A protest abruptly ended a Tampa City Council workshop about the proposed Citizens Review Board on Thursday.
"No compromise, no compromise," shouted a group of residents. The chant eventually forced council members to leave the room.
The group is upset about a possible compromise regarding the Citizens Review Board, which was proposed last month by Mayor Bob Buckhorn and Police Chief Eric Ward. Buckhorn announced the 11-member advisory board last month. Nine volunteers will be picked by the mayor, and two will be picked by council members.
But the make-up of the proposed advisory board hasn't been sitting well with council members, who said they should have more representation on the board.
At the workshop Thursday, Council member Charlie Miranda made a request.
"I really believe at the end of the day, you ought to meet with the mayor," Miranda told Council Chair Frank Reddick.
Miranda hoped the two could meet and then Reddick could report back to the council. Miranda hopes the meeting could bring about some sort of an agreement. Reddick said he's willing to try.
"The two of us have not talked about this issue at all and I think that's probably one of the reasons we're having a lot of issues, because we haven't communicated with each other," Reddick said. "But I think the pressure is on the mayor to communicate."
Now, with a community divided, council members have a new way that they hope will bridge the gap.
And in case that doesn't work, council members are still discussing their own ordinance for a second advisory board.