Tampa, FL – On June 24, over 130 people packed the Maureen Gauzza Library in Tampa early Saturday morning to join in the fight to defend the Tampa 5, activists charged with felonies, some facing up to ten years in prison for exercising their free speech rights.

Tampa, FL – Since national negotiations started in March, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters has reached many tentative agreements in their national contract with United Parcel Service. These agreements that will benefit Teamsters include but are not limited to better cooling systems in package cars, strengthened grievance procedures, and the creation of more union jobs.

Tampa, FL – Frank Chapman, a prominent leader of the Black Liberation movement and the executive director of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression will speak at the “Emergency Conference to Defend the Tampa 5: Civil Liberties in the Era of DeSantis” that is set for June 24 in Tampa, Florida.

Tampa, FL – Early in the morning June 5, over 40 Maximus employees, Communications Workers of America (CWA) members, and other supporters rallied in front of Maximus, a federally contracted call center, in Riverview, Florida. The rally was part of a nationwide one-day strike put on by the CWA in response to hundreds of layoffs nationwide and to demand a living wage.

Tampa, FL – Some 2000 people gathered at the corner of Dale Mabry Highway and Columbus Drive in Tampa, Thursday, June 1, under the slogan “A Day Without Immigrants” to protest Senate bill 1718, which was promoted by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following call for an emergency conference to defend the Tampa 5.

_Additional felony charges mean we must strengthen resistance _

Tampa, FL – Florida state prosecutor Justin Diaz it trying to put the Tampa 5 in prison. The Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) members, arrested at a campus protest against the racist agenda of Governor Ron DeSantis, each face a trumped-up felony charge, alleging “battery on a police officer,” carrying five years of jail time. When the activists rejected a plea deal requiring them to apologize for doing the right thing, the prosecutor added on more felony charges. This means that three of the activists are facing more than ten years behind bars. In addition, the activists face ten misdemeanor charges.

Tampa, FL – On May 17, over 40 people rallied outside a courthouse in support of the Tampa 5 during their arraignment. Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society and Tampa Bay Community Action Committee hosted a press conference followed by a protest against the attacks on protesters in Florida.

Fight Back! News is circulating the following call to action from Students for a Democratic Society

Tampa, FL – On May 6, Tampa Bay Community Action Committee (TBCAC) held a vigil with the family of Jonas Joseph and supporters for the third-year anniversary of his death. Joseph was 26 when he was killed by the Tampa Police Department on April 28, 2020 after four officers fired 125 shots at him, 62 hitting him. Vigil attendees wore shirts with Joseph's face, brought Haitian flags, candles, rosaries and signs to honor him and uplift the demands of the family.

Tampa, FL – On Sunday April 30, 40 people protested outside the Hillsborough School Employees Federation union hall against the recent passage of union-busting legislation aimed at public sector workers and to mark International Workers Day.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from Tampa Bay SDS.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from Florida State University Students for a Democratic Society.

Tampa, FL – On Tuesday April 25, the University of South Florida finalized the termination of admissions worker Chrisley Carpio. Carpio was one of several protesters brutalized by the USF police department, and one of the five charged by police with felonies, for protesting Governor Ron DeSantis’ attacks on education, diversity and inclusion programs and multicultural organizations at public universities. University administration continues to repress protesters, as seen through the suspension of one student, preventing them from being on campus, and Carpio’s firing.

On March 6, 2023, members of Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society held a rally on the University of South Florida campus to defend diversity in higher education. At the rally, four women activists were suddenly and violently assaulted by USF police before being arrested. Later, on April 4, another student received a communication of the university’s intent to charge her with additional misdemeanors and a felony – just like the other 4 activists.

Tampa, FL – On Monday, April 17, around 70 students, parents, community members and progressives rallied for a statewide mobilization at the University of South Florida’s Marshall Student Center to demand that University President Rhea Law, drop the charges – criminal and academic – on the five protesters brutalized and charged by campus police, March 6, for protesting Governor DeSantis’ racist attacks on education.

On Tuesday, April 18, a federal grand jury in Tampa, Florida indicted four U.S. citizens and three Russian nationals with charges of “acting as agents of the Russian government within the United States without prior notification.” The U.S. citizens indicted are: Omali Yeshitela, chairman and founder of the African Peoples Socialist Party and the Uhuru Movement (APSP); Penny Joanne Hess, a leader of APSP; Jesse Nevel, a member of APSP; and Augustus C. Romain Jr., aka Gazi Kodzo, a former leader of APSP. If convicted, they face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. The Russians indicted are Aleksandr Ionov, founder and president of the Anti-Globalization Movement of Russia (AGMR); Aleksey Sukhodolov, and Yegor Popov. This is a repressive escalation by the U.S. state, following up on the FBI raids of July 29, 2022, which targeted Yeshitela's residence and an Uhuru/APSP office.

Tampa FL – On April 8, dozens of community members gathered to protest the six-week abortion ban recently passed in the state government. Led by the Tampa Bay Community Action Committee (TBCAC) the people of Tampa spoke out against the abortion ban and the repression happening across the state of Florida.

Tampa, FL – On April 6, students at the University of South Florida rallied around protecting diversity in the face of recent attacks on legislation on diversity, equality, inclusion (DEI) and multicultural programs. The event was hosted by Students for a Democratic Society.

Tampa, FL – The Tampa City Council voted 4-3 to pass an ordinance granting the city’s Citizen Review Board (CRB) an independent attorney, April 6. The CRB is a city board that was established in 2015 to review closed cases of police misconduct, as well as be a place where people can bring complaints about the police.