Milwaukee, WI – As the Republican National Convention came to an end on Thursday, July 18, hundreds of law enforcement officers and dozens of media outlets circled a crowd gathered for a rally at Red Arrow Park demanding justice for D’Vontaye Mitchell and Samuel “Jah” Sharpe, Jr.

Mitchell, 43, died while being pinned down by the Hyatt Regency security guards on June 30. His case struck a chord with the Milwaukee community after video footage of his death made its way through social media. Mitchell’s family has been demanding the full release of the video and for charges to be leveled against the four security guards responsible for his death.

After hearing about Sharpe’s murder, Mitchell’s family invited them to take part in their rally and march on Thursday. As has been the case in Milwaukee, families impacted by police crimes tend to come together and forge bonds in order to struggle together for each other’s cases. Although the Mitchell case involves private security guards, the demands for transparency and accountability resonate with the Sharpe family’s demands.

Speaking at the rally, Naisha Mitchell, D’Vontaye’s older sister, stated, “They’re saying we need to wait for the autopsy report, but we saw the video. Why do we need to wait on the autopsy results to determine if these people need to be arrested or convicted of a crime? We saw them murder him in broad daylight.”

Katrina Gaines, Sharpe’s aunt, provided more background about her nephew. Gaines stated, “Most people who know Sam know he has MS and that his gait is unbalanced. He didn’t want us to feel like we were burdened to take care of him, and he told us that God told him to go and live in that community.”

As the days go by, more and more family and community members come out to speak about the kinds of caring and loving men Mitchell and Sharpe were. Contrary to the narratives depicted by law enforcement or city officials, Mitchell and Sharpe’s characters cannot simply be reduced to the seconds or minutes of footage capturing their final moments alive.

The families and community members at Red Arrow Park proceeded to take to the streets one more time to march within sight and sound of the Hyatt Regency, which was located within the credentialed zone of the RNC. In a symbolic juxtaposition of the landscape encapsulated by the RNC in Milwaukee, Trump was getting ready to accept his nomination while hundreds of protesters chanted and demanded justice for Mitchell and Sharpe. A wall of law enforcement agents formed in front of and to the side of the protesters, and after a few more remarks from the families, the protest returned to Red Arrow Park.

Thanks in large part to the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, the protest went in and out of the soft security perimeter of the RNC without any issues. Both families are demanding justice, transparency and accountability. The Milwaukee Alliance will continue working with both in order to achieve those demands.

#MilwaukeeWI #RNC2024 #MAARPR #PoliceCrimes

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

Greenwood Village, CO – On Wednesday, July 3, a group of activists and community members came together in front of the Colorado Republican Party’s headquarters to announce their plans to join the march on the RNC.

Members of from Teamsters Local 455, Denver Anti-War Action (DAWA), and Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) were present and spoke on the issues mobilizing their members to attend the march in Milwaukee on July 15. People in attendance wore shirts from local Colorado Palestine Coalition groups like Jewish Voice for Peace and carried homemade signs reading “Stop starving Gaza! End the blockade! Other signs read, “End U.S. aid to Israel!” and “Stop bombing Rafah now!”

First to speak was Sol Swain, sporting a black DAWA shirt with a fist breaking a missile on it. Swain stated that Trump “wants to complete the genocide! He wants every Palestinian in Gaza to be either murdered or ethnically displaced.”

Swain continued, “We must fight the Republicans and their reactionary agenda, and we must fight it with everything we've got!”

Khalid Hamu from SDS explained why local students are on the march, “Denver SDS has been fighting for Palestine and ties to Israel to be cut on our campus. We've organized a day of action against the Republican Greg Abbott for mobilizing troops to the border. We have mobilized people as a partner for reproductive rights and at the local level. The Republicans' racist and reactionary agenda is in contradiction to the wants and desires of students locally, as well as the organizing efforts of Denver Students for a Democratic Society. We will stand with Palestine and fight the racist and reactionary agenda of the Republican Party!”

Caleb Cobb, a rank-and-file Teamster 455 member and worker at Windigo Logistics said, “Trump wrecked the working class during the pandemic with the lack of hazard pay, non-strict COVID protocol and proper quarantine time. Many members when they were exposed had to come into work because they weren't given the proper time off.”

