News and Views from the People's Struggle
Chicago, IL – On September 30, 1500 Chicagoans marched down Magnificent Mile to protest Trump’s threats of using the city as a military training ground. This past week has seen the effects of Operation Blitz in full force, with heavy presence of ICE and other federal agents conducting deportations. Trump’s speech to top U.S. generals the same day showed he intends to escalate the federal occupation with the military.
San José, CA – On Wednesday, October 1, the federal government began a partial shutdown at 12:01 a.m. About 750,000 federal workers will be furloughed and sent home without pay. About 400,000 will continue to work without pay, while more than 800,000 will continue to work with pay, of which three-quarters do military-related work. Those who are furloughed and work without pay will be paid when the shutdown ends.
This November Minneapolis residents will once again vote for the next mayor of Minneapolis. Incumbent Mayor Jacob Frey has long been a darling of landlords, business owners and the owning class in our city. Frey not only won the last mayoral election but was voted in under a “Strong Mayor” charter amendment, expanding his sweeping powers over the Minneapolis Police Department to all other departments in the city.
New York, NY – On Sunday, September 21, around 50 people rallied near Prospect Park in Brooklyn to demand a stop to all fare increases and the expansion of the “fair fares” discounted fare program. The MTA board is scheduled to vote on a fare increase at their monthly board meeting on September 30.
The temperature is rising by the day and the air is thick with a dangerous new electricity. The magnified polarization of this country points to the unraveling of a system built on inequality, repression and an empire whose decline is accelerating. Flashpoint events like Kirk’s killing are not isolated incidents, they’re symptoms of a terminal illness.
Appleton, WI – On September 14, several dozen people gathered at Appleton’s Houdini Plaza in a demonstration denouncing Trump, ICE and the invasion of our cities, including the deployment of the military in Los Angeles, the National Guard in Washington DC, and the proposed deployment of the national guard to Chicago.
New Orleans, LA – On Tuesday, September 9, more than 200 people marched through downtown New Orleans to resist Trump’s threat last week to send the National Guard to the city. The New Orleans Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression led the protest, alongside a broad coalition of more than 15 other organizations.
Chicago, IL – 10,000 Chicagoans gathered at the West Loop Haymarket Memorial on Monday, September 1, for a “Workers over Billionaires” protest called by the Chicago Federation of Labor for a militant Labor Day demonstration.
The protest was a response to Trump’s sweeping attacks on working and oppressed people, with particular focus on his attacks on federal workers’ bargaining rights, Immigrant rights, and his threats to send federal troops into Chicago.
In March, President Trump signed an executive order attempting to strip collective bargaining rights from almost 1 million federal workers. In recent weeks, he has made consistent threats to send military forces into cities run by Black mayors, with particular malice toward Chicago’s mayor and the union city that elected him.
To open his remarks at the Labor Day protest, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson fired up the crowd with chants of “No federal troops in the city of Chicago!” The mayor took a fighting stance with regards to Trump’s attacks on Chicago, describing his administration’s efforts to defend and invest in workers, especially Black and brown workers. Johnson spoke with pride about helping abolish the sub-minimum wage, ratify a transformative Chicago Teacher’s Union contract, and invest in affordable housing units on the South and West sides.
“We have stood up for the interests of workers before and we will do it again Johnson said. “We will always be a labor town.”
Johnson’s emphasis on the role of unions and working class people in mobilizing against Trump’s attacks to come was clear. “I need you all to stand firm and stand strong,” he said.
Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis-Gates matched Johnson’s words, stating, “In Chicago, we reject a billionaire’s tyranny in our city,” she said. “Solidarity is the antidote to white supremacy. Solidarity is the antidote to anti-immigrant fever. Solidarity is the antidote to transphobia and homophobia.”
“It is because of unions that there are no children who are working underage, and because of unions that we have health benefits, sick leave and vacation time,” said Reverend Jamal Bryant, a senior pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta. He called for labor forces to fight back once again. “There are more labor workers than there are billionaires.”
After the initial program at the Haymarket Monument, the protesters began marching west, chanting and holding signs promoting workers’ and Immigrants’ rights, and opposing Trump and his threats to send in troops to Chicago.
First stop: Workers over billionaires!
The march stopped at the corner of Fulton and Sangamon, outside the offices of Valor Equity Partners, a company founded by Chicago billionaire Antonio Gracias.
Toni Frazier, a childcare professional and SEIUHCII member, has worked in childcare for more than 34 years. She called out Gracias for not only hoarding billions off the backs of workers but also working with Musk to cut Social Security. These attacks hit close to home for Frazier, whose granddaughter needs special services for autism and whose niece is disabled and struggles to access healthcare. “We are here to take care of those who need help the most,” Frazier said. “That ain’t the billionaires.”
Second stop: Boycott Target!
The march reached its second stop outside a Target store, where Reverend Bryant spoke about the nationwide boycott against the corporation since it ended its DEI programs and goals early this year. The campaign’s efforts have seen Target’s stock drop by $52 per share and the CEO’s salary cut by 42% since the start of the boycott.
Bryant attributed the campaign’s progress to the same unity that helped build the Montgomery Bus Boycott during the Civil Rights movement. Labor unions, teachers and faith leaders all have to work together, he said. “Don’t let nobody turn us around!”
Final stop: We must defeat Trump in the streets!
John Miller, local president of University Professionals of Illinois Local 41 and a member of the American Association of University Professionals, called out the cruel disinvestment in education and all aspects of society orchestrated by Trump and the billionaire ruling class, including Governor Pritzker. Miller emphasized the need for an organized, militant response from the movement.
“All of higher education is under attack,” Miller said. “We’ve filed lawsuits, but we must defeat [Trump] in the streets.”
“We can play defense, or we can go on offense,” said Nico Coronado, chief negotiator for Teamsters 705 in their fight with Mauser. Over 100 members have been on strike since June 9. They are demanding better wages, workplace quality standards as well as protections from immigration enforcement. “We need to organize to bring in more members and have more militancy.”
No Trump, no troops!
In the coming days, an illegal military occupation of communities may come to Chicago as ordered by Donald Trump. The National Guard is being deployed, like in Washington DC, to continue the attacks on working and oppressed people, under the guise of fighting crime.
Chicagoans, in particular Black people and immigrants, have an inalienable democratic right to resist through whatever means of resistance needed. The Coalition Against the Trump Agenda (CATA) is ready to mobilize as soon as troops hit the ground. Follow CATA on social media at coalitionagainsttrumpagenda.org
#ChicagoIL #IL #PeoplesStruggles #Labor #Trump #ImmigrantRights #CATA #AFLCIO #SEIU #CTU
Seattle, WA – On August 30, over 200 people gathered for a protest at Gasworks Park in Seattle to say no to the Let Us Pray hate speech rally that was to be held there.
The hate group Let Us Pray is notorious for holding such events, where transphobia is a common theme. For this reason, they were banned from holding rallies and events in eight cities in Canada. They are also known to hire local white supremacists as private security to intimidate counter-protesters and rub elbows with the local cops. Their main focus has been spreading religious extremism by attacking trans and queer people. Their leader, Sean Feught, is an outspoken anti-trans, anti-queer bigot.
Concerned members of the queer community and others mobilized to confront this hate group. Passing Seattleites going about their day also joined the rally when they learned why folks were protesting. Camaraderie was in the air, despite the circumstances.
The purpose of the protest was to disrupt Let Us Pray’s so-called “concert.” Air horns, kazoos, whistles and megaphones were used to make a chorus of disturbance. From the hill behind the concert, the sounds of protesters could be heard over the attempted singing by Feught. No doubt their footage was ruined, and any hope of YouTube ad revenue along with it.
It was clear Let Us Pray expected significantly more turnout for their event. Instead, the numbers were evenly balanced between event-goers and protesters. Around 400 people in total showed up, and the eagerness of the “concert” organizers to pack up was proof that even they found the turnout to their event to be underwhelming.
At 7 p.m., two hours before their permit was set to expire, they called it quits, but not before asking for attendees to donate to their Venmo. Protesters accosted Feught all the way back to his car with well-earned messages from the queer and trans people of Seattle: that he was not welcome, his rhetoric was not allowed to exist without pushback, and that if he returned, so would we.
Washington, DC – On Saturday, August 30, the DC Alliance Against Trump Coalition (DCAT) hit the streets again, this time partnering with the Long Live GoGo Foundation to host a march and live GoGo concert on August 30, aimed at fighting the Trump directed occupation of DC.
Since Trump’s federalization of DC, starting on August 11, the presence of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), ICE, and National Guard troops has increased their assumed powers over the community with unlawful curfew zones, check points, and kidnappings of residents focused on the immigrant communities.
Saturday’s event, dubbed Defend the District, was a powerful and direct anti-Trump response from the DC community, declaring “End the occupation!”
The event kicked off with a rally, emceed by activist and founder of Long Live GoGo Justin “Yaddiya” Johnson, and included speeches from DCAT, Guns Down Friday, and community members.
The energy from the rally quickly spilled into the streets of 14th and U – the site of last week’s DCAT rally – as the ensemble march began. Chant leads from Freedom Road Socialist Organization the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR) took to the front of the line to lead chants of “Racist, coward, crooked cops, get a fucking real job!” intermixed with dancing and song-like chants of “Fuck Donald Trump” to which the crowd shouted back, “Fuck ICE!”
The march ended at Sylvan Theater at the National Mall where a GoGo musical performance welcomed activated protesters. Before reaching their destination, protesters shouted down National Guard troops and MPD, with chants of “Troops go home,” interspersed with “Fuck the police” and “Chinga la Migra!”
At Sylvan Theater, live GoGo music played between speeches from community speakers such as Jawanna Hardy, founder of Guns Down Friday, DC Councilmember Robert White and DCAARPR’s Merawi Gerima speaking on behalf of the DC Alliance Against Trump Coalition.
“If you were out here last Saturday you saw that we shut down that racist curfew zone on 14th and U,” said Gerima, “that’s the power of the people, and that’s the power that we want to bring into a focused energy against Trump’s racist agenda in DC!”
The DC Against Trump coalition, an ever-growing coalition of local organizations aimed at fighting the Trump agenda and takeover of DC, announced plans for a mass cop watch event on Friday, September 5, at 7 p.m., at Navy Yard in Southeast DC.
#WashingtonDC #DC #PeoplesStruggles #ImmigrantRights #Trump #DCAARPR #DCAT #LongLiveGoGoFoundation #GDF
An opportunity to build a vast revolutionary movement has arrived. People are writing to us from every kind of town, looking for an organization that can wrest power away from Trump and Wall Street. Trump is a professional liar, and one powerful lie is that he works for the people of rural America. But one look at the reality of rural towns, at the lives of low-wage workers and debt-ridden farmers, disproves this.
Santa Ana, CA – On Friday, July 25, about 20 protesters gathered on the corner of Bristol and 1st Streets, chanting “Healthcare is our right, try and take it, we will fight!” and “Y la migra? Fuera!” The protesters were answering the national call to action by the Legalization for All Network against Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill”.
Tallahassee, FL – Around 100 community members gathered at Florida’s historic Capitol building to stand against Donald Trump's administration as part of a National Day of Action encouraging “Good Trouble.”
Grand Rapids, MI – The Grand Rapids Coalition to Oppose Trump called a protest in coordination with the National Day of Action to honor the late civil rights leader John Lewis. The coalition formed a week before, with a dozen community organizations and leaders united to oppose the Trump agenda. The entire event was planned and executed in less than a week after the coalition was founded.
Starting at Ah-Nab-Awen Park, the crowd of over 300 community members overlooked the concrete stage at the bank of the Grand River. Several speakers honored John Lewis and spoke of his important contributions to the civil rights movement and voting rights.
Minneapolis MN – On Sunday, July 13, over 100 community members rallied at Minneapolis’ Mayday Plaza to speak out against the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” (BBB), passed by Congress and signed into law by Donald Trump on July 4.
Chicago, IL – “We are here to demand that Governor JB Pritzker live up to his promise of standing up against the cuts and the cruelty of the Trump administration,” Chicago Teachers Union member Jesse Bostic said to the hundreds of people who rallied in Daley Plaza on Saturday afternoon, July 12.
Better Streets Chicago organized the protest in response to the Illinois government’s failure to secure funding necessary to prevent 40% service cuts to public transportation.
Tampa, FL – On Saturday, July 12, over 200 people gathered for a protest at Tampa City Hall to say no to the Turning Point USA (TPUSA) Student Action Summit that was held in Tampa over the weekend.
Chicago, IL – Dozens of teachers and school staff rallied outside the Board of Education (BoE) headquarters on Wednesday, July 9. They carried signs saying, “Fund schools, not ICE” and “Pritzker, where's our money?” among other slogans. The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) members demanded that Governor JB Pritzker call a special legislative session to fully fund Chicago's schools.
Chicago, IL – On a stormy Fourth of July, 1000 Chicagoans marched to oppose Trump’s racist and reactionary agenda. The people marched to oppose Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” that he signed into law Friday.
The new law slashes safety net programs that feed and educate children and provided healthcare for the poor and disabled. It also adds an estimated $3.3 trillion in debt and gives billionaires tax cuts. More tax dollars will now go for deportations, police repression, Israel’s genocide in Gaza and war against Iran.
Edina, MN – On Monday, June 23, a crowd of Minnesotans gathered to join the People’s Action Coalition Against Trump (PACAT) for a press conference and rally against right-wing violence, held in front of the Republican Party of Minnesota Office located in Edina.
In light of the targeted assassination of State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, and the attempted murder of Senator John Hoffman and wife, Yvette Hoffman, PACAT organized the press conference and rally to condemn the rise in violent right-wing extremism, fanned by the reactionary agenda of the Republican Party and President Donald Trump.