Workers Resistance

Author: Fight Back

  • Tampa students protest homophobic speaker

    Tampa, FL – On Oct. 7, members of Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) protested against Rosaria Butterfield, a self-described former “radical lesbian feminist turned pastor’s wife.” Butterfield now writes and gives lectures opposing homosexuality and advocating for evangelical Christianity. She believes that homosexuality is a sin and that her pride in being a lesbian was an even greater sin.

    During Butterfield’s speech at the University of South Florida (USF), nine students in the front row stood up, turned their backs to her, and revealed shirts that had pro-LGBTQ messages written on the front and back. The shirts had messages such as “Hate speech is not free speech” and “Rosaria Butterfield does not speak for us”. Under the watchful guard of Tampa Police, private security and USF administrators, the protesters stood for the entirety of her speech as onlookers took pictures and gave approval to the protest act. The protesters then silently filed out of the auditorium as Butterfield called on audience members to ask questions.

    During the question and answer session, support for LGBTQ students, faculty and staff, and the protesters was overwhelmingly. The glaring contradictions in Butterfield’s views were apparent as audience members questioned her on her stance that both homosexuality and homophobia are sins.

    After the lecture, SDS joined the PRIDE Alliance and progressive students and churches in a rally. Groups set up tables to show support for the LGBTQ community and progressive causes.

    Catherine Lim, a member of SDS, had this to say about the protest action, “We realized that we could not allow hate speech on our incredibly diverse campus. Forming a human chain of ‘love’ and turning our backs on hate sent the message that students will fight back against reactionary speech and confront bigotry directly.”

    Expressions of support for the protest from students, faculty, staff and community members continued for days afterward.

  • South Florida protest: ‘12 years too long, U.S. out of Afghanistan’

    Hollywood, FL – A group of anti-war activists gathered downtown here, to mark 12 years of U.S. war and occupation in Afghanistan. At the busy intersection of Young Circle Park, protesters held signs to remind the public that the U.S. is still waging war on the people of Afghanistan. People’s Opposition to War, Imperialism, and Racism (POWIR), a local anti-war group, organized the event.

    The activists braved the rain and winds to demand an end to U.S. occupation, the immediate return of all U.S. troops and an end to wasteful spending on U.S. wars. The organizers stressed that billions of taxpayer dollars are being spent on U.S. wars and occupations abroad, instead of on jobs, healthcare, and education at home.

    Signs read, “12 years too long, U.S. out of Afghanistan,” “War is not the answer,” “Fund our schools, not your wars” and “Honk for peace.” As cars and buses drove by, they honked in solidarity and the passersby walking in the park made peace signs in support and engaged in discussion. The protesters sang, “All we are saying is give peace a chance,” as they waved the banner and signs.

    Cassia Laham, lead organizer of POWIR, held 12 black balloons to mark the 12 terrible years endured by the Afghan people and for the lives lost in Afghanistan, including U.S. soldiers. She said in her speech, “Afghanistan and all other countries currently being occupied and dominated by the U.S. have the right to self-determination.”

    Sandy Davies from Progressive Democrats of America said, “It’s much easier to start a war than to end one. There are still more than 50,000 U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, and the U.S. has increased the number of air strikes and continues to attack the Afghan people.”

    Davies continued by stating how in 2013 alone, there have been over 2000 airstrikes in Afghanistan, which averages to about five to ten airstrikes per day.

    The Obama White House more than doubled the number of drones in the air and intensified attacks in Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan, killing hundreds of civilians, with drone attacks on weddings, funerals and family homes.

    The southern Florida protest was part of an international day of action opposing the war in Afghanistan.

  • With deportations approaching 2 million – Stop the deportations now!

    In the first four years of the Obama administration, there were as many deportations of undocumented immigrants as in the eight years of Bush. Deportations under Obama are now on track to hit 2 million by the end of this year.

    While the Obama administration claims that this crackdown is necessary to pass Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR), it is pretty clear that the bipartisan CIR is dead for now. There is no bipartisan House bill, with the Republicans who were working with Democrats on a bill backing out. The federal government is partially shut down – not Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) repression though – and the gap between the Democrats and Republicans has never been wider. With the upcoming debt ceiling limit looming, Washington D.C. is all about the budget, not immigration reform.

