San José, CA – For the second month in a row, U.S. stocks fell in October. The drop in stock prices sped up, with both October and the last week being the worst month and week for the stock market since March. The broadest stock market index, the S&P 500, is now down nearly 9% from its record high in early September.

Movement prepares for post-election protests

Chicago, IL – A wave of early voting is underway. Mostly, these are “no” votes in the referendum on the Trump presidency. Of course, Trump knows this and has openly declared his intention to refuse to count all the votes.

Organize the unorganized!

Milwaukee, WI – Workers from multiple active union organizing campaigns marched through downtown Milwaukee on October 27 to rally support for the wave of new union organizing. Nearly 100 workers and supporters from the organizing campaigns at the Milwaukee Art Museum, Colectivo Coffee, Wonderstate Coffee, Marquette University and Captel joined forces for an impressive display of union strength. The march took the streets, stopping by several workplaces where union drives led primarily by young workers are ongoing.

Miami, FL – A caravan of some 60 cars and 15 bicycles made up a caravan against the Cuba blockade, October 25 in Miami. It was the fourth caravan here since July. Those in attendance overcame not only threats by right-wing Cubans in the area, but pouring rain in the early morning hours before the 8 a.m. departure.

Tampa, Fl – The past summer of 2020 has been rife with activism in the fight against police terror and white supremacist attacks, and the upcoming presidential election will determine whether Donald Trump will continue to be in power. Trump’s comments and actions about the validity of the results has brought on the possibility of a hotly contested outcome. Activists and community members in Tampa and around the country plan to meet the November 3 election with protests on November 4 to fight for the defeat of Donald Trump and against white supremacy across the country.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from Italian Marxist- Leninist organization Fronte Popolare.

Baltimore, MD – On the evening of October 28, 14 organizers who were affiliated with the Baltimore March and Car Caravan for November 4 had their Facebook pages disabled. All were administrators or editors on various Facebook pages that endorsed the action, and included Peoples Power Assembly, Youth Against War & Racism, Prisoner’s Solidarity Committee, Women In Struggle/Mujeres En Lucha, and Struggle La Lucha. This action effectively locked down all of these pages, denying thousands of members their constitutional rights.

Tallahassee, FL – On October 22, more than 40 students and community members gathered at Integration Statue and marched to Wescott Fountain. Students for a Democratic Society held the annual protest at Florida State University in honor of the National Day of Protest Against Police Brutality. The assembly gathered with the demands of community control of FSU Police Department, that State Attorney Jack Campbell drops all charges levied against the #Tally19, and permanent removal of the Francis Eppes statue.

Pittsburgh, PA – Approximately 500 scientists, educators, art handlers, front staff, gift shop clerks, ushers and other workers from across the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh system today announced Oct. 20 they filed for a union election as they seek to join the United Steelworkers (USW).

Appleton, WI – On the morning of October 24, the following message was posted on the social media accounts of IAM Local 1855: “After a week-long strike IAMAW Members employed at AstenJohnson in Appleton overwhelmingly accepted a greatly improved contract offer this morning. This offer included locking in insurance plan design and premiums for the next two years among other positive changes. Their solidarity and persistence paid off big. Congratulations to the members of Local 1855 and a special thank you to the Teamsters Local 662 for honoring our picket line.”

Tallahassee, FL – All spring and summer, organized groups of anti-police crimes protesters took to the streets, including the intersection in front of the historic capitol for over an hour at a time and on many occasions. Police regularly redirected traffic at least a block in every direction. Organizers would eventually announce the conclusion of street actions, at which time attendees dispersed without incident. Having spent all summer referring to these frequent street protests as “peaceful,” law enforcement agencies pivoted to making threats to crack down on “unpermitted” protesters for blocking traffic. This change by law enforcement occurred abruptly the afternoon of August 29.

Oshkosh, WI – Over a dozen protesters from many parts of eastern Wisconsin answered a call put out by United Action Oshkosh (UAO). People rallied on October 24 to demand justice for Isaiah Tucker and community control of the police.

San José, CA – On Thursday, October 22, the U.S. Department of Labor reported that there were 787,000 new claims for regular state unemployment in the week that ended October 17. This was 55,000 fewer than the previous week, but still 20,000 higher than two weeks ago and almost four times as high as the same week a year ago. While new claims have fallen dramatically from the record high of almost 6 million in April, they are still higher than the pre-recession high of less than 700,000.

Minneapolis, MN – On October 20, the Minnesota Anti-War Committee (AWC) held an online discussion on the foreign policies of President Donald Trump and his rival in the upcoming election, former Vice President Joe Biden. Members of the longstanding Twin Cities-based street protest group compared the platforms and records of each candidate from an anti-war perspective.

Chicago, IL – On November 10, 2019, a hastily-assembled coalition of generals, middle class liberals and fascist paramilitaries overthrew the democratic government of Evo Morales in Bolivia. Coming on the heels of a coup attempt in Venezuela and the vicious repression of a people’s uprising in Chile, it seemed to many that the continental struggle against U.S. imperialism had reached a tipping point in the empire's favor.

Santa Ana, CA – A press conference was held October 20 to denounce the brutal killing of David Sullivan after a traffic stop by Buena Park Police on August 19, 2019 in Orange County. Chicano attorney Humberto Guizar called for the Orange County District Attorney to reopen the investigation and file charges of murder against the two involved officers.

Minneapolis, MN – On October 20, Hennepin County workers gathered at the Government Center in downtown Minneapolis to demand, “Protect our workers, protect our community services: don’t balance the budget on our backs.”

Poughkeepsie, NY – More than 100 people gathered in Poughkeepsie in upstate New York for a vigil and protest march, October 17, centered on the endemic violence facing Black women and Black trans women in the United States.

Minneapolis, MN – Around 100 people marched through downtown Minneapolis, October 14, from Senator Amy Klobuchar’s office to the Hennepin County Jail. The march was part of an ongoing campaign by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) demanding legalization for all immigrants including those eligible for DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), TPS (Temporary Protected Status), and DED (Deferred Enforced Departure) status. More than a million immigrants that hold these statuses are in increasing danger of deportation because of recent court rulings that open the door to the Trump administration carrying out mass deportations.

Tampa, FL – On October 10, members of the Tampa Bay Community Action Committee and others rallied at Tampa City Hall to protest Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' proposed anti-protest bill. On September 21, DeSantis released the proposed legislation called “Combatting Violence, Disorder and Looting and Law Enforcement Protection Act.” If the bill is signed into law, it would legalize running over protesters with cars, and would make marching on the street a felony offense. Governor DeSantis' anti-protest bill is a direct response to protests during the George Floyd uprising, the Black Lives Matter movement and the First Amendment right to assembly and free speech.