Tampa, FL – On a loud and busy intersection in front of Sam Gibbons Federal Courthouse on Friday morning, June 27, members of three groups – Tampa Immigrants Rights Committee, Tampa Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, and Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society – gathered to rally in solidarity with two Los Angeles activists targeted by the FBI for their political beliefs and for standing with their communities. They read statements in in solidarity with Alejandro Orellana and Verita Topete.

The rally was held in conjunction with rallies across the country demanding the Los Angeles U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli drop the charges against Orellana.

As the speakers explained, Orellana was arrested by the FBI on June 12, during the height of the uprising in LA, on the bogus and absurd charges of “conspiracy to commit civil disturbance” and “aiding and abetting a civil disorder.” Vertia Topete was ambushed and roughed up by FBI agents who took her phone to further harass immigrant rights activists.

Both Orellana and Topete are longtime members of Centro CSO. The federal government uses conspiracy charges, as they did with a case of political repression local to the Tampa area, the Uhuru 3, when they cannot prove an actual crime has occurred and want to punish someone for their political beliefs.

Joe Nohava with Tampa Immigrants’ Rights Committee declared, “We believe Alejando has done nothing wrong. He is targeted for protesting ICE raids and deportations. We believe that protesting ICE is not a crime!”

Laura Rodriguez, with TAARPR, said of this repression, “These charges were brought by the FBI who has the sole intent of destroying community organizing, of destroying people power, of destroying our rights and civil liberties.”

The rally concluded with a call to continue to protest and stand with Orellana throughout his court process and trial and demand the charges be dropped.

#TampaFL #FL #InJusticeSystem #PoliticalRepression #ImmigrantRights #FBI #ICE #StopFBI #AlejandroOrellana #VertiaTopete