Minneapolis, MN – On July 15, the Coalition to March on the RNC successfully brought more than 3500 protesters together in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to protest against the racist, reactionary agenda of the Republican National Convention. 100 of these protesters arrived on coach buses from Minneapolis organized by the MN Immigrant Rights Action Committee and the MN Abortion Action Committee.

This convention is where Republican delegates met to choose their party’s presidential nominee, Donald Trump, known for his anti-immigrant and misogynistic statements and policies. The thousands of protesters from around the nation marched within sight and sound of the convention center, thanks to the Coalition’s years-long fight against the city for a militant march route.

Meeting at Red Arrow Park in 90-degree weather, organizers stood out in the blazing heat and shared speeches on subjects such as immigration, abortion, climate justice and the genocide in Palestine. Not only were there lines of speakers, but also thousands in the crowd to listened and chanted in support.

MNACC member June Gromis spoke about how the Republican agenda impacts women and LGBTQ people, saying, “Republican politicians will try so desperately to convince you that they are virtuous faithful people but they have shown time and time again that their only religion is exploitation, subjugation and the control of all women and all gender oppressed people.”

MIRAC member Manny Pascual spoke on his experience regarding immigration, saying, “The U.S. will separate families every chance they get. If they’re not starting wars they’re funding them. They separate us because they know we are stronger than them. And we are fighting back!”

Walking a mile and a half route around the convention, many people held banners, flags and signs saying things such as “Legalization for all” and “Stop Trump and racist Republicans.” Voices also filled the streets as people chanted and shouted for the rights of all oppressed people. The Coalition united many on fighting against racism and for women’s, immigrants and LGBTQ rights, as well as calling out U.S. support for Israel’s genocide in Palestine.

Even with physical concrete barriers in the way of the march, people continued on, jumping over them and helping each other navigate around the obstacles.

Organizers from around the nation brought their own fiery energy to the RNC and successfully made a stance against the Republicans on the very first day of the convention. This was only a taste of the power of the people that will show out in full force regardless of who is elected in November.

Minneapolis organizers are now gearing up to march on the Democratic National Convention on August 19.

#MinneapolisMN #ImmigrantRights #PeoplesStruggles #WomensMovement #ReproductiveRights #Trump #RNC #Feature

Milwaukee, WI – After two years of work, the Coalition to March on the RNC culminated its efforts with a 3500-person rally and march on the opening day of the 2024 Republican National Convention. The Coalition was truly national in character, composed of more than 120 organizations representing all manner of social movements. The principle rallying cry of the broad united front was to fight against the racist and reactionary Republican agenda.

“The most visible figurehead of the Republican Party right now is Donald Trump, but we want to be clear: we are marching on the Republicans’ entire agenda. Our speakers today represent a broad movement against the entire Republican platform,” said Omar Flores, one of the co-chairs of the Coalition. “We are marching on every Republican state slashing funding for DEI initiatives in education, every Republican governor putting up more razor wire to militarize the Southwest border, every Republican voting for right-to-work bills, and every Republican signing bombs they are sending to Gaza.”

“For decades Republicans have been on a mission to deprive the majority of people in this country of their basic human rights. Their attacks on Black and brown people, on women, on immigrants, on the LGBTQ community, and on the working class have destroyed the lives and livelihoods of millions of people. Defeating the Republican agenda is a matter of life and death for working and oppressed people,” said Kobi Guillory, a leader with the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

Guillory continued, “We have to protect ourselves in this country and we have to stand in solidarity with oppressed people around the world. Our government is committing genocide in Palestine and reinforcing deadly militarism and fascism around the world. We live in the belly of the beast, the

headquarters of the imperialist system. It is our responsibility to destroy this system so that people here and internationally can live their lives in peace, justice and equality.”

As is commonplace in Milwaukee and in other cities and on campuses all across the country, particularly since October 7, some of the loudest chants of the day were in support of Palestine. “Free, free Palestine!” “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!” and “From the sea to the river, Palestine will live forever!” were just a few examples.

“In the debate, we heard Trump say that Israel must be allowed ‘to finish the job.’ We know

what that means, that Trump not only supports the genocide, he wants to intensify it, kill more and more Palestinians,” said Hatem Abudayyeh, the national chair of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network.

“But Trump in Milwaukee this week and Genocide Joe Biden in Chicago next month shouldn’t forget that the vast majority of the world stands with Palestine and its right to self-defense and resistance in Gaza, that the Palestinians and the Lebanese and the Yemenis and hundreds of millions of other Arabs in the region will continue to resist and ultimately defeat the U.S. and Israeli war machines, and that people in the U.S. want money for healthcare and childcare and jobs and immigration and education, not occupation.”

One of the main goals over the two years of organizing of the Coalition was to take their demonstration within sight and sound of the Fiserv Forum in downtown Milwaukee, where the RNC was being hosted. It was a pitched battle with the city of Milwaukee, the police and the Secret Service, but ultimately they won. At the point in the march where Fiserv was only a block away, Carly Klein from Reproductive Justice Action Milwaukee spoke.

“Wisconsin was one of ten states with pre-existing laws that banned legal abortion and when Roe fell. A law written in 1849 was immediately reinstated. Suddenly anyone performing, assisting or receiving an abortion could receive a felony charge and up to ten years in prison,” Klein said. “We refused to sit quietly in the face of adversity, and, in September of 2023, abortion services resumed in the state of Wisconsin due to the pressure applied by militant grassroots organizations. Because when we fight, we win!”

