Cole family arrested one day after killer cop not charged
Milwaukee, WI – Protests in the Milwaukee suburb of Wauwatosa ramped up over the past two nights. On October 7, Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm ruled that although the shooting death of Alvin Cole in February was not justified, Wauwatosa police officer Joseph Mensah would not face charges for the murder. Mensah is also responsible for the murders of Antonio Gonzales and Jay Anderson. Chisholm was the district attorney who filed no charges in each of those cases, as well as six other instances of killer cops in and around Milwaukee.
Chicago, IL – Mayor Lori Lightfoot has made it official: she will not support any form of police reform that takes any power from her office. She declared the “negotiations have broken down” with aldermen who supported a proposal called the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA) because they insisted on giving it the power to set policy for the Chicago Police Department. The CCPSA would add a convoluted layer of bureaucracy over the already broken system of ‘oversight.’
Minneapolis, MN – Derek Chauvin, the cop who knelt on George Floyd’s neck until he died, was released from jail October 7 on a $1 million non-cash bond. Chauvin was being jailed at a maximum security prison while he awaited a March 2021 trial. He is the last former cop – all four have been fired – to get out on bail.
Milwaukee, WI – On the afternoon of October 7, it is expected that Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm will make a decision on the killing of Alvin Cole. The decision comes over eight months after Cole’s murder. Milwaukee and Wauwatosa – the suburb where Cole was shot by Wauwatosa police – have been gripped by protests and actions of varying size and intensity since the resurgence of the movement for Black lives at the end of May.
Denver, CO – On the evening of September 28, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) led a rally of students and community members on Auraria campus in Denver. The rally demanded that the Auraria Higher Education Center (AHEC) defund and disarm the Auraria Campus Police Department (ACPD).
Chicago, IL – During a series of questions around racial injustice and law enforcement, the issue of community control of police was raised during the September 29 presidential debate, the first of three scheduled between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden. An issue that only had strong roots in a few cities six months ago is now a topic of national interest in the campaign for the highest office in the land.
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following declaration demanding the release of Ricardo Palmera (Simon Trinidad). Freedom Road Socialist Organization is one of the signers.
Minneapolis, MN – The Minnesota Uprising Arrestee Support (MUAS) and other Twin Cities residents joined Matthew Rupert in court September 30 as he continues to fight federal arson charges stemming from this summer’s rebellion. Supporters stood behind Rupert in court to demand the charges against Rupert and all uprising defendants be dropped.
Milwaukee, WI – On the evening of September 25, organizers with the recently re-formed University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) led a rally in Spaights Plaza on campus. More than 20 students and supporters gathered to demand that the university disarm, defund and ultimately disband the campus police.
Chicago, IL – Many who arrived at 35th Street and Michigan Avenue on September 24 were visibly upset, given the failure of Kentucky’s attorney general to indict and prosecute the Louisville cops who murdered Breonna Taylor.
New York, NY – On September 23, the Louisville, Kentucky court system passed down the decision that none of the three cops involved with the murder of Breonna Taylor, a Black woman and emergency medical technician, would be indicted for her killing. Rather, they charged one officer with wanton endangerment for his bullets potentially putting her neighbors in danger.
Minneapolis, MN – 1000 people rallied and marched to protest the announcement that no one would be charged for the murder of Breonna Taylor. Organized by Black Lives Matter Minnesota, Twin Cities Coalition for Justice 4 Jamar, Black Lives Matter Twin Cities Metro and others, the group rallied at the state capitol on September 23, and then marched about four miles, including taking over Interstate 94. Three protesters were arrested but released the later that night.
Tallahassee, FL – Community activists gathered in front of city hall September 19 for a protest calling for the formation of an elected Civilian Police Accountability Council (CPAC), and demanding that State Attorney Jack Campbell drop the charges against the #Tally19 – arrested for participating in a protest on September 5 to condemn a grand jury decision that condoned three recent police murders of civilians.
Jacksonville, FL – On September 19, over 120 people showed up outside city hall in downtown Jacksonville demanding a people’s budget and community control of the police. This action was in response to the call by the National Alliance Against Racist and Pollical Repression (NAARPR) national call to action. The Jacksonville Community Action Committee is an affiliate of NAARPR.
Across the country the U.S. government is unleashing a wave of repression attempting to criminalize those who protest against police killings of Black men and other oppressed people. We call on people to resist the repression and to build towards revolution by organizing more mass protests and joining groups like the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.
Oshkosh, WI – On the afternoon of September 19, over 30 people gathered in Menominee Park in Oshkosh to demand justice for Isaiah Tucker. The group came together to protest the violent police killing of Tucker and to demand the officers responsible be held accountable. Tucker was a 28-year-old Black man from Oshkosh, and a father of three, who was murdered at the hands of Oshkosh Police Department officers Aaron Achterberg and Kyler Roberts.
Tampa, FL – On September 19, the Tampa Bay Community Action Committee participated in the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression’s (NAARPR) national day of protest with a rally of about 40 members of the community in downtown Tampa. NAARPR’s call to action demanded an end to racist police terror, the withdrawal of federal troops in cities across the country and for community control of the police.
Chicago, IL – Over 100 people on foot, and an 80-car caravan with about 200 riders, gathered in downtown Chicago, September 19, to protest police crimes, state repression of activists, demand that federal troops and agents be sent home, and to call for community control of the police. The demonstration was part of a national day of action called by the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression and was organized by the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.
Minneapolis, MN – Nearly 200 people gathered at Plymouth and James Avenues, the memorial site where Jamar Clark was killed in 2015, answering the call of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression – of which Twin Cities Coalition for Justice for Jamar (TCC4J) is a member – for a September 19 national day of action against police crimes.
Minneapolis, MN – Nearly 200 people gathered at Plymouth and James Avenues, the memorial site where Jamar Clark was killed in 2015, answering the call of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression – of which Twin Cities Coalition for Justice for Jamar (TCC4J) is a member – for a September 19 national day of action against police crimes.
