Wednesday, August 9th
National Day of Protest to Drop the Charges on the Tampa 5!
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| August 9th, is a National Day of Protest, as declared by the Emergency Committee to Defend the Tampa 5!
On the morning of July 12th, their second court appearance, the Tampa 5 learned that a trial date is likely to be set by the judge on August 9th. This will be their third court appearance. |
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| They are still in the middle of the process of discovery, which means that they are collecting evidence from the prosecution that is meant to convict them. They have said publicly that all the security camera footage they have seen so far absolves them, and they are eager to not only receive more of this evidence but also to share it with the world.
The Tampa 5 and their supporters demand full transparency and USF’s full cooperation with discovery, to which all of the defendants are entitled.
In spite of this, the charges have not yet been dropped. The case of the 5 SDS protesters is hurtling towards a trial. So they need all of their supporters and all parties interested in the right to protest DeSantis to stay out in the streets!
On July 12th, we saw at least 15 cities pour out into the streets to say, “Drop the Charges!” We need to be out again on August 9th in even greater numbers. We need to demand that the DeSantis-appointed, unelected State Attorney Susan Lopez and assistant prosecutor Justin Diaz drop the charges.
We need to win this case once and for all and protect the right of the student movement – and all social movements in the United States – to exercise their First Amendment right to free speech and to protest. |
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| All Out for August 9th to Defend the Tampa 5!
State Attorney Susy Lopez, Prosecutor Justin Diaz, Drop the Charges!
Save Diversity in Higher Education!
Protesting DeSantis is Not a Crime! |
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!!! CALL THE 13th FL JUDICIAL DISTRICT STATE ATTORNEY’S OFFICE !!!
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| On top of attending a local protest near you, you can call into State Attorney Susan Lopez’s office and demand that Susy Lopez and Prosecutor Justin Diaz drop the charges on the Tampa 5:
Phone Number: (813) 272-5400
Script:
“Hello, I am (NAME) calling from (CITY, STATE) to demand that the charges on Gia Davila, Laura Rodriguez, Lauren Pineiro, Jeanie Kida, and Chrisley Carpio be dropped immediately! The Tampa 5 did nothing wrong in protesting Ron DeSantis and were in fact the ones attacked by USF police, and not the other way around. We are protesting all around the country for these charges to be dropped. The Emergency Committee to Defend the Tampa 5 and our friends across the US will not stop until we get justice for the Tampa 5!” |
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!!! FOR TAMPA BAY SIGNERS !!!
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WED, AUG. 9th: Protest at the State Attorney’s Office for the Tampa 5’s Second Court Appearance!
8/9, Wednesday, 8am at 800 E Twiggs St, Tampa, FL
We are rallying outside the Hillsborough County Courthouse (800 E Twiggs St Tampa FL) at 8AM, an hour before the pretrial hearing. We will have a press conference to start out, but will expand to a rally as a mass show of support.We are soliciting speakers. If you or your organization would like to speak, please get in touch as soon as possible: 813-863-4462. |
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| The Tampa 5 – Gia Davila, Jeanie Kida, Chrisley Carpio, Laura Rodriguez, and Lauren Pineiro – are University of South Florida Students for a Democratic Society members who protested on March 6th to save diversity programs at the University of South Florida and to oppose Ron DeSantis’ anti-education bill, HB999. They were attacked, arrested, and now charged with felonies by the University of South Florida Police Department. Their felonies and potential prison time were doubled by the unelected, DeSantis-appointed state attorney, Susan Lopez, and her underling, Justin Diaz. They now face 5 to 10 years in prison for exercising their right to protest and freedom of speech. The students were suspended and one of the five, the campus worker, Chrisley Carpio, was fired from her job at the university.
On June 24th, over 130 attendees of an emergency defense conference founded a new organization: the Emergency Committee to Defend the Tampa 5, which is national in scope. We are embarking on a long-term defense campaign to get the charges dropped and to defend the right to free speech in the state of Florida, and we need your help!
Thanks so much for your solidarity and support so far, and we’ll see you in the streets!
Sincerely,
The Emergency Committee to Defend the Tampa 5 |
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