News and Views from the People's Struggle
New York, NY – On Saturday, October 26, members of the New York Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NYAARPR) led a speakout in Restoration Plaza in the Bed-Stuy neighborhood of Brooklyn. Speakers highlighted NYAARPR’s campaign, Cops Off the Trains - an initiative aimed at reducing the over-policing of the subway and buses.
Atlanta, GA - On Thursday, October 24, in Brunswick, Georgia, dozens of family, friends and community members gathered at Glynn County Courthouse as the defense counsel for the three men who have been imprisoned for the killing of Ahmaud Arbery pled their case for a retrial.
Los Angeles, CA – On October 23, Centro Community organization Centro (CSO) held a press conference outside the East LA Sheriff’s Station to condemn the violent actions of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LASD) after the Dodgers’ National League Championship Series victory celebration on October 20.
Speakers at the press conference highlighted the indiscriminate tear gassing of families, the racist “Fort Apache” mentality of the East LA Sheriff’s Station, and the broader systemic violence against Chicanos. The community demanded justice and emphasized the need for community control of the police.
Freedom Road Socialist organization strongly condemns the attacks by the U.S. Treasury Department and Canadian authorities on Samidoun: Palestinian Political Prisoner Network. The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) claims that Samidoun is a “sham charity,” an allegation that is designed to criminalize solidarity with Palestine. We urge everyone who is progressive or concerned about civil liberties to stand with Samidoun against political repression.
The U.S government has devised a host of laws that treat movements for national liberation, be they in Palestine or the Philippines or points in between, as “terrorism.” As a result, almost every group that is fighting to end the Israeli occupation of Palestine is on the U.S. State Department’s list of designated terrorist organizations. And it gets worse. Under the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996, folks can face long prison terms for “material support of terrorism.” It’s a legal framework that tries to make solidarity a crime. These laws should be scrapped.
New York, NY – On Saturday, October 19, members of the New York Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NYAARPR) gathered in Brooklyn’s Brownsville neighborhood to speak out against increased policing in the city’s transit system. The action occurred just a month after the police shot three people at the nearby Sutter Avenue subway station, over a suspected fare evasion.
New Orleans, LA – On Saturday, October 19, about 25 people turned out to a public meeting hosted by New Orleans for Community Oversight of Police (NOCOP). The meeting primarily served as a teach-in and comment drive to involve residents in fighting back against the New Orleans Police Department’s (NOPD) attempt to exit the oversight of a federal consent decree.
Dallas, TX - Roughly 40 people sat down Sunday October 12 at Pan-African Connection in Oak Cliff to expand their knowledge and understanding of policing at home and abroad at an ongoing series of town halls held by National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR) Dallas.
Grand Rapids, MI – Around 30 people gathered on the evening of October 6 at Rosa Parks Circle to mourn and remember the life of Khaliifah Ibn Rayford Daniels, who was executed by the state of Missouri on September 24. The vigil was organized by the Grand Rapids Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.
The stage faced the statue of the legendary civil rights activist Rosa Parks, a long-time Michigan resident for whom the plaza is named. The community activists and organizers spoke from the heart and put the blame for Daniels’ execution on Missouri Governor Mike Parson and connected his murder to the history of apartheid in the southern U.S.
The event included speakers from Freedom Road Socialist Organization Michigan, Grand Valley State University Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), Palestine Solidarity Grand Rapids and For Everyone Collective.
Eric Johnson, a student organizer with Grand Valley State University SDS, made it clear that Daniels was lynched by the United States, as no amount of popular support, evidence and testimonies that prove his innocence could persuade Governor Parson.
Emerson Wolfe, co-chair of Palestine Solidarity Grand Rapids, linked the genocide in Gaza to the historical genocide of indigenous peoples and other oppressed nationalities in the United States today, stating, “Violence and domination is the legacy of the United States. The principles of Manifest Destiny that drove the genocide against the indigenous people are the same principles Israel uses to commit genocide against the Palestinians.”
An organizer with the Grand Rapids Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression stated, “The devastation of this loss, and the unanswered cries for justice and accountability that remain in this community for Samuel Sterling, for Riley Doggett, and for Patrick Lyoya have not diminished our will to fight. But we affirm that greater actions are still required of us all, and by honoring their names, we make that call tonight.”
Sam Tunningley from FRSO Michigan and the Grand Rapids Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression closed out the speakers by reading Daniels poem, The Perplexing Smiles of the Children of Palestine.
“When I read his poem The Perplexing Smiles of the Children of Palestine, I wept,” said Tunningley. “I wept knowing this man was about to lose his life. I wept knowing that in his final year he had been following the atrocities committed against the Palestinian people by our government.”
Afterward, Tunningley opened it up for anyone to speak about Daniels or other concerns affecting the community.
One student spoke passionately of his political awakening, which drove him to join SDS at GVSU. This concluded the vigil on an uplifting note, despite the heavy subject and content of the speakers, with community members conversing and asking how to get involved.
