Code Pink disrupts Marco Rubio’s Senate confirmation hearing to become Sec of State

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On the 15th of January, the US Senate held a confirmation hearing to consider FL Senator Marco Rubio’s appointment by Trump as Secretary of State. Code Pink got into the hearing and disrupted it, at the price that the Capitol Police were very rough in removing them. Unknown at the moment whether they were arrested or just detained and expelled, but they were searched and cuffed so assuming this was arrests.

This was with five days to go until J20. To engage in civil disobedience at this point against anything related to Trump is to take a very considerable personal risk, and this speaks highly of Code Pink’s courage under fire,

Orlando Critical Mass rides at end of year as dangerous times threaten

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With “Democracy” in the US potentially just 24 days away from ending, Orlando’s Critical Mass bike ride did NOT permit themselves to be scared off the streets. Three nights before New Year’s Eve, riders turned out in force for the very popular last ride of the year.

Trump supporters usually don’t like cyclists, so just riding in city streets is no doubt considered “politically incorrect” by the incoming regime. Surely they use a different term though after years of whining about the frosty reception hate speech gets on campuses.

2024 in activism-and in war

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Video of protests and direct actions through the year against genocide in Gaza, against both political parties, and against Trump. Intercut in places with a few clips of war footage from Occupied Palestine and Lebanon. Much but not all of the DC and Florida stuff I “saw with my own hands.”

Three big DC Palestine protests in this, including the humiliating defeat for the Park Police when Netanyahu showed up in DC. Both of the police attacks on protesters near Lake Eola in Orlando, FL and the leadup to them. The wave of university encampments and the fighting to defend them is also here.

War footage includes a drone bombing near the US Embassy in Tel Aviv, the pager explosions in Lebanon, and the Oct 1 storm of warheads raining on an Israeli airbase that destroyed much of the IOF’s F-35 fighter jets. That clip is followed by Palestine Action’s successful direct action strike on a UK Elbit plant’s clean room. That strike disable the manufacture of at least one component without which no new F-35’s to replace the ones the Iranian missile strike blew up.

As the year comes to a close, Trump becomes President-elect and open street protests slow down as people prepare for the brutal times ahead. Other things start to happen though.

Closing with two inspirational scenes: Cops being bonked with water jugs at a University protest for Palestine, and protesters outside the US firing a multi-barreled Roman candle at riot cops and a water cannon as though it was a Vulcan revolving cannon.

NYC: Protesters take over 63ed and Lexington for Jordan Neely after Daniel Penny acquitted.

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On the 9th of December, Danial Penny was somehow acquitted of all charges in the chokehold death of Jordan Neely on a subway train in NYC. When Jordan had some kind of meltdown on the train, Penny got him into a chokehold-and held the choke on until Jordan Neely died. Once again, a Black man has been choked to death by white America.

In response, protesters took over the 63ed and Lexington NYC subway stop OCCUPYING THE TRACKS to blockade the entire subway line. This mode of protest requires taking serious risks but was no doubt deemed necessary given the danger posed to Black folks by both cops and racist vigilante killers.

The video was originally uploaded by an unknown party to Instagram, and a download was forwarded to me since I do not have access to Instagram reels. If this is your video, feel free to comment and I will add credit for it

Black Friday protest against genocide, repression, and Trump held outside Tampa shopping mall

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On Black Friday (AKA Buy Nothing Day) 2024, protesters showed up outside the International Plaza shopping mall in Tampa near the airport.

The protest called out US bipartisan support for the genocide in Gaza, and pointed out that on that issue and several others, Trump will be continuing and intensifying Biden’s policies. That said, Trump’s larger agenda was then called out by speakers as “a declaration of war on the working class.”

One speaker emphasized the success of abolitionist Vigilance Committees after passage of the Fugitive Slave Act, notably in Springfield, Ohio, the town later slandered by Trump. There, vigilance committee members successfully blocked all of the slaveowners by force of arms from recapturing their escaped workers once they got up and running.(This portion not on the video as it is long and it can take many hours to cover all faces on a long video segment).

Speakers also emphasized that neither party has any intention of doing anything about issues like rising prices or anything else harming the general public. Thus we have the cop cities being built across the US after the Uprising, the RICO charges against protesters there, and all the rest of the recent and very heavy repression.

In my judgement, the true message sent by the repression is to “go big or go home” while they ensure fewer and fewer have a home to go back to.

This protest got heckled a couple times, in both cases by presumed Christian nationalists, who are quite common in Florida. Wasn’t nearly as bad though as at the Nov 9 anti-Trump protest at Tampa City hall though.

Some predictions for post J-20 and what Trump’s de facto martial law will mean are coming out.

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ARE YOU READY TO FUCKING FIGHT? Here is an example of what may happen that seems to be thought through:
https://cheriwilson.substack.com/p/sanctuary-city-crackdowns-what-to

Here is the part detailing Trump’s likely attack mode, MUCH more in the article linked above:

The Plan: Militarization and Raids – After the inauguration, federal agents, backed by military resources, will be deployed to sanctuary cities that have long resisted federal immigration enforcement. President Trump’s plan reportedly includes:

A National Emergency Declaration: This will allow the administration to redirect funds and deploy military resources to support immigration enforcement.

ncreased Federal Presence: Armored vehicles, checkpoints, and heavily armed federal agents will be used to carry out raids and roundups in urban areas.

Targeted Raids: High-density immigrant neighborhoods, workplaces, and public spaces like transit hubs are expected to be prioritized.

In more detail:

The impact on sanctuary cities will be immediate and profound:

  1. Federal Forces in Urban Streets
    After the inauguration, cities like Los Angeles and Chicago may see military-grade vehicles rolling down streets and federal agents patrolling neighborhoods. Checkpoints at major highways and transit hubs will monitor movement, and drones and helicopters are expected to provide overhead surveillance. Immigrant-heavy neighborhoods, such as Boyle Heights in Los Angeles or Little Village in Chicago, are likely to face the most scrutiny, with widespread roadblocks and street-level detentions.
  1. Early-Morning Raids
    Raids on homes are expected to take place before dawn, targeting individuals and families suspected of being undocumented. Federal agents will force their way into homes, detaining parents in front of their children, often separating families. Similar operations may occur in workplaces, targeting employers and workers alike in industries such as agriculture, construction, and food service.
  1. Schools and Hospitals in Crosshairs
    Places once considered safe, such as schools and hospitals, may become flashpoints. Advocacy groups have warned of federal agents waiting outside these facilities to detain individuals, effectively discouraging immigrants from seeking medical care or sending their children to school. This chilling effect will ripple through entire communities.

Chaos in the Hart Senate Office Building as pro-Palestine protesters take over the atrium

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On the 19th of November, an interfaith antiwar protest took over the atrium of DC’s Hart Senate Office Building. Whistles blew and banners dropped as the protest sowed noisy chaos. Protesters were there to demand that the Senate vote to halt US arms deliveries to Israel in the next day’s vote on the issue.