Trooper Injured, 3 Arrested During 'Cuba Libre' Rallies In Tampa

TAMPA BAY, FL — A series of Tampa Bay rallies in support of the protests that broke out Sunday in Cuba got out of control Tuesday, injuring a Florida Highway Patrol trooper and leading to the arrest of three people.

Reacting to the Cuban people protesting the Communist government's lack of response to the economic crisis and human rights abuses, Cuban Americans and supporters held a rally on the sidewalk in front of Al Lopez Park at Dale Mabry Highway around 4 p.m. Tuesday.

About a half-hour later, another group spilled into the northbound lanes of Dale Mabry at Columbus Avenue, blocking the road.

Ignoring the pouring rain, the demonstrators at Al Lopez Park also spilled onto busy Dale Mabry Highway carrying Cuban flags and signs reading "SOS Cuba," while chanting "Cuba Libre" and blocking traffic.

Around 6 p.m., Tampa police ordering the growing crowd to disperse. Ignoring the orders, the demonstrators marched south on Dale Mabry, some in the road, and tried to block the exit ramp to Interstate 275, prompting the highway patrol to close part of the interstate and arrest three people.

Julian Rodriguez-Rodriguez, 30, and Maikel Vasquez-Pico, 39, were charged with battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest with violence. Evelio Ramirez-Carrasco, 34, was charged with resisting arrest with violence.

Police said a trooper was injured while trying to prevent the protesters from accessing the highway. There was no information on the severity of the trooper's injury.

Once off the exit ramp, the group remained at Dale Mabry Highway under the I-275 overpass as police repeated the order to disperse. The protesters then headed back to Al Lopez Park, where they continued demonstrating at Dale Mabry Highway and Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard before breaking up at about 9:30 p.m.

Police said another group marched south to Columbus Avenue between Dale Mabry Highway and Himes Avenue, where they remained as of 11 p.m.

"The Tampa Police Department continues to support everyone's 1st Amendment right for free speech," Police Chief Brian Dugan said. "We will continue to work with groups who want to have their voices heard in a safe and secure manner."

Meanwhile, protesters in Port Richey shut down a portion of U.S. 19 at Hollow Drive on Tuesday night.

Tampa Bay Cuban Americans began taking to the streets Monday following one of the largest anti-government protests in Cuba since Communists took control of the country 60 years ago.

With Tampa police walking alongside them, residents hosted a peaceful demonstration on Armenia Avenue in west Tampa, home to a large Cuban population, some of whom risked their lives to escape the government in Cuba. Others said they still have family members in Cuba and are concerned because they haven't heard from them due to internet and cell phone outages in Cuba.

In response to the news out of Cuba, American political leaders, including President Joe Biden, pledged their solidarity with the people of Cuba.

"We stand with the Cuban people and their clarion call for freedom and relief from the tragic grip of the pandemic and from the decades of repression and economic suffering to which they have been subjected by Cuba’s authoritarian regime," Biden said in a statement. "The Cuban people are bravely asserting fundamental and universal rights. Those rights, including the right of peaceful protest and the right to freely determine their own future, must be respected. The United States calls on the Cuban regime to hear their people and serve their needs at this vital moment rather than enriching themselves."

In the midst of the boat parade and celebration at Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park in honor of the Lightning winning the Stanley Cup two consecutive years, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor paused to record a videotaped statement of support for "Tampa citizens standing in solidarity with those protesters and exercising free speech rights everyone should enjoy."

In the meantime, the U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Eric C. Jones warned supporters against sailing to Cuba with supplies, saying the Coast Guard is monitoring waters for any activity aimed at increasing "unsafe and illegal" crossings between Florida and Cuba in response to the protests.