Radioactivity Wednesday: Controversial mural evokes more police violence against activists in Tampa

by and filed under News and Public Affairs, Police.

Share this:

August 12, 2020

Good morning, welcome to Radioactivity. I’m Rob Lorei. Tension is brewing in downtown Tampa involving mural painters, Food Not Bombs, BLM protestors, police and Neo Nazis.

Last night four more people were arrested in what’s become a controversy over a mural painted outside of Tampa police headquarters. The mural was  painted without the proper permit being issued covering a public street. Seven people were arrested on as they attempted to paint an unpermitted mural at Curtis Hixon Park on Saturday.  A woman active with the Tampa Bay Activist Network posted this message two days ago on Instagram about Saturday’s arrests:

View this post on Instagram

I had a hard time filming this. Yesterday I saw my friends, people who fight for justice and a better future for everyone, get their rights stripped away and treated like animals by these Tampa gang members. This story needs to blow up because I’ve never seen a more blatant display of hypocrisy in my life. Police officers prove yet again that they are “too powerful” to obey their own laws. White supremacists commit the exact same acts as minorities and are PROTECTED while we are PERSECUTED. Make it make sense. TPD may have been successful in further traumatizing our people and tarnishing our records, but they are mistaken if they think we will ever back down. Note: All 7 activists have been released since the filming of this video. A huge thank you to @tampadreamdefenders & everyone who donated bail money.

A post shared by Tampa Bay Activist Network (@tampabayactivistnetwork) on

My guests today include:

-Matt Yampolsky, who was arrested and beat up in custody

-Ahmed, (who has been protesting since the first night) and was a witness to the arrests

-Rose, who had her phone knocked to the ground by racists after arriving at the Food Not Bombs food share in Lykes Park

– Bernice with Tampa Dream Defenders, who has been helping bail innocent protesters out

Listen to the full show here: