New Orleans, LA – On March 21, the morning of Mahmoud Khalil’s court hearing, community organizations gathered outside of the Federal Court of Appeals in New Orleans to protest his detainment. Their demands were simple – release Mahmoud Khalil, reinstate his green card, and cease all illegal detainments.

On March 8, Mahmoud Khalil was illegally detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. For over 24 hours, his whereabouts were unknown. Only later was it revealed that he was held in Jena, Louisiana, far away from his home in New York. There is no justification for his arrest. He is being detained for pro Palestine activism.

“None of us should stay silent while free speech is under attack. While speaking up for anyone’s rights, in this case Palestinian rights and liberation, can result in you being kidnapped and deported by the state – none of us should stay silent!” said Cypress Atlas, speaking on behalf of Jewish Voices for Peace (JVP). Atlas continued, “I’m here with JVP for moral clarity about the use of antisemitism. What Jewish people should be doing in this time is standing in integrity with our history and our ancestors with fighting fascism like we always have.”

Khalil’s current detention in an ICE facility in Jena hit home for many at the protest. For the last two years, escalated policing tactics and targeted repression have been the norm. In New Orleans, dozens of students have been arrested or faced investigations by their university administrations. Others have faced arrests just for standing in solidarity with students or protesting the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

Last week, Tulane University officials called in a bomb threat to detain and interrogate a student for displaying a small sign on their backpack that read, “Tulane just got rid of DEI – if you have the means, go elsewhere.” For the broader community, the fears of deportation are even sharper as Trump has shown that he does not care about due process nor the people it supposedly protects.

Atticus Pratt, a Tulane student and member of Students for a Democratic Society, spoke in solidarity with Khalil stating, “Mahmoud’s violent arrest was conducted by plainclothes ICE officers in front of his eight-month pregnant wife. How horrific is that?” Reflecting on past and current struggles, Pratt continued, “I know this may be discouraging. But these drastic measures are proof that they are terrified of us and the strength of our solidarity. This reactionary administration only furthers our resolve to continue the fight on our campuses, on the streets, and in the courts.”

In response to the rally and the picketing that followed, the Federal Court Building locked their doors and ordered people off the steps of the building.

#NewOrleansLA #LA #AntiWarMovement #Palestine

New Orleans, LA – On Saturday, March 22, over 100 New Orleanians gathered at Congo Square downtown for a march to fight against Trump’s attacks on federal workers. The demonstration brought together at least ten different unions across the city in coalition with community organizations, building a broad united front against Trump’s attacks on labor.

“I’ve been a labor activist in this city for a few years and this is the fastest I’ve seen unions endorse anything. People are riled up and ready to fight,” said Abbey Lodwig, one of the march organizers and member of the Association of Flight Attendants union.

Tens of thousands of workers have already been fired because of billionaire Elon Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency” taking aim at unionized federal employees. Trump’s attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion and cuts on federal grants have dramatically affected the public sector workers in New Orleans.

“Privatization is an attack on everything we’ve fought for and won. It’s an attack on the people,” said Emma Maxwell, a contract employee with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association. The NOAA helps forecast weather and manage fisheries, among other functions important to the Gulf South. Maxwell reported massive layoffs in the NOAA due to cuts in federal funding, forcing operations with far less people and resources.

The crowd took the streets chanting “Get up, get down, New Orleans is a union town!” and “Let’s go workers, don’t give up. Let’s go workers, elbows up!” as they stopped the flow of downtown traffic. Union members marched with signs held high, demanding Trump “Stop the war on America’s workforce.”

Serena Sojic-Borne, a member of Freedom Road Socialist Organization, helped to close out the demonstration with a fiery speech, stating, “The system we live under has no right to exist and it is long past its expiration date!” as the crowd cheered.

#NewOrleansLA #LA #Labor #FederalEmployees

New Orleans, LA – On Wednesday, March 19, a broad group of activists congregated at Tulane University for a press conference. The groups presented an open letter addressed to the administrations of all local universities demanding they protect students, staff and faculty from the White House’s recent slew of attacks against college campuses. They demanded protections for immigrants, freedom of speech and DEI programs.

“We are united in our commitment to justice, human dignity and freedom,” said Hakm Murad of the Palestinian Youth Movement.

The letter also calls for universities to demand the immediate release of pro-Palestine activists and New York ‘s Columbia University students Mahmoud Khalil and Leqaa Kordia, and that students be protected from any similar violations by the Department of Homeland Security and the Trump administration. Mahmoud Khalil continues to be held in an ICE detention center at Jena, Louisiana. Washington DC’s Georgetown University researcher Badar Khan Suri was also detained by ICE and sent to a detention facility in Alexandria, Louisiana. Suri’s detention is a continuation of Trump’s stated goals of targeting and deporting pro-Palestinian students and faculty at universities.

Tulane and Loyola University's repression of student activists since last year has given the solidarity movement for Khalil particular urgency. Tulane complied with new directives from the White House and shut down the school’s DEI office. But student activists bravely stood up to defend DEI.

In reaction, the university arrested (and later released) one activist due to a pro-DEI sign on her backpack. Also, minutes before the March 19 press conference, several Tulane student protesters received notice that they were under investigation by administration.

“It is no coincidence the emails were sent out right as we were set to raise awareness about Tulane’s cowardly compliance with the racist Trump agenda and its attacks on students’ freedom of speech at this press conference,” said Maya Sanchez, a former Tulane student, reading a statement written by local members of Students for a Democratic Society.

Tulane alumni and member of New Orleans for Community Oversight of Police Vonne Burton added, “DEI programs were won by students during the Civil Rights Movement, any student who defends it today should be applauded, not arrested.”

