“Protesting is not a crime, justice for the Tampa 5!” chanted University of Utah students Monday night as they gathered to hear the story of the Tampa 5 and their message for universities across the nation.
In March, staff and students gathered on the University of Southern Florida’s campus to protest Florida House Bill 999, passed by Governor Ron DeSantis which would affect Florida’s diversity programs. They called for USF President Rhea Law to continue funding student diversity organizations. Five of these protestors — now known as the Tampa 5 — were arrested for doing so, and now each face between 6 and 11 years in prison for felony charges of battery on a police officer. They say they are innocent of all charges.
Florida House Bill 999 (passed as Senate Bill 266), would allow the state to pull funding from any university that funded Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs.
“This is a bill that has now banned ethnic studies, women and gender studies, and cultural groups from getting funding from the university,” said Chrisley Carpio, one of the Tampa 5, during her speech. “So, when this bill was introduced, we in [Students for a Democratic Society], knew we had to do something.”
Carpio said she and the other members of the Tampa 5 were touring the country to spread awareness of their case and to let university students across the country that they are not alone. She wants students to remember their rights, and that they can protest.
“We are just spreading the word about our case,” she said. “We are five protesters who were brutalized by University of Southern Florida Police for protesting against Governor Ron DeSantis’s attacks on education.”
Carpio added their tour has been met with lots of positivity and support from students.
“We’ve got a lot of support,” she said. “You know, anything negative has been mostly people being sad about what happened. But everything has been very supportive.”
Carpio said many people who attend their events ask how they are holding up personally, adding that the size of the events have ranged anywhere from a dozen students to 100.
Carpio claimed the Tampa 5 are innocent of the battery charges they are facing, and the police were the ones who initially attacked.
She added the police chief suddenly grabbed a student and threw her to the ground before she could finish speaking. Carpio alleged that she was leading students out of the building and the police followed the students out and continued to attack them.
“They began to put Lauren [Pineiro, another member of the Tampa 5] in a chokehold,” she said. “I was trying to grab Lauren out of the way, and that’s when they grabbed me and slammed me to the ground. I was pushed against the wall at some point, and they were digging an elbow into my throat. I remember being really scared that whole time. At that moment, I realized that I could lose consciousness.”
Ermiya Fanaeian, a trans activist with the Armed Queers Salt Lake City also spoke at the event. She said bills like S.B. 266 as well as that against members of the LGBTQ+ community were also concerns in Utah.
“We saw a real lack of need being met in the community to teach those how to defend themselves against growing vigilantism that is sparking against the queer and trans community movements,” she said.
“The U pushes a lot of diversity campaigns to increase LGBTQ+ inclusion on campus and to bring in more queer and trans inclusivity efforts here within the university,” she added. “But I think it goes to show that when our organizing is radical, when it’s taking place in grassroots efforts, and when our organizing is no longer taking place within the context of the academy, and the institutional mechanisms in which they’ve created to silence us and to pacify us — all of a sudden, we’re the problem.”
The court date for the Tampa 5 is Dec. 12.
“Just look for a protest near you around Dec. 12,” Carpio said. “Help us get the charges dropped. If you’re in a group, create resolutions and send it to us, the state attorney Susan Lopez and prosecutor Justin Diaz.”
