TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Tampa tea parties protest stimulus packages

Tribune photo by KEITH MORELLI

Organizers expected about 500 people at the noon rally and as many as 2,000 at the late afternoon event.

ADVERTISEMENT

By KEITH MORELLI | The Tampa Tribune

Published: April 15, 2009

Updated: 04/15/2009 02:02 pm

TAMPA - A modern-day tea party protest overtook downtown Tampa today. No one spilled crates of Earl Grey into the already tea-colored bay, but there were a lot of American flags wrapped around shoulders and a few "Don't Tread On Me" flags flying in the breeze.

The rally bemoaned the recent federal stimulus packages that bailed out bankers, investors and big money industrialists.

Well over 500 people showed up at the noon rally, one of two set for today. Many carried homemade signs and waved flags. Chants of "Throw the rascals out," "No more bailouts" and "Stop printing money" filled the air amid group renditions of "The Star Spangled Banner" and "God Bless America."

Marlene Etzler of Tampa showed up wearing an Uncle Sam hat and toted a pair of signs and a "Don't Tread On Me" flag.

"I wanted to come here to speak out," she said, "to have my voice heard. We're here for a number of reasons. Hopefully, we will be heard. Hopefully, things will change."

The tea party idea came from the FreedomWorks Foundation, a conservative organization founded in 1984 and headquartered in Washington. The protests began in January when President Obama began his tour to sell the stimulus package, spokesman Adam Brandon said.

"We know of about 600 around the country today, and that's low-balling it," he said.

Attendance has varied widely.

"We've seen it from five to 50 to 500," Brandon said. "One in Atlanta recently had 5,000."

The protests now are organized on the local level.

Tom Gaitens is Florida coordinator for FreedomWorks and stages protests around the state. Last month, about 5,000 people attended one in Orlando, he said.

"The reality is that everyday citizens are so frustrated with Washington and Tallahassee," he said. "We are taxing our children _ who aren't even old enough to vote _ for rest of their lives."

Gaitens said he expected about 500 at the noon rally and as many as 2,000 at the 5 p.m. scheduled event. Tax deadline day played a part in the planning.

"Tax day elevates people's angst," he said.

The tea parties were under at the trees of Lykes Gaslight Square, and the bulk of the crowd was there at noontime. As the lunch hour wound down, the number of protesters shrank. Speakers ranged from radio talk show hosts to a constitutional law lawyer.

The protests draw from the famous Boston Tea Party in 1773, when colonists protested taxes on tea by boarding ships in Boston Harbor and dumping crates of tea into the water.

Reporter Keith Morelli can be reached at (813) 259-7760. Keyword: Tea Party, for information on the tea parties.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT