Dallas, TX – Outside Dallas College’s Board of Trustees monthly meeting, May 12, DFW Anti-War Committee activists and supporters gathered to demand an end to Dallas College’s partnership with Paligen, the bomb factory located in Garland, Texas. DAWC’s petition demanding an end to this partnership is now over 450 signatories.

In the hour before the protest, Dallas College police surrounded the front of Dallas College administrative office with nine squad cars. They put up “Do not cross” tape in the area and barricaded the streets on either side of the building.

Jo Hargis of DFW Anti-War Committee observed, “It seems like a waste of money for Dallas College to pay all these police to close the street down to one lane instead of answering our emails, but it sure is making people slow down and look at our signs about Dallas College’s partnership with the war machine.”

During the protest, several people pulled over to ask about the protest and how to get involved.

Through the FAME program, Dallas College sends its students into the Paligen factory. This factory is the sole manufacturer of the shells for the MK-80 series bombs, which are the majority of bombs used by Israel to commit genocide in Palestine and to bomb Iran. In March, the U.S. State Department approved a sale of over $400 million more of these bomb bodies to Israel, naming the factory in Garland as the sole supplier of these weapons.

“The factory that builds the bombs used by the U.S. and its allies is right here in North Texas, and our educational system is normalizing their operations and endangering our students. Shame on Paul Mayer, and on Dallas College!” said Kai Leslie of DFW Anti-War Committee. Paul Mayer is the president of the Board of Trustees for Dallas College.

After a coordinated call and email campaign, or “phone zap”, organizers from DFW Anti-War Committee were able to meet with one of the school districts involved in the FAME program. At the meeting, Superintendent Dr. Angel Rivera confirmed that students from Mesquite ISD would not work in this factory.

Dallas College leadership has not responded to any of DAWC’s requests to discuss their partnership with FAME. DAWC organizers plan to return to the next Dallas College board meeting and to continue their pressure campaign until Paligen is dropped from all educational partnerships.

The next board meeting protest will be June 2, at 4 p.m. across the street from 1601 Botham Jean Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75215.

#DallasTX #TX #AntiWarMovement

Austin, TX – On Thursday morning, May 7, community members packed the Austin City Council meeting to demand that the city take action to stop local police collaboration with ICE. Jesse Valdelamar, of La Frontera Unida, gave public comment on this issue as supporters packed the room with signs with messages such as, “ICE out” and “Legalization for all.” After the public comment, around 25 people rallied outside City Hall.

In his speech, Valdelamar said, “On April 24, this city government shamefully capitulated to the racist demands of Governor Abbott and updated police orders such that officers ‘should, when operationally feasible’ contact ICE over administrative warrants.”

Just before this, Texas Governor Greg Abbott threatened to withdraw $2.5 million in city funding. Valdelamar said, “If this was really a money issue, we should be talking about cutting back on the millions of dollars in handouts to big business that this city gives out on a regular basis rather than risk sending any of our community members to their deaths in a concentration camp.”

Sameeha Rizvi of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) spoke on how the Trump administration is making claims about ICE taking criminals off the streets. Rizvi said, “I mean so far, if that’s the reason we are going to use, how come we have so many Muslim immigrants who have been detained just because they spoke up on Palestine?”

Rizvi continued, “Let’s be clear. ICE does not make our neighborhoods safer. Agencies that exist to tear families apart have no place in our communities.”

Jake Holtzman, of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, said, “These racist politicians are a product and a symptom of a whole rotten system. And that is the system of monopoly capitalism. The capitalists are waging ICE terror, mass deportations and tearing families apart, all to line their own pockets. Shame!”

Holtzman continued, “We need a revolution to kick the capitalists out of power and put working and oppressed people in charge. And our demand is national liberation and self-determination for the Chicano nation here in the Southwest, and full equality for all Chicanos, Mexicanos and Central Americans in the U.S..”

#AustinTX #TX #ICE #ImmigrantRights #LaFronteraUnida

Austin, TX – On Friday, May 1, labor unions and activist and student groups took the streets of downtown Austin for International Workers Day. Around 200 protesters marched on the Capitol building chanting and holding signs in support of immigrants and workers’ rights.

Before the march, the Austin Central Labor Council held a tabling fair through the rain, with many union locals, like IBEW and AFSCME, and activist groups, including the Freedom Road Socialist Organization giving out information.

Austin Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), Students for International Labor Solidarity, and other student groups led a contingent to the Capitol from the UT Austin campus, demanding that UT cut its ties with a company that provides ICE with vehicles for deportations. The students chanted, “UT stop the lies, cut your ties with Enterprise!”

Daniel Ramirez from the Freedom Road Socialist Organization told the crowd, “On May 1, 1886, tens of thousands of workers said ‘enough is enough’ and went out on strike against the bosses and their hired guns. So, when we come out to celebrate the historic workers holiday of May Day, it reminds us that when people are organized, we can land blows against the rotten system we live in. That a better future is possible.”