Organizers across the peoples’ movements in Colorado are on the march against what the Republicans have in store for this country, that much is clear. Workers, students and anti-war activists across the state are on the road to oppose the RNC in Milwaukee this July 15.

#GreenwoodVillageCO #RNC2024 #Teamsters #Denver Anti-War Action #StudentsforaDemocratic Society

Chicago, IL – Chicago activist groups are mobilizing in big way for the July 15 march on the Republican National Convention, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

“Many of the protesters coming from Chicago are students,” said Joe Iosbaker of Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

Iosbaker recalled, referring to Trump, “In 2016, students in Chicago were the first to move against his hate tour.” In March 2016, 5000 protesters rallied and confronted Trump at the University of Illinois at Chicago, stopping him from speaking.

“The same organizations – Students for Democratic Society, Students for Justice in Palestine, Mexican Students of Aztlan – are mobilizing to confront him again,” says Iosbaker.

#ChicagoIL #RNC2024 #SDS #SJP #MexicanStudentsofAztlan #FRSO

Milwaukee, WI – The Coalition to March on the RNC is hosting a national online event titled “All Out for the March on the RNC!” The program takes place on Monday, June 24, at 8 p.m. Eastern time (7 p.m. Central, 6 p.m. Mountain, 5 p.m. Pacific). You can register to receive the Zoom link here: tinyurl.com/marchrnc

The event will feature speakers reporting on their organizing in different movements, giving updates on the Coalition's work, and explaining mobilization plans.

“Many students and youth are making plans to travel to Milwaukee to protest the reactionary and racist agenda of Trump and the Republican Party on Monday, July 15, 2024. We need to beat back the Republicans’ vicious attacks on immigrants, labor unions, LGBTQ people, education, the environment and more,” said Chrisley Carpio of National Students for a Democratic Society.

“Trump seems to want to outdo himself with a second term,” Carpio continued, “He is even talking about getting rid of the Department of Education and funds for public college completely. We won't stand for it!”

“We are enthusiastic about a big mass march leading right to the front doors of the convention where Republicans will hear us chanting against their bigoted, backwards agenda. People are coming from across Wisconsin, across the Midwest, and from coast to coast to protest the arch-reactionary Trump,” explained Omar Flores, spokesperson for the March on the RNC.

Featured speakers are Omar Flores of the Coalition to March on the RNC, veteran Chicano liberation movement leader Carlos Montes, Chrisley Carpio of the National Students for a Democratic Society, Robynne Johnson with Minnesota Abortion Action Committee and Tom Burke of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

#MilwaukeeWI #WI #PeoplesStruggles #RNC2024 #SDS #MNAAC #FRSO #Feature

Step onto the stage of history in Milwaukee, July 15, as thousands march on the Republican National Convention.

More than 100 organizations are participating in this effort, spearheaded by the Coalition to March on the RNC, and mobilizations are taking place in cities across the U.S. As Trump is raking in money from billionaire donors and stepping up his campaign for the White House, it’s vital that all of was who support Justice, progress and peace should be in the streets raising the banner of opposition.

Everyone who can be there should be there.

On July 15, we will be marching under the slogans: 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.

The plans are for a large scale, family-friendly event, the kind of march you can bring you kids to. To facilitate exactly that, protest organizers are fighting to get permits. The organizers are also clear that we are going to be within sight or sound of the RNC, permits or not.

As we look forward to the marching on the RNC, it is worth pausing and recalling the Trump years. Who can forget Melania Trump at the camp for detained immigrant children wearing a jacket reading, “I really don’t care, do U?” Or the police and National Guard attack in Washington DC, using tear gas and a helicopter on Black Lives Matter protesters, when he decided to do a photo up at a church near the White House, complete with an upside-down bible. His reign concluded with an attempt to retain power by force, at the U.S. Capitol January 6. At Trump’s recent campaign rallies, announcers urge attendees to stand for the “January 6 hostages,” while defendants in the case lead the crowd in singing the Star-Spangled Banner. You can’t make this stuff up.

When Trump was elected, FRSO stated loud and clear that we would do everything in our power to make this country ungovernable. And we put that approach in practice, by helping to plan and lead the mass protests against the Muslim ban, in defense of women’s and LGBTQ rights, against putting kids at the border in changes, and in the course of the great rebellion after the murder of George Floyd. It is what we will do if Trump returns to power.

