Minneapolis, MN – Bright yellow picket signs stood tall by University Avenue at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 1, as students and campus community gathered to protest outside the Donhowe building at the University of Minnesota to demand immediate action from administration to expand abortion access on campus. The action was organized by the UMN chapter of Students for a Democratic Society and co-hosted by the Minnesota Abortion Action Committee. Students chanted “Hey Gabel, what do you say? Protect abortion rights today!” calling on University President Joan Gabel to act on their demands to defend women’s and reproductive rights on campus and in the broader state of Minnesota.

As chants echoed down the street to choruses of honks in support from passing cars, the emcees introduced the first speakers. Andon Lieu from SDS explained that especially due to Minnesota’s status as a sanctuary state for abortion, “The University of Minnesota has a greater responsibility to uphold and protect reproductive rights, as an institution that prides itself on its so-called dedication to public service and serving communities.” They continued, making clear that “reproductive justice will only be won through collective struggle.”

Emcees read off a list of demands that SDS has raised to defend women’s and reproductive rights on campus, which include: the establishment of a reproductive health advocacy center, which would work to connect students to resources from STI testing to abortion and other services; a reproductive health training module for freshman orientation so that students will know what resources are available and how they can access them; a boycott by the university of business and big-ticket events with states that have extreme abortion restrictions such as heartbeat bills; and the opening of an abortion clinic on every University of Minnesota campus.

Speaking for the AFSCME locals at the University, Skyler Dorr voiced the support of campus workers for these demands. They also denounced the drive of administration to put workers’ and students’ jobs and needs – including healthcare access – on the chopping block whenever the budget is drawn up. “There are hundreds of administrators at the University of Minnesota that are making more than the governor,” Dorr continued, stating that if the university needs to cut funds anywhere, “we need to chop from the top.”

Other speakers included Mira Altobell-Resendez of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization and Robyn Harbison of the Minnesota Abortion Action Committee. At the end of the protest, organizers called on students and student organizations, including cultural organizations, sororities and others at the University of Minnesota to join the fight to expand abortion access and demand that university administration act on the needs of its students, campus workers and community.

#MinneapolisMN #StudentMovement #StudentsForADemocraticSocietySDS #AbortionRights

New Orleans, LA – On Tuesday March 28, dozens of students at Loyola University of New Orleans and the University of New Orleans hung banners at their respective schools displaying the slogans: “Defend diversity, equity and inclusion,” “Protect student multicultural organizations” and “Increase Black enrollment!”

The two actions protested Florida House Bill 999. If enacted into law, this bill would attack diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, staff jobs, faculty positions, and multicultural student groups. The students showed their solidarity with students in Florida and demanded that their schools take strong positions against any such legislation in Louisiana. Both groups also demanded that all charges be dropped against the Tampa 4, the four SDS activists arrested in Florida for protesting to defend DEI earlier in March.

HB 999 is set to ban multicultural studies, such as the African American and Diaspora Studies major being demanded by University of New Orleans students. It also threatens faculty tenure, multicultural and gender-based student organizations, and other types of academic freedom. The UNO group Students United issued a statement demanding that UNO guarantee that it will protect existing programs and organizations, expand its diversity programs, protect tenured faculty and increase Black enrollment.

The twin actions showed the increasing level of organization and activity being built by the student movement of New Orleans. Loyola students marched with their banner chanting “Racist, sexist, anti-gay, Ron DeSantis, go away!” and “When trans rights are under attack, what do we do? stand up, fight back!” They ended their march by tying their banner up where it could be easily seen. At the same time, UNO students stood with their banner in front of the University Center and chanted “Money for schools and education, not racist legislation.” UNO students entered the University Center and fixed their banner to be in sight of those entering the building, where it remains as of the writing of this article.

Students United UNO and the Young Democratic Socialists of America of Loyola (both affiliates of Students for a Democratic Society) organized the joint protests to answer a national SDS call to action over HB 999.

#NewOrleansLA #StudentsForADemocraticSocietySDS #UniversityOfNewOrleans #LoyolaUniversityOfNewOrleans

Denver, CO – On March 28, members of Denver’s Students For a Democratic Society (SDS) protested the delay of their resolution vote by the Auraria Board of Directors (ABOD). They rallied and spoke out around a banner that stated, “ABOD get back to work!” and “Don’t delay the resolution to defang 1033.” While speakers were spreading the word, members of SDS handed out flyers for a call-in. These included the numbers of the board members as well as a script that demanded that the board get back to work and vote on the resolution immediately as they had once again taken the topic off the meeting agenda.

