fight back! · oppose capitalism and imperialism - women who are revolutionaries and socialists....
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One year ago Chicanos, Mexicanosand Central Americans celebrated theend of the eight years of Bush admin-istration. In addition to launching twowars and ushering in the greatestfinancial crisis since the GreatDepression, the Bush administrationstepped up repression against immi-grants. Raids and deportations ofworkers by the Immigration andCustoms Enforcement (ICE) doubled,redoubled and then doubled againunder Bush. The Bush administrationimplemented the notorious 287(g) pro-gram, where ICE teamed up with localpolice and sheriffs allowed racists suchas Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio to harassChicanos, Mexicanos and CentralAmericans. The October 2006 “SecureFence Act” stepped up the militariza-tion of the U.S.-Mexico border, con-tributing to the deaths of more andmore immigrants trying to enter theUnited States.
In December of 2005, the House ofRepresentatives passed theRepublican-backed HR 4437 thatwould have further criminalized theundocumented. In response, theChicano, Mexicano and CentralAmerican communities erupted in
Washington, D.C. - An estimated200,000 immigrants and their support-ers gathered here, March 21 in thelargest demonstration for immigrantrights in recent years. The mainlyLatino protesters filled more than threeblocks of the national mall. There wastremendous excitement and energyamong the protesters, who were unitedin demanding legalization for all work-ers and an end to deportations andraids. Many protesters brought hand-made signs and banners that expressedtheir frustration with immigration poli-cies.
The massive outpouring of support forthe rights of undocumented workersbrought together people from acrossthe country. Scores of buses came fromChicago, including a contingent fromTeamsters Local 743. Hundreds of stu-dents with Movimiento EstudiantilChicano de Aztlán (MEChA) joinedthe rally. A popular chant was“¡Obama, escucha, el pueblo esta inlucha!” (Obama, listen, the people arein the struggle!)
Commenting on the protest, veteranChicano activist Carlos Montes stated,“The rally is important because itdraws attention to the increased suffer-ing of the millions of immigrants,especially those from Mexico andCentral America. It comes at an impor-tant time where immigration reformlegislation is being discussed in theU.S. Congress. The rally puts pressureon President Obama and the U.S.Congress to take action now - thisspring - we cannot wait another year.”
massive protests in March of 2006,another example of their aspirationsfor equality. These street protestsswelled into the millions on May 1,2006 in Los Angeles, San José, SanDiego, Chicago, Milwaukee and inalmost every major city and in manysmaller cities across the country. Theseprotests demanded legalization for theundocumented, an end to raids anddeportations, stopping the
militarization of the border and oppo-sition to any guest worker program.Chicanos, Mexicanos and CentralAmericans made up the vast majorityof protesters, as the struggle for legal-
ization is part of theChicano people’s longstruggle for equality andself-determination. Theywere joined by signifi-cant numbers of otherLatinos and labor unions,as well as African, Araband Asian Americans andothers whose communi-ties had large numbers ofimmigrants.
The politicians respondedto these protests in twoways. In the House ofRepresentatives, IllinoisDemocrat Luis Gutierrezand Arizona RepublicanJeff Flake teamed up tosubmit the STRIVE act.STRIVE was a combina-tion of good (expandinglegal immigration) and
bad (more criminalization of theundocumented) policy. On the keyissue of legalization, it had too manybarriers. The Senate ImmigrationReform Act, largely written byMassachusetts Democrat Ted Kennedyand Arizona Republicans John McCainand John Kyl and backed by PresidentBush, was even worse. The
Fight for Immigrant Rights
Legalization Now!By staff
Change, continued on page 8
MMaayy 22001100 VVooll.. 1133 NNoo.. 22
FIGHT BACK!News and Views from the People’s Strugglewww.fightbacknews.org 50 cents
Immigrant rights struggles across the country demand, “Legalization now!”
The Fight for Immigrant Rights in 2010:Year One of the New AdministrationSaw Change but not Progress
Fight Back! Commentary
Banner at the march for immigrant rights inWashington D.C. on March 21. No deportations!
Chicago: GEOclaims victory
Page 3
Kidd Fights forHomePage 3
INSIDE
This newspaper exists to buildthe people’s struggle! We pro-vide coverage and analysis ofsome of the key battles facingworking and low-income peo-ple.
We are not ‘neutral’ or ‘even-handed’ in our coverage. Weare opposed to exploitation,discrimination and oppression.We hold that the rich class ofpeople, who run the economyand government of this coun-try, are unfit to rule. We sup-port all movements that chal-lenge their power and privi-lege.
The writers and staff of FightBack! are activists and organiz-ers - in the trade unions, low-income community, oppressed
nationality movements, on thecampuses and in other peo-ple’s movements. We welcomearticles, letters, comments andcriticisms. Some of us work-ing to put out this paper aremembers of Freedom RoadSocialist Organization.Articles represent the views ofthe people and organizationsthat author them.
For the time being, FightBack! is being published fivetimes a year
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Minneapolis, MN - 50 people gath-ered here March 7, to celebrateInternational Women’s Day. The event,organized by Freedom Road SocialistOrganization (FRSO), includedspeeches, a showing of the film TheEyes of the Rainbow - a documentaryabout Assata Shakur - and brief toastsfrom trade union, anti-war, student andwelfare rights organizers.
Leaders of FRSO and the FMLNCommittee of Minnesota spoke at theprogram.
Angella Kahn, a member of FreedomRoad Socialist Organization and theWelfare Rights Committee, welcomedpeople to the event, noting the greatcontributions women have made to thepeople’s struggle.
Jess Sundin, of FRSO stated,“International Women’s Day is a dayto stand up and fight back, to demandfull equality in society, and to take ourplace in the forefront of people’s strug-gles. On International Women’s Daywe should raise the special demands ofwomen for equality in society and thedemands of work-class women andwomen of color must be at the center
of our agenda. At the same time,International Women’s Day should cel-ebrate the special contributions ofwomen to the people’s struggles on allfronts. We make up half of the popula-tion. Society can’t be transformedwithout the full participation and lead-ership all working-class women.”
Sundin continued, “The histories ofclass and national liberation strugglesare the histories of women. Womenwho have fought not only to improvetheir own lives for today, but alsooppose capitalism and imperialism -women who are revolutionaries andsocialists. Many have been brutallyrepressed by the powerful. They’vepaid with their lives and their free-doms. It should not be a crime for awoman to stand up and fight. This iswhy the international communistmovement, 100 years ago, did not hes-itate to create an international holidayto recognize our place in the people’sstruggles.”
Sundin concluded, “We will fight notonly for our class, and for the libera-tion of oppressed peoples and nations,but also for real equality for women,both within our movements and insociety at large. Long liveInternational Women’s Day!”
Dear Readers:
On May Day, demonstrations will takeplace across the country demanding“Legalization now” for undocumentedworkers. Thousands of issues of FightBack! will be distributed at thoseprotests. Each edition of this newspa-per is goes out to workplaces, commu-nities and campuses all over the coun-try. Almost every month, activists stepforward to begin the distribution ofFight Back! in a city where it has notbeen circulated before.
We want to do more of this, and to doso, we could use your help. Shipping,printing and mailing all cost money.By contributing to our May Dayfundraising drive you can join us in theeffort to make sure that Fight Back!gets into the hands of workers who arewalking the picket lines in Alabama orChicago, who are marching for immi-grants rights in LA, or standing up topolice brutality in Florida.
Every issue of this newspaper bringsyou coverage from the front lines of
International Women’s DayCelebrated in Minneapolis
FIGHT BACK! MAY 2010 PAGE 2
the people’s struggle. Our reporters arenot sitting on the sidelines waiting forthings to happen. And we promise theyare not neutral or unbiased. Thereporters and staff of Fight Back! arethe ones who organize demonstrationsand help lead strikes and protests. Allof them are biased - towards you. Theyare part of the movements of workingand oppressed people and they doeverything they can to oppose the richand powerful that run this country. Andthis shows up in the perspective fromwhich they write.
In addition to the print edition of FightBack!, we have an online edition that isupdated on a nearly daily basis. Wehope all of our readers check this outand we hope all of you send some cashour way.
Together, we can reach more peoplewith a message of struggle.
Sincerely,
Mick KellyFor the editors and staff of Fight Back!
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Jess Sundin speaks at Minneapolis International Womens Day event.
By staff
St. Paul, MN - About 100 people gath-ered here Feb. 4 on the steps of theMinnesota State Capitol for a protestthat coincided with the opening of theMinnesota State Legislature. TheMinnesota Coalition for a People’sBailout organized the protest. Standingat the top of a giant banner reading,“Tax the rich, no cuts to poor andworking people,” Angel Buechner ofthe Welfare Rights Committee led thechant, “Hey politicians, here’s the fix -tax the rich! Tax the rich!”
