Mayors Bob Buckhorn and Bill Foster made an appearance Sunday night at the Erase the Hate Festival at Curtis Hixon Park in Tampa. The Mayors ceremoniously declared Tampa and St. Pete to be official "Hate Free Zones." Their speeches were preceded by several personal accounts from event organizers of the effect that hate crimes and bullying actually have in the real world and were followed by a rising performance by Brandi Carlile. Carlile cranked through songs off her 2012 release, Bear Creek while diehard (mostly women) fans politely pushed up to the stage to sing along. The feeling of love was palpable and the timing of the event was impeccable.
More photos after the jump…
This article appears in Nov 8-14, 2012.