BROOKLYN, NY — On the evening of June 11, over 100 New Yorkers gathered near the New York Police Department 83rd Precinct in Bushwick for a speakout hosted by Boricua – meaning a native of Puerto Rico or of Puerto Rican descent – and community organizations including Juventud Unida por la Independencia (JUPI) and Adolfina NYC.

The speakout was a response to a brutal attack by the NYPD at The Bush and Mood Ring bars after the National Puerto Rican Day Parade on June 8. At around 8 p.m. on June 8, officers from the 83rd Precinct raided The Bush. Speakout organizers stated it was no accident that the NYPD targeted a lesbian bar during Pride Month. The unprovoked attack left several in the hospital. The NYPD denied patients any contact with the outside world, surveilling those receiving treatment.

In the early morning of June 9, Mood Ring hosted a bombazo, a performance of bomba, which was organized by Boricua organizers and cultural workers. Bomba is a music and dance tradition from Borikén that combines the traditions of indigenous and enslaved peoples. Bomba became an expression of resistance to enslavement, colonialism and imperialism.

Like the attack at The Bush, the NYPD entered the building without warning and immediately escalated to physical violence. They targeted performers and instruments, injuring attendees on their way to the stage. Organizers took immediate action to protect community members and unarrest people. As a result, even though nearly 100 police officers participated in the raids, only six people were arrested. Three were released in the early morning and three were transferred to the courthouse. One was held for almost 36 hours, in violation of New York State law.

The June 11 speakout began with a call-and-response performance of plena, a Boricua music and dance tradition influenced by bomba. Organizers then delivered an official statement and demands before inviting community members to speak. Speakers from other organizations, including a vendor from Bushwick and a member of the New York Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NYAARPR), made statements of solidarity.

The speaker from the New York Alliance connected the 83rd Precinct’s brutality to the 2023 killing of 78-year-old Caesar Robinson. Two officers from the 83rd Precinct shot Robinson seven times at his own apartment, despite being called there on his behalf. The Alliance speakers also contextualized the attacks within the wider increase in repression urged on by the Trump administration. The NYPD’s escalation of violence has disproportionately harmed protesters and marginalized New Yorkers.

Other speakers included a member of the community who was born in Bushwick but had been displaced due to gentrification. He said he was proud to continue to be part of the Boricua community in Bushwick and urged community members to join the linked struggles against gentrification, xenophobia and police brutality.

The organizers’ seven demands are to: drop all charges; release all footage with the faces non-police individuals blurred out; release the names and disciplinary records of all officers involved; set up a community oversight board to independently investigate the use of excessive force; compensate community members for their medical bills, legal fees and trauma; release a public apology from the NYPD, the office of the mayor, and the city council, and, finally, remove the NYPD from parade celebrations.

JUPI, Adolfina NYC, and other Boricua and community organizations will continue to build a campaign in response to the attacks.

#BrooklynNY #NY #InJusticeSystem #StopPoliceCrimes

San Jose, CA – On Thursday, February 20, the family of Antonio Guzman Lopez, Students for a Democratic Society, Justice for Josiah, the Aztec Dancers and several other organizations and community members held a vigil honoring the memory of Lopez, an undocumented man killed by San Jose State’s on-campus police 11 years ago, on February 21, 2014.

His murder was caught on body camera footage, where he was shot twice by police sergeant Mike Santos. Santos faced no repercussions for the murder, having been reinstated shortly after the incident.

The vigil began at 6:30 p.m., around the memorial on San Salvador Street. A blessing and prayer were performed by the Aztec dancers. The program then began with Laurie Valdez, who was Lopez’s partner, giving a speech, along with Josiah, her son, who was four years old at the time his father was murdered.

Valdez began her speech by not only calling attention to Lopez’s murder, but also the families of other victims of police brutality. “I’m so glad that [Antonio’s] name is still being remembered,” said Valdez. “As long as we continue to say his name, his memory will never die.”

Josiah then gave his speech, reflecting on the difficulties of growing up without his father, and the trauma of the killing. He ended his speech off saying, “I’m 15 years old now, four when [the murder] happened. I’m still fighting, still getting stronger each day. We won’t forget him, or anyone else that was killed.”