Linden Gawboy, of the MinnesotaCoalition for a People’s Bailout, gavethe first speech, stating, “The MNCoalition for a People’s Bailout haslegislation for a People’s Agenda. Wedemand jobs or income now. If thisstate does not do the right thing andgive us jobs - we need income. Wewant unemployment benefitsextended. We want a moratorium onthe five-year limit on welfare. We wantthe creation of a public works programto put people to work now. We call forno layoffs, no furloughs and no attackson wages, for state and University ofMinnesota workers and for all work-ers. Now is the time to be protectingjobs, instead of putting more people inthe unemployment lines.”
She continued, “We are sick of seeingdestruction that foreclosures and evic-tions cause in our communities. Wecall for a moratorium on home foreclo-sures and on evictions from foreclosedproperties.” Many participants at therally held signs calling for a moratori-um on foreclosures and evictions.
Mick Kelly, of the MinnesotaCoalition for a Peoples Bailout said,“The economic crisis continues to hitpoor and working people hard. Everymonth more jobs are lost andmore homes hover on the brink offoreclosure. We are bringing themessage to the politicians at the capitolthat this is an emergency and some-thing has to be done.”He continued, “The rally is in support
of House File 2604, which will place amoratorium on foreclosures and evic-tions of renters from foreclosed prop-erties while the economic crisis is stillhitting so many families.” BothHF2604 and its senate companion,SF2242 were introduced Feb. 4.
Charlene Wilford of the WelfareRights Committee told the crowd, “Tothose politicians who just don’t get it,we say, ‘Get out here.’ Talk to themoms who have been surviving on$437 per month. Talk to thehomeowners who have given theirblood, sweat and tears over the years,only to find themselves facing foreclo-sures by greedy banks. Talk to familieswhose unemployment insurance andwelfare have hit their time limits.” TheWelfare Rights Committee and theCoalition are promoting legislationthat will place a moratorium on thefive-year time limit on public assis-tance.
Trade unionists played a big role in therally. Phyllis Walker, the president ofAFSCME 3800 said, “We need toextend unemployment insurance inMinnesota. The homes of many of ourunion members are in jeopardybecause their spouse is out of work andthey cannot keep up the mortgagewithout unemployment payments.”Nearby, members of her local held theunion’s banner.
Other labor leaders speaking at therally included Bernie Hess, of theUnited Food and Commercial Workersand representatives of the SEIU Local26, whose janitors had recently autho-rized a strike.
Other speakers included representa-tives from the coalition’s youth, stu-dent, tenant, anti-war and immigrantrights member groups.
Deb Konechne of the MinnesotaCoalition for a Peoples Bailout saysthat the coalition will undertake all-outmobilizations to fight for justice at thecapitol this legislative session.
Gemmel, communications officer forthe GEO.
Fight Back!: Why was the GEOpreparing to strike?
Gina Gemmel: We were preparing tostrike because the UIC administrationhad not guaranteed tuition waivers forgraduate employees. The proposal wehad received from them would haveallowed individual departments to settuition waiver policy, which wouldopen up the possibility of departmentsgranting only partial waivers orwaivers only to certain types of stu-dents. We wanted to ensure that every
FIGHT BACK! MAY 2010 PAGE 3
On April 5, the members of theGraduate Employees Organization(GEO) at the University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC) prepared for a strike.Their bargaining committee went infor a last-ditch session with a federalmediator and the team from manage-ment. After 13 hours at the table, theGEO scored a significant victory,emerging with a tentative agreementthat protects tuition waivers andincreases job security. They also wontwo years of raises to their minimumstipends and an increase in the univer-sity’s contribution for health insurance.
Fight Back! caught up with Gina
UIC GEO scores victory
By Joe Iosbaker
UIC GEO, continued on page 4
Opening day of MN Legislature:Protest Demands Tax theRich, No Cutbacks,Foreclosure MoratoriumBy staff
Minneapolis, MN - Friends, neigh-bors and other supporters joined theMinnesota Coalition for a People'sBailout at the home of Michael Kidd,April 9. Kidd has been fighting to keephis home for over a year. He has hadenough of the mortgage servicer,Aurora Loan Services, stalling, chang-ing terms, 'forgetting' about past agree-ments and items faxed and mailed sev-eral times and apparently refusing tonegotiate in good faith.
Michael Kidd is an independenttrucker. In 2004 he put down $45,000cash and got a regular, fixed-rate mort-gage. Because of the recession,his trucking business slowed. Lastyear, he tried to renegotiate the termsof his mortgage so his payments wouldbe more affordable - with the expecta-tion, based on the terms of the federalHome Affordable ModificationProgram (HAMP), that the home'scurrent value to be taken into account.
In 2004, when Kidd bought the house,it was valued at $190,000. Now itis valued between $65,000 and$90,000. Aurora, in direct contradic-tion the federal HAMP program, is notoffering to refinance the home at its‘net present value.’
Mick Kelly, of the MinnesotaCoalition for a People's Bailout, puts itbluntly: “Michael Kidd is beingrobbed. Aurora is pressuring himinto taking a bogus deal thatonly makes Aurora richer. They arebasically turning his house into anATM for the banks.”
Michael Kidd and many otherswho have lost homes on the north andsouth sides of Minneapolis are exam-ples of the racial disparities in homeforeclosures and remodifications. Asan African American born and raisedin North Minneapolis, Kidd says hecould have moved away, but chose tostay and build his community. “I amnot just speaking for me, but for thou-sands in my situation,” said Mr. Kidd.“There are empty homes all aroundthis neighborhood. We don't need anymore.”
The Minnesota Coalition for a People'sBailout joins Michael Kidd in demand-ing that Aurora come to the table, fol-low the rules of the HAMP programand renegotiate the mortgage at thehome's current value.
“Give Mr. Kidd a deal he can afford,”says a statement from the MinnesotaCoalition for a People's Bailout for aPeoples Bailout.
By staff
Stop Foreclosures:Fight begins to get‘Justice for Michael Kidd’
Press conference at Michael Kidd’s home demands Aurora Loan Servicenegotiate.
“Tax the rich, stop cuts to poor and working people” reads a banner onthe opening day of Minnesota’s legislative session.
Fight Back! photo by Kim Defranco
graduate employee currently receivinga waiver would continue to receive oneso they would be able to finish theirdegrees at UIC.
We were also concerned about skyrock-eting tuition differential fees. Thesefees vary in amount, in some casesreaching up to $11,000 per year. Weknew that a big, visible action like astrike was one of the best ways to makethe university hear our voices.
Fight Back!: What had been done toprepare for the strike?
Gemmel: Throughout the year, theGEO has held events to both send amessage to the administration about theissues we care about and to get ourmembership involved in the fight. Twoof our biggest events were a work-in onthe ground floor of University Hall inDecember and a rally with SEIU mem-bers and other members of the UICcommunity in January.
In order to prepare concretely for thestrike, the GEO spent time visiting gradstudents in departments all over cam-pus to explain the issues and listen totheir thoughts on a potential strike. Weprepared logistically with picket lineschedules and by training GEO mem-bers to be picket line captains. Finally,we made our intention to strike if wewere not able to settle our contract inmediation known to the campus com-munity through our “Ready to Strike”posters and buttons, with which ourmembership flooded the UIC campus.
Fight Back!: What are the key parts ofthe agreement?
Gemmel: The key parts of the agree-ment are the guarantee of our tuitionwaivers and language that will allowfor more transparency in tuition differ-
Tuscaloosa, AL - After a week in andout of work and negotiations, CrimsonRide bus drivers at the University ofAlabama have successfully achievedtheir first contract with First Transit.The agreement was reached at approx-imately 2:30 a.m. on March 8, afterseveral hours at the bargaining table.The negotiating process stalled severaltimes, which led to the Crimson Ridedrivers’ strike on March 1. After a fewhours on the picket line, First Transitagreed to come back to the table, butonce again these negotiations wentnowhere. On March 7, they returned tothe table once more, threatening thedrivers with a lockout and scab buses ifno agreement was reached.
Mario Harmon, ATU Local 1208Financial Secretary, said that the dri-vers would vote on the contract theevening of March 8. “It’s a good firstcontract and it improves our situation agreat deal. There are some things wewant to work toward in future con-
FIGHT BACK! MAY 2010 PAGE 4
St. Paul, MN - Tombstones and bodiesfilled the halls outside the Governor’soffice here, March 23, as participantsin a ‘die-in’ demonstrated against theeffects of Governor Pawlenty’s pro-posed cuts in health and human ser-vices. Members of the Welfare RightsCommittee and the MinnesotaCoalition for a Peoples Bailout, alongwith other social justice groups, joinedthe protest.
Joanne Gonzalez and Angel Buechnerspoke at the press conference beforethe action, explaining the potentialdevastation of Pawlenty’s cuts andspoke out against further cuts that arebeing proposed by Democrats in theHouse of Representatives.
