Dearborn, MI – On Saturday, May 17, approximately 150 movement leaders, including lawyers, legal observers, community organizers and elected officials, gathered for the Legacy Dinner hosted by the Detroit chapter of the National Lawyers Guild.
The fundraiser honored the work of west Michigan based Palestine Solidarity Grand Rapids, along with longtime movement lawyer Denise Heberle, and Detroit based audio engineers The Peoples Sound. Police misconduct attorney Andrea Ritchie, known for her work exposing state violence against oppressed nationality women, gave the keynote address.
Grand Rapids, Mi – On Wednesday, May 14, 30 people gathered near Rosa Parks Circle. in Grand Rapids, MI, to commemorate the 77th anniversary of al-Nakba and honor the generations of Palestinians who have struggled against Israeli occupation.
77 years ago, armed Israeli settlers launched a genocidal campaign of violence which displaced over 750,000 Palestinians from their homes – committing hundreds of massacres in the process. These armed gangs quickly reorganized to become Israel’s formal military. In the decades since, Israel has built cities, national parks and public infrastructure atop of the 531 Palestinian villages ethnically cleansed in 1948.
Grand Rapids, MI – On Thursday, May 8, over 100 activists and community members gathered outside the Kent County 17th Circuit Court to stand in solidarity, outrage and mourning with the family of Patrick Lyoya, an unarmed black man and Congolese immigrant who was killed in a 2022 traffic stop by the Grand Rapids Police Officer Christopher Schurr.
After years of waiting for justice while Christopher Schurr walked free of consequences, the prosecutor’s office finally put Schurr on trial for murder. But after days of deliberation, the jury was unable to reach a verdict, and a mistrial was declared by the judge.
In response to the news, protesters took to the streets to demand a retrial and justice for Patrick and his family.
Grand Rapids, MI – On Saturday, May 3, over 100 protesters gathered at Ah-Nab-Awen Park to celebrate International Workers Day and unite in the struggle for worker and immigrant rights. Local labor unions, community groups and activists rallied and marched through the streets of downtown Grand Rapids to demand an end to the Trump administration’s attacks on labor and immigrants.
Iron Mountain, MI – In a powerful display of unity and defiance, approximately 150 people gathered in the heart of this traditionally conservative town on Saturday, May 3, to commemorate International Workers’ Day. The May Day rally, organized by local activists and labor leaders, signaled a growing tide of resistance to Trump and a renewed commitment to solidarity in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
Grand Rapids, MI – On the afternoon of Sunday, April 27, organizers with the Grand Rapids Alliance Against Racism and Political Repression (GRAARPR) rallied alongside community members on the steps of the Kent County Court House to demand justice for Patrick Lyoya, along with community control of the police.
Grand Rapids, MI – At 8:30 a.m. on the morning of April 28, the trial of Christopher Schurr for the murder of Patrick Lyoya began.
Patrick Lyoya was a Congolese man living in Grand Rapids when he was shot and killed by former Grand Rapids Police Department officer Christopher Schurr on April 4, 2022, during a traffic stop. A little over three years later, this officer who executed Lyoya is finally seeing his day in court.
Grand Rapids, MI – On Saturday, April 19, 30 people gathered at Fountain Street Church in downtown Grand Rapids to commemorate Palestine Prisoners’ Day. The event began with a teach-in on the history of Prisoners’ Day and its importance to the national liberation struggle.
Afterwards, people began writing letters to two groups of recipients. First, letters were drafted to the Filton 18. This group of activists were arrested in Britain for targeting an Elbit Systems facility and have been subjected to solitary confinement and interrogation while they await trial.
Detroit, MI – 2500 people gathered at Hart Plaza, April 19, ready to fight back against Donald Trump and his attacks on working-class people, both at home and abroad. The demonstration was a “Hands Off” march and rally, organized by Detroit Anti-War Committee, Detroit Comité de Acción Comunitaria, Detroit Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Wayne State Students for a Democratic Society, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization.
