Protesters confront diners in St. Petersburg

Video taken outside a restaurant in St. Petersburg, Fla., on Wednesday shows protesters confronting patrons while they dined outside.  

The video, taken by a reporter for the Tampa Bay Times, shows a man taking an unoccupied seat at a table where a couple was apparently having dinner.

“Nope, no … this is my table,” a woman stands up and says to the protester, as a nearby crowd chanted “stand up right now.”

The man refused to get up and other protesters approached the table and knelt in front of it with signs displaying phrases such as “no justice, no peace.” 

Protestors are now going restaurant by restaurant to chant at diners on Beach Dr. in St. Pete. A lot of diners yelled back, starting multiple confrontations.

This one was the most significant. Protestors took over a couple’s table. Not sure why they were targeted specifically. pic.twitter.com/dzLM7KuCW9

— Josh Fiallo (@ByJoshFiallo) September 24, 2020

The confrontation came amid protests in the city following an announcement on Wednesday that no police officers would be charged in connection to the death of Breonna Taylor, a Black woman who was killed by police when they served a warrant on her home.

Similar demonstrations protesting Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron’s (R) decision not to charge any of the officers with murder took place around the country Wednesday. 

St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman (D) and the local police chief are expected to hold a press conference on the civil unrest there on Thursday, Fox13 reported. 

Kriseman tweeted a statement just before 10 p.m. on Wednesday. 

“In St. Pete, we support peaceful protests,” he said. “We will never support or tolerate lawbreakers who wish to dishonor the life of Breonna Taylor or anyone else. We will never support those who set out to hurt the cause and prevent progress.”

In St. Pete, we support peaceful protests. We will never support or tolerate lawbreakers who wish to dishonor the life of Breonna Taylor or anyone else. We will never support those who set out to hurt the cause and prevent progress.

— Rick Kriseman (@Kriseman) September 24, 2020