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Creative Loafing Tampa — July 30, 2020

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PUBLISHER James Howard EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ray Roa DIGITAL EDITOR Colin Wolf FOOD CRITIC Jon Palmer Claridge

ORY

CONTRIBUTORS Jefferey C. Billman, Rob Brezsny, Jenna Rimensnyder, Jennifer Ring, Dan Savage, McKenna Schueler

tion ................. 5 ORY

INTERNS Chloe Greenberg, Christopher Cann

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DAVE DECKER

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CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Andrew Zelman CHIEF OPERATING OFFICERS Chris Keating, Michael Wagner 40 Music: Tampa Bay Blues Fest........................... VP OF DIGITAL SERVICES Stacy Volhein Music WeekDIGITAL ................................................... 42 OPERATIONS COORDINATOR Music: review: Tampa Bay Fest........................... 40 Jaime Monzon Concert ArticBlues Monkeys .......................... 42

Keep on trucking.... right through them.

St. Pete protesters worry about violent comments in Facebook group, p. 15.

Music Week ................................................... 42 The List.......................................................... 46 euclidmediagroup.com

Concert review: Artic Monkeys .......................... 42 Movie reviews..................................................... 63 cltampa.com cldeals.com TheWill List.......................................................... 46 Free Astrology......................................... 64

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Movie reviews..................................................... 63 Puzzler........................................................... 66 Free WillEDITORIAL Astrology......................................... 64 is a POLICY — Creative Loafing Tampa

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It is just not safe.

Some Hillsborough teachers are scared to go back in the fall, p. 13.

How was your Date? cltampa.com/movies How was your Date? cltampa.com/movies

ON THE COVER: Photo c/o Vulva Va-Voom. Design by Dan Rodriguez.

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Creative Loafing Tampa is published by Tampa Weekly, LLC, 204 E. Henderson Ave. Tampa, FL 33602. The newspaper is available free of charge at locations throughout Tampa Bay and online at cltampa.com. Copyright 2020, Tampa Weekly, LLC.

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weekly newspaper covering public issues, the arts and entertainment. In our pages appear views from across theLove political and social spectrum. They do not necessarily Savage ...................................................... 69 represent the views of the publisher.

Puzzler........................................................... 66

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RAY ROA

editor's note

DON’T BACK DOWN: Nothing says ‘settled back in’ more than putting a poster on the wall.

New normal God, I hate that phrase.

O

By Ray Roa n April 16 Creative Loafing Tampa Bay published a post that opened like this: “I think it’s week five of ‘the after.’ A lot of this—the worry, the dread, and the fear and, for some, the boredom—is starting to feel routine. Having Netflix (and a few beers on a good night) put me to sleep seems like a ritual. Not having to wear underwear at the desk—well, that’s a perk. But overall, my new movements are starting to feel very familiar. And not in a comfortable way.” It’s been 14 weeks since that thought. In pandemic time, that’s about three-and-a-half years. I’m sorry to report that the worry, dread and fear has not subsided. The boredom—I don’t even know what I was talking about—that’s not even a thing in my mind. Since returning to the office, I’ve had to start wearing underwear again. And our world has only gotten more complicated. Coronavirus numbers are still rising, but kids might have to go back to school. Performing arts venues are still closed; without a federal aid package aimed directly at saving music venues and theaters, I fear that we’re probably just a few weeks away from blogging about permanent closures the way we’ve had to write about restaurants taking a pause after staff comes in contact with COVID-19. Outrage and sadness in the wake of the murder of George Floyd—combined with anxiety from the killing of Breonna Taylor—erupted in nationwide street demonstrtions. The thoroughfares in Tampa/St. Petersburg have played host to Black Lives Matter protests almost daily; CL's coverage has tried to capture the energy, hopes, fears and frustrations week in and week out (stories in this issue are about those very things).

But in some ways—for better or worse, I still don’t know—that once-new-now-old familiar feeling of life under quarantine is starting to fade away. Food & Drink Editor Jenna Rimensnyder is back in the office two times a week as a regular freelancer (frustratingly, CL still hasn’t hired her back full-time). She’s here (a) because the newsroom is incomplete without her energy and knowledge about the local food scene and (b) because restaurants are opening in spite of COVID-19’s tendency to crush the hopes and dreams of most business owners. We need someone to cover that beat; Rimensnyder is undoubtedly the best person to do so. Jenna’s return to 204 E. Henderson is also symbolic of coverage wanting to go back to a version of “normal” where our pages and URLs find you reading and us writing about restaurants, sports, new local music, arts initiatives—you know, less coronavirus-y and protest-y things. But social justice—and the sins of government officials who refuse to believe science and continually put our readers in danger—should not take a backseat as we settle into our “new normal” (God, I hate that phrase). And for as long as CL hits newsstands each Thursday, it won’t. We’re committed to writing about things from the protesters point of view and holding officials accountable (send us news tips!). That coverage—whether you think there's a place for it or not—will exist alongside what looks to be more music, arts and food news. There’s nothing normal about the times we’re living in right now, but we’ll do our best to serve you as the world asks us to pretend like it’s not as weird as it actually is.

“That familiar feeling of life under quarantine is starting to fade away.”

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Portland of the free

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Photos by Dave Decker ast week, Creative Loafing Tampa Bay photographer Dave Decker went on social media to send out a caw caw saying he felt compelled to take photos of protesters bravely facing Trump’s federal police in Portland. Tampa’s Barely Legal Podcast saw the call and answered by buying a plane ticket. Decker’s safely back home after three nights on the ground, but admittedly emotionally exhausted and worried about the president sending his cops to other American cities (Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said he shouldn’t unless she asks, p. 22). See photos out of the area near the Portland’s federal courthouse and peep the rest via photos.cltampa.com. —Ray Roa

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BRYAN EDWARD

SIMPLE MATH: Educators can’t teach from the grave.

Online is fine

Hillsborough schools delay start date, but educators worry this isn’t enough. By Christopher Cann

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he Hillsborough County School Board unanimously voted Thursday to delay the upcoming school start date two weeks, from its originally scheduled date Aug. 10 to a new one, Aug. 24. Hillsborough County joins Pasco and Polk County in pushing schools’ start date back 14 days; Pinellas County voted on the issue Tuesday, July 28 (not in time for press). At the July 23 meeting, the Hillsborough school board voted down the option of e-learning only for the first nine weeks of the 2020-2021 school year. The board, however, has yet to make its final decision on whether it will open online or in-person. Currently, the end of the fall semester is scheduled for Jan. 15, instead of Dec. 18. “The reason I decided to teach is to see my students and watch them grow into interesting people on a day-to-day basis,” Jordan Gonzalez—who began teaching music to Hillsborough County students at the start of the 2019 school year—told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. Gonzalez is one of the thousands of teachers in Hillsborough County that must return to teach in-person classes this fall after Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran issued an executive order on July 6, requiring all school districts to reopen “brick-and-mortar schools” at least five days a week.

“Hillsborough teachers have been kept up to date and are well informed as to what the reopening will be,” Gonzalez said. “We get emails from the superintendent every other day.” Ultimately, Gonzalez hopes the board opts for e-learning for the safety of children and faculty. But the Hillsborough County School Board has not made its final decision on e-learning. “It is just not safe. Even though e-learning was such a new frontier for me, I am willing to keep teaching online as long as my students are safe,” Gonzalez added. When classes moved online in March, Gonzalez had trouble adjusting to an online format. “There is just something magical about in-person teaching. But public safety is and should be the number one concern.” As the projected reopening date approaches, questions and uncertainty remains surrounding recent coronavirus case surges. Gonzalez said that there are many organizations like the teachers union that are fighting for Florida educators, as well as the local school board, which he said has been proactive in planning for the fall. Haley Gaeser, a Hillsborough County elementary school teacher, told CL that she does not feel heard by the school board. “If the board truly cared about its teachers the way they say they do then they would have a plan to keep them safe,” she said.

EDUCATION

“Teachers are scared; we have families and lives outside of teaching just like everyone else with jobs do—we shouldn’t have to feel like we’re going to die if we go back.” Recently, local businesses have been supporting teachers after the order to return to schools in August was announced. Gallagher and Associates Law Firm wrote on Twitter that it will give teachers free living wills, which are usually priced at $250, according to Charles Gallagher, a partner of the St. Petersburg law firm. “While I think it’s a nice gesture [the free wills], it really speaks volumes about the current situation,” Gaeser said. “If it was safe to go back, why would free wills be given out?” Both Gaeser and Gonzalez cite the teachers union as a great ally for Florida educators. On Monday, Florida’s largest teachers’ union filed a lawsuit aimed to block the return to in-person classes as coronavirus cases continue to surge. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit allege that it is unconstitutional for the state to order schools to reopen while Florida coronavirus cases set record highs on a daily basis. Despite backlash from educators and the union lawsuit, Gov. Ron DeSantis continues to reaffirm his push to reopen schools for in-person instruction. In a July 23 appearance on “Fox and Friends,” DeSantis said teachers are “itching to get back” to the classroom. “I know the union has its position, but a lot of teachers in Florida are itching to get back,” said DeSantis.

Hillsborough County is currently a coronavirus hotspot, alongside other areas like Miami-Dade and Orange County. As of last Thursday, 26,037 people have tested positive for coronavirus in Hillsborough since March, according to the Florida Department of Health. In an effort to make lawmakers reconsider their decision to reopen schools in the fall, teachers protested outside Hillsborough County’s Strawberry Crest High School where the State Board of Education was having a face-to-face meeting July 15 as well the July 23 meeting. The Hillsborough County School Board released its reopening plan shortly after the executive order was put into place. Addison Davis, superintendent of Hillsborough County Schools, said plans are volatile, but currently, all teachers, faculty and students must wear face masks when in buildings and where social distancing is not possible. Special seating arrangements will accommodate social distancing inside classrooms and there will be sanitation stations throughout high-traffic areas. Gonzalez is apprehensive but hopeful about the new school year as it will surely bring new challenges and obstacles for students and teachers alike. “Even though I would prefer e-learning, whatever the school board decides to do, I am going to do with grace and optimism,” Gonzalez said. “I am always going to be thankful to be a teacher and have the chance to one day say ‘hey man we made it out of this together.’”