    The Obama administration is also claiming that it is focusing on criminals. But most of those deported have committed no crime. In addition, hundreds of thousands of undocumented parents of U.S. citizen children, and even more parents of undocumented children, have been deported, tearing apart families.

    ICE is also doing another round of workplace audits, the so-called ‘silent raids’ that can force the firing of thousands of undocumented workers. While they are not deported, they are driven further underground. Further, their chances of legalization under a future CIR bill could be harmed, in that the current CIR calls for a continuous work record, which won’t exist for undocumented forced to work totally off the books and under the table.

    There is a growing demand in the Chicano, Mexicano, Central American and Latino communities for the president to expand the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to all undocumented. Why is the government deporting people who might be eligible to legalize under a future immigration reform bill?

    Ultimately, what is needed is legalization for all undocumented. But with no legalization law on the horizon, partial steps such as Deferred Action would help the undocumented. They would be able to work legally and would not be subject to ICE raids. Deferred Action also doesn’t have all of the bad elements of the Senate CIR bill, which would further militarize the border, increase workplace repression, reduce family reunification and end the diversity visa program that brings in about half the immigrants from Africa.

    There are shortcomings to Deferred Action. While some states are trying to deny those receiving DACA driver’s licenses, many others would allow them to drive. Those on Deferred Action would still not eligible for Medicaid or federal subsidies for health insurance under the new Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). And of course there is always the possibility that a new administration would even target those on Deferred Action for future deportation.

    But by allowing the undocumented to come out of the shadows, they would not only benefit personally, but the movement would have a stronger basis to press for full legalization. The editors of Fight Back! support the growing demand for Deferred Action for All as a practical way to push back against the tsunami of deportations that is happening right now.

  • Commentary: Crisis of Monopoly Capitalism Dims Economic Future for Youth

    San José, CA – Four years after the Great Recession of 2007-2009 officially ended, millions of working people are being left behind by the expansion of the economy. While the stock market and corporate profits reached new highs, there are still millions of fewer jobs than before the recession began, and the official unemployment rate is closer to its recession high than the low before the recession. Things are bad.

    Students and Youth Hit Hard

    One of the groups hit hard by the economic crisis is college students and youth. The crisis led to class cuts and tuition hikes at public colleges and universities across the country. While the pace of budget cuts and tuition increases slowed with the economic expansion, they still continue today. One example is the growing threat to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), many of which are seeing dramatic and dangerous drops in enrollments because of cuts in federal student loan programs.

    Double Whammy

    Youth who do manage to graduate from college, which is taking longer and becoming more expensive than ever, face a double whammy. On one hand the economic crisis sped up the restructuring of the labor market. Over the last 30 years millions of manufacturing jobs were automated away, off-shored by multinational corporations, and/or workers’ wages and benefits were cut. Now, government is one of the last remaining sectors with decent paying jobs, benefits and union representation. However, this sector has been hit harder by the Great Recession of 2009 than any other recession since the 1930s. Hundreds of thousands of local and state jobs are being lost, while government workers face wage and pension cuts and loss of union protection. Republican politicians are taking away hard-earned bargaining rights in states like Wisconsin and Michigan.

    Restructuring Youth: Low-wage, Part-time and Temporary

    In addition to the loss of jobs that pay a living wage and benefits, more and more permanent, full-time jobs are being replaced by temporary and part-time jobs. Today about half of all recent college graduates are either unemployed or underemployed, with part-time or temporary jobs, many of which don’t even require a college degree.

    Skyrocketing Student Debt

    There is an explosion of student loan debt, which totals as much as $1.2 trillion. Student loan debt is now the largest form of consumer (non-mortgage) debt, about 40% of the total. Caught between rising tuition and the cost of living on one hand and stagnant grants and wages, college students and their families have been borrowing more and more to pay for college. This student debt is a growing burden on youth, especially those who were not able to graduate or find a full-time, permanent, decent paying job.