The open letter circulated by the New Orleans for Palestine Coalition has received notable public support. Signatories include multiple contenders for the upcoming city council elections, as well as current council member and mayoral candidate, Oliver Thomas. The organizations say they are continuing to urge Louisiana’s U.S. Representative Troy Carter, and the remaining members of the city council to sign on and take action to defend local campuses.

#NewOrleansLA #LA #StudentMovement #FreeSpeech #SDS

New Orleans, LA – On March 20, about 50 postal workers and their supporters gathered outside of the downtown United States Postal Service center. They rallied, carried signs and distributed flyers to protest Trump’s attempt at privatizing the mail service. The American Postal Workers Union (APWU) Local 83 organized the event in response to a national call to action.

“U.S. Mail – not for sale!” workers chanted. Signs read, “Hands off our public postal service” and “The post office belongs to the people, not the billionaires.”

Trump is talking about moving the USPS to the Department of Commerce, which would reduce its independence and mark a step towards privatization. Louis DeJoy, the current postmaster general, received his appointment in 2020. His family had donated $1.2 million to Trump’s first presidential campaign. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), initiated on the advice of tech billionaire Elon Musk, has announced plans to cut 10,000 post office jobs.

“Hands off the post office, it belongs to the people,” said Leroy Chapman, APWU Local 83 president.

Union members from IATSE, the Teamsters, and the AFA showed up in solidarity. City Councilmember Oliver Thomas also voiced his support.

#NewOrleansLA #LA #Labor

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement by Together United Students for a Democratic Society.

On March 17th Tulane University arrested one of its students for speaking up in defense of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs. Last week, Tulane University closed its Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion office. A Tulane student, in response to their school’s cowardly compliance with the racist Trump agenda, wore a paper sign on their backpack saying “Tulane just got rid of DEI… If you have the means, go elsewhere.”

While in the LBC, Tulane’s student center, they heard a member of Tulane’s administration comment on their bag. After briefly forgetting their bag in the student center, Tulane reported a bomb threat as an excuse to remove it from its place near an ongoing admissions event.

When the student returned for their bag, they were arrested by the Tulane University Police Department. TUPD went on to detain them and intimidate them despite having no criminal charges against them. This student was arrested because of their political speech in a clear violation of the First Amendment. Police officers continued to coerce and intimidate them while they were detained. TUPD threatened that if they did not comply with interrogation immediately, their silence would lead to university conduct charges that could end their education at Tulane.

Earlier this month a similar false bomb threat was reported by Barnard University to clear a student protest. Tulane’s cowardice in the face of political speech from its students only grows, but the students will not be silenced! Whether it is an individual exercising their free speech or an organized student protest, universities have no right to use police to silence their students!

Protect Free Speech on Campus! Defend DEI!

#NewOrleansLA #LA #StudentMovement #PoliticalRepression #SDS

New Orleans, LA – On Tuesday, March 11, the local Palestine solidarity movement sprang into action to demand the release of student activist Mahmoud Khalil, a Syrian-born Palestinian illegally detained by ICE last week for his role in the Palestine-solidarity encampment at Columbia University. Although Khalil is a resident of New York, he was transported to a detention facility four hours away from the city of New Orleans, Jena, Louisiana for holding.

Activists rapidly mobilized a press conference, phone zap, and demonstrations, making it clear to the Trump administration and ICE that the movement in Louisiana will fight for Khalil’s release.

Press conference and phone zap calls on Representative Troy Carter to take action

At noon, six organizations spoke at an emergency press conference in front of Louisiana Representative Troy Carter’s downtown office demanding that he pushes for the release of Khalil and the reinstatement of his green card. The New Orleans for Palestine Coalition organized a day-long phone zap to ring his office.

Majdi Jaber of the New Orleans chapter of the Palestinian Youth Movement reiterated the Coalition’s demand for Troy Carter to “align his actions with his words and meet with the Palestinian Youth, our elders, and our coalition partners, and also to join [Congresswoman] Rashida Tlaib and 13 other colleagues in the House in signing a letter that formally calls for the release of Mahmoud Khalil.”

Rory MacDonald, a Tulane student suspended for participationin a university encampment for Gaza, spoke on behalf of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). MacDonald said that Trump and his administration “are under the impression that they can get away with things in Louisiana that they cannot get away with in New York. We are here to tell them that they are dead wrong. The people and the students in New Orleans and Louisiana are watching, and we are going to raise hell in this city until Mahmoud Khalil is free!”

Troy Carter’s office has since released a statement condemning Trump’s attacks on students, stating, “I stand firmly against the misuse of federal power to suppress free speech. I am committed to protecting the rights of all individuals and will continue to push back against any effort that undermines the Constitution.”

Students take the streets in solidarity, demand sanctuary policies for immigrants

Later in the day at 4:30 p.m., over 100 people rallied and took to the streets demanding Khalil’s release and that Tulane and Loyola Universities declare themselves sanctuary campuses and refuse to comply with ICE. The rally began with chants like “Don’t give in to racist fears, immigrants are welcome here!” and “We want justice, you say how: free Mahmoud Khalil now!”

Student speeches called out their universities’ failures to protect immigrant students and explained why their demands must be met.

“In 2016 when students first organized to fight for this very struggle, the Tulane Undergraduate Assembly passed a resolution in favor of sanctuary. However, Tulane ignored them,” ​said Navya Prakash, a member of Together United SDS. Prakash elaborated that sanctuary policies would make it so that universities would not disclose information about students’immigration statuses to ICE, and not permit ICE on campus without a warrant.

Protesters then marched down to Saint Charles Avenue, a major roadway and home to both Tulane and Loyola University. The action halted traffic and occupied the street as Nadir Benslimane, a member of Liberate and Unite New Orleans SDS, spoke out against the purpose of political repression against activists.