At the Capitol, SDS talked about the fight against the UT Austin administration as it cut classes and departments that study race and gender. Devon May from SDS talked about how the same Texas government, led by Greg Abbott, that is attacking workers in Texas, is the government that UT admin is bending the knee to.

May said, “Our state government is entirely on the side of the billionaires!” This was met with a flurry of boos and calls of, “Shame,” from the energetic crowd. May ended by highlighting the unity between workers and students, saying “We – the united front of workers and students and immigrants, and everyone else who is tired of living in the shadow of the ruling class – aren’t going to stop until we’ve won everything!”

#AustinTX #TX #StudentMovement #Labor #ImmigrantRights #MayDay #SDS

Dallas, TX – On May 1, 600 workers, students and community members converged at Dallas City Hall demanding an end to billionaire rule and for a society that puts working people first.

The rally took place at Dallas City Hall and was organized by Dallas Fort Worth May Day Coalition, made up of community organizations, labor unions, including the North Texas Area Labor Federation, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Young Active Labor Leaders, Palestinian Youth Movement, and the Revolutionary Front, among others.

Organizers are framing the action not as a symbolic protest, but as part of a broader strategy to build real working-class power.

Marching through the streets of Dallas, the crowd chanted, “When workers’ rights are under attack, What do we do? Stand up! Fight back!”

FRSO organizer Faye Damara stated, ”We can build movements that can win victories on the shop floor, victories against the cops, victories against war, victories where we seize a little more power and then use that power to seize a little more. Day by day, degree by degree.”

May 1, International Workers Day, has its roots in the U.S. labor movement, particularly the struggle for the eight-hour workday. Today, it is observed globally as a day of worker solidarity, even as it remains marginalized in official U.S. politics.

Ultimately, the Dallas May Day protest was about power—who has it, and who doesn’t.

As inequality widens and political institutions increasingly serve the interests of the ruling class, more and more workers are concluding that change will not come from above. Instead, it will come from collective action: strikes, walkouts and mass mobilizations, that make this country ungovernable.

#DallasTX #TX #Labor #ImmigrantsRights #MayDay

Arlington, TX – On April 23, around ten rank-and-file Teamsters at the Arlington UPS hub marched on the boss. They presented a petition with 70 signatures gathered from workers across the building, demanding start times be posted earlier and made more consistent.

For years, workers have been dealing with day-by-day start times, often not knowing when to report until the night before, or even the day of. This has caused difficulties planning sleep, family time, appointments and other responsibilities.

After hearing the workers' demands, the division manager agreed to start providing tentative weekly start times, rather than only notifying workers one day at a time. He also said this could be implemented across all four shifts, not just day sort.

One of the workers who took part in the march said, “I really liked that management not only actually listened to us, but we got a concrete win out of this.”

After the meeting, workers gathered to celebrate the win, chanting “When we fight, we win!” and “Who are we? Teamsters!” The action showed that when workers organize together, they can push management to make changes on the shop floor.

#ArlingtonTX #TX #Labor #Teamsters #UPS

Justin, TX – En una muestra audaz de unidad, los trabajadores del Centro de Distribución de Piezas de Volvo en Justin marcharon ante la gerencia el 13 de abril para exigir el reconocimiento sindical, intensificando su lucha por el respeto, seguridad y una voz real en el trabajo.

Los trabajadores del almacén entraron juntos a la oficina del jefe, entregando su mensaje directamente, declarando, “Estamos organizados, somos militantes y esperamos que reconozcan a nuestro sindicato”. La acción marca un punto de inflexión en una campaña de organización donde los trabajadores han dejado de lado sus diferencias en favor del poder colectivo.

El almacén, operado por Volvo Group, constituye un vínculo crítico en la cadena de suministro de la compañía. Los trabajadores manejan el flujo constante de piezas que mantienen en movimiento camiones y equipos pesados en todo el país. Pero quienes realizan el trabajo dicen que los han llevado al límite – enfrentando horarios agotadores, aumentos en las demandas de producción y constantes preocupaciones de seguridad.

Los trabajadores describen un trabajo donde la velocidad es todo y las heridas son un riesgo siempre presente. La falta de personal ha empeorado las condiciones, obligándolos a jornadas más largas y cargas de trabajo más pesadas. Muchos dicen que la gerencia ha ignorado sus preocupaciones durante años, dejándoles poca opción más que organizarse.

La acción también toma impulso más allá de Texas. Hace apenas unos meses, los trabajadores de Volvo en una instalación de distribución de piezas en Joliet, Illinois votaron para unirse a la Local 179 de la Hermandad Internacional de Camioneros (International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 179 en inglés), demostrando que los trabajadores en toda la red de la empresa están empezando a moverse en la misma dirección. Esa victoria ayudó a mostrar lo que es posible y les dio a los trabajadores de Justin la confianza adicional para dar un paso adelante.

