Since the 2020 fall semester, students and groups at USF who’ve advocated for demands such as defunding campus police, keeping the college of education open after budget cuts, and increasing the enrollment of Black students have been met with threats made by USF administration in the form of arrests, suspensions and threats of expulsion. SDS invited other groups like Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), who have also been threatened by USF administration when they attempted to host a protest of their own in August.

The speaker panel for the webinar included members of Tampa Bay SDS and Tampa Bay Community Action Committee (TBCAC) who spoke about the arrests made at USF on February 9th and SDS’s ongoing struggles with their suspension.

Gia Davila, a member of Tampa Bay SDS stated, “The webinar gave us as students a space to advocate for the right to free speech without the school threatening us with expulsions or arrests. The school has selectively chosen to silence students who challenge their beliefs and lean further to the left.”

Davila spoke about President Steve Currall and Associate Vice President and Dean of Students Danielle McDonald declining the invitation to the webinar: “The president and dean of students couldn’t even take the time out of their day to listen to us speak.”

On a statewide level, TBCAC member Elizabeth Kramer discussed how Governor DeSantis is working to stifle the people’s right to protest with House Bill 1 after the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement this past summer. If passed, this bill would make activist and organizing work more difficult and dangerous.

Kramer states, “By denying our right to assembly on our terms and for our reasons, HB 1 denies the validity and ability for the people's movements to address political issues directly.”

Tampa Bay SDS will continue to organize, even with threats of arrests, suspensions and sanctions.

“It’s important to keep working and speaking out about social issues because change is needed at every level in the university and students experience all of these issues firsthand,” Davila remarked.

#TampaFL #TampaSDS #TampaBayCommunityActionCommittee

Tampa, FL – On August 28, around 70 protesters demanded justice for Jacob Blake at an event by Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and Tampa Bay Community Action Committee (TBCAC). Blake was a Black man shot seven times in the back by Officer Rusten Sheskey in Kenosha, Wisconsin. His murder sparked a massive rebellion in Kenosha and protests in other cities across the country.

In addition to demanding justice Jacob Blake, demonstrators also demanded justice for victims of police brutality in Tampa, including justice for Jonas Joseph, Josiah Pinner and Andrew Joseph III.

David Jones, member of TBCAC stated, “It’s important to stand together in solidarity with the people at the front of the fight with Jacob Blake in Kenosha. Their fight is the same as ours here in Tampa, and we must keep fighting for the victims at home like Jonas Joseph, Josiah Pinner and Andrew Joseph III.” Jonas Joseph was shot over 125 times by Tampa Police Department officers this past April, and Josiah Pinner was a 15-year-old boy killed by a speeding Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office officer in a hit and run. Andrew Joseph III was 14 when HCSO officers removed him from the Florida State Fair and dropped him off two miles away where he was then hit by a car while trying to cross a major interstate.

Protesters were also demanding community control of the police in the form of a Civilian Police Accountability Council (CPAC). A CPAC would be a democratically elected board of community members with no relation to the police, and it would be able to control the hiring and firing of police forces, subpoena evidence and investigate cases, and control the police department’s budget.

Eithne Silva, a member of SDS, spoke about CPACs saying, “If we want to see long term change in policing in this country then a CPAC is the best option because it empowers the community rather than allowing the white supremacist system to remain unchanged.”

The protest continued with speeches and chants while many passing cars showed their support for the protesters. While the pandemic has greatly impacted life, the protest was proof that the power of the people and the demands for justice don’t stop. Tampa Bay SDS plans to continue protests demanding justice for victims of police brutality, while fighting to increase Black faculty and counselors at the University of South Florida.

#TampaFL #PeoplesStruggles #PoliceBrutality #TampaSDS #TampaBayCommunityActionCommittee

This event occurred in anticipation of an upcoming December 4 meeting with administration. SDS will be meeting with the Vice President of Student Success Paul Dosa, VP of Diversity and Inclusion Haywood Brown, Assistant VP of Admissions Glen Besterfield, and Dean of Students Danielle McDonald. The meeting will determine the future of how USF will address Black enrollment on campus, which has continuously declined over the past ten years.

As of 2018, Black enrollment was 10.7% of the student body on the Tampa campus, and has never exceeded 12%. As of November 19, undergraduate Black enrollment stands at 9.9%, an all-time low. This is especially stunning because the community surrounding USF is nearly 27% African American.

This demographic skew occurs at the same time as an increased white supremacist presence at USF. Spray-painted racial slurs and racist propaganda have appeared semi-regularly since 2017.

“It’s up to USF administration whether or not they will truly address the gap that exists between the surrounding community and the bubble of campus. How they choose to move forward will not only determine how many community members will have access to quality education, but also how ‘welcome’ white supremacist forces will feel on campus,” said Tampa Bay SDS member Elizabeth Kramer.

