Defend the Tampa 5! Drop the Charges Now!

Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) San Jose, along with the San Jose chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) are participating in a national week of protest on Sunday, July 9th at 2pm in front of San Jose City Hall to demand that the charges against the Tampa 5 be dropped immediately.

The Tampa 5 are five SDS activists from Tampa, Florida that have been charged with wrongful felonies and are facing up to 10+ years in prison. Their names are Chrisley Carpio, Gia Davila, Laura Rodriguez, Lauren Pineiro and Jeanie Kida. These student activists were brutally beaten and arrested by University of South Florida campus police for protesting Republican governor Ron DeSantis’ attacks on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs in colleges. Despite being released on bail, they are still facing wrongful felony charges including battery against a police officer, even though there is video evidence of them being attacked by the police unprovoked. Protesting is not a crime and we must demand that these outrageous charges be dropped!