The preliminary effects of the call-in appear to have been a massive success. Just 30 minutes after the end of the workday, ABOD gave into the demands of SDS, placing the 1033 Resolution back onto the agenda. While ABOD did not guarantee that the matter would be voted on, they did decide to allow SDS approximately 10-15 minutes to speak on the issue at the meeting.

The resolution proposes a change to the 1033 program, which the Auraria Campus Police Department (ACPD) participates in. The 1033 program allows ACPD access to surplus military supplies from the Department of Defense. This includes military grade weapons such as M16s, which ACPD has purchased previously through the program. The resolution SDS has proposed would allow ACPD to stay in the program, but bars them from purchasing any military grade weapons.

SDS has been attempting to pass this resolution starting at the beginning of January but has been met with significant resistance by ABOD every step of the way. ABOD was originally set to put the matter to a vote in January, however the vote was pushed back to February. Then, once the time to vote came again in February, ABOD attended a private event at a Sports Arena instead of meeting.

SDS member Paul Nelson stated in his speech, “ABOD went on vacation instead of doing their jobs and voting on the 1033 Resolution. If any other worker engaged in such a blatant refusal to do their jobs, they would be fired, but the highest-paid employees of Auraria campus are excused from engaging in the same level of commitment to their occupations.” ABOD was finally poised to vote again March 29, but again claimed that the decision was too tough to be made, pushing the vote back two months.

Considering the move to push back the issue so long, according to SDS member Tom Chaney, the students felt “a massive sense of victory by forcing the 1033 Resolution back on the agenda.” That being said, SDS remains deeply committed to passing the resolution as the organization’s highest priority, and demonstrations are expected to increase in both frequency and intensity if the matter is not voted on March 29.

#DenverCO #StudentsForADemocraticSocietySDS

Austin, TX – On Wednesday, March 22, members of Austin Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) gathered on a busy street, Speedway, on the University of Texas-Austin campus to speak out against the judicial attack on the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA).

SDS members chanted, “When indigenous rights are under attack. What do we do? Stand up, fight back!” and “Defend indigenous sovereignty! Defend ICWA!” SDS also passed out fliers and gave speeches about how repealing ICWA would hurt thousands and further erode indigenous sovereignty.

Students also connected this to an ongoing struggle at UT to return stolen ancestral remains currently being held by the university in a warehouse. SDS member Jake Holtzman said in his speech, “These attacks on indigenous rights and sovereignty are not only happening at the federal level. They are also happening locally, right here at UT. The university has been holding stolen ancestral remains and is refusing to give them back to the people of the Miakan Garza Band, who requested that UT return the remains over four years ago. Students and community members are continuing to organize around this to demand that the remains be returned!”

In another speech, SDS member Jules Lattimore said, “This blatant attack on indigenous sovereignty is not an isolated incident, however. In 2022, the unelected Supreme Court ruled in Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta that the state of Oklahoma can prosecute non-indigenous criminals who committed crimes against indigenous people on indigenous land.”

#AustinTX #StudentsForADemocraticSocietySDS #IndianChildWelfareAct

Denver, CO – On March 15, students at Auraria Campus in Denver gathered to voice support for a resolution that would prohibit their campus police from obtaining military weapons from the Pentagon’s 1033 Program. The resolution comes after a yearlong fight led by Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) to pressure administration to agree to the ban.

The Pentagon 1033 Program is a way for police departments to acquire military equipment from the Pentagon at low prices. While Auraria Campus Police Department (ACPD) claims they only use the program to acquire items such as office supplies, they notably did at one time own multiple M16 rifles acquired through the program. While these rifles were eventually sent back, students feel that the easy access to these weapons is part of a larger attempt to militarize police departments and college campuses across the country.

“ACPD has said in informal exchange with SDS that they will not buy any more military equipment from the 1033 Program, but we cannot take them at their word,” says SDS member Kyle Burroughs, “It should be easy to make this formal if this is truly the attitude of ACPD and the Auraria Board of Directors.”

Another SDS member, Keegan Estrella, noted over the megaphone that ACPD’s claim is in line with the demands of SDS, challenging ACPD to “come endorse our resolution.” He continued, “If you say that you don’t want those weapons and that you aren’t going to use those weapons, then come endorse our resolution!”

Meanwhile, the Auraria Board of Directors has been dodging a vote on the resolution for at least two months, which, according to SDS member Sol Swain, is “a slap in the face to student organizers within SDS.” Swain continued “We’re somewhat baffled as to why such a simple resolution is being met with such hesitancy. Military weapons are not necessary on a college campus, but the Auraria Board of Directors apparently does not see eye to eye with us on this. I would like to see more money going towards my education, not military weapons.”