Chants of “Fight, fight, fight! Abortion is a human right!” helped to drown out a handful of pro-lifers who'd climbed up onto the barricade surrounded by the marchers. From the onset, the Coalition had “Defend women's and reproductive rights” as one of its points of unity. It was expanded to also include LGBTQ rights in light of the stepped up attacks by the GOP against those communities.

Many more people representing various groups from around the country spoke and gave greetings both before and after the march. Despite constant hand-wringing from the city about violence from protests, the actions organized by the Coalition were seamlessly executed and everyone was kept safe, achieving their aim of hosting a “family-friendly mass demonstration”.

With the mobilization against the RNC come and gone, most of the member groups of the Coalition to March on the RNC will now be pivoting their attention to the Democrats and their national convention in Chicago next month, with many of those groups belonging to the sister grouping that is the Coalition to March on the DNC.

“As those who stand against the war machine and for the rights of working and oppressed people, we invite you to join us in Chicago in August and support the buildup of what we aim to be the largest march on the DNC in history!” said Zhenya Polozova, a member of the Chicago Anti-war Committee and a representative of the Coalition to March on the DNC.

Polozova declared, “The ruling class will never independently grow a conscience and rescind their support for Israel’s genocide or any of their repressive policies against the working class and oppressed people. We all have a role to play in ending this genocide and weakening the imperialist system. I’ll see you all in the streets of Chicago on August 19th! Long live Palestine!”

#MilwaukeeWI #WI #PeoplesStruggles #RNC #Tump #immigrantRights #LGBTQ #WomensMovement #Labor #OppressedNationalities #AntiWarMovement #Feature

Omar Flores, of the Coalition to March on the RNC, stated, “We are very proud to announce that as of 11 a.m. today, we have reached a handshake agreement with the city of Milwaukee that will allow us to march within sight and sound of the Fiserv Forum. A member of the city attorney’s office will be observing the march at the very front, to make sure things go without a hitch.”

Flores continued, “This agreement is greatly beneficial to the coalition, as we can tell our partners that we can march on the route we want to without being impeded by the police. We are encouraging all of conscience to march on the RNC with our 125 endorsing organizations. Join us to fight against the Republicans’ racist and reactionary agenda, to stand with Palestine, to defend women’s, LGBTQ and reproductive rights, to defend and expand immigrant rights, and to advocate for peace, justice and equity for all.”

Protesters will begin gathering at 10 a.m. in Milwaukee’s Red Arrow Park, July 15. A rally is set for 11 a.m. followed by a march. 

“We are so overjoyed to be able to show that we can fight for our rights, and we can win,” stated Flores

#MilwaukeeWI #CoalitionToMarchOnTheRNC #CoalitionToMarchOnRNC #RNC2024 #RNC

Los Angeles, CA – Immigrant rights activists with Centro CSO held a press conference July 9 calling for a protest on opening day of the Republican National Convention (RNC). The LA activists are sending a delegation and will travel and join a march and protest on July 15 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The members of Centro CSO denounced the reactionary racist Republican agenda that targets immigrants. Local activist Eloisa Glaindo spoke out, saying immigrants contribute to the U.S. economy. She also denounced former President Trump’s anti-immigrant hate speech.

Gaberiel Quiroz, co-chair of Centro CSO’s police accountability committee, talked about his recent trip to Eagle Pass, Texas where he witnessed human rights violations on the border pushed by Republican Governor Gregg Abbott of Texas.

Mariaelena Madrid and Avery Raimondo, both public school teachers, spoke about working with immigrant families from Central America and Mexico. Madrid also pointed out the RNC attacks on reproductive rights.

Jenny Bekenstein, a worker at UPS and member of Teamsters Local 396 talked about the anti-union policies of the Republican Party and Trump. She also criticized President Biden's policy in Palestine.

The press conference was joined with more Centro CSO members ending with chants in Spanish: “Abajo con los Republicanos (Down with the Republicans)!”

#LosAngelesCA #CA #ImmigrantRights #OppressedNationalities #ChicanoLatino #PeoplesStruggles #RNC #Trump #CentroCSO #Teamsters

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following call to action from the Coalition to March on the RNC 2024.

Please call Mayor Cavalier Johnson at 414-286-2200 and say:

“Tell Mayor Johnson to give us the permit for our March on the RNC in Milwaukee this Monday, July 15, 2024, at 10am. We will rally at Red Arrow Park and march to the Republican National Convention at Fiserv Forum. We have waited long enough and are excited to march!”

Coalition Call In Day is Wednesday, July 10, 2024, starting at 8am to 5pm central time.

Mayor Johnson and the Secret Service think they can stifle free speech and frustrate our right to gather and march to within sight and sound of the RNC. They claim to be for democracy but for over a year have denied us a permit though we filed early. On Monday, July 8, U.S. District Judge Brett Ludwig, a Trump appointee, ruled against the Coalition's lawsuit to force the city to grant their chosen route. Tell Mayor Johnson to issue the permit now!

We ask you to call and tell Mayor Johnson to, “Let the people march! Let our voices be heard at the rally in Red Arrow Park on Monday at 10am. Join us as we march to the front doors of the Fiserv Auditorium where the Republicans will hear us outside promoting a pro-people agenda.”

