Tampa, FL – The Tampa City Council voted 4-3 to pass an ordinance granting the city’s Citizen Review Board (CRB) an independent attorney, April 6. The CRB is a city board that was established in 2015 to review closed cases of police misconduct, as well as be a place where people can bring complaints about the police.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following April 6 joint statement of the Twin Cities Coalition 4 Justice 4 Jamar and Minneapolis for Community Control of Police. Consent decree falls short and keeps power out of community hands We need an all-elected Civilian Police Accountability Commission to permanently reign in the abuses of MPD

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following April 6 joint statement of the Twin Cities Coalition 4 Justice 4 Jamar and Minneapolis for Community Control of Police. Consent decree falls short and keeps power out of community hands We need an all-elected Civilian Police Accountability Commission to permanently reign in the abuses of MPD

Chicago, IL – On Tuesday April 4, Brandon Johnson won 51.4% of vote in the Chicago mayoral runoff election. Johnson's victory is also a victory for working and oppressed people, as demonstrated by the range of organizations and individuals who celebrated with Johnson and his family at the Marriott Marquis on election night.

By Destiny Spruill and Jacob Buckner

Chicago, IL – Two factors have made public safety a lynchpin issue in the upcoming mayoral election between Brandon Johnson, former teacher supported by the Chicago Teacher’s Union, and Paul Vallas, former CEO of Chicago Public Schools, backed by the Fraternal Order of the Police (FOP). First is the rise in the crime rate in the city in recent years. The second, and principal, reason is the law-and-order backlash that followed the historic protests of the George Floyd Rebellion.

Chicago, IL – On April 4, Chicago faces its most crucial mayoral election since Harold Washington ran in 1983. Brandon Johnson, Cook County commissioner, union organizer, and former public school teacher, won enough votes in the February 28 primary to move into the runoff election against Paul Vallas, an administrator with a record of privatizing school systems in Chicago, Philadelphia, New Orleans and Bridgeport. Unions, community organizations and other progressive groups have formed a coalition behind Brandon Johnson to ensure better working, living and organizing conditions for the next four years.

Atlanta, GA – On Tuesday, March 28 over 100 community members and activists attended a community town hall hosted by Community Movement Builders (CMB). The purpose of the town hall was to inform the public about the ongoing struggle to stop Cop City, a proposed $90 million facility that would train law enforcement officers from around the country in new and innovative ways to oppress people and repress progressive movements. Additionally, the proposed training facility would be built on the Atlanta Forest, the largest urban forest in the United States.

Denver, CO – On Thursday March 23, over a dozen activists and members of the community gathered in the morning outside of the district attorney’s office to demand justice for Elias Armstrong and his family.

Denver, CO – On Thursday March 23, over a dozen activists and members of the community gathered in the morning outside of the district attorney’s office to demand justice for Elias Armstrong and his family.

Chicago, IL – On Thursday, March 30 Brandon Johnson and Bernie Sanders held a joint “Chicago for All of Us” rally at the Credit Union 1 Arena, drawing a crowd of more than 4000 supporters. The event comes after Sanders’ endorsement of Johnson for the April 4 mayoral runoff election. The event included speeches from Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa; Representatives Jonathan Jackson and Delia Ramirez; president of the American Federation of Teachers Randi Weingarten; Martin Luther King III, and Senator Bernie Sanders.

Milwaukee, WI – On Thursday, March 23, members of the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, families who have lost loved ones to police violence, and members of the public attended the most recent Fire and Police Commission Policies and Standards Committee meeting. After a special session in February, this regular Policies and Standards Committee meeting revisited the proposal for a standard operating procedure, or SOP, related to the public release of footage related to critical incidents.

Milwaukee, WI – On Tuesday, March 21, members of the Justice for Brieon Green Coalition picketed in front of the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office. The picket was originally planned to pressure Sheriff Denita Ball after she failed to hold the promises she made to the coalition – allowing members to tour the county jail and upload the standard operating procedures to the website for public access.

Chicago, IL – Brandon Johnson’s campaign for mayor of Chicago held an event at Saint James Community Church on Chicago’s South Side on Thursday, March 16. The event was organized by United Working Families, a movement group behind Johnson.

Los Angeles, CA – On March 11, about 30 people gathered in front of the East LA Sheriff’s Station to protest the recent murder of Miguel Angel Lopez, a 70-year-old Chicano man, during an early morning raid in his Maywood home while his wife, grandchildren and great-grandchildren were present.

Chicago, IL – After celebrating their victories in the Chicago municipal elections on February 28, 36 of the 66 newly elected Police District Councilors voiced their support of the Brandon Johnson mayoral campaign. At a press conference with Johnson outside City Hall on Monday, March 13, many councilors explained why they would rather work under a Johnson administration than a Vallas one.

Family wants answers

Minneapolis, MN – The family of Khalil Ahmad Azad, a 24-year-old Black man who was found dead in Crystal Lake in Robbinsdale, Minnesota on July 5, 2022, still had many unanswered questions on March 10, after Robbinsdale police released some body camera footage. The footage was released months after Khalil’s family said they requested it in September of last year. Azad was chased on foot by police in July after he was pulled over, and his body was discovered in Crystal Lake two days later.

Atlanta, GA – Hundreds gathered in the Atlanta Forest over the March 5-6 weekend to demand justice for Manny “Tortuguita” Paez, and that the Atlanta forest be saved,and Cop City not be built. The events over the weekend included a two-day music festival and a protest inside the Atlanta Forest. Georgia law enforcement agencies ended the music festival early by arresting and charging 22 attendants with domestic terrorism charges.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).

New York, NY – On March 4, a dozen activists rallied across from the 79th New York Police Department Precinct building in Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn to condemn the harassment and mistreatment of the Bed-Stuy community at the hands of the precinct cops. The protest also marked the launch of the New York Community Action Project’s (NYCAP) campaign to fire abusive cops across the city.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from Executive Director Frank Chapman of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, on the results of the Police District Council elections in Chicago.