#TampaFL #OppressedNationalities #PeoplesStruggles #AfricanAmerican #Antiracism #TampaSDS #UniversityOfSouthFloridaUSF #IncreaseBlackEnrollment

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.

“This state of emergency is an abuse of power that has resulted from the implementation of racist ideas from the Trump administration. The wall is a symbol of white supremacy meant to scare immigrants and the people living in Central and South America,” said Tampa Bay SDS member, Taylor Cook.

The rally also drew comparisons of the federal administration with the university’s administration.

“USF was compliant in repressing Mehdi Zeyghami from speaking about his experiences during the travel ban, and nothing has changed. USF is still compliant with federal agencies like DHS, ICE and the FBI, agencies that have attacked immigrants around the country and on this campus,” said Tampa SDS member Kareem Hessen. Mehdi Zeyghami was an Iranian student at USF who was prevented from returning to his studies during Trump’s travel ban, while campus administration cut off his communication outlets to local news agencies.

Tampa Bay SDS’s current campaign is to make the USF noncompliant with various federal agencies to provide more protection for undocumented and international students in the time of the Trump administration and beyond.

#TampaFL #International #ImmigrantRights #InJusticeSystem #OppressedNationalities #Mexico #US #Americas #PeoplesStruggles #ChicanoLatino #TampaSDS #DonaldTrump #borderWall #stateOfEmergency

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.

Students held a series of protests inside and outside of the Marshall Student Center (MSC) – starting around 9 a.m., with a group of SDS members protesting outside of the MSC while other members of the crowd went inside to announce their demands in a Board of Trustees meeting.

“In the time of the Trump administration, immigrants are under attack like never before. This means USF has an obligation to its immigrant students to stand against the Trump administration’s attacks and end compliance with these federal agencies on our campus,” declared SDS member Elizabeth Kramer.

While in the Board of Trustees meeting, the students were forcefully detained by on-campus police, resulting in one student being gripped and shoved into a trashcan by an officer. The students were then banned from the MSC for several days.

Students continued to march and chant inside of the MSC until they were threatened by police and USF administration, resulting in a sit-in on the first floor of the MSC. Chants continued intermittently and included, “Up, up with education; down, down with deportation,” and “No justice, no peace! No ICE or police!”

“Today showed us the lengths that USF administration is willing to go in order to ignore and suppress the voice of SDS on campus. They showed us how much they want to resist more progressive policies that would better protect undocumented students,” said SDS member Tajj Mainor.

Tampa Bay SDS did not obtain a meeting with the president or higher-level officials of the university, but will continue to wage their “Immigrants are Here to Stay” campaign to defend immigrant students on campus, while the university continues to side with the Trump administration.

#TampaFL #ImmigrantRights #PeoplesStruggles #TampaSDS #USF

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.

The rally included speeches about the context of immigration to the United States and the Trump administration’s attacks on immigrants, such detentions and separations, militarization of the U.S. border, and the denials of asylum to the immigrant caravan.

The tensions of this campaign came to a head when the students decided to march to the Patel Center, the base of administrative operations on campus, to meet with University President Judy Genshaft or Provost and Executive Vice President, Ralph Wilcox.

The students were stopped in the lobby of the building by low-level official, Winston Jones, who helped the university police to box the students in and attempted to intimidate them into silence. The students were unmoved as they continuously chanted, “What do we want? Noncompliance! When do we want it? Now!”

“We have to defend immigrant students. They deserve to be here just like anyone else. Their legal status doesn’t detract from the fact that they’re human, they contribute to the economy, and they’re a part of U.S. society. Immigrant students deserve to get an education and other opportunities they wouldn’t necessarily receive in their home countries due to U.S. intervention,” said Tampa Bay SDS member Sanjukta Bhattacherjee.

The police forced the protesters to leave the building with threats of detention or arrest. In response, the students’ chants got louder as they repeatedly yelled, “Meeting, now!”

Even from outside of the building the students could be heard on the inside of the third and fourth floor of the Patel Center, as the police later confirmed. The volume and resolve of the students resulted in USF administration conceding.

“We were able to get a meeting with the dean of students. We appreciate USF administration working with us, but we will not stop pushing for a meeting with President Genshaft and the provost to obtain a statement regarding USF’s compliance with federal immigration authorities,” said Tampa Bay SDS member Enya Silva.

#TampaFL #ImmigrantRights #PeoplesStruggles #TampaSDS

Tampa, FL – The Tampa Bay chapter of Students for a Democratic Society held a rally on the campus of University of South Florida, November 5 to demand that the school administrators not comply with federal agencies’ attempts to attack immigrants. These agencies include the FBI, ICE, and the Department of Homeland Security, all of which are involved in finding and deporting undocumented people, including students. The information that is currently shared to these agencies includes where a student lives, their classes, and their current immigration status.

