After mass shooting, Tampa council member seeks temporary curfew of Ybor businesses

Tampa City Councilwoman Gwendolyn Henderson says she plans to propose a motion during the Thursday, Nov. 2 regularly scheduled council meeting calling for businesses in the Ybor Historic District to temporarily close at 1 a.m.

The temporary abatement would last for six months, according to a statement “during which time the city would study violence in Ybor and identify potential solutions.”

The council member’s actions follow the Oct. 29 shootings in Ybor City that left two people dead — one 14 years old and one 20 years old — and 16 others injured. Tampa Police detectives, according to a statement, have since arrested Tyrell Stephen Phillips, 22, and charged him with second-degree murder for his role in those shootings, which took place early Sunday morning.

“We make arrests quickly and with a sense of urgency,” Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw says in a statement. “If you commit a crime in Tampa, you are going to pay for it and you are going to be charged. Thanks to the community who came forward after we asked for tips, we were able to quickly charge the suspect with second-degree murder in this case.”

Henderson, in a separate statement, says in addition to the temporary abatement, she will make a motion Thursday directing city staff to do the following:

• Keep East Seventh Avenue open to traffic even during closing time on Fridays and Saturdays to limit loitering.
• In addition to CRA funding, identify sources of revenue to expand community policing and step-up code enforcement to crack down on noise violations, loitering, public drinking and other infractions.

“Senseless acts of gun violence are always difficult,” Henderson says in the statement. “When it’s nearby the reality is horrific, so I have spent the past several days talking with Ybor residents, Ybor business owners, law enforcement and Mayor Castor about what steps we can take to eliminate an environment that promotes violence during the late hours in Ybor City.”

A teacher and official in Hillsborough County Public Schools for nearly 30 years, Henderson was elected to the City Council in May, to District 5, which includes Ybor City. "These measures are intended to help ensure Ybor City remains a safe and thriving neighborhood no matter what time of day," Henderson says.

Henderson, born in Tampa, raised in Carver City and a 32-year resident of Tampa Heights, is also asking Hillsborough County Public Schools interim Superintendent Van Ayres to consider sending a recorded message to the parents of high school students stressing, the release states, that Ybor nightlife is not a place for teenagers, considering the age of one of the victims.