On Tuesday, December 12, at 8pm Eastern (7pm Central, 6pm Mountain, 5pm Pacific), the Emergency Committee to Defend the Tampa 5 will host a webinar on the lessons of their victorious struggle to get their charges dropped. Laura Rodriguez and Lauren Pineiro will speak on behalf of the Tampa 5. They will be joined by Frank Chapman, Executive Director of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, as well as a speaker representing Students for a Democratic Society.

The Tampa 5 are an example of how to fight back against repression of free speech in the era of DeSantis. After being attacked by police on March 6, 2023, for holding a rally against DeSantis' attacks on diversity programs and ethnic studies in higher education, the Tampa 5 faced serious felony charges from the unelected, DeSantis-appointed state attorney Susan Lopez.

The Tampa 5 responded by building a nation-wide movement for justice and against DeSantis: they built a local coalition of students, unions and community organizations; mobilized students across the country to hold solidarity demonstrations and call-in days; and build nation-wide support through a speaking tour that visited 30 cities.

On December 5, as a serious pre-trial mobilization was underway, the Tampa 5 announced victory: their misdemeanor and felony charges would be dropped. This was made possible by months of mass mobilization and organizing, as well as a bold legal strategy. There is much that other activists and movements facing increased repression can learn from the Tampa 5.

You can register for the webinar here: https://www.tinyurl.com/tampa5win

#InjusticeSystem #PoliticalRepression #Tampa5 #StudentMovement #SDS #DeSantis #Feature

Fight Back New Service is circulating the following statement from the Emergency Committee to Defend the Tampa 5.

The Tampa 5 are proud to announce a great victory: their misdemeanor and felony charges will be dropped! This victory was made possible by months of mobilizations of people across the state of Florida, and even across the entire country, in defense of the Tampa 5. It is because of the bravery of students and youth protesters coming out for diversity and for student protest, that these five members of Students for a Democratic Society protesters will not see a single day in prison.

They have just agreed to a misdemeanor intervention program that will lead to the dismissal of their charges upon the fulfillment of various conditions such as 24 hours of community service.

Since March 6th, students, unions, and community organizations have put on protests, panels, petitions, call-in dates, and speaking tour events in an effort to drop the charges on the Tampa 5. The National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression embraced this as a campaign, along with national Students for a Democratic Society.Recently, the Tampa 5 finished a national speaking tour that took them from the West Coast to the East Coast. They visited around 30 cities and broadcasted their case to thousands of people and collected resolutions to drop the charges that have been mailed to the state attorney. They whipped up a nationwide condemnation of Ron DeSantis and similar copycat bills in states like Texas and Ohio. Students and youth are among those leading the charge to take down the Republican copycat efforts of Governor Ron DeSantis, the Tampa 5 prominent among them.

It is clear that the protests, call-ins, petitions, panels, and actions put on by students, faculty, union leaders, community members, civil liberties advocates, and elected officials, all struck fear into the heart of governor-appointed, unelected state attorney Susan Lopez.

The Tampa 5 were initially arrested because they stood up for the rights of students in Florida to keep diversity programs, ethnic studies, and more in their schools. This time, the student movement and countless others stood up for the Tampa 5. In defending the Tampa 5, they defended their right to protest in the state of Florida. Because of the power of the people, the Tampa 5 can walk free.

#TampaFL #InjusticeSystem #PoliticalRepression #Tampa5 #StudentMovement #SDS #Feature

Orlando, FL – On Monday, November 13, Orlando for Gender Equality organized a rally at the University of Central Florida in support of the Tampa 5. Chrisley Carpio, Laura Rodriguez and Lauren Pineiro of the Tampa 5 spoke at the demonstration as a part of their national speaking tour, in which they visited over 20 cities to bring awareness to their case.

The Tampa 5 are five protesters who were brutalized and arrested in March on the University of South Florida campus. The group was protesting Florida House Bill 999 and Senate Bill 266. These bills, which have since been signed into law, prevent schools from spending money on programs that “promote or engage in political or social activism” and subject any curriculum bringing attention to inequality and oppression to censorship or removal. The USF police assaulted and arrested the group of protesters. The Tampa 5 are now facing false felony charges that carry up to ten years in prison.

“If we don’t fight for our First Amendment rights now, we are saying that it’s okay for DeSantis, for our university administrators, for our government officials to take them away,” said one of the Tampa 5, Chrisley Carpio. “Student protest is the only reason ethnic studies, cultural centers and cultural groups exist at colleges in the first place. Even though it’s the five of us on trial, it’s the entire student movement and our right to protest that is being tested right now.”

The group of about 20 joined together in chants of “Drop the charges now” and “When students’ rights are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!”

Alyna Woodall, co-founder and co-president of the Interdisciplinary Graduate Alliance, also spoke at the rally, stating, “It should come as no surprise that the curriculums they are threatening at every level of education in Florida – Black history, women and gender studies, sociology, anthropology – show us how institutions perpetuate violence against our most marginalized.”

Woodall continued, “This administration wants Florida students and faculty to forget that we are capable of tangible social change. They want us to forget what we are capable of if we stand together, and they think that if they target us one by one, we are easier to pick off.”

The rally also included speakers from UCF student groups Color Me Queer and YDSA, as well as speeches from Orlando for Gender Equality and the New Era Young Lords Florida chapter.

The Tampa 5 are currently preparing for their trial, which begins on December 12, and are asking people to show up in support on their court date.

Those who want to support the Tampa 5 can also sign the petition at https://peoplespetitions.org/tampa5, visit https://www.defendthetampa5.org/ and follow @justiceforthetampa5 on Instagram.

