Fight Back! News

News and Views from the People's Struggle

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By staff

Activists commemorated the radical roots of the Stonewall riots with a rally at the Florida capitol.  | Ben Grant/Fight Back! News

Tallahassee, FL – On June 29, the Tallahassee Community Action Committee (TCAC) along with other activist organizations held a rally in remembrance of Stonewall, the 1969 queer uprising that led to the creation of the current LGBTQ rights movement that exists around the world.

Around ten attendees joined together to talk about the history of the Stonewall Riot and the progressive movements that represent the spirit of Stonewall that exist today.

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By Thomas Spiers

Community forum in Tallahassee, Florida.  | Staff/Fight Back! News

Tallahassee, FL – On the afternoon of June 22, the Tallahassee Community Action Committee (TCAC) hosted a Community Forum at the LeRoy Collins Leon County Main Public Library. About 20 community members came to the event that was held in preparation for the city commission candidate forum which will take place in July.

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By staff

The Riley family and community members outside Tallahassee City Hall. | Cas Casanova/Fight Back! News

Tallahassee, FL – On June 19, friends and family held a rally at Tallahassee City Hall demanding to overturn the verdict and sentence against Calvin Riley.

Community members joined the Riley family to speak during public comment at the city commission meeting, which apparently was held despite the Juneteenth holiday. Speakers demanded justice for Calvin Riley after he received a conviction and a DUI sentence, despite proof that a police officer planted evidence on him.

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By Thomas Spiers

Tallahassee community members gather to demand justice for Calvin Riley. | Ben Grant/Fight Back! News

Tallahassee, FL – On Saturday, June 1, around 25 community members held a rally at Leon County Courthouse to continue to demand that the false and racist charges against Calvin Riley be dropped.

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By Tavish Bryan

Cavon Riley speaks against the injustice dealt to his father at the press conference held by TCAC and FRSO. | Fight Back! News/staff

Tallahassee FL – On Wednesday, April 10 people held a press conference outside City Hall and rallied the community in defense of Calvin Riley – a Black man jailed for DUI despite body camera footage showing Tallahassee Police Department officer Kiersten Oliver planting evidence in his vehicle.

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By JJ Glueck

Trans Day of Visibility rally in Tallahassee, FL.  | Fight Back! News/staff

Tallahassee, FL – On March 31, activists rallied at Cascades Park for Transgender Day of Visibility and demanded justice for Nex Benedict.

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By Thomas Spiers

Tallahassee Professional Firefighters explain contract negotiations with city. | Fight Back! News/staff

Tallahassee, FL – On March 21 at the Bruce J. Host Northeast Branch Library in Tallahassee, around 100 people, including firefighters and their families, packed into a presentation room. They gathered to get information and vent their frustrations regarding the stalled negotiations between the city of Tallahassee and the Tallahassee Professional Firefighters-IAFF Local 2339 (TPF). The event was sponsored by Leon County Commissioner Bill Proctor.

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By staff

Tallahassee holds vigil to honor murdered trans Oklahoma teen. | Fight Back! News/staff

Tallahassee, FL – On the evening of March 24, 25 community members gathered to honor the life of Nex Benedict, an Oklahoma transgender teenager who was murdered. The vigil was held at Common Ground Books, a local LGBTQ bookstore.

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By Chisara Amanze

Students rally at Florida State University in support of Rafah. | Fight Back! News/Cas Casanova

Tallahassee, FL – On March 1, around 50 people joined Tallahassee Students of a Democratic Society (SDS) in a rally at Florida State University for a “Hands off Rafah!” national day of action called by National SDS. The event opposed ongoing Israeli attacks on Palestinians in Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah.

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By staff

Floridians from across the state march in Tallahassee against SB470. | Fight Back! News/Ben Grant

Tallahassee, FL – On Tuesday, January 30, more than 300 people rallied at the Florida Capitol building in support of Palestine and against proposed Senate Bill 470/ House Bill 465. The bill is a blatant attack on pro-Palestine students.

If passed, the bill would mandate schools report the information of pro-Palestine students to the Department of Homeland Security, could take away visas for international students studying in Florida, and would make domestic students ineligible for financial aid, scholarships, and grants.

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By Sadie Carlson

Tallahassee residents hold candles and kneel in remembrance of the Palestinian victims of Israeli occupation. | Fight Back! News/Raghad Hamad

By Sadie Carlson and Tavyan Dorsey

Tallahassee, FL – On October 18, more than 350 community members and students protested at Cascades Park, marking the second demonstration for Palestine’s liberation in Florida’s capital city since the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7.

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By Elijah Lieberman

Rally in Tallahassee to defend trans rights. | Fight Back! News/staff

Tallahassee, FL – On Wednesday, October 4, 25 students gathered at the steps of the Florida State University (FSU) Student Union to kick off FSU’s Pride Month and demand FSU defend the rights of transgender students. Students chanted “No hatred! No discrimination! What do we need? Trans liberation!” and “Racist, sexist, anti-gay! Ron DeSantis, go away!”

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By staff

Tallahassee protest against anit-Asian violence.

Tallahassee, FL – On March 27, around 100 activists from across the Tallahassee community gathered in front of the State Capitol building to commemorate the eight victims from the recent Atlanta shooting, and to speak out against Asian American oppression.

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By staff

Tallahassee, FL – During the early evening of September 9, community members gathered for a rally in front of Tallahassee City Hall called by the Tallahassee Community Action Committee (TCAC). The event was initially planned weeks before as a protest to demand community control of the police through the establishment of a Civilian Police Accountability Council (CPAC) in Tallahassee. However, police violence against and mass arrest of protesters, known as the Tally 14, at a September 5 demonstration obliged organizers to widen their demands to include dropped charges and reparations for the arrestees.

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By satya

TCAC member Dawn Freo moderates online candidate forum

Tallahassee, FL – The Tallahassee Community Action Committee (TCAC) held an online candidate forum July 25 to give TCAC members and the wider public a sense of which local candidates for City Commission might unite with TCAC’s progressive platform on community control of police and other issues. “TCAC does not endorse candidates,” clarified TCAC member and forum moderator Dawn Freo at the start of the event, hosted on Zoom and broadcast on Facebook Live, “We encourage candidates to endorse our policy platform and our demands.”

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