According to Kim DeFranco, of theWelfare Rights Committee,
By Jenae Stainer
“Pawlenty’s proposed budget cuts arethe most hurtful, illogical, inhumaneand criminal to date. If these cuts arepassed in this 2010 legislative session,it would bring more harm and devasta-tion to many families that are alreadystruggling. As we continue face severeeconomic crisis, there is a need morethan ever for the very programs thatPawlenty is proposing to cut! Pawlentyis leaving office, but first he is trying tosink Minnesota.”
While the event started as a die-in, itsoon morphed into loud and defiantchanting and drumming. For nearly 30minutes, the capitol building rangwith, “Hey hey! Ho ho! Pawlenty’scuts have got to go!” Security guardseventually shut the doors to thegovernor’s reception room, only tohave to witness dozens of tombstone-shaped signs that protesters pushedunderneath the door.
‘These cuts would kill’Die-in at MN GovernorPawlenty’s office
‘The most powerful tool wehave is collective action’
ential policy. We now have a guaranteethat graduate employees will not be sur-prised by any reductions or cuts to theirexisting tuition waiver benefits, withoutwhich, in most cases, students wouldnot be able to afford graduate study. Wehave also received a guarantee in ourcontract that the university will discusstuition differential fees with the GEO,answering questions that have previ-ously been ignored, such as where themoney from these fees goes and whoexactly determines their implementa-tion and increases.
Other important agreements includedguarantees that graduate employeeswould be paid on time, greater jobsecurity through stronger languageregarding appointment and re-appoint-ment criteria, a 2% increase to the min-imum stipend in the 2010-2011 and2011-2010 academic years, and anincrease in the university contributionto health care costs from $100 to $250per year.
Fight Back!: What are the lessons forthe other workers on campus?
Gemmel: The biggest lesson from ouryear-long fight for a fair contract is thatthe most powerful tool we have to makesure workers are protected is collectiveaction. The most movement we saw atthe bargaining table happened in themediation session after the universityreceived our intent to strike notice, andof course, we were able to get our con-tract settled after our massive rally out-side the site of mediation last Monday.When the university knows that we cancollectively act to disrupt normal oper-ations, they are compelled to listen.
The GEO’s slogan is “UIC worksbecause we do,” and this slogan canreally be applied to workers all overcampus. When we show the adminis-tration how essential we are to the suc-cess of UIC, they must listen.
Tuscaloosa Crimson Ride Drivers on the picket line. Getting a first contract can be areal battle anywhere. It is especially hard in the anti-union South.
Tuscaloosa:Crimson Ride bus drivers get firstcontract tracts, but this is a good
contract,” he said. He men-tioned that their main prior-ities were to improve thedrivers’ wages as well asprovide them with a justcause clause to give themmore job security.
Leading up to the strike,Students for a DemocraticSociety in Tuscaloosa andthe Network to Fight forEconomic Justice have sup-ported the drivers. Therewas a successful call-in dayto university president Dr.Witt on Feb. 17 demandingthat the school put pressureon First Transit to providethe drivers with a fair con-tract. Since then they havecontinued to call in, andstudents have offered on-the-ground support throughflyering on campus, hold-ing a rally and joining thedrivers on their early morn-ing picket line.
UIC Geo, continued from page 3
By staff
Die-in at the State Capitol to protest devastating cuts to low-incomeMinnesotans.
Fight Back! photo by Kim Defranco
while driving, and since they don’thave a license they get their carimpounded and have to pay a huge fineto get it back. They also get a ticket,and sometimes are taken to jail. Themajority of immigrants work far awayso if they lose their car they can’t get towork and also lose their job. Peopledrive with the constant fear of losingtheir car, or of getting taking to jail andhaving their family separated.”
Immigrant workers in the Twin Citiesare largely forced to drive to workbecause many work evening andovernight shift jobs, when there are nobuses or trains running. Many immi-grants also work in suburbs that aren’taccessible by public transit in jobs likeconstruction, hotels, restaurants, officeand retail cleaning, warehouses andsmall factories. Additionally, the num-ber of immigrants living in greaterMinnesota in smaller towns has sky-rocketed. Many small towns have littleor no public transit, forcing immi-grants who live in greater Minnesota todrive to get to work too.
Democratic Society (SDS) led thecampus action. Beginning with a rallyand speakers at Turlington Plaza, themass of protesters marched throughcampus to the Board of Trustees in theEmerson Hall Alumni Building. TheBoard of Trustees governs the entireuniversity. Since the building wasclosed to the public, the protesterspulled the doors open, pushed pastsecurity and took over the building.
They presented the board with a list ofdemands, including dropping allcharges against Kofi Adu-Brempong.The other important demand is the fir-ing of Keith Smith, the officer whoshot Kofi in the face. In 2008, KeithSmith was given a verbal warning forthrowing eggs and harassing AfricanAmericans in the local community.
As the students settled in, waiting tosee how the Board of Trustees would
Saint Paul, MN - The struggle forimmigrants to be able to get driverslicenses in Minnesota is gaining steam.The group leading the struggle isMujeres en Liderazgo (Women inLeadership), a grassroots group ofLatina immigrant women. They wantthe Minnesota legislature to allow any-one who lives in Minnesota to get adrivers license, regardless of theirimmigration status.
A bill has been introduced in the statelegislature, House File 1718, whichwill have its first hearing on March 10.Mujeres en Liderazgo has built a coali-tion to support the bill, along with var-ious other immigrant rights activistsand supporters. They are mobilizing togo the capitol to show the massivecommunity support for the bill at theMarch 10 hearing.
According to Jovita, an organizer ofMujeres en Liderazgo and also a mem-ber of the Minnesota Immigrant RightsAction Coalition (MIRAc), “We areorganizing for drivers licenses becauseit’s an important need for our commu-nity. When we started, we did a surveyin the community and the majority ofpeople said this was a big need. Somany people are stopped by the police
FIGHT BACK! MAY 2010 PAGE 5
Gainesville, FL - Over 400 angry pro-testers - a coalition of students, localresidents and university professors -rallied and marched, March 16, toprotest the racist police shooting ofKofi Adu-Brempong.
Adu-Brempong is an internationalgraduate student from Ghana who wasshot in the face by a University ofFlorida policeman. After receiving acall from a neighbor concerned thatAdu-Brempong was screaming, dueto stress over his studies and hisimmigration status, campus policestormed his apartment, tased him threetimes and then shot him in the facewith an assault rifle.
To add to the outrage, the Universityof Florida police charged him witha felony for ‘resisting arrestwith violence.’Gainesville Area Students for a
Gainesville SDS leads demonstration demanding justice for Kofi Adu-Brempong, who was shot in the face by campus police.
By Brad Sigal
Selma, AL - Thousands gathered here,Sunday, March 7, to commemoratethe 45th anniversary of the 1965Bloody Sunday civil rightsmarch - during which women and chil-dren crossed over the Edmund Pettusbridge and were brutally attackedby police.
Jesse Jackson was among this year’s
speakers. He pointedout to the crowd thatwhile the banks got abailout, it is Alabamathat needs a bailout.
Leaflets supportingthe struggle ofTuscaloosa’s CrimsonRide drivers werewarmly received bythe participants.
By staff
Justice for Kofi!Gainesville students protest police shooting
Racial profiling and discriminationmakes the situation worse. Policefrequently pull over Latino driversbecause of racial profiling, not becausethey’ve done anything wrong.According to an ACLU report, astatewide racial profiling studycommissioned by the Minnesota legis-lature “found significant evidence ofracial profiling in traffic stopsacross the state. According to thestudy, African American, Latinoand American Indian drivers wereall stopped and searched by lawenforcement at greater rates thanwhite drivers, though contrabandwas found more frequently amongwhite drivers.”
States are not forced to restrictdrivers licenses to only U.S. citizensby federal law; each state sets itsown policies for issuing driverslicenses. A number of states onlyrequire proof that the individuallives in the state to get a driverslicense. Immigrants who drivewithout a drivers license have not had
the opportunity to take the drivers testand officially learn the rules of theroad in the state. And without a driverslicense they can’t get car insuranceeither.
The House hearing for the driverslicense bill on March 10 is the first stepthe drivers license bill takes towardbecoming state law. It faces manymore obstacles because powerfulpoliticians in the state oppose anyimmigrant rights proposal. ButMujeres en Liderazgo is committedto continuing the struggle untilvictory. According to Jovita, “We willdo it. We have to keep pressuring thelegislators, keep struggling. There areexamples that have passed here likethe separation ordinance. And there isthe struggle for the Dream Act too, andother fights for equality that have goneon for years. We will see change.”
To find out more about the ‘DriversLicenses for All’ campaign, see theMIRAc website: http://mirac1.word-press.com
Immigrants in Minnesota fightfor right to a drivers license
Adu-Brempong, continued on page 9
Selma, Alabama1965 Bloody SundayMarch commemorated
By Jared Hamil
Thousands of students, workers andfaculty at over 100 campuses in at least39 states participated in a national day
of action on March 4. One demand wasthat administrators and chancellorsmust quit raising tuition and fees.Another demand was that these admin-istrators cut the salaries of the highest-paid administrators instead of the low-est-paid staffers on campus. Many ofthe protests opposed layoffs. Actionsranged from walkouts and marches, tooccupations and shutdowns, to teach-ins and movie showings.
