Seattle, WA – On Tuesday, May 30, around 15 community members came together in protest at the Federal Courthouse at a hearing on whether to lift the consent decree placed on the Seattle Police Department. The consent decree was placed in 2012 after an investigation found a pattern of officers using excessive force. It required policy changes and other measures in order to comply with federally mandated standards on policing.
Despite overall gains, capitalists killed two important bills for basic workers’ rights, and the legislature failed to advance police accountability
Saint Paul, MN – The 2023 Minnesota legislative session ended on May 22, and it’s one for the history books. A wide array of progressive measures that working class and oppressed peoples’ movements in Minnesota have demanded for years and even decades became law, as the Republicans howled from the sidelines but didn’t have the votes to stop it.
Minneapolis, MN – More than $26,000 was pledged at the May 25 Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) online fundraising event. The event featured Frank Chapman of the FRSO central committee member and executive director of National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, FRSO Standing Committee Member Fern Figueroa, and the FRSO Labor Commission Chair Cherrene Horazuk.
Commerce City, CO – On Friday, May 19, rank-and-file Teamsters working at the UPS hub in Commerce City, a part of the Denver metro area, organized a parking lot meeting early in the morning before the sunrise shift. This event comes just 11 weeks before the expiration of the Teamsters contract with UPS, and it is especially significant as it was the first event at the Commerce City hub, one of the largest UPS buildings in the United States, led exclusively by rank-and-file workers.
Jacksonville, FL – Progressive forces are cheering the election of Donna Deegan for Jacksonville mayor. She defeated Daniel Davis, the Republican and Governor Ron DeSantis-backed candidate, becoming the first woman mayor in Jacksonville history.
Milwaukee, WI – Thursday, May 25 marked the three-year anniversary of George Floyd’s murder by killer cop Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis. George Floyd’s murder sparked a rebellion in which millions took to the streets in the U.S. and around the world. His murder resonated in Milwaukee, a city with countless victims of police crimes. To commemorate George Floyd and all victims of police crimes in Milwaukee, the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (MAARPR) organized a vigil.
To mark the birthday of the outstanding Vietnamese communist Ho Chi Minh, Fight Back News Service is circulating has 1960 article “The Path Which Led Me To Leninism.”The Path Which Led Me To Leninism
Arlington, TX – On April 21, members of NTXStudentsForDEI and UT-Arlington’s Progressive Student Union marched through the streets of University of Texas at Arlington in protest of recent attacks on diversity equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts.
Milwaukee, WI – On Tuesday, April 18 the Milwaukee Common Council unanimously passed a resolution asking Ascension Wisconsin to reopen the labor and delivery Unit at Saint Francis Hospital.
Tucson, AZ – On April 14, a spirited crowd of around 50 people rallied on the steps of Old Main on the University of Arizona campus to demand an end to U.S. aid to Israel.
Minneapolis, MN – As part of their daily routine, religious Muslims pray five times a day. Since prayer times revolve around the lunar cycle, they change throughout the year. In many places around the world, a call to prayer is broadcast from mosques to announce those five Adhan prayer times so people who are Muslim know it’s time to pray.
In the two weeks since the announcement of Freedom Road Socialist Organization’s $130,000 Spring Fundraising Drive, more than $25,000 has come in. More contributions are coming in every day.
Chicago, IL – Two factors have made public safety a lynchpin issue in the upcoming mayoral election between Brandon Johnson, former teacher supported by the Chicago Teacher’s Union, and Paul Vallas, former CEO of Chicago Public Schools, backed by the Fraternal Order of the Police (FOP). First is the rise in the crime rate in the city in recent years. The second, and principal, reason is the law-and-order backlash that followed the historic protests of the George Floyd Rebellion.
Milwaukee, WI – On Friday, March 31, the Common Council’s Public Safety and Health Commission unanimously passed a resolution urging Ascension Wisconsin to reconsider the closure of the Labor and Delivery (L&D) unit at St. Francis Hospital. The St. Francis L&D was the only department of its kind within a roughly 10 mile radius. The hospital serves a predominantly Latino and immigrant community on Milwaukee's Southside, including many Spanish- and Rohingya-only speakers. The resolution also calls on Ascension Wisconsin to establish a one-year moratorium on any downsizing or service reductions at Milwaukee healthcare sites.
New Orleans, LA – On Friday, March 31, close to 300 students at Benjamin Franklin High School walked out of school during last period. They demanded a stop to bills in the Louisiana legislature that target LGBTQ kids. Students gathered on the school’s front lawn to hear speeches by their trans classmates. The event coincided with national Trans Day of Visibility.
Los Angeles, CA – At 4:30 a.m. on Tuesday March 21, over 30,000 school workers in the Los Angeles Unified School (LAUSD) including food service workers, custodians, special education assistants and many more job titles will walk off the job on a strike. The workers are members of SEIU Local 99, also known as Education Workers United.
Atlanta, GA – Hundreds gathered in the Atlanta Forest over the March 5-6 weekend to demand justice for Manny “Tortuguita” Paez, and that the Atlanta forest be saved,and Cop City not be built. The events over the weekend included a two-day music festival and a protest inside the Atlanta Forest. Georgia law enforcement agencies ended the music festival early by arresting and charging 22 attendants with domestic terrorism charges.
Minneapolis, MN – Over 30 protesters rallied in front of the newly opened First Care Pregnancy Center in the Phillips neighborhood on March 4 to demand an end to state funding for anti-abortion centers.
Caracas, Venezuela – The Freedom Road Socialist Organization delegation to Venezuela visited downtown Caracas, March 2, and spoke with working-class Venezuelan people. Delegation members include Chicano activist Carlos Montes, student organizer Enya Silva and anti-police crimes activist Omar Flores.
Hastings, MN – On day eight of the SEIU Local 284 food service worker strike against the Hastings Public Schools, workers gathered at McNamara Stadium here for a rally demanding a decent contract.