Al marchar ante el jefe como grupo, los trabajadores dejaron claro que este esfuerzo no viene de un puñado de individuos, sino que es una demanda colectiva respaldada por un creciente apoyo en todo el almacén.

Marchar ante el jefe es una táctica con una larga historia en el movimiento obrero – los trabajadores actuando juntos, presentando sus exigencias directamente y demostrando su unidad de una forma que la gerencia no puede ignorar. Suele ser un paso clave para ganar reconocimiento y construir la confianza necesaria para la lucha por el contrato.

La demanda es directa: reconocimiento sindical y el derecho a negociar un contrato digno. Los trabajadores quieren mejores salarios, condiciones más seguras, cargas de trabajo razonables y el fin de la falta de respeto que dicen ha definido este empleo.

Para los trabajadores de Volvo que actuaron, esto es solo el comienzo. La gerencia ahora enfrenta una decisión. Puede reconocer al sindicato y respetar la decisión de los trabajadores o enfrentar el poder de la solidaridad de sus trabajadores.

De cualquier manera, el mensaje desde el taller es claro. Los trabajadores están organizados, son militantes y están listos para luchar por lo que merecen.

#DallasTX #TX #DFW #JustinTX #UPS #Labor #Volvo #Teamsters

Garland, TX – A coalition of Dallas Fort Worth antiwar organizations including DFW Anti-War Committee, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and others, rallied in the city of Garland’s Freeman Heights neighborhood outside of the Paligen Technologies facility, formerly REPKON USA.

The Anti-War group’s Tax Day rally protested the misuse of working people’s tax dollars on war and genocide, as well as Garland institutions’ complicity in funneling students and workers into war manufacturing via the FAME program.

DFW and Garland Community members arrived around 6:30, chanting “Say it loud! Say it clear! Paligen’s not welcome here!”

Mohammad Khan of DFW Shias for Justice told the crowd, “This company has been identified as a principle contractor of producing components of 12,000 BLU-110AB general purpose 1000-pound bomb bodies for Israel”.

Josh Rudd with DFW Anti War Committee stated, “This community does not have a hospital, but they have a bomb factory.”

Dilan Ahmadi of Revolutionary Front said, “By participating in targeted pressure campaigns like ‘Stop the Bombs Garland’, like ‘Boycott Chevron’, we can hit them where it hurts: their pocketbooks.”

The crowd made their way to the adjacent Dallas College campus, where the Garland Chamber of Commerce meets to hold trainings and meetings with the Garland FAME program. Josh Rudd spoke on the FAME program, “We don’t want students being recruited for genocide.”

After the rally, Garland resident and North Texas DSA member Ella Haag told the crowd, “I'm thankful for the DFW Anti-War Committee for taking on this campaign and for bringing attention to the Paligen facility.”

Haag continued, “I've lived in Freeman Heights since 2018 and was horrified to find out I lived across from a bomb factory. It haunts me every day. Every war is connected to this factory. Every life lost from these weapons is connected to this factory.”

#GarlandTX #TX #AntiWarMovement #WeaponsIndustry #DAWC

Justin, TX – In a bold show of unity, workers at the Volvo Parts Distribution Center in Justin marched on management, April 13, to demand union recognition, escalating their fight for respect, safety and a real voice on the job.

Warehouse workers walked into the boss’s office together, delivering their message directly, stating, “We are organized, we are militant, and we expect their union to be recognized.” The action marks a turning point in an organizing drive that has seen workers put aside their differences in the interest of collective power.

The warehouse, operated by Volvo Group, is a critical link in the company’s supply chain. Workers there handle the constant flow of parts that keep trucks and heavy equipment moving across the country. But those doing the work say they’ve been pushed to the limit – dealing with exhausting schedules, rising production demands and ongoing safety concerns.

Workers describe a job where speed is everything and injuries are an ever-present risk. Short staffing has made conditions worse, forcing longer hours and heavier workloads. Many say management has ignored their concerns for years, leaving them little choice but to organize.

The action also builds on momentum beyond Texas. Just months ago, Volvo workers at a parts distribution facility in Joliet, Illinois voted to join the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 179, showing that workers across the company’s network are beginning to move in the same direction. That victory helped demonstrate what’s possible and gave workers in Justin added confidence to step forward.

By marching on the boss as a group, workers made clear that this effort isn’t coming from a handful of individuals, it’s a collective demand backed by growing support across the warehouse.

Marching on the boss is a tactic with a long history in the labor movement – workers acting together, presenting their demands directly, and demonstrating their unity in a way management can’t ignore. It’s often a key step in winning recognition and building the confidence needed for the contract fight.

The demand is straightforward: union recognition and the right to negotiate a decent contract. Workers want better pay, safer conditions, reasonable workloads and an end to the disrespect they say has defined the job.