#OrlandoFL #Tampa5

Tallahassee, FL – On November 17, Chrisley Carpio and Gia Davila continued their nationwide speaking tour with a stop in Tallahassee, Florida. On this tour, the Tampa 5 have visited 25 cities in 16 different states to raise awareness about their story – they were arrested for protesting Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ racist attacks on public education and are currently facing multiple felony charges and up to ten years in prison.

Florida State University Students for a Democratic Society (FSU SDS) hosted both events the Tampa 5 appeared at: a panel for Friday evening, and a benefit concert for Saturday evening.

At Friday’s panel, Carpio and Davila gave an overview of their case and defense campaign to a room of 25 students and community members. Carpio stated, “The cops and the state are trying to intimidate us into staying silent – we went on a national speaking tour instead. We’re organizing harder than ever. We won’t let this political repression suppress our movements.”

Carpio and Davila also made an appearance at Saturday’s benefit concert held at Square Mug Cafe, a local coffee shop. Performances were put on by local bands Degenerate State, Mourning Station, Killer Choice, and NPC Luv. Tallahassee Food Not Bombs provided baked goods to raise funds for the Tampa 5’s case.

Hector Rhoads, drummer for Killer Choice, expressed his respect for the Tampa 5’s continued activism, stating, “It’s inspiring that they’ve raised their voices in response to being arrested, it shows they really stand for what they are talking about and aren’t scared to double down against Governor DeSantis’ authoritarianism.”

Delilah Pierre, lead singer for Degenerate State and president of the Tallahassee Community Action Committee, closed out the show with the following: “A victory for the Tampa 5 would be a victory for the entire peoples movement. It would set the precedent for activists and organizers across the nation, but especially in the South, that they have the right to protest and resist bigoted and unjust laws.”

The Tampa 5’s next court date is December 12. They’re encouraging people to mobilize to Tampa on their trial date or hold solidarity actions across the nation throughout the week.

Follow @justiceforthetampa5 on Instagram for updates.

#TallahasseeFL #InJusticeSystem #PoliticalRepression #Tampa5 #StudentMovement #SDS

Orlando, FL – On Saturday, November 11, around 20 community members gathered at the Orlando Public Library for a discussion panel featuring the Tampa 5 as part of their national speaking tour. The event was hosted by Orlando for Gender Equality and the Florida chapter of the New Era Young Lords. The panel’s speakers consisted of Laura Rodriguez, Gia Davila, Lauren Pineiro and Chrisley Carpio of the Tampa 5.

The Tampa 5 are five protesters who were arrested, brutalized and assaulted by campus police during a protest on March 6 at the University of South Florida against Governor DeSantis’ racist attacks on diversity programs, multicultural student groups, and ethnic studies. They are facing trumped-up felony charges and up to ten years in prison for exercising their right to free speech and standing up for public education.

“They brutalized us simply because we stood up against Ron DeSantis,” said Lauren Pineiro.

On what motivated the protest that took place on March 6, Laura Rodriguez said, “Every diversity program we have ever won has come from the students going out and demanding it,” adding, “Chicano studies exists because people demanded it.”

The Tampa 5 speakers emphasized the necessity of continuing to stand up and fight back against all forms of political repression, such as efforts to criminalize protesting. Many different sectors of Florida’s population have come under assault from DeSantis and the legislature, including Black people, immigrants, LGTBQ people, and workers.

“Attacks on diversity, attacks on LGBTQ people and attacks on immigrants are attacks on everyone,” said Gia Davila.

The Tampa 5 are wrapping up their speaking tour in their home state of Florida and are gearing up for trial proceedings to begin on December 12. They encourage people to pack the court in support if possible and to hold solidarity actions across the country. Follow @justiceforthetampa5 on Instagram for updates.

#OrlandoFL #PoliticalRepression #StudentMovement #Tampa5

San Jose, CA – Student activist Gia Davila of the Tampa 5 visited San Jose on October 26, as part of the Justice for the Tampa 5 national speaking tour. She spoke at two events about how the Tampa 5’s struggle against systems of repression became personal when they were brutalized by the police and betrayed by the justice system.

About 30 people were in attendance at the evening event that was held at the San Jose Peace and Justice Center, and about ten people were in attendance at the afternoon event at San Jose State Universities. Attendees at both events joined Davila in chanting, “When student protests are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!” Davila then began recounting the political climate in Florida, describing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' attacks on diverse groups of the population, as well as communities’ resistance against such repression.

The Tampa 5 were protesting Florida House Bill 999 on campus at the University of South Florida when they were attacked and brutalized by police. HB 999 cut spending on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, banned the teaching of critical theory, and gave full hiring authority to university presidents, whose appointment is controlled by the governor. The protesters marched to the university president’s office where they were almost immediately and without warning attacked by police.

Davila was charged with felony battery of a law enforcement officer, trespassing and resisting arrest. The rest of the Tampa 5 faced similar charges. “The school basically did everything that they could to vilify us,” Davila said. Members of the Tampa 5 were banned from campus, and one member who was employed at the university, Chrisley Carpio, was fired.

Biased university investigations found that the police had done no wrong. During pre-file intervention proceedings, Davila was told her charges might be dropped if she wrote a letter of apology to the same police officers who had attacked her, which Davila described as “ridiculous.” “We feel really confident in our case – we know we're innocent, you cannot arrest students just for protesting,” said Davila.

The five are now facing 5 to 10 years in prison.

Davila sees an opportunity. “We wanted to kind of bring people together and be at the forefront of the fight against DeSantis,” said Davila. “We held a really big conference. It was really successful. Through that conference, we were able to establish the committee to defend the Tampa 5, which is like a big group of a bunch of different organizations, a bunch of different like national organizations and like local chapters, all who are working to get these charges dropped to make sure, you know, we are not forced into prison for protesting.”

