Milwaukee, WI – About 20 students and faculty members rallied at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Feb. 3, and marched on university Chancellor Mark Mone's Spring Plenary address at the Zelazo Center.

Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) led the protest joined by Youth Empowered in the Struggle (YES) as a part of its campaign against the $250 million budget cut to the UW system, now entering its first year anniversary.

Angered by how administration has been handling the budget cut process, SDS and YES marched into the Zelazo Center just before Chancellor Mone's address was about to begin and took the stage, carrying signs and a banner reading “Education is a right!”

After a few minutes of confused chatter from the audience, consisting of mostly administration and faculty with little to no students in attendance, Breanna Eisner of SDS spoke to the audience, “Instead of six-figure salaries for unnecessary bureaucratic positions, money should be invested into our education, student and academic services, resource centers, campus workers and instructional units.”

The audience listened in silence, as did Mone, the chancellor appearing a bit uneasy by this interruption of the proceedings. “The budget proposals have not been implemented yet and I've already lost the majority of my TA's, side-instructors and tutors,” Breanna continued. “My class of 100 students considered 'too small' by the university to qualify for a TA. Study abroad programs are being cut, participation in student government is being marginalized, majors and minors are being eliminated completely. The cost of tuition and food is outrageous for a 20-year old making only minimum wage. The inflation of living expenses is destroying the working class by indebting those who have to earn a living wage.”

After a moment of stunned silence, the audience clapped and the protesters marched out chanting, “We won't go without a fight, education is a right!”

During the plenary, Chancellor Mone made his case for increasing student tuition: “One of the things that I argue is that it is not good policy to continue to cap the price or tuition for any good [...] I think you can all appreciate what a modest tuition increase can do for our campus, not at the levels we had before the 6.8% tuition increase that we had from roughly 2001 through 2011. But even less than half of that would make a huge difference.”

Resident undergraduate tuition for 2015-2016 is $9452, based on 12 to 18 credits for both semesters. A 3.4% annual increase would effectively result in a total increase of $1351 in tuition per student after four years.

#MilwaukeeWI #SDS #YouthEmpoweredInTheStruggle

The first panel focused on the Syrian and Central American refugee crisis, discussing how U.S. wars, military occupation, and interventions cause people to flee and look for new lives in other countries. Central Americans fleeing death squads and dictatorships came to the U.S. over the past decades. Today it is hundreds of thousands fleeing U.S. wars, with people from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan attempting to find safety in Europe and Turkey.

Rebeca Zellelew, a YES-MU member commented, “Having both my parents flee their native homeland in Ethiopia, one as a refugee and the other through asylum, the critical analysis of the Syrian and Central American Refugee crisis was vital for me to understand, especially in relation to the hushed role the U.S. government plays, and consistently contributes to inhumane atrocities around the world. Panels like this are significant to change our student body.”

The event ended with a solidarity march and candlelight vigil that was a part of the Legalization for All week of action. It was at Joan of Arc Chapel at Marquette University in remembrance of the mothers and children held by the U.S. government at for-profit detention facilities for over a year.

The second event “You May Say I’m a DREAMER”, focused on undocumented youth and their struggles to pursue higher education. The panelists included two Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, and another youth and immigrant rights activist.

“We will continue to raise awareness around immigration and issues of social justice at Marquette. The student body is predominantly white and middle to upper class and they do not always get a chance to see varying perspectives and to see the realities of the lives of people of color. That is where we hope we can direct the support from the Marquette community towards initiatives like a scholarship fund for undocumented students,” explained YES-MU President Miguel Sanchez.

#MilwaukeeWI #YouthEmpoweredInTheStruggle #LegalizationForAllNetwork #MarquetteUniversity

Oscar Hernandez, a Y.E.S member at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, stated, “We can't forget that the U.S. government supplies the Mexican government with weapons and military training. In turn, Mexican police and military use those weapons to repress students, workers and unions.”

The vigil and march began at Walker Square Park, located on the southside of Milwaukee. Students from both universities were attendance along with community members to stand in solidarity with those seeking a response.

