Fight Back! News

News and Views from the People's Struggle

police brutality

By Jessie Proffitt

Candles, photos and paintings at street shrine for police murder victim Alex Martinez

Colorado Springs, CO – On July 6, the family and friends of Alex Martinez gathered to mourn their loss after his life was taken by the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) the previous morning.

Over 50 people gathered with candles and balloons around a shrine erected in the spot in the downtown parking lot where CSPD shot Martinez in the back. Wails and cries could be heard throughout the crowd as dozens of balloons took to the skies.

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By Kobi Guillory

A group of protesters holding signs on a sidewalk.

Oak Lawn, IL – 50 people rallied outside the Oak Lawn Village Hall on Wednesday evening, July 2, before the monthly meeting of the Oak Lawn Police and Fire Commission. The Arab community and allies have shown up at every meeting for three years to challenge the racism of the Oak Lawn Police Department (OLPD).

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By staff

Santa Ana community demands justice for Noe Rodriguez.

Santa Ana, CA – On June 3, nine Community Service Organization Orange County (CSO OC) members and supporters delivered public comments at Santa Ana’s city council meeting to demand justice for Noe Rodriguez. The attendees included two members of Noe Rodriguez’s family, including Erika Armenta, Rodriguez’s wife and mother of his two daughters, and Rodriguez’s sister. Many attending wore shirts designed by Armenta that included portraits of Rodriguez, and all held signs that displayed his killers – Officers Luis Casillas and Isaac Ibarra.

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By David Pulido

Santa Ana, CA – On June 1, about 25 Santa Ana residents, family members and organizers gathered to honor Noe Rogriguez’s life and demand justice. The vigil, six months from the date of his death, took place in front of Casa Linda Furniture in downtown Santa Ana, just feet away from where Officers Luis Casillas and Isaac Ibarra killed Rodriguez.

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By Anthony Renzetti

Orlando press conference demands justice for Tyrone Bartley. 

Orlando, FL – On May 25, family, loved ones, and the community of gathered for a press conference to demand justice for Tyrone Bartley – a 32 year old who was shot and killed in his own home by Orange County deputies during a botched SWAT raid on the afternoon of May 16.

The press conference, organized by Orlando Against Police Crimes, sought to correct the police narrative and hear directly from the family and other tenants of the house.

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By staff

Protest against police killing in Aurora, Colorado.

Aurora CO – On Saturday, May 17, a dozen community members gathered in front of the Aurora Police Department Headquarters for an emergency rally to protest the killing of another Black man by the APD, and the subsequent cover-up that is still unfolding.

It was on May 12, Monday evening, that the APD received calls about a “suspicious person” wandering a private Park-and-Ride near the Denver International Airport.

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By staff

Washington DC cookout in support of family that survived police crimes.

Washington, DC – Over 100 community members and organizers from the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR) gathered on Saturday in Ward 8 to enjoy a cookout in support of the Butler Family. The cookout, hosted by the DC Alliance, featured activities for the kids (such as a bounce house), along with music, dancing, games and plenty of food.

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By Tristen Hust

Sigh bearing the name of Kory Dillard, who was killed by the police. 

Aurora, CO – On April 30, a call-in was organized to place pressure on Colorado’s 17th Judicial District Attorney Brian Mason to charge and convict the police responsible for two acts of racist police violence that happened last year.

The murder of Kory Dillard and the brutalization of Te’Erica Mosely, both at the hands of the police, led to members of the Denver-Aurora Community Action Committee (DACAC) organizing the action.

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By Julian Cortez

Grand Rapids march demands justice for Patrick Lyoya.

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.

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By staff

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.

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By David Pulido

Families impacted by police crimes at vigil for Jose Naranjo-Cortez.

Fullerton, CA – On April 27, over 30 family members, Orange County residents and activists gathered at Lemon Park to grieve for Jose Naranjo-Cortez, who was killed by Fullerton Police Department on April 20.

The vigil was organized by Jose Naranjo-Cortez’s family and Community Service Organization, Orange County (CSO OC) a grassroots, working-class group that fights for community control of the police.

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By Gabriel Miller

Chicago protest demands justice for the wrongfully convicted.  | Photo: Alec Ozawa/Fight Back! News

Chicago, IL – Over 30 protesters rallied in downtown Chicago, outside the office of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, to demand he grant executive clemency to all incarcerated survivors of police torture and wrongful conviction. The protest was organized by the Campaign to Free Incarcerated Survivors of Police Torture (CFIST), a grassroots campaign led by survivors of wrongful conviction and their loved ones.

