Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the National Democratic Front of the Philippines.

Mass pressure and a mayor’s own greed stall a planned power grab

Chicago, IL – In true Chicago fashion, Mayor Lori Lightfoot had expected to easily ramrod through a police reform bill this week that would have affirmed her grip on power. If passed, the “Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability” ordinance would have left the entire police accountability system in her control, rendering it at the discretion of the executive branch whether to hold itself accountable for abuses of power committed by its police department, rather than giving communities terrorized by police tyranny the power to defend their rights.

Call Bolivian Ambassador

Call-In to save the life of Facundo Molares! Call Bolivian Ambassador Walter Oscar Serrate Cuellar at 202-483-4410 ex. 4 When: Tuesday, February 25, 2020 between 8 am and 4 pm Eastern time Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from Committee To Free Facundo Molares.

Minneapolis, MN – Minnesota progressives are urging voters around the country to reject Democratic Party contender Amy Klobuchar.

San José, CA – On February 16, the San Jose Day of Remembrance held its 40th annual event with the second-highest attendance ever – more than 550 people. The event started in 1981 as part of the nationwide movement of Japanese Americans demanded redress (an official apology) and reparations (monetary compensation) for their incarceration during World War II.

Free him now!

Chicago, IL – The courtroom was packed February 14. This was my fourth Gerald Reed court hearing. Usually, there is a crowd of folks who show up to support Gerald and his mother, Armanda Shackleford, who has been fighting for her son since he was arrested, tortured and framed in 1990. Shackleford sits in the front row, wearing her Free Gerald Reed t-shirt. Together we sit for an hour, two hours, three, and hear powerful men debate the innocence of a man whose sentence was vacated a year ago.

Impeach Judge Thomas J. Hennelly

Fight Back! News Service is circulating the following statement from the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, the Chicago Torture Justice Center, and Mamas Activating Movements for Abolition and Solidarity.

Facundo Molares Schoenfeld is an Argentinian photojournalist who was illegally arrested by the Bolivian dictatorship, and who is currently held in terrible conditions in a Bolivian prison. His life is in danger, as he does not receive adequate medical attention for a life-threatening condition.

Minneapolis, MN – Hundreds of people came out for several events marking Black History month with Chicago’s Frank Chapman, who is a leading member of Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

17-year-old Mohamed Sulaiman Alhddad was shot and killed by Israeli troops in the West Bank city of Hebron, February 5, during a protest responding to President Trump’s “Deal of the Century.” Other protesters have been killed or injured in recent days.

Bolivia suffered a vicious coup d’état on November 10, 2019 that was provoked by right-wing gangs rampaging in the street, traitorous police and military officers, the old guard political elite, and, of course, supported by the United States Embassy. As soon as Evo Morales was elected to a fourth term as president of Bolivia on October 20, with almost 47% of the vote, right-wing elements, centered in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, started a campaign to destabilize the progressive government headed by Evo.

Milwaukee, WI – On the evening of January 27, organizers for the Coalition to March on the DNC held a press conference outside City Hall to announce their intention to sue the city if their permit to rally and march is not delivered. Despite having reserved the rotunda inside the building, the press conference was forced to be held outside.

Saint Paul, MN – On January 20, Twin Cities Coalition 4 Justice 4 Jamar (TCC4J) held an evening event to honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., Marcus Golden, and “stolen lives” of community members lost to police crimes and terror.

Chicago, IL – In a pair of upcoming cases, Associate Judge Thomas Hennelly will have the fate of three wrongfully convicted men in his hands. Given who put them behind bars, his rulings could send a signal that Chicago has firmly turned its back on the legacy of police torture and wrongful convictions that hangs over the city. But, given Hennelly’s direct involvement in prosecuting police torture victims and his attempt to hide racist constitutional violations, Chicagoans would be remiss to expect impartiality from the bench.

Chicago, IL – More than a 1200 joined together November 22, at the hall of the Chicago Teachers Union, to refound the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. The newly refounded Alliance will center its efforts on building the fight against police crimes and for community control of the police, and it will campaign for the release of political prisoners and the wrongfully convicted.

Minneapolis, MN – More than 60 Minnesotans from over ten local organizations are heading to Chicago the weekend of November 22-24, for the refounding of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. Many are of the Twin Cites participants are Black activists and family members of those killed by police. The Twin Cities Coalition for Justice for Jamar is leading the delegation and is a core endorser of the conference. Minnesota will have the third largest delegation of the nearly 700 people currently registered. The weekend’s activities will likely have over 1000 attendees from across the United States.

Interview with Frank Chapman

Fight Back! interviews Frank Chapman on the November 22-24 Chicago conference to refound the National Alliance against Racist and Political Repression.

Entrevista con Frank Chapman sobre la Conferencia Nacional para la Refundación de la NAARPR este 22 al 24 de noviembre, 2019. Lucha y Resiste!: ¿Pudiera compartir unas palabras sobre cómo se lucirá la conferencia para relanzar la Alianza Nacional en Contra de la Represión Política y Racista?

Freedom Road Socialist Organization stands in opposition to the wave of political repression that is being unleashed in the Philippines. The U.S.-backed regime of President Duterte has carried out a series of raids on homes and offices, jailing more than 60 participants in the progressive and national democratic movement.

New York, NY – Several dozen organizers and community members gathered outside the Philippine Consulate on 5th Avenue, November 4, to demand that the government of the Philippines release the 62 organizers of legal, mass organizations who were arrested Negros and Metro Manila.