“I am willing to keep teaching online as long as my students are safe.”

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DAVE DECKER

TIPPING POINT: Members of a St. Petersburg Crime Watch Facebook group have suggested violence in dealing with street protests.

Hive mind

A local crime watch group includes calls for violence against protesters.

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By Ray Roa t this point, it’s no secret that Facebook has the potential to hurt people more than it helps them, and one St. Petersburg crime watch group is an example of that. The stated mission of “St. Petersburg & Bay Area Crime Watch” group is to help local police departments by “becoming the eyes and ears of the community” and establishing “a power of presence and thus increasing the visibility of our enforcement services.” The bootlicking manifesto goes on to say that the group seeks to be proactive in law enforcement and “establish a zone for criminals where the risk of being caught is too high for them to practice their profession. To unite the business community and Chamber of Commerce with the citizens and the local government” all in the name of “empowering people to remain in control of their communities. To lower crime rates and to keep property values high!” But a lot of the content devolves into racism, calls for violence and homophobia. A recent post by group admin Mark Rodrigo Grace calls Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot “Beetlejuice” while reiterating Donald Trump

talking points about crime in the Windy City. Grace also calls two people breaking into a beauty supply store “hoodrats.” Another by Grace is a “CRACKHEAD ALERT” linked to a Ring video, while yet another calls a one-legged homeless person who trespassed on someone’s yard “Long John Silver.” One post about Tampa Mayor Jane Castor was home to homophobic comments that were removed. Another comment puts fuel on the conspiracy theories about mail-in ballot voter fraud, and another has a bone to pick with “antifa thugs that have already spoiled the [St. Pete] pier.” It’s important to note that anitifa isn’t an actual group, but more of an anti-facist ideology. But the most disturbing dispatches from the group are the ones encouraging violence against protesters who’ve taken to the streets to demand an overhaul of policing policies in the wake of the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. One post in the group shows protesters blocking traffic—an illegal, but non-violent act

that does not warrant a violent response. One response to the post says “if Basement Living Maggots are playing in the streets and get ran over, don’t blame the drivers !!!”. One profile responded with, “keep on trucking.... right through them” and “Keep driving. Knock one down. They’ll move.” In a July 23 email to Creative Loafing Tampa Bay, St. Petersburg Police Public Information Officer Yolanda Fernande wrote that neither Mayor Rick Kriseman nor Chief Anthony Holloway condone any suggestion of harming protesters. “For the safety of everyone involved, they encourage motorists to remain patient and find alternate routes around the protesters,” Fernandez added. Chris Steinocher, President and CEO of the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce, told CL that the chamber has no familiarity or association with the referenced Facebook page. “The creators or administrators of the page have no authority to reference or assert any affiliation with our organization,” Steinocher added. Fake friends Most people join the St. Petersburg & Bay Area Crime Watch group after getting a vehicle

PROTESTS

or bike stolen—and many are successful in finding their lost property—but some report getting friend requests from group admins that end up being fake Facebook profiles. Those allegedly fake profiles leave reviews for the crime watch page, and one of the fake profiles— Serena Sanders—is particularly active in friend requesting and banning users from the Crime Watch page. One of the fake profiles acting as moderator— Brittany Thomas—was taken down after CL reached out to the Instagram user (@meowdeee) whose pictures were being used to create the fake profiles. @meowdeee did not want to give CL her real name, but her boyfriend—New Smyrna Beach surfer Evan Geiselman—also had his pictures used for a fake profile (Michael Greenwell) which posted in the St. Petersburg & Bay Area Crime Watch group. The fake profile using Geiselman’s pictures was also taken down after CL reached out. In a direct message, @meowdeee told CL, “I find it ethically immoral and frankly scary that someone would do something like that.” She added that she was reporting the profiles and gets how Geiselman’s image could be used since he and his brother are both prominent figures in the pro surfing world. “No way am I an ‘influencer,’ so I find it really strange it can literally happen to anybody. I also

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think it’s sad because social media is somewhat of a highlight reel and some people may look at that and feel bad about their own lives based on what they see everyone else doing online,” @meowdeee wrote. “Granted, this is taking it next level and in no way is it okay, but I think more people need to talk about this and more regulations need to be in place with these online platforms to avoid this in the future.” CL was not been able to verify that @ meowdee is a real person and only exchanged Instagram messages with Geiselman, who said that this was the first time he’d been a victim of this kind of identity theft. A press request to the World Surf League has yet to be returned. “I hope it’s the last [time]. Unfortunately with social media there is a total invasion of privacy people taking your image and posing as you is a scary thing you don’t know who that’s is going to effect or start a problem with,” Geiselman wrote. “Hopefully this problem will stop for everyone.” One fake profile that remains active, however, is one belonging to “Kellie Brady,” which is actually using photos of Orange County sixth grade teacher Alexis Schmidt for its photos. Schmidt, who teaches at Bridgewater Middle School, got on the phone with CL to confirm her identity and that it’s her photos being used on the “Kellie Brady” profile. She said seeing her pictures used made her uncomfortable, especially since some of her friends and family were included in some of them. “It also bothers me that my pictures are associated with certain posts/beliefs that I don’t agree with,” Schmidt told CL. “My heart also hurts for this individual though. To use someone else’s pictures instead of your own is a huge sign of insecurity. I hope she/he finds peace and can grow the confidence/self love they need to use their own pictures someday instead.” Immoderate behavior The most curious part about a group, however, is how names attached to some of the pages moderators have criminal records. One moderator, “Pete Eisert”, has been arrested on fraud, trafficking stolen property and possession of marijuana. Eisert’s most troubling arrest, however, is one in 2007 on a domestic battery charge. That arrest report says Eisert, 39, has a tattoo that says “50 crackerz” through an AK-47. Another moderator, “Kev Knightt”, was arrested on sudden snatch and burglary charges in 2009, a petty weed charge and driving with a suspended license. Page moderator “John Hatfield” has been arrested for felony discharging of a firearm from a vehicle, aggravated assault, fleeing law enforcement, retail theft and—most alarming— aggravated assault with a motor vehicle.

CL reached out to page moderator Grace, via Facebook Messenger, to see if he had any comment or if he could verify any of the identities for the admins and moderators. We’ll update the online version of this post if he responds. But one St. Petersburg protester who asked to stay anonymous is worried that activity will lead to a Black Lives Matter marcher being hurt during demonstrations. Multiple users have reported profiles and activity related to the St. Petersburg & Bay Area Crime Watch group, but Facebook has yet to take it down. What can be done? Dr. Kelli S. Burns is an Associate Professor at the University of South Florida’s Zimmerman School of Advertising & Mass Communications, and she told CL that it’s not uncommon for Facebook groups to devolve into topic areas that are not useful or beneficial to members; quite often the community can even become offensive to some members. Burns explained that community rules and active moderators are ideally supposed to manage the content and that members are free to leave the group if they feel uncomfortable. “The consequence, however, is that the value of the group as a platform for sharing crimerelated information is reduced. Burns added that moderators in some groups might wish to be anonymous so that they are not targets of members. “However Facebook does not allow the use of pseudonyms or other identities. Users who try to conceal who they are may be asked by Facebook to verify their authentic identity,” Burns said, making note of how unfortunate and easy it is for a photo to be stolen and used to create a fake profile. She suggests that anyone being impersonated report the fake profile. “Users can also report a Facebook group they believe is not following Facebook’s Community Standards in the same way,” Burns said. But as the aforementioned anonymous protester wondered, will activity is the St. Petersburg & Bay Area Crime Watch group eventually lead to real-life violence against a protester? So as long as the group exists, the public will, sadly, just have to wait and see. But if these so-called police helpers were smart—or had a shred of respect for protesters’ civil rights—they’d heed the advice of St. Petersburg’s own police department, which posted on Twitter to say that it does not condone anyone driving into a crowd of protesters or promoting violence against protesters. “Anyone who intentionally drives into a protester will be charged according,” the post added. Charged, and then turned into one of the very criminals they purport to be fighting against.

“Remain patient and find alternate routes around the protesters.”

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When the bottom falls out A strong hand is no good without the courage to play it.

