Fight Back! News

News and Views from the People's Struggle

In-Justice System

By Antonia Mar

Johnston family supporters wave signs outside the courthouse.  | Fight Back! News/Staff

New Orleans, LA – On Tuesday, December 16, over 30 supporters packed the Orleans Parish Criminal Court in support of the Johnston family, who faced their first day of trial for false felony kidnapping charges. At the request of the family, supporters showed up in blue to show solidarity in demanding justice for Jrue Kenner.

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By staff

Santa Ana, CA — El 1 de diciembre, dos oficiales del Departamento de Policía de Santa Ana (SAPD) dispararon y mataron a un hombre en el centro de Santa Ana cerca de Broadway y calle 2. SAPD declara que la gente llamó para informar de que un hombre estaba cargando un rifle. Casi 30 agujeros de balas marcan la pared donde le dispararon por sostener lo que resultó ser una pistola de aire comprimido no letal.

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By Serena Sojic-Borne

A photographic portrait of a blonde woman.

On November 25, President-elect Donald Trump announced his nomination of Pam Bondi for U.S. Attorney General. Bondi, from Tampa, is the former AG for the state of Florida. If confirmed, she would head the Department of Justice, which oversees agencies like the FBI and the DEA.

“The most important job after president of the United States in the next administration, it's not me. It's who we select as attorney general,” said Vice President-elect JD Vance, in an interview with National Public Radio.

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By Zunyana Crier

A protest with people holding signs.

New Orleans, LA – On Thursday, December 12 at noon, the Johnston family held a press conference demanding #JusticeforJrue in front of Orleans Parish Criminal Court. Jaime Johnston, along with her partner and both of her parents, are fighting felony kidnapping charges for trying to keep Jaime’s five-year-old son, Jrue Kenner, safe from sexual abuse. New Orleans for Community Oversight of the Police and New Orleans United Front helped to organize the event.

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By staff

San Jose event demands freedom for Leonard Peltier.

San Jose, CA – About 20 community members gathered at the San Jose Peace and Justice Center, December 10, International Human Rights Day, to honor Leonard Peltier, American Indian Movement leader and political prisoner of almost 50 years.

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By David Pulido

 Almost 30 bullet holes are still visible at the site of the killing.

Santa Ana, CA – On December 1, two officers from Santa Ana Police Department (SAPD) shot and killed a man in downtown Santa Ana near Broadway and 2nd Street. SAPD stated that people called about a man loading a rifle. Nearly 30 bullet holes scar the wall where he was shot for holding what turned out to be a non-lethal airsoft gun.

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By staff

LAPD attacks protest outside the Hall of Justice. | Whittier Pride Official

Los Angeles, CA – On December 3, when newly-elected pro-police Nathan Hochman was sworn into office at the Hall of Justice as district attorney, members of Black Lives Matter-LA, Centro CSO and other LA activists arrived to protest Hochman’s agenda.

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By Gabe Miller

Chicago rally demands freedom for torture survivors and wrongfully convicted

Chicago, IL – On the morning of Monday, December 2, about 30 demonstrators, led by survivors of wrongful convictions and their loved ones, gathered in below-freezing temperatures outside the downtown Chicago office of incoming Cook County State's Attorney Eileen Burke to demand she free torture survivors and the wrongfully convicted.

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By staff

Chicago, IL – On Sunday, November 10, over 100 community members packed into a People’s Town Hall on the northwest side of Chicago. Organized by the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR) and other progressive community groups, the event exposed that the racist Oath Keepers are present in the Chicago Police Department (CPD).

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By staff

Milwaukee, WI – On Monday, November 25, the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression held a press conference to comment on the recent findings of the jail audit that was released the week before. Two inmates’ mothers, Laquita Dunlap and Kerrie Hirte, spoke of their fights for justice and accountability.

