Activists Call For Charges Against Tallahassee Protesters to Be Dropped
September 8th, 2020 by Jake StofanSocial justice activists in the state’s capital city are calling for charges to be dropped against 14 who were arrested during a Black Lives Matter protest Saturday.
Protesters had been demonstrating in opposition to grand jury decisions not to press charges against officers involved in three fatal police shootings.
Protesters were warned in advance not to block traffic.
The situation escalated when law enforcement pulled over one activist leader for allegedly driving too slow.
The ensuing incident led to the arrest of 15.
14 were taken to jail.
Most face an array of misdemeanor charges, but two face felonies for resisting arrest with violence and inciting a riot.
“One of the Tally14 is actually facing, possibly facing ten years in jail,” said Lakey Love with the Tallahassee Community Action Committee.
Now activist groups are calling for all of the charges against what they dub the ‘Tally14’ to be dropped.
They blame police for the escalation.
“This was a strategic plan in my view to quell protests and stifle a movement,” said Saskiya Fagan with Dream Defenders Tallahassee.
Activists accuse police of treating Black Lives Matter protesters harsher than counter protesters.
They point to the lack of charges in an August incident where a counter demonstrator man pulled a gun during a scuffle.
“It’s no coincidence that the people who were targeted were black leaders,” said Delilah Pirre with the Tallahassee Community Action Committee.
The activists have raised more than $17,000 through GoFundMe for the Tally14, to pay medical bills for three who activists say were hospitalized and for the legal defense of those arrested.
We reached out to the State Attorney to ask if he plans to go forward with the charges against the protesters, but did not hear back in time for this story.
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