The Coalition to March on the RNC is the opposite of everything the Republicans stand for. Our Coalition opposes racism and war, reaction and genocide. We are supporting immigrants’ rights, supporting women’ s freedom to choose, holding up LGBTQ freedom, and calling to give workers raises and lower prices for staples like food and drinks, gas, and rent. We want peace, justice, and equity!

The Coalition stands for everything good and progressive for the future of our country, while the Republicans and Trump want to drag us backwards. We will march to stop that from happening. While the Republicans are lying and scheming inside their convention, we will be outside letting the world know that we are building movements for workers, students, and the oppressed that will stop the Republican attempts to seize more power.

Join us for the March on the RNC 2024! www.marchonrnc2024.org

#MilwaukeeWI #WI #PeoplesStruggles #RNC #Trump #feature

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Coalition to March on the RNC

Milwaukee, WI – With the Republican National Convention just a week away, some are asking “Why march on the RNC?” However, the correct question should be: “Why not? Why not march on the Republican National convention? Why not march on those leading the attacks on women’s and reproductive rights? Why not march on those leading attacks on trans, immigrants and human rights in general?”

The Republicans have left us no shortage of reasons to mobilize and amplify the people’s agenda over their racist and reactionary agenda.

While the Republicans may not be in control of the executive branch of the U.S. government, the presidency, they are in effective control of the House of Representatives and the Supreme Court. Not to mention Republican-governed states, counties and cities. Working people in the U.S., especially Black, Chicano, and other oppressed people, face the brunt of GOP-led attacks.

The threat of the Republican agenda is not based in fantasy – Republicans are affecting the day to day lives of everyday working people in the U.S. and large swaths of the world. This is not new by any means.

While the Republicans intend to make Milwaukee their playground during the week of July 15, we must remember the unconscionable passing of Act 10 in Wisconsin, under Republican Governor Scott Walker, which stripped public-sector unions of their bargaining power. We must remember the slashing of public education, health and transportation funds. We must remember the brazen warmongering attitude of the GOP.

In the face of this, we must build the broadest possible movement to oppose and defend against these longstanding reactionary attacks, because these attacks are broad, affecting the majority of people in the U.S. These affronts to our basic rights cannot remain unanswered. To put it simply, no progressive-minded person has a reason to not march on the RNC this July 15 at 10 a.m. at Red Arrow Park in Milwaukee. Come join us! We welcome you! Bring your friends and family, young and old alike.

Despite being in a “blue” city and state, Milwaukee has bent over backwards to accommodate the encroaching reactionaries, as Mayor Cavalier Johnson denies us a permit to march. Likewise, Governor Tony Evers has no shame granting universal arrest permissions to police forces from across the state. They don’t want us to march. This is exactly why we must stand up, raise our voices, and march on the RNC this July 15!

Despite what the Secret Service and the City of Milwaukee say, we plan to be within sight and sound of the Fiserv Forum. It is not only our right to free speech, to demonstrate, protest, and mobilize, but it is our duty to fight back against the racist and reactionary Republican agenda.

As the Republicans intend to flood Milwaukee, the people of Milwaukee and all progressive people across the U.S. must create a movement to oppose the GOP’s backward agenda. Anyone who believes in peace, justice, and equity for all – anyone who believes in defending and expanding women’s, reproductive, LGBTQ and immigrant’s rights, and anyone who stands with Palestine – should be on the streets of Milwaukee this July 15, 10 a.m. at Red Arrow Park.

Here is what we are doing to prepare

On July 15, the Coalition to March on the RNC will kick off at Red Arrow Park, locally known as Dontre Hamilton Park, with a press conference at 10 a.m., followed by a rally at 11, and we will be taking the streets at 12 noon.

The Coalition to March on the RNC has prepared for this mobilization for nearly two years since it was announced that the reactionary convention would be held in Milwaukee. Nearly a year ago, the coalition hosted a national mobilization against the Republican presidential debates, with 900 people from many groups marching. If this march was any indication of what to expect on July 15, we can expect it to be massive and family-friendly, as that is the strength of our broad movement.

We have demanded from federal, state and local forces for two years to be able to exercise our basic rights. From the beginning, it was clear that they did not want us organizing a mass mobilization, let alone a national one right at the doorsteps of the Fiserv Forum. Our movement’s power is felt and feared by the political elite, otherwise, we wouldn’t be facing this repression. We must continue pushing forward and not take another step back!

The city and mayor, the Department of Justice and the Secret Service claimed we were ill prepared for such a march, offering “protest trainings” and demanding we work closely with the police. We’ve made it abundantly clear we don’t need the police to have a successful family-friendly march, we’ve made it clear that we keep us safe, and our strength only grows with our numbers.

With over 118 endorsing organizations, our efforts to build the broadest possible coalition are being exemplified, and now it's time to translate these efforts to the streets. With or without the permit, we will be marching within sight and sound of the RNC, and we are ready and excited to do so!

National groups such as the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, National Students for a Democratic Society, Legalization For All Network, International League of Peoples Struggles, and many others are mobilizing their membership to march on the RNC. All sectors of the people’s movements are included in the points of unity and will be coming to Milwaukee.

Anyone who is involved in anti-war, women's, reproductive and LGBTQ justice, climate justice, unions, immigrant's rights, or any other type of organizing, will be welcomed by us in Milwaukee. Milwaukee welcomes all those with their fist in the air ready to fight back against the racist and reactionary Republican agenda!

#MilwaukeeWI #WI #PeoplesStruggles #Trump #RNC #LGBTQ #OppressedNationalities #Labor #StudentMovement #Feature

Minneapolis, MN – Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) chapters from around the U.S. are mobilizing for the massive July 15 march on the Republican National Convention.