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ypical of the Trump era, this past week offered countless stories that warrant your attention and indignation: the president dispatching stormtroopers to “Democrat cities,” asking the U.K. to relocate the British Open to his golf course, and sending well-wishes to an accused pedophile, to name just three. But there’s a looming crisis we shouldn’t overlook. For millions of struggling Americans, the bottom’s about to fall out of the economy, and the White House has no intention of stopping it. After the unprecedented shutdown in midMarch, the only thing that kept 2020 from feeling like 1930 was Congress’s (and the Federal Reserve’s) equally unprecedented response. The CARES Act doled out $2.2 trillion in aid—much of it to the wealthy, but also propping up small businesses, supplementing the unemployment system, and sending most taxpayers $1,200. (Congress later tossed an additional $484 billion into the pot.) Long story short: The government paid people to stay home. The strategy worked. New cases declined. But President Trump, eyes fixed on the election, grew impatient. He demanded that states allow businesses to reopen. This worked, too, in the short run. In May, the economy added 2.5 million jobs; in June, 4.8 million. The White House, touting a recovery in full swing, put talk of another stimulus on the backburner. Experts warned us to reopen slowly and gradually while mandating masks and social distancing and developing a testing and contact tracing system to snuff out new outbreaks. But in a rush to restore normalcy, we didn’t do that. Many states dove in headfirst. At first, it didn’t seem to matter. On June 16, Vice President Mike Pence wrote an op-ed dismissing media handwringing about a second wave: “We are winning the fight with this invisible enemy.” That statement didn’t age well, of course. Within two weeks, cases spiked, especially in GOP-run states that reopened aggressively. Hospitalizations followed, then deaths. With COVID-19 raging, states walked back their reopening plans, slowing the already tepid recovery. Last week, initial unemployment filings rose for the first time in four months, to 1.4 million. It’s about to get worse. On July 31, the $600-a-week unemployment supplement expires. More than 20 million people will see their incomes gutted, and many will be unable to pay rent or buy groceries. Dominoes will begin falling: The U.S. will face an eviction

and foreclosure crisis. Billions of dollars will be sucked out of the economy. Millions of people will lose their jobs. Compounding matters, the Paycheck Protection Program was designed to tide over small businesses for about two months; that, too, has run its course. Now the Trump administration is scrambling on a tight deadline—only it can’t figure out what this stimulus package should look like. Trump initially insisted on cutting the payroll tax, which would a) only help those who still have jobs, and not much at that, and b) do nothing to stimulate the economy. He also demanded that Congress eliminate new CDC funding for COVID-19 testing, a proposal so preposterous that I feel obliged to assure you I’m not making it up. Both proved unpalatable for Senate Republicans, who’d rather not drown in a blue tsunami in November. Then again, many of them appear content to commit political suicide by other means: slashing the unemployment supplement from $600 to about $200. Republicans say the benefit creates an incentive for workers to stay home, which isn’t entirely wrong. Two-thirds of laid-off workers get more money from unemployment than they did from their employers, and they don’t have to risk their lives to get it. That says more about wages and working conditions than it does the industry of the jobless probably hasn’t occurred to the wellheeled suits in Capitol cloakrooms. Last Thursday morning, Senate Republicans announced an agreement with the White House on a package to scale back the unemployment supplement while providing funding to reopen schools (provided they physically reopen), replenishing the PPP, sending another round of $1,200 checks, and shielding businesses from COVID liability claims. By that afternoon, however, the whole thing had unraveled amid Republican infighting. (Trump also threw in a last-minute demand to force the FBI to rebuild its headquarters caddy-corner to his Washington hotel rather than in the suburbs. Yes, really.) It’s unlikely the Senate will pass anything before the supplement expires on Friday, and all but certain Republicans won’t make a deal with House Democrats by then. Democrats have a strong hand. Trump is weak, vulnerable Republicans are eager to throw money at their political woes, and voters are disinclined to reward penny-pinching. Polling shows that more than two-thirds of voters— including a plurality of Republicans—think

INFORMED DISSENT

CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS ACTION FUND (CC BY-ND 2.0)

By Jeffrey C. Billman

HOLD ON, HOYER: Steny Hoyer said eviscerating the unemployment supplement isn’t a deal-killer. the supplement should run through December. A majority are uneasy about their personal financial situation. And nearly half of Americans whose family members have lost jobs don’t think those jobs are coming back. In other words, this isn’t a politically opportune time to pull the rug out from under a nervous public. Congressional Democrats have the leverage to pressure Republicans on key priorities like funding for state and local governments, expanding food stamps, and extending unemployment assistance. If they give in, it’s good policy; if

they’re obstinate, it’s good politics. Or they could deploy the tried-and-true Democratic tactic of preemptive capitulation. Enter House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, who on Thursday declared that eviscerating the unemployment supplement—the thing keeping more than 20 million Americans fed and housed—isn’t so much a deal-killer as a starting point for negotiations. Which raises a question: What’s the point of having a strong hand if you lack the courage to play it?

“Two-thirds of voters think the supplement should run through December.”

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Unprotected

After TPD doxxed her, Army vet Joneisha Wilkerson says her life is in ‘shambles.’ By McKenna Schueler after putting her life and livelihood at risk by publishing her personal information. Multiple speakers at Friday’s rally reasserted a message that’s been circulating on the social media pages of Tampa activists: “This is not a moment, this is a movement.” Speakers recalled past movements for Black lives, the need to be an inclusive movement for LGBTQ and disabled populations. “Resistance is not easy, but it must be done,” said clinical mental health counselor, Risasi Milima, Ed. D, referring to oppressive and violent practices that undermine activist movements and disproportionately harm marginalized populations. Milima, who works for the Federation of Families Hillsborough, called on State Attorney Andrew Warren to drop all charges against young protestors, and like others, expressed dissatisfaction with the steps Castor’s taken to rebuild community trust and reform existing structures for police accountability. “This press conference is about saying, ‘No More’” Passmore stated. “We will not stop protesting until we get justice.” What justice means for the Tampa Bay community and what that looks like varies depending on who you ask. There are many local activist groups and organizations that have released their own lists of demands for Mayor Jane Castor and the Tampa Police Department, including Black Lives Matter Tampa, the Black Collective Movement (BCM), and Tampa Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). Not all of these organizations were involved in the organization of Friday’s press conference. What’s clear, however, is that the “moment” of protests that came in the wake of George Floyd’s murder is not the beginning nor end of Tampa’s racial justice movement. The movement to hold elected leadership accountable and address the pervasive forms of oppression that undermine the safety and wellbeing of Tampa Bay residents continues on. Many of the speakers at Friday’s press conference also renewed calls for Mayor Castor and Tampa City Council to remove Chief Dugan. Council, however, has no power to directly remove the chief. In Tampa, the mayor is the chief law enforcement officer in the city, above the chief—she appoints or removes the person to that position, and on June 25, Ashley Bauman,

LOCAL NEWS

MCKENNA SCHUELER

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n July 24—outside of the Tampa Municipal Office Building on Jackson Street and down the street from Tampa Police Department headquarters—Joneshia Wilkerson spoke at a press conference where Black Lives Matter activists and advocates reasserted calls to have Mayor Jane Castor and the Tampa City Council remove Tampa Police Chief, Brian Dugan, (#DumpDugan). Wilkerson, 23, is a Black Army Reservist who filmed TPD officers pointing a gun in her direction as she sat, pulled over in a friend’s vehicle on June 18. Wilkerson, a veteran and single mother, provided an update on her current situation. “At this moment I am homeless,” she said on Friday, adding that she’s been staying at hotels and at times sleeping in her car. [Editor's note: The moment this story went to press on July 28, Pinellas County Sheriffs reported arresting Wilkerson; they charged her with "Failure to Return a Leased Vehicle and Fraudulent Use of a Credit Card." We're following the story on cltampa.com/news.] TPD came under fire for publishing Wilkerson’s personal information publicly. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has called for an investigation into TPD for this act, which has resulted in Wilkerson receiving death threats and harassment. Wilkerson disclosed that she was assaulted recently at a gas station and had to be hospitalized for two days. She said she’s received support from groups like Black Lives Matter Tampa and Dream Defenders; there’s also a GoFundMe to help Wilkerson with lawyer fees and moving, but she’s still struggling with the aftermath of recent trauma and preexisting post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). “My life has been in complete shambles,” Wilkerson said at the press conference. She fears for her life, her childrens’ lives, and faces constant fear of harassment and violence for— as Jae Passmore put it—having “the audacity to film the police”. Passmore is a former Hillsborough County Commission candidate and National Guard veteran who suffered a concussion and injuries to her hip and right leg after being struck by a truck in South Tampa’s Hyde Park on June 21. Wilkerson said TPD has not taken the initiative to apologize or check in on her

“At this moment I am homeless.”

TAKING A STAND: An Army vet lives in fear because she had ‘the audacity to film the police.’ spokesperson for the City of Tampa, told CL in a text message that, “Dugan is the chief at TPD and there have been no discussions about a change at the top.” Despite recent bias workshops, Dugan has come under fire from activists and community members, who have been calling on Castor to fire

him for over a month. From saying George Floyd, a Black man choked to death by Minneapolis Police in May, “had to get murdered” for people to come to Citizen Review Board meetings, to disparaging protestors on local and national television, activists are fed up with Dugan’s conduct as Tampa police chief.

cltampa.com | JULY 30-AUGUST 5, 2020 | 21


Moms in, feds out

Wall of Moms plans for July 31 Trump appearance; Castor says feds not welcome. By Colin Wolf