Tyler Evans, a Y.E.S member from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, said of the vigil, “It was uplifting to see so many community members show up and speak out against government repression. We need more of this kind of international solidarity.”

#MilwaukeeWI #ImmigrantRights #InJusticeSystem #Mexico #YouthEmpoweredInTheStruggle #PoliticalRepression #Ayotzinapa #Americas

Milwaukee, WI – More than 50 students, faculty and community members held a rally at Marquette University, March 30, to call on the administration to establish a scholarship fund exclusively for undocumented students.

Organized by the Marquette chapter of Youth Empowered in the Struggle (YES), students marched into the rotunda of the Alumni Memorial Union, chanting “Undocumented and unafraid,” and “No justice, no peace.” Several students spoke to the urgency of the issue by providing personal testimonies of their own struggles trying to afford Marquette’s high tuition.

In the U.S., undocumented college students are not eligible for financial aid, thus leaving them in an extremely vulnerable position when seeking higher education. At schools like Marquette, where the yearly tuition is more than $34,000, it is nearly impossible for undocumented youth to afford to attend. Marquette, as a Jesuit institution, is supposed to live up to a tradition of high quality education that is accessible to all students, especially those who do not have the financial means or ability to otherwise attend college. However, Marquette has not fostered a welcoming community for the undocumented in its allocation of resources and funds.

One of the speakers, who identified as undocumented, commented on how she overcame living in the shadows, but said that her peers and the rest of the community live in the shadows because they fear discrimination. She declared, “Other universities have funds and special scholarships for Dreamers – I don’t see why Marquette shouldn't. Marquette, be the difference! Fight with us to make our campus undocumented friendly!”

Several of the speakers at the rally connected the struggles of undocumented students to other current struggles. Laree Pourier and Victoria Gokee-Rindal, leaders with the Native American Student Association, challenged the notion of the current borders and immigration by reminding the student body that they are on indigenous land. Pourier stated, “European immigrants stole the lands and abused the peoples, without documentation of consent. Who decides what is illegal?”

The group of students then marched to Zilber Hall to deliver a letter calling on the president of the university, Dr. Michael Lovell, to establish a scholarship fund exclusively for the undocumented. The students then marched back to the rotunda area and concluded the rally by committing to continue to pressure the administration on the matter of scholarships until the university is finally accessible to the undocumented.

#MilwaukeeWI #YouthEmpoweredInTheStruggle #undocumentedStudents

Milwaukee, WI – More than 100 people gathered at a rally, Sept. 26 at the Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) to condemn deportations and police brutality.

Timed to coincide with a talk by Michelle Alexander, the author of The New Jim Crow, the rally brought together two of the largest movements in Milwaukee. One is the movement against the mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, gathered around Youth Empowered in the Struggle (YES) and its parent organization Voces de la Frontera. The other important movement is against police brutality and mass incarceration, gathered around a number of community leaders and the families of police brutality victims.

Speaking to the gathered crowd, State Representative-elect David Bowen condemned the deaths of young African-American men at the hands of police. Next from Voces de la Frontera, Executive Director Christine Neumann-Ortiz denounced “the private prison system that profits from filling its beds with undocumented immigrants.”

Then Angela Walker, socialist candidate for county sheriff, explained, “The historic tactic of the ruling class is to divide oppressed peoples against one another. By holding rallies like this we are challenging oppression and exploitation.”

Nate Hamilton, brother of Dontre Hamilton who was murdered by the Milwaukee Police Department, implored, “We need unity between Black and Brown communities. We call on all forces to rally this upcoming Tuesday at Red Arrow Park, the site of my brother’s murder, to mark the fifth month anniversary of his death.”

MATC community college students led the rally. Youth Empowered in the Struggle at MATC founder Mario Gomez laid the foundation for the rally by looking at the common denominator between mass deportation and mass incarceration – class exploitation and national oppression. Gomez spoke directly, “Let’s be honest, they’re targeting the working class. They’re not targeting just anybody. They’re not out here targeting and deporting rich Europeans and Canadians. They’re targeting the working class, and as a proud member of that working class, at the largest working class college in Wisconsin, we’ve got to start fighting back!”

