According to a report released on Thursday, as many as 14 protesters who invaded the Florida Capitol Building in Tallahassee on Wednesday and occupied Gov. Ron DeSantis’ (R) office were arrested and temporarily detained.
According to RadarOnline.com, the incident occurred Wednesday afternoon and involved a group of protesters dubbed Dream Defenders. The report verified that the protesters briefly occupied DeSantis’ office in the Capitol building.
Dream Defenders, according to a representative for the organization, is a non-profit human rights organization that was founded in 2013 in response to the murder of Trayvon Martin. The alleged use of the so-called “Dream Defenders rule” by Florida police to detain members of the organization was alleged by the spokesperson.
After Martin’s murder, a protocol was established prohibiting overnight stays at the state capitol.
“Gov. DeSantis and Republican lawmakers have chosen to attack many of Florida’s most vulnerable and historically marginalized communities with policies that attack who they are, who they love, and how and what they learn,” Dwight Bullard, a senior political advisor at the organization Florida Rising, who was also arrested, noted in a statement sent to RadarOnline.com.
“By virtue of being born, we are entitled to a real dignified democracy that gives us a say on our blocks, in our cities, in our schools, and the places we work,” said Nailah Summers-Polite, the co-director of Dream Defenders, said in a separate statement.
According to RadarOnline.com, the protesters initially planned a “Freedom to Learn” demonstration, but later “altered” it to include other issues. However, after storming the office of DeSantis, they ran into difficulty.
The “Dream Defenders,” a group of far-left activists, have occupied the Florida capitol building as revenge for DeSantis’ passage of his anti-woke policies relating to the teaching of CRT and pronoun enforcement in schools and colleges.
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) May 4, 2023
14 protestors were arrested after storming Ron DeSantis’ office to confront the Florida governor.
The incident took place on Wednesday afternoon when a group of demonstrators, the Dream Defenders, occupied DeSantis’ Tallahassee office inside the Florida State Capitol building. pic.twitter.com/v6Mzz5KPvD
— D. Scott @eclipsethis2003 (@eclipsethis2003) May 4, 2023
In recent weeks, left-wing demonstrators in other states led by conservative lawmakers have also been stormed, prompting Republicans to make the comparison to the Jan. 6 Capitol Building storming, which resulted in hundreds of arrests and convictions.
Thursday, a federal jury in Washington, D.C. convicted former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio and three other members of the organization of the most severe charge for their involvement in the incident: seditious conspiracy.
The defendants were accused of conspiring to retain former President Donald Trump in office after the contested 2020 presidential election. The jury was unable to reach a verdict on the sedition allegation against defendant Dominic Pezzola, but he was found guilty of other serious felonies related to the January 6 attack on the Capitol.
In February, “Trans Lives Matter” protestors occupied the Oklahoma State Capitol during the State of the State Address by Republican Governor Kevin Stitt. Fox News reported that videos showed protesters outside and inside the Capitol chanting “this is our house” and “protect trans kids” while holding signs reading “Protect trans rights” and “My body, my freedom.”
#okleg happening now outside of the House floor:
Chants of “trans lives matter” pic.twitter.com/swzdgEKe9d
— Nick Camper (@nickcamper) February 6, 2023
“Minors can’t vote, can’t purchase alcohol, can’t purchase cigarettes. We shouldn’t allow a minor to get a permanent gender-altering surgery in Oklahoma,” the GOP governor said on the House floor, which led to a standing ovation from Republican lawmakers.
More on this story via Conservative Brief:
“That’s why I am calling on the Legislature to send me a bill that bans all gender transition surgeries and hormone therapies on minors in the state,” he added. “As governor, I will never shy away from calling out right from wrong. I will not be intimidated by partisan interest groups or make decisions based on groupthink.” CONTINUE READING…
