Dallas Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression
Dallas Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression
Kyle Rittenhouse protest
On November 21 2021, around 50 people gathered at Civic Garden across the street from the Earle Cabell Federal Building in downtown Dallas to protest the acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse. The rally was called by the Dallas Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DAARPR).
Syd Loving, chair of DAARPR, started off the speeches at the rally, condemning the acquittal of Rittenhouse as political repression against the movement against police crimes, and discussing how the American judicial system systematically sides with racist murderers like Kyle Rittenhouse.
Kawana Scott of DAARPR speech addressed the bias of Judge Bruce Schroeder in favor of Kyle Rittenhouse, and the stark contrast between the treatment of Rittenhouse and Black young people who have been persecuted by the U.S. government.
Andrew Velasquez of DAARPR spoke about how the American government sides with racist killers such as Rittenhouse, and how the courts protect them, and the role of movement against police violence in opposing them.
Notable Dallas activist Olinka Green gave a passionate speech demanding an end to impunity for racist killers such as Kyle Rittenhouse and George Zimmerman. "This country was built off the torture and rape and lynching of people of other colors. This country was built off the rape and killing of women and children, its hands are bloody with the blood of the innocent, and so if you think we will get justice in the court system, you're wrong," stated Green.[1]
Palestinian political prisoners rally
On September 19 2921, about 50 people gathered in Belo Garden Park in Downtown Dallas to support six Palestinian political prisoners who recently escaped from Israeli detention, and to call for the freedom of all Palestinian political prisoners. The rally was organized by Palestinian Youth Movement, American Muslims for Justice in Palestine, and Students for Justice in Palestine. Chants included "Intifada! Intifada! Long live the Intifada!" "We don't want two states! We want '48!" and "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free."
Speeches followed the chants. Jhad Villena of Malaya Movement Texas discussed the similarities between the struggle against repression by Rodrigo Duterte in the Philippines and the struggle against Zionist repression in Palestine, criticizing American military support to both Israel and the Philippines. "International solidarity is the answer when our enemy is transnational, and especially when our enemy is here right at home," stated Villena.
Ammar Nanjiani of the Dallas Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression expressed solidarity with the struggle of Palestinian political prisoners and compared repression by Israel with repression of anti-police terror activists, pointing out that the Dallas Police Department sent cops to be trained by the Israeli Defense Forces. "The same racist colonialist project of American imperialism is responsible for both plights; we oppose a religious ethnostate invented by ultraconservatives that is known as Israel," stated Nanjiani.
Next Daniel Sullivan of the Dallas Anti-War Committee condemned American support for Israel and expressed solidarity with the Palestinian struggle as a fight against American imperialism. "The U.S. support of Israel is very good proof of the reality of U.S. foreign policy, and how it is not concerned with human rights, not concerned with democracy, and not concerned with freedom, but is nothing but modern colonialism," stated Sullivan.[2]
Fight Back! supporter
Fight Back! / ¡Lucha y Resiste! is a Facebook group for readers and supporters of Fight Back! / ¡Lucha y Resiste! the newspaper of Freedom Road Socialist Organization/FightBack!
As of July 5 2020 members included Dallas Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.
Dallas DAAPR rally
According to Cassandra Swart of FighBack! News June 10, 2020:
Dallas, TX - On Saturday, June 6, about 5000 people rallied in 100-degree weather at Belo Garden Park across the street from the Earle Cabell Federal Building in downtown Dallas, to demand justice for victims of police violence, community control of the police, and the resignation of Renee Hall, the chief of the Dallas Police Department.
The protest was called by the Dallas Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DAARPR), Progressive Student Union at the University of Texas at Arlington, American Muslims for Palestine Dallas, Migrante Texas, and Black Youth Project 100-Dallas. First the crowd heard speeches, starting off with an introduction by Syd Loving, coordinator of DAARPR, demanding community control of the police. Next was Jennifer Miller, co-coordinator of DAARPR, calling for the resignation of Chief Renee Hall in response to violent police attacks on protesters.
Those attacks included the case of Brandon Saenz, who lost his eye while peacefully attending a DAARPR-organized May 30 protest after being shot in the face by projectiles fired by the police. Tear gas was used and rubber bullets were fired on crowds of protesters - including children. Miller also mentioned the mass arrest of hundreds of protestors on June 1 at Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge. "Chief Hall, you are complicit and guilty of crimes against the city of Dallas, and the people who visit it!" declared Miller, "You have the moral duty and obligation to resign!"
Drew Carter, president of the Black Student Union at Rice University, talked about the connection of the modern police to slave patrols, and called for the removal of police occupying Black and brown communities. Avee Herrera of the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns-Texas, called for solidarity between the Black and Filipino community and linked the struggle in the Philippines against police terror to the struggle against police terror in the United States, pointing out that American police train Filipino police.
Fadya Risheq of American Muslims for Palestine spoke and linked the struggle of Palestinians against the Israel apartheid government to the struggle against police terror in the United States, mentioning that the Minneapolis Police Department received assistance from the Israeli Defense Forces. Next the crowd heard from Indianna Taylor of Black Youth Project 100-Dallas, who announced the demands for the city to divest in the Dallas Police Department and invest more in community services, to free incarcerated prisoners locked up unjustly, whether wrongfully convicted or convicted of low-level crimes, and an end to police brutality against Black people.
The crowd then marched around downtown Dallas past City Hall. The crowds chanted the names of recent victims of police terror such as George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, as well as chants such as "I can't breathe," "Fuck 12," "ACAB" and "No justice, no peace." On their way back the marchers stopped and kneeled for eight minutes in memory of George Floyd and other victims of police terror. The crowd then returned to Belo Garden Park to hearing closing statements from the Dallas Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.[3]