John Duroyan, president of San Jose Students for a Democratic Society, led chants and introduced several other speakers, including Uriel Magdaleno from Silicon Valley Immigration Committee, Oli Harter from SDS and Students against Mass Incarceration, and Romaine Charite, San Jose SDS’s political organizing chair.

Magdaleno drew attention to the ongoing attacks on undocumented immigrants, stating, “What is troubling about Antonio Guzman's case is the rhetoric around it - the rhetoric continuing to accuse undocumented immigrants of being criminals is very harmful rhetoric. The current Trump administration is just increasing that amount of hate against undocumented immigrants, against our community members.”

Harter called back to previous instances of police brutality, and the importance of individualizing and humanizing victims of injustice at the hands of police killings, stating, “The names rotate but the injustice remains. When asked to say their names, we take the time to individualize the martyr.”

The program came to a conclusion with Valdez giving final remarks, and the vigil attendees writing Antonio’s name in chalk all over the street next to the memorial.

#SanJoseCA #AntonioGuzman #StopPoliceCrimes #PoliceViolence #JusticeforAntonioGuzman #SDS #SJSDS #JusticeforJosiah #AztecDancers #SJSUPD #SJSU #SanJoseState

Aurora, CO – On September 27 community members and activists gathered to support the family of Jor’Dell Richardson, who was murdered by police. The crowd demanded accountability for his killing at a meeting with officials of the city of Aurora and Arapahoe County.

As the trial for two of the Aurora Police Department officers responsible for the 2019 killing Elijah McClain continues, unrest in Aurora over the killing of Jor’Dell Richardson has resurfaced.

On Thursday, June 1, at around 4:20 p.m., 14-year-old Black teenager Jor’Dell Richardson was shot in the stomach by Aurora police officer Roch Gruzseczka. He was shot on the ground when he was already subdued by Gruzseczka and officer James Snapp.

A rare opportunity to confront District Attorney John Kellner in a public forum became even more crucial for the family and activists when his office ruled Richardson’s killing justified and no criminal charges against the two officers.

A coalition of groups led by the Denver-Aurora Community Action Committee (DCAC) prepared a protest at the so-called Justice System Racial Equity Event put on by the Arapahoe County government. The coalition included Stand up for Racial Justice, Students for a Democratic Society, the Party for Socialism and Liberation, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

When it became clear to the Aurora Police Department (APD) that they would have more detractors than supporters at this event, they pressured the owner of the original venue to change location, claiming that DACAC had “called for violence on social media.” A spokesperson for the county later claimed that the change in venue was for the purpose of having more space to accommodate more people.

After a brief set of chants of “Black lives matter!” “Forever 14!” and “Say his name: Jor’Dell Richardson!” the crowd of about 100 people marched into the meeting chanting Jor’Dell’s name. Multiple members of the community, including members of Jor’Dell’s family, made their demands clear: Fire and indict Roch Gruszeczka and James Snapp and fire Interim Chief Art Acevedo.

Facilitators of the community conversation asked the crowd to provide solutions to the racial bias in policing in Arapahoe County. The community supporting the Richardson family made it crystal clear that the first step needed to be taken towards a solution to these issues was accountability from APD, its officers, and from District Attorney Kellner. After citing the need for leadership accountable to the people, a few activists brought up the demand for community control of the police.

Jonce Palmer, chair of Denver-Aurora Community Action Committee, called out Chief Acevedo for their proven track record of racist, corrupt policing in other major cities like Miami and Houston, citing the execution of a no-knock warrant in 2019 that killed two innocent Black people and keeping revenge porn of another officer as a beat cop. Acevedo is also a regular guest on Alex Jones’ reactionary conspiracy show InfoWars.

Palmer went on to say, “The first step in this process is clearly accountability, but the second step is democracy, is giving people a vote in how they are policed.”

Several young people who went to Richardson’s school addressed the interim chief directly about how his killing impacted them and questioned the intentions of the two APD officers who killed him. One teen told Acevedo “Y’all gave him CPR for a gunshot wound. And even us children know that first you should put pressure on the wound. He was still breathing, talking perfectly fine. Why did they give him CPR? They had no intention of helping him; their only intention was to kill him.”

