Yaël Ossowski on How Tampa's Surveillance State Profited from the Republican National Convention
In addition to bringing 45,000 delegates, guests, and members of the media to Tampa back in August, this year's Republican National Convention also brought with it a vast network of surveillance cameras, armored trucks with weapons mounting capabilities, and state-of-the-art bulletproof vests strong enough to withstand high-caliber rounds. Yet while most of the convention-goers have long since left Tampa Bay, reports Yaël Ossowski, the millions of dollars in security costs awarded to local police departments have stayed put, engendering a new kind of technological surveillance state never before seen by Florida residents.