The state recommended some leniency for Grant after he was found guilty for his resisting arrest charge, as he had no prior offenses. Grant’s lawyer, Mutaqee Akhbar, also recommended as limited a sentence as possible due to a lack if accesses to diversion like the rest of the Tally19. Akhbar advised any sentencing the judge gave to be similar to the diversion offered to the other members of the 19.

Judge Lee Marsh sentenced Ben to one day in prison, 11 months of probation, 100 hours of community service, and an anger management course. Due to prior credit for jail from his initial arrest Grant will not have to spend that day in prison. Grant is the only Tally19 member to face a potential felony.

#TallahasseeFL #PeoplesStruggles #Tallahassee19

“We need to drop the [felony] charges against the #Tally19. It makes no sense. It’s anti-Black and it’s anti-queer and we need this to stop now. We need CPAC now, we need the People’s Budget now, and we need to drop the charges,” said Ariel Ynovy, a leading organizer for Black Voters Matter. Ynovy referenced the People’s Budget, a project TCAC has been working on to reallocate the police budget to other social sectors, and community control of the police.

Alex Carson, a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization and Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), denounced the Florida State University Police Department for their role in attacking the Tally19, stating, “On September 5, 2020, FSUPD was among the five law enforcement agencies present for the violent ambush of our community members. If you ask FSUPD why they were present that day, standing along cops in riot gear, they will say they were there to keep students safe. As an FSU student who was there, let me tell you, this could not be farther than the truth.”

Others pointed out the hypocrisy of the City Commission in their superficial support for the Black Lives Matter movement. Lauren Brenzel from Planned Parenthood said, “The arrest of peaceful protesters sent a clear message to Tallahassee citizens and citizens all over our state and that was an embarrassing message. But at the same time that we were painting Black Lives Matter in intersections, we were criminalizing defending Black lives.”

Tally19 member Ben Grant talked about his fears and worries about how the charges could affect his future and his life. They won’t just affect him, but his entire family and community. “I worry about if my family will be okay, if going down to a single income, they’ll be able to live. [If we] will we lose our home. If they’ll be able to eat. We have the love and support of our community but that doesn’t pay the bills.”

Students for a Democratic Society, the Florida Coalition For Transgender Liberation, Planned Parenthood, and Black Voters Matter all sponsored and participated in this event.

Speakers reiterated the need for the dropping of all charges but especially an end to the felony charges placed on Ben Grant. TCAC invited members to attend Ben’s pretrial at 1:30 p.m. and his trial, which will take place November 2 or 3 at 8:30 a.m. It will be at the Leon Clerk of Courts Office, Courtroom 2F. No one wearing clothes or apparel supporting the Tally19 or TCAC will be allowed in, and attendees must also wear long pants and professional clothing.

#TallahasseeFL #PeoplesStruggles #PoliticalRepression #TallahasseeCommunityActionCommitteeTCAC #Tallahassee19

A large banner behind the press conference podium read: “#Drop the charges #Tally1419,” reflecting that on September 5, militarized police arrested and charged 14 protest attendees, and in the days after, also arrested four protesters and issued a fill-in-the-blank warrant that still remains nameless. Two of the three Tallyers initially charged with felonies have since had their felonies reduced to misdemeanors. Some of the Tally19 accepted diversion offers requiring community service. Zero individuals among the Tally19 have had all their charges dropped outright, and Ben Grant still faces a felony charge.

Guest speakers Reverend Lee Johnson, Miami-based Trey John of Dignity Power, and Tallahassee City Commissioner Jeremy Mattlow, followed by several of the Tally19, including Ben Grant, took to the mic for two urgent goals: drop the felony charges along with all the September 5 charges and defeat HB1 and SB484, companion bills that would further criminalize nearly all public assemblies while giving a free pass to reactionaries for intentionally killing protesters with their vehicles.

Speakers pointed out that activists in Florida already organize under threat of mass arrest; already experience criminal and political repression by law enforcement and the court system; and already suffer vehicle attacks by reactionary drivers who consistently enjoy total leniency from law enforcement. Speakers called out Tallahassee’s repeated leniency for drivers of vehicle attacks against Black lives matter marches, and simultaneous criminal and political repression against the Tally19 as specifically inconsistent and unjust, and more broadly as a foreboding test case for the rest of Florida.