One organizer with the PSL, Nate Kassa, asked Acevedo if he would resign. When he said no, the protesters marched out, chanting “If we don’t get it, shut it down!” There was nothing else to discuss when it became clear that the demands of the family would not be met at this meeting.

Groups like Denver-Aurora Community Action Committee are going to continue organizing in close connection with the Richardson family and building their coalition to bring about accountability from racist police in Jor’Dell Richardson’s killing.

#AuroraCO #JorDellRichardson #KillerCops #StopPoliceCrimes #DenverAuroraCAC

Aurora, CO – On June 16, the family of Jor’Dell Da’Shawn Richardson laid their child to rest with an outpouring of community support. Meeting at the Aurora Municipal Center, the body of Jor’Dell Richardson was brought in its hearse to the complex containing both City Hall and Police Department Headquarters. The family was surrounded by members of the community in the pouring rain.

14-year-old Black boy killed by Aurora PD

Jor’Dell Da’Shawn Richardson was 14 years old when he was killed by police in the alleyway behind a vape shop on the corner of 8th Avenue and Dayton Street in Aurora. He and a few other Black teen boys were seen outside the vape shop in hoodies and COVID masks. As the two officers pulled up to the vape shop, Officer Roch Gruszeczka can be heard saying in the recording, “They just shoplifted out of there. I’m going to light them up.”

Richardson was chased down by Officers Gruszeczka and James Snapp on suspicion of having robbed the store and was eventually tackled to the ground. Richardson said, “Stop, please! You got me, you got me!” While Richardson was subdued on the ground, the officers started yelling that there was a gun. At least one of Richardson’s hands was pinned to the ground. Then Gruszeczka shot Richardson once in the abdomen, yelling obscenities like “I’m gonna shoot your ass!” Both body cam recordings can be found on YouTube.

Family memorializes Jor’Dell Richardson

Surrounded by love and support from about 400 rain-soaked people, the family of Jor’Dell Richardson expressed their grief and love for their child lost to police brutality. Many folks wore baby blue clothes with pictures of Richardson containing the slogan “Forever 14.”

“It's hard for me. I have to look at pictures, watch old videos to remember my son,” said Laurie Littlejohn in her eulogy. “I won’t get to see him graduate high school, go to prom, start his own family, because a police officer took him from me.” She criticized Officers Gruszeczka and Snapp for escalating their encounter with her son. “Instead of having a heart and being a human, realizing their mistakes, they want to put it all off on my son. He’s not here to speak up for himself, so I’m gonna do it.”

Jameco Richardson, Jor’Dell’s father, spoke next. He thanked the community for their love and support and echoed Laurie’s words. “We can’t give up because there’s so many more lives out there we need to fight to save.”

At a march held last week Jameco Richardson called for Chief Art Acevedo’s resignation. This demand was reflected in signs carried by demonstrators, along with calls to “Jail all killer cops!”

Those assembled also heard from Anton Richareson, Jor’Dell’s 19-year-old brother. He remembers his younger sibling as a bright young boy. “I don’t care what my brother did; that didn’t give you the right to shoot him at all. He was such a beautiful soul. All he wanted to do was play basketball, finish school and make my mom proud.”

Family, community once again march for accountability

As speeches ended, the event transitioned to a processional march led by the hearse. People chanted “Black lives matter!” “Say his name: Jor’Dell Richardson!” and “Forever 14!” as they marched up and down Alameda Avenue.

Not even the heaviest gusts of rain deterred the family or their supporters from completing their march. The processional was so powerful, the march was able to delay not only traffic, but a northbound light rail train on their way back to the Aurora Municipal Center.

As the family and hearse peeled off to gather in fellowship in a private event, activists kept on marching down the street. As demonstrators turned down Chambers Street to finish their event where it began, APD officers blocking traffic got physical with one of the organizers.

Two officers were harassing him and wrestled his bicycle out of his hands and threw it to the ground. As other protest marshals came nearer, the cops complained that one lane of traffic could be opened. But the organizers backed up the marshal’s position, keeping him safe from police and managing to keep traffic blocked, ultimately keeping marchers safe. Even after weeks of criticism from the community, APD continues to be a violent, repressive occupying force.

