HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, fla — The Tampa Bay Community Action Committee held a rally in downtown Tampa Saturday in response to the recent death of Tyree Nichols.
Local activists say the rally was a call to action but also a day of remembrance.
Valentina Beron with the Tampa Community Action Committee said, "We make sure that we remember their legacy but also tell their story to make sure it doesn’t happen again."
"It is important to show solidarity with the family no matter where we are or how far away we are," Simon Roe with the Freedom Road Socialist Organization said.
These activists are calling for a change in the Tampa Bay area. They held signs and chanted, calling for community control of the police.
Beron said, "I hope that this will bring a lot of necessary attention. Not just in the community but also with the city council and the ordinance that is trying to be passed for the citizen's review board in Tampa. That they have the opportunity to have independent council."
The Citizens Review Board in Tampa was created to increase trust between the Tampa Police Department and the community. The board is a panel of citizens who review disciplinary cases from Tampa police and can give recommendations.
"Not only is this a national event focusing on national issues, but also relating back to the local issues we have in Tampa Bay," Beron said.
Local activists are saying the citizen review board is not enough. They are pushing for an independent council.
"Also, we want to make sure something like this never happens again," Roe said.