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espite daily protests, the governor of Oregon and the mayor of Portland have both said they don’t want the help of federal officers, saying the presence of the troops is just escalating tensions further. Tampa Mayor Jane Castor says this type of federal assistance won’t be necessary for an upcoming visit by President Donald Trump, unless she asks for it. Trump has since signaled that he’ll send troops to occupy other Democrat-run cities like New York City, Chicago, Kansas City, Baltimore, Oakland, Philadelphia and Detroit. It’s unclear if Tampa will be included, but with protests planned for his local fundraiser on July 31, Castor told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that a federal response to protesters would only be appropriate if there was a request from both her office and the Tampa Police Department. “If the community needs assistance with their violent crime, they should request assistance, not the other way around,” Castor told CL. Besides Trump’s Tampa visit—which, as of press time, was somehow still on the books despite Florida’s rising coronavirus numbers— the president will also make a fundraising stop in Miami on August 1, according to a fundraiser alert obtained by the Sun Sentinel. Both stops will allow donors to spend up to $100,000 for perks including a photo, access to a roundtable and a reception with the president. Since early July, officers with the Department of Homeland Security have made national headlines for patrolling Portland in unmarked vans and detaining people without identifying themselves. The federal agents, who are outfitted in Army-style camouflage with no identification other than a “Police” label on their outfits, are made up mostly of Border Patrol agents. According to acting DHS Director Chad Wolf, the troops were deployed to Portland in an effort to protect a federal courthouse and to quell “violent mobs,” who’ve been protesting systemic racism and calling for sweeping police reform. The deployment, which is called “Operation Legend,” is billed by the Trump administration as a “sustained, systemic and coordinated law enforcement initiative” to aid local police. It’s also been called unlawful, and a way for Trump to create a new “darker” campaign message. Last week, three House committee chairs demanded an internal investigation into whether the Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security “abused emergency

authorities to justify the use of force” against peaceful protesters. Like Portland, the city of Tampa has experienced its own near-daily Black Lives Matter protests, which have resulted in the TPD making multiple arrests, firing chemical agents and rubber bullets at crowds, and violently arresting peaceful protesters. As CL has previously reported, use of force during arrests by TPD has jumped 24% under Tampa Police Chief Brian Dugan. According to an internal report obtained by CL, 15 out of the 25 categories the department uses to track use of force techniques saw a significant increase since 2017. However, the biggest jump was with chemical agents. Under Dugan, TPD’s use of pepper spray and tear gas has grown by 223%. Despite calls from protesters for police reform and for the removal of Dugan, Castor has stated that the chief’s job is secure. On June 25, spokesperson Bauman told CL in a text message that, “Dugan is the chief at TPD and there have been no discussions about a change at the top.” On July 31, the same day as Trump’s visit, activists from Tampa’s Black Collective Movement are planning a “No Trump, No KKK, No Racist USA” protest. “Let’s make sure this day is unforgettable AND unwelcoming,” says the caption for the flier. As of now, no meeting location, or other details are available. In Portland, a group of mothers banded together to form a line of protection for peaceful protesters, who were gassed, beaten and detained by federal officers in Army-style camouflage with no identification other than a “Police” label on their outfits. A similar “Wall of Moms” is coming to Tampa for an upcoming visit by President Donald Trump. The group Wall of Moms Tampa plans to join the Trump protest planned for July 31. “@TampaWom will be there, please help us spread the word! #BLM,” said the group in a tweet posted on July 27. “When George Floyd called out for mama, all mothers were summoned... I’m just a mom who happens to be from the (Pacific Northwest) that now lives in Tampa. Have many family/friends back home protesting in PDX. Decided to start the Tampa group b/c I know they’re going to be some upcoming local protests and I’ve seen a lot of people wanting the group formed,” the Tampa Wall of Moms organizer wrote in an email to CL.

Lebro Centr to he who w Morg effor oblig

PROTESTS

22 | JULY 30-AUGUST 5, 2020 | cltampa.com

DAVE DECKER

In a T had t run o inten charg again prote syste

DON’T FUCK WITH MOMMA: A wall of moms plans to be a shield for Tampa protesters. “We are here to support the #BLM movement and take direction from local BLM leaders on how to best do that. Our goal is not to be the voice of someone else’s experience. Only to protect their right to have their voice heard.” The July 31 protest will also be joined by another support group, Wall of Vets Tampa. “We support peaceful protests, and people are legally their constitutional and civil rights: we will stand as a shield between them and those who would violate those rights,” reads a statement from Wall of Vets Tampa, which also noted that its only here to support local civil rights leaders, and not take away from their messaging. Portland’s Wall of Moms first appeared on July 20, with around 30 women and the numbers have only grown in the following days. Bev Barnum, who started the group,

told BuzzFeed News the goal is to keep federal agents from inciting violence with protesters by appearing less threatening. “We wanted to look like we were going to Target, like normal people,” Barnum said. Federal agents have since shot tear gas and “non-lethal rounds’ at the Wall of Moms. On Sunday, President Trump claimed that the “wall of moms” in Portland is a “scam.” “The ‘protesters’ are actually anarchists who hate our Country,” tweeted Trump. “The line of innocent ‘mothers’ were a scam that Lamestream refuses to acknowledge, just like they don’t report the violence of these demonstrations!” Per usual, Trump gave no details or evidence on exactly why he thinks a group of mothers defending protesters is a “scam.”

“Our goal is only to protect protesters’ right to have their voices heard.”


Shit Happened USAF/AIRMAN ST CLASS DANIEL HUGHES

DANIEL UHLFELDER

FRIDAY 24

Lawyer Daniel Uhlfelder—who previously donned a grim reaper costume on Florida beaches to protest a hasty reopening—wants to put a Ron ‘DeathSantis’ billboard outside of the governor’s mansion. He’s raised $4,000 as of press time, and at least his billboard uses a pic of Ronnie with a fresh haircut.

Lebron James—who’s currently living in Central Florida’s NBA bubble—donates $100K to help pay off debts of ex-felons in Florida who want to vote. Orlando attorney John Morgan adds that he’s willing to match James’ effort to help felons pay the court-ordered obligations. We’d support that billboard.

MONDAY 27 DAVE DECKER

DAVE DECKER

In a Twitter post, Florida Sen. Rick Scott says he welcomes sending federal troops into cities. CL contributor Jo Ellen Schilke points out that it makes complete sense for Voldermort to like storm troopers.

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In a Twitter post, St. Petersburg Police actually had to remind everyone that it’s illegal to run over protesters with a car. “Anyone who intentionally drives into a protester will be charged according,” the post added. Tell us again how un-American or cowardly it is to see protesters fighting for an overhaul of a police system that’s treated Black people unfairly?

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cltampa.com | JULY 30-AUGUST 5, 2020 | 23


24 | JULY 30-AUGUST 5, 2020 | cltampa.com


RESTAURANTS

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lorida’s coronavirus numbers would be laughable—except the fallout from the disease is killing people and businesses in the wake of half-assed mitigation strategies from Washington D.C., Gov. Ron DeSantis that local mayors have been forced to try and correct. Still, restaurants and breweries are debuting and joining the fight for survival. Here are some of the latest to arrive in Tampa Bay. See more via cltampa.com/food. Two Shepherds Dog-owning Floridians, your prayers have been answered. An indoor-outdoor, air-conditioned, 21-and-up dog park is now open. The best part about Two Shepherds is that no one not old enough to drink is allowed to enter. That means no kids trying to pet your dogs without asking first, and no babysitting your fur baby while your human baby is simultaneously running a muck. The indoor dog park hosts an agility course for pups and a bar stacked with 20 rotating taps as well as a selection of wines. The outdoor section also offers artificial turf outside for dogs to play on, plus covered outdoor seating for owners. Before you load up your pup, however, you must upload your dog’s up-to-date vaccinations. Another heads up, all dogs must be at least four months of age to enter. As far as memberships go, a day pass is $7 ($3 for each additional dog) which will get passholders unlimited access for a day. But if you plan on making this your new hangout, the monthly membership may be a bit gentler on your pockets ($25 includes unlimited access for 30 days, one free day pass per month for a “dog friend,” and access to member only events). The first scheduled event for the park, "Pups & Brunch," is set for August 2. Two Shepherds is hosting This Little Pig to serve up brunch while Fido runs off all of that pent-up energy from quarantining. And don’t think your dog won’t get called out if it can’t handle its licker; Two Shepherds is asking all dogs to keep barking at a minimum. The website says: “We reserve the right to ask any dogs to leave at our sole discretion.” 4813 N. Grady Ave., Tampa. Mon.-Wed. 10 a.m.-10

p.m. Thu.-Sat. 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Sun.11 a.m.-8 p.m. twoshepherdstaproom.com Naked Farmer Menu items include the pecan kale caesar, a red-wine braised short rib, and the watermelon mint and feta salad. The restaurant is open for pick up, walk up, delivery, and catering via its website. The market and restaurant’s new shipping container location celebrated its opening on July 10 by donating all sales to Metropolitan Ministries; on the second day of business, it gave free fresh produce to the first 50 customers with their order. Naked Farmer’s essential mission is to become 100% locally-sourced. Although the outdoor market is back and poppin’, make sure to bring your mask and steer clear of large crowds congregating to grab a bite. 615 Channelside Dr, Tampa. eatnakedfarmer.com

OPENINGS

Brighter Days Brewing Co. COVID-19 regulations don’t allow breweries to host guests, but that didn’t stop this one from making its debut midpandemic so beer nerds can quench their thirsts by grabbing cans of brews like Raspberry Beret sour ale, Endless Love hazy pale ale, and the Bicycle Race pale ale (all designed by Fat Basset Design). The brewery is staying connected with the community by dropping bright can designs and new offerings on Facebook, introducing new offerings (its Marula hazy double india pale ale boasting a 8.8% ABV). Guests can also opt for 32-ounce growlers, that’ll cost you $10 (including the brew). Brighter Days also created the ultimate quarantine gear—a four-pack can cooler sling you can wear on your back ($22, or $40 if you get it filled with a 4-pack). Call in your order at (727) 940-2350 from noon-8 p.m. seven days a week. 311 North Safford Ave. in Tarpon Springs. Brighter Days Brewing Company on Facebook. Oronzo Honest Italian Made-from-scratch recipes with origins dating back to the 1800s in Rimini, Italy, a city on the Adriatic coast in the Emilia-Romagna region. That means homemade pasta while incorporating options for all dietary preferences like gluten-free zucchini noodles and vegan options. The loaded menu also