At the University of California-LosAngeles, where cuts have been espe-cially severe, over 300 students stageda sit-in at the administration building,where the chancellor refused to comeout and meet with the protesters. EricGardner from UCLA Students for aDemocratic Society (SDS) said duringthe protest, “We don’t accept theexplanation that their hands are tied bythe crisis. There are a lot of things theycan do right now to alleviate the situa-tion for students and workers, but theyrefuse - so we are confronting themand will continue to do so, today and inthe future. Our struggle is not over yet.We make this university run, so theycannot ignore us for long.”
Charla Schlueter from UCLA SDSreported from the protest. “Five hourslater, students are still here protestingthe cuts with spirit. Later tonight, therewill be a march with both UCLA andhigh school students demanding anend to the furloughs, and no more pinkslips for high school teachers [who areexpecting 5000 more pink slips thisspring]. This whole day has beenincredible - I have never seen so muchunity amongst students, workers andprofessors working together to defend
public education. Professors havebrought their classes to the protests,people have been bringing food atwater, workers have been taking theirfurlough days to protest.”
Schlueter continued, “The most inspir-ing moment to me was when a groupof visiting grade school kids came tothe protest and talked about hownobody in their family has had theopportunity to attend college. That’swhen I realized that if we don’t fightthis now, then those children mightnever get that opportunity.”
Protests happened across California.At UC-Davis, police were firing rub-ber bullets into the ground as studentstried to take over Interstate 80 in a dra-matic effort to force the administrationto listen to their demands. UC-Berkeley had a rally of hundreds andblocked the campus’s main gates.Students at UC-Santa Cruz held a day-long strike, blocking intersectionsstarting at 5:00 a.m. and shutting downthe university for the day. Studentsheld a rally chanting, “Whose universi-ty? Our university!”
At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, a peaceful speak-out andmarch to the chancellor’s office endedwith the police arresting 18 people,including the student body presidentand a member of the press. 16 of thosewere later charged. Police were over-heard saying, “Let’s go arrest somehippies,” and demanding that protest-ers put away cameras and video equip-ment.
Rachel Matteson, an SDS member anda leader of the UWM march, was oneof the arrested students. She said of theprotest, “All of the arrests were com-pletely unjust and unnecessarily force-ful. I was pepper-sprayed in the mouthand kicked repeatedly in the shins
before being arrested - my throat is stillburning hours later. However, all thearrested students were in high spiritsand chanting in our cells. Everybodyhere is ready to come to the nextprotest, because this fight is not over. Iam proud to have been arrested forstanding up for our right to education.”
Students at Syracuse University inNew York held a sit-in at Bird Libraryto demand an end to cuts in workers’benefits and a tuition freeze. Theyhave more than 1000 signatures on apetition they are going to present toadministrators. SDS member MarielFiedler says, “We figured we would dosomething at the library because wesaw it as symbolic and action-oriented.The sit-in is the culmination of every-thing.”
In Maryland, over 700 students, most-ly high-school students, marched to ajuvenile detention center, stopping atthe state school board where more stu-
dents joined to rally with them.Students demanded the state divert$100 million from the juvenile deten-tion center to education-based jobs.Once at the detention center, 15 youthsand adult allies initiated an occupationof the building that lasted for over anhour. Activist Chris Goodman from theBaltimore Algebra Project said that hewas excited about the protest and the
amount of people there, and is lookingforward to next steps to pressureGovernor O’Malley to invest in stu-dents and young people.
Steph Taylor from the University ofMinnesota SDS said about theirprotest, “Over 400 students, staff andfaculty rallied at the University ofMinnesota demanding the administra-tion take a pay cut before laying offthousands of workers, forcing fur-loughs on faculty and staff or raisingstudents’ already inflated tuition andfees. After the rally SDS led the mass-es into the student union and out intothe streets chanting, ‘Fund education,not administration!’ The University’sregents will be meeting next week todiscuss the state of the university inthis trying economic time and SDSplans to be there with our banners andvoices to demand a say in how our uni-versity is run and to keep the studentmovement growing.”
In Chicago there was a forceful protestof over 250 people at the University ofIllinois-Chicago who came out todefend education and fight for faircontracts. Chanting, “Chop from thetop!” and “Whose university? Our uni-versity!” students, members of SEIULocal 73, the Graduate EmployeesOrganization and faculty joined in uni-son against the administration placing
Campuses rocked by edrights protests March 4
FIGHT BACK! MAY 2010 PAGE 6
By Kati Ketz
UCLA students and staff marched into Murphy Hall, the campus admin-istration building, to demand, “Chop from the top.”
Students at Skyline Community College in California’s Bay Area cameout in large numbers to oppose cuts .
UC students gathered to fight for education rights. Cuts to higher educa-tion prevent working class students from attending the college.
Milwaukee, WI - On March 11, over70 students, professors and teachersassistants picketed outside theUniversity of Wisconsin-Milwaukeechancellor’s office, as several organiz-ers met inside with the chancellor todemand that he drop the threat of aca-demic punishment for the 16 studentprotesters who were arrested duringthe March 4 National Day of Actionfor Education Rights.
“15 police in riot gear were inside thebuilding protecting the chancellor,”noted Students for a DemocraticSociety organizer Rachel Matteson.
Washington, D.C. - About 10,000demonstrators filled Lafayette Parkacross from the White House todemand an end to the occupations ofIraq and Afghanistan. March 20marked the seventh anniversary of theU.S. invasion of Iraq, while theoccupation of Afghanistan is now in itseighth year. A broad range oforganizations mobilized for thedemonstration, organized by theInternational ANSWER Coalition.Military veterans, student groups,trade unions, Arab Americanorganizations, church congregationsand many other groups broughtthousands of people into D.C. forthe rally.
Addressing the crowd at the rally,Natasha Morgan from Students for aDemocratic Society talked about theeducation rights movement and theanti-war movement. “When we sayfund education not occupation,”Morgan said, “we mean an end to allmilitary research and corporate‘defense’ research in the university,an end to military recruitment andan end to the occupations of Iraq andAfghanistan. We want moneyfor schools, not for occupation.”
Morgan stated, “SDS demands an end
FIGHT BACK! MAY 2010 PAGE 7
ducation4
Milwaukee students tell university:Stop threatening educationrights protesters
the budget crisis on their backs. “Thisis the first step toward more militantactions,” says Kait McIntyre, a stu-dent at UIC and member of ChicagoSDS. “Today we showed that youcan’t put this on the backs of studentsand workers and you can’t cut ourdiversity centers without a fight.”
These protests received internationalattention and solidarity from students
“We won two basic demands today,which were to have the chancellorparticipate in a public forum about thedemands of the UWM EducationRights Campaign and to have moreinvestigation into the excessive use ofpolice force on March 4, but the acad-emic punishment of the protesters isstill uncertain and the much largerstruggle for student and worker rightsmust continue.”
Many students report that ChancellorSantiago had ready three swatvans, two police wagons, 20-30 policein riot gear and six cops on horseback- all hidden behind the universitydormitories.
By Daniel Ginsberg-Jaeckle
to the imperialist wars and theoccupations in Afghanistan andIraq and we organizing every daytowards that end.”
Speakers emphasized the importanceof supporting the demand for
around the world who are also strikingand fighting for their right to educa-tion. Student groups in the Philippinesissued a solidarity statement: “WeFilipino youth raise our fists in soli-darity with you in the continuingstruggle to end the foreboding annualbudget cuts and tuition increases. Wemust join our hands in resisting theonslaught of imperialism against oureducation and the youth’s future.”
self-determination - the right foroppressed countries to determinetheir own affairs - and the need tokeep putting pressure on Washingtonto end the occupations. Manyspeakers called for an end to theU.S.-backed occupation of Palestine.
Others called for a halt to thedrone strikes and a strongSouth Asian contingentheld banners and signsdenouncing the droneattacks in Pakistan that havekilled hundreds of civilians.At the end of the march, atleast eight people werearrested when they attemptedto place mock coffinsdraped in Iraqi andAfghan flags on the WhiteHouse lawn.
Military veterans gave apowerful condemnation ofthe occupation and twospeakers with MilitaryFamilies Speak Out and IraqVeterans Against the Warripped their dog tags andbadges off of their uniformsand threw them off the stage,in a symbol of their rejectionof the immoral, unjustand criminal occupations ofIraq and Afghanistan.
Many of the protesters were youthand new to the anti-war movementand are committed to rebuilding abroad movement to force theUnited States to withdraw fromAfghanistan and Iraq.
Thousands rally In D.C. to protestoccupations of Afghanistan and IraqBy Kosta Harlan
Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) at March 20 anti-war protest.