Davila sees the speaking tour as an act of defiance against their ongoing political repression, “The prosecutor on our case criticized us for talking to the press and basically threatened us, saying like, there's going to be even more repercussions if you continue to talk to the press.”

The events in San Jose concluded with a call to sign the petition in support of the Tampa 5, as well as to donate to the Tampa 5 legal defense fund, with community members publicly pledging anywhere from $10 to $1000. More information on how to sign the petition and how to donate can be found at https://www.defendthetampa5.org.

The Tampa 5 will go to trial on December 12. The Emergency Committee to Defend the Tampa 5 has called a national Day of Action for December 12, urging people across the country to stand in solidarity with the Tampa 5 in their fight against political repression.

#SanJoseCA #PoliticalRepression #Tampa5 #SDS #StudentMovement

These felony charges come against the Tampa 5 after they were shoved to the ground, brutalized, groped and arrested by police officers during their protest against Governor Ron DeSantis’ attacks on diversity and equity programs at the University of South Florida.

Rodriguez addressed a crowd of 50 community members, union organizers and student organizers.

The event consisted of two panels. The first panel highlighted different organizers and their own perspectives when it comes to the different barriers they have faced in education and organizing. The panel featured Jacob Marshall of SDS; Miah Ntepp, Denver NAACP vice president and leader at MSU’s Black Student Alliance; and Candi CdeBaca, a tireless advocate for Denver communities and former city councilperson.

Kat Draken, a shop steward for Teamsters Local 455 in Denver and former student organizer in Tallahassee, Florida talked about her experiences when her fellow organizers were arrested for protesting a few years before, “You have to be persistent and annoying, you have to keep holding events and keep up the pressure, if they figure out that they can just wait you out and let the momentum die, that’s what they are going to do.”

The second panel featured organizers who have themselves faced political repression or whose work surrounds political repression in some way. Shaine Carroll-Frey from the Freedom Road Socialist Organization spoke on the repression the organization experienced in 2010 when prominent leaders of the FRSO were raided by the FBI in a coordinated attack aimed at destroying the organization. Other speakers included Ryan Stitzel, a community organizer with Denver Aurora Community Action Committee, who organizes against police terror in the Denver Metro area, and Eliza Lucero, a community organizer with the Party for Socialism and Liberation in Denver, as well as a labor organizer with the Colorado Education Association. Lucero was a leading local organizer of the mass demonstrations against the overturning of Roe v. Wade and in the 2020 uprisings was one of the local leaders targeted by the Aurora Police Department and charged with multiple bogus felonies.

During the keynote speech, Rodriguez stated, “When they asked us to apologize to the police who had beat us up, to apologize to the people who brutalized our friends right in front of our faces and we said, ‘No thank you.’ And then we were charged with additional felonies. So now I face ten years in prison for standing up for what I know is right.”

This event comes at a time when organizers around the country are facing arrests and other forms of suppression surrounding the mass support for Palestine. Just a couple days before, Ron DeSantis’ administration took steps to ban the pro-Palestine group Students for Justice in Palestine from campuses in Florida. This fact was brought up continuously throughout the second panel because of the connection between the political repression the Tampa 5 is facing and the political repression against pro-Palestinian organizers.

The high energy event ended with chants and a sing-along banjo rendition of Free the Tampa 5 by SDS member Jake Newman. Many different organizations attended and participated in the event, including Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Students for Democratic Society, Party for Liberation and Socialism, Boulder Young Democratic Socialists of America, and the Denver-Aurora Community Action Committee.

#DenverCO #PoliticalRepression #Tampa5 #SDS

Los Angeles, CA – On October 28 two events were held to educate and fundraise for five women who were brutally arrested on University of South Florida (USF) campus for protesting against Governor Ron DeSantis’ attacks on public education and diversity. These women, who are now facing felony charges for their activism, are called the Tampa 5.

The first event was a panel held by Centro Community Service Organization (CSO) and it was held in the morning at East Los Angeles College. The impressive panel included Carlos Montes, who is both a Centro CSO and Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) member, Gia Davila who is one of the Tampa 5, and Lupe Carrasco Cardona who is a chair of the Association of Raza Educators and a founding member of the Liberated Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum Coalition.

Karina Lopez emceed the event and gave the audience a brief history of CSO, stating, “As Chicanos, we face national oppression when we fight for what is naturally ours; whether it’s for winning community control of the police, justice, or a piece of the wealth that we generate through our labor.”

Montes, a veteran of the Chicano and anti-war movement, has a long history of facing political repression for his activism, including an FBI raid in 2011 caused by his support for the revolutionary struggles in Colombia and Palestine. During the panel, Carlos Montes said, “We have a special responsibility being activists and revolutionaries. Because we live in the belly of the beast, we must organize in our workplaces and in our community.”

Gia Davila of the Tampa 5 was the second panelist. Davila started her speech with another chant, “Dare to struggle, dare to win!” Davila spoke about the racist and homophobic legislation pushed by DeSantis. She explained to the audience the experience of being arrested for protesting and how her organization, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), are leading the fight to defeat the charges.

Lupe Carrasco Cardona began her speech by stating that she is a proud Chicana. Carrasco Cardona explained how reactionary forces attacked her and others for trying to incorporate Palestine into statewide initiatives for ethnic studies. Throughout her speech, Cardena expressed that neither the Democratic Party nor the Republican Party are really for the people.

Fundraiser event

Over $3,000 were raised at an event in support of the Tampa 5. The event was held in the very community-centered Boyle Heights Tavern.

Guest speakers included members from Students for a Democratic Society at University of Southern California, BAYAN Southern California, Centro CSO Orange County, and a Teamsters union member from Local 396. Honorary speaker was Gia Davila of the Tampa 5.

