Fight Back! News

News and Views from the People's Struggle

policebrutality

By Antonia Mar

Marchers take to the streets on MLK Day in New Orleans. | Fight Back! News/Hayden Legg

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.

Read more...

By Gemini Gnull

Tacoma, WA rally demands justice for Manny Ellis. | Fight Back! News/staff

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.

Read more...

By Emma Gottfried

Anaheim, California protest demands justice for Abigail Lopez.  | Fight Back! News/staff

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!”

Read more...

By staff

Family and community gather to mourn the loss of Adam Fresquez, 33, who was killed by an unknown person on May 3.  | Fight Back! News/staff

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.

Read more...

By staff

Los Angeles protest demands justice for Alejandro Hernandez. | Fight Back! News/staff

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.

Read more...

By staff

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.

Read more...

By staff

Jamee Johnson. | Fight Back! News/staff

Jacksonville, FL – The city of Jacksonville settled a lawsuit with the family of Jamee Johnson for $200,000, November 10.

In 2019, Jamee Johnson, a FAMU student who was home for Christmas break, was killed by Officer Josué Garriga.

Read more...

By Tracy Molm

Minnesotans at protest in Atlanta against Cop City. | Fight Back! News/staff

Atlanta, GA – On November 13, five Climate Justice Committee – Minnesota (CJC) members joined activists from around the country to oppose the building of an urban warfare training facility for police on the Weelaunee Forest on the edge of Atlanta, Georgia.

Read more...

By staff

Milwaukee, WI – The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors convened on Thursday, November 9, to adopt the 2024 County Budget. Included in this year’s budget was an amendment package that included $250,000 for a third-party audit of the County Jail. The adoption of the amended budget marks a step towards securing transparency and accountability in the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO).

Read more...

By Joe Iosbaker

Participants in the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression conference.  | Fight Back! News/staff

Chicago, IL – Celebrating 50 years since it was founded in Chicago, the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR), gathered here again, November 3-5.

The National Alliance is new wine in an old wine skin. Executive Director Frank Chapman, the legendary Angela Davis, and a small band of movement veterans from the 1970s and 1980s were surrounded mainly by a sea of college and even high school students, young workers, Gen Z and Millennials. Most of the conference attendees were Black, Latino, Arab, Asian and Pacific Islanders.

Read more...

By Gabriel Quiroz Jr.

LA SWAT raid that killed Gerardo Flores. | Fight Back! News/staff

By Gabriel Quiroz Jr and Sol Márquez

Boyle Heights, CA – On October 23, a heavily militarized police force of close to 100 Los Angeles Police Department officers surrounded a residential home in Boyle Heights. The raid would result in the death of a Chicano man.

Read more...

By staff

Eugene Nelson, an anti-recidivism activist with Project Return, speaks during a prison reform action in Madison. | Fight Back! News/staff

Madison, WI – On Tuesday, October 10, nearly 100 concerned Wisconsinites came together in Madison, joining Wisdom Wisconsin, a non-profit organization bridging the faith community with prison reform efforts, in order to demand an end to inhumane lockdowns that have been enforced in correctional facilities across the entire state.

Read more...

By staff

Community rallies against brutal beating carried out by Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. | Fight Back! News/staff

Jacksonville, FL – The Jacksonville Community Action Committee rallied alongside concerned community members to demand justice for 24-year-old Le’Keian Woods. Nearly 100 people gathered in front of the Police Memorial Building on Sunday, October 1.

Read more...

By staff

Kerrie Hirte, mother of MCSO victim Cilivea Thyrion, speaks during a press conference in Milwaukee ahead of a pivotal county board meeting. | Fight Back! News/staff

Milwaukee, WI – In the lead up to the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors Committee of the Whole meeting, the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression held a press conference on Wednesday, September 27. The press conference called attention to the report by the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) about certain conditions inside the County Jail and the need for transparency and accountability from both the MCSO and the Board of Supervisors.

Read more...

By Robert Engel

Seattle protest demands justice. | Fight Back! News/staff

Seattle, WA – Over 20 community members and activists brought together by the Seattle Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (SAARPR) gathered at City Hall on September 26 to deliver public comment and demand justice for Jaahnavi Kandula, who was killed by Seattle Police officer Kevin Dave on January 23, 2023.

Read more...

By Gemini Gnull

Seattle march and rally demands Justice for Jaahnavi Kandula. Fight Back! News /staff.

Seattle, WA – On September 14, over 200 people came to an emergency rally and march organized by the Seattle Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (SAARPR) to fight for justice following the murder of Jaahnavi Kandula by Kevin Dave, an officer in the Seattle Police Department.

Read more...

By staff

LA protest demands justice for Adrian Rios.

Los Angeles, CA – On September 9, 40 friends, family and community members rallied in front of the East LA Sheriff’s station demanding justice for the in-custody brutal murder of Adrian Rios, a 28-year-old Chicano. They were joined by the family of David Ordaz Jr., who was killed by East LA Sheriff’s deputies.

Read more...

By Alex Carson

Atlanta protest against RICO indictments of stop Cop City protesters.

Atlanta, GA – Community members gathered outside of the Georgia Supreme Court on the evening of September 8 to display their opposition to the extreme state repression that was brought upon activists in the movement to Stop Cop City.

Read more...

By J. Cortez

Protest demands justice for Patrick Lyoya.

Grand Rapids, MI – On the morning of Wednesday, September 6, cries demanding justice for the murder of Patrick Lyoya resounded from the steps of the State of Michigan Building. There, a three judge Court of Appeals hearing for the ex-police officer, Christopher Schurr, was taking place. Schurr killed the 26-year-old Congolese immigrant Lyoya with a point blank shot to the back of the head during a traffic stop in April of 2022.

Read more...

By staff

Atlanta, GA – 61 Stop Cop City activists are being indicted on Georgia RICO charges by the state’s attorney general’s office.

Read more...