Chicago, IL – On Oct. 25, wind gusts of over 30 miles an hour almost tore the banner from the hands of supporters of the Holy Land Five. 20 activists gathered for a lunch hour protest in front of the national headquarters of President Obama’s re-election campaign.

Chicago, IL – Protesters here marched to the headquarters of Boeing Corporation on Oct. 7 to mark the 11th anniversary of the war on Afghanistan. Over 100 people joined the protest to demand that the U.S. end the war now.

Chicago, IL – Cook County Court Judge Thomas Donnelly dismissed over 90 cases, Sept. 26, against Occupy Chicago activists who were arrested last October and charged with a violation of the rarely used park curfew law. Judge Donnelly issued a written ruling which found that the city's park curfew ordinance is “unconstitutional both on its face and as applied and all complaints in this case are dismissed with prejudice.” The Chicago chapter of the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) filed motions to dismiss in February on behalf of 92 Occupy Chicago protesters.

Committee to Stop FBI Repression plans to step up resistance

Chicago, IL – Leaders of the Committee to Stop FBI Repression (CSFR) say they plan to step up the fight against political repression this fall. “The attempt by the Justice Department to jail anti-war and international solidarity activists, the frame-ups of Arabs and Muslims, the outrageous cases stemming from the NATO protests, and the coordinated attacks on the Occupy movement mean that we have our work cut out for us,” states Jess Sundin of the CSFR.

Chicago, IL – With signs reading, “Opposing war is not a crime,” and “Two years is too long,” 100 people gathered at the Federal Building here, Sept. 20, to protest FBI and U.S. Attorney attacks on anti-war activists that began with FBI Raids in September 2010. Altogether, seven homes were raided and 23 people were subpoenaed to appear before a federal grand jury. The warrants and subpoenas alleged there was an ongoing effort to provide ‘material support’ for foreign terrorist organizations in the Middle East and South America.

Chicago, IL – Chicagoans are joining in a national week of actions organized by the Committee to Stop FBI Repression (stopfbi.net) and the United States Palestinian Community Network (uspcn.org), calling for an end to the Department of Justice investigation into the anti-war and international solidarity work of 23 activists from the Midwest.

Victory for teachers and students

Chicago, IL – Sarah Chambers, a teacher at Saucedo Academy in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood, was exhausted but happy when Fight Back! reached her Tuesday night, Sept. 18.

Mayor Emanuel seeks injunction

Chicago, IL – On Sept. 16 the members of the House of Delegates of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) received the contract offer from management of the Chicago Public Schools. The Bargaining Team, made up of the four officers and the CTU lawyers, presented a 23-page summary of the 180-page tentative agreement.

Chicago. IL – Over 25,000 striking teachers and supporters converged on Union Park on Chicago’s Westside, September 15. Allies and supporters from throughout the Midwest traveled here to support them. Labor leaders and community supporters spoke powerfully from the stage fully backing the strike and the fight for public education. In polls taken during the week, the parents of public school students overwhelming supported the strikers. 87% of the students are African American or Latino.

Fight is over job security and defending public education

Chicago, IL – On Sept. 10, Chicago Teachers Union Local 1 went on strike after ten months at the bargaining table. They tried to use negotiations with the Chicago School Board to defend their jobs and the interests of their students. When the Chicago Public Schools refused to back away from their corporate agenda, CTU members had no choice but to strike.

Chicago, IL – In the largest labor rally here in at least 30 years, tens of thousands of teachers, parents and community and trade union supporters rallied on Labor Day in preparation for a strike by the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU), if Chicago Public School (CPS) doesn’t meet their demands.

Cites ongoing investigation of anti-war and international solidarity activists

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Committee to Stop FBI Repression.

Chicago, IL – NATO opponents are accusing State's Attorney Anita Alvarez of severely distorted priorities after her office steered a grand jury to reinstate charges against NATO protester Danny Johnson, whose case was thrown out by a judge at a preliminary hearing in May for lack of probable cause. Johnson was then secretly indicted by the State Attorney's Office on June 29 with an additional felony charge. Johnson had originally been accused of only one count of aggravated battery of a police officer during a May 15 immigrant rights protest held in conjunction with the week of NATO-related protests. Now Johnson is charged with two counts of aggravated battery for a crime that both Johnson and eyewitnesses refute.

Fight Back! interviewed Newland Smith, a member of the Committee Against Political Repression in Chicago, the local affiliate of the Committee to Stop FBI Repression. Smith led a campaign within the national convention of the Episcopal Church to take a stand for civil liberties in the face of repression of Arabs, Muslims, Palestinians and peace activists. The convention adopted a resolution expressing concern, which will become part of the Episcopalian legislative agenda. There are 30 to 40 members of U.S. Congress who are practicing Episcopalians.

Chicago, IL – Members and supporters of the Committee Against Political Repression gathered here July 15 to celebrate the legal victory scored by Carlos Montes in June. Montes faced many years in prison for his political activism, with trumped up legal charges thrown at him by the Los Angeles District Attorney. He is one of the anti-war and international solidarity activists under attack by the FBI.

Chicago, IL – Joe Iosbaker, a leader of Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) and one of the main organizers of the massive march on the NATO summit, gave an important speech June 30, summing up the some of the lessons of the anti-NATO protest.

Free the NATO 5! Free the Cleveland 5!

Chicago, IL – Activists from Occupy Chicago, the Chicago Committee Against Political Repression and Hammerhard Media met here, July 9, to discuss the police and FBI attacks on protests here and across the country.

Chicago, IL – One month after the historic protests against NATO, activists from across Chicago and even Milwaukee gathered in the shadow of the McCormick Place, site of the NATO summit, on June 30, for a discussion on the lessons of the NATO protests. The event was held at Trinity Episcopal Church and sponsored by Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO).

Chicago, IL – The Committee to Stop FBI Repression (CSFR) is promoting a petition to demand that charges be dropped against anti-NATO protesters.