New Orleans, LA – On December 3, students at Loyola University New Orleans showed up to oppose the second attempt at chartering a Turning Point USA chapter on their campus.

In October of this year, a small group of conservative students attended a student senate session to propose a TPUSA Charter at Loyola. At that meeting, over 100 students packed the room to show their opposition to a chapter on campus. When the senate denied the charter, the pro-TPUSA students appealed to have their proposal heard again.

The vice president of Loyola’s Student Government Association (SGA) called an emergency senate meeting for the night of December 2 with one agenda item – the chartering of TPUSA at Loyola. Around 70 anti-TPUSA students and several pro-TPUSA non-students filled the senate chambers starting at 6 p.m.

At first, the student government president told attendees that several people would have to leave the room in order to not exceed the room's capacity of 50 people. Some moved to the hallway and then were dispersed by university police. The senate session began and the vice president motioned to adopt an executive session that would, essentially, force everyone out of the room except the SGA members and the students trying to establish the TPUSA chapter. Senators voted unanimously to adopt an executive senate session, consequently forcing all constituents out of the room.

Students, as well as TPUSA supporters, stood in the library's commons area for around an hour and a half awaiting the senate's decision. While waiting, students were asked how they felt about having a TPUSA chapter on campus.

“TPUSA isn’t just a student group. They are a group backed by the GOP with missions like the Campus Victory Project which have the whole purpose of limiting free speech on college campuses and infiltrating student governments so that they can harm progressive student organizations. They are not an organization about freedom of thought and speech, they are an organization about control,” said junior and sociology major Miu Sims.

A freshman biology major expressed concern about the professor watch list that TPUSA maintains saying, “If professors are constantly being surveilled like that, they lose their freedoms as well. The whole higher education system will begin to lose its integrity.”

Around 7:45 p.m. the students trying to charter the TPUSA chapter started to exit the room. It became apparent to students that the SGA would not announce the verdict for at least another hour until everyone had left. Students then began to chant “No Trump, no KKK, no TPUSA” and around 25 students marched out of the library and rallied outside.

At the rally, senior sociology major Juleea Berthelot said to the crowd, “TPUSA doesn’t belong on our campus, and if they are chartered we will be there to protest them. Every time they try to bring a racist onto our campus we will be there to say: ‘Hell no!’ Not on our campus, not in our name, because we are a diverse community here. That’s why I chose [Loyola] and I’m sure that’s why you chose it!” Students erupted in claps and cheers. Berthelot continued, “And we’re going to keep it that way. We aren’t going to let right-wing reactionaries kick us off our own campus.”

By 8:50 p.m. it was announced that the Loyola student government senate decided to, once again, deny TPUSA’s charter.

#NewOrleansLA #LA #StudentMovement #TPUSA #SDS

Orem, UT – On Tuesday October 21, just over 40 students and community members gathered to protest any sort of Charlie Kirk memorial on campus. This protest was held about 200 feet from the spot where Charlie Kirk was killed

Utah Valley University has appointed a committee to oversee development of a memorial. Members include UVU administrators, a member of the UVU board of trustees, a member of the Utah House of Representatives, other Utah government workers, and three student representatives.

One of the protest attendees, and UVU Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) member, Oscar Guerrero stated, “We don’t want to prolong the trauma and memorialize hateful rhetoric.”

Guerrero continued, “This man constantly peddled misinformation and harmful rhetoric about minorities that has caused harm to both myself and others. To memorialize him would substantiate his harmful and divisive behavior that goes against the values of unity, inclusion and belonging that UVU claims to uphold.”

Another protest attendee, UVU SDS member Kareem Kasem stated, “He was a racist who didn’t believe in empathy,” and “I think it would be very divisive if there is a memorial in his likeness. I have a feeling that it will just be vandalized and students who had nothing to do with it will be threatened over it.”

Alexander Draper added, “I was there because I think it would be foolish for the school to make a memorial for someone who spoke so openly against college education, and who was vocally racist and hateful towards Islamic people, queer folks, and most anyone that didn't align with white American evangelism.”

The UVU Students for a Democratic Society plan to hold another protest before winter fully sets in on campus and before the semester ends.

#OremUT #UT #StudentMovement #CharlieKirk #SDS #TPUSA

Jacksonville, FL – On Wednesday, October 22, students at the University of North Florida gathered to protest the proposed Florida House Bill 113, which seeks to pressure all colleges in the state to rename a road after Charlie Kirk.

