With the help of the Urban League, the downtown entertainment complex relaxes restrictions on acceptable dress that led to protests by the Uhurus.
By LEANORA MINAI
Published June 12, 2004
[Times photo: Lara Cerri]
Robert Reiter, 22, left, heads for the movie theater Friday as workers Bruce Owens, center, and James Burke, right, post the new regulations. The old rules prohibited a bandana like Reiter's. "We're just on a date," said Reiter, who was with Gigi Tortosa, 19. "We're not causing any trouble."
ST. PETERSBURG - Wear a ball cap sideways. Roll up a pant leg. Or wear long chains, if you like.
The rules have changed at BayWalk, the downtown entertainment complex that draws scores of teenagers from the Tampa Bay area.
BayWalk officials, weary of eight months of weekly protests by the Uhuru Movement, have worked out a compromise that will loosen up a code of conduct criticized by some community leaders as biased against African-Americans.
"We see it as a serious political victory for the Uhuru movement and working-class African community at large," Uhuru leader Sateesh Rogers said during a news conference Friday at BayWalk.
Craig Sher, president and CEO of the Sembler Co., which owns BayWalk, said it was important to have a revised code that targets behavior, not dress.
Gone are prohibitions against gang-related fashions and juveniles gathering in groups larger than four. Still banned are items with obscene, suggestive or offensive messages.
The Uhurus agreed to end their weekly protests at BayWalk.
"This is not a deal or anything," said Sher, who did not attend the Uhuru press briefing. "They asked us to look at this, and we did, and there's mutual satisfaction."
In fact, it was Sher who asked the Pinellas County Urban League about a month ago to intervene and talk with the International People's Democratic Uhuru Movement.
James O. Simmons, president and CEO of the Urban League, said Sher was concerned the Uhuru's weekly picketing, which included signs that said "BayWalk Is For Whites Only," was affecting business at the $40-million town square.
BayWalk officials, Uhuru leaders and the Urban League met, and the Urban League assembled community leaders to review rules at other malls and to make recommendations about BayWalk.
"It's a victory for the community," Simmons said. "This situation had the potential of getting explosive. Completely out of hand. And nobody wants that. We don't need that in St. Petersburg."
Some teens and residents embraced the changes.
"I don't see the point in telling people what to wear," said Colleen Cherry, 15, who was at BayWalk with friends on Friday.
Dean Farley, 53, of St. Petersburg, added, "It's not about the dress, it's about behavior. This is America. You can wear what you want."
Tensions at BayWalk began to escalate in October when Uhuru member Keith Stewart was arrested at Wet Willie's and charged with inciting a riot. Police say he interfered with an arrest and encouraged a crowd of 200 to attack officers. The case is set for trial next week.
Stewart's arrest prompted the Uhuru group, known for its anti-police stance, to picket weekly at BayWalk.
The situation worsened in December when a 16-year-old boy, who is black, was banned from BayWalk after police and security accused him of passing drugs to a girl. The boy said it was his telephone number.
In recent weeks, Harley-Davidson motorcyclists have been threatening to counter the Uhurus' protests with one of their own.
"The mayor was concerned. (Deputy Mayor) Goliath Davis was concerned. The management of the Sembler Co. was concerned, and the Uhurus, quite frankly, were concerned," said Simmons, the Urban League chief. About a month ago, Simmons and a few other Urban League members were meeting with Sher about an unrelated matter - corporate sponsorship. Sher brought up the Uhurus and asked Simmons if he would approach the organization.
A week later, BayWalk officials were eating sandwiches with several Uhuru members at the Urban League office in St. Petersburg.
Keith Stewart, the man accused of inciting a riot, was a concern. But the only issue that could be negotiated was BayWalk's code of conduct.
It was decided that Simmons would assemble a committee of 10 community leaders, mostly university and Urban League officials, to review BayWalk's code and policies at other places.
"We took out any bias," Simmons said. "We removed any ethnic-specific type of code."
Simmons said the group also asked BayWalk officials to provide sensitivity training to security officers.
Dawn Cecil, an assistant criminology professor at the University of South Florida, was on the committee, which met last week.
She said she wanted rules that were neutral and did not force security or police to judge patrons based on style of dress.
"Just because someone wears their pant up or hat to the side does not mean they're a gang member," Cecil said. "A lot of that is part of hip-hop culture."
Sher said the changes to BayWalk's code of conduct are the first revision since the complex opened in late 2000. He said he does not believe the changes will create safety concerns.
"BayWalk has never been safer," Sher said.
The changes to BayWalk's rules make the gathering place less restrictive than other spots. Tyrone Square Mall, a Simon property, prohibits dress that is commonly recognized as gang-related.
No changes are planned for another Sembler Co. investment, Centro Ybor in Tampa, whose dress code essentially mirrors BayWalk's new rules.
Virginia Littrell, a St. Petersburg City Council member whose district includes BayWalk, said she is not concerned about complaints over the new code of conduct.
Last summer, visitors started writing and calling city officials, complaining about unruly youths and vandalism around BayWalk.
"If it works great, let's try it and see," Littrell said of the new rules.
It doesn't bother St. Petersburg resident Barbara Lee to see teens walking through the Mediterranean-style complex wearing chains or backward ball caps. She thinks the bigger issue is young girls wearing revealing tops and too-short skirts.
"Let parents parent their kids," Lee said.
- Times staff writer Jamie Thompson contributed to this report. Leanora Minai can be reached at minai@sptimes.com or 727 893-8406.
DO'S AND DON'TS
NOW PERMITTED
Juveniles congregating in groups larger than four
Attire such as spikes and long chains
Apparel or styles commonly associated with gangs - bandanas, hats worn to one side, one pant leg up
Personal-sized electronics with headphones
Youth curfew moved from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m.
BANNED
Disorderly or disruptive conduct, including use of obscene or insulting language or gestures
Clothing and items with obscene, suggestive or offensive messages
Congregating in groups that create a disturbance or impede movement of others
Youths on second floor after 9 p.m. without adult escort
Attendance of youths under 19 during school hours (excluding holidays) without a parent, teacher, or legal guardian
