Tampa Town Hall Erupts

Another town hall meeting—this time in Tampa, Florida-area town of Ybor City—was overshadowed by right-wing protests Thursday, and this time, there was violence. Tampa police quelled a jeering, cat-calling mob at a town hall featuring Democratic Representatives Kathy Castor and Betty Reed, reports the St. Petersburg Times. The Service Employees International Union sponsored the meeting and had been aiming for something of a "pep rally"—instead, some 1500 protesters overflowed the premises, chanting "Tyranny! Tyranny!"; "Forty million illegals!"; and "You work for us!" The Tampa Tribune reports that "some [protesters] scuffled with members of the sponsoring groups," prompting police to break up the spats. A series of videos of the rowdy crowds are rising to viral status on the internet. In one, a group pounds on a closed door with fists and a cane, chanting "Open that door!" The door opens to reveal an at-capacity crowd. A woman yells, "They don't fucking listen!" Rep. Reed expressed shock at the meeting's ugly turn: "When you get to the point of possible violence, you've gone over the edge."