Yesterday, protesters gathered in downtown Tampa’s Curtis Hixon Park, calling for the Mayor Jane Castor to remove Police Chief Brian Dugan of his duties, now an online petition is also gaining momentum.
Posted to OrganizeFor, the “#DumpDugan: Fire Tampa Police Chief Brian Dugan” petition, currently has nearly 1,000 signatures at the time of publication, and uses photos presumably showing wounds inflicted on protesters from TPD, to accuse Dugan of lying about allegations of excessive use of force.
“The Police Chief of Tampa, Brian Dugan has gone on record blatantly lying about the ‘less than lethal’ force being used on peaceful protestor. We DEMAND that Mayor Jane Castor immediately fire Dugan for his failure to be honest with the community,” says the petition, which was created by community activist Jae Passmore.
“Mayor Jane Castor claims that she ‘stands with us’, that ‘she hears us’, and acknowledges that ‘we need to make changes as a city’, but how can we trust that these changes are going to actually be implemented in the Tampa Police Department when the person she allows to be in charge of it is a liar.”
Multiple people have commented on the petition, stating that TPD has used rubber bullets, and tear gas on peaceful protesters.
“I was tear gassed multiple times and witnessed others injured by rubber bullets at more than one peaceful protest in Tampa. Dugan cannot be trusted and he needs to go,” wrote a commenter. “He’s had time to do the right thing and it’s clear where his and allegiances are. We need a police chief who actually serves and protects and doesn’t permit senseless violence,” said another.
According to the Tampa Bay Times, Passmore was hit by a driver in a pickup truck at a demonstration in Hyde Park Village last Sunday. While a report was filed with TPD, a bystander who witnessed the attack told the paper she approached a Tampa Police officer with information regarding the truck, but was told they “wouldn’t be contacting demonstrators and would take it from there.”
The attack left Passmore with a concussion and injuries to a hip and leg.
Criticism towards Dugan has amplified over the past couple weeks, specifically after the Tampa police chief told a packed Citizen Review Board that “it was sad that George Floyd had to get murdered before anyone would come to these meetings.” Protesters also say he only briefly spoke at the meeting and thumbed through his phone while presenters confronted him.
This morning, Dugan went on Fox & Friends to argue that “cops can’t win,” and cited a recent, and completely unrelated incident, involving a cop getting a bottle thrown at him as evidence of unruly protesters.
Another protest calling for Castor to remove Dugan is planned for Saturday, June 27, at 4 p.m. at 702 S. Albany Ave.
Creative Loafing Tampa Bay has reached out the Mayor Castor’s office and will update this story if she gets back to us.
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This article appears in Jun 25 – Jul 1, 2020.
