Fight Back! News

News and Views from the People's Struggle

TallahasseeFL

By staff

Tallahassee protest against anit-Asian violence.

Tallahassee, FL – On March 27, around 100 activists from across the Tallahassee community gathered in front of the State Capitol building to commemorate the eight victims from the recent Atlanta shooting, and to speak out against Asian American oppression.

Read more...

By staff

Tallahassee, FL – On March 20, activists from across the Tallahassee community gathered in front of City Hall to remember and to honor the life of Mychael Johnson, a Black man murdered by the Tallahassee Police Department one year ago.

Read more...

By Natalie Kazim

Tallahassee, FL – On March 2, the first day of legislative session, organizers from across the state of Florida gathered in front of the Old Historic Capitol Building to highlight the statewide fight against Governor Ron DeSantis’ anti-protest legislation, House Bill 1 and Senate Bill 484 (HB1/SB484).

Read more...

By staff

Florida resists repressive legislation

Tallahassee, FL – On March 2, the first day of Florida legislative session, over 30 cars from Jacksonville joined with hundreds of protesters from around the state to rally against House Bill 1/Senate Bill 484, the repressive, anti-speech and racist legislation proposed by Governor Ron DeSantis and the right-wing Florida legislature.

Read more...

By Jonce Palmer

Also demands stop HB1, and community control of police

Tallahassee SDS protests FSU contract with Aramark.

Tallahassee, FL – On February 26, a group of about 20 students and community members assembled at Wescott Fountain at Florida State University to demand the immediate termination of the contract between FSU and food service provider Aramark on the grounds of their use of prison labor and other worker abuses. SDS also demands the termination of House Bill 1, often dubbed the Anti-Protest Bill, sponsored by Governor Ron DeSantis, and for community control of FSUPD under the supervision of a Civilian Police Accountability Council.

Read more...

By Delilah Pierre

Tallahassee, FL – Around 50 people gathered at the Florida State Capitol building, February 20, to protest the ‘combating public disorder bill,’ otherwise known as HB1/SB484. Speakers from organizations all over Tallahassee expressed their dissent and demanded state senators and representatives oppose the bill.

Read more...

By Edwan Holifield, MD

Tallahassee, FL – You are just a worthless Black prisoner, and we don't care about you.

Read more...

By staff

Tallahassee, FL – On February 23, at the Leon County Clerk of Courts, the Tallahassee Community Action Committee (TCAC) held an outdoor press conference to amplify demands of the #Tally19 – activists arrested last September during and in the days following a Black Lives Matter protest to condemn a grand jury decision that let three Tallahassee killer cops walk free.

Read more...

By staff

Sheriffs disrupt press event, anti-protest law denounced

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.

Read more...

By staff

Tallahassee, FL – On January 13, activists with the Tallahassee Community Action Committee attended the Tallahassee City Commission’s annual retreat. While much of the retreat featured city leaders applauding each other for their great work, there were some moments that touched on the people’s concerns regarding affordable housing and redevelopment initiatives on the majority-Black Southside.

Read more...

By staff

Protest against confederate statues at FSU.

Tallahassee, FL – Florida State University’s (FSU) Presidential Task Force on Anti-Racism, Equity and Inclusion recently released their recommendation to permanently remove the Eppes statue and change the names of Eppes Hall and B. K. Roberts Hall. On January 27, FSU President John Thrasher approved the task force recommendation. This decision comes after years of campaigning and struggle from FSU’s campus chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).

Read more...

By Regina Joseph

Tallahassee, FL – I found out about the right-wing attack on the U.S. Capitol while casually scrolling through social media on my phone. It started off as one Facebook post about Mike Pence being dragged away by the Secret Service. It had no context. More information trickled, then flooded, in – “protesters stormed the capitol,” then more videos, images and of course memes – painting a picture of the most nauseating, gut-wrenching and insulting scenes. Cops taking selfies with white supremacist reactionaries. Trump supporters are in politician’s’ offices. One man joyfully flung his boot-clad feet up on House Leader Nancy Pelosi’s desk, and felt so immune that he broadcast himself doing so, live. Some of the far-right wing reactionaries even wore t-shirts that read “MAGA Civil War Jan 6, 2021”, stylized to parody the Marvel movie franchise installment titled Civil War.

