Tallahassee, FL – On August 9, Tallahassee students and community members gathered outside the Leon County Clerk of Courts office to show solidarity with the Tampa 5. They demanded the dismissal of the charges against them, pointing out that the Tampa 5 were due to appear in a Tampa court that day.
Santa Ana, CA – On August 9, chants of “When the Tampa 5 are under attack, what do we do? Stand up fight back!” filled the Plaza Calle Cuatro in downtown Santa Ana. A group of activists from Community Service Organization Orange County (CSO OC), MEChA University of California Irvine (UCI), Brown Berets, Anakbayan UCI, and community members rallied as part of a national call to protest for the Tampa 5 who are facing felony charges and up to a decade of incarceration for protesting on the University of South Florida campus.
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).
Austin, TX – On August 9, members of Austin Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) joined the call for nationwide protest to defend the Tampa 5, the five SDS members in Florida who were brutally attacked by police and now face trumped-up charges for protesting Ron DeSantis’ attacks on diversity in schools.
Grand Rapids, MI – On August 9, a group of activists held signs in support of the Tampa 5 protesters at a busy intersection in downtown Grand Rapids. They joined a nationwide call to stand in solidarity with the five individuals – the Tampa 5 – who police attacked during a protest on the University of South Florida's campus last March. After the arrests, Florida prosecutors charged the Tampa 5 with felonies. The Emergency Committee to Defend the Tampa 5 called for groups across the U.S. to show public support on August 9, coinciding with their court appearance.
Atlanta, GA – Organizers, activists and community members garnered a huge win as a federal judge extend ed the Stop Cop City petition deadline to late September. In a suit against the city by DeKalb county residents, U.S. District Judge Mark Cohen struck down the unlawful and undemocratic rule, July 27, that only Atlanta residents could gather signatures on the petition.
Tampa, FL – On the morning of Wednesday, August 9, supporters gathered outside the George E. Edgecomb Courthouse in downtown Tampa to stand in solidarity with the Tampa 5, who were attending their third pretrial hearing.
Atlanta, GA – The outrageous conditions at Fulton County Jail are being brought to the spotlight again after the death of 35-year-old Lashawn Thompson in September of last year, who was eaten alive by bed bugs and lice in his jail cell. Recent autopsy reports state that correctional officers knew about Thomas’s declining health and the alarming state of his cell but neglected taking any action.
Fight Back! is circulating the following call for a Twitter storm in solidarity with Colombian revolutionary Simon Trinidad, a political prisoner held by the U.S. government in the Florence, Colorado supermax prison.The National Committee to Free Simon Trinidad
San Jose, CA – 20 activists and community members held a rally, June 9, to demand dropping the charges against the Tampa 5, the five University of Southern Florida of protesters who were brutalized by police and wrongfully charged.