Courthouse Cleared Ahead Of Ferguson Protest

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Court employees, attorneys and others left the Metro Justice Building early Tuesday afternoon, ahead of a planned protest over the Ferguson decision.

Just after 3:00 p.m., word came down that the courthouse would be evacuated at 4:00 p.m. because of the protest which is set to start at 6:00 p.m.

The decision was made by the chief judge and police to get everyone out of the area.

While they are expecting the protest to be peaceful, they ordered everyone out of the building out of an abundance of caution.

The decision disrupted many trials and legal proceedings including a murder trial.

Jurors were in the middle of deliberations when they were evacuated.

The prosecutor in the case doesn't think the evacuation will affect jurors.

"When they were brought out, they seemed kind of surprised and I don't think it's anything that's going to affect deliberations," said Assistant State Attorney Abbe Rifkin.

The streets around the courthouse will also be closed for the protest. Drivers in the area should prepare to find another route or take a detour.

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