Tampa Bay Officials Speak out
St. Petersburg — Suppose you live under a rock or do not have access to the news on Jan. 6, a massive crowd of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol. A demonstration outside U.S. Capitol turned violent. Many officeholders in the Tampa Bay area gave their opinions to Spectrum Bay News 9.
Mitch Perry from Spectrum Bay News 9 talked to both Democratic and Republican officials that represent the Tampa Bay Area about the events that occurred at the U.S. Capitol.
St. Petersburg Democratic state Senator Darryl Rouson is serving a third term for the Florida Senate Service. Mentioned the words “shameful” and “disgraceful” when asked about the event.
According to Spectrum Bay News 9, Senator Darryl was not happy about what happened in Washington.
“You know, the hypocritical nature of his words: do as I say, not as I do, just doesn’t resonate with people. His continuing to lie and mislead the facts. Not telling people the truth. All of those things are incendiary and would incite people to do what happened yesterday. I think that he does bear responsibility.” Said Rouson.
Former Hillsborough Republican County Commissioner Mark Sharpe said he was in shock when seeing the pictures of what went down with the rioters. Not only did the rioters break into the Capital but they also stole property.
“We believe in our nation. We believe in service. And whether you’re serving in the military or you’re serving in government, you should serve. I was telling my daughter that last night. She’s a student. I was telling her if you are concerned, then you need to get involved, not just throw rocks and stones, but get involved. But also recognize that in a democracy, we have an obligation to sometimes step up and tamp down the rhetoric.” Said Sharpe.
Sharpe has a rich military background. He served in the U.S. Navy and his father served in the Air Force. Now his son in the U.S. Army.
St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman took to Facebook with his response to the actions that happened in Washington. He waited a day before posting a statement on his social accounts.
“I did not put out a statement or say anything on social media yesterday about Donald Trump, his enablers, his supporters, and what happened at our capitol because I’ve made my feelings about Mr. Trump well known. I’ve been saying it for more than 5 years,” The Mayor posted on his Facebook page.
The feud between President Trump and Mayor Kriseman has gone back to 2015 when Trump proposed his plan for a Ban on Muslim immigration if winning the presidency. Kriseman took to Twitter, “I am hereby barring Donald Trump from entering St. Petersburg until we fully understand the dangerous threat posed by all Trumps.”
“If you’re looking for a statement about Trump and yesterday’s events, ask a Republican official, many of whom have been cowards, and by their silence, complicit,” Kriseman continued on Facebook.
“The thing that has always separated our country from so many places in the world is the peaceful transition of power. And when you saw what happened yesterday, it didn’t look like America. It looked like a third world country,” Kriseman said Thursday.
Over in Hillsborough, Democratic Mayor Jane Castor released a statement, calling the actions “un-American.”
“What we are seeing today, is un-American plain and simple. We are a nation that welcomes peaceful protests, they move our country forward and have shaped legislation throughout our history.”
Castor, who has a background in Police work and was former Tampa Police Chief, made it a point to address the law enforcement in Washington D.C.
“Our thoughts are with the Capitol Police and members of the National Guard who are working to restore order so that our legislative branch can fulfill its duty and honor the will of our nation’s voters,” Castor said.
Citations:
Perry, M., 2021. Tampa Bay Officials Weigh In On Mob Violence At The U.S. Capitol. [online] Baynews9.com. Available at: <https://www.baynews9.com/fl/tampa/news/2021/01/08/tampa-bay-officials-weigh-in-on-mob-violence-at-the-u-s--capitol> [Accessed 7 January 2021].