The Republican Party is complicit with the genocide in Gaza. He backs it. Trump approved of Israel’s illegal annexation of Syria’s Golan Heights. Netanyahu was so grateful he named a town after him – Trump Heights. Nikki Haley writes “Finish Them” on artillery shells bound for Gaza. That says where they stand.

The Republican Party is one of the two parties of monopoly capitalism. Many of the groups that are working to build the march on the RNC, including FRSO, will be on the streets of Chicago, August 19, at the Democratic National Convention. There we will stand with Palestine demanding that the U.S. end all aid to Israel. We will say no to genocide and put forward a progressive agenda. We are going to make a difference.

The time is now to rent buses, organize carpools, and make concrete plans to attend the march on the Republican National Convention. We don’t have to wait for things to happen. We can shape events and help define the future. There is a growing tide of struggle in this country, and together we can sweep away all that is reactionary.

Join the march on the RNC!

The Coalition to March on the RNC 2024 is hosting an online Mobilization Meeting Monday, June 24, 7pm Central (5pm Pacific, 6pm Mountain, 8pm Eastern). Register here: https://tinyurl.com/marchrnc

#PeoplesStruggles #RNC2024 #WomensMovement #ImmigrantRights #FRSO #Statement #LGBTQ #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

Milwaukee, WI – Milwaukee Public Museum (MPM) employees represented by their union, AFSCME Local 526, are celebrating a decisive victory in their campaign for workplace safety during the Republican National Convention.

In a statement, the union said it “presented a list of proposals to MPM administration that would prioritize the rights and safety of MPM employees during the RNC, which will be held just blocks away from MPM. The Union asked MPM not to host organizations or individuals whose actions are inconsistent with MPM’s values, and that employees suffer no loss of wages or additional transportation expenses during the RNC, among other workplace-specific issues.”

On June 4 the Milwaukee Public Museum announced that it would be closed for the duration of the RNC. AFSCME Local 526 says their demands for safety during the RNC have been met, and the decision not to open during the RNC “is a victory for union and workers’ rights and safety, and a rebuff to the reactionary and anti-worker Republican agenda.”

The union statement added, “The Republican Party is actively trying to harm members of our union and our community, leading attacks on unions and workers’ rights, African Americans, Latinos, LGBTQ+ people, people with disabilities, immigrants and refugees, DEI programs, public institutions, and many other marginalized groups.”

AFSCME Local 526 will continue to resist Republican attacks on our rights by participating in the Coalition to March on the RNC, a group of over 70 local and national grassroots and labor organizations planning a mass protest against the Republican Party’s racist, anti-worker agenda on the first day of the RNC, July 15.

#MilwaukeeWI #WI #Labor #PeoplesStruggles #RNC2024 #AFSCME #Feature

Milwaukee, WI – Trade unionists, community members, and elected officials gathered for a commemoration of the “Bay View Massacre” on Sunday, May 5, in Milwaukee. A sunny afternoon of activities paid homage to the seven martyrs who were shot and killed by the Wisconsin State Militia during the 1886 nationwide general strike for the eight-hour day. The historic event followed closely on the heels of the actions in Chicago which would eventually lead to the creation of May Day. The Wisconsin Labor History Society has organized the commemoration of the Bay View Massacre every year since 1986, and it has become an important labor tradition.

This year, the Young Workers Committee of the Milwaukee Area Labor Council organized a march to the commemoration, starting from the site where the massacre took place on Bay Street and Lincoln Avenue in the Bay View neighborhood of Milwaukee. The theme of the march was “Carry the Struggle Forward.” About 60 unionists representing several local unions gathered to place seven white crosses at the site of the massacre, and then picked up the banners and marched to the commemoration. Marchers chanted “What do we want? The eight hour day!” and “The four day week!”

Over 200 people attended the program which featured live music, a re-enactment of the events that led to the massacre, and speeches. Speakers included labor historian Joe Walzer and unionists leading current campaigns in their workplaces and in the Milwaukee community.

Aurelia Ceja, co-chair of the Coalition to March on the RNC, got the crowd fired up to protest when the Republican National Convention comes to Milwaukee on July 15. “We are fighting against the racist and reactionary Republican agenda, and telling the Republicans: not here in Bay View, not here in Wisconsin, not anywhere!” Ceja said.

