'We haven’t made a decision on that," Buckhorn told CL on Tuesday. "There certainly will be areas where people can congregate. We’re not going to turn over our garages for people to sleep in, as was suggested by some."
When asked if Al Lopez Park in West Tampa might be under consideration, the mayor simply said, "That's pretty far away from the convention."
But if the city were to be flexible about its ordinance banning sleeping in a city park, it's not likely to allow overnights in either of the two big city-owned facilities downtown, Lykes Gaslight and Curtis Hixon parks.
John Dingfelder with the Tampa office of the ACLU says, "If the City made Al Lopez Park or the Tampa Stadium parking lots available for camping for the week, it would work fine because both are on major bus routes that lead to downtown, and I am confident that HART could address the additional ridership."
As the convention draws nearer, the mayor has demonstrably dialed down some of his more colorful rhetoric when discussing the protests that will be a part of the RNC experience.
Even he admits that his tone at a Tiger Bay Club lunch in St. Petersburg was "over the top."
In that speech, Buckhorn said that Tampa would be host to "every wingnut and lunatic" around, and that there would be demonstrators "causing mayhem" in the Bay area. He said they would be "dangerous, violent… they are here to do damage, and we need to be prepared for that."
Now the mayor acknowledges he has to choose his words more carefully, but he still wants everyone to know what will happen to them if they break the law in Tampa.
"I don't want any ambiguity," he said. "Folks come to this town and think they’re going to be able to run amok and do what they want? They’re not. I’m a law-and-order guy and I’m not going to allow folks to destroy the downtown."
Dingfelder says the ACLU recognizes that law enforcement has a very tough job ahead — or rather two tough jobs, both equally important: ensuring the public’s safety and ensuring that the First Amendment has "healthy breathing room" during the convention.
He says, "Those who break the law may be dealt with through criminal statutes, but shutting down protest because of the actions of a few is constitutionally unacceptable. We are confident that Chief Castor and her senior command have the capability and motivation to protect both the public safety and our civil rights, and anticipate that law enforcement will act accordingly."