Chrisley Carpio of National SDS states, “Whether they are banning abortion, public sector unions, diversity programs, or even eliminating funds for public schools and higher education, Republicans like Trump make it clear every day that they stand against youth and students. Every attack they launch at our movements will be a fight, and in the end, we will destroy their entire agenda.”

Tampa Bay SDS’s Victoria Hinckley said, “National SDS is marching on the RNC to stand against their continued reactionary agenda against LGBTQ folks and women, Black, Chicano, Latino and Asian students, and now the movement for Palestine.”

Hinckley continued, “We’re going to be there to say we won’t back down in the face of these attacks.”

#MinneapolisMN #MN #PeoplesStruggles #RNC #StudentMovement

Donald Trump reported that the International Brotherhood of Teamsters President Sean O'Brien had accepted an invitation to speak at the Republican National Convention, held this year in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

This will mark the first time in history that a Teamsters general president has addressed the Republican National Convention.

For those with short memories, it was the Republican Party in Wisconsin, led by former Governor Scott Walker, that forced through Act 10, stripping union rights from public sector employees in the face of hundreds of thousands of workers who occupied the capitol building for nearly a month in defiance. It was the Republican Party that forced through the Right to Work (for less) law in the face of overwhelming opposition. It was the Republican party that prevented Milwaukee and other municipalities from having government-mandated paid sick days, as other cities across the country already have. It was the Republican Party that ended prevailing wage laws in our state, and that enforced and maintained a gerrymandered government that kept them in power by drawing the legislative maps in their favor for more than a decade.

When O'Brien speaks in Milwaukee, it will be in a city and state gutted by anti-worker policies and laws. When he speaks, it will be to a room full of the very people who dreamt them up, passed them through the gerrymandered state government, and support and enforce them to this day. The last 14 years of history stare us in the face. In Wisconsin, there can be no clearer enemy of working people or their unions than the attendees of this convention.

Unions have a responsibility to relate to government bodies on behalf of their members, and we need to be clear about who is who and what is what. Organized labor has the power to represent and promote a progressive agenda. Our strength lies in the workplaces and the capacity to put workers in the streets. The labor movement exists in opposition to the very people General President O'Brien will speak to in Milwaukee.

Whatever President O'Brien's message, we encourage him, as well as all working people, to march outside of the Republican and Democratic Conventions. March alongside people who come from all different backgrounds and causes, bringing the issues of working-class Americans out into the open air. We need to chart our own course.

As the Republican and Democrat Conventions approach, and the presidential election nears, workers and labor leaders should remember that our power is based not within the walls of those conventions, but outside of it.

#Labor #PeoplesStruggles #RNC #Teamsters #Feature #FRSO #Statement

Minneapolis, MN – The National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARAPR) is one of the organizations that has joined the Coalition to March on the RNC and is mobilizing for the major protest on the opening day of the Republican National Convention, July 15, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Frank Chapman, the executive director of the NAARPR, states, “Why are we marching? We’re marching because as a nation and as a people, we are currently witnessing the wholesale destruction of democracy; we are witnessing war mongering and genocide.”

Chapman continued, “We are marching because it’s our duty and responsibility to stop our government from being, in the words of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., ‘the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today.’”

More than 100 organizations have announced their support for the protest spearheaded by the Coalition to March on the RNC.

#MinneapolisMN #NAARPR #RNC #RepublicanNationalConvention

Atlanta, GA – Hundreds of community members gathered June 27 to protest the presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump in Midtown Atlanta. The event was sponsored by a broad coalition of Atlanta and Georgia-based activist groups united around the demand for a free Palestine.

The protest began shortly after 7 p.m. and ran at the same time as the presidential debate. The event featured reps from a large number of organizations who spoke against the bipartisan support for Israel and its genocide of the Palestinian people, the need for divestment and an end of all U.S. aid to Israel. They tied the local people’s struggles in Atlanta to the fight against U.S. imperialism.

“What we all know is that neither Trump nor Biden is going to resolve the issues that have brought us out into the street. Neither of them can even fake empathy for the ongoing genocide in Palestine, much less do anything to stop it,” said Erica Schneider, a member of the Atlanta Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. “Neither of them has any interest in putting a stop to mass incarceration and closing the Atlanta jails where we've seen dozens of preventable deaths in the last few years.”

The Atlanta Alliance is currently running a campaign to shut down the Fulton County Jail, stop the construction of a new $2 billion jail, and grant immediate compassionate release of inmates to prevent further deaths. The Fulton County Jail at Rice Street has gained national notoriety in recent years as inmates continue to suffer from inhumane conditions. Over a dozen inmates have died at the jail in the past year alone.

“We're here protesting because we want a ceasefire now. We want a ceasefire now” said Geovani Serrano, a community organizer from Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights. “But at the same time, we're here because there is so many connections between what is taking place in Palestine and what is taking place at the border.”

Serrano continued, “When I say ‘take back tech’ I say ‘take back’ for a reason, because the U.S. currently is taking all this technology that has been used to surveil Palestinian people and they're using it to surveil immigrants here in the United States. They’re using it to create profiles to criminalize them. And not only just that but profiles also for entire families. It is a close connection that we have.”

Immigration has become a hot-button issue during the 2024 presidential election as racist right wing rhetoric against undocumented people continues to escalate. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp recently signed HB 1105 into effect, a state law requiring local and state police to identify, arrest and detain undocumented persons.