Benslimane stated, “The goal of the Trump administration right now is to ensure that no one can use their free speech to speak out against the injustices that Trump and his cronies are committing here or supporting abroad.” The Trump administration has particularly targeted universities with threats to end federal funding for those that maintain their diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

Students then relocated to the sidewalk in front of Loyola University, chanting “Loyola, don’t comply, we are keeping DEI!” The protest concluded with calls to join one of the many organizations present to continue struggling for their demands to be met.

#NewOrleansLA #NOLA #LoyolaUniversity #LOYNO #Trump #PYM #FreePalestine #FreeMahmoudKhalil #MahmoudKhalil #SDS #ICE #TulaneUniversity #Loyola #Tulane

New Orleans, LA – On Saturday, March 8, about 70 people gathered in Lafayette Square in downtown New Orleans in honor of this year’s International Women’s Day.

The crowd rallied around a banner demanding “Protect women’s and trans rights! From Palestine to Mexico, end all family separations!” Several speakers from grassroots movements discussed the urgency of gender liberation and the need to carry on the legacy of resistance from the revolutionary women of the past.

Molly Frayle, a transgender activist with the Queer and Trans Community Action Project, spoke about how the holiday was organized first by working-class socialist women in the United States and Germany, and historically celebrated striking workers who sparked the February Revolution in Russia in 1917.

“They got into the streets, and they started marching,” Frayle said. “It was that very day the Russian revolution started. A whole country had a revolution because women stood up! They won the right to vote, abortion on demand, the right to divorce without their husbands permission! All that to say when we fight, we win!”

After more speeches, the crowd took to the streets. Chants of “Not the church, not the state, women will decide our fate!” and “International Women's Day, time to make the bosses pay!” filled the busy downtown thoroughfare. Protesters carried signs saying “My body, my choice!” and “Stop the deportations now!” as they marched to the Hyatt Regency, where ICE offices are located in New Orleans.

Once there, organizers spoke about the increasing terror and repression that Black, brown and immigrant communities face under the Trump administration. But they also highlighted the power of fighting back in the spirit of revolutionary women.

“Again and again, the ruling class underestimates the power of women's militancy. Women have led the labor movement, striking for real gains. Mothers of victims of police crimes have been fighting for justice – the attacks that we face are meant to intimidate, confuse us, disorganize and demoralize us. Do you know what they do instead? They light a fire in us!” said Antonia Mar, an organizer with the Freedom Road Socialist organization.

With more chants, the protesters took the streets back to Lafayette Square. Once there, organizers emphasized that this action was only the beginning and that these organizations are committed to uniting and struggling against Trump and his reactionary administration every step of the way.

#NewOrleansLA #LA #WomensMovement #LGBTQ #InternationalWomensDay #QTCAP

New Orleans, LA – On Monday February 24, 25 students representing eight student organizations gathered at the office of Loyola University’s President, Dr. Xavier Cole, to deliver a letter that included demands to stop an impending tuition hike, divest from Israeli apartheid, and safeguard the right to free speech. President Cole greeted the students as each representative lined up outside his office and presented him with copies.

Students organized the effort after they learned of the university’s plans to raise tuition by 4.5% in the upcoming 2025-26 school year and cut financial aid by 3%. Loyola also announced it plans to grow the administration by two new vice president positions. Both will receive salaries in the hundreds of thousands, while Loyola faculty are left critically underpaid.

In their letter to President Cole, students pointed out serious problems, including Loyola’s failure to recruit diverse faculty despite the student body being over 50% non-white. A new chapel built on campus, funded by local billionaire Gale Benson, was not built to be accessible for students with disabilities.

Nat Arredondo, a member of Students for Environmental Action (SEA) emphasized, “It is very important for SEA to support this letter, and request that the school divest from oil companies, because of the huge environmental destruction and health issues they cause in the South. But especially Louisiana and Cancer Alley.”

One of the demands stated the need for increased resources and funding for multicultural departments and organizations. “As an executive member of a multicultural club at Loyola, I’ve witnessed how our organization is often pushed to the forefront as a symbol of diversity and inclusion, and used as a pull factor for the school, without receiving the genuine support or funding necessary to thrive,” said Ethan Shairsingh, representing Liberate and Unite New Orleans Students for a Democratic Society.

The student organizations also demanded that the university rescind all institutional sanctions placed on students relating to free speech and protests.

#NewOrleansLA #LA #StudentMovement #SDS

New Orleans, LA – On Tuesday, February 17, about 30 Tulane students and faculty held a rally on campus to protest Trump’s agenda. They particularly focused on fighting back against Trump’s ethnic cleansing plans for Gaza, and demanded that Tulane become a sanctuary campus immigrant students. 

Students and faculty gathered in Pocket Park, with signs reading, “Make Tulane a sanctuary campus” and “Gaza is not for sale!” They chanted, “Immigrants are here to stay, Donald Trump go away!” and “When immigrants are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!”

Tulane students organized the rally in response to ICE activity in the New Orleans area. The fear of ICE raids has led to a drastic decrease in school attendance by Chicano and Latino students in Orleans Parish and surrounding areas. Sandy Thomas, a first-generation Latina student at Tulane, stated, “Trump wants to send 30,000 immigrants to Guantanamo Bay, a detention camp. We may scream as much as we want for change, but change does not happen without action.” 

The rally also defended the ceasefire in Gaza, after Trump’s remarks threatening to ethnically cleanse the strip. Millicent Helmka, a member of Together United Students for a Democratic Society (TU SDS), condemned Trump’s plans to expand military operations in Palestine and displace 2 million Palestinians from their homeland, stating, “The U.S. government uses your cash to build dystopian and monstrous war technology. And those machines get used on people on the other side of the planet, who had dreams, like you.”

