Story perspectives

Protests Demand Prison Closure, ICE Exit, Billionaire Tax

5/4/2026

Summary

**Protesters Demand Closure**

On May 1, protesters marched demanding rights and closure of the Dublin prison.
The Bureau of Prisons settled for $115 million with 103 inmates before proposing to convert Dublin prison while a May Day ballot measure seeks a 5 % tax on California’s 200 billionaires.
About 1,500 in Oakland and 3,000 in Minneapolis highlighted a $30 million loss for Lake Street businesses as Citlali Fermin and David Valencia organized rallies demanding “ICE out of San Francisco.”

Summary

Students Demand Union

New School students gave Dr. Shondrika Merritt a 60-signature petition demanding union recognition for resident assistants and graduate advisors.
Purdue students rallied on Memorial Mall, citing a 4.7% margin and $1.5 billion in projects to demand surplus funds for basic needs.
Kankakee organizers, Rep. Al Riley and Brandon Hudspeth invoked the May 4, 1886 Haymarket riot, urged participants to sustain labor fights, and built a network to shield the community from ICE abuses.

History

Historical Context

In 1935 President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Wagner Act, creating the National Labor Relations Board to enforce collective-bargaining rights. The board quickly handled nearly 5,000 cases and, after the 1937 Supreme Court upheld the act in NLRB v. Jones & Laughlin Steel, cemented labor protection. Today, Dublin prison protests, New School student petitions and May Day rallies invoke that legacy to demand fair wages and immigration safeguards.

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**Protesters Demand Closure**

On May 1, protesters marched demanding rights and closure of the Dublin prison.
The Bureau of Prisons settled for $115 million with 103 inmates before proposing to convert Dublin prison while a May Day ballot measure seeks a 5 % tax on California’s 200 billionaires.
About 1,500 in Oakland and 3,000 in Minneapolis highlighted a $30 million loss for Lake Street businesses as Citlali Fermin and David Valencia organized rallies demanding “ICE out of San Francisco.”

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