Tallahassee, FL – On Thursday, April 24, Tallahassee Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) organized a rally demanding the FSU administration stop allowing manifestations of white supremacy on campus.

The protest was called in response to a mass shooting by a white supremacist on April 17 that resulted in the deaths of Robert Morales and Tiru Chabba, as well as the injury of six others. As confirmed by former classmates, the shooter frequently spewed white supremacist rhetoric both in class and in extracurricular clubs.

SDS convened at the Legacy Fountain on Landis Green and marched to the Westcott building, where the administration offices are located. The demands of students were clear throughout the protest. SDS demands that the FSU admin make a public commitment to never allowing a white supremacist speaking event to occur on campus ever again. SDS demands that the FSU administration work with identity-based student union groups, such as the Black Student Union, Pride Student Union, and others to develop comprehensive student conduct policies targeting hate speech. Using those new policies, SDS demands that FSU act against students who engage in racist and bigoted harassment of other students.

About 30 students and supporters rallied at the Westcott building. This event hosted speakers from a variety of organizations including the Tallahassee Immigrants’ Rights Alliance (TIRA), the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Food Not Bombs, and Graduate Assistants United (GAU).

Towards the end of the protest, Lain Dorsey, head of communications with the SDS chapter, turned on a microphone with a hidden speaker and pointed it toward the admin building. She then started chanting, “Prevent another tragedy! Smash white supremacy!” One FSU police officer gave Dorsey a trespass warning for using amplified sound, but she ignored it. A swarm of police descended upon Dorsey, arresting her as she chanted, “Robert Morales and Tiru Chabba! Say their names!” The rally continued for about ten minutes, as protesters chanted in anger at FSUPD and admin.

Protesters left campus to gather at the Leon County Jail and demand Dorsey’s immediate release. JJ Glueck, co-chair of communications for SDS, stated “Lain was arrested for honoring the lives that were lost to tragedy, but people who are hateful like Charlie Kirk are allowed not only amplified sound but uplifted by FSU. It’s just a double standard that shows where FSU‘s priorities are; their priorities are with repressing progressive students while they protect racist white supremacists and IDF soldiers.”

After about five hours, Dorsey was released on $500 bail, to an awaiting crowd of 20 supporters. She rejoined her fellow activists to chants of “Shame on FSUPD! Now Lain is free!”

Following the release, Dorsey stated, “We have been demanding for years now that FSU stop allowing white supremacists like Charlie Kirk to come to our campus. Last week, one of the white supremacists who supports Kirk murdered members of our community. Loudly declaring our anger with admin’s complicity, was the right thing to do. It was the only thing to do to honor those we lost.”

Tally SDS will hold a press conference on April 25 to condemn FSUPD and FSU admin for the arrest of Lain Dorsey and continue their demands for action to be taken against white supremacists on campus. The press conference will be held outside of Common Ground Books (1102 S Adams Street) at 2 p.m.

#TallahasseeFL #FL #StudentMovement #PoliticalRepression #WhiteSupremacy #ImmigrantRights #SchoolShooting

Tallahassee, FL- On Sunday, April 20, over 100 students and community members rallied at the Florida State Capitol building to stand against gun violence and white supremacist ideology. This rally comes mere days after Phoenix Ikner, a 20-year-old student at Florida State University who had reportedly espoused racist and white supremacist beliefs, killed Tiru Chabba and Robert Morales and injured six others in a mass shooting at FSU.

“Say their names! Robert Morales and Tiru Chabba,” protesters chanted as they honored the names of the two killed by Ikner on Thursday. Robert Morales, an FSU alumnus and employee, was honored by his brother in a statement on X, “You deserved better, Robert. Thank you for being in my life.” Tiru Chabba was a father of two and is deeply loved and remembered by his family as a dedicated father and husband.

Following the shooting, a great deal of misinformation spread online before the white supremacist beliefs of Ikner were shared with the public.

