Tampa leaders hosting collaborative effort to combat gun violence
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Tampa city leaders hope Wednesday’s town hall meeting at the Jewish Community Center between North Howard Avenue and North Armenia Avenue will bring some better ideas to combat gun violence when it’s done in collaboration with the community.
City leaders and those who live in the area are fed up with the violence.
Kids have been stealing guns from cars. A 14-year-old is suspected of taking part in a mass shooting at 3 a.m. near Ybor bars on Halloween. Teenagers found firearms and are now being tried as adults after allegedly attempting to commit murder because someone threw water at them. Now this past Sunday, shooters believed it was worth it to kill each other amid a crowded bar scene in Soho.
“I don’t want the bars to go away but is there any way we can do an experiment where bars close at 2 a.m.?” asked a Soho neighbor.
“This gentleman said it’s a slippery slope. It is,” said Steve Michelini, SoHo Business Alliance’s General Manager. “You cannot be telling private property owners what to do with their property.”
The quotes above were collected from Monday’s town hall meeting to address the Soho community’s concerns about the gun violence over the weekend.
“Well, I had officers who drove by 20 seconds before, I had officers in the parking lot,” said Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw.
He and Mayor Jane Castor have high hopes for Wednesday’s town hall meeting where they ask the SoHo community to come up with solutions.
“Well, they’ve been concerned about safety and protection for a long time and that’s why they have the off-duty officers that are here, that’s why we’ve worked with the Police Department,” Michelini said.
Despite these combative efforts for crime, no arrests have been made in connection to Sunday’s shooting.
South Howard Avenue neighbors near where the shooting occurred said the SoHo bar scene was already a bother with petty crimes, but now concerns are on another level after two people died.
“The owners of these establishments can step up a little more,” Homeowner Annelise Meier said. “They’re making good money.”
Tonight’s meeting starts at 5:30 p.m. and is expected to last an hour.
City Councilman Bill Carlson will also be there.
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