same Wauwatosa Police Officer Joseph Mensah.
Los Angeles, CA – More than 3 million voted by mail and in person on November 3 in Los Angeles. District Attorney Jackie Lacey was defeated in a hard-fought race for district attorney of Los Angeles County, the most populous in the United States. Reform candidate George Gascon beat Lacey.
Green Bay, WI – On November 1, the Wisconsin Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression held a car caravan and vigil for Donna Christensen, an Ojibwe woman and member of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, who was found dead in a jail cell in Vilas County, Wisconsiin.
Chicago is responding to the National Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression call for protest the day after the November presidential election. After the election, the people’s mandate for change must be carried out.
Tallahassee, FL – On October 22, more than 40 students and community members gathered at Integration Statue and marched to Wescott Fountain. Students for a Democratic Society held the annual protest at Florida State University in honor of the National Day of Protest Against Police Brutality. The assembly gathered with the demands of community control of FSU Police Department, that State Attorney Jack Campbell drops all charges levied against the #Tally19, and permanent removal of the Francis Eppes statue.
Oshkosh, WI – Over a dozen protesters from many parts of eastern Wisconsin answered a call put out by United Action Oshkosh (UAO). People rallied on October 24 to demand justice for Isaiah Tucker and community control of the police.
Santa Ana, CA – A press conference was held October 20 to denounce the brutal killing of David Sullivan after a traffic stop by Buena Park Police on August 19, 2019 in Orange County. Chicano attorney Humberto Guizar called for the Orange County District Attorney to reopen the investigation and file charges of murder against the two involved officers.