As students and faculty continue to push for a free Palestine and sanctuary campus policies, they emphasized that their awareness and outrage must translate into fighting back.

#NewOrleansLA #TUSDS #SDS #Tulane #ICE #Guantanamo #FreePalestine #Sanctuary #SanctuaryCampus

New Orleans, LA – On Thursday, February 20, around 30 Loyola students and New Orleans community members rallied in front of Loyola University to demand that university administration drop the semester-long suspension of student activist Carson Cruse. The action was organized by the Liberate and Unite New Orleans chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (LUNO SDS).

At the rally, the crowd chanted slogans such as “We want justice, you say how? Drop the suspension now!” and “Hold that line, yeah hold that line! Hold that line for student rights!”

Cruse was set to graduate in May, but if his suspension is maintained, he will be set back from graduating for another six months, if not longer.

Cruse told the crowd, “We understand that students will get absolutely nothing that we are not willing and organized to take. Through protracted campaigns and direct action, we can unite around our common needs as students to demand administration do their jobs for once!”

Several current and former students at Loyola gave speeches. Nat Arredondo with LUNO SDS pointed out that the resources used to prosecute Cruse could have been better spent on stopping sexual abuse. “Since my freshman year I have lived in the same dorms as sexual abusers, I have watched friends come out with disgusting testimonies that the administration heard and punished them for. But the abuser? They get to walk free,” stated Arredondo.

Loyola University administration issued Cruse’s suspension after he was reported for giving a public comment at a board meeting for the Port of New Orleans. His comment was part of an ongoing campaign by a local organization, New Orleans Stop Helping Israel’s Ports (NOSHIP), to demand the port stop sending weapons and aid to Israel.

The woman who reported Carson’s comment, Sharonda Williams, is both on the board of the Port of New Orleans and a lawyer for Loyola University. Before her report, Cruse had been on academic probation due to his involvement in the Tulane University encampment for Palestine in April 2024. Under the terms of his probation, one more strike against him meant he would face suspension or full expulsion from Loyola.

Near the end of the rally, the protesters picketed and blocked the entrance to the school until they were shut down by the university police.

#NewOrleansLA #LA #StudentMovement #SDS #FreeSpeech #InJusticeSystem #PoliticalRepression

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from Liberate and Unite New Orleans Students for a Democratic Society.

On February 17th, Loyola student and SDS member Carson Cruse was informed by the university that his suspension appeal was denied and he has been suspended from the university effective immediately until May 10, 2025. Carson initially received his suspension on December 13th, 2024, for enacting his right to free speech by calling out Sharonda Williams, the General Counsel of Loyola and Port of New Orleans board member for her being complicit in genocide, supporting genocide, and punishing anti-genocide protestors.

Following this news, Carson appealed his suspension and was allowed to attend classes. However, he has just been informed by the university that his appeal was denied, and he will not be allowed to graduate in May. This has pushed Carson’s graduation date back by a year. This is an unprecedented attack on free speech at Loyola and obvious repression by the university as revenge for his presence in the Popular University for Gaza encampment. The university is cracking down on student activism and trying to scare away students from protesting against them through suspensions, sanctions, and rewriting the student code of conduct to make it easier to punish political opposition.

Carson is an amazing student, organizer, beloved community member, and a staunch advocate for human rights. He has done so much for the university and this attack on his academic success is a disgusting flex of power by the university.

Loyola University is complicit and actively involved in the genocide and oppression of the Palestinian people through their support of Israel. Punishing innocent students, suppressing their right to free speech, and supporting genocide goes against the university’s supposed Jesuit values and is a disgrace to their job as “protectors” of their students.

#NewOrleansLA #LA #StudentMovement #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #SDS

New Orleans, LA – On Saturday, February 15, dozens of community members held an emergency rally in front of the Federal Building downtown to protest against Trump’s plans to ethnically cleanse the Gaza Strip.

After Trump’s demands that Palestinians relocate to the neighboring countries of Egypt and Jordan, organizations joined together demanding that the U.S. respect Palestinian sovereignty.

Trump has claimed that he has the right to take Gazan land “under U.S. authority” for real estate development, but the local pro-Palestine movement took the opportunity to remind New Orleanians that “Gaza is not for sale!” as stated by Hakm Murad, an organizer with the Palestinian Youth Movement.

“We are the land, we are rooted in the land, and we are not leaving. That is our message. No calls for ethnic cleansing will be heard here,” Murad continued as folks gathered with signs reading “Resistance until victory!” and “Two heads, same snake,” depicting the U.S and Israeli flags twisted together.

“If Trump and Netanyahu want to displace 2 million people from their rightful homes in Gaza, they will not only have to get through the heroic Palestinian resistance, they will also have to get through 7 billion of us!” said an organizer with the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

“The boycott, divest, and sanction movement’s importance is clearer than ever at this very instant. The reality is this: U.S. imperialism, and the bottom line of the few, is what drives the foreign relations of this country” said Zach Dowling, an organizer with New Orleans Stop Helping Israel’s Ports (NOSHIP).

“As much as they have tried to say that Israeli violence is just ‘self-defense’ – this has never been true. These decades of occupation have only ever been about imperialism, about taking more land and more power with no regard to anyone’s humanity, anyone’s right to freedom and self-determination,” said Ariel Moyal with the Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP).

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said he and Trump have a “common strategy” for Gaza, as he echoed Trump’s comments, threatening to “let hell break out” if the Palestinian resistance does not release Israeli prisoners held in the Strip. However, rally-goers emphasized which party to the ceasefire agreement has failed to uphold their end of the bargain. “It should come as no surprise to anyone that Israel, the same genocidal state that has broken every international law over the past year, has repeatedly violated the first phase of the current ceasefire agreement,” said Dowling.