This fundraiser was organized by Los Angeles Freedom Road Socialist Organization members Jared Hamil, Victor Rodriguez and Jenny Bekenstein. There were games such as pin the devil tail on Ron DeSantis, a raffle including a variety of cool prizes, a live DJ set and karaoke. Participants chose from a drink menu that included Tampa 5-named drinks such as mojitos and margaritas at the bar.

To kick things off, Jared Hamil, of FRSO and a member of Teamsters Local 396, welcomed everyone for coming and explained the reason for this fundraiser, stating, “People have a right to self-determination, a right for a good education, in the language of the people, and a right to teaching the truth, not from the oppressors’ mouth!”

Jared Hamil spoke about Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ war on working and oppressed people. During the event Hamil expressed, “When oppression happens, we don’t back down, we get louder!”

Davila took the stage and thanked everyone for the overwhelming support from organizers across the country and said that students have the right to fight for better diversity programs, stating, “Since the 60s, students have fought for better education, and it’s incredibly important for students to control what education they want.”

As the event continued, guest speakers from different organizations in southern California spoke in solidarity with the Tampa 5. Senator Zavala of SDS USC spoke in solidarity as did Alex Orellana, a Teamsters union member of Local 396. Orellana spoke about the struggles working and oppressed people go through in our current political climate. Two members from BAYAN Southern California, an anti-imperialist Filipino organization, delivered a solidarity speech with the Tampa 5.

David Pulido, a member of Orange County CSO, came up to talk about their police accountability work and expressed the same struggle they’re facing with regards to student education and diversity rights in Orange County. Lastly, Jenny Bekenstein, member of FRSO and a Teamsters union member from Local 396, said some closing thoughts on the Tampa 5 stating, “I love that the police are so threatened by these five young women.” As people cheered hearing this, she drove home the fact that women have been in the forefront for better rights, justice, and will always be fighting for oppressed people’s freedoms.

As the event was ending, Jared Hamil and Gia Davila closed out the fundraiser by asking people for final donations. Many people raised their hands and donated $100 to $200. In closing out, Hamil exclaimed the fundraiser raised over $2000 alone. Davila talked about the overwhelming the support she and the rest of the Tampa 5 have been receiving from organizers and reiterates that students today are invigorated and are not scared to protest their rights for better education and ethnic curricula for their schools across the country.

#LosAngelesCA #PoliticalRepression #Tampa5 #StudentMovement #CentroCSO #SDS

Orange County, CA – On Friday, October 27, over 30 students and community members gathered across two events to listen to Gia Davila of the Tampa 5 on her stop of the Justice for the Tampa 5 speaking tour. The Tampa 5 are a group of students, workers, and community activists who were violently arrested while protesting Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ racist attacks on education at the University of South Florida. They are facing up to ten years in prison and are on a speaking tour to call for these unjust charges to be dropped.

Gia Davila, a member of Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), gave context to the current political climate in Florida. She spoke on legislation being proposed that attacks LGBTQ, reproductive, immigrant, union and education rights. She described the bill that Tampa Bay SDS were protesting on the day of the arrests, HB 999, “which effectively banned diversity, equity and inclusion programs from universities. It also had nasty rhetoric about tenure for professors, it attacked Black history, it attacked ethnic studies and multicultural groups.”

Davila continued, “Not only are we innocent, we were doing something good. More students should be protesting on campus to retain these programs and expand these programs of diversity on our campuses.”

The prosecution is threatening them with consequences if they talk to the press, but Davila confidently said, “Of course we are not going to listen to them, that is why I am here.”

The events were put on by CSO Orange County and were co-sponsored by the MEChA de UCI chapter and the Chicana and Chicano Studies Department of CSUF.

Sol Márquez, a member of Centro CSO in Boyle Heights, stated, “The Tampa 5 is much more than specifically people in Tampa, it transcends to all of us who are fighting for what is right.”

Michelle Sanchez, co-chair of MEChA at UCI, highlighted the political repression experienced by students at UCI by saying if they had collaborated with the university to put on this panel, they “would have had to strike some things off of the conversation,” otherwise it would not be approved. She encouraged attendees to get organized in order to fight this repression.

Dr. Marlén Ríos-Hernández, a Chicana studies professor, urged people to take action in this time of heightened political repression, stating, “There will be a time where you have to make up your mind about what you want for the liberation of others, for the liberation of your own people, and decide what it will take for you to be unafraid.”

#OrangeCountyCA #PoliticalRepression #Tampa5 #DeSantis #StudentMovement #SDS #CSO #MECHA

Salt Lake City, UT – On October 23, members of the Salt Lake City community filled a room on the University of Utah campus for a panel against the repression of progressive speech on campus. Chrisley Carpio of the Tampa 5 was the keynote presenter and was joined by MECHA at the University of Utah and Armed Queers SLC.

The Tampa 5 are five members of Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society who were arrested for protesting Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s racist attacks on education in that state. They face felony charges from right-wing District Attorney Susan Lopez for the protest. MECHA and Armed Queers SLC joined the panel in solidarity because of the University of Utah’s attempt to shut down a joint event on LGBTQ peoples’ right to self-defense.

Carpio led the crowd in a chant of “Racist, sexist, anti-gay! Ron DeSantis go away!” She said, “We are not sorry, and we are not backing down. We are going to fight these unjust charges because the people of this country oppose Ron DeSantis’s racist, sexist, homophobic agenda!”

Gabriela Merida, the education secretary for MECHA, condemned the university’s attempted repression, saying, “We know this type of repression is not happening to any other org on campus. It is only because we have decided to speak out against the university’s complacency and complicity in the oppression of the LGBTQ+ community and Palestinian and Arab community in the world.”

