Crime & Safety
Protesters Shown On Video Jumping On Car And Throwing Skateboard
A video taken by the Tampa Bay Times shows protesters confronting residents dining out on Beach Drive and blocking a car.
ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Two separate encounters that involved protesters denouncing the grand jury's decision in the Breonna Taylor case occurred on Wednesday night in downtown St. Petersburg, and were captured on video by Tampa Bay Times reporter Josh Fiallo.
According to the video posted on Twitter, a man stood on top of a car while protesters blocked the car at an intersection in downtown St. Pete. Skateboards were hurled at the car and expletives yelled at the driver.
Fiallo said there were about 60 protesters in the group who then headed to Beach Drive and chanted at diners who sat outside. One man appeared to confront a woman at her table, and he and other protesters start screaming expletives at the couple.
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Fox 13 reported that Mayor Rick Kriseman and Chief Holloway are scheduled on Thursday to have a briefing, and will release a statement later on Thursday.
A couple of hours after Fiallo posted the first protester video from Wednesday night, Kriseman posted on his Twitter account:
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In St. Pete, we support peaceful protests. We will never support or tolerate lawbreakers who wish to dishonor the life of Breonna Taylor or anyone else. We will never support those who set out to hurt the cause and prevent progress.
— Rick Kriseman (@Kriseman) September 24, 2020
This comes just after Gov. Ron DeSantis announced legislation that is in favor of protesters who cross boundaries and cause violence to face felonies.
This is a developing story. Patch will keep you updated.
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