The rally, held by Palestinian Youth Movement, NOSHIP, JVP, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, New Orleans Healthcare Workers for Palestine, Together United Students for a Democratic Society and the Party for Socialism and Liberation lasted about two hours. Cars driving down the busy downtown New Orleans streets honked at the waving Palestinian flags in support of the message. These organizations are part of the newly formed New Orleans for Palestine Coalition, which signaled its determination to mobilize the New Orleans community against any future illegal attacks against Palestinians and their lands.

#NewOrleansLA #LA #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #NOSHIP #PYM

New Orleans, LA – On Sunday, February 9, the family of Glenn Foster Jr hosted a press conference at noon in front of the Hale Boggs Federal Building in downtown New Orleans. As media came to town to cover the Super Bowl, Glenn’s mother, Sabrina Foster, seized the moment to bring light on her son.

Glenn Foster Jr was a professional football player who was found dead in police custody in 2021 after a traffic stop.

The conference began with chants demanding “We want answers! We want justice!” Then, Sabrina Foster told Glenn’s story: “I would like everyone to ask the question: What happened to NFL Saints player Glenn Foster Jr?”

Glenn Foster Jr. was traveling from New Orleans to Atlanta when he was pulled over for allegedly speeding in Pickens County, Alabama. He was then handcuffed, tased and put in jail. Three days later, on December 6, 2021, Foster was found dead in the back of a police car as police were transporting him. Speaking of the police who killed her son, Sabrina Foster said, “They don’t know who Glenn’s momma is. Just because it hasn’t been in the news doesn’t mean that we ain’t gonna come after you!”

Police and a state autopsy said Glenn Jr. died of natural causes due to a heart attack. But the 31-year-old athlete was in excellent health and had no prior history of heart disease according to the family.

“When I saw my son’s body with the wounds around his neck, and I saw the state autopsy say he died of natural causes, [I knew it was] a pack of lies,” said Glenn Foster Sr.

A second independent autopsy revealed evidence of strangulation, torture, and that Foster Jr. was repeatedly tased. “They say justice is blind. Not if you’re Black! The cops abused their authority and they took my son’s life,” exclaimed Foster Sr.

The family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit that was approved to move forward at the end of 2024. While they continue with legal proceedings, they ask the public to learn about their son’s case and uplift his story on social media.

The Fosters have also recently started a New Orleans chapter of Black Lives Matter Grassroots to continue the fight for their son and other families victimized by police brutality. For more information, follow @blm_nola on Instagram.

#NewOrleansLA #LA #InJusticeSystem #PoliceCrimes #KillerCops #BLM

New Orleans, LA – On February 9, roughly 200 people took to the streets in downtown New Orleans for a rally and march against President Donald Trump’s visit to the Super Bowl LIX at the Superdome.

The protest was called by New Orleans for Community Oversight of Police, alongside a broad coalition of organizations. After Trump’s recent attacks on the most oppressed, protestors came out to demand Trump end ICE raids and deportations, stop attacks on trans people, and keep out of Gaza.

The rally began at Armstrong Park around 4:30, with speakers. The crowd chanted, “Donald Trump has got to go!” and “Un pueblo unido, hamas sera vencido! The people united, will never be defeated!” Community members brought signs and flags, reading “Nadie es ilegal!”, “Trans liberation now!” “Defend women’s and reproductive rights!” as queer flags, Mexican flags, and Palestinian flags waved above.

“A lot of us are here to resist Donald Trump, but some of us are here for other reasons,” said a member of New Orleans for Community Control of the Police (NOCOP). “I’m here because my friend’s dad got deported a couple of months ago, before Trump was even in office. I’m here because my last interaction with the police ended up with a police officer’s arm around my neck, and me sitting in jail. I’m mad, and I’m not forgetting any of that!”

“More than fear, I’m angry!” declared Molly Dayle, a member of the Queer and Trans Community Action Project (QTCAP). “He’s attacking our immigrant siblings, our Black and Brown siblings, and he’s coming after unions. We are only going to be able to fight this together.”

“Immigrants are the ones who build up this city after every hurricane!” said Martha Alguera from the Southeast Dignity Not Detention Coalition. “Right here in Louisiana, we have the largest amount of for-profit detention centers in the country. Thousands of people who were just taken asylum are sent here, and have to deal with medical neglect and abuse.”

During the rally, it began to rain heavily. As clothes and signs got soaked, the energy of the crowd remained high. After the speakers finished, the people took the streets marching from Armstrong Park down S Rampart Street all the way up to just outside of the Superdome’s security perimeter. Police presence buzzed around the protest, but because of an excellent security plan and experienced police liaisons, the march concluded with no arrests, injuries, or major disruptions. The crowd cheered, “Rain will not take us down! Trump out of NOLA now!”

When the march returned to Armstrong Park, the crowd chanted and cheered “I believe that we will win!” Bright smiles and hugs congratulated the successful protest as the action came to a close.

#NewOrleansLA #LA #PeoplesStruggles #Trump #Sports #SuperBowl #LGBTQ #ImmigrantRights

New Orleans, LA – On Saturday, February 1 New Orleanians from diverse communities took the busy downtown streets at rush-hour to voice their anger. The protest was organized by the Queer and Trans Community Action Project (QTCAP) in response to several executive orders that Donald Trump passed in his first few days as president. Around 100 protesters marched with signs and flags behind a banner reading “Protect LGBTQ+ youth!”

The march featured chants and speakers reflecting the wide range of attacks that Trump has launched against immigrants, trans people and reproductive rights. Some protesters carried the flags of countries like Mexico and Honduras to show their pride and commitment to defending immigrants from Trump’s attacks. Trans speakers repeatedly encouraged solidarity with immigrants facing repression with chants like “We’re here, we’re queer, immigrants are welcome here!”