Alex Carson, a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization and one of the recently arrested Emory University protesters, spoke about the need for solidarity in the fight against political repression, stating, “The monopoly capitalist class and their police happily tear gassed, brutalized and jailed us for resisting their genocide of Palestinians at the Emory encampment. Our solidarity is always stronger than their repression. Instead of scaring people they have awoken a strong tide of internationalism in Atlanta and the whole country.”

#AtlantaGA #GA #PeoplesStruggles #RNC #DNC #Biden #Trump

Milwaukee, WI – On Saturday, June 22, around 40 people gathered in the rain to bring attention to the two-year anniversary of the Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision voted on by the U.S. Supreme Court, which ended federal abortion protections.

Co-sponsored by Reproductive Justice Action – Milwaukee (RJAM) and the Coalition to March on the RNC, the crowd gathered for several riveting speeches from members of the community, and marched on the Fiserv Forum, where the Republican National Convention is set to happen in a few weeks’ time.

“​​Some of the most corrupt and evil people in this system, responsible for all anti-abortion bills and laws, the Republicans, are coming to Milwaukee in less than three weeks. We must stand up to them as a community and let them know that their racist and reactionary agenda is not welcome here,” remarked Blake Jones, for RJAM.

Maya Seshan, a member of Medical Students for Choice – Medical College of Wisconsin, noted the difficulties doctors have been facing in this climate. “Since the Dobbs decision, physicians across this country have been put in an impossibly challenging place, where they must navigate how to provide life-saving care, when they can be prosecuted.”

“Over the last two years, we have been fighting militantly to protect abortion access and for safe and sustainable communities for all,” said Carly Klein, outreach co-chair for RJA-M. The demands at the march were: Unrestricted access to abortion (no mandatory waiting periods, the right to telehealth services, abortion access beyond 22 weeks, access to abortion pills free of barriers) and free and equitable healthcare for all.

Cady Petralia, outreach co-chair of RJA-M, also spoke about the upcoming Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) cases that the Supreme Court will make decisions on soon. EMTALA is a law that allows abortions and other medical instances to be performed under an emergency, regardless of if the procedure is legal in the state or not. “This could lead to even more disastrous effects on reproductive justice in the U.S.,” Petralia noted.

The event ended with a speech by Aurelia Ceja, co-chair of the Coalition to March on the RNC. They spoke about the importance of showing up to fight against the racist and reactionary agenda of the Republican party, stating, “Our bodies and our lives are not to be used as political pawns for votes, and we will be there to tell the Republicans that we’ve had enough.”

Despite the fallbacks in the past two years, the group left with optimism, determined to not let the Republicans take away any more of our reproductive rights. The crowd ended with the chant, “On July 15, where will we be? In sight and sound of the RNC!”

#MilwaukeeWI #WI #WomensMovement #ReproductiveRights #Abortion #RJAM #RNC

Los Angeles, CA – Over 40 people gathered at a local bar, Distrito Catorce, to raise funds for organizers traveling to march on the Republican and Democratic National Conventions (RNC and DNC) taking place in Milwaukee and Chicago, respectively. Those traveling include members of Freedom Road Socialist Organization and both the LA and Orange County chapters of Community Service Organization (CSO).

The fundraiser included games of loteria and an auction where winners took home books, plant pots, t-shirts and other prizes. A raffle was also held for two photos of pro-Palestine protests taken by local photographers, both members of CSO.

Jared Hamil of Freedom Road Socialist Organization stated why he thinks it’s important to protest both parties, “Because both parties suck. Both parties are representative of the corporate elite, the 1%.” He also spoke about the March on the RNC of 2012 that took place in Tampa, Florida where he helped to organize thousands to march against Mitt Romney during a tropical storm, highlighting the historic tradition of marching on the conventions. Regarding the Democrats he stated, “They’re complicit in the genocide of Palestine. So, thousands of people will be marching in Chicago and we are here supporting the people who can be there protesting.”

Carlos Montes of Centro CSO said “We must march against the reactionary, racist Republican agenda! Abajo con los republicanos! Abajo con Trump!” and highlighted Trump’s agenda to conduct mass deportations and his support for racist Texas Governor Abbott who wants to block the border in Eagle Pass and continue the deadly barbed wire buoys in the Rio Grande.

David Pulido, of CSO Orange County stated why he will be marching on the DNC, “Biden and the Democrats continue to finance the genocide of the Palestinian people. His administration continues to attack immigrants to the U.S., pushing Trump-like bans on those seeking asylum while giving other immigrants the bare minimum. In so many ways, he continues to betray the oppressed communities that make up his base while pushing the agenda of the super rich. But we won't stand for it, and this August, we will march on the Democratic National Convention and push a people's agenda!”

If you are interested in donating to help fund travel for the organizers of these historic marches, you can Venmo @csooc.

#LosAngelesCA #CA #PeoplesStruggles #OppressedNationalities #ChicanoLatino #RNC #DNC #FRSO #CentroCSO

New Orleans, LA – On June 24, Donald Trump arrived in New Orleans for a fundraising dinner as protesters disrupted the event with a rally. The protest was organized by the Queer and Trans Community Action Project (QTCAP) and New Orleans for Community Control of the Police (NOCOP). They chanted and demonstrated the opinions of the working-class queer and Black people of New Orleans, with additional speakers in solidarity to the Palestinian liberation movement.

