Forum Post: RNC
Posted 12 years ago on Aug. 30, 2012, 10:48 a.m. EST by hchc
(3297)
from Tampa, FL
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
Well, we have learned that turning the entire downtown area into a martial law status will decrease crime (shocking, right?).
We have also learned that the threat of a hurricane is enough to keep protesters from all over from coming. MOst of the Occupy Tampa was alive and well, including many I haven't seen in a while, which was very nice.
The businesses downtown have been crushed this week, no sales. No one from Tampa wants to come down. As an owner of Quiznos said, "No one is coming through armed security checkpoints for a sandwich."... The city pushed visions of huge sales, many shops/restuarants over staffed. Big mistake.
The alternative stage for guest speakers was located at a dead end, under the bridges, towards the industrial port. Horrendous location. Totally unacceptable.
Talking with some guys from the Young Turks, they said that they hoped to see SOMETHING decent going on inside. Nothing. There is no doubt in most minds now that these conventiosn, the DNC and the RNC, are nothing but big commericials to be run. Thats it.
Rocky Anderson was appauled at the police presence, and was really hoping that the lack of protesters was due to the hurricane and not the public simply rolling over (there were 700 arrests in 08, there were about 500 TOTAL protesters here).
The Roving Radical Dance Party on MOnday night was a blast, until the police started treating it like it was cattle hearding.
Just about every march has had a ratio of 1:1 cops trailing it, many times more. Saw a Ron Paul march yesterday that had about 40 marchers and 100 cops in trail.
All in all, not a very exciting event at all. We had better marches/rallies last fall with just Occupy Tampa doing it. I'm guessing its a combo of police presence and the hurricane warning (the weather here was fine).
I really hope I am right and this is not the true current state of the union.
We are pretty much trying to convice ourselves that the poor turnout is due to the threat of hurricanes sensationalized (some of you here certainly didnt help with that) than it is even more apathy setting in our nation.
We had been waiting for this for almost a year. And literally almost no one showed up. Very discouraging.