Tampa, FL – A strong crowd of SDS members and concerned students joined together to protest the university’s low Black enrollment rates, as well as the administration’s refusal to address the problem.

Tampa, FL – Activists and community members came together January 25 to demand “No war with Iran and U.S. out of the Middle East.” The protest took place in downtown Tampa and coincided with hundreds of protests around the United States and the world in an International Day of Action against the Trump administration’s war mongering. The event was hosted by ANSWER Suncoast, Tampa Bay SDS and the Tampa Anti-War Committee.

Tampa, FL – At the University of South Florida, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) held their second rally against the President Trump’s and U.S. aggression towards Iran. The protest, attended by around 20 students on campus on January 14, has come in the wake of the assassination of a high-ranking Iranian military figure, Qassem Soleimani.

Tampa, FL – On January 4, Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) held a protest against U.S. military intervention in the Middle East. The event was in response to recent aggression from the Trump administration against Iran following the assassination of Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani. “Shortly after we heard the news, we decided that it was important for us to organize a demonstration against a new war as quickly as possible,” said Matthew Wheat of Tampa Bay SDS.

Tampa, FL – On November 20, students at the University of South Florida (USF) gathered in front of Cooper Hall to demand that administration increases Black enrollment on campus. Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) organized and led the demonstration.

Tampa, FL – On October 7 and 8, Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) rallied against the lack of federal job protections for LGBT workers. On October 8, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) began discussions on three cases that relate to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which protects against job discrimination on the basis of “race, color, religion, sex, or national origin,” in order to decide whether sexual orientation and gender identity are also protected under Title VII. Tampa Bay SDS held two rallies in response to this, as a part of a National SDS call to action. SDS demanded that the Supreme Court rule in favor of federal job protections for LGBT workers.

Tampa, Fl – On September 10, students at the University of South Florida (USF) participated in a national day of action that was called by National Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) to speak out against the Trump administration’s attacks on undocumented immigrants. The event was hosted by Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). Over 30 students and staff attended.

Tampa, FL – Over 30 young workers, trade unionists and community members rallied May 3 to demand an end to attacks on public school employees in Hillsborough County and the state of Florida. The rally was organized by West Central Florida Future Labor Leaders.

Tampa, FL – El United Parcel Service (UPS) sacó a la luz sus ganancias del cuarto trimestre el mes pasado, sobrepasando las expectativas de Wall Street con casi $5 mil millones en ganancias en el 2018. Con una combinación de abrir nuevas instalaciones de clasificación automatizadas, la compra de nuevos aviones de carga, y la explotación de los empleados por medio de salarios bajos y largas jornadas de trabajo, UPS tuvo una temporada navidena muy lucrativa. La compañía es optimista sobre el tema de sus ganancias en el 2019 y en el futuro. Para los trabajadores, sin embargo, el futuro no se ve tan luminoso.

Tampa, FL – The Tampa Bay chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) held a rally April 3 to stand against the U.S.-Mexico border wall and demand protections for immigrant students at the University of South Florida (USF). One of these protections is non-deputization of campus police to enforce immigration policy. The event featured a mock border wall, symbolizing the recent attacks on immigrants by the U.S. government.

Tampa, FL – Over 40 custodians, teachers and concerned community members rallied outside the Hillsborough County School Board meeting, April 2, to stop plans to privatize the custodial staff at all Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS). The rally was hosted by the Hillsborough State Employee Federation and Hillsborough County Teachers Association. Chants at the rally included “It’s time to stop the greed, give custodians what they need!” and “Up up with education, down down with privatization!”

Tampa, FL – On March 21 University of South Florida (USF) students and Tampa community members gathered to commemorate the lives of the victims of the Christchurch New Zealand mosque shootings. Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) hosted the event and laid out 50 flowers on the lawn in front of the Marshall Student Center to represent each victim of the attack.

Tampa, FL – On March 7, Dennis Taylor, chief negotiator for Teamster contract negotiations with UPS, announced that local supplements for Detroit Local 243 and Western Pennsylvania would be forced through. This spits in the face of a resounding no vote from UPS Teamsters. Just days earlier, votes came in showing that UPS Teamsters in Detroit and Western Pennsylvania had rejected their local supplements by a staggering 88.3% and 96.4% respectively.

Tampa, FL – On March 10, over a dozen Tampa community, student and labor leaders gathered at Lykes Gaslight Park for a protest against President Donald Trump’s anti-woman agenda. Since coming into office, Trump has led an all-out assault on women’s rights, including defunding abortion services, erasing sections of Title IX that protect women from sexual assault and discrimination, and locking asylum-seeking women and children in cages in the southwestern United States. In the spirit of the women’s marches that occurred in response to Trump’s inauguration, protesters chanted “Pro-life is a lie, you don’t care if people die,” and “When women are under attack, what do we do? Stand up fight back!”

Tampa, FL – Over 30 teachers, staff, parents and community members rallied outside the Pasco County School District Office, March 5, to build support for United School Employees of Pasco (USEP) and challenge dismal salaries for school district employees, along with the lack of funding for public education. The rally occurred only minutes before a Pasco County school board meeting inside.

Tampa, FL – On February 28, the Tampa Bay chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) held a Black Lives Matter rally at the University of South Florida for the seventh anniversary of Trayvon Martin’s death. In 2012, Trayvon Martin, 17, was shot and killed by George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida, after returning from a nearby gas station. The trial of Zimmerman became a national phenomenon with him walking free due to Florida’s ‘stand your ground’ law. The shooting is still fresh on Florida’s mind, with many questioning the judicial system that let a man off with murder.

Tampa, FL – United Parcel Service released their fourth quarter earnings last month, beating Wall Street’s expectations with almost $5 billion in profit for 2018. Through a combination of opening new automated sorting facilities, purchasing more air cargo planes, and exploiting employees with low pay and long hours, UPS had an extremely profitable holiday season. The company is optimistic for profits in 2019 and moving into the future. For workers, however, the future does not look so bright.

Tampa, FL – In the wake of President Trump’s declaration of a national emergency to get increased funding to the border wall, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) at the University of South Florida (USF) held a rally to respond to the attacks on immigrants. The rally, held on campus on February 19, called for a halt to the preparation of a border wall, as well as pushing for more protections for immigrants across the country and at USF.

Tampa, FL – The Tampa Bay chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) held a series of protests and a sit-in at the University of South Florida’s (USF) main student center on February 12, to pressure the administration to increase protections for immigrant and international students. These protests were a continuation of Tampa Bay SDS’s main campaign called, “Immigrants are Here to Stay” in which they demand noncompliance with federal agencies such as ICE, FBI, DHS so that those agencies cannot receive the personal information of documented and undocumented students on campus.

Tampa, FL – On November 20, students held a rally at the University of South Florida (USF) calling for increased protections for immigrant students. The event was hosted by Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) as a part of their campaign, “Immigrants are Here to Stay,” to win noncompliance with federal agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security and its Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Customs and Border Protection, that are charged with implementing attacks on the undocumented.