Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society organizes around progressive issues on the University of South Florida campus.
Our current campaign is to Increase Black Enrollment and to Save Diversity at our school in lieu of recent attacks from governor Ron DeSantis on diversity, critical race theory, LGBTQ+ students, and women and gender studies. We are fighting these attacks from DeSantis, especially in the form of the trans healthcare survey at Florida colleges, the closing of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion boards at New College of Florida, and the newly introduced HB 999 which further restrains diversity, education and even multicultural clubs. Tampa Bay SDS held a protest to Mobilize to Save Diversity at which student protestors were brutalized, arrested, and assaulted by campus police. The Tampa 4 are four of the students that were arrested during this protest held to defend diversity at their school (USF) and resist DeSantis' attacks. A month after the protestor another student was added on to the criminal and academic charges, making them the Tampa 5. Donate to help the Tampa 5 with legal fees as well as those that have lost their jobs to the situation. Justice for the Tampa 5! Drop the charges now!
After having a very successful Emergency Conference to Defend the Tampa 5 with over 100 people attending from across the country, an Emergency Committee to Defend the Tampa 5 was formed from those in attendance. At the conference the committee resolved to do whatever is in our power to demand that the charges on the Tampa 5 be dropped. To raise the awareness of their case and to nationalize their case as well as organize around the country for the cause of Justice for the Tampa 5, the Tampa 5 will be going on a speaking tour. They have already spoken coast to coast in Miami and Seattle with more dates and cities in the planning. With travel and housing costs in mind please support us in this venture to nationalize the case of the Tampa 5. Donate to help the Tampa 5 raise their case to the national level through their national speaking tour!
