Tallahassee, FL – On October 7, over 150 community members gathered to show solidarity with the Palestinian people and Palestinian resistance on the anniversary of Operation Al Aqsa Flood.

Jayci Qassis, organizer with Dissenters, started off the event with important historical context for October 7, stating “The Al-Aqsa flood was the result of a culmination; a boiling point of almost a century long existence of living under oppression by the Zionist entity. A year ago today, Palestine brought to consciousness the truth about the over 76 year long occupation that stemmed from the Nakba. We honor the courage and steadfastness of the Palestinian resistance, our brothers and sisters in Gaza and across all of Palestine in their struggle for liberation.”

“This is not just a moment of remembrance. It is a moment of action. We are here to make it clear that the struggle for Palestinian liberation and self-determination is far from isolated. We, standing in the belly of the beast, must recognize the complicity of the system’s that support genocide – not just abroad, but within our very communities,” said Aurea Hughes, an organizer for Tallahassee’s chapter of the Dream Defenders.

Robert Alexander Lee, an organizer representing Tallahassee’s Food Not Bombs chapter, stated, “We just saw huge parts of the United States, especially North Carolina, be absolutely devastated by a hurricane. And yet we still manage to send billions to Israel’s war machine.”

Other organizers pointed out the role of the Democratic Party and Joe Biden in facilitating the genocide against Palestinians. Regina Joseph, a member of Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), stated, “The Biden administration is at the forefront of this genocide. They say they want a ceasefire and want to end the humanitarian crisis while sending billions of dollars in weapons to Israel.”

Joseph continued, “They say they want to bring about a diplomatic resolution but then advocate for the wanton murder of democratically elected Palestinian officials. But we recognize their lies and deception. Then they have the nerve to say that we must vote for them. We refuse to be complicit in this genocide. We will not have the blood of Palestinians on our hands.”

Other speakers pointed out the effects of the genocide and talked about the strength of the Palestinian resistance. Delilah Pierre, representing the Tallahassee Community Action Committee, spoke about the strength of the Palestinian resistance and international movement to defeat Israel, stating, “We have to understand that Palestine’s liberation is an objective fact – our movements are working. They are dealing blows to Israel. Their economy is crumbling. Their international ties and relationships are weakening. Their strength is waning. That is why Israel is resorting to desperate terrorist attacks and indiscriminate bombings. But it won’t work, and it can’t work. They are still losing.”

The protest was led by the Freedom Road Socialist Organization and the Tallahassee Dissenters, also was supported by local organizations, including the Dream Defenders, the Tallahassee Community Action Committee, Kabataan Alliance, Food Not Bombs, and Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).

The protest ended with a vigil and a moment of silence for those affected by the genocide.

#TallahasseeFL #FL #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #FRSO #Dissenters #TCAC #SDS

Tallahassee, FL – On August 25, over 80 local community members showed up at Common Grounds Books, a local LGBTQ-friendly bookstore, to support their “Drag Story Hour” event which was threatened with protest by a religious organization, America Needs Fatima.

According to Alex Spencer, the owner of Common Grounds Bookstore, her shop received a threat of protest. In an email, America Needs Fatima reads, “We must peacefully and legally say NO to the homosexual plan to expose young children to indecency, impurity, and unnatural vice.” Drag Story Hour is a monthly event held at Common Ground in which a local drag artist reads storybooks to children.

Spencer says she mobilized the community because “Story hour promotes diversity and inclusion and loving people for exactly who they are. We feel Common Ground is important because it is a safe space in the community for anybody who needs it. We are so happy that we have so much support to make that happen.”

Attendees held signs such as “Trans rights are human rights” and “Love is love.”

The crowd used dozens of chants, some of which include, “When trans lives are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back” and “Racist, sexist, anti-gay, Ron DeSantis go away.”

Many speakers connected the issue of LGBTQ liberation to the Palestinian struggle and the fight against police brutality. Danyal Colomathi of the Tallahassee Dissenters states,“In the same way that we come together for Sonya Massey, George Floyd, and so many more we come together because of this struggle”

Several speakers took note of the fact that the counter-protesters failed to make an appearance. Delilah Pierre, president of the Tallahassee Community Action Committee, said, “80 people came out to stand up for queer and trans rights while these right-wing protesters aren't even here to be seen. Why? Because they are cowards, They’re scared. They like to bully queer and trans people. They like to bully drag queens because they think no one cares and they’ll get away with it. Well, Guess what? We do care. You won’t get away with it and there will be consequences.”

