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LIVE THREAD: I’m at Huizenga Park in Fort Lauderdale reporting on @BLM_Broward, @BrowardDSA, and @BrowardSquaDD protest over the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis for the @SunSentinel . About 200 people here and growing. Follow here and at this page for live updates:
I’ll be updating this @SunSentinel article throughout the day: https://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/fl-ne-george-floyd-lauderhill-protest-20200531-zsl3kdb2yzekbkle5tpledrtwm-story.html
There’s about 200 people here and growing. About 86 degrees out. Everyone wearing is wearing a mask. About a dozen people on stage leading chants including, “back up, back up, we want freedom, freedom. All these racist ass cops, we don’t need em, need em!”
Chants of “I can’t breathe” into “Black lives matter”
Elijah Manley, 21, of Fort Lauderdale, (also a youth services coordinator for Broward Schools) says he’s here to honor the lives of black and brown people impacted by police brutality.
A few hundred people here now. @BLM_Broward community organizer Tifanny Burks speaking. Before the event started, she told me, “We are gathering because we are done with the epidemic and public health crisis known as ‘police brutality.’ We are gathering to express our grief...
...anger and call for the divestment and defunding of local and national police departments. We want investments in things that actually uplift and keep our communities safe.”
Protesters now sitting and kneeling in the intersection of Andrews Ave. and SW 2nd Street. Police motorcycles keeping distance, directing traffic away.
Protesters continuing to march west on Broward Boulevard, approaching Fort Lauderdale Police hq. Broward Sheriff’s Office is a bit farther west on the other side of I-95. Crowd has grown to maybe around 800-1,000. Can’t see where it starts or ends from where I’m at in the middle
Just arrived at Fort Lauderdale police. Officers are on the roof. Chants include, “show me what democracy looks like, this is what democracy looks like,” “I can’t breathe,” and “no justice, no peace!” Still peaceful, no arrests so far that I’ve seen.
They just raised an American flag at Fort Lauderdale Police Station with “Justice 4 Some” written on it. Heading back onto Broward Blvd now.
Marching over the bridge on Andrews Ave. toward the Broward main jail
Lots of people running toward the FAU garage. Cops shot tracer rounds. One cop with his sidearm our in adjacent lot. Some big sounds. Unclear what happened. Will update
cops in gas masks launching concussion grenades and tear gas. Unclear what set it off
Protesters in front of riot police. A small number of protesters threw water bottles, which was met with criticism from many others. Overwhelming majority of protesters sitting, kneeling, and chanting peacefully. Cops in gas masks, riot gear, and zip-ties.
Police presence a bit heightened even though crowd appears smaller. Horses, a humvee, rifles, and a bearcat or similar armored vehicle (two separate videos, second one in next tweet)
These sounds are motorcycle engines’ backfiring, not gunshots. This was also not near the rest of the protesters or cops, but audible from here and spooked at least one of the horses. Bearcat reverses to move toward it but motorcyclists appeared to have left.
BREAKING: @FTLCityNews will issue 9 p.m. curfew according to Fort Lauderdale Vice Mayor Steven Glassman. People still out could be arrested, he says. Working on getting more details. @SunSentinel
Sunrise Police truck with loud spear being used to tell protesters they’ll be arrested if still here after 9pm curfew. Cops unloading more gear. Can’t see protesters anymore, view is blocked by cops.
Was not able to see anything else in the area. Just arrived at @FLPD411 station for press conference at 10pm with @FTLCityNews Mayor @DeanTrantalis
. @DeanTrantalis calls death of George Floyd tragic and criticizes police but urges people to respond “peacefully.” Said he respects people exercising their rights to protest.
Said today’s protest was peaceful from 3 to 6pm. What happened after as people went home, he says, a whole new group of individuals appeared on the scene. Calls those demonstrators agitators. Says they brought concrete blocks, gas masks, and milk.
“We are a peaceful city,” he says. “But there are those who came to our city and to this moment continue to wreak havoc.” Says there has been broken windows at stores and government centers. Says this was critiqued by protest organizers.
No one is allowed on the streets unless there is an emergency between 9 pm and 6 am, until they say they can assure streets are safe at night, @DeanTrantalis says. “Each day until the agitators leave our community,” he says.
One officer has been taken off duty for shoving a woman, as reported by @WPLGLocal10, and is being investigated.
Asked if curfew came too late, given Miami’s, @DeanTrantalis says they expected it to be peaceful, given the organizers. Called curfew an “extreme measure, in response to the violence.”
Says there were two arrests for looting. Said he doesn’t know where they were from. Does not know full number of arrests so far.
Said only one officer, the one seen in video pushing the woman on the ground, is being investigated right now.
. @FLPD411 chief Rick Maglione says protesters set off fireworks, which he says is separate from organizers of event. Says those who bring fireworks are there to cause trouble.
Says only vandalism at the station was writing on the American flag out front. Says heavy response was because officers said they needed assistance.
Says two looters along Las Olas and government centers, will get enhanced sentences because of state of emergency. Could only confirm two arrests at the moment.
Here’s @WPLGLocal10’s story with video of the officer shoving a woman who was on the ground. He is being investigated according to mayor and police chief.
Presser just finished. Here’s our story @SunSentinel. Stay tuned for updates. https://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/fl-ne-george-floyd-lauderhill-protest-20200531-zsl3kdb2yzekbkle5tpledrtwm-story.html
Just realized the @WPLGLocal10 link didn’t paste into this story: http://www.local10.com/news/local/2020/06/01/video-shows-officer-pushing-woman-during-fort-lauderdale-protests/
