Excerpt: "County Sheriff David Gee has ordered the Orient Road Jail, a 1,700 bed prison in Tampa, emptied, relocating some inmates to another nearby prison and releasing others on bond. The entire facility has been transformed into a one-stop booking, detention, and bond-issuance center capable of handling large numbers of arrests."

Sheriff David Gee has emptied Orient Road jail 'to handle any number of RNC-related arrests.' (photo: Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office)

Tampa Authorities Empty Jail in Anticipation of Mass Arrests at GOP Convention

By Adam Peck, ThinkProgress

23 August 12

housands of Republicans from around the country will descend upon Tampa, Florida next week for the Republican National Convention, and if recent history is any guide, so too will hundreds of protesters.

To prepare, Hillsborough County Sheriff David Gee has ordered the Orient Road Jail, a 1,700 bed prison in Tampa, emptied, relocating some inmates to another nearby prison and releasing others on bond. The entire facility has been transformed into a one-stop booking, detention, and bond-issuance center capable of handling large numbers of arrests, which begs the question: will Tampa police keep demonstrators on a short leash?

Sheriff Gee says no, but also indicated in a letter posted on a county website that his department would have very little tolerance for anything more than chanting and holding up signs:

To the agitators and anarchists who want only to bring a dark cloud to this event, let me be clear: criminal activity and civil disturbances will not be tolerated and enforcement actions will be swift.

Four years ago, police in Minneapolis, Minnesota were criticized for their treatment of protesters and reporters covering the RNC, and were even forced to settle in an excessive force lawsuit. And in 2004, police in New York City were found to have been surveilling dozens of protest groups for months leading up to the RNC, even embedding undercover officers within several larger groups.

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+32 # dkonstruction 2012-08-23 07:20

If we're lucky the approaching storm will turn into a hurricaine and blow the whole convention out to sea.

+27 # Saberoff 2012-08-23 07:44

Look at those assholes!

Where do these people come from?

How very brave Mr. Sheriff looks all gussied up in his riot gear.

+44 # Linda 2012-08-23 07:50

We know that the GOP is trying to steal yet another election with the help of Rove and now the Koch brothers. So why isn't our government doing anything to make sure our voter rights are not suppressed ? Those voting machines that were hacked in 2000 are still in place. Why ?
These Governors and Mayors are being allowed to put in place ridiculous voter ID laws that disenfranchise thousands of the poor and minority's who are potential Democratic voters in their states! Why ? Why hasn't our government stepped in and done something about all this ? What these Mayors and Governors are doing is Unconstitutiona l and they are getting away with it! Now they are emptying their jails so they can arrest all the protesters and make sure the only voices that are heard are theirs !
This is not Democracy!
If we don't do something about this we will never have a voice again !

+13 # dkonstruction 2012-08-23 08:14

Quoting Linda:

We know that the GOP is trying to steal yet another election with the help of Rove and now the Koch brothers. So why isn't our government doing anything to make sure our voter rights are not suppressed ? Those voting machines that were hacked in 2000 are still in place. Why ?
These Governors and Mayors are being allowed to put in place ridiculous voter ID laws that disenfranchise thousands of the poor and minority's who are potential Democratic voters in their states! Why ? Why hasn't our government stepped in and done something about all this ? What these Mayors and Governors are doing is Unconstitutional and they are getting away with it! Now they are emptying their jails so they can arrest all the protesters and make sure the only voices that are heard are theirs !
This is not Democracy!
If we don't do something about this we will never have a voice again !

Agreed Linda. The answer, i'm afraid, is a simple one...it has never been "our government" no matter which party has been in control. The real question is: how do we make it so? the answer here too may be a simple one: Social Movements...the answer may be simple but the reality of creating one that is successful has never been....it remains our challenge.

+3 # mickeynow 2012-08-23 08:13

Thank goodness, we are now ready for all those troublemakers who want to be a part of the national dialogue. Those law enforcement officials in the picture look like they are very serious about what they are going to do/must do in order to control citizens who want to express their constitutional rights of dissent/express ion. The mind set of Gee is evident when he mentions a dark cloud of trouble on the horizon. Please stay in your group space as you chant (Magical) and hold up your signs. We must keep a close watch on the police as they attempt to rein in troublemakers. They did a great job at the University of California Davis in November 2011. Keep up the good work, fellow citizens.