For the Volvo workers who acted, this is just the beginning. Management now faces a choice. They can recognize the union and respect the workers’ decision or face the power of their workers’ solidarity.

Either way, the message from the shop floor is clear. Workers are organized, they are militant and they’re ready to fight for what they deserve.

#JustinTX #TX #DallasTX #Labor #Teamsters #Volvo #Featured

Dallas, TX – A coalition of Dallas anti-war organizations met at Main Street Garden Park Wednesday evening, April 8, in response to the Trump administration’s genocidal calls for violence against the Iranian people and the wholesale destruction of their infrastructure.

A crowd of 200 community members gathered around 7 p.m., arriving to chants of “From Iran to Palestine, Israel is on borrowed time!” Energy remained high while DFW Foot Not Bombs set up a hot food table.

Ryan Ahmadi of DFW Shias for justice told the crowd, “Just yesterday it seemed that we were on the brink of a genocidal, apocalyptic nuclear war. Donald Trump used his war-mongering and genocidal language, and tactic of psychological warfare that had the entire world sick to their stomachs and on the edge of their seats, waiting to see if he would carry out his threat where he said ‘an entire civilization will die tonight.” A 3000-year-old civilization, a nation of over 90 million people. Well, we’ve got news for you – you gambled, and you lost.” 

Nura Bawab of Palestinian Youth Movement stated, “The Iranian people held their ground with honor and steadfastness and showed the world that their sovereignty would not be compromised by imperialists and Zionists without global repercussions. We are proud of the resilience of the people of Iran.”

Jo Hargis of DFW Anti War Committee spoke on the role of North Texas weapons manufacturers in the last month of attacks, stating, “The factory producing the bombs Israel is using to attack Lebanon and Iran, and to carry out genocide in Palestine? Many of you know that bomb factory is in our own backyard. Many of you know that this bomb factory normalizes its complicity in murder by participating in the FAME program, partnering with schools in Garland, in Mesquite, and at Dallas College to bring students into this very facility. Many of you know DAWC is working to end those partnerships that use students at home to make the bombs killing students abroad, that DAWC has a petition at tinyurl.com/NoFAMEPaligen which all of you should sign before you leave today. And many of you know that infamous bomb factory by an old name: REPKON USA.“

Hargis continued, “The owners of this factory are the same, but seemingly overnight they changed their name to Paligen. This change happened so abruptly that when a DAWC member drove by, the old REPKON signs were simply flipped around and haven’t been replaced with anything. Paligen urgently felt the need to distance themselves from the name REPKON, and that is because they are scared. Paligen is scared of the negative international press they are receiving for arming Israel as it expands this war.”

The evening ended in chants and evening prayers as community members cleaned the park and packed out. 

DFW Anti War Committee’s next rally is April 15, directly outside the Paligen Technologies facility in Garland, to draw attention on Tax Day to the gross misuse of our tax dollars to weapons of war.

The protest was organized by DFW Anti War Committee, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Code Pink, Communist Party DFW, DFW Food Not Bombs, Young Active Labor Leaders, and others.

#DallasTX #TX #AntiWarMovement #Iran #Palestine #Lebanon

Austin, TX – On Saturday, March 28, over 10,000 people rallied for No Kings Day, to protest against Trump’s agenda. After a march beginning at Austin City Hall, protesters gathered at Auditorium Shores for a rally featuring over 80 organizations tabling, many of them giving speeches and teach-ins throughout the event.

Jesse Valdelamar from the immigrant rights organization, La Frontera Unida, said, “Today was a great day. Austin came out in force today to let Trump and his lackeys in the governor’s office know that we will not stay idle as they trample over our rights.”

Ellie James from Austin Students for a Democratic Society said, “We are here to take a stand against the conservative agenda being forced upon UT Austin’s academic curriculum.”

During the rally, several unions and organizations spoke on a labor panel, focused on how workers and their unions are fighting back.

Taylor Carriker-Cavin, a panelist speaking on behalf of Education Austin, said, “Teachers’ unions across the country have been going on strikes successfully, winning things for their unions, for their workers, for their students, and for their families at home. Education Austin is building toward that, but we cannot do it alone.”

“We need the support,” Carriker-Cavin continued, “of all of your community organizations.”

Later in the same panel, Jules Lattimore of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization said, “We need to change economic struggle into class struggle. Take a local struggle about say, wages, benefits, or working hours, and transform that into an avenue for not just a fight against your own boss, but against the billionaires in your city, and against the police that are working for them.”

Lattimore continued, “We need unity in action to get out of this mess where we are always on the defensive from the billionaires, from the capitalists. We also need a new system that has us, the working class, in charge. And that’s only possible through the science of Marxism-Leninism.”

