News and Views from the People's Struggle
Milwaukee, WI – On Sunday, May 28, dozens of community members gathered at Lucille Berrien Park for the official unveiling of a new mural to commemorate Lucille. The mural came about through a collaborative effort between the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, True Skool Inc., and the Milwaukee Parks Foundation.
Seattle, WA – On Tuesday, May 30, around 15 community members came together in protest at the Federal Courthouse at a hearing on whether to lift the consent decree placed on the Seattle Police Department. The consent decree was placed in 2012 after an investigation found a pattern of officers using excessive force. It required policy changes and other measures in order to comply with federally mandated standards on policing.
Milwaukee, WI – On Wednesday, May 31, the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression held a picket outside Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson’s house. The Milwaukee Alliance recently launched their Fair Share Campaign in order to fight back against the strings attached to Milwaukee’s shared revenue increase being proposed by state Republicans.
Three face outrageous money laundering and charity fraud charges
Atlanta, GA – On May 31, roughly 150 people gathered outside the DeKalb County Jail for a noise demonstration in support of three activists arrested that morning by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Atlanta Police Department. The three Georgian activists – Marlon Kautz, Savannah Patterson and Adele Maclean, who are associated with the Atlanta Solidarity Fund (ASF), were arrested for money laundering and charity fraud, according to a statement made by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) on Twitter.
Despite overall gains, capitalists killed two important bills for basic workers’ rights, and the legislature failed to advance police accountability
Saint Paul, MN – The 2023 Minnesota legislative session ended on May 22, and it’s one for the history books. A wide array of progressive measures that working class and oppressed peoples’ movements in Minnesota have demanded for years and even decades became law, as the Republicans howled from the sidelines but didn’t have the votes to stop it.
Grand Rapids, MI – On Saturday, May 27, 60-plus community members gathered in Martin Luther King Park for a march to demand justice for Patrick Lyoya. Lyoya was a 26-year-old Congolese refugee murdered by Grand Rapids Police Department Officer Christopher Schurr last year. Peter Lyoya, Patrick’s father, is determined to keep public focus on the case to stop the city and Schurr’s defense team from further delaying a trial.
Milwaukee, WI – Thursday, May 25 marked the three-year anniversary of George Floyd’s murder by killer cop Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis. George Floyd’s murder sparked a rebellion in which millions took to the streets in the U.S. and around the world. His murder resonated in Milwaukee, a city with countless victims of police crimes. To commemorate George Floyd and all victims of police crimes in Milwaukee, the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (MAARPR) organized a vigil.
Peoria, IL – Activists, family members and supporters of Anthony Gay rallied outside the U.S. Central District Court in Peoria, Tuesday morning, May 23. Members of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression led the group in chanting, “Free, free Anthony Gay” and “The people united will never be defeated” before entering the courthouse for Anthony’s sentencing hearing.
Jacksonville, FL – On May 21, the Jacksonville Community Action Committee and the family of Vernell Bing Jr., under the leadership of Vernell’s mother, Ms. Shirley, celebrated the Third annual Red Day at A. Phillip Randolph Park. With chants of “Justice for Lil Red,” over 70 people came out to enjoy food and music while hearing from families of those affected by Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) police terror.
Appleton, WI – Family, friends and community members gathered in downtown Appleton this weekend to demand justice for Jimmie Sanders on the sixth anniversary of his murder at the hands of the Appleton Police Department.
Atlanta, GA – Several activists were arrested and charged with felonies for the crime of hanging up flyers demanding justice for Manuel “Tortuguita'' Terán, a forest defender who was shot 57 times and murdered by Georgia State Patrol in January 2023.
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Denver, CO – A dozen concerned residents rallied Saturday, May 13, to demand justice in the case of a police shooting that wounded seven last summer. As bars were letting out in Lower Downtown on the night of July 17, 2022, three DPD officers attempted to stop 21-year-old Jordan Waddy who they suspected of being involved in an altercation earlier that evening.
Tampa, FL – On May 6, Tampa Bay Community Action Committee (TBCAC) held a vigil with the family of Jonas Joseph and supporters for the third-year anniversary of his death. Joseph was 26 when he was killed by the Tampa Police Department on April 28, 2020 after four officers fired 125 shots at him, 62 hitting him. Vigil attendees wore shirts with Joseph's face, brought Haitian flags, candles, rosaries and signs to honor him and uplift the demands of the family.
GOP wants more cops in schools and communities, and less police oversight
Milwaukee, WI – Earlier this month, Wisconsin Republicans introduced a proposal regarding the shared revenue – LRB-2938: Local Government Funding. This proposal increases Milwaukee’s city and county shared revenue if they agree to do the following: reinstate police officers in Milwaukee Public Schools, preserve current staffing levels, at the minimum, of police officers, fund the police pension through an increase in the sales tax, eliminate the policy creation power of the Fire and Police Commission (FPC), and require representatives from the police association to serve on the FPC.
New York, NY – A wave of protests took place across New York City last week in response to the public murder of Jordan Neely on the NYC subway. Neely’s death shocked New Yorkers already angry over skyrocketing rents, callous city officials and a violent, militarized police force. Thousands took to the streets to demand justice for Neely, the arrest and prosecution of his killer, and the protection of our unhoused and mentally ill community members.
Outrageous indictments and arrest warrants issued for APSP leadership
Minneapolis, MN – On April 18, the Department of Justice announced new indictments and arrest warrants for the leadership of the African Peoples Socialist Party (APSP) and the Uhuru movement. The Department has alleged that Omali Yeshitela, Jesse Nevel and Penny Hess conspired to act as unregistered foreign agents, in violation of the 18 U.S.C. § 951 – a statute related to the little known Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).
_Urges other reproductive rights groups to participate in Chicago protest _
Milwaukee, WI – Grassroots organization Reproductive Justice Action – Milwaukee (RJAM) proudly endorsed the Coalition to March on the DNC in 2024 and joined several other groups in Chicago on April 18 for the press conference officially launching the effort. RJAM is now a coalition member of both the Coalition to March on the RNC in 2024 (in Milwaukee) and the Coalition to March on the DNC (in Chicago) the same summer, the first in July and the second in August.
Milwaukee, WI – On April 20, after two years of fighting by the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression and victimized families, a new policy that guarantees the public release of police camera footage after critical incidents was passed by the Fire and Police Commission (FPC). This policy requires the Milwaukee Police Department to release video footage of any critical incidents to the victim’s next of kin within 48 hours and to the public within 15 days.
On Tuesday, April 18, a federal grand jury in Tampa, Florida indicted four U.S. citizens and three Russian nationals with charges of “acting as agents of the Russian government within the United States without prior notification.” The U.S. citizens indicted are: Omali Yeshitela, chairman and founder of the African Peoples Socialist Party and the Uhuru Movement (APSP); Penny Joanne Hess, a leader of APSP; Jesse Nevel, a member of APSP; and Augustus C. Romain Jr., aka Gazi Kodzo, a former leader of APSP. If convicted, they face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. The Russians indicted are Aleksandr Ionov, founder and president of the Anti-Globalization Movement of Russia (AGMR); Aleksey Sukhodolov, and Yegor Popov. This is a repressive escalation by the U.S. state, following up on the FBI raids of July 29, 2022, which targeted Yeshitela's residence and an Uhuru/APSP office.
New York, NY – On April 17, around 30 people came out for an emergency rally led by the New York Community Action Project (NYCAP) at Herbert Von King Park in Brooklyn, to demand justice for Caesar Robinson, a 78-year-old Black man, murdered by New York Police Department officers in his Bedford-Stuyvesant home.