The dinner, hosted by shipyard CEO Donald Bollinger and real estate magnate Joe Canizaro, cost $3300 per ticket for one person, with an additional approximate $22,000 for an opportunity to take photos with Trump. Bollinger and Canizaro are two of the most generous donors to the Republican Party in Louisiana.

U.S. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise was also present at the event, described as a “guest of honor.”

The fundraiser occurred just weeks after Trump was found guilty of 34 felony charges, and almost a year after his last New Orleans fundraiser, where protesters forced him to shut down the event early.

The protest began roughly an hour before Trump’s motorcade arrived. Members of the crowd held up signs reading anti-Trump and anti-GOP slogans, such as “Lock Trump up!” and “Stop the racist GOP agenda!” as Palestinian and transgender Pride flags fluttered in the wind above onlookers.

“These people would like to force their ideology of Christian-fundamentalism onto future generations, force their ‘free market capitalism’ – that really means exploiting the working class and continuing racist oppression here in the South,” said Quest Riggs, representing QTCAP. “The legacy of Jim Crow, continuing the legacy of red-lining, continuing the legacy of wealth inequality that still exists in New Orleans today.”

“They want to hold onto that wealth with their bare knuckles, but they know, we know, the youth know, that their kind is a dying breed, theirs is a dying country, theirs is a dying mentality,” Riggs asserted.

“I can’t stand to see our rights taken away. We are people that believe we’re not just tokens, to be sold and given away for free, to be traded, or to be collected like cards in hand by greedy men with wicked ideas, and wicked aims, and self-entitlement. We’re more than that. We’re people – we’re people with rights. All of us,” said Toni Duplechain-Jones, a representative of NOCOP.

“They don’t just take away our rights, they take away our basic standard of living. In this city, Black people make up a majority. In this country, there’s no one who’s worked harder than Black people to build this country. Yet, year after year, our wealth has been going down,” Jones continued. “A recent report of New Orleans stated that white people in New Orleans, in the north, have 16 times the wealth of Black people.”

Speakers of the rally chanted with the crowd, “Donald Trump has got to go!” as counter-protesters attempted to agitate members. The New Orleans Police Department ushered the anti-Trump group away from the public sidewalks of Audubon Place, the gated community in which the fundraiser was held.

The police did not require the counter-protesters to move.

As the presidential motorcade arrived, protesters approached Audubon Place once more, gathering on the neutral ground in front of the gates. Rain began to fall, but it failed to dull the energy of the demonstration as counter-protesters dispersed. Jones declared that rain would not stop them from protesting against oppression, shouting “Rain or shine, you can’t hide – you’re supporting genocide!”

Around 20 minutes after it began to rain, it began to thunder. The organizers only concluded the rally when lightning picked up.

#NewOrleansLA #LA #PeoplesStruggles #Trump #LGBTQ #RNC #NOCOP #QTCAP #Palestine #Feature

Milwaukee, WI – After a year of denied permits for their proposed march, the Coalition to March on the RNC 2024 has filed a lawsuit against the city of Milwaukee.

Along with a watered-down “free speech zone,” the city of Milwaukee has stoked repression by trying to implement “hard” and “soft” security zones around the Fiserv Forum, where the Republicans are planning to select their 2024 presidential nominee this July.

The city government offered no details or insight on these security zones, and hasn’t been clear where the city’s proposed “parade route” will be. Despite this, the coalition is determined to march within sight and sound of the Fiserv Forum along their own proposed route, the same one their permit applications have requested.

Democrat Mayor Chevy Johnson, has rolled out the red carpet for the GOP’s racist and reactionary leaders, supported by a city that is trying to suppress people’s constitutional rights by denying them the right to assemble. The location for the “free speech zone” has been proposed at a great distance from the Fiserv Forum, not within sight and sound. The parade route proposed by the city is expected to be within the same parameters.

The coalition, which consists of almost 100 grassroots organizations, is expected to attract thousands of people for the family-friendly march on Monday, July 15. They are united under five points of unity: Fight the racist and reactionary agenda of the Republican Party; defend women's, LGBTQ and reproductive rights; defend and expand immigrant rights; peace, justice and equity for all, and stand with Palestine.

“We’re not going to agree to anything less than within sight and sound of the Fiserv Forum,” remarked Omar Flores, co-chair of the Coalition to March on the RNC 2024. “It’s a shame we have to resort to this to get a response from the city.”

The city of Milwaukee has yet to respond to the lawsuit.

#MilwaukeeWI #WI #PeoplesStruggles #RNC2024 #RNC #LGBTQ #ImmigrantRights #WomensMovement #Trump #Feature

Fight Back News Service is circulating the text of a speech by a leader of Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Fernando Figueroa, which was delivered shortly before the July 18 march on the RNC in Cleveland, OH.

My name is Fernando Figueroa, and I am a proud member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization. I became a revolutionary in 2008 while organizing students to defeat John McCain. I honed my theory and practice as an organizer during the 2012 March on the RNC in Tampa, Florida, where we said no to Mitt Romney. Today I am a rank-and- file Teamster active in the trade union movement, and I’m standing with you all to stop Trump and the system he represents.

History has shown us that there’s only one response capable of stopping bigots and billionaires like Donald Trump. The mass political movement we’re forming today as we march on the RNC is a firm step forward for poor and oppressed people. This is true not only in the U.S., but for people all over the world. This mass movement has the 1% and all of their backwards supporters terrified – as evidenced by the police they’ve sent to welcome us to Cleveland.

