Anarchist Groups Closing In on Downtown Tampa

With Tuesday's announcement that Tampa rooftop last week, the sense of impending chaos surrounding the 2012 Republican National Convention was ratcheted up a notch before Tropical Storm Isaac ever entered the equation.

The artists that painted the symbol have been identified by media as the group "Anonymous", which is well known across the internet as a loose knit collection of hackers and activists who last week posted a video on Youtube announcing its intentions for the RNC (see Youtube video attached).

"No matter how many of us fall in the battle, we cannot be stopped," a computerized female voice says in the video. "Expect us. We are uncompromisingly the most powerful and effective underground resistance the world has ever seen. We were once the minority, we are now the majority. They can't stop us now."

With the presence of a Guy Fawkes mask, an Englishman who attempted to bomb parliament in the 1600s, the group has essentially branded itself making Anonymous a recognizable presence that has been seen at Occupy movements and protests around the country. The mask, borrowed from the movie V for Vendetta, is a sinister looking figure and was the image sprawled on a wall at the north end of Dr. Joseph Papia's chiropractic office roof at 1000 North Florida Avenue.

The group is also known for another logo containing an empty suit in front of a United Nations style globe logo with a question mark coming from the suit where a head would normally be.

The pile of bricks found at that location of the graffiti may have been intended to be used as weapons, often times hurled from within a "Black bloc". Earlier this year, Anonymous attempted to distance itself from groups identifying themselves as "Black bloc" through Youtube videos after Occupy protesters were targeted by police because of Black bloc actions.

As a group, a Black bloc moves toward its targeted area as a mass of black hooded sweat shirts, black pants, masks and running shoes. The idea is, if someone hurls a brick through a storefront window or at a police officer, for example, and then retreats into a crowd of similarly dressed people, it is unlikely an arrest can be made. Efforts to remove any form of significant markings from clothing such as logos and patches ensures that the group can maintain anonymity.

The term "Black bloc" usually refers to a tactic rather than an organization of people and is used as a security blanket by those aiming for destruction.

"Those who break the windows of small businesses, terrorize the employees and assault Occupy protesters demonize us in the eyes of the general public," an Anonymous Youtube video said last January. "You're (Black bloc) activities give the illusion of justified police brutality, robbing Occupy of the moral high ground and providing ammunition to the media."

The riff between the Black Bloc groups and Anonymous seemed non-existant, however, in a video released on July 9 titled Anonymous Message to Mayor Bob Buckhorn and RNC protesters and in a post on anarchistnews.org which stated: "Anonymous is just an idea and Black Bloc is just a tactic. Alone, our powers wane in the face of increased governmental scrutiny. Combined, we have the capacity to become an unstoppable force within the movement."

This type of strategic approach began to pick up steam during the protest of the World Trade Organization in Seattle in 1999, where chaos in the streets made international headlines for nearly a week as police used brutal force in dispersing protesters and anarchists alike. Black blocs have consistently resurfaced at movements around the globe since, including the recent NATO summit in Chicago, where Tampa Police and Mayor Bob Buckhorn were on hand to observe.

Regardless of weather conditions, anarchist groups like Anon bloc and Black bloc are expected in full force at the RNC alongside local anarchist groups like the Tampa Bay Action Group. While the groups lack a cohesive leadership and structure, there is no doubt their organizational methods will be on display next week. The city received its first warning in the form of Papia's rooftop, an announcement that only reiterated their impending arrival. 

With downtown Tampa set to stage the next battle ground of civilian discontent vs police action, what the future will hold for Tampa is far from certain. The only certainty is that protesters and anarchist groups will come and they will present police with the challenge of discerning individuals hell bent on chaos and those demonstrating peacefully.

"Most of the people coming here are coming to have their voices heard in a peaceful manner," Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor said on Tuesday. "There is a small percentage of individuals coming bent on destruction. We have trained to remove individuals like this from the crowd quickly. We've been trailing specific groups and individuals for the last year as well."