Many Tampa Bay residents felt comforted by Saddam Hussein's capture, but some weren't convinced it would end the violence in Iraq.
By DENISE WATSON BATTS
Published December 15, 2003
[Times photo: Bill Serne]
A fan shows both her Buccaneer and American pride with a homemade sign during the Tampa Bay-Houston football game Sunday at Raymond James Stadium. Fellow fan Caesar Navarro shared the sign's sentiments: "I think my reaction was relief. I was just glad they caught him. I hope to see all the bombings stop now."
Caesar Navarro learned of Saddam Hussein's capture on the morning news about 8 a.m.
By noon, he had spread the word to his tailgating gang as the foursome munched on McDonald's french fries a block from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, digesting lunch and the news before walking to the Buccaneers game.
"I think my reaction was relief," Navarro said. "I was just glad they caught him. I hope to see all the bombings stop now."
The Tampa Bay area woke up to a rainy morning brightened by what many saw as a ray of hope: U.S. forces had apprehended a haggard-looking Hussein, ending one of the most intensive manhunts in history. Many want it to be the beginning of the end of the U.S. military's involvement in Iraq.
"I thought, "Finally, it's over!' " said John Gallien, who manned game day parking at Reliable Roofing and Gutters on N Church Avenue, which Navarro's group and a few others filled Sunday.
Perhaps the troops could start coming home soon, he said.
"I thought it would never end. It's just like Osama," Gallien said. "I thought there was no end in sight."
Employees at the Wal-Mart Supercenter in New Port Richey started cheering early Sunday after someone announced Hussein's capture on the public address system.
"When they made the announcement here, I started clapping my hands," said employee Mark Ciaramella, 53, of Hudson, who heard the news while getting ready for work. "I thought, "It's a good Christmas present.' "
Pete Hickey, 59, of Clearwater was driving to the 8:30 a.m. Mass at Espiritu Santo Roman Catholic Church in Safety Harbor when he heard the news on the radio.
"The word was spreading around the church," Hickey said. "They were pleased and relieved."
He's happy the search is over.
"Much of what's going on the last couple of months should cease," he said, but sounded a word of caution: "I hope it's the right one."
Members of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Florida visited 11 churches in Hernando County on Sunday morning as part of an ongoing effort to encourage understanding of their 1,400-year-old religion.
The social calls had been planned for a while, but council members said Hussein's capture gave them an opportunity to highlight their love of justice.
"Reaching out to others is our duty," said Dr. Adel Eldin, a cardiologist who is part of Hernando's Muslim community, which includes about 50 families. "It helps people see that there are good guys and bad guys everywhere. Hussein's capture is a lesson for people not to do injustice to others."
Not everyone found comfort in the news.
Crystal Brown loaded machines at the Hanley Road Coin Laundry in Hillsborough County while NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Brokaw flashed on a television screen nearby.
"What are they going to do? I don't see the government extraditing him here," Brown said. "I don't see the people over there letting him go. There are people over there who hate him just as much as we do; they would want to get him first."
On Sunday morning, James Rutledge sat at the counter of his favorite coffee hole, Shop Smart on Hanley Road, with CNN blaring behind him. He kept his eyes squarely on the comics.
"Whoopee," Rutledge said sarcastically as the news channel gave updates. "Big deal."
Rutledge wasn't convinced the arrest meant anything. Or even that the disheveled guy on the screen was the wanted man.
"Did you see him? They could've found him under a bridge in Tampa. He could've been some homeless man," Rutledge joked.
Then he shrugged, growing more serious as he headed out the door. He threatened to go to work at his home repair job to keep away from the nonstop news.
"He had no control," Rutledge said. "He's not causing all the little problems over there right now."
- Times staff writers Molly Moorhead, Joy Davis-Platt and Michael Sandler contributed to this report.
