It takes a keen, trained eye to be able to adequately critique art, which is why it was notable that former Tampa Police Chief Brian Dugan referred to downtown’s controversial “Back the Blue” mural as a “a first grader's art project.” The mural, which was painted on the street directly in front of TPD’s headquarters and is so illegible that it was nationally mocked as the ‘Bock The Blub’ mural, was created by a right wing Facebook group at the height of the George Floyd civil rights protests, and was the focal point of multiple protests and arrests. "If there was any poetic justice, the protesters that were hating on the police had no idea that we thought it was ugly, too,” said Dugan to CL last April. Unfortunately, Tampa’s worst mural is still there, but Dugan has a few suggestions for the city: "In my opinion, they need to either pressure wash it, paint over it, you know, set it on fire, anything to get rid of that eyesore." @chiefduganret on Twitter
People, Places and Politics
As Governor DeSantis cracked down on the ever-elusive CRT boogeyman in public schools, James Michael Shaw Jr. had a different idea: educate the public. But the local lawyer had to do it in a creative way. He made a promo video for a “forbidden” Critical Race Theory event, which would let people know what the words actually meant, rather than just stoking fear in the public, as DeSantis is known to do. @jamesshawjr on Twitter
Tampa Police headquarters is chock full of controversy. Last year, the department was caught in close to two scandals a month. This year, the controversies are adding up. Through a public records request, CL caught the department using geofencing, a spying tactic that has caused uproar around the country, because average citizens can often get caught in an unconstitutional digital dragnet. TPD didn’t offer comment for the story.
The Times editorial board knew that Judge Jared Smith had denied a 17-year-old abortion and that he was found to have abused his judicial discretion in making that decision. But the board still endorsed—or “recommended” in the paper’s eyes—the right-wing evangelist judge. As CL uncovered more disturbing behavior from Smith, the Times continued to stand by its man. But the endorsement didn’t work, and in a rare upset, Smith, an incumbent judge, lost to Nancy Jacobs. You gotta give it to the Times for sticking it out until the end. @tbtimes_opinion on Twitter
The Ybor Misfits started as an apartment living room project, but has grown into a local institution. So much so that the group has teamed up with the cigar-famous J.C. Newman Family to create a micro-sanctuary in Ybor, which can house several chickens in need. The Misfits also fought the city’s attempt to eradicate the chickens a few years back, which would have destroyed an important aspect of Tampa history. @theybormisfits on Instagram