Jacksonville Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) organized the rally, which drew over 30 students. Half the campus away, students reported hearing chants of, “No Kirk, no KKK, no racist USA!”

SDS member Kevin Brosan spoke against HB 113 and Charlie Kirk, saying that Kirk, “called the Civil Rights Act of 1964 a huge mistake, claiming that it has been turned into an anti-white weapon.” Brosan emphasized, “If this bill goes through, let me remind you that this is who UNF and the Florida Senate choose to honor.”

Lorelai Dodge, a member of Freedom Road Socialist Organization, spoke against the system of oppression that Kirk served. She called Kirk a “pawn used by the reactionary right to normalize extremism and suppression of free speech. In life, he was a tool used to normalize far right ideas. Now, in death, he’s a tool used to stamp out opposition to those ideas.”

Throughout the rally, protesters emphasized that HB 113 specifically directs the University of North Florida to rename UNF Drive, the school’s main road. This is the road that runs around campus, on which thousands of cars travel every day. Furthermore, changing the name of this road would change UNF’s address, sending a message about the identity of the school as a whole.

The rally concluded with a march along UNF Drive. The march drew support from passing drivers as protesters waved signs that said “No honors for bigots” and “Say no to Charlie Kirk Road.”

After the protest, spectators commented that they disagreed with the name change and were glad to see people opposing it.

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #StudentMovement #SDS #CharlieKirk #TPUSA

New Orleans, LA – On October 15, nearly 100 students at Loyola University New Orleans packed a student senate meeting to protest the chartering of a Turning Point USA chapter. Turning Point USA (TPUSA), co-founded by Charlie Kirk, is known for spreading racism, misogyny and transphobia on college campuses.

Students who were founding the TPUSA chapter gave a brief presentation explaining why TPUSA should be chartered stating, “We want to have discussion about our differences” and “bring about what we admired in Charlie Kirk.”

One Loyola student senator asked, “You said that you want to have this club so people don’t feel like they have to hide, and they can be true to themselves. Historically, Turning Point has said a variety of controversial things – so much so that they had to be removed due to violence and hate speech. Loyola’s majority [population] is minority. How do you know your chartering isn’t going to make people on this campus feel unsafe?”

TPUSA members responded, “We have no intention of going out of our way to make people feel marginalized,” and “I would love to say that other people with conservative values share that sentiment. I can’t say that because they’re their own person.”

Another senator provided a quote from the Association of American University Professors that described the professor watchlist that TPUSA chapters use to monitor and report faculty who disagree with their conservative ideas. The senator asked, “How can we expect you to not repeat this behavior?”

Members of the fledgling TPUSA group dodged the question by saying, “We’ve never had a Turning Point at Loyola.”

After student senators asked their questions, the floor was open to comments from the nearly 100 student constituents in attendance. Erin Gillen, an environmental studies major at Loyola, stated, “Loyola’s reputation is a school where students of all identities, genders, races, or religions can find themselves. It would be distasteful to invite open hate speech and divisive rhetoric onto our campus.”

“Loyola University New Orleans, and our whole Jesuit Community, have prided themselves on the core values of Saint Ignatius, and the Society of Jesus at large. As it stands, Turning Point USA, its leaders, and many of the individuals whom they support are in direct opposition of these values,” stated Rosalina Framboise, a freshman at Loyola and member of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).

Framboise went on to say that two of the most important Jesuit values are care for the whole person and special care for the poor and oppressed. She then quoted Charlie Kirk, saying “queer people are trying to corrupt your children” and “transgenderism and gender fluidity are lies that hurt people and abuse kids.”

Framboise continued, “It is my understanding that care for the whole person includes care for their identities that we might not necessarily understand or agree with. It is furthermore my opinion that these statements from Turning Point’s founder and CEO created a hostile educational environment for queer students”.

Another student said, “I did not do an intensive deep dive into TPUSA’s history. What I do know is that I am a Latino student. I am Mexican, and I do know that one of the biggest things Loyola’s campus has been working for lately is becoming an HSI, Hispanic Serving Institution. And I know that the founder of Turning Point USA, Charlie Kirk, called my people part of a conspiracy for a ‘great replacement in white America.’ If we want to become a Hispanic serving institution, how are we also going to charter an organization that explicitly promotes hate towards Hispanics?”

Students celebrated when the student senate announced they had voted and the TPUSA chapter was rejected. Liberate and Unite Students for a Democratic Society (LUNO SDS) made a statement the same night, saying, “We thank all who came out tonight to stand against TPUSA and stand with students. TPUSA at Loyola New Orleans was denied today because the students stood together and the students united will never be defeated!”

