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'This Is Not Justice, This Is Lawlessness', Miami Police Chief Jorge Colina Weighs In Statue Vandalism During Protest

MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Miami Police Chief Jorge Colina said he's very concerned after two statues near Bayfront Park were vandalized during an otherwise peaceful protest on Wednesday.

Using surveillance cameras, police were able to view the protest and vandalism in real-time from a command center and instruct officers arriving on the scene which of those in the crowd had caused trouble.

When officers moved in, tensions flared between them and those in the crowd.

"When you start attacking walls and knocking things over and vandalizing statues we have no choice but to protect that property," said Colina.

In the end, seven people were arrested and a police car was damaged.

The chief said his officers had no choice but to step in as the Christopher Columbus and Ponce de Leon statues were vandalized Wednesday night, sprayed with red paint among other things.

Columbus has been criticized for his violent treatment and killing of Native Americans.

"These are people who think it's okay in the name of justice. This is not justice, this is lawlessness and it's our duty to protect people's property that they worked very hard for, including, by the way, the city's property. The city has to end up paying for the cars that are damaged as well as the city's buildings. The taxpayer ends up paying for that," Colina told CBS4's Peter D'Oench.

Witnesses said as one man was taken into custody and another put in handcuffs, someone slammed a skateboard into a police cruiser's windshield.

"I think we have shown, Peter, with 10 days of protests where we have stood back and allowed protestors to go out and protest wherever they want but if you have a few people who come out and want to break the law this is not going to be allowed and they will be charged. These charges are serious," he said.

The chief pointed out that peaceful protesters will not be taken into custody. He added that he realizes his officers have to tread carefully.

"It's very difficult and the last thing I want is for someone to get hurt while being a protestor or one of my officers to get hurt. It's just a shame this has happened. People want to speak about the issues that are occurring and deal with them. Some (however) want to spew more hate. I have never seen where hate is the proper response to anything," said Colina.

Five of those arrested are from Miami and Miami Beach, the other two are from Lake Worth and Fort Worth, Texas. Some have been charged with inciting a riot, one has been charged with assaulting a police officer.

It's not known if those who were arrested are tied to any group.

On Thursday afternoon, a group of 20 people assembled outside the Metro Justice Building in support of those arrested. They were not allowed to attend their bond court hearings because of restrictions tied to the Coronavirus. D'Oench asked them if they had any comments. One unidentified woman in the group said, "We have nothing to say today."

On Thursday afternoon, CBS4 spotted crime scene technicians from Miami Police at both statues, dusting for fingerprints and looking for evidence.

Visitors to Bayside have been stopping at the Ponce De Leon statue and taking photos of the vandalism. Many did not want to comment. One unidentified man said, "I want to stay out of this."

Another woman, who identified herself as Jennifer, echoed the off-camera sentiments of other people when she said "I know there has to be justice. But this is not the right way."

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