(GULF BREEZE, FL) - Chairwoman of the Florida Democratic Party, Nikki Fried, and State Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book, were arrested by the Tallahassee Police Department outside City Hall Monday night. Fried and Book joined a group of young Floridians, gathered in Tallahassee, to oppose the Republican abortion ban bill (SB300) that passed the state senate today by a 2:1 margin.
The near total abortion ban comes on the heels of the Republican Party governor silently signing permitless carry of loaded guns and other weapons into law in the state of Florida. This legislative session has produced a shift of nearly 4 BILLION in tax-payer dollars away from our neighborhood schools to private for-profit voucher schools.
Republicans have made steps to eliminate the truth of America's history from Florida's classroom. They gave a $2 BILLION dollar bailout to property insurance corporations just as these same corporations posted record breaking profits, and certain politicians continue to demonize and troll transgender Americans, while they legislate our freedoms away. Florida, we are in trouble.
The optics of women political leaders being carted off in handcuffs is a sign of what's to come. The Florida Senate has just banned abortion after 6 weeks. We know that the overwhelming majority of women don't even know they are pregnant before 6 weeks. So essentially Florida Republicans have banned abortion. This comes at a time when Republicans have defunded child nutrition programs, refused to expand medicaid for low-income working families, and ignored the need for paid maternity leave so mothers can care for the babies they are being forced to give birth to.
The Chairwoman and Senate Minority Leader were released on their on recognizance tonight. Santa Rosa County Democrats condemn the actions of the Tallahassee Police Department and we call on Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey (D) to issue a formal statement explaining this political move to silence women fighting for reproductive freedom.