At the University of Minnesota, students, staff, graduate students and fac-ulty united against cuts to higher educations. The real solution is to chopfrom the top. This demand was echoed from California to New York onMarch 4.
Milwaukee Students march for education rights and an end to universityadministration threats against protesters.
Fight Back! photo by Kim Defranco
Immigration Reform Act would haveeliminated family reunification visasand, instead of legalizing the undocu-mented, would have made them andtheir families into guest workers.Neither bill passed, as they wereopposed from both the left and theright.
Since 2006 the protests on May 1 havegotten much smaller and have takenplace in fewer cities, but continue,along with protests of the injusticesthat undocumented and other immi-grants face. Thousands of workershave marched in Southern Californiato protest their firing under the newICE audits, which target businessesthat hire the undocumented. Protestshave erupted at events featuringHomeland Security Secretary JanetNapolitano (who oversees ICE and theBorder Patrol), with more than a thou-sand turning out in Santa Clara,California October 2009. College stu-dents have protested racist and anti-immigrant speakers and are continuingto organize support for efforts to legal-ize and provide equal access forundocumented students.
A year ago the new Obama administra-tion promised action on immigrationreform in its first year. But boggeddown by the escalation of the war in
May 1 is International Workers Day, aday to celebrate the struggle of theworking class and oppressed peoplesand nations against exploitation andoppression. All around the world, mil-lions of people will be marchingagainst the capitalists’ policies of aus-terity and war. In the socialist counties,like Cuba, China and DemocraticKorea, the achievements of workingpeople will be celebrated. Here in theUnited States, May 1 is also a day ofstruggle for immigrant rights. ThisMay Day, cities across the country willsee a renewed spirit of activism as theundocumented and their supporterstake to the streets in this fight for jus-tice full equality.
While the bankers’ obscene bonusesare back, unemployment is still in dou-ble digits. Across the globe, the bigcapitalists, the politicians that theyown and the corporate media are say-ing that now is the time for workers totighten our belts so that the ‘economy’- that is, their profits - can continue togrow. From Greece to Spain and fromCalifornia to Illinois, governments areslashing spending on social services,raising taxes on working people, cut-ting government workers’ pay and cut-ting schools and college.
The United States government is tryingto rally support for escalating andexpanding war. Tens of thousands oftroops have been sent to escalate thewar on Afghanistan, while a 100,000foreign soldiers still occupy Iraq. TheU.S. is threatening Iran, deepening itsmilitary involvement in the Philippinesand Columbia and looking to expandU.S. military presence in Mexico.
But working and oppressed people arefighting back. In Greece, there havebeen general strikes against the thatgovernment’s policies of austerity.Here in the United States, the SK Toolworkers struck and won back theirhealth insurance benefits that theirbosses had tried to take away. In theheart of the non-union South, bus dri-vers at the University of Alabama wereable to win a union contract with theAmalgamated Transit Union.
On campuses throughout Californiaand across the country, another fight-back has grown. Budget cuts, outra-geous CEO-like salaries for top admin-istrators and tuition increases broughtthousands of students, faculty andworkers to protest. With slogans of“Chop from the top,” “Tax the rich,”and “Books not bombs,” the fight foreducation has targeted campus admin-istrators, pro-business politicians fromboth parties who want to cut taxes forthe rich and big business while cuttingschool spending and the guns-not-but-ter policy in Washington D.C.
In March, tens of thousands of peoplerallied for immigrant rights in
Washington D.C. and other cities. Incommunities across the country,Chicanos, Mexicanos, CentralAmericans, other Latinos, Asians,Africans and Arabs are losing patiencewith politicians’ promises and aredemanding “Legalization now!” and“Stop the raids and deportations!”
Around the world, resistance to U.S.domination is growing. Countries wantindependence, nations want liberationand people want revolution. Countriessuch as China and Brazil stood up tothe United States at international con-ferences on climate change and areopposing U.S. efforts to isolate Iran.National liberation struggles of theAfghani, Iraqi and Palestinian peoplecontinue against occupation by theUnited States, Israel and NATO coun-tries. The revolutionary struggles ofthe people of Columbia, India, Nepaland the Philippines keep landing newblows against reactionary feudal andstate-capitalist forces that are alliedwith efforts of multinational corpora-tions to exploit their labor and naturalresources.
A year ago, many people had hope for‘change.’ They had voted for a changefrom the Bush administration’s poli-cies of war and laissez-faire or free
FIGHT BACK! MAY 2010 PAGE 8
markets that saw the rich get richer,while the poor went off to fight and diehalfway around the world. But today,with the escalation in Afghanistan andan even bigger military budget, it isbecoming clearer and clearer that thewar policy continues with theDemocrats in charge. The free marketeconomic policies have changed, butnot for the people. Instead, the bigbanks, auto companies and drug com-panies are getting bailed out while mil-lions of homes are foreclosed, millionsof people are out of work for longerand longer and millions have either noor substandard health insurance.
There has been no action on theEmployee Free Choice Act that wouldallow workers to beat back anti-unioncompanies. The military’s discrimina-tory ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ anti-gay pol-icy is still in place. And there has beenno action on the promise of immigra-tion reform. For the rest of this year,the Democrats are going to be moreconcerned with getting reelected thanfollowing through with their promisesto help working and oppressed people.
The right wing is trying to reboundfrom their election defeat in 2008 withtheir tea parties. But their claim topatriotism is but a cover for politics of
Afghanistan and the bailout of WallStreet, the only other issue really tack-led was health care reform. Facinggrowing impatience from the commu-nity and obvious neglect by the admin-istration, Congressperson Gutierrezintroduced a “ComprehensiveImmigration Reform for America’sSecurity And Prosperity” or CIR-ASAP last December. This bill wasbacked by the Congressional Latino,Asian and Pacific Islander, Black andProgressive caucuses, and is much bet-ter than the old STRIVE act. Itexpands legal immigration, offerslegalization of the undocumented withfewer hoops, rolls back some of theworst ICE policies (such as the 287(g)program), and doesn’t have a guestworker program.
The editors of Fight Back! think thatsupport for the CIR-ASAP can help torebuild the mass movement that is keyto meaningful immigration reform. Wesupport reform that genuinelyimproves the lives of poor and work-ing people. While the bill is not per-fect, it would benefit millions ofundocumented and their families, aswell as help the millions of Mexicans,Filipinos and others who are forced towait up to 20 years to reunite theirfamilies. One problem with the bill isthat it would expand the government e-
verify screening of workers. Thebiggest danger, though, is not the billitself (which is relatively good), buthaving people fall into the ‘somethingis better than nothing’ and ‘we have tofollow what the Democratic politicianstell us to do’ attitudes. This will onlylead to immigration reform that ismore support for big corporations andfilled with right-wing attacks on immi-grants. One can only look at what hap-pened to health care reform, where bighealth insurance corporations fought tomake the law benefit them more thanworking people.
The key is to continue to organize andmobilize the grassroots amongChicanos, Mexicanos and CentralAmericans for legalization, stoppingthe firings and deportation of undocu-mented workers, increasing legalimmigration and opposing a guestworker program. We must continueefforts to build a broad united frontincluding allies such as labor and otheroppressed nationalities. The strugglefor legislation needs to be combinedwith militant protests and continuedmass mobilizations for May 1.
All out for May 1, 2010!Stop the workplace firings and depor-tations!Support the CIR-ASAP!
hypocrisy and hate. As they rail against“government health care” (whichmany of them enjoy in the form ofMedicare), their racism, sexism andhomophobia are exposed. But theirextremism is backed and protected bypowerful Republican and corporateinterests who see them as a way to turnthe country back to the right.
The people’s fightback has to take onthe conservative, pro-businessDemocrats and the right-wing, reac-tionary Republicans who both servethe interests of big business and thecapitalist system. The way to do this isnot mainly by electing ‘better’Democrats or even progressive thirdparty politicians, but by organizing ourwork places, communities and cam-puses to fight for jobs or income, hous-ing and education.
We must fight back with the same spir-it as that of the U.S workers whostruck on May 1, 1886 for the eight-hour day. We need to learn from thestruggle of workers and oppressedpeople in other countries, and showour support for them. Ultimately wewill need to replace the current capital-ist system, that brings economic crisisand war, with a socialist system thatcan meet people’s needs.
Long Live International Workers Day!
Legalization, Not Raids andDeportations!
Jobs or Income Now! Stop theForeclosures and Cuts to Schools andServices!
Bring the Troops Home Now: End theWar and Occupation in Afghanistanand Iraq!
EDITORIALS
By Freedom Road Socialist Organization
Change, continued from page 1
Stop Raids and DeportationsAll Out for May Day!
May Day 2010:Time to Build the People’sFight Back!