The event was organized by a coalition of groups, including the Party for Socialism and Liberation, Denver DSA, Denver-Aurora Community Action Committee, Students for a Democratic Society, Stand Up for Racial Justice, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization. Activists will keep on working with the family to continue the struggle for police accountability in Aurora, Colorado. The national struggle for community control of the police continues.

The Richardson family is asking for donations for the costs of Jor’Dell’s funeral. You can donate and send messages of support and solidarity to https://tinyurl.com/justice4jordell.

#AuroraCO #PoliceBrutality #StopPoliceCrimes

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the family of Jor'Dell Richardson and the Denver-Aurora Community Action Committee.

On Thursday, June 1st at around 4:20 pm, a 14-year old Black teenager named Jor’Dell Richardson was shot in the back by a yet to be identified Aurora police officer. He was shot on the ground when he was already subdued by said officer.

Police allege that Jor’Dell and a group of unidentified individuals were attempting to rob a convenience store on the corner of 8th and Dayton. Jor’Dell was followed by APD officers to an alleyway behind the store where he was shot to death. Jor’Dell was lying on his stomach with his back in the air when he was killed by an APD officer.

APD claims that Jor’Dell was armed at the time of the incident. Interim Chief of Aurora PD Art Acevedo said in a press conference, “These kids think that this is a video game. I don't know what they think this is.” Killing a Black child in cold blood is a racist police crime.

Chief Acevedo’s history of misconduct, from keeping nude photos of a fellow officer in a squad car, with whom he had an affair, and showing them to other officers in the 2000s, to conducting a no-knock warrant in Houston in 2019 that killed two innocent people, to fraternizing with known right-wing extremists like Alex Jones and members of the Proud Boys in the 2010s, clearly demonstrates he is unfit to handle cases of police crime with accountability to the people.

The Richardson Family and the Denver-Aurora Community Action Committee are raising the following demands for justice for Jor’Dell Richardson:

● The immediate release of all unedited footage of the incident, including bodycams, surveillance cameras from local businesses, and HALO footage.

● The release of the identity of the Aurora PD officer who shot Jor’Dell Richardson to death.

● The firing, indictment, and conviction of the Aurora PD officer who shot Jor’Dell Richardson to death.

● An immediate independent investigation into the Aurora Police Department by the Department of Justice to discover department-wide misconduct.

● Community control of APD!

The Richardson Family is asking for donations for the costs of Jor’Dell’s funeral. You can donate and send messages of support and solidarity to tinyurl.com/justice4jordell.

#AuroraCO #PoliceBrutality #StopPoliceCrimes

Grand Rapids, MI – On Saturday, May 27, 60-plus community members gathered in Martin Luther King Park for a march to demand justice for Patrick Lyoya. Lyoya was a 26-year-old Congolese refugee murdered by Grand Rapids Police Department Officer Christopher Schurr last year. Peter Lyoya, Patrick’s father, is determined to keep public focus on the case to stop the city and Schurr’s defense team from further delaying a trial.

The march was organized by the Lyoya family, in cooperation with the Grand Rapids Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression and Kent County Commissioner Robert Womack. Israel Siku, a translator for the family and a liaison between Patrick Lyoya’s closest relatives and the broader community, helped lead the march and translate speeches.

Before beginning, all the protesters were handed shirts with the slogan “We will never forget what you have done” on the front and “We will never forget Patrick” on the back, along with double-sided signs reading “Justice for Patrick Lyoya” and “You can’t free the guilty.”

Marchers chanted through residential streets surrounding the park, encouraging onlookers to join in. Siku led several call-and-response chants: “Will we ever forget? No!” “Will we ever forget what Schurr did? No!” “What do we want? Justice!” In the middle of the march, Siku and the protesters broke into dance and handclaps before a crowd of all ages.

Siku then handed the bullhorn to Robert Womack, a strong and early supporter of the family, to begin speeches. He introduced Peter Lyoya as the first speaker, who made it clear the message of the rally is “We have not forgotten.” Lyoya, in a forceful speech, said the city has covered up the brutality of the police department against Black lives for too long – today it was Patrick; tomorrow it could be anyone else. The family said they will continue to fight for justice and for a conviction.