The event was attended by more than 20 SDS members and supporters. Many more students stopped to chant and listen to speeches.

Tampa Bay SDS is fighting back against the racist rhetoric and actions taken by the Trump administration.

Tajj Mainor, a student at the University of South Florida and member of Tampa Bay SDS, stated, “We have watched rhetoric and tweets escalate into discriminatory legislation, to now military action, against undocumented immigrants,” referring to the more than 5000 military personnel sent to the border with Mexico.

Tampa Bay SDS continues the fight against campus administrators who are complicit with attacks on undocumented students, as well as the Trump administration, which seeks to deport undocumented people.

#TampaFL #ImmigrantRights #PeoplesStruggles #TampaSDS

Tampa, FL – Tampa Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) disrupted a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) recruiting event at the University of South Florida on Oct. 21. The CIA spoke to 250 students in the Marshall Student Center, hoping to recruit students for their projects. The CIA spies on, destabilizes and even overthrows governments and movements opposed to Wall Street domination of their economies.

At the end of the introduction of the CIA, the presentation came to an abrupt halt as SDS members began chanting, “Coups and spies, dictators too! CIA, shame on you!” and “CIA, don't you lie! Because of you, children die!”

Security escorted the students out of the event, while other students walked out in solidarity. The SDS students wore shirts representing countries victimized by CIA violence and the corresponding death tolls caused by the U.S. government.

“Tonight Tampa SDS stood in solidarity with every person victimized by the CIA. We recognize the CIA as a force that fights for U.S. political and economic domination abroad, and as such are opposed to any attempt by USF to invite the CIA to speak or recruit on campus,” said Elizabeth A'ya.

A’ya continued, “The CIA's goals are in line with those of the U.S. military's, and their touch has equally, if not more so, devastated Latin America, Africa and Asia. Not only are we opposed to the U.S. military's presence, but any force that supports the same goals. We will continue to fight back as long as these relationships exist.”

Tampa SDS is currently involved in a campaign to end USF's memorandums of understanding with U.S. military’s USSOUTHCOM and USCENTCOM under the slogan of “Cut the contracts.”

SDS members affirmed their dedication to prevent USF from supporting U.S. wars and intervention abroad.

#TampaFL #TampaSDS

USF has contracts and memorandums of understanding with U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) and U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). SOUTHCOM is in charge of U.S. military interventions in Latin America. This includes the use of death squads in Colombia and running the torture prisons at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.

CENTCOM runs the U.S. wars and occupations in the Middle East, including both Iraq and Afghanistan. The USF memorandums of understanding give the U.S. military access to resources and space on campus to further their agenda of aggression and domination.

“USF's partnership with the military has shown that USF is interested in the continued slaughter of the people of the world. The U.S. military is responsible for the continued training of terrorists, overthrowing of sovereign governments, sanctions that result in the starvation of children and the overall maldevelopment of nations around the world. USF is complicit.”

In December it was revealed that one of the two architects behind the torture techniques at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base did his research at USF. James Elmer Mitchell received his PhD in 1986 at USF and then was paid millions to advise the CIA during the Bush torture years at Guantanamo.

Members of Tampa SDS vowed to escalate the fight against the USF administration and their cooperation with the U.S. military.

#TampaFL #AntiwarMovement #PeoplesStruggles #USSouthernCommand #UniversityOfSouthFlorida #TampaSDS #USCentralCommand

Tampa, FL – Over two dozen activists attended a panel discussion here, at the University of South Florida in Tampa. “ Legalization for all, stop the deportations!” read the banner at the front of the room. Professor Masao Suzuki of San Jose, California, an economist and expert on immigration, was the guest speaker.

Professor Suzuki began the immigration panel with a report on what is happening across the country with immigration. In 2006, the House of Representatives passed the Sensenbrenner Bill, a big attack upon undocumented immigrants. The bill contained harsh consequences for being undocumented, like a mandatory $3000 fine before being deported. Also, the bill had a felony charge and up to three years in prison for friends, family members or good Samaritans housing or aiding undocumented immigrants. The reactionary Sensenbrenner bill sparked the largest marches in U.S. history, with millions upon millions of immigrants and their supporters taking to the streets of every city, big and small. This became known as the Mega-marches of May Day 2006.

Suzuki spoke about the January 2013 Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR), which was supposed to help immigrants but took a turn for the worse. The Republicans changed it, adding more and more repressive measures, until there was more bad than good in it for the people. The current CIR bill adds more militarization at the border, more stalking at the workplace thru E-verify, more abuse of immigrant workers with the Guest-Worker Visa, an extreme wait of ten years to apply, and higher cost to immigrants.

“Neither the Republicans nor the Democrats are interested in the passing of CIR at this time. And that is why we are urging those who support CIR to join forces with those pushing to put a stop to the deportations and those who are urging for Deferred Action for All, or DAFA,” says Suzuki. “Not only would DAFA be an immediate relief, it would help stop the over 1100 daily deportations.”

