Chicago, IL – On July 13, over 75 Palestinian and Arab women gathered at Jerusalem Banquets to celebrate the release of Towards the Sun, a book written by members of the Arab Women's Committee (AWC).
Minneapolis, MN – Over 150 people gathered in Minneapolis’ Fulton neighborhood, July 16, to remember Justine Damond, who was murdered by Minneapolis police Saturday night. Neighbors remember the woman as a good neighbor and as a spiritual teacher. Damond came to the U.S. from Australia a few years ago.
Jacksonville, FL – Around 30 community members gathered in Bruce Park, in Jacksonville, to speak out against police crimes, for community control of the police, and a Jacksonville Police Accountability Council (JPAC).
Minneapolis- Over 180 people attended the premiere screening of Palestine: Why the Caged Dove Sings, July 13, a documentary made by Sabry Wazwaz, a Palestinian American and a member of the Anti-War Committee. Wazwaz traveled to Palestine in 2014 to interview and document the reality of Israeli occupation.
Milwaukee, WI – The rooms were filled at the first two out of five sessions from the Young People’s Resistance Committee’s (YPRC) Summer School program. The first session featured a panel of three women who spoke about their daily experiences and politics in Milwaukee. The second session explored economic inequality in Milwaukee and how the working class is exploited.
Chicago, IL – John Coli, president of Joint Council 25 of the Teamsters Union, was indicted July 12 on federal charges that he extorted $100,000 in cash from a local business.
Minneapolis, MN – The Anti-War Committee will be hosting the first public premier of the documentary, Palestine: Why the Caged Dove Sings Thursday, July 13, 7 p.m. at the Saint Anthony Main Theatre. After the film, there will be a discussion with the director and producer, Sabry Wazwaz.
Grand Rapids, MI – Members and staff of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 951 are picketing the entrance to Pearson Foods on July 6. Pearson is in violation of fair labor practices and is interfering with workers’ union membership. UFCW filed unfair labor practice charges against Pearson Foods.
Washington DC – According to media sources in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), the DPRK Academy of Defense Science reports that a successful test of an inter-continental ballistic missile, called the Hwasong-14, was carried out July 4.
Rochester, MN – Members of SEIU Healthcare MN, AFSCME Council 65 and Teamsters 120 have spent the last year in a battle with Mayo Clinic. It started with Mayo’s surprise announcement in July 2016 that they would subcontract Mayo food service workers out to Morrison Food Services starting in 2017. The affected food service workers are employed at Mayo’s southern Minnesota locations in Rochester, Albert Lea Austin and Fairmont.
Milwaukee, WI – About 30 people gathered here, June 24, to stand in solidarity with socialist Cuba and Bolivarian Venezuela. The rally was called in response to President Trump’s unveiling of new restrictions on travel to Cuba.
San José, CA – On Monday, June 26, the Congressional Budget Office or CBO released its analysis of the Senate Republicans’ bill meant to repeal the Affordable Care Act (the ACA, often called Obamacare). The Senate Republicans’ bill, known as the Better Care Reconciliation Act or BCRA, would mean 22 million more people would go without health insurance as compared to the current law with the ACA at the end of ten years. 15 million people would lose their Medicaid coverage (called Medical in California; each state has its own name), a million more than under the House Republican bill known as the Health Care Reform Act or HCRA. 7 million more people would have to go without their individual insurance policies purchased on state exchanges, also a million more than the House Republican HCRA.
Minneapolis, MN – Tens of thousands lined Hennepin Avenue to watch the annual Twin Cities LGBTQ Pride parade on June 25. A group of hundreds behind a banner reading “Justice for Philando #NoJusticeNoPride” took the lead of the parade, a few blocks ahead of the police car that was supposed to lead the official parade. The group was protesting Pride’s decision to allow police to lead the parade and be present throughout the festival, despite an epidemic of police violence that particularly targets queer and trans people of color.
Doral, FL – About 40 activists marched from Trump National Resort in Doral to U.S. Southern Command, June 25, to demand that President Trump shut down Guantanamo Bay prison. The prison currently holds 41 detainees, 26 of whom have not been charged or tried for any crimes and five of whom have been cleared for release.
Washington, DC – In a June 23, People's Daily Online article, it was reported that “scientists at the China Academy of Engineering Physics (CAEP) announced recently that they have perfected a laser gun capable of shooting down drones flying at low altitudes. The laser system performed well during experiments and tests, shooting down over 30 small aircraft.”
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following June 22 statement for the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU).
The United Nations Security Council on June 21st welcomed the deployment by the so-called Group of Five (G5) – Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger – of a joint force to tackle the threat of terrorism, as well as the serious challenges posed by transnational organized crime in Africa’s restive Sahel region. Also by that text, the Council urged the joint force of up to 5,000 military and police personnel, as well as the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali and French forces in that country to ensure adequate coordination and exchange of information regarding their operations, within their respective mandates.
Jacksonville, FL – Around 50 people rallied for trans rights at Memorial Park in Jacksonville, June 24. Organized by the Coalition for Consent, Jacksonville Transgender Action Committee along with other groups, protesters rallied to demand an end to attacks on the trans community, especially oppressed nationality trans women.
Los Angeles, CA – Public school teachers at Roosevelt High School (RHS), joined by professors from Cal-State LA and students from RHS Magnet joined together to demand that authorities free 22-year-old Claudia Rueda.
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine denounced the repeated Zionist attacks against the city of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque and collective punishment that has escalated over the last few days and hours, and the besieging of the village of Deir Abu Mashaal. Zionist forces have launched a campaign of attacks and arrests against the people of the village. These raids against the village will not extinguish the flame of resistance and will only intensify the determination of the Palestinian people to defend their rights, principles and holy sites.