The rally maintained a high level of enthusiasm throughout, and ended with YES leading the crowd in a Unity Clap, inspired by the farmworkers struggle of the 1960s and 1970s. All participants were invited to a lunch social afterward, hosting by the MATC student organizations.

Co-sponsors of the rally included: Youth Empowered in the Struggle, Youth Empowered in the Struggle – MATC, MATC Black Student Union, MATC Latino Student Organization, Voces de la Frontera, and the African American Roundtable.

#MilwaukeeWI #PoliceBrutality #YouthEmpoweredInTheStruggle #ChicanoLiberation #immigrationRights

This action was primarily in response to a large scale sweep conducted by ICE in partnership with the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) on May 27, which resulted in the arrest of 22 people from their homes and workplaces. Over the last month a total of 49 people have been arrested in Milwaukee for being undocumented.

“We will defend our community as long as ICE keeps attacking us and until Obama grants deferred action for all,” said Oscar Hernandez, who was one of the ten activists chained together.

Two of the activists were family members of one of the men arrested on May 27. The 11-year-old girl saw her father being taken away by ICE agents as he had been preparing the car to bring her and her two sisters to school.

Activists chanted, “Undocumented and unafraid!” and “MPD shame on you, immigrants are people too!” as morning traffic began to flow through downtown. Though police threatened to arrest the chained activists chained, they backed off and watched the rally that lasted over three hours.

Immigration raids are conducted through the secure communities program, a partnership between local law enforcement agencies and ICE. A recent analysis of the program showed that the majority of people being targeted and detained are not criminals, with their most serious criminal offense being the misdemeanor of entering the country illegally.

Immigration raids – or sweeps – have been happening across the country including other major urban areas like New Orleans and Phoenix, as well as rural communities. A daily bed quota is set at 34,000 people being in detention and at some level of the deportation process. Many people are being held in for-profit prisons that exploit them as cheap labor while they wait to be deported.

This daily quota has been defended by the Obama administration, which has overseen the most deportations of any U.S. president, between 2 and 2.5 million since he took office. As President Obama stalls on immigration reform, thousands of families and communities are being ripped apart.

Activists in Milwaukee will continue to fight against deportations, sending the Obama administration a strong message that they must take action now.

#MilwaukeeWI #ICE #YouthEmpoweredInTheStruggle #ImmigrationsAndCustomsEnforcement #YES

This action was primarily in response to a large scale sweep conducted by ICE in partnership with the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) on May 27, which resulted in the arrest of 22 people from their homes and workplaces. Over the last month a total of 49 people have been arrested in Milwaukee for being undocumented.

“We will defend our community as long as ICE keeps attacking us and until Obama grants deferred action for all,” said Oscar Hernandez, who was one of the ten activists chained together.

Two of the activists were family members of one of the men arrested on May 27. The 11-year-old girl saw her father being taken away by ICE agents as he had been preparing the car to bring her and her two sisters to school.

Activists chanted, “Undocumented and unafraid!” and “MPD shame on you, immigrants are people too!” as morning traffic began to flow through downtown. Though police threatened to arrest the chained activists chained, they backed off and watched the rally that lasted over three hours.

Immigration raids are conducted through the secure communities program, a partnership between local law enforcement agencies and ICE. A recent analysis of the program showed that the majority of people being targeted and detained are not criminals, with their most serious criminal offense being the misdemeanor of entering the country illegally.

Immigration raids – or sweeps – have been happening across the country including other major urban areas like New Orleans and Phoenix, as well as rural communities. A daily bed quota is set at 34,000 people being in detention and at some level of the deportation process. Many people are being held in for-profit prisons that exploit them as cheap labor while they wait to be deported.

This daily quota has been defended by the Obama administration, which has overseen the most deportations of any U.S. president, between 2 and 2.5 million since he took office. As President Obama stalls on immigration reform, thousands of families and communities are being ripped apart.

Activists in Milwaukee will continue to fight against deportations, sending the Obama administration a strong message that they must take action now.

