Credit: Photo via

Credit: Photo via
Three people in support of the protests in Cuba were arrested during a demonstration in Tampa yesterday, the Tampa Police Department says.

Yesterday afternoon, more than a hundred protesters gathered at Al Lopez Park in West Tampa, where the crowd chanted and waved signs from the sidewalk. They demanded the people of Cuba have access to better economic conditions and supplies needed to live prosperous lives on the island.

Eventually, another group of protesters moved to the intersection of the Northbound Lane of Dale Mabry Blvd. and Columbus Avenue and blocked the roadway.

Soon after, the group in front of Al Lopez Park also began to block the road. They then marched south on Himes Avenue to join the other group blocking the road. After about an hour, the police gave them a dispersal order. Some protesters left, while others sat on the ground or refused to move. 

Other protesters headed toward the exit ramp for I-275 on Dale Mabry. It was on the ramp that police said they arrested three protesters as they tried to turn them away from the interstate. Maikel Vasquez-Pico and Julian Rodriguez-Rodriguez were charged with Battery on a Law Enforcement Officer and resisting without violence. Evelio Ramirez-Carrasco was arrested for resisting without violence.

The protest in Tampa is part of demonstrations that occurred in cities across Florida this week, with hundreds of protesters taking to the streets.

The United States currently imposes the most comprehensive and longest-running economic sanctions against Cuba in modern history, which has helped cripple the economy of the island. The U.N. General Assembly has repeatedly condemned the U.S. embargo as contrary to the Charter of the United Nations and international law.

The recent protesters blame the Communist government for the economic issues and shortages the people face, while others blame the economic sanctions imposed by the U.S.

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This article appears in Jul 8-14, 2021.

Justin Garcia has written for The Nation, Investigative Reporters & Editors Journal, the USA Today Network and various other news outlets. When he's not writing, Justin likes to make music, read, play...