Teabaggers Riot in Tampa

[chequita guevara]

From Talking Points Memo

Fist Fight(s?) at Tampa Townhall
08.06.09 -- 8:05PM
By Josh Marshall

The early reports are sketchy. But apparently a mob of teabaggers began to riot after some were not able to get into a townhall meeting in Tampa.

"As the building filled to capacity, angry protesters stuck outside began to scream, yell, and chant," reports local TV channel 10 in Tampa. "At one point, those trying to get inside began banging on windows as Tampa Police officers quickly spread out guarding all entrances."

A reporter currently inside the venue says at least one fist fight has already broken out.
Late Update: The event was hosted by Rep. Kathy Castor (D-FL).

Later Update: We're getting overlapping reports. The Tampa Tribune reports to instances of "shoving and scuffles." It seems like at least one incident occurred in cases where teabaggers trying to force their way through the doors after event organizers manning the door were no longer letting more people in. Reports also suggest the teabag crowd was organized through Glenn Beck's "9-12 Project."

Still Later Update: Here's a page from the Tampa912 group's Meetup page. Discussions leading up to the event. Some whacked statements, all pretty far right, but mostly pretty garden variety, people getting charged up to hit the event and give their member of Congress an earful. Poke around. See what you find.


And an eyewitness account:

TPM Reader JG reports in from the event ...

I was at the riot/townhall tonight since it was about half a mile from my house and I'm always down for a freak show. I also attended the April 15th tea bag party down the street. This was the same audience, very old and very white (half the minorities I saw were in the media, literally). They did indeed close the doors--I stayed outside because I wasn't about to be trapped in with the nutters for three hours. They started to chant "move it outside" and were infuriated about being somehow left out. I heard some people make the comparison that if they can't run a meeting how can they run healthcare? (Is this the next meme?) It never ceases to amaze me seeing medicare recipients holding up signs saying "Just say no to government run healthcare" and there was plenty of that.

I left before I saw any actual violence, but certainly believe it. The few pro-healthcare people who were there received an impressive amount of boos and name calling. "Get a job, buy your own insurance!"
Lots of recording devices out by nearly everyone. Uninformed people with cameras stoking hate amongst each other. These things are designed to get footage to get more people mad to get more footage.

[DaShi]

Obama should just get really pissed and take health care off the table: "No health care for you!"

[Jon Miller]

How much would removing medicare help our deficit?

JM

[Ben Kenobi]

Wow, two threads on this?

[chequita guevara]

I'd rather have both health care and a deficit than not have both.

[KrazyHorse]

How much would removing medicare help our deficit?

JM

Not too much right now. A lot 20 years from now.

[Japher]

Democrat counter protesters are the rioters... rumor rumor

[Ben Kenobi]

Would make sense to me. Let's see if these 'teabaggers' are the usual rent-a-mob.

[chequita guevara]

http://www.wtsp.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=111086&catid=8

Healthcare reform sparks meeting mayhem
Posted By: Beau Zimmer 5 hrs ago

Tampa, Florida-- Fireworks were expected, but organizers of a town hall meeting on health care reform were caught off guard Thursday night by just how explosive the issue became.

Hundreds showed up for the 6:00 forum held at the Children's Board of Hillsborough County on Palm Avenue in Tampa. The auditorium which holds around 250 people, filled up so quickly eventually Tampa Police were ordered to begin turning people away.

Inside, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor of Tampa and State Rep. Betty Reed barely made it through opening remarks before angry protestors began shouting and interrupting their remarks.

Moments later, violence broke out just outside the main auditorium doors, prompting police to close off the meeting room. A freelance photojournalist was among those roughed up suffering damage to both his glasses and camera equipment.

"That's the most violent anyone has been towards me," said Mark Bishop, who drove from Orlando to video tape the event. "It was surprising to say the least."

At least one person was treated for minor injuries following the altercation and could be seen on video with a shirt partially torn off his body.