#MilwaukeeWI #ICE #YouthEmpoweredInTheStruggle #ImmigrationsAndCustomsEnforcement #YES

Milwaukee, WI – The immigrant rights group Youth Empowered in the Struggle at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is finishing preparations on campus to host veteran Chicano activist Carlos Montes, who will be speaking here on Oct. 11.

Montes will be speaking on a vital issue of the day – immigrant rights.

Montes has a long history of activism, ranging from the fight for the Chicano self-determination, to the anti-war movement, to the battle to achieve full equality for the undocumented.

He currently advocates for the legalization for all 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S., while at the same time opposing the increased militarization of the US-Mexico border and the implementation of another guest worker program, as proposed by the U.S. Senate immigration bill. The network Legalization for All (L4A) is the medium by which these demands are being expressed and fought for nationwide.

The hopes for the passage of an immigration reform bill this year are small. The L4A Network recently released a statement demanding president Obama to provide relief to the 11 million undocumented with the implementation of a program similar to the 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which offered the chance for those who qualified the opportunity to obtain a work permit and protection from deportations.

Montes’ visit to Milwaukee aims to gather immigrant rights proponents, Chicano activists and community members to fight for the demand of “Legalization for All.”

Youth Empowered in the Struggle at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee started in the fall of 2011 as an immigrant rights group, and joined the L4A network in the early 2013.

#MilwaukeeWI #ImmigrantRights #ChicanoLatino #CarlosMontes #YouthEmpoweredInTheStruggle #legalizationForAll

Milwaukee, WI – The UWM Boycott Coalition for Worker’s Rights at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee declared a major a victory after the university halted sales of Palermo’s Pizza for the remaining school year and summer. Students and workers at the university have been struggling to end the sales of Palermo’s Pizza. A boycott of the pizza was called by Palermo’s workers attempting to form a union.

A two hour sit-in and rally, May 7, carried out by Youth Empowered in the Struggle, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and members of AFSCME and the Milwaukee Graduate Assistants Association, resulted in a negotiation that ended the pizza sales for the rest of the school year and summer.

“It has been a long struggle but a worthwhile effort to ensure that our immigrant brothers and sisters are treated with the dignity and respect that they deserve,” said Valeria Gonzales, a member of Youth Empowered in the Struggle. “It's about time the university listened to the students' voices.”

Previous actions at the university included an occupation of administrative offices and large rallies. Before this action, the university dropped the prices of other pizzas, removed a prominent Palermo’s pizza sign from the campus pizza stand, and posted notices about the Palermo’s pizza strike.

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee was pressured by members of SDS in 2008 to sign on to the Workers Rights Consortium (WRC), an independent labor rights monitoring organization, which concluded the Palermo’s workers were illegally fired after attempting to form a union. Participation in the WRC has been a major rallying point for boycott coalition organizers to push for the university to join the boycott of Palermo’s.

The May 7 event started outside the UWM Union in the afternoon when about 50 students and community members rallied. Led by Youth Empowered in The Struggle and the Latino Student Union, a group of five students, mostly from Students for a Democratic Society, risked arrest by taking over and occupying the restaurant window where the pizza is sold. They covered the pizza window with a banner stating “Drop Palermo’s. Support the strike. Solidarity with workers.”

As the five students occupied the pizza stand, they were followed by the crowd that was rallying outside. The protest continued outside the pizza stand with YES leading chants such as “Hey hey, ho ho, Palermo’s Pizza’s got to go.” The event lasted two hours and ended after negotiations where the Associate Vice Chancellor announced to the rally that the pizza stand would be shut down throughout the rest of the summer.

The Boycott Coalition has been organizing actions on campus for the past nine months in solidarity with the Palermo’s workers who're fighting to get recognition for the Palermo’s Workers Union. The Palermo’s workers are primarily Latino and immigrant workers.

Palermo's is a frozen pizza company based in Milwaukee. Last summer the majority of its employees filed for the recognition of a union, to which management’s response was to fire the unionizers. As a result, around 180 workers walked out on June 1, 2012 and have been on strike ever since. Initially near 70 workers were fired for their attempts to unionize.