The 1% that rule this country are terrified of us, and they should be. Their system of protecting the rich and powerful at the expense of working and oppressed peoples is coming to an end. The age we’re living in is like a pathetic giant, lashing out as the working class and oppressed nations of Black and Chicano people organize. We’re organizing because we believe a better world is possible, a just society where people’s needs are taken care of and capitalist greed is abolished. By uniting today to stop Trump, we are delivering a blow to the 1% and their pathetic giant.

My friends, the road ahead of us is long and treacherous. It is fraught with attempts by the enemy to frighten and discourage us, but by uniting activists and supporters from across movements, across the country and across the world, we will overcome the obstacles that lay before us, like Donald Trump.

Our mass movement is growing by leaps and bounds as we build the fight of oppressed nationalities fighting for justice and an end to police crimes. Our movement grows as we build the struggle of queer people and women, and the fight for equality and liberation. It grows when we demonstrate solidarity with people oppressed by our government in places like Colombia, the Philippines and Palestine. It grows when we struggle to protect the environment and ensure everybody receives a good education and healthcare. The working class will realize it is the most powerful force ever created, and it will rise up to smash the political parties of the 1% including the Republicans and their figurehead, Donald Trump.

Victory is ours if we choose to work for it. This year, we are going to stop Trump, and it’s up to us to bring the lessons we learn here today back to our communities and workplaces.

There’s nobody I am happier to call my comrades than all of you assembled here today. The Freedom Road Socialist Organization is proud to stand among so many veteran and rising organizers. Together we will scale the wall that tyranny, backwardness and hatred are building to keep us from political and economic power. I’ll see you on the other side.

#ClevelandOH #AntiwarMovement #CapitalismAndEconomy #InJusticeSystem #US #PeoplesStruggles #RepublicanNationalConvention #FreedomRoadSocialistOrganizationFRSO #ohio #RNC #Antifascism #Elections #RNC2016 #FernandoFigueroa

Cleveland, OH – More than 1000 people rallied with the Coalition to Stop Trump and March on the RNC on the opening day of the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Cleveland on July 18.

Speakers and activists representing more than 40 groups from the immigrant rights, labor, anti-war, student and Muslim civil rights movements gathered in downtown Cleveland for a rally lasting longer than one hour. Activists from more than 20 cities were represented at the rally. Many of the activists and speakers had organized local protests in their home cities against the racist and xenophobic Trump/Republican Party agenda in the days leading up to the convention.

Local community members in Cleveland joined the protesters for the rally and march toward the convention center.

Tom Burke of the Coalition to Stop Trump and March on the RNC stated, “Today was a great day. We took our message to stop Trump right down to as close to the convention center as anyone will get. The Republicans, including the delegation from Texas who walked out of their hotel to see a thousand people taking a stand against the racist, anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim attacks engineered by the Republicans and their presidential nominee, Donald Trump, were shocked to see throngs of protesters in the streets speaking out against Trump and the Republican Party’s agenda of fear and racist hate.”

#ClevelandOH #SDS #FreedomRoadSocialistOrganizationFRSO #RNC #DonaldTrump #DumpTrump #RNC2016 #Republican

Members not only plan to attend the event but also are reaching out to other student groups on campus for endorsements and participation. SAGA feels, now that it appears Trump will be the official candidate for the Republican Party, that it more important than ever to continue opposing him.

Cassie Robledo, member of SAGA and one the lead organizers of the Dump Trump action at UIC, feels “Much like the protest at UIC, marching on the RNC is an important chance for people from marginalized groups to make their voices heard,” and decried Trump’s, “hate and fear-mongering as well as his promotion of racism, sexism, xenophobia, bigotry and austerity.”

Juan Rojas, another lead organizer of the Dump Trump action at UIC and SAGA member, remained firm when police tried to divert the march against Trump at UIC into the parking lot. At the time, he asserted “we have the right to confront hate.” Members of SAGA feel the same way about the march on the RNC. While supporting the fight for permits as a way to ensure the broadest participation possible, they feel they have the fundamental right to protest. They are excited about this opportunity to meet and work with other groups and individuals that feel the same.

Kait McIntyre, another member of SAGA, says, “shutting down Trump at UIC was historic and a beautiful illustration of what people are able to accomplish when they unite anda work together. The action inspired similar demonstrations around the country, capturing interest and giving hope to all those fighting for justice across the world. I believe the march on the RNC will show us the same thing.”

#ChicagoIL #StudentMovement #US #PeoplesStruggles #RNC #Antiracism #Antifascism #Elections #DumpTrump

Tom Burke, a spokesperson for the Coalition to Stop Trump and March on the RNC states, “Organizations are contacting us every day, telling us that want to join this march, and to let the world know that we will stand up to racist, anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim attacks.”

Over the past week, chapters of the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) at Pennsylvania’s West Chester University; the University of MN; Houston, TX; Tampa Bay, FL and Tallahassee, FL have announced their support for the protest.

The Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, which is leading the fight for community control of Chicago’s police has also decided to back the march on the RNC.

Other groups backing the protest include the Welfare Rights Committee, MN Anti-War Committee, Anti-war Committee Chicago, L.U.P.E – Tucson, AZ, Los Angeles’s Centro CSO, Legalzation for All Network, and the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC).

