Nearly two weeks ago, The Tampa Tribune's Kathy Steele reported on some West Tampa residents objecting to Occupy Tampa's presence there. The protest group had taken over Voice of Freedom Park late last year with the consent of its owner, Joe Redner.
Criticisms detailed in Steele's original article, that the park was an eyesore and a threat to public health and safety, were originally met with surprise by Occupy members. The group now says that, as guests in the community, they want to hear from local residents. To that end, the Occupy folks are inviting the locals to a barbeque in the park this Saturday evening.
On the Occupy Tampa website, there is an acknowledgement of and surprise about a petition being circulated by Mike Vannetta, the president of the Old West Tampa Neighborhood Association. Vannetta plans to present the petition to the City Council and ask for them to pressure the group to clean up the park.
Occupy Tampa's statement:
This article appears in Jul 5-11, 2012.