#AustinTX #TX #NoKings #PeoplesStruggles #ImmigrantRights

Austin, TX – Around 30 people rallied at Austin City Hall Saturday afternoon, March 21, against the Austin Police Department (APD) collaboration with ICE.

Jesse Valdelamar of La Frontera Unida, the group that organized the rally, said that the city of Austin canceled its contract last June with the company Flock Safety. This came after community pressure over the presence of Flock surveillance cameras, which ICE has used to obtain data on immigrants.

La Frontera Unida is a member organization of the Legalization For All Network. Valdelamar explained, “The demand ‘Legalization for All’ offers real, permanent relief for immigrants. Unlike the incomplete demand of ‘abolish ICE,’ ‘legalization for all’ would integrate the undocumented into the labor force, make it easier for immigrants to form labor unions, protect immigrants irrespective of nationality against the threat of deportation, and it will never expire.”

Michael Luxemburg, a member of Jewish Voice for Peace Austin, spoke about the role of the APD in protecting the rich and their property stating, “Those same guardians of capital are welcoming” ICE into the city. “They’re doing it behind our backs using Flock information from other cities. And they’re doing it openly, collaborating in the streets.”

Paul Vonder Haar of Hands Off Central Texas said, “We don’t want another dime to go to ICE.” He continued to say we need to “make it so that when they come, they will have the fight of their lives.”

Jake Holtzman of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization said, “At the same time, as we continue to fight against Trump’s agenda of mass deportations, we also recognize that Trump represents the system of monopoly capitalism. This whole system of capitalism must be overthrown and replaced by a system made by and for working and oppressed people. And that system is socialism!”

The Off Hand Brass Band played songs of protest, such as Which Side Are You On, between speeches and as the rally came to a close.

#AustinTX #TX #ImmigrantRights

Austin, TX – On Sunday, February 22, around a dozen people gathered in front of Austin City Hall to demand that the city create a policy preventing local police from collaborating with ICE. People driving by honked and shouted in support as they saw the group holding a banner reading, “ICE out! Legalization for all.”

Jesse Valdelamar of La Frontera Unida said that the group showed up “to protest against the collaboration taking place between the Austin Police Department and ICE.”

On February 5, the Austin Police Department (APD) held a community meeting concerning policy changes overt how APD officers will interact with ICE. Valdelamar called this meeting “nothing more than a PR stunt,” and he said, “Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis knew that no reordering of her words will ever change the fact that APD and the city council have capitulated completely to the racist and Republican-controlled state legislature without a fight.”

Valdelamar continued, “The city of Austin ended its contract with Flock, a company that sells license plate reader technology and is known to give its surveillance data to ICE. Despite this, APD continues to use Flock cameras maintained by two neighboring agencies in Round Rock and Sunset Valley.”

La Frontera Unida, the organization that called the protest, is starting a campaign to prevent this and other collaboration between APD and ICE.

Jake Holtzman of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization said, “At the end of the day, as we continue to fight against ICE terror and Trump’s racist agenda, we also recognize that Trump represents an entire rotten system – the system of monopoly capitalism. This whole system must be overthrown!”

Holtzman continued, “So let’s unite to stop the deportations, and stop the raids. Let’s build the mass movement together to kick ICE out of Austin, ICE out of everywhere, and win legalization for all!”

#AustinTX #TX #ImmigrantRights #LFU

Garland, TX – On March 15, in Garland, Texas, 100 people joined DFW Anti-War Committee’s no war on Iran protest at the REPKON USA ordinance facility. REPKON USA just closed a $660 million U.S. arms deal to send 27,000 more bombs to Israel to continue its bombardment of Iran.

Attendees chanted, “Say it loud, say it clear, REPKON isn’t welcome here!” as 45-mph winds buffeted the crowd. Signs included “REPKON bombs slaughter Iranian students. REPKON out of our schools!”

Through the FAME program, Dallas College, the Garland school district, and the Mesquite school district partner with REPKON to use the bomb factory as a professional training resource for their students. Ending these partnerships between REPKON and schools is the current campaign of the DFW Anti-War Committee.

“We’re working to get REPKON kicked out of the FAME program because we think students shouldn’t be brought into a bomb factory for ‘on the job experience’ when those bombs are being used to kill students and destroy schools around the world,” said Josh Rudd, coordinator for the DFW Anti-War Committee.

#GarlandTX #TX #AntiWarMovement #Iran #DAWC

Austin, TX – On Friday, March 13, around 20 students rallied in front of the Student Services Building at the University of Texas at Austin (UT) in support of students targeted by UT administration for protesting against Trump’s “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education” and the consolidation of ethnic and gender studies departments.

This rally was organized by Austin Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) for the defense of Daniel Ramirez, who is currently facing the possibility of suspension. Daniel Ramirez, who is also a member of Austin SDS, addressed the crowd before walking into his suspension hearing, pointing out, “This repression will not stop us. While repression doesn’t mean we’re winning, it means they’re scared of us.”

