Tallahassee, FL: Protest against the killings of Manny Paez, Tyre Nichols and Keenan Anderson
Tallahassee, FL- On February 1, the Tallahassee Community Action Committee (TCAC), Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), FSU Students for a Democratic Society (FSUSDS), Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and FAMU Students for a Democratic Society (FAMUSDS) gathered at Cascades Park to protest the police murders of Tyre Nichols, Keenan Anderson and Manny “Tortuguita” Terán Paez.
“It is more important than ever that we fight for community control of the police, and stopping the construction of a new police training facility in Tallahassee will be part of that fight. We must build a movement strong enough to fight against monopoly capitalism and the racism and police brutality African Americans in the United States are subjected to,” said Alex Carson, an organizer for the FRSO and vice president of FSUSDS.
Activists talked about the continuing threat of police brutality for oppressed peoples in the U.S. They denounced the “cop city” being built in Atlanta and urged members to join the fight against the building of a new police headquarters and training facility here in Tallahassee.
“The fact that TPD is following Atlanta’s lead and wasting millions of tax dollars on a new facility to better train cops on techniques to violently oppress our community shows that we need to step up our fight everywhere against police violence and militarization,” said Jonah Mundy, an organizer for IWW.
Speakers also pointed out the fact that Tallahassee’s civilian police review board doesn’t have the members to meet a quorum and pointed out the hypocrisy of Tallahassee’s city commission in dealing with police brutality and improving Black economic and social conditions. “[Politicians] are driven by profit, not pleas, and we fall further into strife as money is poured into the systems that oppress and murder us,” said Tewa White, who represented both TCAC and FAMU SDS at the event.
Attendees ended the protest with a moment of silence for the lives lost recently and a renewed vow to continue the struggle for a Civilian Police Accountability Council in Tallahassee. Regina Joseph, a member of TCAC and FRSO, had this to say about the protest after it ended: “This is why we must continue the struggle for CPAC nationwide. Until the people hold power over the police, we will be stuck in a never ending cycle of tragedy due to police killings, poverty, and legislative restriction. There’s only one thing to do: stand up and fight back!”