Page 10 - Florida Sentinel 6-5-20

Local
Tampa Mayor Says ‘We Must Work Together To Fix Problems’
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
Minneapolis resident George Floyd died after a police officer kept his knee on Floyd’s neck for nearly 9 minutes during his arrest on May 25th.
People from all over the country and the world have taken to the streets to protest the killing. Hillsborough County is no exception. While many protesters did it without incident, more than 100 people have been taken into custody on various charges and business owners have incurred thousands of dollars in damages.
During a telephone inter- view, Mayor Jane Castor said the city is trying to allow people to protest while keep- ing them and the communi- ties safe.
“Everyone is very angry over the murder. But not all may recognize it as systemic issues. We are providing a platform for them to express
MAYOR JANE CASTOR
themselves. “Butitiseasytopickupa
sign, but harder to sit down and work together to fix the problems. Those systemic is- sues include transportation, healthcare, affordable hous- ing, the workforce, and de- velopment,” she said.
Mayor Castor said the city has received numerous threats stating that specific buildings were going to be burned. She requested 100 National Guardmen in re-
sponse to those threats.
“I placed them at specific locations that were going to be targeted overnight. They just stood at those locations so a presence would be there overnight. The next day, I
sent them home.”
She stated that most of
the protesters were peaceful. “We want them to be safe and we have closed streets to keep everyone safe. We walked 8 miles with the pro- testers Tuesday. We are en- couraging them to go home before dark because that is when the agitators come out throwing bricks, bottles, damaging police cars, and breaking into businesses.”
Mayor Castor said that at no time were protesters not told to go home at least an hour before the arrests began.
She further stated that several attempts were made by the protesters to get onto the interstate and “we had to prevent that for safety rea- sons.”
Shoe Mountain Suffers Over $100,000 Loss
Chad Douglas and Kareef Johnston
Police are also investigat- ing the burglary and looting of Shoe Mountain. The own- ers, Kareef Johnston and Chad Douglas estimated their loss at more than $100,000 in damages and stolen inventory.
The men said they were shocked after watching the video showing more than 45 entering the business and
grabbing whatever they could Friday night. They stayed at the business overnight on Saturday to prevent further loss.
“We’re all supposed to be coming together to fight for what is right, but when we see these individuals who really are just looking for an oppor- tunity. It’s just not right,” said Douglas.
County Commission Votes To Assist Tampa Park Residents In Upcoming Move
In its Wednesday morning meeting, the Hillsborough County Board of County Commission, voted to allot $646,018 to the residents of Tampa Park Apartments for their upcoming move.
The commissioners voted 6-1 in favor of the move, with Comm. Stacy White giving the lone ‘no’ vote.
Ms. Cheryl Howell, Affordable Housing Director for Hillsborough County, said $588,015 would be used for direct assistance for 164 families, while $58,801 would be for admin- istrative costs.
Family Block Party
On Sunday, June 7th, there will be a family block party for families to enjoy food, fun and music. Fancy cars and trucks are also welcome. Social distancing will be in full effect.
The event will also be in memory of Selina Williams, who lost her life last week in a car ac- cident. Professionally, she was a mail carrier, but she was also known as “Miss All The Way Live,” a rapper.
The event will be held at Krunkman Spot, 4101 N. 22nd St. For additional information, please call (813) 360-4273. (See ad in this edition for more information)
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