Tampa Police Discover Pipes And Bricks Stashed On A Roof Near GOP Convention Building
Tampa, FL – Police officers confiscated bricks, pipes and other “suspicious” items from a rooftop near the Republican National Convention site in Tampa. Police Chief Jane Castor feels the bricks, pipes and other items were placed on the roof near the GOP convention for use by protestors, according toFox 13 News. The Tampa police chief also noted that RNC convention related graffiti was also painted onto the building near where Mitt Romney would be speaking, but declined to elaborate further.
The anti-Romney images and messages near the Tampa GOP convention were signed with the now infamous “Anonymous” logo, according to The Blaze. A YouTube video credited to Anonymous tells viewers not to be afraid of the “black bloc” and encourages supporters to come to the Republican National Committee convention and “take a stand” against corporate America.
“It is disconcerting but it’s not surprising. This is normally how things proceed leading up to a large event,” Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor stated during an interview with Fox 13 News.
Tampa police reportedly studied protest scenarios from other political events in preparation for the August 27-30 GOP convention. During the 2008 RNC convention in St. Paul a group of protestors punctured car tires, smashed in windows and threw bottles at police officers and journalists, The Blaze relates. Tampa Police Chief Castor is reportedly determined not to have a repeat of the St. Paul destruction during the upcoming presidential convention in Florida.
Over the course of the past two weeks the downtown Tampa area has morphed from a typical Florida vacation hotspot into what police officers reportedly hope is an ultra-secure presidential convention area. Barricades, gates and some boarding-up of windows have already occurred in preparation for the GOP convention.
Tampa police reportedly feel the multiple local, state and federal buildings which surround the RNC convention site may be targeted by protesters. Tampa police officers hosted meetings with protest groups and the American Civil Liberties Union during the Republican convention planning stages to share information about designed protest areas along parade routes and near the convention building; but few organizations reportedly attended.