#NewOrleansLA #LA #StudentMovement #TPUSA #SDS

Tampa, FL – On Saturday, July 12, over 200 people gathered for a protest at Tampa City Hall to say no to the Turning Point USA (TPUSA) Student Action Summit that was held in Tampa over the weekend.

TPUSA is a national organization known to reflect Trump’s views against immigrants, women, LGBTQ people, Palestinians and public labor unions. The organization is known for its support of Zionism and the genocide of Palestinians, along with its aggressive backing of 287(g) agreements, which enable ICE to collaborate with state and local law enforcement agencies to racially profile and deport the undocumented.

Held by Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), the statewide action was endorsed by various organizations such as the Tampa Alliance Against Racism and Political Repression, Tampa Immigrants’ Rights Committee, Sunrise Tampa, Tampa Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and other various organizations.

Protesters rallied with the slogans “Say no to deportations,” “Protect public sector unions,” “Defend women’s and LGBTQ rights” and “End U.S. aid to Israel,” in response to 23-year-old Palestinian, Saif Al Din, from Tampa being brutally beaten to death in his family’s village in the West Bank.

“Even though [the University of South Florida] refuses to stand on the right side of history and expel Turning Point USA from their campus, we will not stop organizing against them. Because when we fight, we win! Many of the pro-Palestine activists I mentioned earlier have been released from their imprisonment, and there is still time for us to stop USF’s 287(g) agreement. This fight is far from over and we will not stop fighting for Palestine, or for our immigrant community, for our unions, for our women’s rights, for our LGBTQ community, or for our future!” said Connor Jaap of Tampa Bay SDS.

During the program, protesters marched near the convention, where counter-protesters from the summit heckled and attempted to disrupt speeches. Despite this, chants like “Say it loud, say it clear, immigrants are welcome here!” and “Racist, sexist, anti-gay, TPUSA, go away!” were heard all throughout the march.

“It’s very telling how counter-protesters come with cameras and microphones to try to bother people who are giving speeches. The people are seeing how ridiculous these bigots look and it’s clear that MAGA won’t last. It’s showing in the polls and it showed with the amount of passionate people who came out to support,” said Dhanvi Patel, member of Tampa Bay SDS.

#TampaFL #FL #StudentMovement #SDS #PeoplesStruggles #TPUSA #LGBTQ

Tallahassee, FL – On Friday, February 28, students and other groups held a protest against the arrival of right-wing pundit Charlie Kirk on FSU.

Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, is known for his reactionary statements about LGBTQ people and Black Americans, insisting that the Civil Rights Act of 1965 was a mistake and should be repealed, while calling Martin Luther King Jr. an “awful person.” He has spoken at several universities as part of his “American Comeback” speaking tour.

In the buildup to the event, Owen Girard, president of FSU Turning Point USA, reported the Black Student Union to school administration for posting a screenshot of the protest flyer on their Instagram story. He later claimed they had been “held accountable” by the school authorities. According to BSU’s mission statement, they are “an organization at Florida State University that addresses those issues that affect African-American students in a university setting.”

The protest began at 11:30 a.m. at the Integration Statue with impassioned speeches denouncing Kirk and FSU’s administration. After this, over 100 students marched to Landis Green, where the event was being held, and barriers were quickly put up by FSUPD, Tallahassee PD, and the Florida Highway Patrol.

Justin Jordan, a leader in Tallahassee SDS said, “It is disgusting for a university that claims to care about all of its students to allow Charlie Kirk, a man who has repeatedly made his disdain for Black people and our rights to come on campus.”

Hundreds more people trickled in throughout the duration of the protest and rallied against Kirk’s presence with chants such as “Racist, sexist, anti-gay, Charlie Kirk go away!”

Despite harassment from Turning Point sympathizers including slurs, bottle-throwing and even fascist salutes, the protesters successfully disrupted the event, as many attendees claimed they couldn’t hear Kirk speak amid the uproar.

The rally was organized and attended by Tallahassee Students for a Democratic Society along with the Tallahassee Community Action Committee, Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), FSU Veggie Power, FSU Graduate Assistants United, Tallahassee Food Not Bombs, YDSA, and FL Student Power.

The event ended around 2 p.m. and the crowd gradually dispersed without incident.

#TallahasseeFL #FL #StudentMovement #SDS #CharlieKirk #TPUSA