As Ramirez walked into the Student Services Building, the crowd cheered him on, chanting, “We want justice you say how, drop all the charges now,” “No more secrets, no more lies, student voices will never die!” and “The students united, will never be defeated!”

Elise James, a member of Austin SDS, elaborated on why Austin SDS felt compelled to protest against the university administration. James said, “For most of its history, UT has pushed its students to protest because they do not care about us. We have to make them listen.” She challenged the university’s narrative, saying, “To the people who tell us we should have been respectful, we were. We have been trying to reach them for months, but they did not listen.”

Jesse Valdelamar, a member of La Frontera Unida, spoke on the effect consolidation will have on the ability for Chicanos to learn about their own history, stating, “UT President Jim Davis and his lackeys want Tejanos to forget about our history, to forget about the pain and suffering that’s we’ve had to endure, and above all, to not be proud about who we are.”

Mia Reballosa, a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization said, “The university is making millions of dollars from oil and exploitative contracts with sweatshops. They also hire war hawks and war criminals.”

Reballosa continued, “When we are repressed, we need to double down. We need to be bolder. We need to let the university know that we won’t back down.”

Despite the repression, Austin SDS plans to continue its campaign against department consolidation.

#AustinTX #TX #StudentMovement #SDS #PoliticalRepression

Dallas, TX – On March 7, Freedom Road Socialist Organization hosted a rally for International Women’s Day at Civic Garden Park.

The demands for this year’s International Women’s Day included freedom for political prisoners Leqaa Kordia, Cilia Flores and Aafia Siddiqui; justice for women killed by ICE repression; keep families together; legalization for all; justice for Palestinian mothers and children orphaned by Zionism, and justice for mothers and their children killed by police repression.

A variety of organizations supported the action, including Planned Parenthood, Texas Equal Access Fund, National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, DFW Anti-War Coming, DFW Free Aafia Siddiqui, Indivisible Dallas, Palestinian Youth Movement, DSA North Texas, Texas Alliance for Retired Americans, Revolutionary Front, Shias 4 Justice, Communist Party USA DFW, Codepink and Workers World Party.

Jo Hargis from FRSO said, “It is a grave mistake to think that what happens to women in Iran and Palestine does not connect to women here in the United States, and to fight for liberation of women across the world means participation in the movements for international solidarity. We cannot stay in a bubble here. The liberation of women demands participation in the labor movement, in the movement for community control of the police, in the movement for international solidarity and in the student movement.”

AJ Rugambwa a member of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression Dallas connected the history of the Alliance since its formation through the efforts of women like Charlene Mitchell and Angela Davis and said, “ Mitchell and Davis made it clear that you cannot win without a movement, you cannot win without being connected to the people, and NAARAPR Dallas is doing exactly that in our programs to fight ICE repression and community control of the police.”

Yuliana Valdes with the DFW Anti War Committee, “Today, on the occasion of International Women’s Day, we the Anti War Committee demand an end to U.S. aggression and U.S. hands off everywhere. BLU109 bunker buster bombs, and MK82 missiles are manufactured right here at the Repkon factory in Garland, Texas. We are part of a campaign to end the manufacturing of these bombs.”

Despite bad weather 60 people attended the rally and chanted, “Keep families together,” “When immigrant rights are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!” and “U.S. hands off Iran!”

After the rally, FRSO hosted a letter-writing session for political prisoners Aafia Siddiqui, Leqaa Kordia and Cilia Flores.

#DallasTX #TX #InternationalWomensDay #WomensMovement #DFW

Austin, TX – On Saturday, March 8, at noon, around 80 people gathered in front of the Texas Capitol building to rally for International Women’s Day.

“Today, all around the globe, we join our sisters,” said Sofie Gomez, of Austin Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), the group that hosted the rally.

Gomez continued, “We march to continue to fight and demand our rights here in conservative Texas. Those politicians up there in the capitol will keep moving the goal post, taking away, and doing what they want with our bodies. Shame! For decades, women have fought hard just to have their voices heard. Black and Chicana women, even more so, have been fighting constantly against these systems that oppress all women.”

Cynthia Treviño, with La Frontera Unida, said, “Chicanas have a proud history of struggle that we can look back on to remind us that our voices, our ideas, and our actions have impact and make changes.”

Treviño gave the example of Emma Tenayuca, who led thousands in the 1938 San Antonio pecan shellers strike. Treviño said, “The strike was not easy. They were faced with imprisonment, clubbing and tear gas. Yet throughout the hardships, Tenayuca and her co-workers persisted. After two months of striking, management relented and the workers won the right to form a union.”

Mia Reballosa of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization said, “This Women’s Day, there is still much to fight for. For every dollar earned by U.S. men with a master’s degree, U.S. women earn 70 cents, while immigrant women earn just 55 cents. Trans women face significantly higher mortality rates with most violence being directed towards Black trans women.”