Oliver Cheese, a member of Tallahassee Students for a Democratic Society, discussed the virulent white supremacist beliefs of the shooter, saying that people online “took an image of me at a Tally SDS protest claiming that I am Phoenix Ikner.” Cheese continued, “He was a white supremacist, a neo nazi, an open racist hate monger.” Oliver Cheese also demanded action from FSU admin, stating, “Tally SDS is demanding that FSU kick racists off our campus and that they stand for immigrant students against this white supremacist system.”

After the shooting, many who knew Ikner reported to news outlets that he had expressed many white supremacist beliefs. Former classmates at Tallahassee State College stated that Ikner had been removed from a political discourse club for “white supremacist rhetoric and far-right rhetoric.”

Lain Dorsey called out FSU admin’s platforming of speakers who have expressed bigoted beliefs, stating, “FSU admin continually allows white supremacists like Ben Shapiro and Charlie Kirk to come to our campus and spread lies and hate about black people, about trans people, about women, about immigrants” Dorsey continued, adding that Ikner “was a fan of Charlie Kirk, he came to an SDS protest and mocked us.”

Thomas Speirs, a member of the Tallahassee Community Action Committee, expressed anger at how Ikner was allowed to be a member of the Leon County Sheriff’s Youth Advisory Council despite his white supremacist beliefs, saying, “They don't know that this guy is a white supremacist? All of his classmates knew, not only just in college but in high school. There’s no way his mother didn’t know and yet he was still on that council.”

Despite the immense tragedy that had struck Tallahassee, students and community members were driven to end gun violence and the platforming of white supremacist groups and speakers at FSU. “It is our duty to fight for our freedom! It is our duty to win! We have nothing to lose but our chains!” the crowd chanted as the rally came to an end.

#TallahasseeFL #FL #PeoplesStruggles #StudentMovement #SDS #SchoolShooting #TCAC

Tallahassee, FL – On Saturday, April 19, Students for a Democratic Society held their Queer Rave fundraiser at The Bark. The event had been in the works for a couple of months, but after the mass shooting at Florida State University on April 17, SDS members were unsure of how to move forward. On that tragic Thursday, two non-students – Robert Morales and Tiru Chabba – were killed and six others were wounded by the shooter.

The shooter used a gun obtained from his stepmother, who is a Leon County Sheriff’s officer. The shooter openly held white supremacist ideals and had been quoted mocking an SDS rally against Trump’s inauguration. An SDS protest to defend international students was set to occur at the same location as the shooting and just three hours after it took place.

With the blessing of the DJs and the venue, SDS leadership decided to move forward with the Queer Rave to give their community something to be joyful about and to stand in solidarity with the victims of April 17. All proceeds from door sales were donated to victims and families impacted by the mass shooting. Through the generosity of rave-goers, SDS was able to raise $350 that night, with a few donations being sent in the following days, adding up to over $550. The funds raised were donated to the family of Madison Askins, a graduate student at FSU, who survived the shooting and continues to recover in the hospital.

Despite the tragedy, those who attended the rave were in high spirits. The rave began with an introduction by SDS member Lain Dorsey and a moment of silence for the victims. DJ Ryan Lunar set an exciting tone for the event. As rave-goers trickled in, Lunar played mixes of Daft Punk’s Technologic and a euphoric medley of Clocks and Rhythm of the Night by Coldplay and Corona, respectively. Lunar stated that he was “very thankful and honored to have opened this event.”

DJ Gabbalish played a soulful house set using remixes from artists such as Janet Jackson. DJ Asexual began their set after midnight and included some atmospheric reworkings of rhythm and blues songs with chopped vocals. The rave concluded with a high-octane set by DJ Dalédi. She played a string of up-tempo remixes with a left-field assortment squeaks, whistles and plenty of chopped-up vocal samples.

Tally SDS will continue to stand in solidarity with the victims of the April 17 shooting on FSU’s campus. The organization will be holding their next planning meeting on Tuesday, April 22 at 5 p.m. in Common Ground Books. On the agenda will be organizing a protest to condemn the FSU administration’s platforming of white supremacists who inspired the tragic terror attack that occurred last week.

#TallahasseeFL #FL #StudentMovement #SDS #LGBTQ #SchoolShooting