#GrandRapidsMI #MI #InjusticeSystem #policecrimes #naarpr #sds
New Orleans, LA – On Tuesday, October 1, New Orleans for Community Oversight of Police (NOCOP) held a press conference outside of Hale Boggs Federal Building. This is the same site where federal Judge Susie Morgan will decide if the New Orleans Police Department is fit to go into a consent decree “sustainment period,” which would mark the beginning of the end of the federal oversight for police.
NOCOP and endorsing organizations demanded an end to racist and biased policing, an end to corrupt conflicts of interest, for the involvement and implementation of public input, and for Judge Morgan to rule against NOPD sustainment.
Chicago, IL – 75 people assembled outside of the office of Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, September 30. One of the leaders of the protest was Jasmine Smith, a young firebrand organizer with the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR). Smith shouted into a well-worn megaphone, “What do we want?” The crowd roared back, “Justice!”
New Orleans, LA – On October 1, the Students for a Democratic Society chapter of the University of New Orleans began preparations for their vigil of the late Khaliifah Ibn Rayford Daniels, executed by the state of Missouri.
Dallas, TX – Close to 80 people came together late Thursday evening, September 26, at the Grassy Knoll in downtown Dallas for a vigil held to honor the late Marcellus Khaliifah Williams. Williams was executed by the state of Missouri on September 24 for a 1998 murder which DNA evidence showed he did not commit. The unusual numbers for the death penalty-related vigil indicated the community's grief, frustration and righteous anger.
Atlanta, GA – In a surprising but significant turn of events, on September 24, Georgia prosecutors have dropped all 15 counts of money laundering against three prominent activists involved in the “Stop Cop City” movement.
Philadelphia, PA – Dozens of people confronted Philadelphia Department of Prisons Commissioner Michael Resnick on September 17 about the deaths of Amanda Cahill and Michael McKinnis, who died in jail the week before. The protest, at the Parkway Central Free Library, was led by community organizations and members of the family of Amanda Cahill to demand an end to mass incarceration and the criminalization of houselessness in Philadelphia.
By Antonia Mar and Zunyana Crier
New Orleans, LA – On Tuesday, September 17, community members showed up at the Joe Brown Park gymnasium in the New Orleans East neighborhood to attend a forum with New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick. The Office of the Independent Police Monitor (OIPM) hosted the event in response to public concern over NOPD’s consent decree, as the department pushes to be released from federal oversight.
In the gymnasium, a majority-Black crowd of about 20 people confronted Kirkpatrick on rising trends of racist policing and condemned the department’s move to end the consent decree.
Attendees emphasized NOPD’s criminal history, and that the consent decree was put in place because of the brutalization of Black people after Katrina.
“We are the reason for the consent decree,” stated Edward Parker of New Orleans United Front, talking about Black New Orleanians. He referenced Kirkpatrick’s previous employment as superintendent in Oakland. “You had problems with the Black community, same way you’re gonna have problems with us in this community if you keep shoving [the ending of] the consent decree down our throats.”
The consent decree mandates constitutional, bias-free policing. However, the 2023 annual report from the OIPM showed that 90% of police use-of-force was against Blacks, despite the Black population in New Orleans representing 56% of the city. NOPD use-of-force against Black women rose 54% from 2022’s numbers. This past Mardi Gras 2024, 90% of stop-and-frisk firearm searches targeted Black people. And July’s monthly report from the OIPM reveals more civilian complaints against the NOPD have been filed in 2024 than any year before.
With the future of federal oversight in question, the need for a civilian oversight board was at the front of the public’s mind. However, Kirkpatrick rejected community control, stating she believes civilian oversight boards are “dysfunctional.” The comment stunk of hypocrisy, as NOPD’s dysfunction continues to make headlines: NOPD Officer Leessa Augustine and former Officer Jeffrey Vappie are both currently under separate federal investigations for wire fraud and lying to federal agents, and the city was recently ordered to pay out $1 million in a civil suit for negligence after former Officer Rodney Vicknair molested a minor in 2020.
“I remember New Orleans before the consent decree,” said Toni Jones of New Orleans for Community Oversight of Police. “We are still dealing with racist and criminal policing. No policy is going to fundamentally change until we get the community control we need over the NOPD.”
Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick speedily left before all of the public’s comments could be addressed.
Washington, DC – On Tuesday evening, September 17, over 50 community members gathered outside of the 7th District Police Station in Southeast DC to protest recent instances of police violence. Just two weeks before, in the early morning of September 1, 26-year-old Justin Robinson was found unconscious in his car after crashing into a McDonald's. As he began to regain consciousness, an officer held their gun just inches from his face. When Robinson groggily reached up due to the light shining in his face, Officers Vaso Mateus and Bryan Gilchrist shot Robinson ten times.
Brooklyn, NY – On September 18, close to a hundred people came out to protest the NYPD shooting 3 civilians on the subway. The protest was organized by the New York Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NYAARPR).