Ermia Fanaeian of Armed Queers SLC agreed, saying, “The struggle against the repression that left movements face is very real, and growing all over the country. We must recognize that the forces who are holding political prisoners and Palestinian activists are also in charge of pacifying student groups on campus, such as the Tampa 5.”

Organizers from Utah Students for a Democratic Society facilitated questions and answers from the crowd, which raised over $300 for the Tampa 5’s defense fund.

#SaltLakeCityUT #PoliticalRepression #Tampa5 #StudentMovement #MECHA #ArmedQueersSLC

Arlington, TX – On Wednesday, October 25, the Progressive Student Union at University of Texas, Arlington hosted Laura Rodriguez on her tour across the South and Southwest, to raise awareness about the repression she and the other members of the Tampa 5 are facing.

Rodriguez explained the context of what led up to the protest on March 6, and the level of state violence police enacted on them that day. In response, the audience of 25 students chanted together condemning the police for their actions. Rodriguez said they would continue to resist the political repression in Florida, stating, “We have nothing to lose, but a world to gain.”

Rodriguez expressed solidarity with the Palestinians resistance to the genocidal Israeli regime, “When they are being attacked, we must double down on standing up for them.”

Texas is another area of the South currently facing legislative attacks of many DEI initiatives on campuses all across the state, including at UTA. The speech resonated with the entire audience and powerful sounds of camaraderie echoed throughout the room.

#ArlingtonTX #PoliticalRepression #Tampa5 #StudentMovement

Seattle, WA – On October 23, Gia Davila of the Tampa 5 spoke before an enthusiastic crowd of 50 people at the University of Washington’s Ethnic Cultural Center. The Tampa 5 are charged with felonies for protesting against Governor Ron DeSantis’s assaults on education. The five, three student organizers, a union member, and a community activist – are currently on a tour of the United States to raise awareness of their case, and how to resist political repression.

Castill Hightower, a community activist whose brother was killed by Seattle police in 2004 and a member of the Seattle Alliance against Racist and Political Repression, gave a powerful speech to introduce Gia Davila. In her speech, Hightower pledged solidarity with Davila and the rest of the Tampa 5. She said the charges filed were an effort to “make an example of Gia simply because she engaged in her right to protest against Governor Ron DeSantis’s violent determination to wipe Black, brown, LGBTQ+ folks, and other marginalized communities from our tax funded educational system in an attempt to rewrite history!”

“We’re not going to apologize for this. Student activists shouldn’t ever have to apologize for protesting on campus,” said Gia Davila. “They have now doubled the felony counts, making it ten years for three of us.” She said that there was a need for groups to continue organizing. “Florida is not a hateful place. Republicans like Ron DeSantis are doomed to fail, because they are not with the people, and the people will eventually win.”

The event was endorsed by many organizations, including Unite Here Local 8, MEChA, Anakbayan UW, the Students for Farmworkers, the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, the Seattle Student Union, and UAW Local 4121.

Gia Davila’s tour continues on after the stop in Seattle, with events in Tacoma and Portland before continuing down to San Jose and Los Angeles.

#SeattleWA #PoliticalRepression #StudentMovement #Tampa5

Austin, TX – Laura Rodriguez of the Tampa 5 came to the University of Texas at Austin on Tuesday, October 24, to speak about political repression, defending diversity programs and ethnic studies in schools, and the call to drop the charges on the Tampa 5.

The Tampa 5 are five women organizers who were brutalized by police and face up to ten years in prison on bogus charges for protesting Governor Ron DeSantis’ racist attacks on diversity programs and ethnic studies at the University of South Florida.

Rodriguez made her first stop on the UT campus at a college class called Policing Latinidad. After talking about what Ron DeSantis has done to attack student rights, immigrant rights and women’s rights, she said, “We have to remember that these ethnic studies programs, the rights of students to learn about their own histories – these programs we are fighting for were only won through mass protests like the East LA walkouts, and other movements of students and young people rising up and demanding things like Chicano and Latino Studies, or Africana Studies.”

Rodriguez then made an appearance to speak on two radio shows on the radio station KVRX, one highlighting women artists, the other highlighting Palestinian artists.

During the main event at UT Austin’s student center, Rodriguez spoke to a group of students, faculty and labor union organizers about the national campaign to drop the charges on the Tampa 5.

In a rousing and passionate speech, she said: “The struggle of the Tampa 5 is so much larger than just us five individuals in Tampa. Recently, we have seen abortion rights protesters and activists demanding justice for Palestine arrested and given the exact same charges that we were. This repression is scary – being attacked by the police, hearing my friends and fellow students screaming as the police threw and pinned us to the ground is not something I had ever seen at a student protest before. But the fact is that we continue to organize and fight back, and we will not stop. They are trying to scare us off from organizing, but we know that we did nothing wrong, and with the strength of peoples’ movements behind us, we will get these charges dropped.”

As Rodriguez concluded her speech, the audience chanted, “From Tampa Bay to Palestine, protesting is not a crime!” and “Dare to struggle, Dare to win!”

The event raised nearly $1000 in Tampa 5 defense funds, and everyone attending signed on to a resolution in support of the Tampa 5.

#AustinTX #PoliticalRepression #Tampa5 #StudentMovement

Atlanta, GA – On Saturday, October 21, the Atlanta Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression held a panel speaking event at Adams Park Library hosting Laura Rodriguez of the Tampa 5 and building the struggle against political repression.

The Tampa 5 are five women who attended a Students for a Democratic Society protest at the University of South Florida (USF) in response to Governor DeSantis ending funding for diversity programs and cultural groups at state universities and banning the teaching of vital parts of Black history. USF police brutalized the protestors and arrested four people that day and put out a warrant for the fifth. They are now facing up to ten years in prison.

