With chants saying, “USF shame on you! Black lives matter too!” the students used the rally to reach out to the student body about the ways that the university continues to be complacent with white supremacy. One member of SDS said, “It’s a continuous struggle to organize at USF, but this event was another step towards increasing Black enrollment at USF.”

This action took place alongside SDS’s Increase Black Enrollment campaign which highlights the university’s lack of Black students and looks for ways that USF can increase Black enrollment.

Black enrollment at USF was 9.4% in fall 2019, whereas the Black population makes up 24% of Tampa. The student group says that a lack of resources and a wave of white supremacy on the campus are responsible for the decrease in enrollment of Black students at USF, and that the university administration needs to do more to reach out to the surrounding community.

The Tampa Bay SDS chapter continues to fight back against racist university policies and stand with students of color and their struggle with white supremacy at USF.

#TampaFL #InJusticeSystem #OppressedNationalities #PeoplesStruggles #AfricanAmerican #PoliceBrutality #TampaBayStudentsForADemocraticSocietySDS #Antiracism #UniversityOfSouthFloridaUSF #JameeJohnson

Tallahassee, FL – On January 30, members of the Florida Legislative Black Caucus held a press conference in the Florida capitol alongside the family of Jamee Johnson and members of the Tallahassee Dream Defenders.

The legislators – Representative Shevrin Jones from South Florida, Representative Kim Daniels from Jacksonville, Senator Geraldine Thompson from Central Florida and Representative Ramon Alexander from Tallahassee – all called for an independent investigation, transparency and the release of body cam footage from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. Representative Alexander had previously called for investigation from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, a statewide investigatory agency.

Jamee Johnson’s mother, Kimberly Austin, his father Harvey Johnson and Jamee’s stepmother Bridgette Johnson also spoke, demanding justice and accountability for the death of Jamee Johnson at the hands of in Jacksonville Sheriff’s Officer Josue Garriga on the evening of December 14, 2019.

“We are looking for transparency,” said Harvey Johnson. “What happened to our son, and why it happened to our son.”

#TallahasseeFL #PeoplesStruggles #PoliceBrutality #PoliceCrimes #JameeJohnson

Jacksonville, FL – On December 30, the Jacksonville Community Action Committee (JCAC), community members and organizations, along with family and friends of Jamee Johnson, rallied and held a vigil to demand #JusticeForJamee. Around 60 people gathered to remember Jamee Johnson and demanded justice in front of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office in downtown Jacksonville.

Jamee Johnson was a senior at Florida A&M University who has been described as kind and driven. He was shot multiple times on the night of December 14, 2019 by JSO killer cop Josue Garriga. Garriga had only been with the JSO for one and a half years, however, this was not the first officer-involved shooting he’s been involved in.

Protesters chanted, “Justice for Jamee” as well as, “No justice, no peace, we want community control of the police.”

Speaking to media at the event, Johnson’s mother Kimberly Austin said, “I just need answers.”

Garriga, according to JSO, was wearing a body camera. However, State Attorney Melissa Nelson’s office along with JSO have refused to release it.

Protesters continue to demand the release of all unedited body camera footage from the night, along with continuing the call for a civilian police accountability council.

“We are here to demand justice for Jamee and make sure that State Attorney Melissa Nelson and JSO know we are watching and it is the people who will hold them accountable,” said Michael Sampson, organizer with the JCAC.

The JCAC and the family of Jamee Johnson said they will continue to demand answers until they get it.

#JacksonvilleFL #PeoplesStruggles #PoliceBrutality #JacksonvilleCommunityActionCommittee #JameeJohnson

Tallahassee, FL – On December 21, over 50 members of the Tallahassee community joined with Jamee Johnson’s friends and family at the Eternal Flame on Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University’s (FAMU) campus to honor the life of the 22-year-old senior who had recently been killed by police.

His life was taken December 14 by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office (JSO) Officer J. Garriga, who shot Johnson four times during a traffic stop. Police have referred to Johnson’s possession of a legal concealed weapon to justify the shooting, despite acknowledging he had informed them of its presence. The family’s attorney, civil rights lawyer Lee Merrit, called for the release of the unedited body cam footage in a statement on December 16, and has questioned the police narrative, which conflicts with witness testimony.

Family members of Jamee Johnson drove from as far as Gainesville and Tampa to attend Saturday’s vigil, which was called for and planned by the Tallahassee Community Action Committee (TCAC), with FAMU Dream Defenders co-hosting and mobilizing for attendance.

The vigil opened with music from Kodak Black, one of Jamee Johnson’s favorite artists. Many attendees brought handmade posters, with statements including “Long live Jamee,” “Rest in power,” “Community control of police” and “Black lives matter.”

Through speeches and shared memories, statements, chants and songs, TCAC and Dream Defender organizers – and attendees who accepted the mic – encouraged attendees to channel the energy that fueled them to attend the vigil into organizing for direct-action campaigns, and to win real-world demands for police transparency and accountability. Many attendees signed up to do exactly that.

Led by Regina Joseph of the Tallahassee Community Action Committee, the crowd chanted, “Say his name,” “Justice for Jamee” and “People power!”

“Less talk, more action!” Dream Defender Squadd member Marie Rattigan voiced, and the crowd chanted it back.

When asked why Community Control of the Police was emphasized at the vigil, Joseph answered, “It’s important that we make sure no other family goes through this. We need community control of the police through an elected Civilian Police Accountability Council so that there is actual justice for those who are victims of police crimes.”

Organized efforts to demand transparency and justice are already underway, and there is a follow-up Justice for Jamee vigil planned, again at the Eternal Flame on FAMU campus, for Saturday, January 4, 2020.

#TallahasseeFL #PeoplesStruggles #PoliceBrutality #FAMU #TallahasseeCommunityActionCommittee #JameeJohnson