South Florida joins the nation in protesting George Floyd’s death. One has drawn critics
“I knew something was off about that Coral Gables protest.”
Sean Edwards Jr.’s tweet about Saturday’s planned protest against police brutality along Coral Gables’ Miracle Mile, the affluent city’s signature downtown shopping and dining street, is representative of thousands that turned “Coral Gables” into a trending topic Saturday morning on the social media site.
The Gables protest, organized by Protests Miami — a group focused on Equality in Education — according to the Gables Insider, is scheduled for 4 p.m. Saturday at the intersection of Miracle Mile and LeJeune Road.
In a flyer circulated by the group, they state: “We are protesting the deaths of: George Floyd, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Tamir, Rice, Sandra Bland, and all the black and brown lives that matter.”
The protest is one of several locally — including ones at 3 p.m. Saturday at the Torch of Friendship, 401 Biscayne Blvd. in downtown Miami, and 3 p.m. Sunday in Miami at 1328 NW Third Ave. and at Lauderhill Performing Arts Center, 3800 NW 11th Place — that follow national protests.
The protests come because a white Minneapolis cop, Derek Chauvin, knelt on the neck of unarmed George Floyd, a black man accused of passing a counterfeit bill. Floyd begged for air, saying he couldn’t breathe, and called out to his mother before he died under the weight of Chauvin.
Gables protest controversy
Though one of many, it’s the Gables protest that is generating the most local controversy, hours before it even started, because detractors say it is not black-led and because Coral Gables police have been invited to the event. Many are using the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag.
“Nonblack people inviting police to their protest is the most Coral Gables s--t I’ve ever heard,” read one representative post.
Among the many posts on Twitter, Rosé Martí said: “This event is not centering the right voices/ideas and I do not recommend any comrades to go to what will be a co-opted event.”
Others call the Gables protest “anti black” because of the police invitation and involvement.
On Friday afternoon, the Coral Gables Police Department issued a statement on Twitter that Chief Edward Hudak would meet with members of the Equality in Education group at 5 p.m. Saturday.
The meeting between Gables police and the organizers following “their peaceful protest,” according to the department, is in order “to have an open dialogue towards constructive solutions towards preventing unfortunate event such as those seen in recent stories publicized throughout the country.”
Saturday afternoon Hudak issued a statement: “The Coral Gables Police Department is preparing for today’s peaceful protest using many resources from our local police departments and federal partners who will be on hand. The City of Coral Gables welcomes all peaceful displays for a cause of concern or protests,” he said.
“To ensure the safety of all citizens who are present, any violence or attempt to be disruptive or cause damage to any surrounding property during the event will be immediately addressed and persons responsible will be dispersed by the Coral Gables Police Department and by our partnering local, state, and federal agencies,” said Hudak.
On its Instagram page, Protest Miami explains why Coral Gables, known by generations for its City Hall-sanctioned “City Beautiful” nickname, was chosen.
“White communities have the privilege of avoidance. If you protest in Liberty City, you are preaching to the choir. It’s time to open up the conversation and include people who have not been involved,” Protest Miami wrote.
The hastily assembled group was not initially an organization — like Dream Defenders and Broward Dream Defenders, Black Lives Matter Alliance Broward, and the Broward chapter of Democratic Socialists of America that are behind the Miami and Lauderhill protests, respectively.
“We are community members who saw nothing was being done,” the Protest Miami group said on Instagram. “We are taking actions. Local organizations are not supporting our protest.”
Nationwide protests
The South Florida protests will follow nationwide protests “fueled by outrage over Floyd’s death and years of police violence against African Americans,” the Associated Press reported.
Protesters burned the 3rd Precinct building of the Minneapolis police department on Thursday, smashed windows at CNN headquarters in Atlanta, set a police car on fire and struck officers with bottles. Large demonstrations in New York, Houston, Washington, D.C., and dozens of other cities ranged from people peacefully blocking roads to repeated clashes with police.
Chauvin was arrested Friday and charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
On Friday, President Donald Trump sparked another controversy when he posted a tweet that quoted a racist Miami police chief of the late 1960s. Both said “when the looting starts, the shooting starts.”
Trump’s tweet was flagged by Twitter for “glorifying violence.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
This story was originally published May 30, 2020 at 8:50 AM with the headline "South Florida joins the nation in protesting George Floyd’s death. One has drawn critics."
