Kenosha, WI – Hundreds of people rallied at the scene of a shooting that took place around 5:30 pm on August 23. After breaking up a fight between two women, Jacob Blake, 29, attempted to return to his vehicle. The entire time, an officer with the Kenosha Police Department had a gun pointed at him. As Blake tried to enter his car where his children were buckled in the back seat, the officer grabbed hold of the collar of his shirt and fired his gun at point blank range seven times. Blake was taken to the hospital. As of the writing of this article, he is in stable condition.
Fullerton, CA – On August 19, 2019, the Buena Park Police Department killed 19-year-old David Patrick Sullivan after a traffic stop in Fullerton. As body cam footage of this murder shows, Sullivan was unarmed and attempting to flee when BPPD Officers Bobby Colon and Jennifer Tran shot him seven times. In June, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer cleared Officers Colon and Tran, but Sullivan’s family is fighting back.
Milwaukee, WI – In the early evening of August 20, around 500 people gathered in Dontre Hamilton (officially Red Arrow) Park in downtown Milwaukee to mark the final day of the Democratic National Convention. The turnout in spite of the pandemic and the vastly diminished physical presence in the city for the convention was a testament to the hard work and dedication of the organizers with the Coalition to March on the DNC.
Milwaukee, WI – In the early evening of August 20, around 500 people gathered in Dontre Hamilton (officially Red Arrow) Park in downtown Milwaukee to mark the final day of the Democratic National Convention. The turnout in spite of the pandemic and the vastly diminished physical presence in the city for the convention was a testament to the hard work and dedication of the organizers with the Coalition to March on the DNC.
Los Angeles, CA – On August 22, 2015 Alfredo Santibañez almost lost his life. Around 11:30 p.m., Santibañez was walking along Soto Street near the 24-hour McDonalds, when he noticed two white, bald men in a Ford Crown Victoria approaching him. Santibañez says he immediately thought they were white gang members.
Jacksonville, FL – On August 18, Jacksonville held primary elections where movement candidates won big. Angie Nixon, a trade union leader with SEIU and a community organizer, defeated incumbent State Representative Kimberly Daniels in District 14 by a margin of 60% to 40%. Nixon, a longtime supporter of progressive movements here in Jacksonville, spoke at historic massive rallies over the summer organized by the Jacksonville Community Action Committee after the George Floyd rebellion. She pledged her support for repealing the Law Enforcement Bill of Rights, a statewide statute that hinders cities in Florida from instituting community control of the police. Her opponent, a controversial, anti-gay, anti-women’s rights, anti-Semitic pastor, had wide support from the local Fraternal Order of Police, private prisons like GEO group, as well as the backing of the statewide Chamber of Commerce.
Green Bay, WI – On August 14, more than 30 community members gathered at Brown County Courthouse to protest the recent ‘public service’ videos put out by the Green Bay Police Department. The third video, titled “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot,” is particularly offensive. The videos are meant to portray change, while no actual change takes place, and a murderer, Officer Erik O’Brien, remains employed.
Tampa, FL – Over 50 people rallied and marched through downtown Tampa August 15 to demand justice for Jonas Joseph, a 26-year-old Haitian-American man murdered by five Tampa Police Department officers after they fired 125 shots. The march was attended by the family of Jonas Joseph and members of the community and was hosted by the Tampa Bay Community Action Committee (TBCAC) and Black Lives Matter Restoration Polk Inc.
Lisa Vargas speaks at her son’s two-year angelversary
Los Angeles, CA – Two years ago, on August 12, 2018, East Los Angeles Sheriff’s deputies Jonathan Rojas and Nikolis Perez killed Anthony Daniel Vargas, shooting him 13 times. The ELA Sheriff's alleged “Banditos” gang members have covered up the truth, harassed the family and killed again.
Waupaca, WI – Nearly 100 people turned out for a Black Lives Matter (BLM) rally in the rural Wisconsin town of Waupaca. This huge turnout for an action in such a small town came in the wake of two earlier events that faced a growing amount of harassment from police and white supremacists.
Waupaca, WI – Nearly 100 people turned out for a Black Lives Matter (BLM) rally in the rural Wisconsin town of Waupaca. This huge turnout for an action in such a small town came in the wake of two earlier events that faced a growing amount of harassment from police and white supremacists.
Los Angeles, CA – In the span of 12 days during the summer of 2016, LAPD Officer Eden Medina killed two unarmed Chicanos in the neighborhood of Boyle Heights. On July 28, 2016, Medina shot Omar Gonzalez twice in the back after multiple officers had tackled the 36-year-old father of two and held him face down. The LAPD immediately allowed Medina and his partner Alejandro Higareda to continue working in Boyle Heights. Then, on August 9, Medina shot 14-year-old Jesse Romero as he was surrendering with his hands in the air and starting to kneel. In both cases, District Attorney Jackie Lacey cleared Medina and the families lost their civil suits against the City of Los Angeles. LAPD merely transferred Medina to a different division.
Community responds with demand for community control of MPD
Minneapolis, MN – The Twin Cities Coalition for Justice 4 Jamar (TCC4J) was joined by community supporters and Jamar Clark’s family for a press conference demanding community control of the police and a Civilian Police Accountability Council (CPAC). After working on CPAC for years, organizing has been kicked into high gear by the uprising for George Floyd and empty responses from local politicians. Two months after nine Minneapolis City Council members declared a “commitment to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department,” even their empty promises have stalled out.
Chicago, IL – Chicago police shot a 20-year-old Black man, Latrell Allen, in the Englewood neighborhood on Sunday afternoon, August 9. His mother told the media that he was shot five times, and she and an eyewitness both said he didn’t have a gun at the time.
Chicago, IL – About 1000 people gathered at two locations August 9 and marched to Diversey and Halsted for a rally aimed at getting North Side Aldermen to sponsor the ordinance establishing an all-elected Civilian Police Accountability Council (CPAC).
Minneapolis, MN – Hundreds of protesters rallied outside the Minneapolis police’s 4th Precinct in North Minneapolis, July 31, to demand justice for Travis Jordan, on what should have been his 38th birthday.
Milwaukee, WI – While Joe Biden shelters himself from COVID-19 and the movement for Black lives in Milwaukee, the Coalition to March on the Democratic National Convention (DNC) will be in the streets. Regardless of whether Biden comes to Milwaukee or not, the Democrats will hear from the people on the front lines fighting police crimes, especially the families who have lost loved ones to killer cops.
Oshkosh, WI – On the evening of July 31, 50 people from Oshkosh and the surrounding Fox Valley participated in a protest and vigil for Isaiah Tucker. The event, organized by United Action Oshkosh (UAO), marked the three-year anniversary of Isaiah’s murder by Oshkosh police officers Aaron Achterberg and Kyle Roberts. This event was also a call for the Oshkosh Police Department to fire, indict and convict killer cop Achterberg and his accomplice Roberts, both of whom are still employed by Oshkosh Police Department.
