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Oluwatoyin "Toyin" Salau and Tony McDade& #39;s murders are part of a larger systemic issue within Tallahassee/Leon County itself. Here& #39;s a thread to give historical context to the city& #39;s racist past and present (since the city refuses to do so!):
Let& #39;s take it back to the antebellum south where Leon County was the epicenter of the Florida slave trade ( https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/30145844.pdf?seq=1)">https://www.jstor.org/stable/pd... and had the state’s highest concentration of slaves ( https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/12/27/capital-city-country-club-tallahassee-florida-cemetery-slaves/2755829001/">https://www.usatoday.com/story/new... )
Leon County served as an integral part of Florida& #39;s cotton belt. And not too long after the invention of cotton would slaves outnumber white people in this area. In 1860, 74% of Leon County& #39;s total population were enslaved Black folks. ( https://ufdc.ufl.edu/AA00061996/00001)">https://ufdc.ufl.edu/AA0006199...
That being said, Leon County was home to DOZENS of plantations, some of which can still be visited today. Ex. The Grove, Bellevue Plantation, Verdura Plantation, and more.
Surprise! Just in case you want to participate in Black erasure and rewrite this violent history yourself, you can even host your weddings at some of these locations! https://tallahasseemuseum.org/plan-party/weddings/">https://tallahasseemuseum.org/plan-part...
The Tallahassee railroad that still exists today (and whose whistles have been heard by anyone living within a 10 minute drive of the FSU/FAMU campus) was constructed for the purpose of shipping cotton to northern ports. Nobody talks about this.
Frances Eppes, a slave holder and Mayor of Tallahassee, founded Florida State University in 1856. In 2002, FSU erected a statue of Eppes, serving as another reminder that FSU/Tallahassee cares more about money/land/power than Black students & anti-racism. https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2018/07/20/eppes-statue-quietly-removed-thursday-night-westcott-plaza/805452002/">https://www.tallahassee.com/story/new...
When faced with the opportunity to remove the statue of a SLAVE OWNER, President Thrasher and a board of his own appointed panel members decided to simply *relocate* it to another part of campus where it continues to exist (but just tucked away so they can do more quiet racism).
The College of Criminology and Criminal Justice is, in the most dark and ironic way, named Eppes Hall. The FSU panel voted to keep the name.
Lynchings of Black people continued in Florida post Civil War, particularly in Tallahassee. The Equal Justice Initiative estimates 331 lynchings occurred in Florida, which puts the state at one of the highest lynchings per capita https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2018/06/07/painful-history-remembering-leon-countys-lynching-victims/640199002/">https://www.tallahassee.com/story/new...
In fact, right by Cascades Park, lives the "hanging tree." This tree was once was the scene of the murder of (at least) four Black men. Many FSU students & white Tallahassee residents don& #39;t know about the violence that occurred there. https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2018/06/07/tree-symbolizes-past-injustice-gerald-ensley/657484002/">https://www.tallahassee.com/story/new...
These houses, railroads, statues, trees, etc. that exist all around the city are tools of white supremacy that serve to remind folks that not everyone is viewed/treated as equal. In many cases, their existence and history have been washed away and normalized as every day objects.
Just like most other southern states and cities, Tallahassee enacted segregation policies and Jim Crow laws, paving the way for the city to be the center of one of the biggest civil rights demonstrations in the state (led, of course, by FAMU students) 
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Following the bus boycotts in Alabama, FAMU students took direct action in Tallahassee. What began as a campus-wide demonstration, soon turned into a community-wide effort. Seven months later, the Tallahassee bus boycott ended and the city called off bus segregation.
In 1960, Patricia Stephens was among a group of FAMU and FSU students who participated in a sit-in. 11 students were arrested after the TPD used tear gas on the group. It caught the attention of folks like Martin Luther King Jr.
From bus segregation to public education, Tallahassee continues to think that "separate but equal" is okay. "The LeRoy Collins Institute pegs Tallahassee as home to one of the five most highly-segregated school districts in the state." https://www.jacksonville.com/news/florida/2017-10-14/report-leon-county-schools-among-florida-s-most-segregated">https://www.jacksonville.com/news/flor...
Today, you can still see the effects of racism in Tallahassee as Black communities are getting pushed out and their houses are being replaced at alarming rates by huge luxury college apartments. http://www.thefamuanonline.com/2011/02/21/tallahassee-a-city-divided/">https://www.thefamuanonline.com/2011/02/2...
The geographical segregation is even more apparent. South Monroe, French Town, and other pockets of Tallahassee& #39;s Black communities struggle to survive, are being pushed out, and are not receiving any resources or assistance from its elected officials.
Like many other cities, Toyin and Tony McDade& #39;s deaths are part of a larger battle for equality and survival that& #39;s plagued Tallahassee since its antebellum days. There are so many reminders (and even celebrations) of slavery and Jim Crow that exist all around the city.
FSU & Tallahassee& #39;s white citizens/leadership need to come to terms with its history, invest in education, finally desegregate the city, give reparations, defund TPD, & ensure that no other Black person will have to endure what Toyin, Tony, & countless others have gone through.
This is by no means a Tallahassee-only phenomenon. Racism is all around us, it takes many different forms, and has been integrated into our education, criminal justice, medical system, & more.
Here are some calls to action that we can all do!
To my white friends, learn the history of where you live or go to school and then tell as many of your friends as possible so that these landmarks and reminders of systemic oppression don& #39;t go unnoticed.
To my white friends, learn the history of where you live or go to school and then tell as many of your friends as possible so that these landmarks and reminders of systemic oppression don& #39;t go unnoticed.
Call FSU and demand again that Eppes Hall be renamed, the statue removed, and for there to be a mandatory Tallahassee history class incorporated into the graduation requirement. If you& #39;re going to live in Tallahassee, you better know its history. Here is that number: 850.644.1085
Lastly, call Governor Ron DeSantis and urge that he reduce the power and budget of Florida sheriffs. Call 850-717-9337 or email GovernorRon.Desantis@eog.myflorida.com https://www.tampabay.com/news/health/2020/06/17/want-to-defund-a-florida-sheriff-gov-ron-desantis-might-have-the-final-say/">https://www.tampabay.com/news/heal...
Adding in this addition about Cascades Park’s history (ty @Camxbadis): https://twitter.com/camxbadis/status/1274906131698237443?s=21">https://twitter.com/camxbadis... https://twitter.com/camxbadis/status/1274906131698237443">https://twitter.com/camxbadis...
Adding another addition from @TGI_Kailea who has been working on something similar to this! Go check out this website:
https://twitter.com/tgi_kailea/status/1275265234454949888?s=21">https://twitter.com/tgi_kaile... https://twitter.com/tgi_kailea/status/1275265234454949888">https://twitter.com/tgi_kaile...
https://twitter.com/tgi_kailea/status/1275265234454949888?s=21">https://twitter.com/tgi_kaile... https://twitter.com/tgi_kailea/status/1275265234454949888">https://twitter.com/tgi_kaile...
