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‘They want freedom’: Cuban Americans continue Tampa protests into fourth night

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Posted at 11:21 PM, Jul 14, 2021
and last updated 2021-07-14 23:55:56-04

TAMPA, Fla. — For the fourth night in a row, hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets in Tampa to protest Cuba’s communist regime.

It was a sea of Cuban flags accompanied by a steady stream of chants and traffic horns along Dale Mabry Highway and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

And that location was not lost on the passionate group because they, too, have a dream. A dream they have been fighting for for more than 60 years.

“They want freedom,” said Angel Tur. “They don’t want medicine or food. They want human rights. They want the basic human rights that we enjoy in this country.”

Hundreds also gathered for a march through Ybor City’s historic 7th Avenue.

Jonathan Cosca remembers leaving Cuba at 10-years-old, escaping the harsh realities of life on the island nation.

“They don’t have hot water, we have to get lamps and heat the water with that,” recalls Cosca. “Each month, they only get a certain amount of food. It doesn’t matter if you run out, it doesn’t matter, there’s no more food.”

Cosca said he’s been moved by the ongoing protests in Tampa, watching thousands march in solidarity with the people in Cuba.

“I teared up because, you know, it hurts because my family is still over there, and seeing everybody coming together just made me so proud to be Cuban.”