+12 # trevorlasvegas 2012-08-23 08:43

How festive! Excercise your riight to dissent and be arrested. That's what demokracy is all about. It seems to me, if you were that certain you were right you would have a thicker skin. I guess when you know deep down inside that you will stop at nothing to impose your fascist will on people it's difficult to be reminded of it. I think "The Onion" has the best pre-convention coverage. Let's hope all those Tampa-based commercial sex workers imvest in good video (and sound) equipment. It could pay off big down the road.

+2 # savagem13 2012-08-23 11:20

Hey now, I think you might be on to something!

+6 # Glen 2012-08-23 08:59

Wonder if their definition of criminal activity and civil disturbances is as outlined in the Patriot Act. You can bet if they had not already signed on to that document the city did so as soon as the GOP picked their city.

+7 # Third_stone 2012-08-23 09:12

What about the legions of whores who always follow republican events? There will be at least enough of them to fill the jail. I wonder who this sherif is talking about? He couldn't be meaning protesting citizens petitioning their government, could he? Agitators and anarchists? Do they have some in Florida? maybe that is who the picture is of. Those thugs in the picture look like they are ready to kick some American ass.

+4 # Glen 2012-08-23 12:21

Ha, Third_stone, I just saw a news report on the numbers of strippers asking for employment in the Tampa area. One girl says she was offered $1000 an hour to perform. She said she was willing to work a LOT of hours for that money.

What a joke the U.S. has become. Of course, we all know this happens elsewhere, in preparation for any world "leadership" conference. I am releasing here a great sigh.

+7 # dkonstruction 2012-08-23 12:48

Quoting Glen:

Ha, Third_stone, I just saw a news report on the numbers of strippers asking for employment in the Tampa area. One girl says she was offered $1000 an hour to perform. She said she was willing to work a LOT of hours for that money.

What a joke the U.S. has become. Of course, we all know this happens elsewhere, in preparation for any world "leadership" conference. I am releasing here a great sigh.

If you had to blow a republican delegate wouldn't you charge at least $1000 an hour...they are the job creators after all...the least they can do is pay a "living wage" for it

+1 # Glen 2012-08-23 14:13

Hahahahahahaha. Good job, dkonstruction. Wonder what that comes to in foreign currency.

+6 # panhead49 2012-08-23 12:54

In a just world we should just lock the doors to the arena - the criminals will be already 'booked' in. But we will be much more kind, after a couple of days of New Orleans Superdome style existence, we'll unlock the doors.

Yeah, almost enough to make me root for the hurricane. Alas, no matter how hard I try, I cannot manage to be as heartless (and braindead) as the R's. And I've tried!!!

+1 # JetpackAngel 2012-08-23 14:15

Now taking bets that the number of arrested non-Repugs with bottled water and homemade protest signs will greatly outnumber the Repugs arrested with automatic weapons, because who would be dumb enough to single out the gun-carriers in the middle of a sea of Republicans?

+6 # Doll 2012-08-23 15:32

Hmm, what if nobody shows up to protest? What will the Tampa cops do then? Arrest people who are trying to escape the hurricaine?

+3 # panhead49 2012-08-24 07:03

Quoting Doll:

Hmm, what if nobody shows up to protest? What will the Tampa cops do then? Arrest people who are trying to escape the hurricaine?

That wouldn't surprise me one lick - but what I hope folks do in lieu of protesting is getting all those folks in FL registered properly to vote. Why protest, we know they are the southern end of a northbound horse and they know it too. Be productive and bolster the voting base. Piss on the protesting, get to work!

+2 # reiverpacific 2012-08-23 16:32

They should start to fill up the beds thus created with the readily available jail-bait like Karl Rove, who should even now be doing time, and work through the list of Rethugs who are war-criminals (murderers), liars, finks, vote-robbers and fund re-channelers; and that's just for a start (I know, I know, the Dem's aren't exactly sine culpa either but their turn is later).
B.T.W., "Food not Bombs" is having their own national gathering in parallel with the back-to-the-Mid dle-ages-party in Tampa next week -they provide free vegan or vegetarian meals to protestors and others including street people and those in need, and are heavily targeted by police departments all over the country for FEEDING people but police and the military get citations and medals for KILLING.
This if nothing else, shows the values of the US death culture.

+2 # futhark 2012-08-25 06:58

Bye-bye Bill of Rights! Make way for the New World Order. It's going to be shoved up you anal orifice with a policeman's nightstick.

Let's see if the Democrats can do any better at their convention. I suspect they also will have a very high priority on "order" and "security" at the expense of free expression.

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