Emerson Wolfe
Emerson Wolfe
Amazon protest
According to Tony O'Hegarty from December 19 to 21 2024, members of Teamsters Local 406 picketed outside the Amazon GRR1 Fulfillment Center in solidarity with the Amazon Teamsters on strike nationwide. Braving snow and temperatures as low as 23 °F, the trade unionists stayed outside passing out literature, leading chants and talking with community members from Grand Rapids, Muskegon and Caledonia.
Eduardo Montiel, the chair of the Grand Rapids Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression who was formerly employed at the Amazon GRR1 plant, stated, “The bosses have shown brutality in the way they treat these picketing workers and have even arrested a few – all for using their rights to protest work conditions.”
Local activists from Palestine Solidarity Grand Rapids (PSGR) and Freedom Road Socialist Organization stood alongside the Teamsters at GRR1. When asked about the importance of showing up for workers, Emerson Wolfe the chair of PSGR stated, ”With so many of our tax dollars funding the U.S. war machine, we know how important it is to join the fight for workers’ rights. Jeff Bezos is profiting off the surveillance and targeting of Palestinian families, and over a million Amazon workers are forced to be complicit in the genocide. A strong, unionized workforce would put bargaining power in the hands of workers and allow regular people the right to stand up against the greed and depravity of billionaires.”[1]
Palestine protests
In a powerful display of solidarity, pro-Palestine protesters gathered across West Michigan’s two largest cities this past week to condemn Vice President Kamala Harris's support of the U.S./Israeli genocide.
Organized by Palestine Solidarity Grand Rapids (PSGR), Kalamazoo Nonviolent Opponents of War (KNOW), several student organizations and other local allies, these demonstrations highlighted the demand from Michigan residents to end U.S. aid to Israel and redirect funds toward the needs of working-class Americans.
On Saturday, October 26, over 30 people gathered outside Kalamazoo’s Wings Event Center, holding signs with messages like “Arms embargo on Israel” and “Human rights over military might.” Marissa Wagner, representing KNOW and Students for Justice in Palestine at Western Michigan University, underscored the urgency of these protests.
On Friday, October 18, more than 40 demonstrators gathered in Grand Rapids Riverside Park as Harris campaigned in the city. “Our tax dollars are funding the mass killing of Palestinians,” said Wren Burns, a West Michigan resident. “The Biden/Harris administration needs to be held accountable for these atrocities, especially while working people in Michigan are struggling to meet basic needs.”
Protesters handed out literature to event attendees, educating them on U.S. involvement in military actions abroad and highlighting Michigan’s own role through initiatives like the Michigan Israel Business Accelerator, which strengthens state ties with military contractors and arms manufacturers.
The Grand Rapids demonstration also drew attention to rising anti-immigrant and xenophobic rhetoric within the Democratic Party
“Working-class people in Michigan are demanding an end to these atrocities,” said Emerson Wolfe, chair of PSGR. “Ending U.S. aid to Israel is popular policy.”
These protests come amid an alarming trend of political repression targeting anti-war voices, including recent actions by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, who filed charges against 11 anti-genocide protesters from the student encampment at the University of Michigan.
“The party’s embrace of right-wing nationalism and suppression tactics are alienating more voters by the day,” said Wolfe. “The Democrats’ current direction is betraying the values of its own base.”[2]