Protesters first gathered at the Hale-Boggs Federal Building in downtown New Orleans. Streets were crowded with cars and pedestrians as New Orleans prepares to host the Super Bowl and as Mardi Gras season begins. Speakers from QTCAP and Union Migrante, a grassroots immigrant-rights organization, fired up the crowd to take the busy streets. QTCAP organizer Molly Frayle said, “Trump has been clear and open about his repressive agenda, and we have been angry. Now we must channel our anger and build resistance!”

The crowd marched to the downtown tower that houses ICE’s New Orleans office, chanting “El pueblo unido, jamas sera vencido!” Adam Pedescleaux of New Orleans for Community Oversight of Police told the protesters, “Trump and Landry are in a marriage to ruin our lives,” adding, “They want to bring slavery back! That is why it is important that we fight for community control of the police.”

The protest then marched on nearby New Orleans City Hall. The area in front of City Hall, including the sidewalk, was blocked off with caution tape for Super Bowl-related renovations. So, protesters took the whole block in order to stop and give final speeches in front of the building, with protest marshals rushing to redirect traffic for safety.

A Students for a Democratic Society member said “As a foreign student, I almost decided not to come out and speak to you today but now is not the time to hide. It is time to fight!” SDS members from three New Orleans universities endorsed the march and supported it by leading chants and providing security.

Trans Income Project (TIP) is a local grassroots relief organization by and for trans people. A TIP speaker emphasized the resilience of the trans community and reminded protesters that they can give and receive direct support from their communities, despite inhumane treatment and targeted attacks from the government.

Lucas Harell, a trans college student and member of Freedom Road Socialist Organization, delivered a fiery speech. He told the crowd “Right now we stand at a turning point in history; we live in a time where reactionary forces embodied in Donald Trump and his allies seek to drag us backward, to divide us and to erode the very fabric of our collective progress. But we in the Freedom Road Socialist Organization say we will not give up. We will not bow to the forces of greed, hate and oppression.”

Protesters departed from City Hall to march towards Canal Street, the epicenter of downtown New Orleans. As the police realized where the march was heading, they attempted to mislead the protesters and say that Canal Street was “off-limits” for multiple reasons. One officer stood in front of the protest signaling in the direction that the march had come from. The protesters asserted their First Amendment rights and marched directly past the officer to remain on their planned route.

The energy on Canal Street was high as the determined protesters occupied three lanes of traffic. While a few Trump supporting tourists yelled obnoxiously, the march received claps, cheers and raised fists from most of the workers and onlookers they passed. Participants and organizers committed to continue taking the streets in response to Trump’s attacks to show their opposition, their strength and their collective perseverance. Marching under the palm trees and sunset the crowd chanted “Who’s streets? Our streets!”

#NewOrleansLA #LGBTQ #QTCAP #NOCOP #SDS #TIP #FRSO

New Orleans, LA – On January 20, around 100 students, workers and New Orleans community members representing 20 organizations commemorated MLK Day by marching in the streets. They gathered to march against Donald Trump’s agenda on the day of his inauguration.

Throughout the march protesters carried signs against deportations, attacks on abortion rights and many other issues representing the people’s movements. Black protesters led chants from a truck leading the march, followed by the main banner of the coalition that stated, “Unite & fight the racist Trump agenda.” Drummers played along with the crowd’s chants, such as “Say it loud! Say it clear! Immigrants are welcome here!”

The coalition to march on MLK Day/Inauguration Day was initiated by New Orleans for Community Oversight of Police (NOCOP). The event kicked off with a rally at A.L. Davis Park, named for the local civil rights leader who helped to form the Southern Christian Leadership Conference along with Martin Luther King Jr. Toni Jones from NOCOP opened the march, saying, “We’re out here because we are organizations made up of people who decided that they want to stand up and not take oppression lying down.”

Union Migrante, a local immigrant organization, gave one of the first speeches. One member told the crowd, “To hell with the dictator! We will be here fighting back whenever a politician comes along trying to push racist laws against the immigrant community or Black community here in New Orleans!”

After some speeches, demonstrators loudly took the streets, marching on one of New Orleans’ busiest streets, South Claiborne Avenue. The march then turned right at the corner of S. Claiborne and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, which features a bust of the civil rights leader on a tall pillar.

Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard travels through the Black Central City Neighborhood of New Orleans and intersects with Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard, named after another civil rights icon of New Orleans. At that intersection sits a sculpture of many hands joined together dedicated to Martin Luther King Jr. The march ended there and concluded with speeches from other organizations in the people’s movements.

Jasmine Groves, NOCOP member and daughter of Kim Groves, who was murdered by a member of New Orleans Police Department, gave a powerful speech. She delivered statements by Mona Hardin and Arlene Robertson, the mothers of Ronald Greene and Daviri Robertson. Greene was murdered by Louisiana State Police while handcuffed in 2019, and Robertson was murdered by Jefferson Parish Sheriff officers that same year.

Groves told the crowd, “Our criminal justice system is broken. Why should I have faith in a system that is not for us as a people? We as a people have to come together and realize who has the voice and who has the power. We have had so many great leaders to pave the way. From the Black Panthers to Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, even to my mom.”

Other speakers represented LGBTQ and environmental rights organizations, both of which face increased threats in Louisiana because of Governor Jeff Landry’s reactionary agenda. A republican federal government that will strip all environmental protections means that the remaining Louisiana landmass will be delivered to oil-extracting companies on a silver platter.

