California: Tustin rallies in solidarity with Tampa 5
Tustin, CA – On July 12, over 20 activists and community members rallied in front of the Tustin Police Department in solidarity with the Tampa 5 and against police repression in Orange County. The rally was held for an emergency National Day of Action with rallies happening across the country. The Tampa 5 are student and worker activists who were arrested while for protesting Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s attacks on education. The activists now face up to ten years in prison.
Diana Terreros, a member of Community Service Organization Orange County (CSO OC), explained, “The Tampa 5 were attacked, body slammed, pinned to the ground, and one was even sexually assaulted. They were arrested and thrown in the back of a hot police cruiser for three hours without being told where they were being taken or what was happening.”
On the significance of these arrests, Terreros explained that the protesters were being made an example, and that their cases would set a precedent for the rest of the U.S. “An attack on protesters in Florida is an attack on protesters everywhere!”
Another CSO OC member stressed the importance of fighting political repression in Orange County. She acknowledged the historical oppression of the Acjachemen and Tongva people, and the history of white supremacy in Orange County, especially how Ku Klux Klan members in the 1920s “joined many city-appointed positions of power in which they could build and pass laws in their favor.” She explained how the labor and contributions of indigenous, Black people and immigrants have historically been ignored, how those communities have been criminalized, and how the police were designed to protect property and each other.
She declared, “If racists can be racist and homophobic out loud, then I will continue to express my beliefs and stand up for my community. Because it’s my motherfucking right!”
CSO OC member, Eli Roque, described an encounter with a man while the July 12 rally was being set up, “who said that ethnic studies and diversity programs are divisive, when, on the contrary, they are to inform and share cultures and history that the U.S. school system hides from us.” She recalled her experience with racism at nearby Foothill High School and how the cafeteria area was derogatorily described as “Little Mexico” because “that’s where all the Mexican, Latino, and brown folk would hang out.” She closed her speech by stating the importance of ethnic studies and solidarity with protesters like the Tampa 5.
CSO member David Pulido described a recent incident in Tustin where a Chicano activist was arrested for protesting a man who verbally harassed and intimidated a food vendor, telling her to “go back to Tijuana” because “this is not Mexico.” Pulido said “These attacks on vendors are no coincidence. The U.S. ruling class, the capitalists who own and control major companies and make their profits off the backs of workers, have long scapegoated Chicano people when the economy is bad.” He ended by stating “Chicanos have a right to live free of political and police repression!”
The rally concluded with chants: “When the Tampa 5 are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back,” “When protesters are under attack what do we do? Stand up, fight back!” “Drop the charges now!” and “¡El Pueblo unido jamás será vencido!”