Outside, both those for and against President Obama's health care reform ideas chanted and yelled, at times banging on the outside of the auditorium windows. Some argued face to face in the parking lot, shouting and screaming at each other as police officers looked on.

"We walk a fine line between freedom of speech and public safety," said one of the commanding Tampa Police officers on scene who indicated no arrests were made.

Not long into the meeting, Rep. Castor was escorted out of the building after being encouraged by an event organizer to leave. It appeared the congresswoman gave up on trying to get her points across after the crowd inside grew unruly.

Those on all sides of the issue say people were so passionate and outspoken about healthcare reform, it was hard for any one person to speak.

"They think they're exercising their right to free speech, but they're only exercising their right to disrupt civil discourse," said George Guthrie, who drove from Largo to attend Thursday night's meeting.

Andrew Reder, a recent college graduate against Obama's ideas for health care reform, was among those yelling during the meeting.

"There were clearly people who were very, very upset," said Reder, who feels some people were shut out of the meeting. "People are concerned about the direction of the county right now."

But Reder, who eventually made his way inside, admits very little was accomplished in discussing the actual issue.

"Somewhere in all the screaming, no one got heard."

Tampa Police eventually began ordering anyone not inside the meeting, to leave the Children's Board property. Journalists covering the protests outside were among those told they could not stay.

Event organizers say they grossly underestimated the turnout, but plan on rescheduling the event for a bigger venue in the future, in hopes of a more civil discussion where everyone can have their opinion heard.

[DinoDoc]

According to this video, it seems to have been a result of piss poor planning on the part of the organisers of the town hall:

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Racist douchebags attack and wound black man at townhall meeting

Kenneth Gladney, 38, a conservative activist from St. Louis, said he was attacked by some of those arrested as he handed out yellow flags with "Don't tread on me" printed on them. He spoke to the Post-Dispatch from the emergency room at St. John's Mercy Medical Center, where he said he was awaiting treatment for injuries to his knee, back, elbow, shoulder and face. Gladney, who is black, said one of his attackers, also a black man, used a racial slur against him before the attack.

"It just seems there's no freedom of speech without being attacked," he said.

Members of the local Tea Party Coalition, a movement that has emerged to counter Obama's policies, had urged their members to attend Carnahan's forum, which in turn spurred Democrats to establish a strong presence.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/laworder/story/0470FEB3219207458625760B001142AC?OpenDocument

[chequita guevara]

[chequita guevara]

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/aug/06/061949/protests-passions-roiling-town-hall-meeting-health/news-breaking/

Castor: Upcoming town hall meeting will be by phone

Published: August 6, 2009

Updated: 2 min. ago

TAMPA - As the national debate over health care reform becomes incandescent, members of Congress may be backing off from holding town hall discussions on the issue after several, including one in Tampa on Thursday, have dissolved into mayhem.

U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor of Tampa plans a telephone town hall meeting Aug. 13 on the issue, and several other Florida Congress members will do the same.

The conservative political group FreedomWorks, which has urged its members to attend the town hall meetings, has a national list of upcoming events on its Web site, but none are in Florida.

Castor, like some other members of Congress, said she planned a telephone event instead of a meeting because she can reach more people that way.

Reps. Adam Putnam of Bartow, Debbie Wasserman-Schultz of Weston and Ron Klein of Boca Raton all plan to hold telephone town halls on the issue, according to their staff.

According to news reports, of the eight House members representing Central Florida, only Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Orlando, is still planning a meeting on the issue, and he hasn't announced the date. Neither of Florida's senators plans a meeting.

Thursday's meeting, at the Children's Board of Hillsborough County in Ybor City, closed its doors under orders from the fire marshal, the board said today in a news release.

The meeting, organized by Democratic state Rep. Betty Reed, dissolved into shouting, shoving and fighting outside and inside as Castor's comments were drowned out by the crowd.

"Unfortunately, a series of unforeseen events led to a larger-than-expected crowd which became animated to the point where the safety of others in attendance became an issue," said a news release from the Children's Board. "The meeting space was at full capacity, and the fire marshal deemed that no one else – citizens or members of the media – would be allowed to enter the facility."