Speakers from Palestinian Youth Movement and New Orleans Stop Helping Israel’s Ports (NOSHIP) spoke about the recent achievement of a ceasefire in Gaza by the Palestinian resistance. They highlighted Trump’s racist views towards Palestinians and uplifted the need to honor martyrs of resistance such as MLK Jr and Tawfic Abdeljabbar, a Palestinian-American student from New Orleans who was killed by the IDF while visiting Palestine in January 2024.

Students for Democratic Society member Juleea Berthelot told the crowd, “Today we gather not just to honor the legacy of MLK Jr but to keep his fight for justice alive, to speak truth to power and to demand that our voices be heard.” Berthelot shared their motivation for participating in the march, saying, “My identity as a Black person, as a student and as someone who’s been arrested for speaking out compels me to fight for a future that honors Martin Luther King’s dream. Not just in words, but in action. That is why we are here today. We will not be silent in the face of a president who is intent on reversing the progress that we fought so hard to make.”

#NewOrleansLA #LA #OppressedNationalities #AfricanAmerican #MLK #Trump #ImmigrantRights #InJusticeSystem #NOCOP

New Orleans, LA – During a visit to New Orleans, Dr. Rabab Abduhadi held an evening talk addressing students, community members and activists about the dangers and impacts of institutional Zionism and ways to combat it in academia and beyond.

On January 11, at the University of New Orleans, Dr. Abdulhadi shared her decades-long experience battling institutionally embedded Zionism, its various modes of operation, and tactics it uses to repress Palestinian activism.

The event was hosted by New Orleans Stop Helping Israel’s Ports (NOSHIP), University of New Orleans Students for a Democratic Society (UNO SDS), Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), and Palestinian Youth Movement New Orleans. Alongside Dr. Abdulhadi were NOSHIP, SJP, and SDS’ own student leaders who have tirelessly built a strong, local student movement over the past year.

As the founding director and Senior Scholar of the Arab and Muslim Ethnicities and Diasporas Studies Program at San Francisco State University, Dr. Abdulhadi’s past and present work is dedicated to fostering critical conversations about Palestinian oppression, resistance and liberation.

Despite the university administration’s unjust cancellation of her Teaching Palestine course, Dr. Abdulhadi successfully held the course on her own accord with over 500 participants. “Zionism is most powerful in university administration,” said an SDS student who spoke of his own repression on a New Orleans campus. “As Dr. Abdulhadi mentioned, the administration is the enemy of the students and their allies. When we want divestment or any other progressive demand, we need to be organized and willing to take it.”

Dr. Abdulhadi is a lifelong organizer and public intellectual. She has co-organized delegations to Palestine, and her leadership in various coalitions and boards has been instrumental to advancing the BDS movement on a national and global scale. Inspired by Dr. Abdulhadi’s experience and steadfastness, SJP student activist A’ishah Abdallah shared insights about divestment efforts on UNO’s campus.

“UNO is a powerful organizing house for Palestinian students and their activities,” said Abdallah. “Although we might still face some restrictions, UNO is a public university which gives us some freedom to organize.”

“I don’t lose hope,” said Dr. Abdulhadi towards the end of her talk. “I’ve been a student organizer; I went to my first demonstration at the age of eleven. I believe people will always be able to win. The leadership in the student movement and encampments in this country has been very impressive. I am happy to talk about the past, give the history, but the students will move us forward. You got it, and I tip my hat to you.”

“We are here tonight not just to listen but to strategize, to learn from history, and to leave with a renewed sense of purpose,” said NOSHIP’s Maya Sanchez. NOSHIP, alongside several pro-Palestine organizations in the city, will be leading a Palestine solidarity contingent on January 20 for a citywide march commemorating Martin Luther King, Jr, day, which coincides with the inauguration of President Donald Trump. A broad coalition of various local movements will convene on this day to advance various demands against Trump’s racist agenda, including an end to racist policing, end to attacks on immigrants, end to U.S. aid to Israel, and defending the right to unionize and strike.

#NewOrleansLA #LA #StudentMovement #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #SDS #NOSHIP #SJP

Fight Back News Service is circulating the Liberate and Unite New Orleans Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) statement on the suspension of Carson Cruse.

On December 13, Loyola University student and SDS member Carson Cruse was suspended for speaking at the Port of New Orleans public hearing in October. Carson was there supporting New Orleans Stop Helping Israel’s Ports (NOSHIP) and their demands which included that New Orleans stop shipping arms to Israel, ends its ties to the Port of Ashdod in Israel, and to suspend its contracts with entities that do business with Israel, i.e. Møller-Mærsk.

During his time speaking, Carson called out Sharonda Williams, Loyola’s General Counsel and a member of the Port of New Orleans Board, for punishing protesters and supporting the genocide as a member of the board. As retaliation, Williams reported Carson to Loyola for allegedly “promoting an unregistered student organization.”

This is yet another blatantly obvious attack on student free speech as Loyola attempts to quell our opposition to the genocide in Palestine.

This code of conduct report resulted in Carson’s suspension from Loyola and banning from campus until May of 2025, when he was set to graduate.

Carson was previously on probation for attending the Popular University for Gaza encampment, where he was arrested but subsequently found not guilty on all charges. Despite the not guilty verdict, Loyola upheld his disciplinary probation feeling as though they are above the law.

Sharonda Williams’ position as a port board member shows that Loyola and administrators of Loyola have very direct ties to Israel. Loyola giving their students sanctions and suspensions for speaking out against Loyola’s ties to genocide is a clear sign of administrative overreach and free speech suppression.

SDS stands for free of speech and demands that Loyola immediately reinstate Carson Cruse and drop all current sanctions on students for Palestine activism.

#NewOrleansLA #LA #StudentMovement #FreeSpeech #Palestine #AntiWar

New Orleans, LA – On Christmas Eve, Starbucks Workers United called for an escalation of their strike to include over 300 stores across the country. The strike started on December 20. It responded to Starbucks’ refusal to negotiate economic benefits in good faith and its failing to bring any offers to the table. More stores walked out over the five days leading to Christmas.

