After ‘teen takeover’ at Curtis Hixon Park, how is Tampa Bay responding?

On Friday night, dozens of teens descended on Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park in downtown Tampa. They stood in a makeshift mosh pit, filming and brawling as police cruisers closed in. Then they scattered, according to body camera footage.Tampa police arrested 22 people, mostly boys younger than 18, on charges including affray, drug possession and resisting law enforcement. Thirteen were 15 or younger.One 20-year-old was arrested on a charge of possessing a firearm during the commission of a felony. Police seized at least two guns and a vehicle.Police say the gathering was part of a nationwide trend known as “teen takeovers,” where young people circulate plans on social media to gather en masse in public spaces. As city officials ponder how to curb future takeovers, some residents have expressed concern about how a lack of parental supervision plays a role. Others wonder if the city provides enough youth programming to prevent teenagers from wanting to organize in the first place.A cornerstone of being a teen in America is having places to connect with peers, said Dr. Kristin Edwards, founder of Tampa Pediatric Psychology.But when large groups gather, it’s easy for things to get out of hand, she said.“From their perspective, they probably think it’s something fun to do,” she said. “We know teenagers are naturally risk-taking and have always been rebellious. Poor impulse control is easily reinforced by each other.”From an adolescent development standpoint, she said, what transpired Friday seems to be “normal teen behavior.” Friday’s takeover wasn’t the first — or the largest.On March 19, Hillsborough deputies arrested 11 people after a crowd of about 100 teens amassed at Astro Skate in Brandon, according to WTSP-Ch. 10. Two days later, even more teens overwhelmed a Brandon trampoline park and its parking lot, leading to eight trespassing arrests. And in late April, two deputies were hurt when more than 1,000 teenagers swarmed Orlando’s popular Icon Park . Some cities, like Washington, D.C., and Charlotte, North Carolina, have imposed curfews. Other cities like Detroit have tried to bolster youth programming.Maress Scott, founder of a St. Petersburg organization dedicated to preventing youth violence, said socioeconomic status plays a role.Many youth programs cost money and can be inaccessible to kids who need them most, Scott said. He said there’s a lack of available jobs to occupy teens’ time and teach helpful life skills.“It’s easy for a young person who is looking for identity to follow the pack,” he said. And social media fuels the fire.“Social media has given them a false sense of anonymity,” he said. “It’s a natural thing to do to want to be included in a group.”Tampa police are aware of at least two more planned takeovers in city spaces this weekend, a spokesperson said. But on Friday, police are hosting a takeover of their own. Police and city officials are inviting teens to the Jackson Heights NFL YET Center, at 3310 E. Lake Ave., at 8 p.m. for a night of free food, activities and raffle prizes. They’re calling it a “Takeover with a Purpose.”“We want young people to know that the Tampa Police Department and our community partners are invested in them and their future,” Chief Lee Bercaw said in a statement. “This is an opportunity to create positive spaces and outlets for our teens.” The announcement was paired with a video that includes commentary from local officials and community leaders, including WWE star Titus O’Neill. “We encourage families to have a plan this summer and execute it to keep our families safe,” O’Neill said in the video.Tampa City Council member Naya Young encouraged families to participate in the city’s Stay and Play summer program at city recreation centers . Certain centers will be open from 6:30 to 11 p.m. during summer months and offer free field trips, cooking classes, pool parties and other activities.At a meeting of Tampa’s Community Redevelopment Agency on Thursday, Angerloe Bellamy stood next to her 15-year-old son, who was arrested during Friday’s takeover. He shouldn’t be roped in with the other teens, she said, because her two sons were hanging out on the Riverwalk separately from the takeover.“A kid came to him and he had to defend himself,” she said. “His mistake was running from police officers because there was a lot going on and he’s never been in that type of situation.”Her son, Armani Polite, called the Riverwalk a “safe space.”“I take full responsibility for everything that happened that night, but I just wanted to say and I do want everyone to know that I was attacked and I don’t think the Riverwalk would be a place where we would go and have to watch our backs for fights,” he said.Fran Tate, president of the Jackson Heights Neighborhood Association, agreed that the takeover spiraled out of control. She encouraged people to attend the alternative event on Friday.“We work very hard with Chief Bercaw and all of the officers, and we want to see our children progress,” she said. “We don’t want to see them arrested ... and we want everyone to give them a break and give them a chance.”Valerie Bullock, who lives in East Tampa, said Tampa police should have been at Curtis Hixon Park sooner if they knew about the event beforehand.“The problem isn’t the children hanging out. TPD dropped the ball on this one,” she said. “If they knew this was going to happen, they should have been more prepared for it. I think the root problem is they need more programs and they need more jobs.”Brian Dugan, a former police chief for the city of Tampa, said it’s going to take more than alternative programming to end the gatherings.“Parents have a responsibility to know what their kids are doing and where they’re at,” he said. He applauded the department for planning the event but said it remains to be seen if it will be effective.“I think we put too much on the police,” he said. “It’s not the police that should be giving kids something to do at night.”Chris Beardslee, a Tampa defense attorney who works with many juvenile clients, said he doesn’t think teens show up to the gatherings with the intent of committing crimes.It just takes one bad actor to escalate a situation, he said.The kids he counsels don’t get much stimulation outside of home and school, he said. They spend a majority of their time consuming social media on their phones.“I just don’t know how much parents can understand the control social media has over these kids; it’s everything to them,” he said. “This is their way of fighting back without a real plan. When you put that many kids in a group together, something wild can happen.” Times staff writer Nina Moske contributed to this report.

After ‘teen takeover’ at Curtis Hixon Park, how is Tampa Bay responding?

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After ‘teen takeover’ at Curtis Hixon Park, how is Tampa Bay responding?

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