Rhen Lutz, a member of Wisconsin Federation of Nurses and Healthcare Professionals (WFNHP) 5000, spoke about the union’s campaign to pass a city ordinance to keep healthcare services open in Black, Latino and immigrant neighborhoods of Milwaukee.

Representing United Auto Workers, John Drew read a statement from UAW President Shawn Fain, condemning the mass arrests of pro-Palestine protesters on campuses. “The UAW will never support the mass arrest or intimidation of those exercising their right to protest, strike, or speak out against injustice. Our union has been calling for a ceasefire for six months. This war is wrong, and this response against students and academic workers, many of them UAW members, is wrong.”

Drew also highlighted UAW’s record contract at the Big Three automakers, and their groundbreaking organizing win at Volkswagen in Tennessee.

The program ended with the singing of Solidarity Forever and was followed by more labor songs and socializing at Puddler’s Hall, an historic bar for rolling mill workers in Bay View.

#MilwaukeeWI #WI #Labor #MayDay #UAW #RNC2024 #YWC #WFNHP #Feature

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following April 3 statement from the Wisconsin District of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

Palestine solidarity activists are celebrating the success of a protest vote campaign in the Wisconsin Presidential Primary. 48,000 people voted “uninstructed” in the April 2 primary, Wisconsin’s version of “uncommitted,” that has found success in several state primaries.

The Wisconsin campaign more than doubled its goal of 20,682 votes, representing Biden’s margin of victory over Trump in Wisconsin in the 2020 election. The “uninstructed” campaign was led by Listen to Wisconsin, and supported by 60 pro-Palestine, progressive, and left organizations across the state, including Freedom Road Socialist Organization’s Wisconsin District.

The success of the “uninstructed” campaign demonstrates the growing popular support for the Palestinian people in their just struggle for liberation from U.S.-backed Israeli occupation and genocide. Since October 7, mass protests in support of Palestine have reached historic levels, along with the development of a strong state-wide Wisconsin Coalition for Justice in Palestine.

The Democratic Party has tried to downplay the huge number of protest votes in several critical swing states, dismissing concerns over Biden’s support for Israel’s genocide in Gaza, but the numbers are undeniable. In nine states that have an uncommitted/uninstructed option, the campaign has already garnered over 415,000 votes, with more states to come. After six months of marches, disruptions, and boycotts, Biden continues to send billions of dollars of weapons to re-arm Israel’s occupation forces, who have killed over 33,000 Palestinians. Many voters see the protest vote as one of the few options to force Biden and the Democratic Party to face political consequences for continuing to support the genocide in Gaza.

With a Biden vs. Trump rematch on the horizon, the two-party system doesn't offer any solutions for oppressed people. Both the Democratic and Republican parties have been relentless in their support of Israel’s racist, settler-colonial occupation of Palestine for over 75 years. Israel serves an important role for Western imperialist domination of the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. The two capitalist parties want Israel to continue its role as an outpost of U.S. capitalist interests. But the Palestinian people are waging a fight that has the potential to end the Zionist project and limit the influence of U.S. imperialism in the Middle East, and we want them to win.

Over the past six months, millions of people across the U.S. have joined actions in solidarity with Palestine. Hundreds of thousands of protest votes against Biden are one manifestation of the power of the growing movement for Palestine. The movements that are being built have real potential to stifle U.S. support for the occupation of Palestine.

We encourage supporters of Palestinian liberation to continue bringing the demands of the movement to the doorstep of the Democratic and Republican parties by participating in the March on the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on July 15, 2024, and the March on the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, August 19 – 22, 2024.

#WI #PeoplesStruggles #AntiWarMovement #International #MiddleEast #Palestine #Biden #Elections #DNC2024 #RNC2024

Milwaukee, WI – On March 29, Judge Brittany Grayson issued a ruling regarding the Milwaukee Police Association’s (MPA) case against the city of Milwaukee over Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) 575. Judge Grayson denied the city of Milwaukee’s motion to dismiss the MPA’s case against SOP 575, but she also ruled against the MPA’s argument that the Fire and Police Commission violated state law or the collective bargaining agreement. The MPA failed to produce the necessary evidence to justify their argument.

