Tallahassee, FL – Fifty students at Florida State University (FSU) gathered together, Sept. 8, to commemorate African American lives lost to police brutality and to speak out against police crimes. Regina Joseph with Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) led the vigil, introducing speakers from student groups such as DREAM at FSU, and the Black Law Student Association at the FSU College of Law.

Tallahassee, FL – Community members and students gathered in front of the Old Tallahassee Capitol, June 19, to protest the planned mass deportation of Haitians and Dominicans of Haitian descent, from the Dominican Republic.

Tallahassee, FL – After the June 17 white supremacist attack at Emanuel AME Church, in Charleston, South Carolina that left nine African American parishioners dead, the Black Liberation Action Coordinating Committee (BLACC), Students for a Democratic Society and the Trans Liberation Front held a rally, June 19 in front of the Old Tallahassee Capitol. 30 community members attended the rally and vigil, which started with nine minutes of silence, one minute for each victim.

Tallahassee, FL – Community members and students attended the Tallahassee City Commission meeting, June 17, to voice their opposition to ‘Operation Safe Neighborhoods.’ The program contains three elements, one of which seeks to hire 15 more Tallahassee Police Department officers.

Tallahassee, FL – On May 1, over 30 students and community members gathered in downtown Tallahassee for a march in solidarity with the people of Baltimore for International Workers Day. The march was called by the Black Liberation Action Coordinating Committee (BLACC), Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and the Transgender Liberation Front (TLF). The protesters demanded justice for the murder of Freddie Grey, Jeremy Lett, Mya Hall and all other victims of police brutality.

Tallahassee, FL – On April 28, the Florida House of Representatives adjourned the legislative session for this year. This marks an end to the hearings on House Bill 583, more commonly known as the ‘Bathroom Bill.’ This bill gained notoriety over the past few months for its attempt to criminalize transgender people. It would make using the bathroom that does not correspond to the sex one was assigned at birth a second-degree misdemeanor. Transgender people would face up to a year in prison and a fine of $1000 simply for using the bathroom.

Tallahassee, FL – Student activists gathered at the state capitol on April 18 to confront white supremacists. The Tallahassee chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) called the protest. On April 9, SDS led 100 students in burning a Confederate flag in front of the Old Capitol to protest Klu Klux Klan fliers being distributed in a Tallahassee neighborhood and news that three prison guards, all KKK members, were planning to murder an African American prisoner.

Tallahassee, FL – Over 100 students gathered at the steps of the Westcott Building on the Florida State University campus, April 9, to protest the Ku Klux Klan. The Tallahassee chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) called the rally after recent Klan provocations.

Tallahassee, FL – Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and other groups will be rallying against recent Klan activity in Tallahassee and North Florida on April 9. A Ku Klux Klan chapter has been flyering in Tallahassee neighborhoods, passing out racist and Islamophobic messages in an attempt to recruit. Recently it was revealed that three KKK members who worked for the Florida Department of Corrections were plotting to murder a black prisoner.

Tallahassee, FL – On March 3, over 20 students gathered to speak out against the proposed Florida House Bill 583. Authored by Representative Frank Artiles from Miami, HB 583 proposes to force Transgender folk to use the bathrooms, locker rooms and fitting rooms that match their sex designated by the government. This bill seeks to charge Transgender people who use facilities that match their gender with first-degree misdemeanor charges, punishable by up to $1000 and one year in jail.

Tallahassee, FL – On Feb. 25, students and community members rallied at the Leon County Courthouse, demanding that Officer David Stith of the Tallahassee Police Department (TPD) be fired and jailed for killing Jeremy “Jed” Lett, a young African American man.

Tallahassee, FL – 50 students at Florida State University (FSU) held a candlelight vigil, Feb. 13, to commemorate the three young Muslim victims of the Chapel Hill, North Carolina shooting.

Tallahassee, FL – Students here celebrated a victory Feb. 19. Students, community members, faculty and Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University (FAMU) administrators successfully prevented the Florida State University-FAMU Engineering School from being split apart.

We, the Tallahassee Dream Defenders, call on the City of Tallahassee and the Tallahassee Police Department to end their police terror and over-prosecution against African American and poor communities. Over the past decade, The Tallahassee Police Department has been accused of over 24 cases of police violence and over use of force. They continue to oppress our communities through constant surveillance, violence, racist over-prosecution of African American communities, and stop-and-frisk like policies called ‘Weed and Seed Zones.’

Tallahassee, FL – Members of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) presented a basic crash course on the fundamental principles of Marxism-Leninism and socialism to 15 students on Feb 4. The presenters covered basic concepts of socialism, explained important historical figures and events, described current revolutionary struggles and made clear the FRSO strategy for revolution in the U.S.

Tallahassee, FL – Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) led a protest against the militarization of the Florida State University Police Department (FSU-PD) at the steps of the Westcott administration building on Jan 27. Students called for the university to return the military weapons it acquired through the controversial 1033 Procurement Program. This program allows for local and state police departments to acquire surplus military weaponry and vehicles from the Department of Defense for a discounted cost. Students held signs reading “Money for education not militarization,” and “Campus is not a warzone.”

Tallahassee, FL – On Jan. 26, Tallahassee Police Chief Michael DeLeo announced that two officers involved with using a stun gun on 62-year-old African American woman Viola Young will be suspended without pay, a sharp reversal from the officers being placed on administrative leave with pay.

Tallahassee, FL – On Jan. 8, over 40 Florida State students and Tallahassee community members gathered to remember transgender people who were murdered or pushed to suicide. Transgender Europe reports that around the world, 226 transgender people were murdered in the year between October 2013 and October 2014. Some countries do not report this crime and others underreport, so figures are actually higher.

Tallahassee, FL – Nearly 100 protesters marched on the streets of Tallahassee the night of Nov. 24. The protest was in response to the Ferguson grand jury failure to indict officer Darren Wilson for killing Mike Brown. The protesters’ message was clear as they chanted, “Indict, convict, send that killer cop to jail, the whole damn system is guilty as hell!”

Tallahassee, FL – Thirty people rallied for justice for Duane Strong on Nov. 22 at the intersection of Tennessee Street and White Drive. Strong, an 18-year-old African American man, was shot and killed by the police after trying to leave Cheeks lounge – a nearby local nightclub.