Reballosa continued, “These attacks on women are not just consequences of the patriarchy. They are consequences of the exploitation that is bred by capitalism. Capitalism has destroyed our lives. Overseas, it is killing our sisters in Iran, Palestine, Cuba, Venezuela, and wherever else U.S. imperialism has decided to wage a war for profit.”

The crowd cheered as Reballosa said, “Sisters, we need to shape a radically different future. One where women and men are not only treated equally but are no longer exploited. We need a future where our sisters in war-torn countries are safe from U.S. imperialism. Where our trans sisters can be free of death. We need liberation! We need a socialist future, sisters, and we must be the ones to fight for that!”

Toga Pendrake, a member of IBEW Local 520, said, “I want everyone here to think about what they’re going to do in the following weeks, about how we’re going to keep advancing this agenda.” Pendrake, like many of the other speakers, called on everyone in the crowd to join organizations and continue the struggle beyond International Women’s Day.

#AustinTX #TX #InternationalWomensDay #SDS

Dallas TX – Dallas antiwar organizations met at the Grassy Knoll downtown on Sunday afternoon, March 1, to speak against the attacks on Iran.

Beginning in the early morning of February 28 amid weeks of deteriorating negotiations, the United States and Israel launched a series of attacks that initially destroyed a girl’s school killing over 180 people. These attacks were met with mixed reactions across the United States, with Dallas’ reactionary monarchist groups rallying downtown on Saturday to praise these imperialist attacks.

Iran retaliated to these escalations with a series of strikes targeting Tel Aviv alongside U.S. bases and targets in Kuwait, Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.

The crowd grew to hundreds just after 3 p.m., with chants of “One olution: Revolution!” and “No boots on the ground or bombs in the air, U.S. out of everywhere!”

Sabah Shah from DFW Shias for Justice spoke in observance of Khamenei's murder. “We know that our leaders are martyrs and our martyrs are leaders, and Al Quds and Palestine are the axis of the hereafter. I’ve felt so much grief, and I’m not going to stand here and tell you that I don’t feel physically suffocated because we are not just mourning a leader. We are losing a guardian, a father of resistance, a voice that stood when others trembled, a soul that carried the weight of Islam while the world watched in silence.”

Dillan Ahmadi of Revolutionary Front DFW told the crowd, “When you become the target of the imperialists’ ire, you only have two options: You can either capitulate and become their dog, or you can stand defiant and resist.”

Rick Majumdar, a Teamster, spoke on behalf of Freedom Road Socialist Organization, “This empire is realizing that these movements, the anti-imperialist movements, the movements against ICE, the labor movement, are growing faster than they can control it. They are realizing that this Trumpian movement is not going to survive.”

Majumdar continued, “There is no precedent to believe the United States will act in any moral way. And so, since these movements are growing, if you consider yourself an activated member of a community it is time for you to stop being activists and start being organizers.”

Jo Hargis of the DFW Anti War Committee brought the conversation back to the Garland neighborhoods of the DFW area, “We know for a fact that BLU109 Bunker Buster bombs and MK 82 and MK84 missiles were used in these bombings, and as many of you know the BLU109 and MK 80 series bombs are only made in one place, and that place is Garland, Texas, 34 minutes away from here at the REPKON ordinance facility.”

Hargis continued, “While REPKON sees fit to arm Israel as it carries out its genocide in Palestine and beyond, REPKON simultaneously partners with schools here at home. REPKON partners with Dallas College with Garland ISD and with other school districts in our communities, using students at home to normalize their complicity in the slaughter of students across the world. DFW Anti War Committee is working to end REPKON’s partnerships with our schools and we need everyone’s help if that effort is going to succeed.”

Organizations participating in the protest included the Palestinian Youth Movement, DFW Antiwar Committee, Indivisible Dallas, DFW Shias for Justice, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Revolutionary Front DFW, and the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression among others.

#DallasTX #TX #AntiWarMovement #Iran

Austin, TX – On February 26, at 5 p.m., around 80 students, faculty and university affiliates gathered at the South Lawn of the University of Texas at Austin to protest the recent announcement of the elimination of the departments of Mexican-American and Latino Studies, African and African Diaspora Studies, Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, and American Studies. The departments will lose departmental status and be consolidated into a new department of Social and Cultural Analysis.

The protest was organized by the Austin Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). They demanded a stop to this elimination and more transparency when it comes to major changes to the university.

Sofie Gomez, a member of Austin SDS, began the protest, stating, “Women like Bell Hooks fought and challenged academic settings like this. Fought for visibility. Fought to be put in our place. And she is being taught in these courses! They don’t want us to sharpen our minds with this wisdom. They don’t want queer people to be visible in academic settings!”

After a series of chants, students led the protest into a march around campus. They stopped at the Dorothy L. Gebauer Building, where the office of the College of Liberal Arts is located, to continue chants.

