New York, NY – On Friday, February 7, protesters gathered at City Hall facing 1 Police Plaza to protest the new NYPD Quality of Life Division. The creation of this division comes on the heels of cop-Mayor Eric Adams installing officers on every overnight train.
The Quality of Life Division targets poor and working-class New Yorkers. Officers in the division will go after panhandlers, public urination, those sleeping on the train, street vending, and other forms of “broken window” policing. The primary issue with this division is that it doesn’t address the underlying issues that cause people to resort to these actions.
Newport Beach, CA – Santa Ana Police Department (SAPD) officers chased and then killed 45-year-old Jose Velasquez in Newport Beach Saturday, February 1, at about 7 a.m.
At least seven police cruisers and one police helicopter pursued a vehicle onto Newport pier, with police pulling up with their squad car doors already open and guns drawn as they slowed to a stop. They fired over a dozen shots before issuing any verbal commands and before many bystanders had time to flee the pier.
Charleston, SC– On January 29, police violently dispersed protesters at Marion Square who were standing against Trump’s escalating war on immigrants. The demonstration, which began at 6 p.m., drew 200 to 250 people. Within 30 minutes, Charleston police declared the gathering illegal under the “First Amendment Demonstration Ordinance,” a law restricting protests.
Aurora, CO – On January 18, despite the cold and snowy weather, the Denver Aurora Community Action Committee (DACAC) and community members gathered outside the Aurora Police Department headquarters to demand transparency and justice.
In the past few years, the Aurora Police Department (APD) has killed at least three unarmed Black men – Jordell Richardson, Kilyn Lewis, and Kory Dillard – and has brutalized dozens of other community members, such as Te’Erica Mosle, who was recording police harassing an unarmed Black man, only to be assaulted herself by the police.
Tallahassee, FL – On Jan. 15, the Tallahassee City Commission held a final public hearing on Ordinance No. 24-O-40, which is for the creation of the Citizens Police Review Board (CPRB). The Tallahassee Community Action Committee (TCAC), along with other community members came out to oppose the dissolution of the CPRB ordinance.
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from Frank Chapman, Executive Director, of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR).
New Orleans, LA – On January 20, around 100 students, workers and New Orleans community members representing 20 organizations commemorated MLK Day by marching in the streets. They gathered to march against Donald Trump’s agenda on the day of his inauguration.
Chicago, IL – Negative wind chill could not keep the Coalition to Stop the Trump Agenda from mobilizing 2500 people to Federal Plaza in downtown Chicago to protest the inauguration of Donald Trump.
In the cold midday sun, protesters rallied at the Plaza, marched to Trump Tower, and then rallied a second time there – all to mark a new phase of struggle that will see the social justice movement face grave dangers in the agenda of Donald Trump and his fellow Republicans.
Atlanta, GA – On Saturday, January 18, hundreds of community members gathered to honor the life of Manuel Esteban Paez Teràn, known as Tortuguita, a forest defender killed by the Georgia State Patrol two years ago while protesting the construction of Cop City in Atlanta. Protesters carried turtle-shaped umbrellas with messages of solidarity in honor of Tortuguita’s life.
Centennial, CO – On January 14, the Denver Aurora Community Action Committee (DACAC) and 16 community members braved the cold to rally in opposition to police crimes outside of the office of the district attorney for the 18th Judicial District.
Minneapolis, MN – On January 17, supporters held a press conference and packed the room for Robyn Harbison’s pre-trial hearing. He is currently facing a fourth degree felony assault charge after his arrest alongside ten other protestors at the occupation of Morrill Hall at the University of Minnesota. The University of Minnesota Students for a Democratic Society (UMN SDS) was protesting the university’s continued refusal to divest from Israel. Protesters renamed the building to Halimy Hall, after Palestinian student killed by Israel in August 2023.
Donaldsonville, LA – At 1 p.m. on Saturday, January 11, about 20 people huddled together in the former Rosenwald School for African American children. The building is now part of the River Road African American Museum and hosted a panel titled, “Defending our Right to Protest.”
Attendees came to hear about how to defend our movements from political attacks. Participants drove in from the host town of Donaldsonville and surrounding cities of New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Lafayette.
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from Frank Chapman, National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression executive director, on the present political landscape, and the need for the people’s organizations to rally towards an all-out mobilization on January 20. NAARPR branches and affiliates across the country should join up with the call to fight back against Trump’s agenda and show out for Inauguration Day!
Statement on Trump’s victory and need to protest January 20
In all of the post-election analysis and armchair commentaries, there emerges a fundamental truth, and that truth is that both parties are controlled and managed by the rich. Meaning that the people are left with the best election money can buy.
Atlanta, GA – On December 9, 2024, Robert Brooks a 43-year-old Black man was beaten while handcuffed in the Marcy Correctional Facility in Marcy, New York. He died the next morning and was transported to a hospital in Utica, New York with cause of death described as “asphyxia due to compression of the neck.” Body camera footage released on December 27 shows 13 corrections officers (COs) involved in the beating and murder of Brooks.
Minneapolis, MN – Disgraced former Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis leader, Bob Kroll, seeks President-elect Trump’s nomination to become U.S. Marshal for the Minnesota Judicial District. Kroll, a 30-year veteran of the Minneapolis Police Department, had a lengthy disciplinary record, including wrongful arrest and excessive force complaints, before his retirement in 2021.
Anaheim, CA – On Friday, December 27, Anaheim Police Department (APD) killed a 30-year-old man near the intersection of S East Street and E South Street. Four officers from APD were responding to a possible robbery and a replica firearm was recovered at the scene, however it is unclear based on current reports what the victim’s involvement in the robbery was and whether he was holding the replica firearm at the time of the shooting. The name of the victim, the names of the officers, and more details about the shooting have not been released to the public. Several agencies, including the California Department of Justice and APD Major Incident Review Team, are investigating the shooting, but the timeline for the investigation remains unclear.
New Orleans, LA – On Tuesday, December 17, community organizations and New Orleanians impacted by police misconduct or police violence united at the Consent Decree Fairness Hearing to demand that Judge Susie Morgan rule against the New Orleans Police Department sustainment plan.
The consent decree is the federal oversight instituted in 2013. That year, the Department of Justice found the NOPD to be practicing unlawful misconduct and unconstitutional policing. Different community groups rallied outside against the motion.
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following December 27 statement from New Orleans for Community Oversight of Police (NOCOP).
On Monday December 23rd, Joe Biden commuted the sentences of 37 out of 40 federal inmates who had been on death row. These 37, including the killer cop Len Davis, will now serve life in prison without parole. The three that did not have their sentences commuted were excluded because they were convicted of crimes of terror.
Colorado Springs, CO – On December 13, at approximately 9:40 p.m., an unidentified man called 911 stating he was suicidal and had a firearm. By the time El Paso County sheriffs responded, an hour later, they could not find the man, as he had made his way to the parking lot of a local business. Colorado Springs Police claim the man refused to comply with demands to drop his weapon, and the police eventually shot and killed him.