Grand Rapids, MI – On Wednesday, April 9, 20 people rallied outside Rosa Parks Circle in downtown Grand Rapids to commemorate Palestine’s Land Day. Held on March 30, Land Day is commemorated around world. It marks the 1976 killing of six Palestinians, with hundreds more injured by Israeli occupation forces for protesting the theft of land in the West Bank.
Detroit, MI – 50 protesters gathered at the Detroit ICE headquarters, March 29, in response to Trump’s racist attacks on immigrants and to demand Detroit be declared a sanctuary city. Over the past weeks, several families in the city, including victims of the flooding in the Southwest neighborhood, have been turned over to ICE by the Detroit Police Department.
Grand Rapids, MI – In the wake of over 400 Palestinians being killed by Israel’s repeated violation of the January ceasefire agreement, on March 19 nearly 100 community members rallied at the corner of Rosa Parks Circle in solidarity with Palestine. After chants condemning the actions of both Israel and the United States, the group took to a march towards the Gerald R. Ford Federal Building.
Allendale, MI — On Saturday, March 15, Grand Valley State University students and community members took part in a demonstration protesting the illegal ICE abductions of Mahmoud Khalil and Leqaa Kordia. They also demanded that Grand Valley take action to protect its student body from the increased repression of the Trump administration.
Grand Rapids, MI – On March 5, outside of Corewell Health, the largest employer in Grand Rapids, 30 people rallied outside of the healthcare giant demanding their immediate divestment from Israeli companies and bonds.
Early this month, Palestine Solidarity Grand Rapids launched its “Corewell Health Divest!” campaign in response to the horrific destruction of Palestine’s healthcare system and the company’s connection to the Michigan Israel Business Accelerator – a nonprofit which proudly states itself to be “the only landing zone in the U.S. dedicated to supporting the growth of Israeli companies” and having “hosted 100+ Israeli companies in Michigan.”
Grand Rapids, MI – In the heart of downtown Grand Rapids at Rosa Parks Circle, over 2000 community members gathered around the stage and ice skating rink, March 8, for an International Women’s Day rally. Despite freezing winds, the crowd swelled through the afternoon, culminating in a march past City Hall and federal buildings.
Grand Rapids, MI – On Saturday, March 1, 30 workers came to Fountain Street Church to learn about raising class struggle in the workplace and fighting back against Trump’s onslaught against unions. Tom Burke, President of IATSE Local 26, spoke on the necessity of union organization and revolutionary leadership. He also explained the FRSO united front strategy, and the strategic alliance between the multinational working class and the Black liberation and other oppressed nationality movements.
Detroit, MI – On Wednesday, February 26, over 30 students, faculty, and community members marched at Wayne State University to defend DEI institutions and demand ICE is kicked off campus. The protest was planned in the wake of a series of emails sent by Wayne State administration, where they did not promise to protect students if ICE appeared on campus, and they stated that they would comply with Donald Trump’s executive orders regarding diversity, equity and inclusion.
Grand Rapids, MI – At Fountain Street Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, February 15, around 80 people gathered to hear speakers stressing solidarity with the immigrant and queer communities. The event’s purpose was to spread awareness and further mobilization, while also stressing the connections between the two struggles.
Detroit, MI – On Friday, January 31, a crowd of over 80 people braved pouring rain and rallied outside of the local U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Headquarters on Michigan Avenue with signs reading “No human is illegal” and “My parents are not criminals.”
The rally started with the chants “Fuck Trump” and “Power to the people! No one is illegal!” This was followed by a speech from Detroit Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression member Marcel Ulacia, who said, “Today we take a stand in front of the racist police institution known as ICE, who have their eyes set on attacking the Chicano, Latino and Hispanic members of our community.”
Detroit, MI – At 6 p.m., in near-zero-degree weather, over 40 protesters came out to oppose Donald Trump, January 20, his first day in office.
Protesters rallied at Grand Circus Park as the sun set. They marched to the nearby 36th District Court in a show of force against the new era of political repression that Trump intends to lead.