    Boom then Bust, Repeat

    The boom and bust cycle under capitalism is not an accident – it is part and parcel of a capitalist economy. Wages are pushed down to grow profits, and this limits workers ability to spend. Then the profits are reinvested in expanding production, thereby increasing the ability to produce more, but the workers cannot buy all that they produce, and a periodic crisis of overproduction, or what we call recessions occur.

    Crisis upon Crisis

    On top of this, the build up in debt and deregulation and expansion of the financial sector following the end of the post-World War II economic boom in the 1970s led to growing financial crisis in the U.S. From the Third World debt crisis and Savings and Loan crisis in the 1980s to the Asian Economic Crisis of the 1990s, and most recently to the financial crisis in 2008, these crises have grown and become a greater and greater threat to the economy as a whole.

    People Over Profits

    The government is turning away from stimulating the economy to policies of more and more austerity – higher taxes on working people and cuts to programs that serve the people. The spending cuts are really felt at the state and local levels, hurting education funding from Head Start through university level. With financial regulation blocked by the power of Wall Street, it is more and more clear that the government, along with both political parties, are bought and paid for by the rich. They offer no real hope for working people and college-aged youth. Only a socialist economy, one based on people’s needs and not profit, can offer an alternative of expanding access and affordability to higher education, while creating jobs that pay a living wage.

    Masao Suzuki teaches economics at a community college in California and is a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO).

  • Students mobilize for 8th annual Students for a Democratic Society National Convention

    Clarksville, TN – In less than one week, progressive students from throughout the country will attend the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) 8th annual National Convention, Oct. 11-13, at Austin Peay State University here. Featured at this year’s convention are Rebel Diaz, Sara Flounders and Kait McIntyre.

    SDS is the nation’s largest multi-issue student organization. Since its re-founding in 2006, SDS is broadly building the student left – helping to lead mass campaigns against tuition hikes, school privatizations, and student debt. SDS is the leading voice of the student movement against U.S. wars and occupations.

    Sara Flounders, anti-war activist and co-director of the International Action Center, will speak about the ongoing wars, occupations and so-called ‘humanitarian interventions’ of the U.S. government. Speaking with Flounders will be Kait McIntyre, an SDSer with the Chicago Anti-War Committee. McIntyre says about the convention, “As students, much of the technology utilized by the U.S. to further its wars and fuel the military-industrial complex begins at our college research institutions. I believe the SDS Convention will offer student organizers the tools to take back their campus and demand money for education and human needs, not war and destruction across the globe.”

    Rebel Diaz will perform at the convention as well as host a workshop on Saturday called “Hip Hop and Immigration.” Rebel Diaz is a politically-minded hip-hop group based out of South Bronx, New York. Their workshop will focus on the historic role of immigration, the criminalization of immigrants and youth of color, and hip-hop’s role and responsibility in defending immigrant rights. Rebel Diaz will perform at 8:00 p.m. on Oct. 12 in Clement Auditorium. Admission is free and it is open to the public.

    Other workshops will feature topics such as abortion rights, overcoming problems with organizing through student governments, revolutionary organizing in America’s heartland and the international student movement.

    Preston Gilmore, a Clarksville SDSer and lead organizer on the SDS National Working Committee explains, “The SDS National Convention is of huge importance to the student movement. It allows all of us to learn from each other’s experiences and gain knowledge about how to synchronize our campaigns and build a national movement that unites students across the country. We are in a historical period where atrocities are being committed not only abroad, but also right here at home. From the murder of Trayvon Martin to the threat of U.S. war with Syria, students and young people are looking at the world they will be inheriting and are rising up to fight back. The convention provides an opportunity for us to meet each other. We will come together to build a more powerful movement together.”

    The convention is free for everyone and is open to the public. Registration will begin at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 11 in the University Center on the Austin Peay State University campus with introductions from speakers and organizers beginning at 7:00 p.m. On Oct.12 the convention will open at 9:00 a.m. in the University Center ballroom and will run until 7:00 p.m. Rebel Diaz will perform at Saturday night in the Clement Auditorium. On Oct. 13, the convention runs from 10:00 a.m. until around 1:00 p.m.

