Milwaukee community turns out in solidarity with the Tampa 5
Milwaukee, WI – Nearly 30 people rallied outside City Hall in downtown Milwaukee, joining with others in more than 20 cities on August 9 for a National Day of Action to demand justice for the Tampa 5, a group of activists facing severe political repression following an action to defend diversity, equity and inclusion in Florida universities. All of these activists were members of the University of South Florida chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).
People chanted “Protesting is not a crime! Justice for the Tampa 5!” and “When we fight, we win!” as passersby honked and raised fists.
“These students were protesting against attacks on public education under their right to free speech. So is protesting a crime? Protesting is not a crime, and they should damn well be hearing our demands for better education!” said Robby Knapp, the social media chair of UW-Milwaukee SDS. “The people that fund these public systems are the communities and students they serve, who have a right to say their opinions on such matters! However, we live in the good ol’ capitalist U-S-of-A where we aren’t given that right.”
Knapp continued, “Therefore, it is pivotal that we students organize to force administration to listen to the student’s demands. The Tampa 5 not only shows us that we students have the power, not only does it show that administration cowers at our progress, but most critically, these five brave members showed us that if we fight together, students undeniably can make real change!”
“Reactionary Republicans and politicians that stand idly by want to strip away any ounce of progress that we’ve made over the last 70 years,” said Lo Cross, one of the co-chairs of the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Pollical Repression. “When the Tampa 5 stood up against DeSantis and said no to HB 999 and no to slashing diversity equity and inclusion, they did that because they knew if Florida organizers didn't take a stand, reactionaries would think that organizers in other places in the United States wouldn't take a stand.”
“Though we have different areas of focus in our organizations, anyone of us can become targets when we stand up and fight back against injustices perpetrated by the U.S. government. The anti-war movement in the U.S. has been a target of political repression throughout history. Many protesters of the Vietnam War faced brutalization and arrest, and the students involved in the resistance to the war who bravely voiced their opinions and joined the multi-faceted anti-war efforts, additionally faced restrictions on campus protests,” said Sara Onitsuka from the Milwaukee Anti-war Committee. “So we have a long and storied history of solidarity in our movements. Today, we reiterate that commitment to defending each other and our right to protest!”
“The Tampa 5 are under attack not because reactionaries like Ron DeSantis are in a position of absolute power, but because they are scared. They are scared of us! We outnumber them and they know it,” said Ryan Hamann from the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.
August 9 was the last pretrial hearing for the Tampa 5 until December. In the meantime, the Tampa 5 will continue to build support across the U.S. for justice in their case against the trumped up charges. To this end, they’ll be launching a national speaking tour which will feature two stops in Wisconsin in late September.