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By Jacob Muldoon

Orlando, Florida protest demands justice for Luis Lopez.

Orlando, FL – On April 10, organizers with Orlando Against Police Crimes (OAPC) attended the Orange County Sheriff’s Civilian Advisory Committee to demand justice for Luis Lopez, a recent victim of a deadly police shooting in his own home.

“They killed an innocent person who was supposed to be helping,” explained David Porter, a member of OAPC. He continued, “if Sheriff Mina reached the absurd conclusion that deputies acted within policy, then your policy sucks, your training sucks.”

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By staff

Jacksonville, Florida protest demands justice for Charles Faggart.

Jacksonville, FL – 250-plus people gathered on the steps of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) Memorial Building on Sunday, April 13, demanding justice for Charles Faggart and all other victims of police brutality.

Charles Faggart was a 31-year-old Jacksonville resident. He owned and operated the Chop it Up Charlie’s food truck. Faggart died from “catastrophic injuries” while in the Duval County Jail.

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By Diana Terreros

Anaheim, CA – On Friday, December 27, Anaheim Police Department (APD) killed a 30-year-old man near the intersection of S East Street and E South Street. Four officers from APD were responding to a possible robbery and a replica firearm was recovered at the scene, however it is unclear based on current reports what the victim’s involvement in the robbery was and whether he was holding the replica firearm at the time of the shooting. The name of the victim, the names of the officers, and more details about the shooting have not been released to the public. Several agencies, including the California Department of Justice and APD Major Incident Review Team, are investigating the shooting, but the timeline for the investigation remains unclear.

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By staff

Colorado Springs police vehicles with their lights on block an intersection.

Colorado Springs, CO – On December 13, at approximately 9:40 p.m., an unidentified man called 911 stating he was suicidal and had a firearm. By the time El Paso County sheriffs responded, an hour later, they could not find the man, as he had made his way to the parking lot of a local business. Colorado Springs Police claim the man refused to comply with demands to drop his weapon, and the police eventually shot and killed him.

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By Victor Rodriguez

Centro CSO press conference blasts LA sheriffs for tear-gassing Dodgers fans.  | Staff/Fight Back! News

Los Angeles, CA – On October 23, Centro Community organization Centro (CSO) held a press conference outside the East LA Sheriff’s Station to condemn the violent actions of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LASD) after the Dodgers’ National League Championship Series victory celebration on October 20.

Speakers at the press conference highlighted the indiscriminate tear gassing of families, the racist “Fort Apache” mentality of the East LA Sheriff’s Station, and the broader systemic violence against Chicanos. The community demanded justice and emphasized the need for community control of the police.

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By staff

Tampa, FL press conference demands justice for pastor injured by deputy sheriff.  | Staff/Fight Back! News

Tampa, FL – On September 13, around a dozen community members came to a press conference, demanding justice for Pastor Carl Soto. A local pastor, activist, and co-founder of Black Lives Matter Restoration Inc., Soto was followed and brutalized by Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Alex Almaguer. He was falsely charged with resisting arrest without violence.

Deputy Almaguer brutalized Soto on August 29, 2024. As Soto was on his way to pick up his kids from school, the deputy tailed him for approximately three miles before pulling him over. With his hand on his weapon, Almaguer approached the vehicle and made the unfounded claim that Soto was driving with an illegal license plate.

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By staff

Brooklyn community meeting builds opposition to police on subways.  | Staff/Fight Back! News

Brooklyn, NY – On Saturday, September 7, the New York Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NYAARPR) and a dozen community members gathered for an honest discussion of the role of the NYPD on the New York City subway system.

The event, held at the Macon branch of the Brooklyn Public Library, marked the launch of NYAARPR’s Cops off the Subway campaign.

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By Diana Terreros

Protest against police crimes in Fullerton, California.  | Staff/Fight Back! News

Fullerton, CA – On Friday, September 6, over 30 family members, community members and activists joined a vigil to demand justice for Alejandro Campos Rios. The vigil was held outside of a McDonald’s restaurant where Rios was murdered by Fullerton Police Department on March 6 while experiencing a mental health crisis.

Connor Atwood with Dare to Struggle kicked off the vigil by stating, “For six months the killer cops have gotten away with it. For six months, they have not released the names of the officers that pulled the triggers. For six months they have not been fired from FPD. And for six months, while we should have been getting justice ,these killer cops have continued to walk the streets. We’re here to say no, we’re here to demand justice for Alejandro!”

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