  • Carlos Montes to speak in Milwaukee: building the fight for ‘Legalization for All!’

    Milwaukee, WI – The immigrant rights group Youth Empowered in the Struggle at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is finishing preparations on campus to host veteran Chicano activist Carlos Montes, who will be speaking here on Oct. 11.

    Montes will be speaking on a vital issue of the day – immigrant rights.

    Montes has a long history of activism, ranging from the fight for the Chicano self-determination, to the anti-war movement, to the battle to achieve full equality for the undocumented.

    He currently advocates for the legalization for all 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S., while at the same time opposing the increased militarization of the US-Mexico border and the implementation of another guest worker program, as proposed by the U.S. Senate immigration bill. The network Legalization for All (L4A) is the medium by which these demands are being expressed and fought for nationwide.

    The hopes for the passage of an immigration reform bill this year are small. The L4A Network recently released a statement demanding president Obama to provide relief to the 11 million undocumented with the implementation of a program similar to the 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which offered the chance for those who qualified the opportunity to obtain a work permit and protection from deportations.

    Montes’ visit to Milwaukee aims to gather immigrant rights proponents, Chicano activists and community members to fight for the demand of “Legalization for All.”

    Youth Empowered in the Struggle at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee started in the fall of 2011 as an immigrant rights group, and joined the L4A network in the early 2013.

  • Minneapolis neighbors block eviction

    Minneapolis, MN – On Oct. 8, 150 neighbors and community supporters successfully prevented the scheduled eviction of Jaymie Kelly, a Powderhorn community homeowner who has lived in her home for 30 years.

    Kelly, who has paid the value of her home five times over, was scheduled to be evicted by Freddie Mac and the Hennepin County sheriff’s department at 10:30 this morning, on her daughter Sinead’s 23rd birthday, but a rapid community response forced the sheriffs’ deputies to reschedule.

    “The government is shut down, but Freddie Mac evictions are still considered an essential service. But the power of community is too big to fail,” said Kelly. “Today’s blocked eviction is the greatest birthday present I could give my daughter. I am not moving, and my neighbors stand with me.”

    Freddie Mac, which operates under the federal agency FHFA, is continuing its evictions of Kelly and others in spite of the government shutdown.

    “Sheriff Stanek and the big banks don’t want to do their dirty work in front of 150 community members,” said Nick Espinosa, an organizer with Occupy Homes MN whose family successfully fought off foreclosure last year. “But we will be ready for them at any hour of the day or night. Jaymie’s not going anywhere, and neither are we.”

  • National liberation movements mourn passing of Vietnam’s General Giap

    Minneapolis, MN – National liberation movements around the world are morning the Oct. 4 passing of General Vo Nguyen Giap who, along with Ho Chi Minh, was one of the main leaders of Vietnam’s fight to free itself from Japanese, French and finally U.S. domination.

    Describing General Giap as a “warrior of the twentieth century, architect of the future,” the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) stated, “Japan, France and the United States, three of the strongest powers in human history, fell successively, humiliated before his military and political genius.”

    A statement from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) said “Giap was the first military commander to defeat a Western colonial power in Asia, and his legacy is renowned not only by the Vietnamese people but by all peoples around the world and all movements for liberation from colonialism and imperialism.”

    The Communist Party of the Philippines, summed up some of the lessons of Giap’s efforts, stating, “Comrade Giap led the Vietnamese People’s Army in the historic Battle of Dien Bien Phu, the center of French military power in Indochina. Here, the Vietnamese people demonstrated how they could defeat a more modern army through the use of guerrilla tactics. They marched in their thousands to build hidden trails, dug hundreds of kilometers of trenches, dismantled their cannons and artillery and manually pulled them up to high mountain ridges in order to quietly encircle the overly confident French troops. They launched a blitzkrieg attack against the French military base and after 55 days of fighting, forced the complete surrender of the French colonialists on May 7, 1954.”

    The Communist Party of the Philippines also stated, “The lessons of the Vietnamese people’s war of resistance continue to illumine people’s wars around the world, including that being waged by the Filipino people through the New People’s Army. The military writings of Comrade Giap, especially in waging guerrilla warfare, have been translated into Pilipino and other local languages, enabling Filipino revolutionaries to study the lessons of the people’s war in Vietnam.”

