Who is responsible for tent slashing?

[Tom]

The Times published a story today about a hard working police officer who earned several big promotions. Buried in that story is brief mention of the infamous tent slashing incident that was captured on a video, made local headlines and went around the world. It's been viewed over 243,000 times.

As a consequence of this action St. Pete police officers took the blame for a terrible decision by city hall.

Who really made this decision? Which high ranking official? Mayor Rick Baker, who is not mentioned today?

Today the Times says:

One Friday afternoon in January 2007, a handful of high-ranking St. Petersburg officials gathered to figure out a solution to makeshift tent cities.

Authorities said they were concerned about fire hazards at the camps. Police agreed to take them down, but they didn't want to arrest anyone or create a confrontation.

During the meeting, Bevan suggested just cutting the tents of those who resisted — and that's just what officers did a few days later.

It took less than 10 minutes for police to slash eight tents and seize 20.

Were campers really warned before police started destroying the tents? How could they be said to "resist" if they weren't told to give up their tents before suddenly seeing knives and box cutters cutting them up?

Six years ago the Times published a denial by Rick Baker. Local media repeated this story without any following up. He never accepted responsibility.

"ST. PETERSBURG - Mayor Rick Baker says he had no idea that top city officials, including the police chief and one of his deputy mayors, planned a raid on homeless camps Friday in which police slashed tents being used for shelter."

Baker was quoted as saying:

"I did not know that the operation had occurred until it occurred...I did not know the specifics to the solution"

They did publish letters like this expressing disbelief:

Admit the mistake

Mayor: Tent raid was not my plan Jan. 23, story

I read with disbelief that Mayor Rick Baker didn't know that the police were ordered to cut and slash the tents of the homeless while the homeless were in the tents.

This story made national news before the slashing, and our mayor asks us to believe he was uninvolved? I seriously doubt it. In my opinion he's just attempting to separate himself from criticism (as all politicians without backbones do).

The mayor should have the courage to admit his mistake, and take swift corrective action, or he will be remembered primarily as "Box Cutter Baker."

The video "St. Petersburg Police cutting up homeless tents": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrPdZmPB36U

Today's story:
http://www.tampabay.com/news/publics...istant/1268297

The 2007 story.
http://www.sptimes.com/2007/01/23/So...aid_was_.shtml

Letters published in 2007: Who's running things in St. Petersburg?
http://www.sptimes.com/2007/01/26/Opini ... ngs_.shtml

The real story was Lt Fineburg led the Fire Dept side....

Asst Chief Luke Williams was the staff member who gave to go ahead with thge plan to seize the tents...cutting them if necessary...

Then Major Bevan fell on the sword and took the blame because Luke was to be the next Chief and didn't want his reputation tarnished....

Ohhhh how things come full circle....

They had weeks of advanced notice. The tents were going up all over downtown. The ordinace and issues were fully explained to them and all of the "homeless advocates" dozens of times. Just several nights prior to this about 10 tents were removed from 9 Street, without a problem... until the homeless advocates showed up (who I might point out are not homeless themselves) and started trying to encourage the tent occupants not to leave and to put the tents back up. It was only when the advocates were threatened with being arrested themselves that they stopped. The people in the tents didn't want any problems, they just wanted to be left alone and if that meant taking down the tent and moving on, they were willing to do so.

Fast forward several days and you have dozens of tents, homeless people with video cameras and cell phones (before Obama phones), and about 100 on lookers. When the tents started coming down it was the advocates encouraging the homeless not to cooperate. Why do suppose they would do that? If they would have just removed the tents from the public right of way, just like they did a few nights before, the problem would have been finished. My guess is that some group somewhere made some money out of this whole deal.

[Tom]

I don't think it's fair to continue to blame officers or the police department for a decision made at city hall. This incident generated lots of anger aimed at cops. Most people didn't look at all the factors you point to, just a short video or local news coverage.

To add some context, 2 homeless people had been murdered just before this. They had few possessions and needed to leave them somewhere while they went to day labor jobs. They felt safer gathering in groups. That January was cold and rainy, so they preferred to sleep under tents. They had been moved from their first camp behind the fence and were not happy about that.

The video shows the officers showing courtesy and the people moving when told to.

After this incident homeless were encouraged to camp out at city hall.

There were many consequences of someone's poorly thought out decision.

This was all bs caused by the good Rev B ruce Wright and that other jacka$$ who I can't remember his name. They made this a media specticle so the good ole gov would start giving rent vouchers. Then what do ya know...the good ole Rev happened to hav a flop house where he graciously accepted those vouchers to pack homeless people in like sardines.

The "advocates" were the cause of the whole thing to do nothing more then benefit themselves.

Funny how since the no panhandling ordinance was passed there are much fewer people on the street and the god ole Rev, et al, have disappeared.

It's funny how quickly the administration blames officers when the media portrays police actions negatively. Another time is when Chief Chucky took no responsibility when the media asked why there were "SWAT Teams" raiding all the local psuedo-strip clubs in the downtown area. After all, it was HIS direct order to perform this police activity.

Deuces Sucka!

It's funny how quickly the administration blames officers when the media portrays police actions negatively. Another time is when Chief Chucky took no responsibility when the media asked why there were "SWAT Teams" raiding all the local psuedo-strip clubs in the downtown area. After all, it was HIS direct order to perform this police activity.

Deuces Sucka!

Would that be the same Chief Chunky who as an officer was watching the bag of "$50,000" sitting on the trunk of the cruiser when an innocent youth rode by and snatched it?

The real story was Lt Fineburg led the Fire Dept side....

Asst Chief Luke Williams was the staff member who gave to go ahead with thge plan to seize the tents...cutting them if necessary...

Then Major Bevan fell on the sword and took the blame because Luke was to be the next Chief and didn't want his reputation tarnished....

Ohhhh how things come full circle....

LOL didnt BEVAN use a chain saw :snicker:

The real story was Lt Fineburg led the Fire Dept side....

Asst Chief Luke Williams was the staff member who gave to go ahead with thge plan to seize the tents...cutting them if necessary...

Then Major Bevan fell on the sword and took the blame because Luke was to be the next Chief and didn't want his reputation tarnished....

Ohhhh how things come full circle....

LOL didnt BEVAN use a chain saw :snicker:

She held the briefing and then led the attack screaming and slashing screaming and slashing slashing and slashing it reminded me of Glen Close in fatal attraction and I think she boiled a homeless kitten in a pot. One of the lowest here and there have been many

Convert the midtown Sweetbay to Safe Harbor II to house street people, problem solved.