My Sydney Eastman Courage Award for 2023 goes to the Tampa 5. While exercising their right to free speech at the USF campus, Chrisley Carpio, Gia Davila, Jeanie Kida, Lauren Pinero and Laura Rodriguez, among other protestors were brutally assaulted by the USF Police. These five courageous women were unjustly arrested on felony charges that were fabricated in order to justify the illegal actions of the police.
Facing 10 years of incarceration if found guilty, the Tampa 5 were offered a plea deal that would have required them to publicly apologize for crimes they never committed. Standing in unity, they refused to offer this bogus apology and demanded a trial by jury. All of the video evidence that was available showed clearly that the USF Police were the instigators of the violence and that the protestors never acted aggressively toward their assaulters and on the first day of the trial, the Florida State Attorney, Ashley Moody, dropped all felony charges against the Tampa 5.
Their courage makes the Tampa 5 ideal recipients of the Sydney Eastman Courage Award.
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