TWOSHEPHERDSTAPROOM/FACEBOOK

By Jenna Rimensnyder and Chloe Greenberg

ROLL OVER: Tampa’s new dog park bar is for adults and dogs only. features Italian soups, salads, and hand-rolled meatballs. The line-up of ‘zas come on romanstyle flatbreads, which gives Tampa Bay a little switch up from the NY-style pie craze. Oh, and a piadina—which or Oronzo is billing as an Italian burrito—is on the menu; it’s a take on traditional piadinas that look like flat sandos in different varieties including the Chick Parm stuffed with homemade spaghetti, crispy baked chicken, fresh mozzarella, parmesan, with choice of sauce antico pomodoro, crema or butter and extra virgin olive oil. 18027 Highwood Preserve Pkwy, Tampa. oronzo.com Tiki Docks The former location of Getaway in South St. Petersburg is open as Tiki Docks Skyway Bar and Grill. The Maximo Marina will house Tiki Dock’s first location, while the Riverview location, which has been under construction since 2018, will open in late August. The 15,000-square-foot restaurant’s transformation into the tropical-inspired Tiki Docks was around a $500,000 investment, Marc Brown, president of parent company 23 Restaurant Services told the Tampa Bay Business Journal. “It has a lot of outdoor seating and in this environment, we feel like that can potentially be a benefit,” Brown said. “We have some work to do there to rebuild the business. At the end of the day, we understand that that community is going to be dialed into service and price.” Menu items include the Perfect 10 Dockwich,

a raw bar and colorful cocktails served in tiki glasses. 3769 50th Ave S, St. Petersburg. Tikidocks.com —Chloe Greenberg Side Piece Dunedin’s Restorative offshoot Side Piece arrived a little earlier than expected— July 23 to be exact, a full week ahead of its expected August 1 opening. Last month, Jason and Cricket Borajkiewicz announced plans for Side Piece, a new casual, order-at-the-counter concept operating out of a 100-square-foot space they are subleasing at Caledonia Brewing, just a mile away from their other restaurant The Restorative. Side Piece’s menu is focused on paninis—like the “quack attack” with confit duck french dip, caramelized onions, Swiss cheese and thyme au jus, or the vegetarian “mary mo” and the meaty “hey mario”—but it also features snacks like pad thai popcorn, smoked fish dip plus a cheese and charcuterie plate. Dessert comes in the form of a plate with chocolate, beer marshmallow and pretzels. In an email to Creative Loafing Tampa Bay, Cricket said she and Jason will take a full week to focus on getting Side Piece off the ground, which means The Restorative was closed until July 29 when it reopens for takeout only. “With the increase in cases and our small dining room size we’ve decided to switch back to doing take out again and will reevaluate after a month or so to see if we feel comfortable opening the dining room,” Cricket said. 587 Main St., Dunedin. @sidepiecedunedin on Instagram. —Ray Roa

cltampa.com | JULY 30-AUGUST 5, 2020 | 25


26 | JULY 30-AUGUST 5, 2020 | cltampa.com


MOVIES

THEATER

ART

CULTURE

Fringe reborn

Tampa Fringe Festival is now free and online in 3-D. By Jennifer Ring

FESTIVAL

Aug. 1-16. tampafringe.org they discussed how Fringe Scotland in 1947 when Rudolf Bing established the could still attract people and Edinburgh International Festival. Bing wanted remain fringe-y in this environment. Different the nascent performing arts festival to harness fringe festivals had divergent ideas about how to the healing power of art and re-unite Europe accomplish this. Many preferred live-streaming post-WWII. to capture theater’s ephemeral quality. Parry, Notice I said that Bing started the Edinburgh however, was more interested in preserving “International” Festival and not the Edinburgh Tampa Fringe’s community aspect. “Fringe” Festival. The Fringe festival happened “What’s unique about Fringe is the sense of by accident. You needed an invitation to per- community,” says Parry, “so creating the physiform at The Edinburgh International Festival, cal community seemed like a more unique and but eight uninvited theater groups showed up interesting challenge.” “What if we made it 3-D, like a first-person anyway, staging their own performances on the fringe of the festival. Thus, Fringe was [video] game?’” Parry asked the group. born. Since then, Fringe festivals have spread Festival Director William Glenn and throughout the globe. There are now 250 Fringe Creative Director Rob Brown were initially hesiFestivals around the world, including 94 in tant to adopt the idea, considering the technical North America. challenges of creating a 3-D virtual environWhen COVID-19 struck, The World Fringe ment. But Glenn does have some experience Congress, the Canadian Association of Fringe with the free game engine Unity, so they ultiFestivals and the United States Association of mately agreed Wyitt Carlile, a game designer Fringe Festivals got together virtually via Zoom and instructor at the Tampa Museum of Science to compare notes. and Industry, describes Unity as “a professional“I was in a number of different confer- grade game engine that anybody can use. It’s ence calls every week with the various Fringe just a matter of watching some basic tutorials Festivals around the world,” Tampa Fringe on how to get started.” Festival Producer Trish Parry tells CL. Carlile also points out that Unity works with “Basically, we compared what was happening pretty much any level of game development. at each festival in each city in each country “It can be a simple 2D game, like for a phone, and what level of support each festival was get- or a completely immersive world,” says Carlile. ting, financially. I can tell you right now that “It’s all a matter of how much time you want the U.S. government’s never in support of the to put into it.”

VULVA VA-VOOM

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ampa Bay’s creative festivals practically arts. It’s been much better in other countries disappeared when COVID-19 struck. May for sure. Us American Fringe Festivals were and June brought a slew of virtual art exhi- sitting in these meetings just kind of being sad bitions to Facebook Live and Zoom, but still no about money. We realized here that we would festivals. Then Creative Loafi ng Tampa Bay have to do something to retain our funding, so got an email from Tampa Fringe announcing we started discussing digital festivals.” the first digital Tampa Fringe Festival. And it Initially, the Fringe conglomerates pressed features a 3-D Virtual Ybor Experience. A vir- for doing something together. Then in typical tual Ybor!? Wait, what, how!? I’m used to Fringe Fringe fashion, a bunch of people went rogue. doing things a little differently, but still. I didn’t It’s good to see that, pandemic or no pandemic, see this coming at all. Fringe’s rebellious spirit remains intact. When A little background for the London’s National the Fringe uninitiated: Theatre started streaming The first Fringe Festival recordings for free, everyhappened in Edinburgh, Tampa Fringe Digital Festival one met again. This time

NO BUTTS ABOUT IT: Fringe is now digital, so there’s no excuse to not watch Vulva VaVoom’s burlesque documentary. Thanks to some assistance from the Small Business Administration, the Gobioff Foundation and the Ybor City Development Corporation, Tampa Fringe spent many months perfecting its fantasy Ybor. The team started by scanning Ybor City buildings using the soon-to-sunset Display.land app and editing the shots in the Blender opensource 3-D creation suit. They enlisted some folks from the University of South Florida to create images of Ybor City’s most iconic landmarks, like the Columbia. Then Glenn plugged all these images into Unity, creating a 3-D fantasy version of Ybor City. “Not everything is in there, but we tried to get what was important to us and to the culture of the area,” says Parry. This includes several Fringefriendly businesses, and of course this year’s venues: Silver Meteor Gallery, Hillsborough Community College, The Drip, The Hub, and the Attic. They’re hoping to add The Honey Pot last minute if they can get a decent scan of it with the windows all boarded up. “Also, we happened to find an old 3-D model of the old New World Brewery,” says Parry. “That was our Fringe Central in Year 1, so we’re putting old New World back in Ybor.” And Ybor just wouldn’t be Ybor without roosters and a trolley. To participate in this

year’s digital Tampa Fringe Festival, go to the Tampa Fringe website and download the 3-D Virtual Ybor. Within Virtual Ybor, you use the mouse to change the direction you’re looking and the directional pad to change the direction you’re moving. “If you approach a restaurant in Ybor that’s open for take-out, something will pop up, like: ‘Would you like to see Bernini’s menu on Uber Eats?’” says Parry. “If you pass by a retail store like Revolve, it’ll pop up with: ‘Would you like to check out Revolve’s Etsy store?’ And if you approach a venue, a list of shows pops up.” This year, you can watch all the shows for free because Tampa Fringe is giving the artists stipends. Be on the lookout for Zoom beer tents within the virtual experience, where you can hang with the artists and your fellow virtual Ybor explorers. And if you want to explore Tampa outside of Ybor, you just stand on the trolley platform, and a trolley magically appears to transport you to your destination. I’ve been watching Tampa Fringe transform Ybor City for one week a year since 2017. In these brief moments, Fringe turns the entire city into a celebration of counter-culture. It used to be only our local actors, writers, musicians and artists who’d notice. Now the rest of the world can see it too.

“Creating physical community seemed like a unique and interesting challenge.”

cltampa.com | JULY 30-AUGUST 5, 2020 | 27


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Aug. 18th - Sept. 1st 28 | JULY 30-AUGUST 5, 2020 | cltampa.com


MOSI

REACH OUT AND DON’T TOUCH: A virtual MOSI tour is available if you want it.

MOSI on over

Fringe partnership produces a virtual museum tour. By Jennifer Ring

T

hanks to a collaboration between Tampa International Fringe Festival and the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI), you can take a virtual trolley from Ybor City to MOSI this year as part of the digital Fringe experience. “When we were closed, we never stopped working,” MOSI’s Senior Director of Exhibits and Innovation, Anthony Pelaez, tells Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. “Wyitt was busy late at night designing the virtual MOSI.” This is what Wyitt Carlile does. He has a college degree and real-life experience in game development. He’s already applied his skills to create “Retro Rockets”—a game similar to the 1979 arcade game Lunar Lander—for MOSI’s Moonbase. “Basically, you have an older-style steampunk rocket you have to land on the moon’s surface,” says Carlile. Virtual MOSI will showcase the museum’s three big areas—space, physics and dinosaurs. The point is to help folks get reacquainted with what MOSI has to offer. “This isn’t the same MOSI you came to as a kid on a field trip,” says Pelaez. “We’re always in the process of making improvements and adding to the experiences… We change out our themes and experiences every month so there’s always something new.” MOSI—located in Tampa at 4801 E. Fowler Ave. across from the University of South

Florida—made one of its biggest changes in 2018 when they added a new interactive Art Factory where resident artist Mike Knapp makes drawings with guests. The museum is open this summer with social distancing guidelines not just for summer campers (hoola hoop rings, genius!), but for patrons and employees as well: entrance/exits propped open, temperatures taken, limited capacity, face masks and more. If you visit MOSI, you’ll see a cluster of colorful life-sized spacesuits near the entrance/exit. The spacesuits are part of MOSI’s new Space for Art exhibition. Spacesuit manufacturer ILC Dover created the spacesuits on display here. Children in the Space for Art Foundation’s art therapy program painted them. “We are firm believers in S.T.E.A.M.— science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics,” says Pelaez. In light of this, MOSI’s partnership with Tampa Fringe isn’t so surprising. “I think what’s good about our partnership with Tampa Fringe is that you have this group of artists and tech-heads and people from all different backgrounds coming together to ensure that [art and science] live on,” says Pelaez. "We’re excited for the launch. We really hope that people enjoy what we’ve created.”

