Readers’ Views: November-December 2022, Part One

November 11, 2022

Readers’ Views on: Iran: Woman, Life, Freedom; Election Threats and Battles; Women’s Marches and Enemies; Sexist Supreme Court; Ukrainians Fight for Freedom; Para-Transit Disservice; Mike Davis; Labor Struggles, from Amazon…to the Bank.

read the rest!

Kei “Basho” Utsumi (1935-2022): in remembrance

August 24, 2022

Kei Utsumi touched many lives before his death on July 15, a few days shy of his 87th birthday. In conversations with friends, in being present at countless demonstrations, or in putting pen to paper, his was a passionate, unyielding voice for freedom movements, which will be sorely missed.

read the rest!

Los Angeles police insist on their right to kill

July 4, 2021

Police brutality and murders have continued in the U.S. as District Attorneys rarely prosecute criminal police. Los Angeles is no exception where the Los Angeles Police Association and Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva are behind the petition to recall progressive LA County District Attorney George Gascon.

read the rest!

LA pits poor against poorer Echo Park houseless

May 8, 2021

On March 24, around 200 activists protested against a surprise eviction of the tent encampment in Echo Park. There is antagonism between houseless people and the families and businesses close to them. For poor communities to scapegoat even poorer people is the way that the 1% keep us fighting for space and resources while they throw us bones.

read the rest!

Race & the Capitol mob

January 31, 2021

A view from Los Angeles of the Capitol mob and a pro-Trump rally in downtown L.A.: the policing system was built against Black and Brown people.

read the rest!

Pandemic as battlefield

March 30, 2020

The battle against the COVID-19 pandemic is a battle over how society will change, mirroring the battle over how to confront and adapt to the climate and extinction crisis. Strikes are erupting across the world.

read the rest!

L.A. students march for DACA

December 1, 2019

Participant report on the Nov. 12 students’ march protesting Trump’s repeal of DACA, which allowed undocumented migrants brought to this country as children the human right to work, to go to school and to live free of deportation.

read the rest!

LA homelessness up

June 27, 2019

Homelessness shot up in Los Angeles. A major reason is unemployment. Homeless people are harassed and criminalized, while an area near Skid Row is gentrified.

read the rest!

Women’s Marches sweep the world

February 3, 2018

Women’s Marches took place around the U.S. and the world in 2017 AND 2018, once again showing that the opposition to U.S. President Donald Trump is alive, thriving, militant and exuberant.

read the rest!

Students vs. tax bill

January 29, 2018

About 50 graduate students at Caltech walked out of classes to protest Trump’s tax bill in November as each has around $50,000 in tuition covered by non-taxable waivers. Under the new bill, the tuition waiver would be treated as taxable income.

read the rest!

DACA Dreamers and allies resist Trump

October 24, 2017

A participant reports on a series of protests, rallies and marches of thousands taking place in September in Los Angeles against President Donald Trump’s attacks on youthful immigrants called Dreamers by ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival Program.

read the rest!

Fighting back against the rise of neo-Nazi hate

August 28, 2017

In-person reports of demonstrations in Chicago, Memphis, Oregon, Los Angeles and Halifax in Canada in solidarity with activists in Charlottesville, Va., fighting against neo-fascism and demanding to take down Confederate statues. .

read the rest!

Women WorldWide: March-April 2016

March 11, 2016

A look at women’s activity and thought worldwide including women comics acting against harassment in their industry; the Toronto Newsgirls Boxing Club coming out strongly against violence against women; and Filipina women used as sexual slaves by Japan in WWII demanding that government acknowledge and apologize for what they had done.

read the rest!

Cop killings protested!

May 7, 2015

Several hundred people of all races marched from the Union Rescue Mission in Skid Row, where a homeless Black man with mental problems known as Africa, was killed by six Los Angeles police officers.

read the rest!

L.A. march against police brutality

March 11, 2015

About 500 people, mostly Black and Latino youth, gathered in Los Angeles. Anti-police brutality and anti-ever growing surveillance society has radicalized youth as well as concerned people from all walks of life.

read the rest!

Homeless on the move

August 29, 2014

From the September-October 2014 issue of News & Letters

Los Angeles—On Aug. 1, 30 Los Angeles Community Action Network activists of all races, including many formerly homeless, protested in Skid Row and adjacent downtown. We were demanding that the homeless be housed in the largely vacant Cecil Hotel, which had been designated low-income housing. [=>]

read the rest!

Justice for Ezell Ford

From the September-October 2014 issue of News & Letters

Los Angeles—On Aug. 17 over 1,000 protesters gathered at the downtown LA Police Department (LAPD) headquarters. We were there not only in support of Michael Brown, but also to protest the many killings over the years of Black, Brown and even a few white youths [=>]

read the rest!

Stop the spies and lies

May 19, 2014

200 youths of all races gathered at the Norwalk Fusion Center on the First National Day of Protest. Protests were also held in Chicago, Washington, D.C., Boston, Dallas, San Francisco and Oakland.

read the rest!

Free Leonard Peltier!

March 31, 2014

Los Angeles—On Feb. 8, 50 activists of all races gathered at MacArthur Park to be part of freeing Leonard Peltier, who is starting his 38th year in a federal penitentiary for a crime he did not commit.

read the rest!

Readers’ Views, Jan.-Feb. 2014, Part 1

March 8, 2014

THE SYRIAN REVOLUTION AS TEST OF WORLD POLITICS

I have been active in a number of student groups around labor and women’s issues. We always talk about “intersectionality” and recognizing different struggles. Somehow that didn’t seem to apply, though, when it came to the Syrian Revolution. Suddenly people didn’t want to talk about it. I [=>]

read the rest!

L.A. garment dialogue

February 23, 2014

Garment workers and organizers from Bangladesh and Los Angeles discussed their labor conditions at the downtown L.A. Garment Center

read the rest!

Support prison truce

December 5, 2013

Alex Sanchez, co-founder of Homies Unidos in Los Angeles, spoke in support of prisoners’ call to cease hostilities, backing the solutions arrived at by those who used to be part of the problem.

read the rest!

‘Legalize my parents!’

December 3, 2013

Demonstrators representing “Millions of Voices for Immigration Reform” marched through downtown Los Angeles demanding immediate immigration reform and a path to citizenship.

read the rest!

No new LA jails!

October 4, 2013

Over 100 activists held a “no new prison” press conference and rally to stop plans to spend over $2 billion to build two new Los Angeles County jails. Rather than caging people, grant the money to community-based organizations and alternative solutions.

read the rest!

Rallies across U.S. against Keystone XL pipeline

March 21, 2013

40,000 in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.–I drove from Memphis to Washington with three others and joined the 40,000-plus people there on Feb. 17 for the Forward on Climate Change rally, the biggest ever held on climate change in this country. Yes, the 15-hour drive was long. Yes, it was super cold. Yes, we stood for a [=>]

read the rest!

Handicap This! November-December 2012

December 8, 2012

by Suzanne Rose

London, England—A disability campaigner who set up an e-petition to stop government benefit cuts has vowed to continue her fight, after gaining more than 62,000 signatures. E-petitions need 100,000 signatures for a debate in parliament. Though the petition has failed in this regard, it is not the end for the campaign. Pat [=>]

read the rest!