Oakland, CA – More than 20 people came a rally on Dec. 14 at the Oakland Federal Building in support of veteran Chicano leader Carlos Montes, who was in court in Los Angeles that same day.

Oakland, CA – More than 20 people came a rally on Dec. 14 at the Oakland Federal Building in support of veteran Chicano leader Carlos Montes, who was in court in Los Angeles that same day.

_McDonald asserts self-defense _

Minneapolis, MN – Chrishaun “CeCe” McDonald appeared in court, Dec. 5, for the first evidentiary hearing for the charges she is facing after being the target of a racist attack in June of this year. Prosecutors argued that a statement police extracted from McDonald under adverse conditions after her arrest should be admitted at trial, while McDonald’s attorney argued that the police denied her due process rights by extracting the statement after she had been isolated for hours when she was exhausted and in physical and emotional distress.

_Justice for Amina Ali and Hawo Hassan _

Minneapolis, MN – About 100 people gathered for a “Speak Out in Support of the Somali Community” Dec. 3. The organizers were inspired to do the forum after the Oct. 20 conviction of Amina Ali and Hawo Hassan, two Somali American women who raised money for charities assisting Somalia’s poor. The women’s conviction was related to providing “material support to foreign terrorist organizations.” During jury deliberations, supporters of the women made it clear that the situation for people in Somalia was dire and that people required help for basic survival.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement urging support for Occupy Minneapolis.

St. Paul, MN – The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota filed a lawsuit against Hennepin County, Nov. 22 on behalf of Occupy Minneapolis. The lawsuit argues that the county’s new restrictions on the OccupyMPLS unconstitutionally restrict the demonstrators’ free speech rights. OccupyMPLS has been continuously occupying the Hennepin County Government Center Plaza, since renamed People’s Plaza, since Oct. 7 to express their frustration with the growing economic and political inequities in this country.

Minneapolis, MN – Community members, family, friends, and supporters of Chrishaun “CeCe” McDonald held a boisterous rally outside the office of Hennepin County Attorney Michael Freeman, demanding that he drop the charges against McDonald.

Minneapolis, MN – According to numerous reports in the press here, Amina Farah Ali, the jailed humanitarian worker convicted of ‘material support for a foreign terrorist organization’ on Oct. 20, is facing religious discrimination in the Sherburne County Jail.

State government here is considering a bill, SB207/AB286, that will permanently economically disenfranchise over 62,000 Wisconsinites who have been convicted of felonies. The bill makes it legal for employers to discriminate against them, not only in the hiring process, but also to terminate them from jobs where they are already employed whether or not their felony conviction is substantially related to the job. It would also ban cities and municipalities from creating laws to protect constituents from this type of discrimination. The bill has already passed the Assembly and is on its way to becoming law.

Chicago, IL – Jacques Rivera has been released after 21 years in prison, after being exonerated for a murder he did not commit. On Oct. 4 he spoke to the press waiting outside the jail. Surrounded by his family, lawyers and members of the activist group Comite Exigimos Justicia (CEJ) which worked tirelessly for justice in this case he said, “The city of Chicago needs to know the truth and that is that I did not kill Felix Valentin.”

Minneapolis, MN – There were tears and anger at the Federal Courthouse here, Oct. 20, after Hawo Mohamed Hassan and Amina Farah Ali, two Somali American women who raised money for charities assisting Somalia’s poor, were found guilty of providing material support to foreign terrorist organizations.

Minneapolis, MN – More than 60 Somali women assembled outside the Federal Courthouse here, Oct. 19, in support of Hawo Mohamed Hassan and Amina Farah Ali, two Somali humanitarian workers who are charged with providing ‘material support for a foreign terrorist organization.’

New York, NY – “We are determined to remain united and to stay,” states Tracy Molm, a participant in Occupy Wall Street. Molm is one of the 1000+ protesters in Zuccotti Park Thursday night, Oct. 13. City authorities say they will start ‘cleaning’ the park Friday morning.

On October 1, Occupy Wall Street continued to grow and attract support from new sectors. Thousands marched, and the NYPD arrested more than 700 protesters on the Brooklyn Bridge. These photos show some of the spirit of the occupation and the march, before the NYPD's mass arrests. All photos by Carolyn Riccardi.

“Tenemos que ser fuertes y estar listos para cualquier cosa del gobierno”

¡Lucha y Resiste! habló con Jess Sundin del Comité para Parar la Represion del FBI sobre los casos de los activistas llamados al Gran Jurado de Chicago. Sundin es una de las activistas que el FBI cateó el 24 de septiembre de 2010. La redacción de ¡Lucha y Resiste! quiere que todos nos ayuden a pasar esta información a la mayor cantidad de gente posible.

Los Angeles, CA – Más de 60 personas asistieron a una protesta aquí cerca del Edificio de la Corte Criminal el 12 de agosto para exigir el fín de los cargos contra el lider chicano y activista anti-guerra Carlos Montes. Montes ya se había presentado en la Corte de Alhambra, California el 6 de julio, donde él se declaró innocente de las 6 felonías relacionadas a las leyes de armas de California.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Campaign to Free Ahmad Sa'adat on the upcoming hunger strike of Palestinian political prisoners.

Minneapolis, MN – At a hearing for Chrishaun McDonald on Sept. 22, over 40 people gathered to show their support for her, as both sides made arguments in regards to the defense’s motion for a bail reduction.

_Protest on anniversary of FBI raids _

Minneapolis, MN – About 175 people, representing a broad section of the Twin Cities progressive movement, participated in a march and rally here, Sept. 24, to demand an end to government repression of anti-war and international solidarity activists.

By Luce Guillen-Given, Lex Huran, Kris Gebhard, Billy Navarro Jr., Katie Burgess and Jill Bartel