FESTIVAL

“When we were closed, we never stopped working.”

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Tampa Fringe announces its 2020 digital festival lineup. By Jennifer Ring sharing photos of himself pretending things are a cock. How will he ever follow this up? With a dark comedy about dealing drugs based on his brother’s life called “Fire in the Meth Lab.” Don’t worry, I’m sure it’ll be totally PC. Les Kurkendaal’s brand new storytelling show, “Climbing my family tree,” comes to Tampa Fringe on the heels of a June FringeLiveStream performance on Facebook. “Come and see a show written by a Black person that is about being a Black person and some of the bullshit that we have to deal with. Don’t worry. It’s funny!” Kurkendaal posted on Facebook. Tampa proud Like the 2012 movie Magic Mike, Portland comedian DK Reinemer’s “Becoming Magic Mike” is set in Tampa. Parry saw it at Montreal Fringe in 2019, where the action adventure comedy was nominated for both the Best Comedy award and the Best Production award. “It’s amazing,” Parry told CL. “It’s an action comedy—kind of a spoof on 80s action flicks, but if the cop was a stripper.” USF alumni Jon Cho returns to Tampa with “Mr. Yunioshi,” a multi-layered comedy addressing Mickey Rooney’s racist portrayal of Mr. Yunioshi in the movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The one-man show won the Freak Award for Best Solo Performance at the 2019 Hollywood Fringe Festival. And more Local burlesque act Vulva Va-Voom returns with “Vulva Va-Voom Lives in This Bar Now: A Burlesque Documentary”; Tampa’s Theater eXceptional performs “An eXceptionally Wilde Tale”; Josh Goff performs a monologue from “Split Decision”; Hoof Arted performs “Dr. Porkenheimer’s Porn Factory,” sponsored by downtown Tampa dive bar The Hub; and Tampa, Florida-based cable show producer Rodrick Colbert shares “The Evolutionary Project-2020.” Some shows might still join at the last minute, so this year’s digital Fringe is bound to be full of surprises. Just because a particular show didn’t get a full paragraph here, doesn’t mean it won’t be totally awesome. Giving unknown acts a chance is an essential part of the Fringe experience, so get in there and explore. And follow @tampafringe on Instagram and Facebook for all those last-minute updates. The 2020 edition of Tampa International Fringe Festival is set for August 1-August 15. More information—including schedules and instructions on how to use the 3-D modules and recorded performances—is available on social media and tampafringe.org.

FESTIVAL

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his year’s digital Tampa International Fringe Festival features about a dozen shows—most chosen by lottery in the Fringe tradition. The lottery happened before COVID-19 became a problem in the Tampa Bay area. This was back when Tampa Fringe organizers still planned to do the festival live and in-person. When they decided to go digital, Tampa Fringe Festival Producer Trish Parry gave the lottery winners first dibs. Then she looked for what was lacking in terms of diversity and invited some folks off of their waiting list. Finally she added a couple “Tampa Proud” shows—shows that are either set in Tampa or feature actors hailing from Tampa. Some of the shows were already recorded. Others, the Tampa Fringe crew recorded fresh. Since these are recordings and not livestreams, time doesn’t matter. You can enjoy these shows with friends from Tampa Fringe’s 3-D Virtual Ybor (link to the feature), YouTube or Public Access Television whenever it’s most convenient for you. The Crowbar recording sessions Tampa Fringe recorded three new shows by local playwrights or theater companies during Crowbar’s temporary closure: Scott Swenson’s “Awake in the Dark,” Intrepid Stages’ “Hello” and Laila Lee’s “The Light Bringer.” Tampa’s Scott Swenson, of Vault fame, is known for his scary stories. Swenson published a volume of them in August 2019 called “Awake in the Dark.” This Fringe, he’s taking his tales to the stage in a spoken-word horror show filmed for Fringe audiences. Orlando-based theater company Intrepid Stage came to Tampa to film “Hello,” a one-man musical about human connection. The show was a Patron’s Pick at Orlando Fringe in 2018. Now that social distancing is a thing, Hello seems more relevant than ever. Read what theater reviewer Seth Kubersky had to say about it in the Orlando Weekly. “The Light Bringer” is a collaboration between USF Theatre grad Laila Lee and Bill Pats, who met at Shameless Stories open mic in Seminole Heights. In this new story-telling show, Lee shares her real-life experiences living as a Muslim woman in the American South. This should be interesting. Fringe from afar Australian comedian and storyteller Jon Bennett returns to Tampa Fringe this year. You might remember him from 2018’s “Pretending Things Are a Cock” (now available on YouTube), in which he told his best travel stories while

LES AND MORE: Les Kurkendaal’s ‘family tree’ is part of a large pod of digital Fringe offerings.

cltampa.com | JULY 30-AUGUST 5, 2020 | 31


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Leo

The lion. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): “Notice what no one else notices and you’ll know what no one else knows,” says actor Tim Robbins. That’s perfect counsel for you right now, Leo. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, your perceptiveness will be at a peak in the coming weeks. You’ll have an ability to discern half-hidden truths that are invisible to everyone else. You’ll be aggressive in scoping out what most people don’t even want to become aware of. Take advantage of your temporary superpower! Use it to get a lucid grasp of the big picture—and cultivate a more intelligent approach than those who are focused on the small picture and the comfortable delusions. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): “Look on every exit as being an entrance somewhere else,” wrote playwright Tom Stoppard. That’s ripe advice for you to meditate on during the coming weeks. You’re in a phase of your astrological cycle when every exit can indeed be an entrance somewhere else—but only if you believe in that possibility and are alert for it. So please dissolve your current assumptions about the current chapter of your life story so that you can be fully open to new possibilities that could become available. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): “One must think with the body and the soul or not think at all,” wrote Libran author and historian Hannah Arendt. She implied that thinking only with the head may spawn monsters and demons. Mere conceptualization is arid and sterile if not interwoven with the wisdom of the soul and the body’s earthy intuitions. Ideas that are untempered by feelings and physical awareness can produce poor maps of reality. In accordance with astrological omens, I ask you to meditate on these empowering suggestions. Make sure that as you seek to understand what’s going on, you draw on all your different kinds of intelligence. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “I always wanted to be commander-in-chief of my one-woman army,” says singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco. I think that goal is within sight for you, Scorpio. Your power over yourself has been increasing lately. Your ability to manage your own moods and create your own sweet spots and define your own fate is as robust as I have seen it in a while. What do you plan to do with your enhanced dominion? What special feats might you attempt? Are there any previously impossible accomplishments that may now be possible?

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Your meditation the invigorating power of your love. for the coming weeks comes to you courtesy of author and naturalist Henry David Thoreau. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Aquarian author “We can never have Langston Hughes enough of nature,” he (1902–1967) was a wrote. “We must be pioneering and prorefreshed by the sight of lific African American inexhaustible vigor, vast author and activist By Rob Brezsny and titanic features, the who wrote in four difsea-coast with its wrecks, the wilderness with ferent genres and was influential in boosting its living and its decaying trees, the thunder other Black writers. One of his big breaks as a cloud, and the rain which lasts three young man came when he was workweeks and produces freshets. We ing as a waiter at a banquet need to witness our own limits featuring the famous transgressed, and some life poet Vachel Lindsay. pasturing freely where Hughes managed we never wander.” Oh, to leave three how I hope you will of his poems heed Thoreau’s counon Lindsay’s sel, Sagittarius. You table. The would really benefit great poet from an extended loved them healing session and later amidst natural lent his wonders. Give clout to boosting yourself the deep pleasure of explorHughes’ ing what wildness career. I means to you. suspect you might have an opening like that sometime soon, Aquarius— even if it won’t be quite as literal and hands-on. Be ready to take advantage. Cultivate every connection that may become available.

