Bloomington City Attorney still pursuing restitution claim for ‘Police overtime’
Minneapolis, MN – According to a letter from their lawyer, the Mall of America (MOA) is no longer pursuing restitution from Black Lives Matter activists for lost revenue after they made the decision to shut down their stores during a Dec. 20, 2014 protest at the Mall of America. This news comes after a massive and sustained public pressure campaign urging the MOA to call on City Attorney Sandra Johnson to drop the charges. The campaign includes a boycott and takeover of the mall’s #ItsMyMall Twitter campaign.
Jacksonville, FL – On April 4, South Carolina police officer Michael Slager shot and killed Walter Scott, an unarmed 50-year-old African American man. Slager, a white cop, pulled over Scott for driving with a broken taillight. Within hours, the North Charleston police began releasing statements supportive of Slager's claim that Scott had reached for his tazer, causing the cop to fire his weapon in fear for his life.
Jacksonville, FL – On March 30, about 150 people gathered throughout the afternoon to demand justice for Devanta Jones. Jacksonville Sheriff's officer Cliff Sames shot Jones, an unarmed African American, just the day before, after responding to Jones' phone call for help. After shooting Jones, the police told the media that Jones had been strangling his girlfriend, but his girlfriend immediately told reporters that was false. The shooting and subsequent rally took place at the Cleveland Arms Apartments complex in Jacksonville. This was not the first time that officer Sames shot someone.
Jacksonville, FL – A Jacksonville Sheriff's Office (JSO) officer shot an unarmed Black man multiple times, at around 9:00 a.m., March 29, at the Cleveland Arms apartment complex. Neighbors say he is in his early 20s and was not at fault. The officer who shot him has been previously involved in multiple incidents. The young man is currently in the hospital, and his condition is reportedly stable.
Milwaukee, WI – The second day of an appeal by killer cop Christopher Manney to get his job back is underway here, March 20. Manney, who shot the unarmed Dontre Hamilton 14 times in a downtown Milwaukee park last April, was fired from the Milwaukee Police Department for not following procedure in how he approached Hamilton – not for the murder.
Minneapolis, MN – 20 people gathered, March 12, on May Day Plaza with signs, banners and Palestinian flags to show solidarity with Palestinian American leader Rasmea Odeh. Earlier in the day, Odeh faced her sentencing hearing in Detroit, Michigan, the conclusion of a political trial where she was unjustly convicted of a trumped-up immigration charge. At the March 12 sentencing hearing, Odeh faced up to 10 years in prison and deportation. 200 of her supporters mobilized in Detroit to attend the sentencing hearing alongside Odeh, including dozens who made the long trip from Minnesota.
Tampa, FL – A small but passionate group of about 12 people gathered on the steps of the Sam Gibbons Federal Courthouse building here, March 12, to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian American leader Rasmea Odeh. The action coincided with the Detroit sentencing of Odeh on trumped-up immigration charges.
Detroit, MI — Palestinian American women’s leader Rasmea Odeh was welcomed with cheers as she walked out of court on March 12 into the arms of 200 supporters. The crowd chanted “Rasmea! Rasmea! Rasmea!”
Chicago, IL – Rasmea Odeh celebrated International Women’s Day with over 125 supporters in Chicago, March 8. She appeared in strong spirits, as she prepares for her sentencing hearing in Detroit in just four days.
For one hundred and six years working class and progressive men and women over the entire world have been marching and demanding equal rights for women on March 8. This is a cornerstone of the unity that we all know is required if we are to win the liberation of the people from exploitation, white supremacist racism, and grinding poverty that afflicts a fourth of the world’s people, according to the World Bank. It is outrageous that four days later, on March 12, 2015, in a Federal Court in Detroit Michigan, the U. S. Justice Department will be asking Judge Gershwin A. Drain to sentence Rasmea Odeh, a courageous activist for women’s rights and human rights, to five to seven years in prison, according to news reports. This is far beyond the federally recommended guidelines of 12-21 months.
Minneapolis – Over 115 researchers, professors and academics have signed a letter as of March 4 urging charges be dropped against protesters who are being prosecuted by Bloomington City Attorney Sandra Johnson for their attendance at Dec. 20 peaceful demonstration at the Mall of America.
Fight Back News Service is circulating a speech that U.S. anti-war activist Joe Iosbaker delivered at a conference in Moscow, Feb. 24. The conference, called “Developments in Civil Society in Russia and the USA,” featured talks by several generations of anti-imperialist activists. A special guest was the Venezuelan Ambassador to Russia, Hoglys Martinez Nunez.U.S. imperialism and the war on Arabs and Muslims
Interview with Fabian Ubay, a leader in the fight to get justice for Zambrano
On Feb. 10, an undocumented farm-worker, Antonio Zambrano-Montes was shot 17 times and killed by Pasco Police in Pasco, Washington. That Zambrano-Montes was supposedly throwing rocks is the excuse Pasco Police are using to justify his the murder. Fight Back! spoke with Fabian Ubay, who organized the first event – a Feb. 14 rally of 5000 – demanding justice for the surviving family of Zambrano-Montes. Ubay is a Chicano who was born, raised, and currently lives in Pasco.
Tallahassee, FL – On Feb. 25, students and community members rallied at the Leon County Courthouse, demanding that Officer David Stith of the Tallahassee Police Department (TPD) be fired and jailed for killing Jeremy “Jed” Lett, a young African American man.
On Feb. 21, the MN Anti-War Committee (AWC) held Rock for Rasmea, a multimedia benefit show, to raise money for the legal defense of Palestinian activist Rasmea Odeh.
Chicago, IL – Defense attorneys for Rasmea Odeh, Chicago’s 68-year-old Palestinian community leader, filed a ‘sentencing memorandum’ in a Detroit federal court, Feb. 25, arguing that Odeh “should not be sentenced to further imprisonment” following her conviction in November 2014 on a single charge of Unlawful Procurement of Naturalization.
Tampa, FL – A group of 50 people gathered at the First United Church of Tampa for a panel discussion, “State Repression and the War on Terror.” Speakers focused on the U.S. government targeting of Arab-Americans, Muslims and anti-war activists for political repression.