Mick Kelly, also of the Coalition to Stop Trump and March on the RNC states, “We expect thousands to join us for the march on the RNC. We have applied for permits, and expect to get them, but we plan on marching whether we get them or not.”

The protest will put forward the slogans, “Dump Trump, Say No to the Republican Agenda, Stand Against Racist, Anti-Immigrant, and Anti-Muslim Attacks,” and “We Demand Peace, Justice and Equality.”

Many of the organizers of this protest helped lead the mass marches that drew thousands at the 2008 RNC in Saint Paul, Minnesota and the 2012 RNC in Tampa, Florida.

#ClevelandOH #RepublicanNationalConvention #RNC #Elections #DonaldTrump #DumpTrump #CoalitionToStopTrumpAndMarchOnTheRNC

Minneapolis, MN – The Coalition to Stop Trump and March on the RNC announced today, May 1, plans for a major protest In Cleveland, Ohio, on July 18, the first day of the Republican National Convention (RNC).

The protest will put forward the slogans, “Dump Trump, Say No to the Republican Agenda, and We demand Peace, Justice and Equality.”

According to a statement from protest organizers, “Activists from around the country will be converging on Cleveland, Ohio, July 18, the opening day of the Republican National Convention. Inside the convention hall, Republicans will promote their agenda of bigotry, racist discrimination, Islamophobia, war and austerity. On the streets of Cleveland, we will demand peace, justice and equality.”

Mick Kelly, speaking for the Coalition to Stop Trump and March on the RNC stated, “We are expecting this protest to join thousands of people from around the country. Trump rallies have been hit by a wave of militant protests and the verdict is in – people are sick and tired of Trump’s promotion of bigotry, right-wing politics, and reaction. At the RNC we are going to tell the world that we reject politicians of any stripe who promote war and austerity.”

Tom Burke, also of the Coalition to Stop Trump and March on the RNC states, “We are applying for permits to rally and march and we expect to get them. We have a right to demonstrate and we intend to march, permits or not. We are building a movement to stop Trump, and the Cleveland is the next stop.”

Many of the organizers of this protest helped lead the mass marches that drew thousands at the 2008 RNC in Saint Paul, Minnesota and the 2012 RNC in Tampa, Florida.

Organizers of the protest say the rally site, time and march route will be announced as soon as possible.

To view the Facebook event for the protest: https://www.facebook.com/events/574059672757617/

#MinneapolisMN #AntiwarMovement #US #PeoplesStruggles #Protest #RNC #Antiracism #Antifascism #Elections #Republicans #DumpTrump

Fight Back!: What are the Coalition’s plans for the rally against the RNC?

Fernando Figueroa: Well, in a few short days, on the first day of the Republican convention, we will be hosting the largest single march against the RNC here in Tampa, Florida. Thousands of protesters will be converging at Perry Harvey Sr. Park at 10:00 a.m. for a rally with dozens of speakers, including prominent speakers such as Joe Iosbaker of the United National Anti War Coalition and Carlos Montes, a longtime Chicano rights organizer in Los Angeles. From there we will be holding a permitted march through downtown Tampa to Protest RNC Square, an area only a few blocks from the site of the convention. What we have been trying to do is unite all progressive groups in opposition to the agenda of hatred and austerity being pushed by the 1% and their Republican tools. In its place we are uniting around a People’s Agenda including the five demands for “Good Jobs, Affordable Education, Healthcare, Equality, and Peace.”

Fight Back!: Can you give us some of the details of the day-to-day organizing?

Figueroa: For those of us here in Tampa and around the state of Florida, the organizing has been a non- stop process for the past few months. We began by building the Coalition with the plan for one big march on the first day of the convention. We talked to a diverse array of progressive groups, gathered endorsements and eventually held an organizers’ meeting in Tampa back in June. Simultaneously, we were securing permits for the march and we felt this was important because we want to provide as safe of an event as possible, especially for the undocumented as well as families with children. From there, it has been a daily process of gathering donations to pay for our stage, PA system, porta-potties, and other materials necessary for a successful rally. Now that we’re a few days away, we are making the final preparations including making signs and training for event staff.

Fight Back!: How do you feel about the mobilization to bring people here for the event?

Figueroa: We are expecting thousands of protesters to come to Tampa for the March from the Tampa Bay Area, the state of Florida, and even across the U.S. Fortunately, our mobilization efforts have been extremely successful due to the help of the our Coalition partners. Labor unions have been among the most giving with central labor councils providing speakers, donations and in some cases, even several busloads of trade unionists for the event. We have seen great examples of dedication from groups including Students for a Democratic Society who have been working tirelessly on bringing out their fellow students, even though for many universities, the protest is on the first day of classes.

Fight Back!: Do you have anything else to add?

Figueroa: I’d like to add that a lot of the day-to-day work for this event has been carried out largely by the youth and for me this is very promising. I think we young people are rising up to our moment in history to stand with all who oppose the 1% and their political parties. On Sept. 2, many of us will join the march on Wall Street South in North Carolina. People in this country and especially the youth are fed up with wars, unemployment, low-paying jobs, inequality and racist hatred we suffer from every day. It’s time for all of us who oppose the 1% to unite and that’s what we see happening with this rally in Tampa. We are well-prepared for this march and I think all of us will be sending a powerful message both to the 1% and the rest of the world that the people of the U.S. are choosing to fight back against austerity, hatred and war.

#TampaFlorida #TampaFL #2012RepublicanNationalConvention #RNC #Florida #RepublicanNationalConvention2012