The gathering brought home to Tampa the phenomenon of angry opponents of President Barack Obama's health care proposal disrupting town hall meetings held by members of Congress during the August recess.

Castor tried to speak for nearly 15 minutes but the crowd drowned her out, chanting, "You work for us,'' "Tyranny, tyranny,'' and "Read the bill." She left the meeting early, further angering some attendees.

"Obviously, we're upset about last night's series of events," Luanne Panacek, the Children's Board chief executive officer, said in the news release. "At the same time though, it's great to know that so many people care so strongly about an issue and that the Children's Board can provide a forum for citizens to voice their concerns."

The problems began when a crowd of around 500, many of them recruited to attend by interest groups both for and against the proposal, sought to enter the meeting room. The room, in the board's offices on East Palm Avenue, has a capacity of only about 250.Several hundred people, mostly opponents, wound up outside or packing a hallway leading into the meeting room. Some scuffled with members of the sponsoring groups who manned the doorway.

Tampa police spokeswoman Andrea Davis said the department was told a couple hundred people would show up and sent a squad of 10 to 15 officers, two marked cars, two supervisors and some undercover officers.

As the crowd grew, more were brought in – mainly for traffic control, she said, but they also broke up some scuffles. She said no arrests were made.

One man who said he was injured and intended to file a police complaint, Randy Arthur of Oldsmar, was outside the meeting room with his wife, Kathy Arthur, when organizers tried to close the doors.

She said he was slammed against a wall. He later talked to police officers, his knit shirt ripped and a few scratches visible on his chest.

Among the crowd outside, opponents and a smaller number of proponents got into occasional shouting matches.

After trying to speak, Castor left at about 6:40 p.m., taking jeers as she left.

"They're hiding from their constituents. She works for us and needs to listen,'' said Karen Jaroch, a Tampa homemaker and organizer for the 9-12 Project, set up by TV commentator Glenn Beck, which had recruited its members to attend.

Castor spokeswoman Ellen Gedalius said Castor left because her part of the event was finished.

"We said all along our role was to come and give an update on the bill in Congress,'' Gedalius said, noting that Reed, not Castor, organized and sponsored the meeting. "That's what Betty Reed asked us to do … and that's what we did.''

But Reed said afterward that she encouraged Castor to leave because, "She couldn't get a word through."

Gedalius noted that Castor will have a town hall meeting by telephone on Aug. 13 and that her office has been receiving hundreds of comments on the health care issue.

The meeting was organized by Reed plus the Service Employees International Union, other unions and Organizing for America, a liberal group that grew out of the Obama presidential campaign.

Some opponents accused the organizers of trying to stack the crowd by allowing early admission to those on their side. Reed denied that, saying those admitted early were organizers setting up the room.

In any case, opponents appeared to outnumber proponents both inside and outside.

After doors to the meeting room closed, some of those outside crowded around the windows of the meeting room, where they held up signs and chanted.

In the last week or so, similar disruptive protests have erupted at town hall meetings in several states.

Democrats, including White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, have said the disruptions were organized attacks aimed at Democrats by conservative, anti-health care reform interest groups. Several protestors at Thursday's meeting in Tampa angrily rejected that contention.

Castor's staff said Reed planned the meeting and invited Castor before the controversy became so heated.

Reed said she set up the meeting because, "I represent a number of people who ask questions about what's going on with health care, so I thought it would be good to put on a meeting and have the congresswoman come in and give an update."

Reed said she was shocked by the number of people who turned out and some of their reactions.

"When you get to the point of possible violence, you've gone over the edge," she said.

In a news conference prior to the town hall, Castor had said, "I do expect some rabble-rousing."

She said the protesters who have been appearing at town hall forums on health care "would have been protesting Medicare. … They would never have accepted Social Security."

[DinoDoc]

Why are you showing a pic of some guy showing off his moobs?

[chequita guevara]

Why are you showing a pic of some guy showing off his moobs?

Better?