Page 2 - Florida Sentinel 6-5-20

Feature
Local Officials Make Statements About Weekend Of Protest And Civil Unrest
On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, died while in police cus- tody. The death in Minneapo- lis, Minnesota has ignited protests locally, nationally and internationally.
The video of Floyd plead- ing for his life has led to protest, civil unrest, curfews, deployment of the National Guard and lines drawn from the White House to local mayoral offices and law en- forcement.
Meanwhile, former Min- neapolis Officer Derek Chauvin and three other of- ficers present have been fired and Chauvin has been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the death of Floyd.
Black Lives Matter initia- tives nationwide resulted in thousands taking their anger and frustration to the streets. However, in some cases, the ‘effect of the cause’ led to some using the protest as op- portunity to commit acts of violence and unlawfulness.
Numerous protests were held throughout the City of Tampa and County over the weekend. While many were held without incidents, some resulted in 100 (90 by TPD 10 by the Sheriff) people being
SENATOR DARRYL ROUSON
arrested on numerous charges.
After the protest turned to civil unrest, Mayor Jane Castor, who was once the police chief, issued a curfew for the City of Tampa and Sheriff Chad Chronister called for backup from sur- rounding counties.
Elected Officials And Law Enforcement Re- spond To Civil Unrest
On Friday night, Republi- can governor, Ron DeSan- tis activated the Florida National Guard in response to the violence that took place. One hundred guards- men arrived in Tampa by 5 p.m. Sunday. They were sta- tioned at various locations throughout the city.
The Guardsmen are spe-
STATE REP. DIANNE HART
cially trained to support law enforcement including traffic, crowd control to preserve peace and to maintain public safety.
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor and Tampa Police Chief Brian Dugan acti- vated a 7:30 p.m., to 6 a.m., curfew within the city limits on Sunday. It was extended until Monday before being cancelled.
They both gave daily up- dates about the protests and civil unrest within the city.
During a Monday press conference, Chief Dugan said, “Black Lives Do Matter. ... All life has value. My heart breaks for the family of George Floyd and everyone grieving for him. “We prom- ise we will work to rebuild the trust in our community. I will shut up and listen. But we must restore order.”
Mayor Castor said, “I want to thank those in the community who expressed their opinions peacefully. The number of people who caused problems were very, very low. The majority of the commu- nity was peaceful. Our goal is to keep all of our citizens safe.”
Hillsborough County
Sheriff Chad Chronister
stopped short of activating a curfew. “In consultation with our county leaders, I have de- cided not to institute a cur- few. I refuse to punish law-abiding citizens due to the lawless actions of a hand- ful of criminals. Your Sheriff’s Office stands ready to deal with any threat.”
State Attorney Andrew Warren Issues State-
STATE REP. FENTRICE DRISKELL
ment And Speaks At Black Church
After the problems that took place Friday and Satur- day, State Attorney Andrew Warren said, “George Floyd’s murder is a pro- found tragedy and a despica- ble injustice. I am struggling to make sense of Mr. Floyd’s murder. As are so many around the country. ... Make no mistake, murder is murder, and if this happened in our community, I would prosecute this ex-officer.
“...Peaceful protests are vital to our democracy --- they provide an outlet for anger and frustration, as well as inspire change. There is no place, however, for violence and destruction that puts the safety of our citizens, their homes, their businesses, and their jobs at risk.
“... We don’t have all the solutions. We do value the voices of protest. We will lis- ten to these voices and wel- come the opportunity to engage with all who are using their voices to find solutions. That is how we will heal --- we will honor Mr. Floyd’s memory, and we will move forward to build a safer, stronger, community.”
Rev. Dr. Glenn Dames,
Senior Pastor of Allen Temple A. M. E. Church, invited At- torney Andrew Warren to speak at his church Sunday night.
Attorney Warren spoke of his anger over the murder of Ahmaud Arbery and how that anger grew with the murder of George Floyd. Attorney Warren said, “In many ways, my frustration is
the same as yours. I’m frus- trated with what happened to George Floyd. I’m frus- trated about the racial injus- tice we see every day in our community. I’m frustrated about the lack of solutions and that it looks like every time we’re taking these little steps forward, we end up tak- ing large steps backwards in the form of Trayvon Mar- tin, Tamir Rice, Eric Gar- ner, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd.”
Black Elected Officials Release Joint Statement Several elected Black offi-
cials from the bay area issued a joint statement. The state- ment was signed by Sen. Darryl Rouson; State Rep. Dianne Hart; State Rep. Fentrice Driskell; State Rep. Wengay New- ton; County Commis- sioner Les Miller; City Councilman Orlando Gudes; and School Board member, Tamara Sham- burger.
The statement released said: “We, the Black Elected Officials of Hillsborough County, are deeply disturbed by the destruction that is hap- pening within the City of Tampa right now. Local small businesses are being de- stroyed, police and sheriff ve- hicles are being vandalized and violence is occurring against our own fellow resi- dents.
“We understand the hurt, pain and frustration that our protesters are feeling right now, but we must remember, we have to live here tomor- row. We need to look at all methods of expressing our feelings and desires, not just destruction. We would like to see a Task Force created in the near future to address all violence within the City.
“This Task Gorce should include activists, leaders in the community and local or- ganizations so that we can stop the unnecessary violence in Tampa and create preven- tative ways to ensure the safety of all of our residents.
“As for tonight, please be respectful and safe. Go home and be with your families.”
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