Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the National Alliance against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR).
The National Alliance against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR) condemns attacks by Governor Ron DeSantis and the right wing dominated legislature in Florida. During this current legislative session, the Florida Legislature is poised to pass legislation targeting the movements for police accountability, the labor movement, the movement to end white supremacy and remove confederate monuments, attacks on the right to organize for a free Palestine, as well as continued attacks on LGBTQ students, and a continued onslaught on the immigrant community and all oppressed peoples.
Orlando, FL – On March 9, University of Central Florida (UCF) students participated in a solidarity action for the Tampa 4, a group of activists with University of South Florida (USF) Students for a Democratic Society that were brutalized by USF Police Department and arrested for protesting outside the university president's office.
Tampa, FL – On Wednesday, September 14, Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society organized a protest as a part of a National Day of Action around reproductive rights. The rally brought out about 30 students to march across campus to show their support for abortion rights. Members from many other student groups gave speeches to show solidarity on this issue.
Tallahassee, FL – On April 17, around 50 people from the Tallahassee community gathered at the Florida State University’s HCB Building to commemorate the eight victims from the recent Atlanta shooting and speak out on Asian American oppression.
Tampa, FL – On May 14, Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) held a car protest at the University of South Florida (USF) to demand COVID-19 relief funds for undocumented students. USF has offered no financial help for undocumented students during the pandemic and the only COVID-19 aid for students is the CARES Act Fund, for which DACA and undocumented students are ineligible.
Miami, FL – More than 2 million Floridians have now applied for unemployment benefits. Only a fraction of the applications have even been processed and even fewer workers have received payments. Florida’s unemployment system was already terrible before the crisis and it has completely collapsed under pressure from COVID-19.
Tallahassee, FL – On March 20, Tallahassee Police Department Officer Zackri Jones killed 31-year-old Mychael Johnson. Mychael Johnson was the second person shot and killed by Jones, and the first since Lawrence Revell became chief of police in January. Revell’s nomination in November and his later appointment led to protests due to his killing of George Williams, a Black teenager, in September 1996.
Tampa, FL – On January 4, Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) held a protest against U.S. military intervention in the Middle East. The event was in response to recent aggression from the Trump administration against Iran following the assassination of Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani. “Shortly after we heard the news, we decided that it was important for us to organize a demonstration against a new war as quickly as possible,” said Matthew Wheat of Tampa Bay SDS.
Jacksonville, FL – The outcome of Jacksonville’s 2019 runoff elections looked remarkably like the general election back in March. Even fewer people participated in the runoff, which saw voter turnout sink from an already dismal 24% in March to just 14.35% two months later. By all accounts, Republicans came out on top. Dixie money ruled the day again, with the candidate who raised and spent the most money winning every single runoff.
Tampa, FL – On March 10, over a dozen Tampa community, student and labor leaders gathered at Lykes Gaslight Park for a protest against President Donald Trump’s anti-woman agenda. Since coming into office, Trump has led an all-out assault on women’s rights, including defunding abortion services, erasing sections of Title IX that protect women from sexual assault and discrimination, and locking asylum-seeking women and children in cages in the southwestern United States. In the spirit of the women’s marches that occurred in response to Trump’s inauguration, protesters chanted “Pro-life is a lie, you don’t care if people die,” and “When women are under attack, what do we do? Stand up fight back!”
Tallahassee, FL – On January 26 dozens gathered at the Florida State Capitol building in protest of Donald Trump's recognition of the right-wing self-appointed presidency of Juan Guaido in Venezuela. The democratically-elected president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, has called this a coup attempt ordered by the U.S. government.
Doral, FL- Fifty passionate activists gathered on a sidewalk across from the Univision TV station in Miami, January 26, to denounce U.S. attempts to overthrow the democratically-elected government in Venezuela. The protest targeted the overt and illegal coup plans being hatched by Donald Trump and the U.S government, and media stations like Univision and CNN who continue to spread propaganda pushing for intervention and regime change.
Jacksonville, FL – AFGE (American Federation of Government Employees) held a rally and march to end the government shutdown on January 19. Over 10 unions were represented, including teachers, electricians and nearly a dozen rank-and-file Teamsters. Several speakers gave personal accounts of how they and their families had been affected. The 70 union members marched down to a busy intersection while chanting “End the shutdown, call the vote!”
Tallahassee, FL – On November 7, students, activists and community members from around the Tallahassee area gathered at The Plant Arts Center to celebrate the 101st anniversary of the 1917 October Revolution in Russia. The event was organized by the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO).
Jacksonville, FL – Students at a local Jacksonville high school are calling foul on a racist dress code policy implemented by administration last week.
Jacksonville, FL – On November 6, Floridians will vote on 12 amendments to the state constitution. Some of these amendments would have a far greater impact on the working-class and oppressed communities of this state than others. Several reached the ballot by citizens’ petition, while others were added by Governor Rick Scott’s majority-appointed Florida Constitutional Revision Commission, which met in 2017.
A dive into national oppression, violence and trauma in Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, FL – The United States has a notorious history with the national oppression of Black people. In the South, remnants of slave society exist as a constant reminder of this – Confederate street names, school names and monuments are physical reminders one encounters daily – but we see it also manifest in the social structure of the Black Belt South – the historically constituted nation of Black people in the United States.