The professor continued, “The executive order of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals [DACA] in June of 2012 allowed for some young DREAMers to have immediate relief from being deported. If DAFA was issued to the more than 11 million undocumented immigrants, DACA could be an all-inclusive sigh of relief for the undocumented.”

Professor Suzuki ended his presentation saying, “But we know that DACA currently isn't applicable to all DREAMers and we know that because of the current criminalizing of the undocumented, many don't qualify. If DAFA were to be ordered by President Obama, we also know not everyone would be able to obtain DAFA. That is why we push not only for DAFA but also for legalization for all of the undocumented.”

Veronica Juarez spoke next about the tuition equity campaign of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) in Florida. Tampa Bay SDS joined other chapters to organize for in-state tuition for the undocumented students of Florida. As it currently stands, undocumented Florida students pay 3.3 times as much as other students they went to high school with. SDS organized call-in days, campus speakouts and a big rally in the Florida State Capitol in Tallahassee demanding politicians take action and make education affordable and fair.

“It wasn't until we started having rallies, speak-outs and actually organizing affected students that we saw bills like Senate Bill 1400,” says Veronica Juarez of Tampa SDS.

SB 1400 allows a DACA student to pay the same tuition rate as all other resident students of Florida. SB 1400 is well on its way and moving forward, having already passed the Judiciary portion needed to come into effect.

Juarez pointed out two glaring problems, “The thing is, even though SB 1400 would make tuition more affordable for undocumented students, two bad amendments were sneaked into the law; the first being that the student would on paper, still not be a ‘resident of Florida’ and the second is that a student would have to be enrolled in a Florida high school for 24 consecutive months. This means DACA students who are migrant farm-workers would be most affected. Migrant families are forced to move with the changing crop seasons across the U.S.”

Marisol Marquez of Raíces en Tampa rounded out the immigration panel saying, “In Florida we saw that the majority of deportations involved the police using driving without a license as an excuse to detain and eventually deport. We wanted to help stop deportations and knew that if we pushed for Florida to issue drivers licenses to all of the undocumented, we could help.”

Raíces en Tampa is working to unite with other groups around Florida and create a buzz about driver's licenses for the undocumented. Raíces en Tampa created a campaign page called Driver's Licenses for All Undocumented – Florida and is seeing a building movement around Florida.

“We take a table and place it where we know there will be people interested. We walk around and ask people to come show their support!” says Marquez, describing how Raíces en Tampa has been able to go viral in the immigrant areas of Florida. “The people want to be able to drive without looking behind their shoulder and without fearing they will be torn away from the years they have put into trying to create a life for themselves in Florida.”

The organizing in the Tampa community is a completely new experience for some. “As an undocumented individual, being with Raíces en Tampa gives me not only a sense of identity, but the strength to continue fighting for everyone's dreams,” says Cristian Cintora, one of the newest members of Raíces en Tampa.

Those in attendance were able to pick up free literature, buttons, information and even know-your-rights pamphlets from various groups including: Tampa Bay SDS, Raíces en Tampa, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization. Activists gathered for a picture and held up the banner, “Legalization for all, stop the deportations!”

Marquez finished the event, announcing, “Future actions for Raíces en Tampa include coordinating May Day events in many cities to call for a stop to deportations, legalization for all, and for Florida politicians to issue driver's licenses to all of the undocumented. We hope everyone can come out or show their support by signing our petition.”

#TampaFL #MasaoSuzuki #legalizationForAll #DACA #TampaSDS #RaicesEnTampa #DAFA

Tampa, FL – The Student Government Senate at the University of South Florida (USF) passed a resolution supporting in-state tuition for undocumented immigrant students from Florida, Nov. 12. Out-of-state tuition is three times more than in-state tuition. Currently, undocumented immigrant students who graduate from Florida high schools have to pay the higher, out-of-state tuition.

Tampa Bay SDS came out in full force to support the resolution along with a host of representatives from other organizations also sympathetic to the cause. The Student Government Senate was largely supportive of the measure, but there were student senators who sought to prevent the vote from happening.

Cindy Ibarra, a Chicana student at USF said, “In-state tuition for students at the University of South Florida needs to pass. Student government is concerning itself with the details when this is simply a resolution of general support. The details can be done by us, the students.”

The in-state tuition proposition is part of a larger struggle by undocumented students to gain access to the educational facilities that they help fund through paying taxes. Florida students are leading the way in building a national movement for equality on campus.

The USF Board of Trustees will be meeting Dec. 5 and discussing this student motion. Tampa Bay SDS plans to pack the meeting, showing public support for this reform.

#TampaFL #StudentMovement #undocumentedImmigrants #UniversityOfSouthFlorida #TampaSDS