Minneapolis, MN – On Thursday, October 2, organizers from four cities reported on the government’s attempt to occupy their cities and streets since June and how people are continuing to resist and win.

Aurora, CO – On Friday, October 3, family, friends and members of the community gathered for a candlelight vigil to remember the life of Kory Dillard one year after his death. The vigil took place where Dillard was killed by officers Kevin Rodier and Ryan Shamblin of the Aurora Police Department.

Seattle, WA – On Wednesday, October 8, the Seattle Public School Board voted 5-2 to reject bringing cops into Garfield High School halls and classrooms. The school board was considering assigning a Seattle Police Department officer to Garfield High School for a one-year pilot program.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following October 5 statement by LSU Students for a Democratic Society.

On Wednesday, October 1st, LSU Students for a Democratic Society attended the second meeting of the LSU Presidential Search Committee to protest the corrupt and undemocratic presidential search process. Several SDS members gave public comments to voice their concerns and demands to the committee. After going over her allotted time by a mere 10 seconds, Gabriela Juarez was violently dragged out of the building by LSU PD officers Thomas Schiebe and Dayton Landry without warning, resulting in extensive bruising. LSU’s Todd Woodward stated that she was given lawful orders, but this was a lie. She was then arrested and placed in a police car.

Washington, D.C. – Over 100 activists, faith leaders and immigrants mobilized in the early morning of October 8 at City Hall in downtown DC, to call for an end to Mayor Muriel Bowser’s cooperation with ICE and the Trump administration’s racist occupation.

New Orleans, LA – On Monday, October 6, dozens of people rallied outside the Public Integrity Bureau (PIB) office at the New Orleans Police Department headquarters to demand that they hold the corrupt officers accountable for their blatant neglect in the cases of several murders.

Aurora, CO – On Friday, October 3, the family of Kory Dillard and representatives of Denver-Aurora Community Action Committee (DACAC) met with the 17th Judicial District Attorney Brian Mason. The day marked one year since the death of Dillard at the hands of Kevin Rodier and Ryan Shamblin of the Aurora Police Department, and the group specifically sought to know if the district attorney had any plans to prosecute them criminally.

Dallas, TX – On September 21, the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression-Dallas (NAARPR-Dallas) hosted a rally in solidarity with Chicago, Washington DC and Los Angeles, along with other cities impacted by the deployment or threatened deployment of the National Guard and mass ICE raids.

Dallas, TX – On September 26, The National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression-Dallas organized a vigil to honor the lives of the three victims, two of whom were fatally shot after being detained by ICE. 

The Vigil began at 7 p.m. at Civic Garden park in Dallas and lasted well into the night. Many from the community and in allied organizations came to pay their respects to those victims and to their families. 

Chicago, IL – On September 30, 1500 Chicagoans marched down Magnificent Mile to protest Trump’s threats of using the city as a military training ground. This past week has seen the effects of Operation Blitz in full force, with heavy presence of ICE and other federal agents conducting deportations. Trump’s speech to top U.S. generals the same day showed he intends to escalate the federal occupation with the military.

New Orleans. LA – On Wednesday October 1, a powerful group of about 100 people gathered in front of the Hale Boggs Federal building in downtown New Orleans to denounce Governor Jeff Landry’s request for 1000 National Guard personnel.

The New Orleans Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression called the emergency protest immediately upon hearing the news which broke Monday night around 9 p.m. The No Troops, No Trump coalition, which consists of about a dozen partner organizations, sprang into action to endorse and hit the streets.

Washington, DC – Over 100 community members, activists and organizers mobilized on September 30, in response to 14 racist bills Congress is trying to pass that strip DC of political power and attack Black youth.

This week, the Senate votes on HR 4922 – DC Crimes Act, HR 5143 – District of Columbia Juvenile Sentencing Reform Act, and HR 5125 – District of Columbia Judicial Nominations Reform Act. These bills aim to further criminalize homelessness, repeal local laws banning police from high-speed car chases, remove the ability for judges to sentence youth offenders below the mandatory minimum, lower the age of eligibility for juveniles to be tried as adults in D.C. for certain violent offenses from 16 years to 14 years of age, and so much more.

Minneapolis, MN – On September 29, over 70 activists and community members showed up at the federal courthouse to demand that U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson immediately drop the charges against Isavela López.

New Orleans, LA – On the evening of September 25, around 50 people attended a People's Townhall on Public Safety co-hosted by the New Orleans Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression and Black Lives Matter Grassroots.

Santa Ana, CA – On September 16, Community Service Organization Orange County (CSO OC) members demanded justice for Noe Rodriguez and protested attacks on the Police Oversight Commission at a city council meeting. Though the city faces two lawsuits related to the police killing of Noe Rodriguez, city staff have tried to ignore the incident. CSO OC has made that effort unsuccessful.

On September 25, Cuba’s Foreign Ministry announced the passing of Assata Shakur in Havana, due to health problems and her advanced age. Shakur was a well-known fighter for Black liberation.

Tallahassee, FL – Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, the state’s only public HBCU, has expelled a prominent student organizer and community leader for protesting the university’s new MAGA-backed president.

Elijah Hooks, a political science student on the cusp of graduation, organized a rally on May 14 to oppose the appointment of Marva Johnson as FAMU’s next president. Johnson is an ally of far-right Governor Ron DeSantis with no experience in higher education.

Detroit, MI – On September 23, the Detroit Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, together with other community groups in the city, demonstrated outside of a city council community meeting for a city ordinance guaranteeing the release of police body-worn camera footage.

Allendale, MI – The Sultry Xi Nu chapter of the Sigma Gamma Rho sorority organized a vigil on the evening of Monday, September 22, at Grand Valley State University to honor the life of Demartravion “Trey” Reed, a young Black man who was found deceased on the campus of Delta State University in Mississippi last Monday. The rally was organized in partnership with the GVSU Pan-Hellenic Council and the Progressive Student Union.

The temperature is rising by the day and the air is thick with a dangerous new electricity. The magnified polarization of this country points to the unraveling of a system built on inequality, repression and an empire whose decline is accelerating. Flashpoint events like Kirk’s killing are not isolated incidents, they’re symptoms of a terminal illness.