YBOR CITY, Fla. — The grassroots organization, TAARPR, hosted a town hall meeting to discuss how to improve safety following a deadly crash in Ybor City last year.
Filip Freund is a member of the Tampa Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.
WATCH: Grassroots organization hosts town hall on Ybor safety after 2025 deadly crash
Tampa Bay 28 reporter Julie Salomone was at the meeting where Freund said he wants accountability and believes law enforcement should not pursue vehicles.
"We’ve been canvassing around generally Ybor and essentially asking about the accident that happened on Nov. 8 and kind of asking about, you know, community members what they feel is the appropriate solution for how to prevent an event like this from happening again," Freund said.
In November of 2025, Tampa Police said Silas Sampson was driving recklessly on I-275. Sampson exited the interstate, Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) initiated a PIT maneuver to get his car to stop, but it did not work. Sampson approached 7th Avenue where he lost control of his car and slammed into a crowd of people.
Four people died following the crash.
Christy Turner said she lost her cousin, Sherman Jones, following that crash.
"He should still be here and he should've had the space to live a long and happy life like most of us want to do," said Turner.
City of Tampa officials hosted a listening session in February. They discussed several potential safety measures including adding bollards, adding more on-street parking to reduce the size of the roadway and also reducing the speed limit on 7th Avenue.
A spokesperson for the Tampa Police Department said, "Any of the questions and concerns were addressed in this forum and we continue to welcome community input on any policy concerns. While this remains, an active investigation led by FHP, the focus of every law enforcement agency is to ensure the safety of the community they serve."
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