Tallahassee Students and Jones Family Rally ‘Justice for Corey’

Rally attendees gathered for a photo to advocate for Justice for Corey.

By Nadia Felder
Outlook Writer

The death of Corey Jones has sparked a commotion in Tallahassee as students came together to rally on the evening of Oct. 29, on Florida State University’s campus for the death of an unarmed 31-year-old drummer from Palm Beach, FL. which happened that Tuesday.

 
Even with an unsatisfied amount of attendees, the Student Democratic Society (SDS) continued to protest against police brutality and justice for Jones.

 
Corey Jones was shot by a Palm Beach officer, Nouman Raja, who was driving an unmarked van and dressed in plain-clothes on Oct. 18. Raja approached Jones near his vehicle, which had broken down on the side of Interstate 95. Although Jones never once fired his owned licensed gun, the cop fired six shots at Jones, three of which resulted in the fatality. Details of what exactly happened at the scene have not been released due to supposed “ongoing investigations.”

 
“How come we are told that all lives matter, but when it comes to Black lives,” said Regina Joseph, member of SDS, “their lives clearly don’t matter.”
“That’s why we are having this rally, because if we are silent the police are going to get away with this.”

 
FSU’s Student Democratic Society is a national student organization, established in 2006, where student activists participate in protest against tuition hikes, budget cuts, and/or police brutality. The democratic, self-governing organization allows for each student to have an equal role and take lead in the social objections.

 
Chanting and holding signs that read ‘Rest in Power Corey Jones!’ and ‘Being Black is NOT a Crime!’, students in the Tallahassee area rallied in the Oglesby Union, right near FSU’s Market Wednesday.

 
Shortly after the chanting, the peaceful protest was interrupted by an Oglesby Guest Service security officer. He demanded that the megaphone be silenced in order for the rally to continue. He claimed that the megaphone was “too loud” and was “a disruption to nearby classrooms.”

 
Arinelle Lewis, a 20-year-old FSU student and biology major, believed the Oglesby officer had no sensible reason for stopping the chants and that his justification was biased.
“How can the megaphone be ‘too loud’ when every Wednesday from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. there is Market Wednesday, which has even louder noise?” questioned Lewis. “Market Wednesday happens when there are classes going on, yet no one ever stops that.”

 
Also in attendance, to represent the Jones family, was 29-year-old speaker Ruthie White. White received her undergraduate and graduate degrees from FSU and currently works as the internship coordinator at Florida A&M. White updated the students on the situation and expressed her concerns.

 
“The family is still trying to get answers, however we have only been getting a few answers, but not enough,” said White in reference to the police updates.

 
White also mentioned how she expected more students to be involved in the rally. “I am a little disturbed that there is not more people, especially with Tallahassee being the capital of Florida,” stated White.

 
There will be other opportunities for students to rally for justice on Nov. 15, at the Integration Statue. If anyone is interested in giving to the Corey Jones estate please visit gofundme.com/justiceforcorey.