hate or hype
The city of St. Petersburg has been trying to shed the image of being “God’s Waiting Room.” Looks like they may be on the way to a new reputation as ground zero of hate crimes in Florida, so sayeth a report by Attorney General / Gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist.
The report covers 2004 and St. Pete police chief Chuck Harmon isn’t too thrilled about being number 1. He points to a May 12th, 2004 riot that accounted for 29 of the 49 reported hate crimes that year. The number of total hate crimes fell to 13 thus far in 2005.
Yet Crist’s report and Harmon’s decree that the report is an “aberration” seems to bring another mixed reaction to social and racial tensions in St. Petersburg. While downtown explodes with high-rise developments and outlandishly high priced homes, just blocks away Midtown continues to struggle with poverty and economic decay. Violent incidents between cops and citizens are nothing new there, and some residents resent investments in urban renewal, with suggestions of exploitation to coincide racial resentment.
Tags: city, crime, diversity, ranks, tampa
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December 29th, 2005 at 4:49 pm
This whole region is ground zero for racism. One of the more offensive things I hear regularly is when people quote black people, even conversationally, and without even realizing it adopt a slangy, slow, dropped-consonants voice full of bad grammar.
I have to wonder if these same people quote their own race verbatim, or if they’re just being d*cks. Oh no, wait, I don’t wonder about that at all.
Along the same lines, I notice that at night people who are MY FRIENDS (and you know who you are, because I will continue to call you out on it forever) get nervous when they see black people walking down the street. Why is that scary? WHY?
Hello, I’m Rachel* and I live in Jim Crowville.
December 29th, 2005 at 5:31 pm
Take a look at the message board at http://www.leoaffairs.com. Click on message boards and then scroll down to the St. Pete Police Department Board. Go ahead and read through the invective that permeates that board. Sure, the comments are anonymous, so it could be just a handful of SPPD officers making a lot of the same devastatingly racists comments. But from all of the varied perspectives, if not varied writing styles, it appears that there are A LOT of SPPD officers writing some of the worst shit you’ll see on a message board. Scary enough that if I were black, I’d be hate criming all day too.
December 29th, 2005 at 6:36 pm
I remember driving down McIntosh rd with my grandfather as a kid. He pointed off to a big old oak and told me when he was a boy and men had hung a black man there that had been blamed for dynamiting a house in Plant City. History of Tampa is replete with examples of racism, founded as it was before the time of air conditioning the only people that would immigrate here were the poorest whites of the south. They brought with them certain attitudes that remain in much diluted forms. I checked that LEO board, sounds like a bunch of cops or cop wannabes alright. Some racist, some not. Some bitter, some not. It is worth noting that all departments recruit minorites heavily and the best and most effective way to reform a department is to join one.
December 30th, 2005 at 12:19 am
St. Pete is a mess. It’s been a mess for years. It will continue to be a mess until they elect resposible leaders who will clean up the city. It’s good for the town that there is investment in the area, but they need to bring in new business and get rid of the criminals.
-Mike, http://www.pusatera.net
December 30th, 2005 at 8:55 am
We moved to Pinellas Co. 9 years ago via Miami and other parts of Florida. I’m a Florida native, born and raised in Miami, and I don’t think i’ve ever seen so much racism as I do here. It’s just plain sad.
January 5th, 2006 at 8:59 am
[...] Interesting that right after a post here on Sticks where Peter comments about leoaffairs.com, the Times reports that Sheriff Gee has taken notice of the postings as well. This was first reported by tommy in September. “…Gee also won a partial victory in court, getting a judge’s okay to subpoena the local law enforcement chat board site LeoAffairs.com, where Gee says some of his deputies are violating department policy by anonymously posting racist and sexist comments. “ [...]
September 21st, 2006 at 9:04 am
Dear Sticks of Fire Readers
Once again I find myself amazed by the tenacity of this web site and its group. Thank you for highlighting an exsisting issue. I am an American, Army Vet, Hispanic, Female, Daughter of a Refugee, Native Floridian that went to school on scholarship (I consider them 1 for white women, 1 for hispanic, 2 for blacks and academic ones as well). I am a collaborator. Someone that does not see color when working with Hillsoborough County but I do see racism or discrimination. Lets show them how its done. A true American Representative = (J)Yamel Christina Arronte in Nov as your new County Commissioner. Teach the children well and they will grow…beyond the shadow of hate. I did. I learned very early on that we are all one race; the human race. You are all on my mind and I will respect men and women alike, young and old and our environment. You know who I am (grew up here in Town n’ Country), you know where I live (Carrollwood), you know where I teach (progress village, drew park, and odessa). Call me 813-385-1220 I am here.