With shouts of 'Go home Jane,' Tampa protesters refuse meeting with mayor
TAMPA, Fla. - A crowd of protesters gathered in downtown Tampa today outside City Hall, but they were apparently not interested in a dialog with the mayor.
The group was calling for change in the wake of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis. They said they want a ban on the use of tear gas and rubber bullets on protesters, what they call "de-militarizing police” and an investigation into alleged white supremacy at TPD.
Mayor Jane Castor left her nearby office to try and meet with the crowd just before 5 p.m. But as she approached, a woman with a megaphone refused to speak with her and shouted her down with chants of “Go home Jane.”
After talking with some of the other demonstrators, the former police chief heeded their calls and headed back inside.
After that, the protesters began marching west down Kennedy Boulevard. Police were closing sections of the road as they walked in order to keep them safe.
There is no nightly curfew in Tampa tonight. The city decided to lift its 7:30 curfew, which had been in place since Sunday.
Saturday night, protests gave way to looting and riots in the north Tampa area, where several businesses were ransacked and burned.
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