Kellan Martin, a member of the Grand Rapids Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, was introduced next by Womack. Womack called the Alliance’s involvement with the rally, along with local immigrant rights group Movimiento Cosecha Grand Rapids, a “rainbow coalition” and thanked the group personally for their efforts in organizing.

“Those in power who want to divide us are scared of what can happen when we unite and act as one,” said Martin. The Alliance provided a banner with the words “Justice for Patrick Lyoya” carried by the family for the duration of the march.

Since Patrick’s murder last year, Schurr, who has been charged with second-degree murder, has been granted multiple trial delays, with the latest pushed to October 24. In April, Schurr was granted a leave of appeal to contest the charges, with the defense arguing the District Court’s decision for Schurr to stand trial in Circuit Court was an overstep.

The family has said repeatedly these delays are a tactic to erode public support. In the past year, and after the release of video evidence, a grassroots movement has erupted in the city, with groups from all over calling for Schurr’s conviction.

After the speeches, the group was routed back to MLK Park, wrapping a two-mile trek through the streets. The rally, as promised by all the groups and individuals involved in organizing, is the first of several this summer.

#GrandRapidsMI #PoliceBrutality #StopPoliceCrimes

Milwaukee, WI – Earlier this month, Wisconsin Republicans introduced a proposal regarding the shared revenue – LRB-2938: Local Government Funding. This proposal increases Milwaukee’s city and county shared revenue if they agree to do the following: reinstate police officers in Milwaukee Public Schools, preserve current staffing levels, at the minimum, of police officers, fund the police pension through an increase in the sales tax, eliminate the policy creation power of the Fire and Police Commission (FPC), and require representatives from the police association to serve on the FPC.

“Simply put, this is a racist and politically repressive attempt to coerce Milwaukee into accepting a pro-cop bill. Milwaukee is heading towards fiscal insolvency this year, almost entirely due to the growing police budget and pension,” said Alan Chavoya, the outreach chair for the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. “Republicans see this as an opportunity to revert progressive change in Milwaukee, and Mayor Johnson and County Executive Crowley seem poised to go along with it.”

On Friday, May 5, the Milwaukee Alliance held a press conference to officially announce the launch of their Fair Share campaign and denounce this anti-Milwaukee proposal. Following the passing of Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) 575 that requires the public release of video footage regarding critical incidents from the police, the Milwaukee Alliance understands the proposal as a direct shot against this victory. The Milwaukee Police Association (MPA) filed a temporary injunction against the FPC when the SOP passed.

“The MPA realizes that their arguments against the SOP don’t have much to stand on. Instead, with the help of their Republican friends, they are trying to change the law to get what they want,” said Omar Flores, one of the co-chairs of the Milwaukee Alliance.

“We demand a fair shared revenue. A fair share of the products of our labor and of what is owed to us. We demand the GOP to keep their hands off the FPC. Milwaukee deserves oversight power over the entities worsening the budget crisis, so we should be democratizing oversight, not disempowering it. We demand that police are kept away from public schools,” said Lauryn Cross, the other co-chair of the Milwaukee Alliance. “And we are demanding a town hall with Mayor Johnson and County Executive Crowley. No more backroom deals!”

According to various reports, Mayor Johnson and County Executive Crowley have been “negotiating,” and their past decisions supporting more police funding indicate that they are willing to comply with the proposal.

The Milwaukee Alliance was also joined by representatives of Black Leaders Organizing Communities and Students for Democratic Society – UW Milwaukee. This struggle around the shared revenue proposal is felt by a wide range of groups in Milwaukee. Shortly after the Milwaukee Alliance’s press conference, they also spoke at one co-hosted by the MPS School Board and Leaders Igniting Transformation (LIT). In 2020, LIT successfully organized a campaign to remove MPD officers from their schools, so this proposal directly challenges the democratic process that led to their removal in the first place.

The fight against the Republican-led attack on Milwaukee is on. The Milwaukee Alliance intends on carrying on this struggle and uniting various forces around the city to defeat shared revenue proposals that have these absurd strings attached. Since city officials cannot be trusted with listening to the demands of Milwaukee, the Milwaukee Alliance and partners are also pushing for community control over the resources in the city.

#MilwaukeeWI #StopPoliceCrimes