Last week there was another tragedy in Ybor City. I’m not talking about the unfortunate stabbing that took place in a nightclub. In addition to that horrible event, there was an assasination attempt on they district itself. On Friday night, I saw all the local news trucks with their antennae extended, reminding me of vultures circling a wounded animal. All of them were there, numbers 8, 9, 10, 13, 28, and even 38 (they have news?).
I’m not the only one that noticed. In Sunday’s Trib, they interviews a handful of Ybor visitors, and 23 year old Courtney Perry hit the nail on the head: Ybor Still Hops
“You never know when bad stuff’s gonna happen, you know, so why is this any different?” says Courtney Perry, 23, who is visiting with her friend. She has been to Ybor before. “It happens every day, and it could happen anywhere: the mall, school, wherever.”
Besides, she says, “Jacksonville’s just as bad, it’s just that here they make such a big deal about it.”
“They” is the media.
“You guys,” Courtney says. A few minutes before she posed for her picture, a TV news crew gave 11 o’clock viewers the latest on the stabbing from a vacant lot near The Masquerade.
Included in those voicing and showing support for Ybor was long time businessman Rick White of Ybor Eye (also known as Forever in a Picture) fame. And Otis, my man from Old School.