Tom Burke, spokesperson for theNational Committee to Free RicardoPalmera, urgently requests, “Help andaid from Americans, Colombians, andthe international community to stop acrime.” Professor Palmera is being puton trial in Colombia while held insolitary confinement in the U.S.He is being forced to wear prisonclothes, shackled at the hands andfeet and then chained together aroundthe waist, with the ever-present threatof electrical shock if he moves tooquickly. This ‘trial’ is a violation ofProfessor Palmera’s dignity andhis rights as a prisoner of war.Tom Burke says, “There is nothingfair or just about the trials andimprisonment of this brave Colombianfreedom fighter Ricardo Palmera.Ricardo Palmera should be set free.”
Professor Palmera is held by theU.S. government in solitaryconfinement, under inhumane condi-tions in the Florence, ColoradoSupermax prison. Tom Burke says,“We need friends and sympathizers tosupport freedom for professor RicardoPalmera (popularly known inColombia as Simon Trinidad). Wedenounce the wrongs committedagainst Ricardo Palmera by the U.S.and Colombian governments, alongwith the abuses and violations ofhuman rights.”
Following four unfair trials inWashington D.C., including onewhere Chief Judge Hogan wasforced to step down after cheating withU.S. Prosecutor Ken Kohl,Professor Palmera is now the victim ofa new judge, named Montado, sent bythe corrupt Colombian governmentof President Uribe.
In a public denouncement,Ramiro Orjuela Aguilar, Palmera’sColombian lawyer said “RicardoPalmera is in chains, with electricshock equipment attached to hisbody that paralyzes him if he movesabruptly. This is the third timethis happened in front of the ‘virtual’courts of Neiva.” The Colombian gov-ernment is accusing Palmera ofplanning a FARC guerrilla attack thatkilled six travelers and injured sixmore on May 7, 2000.
“Ricardo Palmera is handcuffed,with his feet shackled, and then chainsrunning between his hands,waist and feet” says the LawyerOrjuela Aguilar. “He is taken to thecourtroom with a machine that shockshim. They attach equipment to hisbody so if Ricardo moves too much,then it shocks him with enough voltageto paralyze him. During the trials,he cannot move easily enough to seethe documents in front of him,” thelawyer explained.
Ricardo Palmera was one of thenegotiators in the discussions for
peace between the Colombian govern-ment of Andres Pastrana (1998-2002)and the guerrilla organizationFARC-EP that ended in SanVincente del Cagauan, in Caqueta,Colombia.
Following these negotiations in 2002,Palmera was illegally detained inEcuador by U.S. intelligence agents,then extradited, put on trial, andimprisoned by the U.S. government.Palmera went to Ecuador to meetJames Lemoyne, a UN officialworking for the prevention andresolution of internal conflicts,including the 60-year-old social andarmed conflict in Colombia.
Next Palmera faced four trials inWashington D.C. Two of the trialswere repeated because the Americanjuries refused to convict Palmera. TheU.S. State Department demandednew trials, until Palmera was foundguilty of one charge - membership inthe FARC (Revolutionary ArmedForces of Colombia). During thefour trials Palmera was proud to sayand explain why he belongs to theFARC, the largest rebel guerrillaarmy in Latin America. However, theU.S. government defines FARC as acriminal conspiracy.
There is nothing normal about RicardoPalmera’s case: the UN officialwas not allowed to testify in his trials,Palmera is held in solitary confine-ment, the U.S. press cannot interviewhim, he cannot make phone calls, he isnot allowed to interact with otherhumans, to breath fresh air, norto see the sky. The NationalCommittee to Free Ricardo Palmerarecently denounced the U.S. Bureau ofPrisons for not allowing ProfessorPalmera to read letters sent byhis American supporters.
Instead of allowing a peacefulnegotiation to the 60-year-old armedconflict, the U.S. is choosing war.The U.S. government is abusing theU.S. court system in an effort tocriminalize the national liberationstruggle of the Colombian people.Tens of thousands of Colombian revo-lutionaries are not criminals. Solidarityis necessary and urgently needed. TheNational Committee to Free RicardoPalmera urges friends and sympathiz-ers to denounce U.S. authorities forthese violations against this bravefighter for peace, justice, and theColombian people. Free RicardoPalmera!
“Free Ricardo Palmera” letters can beaddressed to:Eric Holder, the U.S. Attorney General U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NWWashington, DC 20530-0001
To contact the National Committee toFree Ricardo Palmera write [email protected] or callTom Burke 773-844-3612.
Chicago, IL - About 20 protestersmarched at 7:00 a.m., March 3,outside the Palmer House Hilton, inopposition to an official Sister Citiesrelationship between the City ofChicago and the municipality ofPetach Tikva in Israel. The eventwas organized by the PalestineSolidarity Group-Chicago (PSG) inresponse to the Annual InternationalBusiness Breakfast keynoted byMayor Daley.
The Palestinian Solidarity Grouprejects use of the Sister Cities programto normalize Israeli apartheid,demanding that Israel instead be heldaccountable for its human rights viola-tions. PSG also protests the relation-ship between the Petach Tikva SisterCities program and Israeli governmen-tal institutions and other organizationsthat have played a role in the coloniza-tion of Palestinian land and thecontinued dispossession of thePalestinian people.
PSG was joined by activists fromVoices for Creative Nonviolence andthe International Anti-ZionistNetwork. “Mayor Daley, choose a side- cut ties with apartheid!” and “PetachTikva is no sister of Chicago!” wereamongst the picketers’ chants.
Petach Tikva symbolizes the dispos-session and colonization of thePalestinian homeland. The firstJewish-only settlement in historicPalestine, known in Israel as the‘mother of all settlements,’ PetachTikva is built on the remains of depop-ulated Palestinian villages whosedescendants are denied the right toreturn home. Petach Tikva is an offi-cially segregated city wherePalestinian citizens of Israel aresubjected to institutional racism andan apartheid legal system. PetachTikva is also home to one of the largestinterrogation and detention centers inIsrael, where Palestinians from theWest Bank and Gaza Strip are illegallytransferred for interrogation and rou-tinely subjected to torture.
Electric shock ‘trial’:Sickening violationof human rights ofRicardo Palmera
FIGHT BACK! MAY 2010 PAGE 9
By staff
Chicago solidarity activiststell mayor:‘No business asusual with Israel’
Justice for Kofirespond, tension rose inside the board-room. After a half hour, a trustee cameout to speak to the protesters.Following his lead, the students pro-ceeded to give speeches about stop-ping police brutality and continuingthe fight for Adu-Brempong. An hourlater, the protesters decided thedemands of the coalition were clearlyreceived by the board and left thebuilding.
Then the protesters marched to theTigert Hall Administration Buildingfor another rally, targeting UniversityPresident Bernie Machen.Unfortunately President Machen was“out of town.” The students chanted,“Justice for Kofi!” and “No justice, nopeace! No racist police!”
Fernando Figueroa, of Gainesville
SDS spoke: “We will not let up untilwe gain justice for Kofi. We are takinga stand against police brutality andracism on our campus and throughoutthe country.” Figueroa continued, “Itis astounding to see so few reporterscovering the point-blank shooting ofan African man in the face here. Thisis the same campus where you couldnot walk ten feet without bumpinginto a reporter or TV crew following awhite student’s famous ‘Don’t tase mebro!’ incident.”
Late in the afternoon, the student pro-testers attended a student governmentmeeting to demand a resolution call-ing for a grand jury investigation ofthe racist cop. With some persuasion,the resolution passed. With protestsheating up in Gainesville, theCoalition for Justice Against PoliceBrutality vows to continue the fightfor Kofi Adu-Brempong.
By staff
Adu-Brempong, continued from page 5
Chicago activists protest Israeli apartheid.
El primero de mayo es el día interna-cional de los trabajadores, un día paracelebrar la lucha de la clase trabajado-ra y de los pueblos y las nacionesoprimidas en contra de la explotacióny la opresión. En todo el mundo mil-lones de personas marcharan en contrade las políticas de miseria y guerra delos capitalistas. En países socialistascomo Cuba, China y CoreaDemocrática, celebraran los logros dela clase trabajadora. Aquí en EstadosUnidos, el primero de mayo también esun día de lucha para los derechos delos inmigrantes. El primero de mayoeste año, muchas ciudades verán unespíritu de lucha renovado de los tra-bajadores indocumentados y sus alia-dos luchando en las calles por la justi-cia y la igualdad.
Aunque el nivel de desempleo per-manece arriba del 10%, los bancos hanregresado a su mismo estilo depagarse ellos mismos los bonosgrandes. En todo el planeta los capital-istas, sus políticos y los medios capi-talistas dicen que ahora los traba-jadores tienen que vivir con menospara que 'la economía' o mejor dichosus ganancias puedan seguir crecien-do. Desde Grecia hasta España ydesde California hasta Illinois, losgobiernos están recortando sus pre-supuestos, recortando lo que gastan enservicios sociales, aumentando losimpuestos para los trabajadores, recor-tando los salarios de los trabajadorespúblicos y recortando los presupuestosde las escuelas y las universidades.