After the event, participants were encouraged to attend story hour, which featured Iggy Monroe, a drag queen from Mobile, Alabama.

The organizers of the event to support the bookstore were Tallahassee Community Action Committee, the Tallahassee Dissenters, Tallahassee Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and Food Not Bombs.

#TallahasseeFL #FL #LGBTQ #TCAC #Dissenters #FRSO

Tallahassee, FL – On Sunday, August 18, about 30 community members gathered at the Florida Capitol building to protest Kamala Harris and her policies regarding the Israeli genocide in Gaza.

Protesters held signs within sight of the busy intersection in front of the capitol complex stating, “We won’t vote for genocide” and “Arms embargo now!”

Cas Casanova, representing Freedom Road Socialist Organization, stated, “The Democrats can’t fool us. They say our democracy is at stake every four years, yet they expect us to be excited to vote for top cop Kamala who is completely unwavering in her support for Israel. The election is proof that this system is rotten. We need a government that actually serves the everyday working people of this country, not the ultra rich.” Members of Tallahassee FRSO traveled to Chicago that weekend to participate in the March on the DNC.

Delilah Pierre, president of the Tallahassee Community Action Committee, drew attention to the links between the struggles for Black and Palestinian liberation, stating, “People have been calling the Palestinian liberation movement ‘anti-Black,’ but who taught us how to get police tear gas out of our eyes? Who created countless murals honoring the life of George Floyd during the 2020 uprising? It was the Palestinians. Because if anyone knows what it’s like to be a target of police terror day in and day out, it’s Black people in the United States and Palestinians repressed by Israel. Our struggles are connected.”

The event was put on by Tallahassee Dissenters as part of Not Another Bomb and the Uncommitted Movement’s National Day of Action for the Democratic National Convention. Also present were the Tallahassee Community Action Committee (TCAC) and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO).

After speeches, attendees marched down the block to City Hall to come together and share stories from family and friends in Gaza.

Jayci Qassis, a Palestinian leader of Tally Dissenters, closed the event, stating, “Voters within the Democratic Party are overwhelmingly in support of a ceasefire in Gaza and ending the United States’ support to Israel via the transfer of weapons. We are calling on Kamala Harris to do the right thing, to listen to voters and stop arming Israel with weapons funded by our tax dollars. Today we reinforce the message that began with the Uncommitted Movement: We will not elect a candidate who funds genocide over our communities.”

#TallahasseeFL #FL #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #Harris #DNC #Dissenters #FRSO #TCAC

Tallahassee, FL – On Saturday, June 1, around 25 community members held a rally at Leon County Courthouse to continue to demand that the false and racist charges against Calvin Riley be dropped.

Riley was sentenced to ten days in jail and a six month probation for DUI after Tallahassee Police Department (TPD) Officer Kiersten Oliver planted evidence in Calvin’s car, as shown by body camera footage of Oliver opening a sealed bottle of liquor, emptying it on the street, and then throwing the bottle back into his car.

The speeches placed demands on the city regarding Calvin Riley’s case, specifically the overturning of the charges, the reinstatement of a powerful Civilian Police Review Board, the firing of Officer Kiersten Oliver and the condemnation of TPD’s blatant misconduct and disrespectful “investigation.” The investigation supposedly “thoroughly reviewed the incident and did not find any evidence of misconduct,” to quote TPD Chief Lawrence Revell, who himself killed a young Black man, George Williams Jr., in 1996.

The event was organized by the Tallahassee Community Action Committee (TCAC) with members of Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), Dissenters, and Tallahassee Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) also attending.

Jason Carles, speaking on behalf of Tally SDS, related the miscarriage of justice against Calvin Riley with the police repression faced by members of Tally SDS protesting their university’s ties to Israel.

Carles stated, “At our most recent action on campus, we were approached by no less than three different TPD officers threatening arrest. I asked officers several times to cite a rule that we were violating. They couldn’t come up with it. As soon as I heard about the Calvin Riley case, these instances came to mind. TPD not only loves to selectively enforce laws to specifically discriminate against people of color, they love to just make up laws in general.”

The Calvin Riley case has caused a noticeable rift in the Tallahassee city commission: while progressive commissioners such as Jeremy Matlow have voiced support for Riley on social media and at city commission meetings, Mayor John Dailey publicly attacked Matlow and protesters demanding justice, saying, “I’m getting tired of members of this board [who] criticize police action after it goes before a jury of our peers.” Riley was convicted by an all-white jury, which is not “a jury of peers” for him, a Black man.

