Page 3 - Florida Sentinel 6-26-20

Features
Black Motorcycle Group Hosting Jamboree At Raymond James Stadium
Masks Are Now Mandatory In Hillsborough County, Tampa And St. Petersburg
Masks are now mandatory in Tampa and St. Peters- burg. The orders within each city are slightly differ- ent, but both took effect at 5 p. m. Friday, June 19th.
In Tampa, masks are going to be required for everyone -- workers and pa- trons -- inside a business or public space where social- distancing is not possible.
In Hillsborough County, officials once again saw more than 200 new positive cases on last Thursday.
The majority of those cases are within the Tampa city limits. Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said she was- n't going to wait on county leaders to pass a mandate, saying masks are a key part to stopping the spread of the
virus, and it's vital that everyone start wearing them immediately.
On Monday, June 22nd, after an extensive 4-hour meeting, the Emergency Policy Group (EPG) decided in a 5-3 vote to make masks mandatory throughout the county. Those not in favor of mandatory masks were: Hillsborough County Sher- iff Chad Chronister; School Board Chair, Melissa Snively; and Plant City Mayor, Rick Lott.
EPG Chair, Les Miller said, much of the nearly 4- hour meeting was spent on debating the language for the Executive Order.
“It’s a very strict order, that has much ioncluded. If
businesses are not able to social distance, everyone must wear a mask. If the owner of the business does not comply, this could lead to a 2nd degree misde- meanor.” The down-side of the order is that it will have to be renewed each week.
Churches and not-for- profits are not included in mandatory mask-wearing, nor persons with illnesses that restrict mask-wearing, he added.
“Monday, Hillsborough County had 393 positives. My fear is that the younger people, 24-35, are going out and about, going home and spreading the virus to their older family members, whose immune system may be weaker,” he said.
BY MONIQUE STAMPS Sentinel Feature Writer
Although Black motorcy- clists are not often featured in glossy magazines touting the freedom and exhilaration of riding a bike, there are hun- dreds of thousands of African American cycling enthusiasts cruising America’s highways every year.
This year, the United Bik- erz organization is joining Black motorcyclists and the multi-culturism of Tampa Bay by having a jamboree. The planning for the event started 18 months ago with United Bikerz working with Visit Tampa Bay to bring these two dynamic worlds to- gether.
The objective is to create an annual event that melds community pride, motorcycle education, and fun activities for the entire family.
According to Chris Hill, Chairman of United Bikerz, their non-profit organization was created to promote mo- torcycling and bring motorcy- cle enthusiasts from around the world to Tampa.
Hill states, “We are try- ing to bring Tampa and the world of cycling together. Tampa is a multi-cultural city and our organization wants to provide a way for all enthusi- asts to come together. Florida is one of just a few states where you can ride all year long. United Bikerz wants to have a community and motorcycle event.”
The United Bikerz Jam- boree will be held at Ray- mond James Stadium
starting on Wednesday, June 24, 2020, with vendor set up. The main day, Thursday, June 25th, the gates will open to the public. There will be a ride through Ybor City fol- lowed by activities and ven- dors back at the stadium.
On Friday, there will be a family day with even more ac- tivities and a concert by Tucker, where folks will be able to do line dancing. The jamboree ends on Saturday, June 28, 2020, after another full day of activities and an evening concert by Pokey Bear and Sir Charles.
Each day will open at the stadium at 9 a. m. The tickets will be sold at the gate and are just $30 for the entire week- end so that people hit hard by the economy can still get out and enjoy themselves. Guests will receive armbands to wear so they can come and go.
The organization will be enforcing the guidelines for COVID-19 safety by requiring all guests and vendors to wear masks. Guests’ temperature will be taken at the gate every time they enter, and anyone with a high temperature will be unable to purchase a ticket or re-enter the event if they have a ticket.
According to Hill, “every guideline from the CDC, local and state government is being observed for the safety of our guests.”
FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 2020 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 3-A