Estados Unidos está intentando ganarapoyo para seguir escalando y expan-diendo la guerra. Han mandadodecenas de miles de tropas paraaumentar la guerra contra Afganistán,mientras que 100,000 soldadosextranjeros siguen ocupando a Irak.Estados Unidos está amenazando aIrán, profundizando su involucramien-to en la política interna de las Filipinasy de Colombia y buscando expandir supresencia militar en México.
Pero los trabajadores y la gente oprim-ida está resistiendo. En Grecia, hanhecho dos huelgas generales en contrade la política de austeridad delgobierno. Aquí en Estados Unidos, lostrabajadores de SK Tool fueron dehuelga y ganaron en una batalla sobrelos beneficios de salud que suempleador les había intentado quitar.En el corazón del sur del país donde nohay muchos sindicatos, los conduc-tores de buses de la Universidad deAlabama lograron ganar un contratocon el sindicato Amalgamated TransitUnion.
En los colegios y universidades através de California y en todo el país,ha crecido otra lucha. Recortes pre-supuestarios, salarios al nivel de ejec-utivos de corporaciones grandes de losadministradores universitarios, yaumentos de la cuota escolar han
provocado un movimiento de protestade estudiantes, profesores y traba-jadores universitarios en la calle. Conconsignas como "corte los de arriba no
abajo", "que paguen los ricos" y"libros si! bombas no!", la lucha por laeducación ha puesto en blanco losadministradores universitarios, políti-cos pro-negocio de los dos partidosquienes quieren recortar impuestospara los ricos y negocios grandesmientras recortan presupuestos de lasescuelas. También este movimiento seha enfocado en la política deWashington DC de aumentar fondospara guerra y cortar fondos para lasnecesidades del pueblo.
En marzo, decenas de miles de per-sonas marcharon en Washington
D.C. y en otras ciudades del paíspara los derechos de los inmigrantes.En comunidades en todo el país, losChicanos, Mexicanos, centroameri-canos y otros Latinos, Asiáticos,Africanos y Árabes están perdiendopaciencia con las promesas incumpl-idas de los políticos y están exigien-do 'legalización ya' y 'alto a lasredadas y deportaciones.'
Alrededor del mundo, la resistencia encontra de la dominaciónestadounidense está creciendo. Lospaíses quieren independencia, las
naciones quieren liberación, y elpueblo quiere revolución. Paísescomo China y Brasil mostraronoposición a los Estados Unidos enconferencias internacionales sobreel cambio climácico y estánoponiéndose a los esfuerzos esta-dounidenses para aislar a Irán. Lasluchas para la liberación nacional enAfganistán, Irak y palestina siguen encontra de ocupaciones hecho porEstados Unidos, Israel y OTAN.Las luchas revolucionarias del pueblode Colombia, India, Nepal y lasFilipinas siguen dando golpes encontra de gobiernos reaccionariosde carácter feudal y capitalista queestán aliados con las corporacionesmultinacionales para explotar su labory sus recursos naturales.
Hace un año, muchas personasesperaron 'cambio.' Habían votadopara un cambio de las políticas de larégimen de Bush de guerra y del libremercado que enriquecieron a losricos y mandaron a los pobres apelear y morir en el otro lado delmundo. Pero con le estalación de laguerra contra Afganistán y unaumento al presupuesto militar, hoyqueda más claro que nunca que lapolítica de guerra sigue con losDemócratas en poder. Las políticaseconómicas del mercado librehan cambiado, pero no a favor delpueblo sino que a favor de los bancosgrandes, compañías de autos y drogasquienes están recibiendo rescates delgobierno mientras millones de traba-jadores pierden nuestras casas a la eje-cución hipotecaria, millones de per-sonas permanecen sin trabajo mas ymas tiempo y millones siguen sinseguro medico.
Los Demócratas no han hecho nadapara aprobar la propuesta de ley
"Employee Free Choice Act" quepermitiría que los trabajadores sesindicalicen mas fácilmente paraluchar en contra de compañíasanti-unión. La política anti-gayde 'no preguntar, no decir' en elejercito todavía aplica. Y no hantomado acción sobre la promesa deuna reforma migratoria. El resto deeste año los Demócratas se van a pre-ocupar más por su propia reelecciónque cumplir sus promesas paraayudar a los trabajadores y
los oprimidos.
La derecha estáintentando recuper-arse de su derrotaelectoral en 2008 consu movimiento de'Fiestas de Te' ("TeaParties" en ingles).Pero su patriotismosolo sirve para escon-der sus políticas dehipocresía y odio.Mientras gritan encontra de 'salud delgobierno' (lo cualmuchos de ellos yadisfrutan conMedicare), su racis-mo, sexismo y homo-fobia quedanexpuestos. Pero suextremismo estáapoyado y promovidopor interesesRepublicanos y cor-
porativos muy poderosos quienes anal-izan que este movimiento de "TeaParties" es la manera de redirigir elpaís hacia la derecha.
La lucha del pueblo tiene queenfrentar a los Demócratasconservadores y pro-negocios, y tam-bién los Republicanos derechistas yreaccionarios, ambos de quienes sir-ven los intereses de las compañíasgrandes y el sistema capitalista. Lamanera de luchar no es principalmentede intentar elegir 'mejores'Demócratas o políticos de un tercerpartido más progresista, pero a travésde organizar nuestras comunidades,compañeros de trabajo y escuelas paraluchar por trabajos o ingresos, hogaresy educación.
Tenemos que luchar con el mismoespíritu que los trabajadores quieneshicieron huelga el 1 de mayo 1886exigiendo un día del trabajo de solo 8horas. Debemos aprender de la luchade los trabajadores y los oprimidos enotros países y mostrarles nuestroapoyo. Últimamente tenemos quereemplazar el sistema capitalista actualque solo trae crisis económica y guer-ra, con un sistema socialista que puederealizar las necesidades del pueblo.
¡Que viva el Día Internacional de Trabadores!
¡Legalización Si! ¡Redadas y Deportaciones No!
¡Trabajo o Ingreso Ahora! ¡Alto a las ejecuciones
hipotecarias y a los recortes aescuelas y servicios!
¡Que Regresen las Tropas a Casa Ya: Alto a la Guerra y
Ocupación en Afganistán y Irak!
EDITORIAL¡LUCHA Y RESISTE! MAYO 2010 PÁGINA 10
Primero de mayo 2010 Hora de lucharPor Freedom Road Socialist Organization
La lucha por los derechos de los inmigrantes es un componente clave de la lucha del primerode mayo.
Protesta exige un alto a las ejecu-ciones hipotecarias y las evicciones.
Gutiérrez presentó la propuesta de ley“Reforma Integral de Inmigración parala Seguridad y Prosperidad deAmérica” o CIR-ASAP. Este proyectode ley fue respaldado por los congre-sistas latinos, los congresistas deAsiáticos y de las islas del Pacífico, loscongresistas afroamericanos y los pro-gresistas en el congreso. Esta propues-ta de ley es mucho mejor que la ‘ActaSTRIVE’. CIR-ASAP expandería lainmigración legal, ofrece la legal-ización para los indocumentados conmenos obstáculos, revierte algunas delas peores políticas del ICE (como elprograma 287 (g)), y no tiene un pro-grama de trabajadores huéspedes.
Los editores de ¡Lucha y Resiste!creemos que el apoyo a la CIR-ASAPpuede ayudar a reconstruir elmovimiento de masas que es la clavepara una reforma consecuente de inmi-gración. Apoyamos reformas que real-mente mejoran la vida de la gentepobre y obrera. Aunque la propuesta deley no es perfecta, beneficiaría a mil-lones de indocumentados y sus famil-ias, así como también ayudaría a losmillones de mexicanos, filipinos yotros que se ven obligados a esperarhasta 20 años para estar reunidos consus familias. Un problema con la prop-uesta de ley es que ampliaría el progra-ma del gobierno “E-Verify” de selec-ción de los obreros. El mayor peligro,sin embargo, no es la propuesta de ley
Minneapolis, MN - El 2 de abril,activistas del movimiento inmigranteanunciaron el plan para una marchagrande el 1 de mayo, el DiaInternacional del Trabajador. La mar-cha empezara a las 2:00 pm en el par-que Martin Luther King en la calle 41y la avenida Nicollet. Los organi-zadores de la marcha dicen, “Lalucha por una reforma migratoriacomprensiva esta en un momentoclave y vamos a hacer todo lo posiblepara tener la marcha mas grande quesea posible este ano para exigir lalegalizacion e igualdad para todos.Los políticos en Washington DCestán debatiendo sobre la reforma
migratoria. AHORA es el momentopara decir qué clase de reforma quer-emos: una legalización real paratodos, derechos laborales e igualdad,y un fin a las redadas, deportacionesy a la discriminación.”
La marcha en Minneapolis esta orga-nizado por MIRAc, Asamblea deDerechos Civiles, Mujeres enLiderazgo, Centro Interfe para JusticiaLaboral, Mujeres LevantandoMujeres, y el Comite FMLN-Minnesota. Mas organizaciones estansumandose al esfuerzo diariamente,tanto grupos inmigrantes como orga-nizaciones de trabajadores y otros gru-pos activistas progresistas.