Guest panelists spoke on behalf of Dissenters at Georgia State University, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at GSU, and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

Panelists connected the struggles each of them are involved in, including the struggle against Cop City, student activism for Palestine, and the fight against DeSantis’s racist laws. They spoke of the 61 Stop Cop City activists in a RICO indictment, GSU administration’s attacks on SJP and other student groups, the 23 anti-war activists who beat their grand jury repression, and the case of the Tampa 5.

“We organize and we know that the only way out of this is to continue to organize because at every step of the way they have tried to silence us,” said Laura Rodriguez, one of the Tampa 5, “I see the light at the end of the tunnel and the way through it is to organize and organize with people who will show and give solidarity. Not just in words but by our actions.”

Taylor Cook, a member of the FRSO stated, “I know for a fact that just like the Anti-War 23, the Tally 19, the 60 people here in Atlanta with RICO charges, the ASF 3, and so many others that the Tampa 5 will see their charges dropped. Despite how badly Ron DeSantis wants it, the Tampa 5 will not be spending a second in jail, they will be found not guilty, and it will be a victory to them, but also a victory to the people’s movements across the country.”

The panel ended with solidarity speeches with the Tampa 5 from groups attending, vowing to continue the fight to get the charges dropped. Laura Rodriguez urged those attending to send letters to State Attorney Suzan Lopez demanding that she drop the bogus charges on the Tampa 5, and to organize here in Georgia against attacks on diversity in higher education and student activists.

#AtlantaGA #PoliticalRepression #Tampa5 #SDS #NAARPR #SJP #StopCopCity #DeSantis

New Orleans, LA – On Monday evening, October 23, close to 100 people gathered in a lecture hall at Loyola University of New Orleans to listen to Laura Rodriguez of the Tampa 5. The Tampa 5 are three student organizers, a community leader, and a union member facing up to ten years’ imprisonment on felony charges. The charges came after their brutalization and the arrests of four of them, while they participated in a protest against DeSantis’ attacks on education at the University of South Florida. The state later charged a fifth. Members of the Tampa 5 are touring the U.S. to raise support for their case.

“These organizers are up against trumped-up charges, simply for standing up to DeSantis’ racism and the university administration. The police came out of nowhere to attack, shove, punch and grope them in an attempt to silence dissent,” said Carson Cruse of Loyola Students for a Democratic Society.

“We’re not gonna cower, we’re not gonna hide. We’re gonna get these charges dropped because we’re a part of a national student organization waging a national defense campaign,” said Rodriguez. “This is about more than just me. DeSantis and the Republicans are attacking anti-racist education, LGBTQ people, faculty tenure, and all kinds of rights. They know that we have the power to resist them through protesting, so they’re trying to shut us up out of fear,” she added.

Participants chanted “Not guilty, not sorry!” and “Protesting is not a crime, drop the charges now!”

Many organizations sent representatives to speak at the event and endorse the Tampa 5. These included the United Teachers of New Orleans, French Truck Coffee’s Teamsters union, New Orleans for Palestine, Students United at the University of New Orleans, the Real Name Campaign, the Tulane Office of Gender and Sexual Diversity, New Orleans for Community Oversight of Police, the Democratic Socialists of America, and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

During her stay, Rodriguez also spoke in front of several classrooms, interviewed with journalists and professors, spoke at a protest against Louisiana’s far-right governor-elect Jeff Landry, and delivered presentations at Tulane and the University of New Orleans.

This tour stop raised over $8600 for the Tampa 5’s legal funds. The Loyola event ended with a surprise announcement that Starbucks Workers United, representing nearly 10,000 workers nationally, resolved to stand in solidarity with the Tampa 5.

#NewOrleansLA #PoliticalRepression #Tampa5 #StudentMovement #SDS #DeSantis

Chicago, IL – On October 14 and 15, roughly 180 members and affiliates of the New Students for a Democratic Society(SDS) from over 20 campuses met for their annual National Convention in Chicago, Illinois.

The students came from all over the U.S. to unite under the slogan of “Students Defend Education, Unions Strike Back!” to highlight both the attacks of education, especially ethnic studies such as Black studies and American Indian studies, and the increased level of union activity in 2023. Attendees listened to panels and gave workshops over a variety of topics, sharing strategy and tactics with SDS chapters from across the country.

One highlight came from the Student-Labor solidarity panel, from Dr. Scott Heath, an advisor to Loyola New Orleans NAACP and an advocate for an African American Studies program at Loyola University. Heath was also the only Black tenure-track English professor at the university. Heath read out loud to a transfixed crowd a letter he'd written to students that detailed how he was effectively fired from Loyola University without due process and on racist grounds.

“By fueling a culture of distraction and obstruction, the administration there is threatening my livelihood and reputation in a way that is stigmatizing and humiliating,” Heath remarked. Just after Dr. Heath got the notice that his contract with Loyola University would not be renewed, SDS members at Loyola University jumped into action to organize a protest to demand his retention.

On the same panel, Dr. Aaron Krall, president of UIC United Faculty, Local 6456 shared his views on the labor movement and student-labor solidarity. In response to questions of what students can do, Krall said, “We need workers to band together, and we need all of you and all of your student colleagues to help us fight for the things we need.”

On the “Fight for Ethnic Studies and Defend Diversity” panel, student organizers from across the country shared their experiences fighting against the increased attacks on ethnic studies and diversity programs Panelists highlighted that these programs were fought for and won by a previous generation of student activists, and that students today must fight to defend them.

“It's easy to say I would have fought against discrimination and segregation back in the days of Jim Crow. But let's not just talk about it: let's be about it! History isn't over!” said Angel Naranjo of UIC SDS.

