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Today UF SJP & SDS took part in a national day of action for Rasmea Odeh who is currently facing political repression.

Students sat kneeled on the ground with their mouths taped to symbolize the silencing that occurs to activists who have been victims of political repression.

Information was also passed out to UF students concerning Rasmea and how to get involved in the solidarity campaign.

For more information see stopfbi.net

University of Florida President Bernie Machen said Thursday he was proud of the commitment students have shown in support of tuition equity for unauthorized immigrant students and would join them in their push to change state law so they can pay in-state rates.

Coverage of the last tuition equity event of the semester!

The UF Students for a Democratic Society and UF Libertarians are co-hosting an anti-drone week of action to raise awareness about what they believe to be UF’s involvement in military drone research.

“UF’s engineering programs, in particular, get a lot of funding from defense contractors from the U.S. government to pay professors to do research in drones,” said Kelly Barber, a 21-year-old history senior and vice president of the UF Libertarians.

The week of events will include painting the 34th Street Wall, a public reading of the names of those who died in drone strikes, tabling and a protest outside of Tigert Hall, said Conor Munro, a 21-year-old history and economics junior and lead organizer for SDS.

Peter Ifju, a UF mechanical and aerospace engineering professor, gets funding from the U.S. military to research unmanned aerial vehicles for investigating wildlife refuges owned by UF.

“Any technology, whether it’s drones, doing research on materials — for instance, ceramics or metals — virtually anything could be used for military purposes,” he said. “So this, just like any other technology, could be used for military purposes. No question about that.”

UF is one of 81 public entities authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration to use drones, according to a list released by the FAA in 2012.

These drones are equipped with high resolution cameras to do research in uninhabited areas and remote wildlife sanctuaries. UF is not authorized to fly drones over campus, Ifju said.

Military drones were thrust into the national spotlight when the Obama administration increased the use of drone strikes against enemy combatants.

UF Libertarians and SDS hope to seek answers about the university’s involvement with the U.S. military drone program, Munro said.

Tuesday, February,  26th will mark a year since 17 year old Trayvon Martin was shot down and murdered in cold blood  by George Zimmerman in Sandford, Florida. 

This case sparked protests across the nation and international attention  for the evident racism present in the fact that it took the state/police 46 days to arrest and charge Zimmerman. Mr. Zimmerman was allowed to go on with his life with no formal responsibility for killing Martin while  Trayvon lied in a body bag and his parents mourned with the justification apparently being the"Stand Your Ground Law".  It was only through public pressure and actions around the state of Florida that Zimmerman's arrest was finally secured. At UF, the black community and students had several massive demonstrations in the name of achieving justice for Trayvon Martin where students not only targeted the FBI office in calls for federal involvement in order for the shooting to be investigated as a hate crime but also confronting backward, racist forces such as the Dove Outreach Center and Terry Jones.

Despite eventually being arrested after public pressure, justice for Martin has still not been secured and in an upcoming Stand Your Ground hearing in April the case and charges of 2nd degree murder could be dismissed completely, allowing Zimmerman to walk scott free.

This is unacceptable and we as students and the Gainesville community must continue to have our voices heard on this issue until justice is won.  And with recent events involving another 17 year old, Jordan Davis being shot down for playing loud music which also has been defended by the Stand Your Ground law it is evident that unless we stand up to repeal this racist law, more of our black and brown youth will continue to be slain by racist vigilantes who place no value on the bodies of people of color.