Read more...

By staff

Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) protests political repression.

Tallahassee, FL – On November 19, students from the Tallahassee chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) held a rally in front of the Westcott building on the Florida State University campus to demand community and student control of the Florida State University Police Department (FSUPD) and that the charges against the Tally19 be dropped. The students called for an end to political repression and that FSUPD be held accountable to the community and student body they police.

Read more...

By Zeke Greenwood

Post election protest in Tallahassee, FL.

Tallahassee, FL – Despite cold weather, concerns about police and vigilante violence, and results of the election still unknown, several Tallahassee organizations came together for the November 4 national day of protest to push for a people’s agenda, community control of police, and to speak out against Trump’s attempts to steal the election. Concurrently with many events across the country, Tallahassee Community Action Committee, Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), and SDS gathered a crowd of about 50 people in Cascades Park.

Read more...

By Jonce Palmer

Students rally in Tallahassee, FL for community control of campus police.

Tallahassee, FL – On October 22, more than 40 students and community members gathered at Integration Statue and marched to Wescott Fountain. Students for a Democratic Society held the annual protest at Florida State University in honor of the National Day of Protest Against Police Brutality. The assembly gathered with the demands of community control of FSU Police Department, that State Attorney Jack Campbell drops all charges levied against the #Tally19, and permanent removal of the Francis Eppes statue.

Read more...

By Zeke Greenwood

Tallahassee, FL – All spring and summer, organized groups of anti-police crimes protesters took to the streets, including the intersection in front of the historic capitol for over an hour at a time and on many occasions. Police regularly redirected traffic at least a block in every direction. Organizers would eventually announce the conclusion of street actions, at which time attendees dispersed without incident. Having spent all summer referring to these frequent street protests as “peaceful,” law enforcement agencies pivoted to making threats to crack down on “unpermitted” protesters for blocking traffic. This change by law enforcement occurred abruptly the afternoon of August 29.

Read more...

By staff

Tallahassee, FL – On Saturday, October 10, the Progressive Parent Teacher Student Alliance (PPTSA), a subcommittee of Tallahassee Community Action Committee (TCAC) hosted an online candidate forum for Superintendent of Leon County Schools, with the aim of giving the viewing public an opportunity to learn where the candidates stand in relation to the progressive platform put forth by TCAC.

Read more...

By Ben Grant (he/him)

Tesia Lisbon speaking at a rally outside of City Hall in Tallahassee, FL.

Tallahassee, FL – Community activists gathered in front of city hall September 19 for a protest calling for the formation of an elected Civilian Police Accountability Council (CPAC), and demanding that State Attorney Jack Campbell drop the charges against the #Tally19 – arrested for participating in a protest on September 5 to condemn a grand jury decision that condoned three recent police murders of civilians.

Read more...

By staff

Tallahassee, FL – During the early evening of September 9, community members gathered for a rally in front of Tallahassee City Hall called by the Tallahassee Community Action Committee (TCAC). The event was initially planned weeks before as a protest to demand community control of the police through the establishment of a Civilian Police Accountability Council (CPAC) in Tallahassee. However, police violence against and mass arrest of protesters, known as the Tally 14, at a September 5 demonstration obliged organizers to widen their demands to include dropped charges and reparations for the arrestees.

Read more...

By Jonce Palmer

Police in riot gear outnumber peaceful protesters on the sidewalk

Tallahassee, FL – The Tallahassee Community Action Committee (TCAC) took to the streets, September 5, in response to a grand jury decision, released the day before, that exonerated Tallahassee Police Department (TPD) officers in three murders of Black men thus far in 2020. The grand jury found that TPD’s use of force was ‘justified’ in the shooting deaths of Mychael Johnson in March and Wilbon Woodard and Tony McDade in separate incidents in May.

Read more...