Cassandra Swart
Cassandra Swart is a Texas activist.
Tampa 5 rally
On July 12, 30 organizers, activists and community members beat the 105-degree heat and joined in solidarity to seek justice for the Tampa 5, rallying at Dealey Plaza, on the day of the Five’s court appearance.
Several organizations - including UTA Progressive Student Union, National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression - Dallas (NAARPR-Dallas), Austin SDS, Dallas Anti-War Committee, Freedom Road Socialist Organization - Dallas, Palestinian Youth Movement, La Frontera Nos Cruzo, and the Dallas Peace and Justice Center - spoke in solidarity with the Tampa 5.
Jay Rodriguez of the UTA Progressive Student Unionspoke to the rally, "Protesting against the repressive laws that Ron DeSantis is absolutely justified, and students and activists should continue to do so.
Syd Loving of NAARPR-Dallas said, "We are in a new era of repression and this requires a new era of solidarity, repression is not new, but there are things about this case that are different, usually the charges are dropped but a month later, they added another person and two months later they added three new felony counts, after that they were offered a deal, the deal said that they had to apologize to the officers that brutalized and harassed them and they said ‘hell no!’ We're gonna fight repression with solidarity and we will not allow the Tampa 5 to be the canaries in the coal mine."
Jake Holtzman of the Austin SDS said, "We are going to follow the example of the heroic activists in Tampa, who continue to organize and fight for diversity programs and increases to Black enrollment on their campus at the University of South Florida. Because we know that the only way we ever win demands for the people is by organizing, protesting and fighting back! Because we say: Protesting is not a crime, justice for the Tampa 5!"
Jo Hargis of the Dallas Anti-War Committee said, "When we are attacked by the state, we need to recognize that we are the threat they see us to be to the status quo. And when we come together, and when we are in solidarity across our movements, the people our government sees as a threat. They see the Teamsters as a threat. The Teamsters are probably going to go on strike very soon. We see that they see student organizing as a threat. We see that they see diversity, people standing up for that as a threat."
Cassandra Swart, another member of the Dallas Anti-War Committee said, "The United States does not have a right to clamp to down on human rights violations internationally while clamping down on rights in their country. As a transgender woman I am deeply concerned about the attacks on trans and other rights but the attacks on these rights shouldn't not make us lose hope, we have the right to fight these attacks from Florida to Texas."
Omar Lazcano, another member of PSU, said, "The Tampa 5 told truth and the people are on their side. We know they carry the truth; we are the people, standing beside them."[1]
Fight Back! supporter
Fight Back! / ¡Lucha y Resiste! is a Facebook group for readers and supporters of Fight Back! / ¡Lucha y Resiste! the newspaper of Freedom Road Socialist Organization/FightBack!
As of July 5 2020 members included Cassandra Swart.
FRSO
Cassandra Swart is a member of Freedom Road Socialist Organization/FightBack!
Dallas Anti-War Committee
On November 13, the University of Texas at Arlington Progressive Student Union (PSU) hosted a national leader of Freedom Road Socialist Organization/FightBack!, Tom Burke, who gave an eyewitness report on Venezuela and the Bolivarian revolution.
Cassandra Swart, with the Dallas Anti-War Committee, opened the event by talking about how anti-war activism is more necessary than ever, due to the horrific military coup in Bolivia against indigenous President Evo Morales.[2]