Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality

RICHMOND, VA, May 29 -- Militant and at times violent protests have erupted across the United States over the incredibly depraved, racist and brutal murder of George Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American security officer, by a white policeman in Minneapolis, Minn. Fueling the anger are the Feb. 23 murder near Brunswick, Ga., of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery by two white men while he was jogging through “their” neighborhood, and the March 13 fatal police shooting in Louisville, Ky., of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency medical technician, killed when officers broke into her apartment under a “no-knock” warrant, without announcing themselves as police. George Floyd was arrested May 25 on suspicion of trying to pass a counterfeit $20 bill, a minor, nonviolent crime. When he allegedly resisted arrest, Office Derek Chauvin, one of four officers on the scene, placed his knee on the prone, handcuffed man’s neck and, according to a probable cause affidavit released today, left it there for m...

A NATIONAL MOBILIZATION TO OPPOSE NATO, WAR & RACISM - U.S. HANDS OFF VENEZUELA! TRANSPORTATION AVAILABLE FROM RICHMOND, VA 1 pm - Saturday, March 30 — at the White House, Washington, D.C. April 4, 2019, will mark the 51st anniversary of the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the internationally revered leader in struggles against racism, poverty and war. And yet, in a grotesque desecration of Rev. King’s lifelong dedication to peace, this is the date that the military leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization have chosen to celebrate NATO’s 70th anniversary in Washington, D.C. This is a deliberate insult to Rev. King and a clear message that Black lives and the lives of other people of color - and indeed the vast majority - really do not matter. Since its founding, U.S.-led NATO has been the world's deadliest military alliance, causing untold suffering and devastation throughout Northern Africa, the Middle East and beyond. Hundreds of...

Click here to view and download the handout "BILLS TO FOLLOW IN THE 2019 VIRGINIA GENERAL ASSEMBLY" Thank you for attending the 2nd Annual Virginia Prison Reform Rally   sponsored by the Virginia Prison Justice Network Saturday, January 12, 2019 at 2 PM – 3 PM Bell Tower on Capitol Square, Richmond, VA 23219 This flier was created for the Jan. 12 Virginia Prison Justice Network rally by Virginia prisoner R. Fentress . Please share it - and remember that those behind bars are much more than numbers. They are our sisters and brothers, with hopes and dreams and challenges just like the rest of us. They are artists and poets and thinkers and leaders. And if this were a just and humane system that didn't grind up humanity in the gristmill of profit making, they would be out here on the streets helping to make this a better world. The prisoner-led Virginia Prison Justice Network (VAPJN) was founded after the very successful Rally for Prison Reform held Jan. 2...

Stop the Wars at Home and AbroadBuilding a Movement Against War, Injustice & Repression! A National Conference hosted by the United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC) June 16-18, 2017 at the Greater Richmond Convention Center in Richmond, Virginia Thank you for joining 300+ activists in the struggle to "Stop the Wars at Home & Abroad!" through shared knowledge and a unified front. People who attended were from the many domestic and international struggles that must unify against the Trump Regime and the underlying system responsible for imperialist wars, poverty, racism, sexism, the oppression of LGBTQ people, attacks on Muslims and undocumented immigrants, environmental destruction and all forms of injustice. Click here to read the 2017 UNAC Conference Report. Click here to view all live-streamed Conference Sessions. Or visit the Program Schedule page to select the specific session you'd like to watch.