St. Paul, MN – Over 2000 people came to the Minnesota State Capitol building, Wednesday, August 25, occupying the capitol grounds in protest of the Line 3 oil pipeline. Over 40 people walked 256 miles from the headwaters of the Mississippi to the capitol building to demand that Governor Tim Walz stop the pipeline’s construction. Over 200 people met the water protectors about a mile and a half away to march through the streets for the final stretch with them towards the capitol grounds.
The Freedom Road Socialist Organization urges all progressive activists to take action to support the Ojibwe people in their fight against the Line 3 oil pipeline. Line 3, just like the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipeline projects before it, tramples on the sovereign rights of the indigenous peoples whose traditional lands and waters it crosses – in this case the Ojibwe, who are part of the broader Anishinaabe peoples. In FRSO, we see the struggle against pipelines not just as an environmental issue but also one of the most important and militant struggles for indigenous sovereignty.
Minneapolis, MN – Some 80 people gathered at North Regional Library on August 22 to hear Frank Chapman speak about his book Marxist-Leninist Perspectives on Black Liberation and Socialism. This event was the final meeting of a book club that had been meeting over the summer to read the book together with Freedom Road Socialist Organization. After outlining the book for attendees, Chapman took questions and signed books. Like his book, the discussion focused on both the fundamental revolutionary content of Marxism and the significance of what Chapman calls the George Floyd Rebellion. As he writes in his book, “We think it is deeper, we think it is the youth sounding the death knell of the racist police repression that stands like a blockade in the road to Black liberation. It is a call for mass resistance to the police terror that has stalked our communities and denied us the organizing space we need as a nationally oppressed people to wage the struggle for Black Liberation, to finish the unfinished revolution.”
East Los Angeles, CA – The family of Anthony Daniel Vargas held a teach-in outside of the East LA Sheriff’s Station on August 14 to commemorate his three-year angelversary. The Vargas family not only honored Anthony, who was murdered by sheriff's deputies Nikolis Perez and Jonathan Rojas on August 12, 2018, but also used the event to educate about the history of deputy gangs like the Bandidos and the ongoing violence the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LASD) perpetuates in East LA. Around a dozen families and friends of loved ones killed by police from across Southern California as well as allied organizations like Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles and Centro CSO spoke in support.
East Los Angeles, CA – The family of Anthony Daniel Vargas held a teach-in outside of the East LA Sheriff’s Station on August 14 to commemorate his three-year angelversary. The Vargas family not only honored Anthony, who was murdered by sheriff's deputies Nikolis Perez and Jonathan Rojas on August 12, 2018, but also used the event to educate about the history of deputy gangs like the Bandidos and the ongoing violence the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LASD) perpetuates in East LA. Around a dozen families and friends of loved ones killed by police from across Southern California as well as allied organizations like Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles and Centro CSO spoke in support.
Caracas, Venezuela – Images of men sitting in prison, looking down at their shoes, awaiting court for violating and committing acts of violence against women appear on the TV screen. Scrolling across the bottom of the screen are the words, “The most people in prison in Venezuela are men who have committed gender violence.”
Los Angeles, CA – Local activists with the Chicanx Moratorium Committee and families who have lost loved ones to LA Sheriff's killings held a press conference on August 5, to denounce Sheriff Villanueva, call for his ouster and urge participation in a protest on August 29.
Caracas, Venezuela – Groups of women, wearing blue hardhats, stand proudly in front of a five-floor building, surrounded by lush mountains. The community members are building 93 apartments for families in the area. 80% of the workers are women.
St. Paul, MN – Twin Cities activists stood in solidarity with indigenous water protectors, July 29, and led a coordinated banner drop around Saint Paul and Minneapolis to pressure the Canadian oil company Enbridge to stop its Line 3 tar sands oil pipeline.
St. Paul, MN – Twin Cities activists stood in solidarity with indigenous water protectors, July 29, and led a coordinated banner drop around Saint Paul and Minneapolis to pressure the Canadian oil company Enbridge to stop its Line 3 tar sands oil pipeline.
St. Paul, MN – Twin Cities activists stood in solidarity with indigenous water protectors, July 29, and led a coordinated banner drop around Saint Paul and Minneapolis to pressure the Canadian oil company Enbridge to stop its Line 3 tar sands oil pipeline.
St. Paul, MN – Twin Cities activists stood in solidarity with indigenous water protectors, July 29, and led a coordinated banner drop around Saint Paul and Minneapolis to pressure the Canadian oil company Enbridge to stop its Line 3 tar sands oil pipeline.
St. Paul, MN – Twin Cities activists stood in solidarity with indigenous water protectors, July 29, and led a coordinated banner drop around Saint Paul and Minneapolis to pressure the Canadian oil company Enbridge to stop its Line 3 tar sands oil pipeline.
St. Paul, MN – Twin Cities activists stood in solidarity with indigenous water protectors, July 29, and led a coordinated banner drop around Saint Paul and Minneapolis to pressure the Canadian oil company Enbridge to stop its Line 3 tar sands oil pipeline.
Jacksonville, FL – Around 40 community members, led by the Jacksonville Community Action Committee (JCAC) came out to Jacksonville City Hall July 27 to rally and demand a People’s Budget before the city council meeting started.
Tallahassee, FL – On June 18, on the Old Capitol Steps, community members and loved ones gathered to celebrate the life of Oluwatoyin “Toyin” Ruth Salau.
East Los Angeles, CA – June 27 marked the two-year anniversary of the killing of 18-year-old Chicano Paul Rea in East Los Angeles, during a traffic stop. Rea was killed by Deputy Sheriff Hector Saavedra, a known member of the Banditos deputy gang. Since Rea’s death, his family has been subjected to harassment and intimidation in a deputy attempt to silence them from seeking justice. This is a common occurrence for families who are vocal and fight back against police crimes.
Fight Back! News is circulating the following statement from the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression after their victory on June 24 in their campaign to rename Lindbergh Park.