Trish Brown, press conference emcee, stated, “We are here to demand that State Attorney Jack Campbell and Assistant State Attorney Kathleen Bogenschutz drop the felony charges against Ben Grant, my friend, my community member, and fellow Tally19er. We need all charges to be dropped against all of the Tally19. And we need the community to stand against Governor Ron DeSantis’ anti-protest bills HB1 and SB484.” Brown is a founding member of TCAC, serves as TCAC’s outreach director, ran for city commission in 2020 on a community control of police platform, and was the first arrestee of the Tally19.

In addition to hosting Tuesday’s press conference, TCAC also joined with other local organizations to call in to State Attorney Campbell and Assistant State Attorney Bogenschutz in a mass appeal to drop the felony charges against Ben Grant. A sample script published by TCAC for the call-in day reads:

“On September 5th, community members gathered to protest the unjust grand jury decision which allowed the Tallahassee PD cops who murdered Mychael Johnson, Wilbon Woodard and Tony McDade to walk free. Heavily armed police, who outnumbered protestors 3-to-1, began to brutalize, detain and arrest protestors, with some of them ending up in the hospital. I am calling to demand that State Attorney Jack Campbell DROP ALL FELONY CHARGES against Ben Grant! Protesting injustice in Tallahassee should NOT be criminalized and should NOT be met with militarized brutality from the police!”

Ben Grant is facing a felony charge of up to ten years and $10,000 in fines. His next pretrial is on February 25 and he goes to trial on March 1.

#TallahasseeFL #PeoplesStruggles #PoliceBrutality #PoliticalRepression #TallahasseeCommunityActionCommitteeTCAC #HB1SB484 #Tallahassee19

Tallahassee, FL – On February 11, several Tally19ers planned an 11 a.m. press conference downtown at the Clerk of Courts across from the Capitol, in support of Tally19er Ben Grant, who is the only one still facing felony charges. Grant was due in court that morning.

Trish Brown said, “We are here to demand that Jack Campbell, the state attorney, drop the charges against community member Ben Grant.”

Brown continued, “We are coming together to show solidarity, love and support. We also have to remind the city that our fight is nowhere near over.”

Recently, Tally19ers, fellow protesters, and loved ones took some relief in receiving good news that two other Tally19ers facing charges of felony had their charges consolidated and reduced to misdemeanor.

Before the press conference was to officially begin, Leon County Sheriff Officers shut down the formal press conference during sound setup. However, theTally19 did not let this setback deter them from speaking out. Shortly after, they organized in the courtyard, without amplified sound.

They held signs that read, “Free the Tally19!” “End police violence,” “CPAC now!” “Stop SB484 & HB1” and “Drop the charges”

Ben Grant faces a possible sentence of ten years in prison and $10,000 in fines.

Tally19ers and attendees also gathered in opposition to the anti-protest legislation from Ron DeSantis. Brown also stressed the importance of this, “We must also prevent our fascist Governor DeSantis from succeeding in his campaign to silence Floridians, civilians and protesters with these anti-protest bills. Senate Bill 484 and House Bill 1 will destroy our constitutional right to freedom of speech, the right to assemble and the right to rally and assemble.”

“If we held our September 5 event where 14 of us were arrested and charged with unjust attacks under the proposed HB1 and SBS484 we would all still be in jail. We would have all third-degree felony charges, spend a minimum of six months in jail, we would never be able to apply for jobs with the state of Florida or hold office and we would not get bail until first appearance.

“This bill has wide implications, not just for activists at a protest. It spells trouble for people asking for donations on the streets, sign-holding at crosswalks for election campaigns, marching from the church in Soul to Polls, innocent bystanders at rallies, marches at protests – it affects everyone in Florida.

“That is why we continued to speak out at the Clerk of Courts. Even though the press conference was shut down, it was still a success because we [Tally19] stood up and spoke out for what is right,” said Brown.

Ben Grant has a pretrial hearing on February 25 and court starting on March 1.

#TallahasseeFL #PeoplesStruggles #PoliticalRepression #Tally19 #Tallahassee19