While this is not a complete and final victory around SOP 575, it is a noteworthy development in the struggle against police crimes in Milwaukee. The ruling comes after nearly a year since SOP 575’s temporary suspension. In anticipation of the ruling, the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression organized press conferences and multiple pickets outside of the MPA’s office. These actions served to highlight how weak the MPA’s argument was and how it lacked popular support from Milwaukee community members, allied community organizations, and city officials.

The MPA has argued that SOP 575 could “primarily relate to wages, hours and conditions of employment,” which would mean that the city of Milwaukee needed to respect the police association’s “right” to bargain over this policy. The Fire and Police Commission, which prior to Act 12 had policy-making power over the Milwaukee Police Department, argued that they are the statutory rule-making authority of the MPD. Therefore, the policy is legitimate because it is “primarily based on management of the police department, not conditions of employment.” Due to the ruling, the case is poised to head to a trial.

SOP 575 is a policy requiring MPD to release the footage of any critical incident to the victim’s next of kin within 48 hours and to the public within 15 days. The MPA sued the city of Milwaukee and filed an injunction against SOP 575, which prevented it from being implemented after being passed last April.

Judge Grayson hasn’t explained whether this ruling will cancel the temporary injunction placed on SOP 575, but she indicated that there will be a status hearing on May 16. The timing of the status hearing comes two months before the Republican National Convention (RNC). There was a motion last summer made by MPD to suspend SOP 575 for the duration of the RNC. What a ruling to ratify SOP 575 means in the wake of its temporary suspension during the RNC remains to be determined.

The Milwaukee Alliance and its allies will continue to struggle around SOP 575 and for police accountability and transparency. State Representatives Ryan Clancy, Francesca Hong and Sheila Stubbs are seeking to amend Act 12, specifically to restore the Fire and Police Commission’s policy-making power.

#MilwaukeeWI #WI #InjusticeSystem #SOP575 #RNC2024 #MAARPR

Milwaukee, WI – On Monday, March 18, organizers with the Coalition to March on the RNC gathered at Milwaukee City Hall to push back on a repressive ordinance being heard at rushed meeting of the Public Works Committee. The ordinance was meant to derail the coalition's efforts and would have given the Milwaukee Police Department special powers to decide who gets to speak and power over the parade route. Furthermore, it would have restricted the protest to a quarter mile away from where the RNC will be held – far from being within sight and sound of the RNC, and far from being what the Coalition to March on the RNC has been demanding for the last year.

The Public Works Committee began its rushed meeting by going through the proposed ordinance that the committee members had not previously read. This added insult to the already sham process that disenfranchises the majority of working people with its 9 a.m. meeting on a Monday. After little deliberation, the committee was set to approve the ordinance before allowing for public comment due to the unexpected audience.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin submitted written testimony before the Public Works Committee in defense of the Coalition to March on the RNC. The ACLU said the proposed ordinance violated the First Amendment by giving the police chief full discretion over permits.

In defense of the repressive ordinance, Kathryn Block, assistant city attorney, said, “We feel we could defend a decision to deny a permit based on showing that a speaker was likely to engage in unprotected speech or conduct...fighting words, etc.”

Nicholas DeSiato, chief of staff for the mayor, and former chief of staff for the Milwaukee Police Department, said, “A permit will be revoked at the determination of the police chief if an applicant, or persons represented by the applicant have previously engaged in violence or destruction in connection with a previous parade or other public assembly in violation of any [local], state or federal laws.” This same former chief of police oversaw the mass detention of protesters during the 2020 uprisings, where many are still dealing with the effects of false charges.

In response, Omar Flores, co-chair of the Coalition to March on the RNC, spoke in the unplanned public comment section and pointed out the many glaring discrepancies in the ordinance. Primarily, the city officials attempting to co-opt the mass movement to march on the RNC have no connection to the people they are trying to police, Flores said.

“People in the community are familiar with us through our consistent work, including marches and protests. There shouldn’t be this many hurdles to get a permit to march. Especially, we don’t believe that the police department should be in control of who gets to speak and where the routes are.”

Flores continued, “There's Three Percenters on the police force. We don’t trust their designation of what they consider a hate group or people who would be inciting violence.”

The position is clear – reactionaries should not be involved in deciding who gets to protest agai