Most recently, Dr. Janine Davidson, president of Metropolitan State University (one of the three schools on Auraria Campus) proposed edits to the resolution that would rob the proposal of any material conditions blocking ACPD from attaining military weapons. The suggested edits say that ACPD could get weapons so long as there is “notification and consultation with [Auraria Board of Directors] and community.” This edit essentially gives the directors more power over the police than they had in the first place, while stripping the actual campus community already fighting against the acquisition of these weapons of any power whatsoever.

“The community is speaking out against the weapons right now. If Dr. Davidson truly wanted the community’s input on whether or not ACPD should have access to them, she would stop ignoring what the community is actually saying right now,” says Burroughs.

That the proposed edit came from Dr. Davidson, who is a former undersecretary of the Navy and chair of the Department of Defense Policy Board is not surprising. SDS member Paul Nelson asserts, “Dr. Davidson has an extensive military background and plenty of experience with killing machines. I think she’s confusing this workplace with her old one.”

The vote on the resolution is set to happen on March 29, meaning by the end of the month students will see whether the Auraria Board of Directors has listened to its campus community or decided to side with the police militarization camp.

#DenverCO #StudentsForADemocraticSocietySDS #Demilitarization

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).

On March 6, Students for a Democratic Society at the University of South Florida held a protest near their University President’s office to demand that their university take a stand against House Bill 999, which is the latest in Governor DeSantis’ attacks against Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs, and to demand that the USF Administration take immediate action to Increase Black Enrollment and restore the Diversity department at their College of Arts and Sciences. In response, the University of South Florida Police Department attacked protesters, utilizing chokeholds and other cruel methods, brutalizing and arresting 4 protesters, including members of USF SDS, without even making clear what they were being charged with and where they would be taken. One protestor who was complying with officers was dragged to the ground and kicked in the head.

After the police held our members all day in the county jail, a mass call-in campaign successfully led to their release. But the fight to defend the Tampa 4 is not over. After releasing the Tampa 4, the police announced a series of completely bogus charges, including felony counts. This is nothing less than a blatant attack on the right to protest, and an attempt to criminalize protesters fighting back against DeSantis’ reactionary attacks in the face of University Administration’s compliance with those attacks.

Chrisley Carpio – a member of Students for a Democratic Society, and one of the Tampa 4 who was brutalized and arrested by USFPD – had this to say: “What happened was a nightmare. Students and workers fighting to oppose House Bill 999 and increase Black Enrollment at USF, were put in chokeholds, and groped and beat for daring to say something. Governor DeSantis and President Rhea Law are bear responsibly for this. We won't leave campus; we won't stop protesting. USF and the county need to drop the charges on the Tampa 4; they need to condemn DeSantis' attacks on diversity; and Rhea Law needs to step down as president. We won't back down until DeSantis' racist attacks and USF's cowardly compliance come to an end.”

As these attacks on diversity programs on campuses continue to expand across Florida and the rest of the country, and as DeSantis bans AP African American Studies and any discussion of racism from K-12 schools, we continue to demand the protection and expansion of multicultural studies and DEI programs, the increasing of Black enrollment – as our Tampa chapter has raised – and the teaching of Black history in all schools. We demand that Florida universities refuse to comply with DeSantis’ attacks on DEI.

Students for a Democratic Society condemns this blatant display of brutality by USF PD at this action. Protesting is and will remain – as long as we continue to fight for it – a right.

In the face of this police brutality and repression, we will not back down from the fight to defend our fellow student organizers and to protect diversity programs and cultural studies on our campuses across the country. On March 7th we called an emergency day of action to drop the charges against the Tampa 4, and SDS chapters and students and youth organizations across the country have already responded and taken to the streets, and we will not give in until every last charge against the Tampa 4 is dismissed. When the right to protest is under attack; when our members and student organizers are under attack, we have no choice but to fight back. An injury to one is an injury to all!

Justice for the Tampa 4!

Drop the Charges!

Defending Diversity is Not a Crime!

#TampaFlorida #TampaFL #StudentMovement #StudentsForADemocraticSocietySDS #PoliticalRepression #Tampa4

Tampa, FL – On Tuesday, February 21, around 20 students at the University of South Florida gathered outside of the Marshall Student Center to show their support for affirmative action and diversity programs, and to demand increased Black enrollment at their university. Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) called this protest alongside other SDS chapters to bring attentio