#MilwaukeeWI #ImmigrantRights #Boycott #YouthEmpoweredInTheStruggle #PalermosPizza #antiunionBusting

Milwaukee, WI – Over 50 students and community members rallied Feb. 6 at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee (UWM) to demand an end to the sale of Palermo’s pizza on campus. The rally was organized by the Coalition to Boycott Palermo’s, which includes Youth Empowered in the Struggle, Students for a Democratic Society, the Alliance of History Graduate Students, the Hmong Student Union and the Milwaukee Graduate Assistants Association.

The rally was followed by a march around campus with several strikers, along with the participation of organizers from Voces de la Frontera and the United Steel Workers.

While, the march was going on, six UWM students began a sit-in at office of director of auxiliary operations, Scott Peak, and refused to leave until he agreed to remove Palermo’s pizza from campus. The occupiers plastered the walls of Peak’s office with pictures of the strike, Boycott Palermo flyers and other union flyers.

The marchers conducted several mic-checks along the route and stopped in the student union outside Peak’s office.

The students waited about two hours to speak to director Peak, who presented the University’s position that it would make no decisions about the on-campus sale of Palermo’s products until they got written documentation of the National Labor Relations Board statement on the pizza workers’ strike. While those conducting the sit-in waited, others did more mic-checks in the student union and went around campus spreading the word about the ongoing occupation through in-class announcements.

After Peak left his office, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Michael Laliberte showed up and reiterated what Scott Peak said earlier, facing the wall with his back to the students. The sit-in lasted four and half hours, with a total of 15 students participating. No arrests were made, even as campus police hovered around the third floor of the student union, finally escorting the students from the office space.

This sit-in was the latest action done by the coalition to get Palermo’s pizza off campus. Before the sit-in the Coalition had already gotten the Student Senate and Faculty Senate to sign resolutions in solidarity with the strikers. They also collected over 1200 petition signatures, proving that the students and faculty are in favor of the boycott and want this corrupt corporation’s pizza off of their campus.

However, all that was done by the administration was the removal of the Palermo’s Pizza sign. They now market the product as simply “pizza,” allowing for customers to ‘make their choice.’ The sit-in was performed in hopes that the university would be forced to have to listen to the people.

Students for Democratic Society (SDS) organizer Tiffany Strong states, “The students and faculty are not being heard but instead the CEO is the only one being given the chance to speak. Our campus has a history of standing with workers’ rights and is affiliated with the WRC [Worker Rights Consortium]. The WRC has just come out with a statement finding Palermo’s under various violations. Hopefully with the WRC statement and the Coalition continuing to escalate, the pizza will finally be off our campus!”

The Worker’s Rights Consortium is an independent organization that monitors labor rights. It found that Palermo’s has violated U.S. and international law and the University of Wisconsin’s code of conduct in an illegal, ongoing anti-union and anti-immigrant campaign at the Milwaukee-based Palermo’s pizza factory and Roundy’s food stores.

#MilwaukeeWI #ImmigrantRights #Labor #StudentsForADemocraticSociety #YouthEmpoweredInTheStruggle #PalermosPizza #CoalitionToBoycottPalermos

Milwaukee, WI- On Dec. 13, 40 student activists joined together for an action to escalate the campaign to end the selling of Palermo’s pizza on campus. The students held banners and signs reading “Boycott Palermo’s,” held mic checks and gave students passing by informational flyers on the boycott and strike.

The activists first took action in front of the Palermo’s stand in the food court and then proceeded to the dorms where the restaurant operations director recently moved his office. There, protesters performed mic checks and made statements demanding the removal of the pizza from the dorms. They finally made their way to the administration building, Chapman Hall. Unfortunately, Chapman Hall was locked down with security waiting, so the action took place outside of the building. The students then went back to the starting point to wrap up. Meanwhile, the Faculty Senate voted on and passed a strongly worded resolution to discontinue the sales of Palermo’s on campus. The university chancellor was in attendance at the meeting.

Since the Dec. 13 action and the passing of the Faculty Senate resolution, administrators removed the Palermo’s sign and changed the pizza marketing strategy. The signs at the stand now just simply state “Pizza” and they are selling both Palermo’s and Freschetta pizza. The price of Palermo’s pizza has been lowered to match that of Freschetta, which was originally sold at a separate location in the Union.

