TAMPA, Fla. — On any given day, Bayshore Boulevard is the perfect place to take a nice relaxing stroll near the water.
But the street is completely transformed during the Gasparilla Pirate Invasion and the Gasparilla Children's Parade.
Kelly Hammond said she's gone to the parade before, but she wasn't completely focused on the safety measures at hand.
"There's usually police, but as far as everything else, it's pretty wild, and it just seems like it's kind of a free-for-all," she said.
And after the deadly terror attack in New Orleans, Hammond isn't so sure about going to Gasparilla this year.
"I think you know, we're all kind of like weirded out by the situation and wondering why that happened and what we can do differently."
Events like Gasparilla require what's known as soft target security. Former FBI agent Brad Garrett explains those attacks are the easiest for terrorists.
"The real focus of any terrorist attack is to inflict fear, and they clearly do that. Car ramming is easy. All you have to do is find a place that you can get a vehicle into a crowd," he said.
Unlike the events that require tickets and security scans, a soft target focuses on wide open spaces that anyone can easily access.
That attack and the safety measures at events has weighed on Courtenay Abernathy's mind.
"I was thinking of all the events that we go to, or that I've been to before, and I was like, how have I been so fortunate that haven't, like, had to deal with this, this luck or and this tragedy that the people there have?" Abernathy said.
Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw couldn't sit down for an interview, but the department did send me this statement:
"The Tampa Police Department has vast experience keeping the public safe during large-scale events , and that mission is only heightened after recent tragedies. As Gasparilla season approaches, we want to reassure the public that security remains our top priority. We will continue our close collaboration with Federal, State, and local law enforcement partners to ensure our use of best practices and evaluate our enhanced security plan to keep this a safe and enjoyable event for attendees.”
They also sent over this video of their multi-agency mass casualty incident training back in late November. TPD and other agencies undergo trainings in the event of a tragedy.
Brad Garrett points out on particular safety measure from the New Orleans attack that he would change.
"They placed a police car where the ball bollards are located. That's not great. I would have preferred a dump truck or a sand truck, something that you basically couldn't push over. He drove around the police car, up on the sidewalk," he said.
This is the message Brad Garrett has for people rethinking plans involving crowds.
"You need to be aware. I think there were a number of people in New Orleans that saved their own lives because they just had a split second to get out of the way, and they did. And you shouldn't walk around paranoid, but you definitely need to focus on your environment," he said.
That's advice Sarah Paris and Courtenay Abernathy live by.
"I think self-awareness is key. And I think you know something like Gasparilla, like, where you're drinking more heavily and, like, not as aware. I think it just after certain events, it would just happen, like, probably dialing that back a little bit," Paris said.
"Life is still meant to be lived, right?" Abernathy posed. "I think it just maybe triggers your thoughts like she was saying about being a little bit more mindful."
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