On Sunday, September 15, two NYPD officers followed a 49-year-old man, Derell Mickles, up several flights of stairs at the Sutter Avenue L train station in Brownsville. They suspected that Mickles skipped the $2.90 fare and proceeded to follow him closely. A confrontation ensued and an officer drew their gun after Mickles allegedly pulled a knife—which NYPD has said they have lost. An officer responded by shooting, hitting Mickles, two bystanders and his fellow officer.
There’s a new top cop in New York City. On Thursday, September 12, former NYPD captain and current NYC Mayor Eric Adams appointed Thomas Donlon as the new interim head of the NYPD. Donlon is a former FBI agent who specializes in counterintelligence and “counterterrorism.” His appointment signals a worrying turning point in the rising tide of political repression, particularly against activists engaged in the Palestinian liberation movement and in national liberation struggles generally.
Thomas Donlon replaces former NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban, who resigned earlier the same day on September 12, amidst an ongoing federal investigation into corruption among top NYPD officials.
New Orleans, LA – On Friday, September 13, Tulane University encampment arrestees held a press conference outside the Orleans Criminal District Court ahead of their court appearance. They read a resolution signed by over 40 of New Orleans’ community organizations, demanding that charges against pro-Palestine encampment protestors and activist Toni Jones be dropped.
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following resolution in solidarity with New Orleans’ pro-Palestine protesters.
WHEREAS, the undersigned organizations stand in complete solidarity with New Orleans’ pro-Palestine protesters, and denounce Tulane University for pursuing unjust charges and tacitly endorsing police brutality against these activists, simply because they protested this institution’s ties with Israel;
WHEREAS, Tulane emeritus board member Walter Isaacson grabbed and shoved Tulane student Rory MacDonald on video at a protest on March 13, without facing repercussions;
WHEREAS, Toni Jones, organizer with New Orleans for Community Oversight of Police (NOCOP), was arrested by TUPD on March 16 at a protest for MacDonald’s and other students’ rights to free speech;
WHEREAS, Brenna Byrne, Sruly Heller, Quest Riggs, Serena Sojic-Borne, and three other protesters, were arrested by TUPD on April 29 on the first day of Students for a Democratic Society’s (SDS) peaceful encampment for Gaza, several suffering injuries from police horses or officer misconduct;
WHEREAS, Rory MacDonald, Carson Cruse, Juleea Berthelot, Shreyas Vasudevan, Vonne Crandell and nine other protesters were arrested by Louisiana State Police on May 1, the third day of SDS’s peaceful encampment for Gaza, over one hundred state troopers used tear gas, a BearCat armored vehicle, and rifles aimed at students to arrest fourteen people, including one just passing by for a walk that evening; and
WHEREAS the TUPD targeted and arrested a student days after the encampment ended, unjustly charging them with a felony;
BE IT RESOLVED, the undersigned demand that District Attorney Jason Williams and City Attorney Donesia Turner drop the trumped-up charges against these protesters;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the undersigned call upon the administration of Tulane University to end their witch-hunt of these protesters.
In signing this resolution, our organizations commit to doing everything we can to make this gross injustice known, and to organize a powerful solidarity movement to defend these protesters, who courageously stood against aid for Israel’s genocide.
Voice of the Experienced
Masjid Omar
Jewish Voices for Peace – New Orleans
First Grace Community Alliance
Hagar’s House, shelter
Project Ishmael, immigration law
Louisiana InterFaith for Human Rights
Friends of Sabeel – New Orleans
Palestinian Youth Movement New Orleans
William Quigley, Emeritus Professor of Law, Loyola University
American Federation of Musicians – New Orleans
Starbucks Workers United NOLA
Louisiana National Lawyers’ Guild
Queer Trans Community Action Project
New Orleans for Community Oversight of Police
Sunrise Movement NOLA
Reproductive Justice Action Collective
Harvey Mudd College Dissenters
NOLA Healthcare Workers for Palestine
Southern Solidarity
New Orleans Stop Helping Israel’s Ports
Muslims for Just Futures – Gulf South
NOLA Musicians for Palestine
Freedom Road Socialist Organization NOLA
Laveau Contraire, drag artist
Students Organizing Against Racism TU
Feminist Alliance of Students at Tulane
Rev. Gregory Manning
Justice and Beyond
Muslim Students Association – Loyola
NOLA Democratic Socialists of America
NOLA Freedom Forum
Miss Anne’s Maypop Herb Shop
LifeCity Impact Management Firm
End Jim Crow Louisiana
SPORTS DRINK
Trans Income Project
Mo Munchies LLC
Fight Covid NOLA
Fred Hampton Free Store
Chicken’s Kitchen
Tulane Students for a Democratic Society
Loyola Students for a Democratic Society
LSU Students for a Democratic Society
#NewOrleansLA #LA #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #StudentMovement #SDS #InJusticeSystem #PoliticalRepression #FreeSpeech #NOCOP