  • National liberation movements mourn passing of Vietnam’s General Giap

    Minneapolis, MN – National liberation movements around the world are morning the Oct. 4 passing of General Vo Nguyen Giap who, along with Ho Chi Minh, was one of the main leaders of Vietnam’s fight to free itself from Japanese, French and finally U.S. domination.

    Describing General Giap as a “warrior of the twentieth century, architect of the future,” the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) stated, “Japan, France and the United States, three of the strongest powers in human history, fell successively, humiliated before his military and political genius.”

    A statement from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) said “Giap was the first military commander to defeat a Western colonial power in Asia, and his legacy is renowned not only by the Vietnamese people but by all peoples around the world and all movements for liberation from colonialism and imperialism.”

    The Communist Party of the Philippines, summed up some of the lessons of Giap’s efforts, stating, “Comrade Giap led the Vietnamese People’s Army in the historic Battle of Dien Bien Phu, the center of French military power in Indochina. Here, the Vietnamese people demonstrated how they could defeat a more modern army through the use of guerrilla tactics. They marched in their thousands to build hidden trails, dug hundreds of kilometers of trenches, dismantled their cannons and artillery and manually pulled them up to high mountain ridges in order to quietly encircle the overly confident French troops. They launched a blitzkrieg attack against the French military base and after 55 days of fighting, forced the complete surrender of the French colonialists on May 7, 1954.”

    The Communist Party of the Philippines also stated, “The lessons of the Vietnamese people’s war of resistance continue to illumine people’s wars around the world, including that being waged by the Filipino people through the New People’s Army. The military writings of Comrade Giap, especially in waging guerrilla warfare, have been translated into Pilipino and other local languages, enabling Filipino revolutionaries to study the lessons of the people’s war in Vietnam.”

  • Anti-war protest on 12-year anniversary of war on Afghanistan

    Minneapolis, MN – To mark 12 years since the start of the U.S. war in Afghanistan, 50 people joined a Minneapolis anti-war protest on Oct. 5.

    The protest was called by the Minnesota Peace Action Coalition (MPAC). MPAC organized the protest under the call of “Say no to war! U.S. troops and drones out of Afghanistan now; no U.S. military intervention in Syria; stop government spying and attacks on civil liberties; people need housing and jobs, not war.”

    The protest took place along the sidewalks of the very busy Hiawatha Avenue and Lake Street intersection. A large number of people driving by honked their car horns and waved in support of the anti-war message. One participant said the majority of the cars passing had people honking, waving or showing some sign of support.

    A statement issued by organizers says in part, “The U.S. has been at war continuously for 12 years: Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, the drone wars in Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia. Now the Obama administration is proposing yet another military intervention, this time in Syria. At the same time, plans are being made to leave thousands of U.S. troops in Afghanistan for years to come. The Oct. 5 protest marks 12 years of war with a call for an end to U.S. wars and interventions.”

    Meredith Aby-Keirstead , a member of the Anti-War Committee spoke at the demonstration. She said, “President Obama keeps promising to the American people that the war in Afghanistan is winding down…with Afghanistan making an agreement that would continue a strong U.S. presence but also gives them immunity for their war crimes – including for drone attacks and night raids. Does that sound like an end to the U.S. war in Afghanistan? No.”

    The Oct. 5 Minneapolis protest was endorsed by AFSCME Local 3800, Anti-War Committee, Coalition for Palestinian Rights, Committee to Stop FBI Repression, Communities United Against Police Brutality, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Libertarian Party, Mayday Books, Military Families Speak Out (MN chapter), Minnesota Alliance of Peacemakers, Minnesota Cuba Committee, Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Coalition, Pakistan Trade Union Defense Campaign, Peace and Justice Committee of Sacred Heart Catholic Church (St. Paul), Socialist Action, St. Paul Eastside Neighbors for Peace, Students for a Democratic Society, Twin Cities Peace Campaign, Veterans For Peace (Chapter 27), Welfare Rights Committee, Women Against Military Madness and the Workers International League.