Tito Leadon, representing the Tallahassee Community Action Committee, closed out the rally with the following words: “We need a Civilian Police Review Board with some teeth, not the powerless one we have right now. Without it, we’ll keep having cops like Kiersten Oliver roaming the streets and terrorizing our communities.”

#TallahasseeFL #FL #InJusticeSystem #PoliceCrimes #OppressedNationalities #AfricanAmerican #TCAC #FRSO #Dissenters #SDS

Tallahassee, FL – On March 8, at 6 p.m., the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, along with the Tallahassee Dissenters, Students for a Democratic Society, Food Not Bombs, and the Tallahassee Community Action Committee, rallied at the Florida Historic Capitol building for a protest recognizing International Women’s Day and the ongoing struggle for Palestinian liberation.

Approximately 50 people gathered for the rally. Organizers spoke about the fight for women’s liberation and the importance of mass mobilization and organization for achieving our democratic rights. “The only way we can win our rights is by fighting for them,” said Joelle Nunez, the president of Students for a Democratic Society.

Speakers criticized Joe Biden and the Democratic Party for their active role in perpetuating the genocide against Palestinians, and for their lack of action on domestic issues. “We can’t rely on Joe Biden and the Democratic Party to change things in this country. We need a mass movement and people power to win,” said Delilah Pierre, president of the Tallahassee Community Action Committee.

The event emcee, Regina Joseph of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, talked about the connections between the movement for Palestinian liberation and Black liberation, stating, “When I went to Ferguson during the Mike Brown uprising, I was teargassed – the same teargas they use on Black Lives Matters protesters, they used for Palestine. Palestinians were telling us how to deal with being gassed. That’s real solidarity.”

The protest ended and organizers encouraged people to attend a showing of the film Gaza is Our Home held by the Tallahassee Dissenters. Organizers promised to keep rallying and organizing for Palestinian liberation, and to keep demanding an end to U.S. aid to Israel and an end to the occupation of Palestine.

#TallahasseeFL #FL #WomensMovement #AntiWarMovement #International #MiddleEast #Palestine #InternationalWomensDay #TallyCAC #FRSO #SDS #Dissenters #FoodNotBombs

Chicago IL – On October 25, over 400 students at the University of Illinois Chicago walked out of their classes and rallied to demand that Israel end its genocidal siege of Gaza. The protest was coordinated with dozens of campuses across the country holding actions simultaneously.

UIC’s protest was called by Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), Students for a Democratic Society, Anakbayan, and Dissenters.

Activists led the crowd in chants of “There is only one solution, intifada revolution!” and “Not another nickel, not another dime, no more money for Israel’s crimes!”

The rally kicked off with speeches from faculty members Nesreen Hassan and Andy Clarno. Hassan emphasized the importance of faculty supporting students organizing to support Palestinian liberation in the face of repression, stating, “Students who speak for Palestinian rights are facing a lot, you’re being vilified by the media, you’re being attacked. But everyone is standing by you, the public is standing with you.”

SJP UIC President Jenin Zayed condemned the discrimination Palestinian students face from UIC administrators. During an informational Zoom call on the university’s study abroad program in Israel Palestinian students were denied access to the call until they changed their display names to white-sounding names like Hayley and Rebecca. On another occasion members of SJP had the police called on them for flyering against a Zionist speaker, this led to police grabbing one student by her hijab. Zayed denounced the racist actions of the administration and called on the university to cut its ties with Israel.

SDSer Angel Naranjo denounced the U.S. government's support for Israel’s ongoing genocide of Palestine, stating, “The mass murder of Palestinians is not an issue for Palestinians only. It’s not an issue for politicians only – and it can’t be – because many of them are also supporting the ongoing genocide of Palestinians. It’s an issue for everybody.”

Naranjo continued, “We must understand that we have way more in common with the Palestinian people than we do with many of our so-called ‘elected officials.’ In fact, we share a common enemy: the corporate Democrats and the reactionary Republicans of these United States. So my message to our ‘elected’ officials is stop calling the weapons that you are supplying these racists ‘aid.’ Stand with the Palestinian people if you are truly about justice!”

Naranjo ended in a message of support for the Palestinian resistance, stating, “In SDS we say dare to struggle, dare to win! But, we don’t gotta tell the Palestinians that, because they’ve been struggling their whole lives. And they will win!”

#ChicagoIL #Palestine #StudentMovement #SDS #SJP #Anakbayan #Dissenters