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Hi Freepers! Hubby and I were there in the “outside” crowd. We arrived at 5:30. There were easily 300 people outside in line when we arrived. We quickly learned that the room was to hold 200 with another 50 in the foyer there were many people already inside (hand picked audience). Within a few minutes we were told by an officer that the room was almost full. I guess that was his way of telling us we didn't have a chance of getting inside the building. The following is a report from a friend from the Tampa 9/12 group who got into the meeting. Jean :)

“I was there last night as well, I was also inside the main meeting room. I knew that is wasn't going to go well when the Pastor who gave the invocation asked God to “keep still those that oppose this question.” I was the recipient of profanity by 2 DNC members and from a Time Magazine photo journalist, (he later apologized.) I also had to tell one gentlemen to remove his hand from my arm. The “overflow crowd”, located just outside the meeting hall with direct access to both hearing and seeing Ms Castor, began chanting “Read the Bill” after Ms. Castor said “no one would lose their private health care.” It was only when a union member (that had a front row seat and seated before any of the rest of us) ran into the overflow room pointing her finger screaming “shut-up” that the trouble began. The police intervened, brought her back into the meeting room and then shut the doors on the “overflow crowd” basically cutting off their ability to hear and see what was going on inside. At this point the “over flow” crowd began banging on the door.

What the politicians don't understand is: we are not there to ask questions nor listen to condescending answers. We have read the bill and know what it says. We are there to tell them we are tired of the fiscal burden of government programs and the Health Care Bill is our “line-in-the-sand.” We are there to tell our elected officials that if they vote “yes” on HR3200, their time in DC is over. Period.

After being told to disperse (at approx. 7:15p) from the Children's Board property by the Tampa Police, some of us stayed until 8P, protesting on the public sidewalk. I must say the overwhelming majority of the cars that passed us gave us the “thumbs-up.”