Dr. Karma Chavez, department chair of Mexican-American and Latino Studies, said, “This is an unprecedented time, where [University of Texas President Jim Davis] can make these decisions, without consulting any of the department heads, and decline public comment.” She highlighted the difficulty faculty have had in communicating with upper administration and the need for students to advocate for these departments to stay.

Mia Reballosa, a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization stated, “The only way we can win a better future is to continue to fight. Continue to make our voices heard because there is no other solution. These departments were won through long term, protracted advocacy from students and faculty, so we must continue to defend them. We have to continue to voice our demands. The only way we can win is to fight back, to organize, and be persistent.”

The students then marched to Gregory Plaza and finished off the protest with a series of chants such as, “We don’t want consolidation! We demand representation! We don’t want elimination! Hands off our education!”

#AustinTX #TX #StudentMovement #SDS

Austin, TX – On Sunday, February 22 at 3 p.m., around a dozen people gathered in front of Austin City Hall to demand that the city create a policy preventing local police from collaborating with ICE. People driving by honked and shouted in support as they saw the group holding a banner reading, “ICE out! Legalization for all.”

Jesse Valdelamar of La Frontera Unida said that the group showed up “to protest against the collaboration taking place between the Austin Police Department and ICE.”

On February 5, the Austin Police Department (APD) held a community meeting concerning policy changes over how APD officers will interact with ICE. Valdelamar called this meeting “nothing more than a PR stunt,” and he said, “Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis knew that no reordering of her words will ever change the fact that APD, and the city council, have capitulated completely to the racist and Republican-controlled state legislature without a fight.”

Valdelamar continued, “The city of Austin ended its contract with Flock, a company that sells license plate reader technology and is known to give its surveillance data to ICE. Despite this, APD continues to use Flock cameras maintained by two neighboring agencies in Round Rock and Sunset Valley.”

La Frontera Unida, the organization that called the protest, is starting a campaign to prevent this and other collaboration between APD and ICE.

Jake Holtzman of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization said, “At the end of the day, as we continue to fight against ICE terror and Trump’s racist agenda, we also recognize that Trump represents an entire rotten system – the system of monopoly capitalism. This whole system must be overthrown!”

Holtzman continued, “So let’s unite to stop the deportations, and stop the raids. Let’s build the mass movement together to kick ICE out of Austin, ICE out of everywhere, and win legalization for all!”

#AustinTX #TX #ImmigrantRights #LFU #FRSO #ICE #Featured

Saginaw, TX – En febrero 9, más de 200 estudiantes y miembros de la comunidad de la Escuela Secundaria Boswell en Saginaw, Tejas marcharon en protesta de la continua violencia que ICE ha usado contra su comunidad. Esta marcha viene después de una huelga que los estudiantes de Boswell organizaron en febrero 2, lo que trajo amenazas de suspensiones y expulsiones al cuerpo estudiantil por parte del Director Ryan Wilson.

Esta acción fue dirigida en conjunto por los organizadores estudiantiles y la Alianza Nacional Contra la Represión Racista y Política (NAARPR) Dallas.

Miembros del NAARPR-Dallas aportaron a la marcha proveyendo a los organizadores estudiantiles con gestores de seguridad, señales de protesta, cantores y una pancarta de “Legalización para todos”. La marcha y protesta fueron en conjunción con el Día Nacional de Acción de la Red Legalización Para Todos para exigir justicia por Renee Good, Alex Pretti, Keith Porter e inmigrantes asesinados por ICE.

Mientras los estudiantes marchaban por la acera, cantaban, “ICE fuera de DFW” y “No justicia, no paz – ICE fuera de nuestras calles” mientras conductores apoyando tocaban sus bocinas en respuesta. Los estudiantes exigían legalización para todos y se expresaron en contra de la represión de ICE.

Brody Jones, uno de los organizadores estudiantiles, dijo, “Estamos aquí por nuestras familias, por nuestros compañeros y por nuestros amigos, exigimos ICE fuera de todo lugar.”

La marcha pasó a través de calles principales, y algunos contramanifestantes amenazaron a uno de los estudiantes con un arma. Gestores de seguridad de NAARPR lidiaron con la situación mientras que observadores legales documentaron el incidente.

La marcha terminó a las afueras de la Escuela Secundaria Boswell. A pesar de todos los retos, los estudiantes se mantuvieron entusiasmados y querían continuar organizando protestas.

Glenn Reed, un miembro de la Organización Socialista Camino de la Libertad, dijo, “Es increíble ver a la siguiente generación de luchadores por la libertad tomarse la democracia en sus propias manos y protestar en contra de ICE y exigir el fin de la agenda Trump, además de legalización para todos.”

#SaginawTX #TX #ImmigrantRights #ICE #HighSchool #StudentMovement #NAARPRDFW