The final panel of the day, “Drop the Charges on the Tampa 5, Defend the Right to Protest” included Gia Davila of the Tampa 5. The Tampa 5 are students and workers who were brutalized by campus police at the University of South Florida on March 6. The police violence was in response to a student protest to demand that USF’s president take stand against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s egregious attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). All five are facing felony charges and between five and ten years in prison. Since March 6, a nationwide defense campaign has been launched to demand that all charges on the Tampa 5 be dropped.

Davila spoke of the case and emphasized the need for students to continue to fight against political repression and in defense of diversity: “We continue to fight on campus. We continue to demand that our university take a stand for diversity, equity and inclusion, to protect Black history on our campus!”

The theme of fighting back against political repression and attacks on the First Amendment right to free speech was especially poignant given the recent upsurge in the Palestinian liberation movement starting October 7, when the Palestinian resistance launched operation al-Aqsa Flood. SDS reaffirmed its support for Palestinian liberation and raised up energetic chants of, “End U.S. aid to Israel! From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free! Free, free Palestine!”

On day two of the convention, students gathered to discuss and pass 18 resolutions covering topics from fighting against police brutality, to the fight for reproductive rights, and demanding an end to U.S. intervention in the Ukraine. SDS unanimously passed a resolution supporting the Palestinian resistance and calling for an end of all US aid to Israel.

After resolutions were passed, attendees marched to the University of Illinois administration building for a protest against the administration’s repression against student activists. In the lead up to the convention, UIC administration blocked the attempts by SDS to reserve rooms and other amenities every step along the way. Finally, students had to reserve a venue off-campus.

Students left the weekend energized to take what they had learned at the convention back home to their respective campuses to continue to build the student movement.

#ChicagoIL #SDS #Tampa5 #DEI #DeSantis #Palestine

New York, NY - On October 18, over 100 activists and community members, representing nearly 20 different grassroots community organizations, packed The People’s Forum in Manhattan for an evening of solidarity and resistance. The event, titled “Defend People’s Struggle: A Conversation on State Repression,” kicked off the East Coast leg of the Justice for the Tampa 5 speaking tour. It centered activists who have been directly targeted for arrest and trumped up charges as part of the increased state repression facing organizers.

The speakers represented organizations from all corners of the movement. In addition to Laura Roriguez of the Tampa 5, the evening’s program speakers also included: Marte White, from Community Movement Builders in Atlanta, Georgia and the fight to stop Cop City; a speaker from NYC-based organization For Our Liberation; Nina Macapinlac from BAYAN USA; a speaker from New York Boricua Resistance; a speaker from the Haitian diaspora organization Rasanbleman Pou Ayiti, and Kaleem Hawa from the Palestinian Youth Movement.

All speakers were united in a clear message: We must defend people’s struggles. Only through steadfast solidarity can we protect ourselves and our movements. The only way to move forward is to fight back.

Laura Rodriguez of the Tampa 5, a group of five Florida students and activists facing felony charges for defending diversity on campus, stated, “Because of organizing, because we are in an organization, and because of the support we’ve gotten nationally, we were able to expedite our release from jail,” she said in her speech. She ended on an optimistic note on the power of organizing and solidarity: “Because of the organizing that we will do on the speaking tour, that we have done, and because of everyone here today, I know for a fact that the charges will be dropped.”

Another key point of the evening was raised by Marte White, a transfeminine organizer involved in the struggle against Cop City in Atlanta. They spoke about the importance of combating lies spread by the enemy, citing the disinformation spread by the Atlanta police in the wake of their murder of environmental activists Manuel “Tortuguita” Terán last March. This point was echoed by Allendy of Rasanbleman Pou Ayiti and Kaleem Hawa of the Palestinian Youth Movement. 

The Rasanbleman Pou Ayiti spoke of the UN Security Council’s decision to authorize the tenth invasion of Haiti in the past 30 years under the pretext of combatting “gang violence,” when it is really an attempt to access cheap labor, land and resources in Haiti. “Whenever the UN Security Council is about to vote on what to do in Haiti, gang violence rises,” he said. “So we can tell clearly, this is to repress the Haitian people whenever they want to mobilize and fight for their sovereignty. We can’t rely on this system, we can’t rely on the mass media, who have shown us time and time again that our independence, our sovereignty, and our liberation mean nothing to them.”

Hawa put it more bluntly: “Do not share the enemy’s propaganda. It’s a very difficult time. We don’t need to give them attention, and we can’t let ourselves be distracted.”

As the final speaker of the event, Hawa delivered a powerful analysis of the current, historic moment in the struggle for Palestinian Liberation. He emphasized the importance of contextualizing current events in the long history of Zionist attempts to exterminate the Palestinian people and inflict maximum human suffering in Gaza. “They are doing this because Gaza is the heart of Palestinian resistance and always has been,” he reminded the audience, “and they need a genocidal solution to the resistance from Gaza.”

Speaking of the political repression faced by Palestinians - within Palestine, and in the near and far diasporas, including New York City, Hawa stated, “Zionism is borderless, and its intention is to eliminate the political Palestinian life.” However, he continued, “The Palestinian armed resistance has shown the world that Israel is as weak as spider web.”

The evening concluded with rousing chants of “Free Palestine!” and calls to action from the organizations participating. In particular, all speakers stressed the importance of joining organizations and standing in solidarity with each other in the ongoing struggle. As Rodriguez put it when speaking to student organizers in the audience: “We must not only defend but continue to push higher. We’re working to create something that’s never been seen before, to create actual power across all of the movements, because only we can lift us up out of this.”

#NewYorkCityNY #Tampa5 #FreePalestine #Gaza #AlAqsaFlood #PYM #PoliticalRepression #StopCopCity

New York, NY – Around 300 students and community members gathered outside the steps of the CUNY grad center in Midtown, October 18, to protest CUNY's involvement with Israel and to support the Palestinian resistance.