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Author and activist bell hooks (who doesn’t capitalize her name) has taught classes at numerous American universities. She sometimes writes about her experiences there, as in the following passage. “My students tell me, ‘we don’t want to love! We’re tired of being loving!’ And I say to them, if you’re tired of being loving, then you haven’t really been loving, because when you are loving you have more strength.” I wanted you to know her thoughts, Capricorn, because I think you’re in a favorable position to demonstrate how correct she is: to dramatically boost your own strength through

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Author Faith Baldwin has renounced the “forgive and forget” policy. She writes, “I think one should forgive and remember. If you forgive and forget, you’re just driving what you remember into the subconscious; it stays there and festers. But to look

u p o n what you remember and know you’ve forgiven is achievement.” That’s the approach I recommend for you right now, Pisces. Get the relief you need, yes: Forgive those who have trespassed against you. But also: Hold fast to the lessons you learned through those people so you won’t repeat them again later.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Aries poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti is renowned for his buoyancy. In one of his famous lines, he wrote, “I am awaiting, perpetually and forever, a renaissance of wonder.” Here’s what I have to say in response to that thought: Your assignment, as an Aries, is NOT to sit there and wait, perpetually and forever, for a renaissance of wonder. Rather, it’s your job to embody and actualize and express, perpetually and forever, a renaissance of wonder. The coming weeks will be an especially favorable time for you to rise to new heights in fulfilling this aspect of your life-long assignment. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): I live in Northern California on land that once belonged to the indigenous Coast Miwok people. They were animists who believed that soul and sentience animate all animals and plants as well as rocks, rivers, mountains—everything, really. Their food came from hunting and gathering, and they lived in small bands without centralized political authority. According to one of their creation stories, Coyote and Silver Fox made the world by singing and dancing it into existence. Now I invite you to do what I just illustrated: Find out about and celebrate the history of the people and the place where you live. From an astrological perspective, it’s a favorable time to get in touch with roots and foundations. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): “When I look down, I miss all the good stuff, and when I look up, I just trip over things,” says singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco. I wonder if she has tried an alternate approach: looking straight ahead. That’s what I advise for you in the coming weeks, Gemini. In other words, adopt a perspective that will enable you to detect regular glimpses of what’s above you and what’s below you—as well as what’s in front of you. In fact, I suggest you avoid all extremes that might distract you from the big picture. The truth will be most available to you if you occupy the middle ground. CANCER (June 21-July 22): The Italian word “nottivago” refers to “night roamers”: people who wander around after dark. Why do they do it? What do they want to accomplish? Maybe their ramblings have the effect of dissolving stuck thoughts that have been plaguing them. Maybe it’s a healing relief to indulge in the luxury of having nowhere in particular to go and nothing in particular to do: to declare their independence from the obsessive drive to get things done. Meandering after sundown may stir up a sense of wild freedom that inspires them to outflank or outgrow their problems. I bring these possibilities to your attention, Cancerian, because the coming days will be an excellent time to try them out.

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Friends in deed By Dan Savage

I’m a 20-something more-or-less lesbian in an East Coast city. I’m primarily into women, and I’m only interested in relationships with women, but I’m sometimes attracted to men and have enjoyed sex with men in the past. For various reasons, I decided a few years ago not to pursue physical stuff with men anymore, and I publicly identify as a lesbian. This worked great prepandemic, but now, with a tiny social bubble and no dating prospects, I find myself feeling very attracted to a male friend/coworker. He’s 30-something, single, straight, and we’ve hung out a few times since COVID (only outside, and while socially distanced). As far as work goes, neither of us has a management role, we’re in different departments, and we rarely interact professionally. So, hypothetically, the coworker part wouldn’t be an ethical issue if we were to get involved. I have a feeling he’d be down for a casual pandemic thing… although it’s possible I could be projecting. But I have no idea how to broach this subject. He’s a respectful person and we work for a very progressive organization, so he’s not going to flirt with me since I identify as gay. I don’t know how to bring up in casual conversation that I sometimes like sleeping with men, Dan, and my usual approach to flirting involves a lot of casual physical contact, which obviously isn’t possible right now. What should I do? Should I just let this go? Even though we don’t work closely together, there’s obviously the potential for professional issues if feelings get hurt, and celibacy is obviously a responsible option during this pandemic. But COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions are going to continue, and he and I seem well enough suited to keep each other company. I was single and celibate for a while before the pandemic and am feeling desperate to touch another human being. If it’s not a terrible idea, how do I flirt with him without endangering public health, messing up our friendship, or making our work situation incredibly awkward in the event that he’s not into me? —Craving Organic Viable Earthly Touching

call them, and if he is, tell him you would like to apply for the position. While most couples meet online these days, COVET, roughly 10% of opposite-sex couples— which is what you two would be—still meet through work. And while you’re not interested in anything romantic or long-term, couples that meet through work remain the most likely to marry. Which means work relationships don’t always end in tears and/or pink slips and/or lawsuits. (Although they do sometimes end in divorce.) People who find themselves attracted to coworkers need to be thoughtful about power dynamics, of course, and cognizant of company policies where workplace romance is concerned. And it sounds like you are being thoughtful and it doesn’t sound like either of you have power over each other and are unlikely to ever be in positions of power over each other. And life is short and this pandemic is going to be long. So the next time you get together for some socially distanced socializing, COVER, open your mouth and tell this guy what you’ve been thinking. If he’s as liberal and progressive as you make him out to be, he’s no doubt aware that human sexuality is complicated and that while many of us can find a perfect fit among the most commonly understood set of labels, many of us pick a label that doesn’t fit perfectly because it comes closest to capturing some combo of our sexual and/or romantic interest and desires. Don’t think of this ask—don’t think of this disclosure—as walking anything back, COVET, but of expanding and complicating what he already knows about you. You remain homoromantic—you’re only interested in other women romantically— but you are sexually attracted to both men and women sexually. In other words, COVET, your heart is lesbian but your pussy is bi. If he’s up for being your COVID-19 sex buddy, swear to each other that you’ll handle the inevitable end with grace and compassion. For while awkwardness can’t be avoided, COVET, stupid and unnecessary drama certainly can. And it’s been my experience that promising in advance to act like grownups ups the chances of everyone acting like grownups. Similarly, simply saying, “Well, this might get awkward,” in advance of awkwardness or, “This is awkward,” if things should get awkward reduces the strength and duration of awkwardness by at least half. Finally, a note to all the guys out there reading this who think COVET’s question gives them license to hit on women who identify as lesbians: No, it doesn’t. Don’t do that. If there’s a lesbian-identified-but-not-averse-to-all-dick dyke in your life… if you work or to go school with a homoromantic-but-bisexual woman who identifies as a lesbian… and if that woman is even remotely interested in fucking you, she

SAVAGE LOVE

There’s no way to ensure that a sexual and/ or romantic relationship with a coworker (or anyone else) won’t end badly—and a little awkwardness would be the least of your worries if this proposed arrangement ended badly. But if your relationships and breakups are generally drama-free, COVET, and if you’ve been friends with this guy long enough to know that his relationships and breakups have been mostly drama-free, I think you should tell him how you’ve been feeling. Ask him if he’s interested in finding a COVID-19 sex buddy, as the Dutch

will let you know. And even if your hunch is correct—even if your dickful thinking is spoton and that one lesbian you know does wanna fuck you—being disrespectful enough to make the first move instantly disqualifies both you and your dick. This is a letter from a gay guy. If one of my regular kinky playmate friends were to gag and hood me and then fuck me while wearing a condom, would that reasonably be expected to prevent COVID19 transmission? —Hoping Or Otherwise Determined You’re less likely to contract COVID-19 if you’re hooded and gagged and it’ll be even safer if your kinky playmate wears a mask, too. But you should be hooded and gagged before your kinky playmate arrives, HOOD, because if he gets close enough to hood and gag you himself then he’ll be exhaling all over you and inhaling whatever you’re exhaling. And that—inhaling what other people are exhaling—is the risk we all need to avoid right now. And while COVID-19 has been found in semen, the jury is still out on whether semen presents a significant risk of infection. (Unless a dude shoots so hard his semen is aerosolized and his sex partners are in danger of inhaling his spunk into their lungs.) That said, COVID-19 isn’t the only thing we need to worry about, HOOD, so he should wear a condom to protect you from HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. The biggest risk, according to health departments from sea (NYC Health) to shining sea (British Columbia Centres for Disease Control), is kissing—we’re being urged to forgo “kissing and saliva exchange” with randos for the moment—so kinky fuckers who get

off on wearing masks, gags, and hoods have a built-in, hard-wired advantage. But no kissing before the hood goes on. Please settle a debate with my “friend.” I’m correct in that your staff comes up with the clever names of those who submit letters to your Savage Love column, right? My “friend” holds the delusional belief that the clever names are created by the letter writers themselves. Please settle this with a confirmation that I am correct. —Friendship Risked In Entirely Needless Dispute A million or so years ago I began shortening sign-offs created by the letter writers—I began making acronyms out of them—to cut my word count and save space. Readers noticed what I was doing and began creating sign-offs that, when acronymized, became words that playfully referenced their questions. It quickly became something “Savage Love” readers looked forward to—something they did as much or more than my dick jokes—and it wasn’t long before readers were letting me know they were disappointed when sign-offs didn’t result in clever acronyms. So nowadays when readers don’t go to the trouble of creating clever sign-offs for themselves, I do it for them. I would say I come up with roughly half the sign-offs that appear in the column, FRIEND, which means you and your friend are both right. On savagelovecast.com, Dan interviews an activist from “Love is Not Tourism.” Contact mail@ savagelove.net and follow @FakeDanSavage on Twitter.

cltampa.com | JULY 30-AUGUST 5, 2020 | 35


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we pay $15,000 -$100,000

Rolex Explorer $3,000-$10,000

Rolex Pre-1985 Steel Rolex 2-Tone GMT or Submariner Submariner $5,000-$10,000 w/papers $4,000-$20,000 Rolex Explorer Rolex President Rolex Explorer $3,000-$10,000 $6,000-$20,000 $3,000-$10,000

Rolex 2-Tone Rolex Pre-1985 Steel Rolex we pay President Submariner GMT or Submariner $6,000-$20,000 dial Rolex* $3,000$5,000-$10,000 Rolex Pre-1985 Steel Rolex 2-Tonew/papers Submariner $4,000-$20,000 GMT or Submariner $30,000$5,000-$10,000 BUYING BUYING w/papers BUYINGBUYING w/papers $4,000-$20,000

Signed Tiffany

We are the We are Signed the Tiffany Top Buyers in Top Buyers in Top Buyers in We are the Tiffany the U.S. the U.S.

