Minneapolis, MN – On October 20 people rallied in the rain to protest the Iron Dome Supplemental Appropriations Act, a proposed bill which would earmark another $1 billion in U.S. military aid to Israel on top of the $3.8 billion already allocated. The protest of over 20 people targeted Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar because the bill is coming to the U.S. Senate. The Anti-War Committee, the initiator of the protest, applauded the nine members of Congress, including Minnesota’s own Ilhan Omar, who voted against this extra $1 billion in funding.
Tallahassee, FL – First there was the $20 million regressive Blueprint sales tax money stolen from Black, brown, and poor people for tax exempt skyboxes sold to rich white people to enhance their “football experience.”
Minneapolis, MN – On the weekend of Oct. 16-17, almost 170 students convened at the University of Minnesota for the 15th National Convention of National Students for a Democratic Society. It was the first time SDS organizers had gathered together physically since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Minneapolis, MN – On Saturday evening, October 16, 300 people marched through Uptown Minneapolis to the home of the city attorney, to demand that he drop the charges against the 646-plus protesters arrested on November 4, 2020, and to demand community control over police in Minneapolis. The November arrests targeted some of the more than 1000 students, teachers, union members and activists who took to the streets in Minneapolis to demand police accountability and speak out against Trump’s attempts to steal the election. Last year’s march was part of a national day of protest initiated by the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.
¡Lucha y Resiste! entrevistó a Cristiano Mayta, un sindicalista peruano y un internacionalista, el 14 de octubre para aprender sobre de la lucha de su sindicato.¡Lucha y Resiste!: ¿Cuál es su organización?
Minneapolis, MN – In the early evening of October 13, a group of about 15 people gathered on the corner of Lake Street and Bloomington Avenue in South Minneapolis and held banners that read: “Legalization for all” and “No militarized border.” The action was organized by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC).
On October 14, Fight Back! interviewed Cristiano Mayta, a trade unionist in Peru, to learn more about an upcoming strike of Coca-Cola bottling plant workers.Fight Back!: What is your organization?
East Los Angeles, CA – Over a 100 students, teachers and parents from Garfield High School (GHS) held a protest in East Los Angeles on October 13, against a planned construction of a new charter high school.
The Paraguayan government is illegally detaining Carmen Villalba despite her completion of all prison sentences. Carmen Villalba is a political prisoner under arbitrary detention. This violation of the law by Paraguayan officials is a continuation of the vendetta, often deadly, against her and her family.
Desde el otoño de 2019, SEIU Local 73 ha realizado cuatro huelgas. En ese otoño se unieron al Sindicato de Maestros de Chicago en su lucha contra las Escuelas Públicas de Chicago; en septiembre de 2020 se unieron a la Asociación de Enfermeras de Chicago en el Hospital de la Universidad Illinois en Chicago; en diciembre de 2020 realizaron una huelga de un día con 2,500 trabajadores en contra del gobierno del Condado Cook; y este verano han realizado una huelga histórica de 18 días con esos mismos trabajadores en contra de la misma administración.
Minneapolis, MN – A coalition of Twin Cities peace and anti-war organizations held an anti-war protest October 9 to mark 20 years since the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan. The protest, held at Mayday Plaza in Minneapolis, also called for an end all forms of U.S. aggression.
Los Angeles, CA – On Saturday, October 9, the family of Leo Chavez, along with local community supporters and Centro CSO, rallied to protest in front of the California Highway Patrol East LA station. Leo Chavez was shot and killed by California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers after a traffic collision near his home in Boyle Heights, on September 28, at about 3:30 p.m.
Minneapolis, MN – On October 8, about a dozen members of the University of Minnesota Students for a Democratic Society disrupted a meeting of the UMN Board of Regents to demand the implementation of a Campus Civilian Police Accountability Council (Campus CPAC).
Battle Creek, MI – Workers on strike at the Kellogg’s plant in Battle Creek walked the picket line Thursday, October 7. They discussed two major issues leading to the strike. The first, a proposed two-tier payment system, where lower seniority employees have significantly lower pay and worse benefits. The second issue workers cited was overwork during the COVID-19 pandemic, with many employees working seven days a week with no days off, for months on end.
Memphis, TN – At midnight on Tuesday, October 5, workers at Kellogg’s factories across the United States went on strike. Union workers in Memphis say the company made an unacceptable offer at contract time.
Tampa, FL – On September 29, Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic (SDS) held a protest calling for the University of South Florida (USF) to defund its campus police force. The students pointed to the police force’s budget of about $7 million, which is higher than many colleges on campus. Last year, citing budget concerns, USF attempted to close the College of Education, which has a budget of about $6 million, until student protests and public outrage forced them to keep it open.
Chicago, IL – After several takeback contracts in a row, the imposition of part-time status on new hires, sub-par health insurance with an ever growing price tag that eats up wage increases, and being left to fend for themselves during the pandemic with no PPE or hazard pay, CTA workers in Amalgamated Transit Union Local 241/308 are fighting back. They've organized themselves into a caucus called the Justice Coalition. This rank-and-file caucus publishes a newsletter called Finally Got the News, which was inspired by the documentary of the same name, about the League of Revolutionary Black Workers in Detroit in the late 1960s.
Chicago, IL – Teamsters for a Democratic Union (TDU) held its annual convention from October 1-3 in Chicago. Rank-and-file union activists from around the country traveled there to plan out the next steps for the upcoming international union election. TDU is supporting the reformer O’Brien-Zuckerman slate against the other slate, which is backed by the Hoffa old guard within the Teamsters union.
Newburgh, NY – In Newburgh, 120 gathered at the steps of the courthouse. In New Paltz, on Main Street, 100 stood in front of Elting Library. In Poughkeepsie there were 75. In Kingston, another 150. Woodstock 100. Across the Hudson Valley we took the streets. There were actions in towns, villages and hamlets as we joined the over 650 marches taking place across the United States.
