TAMPA, FL -- Tampa Police officers had to break up a fight involving players and fans at a sanctioned kickball game at Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park last night, according to a Tampa Police report.
Officers responded to the park at around 7:30 pm last night, after a woman called police saying a 100 people were involved in a fight on the sidelines of the game. When they arrived officers did find a fight going on and large group of people watching, according to Tampa Police.
They had a difficult time getting through the crowd because they were being uncooperative and refused to disperse, according to police. When the officers did reach the people who were fighting, they found several girls with ripped shirts and several hair weaves which had been pulled from the heads of some of the girls who were fighting, cops said.
The women who had been fighting blended into the crowd and no one would tell police how the fight began, the police report says.
When one of the officers told the game's organizer that the game would not be allowed to continue, she became vocal about her rights to have this game and yelled obscenities at her, police said.
Minutes later a 2nd fight had broken out, the same people gathered across the street, now armed with sticks. Once again officers had to force their way through the crowd.
No one came forward as a victim, and no one was arrested.
The game's organizers protested earlier this month the park after they were kicked out of several parks because they did not have the proper permits. Parks and Recreation officials said the group needed a permit to play an organized game. After meeting with the group, city officials agreed to waive the fees for the permits and allowed them to play games at the park.
Community activist Michelle Williams, who helped organize last week's protest, said she was "extremely disappointed. I stuck my neck out for them." She planned to speak to several women who were at last night's fight to find why the fight broke out.
Officers responded to the park at around 7:30 pm last night, after a woman called police saying a 100 people were involved in a fight on the sidelines of the game. When they arrived officers did find a fight going on and large group of people watching, according to Tampa Police.
They had a difficult time getting through the crowd because they were being uncooperative and refused to disperse, according to police. When the officers did reach the people who were fighting, they found several girls with ripped shirts and several hair weaves which had been pulled from the heads of some of the girls who were fighting, cops said.
The women who had been fighting blended into the crowd and no one would tell police how the fight began, the police report says.
When one of the officers told the game's organizer that the game would not be allowed to continue, she became vocal about her rights to have this game and yelled obscenities at her, police said.
Minutes later a 2nd fight had broken out, the same people gathered across the street, now armed with sticks. Once again officers had to force their way through the crowd.
No one came forward as a victim, and no one was arrested.
The game's organizers protested earlier this month the park after they were kicked out of several parks because they did not have the proper permits. Parks and Recreation officials said the group needed a permit to play an organized game. After meeting with the group, city officials agreed to waive the fees for the permits and allowed them to play games at the park.
Community activist Michelle Williams, who helped organize last week's protest, said she was "extremely disappointed. I stuck my neck out for them." She planned to speak to several women who were at last night's fight to find why the fight broke out.