Organized by CUNY 4 Palestine, the energetic crowd was loud in their chants and vocal in their support for the Palestinian cause.

Rachel Elizabeth, a union member and student at CUNY, said, “As a student and union member, I was proud to stand in solidarity with folks as we demand an end to the siege on Gaza, an end to U.S. aid to Israel, and a free Palestine. The occupation must end. We want liberation, self-determination and peace for all oppressed nationalities.”

Laura Rodriguez, a member of the Tampa 5 who is in town to talk about their case, gave a speech that was heard throughout 5th Avenue: “It's a tough reality that hits close to home, knowing that equipment made here plays a malevolent role in stifling those who speak out against injustice.”

Rodriguez continued, “the Tampa 5 stand with the people of Palestine!”

Rodriguez is currently on a speaking tour with four co-defendants to speak about their case. They will be speaking in New York City at the The People's Forum at 6 p.m. October 18 with speakers from Stop Cop City, Bayan USA, Palestinian Youth Movement, NY Boricua Resistance and For Our Liberation.

#NewYorkNY #PoliticalRepression #Tampa5 #StudentMovement #SDS #Palestine

Chicago, IL – On Tuesday, September 26, a coalition of unions, students and community organizations kicked off the Chicago leg of the Justice for the Tampa 5 Tour. These five activists are facing serious prison time in Florida for the crime of standing up to the DeSantis agenda. On March 6, a group of students at Tampa’s University of South Florida walked into an administrative building to defend diversity, equity and inclusion. They wanted to meet with the university president but were instead attacked by 15 campus cops. The state attorney is now charging the five with multiple felonies, and they face up to 10 years in prison.

In the hall of the Chicago Teachers Union, approximately 60 supporters gathered to demand the trumped-up and politically motivated charges be dropped. Christly Carpio and Lauren Pineiro of the Tampa 5 spoke at the event. The two drew on the lessons of past battles against political repression to wage a powerful defense campaign not only to defend themselves but to defend the people’s movements, the right to protest, and the right to education.

In her speech, Carpio made clear the importance of the Tampa 5. “The most important thing we can do is keep organizing,” she said. “It's the five of us on trial, but it's the whole movement being tested right now. Down with DeSantis!”

Other speakers included Erin Boyle of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), President Elijah Edwards of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 2858, Husam Marajda of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, Councilor for the 3rd police district Anthony Bryant, Diana Balataan of Anakbayan Chicago, and Frank Chapman of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR).

In his speech, Chapman said, “Every branch and every affiliate of NAARPR will take this case up. When we're done, everybody in the U.S. and a good part of the world will know who the Tampa 5 is and why they must have justice,” making it clear that the National Alliance will continue to stand with the Tampa 5 in the struggle against the political repression they are experiencing as a result of their struggle against Ron DeSantis and racist, anti-Black and anti-education legislation.

Carpio and Pineiro stayed busy for the 48 hours they were in Chicago. They were interviewed for podcasts by two veterans of the original SDS, Bill Ayers and Michael James; appeared in the classrooms of UIC professors David Stovall, Nadine Naber, and Andy Clarno, and held a rally with 40 UIC students and staff.

The Justice for the Tampa 5 Tour now moves to Grand Rapids, Michigan and will continue through the end of October. To support the Tampa 5, go to http://defendthetampa5.org.

#ChicagoIL #Tampa5 #CAARPR #UIC #PoliticalRepression

Grand Rapids, MI – On Thursday, September 28, the IASTE Local 26 West Michigan Stagehands Union hosted a speaking event featuring two Tampa 5 protestors in a show of solidarity. The speakers, Lauren Pineiro and Chrisley Carpio, are in the midst of a countrywide tour, spreading the word about their struggle against political repression by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' administration. IATSE Local 26 hosted the event to help mobilize labor activists to rally support for dropping the charges against the Tampa 5.

The Tampa 5 is a moniker for five protesters who, on March 6, were brutalized by University of South Florida (USF) campus police and then falsely arrested in retaliation of their protest. The students, workers, and community members were dissenting DeSantis' “attack from every front” on higher education, including diversity programs, ethnic studies, and women's and gender studies. Specifically, they were demonstrating against HB 999/SB 266, which would ban funding for these programs and studies at Florida colleges.

Since the March 6 arrests, state authorities and USF President Rhea Law have ramped up the repression against the Tampa 5 in an effort to silence their continued resistance to DeSantis' bigoted attacks. The protesters recognize the administration's attempt to thwart dissent. “We were not a violent threat, but a political one,” said Pineiro, who was not arrested until a month following the incident.

The speaking tour seeks to gain nationwide support for the Tampa 5, but it also aims to bring attention to the concerning trend of state repression of protesters. DeSantis is currently running for the Republican ticket for the U.S. presidency and could likely institute his racist, anti-worker policies nationally. Even if he is unsuccessful, arresting protesters for exercising a first amendment right sets a precedent for other states.

Thursday's event bridged the struggle of workers and students. Members from IATSE Local 26 and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan's UAW spoke at the event to inform attendees of actions on the picket line and beyond. Recently, the IATSE Local 26 executive board signed a resolution in solidarity with the Tampa 5, calling for “the Hillsborough County 13th Judicial District Attorney Susan Lopez and Prosecutor Justin Diaz drop the charges, including multiple felony charges, against the Tampa 5.”

Pineiro and Carprio will continue their speaking tour through October 28. Supporters can take action by donating to The Emergency Committee to Defend the Tampa 5, signing their petition, passing a resolution through their organization, and attending local protests on December 12.

#GrandRapidsMI #Tampa5 #IATSE #IATSELocal26