TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa police announced they will be hosting the "Teen Takeover with a Purpose" program, while teaming up with former pro wrestler Titus O'Neil.
The Tampa Police Department (TPD) invites teens to gather on Friday, May 15, at the Jackson Heights NFL YET Center from 8 p.m. to midnight. There will be food, games, music, and prizes.
TPD said they are launching the event in response to recent takeovers that are becoming a trend on social media, where teens organize meet-ups that result in chaos.
Just this past weekend, 22 people were arrested after a "takeover" at Curtis Hixon Park.
School is set to let out across the Tampa Bay area in coming weeks.
And local groups are making it their goal to offer supervised events or hobbies.
"Kids want something to do. We have to ask ourselves, are we providing enough things for kids to do in the first place? If kids don't have some type of positive activity, they're going to create their own. Sometimes it's. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't," says Freddy Barton the executive director of Safe & Sound Hillsborough County.
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