Los Angeles Indymedia : Activist News

The Los Angeles Hands Off protest began with a rally at Pershing Square. Protesters numbered in the thousands. Signs addressed diverse issues—including LGBTQ+ rights, the future of democracy, health care, Veterans Affairs, Social Security, Canada, AIPAC, national parks, environment, Black Live Matter, women’s right to choose. As one sign said, “So many issues, so little cardboard.” People of all ages attended , but there seemed to be more middle-aged and elderly participants than at past downtown protests (e.g., marches against invading Iraq and the Women’s Marches).

The march then took us down Broadway to Grand Park and City Hall. The march put us on public display in and around Grand Central Market, where we received some positive feedback. Later, as Hill was reopening to traffic, motorists saw many protesters in Grand Park.

Story, photos and video: Hands Off Los Angeles by Participant.

Meanwhile, in Santa Ana, a somewhat more moderate and less ethnically-diverse crowd protested Tr*mp-Musk-DOGE overreach with oven clever signs.

Story and photos: Hands Off OC in Santa Ana by Johnk

On Oct. 19, a prominent Mexican human rights attorney was found shot to death in her office in Mexico City.

Digna Ochoa y Placido , winner of Amnesty International's Enduring Spirit Award, was widely recognized for defending two jailed peasant farmers, Rodolfo Montiel and Teodoro Cabrera, who protested logging by local political bosses and were imprisoned in May 1999 on questionable gun and drug charges . However, the Mexico City daily La Jornada on 11/8 reported that they may actually be released "in a matter of hours." Their release was later confirmed Friday in the NY Times.

Among organizations that signed a letter of condemnation , with demands for an investigation, included Amnesty International , Global Exchange , the Fray Francisco de Vitoria Human Rights Center, the Social Communication Center (Cencos) , and Christians for the Abolition of Torture .

Communiqu� on the Assassination by Subcomandante Marcos.

In Nicaragua's presidental election , the US's favoured candidate, Enrique Bolanos of the ruling Liberal party, defeated the Sandinista leader Daniel Ortega, who came to power in the 1979 revolution and led throughout the 1980s. The Sandinistas are named after Augusto Cesar Sandino , a Nicaraguan who led a guerilla war from 1927-33 against invading US Marines.

The US waged a decade long war against the Sandinistas by backing the Contra rebels, killing 50,000 people and destroying the economy. Nicaragua is still among the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere.

Now similarly with Plan Colombia , the US confirmed it's going to expand its war on terrorism and provide Colombia with further aid to fight guerrillas that are on America's terrorist list.

Yesterday Carlos Geovanny Blanco Leguzamo was shot dead during an anti-war protest in Bogota . Police deny responsibility for the shooting but witnesses confirm the shot came from behind police lines. Police remained on campus the whole afternoon and by nightfall students were camping in the university and preparing protests for Thursday. Update 11/9: two more students killed .

More information:

[ The North American Congress on Latin America (NACLA) | Schools for Chiapas | AMERICAS.ORG | Narco News | Year 501 by Noam Chomsky | Eduardo Galeano | A Zapatista Reading List from The Nation | En Espa�ol: IMC-Chiapas | IMC-Colombia | EZLN | La Jornada | PROCESO | Revista Cambio ]