Tallahassee protest against Trump’s executive order on George Floyd’s anniversary

Tallahassee, FL – On Sunday, May 25, 20 people rallied outside City Hall against Trump’s Executive Order 14288 on the fifth anniversary of George Floyd’s murder. Between chants from the crowd, local organizers spoke out against Trump’s policy.

“Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14288, a racist dog whistle, is not just another policy. It’s a declaration of war against our movements for justice,” said Nicole Soza, speaking on behalf of 50501 and Voices for Florida. “This is not about public safety. It is about protecting those who maim and kill with a badge and giving them more tools to silence dissent simply because they have that badge.”

Executive Order 14288 empowers police through increased funding and decreased accountability. Along with expansions for prisons, the order seeks to provide officers with greater access to military equipment and calls for the prosecution of officials who stand against Trump’s regressive policies.

Addressing the anniversary of George Floyd’s murder, speakers also criticized the failure to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing act.

“Around this time five years ago, about 10 to 20 percent of the country participated in protests against the horrific murder of George Floyd and police brutality in this country,” said Joelle Nuñez from the Tallahassee Immigrant Rights Alliance (TIRA).

Nuñez continued, “It’s clear this is an issue people care about, and yet, in the time since, we haven’t seen policies put in place to reduce police murder. In fact, we’ve seen an increase in police murder.”

Speakers then drew attention to victims of police brutality in Tallahassee, as well as the attempted murder of Jingo Johnson, a Black man in nearby Greenville, Florida. Located less than an hour east of Tallahassee, residents of Greenville have long been subject to aggressive policing. On April 27, an officer with the Madison County Sheriff’s Office shot Johnson in the back of the head, pinned him to the ground, and attempted to lie about Johnson having a weapon in his hand.

Using a call and response to engage the crowd, Tito Leadon, a member of Tallahassee Community Action Committee, asked, “Are the police protecting innocent citizens? Are they protecting anybody? Did the police protect George Williams? Did the police protect Tony McDade? Did the police protect Raheem Reeder? Oluwatoyin Salau? Mychael Johnson? Jingo Johnson? No! They brutalized, abused, killed, neglected countless others, and we are going to stop them from abusing more people in the future!”

“We are here today because Trump and the ruling class are afraid of us! They remember 2020! They remember the George Floyd Rebellion! They remember millions of people rising up, from Minneapolis to Miami, from Portland to Tallahassee, and they are terrified that we will rise up again”, said Regina Joseph of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization to close the rally.

The Tallahassee Community Action Committee is an affiliate of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR). NAARPR called for the National Day of Action opposing Trump’s Executive Order 14288 and to remember George Floyd and all victims of police violence.

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