News and Views from the People's Struggle
Chicago, IL – Across the country the rich are grabbing up land, pushing poor people and people of color to the suburbs and on to the streets. In Chicago this has meant the demolition of whole communities, the tearing down of public housing, violations of renters’ rights, condo conversions and working-class displacement.
“Here’s the fix, tax the rich!” chanted 350 University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) workers, as they marched on May 26. Employees were mad as hell because of Governor Blagojevich’s threats against state pensions.
Chicago, IL – Aaron Patterson was sentenced to 30 years in prison on trumped-up gun and drug charges, Aug. 14. Patterson was targeted for prosecution because of his powerful activism against police misconduct in Chicago. The case hinged on a government informant, a known drug dealer and gang leader, who Patterson says was trying to entrap him.
Chicago, IL – The need for an independent federal investigation into the death of May Molina – a Puerto Rican activist who died in police custody May 27 – is becoming more urgent. The son of Molina, Michael Ortiz, was arrested with his mother in the police raid. He was charged with drug possession and jailed.
Chicago, IL – Two nights of protest have erupted in Chicago after the police murder of May Molina.
Chicago, IL – May Molina, a long-time activist against wrongful imprisonment with the group Families of the Wrongfully Convicted and a founder of Comité Exigimos Justicia (We Demand Justice Committee), died in police custody May 26.
!["Henry Johnson" , "Juan Johnson"](https://i.snap.as/pzFG8QVy.gif "\\"Henry Johnson\\" , \\"Juan Johnson\\" Juan Johnson \(left\), who was framed by Chicago police, spent most of his adult life in prison for a crime he did not commit. \(Fight Back! News/Staff\)")
Chicago, IL – Juan and Henry Johnson spent almost their entire adult lives in prison, fighting charges for a murder they didn’t commit.
Chicago, IL – Former death row inmate Aaron Patterson, who was pardoned by Illinois governor George Ryan in January, filed a federal lawsuit seeking $30 million. The lawsuit targets Commander Jon Burge and seven other police officers from Area 2 police station. They were involved in the torture of Patterson and many others. The lawsuit also targets current and former top police officials, the current prosecutor and a former prosecutor for covering up the systematic torture.
Chicago, IL – Aaron Patterson is one of the four death row inmates pardoned by Illinois Governor Ryan on Jan. 10. Sentenced to die in 1989 for murders he did not commit, he is one of the many tortured by Area 2 Chicago Police Commander Jon Burge.
Chicago, IL – Ricardo Jimenez was the first newly freed Independista to speak to the 300 strong rally, welcoming home the patriots who were jailed for fighting against the U.S. colonization of Puerto Rico. Jimenez told the cheering crowd “the struggle for independence continues!”
Fight Back! conveys the following news with great regret:
The whole world is watching
“Todo el mundo está viendo”
Locked Out Workers to be Paid
As reported by Fight Back News Service on March 20, workers in the Patient Access department at UIC were locked out of their workplace for wearing t-shirts that opposed a recent decision to nearly double their workloads.
On March 20, starting at 7:00 a.m., 44 customer service representatives began to arrive at the Patient Access department at the UIC (University of Illinois – Chicago) Medical Center wearing matching purple t-shirts. Printed on their shirts in bold letters was the slogan, “Quality for patients, not quantity of registrations.” On the left shoulder was an 8 with a circle and a slash through it.
An unfair labor practices charge against the University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC) has been filed with the Illinois Education Labor Relations Board. UIC is alleged to have targeted a member of SEIU Local 73 for possible elimination, in retaliation for his union activity.
Quad City Die Casting workers and their supporters marched and rallied here, June 11, in front of the office of Wells Fargo. They demanded that the bank restore the financing and save the 100 jobs of the Moline, Illinois company slated for closing on July 12. The Republic Window and Door workers were there in force to show support and pass on lessons learned in their battle with Bank of America . A national day of action has been called for Tuesday, June 23, where Wells Fargo will feel the pressure from all over as the campaign turns up the heat.
Meetings of the workers from the Patient Access call center at UIC Medical Center look like the waiting room of an Orthopedics clinic. Many of the workers are wearing carpal tunnel braces or their wrists show the scars of surgery.
“The blood of Gaza is on your hands!” was the chant that rang out in front of the Auditorium Theater here, Feb. 8. The 60 protesters called for boycotting the performance of the Israeli Batsheba Dance Company. The dance troop is touring the U.S. as goodwill ambassadors for the Zionist state. The invasion of Gaza, in which over 1300 Palestinians were killed, including over 300 children, has put the eyes of the world on Israel. Picketers also challenged the concert-goers, saying, “Don’t dance on Gaza’s graves!” The organizers, including the International Solidarity Movement and the Palestine Solidarity Group, vowed to continue and expand the “Boycott/Divest/Sanction” campaign.
#ChicagoIL #AntiwarMovement #News #Gaza #PalestineSolidarityGroup
Chicago, IL – Fifteen opponents of the Israeli siege on Gaza entered the Federal Building here, Jan. 16, and executed a sit-in at the offices of Senator Dick Durbin. Durbin had co-sponsored a resolution that gave the green light to Israel to continue the attack on Palestinians.