In New Orleans, the location on Jefferson highway successfully unionized in the middle of 2023 and has been waiting on the completion of the contract ever since. There was not a scab in sight for the five hours that workers picketed the store. The location was completely closed for the Christmas Eve rush.

The workers complained about their old manager and his slimy union-busting tactics. Many of the employees have worked at Starbucks for over a year, and their tight bond was what kept the union together through corporate’s anti-union campaign. The election was tight, with an eight to five vote. But since then, the union has brought a real mindset of camaraderie which has left the supermajority of the store solidly pro-union.

A leader of the union effort said that she was unsurprised corporate was unwilling to yield on the non-economic concerns during the bargaining process, stating, “The managers displayed clear favoritism when promotions were on the table. They dangled the carrot of promotion to try and keep us in line saying, ‘If you do x, y, and z you could get a promotion.’”

Partners at the store also complained about staffing issues. Another union leader, complained, “We’ve gone from being one of the low-volume stores to the second most busy store in the district, but staffing has not changed at all to reflect that.”

Fortunately, despite being in a very suburban area, many of the regular customers were very supportive of the workers on strike, with one saying, “I can’t function without my coffee in the morning, but I will never cross a picket line so home brew it is for today!” Several customers mentioned their own union ties, and rarely would a work truck or big rig roll by without honking. One customer even asked for several of the fliers to pass to their friends.

One worker commented how Starbucks corporate is probably waiting for a friendlier Trump presidency to continue negotiations on the contract. But the organized population will be there every step of the way to make sure that the workers around the country recognize an attack on one as an attack on all.

A sign from the line read, “The only thing brewing today is solidarity!”

#NewOrleansLA #LA #Labor #SBWU #Starbucks #Strike

New Orleans, LA – On Tuesday, December 17, community organizations and New Orleanians impacted by police misconduct or police violence united at the Consent Decree Fairness Hearing to demand that Judge Susie Morgan rule against the New Orleans Police Department sustainment plan.

The consent decree is the federal oversight instituted in 2013. That year, the Department of Justice found the NOPD to be practicing unlawful misconduct and unconstitutional policing. Different community groups rallied outside against the motion.

The people came together around five points of unity. These included demanding a transparent and community-led process, an end to conflicts of interest, an independent investigation into officers with a history of misconduct complaints, an end to racist and biased policing, and that the judge rule against “sustainment.” A decision in favor of the “sustainment plan” would mean the beginning of the end of the consent decree, despite NOPD’s ongoing lack of compliance with the federal oversight.

While giving public comment during the hearing, Toni Jones, chair of New Orleans for Community Oversight of the Police, spoke against moving to sustainment, declaring, “We need more oversight of NOPD, not less.”

Data from the Office of the Independent Police Monitor reveals that a staggering 90% of “use of force” by NOPD is used against Black people, although they are a mere 56% of the city’s population. Despite cries from the community that this disparity is racist, NOPD pushes the narrative that “disparity is not bias.”

“The NOPD cannot be trusted to hold itself accountable. I humbly ask the court not to yield to political pressure or a false sense of urgency generated by the NOPD or federal monitors to enter sustainment prematurely. The people of New Orleans deserve constitutional policing,” Jones continued.

Nikeysha Gonzalez, a community organizer with Unión Migrante, spoke in opposition to NOPD moving into sustainment. She expressed concern regarding NOPD’s current lack of compliance with the consent decree, stating, “Preemptively moving into sustainment will have a direct harmful impact on all community members of New Orleans.”

Gonzalez also stressed the threat that removing the consent decree poses to immigrant community members, stating, “Currently the consent decree has provisions that prohibit officers from taking law enforcement actions on the basis of actual or perceived immigration status, also preventing collaboration with ICE. And we need to see that continued.” A scenario that would end with a ticket for others – such as a traffic stop – would end up with detainment for an immigrant even if they had not committed any crimes.

Published researcher Kristi Dayemo spoke, representing New Orleans for Community Oversight of the Police, breaking down the faulty methodology used by NOPD in an attempt to frame their policing as bias free.

Dayemo stated, “The NOPD is just substituting one disparity test that does not look good for another that makes them look good. A population weighted disparity test assesses the rate a specific demographic is subjugated to officer action compared to the prevalence of that demographic in the population. When conducting a population weighted disparity analysis, results show NOPD targets Black people anywhere from four to 13 times more than white people depending on the specific types of action.”

Dayemo told the court. “For all of the many problems with data collection and methods, not to mention the conflicts of interest and integrity issues with the federal monitoring team, NOCOP and many of our community allies strongly refute the claim that the NOPD is ready for sustainment. We felt it important to challenge these statistical practices because we have repeatedly witnessed representatives from the DOJ, the federal consent decree monitors and NOPD officials use these questionable findings to invalidate and dismiss the concerns and experiences of community members.”

Community organizations will rally outside of the official consent decree hearing, where the judge will make a decision. They will advocate for the judge to rule against sustainment, and they encourage community members to show up to amplify community concerns. The motion hearing, which will decide the fate of the consent decree, will take place on January 8, at 1 p.m. at the Hale Boggs Federal Courthouse.

Endorsing organizations included Union Migrante, New Orleans United Front, Eyes On Surveillance, New Orleans for Community Oversight of the Police, Liberate and Unite New Orleans SDS, Party for Socialism and Liberation, and Freedom Road Socialist Organizations, New Orleans Stop Helping Israel’s Ports (NOSHIP), UNO SDS, and Evolve Louisiana.

#NewOrleansLA #LA #InJusticeSystem #NOCOP #ConsentDecree #Feature