Tampa, FL – On June 28, approximately 15 students and community members gathered in front of the University of South Florida (USF) for a press conference in response to the recent attacks on Victoria Hinckley and Joseph Charry. The two students were targeted by university administration for participating in a Gaza solidarity encampment at USF.
After the encampment, the school suspended both Hinckley and Charry and ultimately expelled Hinckley and suspended Charry for a year.
Chicago, IL – Chicagoans demanded action to stop police crimes on Thursday, June 30, at the first official meeting of the newly appointed Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA), a citywide body charged with holding the Chicago Police Department accountable.
50 community members, organizers, police district councilors and family members of those lost to police violence showed up at Saint Sabina Church on the Southside to demand an end to pretextual traffic stops and so-called “tactical teams.” Nine of the ten speakers who gave public comments raised the demand to end these racist police practices which have caused the murders of Dexter Reed and Reginald Clay Jr among many others, as well as the daily harassment of Black and brown people.
Tallahassee, FL – On June 19, friends and family held a rally at Tallahassee City Hall demanding to overturn the verdict and sentence against Calvin Riley.
Community members joined the Riley family to speak during public comment at the city commission meeting, which apparently was held despite the Juneteenth holiday. Speakers demanded justice for Calvin Riley after he received a conviction and a DUI sentence, despite proof that a police officer planted evidence on him.
Jacksonville, FL – The Jacksonville community joined together for a vigil on Tuesday, June 11, to honor the life of 36-year-old Justin Knight. The community joined Knight 's family and friends around the newly rebuilt Friendship Fountain in downtown Jacksonville. Loved ones, along with community members, shared about Knight's life while also demanding answers about his death.
Tallahassee, FL – On Saturday, June 1, around 25 community members held a rally at Leon County Courthouse to continue to demand that the false and racist charges against Calvin Riley be dropped.
New York, NY – On a hot afternoon of Thursday, June 6, several hundred people gathered in front of the Intrepid Museum to disrupt the annual New York City Police Foundation Gala.
Aurora, CO – On Saturday, June 1, the family of Jor’dell Richardson, Denver-Aurora Community Action Committee (DACAC) organizers, and community members, hosted a safe summer kickoff at Del Mar Park, in memory of Jor’dell Richardson. Jor’dell was a 14-year-old who was shot and killed by the Aurora Police Department on June 1, 2023.
Los Angeles CA – On Tuesday, May 28, hundreds of workers and students at the University of California Los Angeles walked off the job in response to the university’s brutal crackdown on pro-Palestine encampments earlier this month.
The striking workers are graduate students and academic researchers represented by the United Auto Workers union local 4811 (UAW) which represents 50,000 workers across the UC school system. The UAW declared the university’s response to the protest an unfair labor practice and will be on strike until at least June 30 or later if the strike is extended.
Fight Back! is circulating this alert from the Committee to Stop FBI Repression. We urge all our readers to call the Humboldt County district attorney when the office opens on Tuesday, May 28.
Call the prosecutors May 28
On May 28, the Cal Poly Humboldt pro-Palestine protesters – who are students, faculty and community members – have their first arraignment court appearance in Eureka, CA. Each of the 30 protesters is being charged with 4 misdemeanors and thus are each facing up to 4 years in prison just for standing with Palestine and saying no to genocide. It was the police and the university who were the aggressors that day. We have a First Amendment right to free speech and protest that must be protected.
