Fight Back! News

News and Views from the People's Struggle

Oppressed Nationalities

By staff

Florida 126 mile 'Walk for Dignity'.

Sanford, FL – Defying rain, hateful counter-protesters and the Florida summer heat, more than 70 people on the 126-mile Walk for Dignity held a rally at the Trayvon Martin memorial in Sanford on July 27.

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By Jared Hamil

Tampa protest demands justice for Javon Neal.

Tampa, FL – In the wake of intense Justice for Trayvon protests, community members gathered in front of a police substation here on July 22, the one-year anniversary of Javon Neal's murder by Tampa police. Neal, a 16-year-old African American student, was shot more than 19 times by the police.

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By Masao Suzuki

A commentary on the tuberculosis outbreak in rural South Carolina

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) has been criticized for its slow response to an outbreak of tuberculosis (TB) which has infected more than 100 people in rural Greenwood County, South Carolina since last March. More than 400 children at Ninety Six Primary School in Greenwood County were not tested for almost three months after TB was first reported.

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By staff

Demands: ‘Justice for Trayvon’ and resignation of state attorney

First day of ‘Walk for Dignity’

Jacksonville, FL – Even the summer afternoon rain couldn’t stop more than 25 activists from meeting in downtown Jacksonville’s Hemming Plaza, July 22, to begin a five-day walk to Sanford, Florida. Activists took the first steps in the “Walk for Dignity – Enough is Enough” event, demanding justice for Trayvon Martin and the resignation of State Attorney Angela Corey, who prosecuted the George Zimmerman case.

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By Dave Schneider

Justice for Trayvon Martin

Jacksonville, FL – When the nearly all white jury returned with a not guilty verdict in the George Zimmerman trial, people all around the U.S. were outraged. Outside the courtroom in Sanford, Florida some 200 protesters gathered up and issued a united call for nationwide protests, which was answered in the coming days by activists across the country.

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By staff

Marching for justice in Jacksonville.

Jacksonville, FL – With their fists and their voices raised, more than 450 people took to the streets of downtown Jacksonville on July 20 to protest the acquittal of George Zimmerman and demand justice for Trayvon Martin.

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By staff

Protests also demand justice for Darius Simmons and Derek Williams

Milwaukee protest demands federal charges against Zimmerman.

Milwaukee, WI – Several hundred people turned out for multiple rallies over the weekend of July 20. Hundreds rallied outside the federal courthouse downtown Milwaukee to demand justice for Trayvon Martin, Darius Simmons and others. The rally was one of about 100 across the country over the weekend that called for Attorney General Eric Holder to press federal charges against George Zimmerman.

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By Chris Manor

Salt Lake City protest demands justice for Trayvon Martin.

Salt Lake City, UT – Over 30 protesters gathered here, July 20, to answer Reverend Al Sharpton's call for 100 protests in 100 cities. They protested the not guilty verdict in the trial of George Zimmerman as he was acquitted of murdering Trayvon Martin.

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By staff

Organizers gather behind the banner waiting to be interviewed.

Gainesville, FL – On July 20, 50 activists, faith leader, and community members held a noon vigil outside the Alachua County Courthouse. They gathered to demand the U.S. Department of Justice file charges against George Zimmerman for violating the civil rights of Trayvon Martin. The action was part of the #100citytrayvon initiative by the Reverend Al Sharpton.

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By staff

Ross Pusey speaking

San José, CA – A week after the acquittal of George Zimmerman, another rally and march drew more than 250 people, three times the size of the week before. The protest continued to be majority African American with a large number of Chicanos, Mexicanos and Latinos. Many of the protest signs were in Spanish. There were also more middle-aged and older people and a sprinkling of families with children at the rally. At the top of the demand list was that the Department of Justice file civil rights violation charges against George Zimmerman.

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By Matt Hastings

Michelle Benghtt of Tampa Bay SDS, Jared Hamil and Life Malcolm outside  of the

Tampa, FL – Two protests demanding justice for Trayvon Martin and that the Department of Justice (DOJ) charge George Zimmerman with violating Martin’s civil rights occurred here July 19 and 20.

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By Hatem Abudayyeh

Thousands rally in Chicago to protest Zimmerman verdict.

Chicago, IL – On July 20, at the Federal Plaza here, almost 3000 people, the vast majority African American, protested in anger at the not guilty verdict in the murder of Trayvon Martin.

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By Tom Burke

Protest in Grand Rapids, MI demands justice for Trayvon Martin.

Grand Rapids, MI – Protesters gathered at Rosa Parks Circle here, July 20, demanding justice for Trayvon Martin. Led by mothers with their children, they marched to the Federal Building with signs proclaiming, “Justice delayed, but not to be denied – for Trayvon,” and a few African American children held signs “I am Trayvon.”

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By Sarah Buchner

Asheville protest demands justice for Trayvon Martin.

Asheville, NC – 100 people joined the National Day of Action in Downtown Asheville to demand justice for Trayvon Martin, July 20.

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By Jacob Flom

Milwaukee demands justice

Milwaukee, WI – The movement to win justice for Darius Simmons, Derek Williams, Corey Stingley, and Bo Morrison has received a boost from the national attention and outrage over the “not guilty” verdict for Zimmerman. Last week over 300 people shut down major streets in downtown Milwaukee. In similar cases over the last two years, community members led by the Occupy Coalition (Occupy the Hood Milwaukee and Occupy Milwaukee) repeatedly rallied for Derek Williams, Darius Simmons, and other local victims of racist police and vigilante murder.

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By staff

Tallahassee, FL – After three days of occupying the governor’s office in the Florida capitol building, protesters demanding justice for Trayvon Martin finally secured a meeting with Governor Rick Scott, July 19. Scott met for about 45 minutes with several leaders from Dream Defenders, a student activist organization led by Black and Latino youth. He refused to give into any of the protesters’ demands.

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By Preston Gilmore

Clarksville, TN – 15 people rallied outside the public library on July 15 to demand justice for Trayvon Martin. People spoke about their outrage that racist murderer George Zimmerman was found not guilty of all charges and of their desire to see him punished for his crime.

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By Sarah Buchner

Raleigh, NC – On Monday, July 15, over 1500 rallied at the capitol again for the 11th installment of Moral Monday, chanting, “Forward together, not one step back!” Organized by the NAACP (http://www.naacpnc.org/), this week’s rally was focused on demanding an end to the Republican legislature’s attacks on women and demanding an end to racial oppression.

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By B.J. Murphy

Nicole Little, organizer of Winston-Salem event.

Winston-Salem, NC – On July 16, nearly 1000 people came together on Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. to rally in solidarity of Trayvon Martin and to express their outrage at racist vigilante George Zimmerman’s not guilty verdict. The event was organized by Nicole Little, of the Daryl Hunt Project for Freedom and Justice.

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By staff

Gainesville demands DOJ file civil rights charges against Zimmerman

Diana Moreno, a UF Students for a Democratic Society member, speaking  to the c

Gainesville, FL – On July 15, at 4:00 p.m., 150 activists and community members gathered in Bo Diddley Plaza to demand that the U.S. Department of Justice file charges against George Zimmerman for violating the Civil Rights of Trayvon Martin.

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