Curfews relaxed, group blocks Miami traffic on fifth day of protests

As Americans in dozens of cities flooded the streets for a fifth straight day Wednesday to protest police brutality after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, South Florida saw its curfew rules relaxed while smaller protests continued, including one that briefly blocked traffic downtown.

A group of about 50 protesters who gathered in downtown Miami was substantially smaller than in previous days, when hundreds of people marched and even shut down Interstate 95 on a contentious Saturday that ended with police using tear gas to disperse crowds and making dozens of arrests.

Subsequent days of demonstrations have resulted in few arrests, and Wednesday’s protest ended similarly — even after the group blocked traffic on Biscayne Boulevard, forcing cars onto Northeast Third Street.

At around 7:20 p.m., Miami police showed up and asked protesters to move to the sidewalk. They would be subject to arrest otherwise for blocking traffic, officers said over a loudspeaker.

The protesters, who had already diverted three buses down a side street, refused to move.

“I have been inconvenienced every day of my life,” said one protester, 25-year-old Deyvon Sanders of Miami. “It’s not that we are trying to tear down the city, but things are not going to change unless we make it known.”

The group of protesters, holding signs that included “Black Lives Matter” and “the police force is the most violent gang in America,” said they planned to return to the same intersection every day.

“Every day, every day!” they chanted.

At around 8:20 p.m., about 30 protesters stopped blocking the road and moved to the Freedom Tower, where they held signs and chanted for about 10 minutes before dispersing.

Some activists told the crowd to meet Thursday at 3 p.m. at Bayside Marketplace.

The small protest was a departure from the more than 500 people who showed up Tuesday to march more than four miles from the Miami-Dade County Pre-Trial Detention Center, through Overtown, Wynwood and downtown Miami.

Before the protest began, Miami-Dade County pushed back its curfew Wednesday from 9 p.m. to midnight after it had been in place since Saturday. Broward County, meanwhile, eliminated its curfew altogether.

That came on the heels of a major announcement in the Floyd case: Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison brought new charges Wednesday in connection with Floyd’s death.

Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, initially charged with third-degree murder, now faces second-degree murder charges. Three other officers involved in the incident were also charged with aiding and abetting murder.

Curfews relaxed, Miami-Dade beaches stay closed

On Wednesday afternoon, Broward County Administrator Bertha Henry announced a new emergency order that ended the county curfew. The curfew can be put back into place within an hour if the threat of civil unrest returns, said Broward County spokesman Ric Barrick.

The office of Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez announced the later curfew on Wednesday afternoon. Gimenez gave restaurants and other businesses a few hours’ notice that they could stay open for the rest of the night. The curfew ends each morning at 6.

Beaches in Miami-Dade, which were set to reopen June 1 after closures due to COVID-19, will remain closed for now. Gimenez delayed the reopening after imposing the curfew Saturday night. He said this week that beaches would remain closed as long as a curfew is in effect, but his office said beaches would still be closed Thursday.

‘Funeral procession’ in Miramar

In Miramar, Pastors Terrance and Johanne Wilson decided to hold a funeral procession for racism in South Florida and put the name of a black person killed because of their skin color on each car in the procession. They started a list, beginning with Emmett Till and ending with George Floyd.

It was over 2,000 names long.

“We didn’t have enough cars for the list of names we had,” Johanne Wilson said Wednesday afternoon, speaking into a microphone to a parking lot filled with dozens of cars bearing those names. “And to the families of the countless names on these cars, we grieve with you.”

The unique protest began near Gulfstream Park earlier Wednesday and wound its way down to Miramar Town Center as a motorcade flanked by police cruisers. At the front were a hearse and two billboard trucks, all bearing the slogan “death to racism.”

There, in front of the Miramar Police Station, the co-founders of newly formed COOL Church talked about the importance of action besides protesting, like voting and filling out a Census form.

“We must vote in order to change the systemic racism that is embedded into this country, and we cannot change it from the outside just by making noise,” Terrance said. “All of this hoopla means nothing if we don’t take practical steps going forward.”

The original demand of the protest, he said, was for the other three officers involved in George Floyd’s death to be charged. But that happened earlier Wednesday, he said. The crowd cheered and honked in response.

Protester Festus Amarteifio, 34, said as a nurse he was happy to see the protest would be in cars, so he’d be able to make his voice heard while maintaining social distancing.

“COVID is a concern,” he said. “I see it in the hospital every day.”

The protest also featured a range of politicians, most of whom called for their constituents to stand up for injustice at the ballot box.

Miramar Commissioner Alexandra Davis talked about how body cameras for Miramar cops only became mandatory last year, after years of activism in the community. Moving forward, she said she wants to see more training for police officers, more selective hiring practices, repeated psychological testing and a citizen oversight board.

Miramar Chief of Police Dexter Williams, who helped organize the police presence for the procession, said he understood his police department “has continued work to do.”

Johanne Wilson said racism is a sin that should be dealt with spiritually, but she also agreed with protesters who call for divestment from police departments. She would like to see some of that money spent on affordable housing and mental health resources for the community.

“I’m not saying we don’t need the police, but the way we’ve been handing out the funds has not been balanced,” she said.

Protester Anne Isabel Joseph, 31, is no stranger to police violence. She said she’s been held at gunpoint by police before.

“I know what it is to fear for one’s life,” she said. “[Cops] choose who they serve and protect.”

Ever since she watched the video of Floyd’s killing, which she called “a modern-day lynching,” she said she hasn’t been able to sleep normally.

The injustice, as well as the nationwide protests, have inspired her to get more involved politically, Joseph said, adding she plans to volunteer for politicians this year and go door-knocking.

The protest closed with an emotional moment between the pastors and their 10-year-old daughter Valencia Wilson.

“We’re doing this so you have a better world to grow up in,” Terrance Wilson said. “On my life, I’m going to leave this world a better place than I found it.”

Miami Herald staff writers Devoun Cetoute and Douglas Hanks contributed to this report.