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By Alex Carson

Atlanta, GA – Since August 2024, a dozen Black men at Virginia’s Red Onion supermax prison have set themselves on fire in a desperate attempt to escape conditions that amount to prolonged torture.

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By Tom Burke

Aurora, CO – On November 21, the FBI knocked on the door of Jonce Palmer, a general member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and co-founder of Denver-Aurora Community Action Committee. Palmer confirmed their name, but did not answer the FBI’s questions, and then firmly shut the door and the agent left.

Palmer explained, “About 1 p.m. I was cooking in my apartment, and I saw a silhouette walk by my window and heard a knock at the door. I opened the door, asking ‘Hi, can I help you?’”

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By staff

Emily Ordaz speaking at the press conference on Monday, November 18.  | Luis Sifuentes/Fight Back! News

Los Angeles, CA – In a criminal court hearing on November 19, former Los Angeles Sheriff Deputy Remin Pineda was given the outrageous sentence of two years of probation, 250 community service hours, and 180 days of suspended county jail time for the killing of David Ordaz Jr. in 2021. As part of the plea deal, Pineda forfeited his right to hold a peace officer position or owning a gun.

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By staff

Aurora, Colorado vigil demands justice for Kory Dillard.  | Staff/Fight Back! News

Aurora, CO – On November 17, around 40 members of the Aurora community gathered in front of Aurora Police Headquarters to hold a candlelight vigil in remembrance of Kory Dillard and to speak out against the system that unjustly ended his life.

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By staff

Tallahassee, FL – On November 6, community members came together at Tallahassee City Hall to demand the restoration of Tallahassee’s Citizens Police Review Board. The board was created in 2020 but was quietly shut down earlier this year by conservative city commissioners.

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By staff

 Brooklyn protest demands cops off the subways

New York, NY – On a Saturday afternoon, November 9, a couple dozen people gathered to protest the increased presence of the NYPD in the NYC metro system, outside the Jay Street. Metro Tech subway stop in Brooklyn. The protest brought attention to NY Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression’s “Cops Off The Subway” campaign. The campaign demands that the NYPD, MTA PD, and National Guard leave the NYC transit system, end the new version of Stop and Frisk under mayor Eric Adams, and calls for funding communities and social services instead of the NYPD.

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By Kyle Cansler

Family members speak out about Robert Jones' murder in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia, PA – On a chilly November 2 afternoon, nearly a month after off-duty homicide detective Christopher Sweeney shot and killed Robert Jones, activists and community members joined the friends and family of Jones at City Hall to demand justice and march on the Philadelphia Police Department headquarters.

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By Antonia Mar and Kristi Dayemo

Dozens of family members, friends, and community members raise their fists and hold signs reading “Justice for Ronald Greene. End Racist Police Terror” and similar slogans.

Farmerville, LA – On Monday, October 28, at 8:30 a.m., about 30 people showed up to the Union Parish courthouse for the plea hearing of Kory York, a Louisiana State Police officer who participated in the murder of unarmed Black motorist Ronald Greene in May 2019. Supporters rallied to pack the court and show their support for Greene’s family, including his mother, sisters and daughter.

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By staff

Omali Yeshitela \[a la derecha\]  | Staff/Fight Back! News

Tampa, FL – El jueves 10 de octubre, el abogado Leonard Goodman presentó una moción posterior al juicio en nombre de los Uhuru 3 – Omali Yeshitela, Penny Hess y Jesse Nevel – pidiendo al juez William Jung una “sentencia absolutoria por el cargo de conspiración” o un nuevo juicio por ese cargo.

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By Noah Schumacher

Minneapolis, MN - On October 23, Davis Moturi, a Black Minneapolis resident, was shot outside of his home, allegedly by his white neighbor, John Sawchak. The bullet entered Moturi’s neck, fractured his spine and broke a number of his ribs. There were no witnesses, no one was around to call 911, and no help would arrive for Moturi until his wife, Caroline Moturi, came home and found him on the ground writhing in pain.

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