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.

Tallahassee, FL – On Nov. 12, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) disrupted a FBI recruitment panel at Florida State University. Students distributed informational flyers outside of the event detailing the role of the FBI in repression against activists and violations of civil rights.

Tallahassee, FL- Over 50 people marched demanding justice in the police killing of Kaldrick Donald in Gretna, Nov. 5. Gretna is a small African American town just west of Tallahassee, where 30% of residents live below the poverty line. City Manager Antonio Jefferson and five full-time police officers rule the town of 1709 people.

Tallahassee, FL – Dozens of African American students joined with community members to protest and then conduct a die-in at the Tallahassee Police Department (TPD) on Oct. 22. Protesters held signs reading “Black lives matter,” and “Justice,” while chanting against police brutality.

Tallahassee, FL – State Attorney Willie Meggs dropped the charges, Oct. 10, against Viola Young and three other people who were arrested over a week earlier. Young is a 61-year-old African American woman who was hit in the back with a stun gun wielded by Tallahassee Police Department Officer Terry Mahan.

Tallahassee, FL – Members of the Tallahassee Dream Defenders rallied outside of the Leon County Courthouse, Oct. 9. With community members and the local press on hand, protesters chanted “Hey hey, ho, ho, crooked cops have got to go,” and demanded the arrest of Tallahassee Police Department (TPD) cop Terry Mahan.

Tallahassee, FL – On July 17 nearly 80 protesters from the Tallahassee community and student groups gathered outside the Florida State Capitol building to demand freedom for Palestine and an end to U.S. support for Israel. Protesters held a banner proclaiming “We say to Israeli occupation!” They crowd chanted “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” and “Viva, viva, Palestina!” The Palestinian community in Tallahassee, including families, came out in large numbers to speak out against Israeli apartheid.

Tallahassee, FL – On May 21, at a meeting of the Florida State University Presidential Search Advisory Committee, Tallahassee Dream Defenders spoke out against the nomination of Senator John Thrasher as the new Florida State University (FSU) president. Students from Tallahassee Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), FSU Progress Coalition and Graduate Assistants United joined them.

Tallahassee, FL – Students achieved a victory late last week when the Florida Senate passed tuition equity. On May Day, 2014, the Florida Senate passed House Bill 851 mandating tuition waivers for undocumented students at public universities. Presently, Florida’s undocumented students pay out-of-state tuition, three times the in-state tuition rate. After attending and graduating from Florida high schools, many are denied equal access to higher education by the out-of-state tuition rate.