* Premium dollars paid for brown dial Rolex*

All Patek Philippes

Signed Rolexthe Explorer are Tiffany Rolex President All Omegas Rolex Explorer $3,000-$10,000 $6,000-$20,000 $3,000-$10,000 Top Buyers in Wanted! 1960s the U.S.Round Patek BUYING

Rolex President We $6,000-$20,000

We pay top dollar for Round 1960s Patek Tiffany items! we pay $3,000$15,000

Rectangular

We do Tiff

Men’s Patek Buying Cartier, we pay $3,000Van Cleef & OTHER Rolex President Rolex Explorer $30,000 Buyin $6,000-$20,000 $3,000-$10,000 VINTAGE, we pay We pay to DESIGNER Watches We pay top $3,000Round All1960s Patek Philippes Patek Van ClV BUYING BUYING All Patek Rolex Philippes President $15,000 Rolex Explorer BUYING Rectangular Chronographs Patek dollar fo We are the top buyers WORKING & Jewelry $6,000-$20,000 $3,000-$10,000 Men’s Patek dollar for we pay $15,000 we pay DESIGN Rolex President Rolex Explorer we pay pay top We Tiffany item ng -$100,000 - or -$3,000NOT! $3,000$6,000-$20,000 in the United States! All Patek Philippes$3,000-$10,000

BUYING

Wanted Rolex OMEGA Anythi Tiffany items! BUYING dollar for Signed Wanted Vintage

& We pay top Buying Carti BUYINGAllBUYING Patek Philippes BUYING BUYING We pay top Buying dollar Cartier, for Van Cleef & OT W All Patek Philippes Patek the U.S. we pay Patek Round 1960s Anything Vintage dollar for DESIGNER Watc Van Cleef & OTHER Tiffany items! $3,000Buying Cartier, Chronographs * Premium dollars paid for brown dial Rolex* Patek $15,000 Rectangular & Jewelry we pay $15,000 we pay Signed Tiffany Men’s DESIGNER Patekitems! Watches Round 1960s Van Cleef & OTHER -$100,000 $3,000WE PAY TOP DOLLAR FOR TIFFANY ITEMS! we pay We are the Patek Tiffany A Wanted $15,000 $3,000Rectangular we pay Buying Cartier, & Jewelry Top Buyers in DESIGNER Watches $30,000 Men’s Patek $3,000Rolex Pre-1985 Steel Rolex 2-Tone W we pay $15,000 Submariner theRectangular U.S. GMT orRound Patek Buying Cartier, Vintage 1960s Submariner Van Cleef & OTHER & Jewelry $5,000-$10,000 w/papers $3,000Chronographs Men’s Patek Patek Wo anything signed Round 1960s we pay $4,000-$20,000 we pay $15,000 $30,000 All Omegas DESIGNER Watches we pay -$100,000 Van Cleef & OTHER $3,000Wanted Patek $3,000Working or not Patek Vintage Rolex President $30,000 Wanted – we pay Rolex Explorer $15,000 Rectangular DESIGNER Watches Chronographs $6,000-$20,000 $3,000-$10,000 & Jewelry Ge $3,000Patekor not Patek we pay $15,000 Working VintageMen’s Working or not Classic Patek Calitrava $15,000 Rectangular we pay Chronographs -$100,000 bef & Jewelry Rolex Pre-1985 Steel Rolex 2-Tone we pay $3,000-$8,000 Men’s Patek $3,000we pay $15,000 BUYING GMT or Submariner Submariner Wanted we pay $30,000 We pay top -$100,000 $5,000-$10,000 w/papers All Omegas POCKET WATC Get our offer $3,000$4,000-$20,000 All Patek Philippes We love Classic Patek Calitrava Patek $30,000 Vintage dollar for Get our offer before you sell! Wanted – love Cartier! we pay $3,000-$8,000 Chronographs We Get our offer Rolexwe President Rolex Explorer Patek Vintage pay $15,000 Cartier, Van CleefTiffany & Other items! All Omegas We Classic Patek Calitrava POCKET WATCH COLLECTIONS WANTED! $6,000-$20,000 Working orlove not Wanted Chronographs -$100,000 $3,000-$10,000 Classic Patek Calitrava before you sell! we pay $15,000 Cartier! FIN E JEWELRY & Wanted Wanted – we pay $3,000-$8,000 Designer Watches & Jewelry before you sell! -$100,000 BUYING Cartier! we pay $3,000-$8,000 Buying Cartier,We pay topWorking or not $15,000 $30,000

Rectangular Men’s Patek Patek we pay We are the Tiffany Chronographs Tiffany items! $3,000we pay $15,000 Top Buyers in Round 1960s $30,000 -$100,000

* Premium dollars paid for brown dial Rolex*

Rolex Pre-1985 Steel Rolex 2-Tone GMT or Submariner Submariner $5,000-$10,000 w/papers $4,000-$20,000

GET OUR OFFER BEFORE YOU $ELL! Rolex OMEGA All Omegas All Omegas Wanted –

BUYING TIFFANY BUYING

Rolex President $6,000-$20,000

Round 1960s Patek we pay Rolex Explorer $3,000$3,000-$10,000 $15,000

BUYING

All Patek Philippes

Wanted –

OLD NOR

OLD NORTHEAST JEWELERS Get our offer

St. Petersburg • 1131 4th St. N • 727.8

All Patek Philippes

| B U Y I N G & S E L L I N G S I N C E 19 8 4 F I N E J& EClassic WOTHER E L RPatek Y &dollar W A T C H E S for Calitrava Van Cleef POCKET COLLECTIONS WANTED! All Omegas Old North before you sell! POCKETWATCH WATCH COLLECTIONS WANTED! we pay $3,000-$8,000

Tiffany items! ourPlaza offer All Omegas Wanted St. Petersburg • 1131 4th St. N • 727.896.6656 Tampa •Get International • 813.875.3935 We lo DESIGNER Watches Classic Patek Calitrava Wanted – before you sell! POCKET WATCH COLLECTIONS WANTED! Cartie we pay $3,000-$8,000 Wanted Wanted – ld Northeast Jewelers.com &O Jewelry

OLDNORTHEAST NORTHEAST JEWE OLD JEWELERS OLD NORTHEAST NORTHEAST JEWELERS OLD JEWELERS Rectangular Men’s Patek we pay $3,000$30,000

Patek Chronographs Classic Patek Calitrava we pay $15,000 -$100,000 we pay $3,000-$8,000

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Buying Cartier,

Working or notWorking or not POCKET WATCH COLLECTIONS WANTED! Van Cleef & OTHER We pay top All Omegas DESIGNER Watches dollar for Vintage Get our offer All Omegas F–I N E J E W E L R YWe & Wlove ATC H E S | B U Y I N G & S E L L I N G Get our offer Rectangular Wanted & FJewelry We love | B U Y I N G & S E L L I N G S I N C E 19 8 4 Classic Patek Calitrava Men’s Patek I N E J E W E L R Y & W A T C H E S | Cartier! Tiffany items! we pay sell! before you sell! Cartier! before you we pay $3,000-$8,000 Wanted –

Round 1960s Patek we pay $3,000$15,000

| B BU UY IYNI GN G& &S ESLEL LI NL GI N SGI NSCI EN C1E9 8149 8 4 F FI NI NEE JJEEWWEELLRR Y & W AATTCCHHEESSWorking St. Petersburg •or 1131not 4th St. N • 727.896.6656 Tampa • International Plaz $3,000$30,000

St. Petersburg • 1131 4th St. N • 727.896.6656

Tampa • International Plaza • 813.875.3

POCKET COLLECTIONS WANTED! POCKET WATCH COLLECTIONS WANTED! Working or not Patek Buying Cartier,WATCH Vintage Old Northeast

Petersburg • 11314th 4thSt. St.NN ••Van 727.896.6656 St.St. Petersburg • 1131 727.896.6656 Cleef & OTHER Round 1960s Patek we pay $3,000$15,000

Classic Patek Calitrava DESIGNER Watches Get our offer we pay $3,000-$8,000 Classic Patek Calitrava Rectangular | F I N E J E W E L R Y & W A T C H E S IEN LGR &Y S&sell! E LWL AI NTGC HS EI NSC E| 1B9U8Y4I N G & S E L L I N G S I N C E 1 9 8 4 & Jewelry F I N E JBEUWY you before Men’s Patek Cartier! we pay $3,000-$8,000 POCKET WATCH COLLECTIONS WANTED! we pay Wanted $3,000St. Petersburg • 1131 4th St. N • 727.896.6656 Tampa • International Plaza • 813.875.3935 St. Petersburg • 1131 4th St. N • 727.896.6656 Tampa • International Plaza • 813.875.3935 POCKET WATCH COLLECTIONS WANTED! $30,000 All Omegas |

Old Northeast Jewelers.com OldNortheastJewelers.com Vintage O l d NOLD o r t h eNORTHEAST a s t J e w e l e r s . c o JEWELERS m

38 | JULY 30-AUGUST 5, 2020 cltampa.com

Patek Chronographs we pay $15,000

rs.com O l d N o r t h e a s t J e w eJlee w r se . cloem Tampa • International Plaza • 813.875.3935 Tampa • International Plaza • 813.875.3935 Get our offer

We love OLD NORTHEAST JEWELERS OLD NORTHEAST Wanted before you JEWELERS sell! Cartier! O l d N o r t h e a s t J e w e l e r s We . clove om Chronographs we pay $15,000 -$100,000

O l d N o r tWanted h e a s t J e–w e l e r s . c o m

All Omegas

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Our take Florida Style Berliner Weiss with raspberries, blackberries & blueberries. This baby pours deep fuchsia color, with aromas of a mixed berry smoothie.

Super tart but finishes with a delightful sweetness!

tbbc.beer @tbbco #beerisyourfriend cltampa.com | JULY 30-AUGUST 5, 2020 | 39


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