Selma, AL – Miles de personasreunieron aquí, un domingo 7 demarzo para conmemorar el 45 aniver-sario de la marcha del "DomingoSangriento" por los derechos civilesen 1965 en la que mujeres y niñosintentaron cruzar el puente EdmundPettus y fueron brutalmente atacadospor la policía.
Jesse Jackson fue uno de losoradores de este año. Dijo a la multi-tud que, mientras los bancos tienenun plan de rescate, es Alabama quenecesita un rescate.
Folletos apoyando la lucha delos conductores de buses "CrimsonRide" de Tuscaloosa, Alabamafueron muy bien recibidos porlos participantes.
Anuncian marcha para el1 de mayo en Minneapolis
Subscríbase a ¡Lucha y Resiste!Manténgase informado sobre la lucha popular
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Envía este formulario con el pago a:¡Lucha y Resiste!, P.O. Box 582564, Minneapolis MN 55458
¡Este periódico existe paraconstruir la lucha del pueblo!Reportamos y damos análisissobre unas de las batallascentrales en las que seencuentra la gente trabajado-ra y de bajos ingresos.
No somos neutrales en nue-stro informe. Estamosopuestos a la explotación,discriminación, y opresión.Sostenemos que la clase de lagente rica, que manejan laeconomía y el gobierno deeste país, no están califica-dos para gobernarnos.Apoyamos a todos losmovimientos que denunciansu poder y privilegio.
Los escritores y empleadosde ¡Lucha y Resiste! sonactivistas y organizadores en
¡LUCHA y RESISTE!QUIÉNES SOMOS
sindicatos, en comunidadesde bajos ingresos, movimien-tos de nacionalidades oprimi-das, en Universidades, y enotros movimientos popu-lares. Esperamos recibir susartículos, cartas comentarios,y críticas. Algunos de los quetrabajamos para mantenereste periódico somos miem-bros de Freedom RoadSocialist Organization. Losartículos representan las per-spectivas de la gente y orga-nizaciones que los escriben.Por el momento, ¡Lucha yResiste! es publicado cincoveces al año.
Para contactarnos, escriban:
Fight Back/¡Lucha y Resiste!P.O. Box 582564Minneapolis, MN 55458
¡LUCHA Y RESISTE! MAYO 2010 PÁGINA 11
Marcha del domingosangriento de 1965conmemorado enSelma
Marcha para derechosde inmigrantes
(que es relativamente buena), pero quela gente caiga en el “algo es mejor quenada” y las actitudes de “tenemos queseguir lo que los políticos demócratasnos dicen.” Esto sólo conducirá a unareforma migratoria que es más a favorde las grandes corporaciones y llena deataques derechistas contra los inmi-grantes. Uno sólo puede mirar lo queocurrió con la reforma de salud, dondegrandes empresas de seguro de saludhan luchado para que la ley beneficia-rá a ellos mismos más que a losobreros.
La clave es continuar organizando ymovilizando la base de los chicanos,mexicanos y centroamericanos paraganar la legalización, para detener losdespidos y la deportación de traba-jadores indocumentados, y para ampli-ar la inmigración legal y oponer a unprograma de obreros huéspedes.Debemos continuar los esfuerzos porconstruir un amplio frente unido queincluya a los aliados asi como elmovimiento de trabajadores y losmovimientos de otras nacionalidadesoprimidas. La lucha para aprobar unaley de reforma migratoria tiene que sercombinada con protestas masivas en lacalle y con movilizaciones masivas delas masas el 1 de mayo.
¡Todos a movilizarse el 1 de mayo 2010!
¡Alto a los despidos y a las deportaciones!
¡Apoyo a la propuesta CIR-ASAP!
Por Anh Pham
Por Redacción
Marcha conmenmora la original marcha del 1965 del “domingo sangriento”Legalización, continúa de página 12
los estudiantes indocumentados.
Hace un año la administración nuevade Obama prometió acción sobre lareforma migratoria en su primer año.Pero inundado con la escalada de laguerra en Afganistán y el rescate deWall Street, la única otra cuestión quese aborde realmente era la reforma desalud. Ante la creciente impaciencia dela comunidad inmigrante y la negli-gencia obvia por la administración, eldiciembre pasado el congresista
Inmigrantes exigen justicia
¡Legalización ya!
Hace un año, los chicanos, mexicanosy centroamericanos celebraron el finde ocho años de la administración deBush. Además de lanzar dos guerras yprovocar la mayor crisis financieradesde la Gran Depresión, la adminis-tración de Bush intensificó la represióncontra los inmigrantes. Las redadas ydeportaciones de los obreros por elServicio de Inmigración y Aduanas(ICE) se duplicó, y luego se duplicónuevamente con Bush. El gobierno deBush implementó el programa conoci-do como 287(g), en el que ICE trabajajunto con la policía local y permite queracistas como el alcalde Joe Arpaio deArizona hostigue a los chicanos, mexi-canos y centroamericanos. La ley deoctubre de 2006 “Secure Fence Act”intensificó la militarización de la fron-tera con México, contribuyendo a lamuerte de más inmigrantes intentandoentrar a los Estados Unidos. En
diciembre de 2005, la Cámara deRepresentantes aprobó la ley HR 4437que hubiera criminalizado a los indoc-umentados aun más. En respuesta, lascomunidades chicanas, mexicanas ycentroamericanas estallaron en protes-tas masivas en marzo de 2006, unejemplo más de sus aspiraciones a laigualdad. Estas protestas callejerasaumentaron hasta llegar a los millonesel 1 de mayo de 2006 en Los Ángeles,
San José, San Diego,Chicago, Milwaukee yen casi todas las grandesciudades y en muchasciudades pequeñas entodo el país. Estasprotestas exigieron lalegalización de losindocumentados, un finde las redadas y deporta-ciones, y un fin a la mili-tarización de la fronteray oposición a cualquierprograma de ‘obreroshuespedes’. Los chi-canos, mexicanos y cen-troamericanos consti-tuyeron la gran mayoríade los manifestantes, porque la lucha por la legal-ización es parte de lalarga lucha del pueblochicano por la igualdad yla autodeterminación. Aellos se unieron un
númeroimpor-tante deo t r o slatinos y miembrosde sindicatos, asícomo africanos,árabes, asiático-americanos y otros,cuyas comunidadestienen un grannúmero de inmi-grantes.
Los políticosrespondieron a lasprotestas de dos man-eras. En la Cámara deRepresentantes, eldemócrata deIllinois, LuisGutiérrez, y el repub-licano de Arizona,Jeff Flake, se unieronpara presentar el
‘Acto STRIVE’.STRIVE fue una com-
binación de cosas buenas (expansiónde la inmigración legal) y cosas malas(más criminalización de los indocu-mentados) y sobre la cuestión clave dela legalización la propuesta de leytenia demasiados obstáculos. La Leyde Reforma de la Inmigración en elSenado, en gran parte escrito por eldemócrata de Massachusetts TedKennedy y los republicanos deArizona John McCain y Jon Kyl y
apoyado por el presidente Bush, fueaún peor. La Ley de Reforma deInmigración hubiera eliminado losvisados de reagrupación familiar y envez de la legalización de los indocu-mentados, les hubiera convertido aellos y sus familias en ‘obreros hues-pedes’. Esta propuesta de ley no fueaprobada ya que la izquierda y laderecha se oponían a ella.
Desde 2006, las protestas del 1 demayo se han vuelto mucho máspequeñas y han tenido lugar en menosciudades, pero siguen, junto con lasprotestas en contra de las injusticiasque se presentan a los inmigrantesindocumentados. Miles de obreros sehan manifestado en el sur de Californiapara protestar en contra de su despidodebido a las nuevas auditorías de ICE,que afectan a las empresas que con-tratan a los indocumentados. Lasprotestas han surgido en los eventoscon la secretaria de Seguridad de lasFronteras, Janet Napolitano, (quesupervisa el ICE y la PatrullaFronteriza), con más de un mil protes-tando en Santa Clara, California enoctubre 2009. Los estudiantes univer-sitarios han protestado los altavocesracistas y anti-inmigrantes y siguenorganizando para apoyar a legalizacióny para ganar la igualdad de acceso para
¡LUCHA Y RESISTE!Noticias y Perspectivas de la Lucha del Pueblo
50 centavos
Mayo 2010 Vol. 12, No. 4
ADENTROPrimero de mayo 2010:hora de luchar
– página 10
Marcha del domingosangriento del 1965conmemorado enSelma, Alabama
– página 11
En el primer año de la nueva administraciónhubo cambio pero no progresoEditorial de ¡Lucha y Resiste!
Legalización continúa en página 11
Movilizaciones de inmigrantes exigiendo legalización e igualdad han crecido este año.
Inmigrantes exigen sus derechos.