Chicago, IL – Leaders of the Coalition to Stop Trump and March on the RNC, which is organizing a major protest on July 18, the first day of the Republican National Convention (RNC), is condemning the City of Cleveland’s May 25 announcement of restrictive regulations and a “parade route” that’s designed to curtail protests at the Republican National Convention.

New York, New York – Every year in New York, leftists gather for the Left Forum. This year, the Left Forum took place May 20-22 and included several hundred workshops on an array of topics – from Venezuela to the current electoral climate.

Minneapolis, MN – The prosecution in the case of the three Somali youth entrapped by the FBI was handed another setback, May 25, by one of the government’s own witnesses, Abdirizak Warsame. The young Somali-American men on trial, Guled Omar, Abdirahman Daud and Mohamad Farah, are facing life in prison on the charges of conspiracy to commit murder abroad and material support of terrorism.

A regional court in Poland sentenced four members of the Communist Party of Poland (CPP) to nine months of limited freedom, fines and unpaid labor doing ‘community service.’ The four were accused of “public promotion of fascism or any another totalitarian system of state” on March 31.

Community demands justice for Vernell Bing Jr.

Jacksonville, FL – On May 22, a white deputy from Jacksonville Sheriff's Office (JSO) murdered 22-year-old Vernell Bing Jr. in Springfield, one of the city's historic Black neighborhoods. Bing was unarmed and fleeing the scene of a car crash when JSO officer Tyler L. Landreville shot him in the head. He was taken to hospital and pronounced dead the next day after losing brain function.

Minneapolis, MN – Paid informant Abdirahman Bashir continued his testimony, May 20, in packed courtroom at the Minneapolis Federal Courthouse, as the trial of three Somali youth who were entrapped by the FBI entered its ninth day. The cross examination of Bashir is expected to begin on Monday.

Minneapolis, MN – About 100 people gathered in front of the Minneapolis Federal Building, May 19, to stand in solidarity with the three Somali youth who were entrapped by the FBI. They are facing up to life in prison. The crowd was made up of family and friends of the defendants, civil liberties and anti-war activists.

Minneapolis, MN – On the 13th floor of the Minneapolis Federal Courthouse, the prosecutors of the three Somali youth entrapped by the FBI paraded a host of FBI and Joint Terrorism Task Force agents before jury, Tuesday, May 17, as they attempted to recover from the setbacks that attorneys for Guled Omar, Abdirahman Daud and Mohamad Farah, dealt them yesterday.

Minneapolis, MN – Week two of the trial of three Somali youth will open May 16, with the continued testimony of Abdullahi Mohamud Yusuf. Yusuf was the first star witness for prosecutors aiming to convict three of his former friends of terrorism conspiracy charges. According to Yusuf, he planned to travel to Syria and join ISIL in 2014, but was stopped at the airport by FBI Special Agent John Thomas. Yusuf plead guilty in the case, hoping to receive a lighter sentence in exchange for his testimony against Guled Omar, Abdirahman Daud and Mohamad Farah. Yusuf testified to several meetings with the three, though none of them were with him the day he set out for Syria.

Minneapolis, MN – After a few days of preliminary motions and jury selection, opening arguments were presented on May 11 at the trial of three young local Somali men. Many members of the Somali community and the local peace movement are attending the trial. The Minnesota Coalition to Defend the Muslim Community, which includes the Anti-War Committee, is planning to organize rallies every Thursday of the trial to support with the families of the accused and to speak out against government abuses in this case.

Minneapolis, MN – More than 100 people came to the Minneapolis Federal Courts Building to support three Muslim youth from the Somali community charged with conspiring to provide material support to ISIL and to commit murder abroad. The trial began May 9, for Guled Ali Omar, 21; Abdurahman Yasin Daud, 22; and Mohamed Abdihamid Farah, 22, who were entrapped by the FBI and now face possible life sentences.

Demands Legalization for all, dump Trump, stop police killings of Chicano youth

Los Angeles, CA – A militant march and rally was held on International Workers Day, May 1 that brought out the Boyle Heights community by the hundreds. Raising the demands of Legalization for all, dump Trump, and stop police killings of Chicanos, the protest was organized by Centro Community Service Organization (Centro CSO).

Youth arrested while protesting the KKK at Stone Mountain GA

Savannah, GA – Anti-racist activists are demanding charges be dropped against Joshua Taft, arrested while protesting the Klu Klux Klan. On April 23, over 400 anti-racist activists descended upon Stone Mountain, Georgia to protest about a dozen white supremacists and Klan members.

Los Angeles, CA – A major May Day march in Los Angeles is set for May 1, 1:00 p.m., at the intersection of North Soto Street and East Cesar Chavez. Marchers will assemble at nearby Mathews Street and Cesar Chavez.

Jacksonville, FL – Over two dozen protesters gathered in front of Angela Corey's office, April 27, to demand she be removed from office. In Jacksonville, State Attorney Angela Corey is responsible for leading Florida in the imprisonment of juvenile offenders, most of whom are Black. From 2009 to 2013, Corey's office incarcerated 1475 juveniles in the Jacksonville area alone, compared to just 32 in Miami during the same period. In almost four out of five of cases, Corey threatened the juvenile defendant with being charged as an adult in order to coerce a plea deal, since adult charges carry harsher consequences.

Lufkin, TX – Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) in Lufkin organized a forum, April 20, to inform the community about the case of Palestinian activist, Rasmea Odeh. Odeh is a 69-year-old Palestinian American activist who was brutalized and tortured by the Israeli government and is now being targeted by the U.S. because of her activism.

Chicago, IL – On Monday, June 13, Rasmea Odeh will appear with her attorneys before Judge Gershwin Drain for a status conference at the federal courthouse in Detroit, Michigan. Supporters will travel to Detroit as well, as they have done for all the previous court dates, to urge for a new trial for this Palestinian American icon who was convicted of a politically-motivated immigration charge in 2014, and sentenced to 18 months in prison and deportation last year.

Eisenhower Expressway blocked

Chicago, IL – 300 people came out to a vigil, April 12, to commemorate the murder of 16-year-old Pierre Loury, the latest Black youth killed by the Chicago police.

Jacksonville, FL – About 25 people gathered in Friendship Park here, April 9, for a press conference to demand Angela Corey be removed from office. Angela Corey is the Florida state attorney responsible for prosecuting more death penalty cases in Duval County than anywhere else in the country, and for being third in the country for the number of minor offenders charged as adults. An overwhelming majority of those minors charged as adults with felonies are African American. Angela Corey is also responsible for letting George Zimmerman walk after the murder of Trayvon Martin and for locking Marissa Alexander up after Alexander was found guilty of firing a warning shot against her abusive husband. The press conference was called for by the Jacksonville Leadership Coalition, headed by the Reverend R.L. Gundy.

Houston, TX – Over 25 people gathered at the University of Houston, March 30, to attend a talk on the Palestinian activist Rasmea Odeh. Odeh is a 68 year old Palestinian American leader who was brutally tortured by the Israeli government in 1969, and is being targeted by the U.S. government for her political activism. She is a respected and influential activist in the Palestinian liberation movement and the government is using a bogus charge of immigration fraud in an attempt to silence her. Since she was arrested in 2013, activists all over the country have organized for justice for Rasmea Odeh.