Syd Eastman
Syd was an anarchist-without-adjectives, a full time organizer, and an outreach extrordinaire whose spirit was thirsty for justice. In every aspect of her work, she truly embodied the values of restorative and transformative justice. She was kind and gentle but a force to be reckoned with. She was an integral part of recovery efforts with Mutual Aid Disaster Relief in the aftermath of hurricanes Irma and Maria. Across Florida and in two trips to Puerto Rico, Syd provided support and solidarity in virtually every facet of the recovery efforts. She knew how to be lighthearted while still being able to get her message across. Syd was always down to engage in whatever action she thought most effective to challenge the status quo. Syd was a driving force that singlehandedly changed the landscape for sex worker advocacy in the Tampa Bay Area. She was the cofounder and backbone of the Sex Worker Solidarity Network, a radical sex worker organizing collective that was brought to life because of her relentless drive and passion. She was a mentor, friend, and confidant for all people in the network. She was also a staunch prison abolitionist, having helped found the Tampa chapter of the Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee. Syd was arrested for locking down in front of her local ICE facility as part of Occupy ICE Tampa just weeks before joining Occupy Prisons Gainesville in their occupation near the Gainesville Work Camp. She was a one woman harm reduction team, advocating for the rights of drug users and helping to provide resources such as clean needles. As a member of the Libertarian Socialist Caucus of the Libertarian Party, Syd was a delegate at the 2018 LNC where she infamously waved a dildo live on C-SPAN in front of the main stage. She returned to New Orleans shortly before her death to attend the Redneck Revolt national convention and planned to take the skills she learned there back to her community to share. Rest in Power, Sydney Lee Eastman.