A small selection of Cliff’s interviews, speeches, actions, and public demonstrations.
Cliff Smith and members of the community demonstrated in support of Palestine in the Florence & Normandie neighborhood on Oct. 27, 2023.
A study released 19 November, 2019, by researchers from the UCLA School of Law and nonprofit groups Strategic Actions for a Just Economy and the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, found that there are more vacant units in Los Angeles than there are homeless people. That the units are intentionally kept vacant to drive up prices, and that city officials “support” and “incentivize” the luxury real estate market “every step of the way.”
Join the campaign for Peoples’ Democracy, not paper democracy. Build the Peoples’ Democratic Workers’ Party! Unity & Struggle!
From the WFTUFSM channel, 2017.
From the WFTUFSM channel, 2020.
From the WFTUFSM channel, 2020.
2019 — Build Better L.A. — Measure JJJ to build affordable housing passed with 64% of voters in favor, against the big developers with no help from elected officials. An independent coalition of labor unions and community activists put the question on the ballot and won!
2021 — Cliff “Jubilee Shine” Smith agitating for charges in the murder of Mona Rodriguez, by a safety officer in Long Beach. We were also joined by the father of Andres Guardado
Florence and Normandie, April 29, 2012.
2022 — Roofers Local 36 demands the end of the war in Ukraine now. The Russian attack should stop now, the NATO should be dissolved now and a substantial dialogue must be held.
2023 — The United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers, Local 36, held a demonstration Friday, March 17 at Los Angeles City Hall to demand U.S. withdrawal from NATO and the end of the NATO / Russia war in Ukraine.
From StreetTV channel, 2010 — Oscar Grant supporters demand Federal Investigation into Civil Rights violations and express disappointment in the jury selection process which excluded all blacks from jury duty in the Johannes Mehserle trial. Jubilee Shine also hopes that Judge Robert Perry imposing the maximum sentence allowed by the law of 14 years for the conviction of involuntary manslaughter.
2016 — Closing the 17th Congress of the World Federation of Trade Unions with a march through Durban, led by the Congress of South African Trade Unions.
2016 — Roofers Local 36 Business Manager, Cliff Smith, getting a word in with Senator Sanders at the Labor for Bernie Sanders rally at the Port of Los Angeles.
2010 — we raised the victory banners above the crazy gusano counter revolution protest. of course they cant tolerate freedom of speech and assaulted us, the cowards rushing a woman first. when one level headed afro cubano member of theirs cautioned them to show respect the mad white dogs tore into him. long live peoples’ cuba! hasta la victoria siempre!
Feb. 11, 2012 — Local residents had spontaneously joined our checkpoint protest, but they didnt like that the police warning sign was 100 yards past the intersection, in the median, in the dark. So they went and pulled it to the corner where it was highly visible. The plainclothed cop in the unmarked car saw it and pulled over to carry it back to their spot when the uniformed police posted in the gas station across the street saw him walking away with their sign and yelled “Sir!” for him to stop (they were Latino he was white). It took a minute for them to figure out who he was. We were there 8:30pm-12:30am. The residents were still there when I left.
2020 — Demanding Sheriff Villanueva disclose the identity of the deputies who murdered Dijon Kizzee and Fred Williams. Sheriff Villanueva has refused to comply with repeated requests and subpoenas for cooperation with oversight investigations of the Civilian Oversight Commission and Office of the Inspector General. The names of killer deputies must be released to the public.
17 World Trade Union Congress in Durban, South Africa, October, 2016, representing Roofers Local 36, the first U.S. trade union to affiliate to the World Federation of Trade Unions since 1949.
Cliff Smith is a leader of Los Angeles Roofer’s Union Local 36 and his local has supported the formation of a democratic workers party in the United States. He talks about why the labor movement needs it’s own party, the rise of fascism and also the role of internationalism for unions in the US and around the world. Smith also reports that his local was the first to affiliate with the WFTU. This interview was done on December 28, 2021. (WorkWeek, production of Labor Video Project)