Kiswani noted that more than 10,000 Palestinian women and children are illegally detained in […] prisons right now and that just a few days ago, occupation forces launched a ground invasion against a refugee camp in the West Bank, killing and injuring hundreds of people. “This has been our reality for over 76 years,” Kiswani said. “It is our responsibility to put an end to the genocidal state.”

People flooded the New York streets with a march of more than 50 blocks that ended in Washington Square Park. Following the protest, WOL and Healthcare Workers for Palestine held a fundraiser for Palestine to help raise funds for Doctors Against Genocide.

Eventbrite took down a notice about the fundraiser. Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, shut down the Instagram account of WOL in early February. In early July, Meta also shut down the Instagram account of the Samidoun Palestinian Political Prisoner Network, and in the last week shut down the accounts for Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine, and NYU’s People’s Solidarity Coalition.

Despite Meta’s attempts to destroy the ability of these groups to organize support for Palestine and to expose the U.S. rôle in the genocide, they continue to find alternative means to build this solidarity movement with Palestine that brings thousands into the streets since Oct. 7.

https://archive.is/sb4IK

https://archive.is/FM7ER

There are some reactionaries in the St. Louis area — and throughout the U.S. — who do not want people to learn about historical Black freedom struggles, such as the Jefferson Bank protest. As one example, a predominantly white school district located in a suburb of St. Louis attempted to ban Black studies as recently as December 2023. That month, the Francis Howell School Board voted 5-2 to stop offering Black History courses.

The bigoted board members do not want students to learn that African Americans in St. Louis had to fight to secure employment. Fortunately, the Francis Howell School Board was forced to reverse their backward decision.

Far right forces want to erase history by ignoring important struggles of the past. Workers and oppressed people can effectively counter anti-education reactionaries by observing and memorializing the legacy of historical battles for Black Liberation and working-class emancipation like what happened in St. Louis more than 60 years ago.

Since the unionization campaign began in Buffalo, New York, in August 2021, the number of union stores has grown from zero to nearly 500. Earlier this year Starbucks agreed to negotiate with SBWU, but the workers still don’t have a contract. The Red for Bread actions were held to let workers know they have community support.

Shown above, a Red for Bread action outside a unionized Starbucks store in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, was organized by the local chapter of Steelworkers Organization of Active Retirees. Retired members of the United Auto Workers and Service Employees Union also took part. Customers were almost all supportive of the workers inside, who in turn voiced appreciation for the solidarity action.

After the court’s ruling Aug. 23, FIEL’s Executive Director Cesar Espinosa texted this reporter a copy of the ruling and wrote, “We won! Paxton lost!” He issued a statement, saying: “We look forward to continuing our work with the community. We hope today’s ruling will let us go back to what’s really important, which is serving our membership. Justice has prevailed. La lucha sigue!” (Texas Tribune, Aug. 13)

The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund and an Austin-based attorney challenged the lawsuit.

MALDEF Southwest Regional Counsel Fátima Menéndez stated on Aug. 16: “Texas’s Attorney General does not have the authority to bring this lawsuit. This most recent attack by the Texas Attorney General demonstrates his reckless leadership, retaliatory nature and unwavering desire to target nonprofit organizations that he disagrees with. MALDEF is honored to defend FIEL in this litigation, an organization [which] serves immigrants and families in need in Houston.” (houstonpublicmedia.org)

After the favorable Friday ruling, Menéndez said, “We hope this is permanently the end of this case.” (Anna Núñez on X [formerly known as Twitter])

Paxton has spent untold amounts of tax dollars suing a number of Texas organizations along the Texas/Mexico border that provide services for immigrants, including several run by the Catholic Church. None of the lawsuits have succeeded.

In July, after Houston was hit by Hurricane Beryl, Espinosa and other leaders of FIEL discovered their office was severely damaged. The roof had caved in, two floors were flooded and expensive equipment was damaged. Then, as they were sitting in the damaged office trying to make plans, Espinosa was served papers announcing the lawsuit.

In between finding a new office and working with lawyers to counter the suit, FIEL launched a GoFundMe appeal and raised almost $15,000 from supporters, many of whom were immigrants who had been helped by the group in previous years. Contributions ranged from $5 to hundreds of dollars.

Now, situated in a new office space, the victory against Paxton is cause for a celebration of the resistance that has kept FIEL in the forefront of all struggles for immigrant rights in the Houston area.

While 10,000 Palestinian political prisoners remain in [neocolonial] jails under conditions of torture and deprivation, their condition is almost completely ignored by the [neoimperialist] crusaders.

A representative from the “Sea-Tac 46,” activists who shut down the Seattle-Tacoma airport in April and were arrested protesting […] genocide, spoke. She said the 46 had to organize all summer long against the charges they faced — and finally got all charges dropped on Aug. 13.

Protesters marched to the county jail and rallied at City Hall. While marching, people chanted, “In the millions and the billions, we are all Palestinians!”

See also: Normalization of genocide in Gaza and where to look for change

The genocide in Palestine, the primary issue for demonstrators outside the DNC, was also an issue inside the convention. Several dozen delegates represented the 800,000 voters in a number of states who cast an “uncommitted” or “undecided” ballot in Democratic Party primary elections. This was a means to express opposition to President Joe Biden’s support for […] genocide against Gaza.

When a few delegates unfurled a banner reading “Stop arming Israel,” they were physically assaulted and subject to chants of “USA, USA!”

The uncommitted delegates were joined by many pro-Harris delegates in demanding a Palestinian representative be allowed to speak at the convention. When this very modest request was denied, delegates held a sit-in outside the DNC. There was mass disgust at the Democratic Party machine. A group called Muslim Women for Harris/Walz disbanded in protest.

[…]

Workers World contributing editor Sara Flounders stated: “WWP took part in the demonstrations against the DNC in Chicago as we have always opposed both imperialist parties since our founding. This year both the DNC’s and RNC’s total support for Zionism and genocide in Gaza exposes their criminal rôle on a global scale. We salute the cohesion and determination of the Coalition in the mobilization of thousands of people for Palestine.”

The large actions showed that the Palestine solidarity movement understands the need to confront the Democratic Party regardless of who it puts forward as the presidential candidate.

See also: No vote for genocide

Lower-income American households are running out of money at the end of every month, the discount retailer Dollar General said as it released dismal results that drove its shares down more than 30 per cent for their sharpest one-day drop on record.

The largest US dollar store chain, with more than 20,000 locations across 48 states, painted a bleak financial picture for many of its customers after years of inflation and the depletion of savings built up during the pandemic. Shrink, an industry byword for inventory losses that includes shoplifting, was also on the rise, it added.

Archive link -> https://archive.is/SLMtR

In a move celebrated by pro-Palestinian activists as a win for the divestment movement and a “major victory” for Palestinian rights advocacy in the US, the San Francisco State University (SFSU) has pulled investments from four weapons companies involved in Israel’s war on Gaza.

Students for Gaza SFSU said the university will sell its corporate bond position in American aerospace and arms manufacturer Lockheed Martin Corporation, Italian defense company Leonardo, US-based data analysis enterprise Palantir Technologies, as well as construction equipment manufacturer Caterpillar.

https://www.fdic.gov/news/speeches/2024/fdic-quarterly-banking-profile-first-quarter-2024

https://www.migrationdataportal.org/themes/human-trafficking