A couple of protest organizers talked to the manager to find out whether or not they will continue to sell Palermo’s once the inventory from this semester has run out. The pizza stand manager stated that they would continue to order Palermo’s products to allow customers to make the choice to buy scab-made pizza.

The removal of the Palermo’s sign is a victory since restaurant operations and administration have felt the need to discontinue the marketing of Palermo’s. However, because they are still ordering and selling Palermo’s products, the fight continues. On Dec. 20 and 21, organizers delivered letters to the director of auxiliary operations and restaurant operations staff, reminding them of the importance of removing the Palermo’s products and that the campaign will not end until they do so.

Youth Empowered in the Struggle and boycott coalition organizer Jorge Maya stated, “Although it was finals period, students gathered to make one last push for the campaign to get Palermo’s off of campus. The action had great impact it seems, they took down the Palermo’s sign, which is a small step [towards victory].” The UWM Student Boycott Coalition for Worker’s Rights plans on continuing the campaign throughout the winter break and next semester, until Palermo’s is finally off of their campus.

#MilwaukeeWI #Boycott #YouthEmpoweredInTheStruggle #PalermosPizza #UWMStudentBoycottCoalitionForWorkersRights

Madison, WI – “Governor Scott Walker, we reject your budget!” Ben Manski said to the roar of applause at a huge rally here, May 14. “Time for you to step down!”

The We Are Wisconsin rally at the state capitol drew over 20,000 people as protest activities continue all throughout Wisconsin to counter Governor Scott Walker's war on the poor and working people.

Governor Walker began his assault on organized labor last February when, just days into office, he attempted to rush through an emergency budget repair bill. The emergency budget bill intends to cripple unions with language that would virtually eliminate collective bargaining for most public sector unions in the state. Hundreds of thousands rose up, surrounded and occupied the state capitol. After finally forcing the bill through the assembly and senate weeks later, Gov. Walker still finds his bill tied up in the courts.

The rally was brought together by the We Are Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Wave coalitions. Protesters were there not only to defeat the budget repair bill, but also the proposed budget that intends to cut hundreds of millions from public education, decrease taxes for the rich and increase taxes to the sum of $49 million for the poor.

Another strong message at the rally was the need for support of immigrant rights. Latinos and immigrants to Wisconsin are facing an attack that may look to turn Wisconsin into the next Arizona. A march in Milwaukee on May 1 was the largest May Day rally in the country.

Christian, an undocumented high school student from Milwaukee, representing Youth Empowered in the Struggle, the youth wing of Voces de la Frontera spoke at the rally, “We have been marching with you for months.”

#MadisonWI #GovernorScottWalker #VocesDeLaFrontera #YouthEmpoweredInTheStruggle #WeAreWisconsin #WisconsinWave

Milwaukee, WI – Hundreds rallied at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM), March 14, as protests continue against Governor Scott Walker's anti-union, anti-people attacks. The rally was the third mass action taken at the university in recent weeks and included speeches by student, community and union leaders.

Joel Ramirez, a former UWM student and member of Youth Empowered in the Struggle, riled up the crowd when he said, “Wall Street lives lavishly and recklessly while we the people are left to pay the bill.” Ramirez went on to stress the need for African Americans and Latinos to stay united in the struggle and to oppose the oncoming attack on immigrants, which will include attempts to deny in-state tuition for undocumented students.

State Senator Chris Larson, one of the 14 state senators who fled the state to try to halt the passing of the infamous Budget Repair Bill, made a surprise visit to the rally. “It's been a difficult time and I had to sleep on an inflatable mattress, but I stayed motivated thinking of all you who were sleeping on the marble floors of our Capitol.”

UWM United organized the rally and intends to play a role in defeating the Budget Repair Bill and defending the University of Wisconsin system from budget cuts and privatization.

#MilwaukeeWI #StudentMovement #EducationRights #UniversityOfWisconsinMilwaukee #CollectiveBargaining #GovernorScottWalker #Wisconsin #publicSectorUnions #WisconsinProtest #YouthEmpoweredInTheStruggle #UWMUnited