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Sit-in at governor's office

By JENNIFER LIBERTO and AARON SHAROCKMAN
Published April 19, 2006

TALLAHASSEE - Some 30 students from Tallahassee universities stormed the governor's office Tuesday morning in an organized sit-in to protest government's treatment of the case of the teenager who died in January a Bay County boot camp.

The students, from Florida A & M University, Florida State University and Tallahassee Community College, say they won't leave until their demands are met.

Martin Lee Anderson, 14, was beaten by guards at the Bay County boot camp in early January and died the next day. The beating is under investigation, though the Anderson family and others have called for immediate action against the guards.

"People are arrested for nonviolent crimes every day, you had a boy get killed on television and nobody's been arrested," said Ramon Alexander, 21, student body president at FAMU and a senior in political science.

Their demands include:

* Release of the autopsy report.

* Arrest of the seven officers and nurse suspected to be involved in the death.

* A change of venue for a trial out of Bay County.

* A public apology from the governor for his handling of the case.

The student group call themselves Coalition for Justice for Martin Lee Anderson. They're also planning to join a Friday march at the capital, which Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and actor Charlie Sheen are expected to attend.

Meanwhile, the Senate took up the House's Martin Lee Anderson Act of 2006 Wednesday morning without any mention of the sit-in just four floors below. The act gets rid of boot camps and enhances oversight for Juvenile Justice programs.

The Senate, whose budget maintains boot camps, passed a vague version of the bill in an effort to position the issue to be discussed during budget meetings which start Wednesday.

[Last modified April 19, 2006, 13:48:02]